The sides of this great
cup were rocky, and clothed with bush, but the centre was of the richest
meadow land, studded with single trees of magnificent growth, and
watered by meandering brooks. On this rich plain grazed herds of goats
and cattle, but I saw no sheep. At first I could not imagine what this
strange spot could be, but presently it flashed upon me that it must
represent the crater of some long-extinct volcano which had afterwards
been a lake, and was ultimately drained in some unexplained way. And
here I may state that from my subsequent experience of this and a much
larger, but otherwise similar spot, which I shall have occasion to
describe by-and-by, I have every reason to believe that this conclusion
was correct. What puzzled me, however, was, that although there were
people moving about herding the goats and cattle, I saw no signs of any
human habitation. Where did they all live? I wondered. My curiosity was
soon destined to be gratified. Turning to the left the string of litters
followed the cliffy sides of the crater for a distance of about half
a mile, or perhaps a little less, and then halted.
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