Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-07-29

progress. Indeed, they had but to look around
them to discover undeniable proofs of it. They
were standing on knoll skirted on the side of
the cone with trees and on the right and left q
broad stream of fire, glowing like furnace, was
rushing down into the plain, overthrowing eve.
rything in its passage, trees, rocks. and, where
it encountered them, human dwellings. Never
did Mr.. Feunel witness anything so awful as the
red glare cast upon the woods by the desolating
torrent as it swept on. He turned to the guides,
who stood beside him paralyzed with terror.
"How are we to get out OF this situation 6
inquired he.
1--WE don't know" they replied; 1--WE have
never before been placed in such circumstances
But we must make some movement, and that
speedily, too, or we shall be burnt to clnders
where we stand. Look! the lava is coming;
and those vast trees are bending and cracking
at its touch like fine grass"
"Well," replied the traveller; "lead the way
YOU must know it better than we--that we
may get out into the plain country before the
fiery streams meet below and hem US in"
"You are right" declared the guides; "for the
lava is pursuing the course of two ravines which
have their confluence below yonder hill, and If
we fail to precede them we are lost"
The iokers OF the morning were not at all in
clined 10 Joke now The lava was sending its
intoerabe heat before it, warning them that in
evitable death was near unless they escaped from
it by miraculous celebrity. Down the mountain,
therefore, they went, leaving everything behind
them but the iron shod slaves which they car
ried in their hands The landscape, previously
So silent, was now filled on all sides with fearful
noises; the believing of terrified herds, the
shouts and shrieks of human beings, the sudden
bursting up of flames here and there, as the tor
rents reached some combustible matters, the
tumbling dowL of rocks, and the crash of forests,
as the irresistible lava forced its way through
them Every moment the glowing flood rose
higher and higher, until it oveit1owed Its banks.
and began to ditfuse itself over the rocky plateau
along which the travellers were rushing towards
the distant city. At length they came sudden
" upon the edge OF u precpce, down which
they looked, but could discern no bottom. On
the right and lett was the fire; in front, gull
of unknown depth behind, the lava rolling to
wards them with terrific rapidity, .scorching, in
its advance, trees, grass, nay, the very earth,
which it absorbed and liquehed by its indescrl-
bable heat
"Are you ignorant of this cliff" inquired Mr..
Fennel: "or may we hope to save our lives by
throwing ourselves overf"
1T lies entirely out of our usual track, replied
, the men, "and we have never seen it before
do not pretend to describe Mr. Fennels feel
ings at that moment, because he has left behind
him no record of them. III is well known that
extreme danger often renders men silent; they
, do not converse. do not discuss their means OF
escape, do not communicate their fears; their
mental powers appear to be annihilated; they
only feel. But what feelings are theirs! All
Scicily now appeared to be on fire. The earth
was reddeniug ON every side; the sky overhead
giowed like turnace-noulh, and clonds dense,
. charged with igneous particles, and emitting an
intulerable stencil, were preclpltated upon them
by the west wind. To be scorched to death or
sutlocated appeared now to he inevitable, unless
they threw themselves over the precipce, and
so delivered themselves from such fate by su'
lcide While they were meditating on this idea
the earth under them began to rock violently.
Ii shook there was wild crash; the rock
parted and yawued, and they beheld red
streak making its way eastward through the
bottom of the crevice. They fled, not knowing
WHITTIER, towards the left but their progress
was soon arrested by the heat thrown out by
the lava. All thoughts, all eyes were now di
rected towards the precipice. Should they dash
over, and, by one leap in the dark, either deliv-
er themselves from the most fearful OF deaths, or
put an end to their agonles at once2 With sen-
sations which battle all description they ap-
proached the edge of the rock and looked over
lit. Could they discern anything below2 No;
all was thick darkness, suggesting untathoma6le
depth. They would remain therefore where
they were, in the hope that the lava might rise
no higher, and that when the light ofday should
make its appearance they might see some ave,
nue. of deverance. But this hope the guides
di.spated. They knew too well that the lava
streams, now separated, would meet and mix
before morning, and leave not one inch of the
ground they now stood on un1ooded by fire.
Yet all hesitated to plunge down, they knew
not WHITTIER in the dark. While they lived,
while they breathed, something like miracle
might perhaps occur to preserve them Ihey
would therefore hope and defer taking the fatal
plunge till there should be nothing else left
them 1t soon came to this; the fiery circle be-
came contracted, the heat and sense of sutfoca-
ton intoerable, and at length the young clergy
man, with mixture of horror and resignation
in his countenance, volunteered to make the first
plunge In spite OF the volcanic glow, his face
assumed the hue of death as he approached the
rock. He did not dash forward; he did not
throw himself headlong; he turned round, and,
clinging to the rock with his hands, remained
there suspended for q moment, and then
What was that rioise2 That Of body dash
ing against the rocks, down, down, fearful y In
to some untathomable guilt. The survivors shout
ed in agony, and besought him to reply II ne stlll
lived but no answer. Mr.. Fennel then said II
was his turn, and in the same way committed
himself into the depths OF air. There was an
other pause of suspense and agony. Again the
survivors listened; again no answer came
Then followed the barrister; and after that,
pell nell, rushed down servants and guides, and
there was silence They had all taken the leap
in the dark, and, were they on the shores OF A
cheron2 The precipice, il | may borrow an
HiUernianism for the occasion, WAS no precipce
ut all, but q very shallow rock, with soft grass
growing up to its base. Why, then, did they
who leaped not answer2 They thought they
were going to inevitable deaths and that thought
for moment paralyzed them, so that they did
not recover the use of speech Tor several MIN
utes Those minutes had appeared an age to
those who waited reply. But, long as the time
seemed, there elapsed, probably, only few Sec
onds between the plunge of the clergyman and
the simultaneous spring OF the servants and
guides. What reused them at last was the lava
glow, flashing upon them from the rocks above.
They rose with feeling of inGescribable graft
tude, mingled with fear, and hastened eastward
over the plain. They were not yet beyond the
reach OF the Etnean surges, and therefore push
GU dioiS Will eager sPeeu tiil liey Ieaohou Vhe
point where the lava-streams must soon have
their confluence. They dashed through the gap,
they ascended the rocks on the side of Catania,
and soon stood upon high terrace before the
city walls, from whence they beheld Etna voinit-
| ing forth in smoke aud thunder those red tor
rents which, at wide intervals, desoate and fer
tize the plains of Sicily, suggesting ideas of i'm
measurable antiquity, since all that part of the
island has been gradually created by the noun
tain. With sobered feelings and curiosity tho
roughly quenched, Mr.. Fennel set sail on the fol-
lowing day for England, where he often spoke