The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-05

three were Steering all full of smoke. which
now curled upwards, and now rolled Iazilv
away, all black or grey or sulphurous vel
low, rubbish, ashes, and fragments thrown
up above one another as high as a house aud
from the thunderer and rattler on the ton
new stones and blocks were continually fail
ing down. The ground was hot everywhere.
and II one only pushed away piece with the
foot the warm vapor immediately poured ont
A glance backwards, when the smoke divided
in the gliuering landscape, on the light blue
gulf beneath, it was as If from hell into nara
dice. Only the DEVILS kitchen was here high
above, while one thinks usually Of the dear
angels being in the blue atmosphere.
We hTst came TO a circular gurgliup hole of
about ten feet in diameter, from which poured
out steam and warm sulphurous air. One
looked down into the black gulf as into
round smoking chimney. Pieces of lava,
which | threw down, gave no sound of striking
against anything. Thus, far greater than the
opening above is the interior excavation, as il
1t were covered with crust. Were bandits TO
visit now, as they did five years ago the
heights Of Vesuvius, they would find this
very convenient if they wished to destroy the
traces of some murderous robbery. For what
is thrown into this gulf is doubtless consumed
in a moment, skin and bones, by the glowing
mass in its depths. For the rest Lower Italy
breathes now little more freely from the ban
dit plague. 1t its place other murderers arise,
much more numerous, those who slay in the
streets. lthappens mostly from political h aired
but not seldom from greed of gain, envy, and
revenge for an injury. The boldness of the
murderer increases daily as the general wild
ness increases. Not in the number and
audacity of such crimes lies the greatest evil,
but in the cowardice with which they are
tolerated. Italy, indeed, has in these last
years presented thousands enough who went
couTageously into the rain of bullets, and
fought like heroes for their IDEAL but if any
oneis stabbed or shot maliciously on the open
street, the murderer escapes without O hand
being stretched after him; aud, if the officers
appear, no one will know the unfortunate
ono who is lying in his blood, even if he were
known by every child around. That is indeed
a cowardice which lies in the core.
When we had gone few steps farther, the
guide pointed to living stream before us.
1t seemed from the distance like black streaks
and shadows rowing away rapidly in 2 vspor.
To come up to IL, we had to pass through a
little hollow. The guide lifted and helped my
wife quickly over it. | stumbled moment;
it was but a second that had bent my head
but l thought l should have fallen lifeless, so
sitting were the hot fumes of the sulphur. At
the edge of the lava stream, we had before us,
as it were, breaking up Of black foes, be-
tween which the red-hot mass looked ont
gloomily. The heat was terrible, for the
opening, from which the stream proceeded,
was only hundred steps further up. AS We
wishedto ITO it,aDd the guide saWthat myoom-
panion had courage enough, he seized her again
under the arm, and the uucouth- looking
man led and lifted her skilfully and atten-
lively over the clods and blocks which had
very sharp edges. We had to make little
circuit, which again Led us through frightful
sulphurous vapors, aud then clambered up to
the warm edge, until we stood close before the
L. i
The lava came just like stream from steep
mountain, which breaks out suddenly without
any grotto or cave, and flows down rapidly.
On its exit from the mountain the mass was
glowing red but in the air the surface began
to harden Immediately, and break up isto
black scales and pieces.
Never shall forget the quarter Of an hour
which | spent at this lava fountain. The
crater was straight above us, and did its work
with hellish magnihoence. Every two or three
minutes there was shove through the clouds
of steam which yelled the summit. Before
this every time dull roaring went on, as if
deep in the earth, the latter began to tremble
gently, then followed Kissing and gurgling,
then rose whistling, rafting, laundering in
Vulnerable stones and blocks in perpendlcu-
lar line to the sky with Incredible rapidlty,
wbirling clouds of ashes and steam between.
High in the air all spread out, and fell back
into the crater like rain. Often the ashes were
blown towards us; thousands of stones also
fell over the walls of the crater, and danced
and tumbled down the heights, many times
huge blocks rolled to our very feet. All
went as if by time, just as regularly as the
work of colossal steam kettle, which,
indeed, would have to be four thousand
feet high, and of inconceivable breadth
at the bottom. 1t was as If subterranean
water was entering the fire mountain by min
utes and seconds, changed into steam, and
thrown out with all the rubbish which was in
the chimney. Whenever there were two fee
bier eruptions, one was certain to follow which
was go much the more powerful, and which
stood for moment in the air like gigantic
black tuft. cannot tell how this slow, SOL
emn measure moved me, in which the most
enormous powers of nature were here work.
| ing. How often have l in the silent night
| leaned overheard and watched the regular
heaving and sinking of the ocean As fer
merly on the sea, here on the raging volcano
! was filed with presage OF the immutable
swinging hither and thither of the ever rest
less, ever equal pendulum, by which the i'm
measurable universe does its work.
The wind, which had hitherto driven the
| clouds of steam away from us, changed some
what its direction. Suddenly we breathed in
sulphurous vapors scarcely could We see the
ground. More quickly than we had assembled,
we hastened back to the point of exit. There
the air was free, and the wonderful prospect
unspeakably refreshing and beneficial.
i had observed that the eruptiOns fell only
over one part of the summit, and that the
clouds which yelled the crater had, moreover,
longer interstices between them. l therefors
proposed to the guide that we should go from
the place where we now saw the movement OF
the lava only from distance up to the last
i 1. - sI.1I