CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.
THE LAST ADVENTURE.
From that day the collecting went on merrily, for it seemed as if, touse Ned's words, "the niggers" had had "a regular sickener," excursionafter excursion being made with careful precautions, which as the weeksrolled on were more and more relaxed.
Naturally at every landing traces of the terrible havoc made by thehurricane were seen; but, as Captain Bradleigh said, the sun was hard atwork repairing damages, and there were endless lovely places which hadcompletely escaped.
The men were never happier than when they were forming guards or portersfor the various expeditions, and the naturalists' cases grew fuller andfuller of gorgeously-painted or armoured birds. The display ofbutterflies and wondrously-shaped flies and beetles was extensive, andas Jack and his henchman handled gun, butterfly-net, dredge, orfishing-line, the very existence of inimical natives not many miles awaybegan to be forgotten, just as Jack's life before he was roused from hisdreaming existence into that of a strong, manly English lad seemed to bea thing of the past.
Many months had elapsed since they left England, and in spite of the wayin which the provender was supplemented by fish and fresh meat in theshape of pork, kid, and a small kind of deer discovered in one valley,as the captain said, stores would not last for ever, and they must sooneither turn homeward, or run to one of the ports where supplies could beobtained.
Sir John said that another fortnight must end their stay at the island,and then they would sail for Hong Kong, take in stores, and start fortheir journey homeward round the world.
One thing had been kept for the last, and that was an ascent of thevolcano, and three days before the fortnight had elapsed, the yacht wasrun round to the foot of the valley where the canoe had lain and fromhere a strong party was to start at daybreak, carrying provisions andcanvas for a couple of tents, so that they could sleep somewhere up themountain, and descend on the other side, where the yacht was to meetthem.
Full of excitement over this, which he looked upon as the great event ofthe voyage, Jack was awake before Ned came to summon him, and headed bySir John and the doctor, the captain remaining on board, the expedition,which included ten well-armed men from the crew, who were provided withaxes, ropes, and light tent-poles, started in the highest of spirits.
No collecting was to be done, but every effort directed to scaling themountain, which had several times shown a brighter light from its top,and in anticipation of strange sights and the discovering of freshwonders, Jack stepped to the front with Ned, their experience beingsufficient to warrant their acting as guides.
It proved to be a stiff climb, but at sunset they had reached asheltered hollow where there was a sufficiency of scrubby dwarfed treesto supply them with wood and a screen to keep off the keen wind whichblew pretty hard at five thousand feet above sea level, and afterwatching the sun set from the grand elevation supper was eaten, and awatch set, the rest lying down eager for morning and their ascent of thefinal slope of some hundred feet to the crater.
These long tramps and climbs in the open air had the effect generally ofmaking the night's rest seem astoundingly brief to Jack, who lay down,be the bed hard or soft, took a few deep breaths, and then all wasoblivion till it was time to rise. And it was so here high up on themountain slope, upon a bed of soft grey ashes, with a thin canvasloosely hung tent fashion. One minute he was awake, thinking of thecoolness of the wind at that height, the next fast asleep, and then, soit appeared, directly after staring at Ned, who had shaken him toannounce breakfast, while a scent of newly-made coffee floated inthrough the opening in the canvas.
In half-an-hour they were climbing the yielding slope of ashesdiagonally, with the sun just appearing at the edge of the sea,glorifying the mists and the island below in a way that forced them tohalt and gaze in wonderment at the beauty of the scene. Then up and uponce more, but so slowly that a good two hours were spent over what hadseemed to be to Jack the work of a few minutes. For the sides were deepin cindery stones which gave at every step, and ran down in littleavalanches, leaving beneath a bed of fine silvery ash into which theirfeet sank deeply.
To have gone straight up would have been impossible, but by a sidemovement the way was slowly won, and at last Jack paused for a fewmoments to get his breath, then hurried up the rest of the way, reachedthe top first, and was seen by those below to pass over what seemed tobe a sharp edge and disappear.
Ned shouted in alarm and rushed up after him, Sir John and the doctornext, for there was no reply to the shouts, and as just then a puff ofsmoke suddenly shot into the air, a horrible dread assailed the littlegroup. But when they reached the edge they saw that their alarm wasneedless, for Jack had dropped into a sitting position upon the softashes, and was gazing down into a great cup-like depression abouthalf-a-mile across, and gradually dipping down till the centre of thehollow was about five hundred feet below the top.
"Not much to see, Ned," said Jack as the man joined him. "That must bewhere the bright glow comes from at night."
He pointed down over the dark silvery grey waste, dotted with stones ofall sizes, to where a pool lay on one side, apparently of water, for ashimmering light played over it, and a faint mist was rising slowly intothe air.
"Couldn't come from water, sir," said Ned. "I didn't expect to see apond up here; but I suppose it's hot, and that's steam."
