The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-10-30

[From the Galaxy.l
THE LEGEND OF AMSANCTUS.*

| We were standing In the edge Of &
grove gloomy with thick boughs
Around us on all sides the steep walls
of the precipitous ravine hemmed IN
the narrow bason of the lake. A
strong wind was blowing from the
north, so that, on the windward side
of the lake we could approach. close
to its dark turbid waters. Every
where upon its surface bubbles
charged with carbonic acid were con-
stantly rising and breaking, while the
wind bore away the deadly gas.
Standing here one could easily fancy
himself in that terrible Fifth Circle
of Dante's Hell, where the shades
of the damned made the surface of
the Internal lake to bubble with their
fruitiess signs.
Bones of birds and animals Law
whitening on the shore where the
mimic serf had tossed them, tokens
of the deadly character of the exhala-
tons. As if Amsanctus- had deter
mined to furnish us withsa conclusive
proof of its deadly power, while we
were yet watching the ineessant bub-
bles, small bird attempted to fly over
the lake within a dangerous distance
from the surface. Before it was half
way across it began to futter IN aim
less agony, and in a few moments
dropped motionless into the water, its
dead body eddying to and fro@in the
changing currents of the troubled
pool .
A rank, Observation-Disclosures of
vegetation filed the rayine-s@ Tall
weedSewith bright flowers, brilliant as
if painted with poisonous vermilion
or noxiOus sarsenical green, waved
their supple stems close to the waters
edge as though wholly insympathetic
concord with the -pestiIentiaL lake.
In the damp recesses of the grove
lurked low, pale leafed plant bear
ing berries leprousiy white, and cold
and clnging to the touch-more swift
ly poisonous than the bite of the rat
tle-snake or%the cobra The grass
grew tall and coarse, and dropped
heavily, damp with constant moisture.
The very noise of the torrent that
drained the valley sounded hollow,
like an echo from the internal vaults
that fable places beneath the lake.
"Look!' suddenly exclaimed the
guide, pointing across the lake, which |
at that place was not more than forty |
feet inlwidth.- Look there, by that |
heap of stonesl" -
Looking in the direction indicated,
l saw the 1.-THE, quick gliding form of |
a large viper.- as he. 'crawled to cover |
in a mound Of small stones that lay |
at the foot of rude wooden cross. [ |
had not noticed the cross before, and |
curious to know if it bore any in
scription, asked the guide if it would |
be safe for us to attempt to reach it. |
He crossed himself with sudden hor- |
ror" Not even if the Madonna her
self was with me would [ walk TO that t
cross o-day.- The. wind blows d.
rectly over it, and no man could live
there a moment" q
Bat how about the vipers ?''said [.
"OkThe devil takes care of his /
own, replied he. s." The valley is
full of serpents that grow large and /
poisonous throu h breathing the air
that kills the-innocent birds"
1t was certainly a horrible place,
and now that l had SCENT, I became
exceedingly anxious to get away from
it as soon as possible.
Letus gos said I, for l am suf-
locating here.'
Let us go," echoed the guide, and,
STOPPING down, he searched carefully
for pebble, which. when found, he
tossed over the water so that itstruck
and rested on the heap at the foot of
the cross. smiledat his apparently
spiteful efortto annoy the viper.
You cannot hurt the snake
now that he is in his hole, re-
marked as we.turned away.
. did notify to-" he answered.
: That cross is planted where the
French Captain was found dead, and
no one passes it without adding a
stone to the heap"
That evening as we saftogether at
the Cafe Goribdldi.. Git had taken a
new name since the battle of Volturno,
two weeks before in the little town
of Gretta Minarda. my guide told me
the story that1 have called the " Lee
gend Of Lake Amsanctus. I have
no doubt of its entire truth, fer it is
4 matter within the personal knowl-
edge of scores of people. at 4Grotta
andat Naples. : l have my
self seen and spoken with cnesof the
chief actors "a the tragedy, who was
an officer ina the Garibaldian army.
and whose name will be easilyrecog-
nized by any one who was acquainted
with the personnel of MedieTs di-
vision | may possibly ehaves erred
IN a few of the minor detailssof the
affair for it is now six years siuce it
was told me-, bat in aHits essential
acts Z know IT to be absolutely true.
Nearly 80 years ago. a company of
Did King Bomba's infantry was quar-
tered in the quiet village of aGrotta
Minarda. The subzlieutenant, Of this
cnmnanv uas-tha rn,1nnnr sn.,r &c |