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


one 10 always more picturesque than another.
II was late in the night when we arrived at
the well known inn "TO Diomed, " which lies
close to the gates of Pompeii. One finds
lodging at need there. The upper room opens
on a broad balcony. We stepped out. The
wide starry heaven shone and sparkled with
great power and brilliaDcy. The millions OF
stars looked down so earnestly and solemnly,
and yet the night was 80 unspeakably mild
and beautiful, full of softly breathing per-
fumes, Of secret charms, as II beneath the veil
of the gentle darkness were hid many sweet
secrets. The old experience occurred to me,
that Italy gives us Northerners piece of the
magical charms and perils OF the Tropics.
Nature here comes so cordially near us,
yet in her gentle embrace lies something
which softly sei2es on the nerves OF the soul
and dissolves thought and will in delightful
sensation.
Next morning we departed at daybreak. It
was a wonderful morning, the 27th April,
fresh and colored and bright everywhere.
April, the Italian month of flowers had not
brought us this year much good; it had been
very damp April in Rome, a bitter northern
companion. But these last days at the Bay
were like the finest May days with us. only
interwoven with Italy's golden sun aud her
wealth OF flowers. The roses blossomed upon
hedges and walls. The broad oactuses and
aIoes shone leaden green in the sun, and the
houses seemed buried in vine leaves.
In Bosco tre Case the people put their heads
out OF the windows, and my companion often
received a friendly "Early up, early mn
bella donna" But scarcely had we left the
town behind US than three men with cords
and sticks came trotting by our side. knew
the fellows from old experience, and prepared
myself for an endless catter of words to the
top of Vesuvius. 1t did not last long, how
ever; we saw them moving up to the noun
tain, grey points on the dark ground. They
seemed SO lazy, yet proceeded so rapidly.
The vineyards accompanied us far up the
heights, when the guides and horses had been
long since wading in lava gravel. Wherever
there was an opening in the black lava rub.
bish pair OF vines spread their green leaves
in the dry desert. At length they ceased,
here aud there were still to be found coarse
tufts of grass. Even these soon became
scaroer and gradually we were surrounded
by the black waste. Nature, when she
RACES in her primitive fury, terrif9s us as
with evil, man-hating powers, but nowhere
do her traces seem SO really ugly, so adverse
to all our senses, as on the bsre lava fields.
In the meantime we still advanced pretty
rapidly. The line of Vesuvius when seen from
Sorrento is exceedingly beautiful; il goes up
and down in one pure delineation. AS beau
titul as the mountain appears to the eye, as
easy is it to ride up, because it rises every
where gently and uniformly. One is on a con-
siderable height before one suspects it, and
the view back on the splendid plains below
becomes always wider and more magnificent.
While the lava fields at Bosco tire Case have
been formed since fifty years, we came in an
hour and half to a species of small plateau
where two streams OF lava cross one another
one of which was still smoking a little. This
one was a fortnight old the other had flowed
more than twenty years before.
From this out X became sleeper, and our
horses had to take hold in earnest. "Maca-
roni Maoaroni!' was the cry with which the
guides urged them on. This word, which
exercises the greatest charm on the people,
must also sound JOY fully in the ears Of their
horses. Nevertheless they were cruelty
beaten. Italians, like Americans, treat their
animals like machines, which feel nothing. |
had to think OF an esteemed lady friend of
mine in Rome who, in the goodness of her
heart, had founded an asylum for old horses,
in order that they might not be whipped to
death under the Drosllies. A revolving spec
tacle was by this means removed from the
streets; but the Italians laughed at the waste
of money, and priest was not a little indig
nant-because horses had no souls Of their
own Our poor horses painted and clambered
up slowly and began to stumble. We were
heartily glad when the halting-pLaoe was
reached and we alighted. If you fall here with
your horse you will not escape contuslons,
because the pieces of lava are as sharp as glass
and iron.
The three men, who were waiting at the
halting-plaoe rushed towards us to hold our
horses and offer sticks and cords. As we had
two men with us, we did not need 80 many
services, and then began that wild play of
grimaces, protestatione, and oaths which are
meant to soften or frighten the stranger.
They cOniured us in stream OF words, ii they
had shortened their sweet nights rests for
nothing and nothing only Merely on our
account had they got up 30 early. Therefore
we should be grateful and oonsiderate to them.
! AS proceeded on, only laughing and jesting
with them, all five followed us, and one cried
louder than another. But the higher we
mounted the more civil they became, and at
last all was pleasant and satisfactory, when
my wife seized on the cord of one and allowed
hersNlf to be dragged along. Then the others
stayed behind, and wished US friendly good
journey.
One could easily make the last piece Of the
way passable for horses; for the present ascent
from Pompeii, which is frequently, as it were,
paved with pieces OF lava, is not to be COM
pared with the former cone OF ashes, For g
lady, it is always laboriOus task to climb
up between ashes and broken stones and
blocks. Even a man must often stop to take
breath, because the air is so warm. How
evor, the whole is child's play to that which a
chamois hunter goes through on the chase
with his rifle on his shoulder. Our noun
tains, indeed, are quite silent. Ascending
the heights OF Yesuvius, one has, on the con-
trary, the unpleasant feeling as il the broad
back OF black living monster were rising up
under ones feet, and one were climbing up to
his Jaws.
"At length, T." said the guide, 1--WE are on the
I top; no further can we CO." Not at all agree
} ably surprised, l saw considerable mountain