152 
GUATEMALA. 
to rest, but at once proceeded to photograph the town 
After almuerzo we climbed down to the Lago de Atitlan 
by a path about twelve hundred feet in perpendicular 
descent. It was a league and a half from town to shore. 
We were in another climate. Oranges, sugar-cane, avo¬ 
cados, limes, jocotes, and other fruits that cannot bear the 
cold of the town above us, flourished here. Walled on 
every side by vast cliffs, and overshadowed by high volca¬ 
noes, there were yet fertile valleys opening on the Lago here 
and there. Streams of considerable volume pour into it 
over rocky beds, or dash foaming down the high cliffs. 
Ten miles across was the ancient town of Atitlan, famed 
in legend and history. We stood in one of those mysteri¬ 
ous places seemingly below the rest of the world, for we 
could see the water fall into this valley; but no human 
eye sees the outlet, nor are the waters, as in the valley of 
the Dead Sea, chiefl} r evaporated. The surface is evi¬ 
dently of nearly the same level at all seasons. In the 
opinion of some observers it is not improbable that this 
valley was an ancient crater, in the midst of which the 
volcano of Atitlan has risen,—much as Vesuvius has 
sprung from the ancient Somma; but the more probable 
origin of the lake is that the rising volcanoes dammed 
up a valley. In the lava are many cavities, and possibly 
through these the surplus waters flow, to reappear in the 
many copious springs of the southern shore. We were 
minded to try the truth of that strange assertion of Juar- 
ros that the waters are so cold that all who venture in 
have their limbs frost-bitten and swollen. The water was 
clear and sweet, and we waded out some distance before 
there was depth enough to swim. From the sandy bottom 
rose abundant bubbles, — probably of carbonic acid, as 
