The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-05-31
From "The Galaxy" for June.l
THE LAKE OF DEATH.

"Behold the lakew cried the guide
"It is not large, but there is nothing
else likei in the worldw 9.r~F,sr
We were standing in the edge of ,
grove gloomy with thick boughs
Around us on all sides the steep WALL
of the precipitous ravine hemmed II
the narrow basin of the lake AstronI
wind was blowing from the north 81
that, on the windward side of the lake
we could approach close to its dark
turbid waters. Everywhere upon it
surface bubbles charged With carbonic
acid were constantly rising and break
ing, while the winds bore away tht
deadly gas. Standing here, one could
easily fancy himself in that terribl,
fifth circle of Dante's "Hell," where
1.-THE shades of the damned made ths
Internal lake to bubble with their fruit
less sighs. sE4s.gE +EAEt
Bones of birds and animals lay
whitening on the shore where tht
mimic surf had tossed them, tokens o.
the deadly character OF the exhala
tiOns. As if Amsanetus.y had deter
mined to furnish MS with o conclusive
proof Of its fatal power, while we were
yet watching the ihcessant bubbles, 9
small bird attempted to fly over the
lake within dangerous distance from
the surface. Before it was half way
across, it began to fiutter in aimless
agony, and in few moments dropped
InOtionless into the water, its body
eddying to and fro in the changing cur.
rents Of the troubled pool. S . .s'
A rank, unwholesome fulness OF
vegetation filed the ravine. Tall
weeds with bright flowers, brilliant as
if painted with poisonous vermillion or
noxious arsenical green, waved their
supple stems close to the waters edge
as though wholly in sympathetic con-
cord with the pestilential lake. In the
damp recesses of the grove, .lurked a
low, pale.leafsd plant bearing berries
leprously white, and clinging to the
tOuch-more swiftly poisonOur than
the rattle-snake or the cobra. The
grass grew talland coarse, and drooped
heavily, damp with constant moisture.
The very noise of the torrent that
drained the valley sounded deep and
hollow, like an echo from the in
fernal vaults that fable places beneath
the lake.
"Lookw suddenly exclaimed the
guide, pointing across the lake, which
at that place was not more than forty
feet in width. "Look, there, by that
heap of stOnesw rr- Eng sIU. p
Lookind in the direction indicated,
saw the 1.-the, quick gliding of q
large viper as he crawled to cover in a
mound of small stones that lay heaped
at the foot of rude wooden lcross, !
had not noticed the cross before, and,
curious to know ifit bore any inscrip-
tion, asked the guide if it would be
safe for us to attempt to reach it. He
crossed himself with sudden horror.
"Not even if the Madonna herself was
with me would / walk to that cross to-
day. The wind blows directly over it,
and no man could live there a mo-
ment.
"But how about the vipers!" said /.
80. the devil takes care of his own,"
replied he. The valley is full of ser
pents that grow large and poisonous
through breathing the air that xii Is tho
innocent birds"
1t was certainly horrible place, and
now that l had seen it, l became ex-
ceedingly anxious to get away from it
rs soon as possible.
"Let rs co. said l, 'for l am suffo-
eating here"
That evening as we sat together at
the Cafe Garibaldi, in the little town
of Grotta Minarda, my guide told me
the story have called the Legend of
Lake Amsanctus." have no doubt of
its entire truth, for it is matter with
in the personal knowledge of scores
of people Mt Grotta Minarda, and at
Naples.
Nearly thirty years ago, II company
of old King Bomba's infantry was quar-
,ered in the quiet village of GrOtta
Minarda. The sub-lieutenant of this
company was a younger son of a
Neapolitan nobleman, who, though rich
in ancient blood, was decidedly poor in
modern gold. Young StefanO Da
Francia was not yet twenty.three years
of age, and was famed as the gayest
and most careless of subalterns. He
had not an enemy in the world, for his
handsome face, his good temper, and
his frank, light hearted manner, made
him a universal favorite with men and
women. So far as is known, he was
never cynically proiigate; but his dis
sipation and reckless gayety were
simply the overflow of a buoyant
excees of vigor and animal spirits.
Among the lower class of people at
Grotta Minarda, were the keeper of
the principal cafe and his beautiful
daughter. The girl was mere child
in years-she could not have been more
than fifteen-but her father regarded
her as a portion of his business capital,
and so placed her in the cafe where her
beauty could not fail to draw pro-
fitable custom to his establishment.
Naturally, the perpetual closeness of
contact into which she was brought
with the frequ9nters of the cafe brush
ed away somewhat of the maidenly re-
serve that should have belonged to q
young girl whose character no one ven
tured to asperse; but it had also given
her womanly keenness of perception
and GOODNESS of judgment beyond her
years. With the native manners Of o
child, she combined the soul-such as
it was-of a woman, and though she
WOulu toih anu Joob WIN OaOh nov
conner alike, she made herself respected
even by the rough soldiers of the gar
risOn, and kept herself free from
insult OF too positive familiarity.
After time it came to be noticed
that Da Francia was an especial favor
ite with the girl. He spent much Of
his time at the cafe and was Often seen
seated apart from his comrades at the
little table in the corner of the roem,
talking with Teresa, who fingered
longer near him than elsewhere. They
not only met thus in public, but. un-
known to any, except, perhaps, to the
girls father, the young officer was ac-
customed to meet her in quiet places
beyond the walls of the town. No one
ventured to joke with him on the sub
ject, for he had once Let it be known
very decidedly that he should permit
no light illusions to- be made TO his
intimacy with the girl, and his reputa-
ton as q skillful swordsman was such
that his comrades did net dare to come
in hostile contact with him. 1t was
generally believed that this connection
with her was simply the idle impulse
of careless youth, and 80, when, on the
morning of the day that his company
was to return to Naples, Da Francia
was publicly married to Teresa, the
of h;e orlando Enau M