Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-12-04
Terrible Adventure on a vOloan

1s45, and the following is his narrative Of
fearful adventure which hsppe ned to him upon
that sublime and desolate elevation:
Having secured guide set of, at an early
hour, on the morning following my arrival in
sasun, (at the foot Of the volcano, pray
ing for fair weather, good luck, and safe re-
turn.
The scenery, even from the frst, was SO diff.
feHent from any had ever seen outside of Ice.
land, as to be worthy of better description
than am able to give. Suffice it to say that,
as you push Oh, ascending summit after summit
on your way to the great and awful center of
all, you find the danger, dreariness and dosols-
tion increase to the most terrible sublimity, till
at last, when you do finally stand on the high
est point in this unliving world Of chaos, you
instip ctively pray God with an icy shudder
shivoring through your miserable frame, to re-
store you to the life you seem to have left for.
ever behind you.
Obi how shall attempt to convey to any
mind the awful scene of desolation that sur.
rounded me when at last stood more than
four thousand feet above the level Of the sea,
on the highest peak of the barren Hocla. Six
mortal hours-three on horseback and three on
foot-had 1 been clambering upward from the
world below; and now, among the very clouds
that rolled and swept around me, 1 stood in a
world of lava mountains, ice and snoW-the
whitsness-and notin all that region tree,
bush, shrub, blade, or even a solitary living
thing, excepting self and guide.
Far as the eye could reach, when the moving
clouds permitted me to see, was succession of
black rugged hills, snow crowned peaks, gilt
tsripg glaciers, and ice-bound streams, into
whose y iranimste solitude no human foot had
ever Penet' a'ed-a world without plant or life
the very cesoJa'ion of desolaton-flled with
yawning chasus, dreadful abysses and mid
night caves which havenever echoed any sound
but the hupders of Heaven, and the groanings
and convulsions Of earth. So wild and terrible
was the scene that 1 felt strange thrill, like
madness, rush through my shivering lrame,
and quiver about my dizzy brain, and
shouted, to break the stiffness of death, and
heard my voice come dismslly back in hun.
dred echoes, till it seemed to be lost in the
bowels Of the uDproductive earth.
Wrapping one of the blankets about me, to
| protect me from the freezing cold, and eau .
tously using my pointed lick to try every foot
of ground before me, now began to move
about over blocks and heaps, and hills of lava,
and across narrow chasms and pitfalls, and
| patches of snow and ice, my faithful guide
keeping near and often warning me to be care
| ful of my steps, In this manner l at length
ascended a ridge of considerable elevation,
stumbling my way to the top, and now and then
displacing fragments Of lava that rolled crash
ing down behind me. AS yet had seen no
signs of the mouth Of the crater, which, eighty
years before, bad vomited forth its terrific and
| desolating streams of melted black sand; but on
reachiDg the summit of this ridge I looked
down into a sort of basin, open at the lower
side, and having some three or four deep seams
or cbasms, in its center, into which the melting
snow and les on its sides we're running in small
streams. A peculiar and not very agreeable
odor came up with thin, smoky vapor, and
fancied / could hear distant sound, sometAipl
between gurgle and a rumble.
at suppose this is the original crater," said
turning 10 the guide.
The fellow was as pale as death, and ever.
feature expressed surprise allied to fear.
''What is the matter2" quickly demanded
"bave you never seen this spot betore2"
"I have seen this place before, m lster," b
replied, "but never any thing like this. Whel
I was here last there was no hollow here, bu
only level plain of snow and ice."
"Indeed" exclaimed 1, feeling strangely in
terested; "what, then, do you infer? that ther
is about to be a fresh eruptonP"
"I fear so, master; what else can have cause
the change? You see there is heat below
which has melted the thick glacier; and only
few streaks of ice now remain upon the uppt
| part of the sides, while all the center is gone.
"ADd the ground here has a slight eelDg o
warmth, tool" rejeined, as 1 bent down an
laid my hand upon it.
''Let us leave, MASTER" returned the fello y
hurriedly, looking around with an expressio
of alarm. "I do not like to remain here; "
may be destroyed at any moment. Let us ha
ten down and report what We have SEEM"
"Nay," said 7, feeling strangely interests
and fascinated by the perilous novelty, "I do n,
think there is any immediate danger, for Il
snow and ice, as is plain to be seen, have meltC
} slowly, and before 60 away, never to retur
| should like to venture into this basin and lot
J down into one of those chasms."
} "0h, no, master!" replied the guide, with ne
vous anxiety, edo not do it! it might cost y
I your life!"
"At least will risk it if you will agree
wait for me-" said I, fully determined on t
5 venture, even though we're to 60 without
: consent.
"I will wait" he answered, "but Tememb'
master, you 60 down against my advicel"
The crater or hollow was about fifty feet
depth, with gently slopiUg sides; and using I
pointed stick with the greatest care, fort
with began the descent, often stopping to I
the temper of the lava with my hand, and fin
= ing it gradually grow warmer as proceed'
y though not sufficiently so to excite any alar
q In q short time reached the bottom, a
u stood on the verge of one of the seams
y ebasms, which opened far, far down into
L heart of the mouItain. 1t was about four
in width; zigzag in shape, and emitted streni
the peculiar odor before mentioned. smS
l. trickling stream, from a melting layer of
70 above, was running into il; but could oI
see that it was lost in the deep darkness bell
vs. from which cameup kind of Kissing, boilil
10 surging sound, with something like rumbli
a shock at slight intervals, and pufs OF hea
air.
n The place, the scene and withal the sense
danger connected with it, held me there wit
,h sort of ofmagnetic fascination, and soon fou
'st myself strongly tempted to make fatal plu
" into the awful abyss. Knowing by experiel
" that reason is not always able to govern
% control the actions in such cases, forced I
re self back a few feet, but still remained near
at opening, deaf to the entreaies ofmy frighteI
III guide; who now began to implore me to ret
he before Il should be too late. As the dread '
III. eano had not been in action for more than thi
en- Years before his birth, 1 believed that he co
~ knoW no more of the danger than myself,
,os therefore preferred to act from the dictates
~ my own feelings rather than his fearsj and |
ay was to pay him well for his services, felt
ost little disposed to be hurried from place wi
II had cost me so much time, money and troI
GIT to visit.
ey, Giving no heed, therefore, to his earnest
ol- Iicitations, resolved to sound, IL possible,
m depth of the chasm before me, and then pro'
md to inspect the others; and for this purpo
nth pried of from q larger one q small block
Dly lava, and advancing to the very edge Of
the chasm, dropped It down. and listened to
inc hollow reVerberations, as 1t went boun'
-e from side 10 side, long after 1t Was lost to
hh- sYa The dankh WaR 40 immOna0 that hC