The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-10-05

they commenced their difficult
ascent; the sky was splendid, and
the thermometer stood at So de-
grees.
Hatteras and his dog went first,
closely followed by the others.
81 am afraid" said Johnson to
the doctor.
"No, no; there's nothing to be
afraid of; we are here.
But as they got higher, the
ascent became more and more diff
ficult, for the flanks of the noun
tain were almost perpendicular,
and it required the utmost care
to keep from falling. Clouds of
ashes whirled round them repeat
eddy. and torrents Of lava barred
their passage.
In parts where these torrents
ran horizontally, the outside had
become hardened; while under
meath was the boiling lava, and
every step the travellers took had
first to be tested with the iron
tippel staff to avoid being sud-
denly plunged into, the scalding
liquid.
At intervals large fragments of
red-hot rock were thrown up
from the crater, and burst in the
air like bomb shells, scattering
the debris to enormous distances
in all directions.
Hatteras. however, climbed up
the steepest ascents with surpris-
ing agility, disdaining the help
of his staff.
He arrived before long at a cir
cular rock, a sort of plateau
about 10 feet wide. A river of
boiling lava surrounded it except
in one part, where it forked away
to a higher rock, leaving a mar
row passage, through which Hat
teras fearlessly passed
Here he stopped, and his COM
panions managed to rejoin him.
He seemed to be measuring with
his eye the distance he had yet
to get over. Horizontally, he was
not more than 200 yards from the
top of the crater, but vertically
he had nearly three times that
distance to traverse.
The ascent had occupied three
hours already. Hatteras showed
no signs of fatigue, while the
others were almost spent.
The summit of the volcano ap-
peared inaccessible, and the doc
tor determined at any price to
prevent Hatteras from attempt
ing to proceed.
"Hatteras," said the doctor, cit
is enough; we cannot 60 fur
|ther!"
stop, them" he replied, in a
strangely altered voice, 81 am GO
ing higher"
mo. it is useless; you are at
the pole already"
mo, no! higher, higher!"
I'VE shall not allow it-that is
al"
He had hardly uttered the words
before FIatteras, by a superhuman
effort, sprang over the boiling
ava, and was beyond the reach of
AS companions.
A cry of horror burst from ev-
cry lip. for they thought the poor
captain must have persisted in
that fiery gulf: but there he was
safe on the other side, accom-
panied by his faithful Duke, who
would not leave him.
He speedily disappeared behind
curtain of smoke, and they
heard his voice growing fainter
in the distance, shouting:
To the north! to the north! to
the top Of Mount Hatteras! Re-
member Mount Hatteras!"
All pursuit of him was out of
the question; 1t was impossible to
leap across the fiery torrent, and
equally impossible to get around
Iit. Altamont. indeed, was mad
enough to make an attempt, and
would certainly have lost his life
II the others had not held him
back by main force.
"Hatteras! Hatteras!" shouted
the doctor, but no response was
heard save the faint bark of
Duke.
At intervals, however, a
glimpse of him could be caught
Through the clouds of smoke and
showers of ashes. Sometimes his
head. sometimes his arm appear
ed; then he was out of sight
again, and a few minutes later
was seen higher UP clinging to the
rocks. His size constantly de-
creased with the fantastic rapid
ity of objects rising upwards in
the air. In half an hour he was
only half his size.
The air was full OF the deep
rumbling noise of the volcano.
and the mountain shook and trem-
bled. From time to time a loud
fall was heard behind. and the
travellers would see some enor-
nous rock rebounding from the