BY XUGEXT WADE BROUN. 45 



of water in the form of a circular lake of unknown depth. The 

 distance fi-om Ban Ban station is about twelve miles in a north- 

 easterly direction, and in a line with Degilbo station. From a 

 distant view there would appear to be only one mountain, but 

 on looking down from the summit there is evidence of there 

 having been at one time two distinct volcanoes. The mountain 

 is not any higher than others in the locality, and, like all the 

 others surrounding it, is covered with a dense scrub, with almost 

 impenetrable underwood and loose basalt. For many years past 

 the blacks talked of the existence of a lake among these moun- 

 tains. They referred to it with tbe deference due to an old and 

 respected legend ; but none of them had seen it. On several 

 occasions I sent blacks out to search for it, but without success. 

 A very old blackfellow lately came to Ban Ban, and was ques- 

 tioned on the subject. He remembered having seen it when a 

 lad, and described the locality sufficiently to enable us to dis- 

 cover it, but with great difficulty. We had to ascend more than 

 one mountain before we hit upon the right one. After struggling 

 up the steep incline, forcing our way through the dense under- 

 growtb, we reached the summit, and then found we were stand- 

 ing upon the rugged lips of an extinct volcano. The scene from; 

 here was weird and impressive. Opposite w^as distinctly seen 

 the outline of the lip of the crater, distant about a mile across, 

 and below us about 200 yards, with the dark clouds overhead 

 reflected in it, was a wide and apparently very deep sheet of 

 water — I should say fully 300 yards wide. The crater is circular 

 and most distinctly marked. We descended to the water, but 

 with considerable difficulty. It is perfectly fresh and good, and 

 deepens quickly from nothing to about 14 feet twenty yards from 

 the edge. The young trees, for aboat fifteen to t\Yenty yards 

 from the edge, are dead, proving that the water is higher now 

 than in former years. There is, however, no natural watercourse. 

 Possibly the water may go into it from below. The lips of the 

 crater consist of large masses of black lava, much honeycombed 

 and very light. [A sample of the larva was exhibited.] The 

 two lakes are distant about half a mile from each other, the 

 division forming a portion of the lips of both craters. The one 

 lake has the same appearance as the other, circular in form and 

 equal in size. 1 had not the time to descend to the second. 



