The Ascent of Asama-Yama. 189 



one beyond another, not localized in space, but suggest- 

 ive rather of bright disembodied spirits moving across 

 infinite tracts of gloom. 



Thus we traveled until midnight, when we reached 

 the connecting spur of Asama which runs down to 

 Hanare. We were now at the head of the valley between 

 the two mountains, and the main trail suddenly diverged 

 to the left and turned directly towards the great moun- 

 tain. For a few moments we saw the procession of 

 wavering lights describe a wide semicircle and then 

 gradually straighten itself out again. Then the line 

 quickly became more definite, as lantern by lantern the 

 whole company emerged from the mist and marched 

 forward under the clear shining stars. We had climbed 

 until we had left the clouds beneath us. All around us 

 was the splendor of a perfect August night. Above us 

 was the great dome, vast and of cerulean blue, ruled by 

 the late-rising moon and guarded by innumerable hosts 

 of stars. And now the monstrous Asama, seen thus 

 startlingly close to us, reared its great bulk with over- 

 whelming impressiveness. The bright light fell upon the 

 brilliant red and yellow patches of burnt lava and made 

 them gleam like opalescent glass. But where the cafions 

 lay in the shadow there was deep darkness, black, threat- 

 ening, and awful — a place where evil spirits might dwell, 

 and whence there might issue wandering lights to lead 

 astray unwary travelers — an entrance to Inferno. Our 

 guides cried out prayers to Amaterasu, "the heaven 

 shiner" ; to Atago, "protector from fire" ; and to their 

 own Dosojin, "God of guides." Beneath us the clouds, 

 glistening under the moon-rays, rolled in soft, silvery 

 masses down the long valley. A gnarled pine tree, 

 centuries old, which had in some extraordinary manner 

 survived the repeated eruptions of destroying lava and 

 cinders, stretched its long contorted limbs across our 

 path and stood for a moment silhouetted against the disk 

 of the moon. A bat, perplexed by the light of the lan- 

 terns, flew into the face of the traveler in front of me. 



