362 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN^ ARCHIPELAGO. 



stream, and began following its course ujDward tow- 

 ard tliis basin. At a place where tlie temperature 

 was 48° Celsius, 118.4° Falirenlieit, tlie rocks and 

 sticks ill tke water were thickly covered with dark- 

 green algae. A little higher up the temperature was 

 51° Celsius, 123.8° Fahrenheit, and algae were still 

 present, though the fumes of sulphur that rose choked 

 me as I stooped to examine the temperature. We 

 had now come to a thick jungle where the ground 

 was so soft and miiy it was both difficult and danger- 

 ous to get nearer the boiling pool. At last one of 

 the natives was induced by the promise of a large 

 piece of silver to cut away the bamboos and small 

 shrubbery, if I would keep close behind him. Thus 

 we slowly worked our way several yards higher 

 up, when I ordered him to turn toward the stream. 

 This hot-bog was certainly the next place to Tartarus. 

 In several places between the clumps of small trees 

 and bamboos the water was boiling and bubbling 

 fuiiously, and pouring out great volumes of stifling 

 gases, but I followed my coolie so closely that he had 

 no time to regret his agreement, and at last we 

 reached the bank of the stream, a place was cleared, 

 and fastening my thermometer to the end of a long 

 bamboo, I placed it in the hot, opaque water. Three 

 times I repeated the observation, and each time the 

 mercury stood at 50° Celsius, 122° Fahrenheit, but I 

 judged from the rate it fell after the first reading 

 that it stood at 52°, certainly not higher, before it 

 was raised into the air. In this spot we had unfortu- 

 nately come among hundi^eds of ants, that came out 

 and bit me until my ankles seemed to be surrounded 



