Blown to Bits: The Lonely Man of Rakata, the Malay Archipelago

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

  AN AWFUL NIGHT AND TERRIBLE MORNING.

  It was a matter of some satisfaction to find on drawing near to theshore that the peak of Rakata was still intact, and that, although mostother parts of the island which could be seen were blighted by fire andcovered deeply with pumice-dust, much of the forest in the immediateneighbourhood of the cave was still undestroyed though considerablydamaged.

  "D'you think our old harbour will be available, Moses?" asked Van derKemp as they came close to the first headland.

  "Pr'aps. Bes' go an' see," was the negro's practical reply.

  "Evidently Rakata is not yet active," said Nigel, looking up at the greydust-covered crags as the canoe glided swiftly through the dark water.

  "That is more than can be said for the other craters," returned thehermit. "It seems to me that not only all the old ones are at work, buta number of new ones must have been opened."

  The constant roaring and explosions that filled their ears and the rainof fine ashes bore testimony to the truth of this, though the solid andtowering mass of Rakata rose between them and the part of Krakatoa whichwas in eruption, preventing their seeing anything that was passingexcept the dense masses of smoke, steam, and dust which rose many milesinto the heavens, obstructing the light of day, but forming cloud-massesfrom which the lurid flames of the volcano were reflected downward.

  On reaching the little bay or harbour it was found much as they had leftit, save that the rocks and bushes around were thickly covered withdust, and their boat was gone.

  "Strange! at such a time one would scarcely have expected thieves tocome here," said the hermit, looking slowly round.

  "No t'ief bin here, massa," said Moses, looking over the side of thecanoe. "I see de boat!"

  He pointed downwards as he spoke, and on looking over the side they sawthe wreck of the boat at the bottom, in about ten feet of water, andcrushed beneath a ponderous mass of lava, which must have been ejectedfrom the volcano and afterwards descended upon the boat.

  The destruction of the boat rendered it impossible to remove any of theproperty of the hermit, and Nigel now saw, from his indifference, thatthis could not have been the cause of his friend's anxiety anddetermination to reach his island-home in spite of the danger that sucha course entailed. That there was considerable danger soon became veryobvious, for, having passed to some extent at this point beyond theshelter of the cliffs of Rakata, and come partly into view of the otherparts of the island, the real extent of the volcanic violence burst uponNigel and Moses as a new revelation. The awful sublimity of the sceneat first almost paralysed them, and they failed to note that not onlydid a constant rain of pumice-dust fall upon them, but that there wasalso a pretty regular dropping of small stones into the water aroundthem. Their attention was sharply aroused to this fact by the fall of alump of semi-molten rock, about the size of a cannon-shot, a shortdistance off, which was immediately followed by not less than a cubicyard of lava which fell close to the canoe and deluged them with spray.

  "We must go," said the hermit quietly. "No need to expose ourselveshere, though the watching of the tremendous forces that our Creator hasat command does possess a wonderful kind of fascination. It seems to methe more we see of His power as exerted on our little earth, the more dowe realise the paltriness of our conception of the stupendous Might thatupholds the Universe."

  While he was speaking, Van der Kemp guided the canoe into its littlehaven, and in a few minutes he and Moses had carried it into the shelterof the cave out of which Nigel had first seen it emerge. Then thelading was carried up, after which they turned into the track which ledto the hermit's home.

  The whole operation may be said to have been performed under fire, forsmall masses of rock kept pattering continually on the dust-coveredground around them, causing cloudlets, like smoke, to spring up whereverthey struck. Nigel and Moses could not resist glancing upward now andthen as they moved quickly to and fro, and they experienced a shrinkingsensation when a stone fell very near them, but each scorned to exhibitthe smallest trace of anxiety, or to suggest that the sooner they gotfrom under fire the better! As for Van der Kemp, he moved aboutdeliberately as if there was nothing unusual going on, and with anabsent look on his grave face as though the outbursts of smoke, andfire, and lava, which turned the face of day into lurid night, andcaused the cliffs to reverberate with unwonted thunders, had no effectwhatever on his mind.

  A short walk, however, along the track, which was more than ankle-deepin dust, brought them under the sheltering sides of Rakata, up whichthey soon scrambled to the mouth of their cave.

