328 ERUPTION OF THE SOUFRIERE IN ST. VINCENT. 



distinct in its behavior from the ascending- steam clouds that our 

 attention was liveted on it, and Ave were not without apprehension as 

 to its character. It seemed to take some time to reach the sea (several 

 minutes at least), and as it rolled over the bay we could see that 

 through it there played innumerable lightnings. We weighed anchor 

 and hoisted the sails, and in a few minutes we were slipping southward 

 along the coast with a slight easterly wind and a favorable tide. 



We had, however, scarcely got under way when it became clear that 

 an eruption was impending. As the darkness deepened, a dull red 

 reflection was seen in the trade-wind cloud which covered the mountain 

 summit. This became brighter and brighter, and soon we saw red-hot 

 stones projected from the crater, bowling down the mountain slopes, 

 and giving ofl' glowing sparks. Suddenly the whole cloud was ))rightly 

 illuminated and the sailors cried, "The mountain bursts!" In an 

 incredibly short space of time a red-hot axalanche swept down to the 

 sea. We could not see the sununit, owing to the intervening veil of 

 cloud, l)ut the fissure and the lower parts of the mountain were clear, 

 and the glowing cataract poured over them right down to the shores 

 of the bay. It w-as dull red, with a billowy surface, reminding oiu3 of a 

 snow avalanche. In it there were larger stones which stood out as 

 streaks of l)right red, tumbling down and emitting showers of sparks. 

 In a few minutes it was over, A loud, angry growl had burst from 

 the mountain when this avalanche was launched from the crater. It is 

 difficult to say how^ long an interval elapsed l)etween the time when 

 the great glare shone on the summit and the incandescent avalanche 

 reached the sea. Possibly it occupied a couple of minutes; it could 

 not have l)een nuich more. Undoubtedly the velocity was terrific. 

 Had any buildings stood in its path they would have bc^en utterl}' 

 wiped out, and no living creature could have survived that blast. 



Hardly liad its red light faded when a rounded l)lack cloud began 

 to shape itself against the star-lit sky exactly where the avalanche 

 had been. The pale nioonlight shining on it showed us that it was 

 globular, with a bulging surface, covered with rounded protuberant 

 masses, which swelled and nudtiplied with a terrible energy. It 

 rushed forward over the waters, directly toward us, boiling, and chang- 

 ing its form every instant. In its face there sparkled innumei'able 

 lightnings, short, and many of tlu^m horizontal. Especially at its l)ase 

 there was a continuous scintillation. Th(> cloud itself was black as 

 night, dens(> and solid, and the flickering lightnings gave it an inde- 

 scriV)ably venomous appeai'ance. It moved with great velocity, and 

 as it appT'oached it got larger and larger, hut it retained its rouncUnl 

 form. It did not spread out laterally, ncitluM- did it rise into the air, 

 but swept on over the sea in surging globular masses, corruscating 

 with lightnings. 



When about a mile from us it was perc(^ptibly slowing down. We 

 then estimated that it w^as 2 miles broad and about 1 mile hiuh. It 



