ds, and there was nothing to mind. He was only separated from the
vessel by a comparatively short distance, and sooner or later an effort
would be made to reach him. It might not be possible to pass through
the foul gases, but surely the long line of mist could be circumvented;
and he climbed to the highest point he could then find to try and see
its ends.

There was nothing to fear, for he had his gun, plenty of ammunition, and
a little provision left. The place was wonderfully beautiful, and
offered a tempting number of objects to a naturalist, as soon as he
could make himself sufficiently calm to begin to investigate.

And it was in the above spirit, feeling quite certain that sooner or
later he would see a party coming in search of him, he began to examine,
turning his attention first towards the huge volcano, which rose up grim
and forbidding away to the north, with the globular cloud poised over
its highest part, which seemed as if cut right across in a slope.

Once he could turn his thoughts from the idea of peril, he began to be
interested and eager; for he was in the position so dear to a lover of
nature, there in a land surrounded by bird and insect forms for the most
part entirely fresh to him.

But there were other things to think of first. Principally, there was
that important discovery to make whether they were surrounded by the
sea, and to try and find this out he sought a higher point than any he
had yet mounted, and, taking out his little glass, followed the face of
the mist till it reached the glittering waters of the sea, and then
tried to trace the coastline towards the volcano.

This he was able to do with pretty good success, but as his glass was
directed to the lower and eastern slope of the mountain, he found that
he was as wise as ever, for the base of the mighty cone completely shut
off all view in that direction.

Turning to the mist again, he followed its edge to the west as far as he
could reach, but the inequalities in the surface baulked him here, and
he could not make out the sea in that direction.

He closed his little glass and turned to the mist curtain, that
mysterious dim line glistening with opalescent colours, and determined
as a last resource to walk quietly as close to it as he could, before
the gases began to affect him, then to draw back a few yards, take a few
deep inspirations, so as to fully inflate his lungs, and then rush
straight through; for he argued to himse