  Here all was found as they had left it, save that the entrance wasknee-deep in pumice-dust.

  And now a new and very strange sensation was felt by each of them, forthe loud reports and crackling sounds which had assailed their earsoutside were reduced by the thick walls of the cave to a continuous dullgroan, as it were, like the soft but thunderous bass notes of astupendous organ. To these sounds were added others which seemed to bepeculiar to the cave itself. They appeared to rise from crevices in thefloor, and were no doubt due to the action of those pent-up subterraneanfires which were imprisoned directly, though it may be very far down,under their feet. Every now and then there came a sudden increase ofthe united sounds as if the "swell" of the great organ had been opened,and such out-gushing was always accompanied with more or less ofindescribable shocks followed by prolonged tremors of the entiremountain.

  If the three friends had been outside to observe what was taking place,they would have seen that these symptoms were simultaneous withoccasional and extremely violent outbursts from the crater ofPerboewatan and his compeers. Indeed they guessed as much, and two ofthem at least were not a little thankful that, awesome as their positionwas, they had the thick mountain between them and the fiery showersoutside.

  Of all this the hermit took no notice, but, hastening into the innercavern, opened a small box, and took therefrom a bundle of papers and alittle object which, at a first glance, Nigel supposed to be a book, butwhich turned out to be a photograph case. These the hermit putcarefully into the breast-pocket of his coat and then turned to hiscompanions with a sigh as if of relief.

  "I think there is no danger of anything occurring at this part of theisland," he remarked, looking round the cave, "for there is no sign ofsmoke and no sulphurous smell issuing from any of the crevices in wallsor floor. This, I think, shows that there is no direct communicationwith Rakata and the active volcano--at least not at present."

  "Do you then think there is a possibility of an outbreak at some futureperiod?" asked Nigel.

  "Who can tell? People here, who don't study the nature of volcanoesmuch, though surrounded by them, will expect things ere long to resumetheir normal condition. I can never forget the fact that the greaterpart of Krakatoa stands, as you know, exactly above the spot where thetwo great lines of volcanic action cross, and right over the mouth ofthe immense crater to which Perboewatan and all the other craters serveas mere chimneys or safety-valves. We cannot tell whether a greateruption similar to that of 1680 may not be in store for us. The onlyreason that I can see for the quiescence of this peak of Rakata is, as Isaid to you once before, that it stands not so much above the old crateras above and on the safe side of its lip."

  "I t'ink, massa, if I may ventur' to speak," said Moses, "dat de soonerwe git off his lip de better lest we tumble into his mout'."

  "You may be right, Moses, and I have no objection to quit," returned thehermit, "now that I have secured the photograph and papers. At the sametime I fear the rain of stones and lava is growing worse. It might besafer to stay till there is a lull in the violence of the eruption, andthen make a dash for it. What say you, Nigel?"

  "I say that you know best, Van der Kemp. I'm ready to abide by yourdecision, whatever it be."

  "Well, then, we will go out and have a look at the state of matters."

  The view from the entrance was not calculated to tem
pt them to forsakethe shelter of the cave, however uncertain that might be. The latestexplosions had enshrouded the island in such a cloud of smoke and dust,that nothing whatever was visible beyond a few yards in front, and eventhat space was only seen by the faint rays of the lamp issuing from theouter cave. This lamp-light was sufficient, however, to show thatwithin the semi-circle of a few yards there was a continuous rain ofgrey ashes and dust mingled with occasional stones of various sizes--some larger than a man's fist.

  "To go out in that would be simply to court death," said Nigel, whosevoice was almost drowned by the noise of the explosions and fall ofmaterial.

  As it was manifest that nothing could be done at the moment except towait patiently, they returned to the cave, where they lighted theoil-stove, and Moses--who had taken the precaution to carry up someprovisions in a bag from the canoe--proceeded to prepare a meal.

  "Stummicks must be attended to," he murmured to himself as he movedabout the cave-kitchen and shook his head gravely. "Collapses in datregion is wuss, a long way, dan 'splosion of the eart'!"

