remarked the young merchant, who was in search of fun, as he prepared to
wade ankle-deep in the loose pumice up the slopes of the cone.

"Diminished!" repeated our captain, who had fraternised much with this
merchant during their short voyage. "If that's what you call
diminishin', I shouldn't like to be here when it's increasin'."

"Pooh!" exclaimed the merchant, "that's nothing. I've seen, at other
volcanoes, pieces of pumice blown up so high that they've been caught by
the upper currents of the atmosphere and carried away in an opposite
direction to the wind that was blowing below at the time. Ay, I believe
that dust is sometimes blown _miles_ up into the air."

As Captain Roy thought that the merchant was drawing the long bow he
made no reply, but changed the subject by asking what was the height of
Perboewatan.

"Three hundred feet or thereabouts," replied his friend.

"I hope my son will have the sense to clear out of the island if things
look like gittin' worse," muttered the captain, as an unusually violent
explosion shook the whole side of the cone.

"No fear of him," returned the merchant. "If he is visiting the hermit
of Rakata, as you tell me, he'll be safe enough. Although something of a
dare-devil, the hermit knows how to take care of himself. I'm afraid,
however, that you'll not find it so easy to 'look up' your son as you
seem to think. Just glance round at these almost impenetrable forests.
You don't know what part of the island he may be in just now; and you
might as well look for a needle in a bundle of hay as look for him