v. Verbeek, "the volcano
of Krakatoa chose to announce in a high voice to the inhabitants of the
Archipelago that, although almost nothing amongst the many colossal
volcanic mountains of the Indies, it yielded to none of them in regard
to its power." These eruptions were, however, only premonitory of the
tremendous and terrible explosion which was to commence on Sunday, the
26th of August, and which continued for several days subsequently. A
little after noon of that day, a rumbling noise accompanied by short and
feeble explosions was heard at Buitenzorg, coming from the direction of
Krakatoa; and similar sounds were heard at Anjer and Batavia a little
later. Soon these detonations augmented in intensity, especially about
five o'clock in the evening; and news was afterwards received that the
sounds had been heard in the isle of Java. These sounds increased still
more during the night, so that few persons living on the west side of
the isle of Java were able to sleep. At seven in the morning there came
a crash so formidable, that those who had hoped for a little sleep at
Buitenzorg leaped from their beds. Meanwhile the sky, which had up to
this time been clear, became overcast, so that by ten o'clock it became
necessary to have recourse to lamps, and the air became charged with
vapour. Occasional shocks of earthquake were now felt. Darkness became
general all over the straits and the bordering coasts. Showers of ashes
began to fall. The repeated shocks of earthquake, and the rapid
discharges of subterranean artillery, all combined to show that an
eruption of even greater violence than that of May was in progress at
the isle of Krakatoa.

But the most interested witnesses to this terrible outburst were those
on board the ships plying through the straits. Amongst these was the
_Charles Bal_, a British vessel under the command of Captain Watson.
This ship was ten miles south of the volcano on Sunday afternoon, and
therefore well in sight of the island at the time when the volcano had
entered upon its paroxysmal state of action. Captain Watson describes
the island as being covered by a dense black cloud, while sounds like
the discharges of artillery occurred at intervals of a second of time;
and a crackling noise (probably arising from the impact of fragments of
rock ascending and descending in the atmosphere) was heard by those on
board. These appearances became so threatening towards five o'clock in
the evening, that the c