TENERIEFE. 
27 
surmounted by a powerful and commanding battery 
for the defence of the town. 
Herein is little to invite further description ; but it 
would be quite unpardonable to quit the roadstead with- 
out noticing the very picturesque and almost magic 
effect which this harbour presents upon entering it after 
night-fall^ if the weather be fair. The twinkling lights 
of the town are almost eclipsed by thousands of ruddy 
fires blazing in all directions over the sea, to the outer 
verge of the bank which forms the roadstead, swiftly 
passing to and fro like swarming fire-flies, spangling the 
waves with the reflection, and thus multiplying their 
numbers until the eye is completely dazzled by the 
sight. To the stranger who is unacquainted with the 
cause ©f this singular scene the enigma must remain un- 
told until the vessel is within the bay ; and then, among 
the foremost of the fires, will be occasionally seen a hu- 
man figure lit up by the red glare, and then another and 
another, appearing and vanishing in quick succession ; 
until at last the mystery is solved by a still nearer 
approach ; and these phenomena are found to be 
countless fleets of fishing boats, each of them having- 
on board two men, whose persons appear gigantic and 
almost demoniac, as they are seen in the broad light of 
two blazing fires which they carry on board, one in the 
bow, and another in the stern of the boat. These 
brilliant lights are for the purpose of alluring the fish 
from their rocky resting places, and they are then 
d 2 
