The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-12-05

Guide. who nov began to implore me
to return before it should be too late.
AS the dread volcano had not been in
action for more than thirty years be,
fore his birth, | believed that he could
know no more Of the danger than my
self, and therefore preferred to act
more from the dictates Of my own feel,
| ings than his fears and as | was to
pay him well for his services, felt but
little disposed to be hurried away from
place which it had cost me so much
time, trouble and money to visit.
Giving no heed therefore, to his ear
nest solicitations, | now resolved to
sound, if possible, the depth OF the
chasm before me, and then proceed to
inspect the others, and for this Dur-
pose | pried off from larger one a
small block of lava, and advancing to
the chasm, dropped 1t down, and lis
tened to the hollow reverberatIons as
| it went bounding from side to side,
long after it was lost to the eye. The
depth was so immense that heard it
| for more than a minute, and then the
sound seemed to die out from distance,
rather than to cease because the block
had reached is destination. 1t was an
awful depth, and IeartulIy impressed
me with the terror, and as | drew back
with shudder, a gust OF hot, sulphur
Gus ar rushed and roared upward, fol-
lowed by a steam like vapor, and a
heavy, hollow sound, as it cannon
had been discharged tar down into the
bowels of the earth.
This new manifestation of the powers
of Nature fairly startled me into a de-
sire for flight, end | had already turn
ed for the purpose, when suddenly
there came sort of rumbling crash,
and the ground, shaking, heaving and
rolling under me. began to crumble off
into the dread abyss. | was throw II
down, and, on my hands and knees,
praying God for mcrcy,wa scramhling
over it aud upward, TO save myself
from a most horrible fate, when two
blocks, rolling together, caught my
feet and legs between them, and, with
out actually crushing, held them as in
Il vice. Then came another crash and
crumble, the lava slid away from be,
hind me, and was left upon the very
verge OF the awful gulf, now widened
to SOME ten or fifteen feet, down into
which ! looked with horror strained
eyes, only to see darkness and dealt
below, and breathe all the almost suf
locating vapors that rushed up from
that seemingly bottomIess pit.
Oh, the horrors Of that awful reali.
zation what pen or tongue can por
tray them ?-there, helpless but con
scious prisoner, suspended over tht
mouth of black and heated abyss, t
be hurled downward by the next grea
throb of trembling nature.
Help! help! help TO the love o
God, help" | screamed in the very az
ony Of wild despair.
looked up ana around to catch /;
glimpse of my guide, but he was gone
and | had nothing to depend upon bu
, the mercy Of Heaven and prayed tt
God, as l never prayed before, for ;
forgiveness ofmy sins, that they nigh
not follow me to Judgment. 1t nigh
be a second, it might be minute, il
might be an hour, that l should have
thus to undergo living death; but bt
the time long or short, [ felt there was
no escape from a doom that even now
makes me grow pale and shuddel
when | think of it. Above me was q
clear blue sky-beneath me black
and horrible abyss-around me sicken
ing yapors that made my brain grow
dizzy. Rumblln9 and Kissing sounds
warned me that another CONFUSION
might occur at any moment, a an
other would be the last ofme. Home
and friends | never should see again
and my tomb would be the volcano
llecla | stroVe, with the madness OF
desperation to diSengage my imprison
ed limbs, but | might as we'll have at,
temp, cd l., move mountain. There
| was, fixed and fastened for the terri
bic death was awaiting. Oh, God
of mercy. what a tate!
SUD denly | heard Il shout, and, look
ngsarounG, | behcld, NTH feelings that
| c:nAOt describe, my faithful guide.
Fastening down the rugged sides of the
crater to my relief He had fled in ter
ror at the first alarming demonstration
but had nobly returned to save me, if
possible, by risking his life for mine.
May God reward him as he deserves
Il warned you, MASTER" he said, as
he came up painting, his g es halt start
ing from his head, and his whole coun>
tenancc expressing commlngled terror
and pity.
"Y"u did you did Z" cried l, ''but
oh forgive aud save met -
"You ire already forgiven, master.
and | will save YOU if can-save you
Or perish with you
Instantly he sal to work with his iron
pointed sick to break the lava around
my limbs, but had scarcely made any
progress when again he earth trem-
Died, and the blocks parted, one of
them rolling down into The yawning
chaSm with dull, hollow sound. |
Spran@ forward i S...zpd the hand of
The 9nile-we bojhslruggIed hard and
the next moment we had both fallen.
iooketi IN each o,hcr's arm',, upon the
S"td eartn above. was irea. but still
upon the verge OF the piy, and anv mo.
ment We might both be hurled to de.
atruction.
Quick, master - cried the guide
up up run for your lifen
l staggered to my feet, with a wild
cry of Lope and fear, and, half sup>
ported by my faithful companion, hui.
lied up he slipping >,de OF the crea-
ter As we reached the ridge above,
the ground shook with a heavy explo>
sion and. LOOKING back. I beheld win