140 THE LAST CRUISE OF THE CARNEGIE 



through the wide sugar-cane fields to this rugged coast, where 

 there is a considerable expanse of sandy desert (not coral sand) 

 in which several varieties of cactus flourish. 



The most delightful jaunt we made was to Crane Beach, some 

 fifteen miles from town, where some of us saw our first character- 

 istic "South Sea" landscapes — coconut-palms, coral caves, pound- 

 ing surf, and all the rest. Truly a magnificent spot to loaf and 

 swim. 



By October 1, we had completed our work aboard and ashore. 

 The hours of relaxation in the hospitable homes of our new friends 

 had been well spent, and we were in fine spirits for the short run 

 to the Canal. Sailing was delayed several hours, while Captain 

 Ault and the local police searched the town for two seamen who 

 had failed to report. They had found Barbados rum too strong 

 for them. 



We passed the stately peaks of St. Lucia, and sailed along the 

 beautiful coast of Martinique. Captain Ault greeted ferocious 

 Mt. Pelee as an old friend. A severe magnetic storm had fol- 

 lowed the terrific eruption of 1902, in which the town of St. Pierre 

 had been buried with all its inhabitants. One of his first assign- 

 ments in Washington had been the scaling of magnetic records 

 from all parts of the world in connection with this disturbance. 

 The long green slopes of this volcano were clearly visible during 

 the greater part of the day, but only for a short moment did 

 the diadem of clouds lift from the cone itself. Captain Ault 

 insisted that it was only to allow Pelee to show her teeth! The 

 rest of us preferred to interpret the sign as a friendly salute. 

 For was not Martinique a picture of serene beauty — inviting 

 the stranger to tarry awhile in its sleepy villages? 



On the voyage to Panama we were favored with strong trade- 

 winds, interrupted almost every afternoon by sudden electrical 

 storms and heavy rain-squalls. In fact on October 3 we en- 

 countered a short blow that almost reached destructive force. 

 Such violent thunder and lightning storms are not common at 

 sea, and were no doubt due in this case to our proximity to the 

 large islands northward. 



On the 5th we suffered the first catastrophe of the cruise. We 



