Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-06-10

though at first my orders had been met
with scowling glances and lingering of
knives. The work to be done was none
of the pleasantest. The crude sulphur,
seldom quite cold, and often glowing
hot, had to be raked with hoes and iron
hooks from the brink of some of the
numerous small craters on the crest of
the volcano, in the midst of poisonous
fumes and eddying clouds of smoke,
showers of red-hot ashes, and even of
stones. a,
Itwas necessary to convey the sui
phur, when sufficient quantity had
been gathered, to the plains, along tracks
only fit for the goat or the hill fox, by
the aid of rude hand barrows, or sledges
constructed of boughs, through dense
forests and over broken and jagged
rocks.
Our huts were mere booths, hastily
built of logs and branches, and i'll fitted
to keep out the rough weather, the.
snow, hail and wind, which lash the
bleak heights of Etna when the lower
country seems still to bask in its golden
sunshine. The pay of the workmen
was small, enough to provide them with
the black bread, garlic, and chestnuts,
with perhaps Sunday repast of stock.
fish CIR eels, on which the poor of the
far south contrive to exist. Frugal as
were their meals. however, coarse wine
and coarser spirits were somehow afford
ed by them, and, as I have said, of gam
bling for "grani," or perhaps for pan
nikin of fiery aguardiente, there was
no stint.
had been made somewhat uncom-
Portable by the half enigmatical words
of Assunta's S warning. The part of the
mountain on which we were encamped
was clothed with thick forests of chest
nut and live oak, with here and there
barren track of scorie, spanned in places
by what might have been mistaken for a
solid stone causeway, the remains of
some ancient lava stream long cold.
Here were many small apertures, whence
arose jets of steam and puffs of smoke,
aud around which hissed and simmered
crust of sulphur, heaving, cracking
and glowing, of every color from pale
yellow to ruby red. From these sofia
taras, as they were locally called, we
CLEANED the chief portion of the mineral
for the sake of which we passed our
time in such elevated regions.
Now it was only for some four or five
days that the old charcoal burners
widow had taken to uttering her half
mystic predictions of coming evil, and
during that space had myself obtained
signs of greater activity than usual in
the volcano. The smoke was blacker
and more frequent. Kissing columns of
| OF ,,,ta
notseldom followed by avolley of red. hot
stones. The earth was in many places
so warm as to cause pain to the hand
that touched it, and in two instances the
brushwood near our camp caught fire,
from the falling of heated ashes amid the
parched grass, and the fire was with
difficulty extinguished. -.-
Without reposing unlimited faith in
Assunta's croakings, was still of opin-
ion that we should do better to remove
our temporary dwellings before the
mountain plateau grew literally too hot
to hold us, and accordingly l only await
ed the inspectors arrival with the
me nthly pay to mention to my superior
officer the condition of affairs, and to
obtain his permission for a change of
| quarters.
Pay day arrived, and with it the in
spector, but not alone. With him came
party of travellers, most of whom rode
mules, while their guides, porters, SER
wants, and interpreter made up quite an
imposing cortege. None butt wealthy
can afford to bring with them so much
paraphernalia, and I could easily believe
the inspector that the newcomers were,
as he said: "Illustrissimi Inglesi," who
had been especially recommended to his
good offices by the governor of the
province.
There were several ladies of the party,
which consisted, as afterwards learned,
of more than one family, and think it
was the sight of their plumed hats and
huttering dress, and the sound of their
merry laugh, that made me hang back
and keep aloof, ashamed of my rough
garb and weather-beaten aspect, while
my chief, nothing loath, did the honors
of the sulphur mine, about which he
knew so little, descanting glibly to his
fair listeners on the marvels of the place,
and smirking as they grew enthusiastic
concerning the lovely tints of the glow
ing sulphur.
The weather was of the finest, the
spring sky was of the purest blue, and
the balmy air seemed to caressthe cheek
say to another that the climate seemed
perfection. L wonder how she would
have enjoyed the whistling wind and
rattling hail of the winter storms.
Then came the dinner-a sort of pic
mic on o splendid scale, for the cooks
from the Hotel Reale at Catania had
been busy in their improvised kitchen,
and the hampers had been unpacked,
and rare viands and good wine were
handed round in lavish profusion.
Even our tatterdemalion sulphur work
ers were not forgotten, and the poor
fellows got choicer food and daintier
liquor, from the superfuity OF the ban
quet, than had ever gladdened their
palates,
I, perhaps from q sentiment of false
pride, had held myself aloof, and had
declined good natured invitation on the
part of the travelling excellencies to
be a partaker of the banquet. But,
scarcely know why, I hovered around
the blithe party, and, myself unseen,
gazed upon them from amidst the ever.
green oaks and matted brushwood
There were present two or three young
ladies who were pretty and attractive
but the face that riveted my attention
was that of little child-a girl six OF
seven years old, with loose curls of pale
gold, and complexion of delicate pinl
and white-merely aplump little smiling
baby face, but so very, very like little
sister of my own, long since laid to res
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