96 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



mouth, a proceeding which he signified by signs 

 that we must imitate, rushing forward across the 

 slope as he exclaimed, "Fate presto." Without 

 hesitation we followed him, and speedily reached 

 the margin of the mouth which in 1842 had thrown 

 its lava into the Val del Bove, and which, being 

 reopened by the eruption of 1843, appeared still 

 to threaten the neighbouring district. It was from 

 hence that the smoke issued which we had seen 

 from Giardini, and it was from the depths of its 

 abysses that we had from time to time heard rolling 

 peals of subterranean thunder. 



Here all description becomes absolutely impos- 

 sible. A vast irregularly circular enclosure formed 

 by perpendicular walls encircled the chasm. To the 

 left, at the foot of the escarpment, a large blow-hole 

 had opened from which darted forth eddies of fiery 

 red smoke. In the centre, to the right, everywhere 

 lay enormous blocks of lava, that had been shivered, 

 cracked, and torn, some black, others of a dark red, 

 but all exhibiting in their crevices, the vivid tints of 

 the lava from which they had been formed. A 

 thousand streams of white or gray smoke were 

 crossing and recrossing each other in all directions, 

 with a deafening noise and with a whistling sound, 

 similar to that of a locomotive from which the steam 

 is escaping. Unfortunately we could do no more 

 than throw a hasty glance at this strange and ter- 

 rific scene. The hydrochloric acid entered our 

 throats and penetrated to the last ramifications of 

 the bronchial tubes ; and with haste, and almost in- 

 toxicated, as it were, we regained the protecting 



