SUMATRA 163 



took place, other craters having opened in the centre 

 of the island. On the 11th August the island was 

 approached upon its north-east side by Captain Ferzenaar, 

 of the topographical staff of Bantam, who discovered that 

 no less than three large and eleven secondary craters 

 were in action. The whole island was covered with a 

 thick white dust, and the forests and vegetation utterly 

 destroyed. 



On Sunday the 26th August the volcano entered 

 upon its paroxysmal and culminating stage of eruption. 

 From the commanders of two or three vessels which 

 were then passing through the strait, and in some 

 remarkable manner escaped destruction by the frightful 

 wave that submerged the villages on its shores, we have 

 full accounts of the phenomena presented at this period. 

 The various craters appear to have united, and the 

 mountain was vomiting forth enormous columns of smoke 

 which, according to one observer, presented the appear- 

 ance of " an immense wall with bursts of forked lio-htning; 

 like large serpents rushing through the air." Chains of 

 fire appeared to ascend between the volcano and the sky, 

 while on the south-west side huge white-hot fragments of 

 lava rolled down the sides of the peak. On the ships 

 the yard-arms and mast-heads were studded with " corpi- 

 santi" and the entire deck and rigging were covered with 

 brilliant phosphorescence, due to show^ers of warm mud 

 which fell at times at the rate of six inches of depth in 

 ten minutes. Occasionally a peculiar pinky flame ap- 

 peared to come from the clouds and touch the mast- 

 heads and yard-arms ; and the sounding-lead was hot 

 when brought to the surface. A strong wind was 

 blowing at the time, hot and choking, with a pungent 

 sulphurous smell. The explosions, which began on the 

 afternoon of Sunday, continuing at intervals of ten 



