summit in the island. This old crater has been quiescent since the arrival of the first colonists, and the Africans left on the island in 1444 took refuge on its wooded slopes during the violent earthquakes which wasted the western districts. West of the Pico da Vara the irregular chain is broken at intervals by plains in the form of cirques, one of which opening southwards takes the name of the Val
das Furnas, or "Valley of the Furnaces." It is traversed by the Ribeira Quente, or "Burning River," which reaches the sea through a narrow valley used for raising early fruits and vegetables. For the space of about the fourth of a mile, in all directions the ground is pierced by innumerable openings, throwing up jets of water and vapour. Some of these apertures have scarcely the diameter of a
