SOUFEIEEE, AND ON A VISIT TO MONTAGNE PELEE, IN 1902. 
403 
prayers of some, the excited yelling of others, and the feeling of despair of nearly all. Men, women, 
and children of all ages scurried np the steep hill as fast as possible, mothers urging on their 
young children hardly able to crawl, old men imploring the assistance of the younger and stronger, 
each helping and encouraging the other, clearly showing the brotherhood a common danger engenders. 
“ One poor woman, with a brood of at least eight, was ke]3t behind by the inability of the youngest 
two to keep up the pace. Her agonised cry for help I can never foi-get, nor the thankful smile I got 
when I picked them up, one in each arm. 
“ By this time the dense volume of sulphurous cloud, which chased us like a death pall, began to 
overtake us, and it was hard indeed to get the people to continue struggling on. As the darkness 
settled over us, a storm of lightning" and thunder broke over our heads, and so near were the flashes 
that one thought that each surely must strike the people on the road, especially as the dry grass on 
the hill-sides was ignited. It would indeed be difficult to be more uncertain of another minute’s life than 
on that hill-side that dark afternoon. 
“ As we gained the summit of the next mountain, the poisonous dusty cloud was held in check by a 
steady breeze coming in the opposite direction, but for which the death-roll by suffocation must have been 
appalling. I pushed on for 9 miles, until I got an opportunity of communicating with Kingstown, when I 
learned that sidphurous dust and ashes, accompanied by semi-fused stone, had fallen there. The stones 
measured on the average at least an inch in diameter. 
“ When aliout 4 miles from Chateaubelair, thiiddng the danger from falling stones had passed, I 
removed the board I had tied over my head, and, as a result of my want of caution, I was struck down, 
and remained in a semi-conscious state for over half an hoim. 
“ It is impossible fitly to describe that awful trek through a continual blaze of lightning, driven, as it 
were, before that deadly and enveloping cloud of sidphurous dust and ashes. The awful grumbling and 
rumbling of the volcano continued throughout the niglit, and as the morning dawned, the deep green of 
the young arrowroot and cane plants had given place to a smooth leaden colour of dust, several inches 
deep, not a single green leaf of any description being visible.” 
Mr. T. M. McDonald left Cliateaubelair liy boat about tbe same time as 
Dr. Dunbar Hughes ami Captain Calder started out along tbe mad leading to tbe 
soutb. Ibvo versions of bis invaluable diary have appeared, one in tbe ‘ Sentry ’ 
newspaper of King.stown, St. Vincent, on May 16tb, 1S02, tbe otber in the ‘Century 
Magazine’ of August, 1902, pp. 638-642. Tbe latter is somewbat amplified, probably 
by tbe incorporation of notes given by word of moutb to tbe reporter. They diftei' in 
several respects, but liotb are obviously copies of tbe brief notes taken in Ins pocket 
book at tbe time, and these notes we bad tbe pi’ivilege of discussing with bim on 
several occasions. On tbe whole, the version of tbe ‘ Sentry ’ adheres most closely to 
the original.'^ His statements are in almost perfect accordance with those of tbe 
observers already cited. He does not mention, however, the indraught or steady 
breeze which, advancing in an opposite direction, held the great black cloud in check. 
Not a few of the residents of Chateaubelair whom we interviewed when we were there 
bad remaiked that an opposing wdnd sprung up from south or south-east, and regarded 
it as an important factor in tbe preservation of the village. 
Of the existence of a reverse current or indraught there can be no doubt. That it 
* A.S this edition of the ‘ Sentry ’ newspaper was out of print in a few days, a second edition was 
struck off, which also was soon exhausted. IVe have considered it advisable to pilnt it in the form of an 
appendix to this report. (See Appendix II, p. .544.) 
3 F 2 
