The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-01-25
VOL. X--NO. 9.

heat below, which has melted the thick
glacier, and only few streaks of ice now
remain above the upper part of the sides,
while all the center is gone"
"And the ground has slight feeling
of warmth, too," rejoined, as bent
down and laid my hand upon it.
"Let us leave, MASTER" returned the
fellow, hurriedly, looking around with
an expression of alarm. 81 do not like
to remain here; we may be destroyed at
any moment. Let us hasten down and
report what we have seen."
"Nay," said l, feeling strangely inter-
ested aud fascinated by the perilous noy-
city; 81 do not think there is any imme-
diate danger, for the snow and ice, as is
plain to be seen, have melted slowly; and
before 1 go away, never to return, l
should like to venture into this basin,
and look down into one of those
chasms."
"Oh, no, MASTER" replied the guide,
with nervous anxiety" do not doit. 1t
might cost you your life."
"At least, l will risk it, if you will
agree to wait for me" said /, fully deter
mined on the venture, even though 1
were to go without his consent.
"I will wait" he answered; "but, re-
member, master, yougo down against my
advice"
The crater or hollow was about fifty
feet in depth, with gently sloping sides;
and using my pointed stick, with the
greatest care, I forthwith begun the de-
scent, often stopping to try the temper
ature of the lava with my hand, and find
ing it growing gradually warmer as I
proceeded, though not sufficiently so as
to excite any alarm. In a short time L
reached the bottom, and stood on the
verge of one of the seams or chasms which
opened far down into the heart of the
mountain. 1t was about four feet in
width, zigzag in shape, and emitted
strongly the peculiar odor before men,
toned. A small, trickling stream, from
melting layer of ice above, was running
into it; but could only see that it was
lostin thedeepdarkness below, ,fromwhich
came up kind of kissing, boiling, gurg-
ling sound, With something like a rumb-
ling shock at slight intervals and gentle
puffs of heated air.
Giving no heed to my guides earnest
solicitations, 1 now resolved to sound, if
possible, the depth of the chasm before
me, and then proceed to inspect the
others; and for this purpose 1 broke off
from larger one small block of lava,
and, advancing to the very edge of the
chasm, dropped it down, and listened to
the hollow reverberations, as it went
bounding from side to side, long after it
was lost to the eye. The depth was so
immense that l heard it for more that a
minute, and then the sound seemed
rather to die out from distance, than to
cease because of the stone having reached
its destination. 1t was an awful depth,
and fearfully impressed me with the
terrible; and as drew back with ashud-
der, gust of hot, sulphurous air rushed
and roared upward, followed by steam
like vapor, and heavy, hollow sound,
as if a cannon had been discharged far
down in the bowels of the earth.
This new manifestation of the powers
of nature fairly startled me into desire
for flight; and l had already turned for
the purpose, when suddenly there came
a sort of rumbling crash, and the
ground, shaking, heaving, and rolling
under me, began to crumble off into the
dread abyss. / was thrown down, and,
on my hands and knees, praying heaven
for mercy, was scrambling over it and
upwards, to save myself from a most
horrible fate, when two blocks, rolling
together, caught my feet and legs be-
tween them, and without crushing them
held them as if in a vice. Then came
another crash and crumble, the lava slid
away from behind me, and 1 was LEFT
upon the very verge of the awful gulf
now widened to some fifteen or twenty
feet, down which l looked with horror
strained eyes, only to see darkness anc
death below, and breathe the almos
suffocating vapors that rushed up from
that seemingly bottomless pit.
Oh, the horrors of that awful moment
what pen or tongue can portray them
There, a helpless but conscious prisoner
suspended over the mouth of blacl
and heated abyss to be hurried down
ward by the next great throe of trem
bling naturel
"Help, help, help for the love O
heaven, helpp 1 screamed, in the yer.
E agony of wild despair.
1 looked up to catch glimpse of'm,
guide; but he was gone, and 1 had moth
ing 10 rely on but the mercy of heaven
3 and 1 prayed as never prayed before
for forgiveness of my sins, that the
; might not follow me to judgment.
! might be a second-it might be
= minute-it might be an hour-that
. should have to undergo a living death
4 but, be the time long or short, 1 felt ths
=: there was no escape from doom tha
even now makes me grow pale, an
\ shudder when 1 think of it. Above m
Q was a clear blue sky-beneath me,
q black and horrible abyss-around m,
d sickening vapor that made my brai
h grow dizzy.
VI Rumbling and kissing sounds warne
], me that another CONFUSION might occl
II at any moment, and another would |
a the last of me. Home and friends
should never see again, and my tom
I" would be the volcanic Hecla! / strov
with the madness of desperation, to disc
d gage my imprisoned limbs, but I migl
d as well have attempted to move mou
tain. There 1 was, fixed and fastene
E. for the terrible death l was awaitin
,t Oh, mercy what fate!
Suddenly heard a shout; and lookir
s. around, beheld, with feelings that cs