38 MOUNTAINS OF GEACIOSA. 



himself opposite to a small fort, situated north of Teguisa, 

 the capital of the island of Lancerota. Mistaking a rock 

 of basalt for a castle, he saluted it by hoisting a Spanish 

 flag, and sent a boat with an ofl&cer to inquire of the 

 commandant whether any English vessels were cruising 

 in the roads. He was not a little surprised to learn that 

 the land which he had considered as a prolongation of 

 the coast of Lancerota, was the small island of Graciosa, 

 and that for several leagues there was not an inhabited 

 place. Humboldt and Bonpland took advantage of the 

 boat to survey the land, which inclosed a large bay. 

 The small portion of the island which they traversed 

 resembled a promontory of lava. The rocks were naked 

 with no marks of vegetation, and scarcely any of vege- 

 table soil. 



They re-embarked at sunset, and hoisted sail, but the 

 breeze was too feeble to permit the Pizarro to continue 

 her course to Teneriffe. The sea was calm ; a reddish 

 vapor covered the horizon, and seemed to magnify 

 every object. In this solitude, amidst so many uninha- 

 bited islets, the travellers enjoyed for a long time the view 

 of rugged and wild scenery. The black mountains of 

 Graciosa appeared like perpendicular walls five or six 

 hundred feet high. Their shadows, thrown over the 

 surface of the ocean, gave a gloomy aspect to the scenery. 

 Rocks of basalt, emerging from the bosom of the waters, 

 wore the resemblance of the ruins of some vast edifice, 

 and carried their thoughts back to the remote period 

 when submarine volcanoes gave birth to new islands, or 

 rent continents asunder. Everything which surrounded 

 them seemed to indicate destruction and sterility ; but 

 the back-ground of the picture, the coasts of Lancerota, 



