A Large Lake of Asphalt on the Is-land of Trinidad

At the village off La Brea, on the island of Trinidad, in the West Indies, is a large lake of asphalt called Pitch Lake.

The asphalt is hard and is dug out with a big scoop¹ shovel² or a pick, leaving a hole in the surface of the lake.Within a week or two the hole is filled with new asphalt that pushes up from below.The supply of asphalt seems to be endless.

An ancient legend explains how Pitch Lake came to be：Many centuries ago two Indian tribes fought a great battle.The victorious³ tribe built a village and held a victory celebration, They killed hundreds of beautiful hummingbirds⁴, ate them, and used their feathers to decorate their clothing.The Great Spirit was so angered that the birds had been killed that he caused the entire village to sink into the earth.The crater⁵ where the village stood has been filled wish asphalt ever since.

特立尼达岛上的大沥青湖

在西印度群岛特立尼达岛上的拉布利亚村，有一个大沥青湖。

湖中的沥青很坚硬，用大勺铲或锄头挖出后，湖面上便留下了一个洞口。一两周内，洞又被地下涌出的沥青填满了。沥青的供应似乎是源源不断的。

一则古老的传说解释了沥青湖的来历：许多世纪以前，两个印地安人部落打了一次大仗，获胜的部落建立了一个村庄，并举行胜利庆典，他们杀死了数以百计的美丽的蜂鸟，吃了鸟肉，并且用鸟的羽毛装饰他们的衣裳；伟大的圣灵被这些蜂鸟惨遭杀害所震怒，便让全村沉入地下。从此，本是这村子原址的陷口便一直注满着沥青。