Таємничий острів

           "Theeruption!alwaystheeruption!"answeredPencroft,withanairofdiscontent."Animportantthing,truly,thiseruption!Itroublemyselfverylittleaboutit."

           Whatevermightbethesailor’sopinion,theexpeditionprojectedbytheengineerwassettledforthenextday.HerbertwishedtoaccompanyCyrusHarding,buthewouldnotvexPencroftbyhisabsence.

           Thenextday,atdawn,CyrusHardingandAyrton,mountingthecartdrawnbytwoonagers,tooktheroadtothecorralandsetoffataroundtrot.

           Abovetheforestwerepassinglargeclouds,towhichthecraterofMountFranklinincessantlyaddedfuliginousmatter.Theseclouds,whichrolledheavilyintheair,wereevidentlycomposedofheterogeneoussubstances.Itwasnotalonefromthevolcanothattheyderivedtheirstrangeopacityandweight.Scoriae,inastateofdust,likepowderedpumice-stone,andgrayishashesassmallasthefinestfeculae,wereheldinsuspensioninthemidstoftheirthickfolds.Theseashesaresofinethattheyhavebeenobservedintheairforwholemonths.Aftertheeruptionof1783inIcelandforupwardsofayeartheatmospherewasthuschargedwithvolcanicdustthroughwhichtheraysofthesunwereonlywithdifficultydiscernible.

           Butmoreoftenthispulverizedmatterfalls,andthishappenedonthepresentoccasion.CyrusHardingandAyrtonhadscarcelyreachedthecorralwhenasortofblacksnowlikefinegunpowderfell,andinstantlychangedtheappearanceofthesoil.Trees,meadows,alldisappearedbeneathacoveringseveralinchesindepth.