Southern shield., 1854-09-30
A Touching Relic of Pompeii

In digging out the ruins of Pompeii every turn of the spade brings up some relic of the ancient life, some witness of imperial luxury; for far the greater part of the relics have merely curious interest; they belong to archaeology, and find appropriate resting places in historical museums.
 5f But 5ot thGEe }(isaa, are gn sap'e exceptions an %a1nJusitsd gueg., ups a+sr drops there he unexpectedly obtrndes him self into tomb. In one place he finds miser covering on his heap; another shows him bones of dancing girls and broken instruments of music lying on the marble floor, in the midst of the painted chambers, baths, halls, columns, fountains. Among the splen- did evidences of material wealth he at times stumbles on simple incident a touching human story, such as strikes the imagination and suggests the momnful interest of the great disaster, as the sudden sight of wounded sol dier'conjures up the horrors of a field
 of battle.
 Such to our mind is the latest dis
 covery of the excavators in this melan-
 choly field. It is a group of skeletons
 in the act of flight, accompanied by a
 dog. There are three human beings,
 one of them a young girl, with gold
 rings and jewels still on her fingers
 The fugitives had a bag of gold and
 silver with them, ,snatched up mo doubt,
 in haste and darkness. But the fiery
 flood was on their track, and vain their
 wealth, their fight-the age of one,
 the youth of the other. The burning
 lava rolled above them and beyond,
 and the faithful dog turned back to
 share the fortunes of his mistress, dy- ing at her feet.
 Seen by the light of such an incl
 dent, how wildly that night of horrors looms upon the senses. Does not the , imagination picture the little group ir } their own house, by the side of then evening fountain languidly chatterine over the days events and the unusua
 beat2 nnnS it nn+ hna. ,ri+h 4lo-~> +l>,
 troubled swell of the waters in the bayi see, as they do, how the night come: } down in sudden strangeness, how tht } sky opens overhead and flames breal 5 out, while cor@, sand, and molte1 rocks come pouring down? Wha } movements, what emotions, what sur, prise, The scene grows darker every } instant; the hollow monotony of the bay is lifted into yells, shrieks; the ail :; grows thick and hot with flames, anG
 at the mountains foot is heard the roll
 of the liquid lava.
 I Jewels, household gods, geld and
 silver coins, are snatched up on the in stant. No time to say farewell. Dark
 ness in front and fire behind, they rush
 into the streets; streets choked with
 falling houses and flying citizens.-
 How find the way through passages which have no longer outlets? Confu- sion, danger, darkness, uproar every where; the shouts of parted friends;
 the agony of men struck down by fall ing columns; fear, madness, ,and despair unclaimed. Here, penury clutching gold it cannot keep; there, gluttony , feeding on its final meal, and phrenzy striking in the dark to forestall death. } Through all fancy hears the young l girls screams; the fire IS on her jewell l ed hand. No time for thought, nc pause, the flood rolls on, and wisdom, beauty, age, and youth, with all the } stories of their love, their hopes, then rank, wealth, and greatness, all tht
 once anluent life, are gone forever. When unearthed after many years, } the nameleSs group has no other impor- l tance to mankind than as 1t may "serve !, to point d mural Ur adorn tale. 1T