Page:The crater; or, Vulcan's peak.djvu/158

152 THE CRATER; be given as somewhat less than fifty. Of surface, the rocky barrier of the crater had almost as much as the plain within it, though it was so broken and uneven as not to appear near as large. Kitty had long since determined that the hill was more than large enough for all her wants; and glad enough did she seem when Mark succeeded, after a great deal of difficulty, in driving the hogs up a flight of steps he had made within the crater, to help her crop the herbage. As for the rooting of the last, so long as they were on the Summit, it was so much the better ; since, in that climate, it was next to impossible to kill grass that was once fairly in growth, and the more the crust of the ashes was broken, the more rapid and abundant would be the vegetation. Mark had, of course, abandoned the idea of continuing to cultivate his melons, or any other vegetables, on the Summit, or he never would have driven his hogs there. He was unwilling, notwithstanding, to lose the benefit of the deposits of soil and manure which he and Bob had made there with so much labour to themselves. After reflecting what he could do with them, he came to the conclusion that he would make small enclosures around some fifteen or twenty of the places, and transplant some of the fig-trees, orange-trees, limes, lemons, &/c., which still stood rather too thick within the crater to ripen their fruits to advantage. In order to make these little enclo sures, Mark merely drove into the earth short posts, pass ing around them old rope, of which there was a super abundance on board the .-hip. This arrangement suggested the idea of fencing : i the garden, by the same means, in order to admit the . i eat, the grass, when he was not watching them. *. - . ;e these dispositions were made, it was necessary to begin again to put in the seeds. On this occasion Mark determined to have a succession of crops, and not to bring on everything at once, as he had done the first year of his tillage. Accordingly, he would manure and break up a bed, and plant or sow it, waiting a few days before he began another. Experience had told him that there was never an end to vegetation in that cli mate, and he saw no use in pushing his labours faster than he might require their fruits. It was true, certain plants