Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-07-29
MISC Ell A n Y
A Leap in the Dark

One of the gentlemen who visited Mount 81
mai in company with Bishop Clayton happened OF
his return to England to pass through Sicily
Though by no means person ot romantic char
acter, he had fancy for wandering about noun
tainS, for getting belated in forests, and suppne
by the light of woodtires under a rock. 1t was
perfectly natural, therefore, that he should wisl
to visit Mount Etna, look at the great chesnu'
trees, aud examine that marvellous belt OF vege-
tation. so admirably described by the Com
mandant Dolilnian, which encircles the cone OF
thu volcano, and marks the point at which, in
general the streams of lava are arrested in their
onward progress.
Our travellers unromantic name was Fennel,
and had along with him two friends, considera-
bly, younger than himsef-the one clergyman
and the other barrister. Two servants, not
much accustomed 10 Stjourn In strange cOun-
tries, rough YorkShiremen, speaking their ma
tive dialect in pertec ion, and despising every
thing not English. waited upon the triad OF
travellers; and when they lett Catania, two
guides were hired to conduct the party through
the labarynth OF woods, gorges, glens, ravines,
and precipices which intercepts the ascent to
the crater, and renders it all times an enterprise
of considerable danger.
For nearly week before they set out, the
mountain Ildu eAlllUIteu SOIlc SlllPlOuiS vi III
ternal uneasiness. Earthquakes passed like gen
tie tremors beneath the city, not rocking or heav-
ing up the earth, not cracking the walls or dis
mantiing the houses, but just giving tremu-
lous motion to the pavement under your feet,
and at night causing the pillow under your head
to seem for an instant about to float away. To
the Catanians this was nothing: they had been
used to it from the cradle. Their houses all
stood upon lava, were built with lava; the de-
tritus of lava formed the very soil in their gar
dens, and the fruits they ate had rich lava
RELISH
Mr.. Fennel, as true Englishman loved to see
sights, and therefore longed for 40 eruption; but
the Catanians assured him he would have to
wait at least Il mouth in order to- enjoy that pc
culiar spectacle. He would wait two months if
necessary but in the mean time thought it
would be pleasant and interesting to run up and
get peep at the crater. The wind blew strong
ly from the west And spun out the dusky
smoke into long ribands in the air. Once or
twice in the night he thought he could detect
red sparks among the feruliginous vapor, which
now and then increased largely in volume, and
issued from the breast of the mountain with
something like deep grunt.
Mr.. Fennel determined to set out early in the
evening to see with his own eyes, as he express
ed it, what it was all about. At the hour ap-
pointed the mules were ready and otfthey went.
As every body knows, the ascent of Mount
Etna is not to be accomplished in an hour or
two. Ityou wish to reach Thy day-break, that
YOU NAV witness sunrise from its summit you
must set ont early the evening before. If your
mules are vigorous, you may perhaps find time
for a short nap, little after midnight, and re-
commence the ascent about three O'Clock. In
the case of Mr.. Fennel and his companions, the
mules performed their part with great perSeve-
rance and fidelity
1t was already one o'clock, when the guides
who are perfectly despotic during such under
takinyS, pronounced it time to halt and take a
little refreshment; after which, if SO inclined,
the whole party, they said, might sleep for two
hours without running the least risk OF not
reaching the edge of the crater by SUNRISE
They did halt, and while the servants were
kindling fire with dried wood which Law about
in plenty, Mr. Feunel amused himself with look
ing down the vast sweeps of the mountain to-
wards sea- In that part of the world no body
appears to sit up late, and at the time to
which | now refer the Sicilian cities had no
lamps. You consequently beheld nothing on
shore, except dusky irregularities descending
and undulatng to the extreme verge of the
shore. But the sea, when it bareS its breast to
the stars, has always faint glimmer diffused o.
yer it. On the present occasion there were
patches of phoSphorescence which, like small 10
ininous isles, flashed and foated between you and
the Tarentiue promontcry. Science may dissi-
nate rs it pleaSes the mystery of these phenome-
M. but nothing can still that disquietude of the
heart with which you contemplate the waves on
fire looking like so many glow worms several
leopnes in dimensions, floating leSurely away
before the wind. From enjoying this curious
prospect Mr.. Fennel was called away by the an
nouncement that supper was ready lie then
Joined his compauons, ate. drank, and went,
wrapped in his cloak, to sleep. like red Indian
with his feet towards the fire.
We men are Very clever in our way, but ma
ture is often too many for US. According to
their day and generation those travellers were
highly scientific, knew all about volcanoes, could
dSsertate learnedly on gases, and decide before
hand to an inch how far heavy body, by what
ever cause put in motion, could travel in two
hours. With regard to the guides, it was alto
gether impossible that they could ever be taken
mapping; they understood all the tricks of Etna
as well as he did himself, and could always de-
eide whole days beforehand what he was going
to do next. Nevertheless he now stole march