36 CENTRAL AMERICA. 



SO they passed the second night. On the 

 niorning of the 23rd the layer of ashes had 

 considerably increased iu depth ; but the 

 fall had become very much more dense, and 

 the natural gi*ave of man seemed to be rising 

 from the mother earth, instead of being dug 

 into it. The women, with their heads cover- 

 ed with wet linen, again hurried to the 

 churches with cries and lamentations, and 

 tried to sing canticles to their favourite 

 saints. As a last resource, every saint in 

 Leon's churches, without any exception, lest 

 he be offended, was taken from his niche and 

 placed out in the open air, — I suppose to 

 enable him to judge from experience of the 

 state of affairs ; — but still the ashes fell ! 



No doubt, at the height of two or three 

 miles the sun was shining clear and warm in 

 the bright blue sky ; but all his power and 

 glory could not penetrate enough into the 

 thick cloud of ashes, even to make his situ- 

 ation in the heavens to be guessed at ; but 

 when he was nearly sinking in the western 

 horizon, a mighty wind sprang up from the 

 north, and in the space of half an hour allow- 

 ed the inhabitants of Leon just to gain a 

 view of his setting rays gilding the tops of 

 their national volcanos. 



