174 Letter XII. 
state of excitement. On enquiry we found that a feast was in the 
course of preparation, and that the cause of it and the material 
for it had not long ago arrived from the sea-coast.. It was a 
turtle—a great fat fellow—which was lying on his back in the 
middle of the crowd, the very picture of stupid helplessness. 
The oven was all ready for him, the stones arranged, and the 
banana-leaves laid out ; and just as we came up they were go- 
ing to kill him. Tying him to two stakes, an ugly savage let 
light into him by means of a sharp bamboo-knife ; but by that 
time we were moving off again, and I saw no more of the turtle 
or the expectant savages. 
A turtle is a great prize amongst the Tanamen—not only his 
flesh being much esteemed by them, but the shell is highly 
valued ; for from it they make many ornaments for their necks 
and ears. ; 
After leaving the village, we walked on for an hour through 
thick woods. Although the volcano was concealed by the 
foliage overhead, the thundering noise of its eruptions were 
growing louder, and made it apparent that we were not very far 
from its base. At last, after climbing a considerable ascent, we 
burst through the trees and bushes, and found ourselves on 
open ground, with the brown bare cone rising above us. 
As we ploughed our way up through the soft and shifting soil, 
mostly composed of ashes, the outbursts grew more furious and 
deafening than ever. The vegetation was now all left behind, 
save a small plant of the lily kind, with a pretty pink flower, 
and the indomitable pandanus, the hardiest of the hardy, brav- 
ing alike the salt sprays of the ocean and the scorching showers 
of the volcano. 
On getting to the top, we found that we had not reached the 
crater yet, but merely the remains of an extinct one in the shape 
of an oval basin. About a hundred yards further on was the true 
