A V O Y A G E R OUND THE W.ORLS.
August, Meafure the degree of heat was repeated as on the 12 th,
with this difference, that the thermometer was entirely buried
in the white earth where the vapour came up. After
it had remained one minute in this ftate, it rofe to 2 i o °,
which is nearly the heat of boiling water, and remained
flationary there as long as we kept it in the hole, which was
for the fpace of five minutes. As foon as it was taken out,
it fell inffantly to 95°, and gradually defcended to 80°,
where it had Rood previous to the immerfion. The perpendicular
height o f the firft folfatara, above the level of
the fea, is about 80 yards. We proceeded up the hill, and
faw federal extenfive fpots of ground which had been cleared
of wood in order to be cultivated. The wretched tools
of the natives, and the neceffity of working very flowly
with them, to which we had been witnelles on the other
hill, convinced us that this piece of ground, which com-
quehended near two acres, mull have required a great deal
of labour and a long fpace o f time to clear. We paffed by
fome dwellings, but did not fee a native:ftirring, till we
came to another plantation in very good order, where a
fingle man was planting fome yams. He was at firfl a little
ftanled at our appearance, but on alking him the way to the
volcano, he pointed out a path and returned to his former
employment. We.faw fome hogs and poultry in the neighbourhood
of thefe houfes, which were permitted to roam
about unconfined;. but perhaps .the fences which the natives
A V O Y A G E ROUND THE WORLD. 3 29
t i v e s form round fome of their plantations, may be intend- A ug u st.
ed to exclude the hogs. A little farther on we were met
by two natives, who came out of an adjacent garden of bananas,
and continued to walk with us. Coming to a place
Where the path divided, another man appeared in that part
which led into the country, and with his uplifted dart prohibited
our advancing that way. We told him we were de-
firous of going to the volcano, and he prefently pointed
out the other path to us, and went before to lead the way.
As we advanced, we took notice that he continually counted
over our number; and having brought us to a clear part
of the hill, from whence a confiderable fpace of country
could be overlooked, we difeovered that he had miiled us,
and attempted to bring us off our road. We therefore returned
the fame way we came, in fpite of his figns, which
he did not think proper to enforce at prefent with any hof-
tile gefttires. However, feeing us determined to proceed
againft his will, he blew with great force into his hand
feveral times, and was foon anfwered by the founding of
feveral conchs on different parts of the hill. He now called
out as loud as he could, and we plainly heard him mention
how many there were of us, probably defiring his
■ countrymen to aflemble and oppofe us. In the meanwhile
we loft our road and came into a fine fecluded dell, fur-
rounded by trees of prodigious height and extent, where
numbers of pigeons and parroquets fluttered about. We
V ol. II U u paffed