imed the merchant, "that's nothing. I've seen, at other
volcanoes, pieces of pumice blown up so high that they've been caught by
the upper currents of the atmosphere and carried away in an opposite
direction to the wind that was blowing below at the time. Ay, I believe
that dust is sometimes blown _miles_ up into the air."

As Captain Roy thought that the merchant was drawing the long bow he
made no reply, but changed the subject by asking what was the height of
Perboewatan.

"Three hundred feet or thereabouts," replied his friend.

"I hope my son will have the sense to clear out of the island if things
look like gittin' worse," muttered the captain, as an unusually violent
explosion shook the whole side of the cone.

"No fear of him," returned the merchant. "If he is visiting the hermit
of Rakata, as you tell me, he'll be safe enough. Although something of a
dare-devil, the hermit knows how to take care of himself. I'm afraid,
however, that you'll not find it so easy to 'look up' your son as you
seem to think. Just glance round at these almost impenetrable forests.
You don't know what part of the island he may be in just now; and you
might as well look for a needle in a bundle of hay as look for him
there. He is probably at the other end of Krakatoa--four or five miles
off--on the South side of Rakata, where the hermit's cave is supposed to
be, for no one seems to be quite sure as to its whereabouts. Besides,
you'll have to stick by the excursionists if you wish to return to
Batavia."

Captain Roy paused for a moment to recover breath, and looking down upon
the dense tropical forest that stretched between him and the Peak of
Rakata, he shook his head, and admitted that the merchant was right.
Turning round he addressed himself once more to the ascent of the cone,
on the sides of which the whole excursion party now straggled and
struggled, remarking, as he panted along, that hill-climbing among ashes
and cinders didn't "come easy to a sea-farin' man."

Now, nothing was more natural than that Van der Kemp and his guest
should be smitten with the same sort of desire which had brought these
excursionists from Batavia. The only thing that we do not pretend to
account for is the strange coincidence that they should have been so
smitten, and had so arranged their plans, that they arrived at
Perboewatan almost at the same time with the excursionists--only about
half an hour before them!

Their preliminary walk, however