The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire

opocatapetl, the hill that smokes, in the Mexican language, the hugemountain clothed in eternal snows, and regarded by the idolaters of oldas a god, towers up nearly 18,000 feet above the level of the sea, and in thedays of the conquest of Mexico was a volcano in a state of fierce activity. Itwas looked upon by the natives with a strange dread, and they told the whitestrangers with awe that no man could attempt to ascend its slopes and yetlive; but, from a feeling of vanity, or the love of adventure, the Spaniardslaughed at these fears, and accordingly a party of ten of the followers ofCortes commenced the ascent, accompanied by a few Indians. But theselatter, after ascending about 13,000 feet to where the last remains of stuntedvegetation existed, became alarmed at the subterranean bellowings of thevolcano, and returned, while the Spaniards still painfully toiled on throughthe rarefied atmosphere, their feet crushing over the scoriae and black-glazedvolcanic sand, until they stood in the region of perpetual snow, amidst theglittering, treacherous glaciers and crevasses, with vast slippery-pathed precipicesyawning round.3 CHARLES MORRISStill they toiled on in this wild and wondrous region. A few hours beforethey were in a land of perpetual summer; here all was snow. They sufferedthe usual distress awarded to those who dare to ascend to these solitudes ofnature but it was not given to them to achieve the summit, for suddenly, ata higher elevation, after listening to various ominous threatenings from theinterior of the volcano, they encountered so fierce a storm of smoke, cinders,and sparks, that they were driven back half suffocated to the lower portionsof the mountain.Some time after another attempt was made; and upon this occasion with adefinite object. The invaders had nearly exhausted their stock of gunpow-der, and Cortes organized a party to ascend to the crater of the volcano, toseek and bring down sulphur for the manufacture of this necessary of war-fare. This time the party numbered but five, led by one Francisco Montano;and they experienced no very great difficulty in winning their way upwards.The region of verdure gave place to the wild, lava-strewn slope, which wassucceeded in its turn by the treacherous glaciers; and at last the gallant littleband stood at the very edge of the crater, a vast depression of over a leaguein circumference, and 1,000 feet in depth.SULPHUR FROM THE CRATERFlame was issuing from the hideous abysses, and the stoutest man's heartmust have quailed as he peered down into the dim, mysterious cavity towhere the sloping sides were crusted with bright yellow sulphur, and lis-tened to the mutterings which warned him of the pent-up wrath and powerof the mighty volcano. They knew that at any moment flame and stifling