A GREAT CRATER 
had observed on the summit of the greater section. I 
had great difficulty in climbing up the steep, internal walls 
of the crater, and on the steep slopes with dried grass, 
which was slippery to a degree. On the top of the crater 
were great masses of carbonated rock; also patches of 
lapilli, and red and white sand, plentiful everywhere in 
that zone. 
The smaller crater, it seemed to me, must have been a 
mere safety valve for the larger one. Its elevation, it will 
be noticed, was the same as that of the latter. From the 
summit of the one on which I was standing I could per¬ 
ceive the other to the east-northeast, forming the eastern 
boundary of this immense, volcanic hollow. The southern 
part of this great, double crater was subdivided into 
several sections, all in rocky terraces, quite vertical except 
in their lower portion, which was sloping and had evidently 
been filled to a great extent by an accumulation of ashes 
and erupted refuse. On the side on which I stood, how¬ 
ever, the crater had not the diabolical, rather awe-inspiring 
appearance of the larger section of the huge, volcanic 
mouth, quite unscaleable by humans in its central section. 
In the deep cracks in the rock were several small grottoes. 
I experienced some difficulty and much fatigue in climb¬ 
ing to the top (elevation 1,750 feet) of the extinct volcano, 
and especially in reaching the lip of the crater, owing to 
the thick and much entangled scrub with innumerable 
thorns. 
Our camp was at 1,500 feet, in a delightful spot at 
the junction of two streams, one from the south descend¬ 
ing from the volcano, the other from the north. The two 
rivers united flowed north, I think eventually into the 
Rio das Mortes. 
When we moved out of camp on May twenty-fifth 
(temperature, minimum 62°, maximum 80° Fahrenheit) 
I noticed that, after passing the wall-like section of the 
crater in the northern aspect, there were strata with a dip 
253 
