The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-02-12

burning lake. Il bellssma :" she whs-
pcred in husky voice. pressing close to my
side, and trembling like leaf, not with fear,
bu, manifes,ly in memory of some dreadful
event. We were friends from that momctt,
and she constituted herself my special guide,
running before me to choose the surcsl
paths, giving me her delicate little hand,
and showing, in fact, all possible willingness
to make up our little quarrcl, if she retained
any remembrance of it.
We returned towards the cone, and ap
preached within dangerous proximity TO ii.
The volcano-girl often pulled my arm to in
duce me to keep back; but when she saw !
was determined to look down into the horrid
flaming gulf of fire that yawned near the
cone she followed me, murmurng low pen
sive song. On reaching the edge, which was
uncertain and trembling, halted and gazed
and while the guide and my companions
shouted to me TO come back, enjoyed a mo-
ment of fearful joy. was standing on the
brink of a vast chasm Of FIRE, in which no
flame was, but on dreadful glow, that
thickcned by distance into substance. The
wind shrieked around, the volcano roared a.
bove, the tremendous cloud Of black smoke
swayed and wavered as it rolled, beaten
down b, the wind to the outer edge of tile
crater, like vast snake, or, when the blast.
for moment ceased, lowered aloft like on
evil genius, and dispersed amid the clouds.
Come back come back y cried Ghi,a.
as the smoky pile of cinders trembcd be-
reath us, and we both, panicsrieken rushed
to suer footing while the point we had
occupied sided into the gulf of fire new
cr shall forget that moment. The very mem
ory of it makes my hair stand on end, and
cold perspration burst out over my whole
body. The girl clasped my hand convul-
sively as we ran, and when we stood again
on the hot solid lava, uttered low " Dio
graza" All this was unlike folly, and, to-
gcther with our companiononship in danger,
heightened the interest felt in my wild,
looking, beautiful guide.
We all returned towards the e1se of the
crater and collected in lava-cave to light
torches for our journey back. Here We met
two or three men armed with guns, who pro.
fcssed to be guards, but might have been
brigands. One of them spoke rather rough
y 10 the volcano-girl who took refuge by
my side, and would not quit it. We started
again by the light of great 1aring torches.
and soon began the des, enr down a dusty
decline. 1t was strange, rapid piece Of
work. The whole party ran. rushed, tum-
bled, Sided, rolled down in one confused
crowd, the torches glaring, flakes of burning
pitch scattering here and there, the palan-
quin bobbng up and down, the mountain,
stopping up to the clouds behind, and down
into darkness before. We descended this
time into the old cra,er-a great plain OF
dust and pumice stone. All was gloomy a
round but the light, of Naples and Portci
could be distinguished in the distance.
Our horses and donkeys were waiting for
us where we had left them; and we rode
rapidly back via the Hermitage, but over 'he
plain Of lava, instead of by the zig-zde
road, towards Portici. Ghita ran all the way
by My side, but rarely spoke, except to tel
me when we approached a steep decliviy
I should have felt jealous had she attended
to any one else but was quite angry a
hearing her jcstingy spoken of as an,
conquest" y single vulgar remark some
times throws cold water on the most dcicat,
sentiment.
At Porti4i she left us. The guides wer'
paid, and everybody forgot the vocano>sir
who had been Of such signal service to US
looked for her, and saw her standing in th,
courtyard with the back OF her little and Il
her mouth in pensive attitude. "Ghila,
said |, approaching, " must give YOU some
thing she started slightly" that you ma!
buy a remembrance with it of our visit to tn
volcano" In such form, the present
did not write the amount down among m.
disbrrscments-w accepted frankly AM
freely. The poor girl was evidently in
, state of great emotion; a few kind word
fl ON me had s,ruck upon chord ever read,
TO vibrate the truth is, she sobbed, AM
could not answer. Rut when the toneu
fal,rs, and the limb trembes in the south
there is an eloquent substitute for language
She look my hand, and kissed it ferven;,
and shower of warm tear-drops fell upo
il. "Ghi;a," | murmured, trying 10 b
firm, but bending over her with the tender
est Affection cannot help it; ! have a
instructive love for the sorrowfnl-' Chit;
you are unhappy? Can do ANYTHING 70
yon = NO was her .nswer, as sho gai
pressed my hand. and gliding away, disap
pcared like a shadow in the street.
| We were at Naples an hour after mid
/ night; but found it impossible to sleep,
could think of nothing save the story OF tn
; yolcano-girl: for the substance of her stor
was evident-the material details alone wer
f wanting. ! afterwards learned the Who'll
e truth. A volume might be filled with them
/ a line will be sufficient. She had been be
. trothed to a Young man. guide, who ha
. perished during visit to the volcano; sh
E had gone mad in consequence-of genil'
harmless madness in general; but as a fr'
l brutal people insulted her, she was some
Q times suspicious of strangers. She game
: her living by selling ornaments of polishe
S lava, or by guiding travellers. This was al