THE BLACK CAR1BS. 315 



disappeared; a yellow- coloured lake supplied its place, and a new 

 crater was formed on the N. E. side ; some rivers and ravines were 

 dried up, or their courses filled with lava ; others, being forced from 

 their channel, sought a subterraneous course. Years after, some of 

 these broke through their barrier arid sought the sea, carrying away 

 men and buildings. 



But to resume the narrative. It was in the afternoon of the 30th 

 of April, when Melburn, fearing some accident might befall Rosetta, 

 set out from his uncle's estate to visit her. He made his way through 

 a shower of sand, and, on arriving near the old dwelling, to his agony 

 and dismay he found it in flames ; a mass of fire had fallen on the 

 end, by which it was entered ; arid to complete his horror he heard 

 Rosetta shriek for help. The house was built of wood, and rested 

 upon pillars elevated eighteen feet from the ground. He attempted 

 to pass up the wooden staircase, but it was wrapped in flames. 

 Charles possessed the rapidity and active courage that generally 

 characterizes the West Indian, in which respect they yield to none. 

 Defeated in his first attempt, with the speed of lightning he sprung 

 up a tall cocoa-nut tree that grew beside the blazing house ; from 

 the top of this he leaped on the part of the roof not yet on fire. By 

 his heavy plunge the old shingles* gave way beneath him, and the 

 house having no ceiling he felt on the floor of the hall. In an 

 instant he was on his feet, and beheld Rosetta at the window ; the 

 negroes were below encouraging her to leap. This she feared to do : 

 not a moment was to be lost : to catch her in his arms, hold her out 

 of the window, and drop her down, was the work of an instant, and 

 the people below caught her without the slightest accident. He 

 heard a favorite negro girl of Rosetta's cry ; he caught her up and 

 dropped her out also, but with less success than her mistress ; the 

 infant was severely but not fatally injured in the fall. Although, 

 from the time of his ascending the cocoa-nut tree till he threw out 

 the child, but a few seconds had elapsed, yet he had not one moment 

 to lose ; so quickly the conflagration spread that his dress was 

 scorched ere he could leap out of the window, which he did safely. 

 He followed the group of negroes who were conveying their fainting 

 mistress into the sugar works, which were fire-proof, to recover her. 

 He relieved them of their lovely burthen, and flew with her to the 

 asylum, but in so doing made a discovery which satisfied him on a 

 point which had long and bitterly agitated him. As he delivered 

 his fainting charge to her woman, a locket, which she always wore 

 in her bosom, became disengaged from its concealment, and fell. 

 On taking it up, Charles, with feelings little short of transport, found 

 it to contain a miniature likeness of himself! He instantly remem- 

 bered the time he missed the miniature he had brought from Eng- 

 land, and the fact became manifest to him that Rosetta had caused it 

 to be taken and copied. While he was indulging in the joy of his 

 discovery Rosetta became gradually restored, and her first expression 

 was " Where is Charles? where is my deliverer ?" Melburn's joy 

 was complete. 



* Thin strips of wood used as tiles. 



