292 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



the crater, which in some places is scarcely wide 

 enough for two persons to pass abreast. 



The crater "or caldero" is about a hundred yards 

 wide by twenty deep, and looks somewhat like the bed 

 of an empty pond. The sides, which in places ap- 

 pear to have given away and fallen in, have been 

 bleached almost white by the continued action of 

 the sulphurous vapour and acid fumes, and the 

 interior somewhat resembles the side of a chalk-pit 

 that has been exposed to the weather. In some 

 parts it is coated with a thin layer of sulphur, more 

 especially near the crevices, from which the fumes 

 and steam issue, which my friend gravely informed 

 our guides "were the chimneys of Old Nick's 

 brimstone manufactory, for supplying the infernal 

 regions with the necessary commodity to burn 

 sinners." 



We soon found a place amongst the crumbling 

 debris to scramble down, and selecting a shady 

 spot, we opened the baskets, and prepared to dine, 

 an important consideration at that time, for the 

 mountain air and our exertions had wonderfully 

 sharpened our appetites. In all countries, dinner 



