Page:The crater; or, Vulcan's peak.djvu/111

 OR, VULCAN S PEAK. 105 feet, that it would have defied the efforts of a man for a long time, to overcome the difficulties of the ascent. At two of the places where the debris had made a rough foot ing, half an hour s work would remove the material, and leave these spots as impassable as the others. At the third point, it might require a good deal of labour to effect the object. At this last place, Mark told Betts it would be necessary, for the moment, to make some sort of a fence. Within the crater, it was equally difficult to ascend, except at one or two places; but these ascents our mariners thought of improving, by making steps, as the animals were effectually excluded from the plain within by means of the sail which served for a curtain at the gateway, or hole of entrance. As soon as Mark had recovered a little from his first surprise, he sent Bob below to bring up some buckets filled with the earth brought from Loam Rock, or island. This soil was laid carefully around each of the plants, the two working alternately at the task, until a bucket-full had been laid in each hill. Mark did not kno&amp;gt;v it at the time, but subsequent experience gave him reasoi to suspect, that this forethought saved most of his favour s from prema ture deaths. Seed might germinate, and f ie plants shoot luxuriantly from out of the ashes of the voi ano, under the united influence of the sun and rains, in tJ t low latitude; but it was questionable whether the nouri? went to be de rived from such a soil, if soil it could yet J called, would prove to be sufficient to sustain the plants when they got to be of an age and size to demand all t) &amp;lt; support t^iey wanted. So convinced did Mark becom as the season advanced, of the prudence of what he th &amp;gt; did out of a mere impulse, that he passed hours, subsequ ntly, in raising loam to the summit of the mount, in ord to place it in the different hills. For this purpose, Bo/ ngged a little derrick, and fitted a whip, so that the bucke were whipped up, sailor-fashion, after two or three experi tents made in lugging them up by hand had suggested to Vve honest fel low that there might be a cheaper mode of twining theij wishes. When Mark was temporarily satisfied witl ^zing at h new-found treasures, he went to work to sea ex the gra?