ERUPTION oK THK SOUFKIERK IN ST. VINCENT. 327 



as the crater hardly a whiti' of steam was seen to rise, and the o-reat 

 heap of hot bowlders which lies on the north side of and above this 

 fissure could be perfectly made out. (See pi. JI.) Small landslides 

 took place in it occasionally, and small jets of steam rose now and again 

 from between the stones. 



A little after midday large steam clouds ])egan to rise, one every ten 

 or twenty minutes, with a' low rumble. As they rose they expanded, 

 becoming club-shaped, and consisting of many glol)ular rolling masses, 

 constantly increasing in luunber and in size as they ascended in the 

 air. They might ))e compared to a ])unch of grapes, large and small, 

 or to a gigantic cauliflower. When their upward velocity diminished 

 they floated away to leeward, and tine ash rained down in a dense mist 

 as they drifted over the western side of the mountain. They occa- 

 sioned no anxiety in our minds, as we had found that the mountain 

 was never long without exhi1)iting these discharges, and they were due 

 merely to an escape of steam, carrying with it fine dust. They rose, 

 as a rule, to heights of 5,(100 oi- <;,000 feet above the sea. 



That afternoon, as the sun was getting lower in the heavens and the 

 details of ravine and spur showed a contrast of light and shadow which 

 was al)sent at midday, we sailed along from St. Pierre to Frecheur, 

 intent on obtaining a series of general photographs of the hill. The 

 steam pull's continued, and a])out (> o'clock, as we were standing l)ack 

 across the Bay of St. Pierre, they became more numerous, though not 

 much larger in size. We ran down toCarbet, a village li miles south 

 of St. Pierre, where there is a supply of excellent water and good 

 anchorage. About half past it was oV)vious that the activity of the 

 mountain was increasing. The cauliflower clouds were no longer dis- 

 tinct and se])arate, each folloAving the other after an interval, but arose 

 in such rapid succession that they were blended in a continuous emis- 

 sion. A thick cloud of steam streamed away l)efore the wind, so laden 

 with dust that all the leeward side of the hill and the sea for miles 

 from the shore was covei'cd with a dense pall of line falling ash. 

 (See pi. 111.) The sun setting behind this cloud lost all its brightness 

 and became a pale yellowish-green disk, easily observal»le with the 

 naked eye. Darkness followed the short twilight of the Tropics, but a 

 four days old moon shed sufficient light to enal)le us to see what was 

 happening on the hillside. 



Just before darkness closed in we noticed a cloud which had in it 

 something peculiar hanging over the lip of the fissure. At first glance 

 it resembled the globular caulifiower masses of steam. It was, how- 

 ever, darker in color, and did not ascend in the aii' or fioat away, but 

 retained its shape, and slowly got larger and larger. After observing 

 it for a short time we concluded that it was traveling straight down 

 the hill toward us, expanding sonu>what as it came, but not rising in 

 the air, onlv rolling over the surface of the ground. It was sototallv 