  Meanwhile, Nigel and the hermit went to examine the passage leading tothe observatory. The eruption had evidently done nothing to it, for,having passed upwards without difficulty, they finally emerged upon thenarrow ledge.

  The scene that burst upon their astonished gaze here was awful in theextreme. It will be remembered that while the hermit's cave was on thesouthern side of Krakatoa, facing Java, the stair and passage leading tothe observatory completely penetrated the peak of Rakata, so that whenstanding on the ledge they faced northward and were thus in full view ofall the craters between them and Perboewatan. These were in full blastat the time, and, being so near, the heat, as well as the dust, moltenlava, and other missiles, instantly drove them back under the protectionof the passage from which they had emerged.

  Here they found a small aperture which appeared to have been recentlyformed--probably by a blow from a mass of falling rock--through whichthey were able to obtain a glimpse of the pandemonium that lay seethingbelow them. They could not see much, however, owing to the smoke whichfilled the air. The noise of the almost continuous explosions was soloud, that it was impossible to converse save by placing the mouth tothe ear and shouting. Fortunately soon after their ascent the windshifted and blew smoke, fire, and dust away to the northward, enablingthem to get out on the ledge, where for a time they remained incomparative safety.

  "Look! look at your mirrors!" exclaimed Nigel suddenly, as his wanderinggaze happened to turn to the hermit's sun-guides.

  And he might well exclaim, for not only was the glass of these ingeniousmachines shivered and melted, but their iron frameworks were twisted upinto fantastic shapes.

  "Lightning has been at work here," said Van der Kemp.

  It did not at the moment occur to either of them that the position onwhich they stood was peculiarly liable to attack by the subtle anddangerous fluid which was darting and zigzagging everywhere among therolling clouds of smoke and steam.

  A louder report than usual here drew their attention again to thetremendous scene that was going on in front of them. The extreme summitof Perboewatan had been blown into a thousand fragments, which werehurtling upwards and crackling loudly as the smaller masses wereimpelled against each other in their skyward progress. This cracklinghas been described by those who heard it from neighbouring shores as a"strange rustling sound." To our hermit and his friend, who were, so tospeak, in the very midst of it, the sound rather resembled thecontinuous musketry of a battle-field, while the louder explosions mightbe compared to the booming of artillery, though they necessarily lose bythe comparison, for no invention of man ever produced sounds equal tothose which thundered at that time from the womb of Krakatoa.

  Immediately after this, a fountain of molten lava at white heat welledup in the great throat that had been so violently widened, and,overflowing the edges of the crater, rolled down its sides in fieryrivers. All the other craters in the island became active at the samemoment and a number of new ones burst forth. Indeed it seemed to thosewho watched them that if these had not opened up to give vent to thesuppressed forces the whole island must have been blown away. As itwas, the sudden generation of so much excessive heat set fire to whatremained of trees and everything combustible, so that the islandappeared to be one vast seething conflagration, and darkness was for atime banished by a red glare that seemed to Nigel far more intense thanthat of noonday.

  It is indeed the partiality, (if we may say so), of conflagration-lightwhich gives to it the character of impressive power with which we areall so familiar--the intense lights being here cut sharply off byequally intense shadows, and then grading into dull reds and dullergreys. The sun, on the other hand, bathes everything in its genial glowso completely that all nature is permeated with it, and there are nointense contrasts, no absolutely black and striking shadows, except incaverns and holes, to form startling contrasts.

  "These safety-valves," said the hermit, referring to the new craters,"have, under God, been the means of saving us from destruction."

  "It would seem so," said Nigel, who was too overwhelmed by the sight tosay much.

  Even as he spoke the scene changed as if by magic, for from the cone ofPerboewatan there issued a spout of liquid fire, followed by a roar sotremendous that the awe-struck men shrank within themselves, feeling asthough that time had really come when the earth is to melt with ferventheat! The entire lake of glowing lava was shot into the air, and lostin the clouds above, while mingled smoke and steam went bellowing afterit, and dust fell so thickly that it seemed as if sufficient toextinguish the raging fires. Whether it did so or not is uncertain. Itmay have been that the new pall of black vapour only obscured them. Atall events, after the outburst the darkness of night fell suddenly onall around.

