THE BATTALION.
7'~
stream for many miles before finding a
place that could be climbed by our don
keys. By night we were half way up
and some of us despaired of ever reach
ing the top. At this altitude, the
nights were, despite the closeness of
the equator (100 M. L.), rather chilly
and we had to wrap ourselves in the
provided blankets. A little incident oc
curred that ought to be recorded. About
midnight, or later, I happened to wake
up and what was my surprise to see
someone prowling about and stooping
over various bodies of our companions.
The gentleman dii evidently not sus
pect my wakefulness and deliberately
proceeded to lighten Mr. Dusfrene’s
pockets, when a shot from my pistol
sent him head over heels down the
mountain side. Of course everybody
jumped up and I started after my new
found friend. When on coming in full
view I saw him pick himself up,
daintily swing his sombrero and speed
aw >y faster than I had any intention of
going, so I desisted and waited for the
others, who speedily joined me. Upon
examination it was found that nothing
but a revolver was missing, which by the
way, was found next morning, my friend
not having time to consider it in his
hasty departure. All of us being
thoroughly awake we decided to continue
our march, which was done. By 8
o’clock we found ourselves confronted
by a seemingly impassable swamp at an
altitude of 6000 feet above the sea level.
Here we had to abandon our mules,
which we left under the care of one of
the guides, the other was of course nec
essary to lead ur- through the jungle. I
have a faint recollection of stumbling
through roots, over vines, falling into
-the mud and getting thoroughly soalud
by the time we emerged from the swamp.
At last we were permitted once more to
breathe freely and inhale the fresh air
of the open space intervening, and such
fresh air it was, blowing at least twenty
miles an hour.
Now the most perilous and last stage
of our ascent was to come. A rock wall
with perpendicular sides of no less than
1000 feet, with a face of about three
yards had to be traversed to reach the
crater. l\(ith the wind blowing a gale
this was no easy feat, but it was safely
accomplished and at 10 o’clock we
reached the mouth of the volcano.
Whether or not we were repaid by our
labor is not yet settled in my mind, but
we saw a real crater, so that goes a long
waj's. The thing looked like a huge fun
nel of about a mile in diameter narrowing
down to seemingly not more than a
ten foot hole. The steam obstructed our
view considerably but now and then we
caught a glimpse of a boiling seething
mass below in a continuous uproar,
which every now and then would run up
the side of the funnel, sometimes as
high as the rim. Having gone all around
it, and after resting a good long while,
and looking at the diminutive objects
below, which were houses, and having
had the pleasure of seeing both the Pa
cific and the Atlantic at the same time
by simply turning aroond. we commenc
ed our descent. By the way, if anybody
should happen down there and want to
climb the Trazue let him provide him“
self with sufficient wrappers, overcoats,
blankets and other such articles of fur
niture as they will come in handy on
top, no matter how warm it is below.
We found our donkeys in good shape and
ready to carry us back. Nothing hap
pened on our downward course except a