k warning of the
storm of fire which Mont Pelee was storing up to hurl upon the island.
Even before the mountain began to rumble, late in April, live stock
became uneasy, and at times were almost uncontrollable. Cattle lowed in
the night. Dogs howled and sought the company of their masters, and when
driven forth they gave every evidence of fear.

Wild animals disappeared from the vicinity of Mont Pelee. Even the
snakes, which at ordinary times are found in great numbers near the
volcano, crawled away. Birds ceased singing and left the trees that
shaded the sides of Pelee. A great fear seemed to be upon the island,
and though it was shared by the human inhabitants, they alone neglected
to protect themselves.

Of the villages in the vicinity of St. Pierre only one escaped, the
others suffering the fate of the city. The fortunate one was Le Carbet,
on the south, which escaped uninjured, the flood of lava stopping when
within two hundred feet of the town. Morne Rouge, a beautiful summer
resort, frequented by the people of the island during the hot season as
a place of recreation, also escaped. In the height of the season several
thousand people gathered there, though at the time of the explosion
there were but a few hundred. Though located on an elevation between the
city and the crater, it was by great good fortune saved.

The Governor of Martinique, Mr. Mouttet, whose precautions to prevent
the people fleeing from the city aided to make the work of death
complete, was himself among the victims of the burning mountain. With
him in this fate was Colonel Dain, commander of the troops who formed a
cordon round the doomed city.

CHAPTER XXIX.

St. Vincent Island and Mont Soufriere in 1812.

Among all the islands of the Caribbees St. Vincent is unique in natural
wonders and beauties. Situated about ninety-five miles west of Barbados,
it has a length of eighteen and a width of eleven miles, the whole mass
being largely composed of a single peak which rises from the ocean's
bed. From north to south volcanic hills traverse its length, their
ridges intersected by fertile and beautiful valleys.

A ridge of mountains crosses the island, dividing it into eastern and
western parts. Kingstown, the capital, a town of 8,000 inhabitants, is
on the southward side and extends along the shores of a beautiful
bay, with mountains gradually rising behind it in the form of a vast
amphitheatre. Three streets, broad and lined with goo