Year: 1877

The night had come, and the Captain
had not left the island. Ainata's reso
luton to send him away in the darkness
was a forgotten resolution already. She
had let him persuade her that he was in
in no danger so long as he remained in
the hut on the cliff; and she had promis-
ed, at parting, toreturn to him, while the
priest was still sleeping, at the dawn of
day.


..e was alone in the Init The thougt
of the innocent creature whom he Ia ed
was sorrowfully as well as tenderly pres
ent to his mind. He almost regretted
his rash visit to the island. Il will take
her with me to England, he said to
himself What do l care for the opin
ion of the world? Aimata shall be my
wife


The intense heat oppressed him. He
stepped out ON the clff toward midnight,
n search of q breath of air. The first
shock of earthquake (felt in the ship
while she was inside the reef shook the
ground ON which he stood. He instant
thought of the volcano on the main is
land. Had he been mistaken in suppos-
ing the crater to be exstinct? Was the
shock of earthquake that he had just felt
a warning from the volcano, communi-
Gated through a submarine connection
between the two islands. He waited
and watched through the hours of dark
ness, with vague sense ofapprehension,
which was not to be reasoned away.
With the first rays Of daybreak he de
scended into the forest and saw the love
ly being, whose safety was already prec
ious to him as his own, ,hurrying to meet
him through the trees.


She waved her hand distractedly as
she approached him. 60" she cried
go away in your canoe before the eisland
is destroyed


He did his best to quiet her alarm;
Was it the shock of earthquake, it was
something more ominous still which had
followed the shock There was lake
near the Temple, the waters which were
supposed to be heated by subterranean
fires. The lake had risen with the earth
quake, had bubbled furiously, and then
melted away in the night. Her father,
viewing the por,ent with horror, had
gone to the cape to watch the volcano ON
the main Island, and to lmplore, by
prayers and sacrifices, the protection Of
the gods Hearing this, the Captain en-
treated Aimata to let him see the empt-
led lake, in the absence OF the priest
She hesitated, but his influence was all
powerful. He prevailed on her to turn
back with him through the forest.


Reaching the farthest limit ofthe trees,
they came out upon the open rocky
ground that sloped gently downward to-
ward the island. Having crossed this
space, they arrived at a natural amphi-
theatre of rock. On one side of it the
Temple appeared, partly excavated,
partly formed by natural cavern In
one of the lateral brances of the cavern
was the dwelling of the priest and his
daughter. The mouth of it looked out
on the rocky basin of the Lake Stoop-
ing over the edge of the basin, the Cap
tain discovered, far down in the empty
depths, light cloud of steam. Not a
drop of water was visible anywhere.


Does thst mean nothing said Aim
ata, pointing to the abyss. She shuddered
and hid her face on the Captains bosom.
My father says" she whispered, that it
is your doing


The Captain started. Does your
father know that am on the islande'


She looked up at HIM with a quick
glance of reproach. "Do you think /