With the earthquake and the storm of volcanic ashes, came an electric disturbance of the atmosphere, the like of which neither of the boys had ever dreamed. They had felt the "itch" of the electric current just before the 'quake. Now the hair on their heads rose stiffly like that on the back of an angry cat, and when Jack and Mark chanced to separate for a moment, and each put out their hands to seize the other, the darkness under the trees was vividly shot through for an instant with the sparks which flew from their fingers. Washington White began to bawl terrifically at this display of "fireworks," as he called it. His lamentations were well nigh drowned by the rolling thunder. This latter did not sound in ordinary explosions, or "claps," but traveled in rapidly repeated echoes across the skies. The thick cloud of ashes which obscured the sun and the whole sky was cut through occasionally by a sword of lightning; but mostly the electricity showed itself in a recurrent, throbbing glow upon the northern horizon, not unlike some manifestations of the Aurora Borealis. But even this uncertain--almost terrifying--light was of aid to the boys; Jack, at least, remembered very clearly the way to the wrecked flying machine, and of course the old hunter was not likely to lose his way in as black a night as ever was made. They struggled on between the intervals of pitch darkness, for the trembling of the earth had again ceased. The visitation had been much heavier than they had previously suffered. "The best thing we can do," muttered Mark in Jack's ear, "is to fix up the _Snowbird_ and beat it away from here just as fast as we can. This is altogether too strenuous a place for us, believe me!" "If we only _can_!" responded Jack, secretly as worried as his chum. "This is a pretty fierce proposition, Mark. Just think of our bonny _Snowbird_ wrecked on her first voyage! It's mighty hard; eh, chum?" But the duty before the two boys just then was to find the wrecked 'plane and see what could be done with it. The thunder continued to mutter and the intermittent flashes of electricity helped them somewhat in finding the way to the spot where the _Snowbird_ had made her final landing. But the fall of volcanic ash continued and the darkness, between the lightning flashes, remained as smothering as before. They reached the spot, however--seemingly a small plateau on which the huge trees did not encroach, giving them plenty of space for a flight if they were fortunate enough to get the _Snowbird_ in condition for such an attempt. There were both electric lamps and lanterns in the machine and Mark sent Washington White to light every one while he and Jack went over the wrenched mechanism. Andy Sudds stood guard with his rifle, or ready to lend a hand should the boys need him.