THOUGHTS ABOUT KRAKATOA. 333 



distance, and created the belief that there must be some 

 ship in distress, for which a diligent but necessarily 

 ineffectual search was made. To pass at once to the most 

 remarkable case of all, we have a report from Mr. James 



Fig. 19. Krakatoa : Eruptions of August 26-27. 



(The shaded portion indicates approximately the area over which the sounds 

 were heard.) 



Wallis, chief of police in Rodriguez, that " several times 

 during the night of August 26-27, 1883, reports were 

 heard coming from the eastward, like the distant roar of 

 heavy guns. These reports continued at intervals of 

 between three and four hours." Were it not for the con- 



