rmation had I
received it from any one else, but Oliver spoke in so calm a way that I
felt sure that all would be for the best. I then told Grace, who was
perhaps more alarmed than I had expected her to be. I trusted, too,
that the _Hope_ would return before such a fearful event should occur,
and that we might be safe away from the island in her. We gradually
told the Frau what Mr Sedgwick apprehended. "Ah, yes!" she said,
looking up at the mountain, "I think so too. Before long that send up
stones and ashes, and send down rivers of lava from its sides; but I
hope we be away first. I would rather be living in my own Dutch land,
where we see no hill higher than a mole-hill, and where we have the sea
ready to come in over the country with every storm, than I would live
out in these beautiful lands, where the earthquake like the sea, and the
mountains are like so many cannons stuck in the ground with their
muzzles up."

When my uncle came home I told him what I had heard, and begged he would
allow us to come and help him and Oliver to make the raft. "I do not
know that you can help us in building the raft," he said; "but you can
assist in preparing the provisions and stores, without which it would be
of little use, as we should only put to sea to be starved."

This we gladly undertook to do, and immediately commenced arranging
packages for the buffaloes to carry. The Frau hurried off, and worked
very energetically, every now and then casting an anxious glance up at
the mountain. "What if it blow up before we ready?" she exclaimed.
"Dear, oh dear!" The buffaloes had become so accustomed to us that we
could lead them without difficulty, and as soon therefore as we were
ready, we started off by the well-beaten track to Hope Harbour. I will
not say that we were not a little anxious lest we might meet a mias or
tiger or other wild beast, but we had Merlin as a guard, besides which,
we hoped that the frequent firing of the guns had driven them away. We
found my uncle and Oliver hard at work upon the raft. It was now almost
ready to launch. "We must build a shed also in which to store our goods
till the moment comes for embarking, should we be compelled to quit the
island," he observed. "We will hope, however, for the best, and that
the old mountain will remain quiet till the _Hope_ returns." We made
three trips with the buffaloes, till we had collected an ample supply of
provisions, as also some additional cloth