36 



CENTRAL AMERICA. 



so they passed the second night. On the 

 morning of the 23rd the layer of ashes had 

 considerably increased in depth ; but the 

 fall had become very much more dense, and 

 the natural grave of man seemed to be rising 

 from the mother earth, instead of being dug 

 into it. The women, with their heads cover- 

 ed with wet linen, again hurried to the 

 churches with cries and lamentations, and 

 tried to sing canticles to their favourite 

 saints. As a last resource, every saint in 

 Leon's churches, without any exception, lest 

 he be offended, was taken from his niche and 

 placed out in the open air, — I suppose to 

 enable him to judge from experience of the 

 state of affairs ;— but still the ashes fell ! 



No doubt, at the height of two or three 

 miles the sun was shining clear and warm in 

 the bright blue sky ; but all his power and 

 glory could not penetrate enough into the 

 thick cloud of ashes, even to make his situ- 

 ation in the heavens to be guessed at ; but 

 when he was nearly sinking in the western 

 horizon, a mighty wind sprang up from the 

 north, and in the space of half an hour allow- 

 ed the inhabitants of Leon just to gain a 

 view of his setting rays gilding the tops of 

 their national volcanos. 