"Oh yes, that's hot enough," said the doctor, who was panting with hisexertions. "Liquid fire, eh, Jack?"
"Wouldn't it be molten metal of some kind, father?" cried the boy.
"No, my lad, it is molten stone--rock. Lava."
"But it puzzles me," cried Jack, "how stone can melt. You saidsomething to me one day about a flux."
"Yes, of course. People who smelt metals found that out long enoughago, and it is the same with making glass. If you expose some mineralsseparately to great heat they merely become powder; but if you combinethem--say flinty sand with soda or potash--they run together and becomelike molten metal. I believe if ironstone and limestone are mixed, theironstone becomes fluid, so that it can be cast like a metal--in factbecomes the metal itself."
"Then that pool down there, if emptied out, would run like the volcanicglass we have found below?"
"Most likely."
"Let's go down this slope so as to see the pool from nearer."
"Rather a risky proceeding, my boy," said Sir John; "suppose we were tobreak through."
"Break through? Why, you don't think it is hollow under here?"
"I should rather believe that there was a stony crust hardened bycooling, and that a very short distance beneath us the rocks are allmolten."
"But all these great stones lying about don't break through. Let's go alittle way down."
"Don't be rash then. Will you come, Instow?"
"Oh yes, if it's safe. Let's go cautiously."
Just then the sailors, who had had to pack up and carry the camping-outnecessaries, appeared at the edge, and waited there watching the littleparty as they slowly descended toward the shimmering pool, threadingtheir way in and out among the blocks of lava and pumice which lay intheir road.
Sir John led, with Jack close beside him, and the doctor and Nedfollowed a little way behind, to their right. But they had notdescended a hundred yards before Sir John stopped short.
"No farther!" he said. "The heat is getting intense, and overpoweringgases are escaping from the ashes. We must go back, Jack."
"I suppose so," said the lad unwillingly. "We don't see the pool anythe better for being here either. Oh, look at that!"
There was no need to call attention, for all were startled by a suddenreport, and a glow of heat swept past their faces as a huge fountain offire suddenly played up some sixty or seventy feet like a geyser, andfell back with a heavy splash, lower and lower, still playing till therewas only a slight eminence, as if bubbling in the middle of the pool.Then it was perfectly level again, and a cloud of white smoke floatedaway.
"That
would have been grand by night," shouted the doctor.
"It was grand now," replied Sir John.
"Well, I think we had better turn back," said the doctor. "There is nodoubt about its being molten fire below here, for the heat gets fiercer.Look."
He had been resting on the climbing pole he brought up with him, andfound that the end had gone down a couple of feet, while as he drew itout the point was charred and smoking.
This induced Sir John and Jack to do the same, and theirs were burnt aswell.
"Yes, get back at once!" shouted Sir John in startled tones. "Quick,all of you; our weight is acting upon the ashes, and they are glidingdown with us."
"Hi! look out below, gen'lemen," shouted Lenny from the edge, "thatthere's bending like thin ice."
The warnings were none too soon, for as the pair turned sharply andbegan to climb back, it was quite plain that though the blocks of stoneabout lay or half floated upon the ash-covered surface, any furtherweight was sufficient to produce a change, and before they had takenmany steps, one huge mass not twenty yards from Sir John was seen to besinking slowly, then faster and faster, and disappeared through theashes, which changed rapidly to a shimmering fluid, and sent forth aterrible heat.
"Don't hurry--open out slowly so as to spread the weight!" cried SirJohn; and the doctor and Ned obeyed; but Jack saw that at every step hisfather's feet sank lower, and that his alpen-stick gave him no support,but went right in.
"Do you hear me, Jack?" shouted Sir John.
"Yes, father, but I can't leave you," cried the lad. "Here, give meyour hand, or take hold of the end of my staff."
"Go on! Obey me, boy, or you will destroy us both," cried Sir Johnsternly, and Jack continued to climb up the slope, finding it more andmore yielding, and as if below the ashes and stones there was aquivering or bubbling going on.
"That's right! go on, Jack; go on," cried Sir John. "It isn't far now."
They pressed on with a horrible feeling of panic attacking them now, forthe quivering beneath them increased, the surface over which they toiledwas trembling, and several of the blocks they passed began to settleslowly down.
"Only another fifty feet!" shouted the doctor. "Come on."
But at that moment a yell of warning came from the sailors, and Jacklooked round to see that the ashes where his father climbed up werechanging colour; then he noted that the slope was growing steeper andsteeper; and to his horror his father threw himself at full length andbegan to crawl.
"Below there!" yelled Lenny. "Look out, Sir John."
"Below there! look out, Mr Jack," cried another sailor; and a couple ofropes flew down the slope in rapidly opening rings, and so accuratelypitched that Jack caught his just as he felt that he was slidingdownward.
