The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-07-23

UclTY OA ILAtt1 SAAANJ 10
Barranca stretched out several mics Id
length. it's more remote end hidden troHl
view by turn in it's course. The vass
adamantine walls narrowed darkly TO-
gether at some points, and at others
spread apart, affording a view OF the bot
tom, full of smoking springs and sultat
aras. Portions Of the cliff were green
with verdure of poisonous acids. Som"
oaks OF u peculiar tOughness chung to the
crannics of the rocks, and down on the
slopes, such as form a glacis at the foot
of precipices, could be seen, scattered
sparsely, tall stems of organ cactus, like
spears of the gods hurled down from the
sky. Wreaths of steam drifted out from
the precipitous sides and occasionally
formed Il veil. shutting off the whole
from sight.
The guide led up, then down, in very
irregular way, and finally brought them
to where the path ended abruptly on
ledge with almost measureless altitude
above and depths below. There was alb
solutely no possibility of going further
"What does this mean?" demanded
Walter, sternly.
The man, changing countenance, re-
piled. confusedly, II have forgotten"
He could not be made avail~ble for
any further service They climbed back
again, and he escaped like the other.
But Walter, meantime. had had a
glimpse of a place, perhaps mile fur
Their on, where practiced eye, arguing
from continuous vegetation that found
n foo%Lo1I ;Cr1,+ i1,fo that u 11af1
descended. Their way was hewn thither
through the thick forest growth, and he
proved to be right. Over almost in
superable obstacles they at length en-
tered the valley, strewn with the wreck.
as it we're, of another world.
The cyclopean processes of nature,
elsewhere discreetly hidden. were here
openly at work. The ground smoked
from a hundred fumarOles and other
vents, and around them the fragments
of rocks-granite, sandstones, limestones
and slate, brought up by the resistless
force that had torn through them from
the lowest depths-were crumbling in
whitish flakes under the attack Of power
full escaping gases. A great sunken bowl
which Walter proceeded to call at once
La Caldera-burned luridly with molten
lava in violent ebullition, and strange
lights appeared in some crevices Of the
side walls. as if the cliffs themselves
were on fire within. The tall cliffs van
ished in long winding perspectives, in
spring awe, and here and there stood
out from them vast. buttress like projec-
tons. Across the blue sky arching
above often passed such billowy masses
of vapor as if the canyon were the man
ufactory of the very clouds also.
1t was nightfall when they reached
this place. and they encamped on the
spot where they found themselves, under
an improvised shelter. Next morning
they began their explorations. Pablo
fat little man Of no great character or
stabil;ty-fnding himself fairly inside
the gorge and safe enough thus far,
seemed less disturbed in mind than be-
fore. They ranged first down towards
the lower end of it, where difficult &C
cess could be had through defle to
large volcanic lake without. They passed
a night there, then turned back to the
other end the head, where the monster
crags drew together and joined at an
obtuse angle.
They passed over mounds of smooth
volcanic sand, heaps of scorie and ashes
and floods of solidified lava Strange,
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