72 GOLDEN DREAMS. 



crevice, whence at times tliere issued flames which might 

 be seen at a great distance in the night; judging by the 

 elevation of the rocks, above which these fiery exhala- 

 tions ascended, Humboldt was led to think that they 

 rose several hundred feet. 



In an excursion which they made at Rinconado the 

 travellers attempted to penetrate into the crevice, wish- 

 ing to examine the rocks which seemed to contain in their 

 bosom the cause of these extraordinary conflagrations; 

 but the strength of the vegetation, the interweaving 

 of the lianas, and thorny plants, hindered their pro- 

 gress. Hap2:>ily the inhabitants of the valley themselves 

 felt a warm interest in their researches, less from the fear 

 of a volcanic explosion, than because their minds were 

 impressed with the idea that the crevice contained a gold 

 mine ; and although the travellers expressed their doubts 

 of the existence of gold in a secondary limestone, they 

 insisted on knowing " what the German miner thought 

 of the richness of the vein." Ev^r since the time of 

 Charles Y. and the government of the Welsers, the 

 Alfingers, and the Sailers, at Coro and Caracas, the peo- 

 ple of Terra Firma had entertained a great confidence in 

 the Germans with respect to all that related to the work- 

 ing of mines. Wherever Humboldt went in South 

 America, when the place of his birtli was known, he was 

 shown samples of ore. In these colonies every French- 

 man was supposed to be a physician, and every German 

 a miner. 



The firmcrs, with the aid of their slaves, opened a 

 path across the woods to the first fall of the Rio Juagua; 

 and on the 10th of September Humboldt and Bonpland 

 made their excursion to the crevice. On entering it they 



