ded ten well-armed men from the crew, who were provided with
axes, ropes, and light tent-poles, started in the highest of spirits.

No collecting was to be done, but every effort directed to scaling the
mountain, which had several times shown a brighter light from its top,
and in anticipation of strange sights and the discovering of fresh
wonders, Jack stepped to the front with Ned, their experience being
sufficient to warrant their acting as guides.

It proved to be a stiff climb, but at sunset they had reached a
sheltered hollow where there was a sufficiency of scrubby dwarfed trees
to supply them with wood and a screen to keep off the keen wind which
blew pretty hard at five thousand feet above sea level, and after
watching the sun set from the grand elevation supper was eaten, and a
watch set, the rest lying down eager for morning and their ascent of the
final slope of some hundred feet to the crater.

These long tramps and climbs in the open air had the effect generally of
making the night's rest seem astoundingly brief to Jack, who lay down,
be the bed hard or soft, took a few deep breaths, and then all was
oblivion till it was time to rise. And it was so here high up on the
mountain slope, upon a bed of soft grey ashes, with a thin canvas
loosely hung tent fashion. One minute he was awake, thinking of the
coolness of the wind at that height, the next fast asleep, and then, so
it appeared, directly after staring at Ned, who had shaken him to
announce breakfast, while a scent of newly-made coffee floated in
through the opening in the canvas.

In half-an-hour they were climbing the yielding slope of ashes
diagonally, with the sun just appearing at the edge of the sea,
glorifying the mists and the island below in a way that forced them to
halt and gaze in wonderment at the beauty of the scene. Then up and up
once more, but so slowly that a good two hours were spent over what had
seemed to be to Jack the work of a few minutes. For the sides were deep
in cindery stones which gave at every step, and ran down in little
avalanches, leaving beneath a bed of fine silvery ash into which their
feet sank deeply.

To have gone straight up would have been impossible, but by a side
movement the way was slowly won, and at last Jack paused for a few
moments to get his breath, then hurried up the rest of the way, reached
the top first, and was seen by those below to pass over what seemed to
be a sharp edge and disappear.