Nature and Art, October 1, 18GG.] 
AN INCIDENT IN THE PACIFIC. 
143 
Another moment and the light had struck upon its 
summit, and it brightened instantly, looking like 
a huge golden wedge, piercing the heavens. The 
island could not be more than twelve or fifteen 
miles in circumference, and the peak was fully 
7,000 feet above the sea level. It rose almost 
perpendicularly, and the small ridges, or hollows on 
its face, were filled with richly coloured foliage. 
The sea broke on rocks that looked like black pieces 
of marble, strewn in all directions along the shore. 
We now noticed that a thin haze of blue vapour 
hung in a fantastic shape above the space between 
the crags that formed the peaks of the island, and 
it then occurred to us that it was a volcano, and 
still active. This impression was strengthened 
upon a closer observation, and it was determined 
by the captain (who was an American), and myself, 
to ascend the hill, and examine the crater. Choosing 
four men from among a number of volunteers, in- 
cluding a negro, known as “ Sal,” and loading them 
with food and other requisites, we started on our 
expedition, about nine o’clock in the morning. The 
bo&t went merrily through the blue water, which 
was here as transparent as glass, showing deep 
below us the little coral insects at work, rearing a 
wall, which now shone with every colour of the 
rainbow, and was twisted into every beautiful or 
fantastic shape imaginable. Out and in amongst the 
purple and green coral stems, fish of the most intense 
blue dashed rapidly, or nibbled at the soft shoots, 
as they seemed, of the coral plants. The sky was 
a cloudless sapphire in colour, and the great sun 
seemed to swelter in the intensity of his own light 
and heat. 
Above us towered the mountain, its jagged peaks 
standing out, sharp cut, in splendid relief against 
the background of sky ; while over it, like some- 
thing unearthly and weird, hung the large vapour- 
cloud, which changed shape every few moments, 
but — -as it were some ghostly warden of the 
volcano’s mouth — never left its station. In about 
ten minutes from leaving the ship’s side, we reached 
the shore. Its formation seemed to be of rock, yet 
scarcely anywhere was this visible for the creeping 
plants that stretched their long tendrils in every 
conceivable direction. Our progress, indeed, was 
slow, and difficult from the first, owing to this 
tangled growth, which often twined round our feet 
as we went, and not seldom threw one or other of 
us down. After about an hour’s travelling, the 
ground changed in character ; the sharp stones 
giving place to red burnt ashes, which rendered 
ascent a matter of difficulty, as we often sank in 
them nearly to the ankle. We had journeyed for 
about three hours, when two of our party gave in, 
and positively refused to go any further. Shifting 
a portion of their load to ourselves, we left them 
free to return, and resumed our journey after a few 
minutes’ rest. Halting for refreshment about noon, 
we sat down upon the steep slope, and leisurely 
surveyed our situation. The scene below us was ex- 
ceedingly beautiful. At our very feet, as it seemed, 
lay the sea, glittering like gold, and wrinkled all 
over with ripples, that looked in the distance like 
the fretted work of jewellers. The vessel lay a little 
way off shore, her sails appearing like snow-flakes, 
and the men on her deck like small black insects. 
Our late companions had already reached the foot 
of the hill, which we had ascended so laboriously. 
While seated, we experienced a very distinct 
shock of an earthquake, and I felt the strongest 
possible hope of seeing something more striking 
than an almost extinct volcano. As we ascended, 
the shocks became more frequent, although not 
severe. They were sufficient, however, to terrify 
the remaining white follower of ours : he refused 
to proceed at last. The negro, “ Sal,” who was 
rapidly becoming of a dirty grey colour, rather than 
his natural ebony, declined to go back with him, 
preferring our company, even in danger, to that of 
our late companion, whom he looked upon with much 
contempt as a deserter. After another short rest 
we again proceeded on our journey, but in spite of 
our utmost efforts, the sun was getting low in the 
west, when we stood upon the brink of the great 
crater of Tama-Tavoo. The scene Avhich broke 
upon us as we reached the top was strikingly grand, 
yet terrible. The whole mountain seemed a mere 
hollow shell in its upper part ; so hollow, indeed, 
that it was matter of surprise that these two sharp, 
jagged peaks, one on each side of us, could have 
remained upright so long. The inside of the crater 
was in shadow, and the clouds of sulphurous steam 
that hung about its sides in lazy wreaths, very 
much impeded our view of the bottom. We could 
see it, however, probably not more than 1,000 feet 
below us. 
Startled as I was at the first sight of the crater 
in its far from extinct condition, I had scarcely 
glanced round me, when I conceived a strong desire 
to penetrate its lower depths. My companion was 
eager for the adventure. With “Sal,” however, 
it was very different. He expostulated in the 
strongest and most incoherent language against such 
an attempt as descending into what he forcibly 
designated as being “ berry like um hell.” 
Having deposited the food and other things we 
carried, I took up the track of the captain, who 
had already got some way down the slope, and was 
shouting to me to follow, as he “guessed it war a 
darned rum location.” 
The scene revealed to us when Ave had got about 
half-way down, was well calculated to impress one 
with aAve and wonder, and exceeded all that my 
imagination had formed of it. The setting sun 
being partially intercepted by the taller of the two 
peaks, a deep shadoAV was thrown right aci-oss 
the huge gulph that lay between them. Far above, 
a Avhite cloudlet floated, fringed with purple light, 
and distinctly visible from below. The eastern 
peak of the mountain formed of basalt, black as jet, 
and jagged and broken into a thousand fantastic 
forms, seemed set in burnished gold. Lower down, 
the white sulphurous vapour hung fleecy and heavy 
in the clefts of the rock, while little jets of steam 
burst forth here and there Avith strange, intermittent 
puffs. The bottom, Avhicli appeared not more than 
500 feet below us, presented an unearthly aspect- 
