The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1876-06-21

| past our huts, and ever since that day
she lad been patronizingly polite to II
| Captain, as she called me.
Mine was not, as sub!inspcctor, very
desirable position. The inspector, save
on pay day, did not often show himself,
and when he did visit the scene of his
nominal duties, would have been power
less to enforce any SORT of discipline
amongst our black sheep, but for me-.
BY the combined effects of coa1ing,
good -humored banter, and the occasional
argument of knock-down blow, had
contrived to establish some ascendancy
over the wild spirits around me, and
was rather popular than otherwise, al
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.
1t was necessary to convey the sui
phur, when a sufficient quantity had
been gathered, to the plains, along tracks
only tit for the goat or the hill fox, by
the aid of rude hand barrows, or sledees
constructed of boughs, through dense
forests and over broken and Jagged
rocks.
Our huts were mere booths, hastily
built Of logs aud branches, and ill 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
tho black bread, garlic, and chestnuts,
with perhaps Sunday repast of stock
fish or eels. on which the poor of the
far sonth 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 gram" or perhaps for a pan
nikin Of fiery agrardiente," there was
no stint.
l had been made somewhat uncom-
Portable by the half epigmatica! words
of Assunta's warming. 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 a
barren track of scori@, spanned in places
by what might have been mistaken for n
solid stone causeway, the remains of
some ancient lava stream long cold.
Here we're many small apertures, whence
aros, jets OF steam and puffs of smoke,
and around which hissed and simmered
a clu't 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 utteripg 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
steam rose often into the air, and were
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 tho
mountain plateau grew literally too hot
to hold us, and accordingly only await
ed the inspectors arrival with the
monthly 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
n party OF travellers, most of whom rode
mules, while their guides, porters, ser
wants, and interpreter made up quite IN
imposing cortege. None but the wealthy
can afford to bring, with them 80 much
paraphernalia, and I could easily believe
tho 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 we're 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 tke 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 caress the cheek
it famed. overheard one of the ladies
say to another that the climate seemed
narfe ction 1rondar hnru sho rrarll 4