160 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



south, entirely surrounded by rocks and mountains. 

 There is no gradation of depth from its shores, and the 

 bottom has not been found with a line of three hundred 

 fathoms. It receives several rivers, and all the waters 

 that descend from the mountains, but there is no known 

 channel by which this great body is carried off. The 

 only fish caught in it are crabs, and a species of small 

 fish about the size of the little finger. These are in such 

 countless myriads that the inhabitants of the surrounding 

 ten villages carry on a considerable fishing for them." 



At that hour of the day, as we understood to be the 

 case always at that season of the year, heavy clouds 

 were hanging over the mountains and volcanoes, and 

 the lake was violently agitated by a strong southwest 

 wind ; as our guide said, la laguna esta mucha brava. 

 Santiago Atitan was nearly opposite, at a distance of 

 seven or eight leagues, and in following the irregular 

 and mountainous border of the lake from the point where 

 Don Saturnino left us, we doubted whether he could 

 reach it that night. It was much farther off than we 

 supposed, and with the lake in such a state of agitation, 

 and subject, as our guide told us, at all times to vio- 

 lent gusts of wind, we had but little inclination to cross 

 it in a canoe. It would have been magnificent to see 

 there a tropical storm, to hear the thunder roll among 

 the mountains, and see the lightnings flash down into 

 the lake. We sat on the shore till the sun disappeared 

 behind the mountains at the head of the lake. Mingled 

 with our contemplations of it were thoughts of other and 

 far distant scenes, and at dark we returned to the con- 

 vent. 



