d the foresail and
mainsail. The rudder, it should have been said, was fitted with long
yoke-lines, which, being led well forward, made the operation of
steering more easy than it would otherwise have been.

"I suspect that in a heavy sea we shall find that the _Janet_ doesn't
come about as well as we should wish," observed Lord Reginald.

"We shall improve by practice," said Dick, "and you forget that in a
heavy sea we shall not be carrying our mainsail, and may be even without
the foresail, so that we shall only have the fore-staysail and mizzen to
manage, and we may expect to be favoured with calm weather. She goes to
windward, at all events."

Still, Lord Reginald, like many other naval officers, was not much
accustomed to sailing boats, and was less satisfied with the sea
qualities of their craft than he could have wished.

Dick's trips on board the _Nancy_ had taught him how a lugger should be
managed, but she had, he confessed, a more numerous crew than that of
the _Janet_. However, he hoped by activity to make up for that
deficiency.

As the _Janet_ glided rapidly over the smooth surface of the ocean, he
naturally felt proud of her. On hearing the eastern end they came in
view of the side of the volcano sloping up almost from the water. Here
and there, just above the beach, a few scathed trees were seen, but the
rest of it was covered with lava which had rolled down from the summit,
filling up all the hollows, and extending some distance, layer above
layer, into the water.

It was satisfactory to see that this was the direction which the lava
had hitherto taken, but they also perceived that it might at any time
rush down the opposite side of the hill, and destroy the animals and
rich vegetation existing in the two remaining fertile valleys. Dick was
employed in looking out ahead for any reefs or other dangers which might
exist off the island, when Lord Reginald exclaimed--

"Look there, Hargrave! Look there! You see the volcano is in an angry
mood."

As he spoke, a low dull sound was heard coming from the shore, and from
the top of the volcano rose a dense black mass, which extended itself
like an umbrella. Directly afterwards down came a shower of ashes,
covering every part of the boat, while the coast itself was completely
shut out from view, except where a lurid glare could be seen on the
summit of the hill, and from the streams of lava descending the sides.
Masses of rock and other dense s