Mower County transcript., 1871-12-21
NIGHT ON VESUVlUS.

NIGHT ON VESUVlUS.
| A Pleasant Plncc to Spend tho Even
ing.
The Louisville Journal has Naples
correspondent who writes:
spent the night with some friends
on the top of Vesuvius, freezing on one
side and boiling on the other. We
kept ourselves awake 10y the amusement
of dodgins the falling stones. About
once in ten minutes the old mountain
gave shivcr--then n burst like forty
thousand mufflel cannon, if ever there
was such Il thing. At each burst. a
cloud OF black smoke, in the shape OF an
inverted haystack, and thirteen times
the size Of the Gult House, WAS driven
into the air, followed by " livid flame
that lighted the country for leagues
around. Then look out for stones
millions OF tons are thrown hundreds
OF feet high III the air, most Of them
falling back into the crater, but many,
varying in size from pigeons egg to a
tobacco hogsheud, land outside, and
you must dodge; generally easy enough
as they are of a white heat, and show
as plain. as rocket star They tumble
down the steepcone, Kissing and steam
ing in tbs snow--thc big ones breaking
into fragments, and flying like burst
ing shell. Now is the time ten min
utes interval We rush up to the very
edge of the abyss and look down; for
further particulars see "Dante's In
ferno." But you spoil your boots I did.
You singe your moustache; l did.
And you wish you were safely out Of it;
l did. You turn away sneezing, as if
yon had accidently ignited box of To-
cofocos under your nose; for moment
all is dark then the long, twinkling
row Of gas lamps in the streets of Ma
pies seem to spring out of the ground
under your feet, though miles away !,
then you see the lights in the little
towns above the base Of the mountains,
in all save one, and that one the largest
Pompcii-with it's great old temple,
magnificent theatres, closc-built streets
and vast arena, is dark the grim skel-
etons lying in their ashen beds alone
keep their vigil there; their eyeless
sockets need no light. No sight that
ever l witnessed can equal clear sun
rise from Vesuvius. No one can imag-
inc its grandeur; but you must try to,
for dare not attempt description.
AS we stood gazing down on the roofess
houses of Pompeii, the sun lighting its
gay-colored wall-Torre del Greco,
with it's earthquakc-shake walls-I
said: "I'm glad of it," Says one of
the party, "It's awful shabby; don't
think it pays.' That young man was
from Henry county, Indiana. With a
pretty general destruction of boots and
clothing, and the aforesaid loss of one
of the handsomest moustaches in Ma
pies by your humble servant, we got
down safely Not SO with another par
ty who ascendcd from the Nola side.
One of them had an arm broken by a
falling stone another leg, in getting
down.
A Missouri Bear Story.
Bear hunting is not always the pleas
antest kind of amusement. So thinks
Mr.. Hamilton, of Missouri. This gen.
tleman shouldered his rifle one morn.
ing, and went into the timber about
mile off, to shoot squirrels. At night
he had not returned, nor did he make
his appearance during the following
night. AS squirrels are not apt to de-
YOUR a man, several neighbors, the
next morning, went in search of him.
About 3 O'Clock in the afternoon they
found him mp tree, thirty
feet from tee ground, and un-
able to ex;ricate himself. He
said that about 3 o'clock the previous
day he came across large black bear
and shot at him but missed him, when
the bear made for him with all his
might. He ran, and finding the bear
gaining on him he threw away his rifle
and climbed up a sycamore tree, with
the bear following right at his heels.
The top of this tree had been broken
off, and was hollow, in which hole he
thrust one Of his legs to keep himself
from falling, but he soon found that
his leg was fast when he tried to extri-
cate himself, and he could not draw 1t
out. The bear in the meantime had
torn the boot off on the outside and
was gnawine and eating the flesh
from the foot and ankle. Mr.. Hamil-
ton took his pocket knife out and cut
at his eyes, but with one sweep of his
paw the bear struck the knife from his
hand, with a part of two of his fingers.
He could now sec no help, and gave up
to die, expecting to be eaten up alive
by the beast. But soon a happy idea
struck him. That morning he had put
some salt in his pocket to salt some
cattle he had running in the timber,
which providentially he had not found.
Of this he took small handful and
sprinklel in the bears eyes. It had the
desired effect. He shook his head,
growled and went down. He soon,
however, returned, when IL little more
salt drove him away the second time,
when, to MIR: Hamilton's indispensable
delight, he now SAW him trotting off
into the forest. And now Mr.. Hamil-
ton advises Ill hunters in Usage county
to carry pocketful Of salt with them,
OF else to be sure that they are ''dead
shots before they practice target shoot
ing on black bear.