Before he could turn to look at his father the rope tightened, and hewas rapidly drawn up out of a heat that was terrible; but as he reachedthe edge of the crater he wrenched himself round in time to see that SirJohn was nearly up; and the next minute he too was well over the side,the doctor and Ned, who had reached the top unaided, coming up white andtrembling.
It was none too soon, for a minute later the slope down toward the pool,which had been easy, had now become, from the sinking of the centre,tremendously steep, and the pool itself suddenly began to spread outmore and more, till half the expanse below was covered with theshimmering molten lava, and the heat became so intense that they wereall glad to retreat down the side.
"What an escape, my boy!" panted Sir John, as he grasped his son's arm.
"It was dreadful," whispered Jack. "But are you hurt?"
"Nothing much; a little scorched."
Sir John held up one of his feet, and Jack could see that the leather ofthe boots was crushed up and drawn out of shape, while this drawing hisattention to his own feet, which he now felt were uncomfortable andstrange, he saw that his heavy boots were wrinkled up in the same way.
But they had to hurry their steps down the mountain side, for anearthquake-like quivering made the earth feel as if a wave was runningbeneath them, while in quick succession two thunderous explosions camefrom below; huge stones were thrown high in the air, and could be heardfalling back into the crater with an awe-inspiring sound.
There was no temptation to pause and watch what was evidently thecommencement of an eruption, and which might at any moment grow inforce, so every effort was made to reach the shore, as nearly as theycould judge about the part of the island off which the yacht wasexpected to lie.
They were fortunate on hitting upon one of the ravines which scored themountain side some time before noon, and after a brief halt forrefreshment, pushed on down its precipitous sides hour after hour, forthe explosions from the crater grew more frequent, and all felt thatthey might culminate in some terrible cataclysm that would overwhelmthem all.
Darkness did not overtake them that night, for long before it wassundown they were conscious of a peculiar glow above them, and the finalpart of their descent was illuminated by an intense light, which asnight fell was reflected from the clouds which had gathered, and helpedthem to reach the shore not above half-a-mile from where the yacht laywith her lights burning.
A shot or two brought a boat to where they were waiting, and wearythough they all were, they sat for hours gazing up at a great glowingstream of fire, which was plainly enough the beginning of one of thelava-streams which flowed down the mountain's sides.
"Notice to quit, I think, sir," said the captain quietly.
"Yes," said Sir John, "it would be foolhardy to stay here longer now."
"Then by your leave, sir, I'll take the yacht outside at once, for onenever knows what may happen when a volcano begins to work. There! lookat that! We'll get out while we can."
A terrific explosion reached their ears as he spoke, and without amoment's delay orders were given for steam to be got up, and beforemorning the yacht glided out through the reef, and past a flotilla ofcanoes which looked as if on their way to the island, but were lying-toas if startled from landing by the explosions which kept coming from thecrater.
"Quite time our adventures ceased, Jack," said Sir John, "when they werebecoming as dangerous as this. It seems that we have just had anotherescape."
"Yes, father," said Jack quietly. "I am sorry to leave the place; but,as you say, it was quite time to go."
Peaceful sea voyages in fine weather, from one of the well-known portsto the other for coal and other supplies, have been described too oftenfor Jack Meadows' quiet journey to China, from thence to Japan,Australia, New Zealand, and then round the Horn to Rio, Barbadoes, andthen homeward, to need recapitulation here. Let it suffice that it waswithin six weeks of two years from starting that Sir John's yachtsteamed into Dartmouth harbour once more.
Two years--from sixteen to eighteen--work strange alterations in somelads; they had done wonders here, and Sir John and the doctor exchangedglances as Jack stepped down into the boat amid the cheers of the men,after he had shaken hands all round.
"Good-bye!" he shouted. "Remember that in six months we start onanother cruise."
A deafening cheer was the answer to this, and the men sprang up into therigging, to stand waving their caps to the lad--the young man who hadbeen almost carried on board.
That evening as the express steamed into Paddington, and Ned met hismaster on the platform to say that the luggage was all right, the manseized the opportunity to whisper to Jack--
"Home again, sir! I say, what will they think of you there? They won'tknow you!"
"Not know me, Ned? Am I so much changed?"
"Changed, sir? What, don't you know it?"
"I--I think I'm stronger, Ned, and grown a little."
"Why, sir, you're as strong and as big as me."
"My cure, Jack!" said the doctor, shaking hands with him as they reachedthe old home. "I say, Meadows, what am I to charge for this?--No: I'mpaid already in the sight of my old friend's son."
It's rather a hard thing to do, but it is to be done. I mean
for threepeople to shake hands at once. These three--Sir John, the doctor, andJack Meadows--did in self-congratulation at being safe and sound athome.
It is done like this--No, you can find that out yourselves.
THE END.
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