speedily became absolutely deafening in
its intensity; the waters of the bay broke first into long lines of
quivering ripples, then into a confused jumble of low foaming surges;
the schooner jarred violently, as though she was being dragged rapidly
over a rocky bottom; there was a hideous groaning grinding sound on
shore, soon mingled with that of the crashing fall of enormous masses of
earth and rock, above which could still be feebly heard the piercing
shriek of horror raised by the occupants of the launch. The shock
passed; but was immediately followed by one of still greater intensity;
the waters were still more violently agitated; the schooner was swept
helplessly hither and thither, rolling heavily, and shipping great
quantities of water upon her deck as the shapeless surges madly leaped
and boiled and swirled around her. Finally, a long line of luminous
foam was seen to be rushing rapidly down upon the schooner from the
harbour's mouth, stretching completely across the bay. As it came
nearer it was apparent that this was the foaming crest of a wall of
water some twelve feet in height which was rushing down the bay at
railway-speed.

"Hold on, every one of you, for your lives!" hoarsely shouted the
skipper, as the wave swept threateningly down upon the schooner; and the
next moment it burst upon them with a savage roar.

Luckily, the _Petrel's_ bows were presented fairly to it, or the
consequences would have been disastrous. As it was it curled in over
the stem, an unbroken mass of water, filling the decks in an instant and
carrying the schooner irresistibly along with it toward the shore at the
bottom of the bay.

"Let go the anchor," shouted Captain Staunton, as soon as he could get
his head above water.

But before this could be done the wave had swept past, rushing with a
loud thundering roar far up the beach even to the capstan-house, and
then rapidly subsiding.

"Get the canvas on her at once," ordered Captain Staunton--"close-reefed
main-sail, fore-sail, and jib; we shall have some wind presently, please
God, and we'll make use of it to get out of this as speedily as
possible--Merciful Heaven! what now?"

A sullen roar; a rattling crash as of a peal of heaviest thunder; and
the whole scene was suddenly lit up with a lurid ruddy glow. Turning
their startled glances inland, our adventurers saw that the lofty hill-
top, dominating the head of the ravine, near which was situated the gold
cavern, ha