Only the blackened throat of the volcano and the ghastly rent in its side were there to remind us of the havoc that had been wrought and the ruin of Quipai.
I roused the people and bade them prepare breakfast, for though thousands may perish in a night, the survivors must eat on the morrow.

The house, albeit considerably shaken, was still intact, but several of the doors were so tightly jammed that I had to break them open with my hatchet.
When breakfast was ready I woke Angela.
"Is it real, or have I been dreaming ?" she asked, with a shudder, looking wildly round.
"It is only too real," I said, pointing to the smoking crater.
"_Misericordia!_ what shall we do ?" "First of all, we must go down to the oasis and see whether any of the people are left alive." "You are right.

When we have done what we can for the others it will be time enough to think about ourselves." "Are there any others ?" I thought, for I greatly doubted whether we should find any alive, except, perhaps, Yawl and the three or four men who were helping him.

But I kept my misgivings to myself, and after breakfast we set off.

Angela and myself were mounted, and I assigned a mule to Kidd.
The man might be useful, and, circumstanced as we were, it would have been bad policy to give him the cold shoulder.