Down came the youth, head first.—Page 145.
Pan-American Series
THE
YOUNG VOLCANO EXPLORERS
OR
AMERICAN BOYS IN THE WEST INDIES
BY
EDWARD STRATEMEYER
Author of “Lost on the Orinoco,” “With Washington in the West,”
“American Boys’ Life of William McKinley,” “Old Glory Series,”
“Ship and Shore Series,” “Bound to Succeed Series,” etc.
ILLUSTRATED BY A. B. SHUTE
BOSTON:
LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.
1930
Copyright, 1902, by Lee and Shepard
Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London
All rights reserved
The Young Volcano Explorers
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
PREFACE
“The Young Volcano Explorers” is a completestory in itself, but forms the second volumeof a line issued under the general title of the “Pan-AmericanSeries.”
When I began this series of tales I had in mindto acquaint my young readers with some of thesights to be seen in the three Americas,—especiallysuch portions as lie outside of the United States.In the first volume, called “Lost on the Orinoco,”I told of the sight-seeing and adventures of fiveAmerican lads, who, in company with their academyprofessor, who is also a great traveler and hunter,journey to Venezuela, our sister Republic on thenorth-east coast of South America. The boys visitseveral principal cities, inspect cocoa and coffee plantationsas well as gold and silver mines, and then explorethe mighty river already named.
In the present volume the scene is shifted fromVenezuela to the West Indies, that group of islandsof which Porto Rico has already become the property[iv]of the United States. Because of the recent Spanish-AmericanWar, and the still more recent volcanicdisturbances in Martinique and St. Vincent, theseislands are of unusual interest to us. In this bookthe boys and their instructor sail from Venezuela toJamaica, stopping at Kingston, and then go to Havana,Cuba. In Cuba several places of importanceare visited, and then the trip is continued to Haytiand to Porto Rico, where the party travel overlandfrom San Juan to Ponce. At the latter city word isreceived that the fathers of two of the boys have goneto St. Pierre, Martinique, and the party start forthat point, only to encounter the effects of the volcaniceruption when still far at sea. But Martiniqueis visited, nevertheless, and later on St. Vincentalso, and in spite of the many dangers, all ends