Page:History of the Royal Society.djvu/227

 Pico seemed to cover, not only the whole Island, and the Grand Canaries, but the Sea to the very Horizon, where the Top of the Sugar-loaf or Pico visibly appeared to turn up and cast its Shade into the Air itself, at which we were much surprized: But the Sun was not far ascended, when the Clouds began to rise so fast, as intercepted our Prospect both of the Sea, and the whole Island, excepting only the Tops of the subjacent Mountains, which seem'd to pierce them through: whether these Clouds do ever surmount the Pico we cannot say, but to such as are far beneath, they sometimes seem to hang above it, or rather wrap themselves about it, as constantly when the North-west Wind blows; this they call the Cappe, and is a certain Prognostick of ensuing Storms.

"One of our Company, who made this Journey again two Years after, arriving at the Top of the Pico before Day, and creeping under a great Stone to shroud himself from the cold Air (after a little Space) found himself all wet, and perceived it to come from a perpetual trickling of Water from the Rocks above him. Many excellent and very exuberant Springs we found issuing from the Tops of most of the other Mountains, gushing out in great Spouts, almost as far as the huge Pine-Tree which we mentioned.

"Having stay'd some time upon the Top, we all descended by the sandy Way till we came to the Foot of the Sugar-loaf, which being steep, even to almost a Perpendicular, we soon passed. And here we met a Cave of about ten Yards deep, and fifteen broad, being in Shape like an Oven or Cupola, having a Hole at the Top which is near eight Yards over; Rh