Volcanic Mountain in St. Vincent's. 2:3, 



myfelf very little nearer than when I. was at the bottom. The. 

 woods now became very difficult to get through ; great quan- 

 tities of fallen trees lying buried under long grafs and being 

 rotten, when T thought myfelf walking on the ground, I was- 

 frequently buried a great depth among them. Being now 

 about noon, and my turn to carry the baggage, and confe- 

 quently my turn of reft, I was furprifed to hear a ruftling 

 among the buflies, and fomething like a human voice behind' 

 me. As we- were now in a place where I" had little reafon to 

 fuppofe there had been a human foot before, and could not 

 i'magine there could be habitations of Caribbees or run- away 

 negroes, fmce from the barrennefs of the mountain they 

 could notpoffibly findany proviiions to fubfiil on, 1 told the boy 

 to fliand flill, and let us' wait their coming up ; for if they were. 

 Garibbees advancing with an intention ta hurt u«, there was no 

 alternativ^e but to defend ourfelves. You may imagine my fur- 

 pTife wheil I faw one of the negroes who had B^en with me the 

 day before, with three others, which Mr. Maloune had fen t 

 to my affiftance, with plenty of provifions. After refrefli- 

 menti with this afliftance, I renewed my labours with freflr 

 fpirits, and thought 1 was- fure of 'Teaching the top before 

 night. Having proce-ededa^- little, I.^iad a fair viev/ of the; 

 ravin on my left, whicH wa§ of prodigious depth, and ran 

 from near the top 'of the mountain to the fea ; its . bottom 

 feemed to-be a rock of a colour nearly refembling lava, and 

 appeared as if there had be^n vail: torrents of fulphureous mat- 

 ter running in it feme time. - I regretted much I knew 'not of 

 this ravin before I' commenced my excurfion, "as by. paffing a 

 head-land in a canoe, and getting into the ravin, I might have; 

 gained the fummit of the mountain, without experiencing, ths: 

 dfekys and difficulties I here encountered. It was now about 



