MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE. 227 
romance. When we had cleared a sufficient space, 
we spread our beds of fern-leaves and grass on the 
rough floor of the cavern, and then mingled with 
the cheerful circle who were sitting round the fire. 
We sung a hymn in the native language, and 
afterwards committed ourselves and fellow-tra¬ 
vellers to the kind keeping of Him, whose wake¬ 
ful eye and watchful care no dark cavern can 
exclude. 
While the natives were sitting round the fire, 
Mr. Thurston and I ascended to the upper region, 
and walked to a rising ground at a small distance 
from the mouth of the cavern, to try if we could 
discern the light of the volcano. The wind blew 
fresh from the mountains; the noise of the rolling 
surf, to which we had been accustomed on the 
shore, was not heard ; and the stillness of the night 
was only disturbed by the chirping of the in¬ 
sects in the grass. The sky was clear, except in 
fhe eastern horizon, where a few light clouds 
arose, and slowly floated across the expanse of 
heaven. On looking towards the north-east, we 
saw a broad column of light rising to a consider¬ 
able elevation-in the air, and immediately above 
it some bright clouds, or thin vapours, beautifully 
tinged with red on the under side. We had no 
doubt that the column of light arose from the 
large crater, and that its fires illuminated the sur¬ 
rounding atmosphere. The fleecy clouds gene¬ 
rally passed over the luminous column in a south- %, 
east direction. As they approached it, the side 
towards the place where we stood became gene¬ 
rally bright; afterwards the under edge only 
reflected the volcanic fire ; and in a little time 
each cloud passed entirely away, and was suc¬ 
ceeded by another. We remained some time, to 
q 2 
