"Stand back--stand back," shouted Mr Brand, as the rest of us were running forward; "you will all be going in together.  Stay, let me see first what I can do.  Hold on, Jerry; don't move, my boy," he added. Then taking another pole from one of the guides, he laid himself along the ground; he gradually advanced, till he had placed a pole under each of Jerry's arms.  "Now, swing your legs up, and I will draw you away," he cried out.  Jerry did as he was told, and was dragged on to firm ground.  The ground had given way just as if it had been a piece of egg-shell.  Probably it had been formed by a sheet of lava flowing rapidly over some fissure without filling it up.  Jerry was most thankful for his preservation, but he had too much spirit to wish to go back, and insisted on proceeding on to the borders of the liquid fiery lake.  Before us, amidst the burning expanse, rose two lofty cones, one of them insulated, the other joined by a causeway to the ledge of lava. Besides these, a number of smaller cones were seen in various directions.  The ground was also full of pools of burning sulphur, or other liquid matter, while huge black shapeless masses of lava lay scattered about in every direction, thrown out, undoubtedly, from the mouth of one of the large cones before us.  On we pushed our way, notwithstanding, and at last we stood on the very brink of the lake of fire!  I could not altogether divest myself of the idea that it might bubble over and destroy us.  It was strange that no heat appeared to proceed from it, and yet the points of our sticks were instantly burned to cinders when we put them into it.  After we had got accustomed to the strange scene, we agreed that we should like to mount to the top of the cone by the causeway.  Off we set.  We reached it, and began the hazardous ascent.  There was an outer crust, which often gave way under our feet--still we pushed on.  Our guides urged us to desist, saying that no one had ever ventured thus far and returned alive.  Still they followed us.  Up the cone they climbed.  It was a strangely wild scene:--the fiery lake below us, around us; the vast masses of lava piled upon the plain; the high black cliffs on every side; the wild, hopeless desolation of the country beyond; and the numerous cones, each the mouth of a miniature volcano, sending forth smoke in every direction.  We had nearly reached the summit of the cone, when a thick puff of sulphureous smoke almost drove us back headlong.  A loud roar at the same time, louder than a thousand claps of thunder, saluted our ears.