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444 A VOYAGE TO Book VI. 



I cannot exa61:ly determine the date of its appearance, 

 the paper on which I had wrote an account of it 

 being loft, when I was taken by the Englifh : but 

 the particulars, which I remember, are as follow. 



About nine at night, a globe of fire appeared to 

 rife from the fide of mount Pichincha; and fo large 

 that it fpread a light all over the part of the city 

 facing that mountain. The houfe where I lodged 

 looking that way, I was furprized with an extraor^r 

 dinary light darting through the crevices of the 

 window {butters. On this appearance, and the buftle 

 of the people in the ftreets, 1 haftened to the window, 

 and came time enough to fee it in the middle of its 

 career, which continued from weft to fouth, till 1 loft 

 fight of it, being intercepted by the mountain of Panp^ 

 cillo, which lies in that quarter. It was round, and its 

 apparent diameter about a foot. I faid thatitfeemed 

 to rife from the fides of Pichincha : for, to judge from 

 its courfe, it was behind that mountain where this con- 

 geries of inilammable matter was kindled. In the 

 firft half of its vifible courfe, it emitted a prodigious 

 efFulgency then gradually began to grow dim, fo 

 that at its occultation behind the Panecillo its light 

 was very faint. 



1 SHALL conclude this chapter with an account of 

 the manner of hunting, which is' the only diverfion 

 in the country ; and in which they paffionately de- 

 light. Indeed the m.oft remarkable circumftance in 

 it is the ardour and intrepidity of the hunters : and 

 which a ftranger, at firft, will naturally confider as 

 mere raOinefs, till he fees perfons of the greateft prv?- 

 dejice, after having made one fingle trial, join in thefe 

 parties ; trufting entirely to their horfes ; fo that it i? 

 rather to be ternied a dextrous and manly exercife, 

 and proves the fuperiority both of the riders and horfes 

 to the moft celebrated in Europe ; and that the boaft- 

 ed fieetnefs of the latter is dulnefs, when compared to 



the 



