260 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
with clefts, orifices, and tunnels, from which 
bodies of steam escaped, while pale flames, ashes, 
stones, and lava, were propelled with equal force 
and noise, from its ragged mouth. The whole 
formed so singularly terrific an object, that, in 
order to secure a hasty sketch of it, I permitted 
the other gentlemen to go a few yards nearer than 
I did, while I occupied myself with my pencil. 
Lord Byron and his servant ascended the cone 
several feet, but found the heat too great to remain 
longer than to detach, with their sticks, a piece or 
two of recent lava, burning hot. 
“ So highly was our admiration excited by the 
scene, that we forgot the danger to which we 
might be exposed, should any change take place 
in the currents of destructive gas, which exist, in 
a greater or less degree, in every part of the 
crater; till Mr. Davis, after two or three ineffec¬ 
tual intimations of the propriety of an immediate 
departure, warned us in a most decided tone, of 
the peril of our situation ; assuring us, that three 
inspirations of the air by which we might be sur¬ 
rounded, would prove fatal to every one of us. 
We felt the truth of the assertion, and notwith¬ 
standing the desire we had of visiting a similar 
cone, covered with a beautiful incrustation of 
sulphur, at the distance from us of a few hundred 
yards only, we hastily took the speediest course 
from so dangerous a spot. The ascent to the 
ledge was not less difficult and frightful than the 
descent had been, and, for the last few yards, was 
almost perpendicular; but we all succeeded in 
safely gaining its top, not far from the path by 
which we had in the morning descended the 
upper cliff. 
“We reached the hut about two o'clock, nearly 
