180 
VOYAGE TO THE 
we proceeded till sun-set; when, having marched twenty-five 
miles, we resolved to take advantage of some dismantled 
huts that were by the road side; and our native attendants 
having come up, they very speedily collected branches of 
trees and broad banana leaves enough to make us an ex¬ 
cellent shelter from the wind, and huts for most of them¬ 
selves. Here we made a fire; and having enjoyed a hearty 
supper, slept very soundly, surrounded by our followers dis¬ 
posed in groups, some under cover, and some on the bare 
ground, as it pleased their fancy. 
As we had been ascending during the whole day of the 
27 tli, we found the air at day-break on the 28 th cool and 
invigorating, and we began our day’s march in high spirits. 
Besides the roughness of our yesterday’s march, to-day we 
had great chasms in the lava, which often demanded our 
utmost care in walking. Near one of the largest of these, 
lour poles had been erected to mark it as a burial-place, 
where the bones of many of the people, particularly the 
worshippers of the fire gods, used to be deposited. Shortly 
after we passed this primitive tomb, we met the botanist’s 
party on their return: they seemed highly pleased with 
their excursion, and reported the volcano to be in full ac¬ 
tivity. We marched onward twelve miles farther; and 
then, with almost as much joy as Balboa could have felt on 
