DESCENT FROM THE VOLCANO. 329 



mind we summed up our want of comforts for passing 

 the night on the mountain, and determined to return. 

 Mr. Blackburn and I thought that we could avoid the 

 circuit of the mountain by descending directly to the 

 base of the volcano, and crossing it, reach the camino 

 real ; but our guide said it was a tempting of Provi- 

 dence, and refused to accompany us. We had a very 

 steep descent on foot, and in some places our horses 

 slid down on their haunches. An immense bed of lava, 

 stopped in its rolling course by the side of the mountain, 

 filled up the wide space between us and the base of the 

 volcano. We stepped directly upon this black and 

 frightful bed, but we had great difficulty in making our 

 horses follow. The lava lay in rolls as irregular as the 

 waves of the sea, sharp, rough, and with huge chasms, 

 difficult for us and dangerous for the horses. With 

 great labour we dragged them to the base and around 

 the side of the volcano. Massive stones, hurled into the 

 air, fell and rolled down the sides, so near that we dared 

 not venture farther. We were afraid of breaking our 

 horses' legs in the holes into which they were constantly 

 falling, and turned back. On the lofty point from which 

 we had looked down into the crater of the volcano sat 

 our guide, gazing, and, as we could imagine, laughing 

 at us. We toiled back across the bed of lava and up 

 the side of the mountain, and when we reached the top 

 both my horse and I were almost exhausted. Fortu- 

 nately, the road home was down hill. It was long after 

 dark when we passed the foot of the mountain and came 

 out upon the plain. Every burst of the volcano sent 

 forth a pillar of fire ; in four places were steady fires, 

 and in one a stream of fire was rolling down its side. 

 At eleven o'clock we reached Zonzonate, besides toil- 

 ing around the base of the volcano, having ridden up- 



VOL. I.— T T 



