full between the two halves of the
party came a pouring torrent of ash. Its greasy and slippery character
made it flow almost like water, though sending up clouds of dust.
Choking and blinded, the rear members of the party gave back. While they
waited, not knowing whether the whole mountain side might not plunge
down upon them, Duncan gasped and came to.

Meantime, Eric passed back word to see how the rest of the party had
fared. What was his horror to hear, from the fourth man in the line,

"No one back o' me, sir. An' the line's been cut through. Not broken,
sir; cut clean!"

"Right about and go back," ordered Eric. "We've got to find the rest of
them!"

"Beg your pardon, sir, but I can't."

"Why not?"

"There's a Niagerer of stuff comin' down the mounting, sir, and no one
could stand up agin it for a minnit."

"Shout, then, and try if you can hear the others."

The sailor shouted, and then called to Eric,

"Yes, sir, there's an answerin' hail." Then, a moment later, "They say
everything's all right. Four of them's there, sir, and Duncan's come
around."

The rushing "whoosh" of the ash-slide began to lessen, and presently,
gallantly plowing through the still sliding pumice, came the first
sailor. The rope was knotted and the party went on. A quarter of an hour
later they reached the cannery. The _Redondo_ was lying anchored off the
cannery wharf and Eric managed to attract the attention of the crew and
get them to launch their boat. The boat pulled in as close to the beach
as possible, until it was fast in the ash, then a line was thrown to the
shore and the boat pulled in, though the last fifteen feet were like
thick porridge. The seven men were brought along the beach and returned
to the vessel. Not a sign remained of the trail the party had made on
its outward trip.

It had taken three hours for the rescue, and as soon as the eight men
reached the vessel, they gave way. Even Eric was compelled to put
himself in the hands of the ship's surgeon. The doctors, one from the
ship and one from the village, had been working night and day.
Hollow-eyed and unsleeping, they continued their task of reviving people
suffocated by the fumes or strangled with ashes. More than one worker
had collapsed utterly as the result of an unceasing fight against the
volcanic fiery rain.

In the afternoon of that third day the sky began to clear and by three
o'clock objects became dimly visible. Absolute dark gave place to an