126 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



frequent ; the scoriee which were thrown up by the 

 small volcano rose to, a greater height, and in their 

 fall they sometimes passed beyond the boundaries 

 of the cone; the solid crust on which we were 

 resting began to emit a crackling noise, and a few of 

 the less steadily poised blocks were thrown over. 



At this moment the soil began to rise at about 

 forty feet from us, and in an hour's time, instead of 

 presenting a nearly horizontal surface as it had done 

 on our arrival, it formed, in the direction of the 

 eastern margin of the crater, a rounded prominence 

 of about ten or twelve feet in height. Several 

 openings appeared on its side, but these were soon 

 reduced to three, and finally to a single one, from 

 which a perfectly fluid lava issued, and flowed in a 

 straight line towards us. At its origin this burning 

 stream was at most about four or five feet in width, 

 and here it exhibited a beautiful and almost dazzling 

 whiteness; but it gradually acquired a deep red colour 

 as it also became considerably wider in the course of 

 its progress. In about two hours' time it had reached 

 the spot where we were standing, and we now began 

 to retreat step by step before it. At the same time 

 the entire crater seemed to waken into activity. 

 All its fissures and crevices gleamed with light, and 

 the block which had served us for a table began to 

 grow red round its base. Every moment the heat 

 grew more intense. It was a true overflowing, occa- 

 sioned by the afflux of the liquid matters which 

 rose from the abysses of the volcano. It was now 

 necessary to think of retreating, for when we 

 reached the margin, at least one sixth part of 



