372 Account of a Visit to the rolcano Goenong Apie, 



vices, which were frequently very hroad and deep, holding, as wq 

 proceeded along their black edges, by the brambles and ferns 

 which grow there in an abundance, and to an extraordinary 

 height. 



The most varied scenes, sometimes agreeable, and sometimes 

 terrible, opened themselves to our view whenever a beam of the 

 moon penetrated the darkness which surrounded ns. Here trees 

 with their brandies interlaced, there ancient trunks overthrown 

 or rooted up, everywhere enormous steep rocks, some vvhoUy 

 barren, some covered with a kind of verdure, the damp clefts 

 in which served as 'retreats for monstrous serpents, the sight of 

 which terrihed us whenever we discovered them by their hissing. 

 We found here numerous majestic cocoa trees loaded with fruit. 

 By degrees we advanced, and as the thickness of the trees and 

 the verdure of them, as well as the rocks, visibly diminished, we 

 enjQved more and more the lustre of the queen of night, and we 

 had reason to hope that we shouUl soon be at the end of our pil- 

 grimage on the barren part of the mountain. It was about half- 

 past four in the morning when we at last arrived ; and the scene 

 w^hich offered itself to our view amply repaid our fatigues. The 

 whole cone appeared from the bottom like an extremely smooth 

 mass formed of lieaps of lava; the summit was enveloped in sul- 

 phureous clouds issuing from the crater, gently agitated by the 

 night breeze, and their edges silvered by the beams of the moon. 

 From time to time flashes or quick eruptions of fire issued froni 

 the interior of the volcano. A mournful silence prevailed around 

 Vs, the ocean was blended with the clouds, and the islands seemed 

 to float beneath our feet in the dim perspective. 



After having reposed some moments in tliis place, we under- 

 took the dangerous and fatiguing task of ascending a slope of 

 50", and tliml)ing over a mass of moving stones. As in coming 

 loose thev drew others along with them, we were obliged to keep 

 in a line abreast of each other, in order to avoid mutual injury 

 when we were thrown down by these stones, It often happened 

 that when we leaned upon the largest masses, they loosened, and 

 lamed our hands and feet. At pretty short intervals we had op- 

 portunities of resting upon ferns growing between the rocks; then 

 we took breath, and refreshed ourselves with a beverage which 

 \ve had carried with us. 



Suddenly the horizon cleared up, and we perceived the ex- 

 tremity of the ocean, and the clouds floating around us like a 

 gilded zone ; it was the approach of dawn. At the same time 

 the morning-gun was heard from the Evertsen, and the noise re- 

 peated from one island to another insensibly died away, like that 

 pf thunder upon the vast surface of the ocean. The dawning 

 light showed us the verdure of the trees below our feet like an 



even 



