Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1857-12-02

The Jokers of the morning were not at all
inclined to joke now. The lava was sending
its intolerable heat before it, warning them
that inevitable death was near unless they es-
capped from it by miraculous celebrity. Down
the mountain, therefore, they went, leaving
everything behind them except the iron-shod
slaves which they carried in their hands. The
landscape, previously so silent, was now filled
on all sides with fearful notes.-the believing
OF terrified herds, the shouts and shrieks OF hu-
man beings, the sudden bursting up of flames
here and there, as the torrents reached some
combustible matter, the tumbling down of
rocks, and the crash of forests, as the irresisti
BILE lava forced its way through them. Every
moment the glowing flood rose higher and
higher, until it overflowed its banks and began
to difiuse itself over the rocky plateau along
which the travellers were rushing towards the
distant city. At length they came suddenly
upon the edge of precipce, down which they
! looked, but could discern no bottom. On the
right and left was the fire. in front gulf of
unknown depth; behind, the lava rolling to-
wards them with terrific rapidity, scorchiDg, in
its advance. trees, grass, hay, the very earth,
which it absorbed and liquifcd by its inde-
scribable heat.
ssAre you ignorant of this cleft 2" inquired
Mr.. Fennel SEor may we hope to save our lives
by throwing ourselves over ?''
s'It lies entirely out of our usual track" re-
piled the man, ssand we have never seen il be-
fore"
do not pretend to describe Mr.. Fennel's
feelings al that moment, because he has left
behind him record of them. 1t is we'll
known that extreme DANCE often renders men
silent they do not communicate their fears !;
their mental powers appear for the moment to
be annihilated-they only feel. But what feel
iDgs are theirs! All Sicily nov appeared to
be on fire. The earth was redeemed on every
side the sky overhead glowed like furnace
mouth, and clouds dense, charged with igne-
Gus PARTICLES, and emitting an intollerable
stencil were precipitated upon them by the
west wind. To be scorched to death, or suffo-
Gated, appeared now inevitable, unless they
threw themselves over the precipice land so de-
livered themselves from such fate by suicide.
While they were medtating on this idea; the
earth under them began to rock violently. 1t
shook; there wild crash; the rocks par
making its way eastward through the bottom
of the crevice. They fled not knowing whith
er, towards the cliff; but their grogress was
soon arrested by the heat thrown out by the
lava. All thoughts, all eyes, were now direc-
ted towards tho precipice; should they dash
over, and, by one leap in the dark, either de-
liver themselves from the most fearful of
deaths, or put an end to their agonies at once I?
With sensations that battle all description, they
approached the edge of the rock, and looked
| over it. Conld they discern anything below Z!
No. all was thick darkness, suggesting un-
fathomed depth. They would remain, there
fore, where they were, in the hope that the la
va might rise no higher, and that when the
| light of day should make its appearance, they
| might see some avenue of deliverance. But
this hope the guides dissipated. 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
! unhooded by fire. Yet all hestated to plunge
down, they knew not whittier, in the dark.
! While they lived, while they breathed, some
| thing like miracle might occur to preserve
| them. They 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 became contracted, the heat
and the sense of suffocation intolerable, and at
| length the young clergyman, with mixture of
! horror and resignation IN his countenance, vol
unteered 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 cliDging to
! the rock with his hands, remained suspended
| for a mom9nt and then
What was that noise ?-that OF body dash
| ing against the rocks-down, down fcarfully
into some unfathomalle gulf The survivors
shouted in agony, and besought him to reply
| if he still lived. But no answer. Mr.. Fennel
| then said it was his turn, and in the same way
committed himself into the depths of air.
There was another pause of suspense and ago.
ny. Again the survivors listened; again no
| answer came. Soon followed the barrister !;
and after that, pell-melI, 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 Acheron? The precipice, If
| I may borrow an Hibernianism for the occa-
| sion, was no precipice at all, but very shall
low rock with soft grass growing up to Its base.
| Why, then, did they who leaped not answer
They thought they were going 10 inevitable
death, and that thought Tor a moment paraiyz-
ed them, so that they did not recover the use
of speech for several minutes. Those minutes
appeared an age TO those who had waited re-
ply. But long as the time seemed, there g.