306 THE LIFE OF JAMES D. FORBES. [CHAP. 



At one spot the fissure may be entered by the help of a 

 rope. It was exactly three feet wide, and in one part 

 probably twenty feet high, but very rugged and narrow. 

 I entered it, preceded by Vincenzo's son, and at first had 

 to crawl on my very face, though it afterwards became 

 higher, and we rose up again. The cavern at the end, 

 glistening in the light of the candle, was beautiful : it 

 was covered with crystals of specular iron, producing a 

 splendid effect, while greenish crystals clothed the general 

 mass of the lava, which assumed rugged and singular 

 forms. The chasm closed here rather abruptly, but a kind 

 of dome, like a furnace, rose above our heads, which had 

 doubtless once formed a cone, and into which I managed 

 to climb. . . . Ee turning to light and air for we had 

 latterly been in the dark, owing to the accidental extinc- 

 tion of our candle we had some difficulty in clambering 

 up the precipice again, although helped by the rope 

 which Vincenzo held. . . . We returned in heavy rain 

 to Naples/ 



Two days after, they started for Eome. A week before, 

 Forbes had found in the travellers* book at the hermitage 

 on Monte Epomeo the following entry : 



' John 1 



Charles ^Forbes, March 28th, 1827.' 

 James J 



' And all this time/ he said, ' has passed as a watch in 

 the night. I seem to stand where I had been standing 

 a few days before ! ' 



To E. C. BATTEN, ESQ. 



' ROME, January 7tk. 



'. . . At last we are safely at Rome. The climate feels 

 damp after Naples, but oh ! what a place Rome is after 

 all ! ... I must explain that we heard nothing of the 

 eruption of Etna until it was entirely past, as I believe 

 the Neapolitans took care not to make any sensation 

 about these things, for fear of disturbing strangers ; and 



