193 



from the time of sunrise, engaged us to seek 

 shelter at the foot of the Piton. Our hands and 

 faces were frozen, while our boots were burnt 

 by the soil on which we walked. We descend- 

 ed in the space of a few minutes the Sugar 

 Loaf which we had scaled with so much toil ; 

 and this rapidity was in part involuntary, for we 

 often rolled down on the ashes. It was with 

 regret that we quitted this solitary place, this 

 domain where Nature towers in all her majesty ; 

 we soothed ourselves with the hope of once again 

 visiting the Canary islands ; but this, like many 

 other plans which we then formed, has never 

 been executed. 



We traversed the Malpays but slowly; the 

 foot finds no sure foundation on loose blocks of 

 lava. Nearer the Station of the Rocks, the des- 

 cent becomes extremely painful ; the compact 

 short-swarded turf is so slippery, that we were 

 obliged to incline our bodies continually back- 

 ward, in order to prevent our falling. In the 

 sandy plain of Retama, the thermometer rose to 

 22*5° ; and this heat seemed to us suffocating in 

 comparison with the sensation of cold, which we 

 had suffered from the air on the summit of the 

 volcano. We were absolutely without water ; 

 our guides, not satisfied with drinking clandes- 

 tinely the little provision of malmsey, for which 

 we were indebted to Mr. Cologan's careful kind- 

 ness, had broken our water vessels. Happily 

 vol. i. a 



