336 To the River Plate and Back 



succession of islands, large and small, lying like a great 

 wreath upon the blue expanse of ocean. The Caribbees 

 are disposed in two more or less parallel lines, the outer 

 islands on the Atlantic side being generally low, or with 

 but slight elevations upon them; the inner series is 

 composed of islands which are mostly volcanic in their 

 origin and adorned with peaks and high rugged cliffs. 

 With but one or two exceptions, all are covered with 

 luxuriant vegetation from sea-level to the tops of the 

 mountains. Alongside of them are some mighty deeps in 

 the floor of the ocean. If the water were to be drained 

 away from about them they would stand up from the 

 sea-floor as the Himalayas stand up above the plains of 

 India. What the traveler really sees as he journeys 

 among these islands are only the summits of a colossal 

 mountain range jutting up out of the waters. These 

 islands lie along what geologists call a fault in the sur- 

 face of the earth, which, as it has been cooling and 

 contracting, has been cracked and wrinkled and folded. 

 On such lines the water of the ocean, creeping down into 

 the heated interior, has been converted into steam and 

 volcanoes have been formed. Many of these islands, 

 the summits of which are evidently old volcanic peaks, 

 are quiet enough to-day, save that now and then they 

 are jarred by earthquakes, but nowhere in the world has 

 more awful destruction been wrought since the days of 

 Herculaneum and Pompeii than was brought about by 

 the explosion of Mt. Pelee on Martinique in 1902. 



Leaving Trinidad behind us we headed away to the 

 northeast. Tobago was passed during the night. 

 Morning found us at Bridgetown, the port and capital 

 of Barbados, the easternmost of the Caribbees. The 

 only other large vessel in the harbor was a Russian man- 

 of-war. As soon as we had cast anchor, the ship was 



