Page:The crater; or, Vulcan's peak.djvu/112

106 THE CRATER; seed over the summit and sides of the crater. Inside, there was not much motive for sowing anything, the rock being so nearly perpendicular ; but on the outside of the hill, or mountain, as Bob invariably called it, the first ten or twelve feet excepted, there could be no obstacle to the seeds taking ; though from the want of soil much of it, Mark kneigi must be lost ; but, if it only took in spots, and gave him a few green patches for the eye to rest on, he felt he should be amply rewarded for his trouble. Bob scattered guano wherever he scattered grass-seed, and in this way they walked entirely round the crater, Mark using up at least half of Friend Abraham White s provision in behalf of the savages of Fejee, in the way of the grasses. A genial, soft rain soon came to moisten this seed, and to em bed it with whatever there was of soil on the surface, giv ing it every chance to take root that circumstances would allow. This preliminary step taken towards covering the face of the mount with verdure, our mariners went to work to lay out their garden, regularly, within the crater. Mark manifested a good deal of ingenuity in this matter. With occasional exceptions the surface of the plain, or the bot tom of the crater, was an even crust of no great thick ness, composed of concrete ashes, scoriae, &c., but which might have borne the weight of a loaded wagon. This crust once broken, which it was not very difficult to do by means of picks and crows, the materials beneath were found loose enough for the purposes of agriculture, almost without using the spade. Now, space being abundant, Mark drew lines, in fanciful and winding paths, leaving the crust for his walks, and only breaking into the loose materials be neath, wherever he wished to form a bed. This variety served to amuse him and Betts, and they worked with so much the greater zeal, as their labours produced objects that were agreeable to the eye, and which amused them now, while they promised to benefit them hereafter. As each bed, whether oval, winding or straight, was dug, the loam and sea-weed was mixed up in it, in great abundance, after which it was sown, or planted. Mark was fully aware that many of Friend Abraham White s seeds, if they grew and brought their fruits to