Leon was sitting on the doorstep of his house one evening when he suddenly felt a terrible wind blowing. The earth trembled and the sky darkened. "Run, Leon"" his neighbors shouted as they ran past him. There was widespread pandemonium. People were screaming in fear and in pain. Leon tried to go into his house but felt his arms and legs burning. He watched people around him burn and fall dead while their clothes showed no signs of, having been touched by fire. Full realization struck him. The volcano had erupted! Many victims were coated with sulphuric lava, which burned hard and baked them alive. There had been fears that the volcano which had been lying dormant for the last fifty years, might erupt. Residents of the town had been worried about the sudden tremors and mild eruptions. However, they had not expected the volcano to erupt with such intensity. Neighboring cities rallied to their help. With his legs bleeding and covered with burns, Leon ran from his burning house. He ran and kept running, away from the flowing lava. The entire city was burning too. Sixteen of the eighteen ships in the harbor had capsized. Leon somehow managed to escape breathing in the lethal sulphur fumes that burned out people's tongues and lungs. Leon saw a small boat in the wharf. Ignoring the hundreds of dead bodies around him, he plunged into the water and jumped into the boat. He rowed as he had never rowed before. Finally he came to a cave. It was rather cool in there. He fell to the ground. At that moment, the world ceased to exist. Three days after the disaster, Leon heard voices outside the cave. He yelled for help. Rubble had blocked the exit. Search parties were nearby and Leon was eventually saved by two rescue workers. He was badly burnt and had to undergo surgery to restore his appearance. There were no other survivors. 1. Where was Leon when the volcano erupted? 2. What substance caused the death of the people in the city? 3. Why didn't the residents leave the city before the eruption? 4. Where did Leon run to? 5. How did he escape? 6. Write the sentence that tells us that Leon was very anxious to get away from the wharf. 7. What happened to Leon when he reached the cave? 8. Why couldn't he leave the cave? 9. Who saved him? P 10. How many people survived, the disaster?