28 
EAELY REMINISCENCES 
cane. The potatoes seemed as far advanced as those in England in June, and the 
young corn, more than a foot high, was enlivened with a pink Gladiolus growing in 
profusion. 
Amidst these beautiful surroundings it was impossible to forget for one moment 
that Tenerife is but a volcano and nothing more. At starting, the pebbles by the shore 
were seen to consist of lava; the road is always a lava stream, the innumerable 
terrace-walls are built of lava; lava, basalt, scoria, pumice—the whole island is 
made up of these in various proportions. Sections displayed in ravines in many 
cases show the lower surface of a lava stream to have burnt to a bright red the 
ancient soil over which it flowed. Immense labour is required to produce agri¬ 
cultural land from such unpromising materials. The lava, from 4 ft. to 8 ft. thick, 
has to be broken up and removed, then the ancient soil thus exposed is cleared 
off, the lava put into its place and the soil on the top of it. Finally all this would 
be in vain, and no ££ Sack” or “Canary” could be produced without costly irrigation 
works. The one animal commonly seen is a large sombre-coloured lizard. 
The gardens are soon left behind, and for hours we ride or walk over the 
endless lava streams which in bygone ages left the old crater through the Portillo 
del Taoro, and poured into the vale of Orotava; to our right rise the lofty crags of 
Tigayga, the Egyptian Vulture grandly soaring above them. The peculiar vegetation 
of the Peak is seen to advantage. There are scarcely any grasses or small plants; 
at first nothing but the tree heath, here from 4 ft. to 8 ft. high, though in the 
patches of the ancient forest still remaining it reaches a height of at least 40 ft.; 
then the Adenocarpus , a scrubby leguminous shrub of green hue; lastly a plant 
which is found nowhere in the world but on the Peak of Tenerife, between the 
heights of about 5000 and 9000 ft. above the level of the sea. This, the Mountain 
Broom (Betama canariensis ), is a striking object; it is leafless, but in May produces 
a profusion of white flowers which are the delight of bees; to travellers it is 
invaluable, as it affords shelter, bedding, and firing, and we get soon to look on its 
grey-green clumps with affection. We hear, but do not see, the real “Canary” 
bird (Serinus canariensis ) singing among its branches. 
Soon after noon, at a height of 7000 ft., far above the white clouds that conceal 
our starting place, we pass through the Portillo into the ancient crater called the 
Canadas. This is eight miles in diameter, and on the north-east, south, and south¬ 
west, is enclosed by precipitous crags, varying in height, but in one place reaching 
2000 ft. above the plain. The boundary wall is broken here and there, as at the 
point we entered, but especially on the north-west, where devastating streams 
of lava have issued from time to time. 
The guides want us to encamp in a bleak place where the wind sweeps round 
the cliffs of the ancient crater, but we decide to leave the riding horses there and 
push on on foot accompanied only by two baggage mules, the two guides, and 
a muleteer. After a trudge of two or three miles across the pumice-covered plain, 
the guides who followed us strike, and hitch up the mules to two bushes. So 
Mr. Read and myself have to go back and lead on the mules ourselves, wishing the 
guides “good-night.” On this they skulk after us in a whipped-dog sort of 
fashion. At length we reach a spot towards the foot of the mountain, where some 
lava blocks on the side of a hillock and a few friendly Retama bushes afford a little 
shelter from the wind, while a patch of snow at a convenient distance ensures a 
water supply. 
The guides, astonished at our energy, now appeared disposed to sit down and 
bewail their fate. But Mr. Read and I began immediately to build up with blocks 
