SS 
  
448* THE VERDICT OF SCIENCE 
owing to the mud that covered the mountain side, but the ground 
was cool. After a tiresome scramble up the slippery hill, the rim 
of the old crater was reached at about midday. There was no trace 
whatever of vegetation, but there had been no change in the topo- 
graphical outlines of the mountain on that side, and the old crater 
retained its tragic beauty. The great mass of water that formerly 
lay serenely about 500 feet below the rim of the crater had disap- 
peared, and the crater appeared to be a dreadful chasm over 2,000 
feet deep. With the aid of a glass, water was made out at the 
bottom of this abyss. 
The party did not venture across the summit of the Soufriere 
to inspect the new crater, which was then emitting a little vapor, 
for the ground in that direction looked dangerous. Apparently 
the ridge of the mountain, called the “saddle,” was intact, although 
the old crater seemed of larger circumference than before the 
recent eruption. At the base of the Soufriere a subsidence of 100 
feet had occurred for an area of a square mile. The bank of 
volcanic dust that prevented the sea from encroaching farther in- 
land at Wallibou was being gradually washed away. The lava beds 
on the eastern side of the Soufriere continued to emit steam, des- 
pite the protracted and heavy rainfall that had occurred ; all the in- 
dications favored the opinion that the mountain had returned to its 
old state of repose. 
* There are 512 pagesin this volume. The sixty-four full-page half-tone illustrations 
should pe added to the last folio number (448) indicated, giving a total of 512 pages. 
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