a sound beating

The surface oft he land is snapped, and the lava boils up through the rift, inundating the surrounding country, and at intervals relieving iself by fiery jetters, which toss up cinder and ash, till the eruptive force is expended, and after having heaped up a cone of slag above its own mouth, is choked and subsides into tranquillity.

Whereupon, he sat down amid a universal pounding of chest—lids, and cymbaling of tin pans; the few invalids, who, as yet, had not been actively engaged with the rest, now taking part in the applause, creaking their bunk— boards and swinging their hammocks.

We watched our luggage being loaded into the hold of the plane.