  Just then the wind again changed, and the whole mass of vapour, smoke,and ashes came sweeping like the very besom of destruction towards thegiddy ledge on which the observers stood. Nigel was so entranced thatit is probable he might have been caught in the horrible tempest andlost, had not his cooler companion grasped his arm and dragged himviolently into the passage--where they were safe, though half suffocatedby the heat and sulphurous vapours that followed them.

  At the same time the thunderous roaring became so loud that conversationwas impossible. Van der Kemp therefore took his friend's hand and ledhim down to the cave, where the sounds were so greatly subdued as toseem almost a calm by contrast.

  "We are no doubt in great danger," said the hermit, gravely, as he satdown in the outer cave, "but there is no possibility of taking actionto-night. Here we are, whether wisely or unwisely, and here we mustremain--at least till there is a lull in the eruption. `God is ourrefuge.' He ought to be so at _all_ times, but there are occasions whenthis great, and, I would add, glorious fact is pressed upon ourunderstandings with unusual power. Such a time is this. Come--we willsee what His word says to us just now."

  To Nigel's surprise, and, he afterwards confessed, to his comfort andsatisfaction, the hermit called the negro from his work, and, takingdown the large Bible from its shelf, read part of the 46th Psalm, "Godis our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Thereforewill not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountainsbe carried into the midst of the sea."

  He stopped reading at the verse where it is written, "Be still, and knowthat I am God."

  Then, going down on his knees,--without even the familiar formula, "Letus pray"--he uttered a brief but earnest prayer for guidance anddeliverance "in the name of Jesus."

  Rising, he quietly put the Bible away, and, with the calmness of athoroughly practical man, who looks upon religion and ordinary mattersas parts of one grand whole, ordered Moses to serve the supper.

  Thus they spent part of that memorable night of 26th August 1883 inearnest social intercourse, conversing chiefly and naturally about thecharacter, causes, and philosophy of volcanoes, while Perboewatan andhis brethren played a rum
bling, illustrative accompaniment to theirdiscourse. The situation was a peculiar one. Even the negro was aliveto that fact.

  "Ain't it koorious," he remarked solemnly in a moment of confidenceafter swallowing the last bite of his supper. "Ain't it koorious, MassaNadgel, dat we're a sottin' here comf'rably enjoyin' our wittles ober demout' ob a v'licano as is quite fit to blow us all to bits an' hois' usinto de bery middle ob next week--if not farder?"

  "It is strange indeed, Moses," said Nigel, who however added nocommentary, feeling indisposed to pursue the subject.

  Seeing this, Moses turned to his master.

  "Massa," he said. "You don' want nuffin' more to-night, I s'pose?"

  "No, Moses, nothing."

  "An' is you _quite_ easy in your mind?"

  "Quite," replied the hermit with his peculiar little smile.

  "Den it would be wuss dan stoopid for me to be oneasy, so I'll bid yebof good-night, an' turn in."

  In this truly trustful as well as philosophical state of mind, the negroretired to his familiar couch in the inner cave, and went to sleep.

  Nigel and the hermit sat up for some time longer.

  "Van der Kemp," said the former, after a pause, "I--I trust you won'tthink me actuated by impertinent curiosity if I venture to ask youabout--the--photograph that I think you--"

  "My young friend!" interrupted the hermit, taking the case in questionfrom his breast-pocket; "I should rather apologise to you for havingappeared to make any mystery of it--and yet," he added, pausing as hewas about to open the case, "I have not shown it to a living soul sincethe day that--Well, well,--why should I hesitate? It is all I have leftof my dead wife and child."

  He placed the case in the hands of Nigel, who almost sprang from hisseat with excitement as he beheld the countenance of a little child ofapparently three or four years of age, who so exactly resembled KathyHolbein--allowing of course for the difference of age--that he had nowno doubt whatever as to her being the hermit's lost daughter. He was onthe point of uttering her name, when uncertainty as to the effect thesudden disclosure might have upon the father checked him.

  "You seem surprised, my friend," said Van der Kemp gently.

  "Most beautiful!" said Nigel, gazing intently at the portrait. "Thatdear child's face seems so familiar to me that I could almost fancy Ihad seen it."

