A FOREST ON FIRE. 



237 



scene that we could not tear ourselves away. At 

 length we saw the flames rush up the side of the ra- 

 vine, intercepting the path before us. We spurred our 

 horses, shot by, and in a moment the whole was a 

 sheet of flame. The fire was now spreading so rapid- 

 ly that we became alarmed, and hurried back to the 

 church, which, on an elevation strongly denned against 

 the immense mountain in the background, stood before 

 us as a place of refuge. By this time the villagers 

 had become alarmed, and men and women were hur- 

 rying to the height to watch the progress of the flames. 

 The village was in danger of conflagration ; it would 

 be impossible to urge the loaded mules up the hill we 

 had descended, and we resolved to deposite the luggage 

 in the church, and save the mules by driving them up 

 unburdened. It was another of those wild scenes to 

 which no effect can be given in words. We stopped 

 on the brow of the hill before the square of the church, 

 and while we were watching the fire, the black clouds 

 and sheets of flame rolled up the side of the mountain, 

 and spared the village.' Relieved from apprehension, 

 we sat down under a tree in front of the church to the 

 calm enjoyment of the terrific spectacle and a cold fowl. 

 The cinders and ashes fell around, and the destructive 

 element rushed on, sparing the village before us, per- 

 haps to lay some other in ruins. 



We were obliged to wait two hours. From the foot 

 of the hill on which the village stood the ground was 

 hot and covered with a light coat of ashes ; the brush 

 and underwood were burned away ; in some places 

 were lying trees reduced to masses of live coal, and 

 others were standing with their trunks and branches 

 all on fire. In one place we passed a square of white 

 ashes, the remains of some miserable Indian hut. Our 



