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Faintly in the distance glittered the lights of the little
Polynesian town which I was visiting in the ___1___
of my hitch-hike around he world. The volcano rose steeply
behind he hut. It was a ___2___
but now the puffs of steam rose lazily from its huge crater. The
slopes of the volcano were very fertile but very steep. Since
crops could not be grown, animals such as cattle and sheep ___3___
on the excellent pastures on the slopes. The shepherds sometimes
spent their nights in huts like the one I had been sleeping in.
As I stood by the door of the hut, I heard a deep, rumbling
sound which seemed to be coming from the very center of the
earth ! I felt the ground ___4___
and the walls of the hut shake. I turned to look at the crater
of the volcano and was ___5___
to see a flash of white light shoot into the sky from the
crater.
Awe-stricken, I watched clouds of ___6___
pouring out of the crater. There was a great explosion which
threw me to the ground. Rocks and ash hurtled into the air.
I picked myself up and ___7___
when I saw molten lava flowing out of the crater. The ___8___
of the volcano was bathed in a deep red glow. i stumbled over
the rocks and gravel which stood in my way. I could feel the hot
blast of air from the lava. At last I reached the ___9___
of the volcano and began to ascend the slope of another hill
until I felt sure I had reached a safe height.
The volcanic eruption ___10___
after several hours and the lava ceased to flow. Fortunately, I
had been awake when it took place or I would never have left
that hut alive. |
