Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-07

uiits 1t was only a hundred feet down,
but half hour of hardest work was need
ed TO accomplish that short descent
Here. as wylie severed with one clean
stroke OF his keen-edged machete the last
obstructing iano. even Clyde's stolid En-
glish composure could not reDress a Won
dering exclamation at the scene The naked
earth had been painted over by the unseen
devils who gurgled and chuckled in their
Shiny caves, with countless shades OF lurid
reds and greens and brilliant sulphurous
yellows.
With each fresh hubbling of horrid laugh
tel they spewed out new masses Of boiling
sinking mud. Such was the impression
There could be no doubt Of the actual pres
ence OF the devils. The negroes theories
on the subject became quite reasonable
The horrid. half-human tone that rose from
each steamng hole was, beyond doubt that
of actual living and internal things. Such
was the spell of the enchanted forest the
urreasoning terror inspired by the petit
Soufriere. Even as ne stood the poisonous
Napors had discolored the brass mountinRs
or Gives camera and the very coins In
his pockets. IL was high time to be moving
on toward the lake. More weary cutting
OF giant creepers. often five inches thick
More stumbling over Jagged rocks and toll
Ing up almost perpendicular slopes and
then they stood upon the cliffs above the
boiling lake itself.
The Boiling Lake.
long forgotten volcano. seemingly breath
ing its last, painful. expiring breath. as
they looked, but which even then may have
risen in fierce wrath. for It is this lake
whose sudden disappearance. when Pelee
Numbered, threw all Dominica into wild
terror.
About 300 feet wide, the enclrclInE walls
rose 100 feet from the water. Generally the
lake was covered over with clouds Of steam
Its temperature was over TO degrees but
on this fatal December morning saws the
one survivor OF the little expedition tho
ar was clear, although the bubbllng OF
It's surface, If anything, was more violent
than usual Wyhe. who was an old. expert
enced guide, was alarmed at this that
he begged Mr.. Give not to go down Ia
the water, but Give, not to he detained by
any fancied danger, had already started
Al hrst all went well, though the atmos-
phere was almost unbearable. Mr. Give
attempted some photographs without sue
cess-the one accompanying this article is
the only successful one ever taken-after
winch the guides showed him little stream
tumbing over the cliff, and then lunch was
spread. sudden burst of sunshine induced
Give to return with the guides to the edge
OF the lake and try another photograph
when they again returned to the waterfall
/ When lunch was over Give went down 10
the shore once more. and scarcely had he
left when everything began to look black
| before Rollins eyes
Feeling, as he afterward described 81 .'as
II ne were dying" he started to run but
! Tell down unconscious. Those few stagper-
| ing steps probably saved his life for when
| ne revived he found Wylle living overcome
| where he had first felt the effects of The
| gas Petrified with terror. Rollins could
| not move. but called to Give who running
up, lifted Wylie's head from the ground
| ana started to rub his limbs in an effort 10
| bring him TO. Il TOLD Mr. Give" said Roll
| Inns a the inquest that | felt as IL I was
dying. and that Wylie was dead and not 10
remain any longer, but to return
Gives Splendid Courage.
But the English blood that had won India
by sheer pluck flowed in Gives veins His
reply was brief, but unmistakabe.
mo, Wylie is not dead; go down to Lau-
| dat and get the doctor"
With what alacrity Rollins obeyed this
command can be imagined. As he climbed
the crater wall he saw the quiet English
man, unheeding the deadly peril only too
plainly visible now. hunting quickly but
without excitement through the travelling
case for the brandy bottle. That was the
last time this gallant gentleman, who would
not try to save himself while even a poor
| negro guide was in danger. was seen alive
| From Laudat party with hammocks and
! torches-for 1t was growing dark-started
up the lake, while boy on horseback gal
Hoped to town for doctor. Alas! no doctor
could be of use to those who were left in
/ that devils death-trap.
The first relief party could scarcely stand
on the edge of the cliff and look down on
the bodies below. so strong had the gases
become. and both Give and the negro were
dead beyond a doubt. Wylie lay about If
teen feet away, the half-emptied brandy
flask showing he had not ceased in his ef-
forts TO save Wylie until the last. Escape
would have been easily possible, for. strange
to say, the first outburst Of gas had not af-
fected Give at all.
For two days the watchers on the cliff
were driven from the bodies by the fumes.
! Two age-long days they peered down
through the choking vapors. seeing the fea-
lures of the men below swell into horrid,
unrecogniZable masses. no one being able
to identify them at the inquest save by
their clothes, while a special coffin had to
be made for Wylie. At last the old volcano
consented to give up its prey.
1t night when the sad procession
started down the mountain. Never had
man such weird funeral journey-the far
Ing torches making the unnatural foliage
even more uncanny than before, the calm
tropc stars looking coldly down here and
there through riffs in the dense overhang-
ing foliage Slowly, cautiously, they bore
their silent burdens. that swayed with
awful limpness at each step. And as they
passed Petit Soufriere up through the black
darkness of that evil place came the Shiny,
gurgling chuckle of the devils hidden there.