  He looked earnestly into his friend's face as he spoke, but the hermitwas quite unmoved, and there was not a shadow of change in the sad lowtone of his voice as he said--

  "Yes, she was indeed beautiful, like her mother. As to your fancy abouthaving seen it--mankind is formed in groups and types. We see manyfaces that resemble others."

  The absent look that was so common to the solitary man here overspreadhis massive features, and Nigel felt crushed, as it were, back intohimself. Thus, without having disclosed his belief, he retired to restin a very anxious state of mind, while the hermit watched.

  "Don't take off your clothes," he said. "If the sounds outside lead meto think things are quieting down, I will rouse you and we shall startat once."

  It was very early on the morning of the 27th when Van der Kemp rousedour hero.

  "Are things quieter?" asked Nigel as he rose.

  "Yes, a little, but not much--nevertheless we must venture to leave."

  "Is it daylight yet?"

  "No. There will be no daylight to-day!" with which prophecy the hermitleft him and went to rouse Moses.

  "Massa," said the faithful negro. "Isn't you a-goin' to take nuffin'wid you? None ob de books or t'ings!"

  "No--nothing except the old Bible. All the rest I leave behind. Thecanoe could not carry much. Besides, we may have little time. Getready; quick! and follow me."

  Moses required no spur. The three men left the cave together. It wasso intensely dark that the road could not be distinguished, but thehermit and his man were so familiar with it that they could havefollowed it blindfold.

  On reaching the cave at the harbour, some light was obtained from thefitful outbursts of the volcano, which enabled them to launch the canoeand push off in safety. Then, without saying a word to each other, theycoasted along the shore of the island, and, finally, leaving its dangersbehind them, made for the island of Java--poor Spinkie sitting in hisaccustomed place and looking uncommonly subdued!

  Scarcely had they pushed off into Sunda Straits when the volcano burstout afresh. They had happily seized on the only quiet hour that the dayoffered, and had succeeded, by the aid of the sails, in getting severalmiles from the island without receiving serious injury, although showersof stones and masses of rock of all sizes were falling into the seaaround them.

  Van der Kemp was so far right in his prophecy that there would be nodaylight that day. By that time there should have been light, as it wasnearly seven o'clock on the memorable morning of the 27th of August.But now, although the travellers were some miles distant from Krakatoa,the gloom was so impervious that Nigel, from his place in the centre ofthe canoe, could not see the form of poor Spinkie--which sat clinging tothe mast only two feet in front of him--save when a blaze fromPerboewatan or one of the other craters lighted up island and ocean witha vivid glare.

  At this time the sea began to run very high and the wind increased to agale, so that the sails of the canoe, small though they were, had to bereduced.

  "Lower the foresail, Nigel," shouted the hermit. "I will close-reef it.Do you the same to the mainsail."

  "Ay, ay, sir," was the prompt reply.

  Moses and Nigel kept the little craft straight to the wind while theforesail was being reefed, Van der Kemp and the former performing thesame duty while Nigel reefed the mainsail.

  Suddenly there came a brief but total cessation of the gale, though notof the tumultuous heaving of the waters. During that short intervalthere burst upon the world a crash and a roar so tremendous that for afew moments the voyagers were almost stunned!

  It is no figure of speech to say that the _world_ heard the crash.Hundreds, ay, thousands of miles did the sound of that mighty upheavalpass over land and sea to startle, more or less, the nations of theearth.

  The effect of a stupendous shock on the nervous system is curiouslyvarious in different individuals. The three men who were so near to thevolcano at that moment involuntarily looked round and saw by the luridblaze that an enormous mass of Krakatoa, rent from top to bottom, wasfalling headlong into the sea; while the entire heavens were alive withflame, lightning, steam, smoke, and the upward-shooting fragments of thehideous wreck!

  The hermit calmly rested his paddle on the deck and gazed around insilent wonder. Nigel, not less smitten with awe, held his paddle withan iron grasp, every muscle quivering with tension in readiness forinstant action when the need for action should appear. Moses, on theother hand, turning round from the sight with glaring eyes, resumedpaddling with unreasoning ferocity, and gave vent at once to hisfeelings and his opinion in the sharp exclamation--"Blown to bits!"