imy waves, some of which were being disturbed at the
surface by something living writhing its way through the liquid soil.

"Might have given a fellow a call," said a voice, and Panton came up to
them. "You fellows are as bad as schoolboys; must have first turn."

"Never thought of calling you," said Drew.

"Not surprised at you," said Panton to Oliver Lane, "you are only a
schoolboy yet; but you might have called me, Drew."

"Don't take any notice, Oliver, lad," said Drew. "Panton always goes
badly till he has been oiled by his breakfast."

"My word!" cried Panton, as he grasped the scene around them. "Look
here, Drew! Look at the earth bared to its very bones. Volcanic. Look
at the tufa. That's basalt there, and look where the great blocks of
coral are lying. Why, they must have been swept in by the wave."

"Don't bother," said Drew. "I want to make out what those trees are in
blossom. They must be--"

"Oh, bother your trees and flowers! Here, Oliver, lad, look at the
great pieces of scoria and pumice. Why, that piece is smoking still.
These must be some of the fragments we saw falling yesterday."

"Can't look," said Oliver, "I want to know what those birds are, and
there's a great fish in that muddy pool yonder, and, if I'm not greatly
mistaken, that's a snake. Here, quick! Look amongst those trees.
There's a man--no, a boy--no. I see now; it's alive, and--yes--it's
some kind of ape."

"Well, we can't go on fighting against each other, with every man for
his own particular subject," said Drew, "we must take our turns. We've
been cast on a perfect naturalist's paradise, with the world turned
upside down, as if for our special advantage."

"Yes," said Panton; "we could not possibly have hit upon a place more
full of tempting objects."

"But what about our exploration in New Guinea?" said Oliver.

"This may be the western end of that island," said Panton. "But where's
the volcano that has caused all this mischief?"

"Yonder," said Oliver, pointing, "behind the cloud."

The others looked at a dense curtain of mist which rose from the earth,
apparently to the skies, and hid everything in that quarter, the
desolation extending apparently for a couple of miles in the direction
of the curtain, beyond that the ground rose in a glorious slope of
uninjured verdure, and then came the great cloud of mist or smoke
shutting off the mountain, or whatever was beyond.

"But where is the sea?" said Oli