Butte record., 1854-01-07
NUMBER 9.
PCNPETI.


ev'rv turn of the spade brin = up somr
relic of the ancient life, soma witness of
imp rial luxury. For far the greater
nart, these relics have a merely curious
interest they belo TO archaeology,
and find appropriate resting places in
histori al museu ns But rh r are som,
exceptions. HIRE for instance, the ex-
cavator DR., ps, an uninyited guest upon
ba quet. there he unexpectedly in
trudes himself in'o a tomb In one
place he Fl dS a mi>er coweriny on his
heaps. anoth shows him bones Of dan
cling gils and broken instrum .nts of u
sic lying on the marble floor In the
midst of painted chambers, baths, halls,
columns, fountains, among the splendid
evidences Of material W. alth, he some
times stumbles on a simple incident, a
touching hum n story, such as strikes
the Imagination and suggests the mourn
full interest Of the great disaster-as the
sudden sight of wounded soldier con-
jures up the horror Of field of battl,.
Such, TO orlr mind, is the l.test discov.
cry Of the exeavators in this melancholy
field. 1t is a group of skeletons
in the act Of flight, accompanied by
dog. There are three human beings,
one of them young girl-with gold
rings and jewels still on her fingers The
fugitises had bags of gold and silver with
them, snatched up, no doubt, in haste
and darkness But the fiery food was
on their track and vain their wealth,
their flight, the age Of one, the youth of
the other. The burning lava rolled
above them and beyond and the faith
full dog turned back to share the fate of
his mistress-dyiug at her side. S en by
the light Of such an incident, how vividy
that night of horror looms upon the
sense Does not Imagination picture
that little group in tn, ir own house, by
the side Of their evening fountain, lam
gui'Ily chatting over the days events,
and Of the unusual heat Does 1t not
hear with them, the troubled swell Of the
waters in the bay-see. as they do, how
the night comes down in sudden st an e.
ness how sky % ems ovei he ID, AMI
flames break out. while scoriie, sand aud
molten rocks come pouring down What
movement, what emotion, what surprise.
The seen grows darker every Instant
the hollow monotone of the bay is lifted
into yells and shrieks-the air grows
thick with dust and hot wi h ham-s-
and at the mountains foot is heard the
deadly roll Of the liquid lava. Jewels,
household gods, gold and silver coins are
snatched up on the instant. No time to
say farewell; darkness in front and FIRE
behind, they ru h into the streets
choked with falling houses and flying
citizens. How ild they way til gu n
passages wh ch have no 10 ger oatlets-
confusion, danger, darkness, uproar eve
rywhere; the shouts o. parted FIJI, nds,
the agony Of men snuck down by "a Ing
co umns-fear, madnes, and despar un.
ehhined--here, penury cIutching gold it
cannot keep-there glut'ony feed ng ~
its final meal, and frenzy striking in the
dark to 70 estall death. Through all,
fancy hears the young girls screams-the
fire Is on her jeweled h nd No time for
tiought--tie e o O Is on, aud wisdom
beauty, a re and youth, with all the sto-
ries of their love, their hop s, rank,
wealth, eainess-all their once affluent
life, are gone forever When unear,hed
after many ages, the nameless group has
no other impo. tance to mankind than as
II may serve t" point moral Or adorp
tale. y Wareyiy.