Descending from this solid work, we entered upon a plot of
grass which sloped towards a precipice of rock that completely closed
this side of the fortress. Several cypress-trees grew among the stones,
which assisted us in ascending from this steep and dangerous slope,
until by a passage which led into a quadrangular courtyard of grass we
emerged into an imposing portion of the ruin which commanded the west
face. This was a wall built upon the extreme edge of a precipice, which
looked down a giddy depth, and afforded a lovely view lengthways of the
narrow strip of caroub-forest and verdure along the mountain range to
the margin of the sea. The guide knew every inch of these labyrinth-like
works, and upon my expressing a desire to ascend to the earth on the
summit, he commenced a scramble over loose stones, large rocks, and
occasional slippery grass, holding on to the now numerous dwarf-cypress,
until we reached a narrow saddle of the peak, over which a man could sit
astride and look down to the right and left into the depth below. It was
necessary to cross this saddle for about ten or twelve feet to gain the
wider pathway formed by the natural rock, which was terminated after a
few yards by the castle tower. This, as may be imagined, was built upon
the verge, and formed an artificial peak to the precipices upon all
sides. The view was superb, as it commanded a panorama of mountains,
valleys, the sea, precipices, and all that could make a perfect
landscape.
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