THE COASTS OF SICILY. 25 



it so arduous to traverse, but which appeared, when 

 seen from our elevated position, to be a mere plain. 

 To the left our eyes rested on the highest peak of the 

 island, which was once a portion of the most ancient 

 and the outermost of the three concentric ridges, 

 and which was separated from us by a deep ravine. 

 To the right was the small elevation from which we 

 had just descended ; whilst in front of us the ridge 

 on which we were standing curved in a semicircle 

 towards a mass of lava suspended over a precipice, 

 and at the same time enclosed a steeply inclined 

 mass of cinders and scoria3 abruptly cut by the 

 edges of the abyss, into which the existing crater 

 opens. 



This crater encloses within its walls six distinct 

 mouths. Two of these secondary craters eject that 

 smoke, impregnated with hydrochloric and sulphur- 

 ous acid gases, which is at all times being emitted 

 from the summit of the mountain. The third mouth, 

 which is situated to the right, also throws out a 

 thick and whitish smoke, in the midst of which red 

 fiery stones flash like sparks as they incessantly rise 

 and fall in the midst of a strange noise, resembling 

 the heavy surf driven on a storm-beaten coast, and 

 making one involuntarily think of the mythical caves 

 of the demons. To the left lie the three mouths which 

 exhibit only intermittent eruptions ; two of these 

 evidently belong to the same focus, for they always 

 kindle and become extinguished simultaneously. 

 The third, whose eruptions are much less frequent 

 than the others, is nearest to the spectator. The 

 most formidable detonations proceed from this crater, 



