e coat of dust. This was not black, like coal dust, but a
light gray.

"Say, Homer," he said, "that's ashes."

"Forest fire somewhere," said the other.

"No," said Eric, "it looks like pumice-stone."

"Volcanic, I'll bet," said the other, with a quickened interest. He
scooped up a pinch of the fine dust and looked at it. "It's volcanic,
sure enough. There must be a big eruption somewhere!"

"I wish it were right handy near by," said Eric; "I've never seen an
eruption."

"You talk as if they were as frequent as moving pictures," said the
other. "But there's trouble somewhere, you can lay to that. And it's not
far off, either! See, there's another cloud coming up from the nor'ard!"

Steadily, and with a slowness that only increased its threatening
aspect, the cloud to the northward joined the vast overhanging canopy
that had been seen earlier in the day. By half-past six in the evening
it was black as the densest night, the murk only being lighted by the
constant flashes of lightning. The air was highly electrified and the
wireless was made silent. During the evening the island was shaken by
many light earthquake shocks and several people from St. Paul came to
take refuge on the _Bear_. At midnight a fine dust was falling steadily,
but by six bells of the middle watch it had lessened and when the sun
rose the next morning, he could be seen as a dull red ball. The air was
still full of dust and ash, but the eruption was believed to be over.

Early in the morning scores of people came to the ship for
drinking-water, many of the streams and wells in the village having been
choked. About five inches of ashes had fallen. The captain of the _Bear_
started the evaporators going, to provide drinking-water for the folk
ashore.

Shortly before noon the ashes began to fall again, even more heavily
than before. When Eric came up from below after lunch, the air was so
full of a heavy gritty ash that it was impossible to see the length of
the ship. The _Bear_ was evidently in a place of danger and there was no
means of determining what was happening or what would happen.

"Do you suppose we'll strike out to sea?" queried Eric of his friend.
"We ought to, for safety, but I don't see how we can leave the place
unprotected."

"We'd never do that," replied the other. "Things don't work out that
way in the Coast Guard. You'll see. We'll stick here till the last gun's
fired."

It was a relief to Eric when at three o'clock that