Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-01-11

and, as they streamed over the face of the
cliff, seemed in the distance to hang from the
purple rock like tangled threads of silver
At Genoa | took the new railway, then but
recently opened, for Pisa. This line follows
the coast Of the Eastern Riviera and skirts the
mountainous district of the Lunigiana, the
ancestral home Of the Bonopartos before they
emigrated to Corsica. The numerous noun
tain spurs which here project into the sea are
pierced by tunnels of which more than nine
ty are passed through in the course of few
hours. One is tempted to consider the whole
line one long tunnel with ninety openings for
ventilation. As the train rushes along, the
rapid and frequent transition from light to
darkness, and from darkness to light, have n
most pleasing effect. The light appears more
brilliant and the darkness more intense than
usual. Each Of the narrow and steep valleys
lying between the mountain-spurs has a
character of its own, and the brief ghmpses
You catch of them seem like pictures in Il
magic-lanten. One Of them is the precipit-
Gus bed of foaming torrent another is n
smooth but barren waste another is terrnced
and cultivated in one a village nestles; in
another there is barely room for a small chap
81 another glsteus with blocks of white mar
bic from III ncighboring quarries of Carrara.
On the side of the sea the view is not less va
ried 1t is always the blue Mediterranean
that you see. dotted with many distant sail,
but at one point it is bordered by huge boul-
ders of fantastic forms; at another it is
fringed with reeds at another it washes n
tiny beach, where IA boat has been hauled up
and fishermen have spread out their nets to
dry.
At Lcghorn | took steamer for Naples
As We touched at Civita Necchia, | seized the
occasion to go ashore with n Tuscan whose
acquaintance l had made to see the famous
convict-station which is there. The boy who
rowed us ashore spoke II singular dialect and
understood my companion with difficulty.
Are you not ashamed of yourself = said
the Tuscan to him. 1--WE are both Italians.
and you don't understand half that say
Il am not an Italian answered the boy
scornfully; II am from Ciyitca Necchia.'
From Naples the railway bore me rapidly
along the base Of Nesuvius, and over the sites
of cities which il destroyed to Salelno The
cathedral of this ancient town possesses the
body of ST. Matthew, or rather one of several
bodies which that apostle seems to have left
behind him. for there are other churches in
Europe that will prove to you beyond all
doubt that they have the same treasure. 1t
was at Salerno too that the great IIildebrand
died, with the sad words upon his lips, Il
have loved Justice and hated iuiquity there
fore die in exile" From this place a drive
of two hours over the loyeliest road which
have ever seen in any country brought me to
Amalh, my winter home.
Hotel Luna where | spent the frst few
days. besides being delightfully."- situated and
well conducted. is invested with n peculiar
charm from the fact that the building it oc-
cupics was formerly a monastery. To lodge
III a cell to dine in a spacious rcfectory to
walk in cool cloisters What an agreeable
break III the monotony of life it is to be thrown
into such intimate association with an order of
things so different from that in which we daily
move
After | had spent three or four days in
strolling about Amalf, my good fortune led
ne TO visit Rayello. The remains of this me
di,uval town lie to the east of Amalh on the
side of the mountain many hundred feet above
the sea. | took a donkey for the ascent,
which is precipitous i'll the extreme The
narrow and ill-kcpt path winds steeply up one
side Of the Dragon Gorge The views are su-
perb. but one must have cool head and
steady nerves to feel no sense of danger. For
much of the way lofty wall is ON one hand,
while on the other is dizzy precipice from
which no vestige of a parapet protects you.
1t has often been observed by those accus-
toned to donkey-ridlng in the mountains that
on n dangerous path like this the donkey will
never keep the middle of the way. as prudence
might seem to require he invariably either
shaves the wall or walks on the very verge of
the precipicc. | have heard different reasons
given for this singular fact, all of them reflect
ing much credit on asiniue sagacity. But l
am convinced that the true explanation of 1t
is this: The donkey being always an ill-used
beast, naturally holds his driver in terror, and
his two great principles when on the road are
always to keep one eye on his driver, and to
get as far away from the switch rs possible
Now. supposing the driver to walk, as he usu-
ally does. behind, it is clear that the donkey
could carry out neither of his principles If he
kept to the middle of the way; one side or
other must always be better suited TO his pur-
pose In confirmation of this theory, l no.
ticed ON the occasion | speak of that when the
driver walked on the outer edge of the path,
kicking loose stones over and listening to the
reverberations caused by the fall the donkey
was scrping one of my legs against the wall /;
when. on the contrary, the driver with VIC
lent hourishes of his switch. chased the green
lizards along the wall, the donkey was hang
ing my other leg over the depths below. As
preferred the dangers of the wall to those of
the precipicc. | dicountenanced the pursuit of
the lizards and encouraged the boy to try the
echoes of the gorge.
When had been about an hour in the sad
die, | dismouuted aud scrambledup dry wa
tercOurse to where some singular flowers were
growing. The point which / reached COM
manded an extensive view in direction that
mp to this time had been hidden from me, and
l sat down to enjoy it. 1t was the coast of
the mainland, which with beautiful curve
stretches southwark from Salerno, and drew
my attention The air was unusually clear,
and all the chief features of the plain and the
mountains which encircle it We're visible rs far
south rs where Cape Palinuro still keeps alive
the memory of the Trojan eXile's ill-starred
steersman. On the low hills that divide the
plain from the mountains lay n rich brown
light. and their irregularities resembled the
folds Of a crumpled garment. Villages and
smaller clusters of houses dotted here and
there the hills and the plain. and with my
glass l could even discern the ruined temples
of Postum.
Having remounted andresumed my journey,
l passed before long dilapidated gateway,
and after threading several narrow streets ar
rived at large open space which was former
ly the chief public square Of RayellO. To-day
weeds grow rank in every crevice of the pave
ment, and the few buildings that remain
standing around it are in a sad state of decay
NV first care was to visit the cathedral, which
opens in the square The bronze DOORS OF
which more than fifty biblical stories are mute
ly told, are as beautiful as when they wer,
hrst erected ana the bishop blessed them
seven hundred years ago, The pulpit from
which the Gospels were read is an admirnbl,
work of art. Like the famous pulpits Of Psi
and Siena, it is supported by many small mar
BILE columns which rest on the backs of lions
The other pulpit, from which the Epistle
Were read, is only remarkable for two picture
in brilliant mosaics which adon it. Jonah il
the hero of each. In one of the pictures h,
looks anxious and melancholy-in the othe
calm and well pleased; for in the forme
picture he is just going into the whale
mouth-in the latter he is coming out of it.
On reaching the square again l found Will
vexation that had left my opera glass at tn,
| point ON the road where l had climbed up tn
rock and had sat down to enjoy the view
| Summoning my donkey-boy from out of tn
crowd of urchins that had gathered about him
l tried by few simple gestures to inform hin
of my loss. He was thoroughly puzzled, how
! ever, to know what l meant, and the more S,
as he had not seen me use the glasses in ques
tion, To explain myself better, then wen
through with an elaborate paDtomine perform
ance. pretended to be jogging along on tn
! donkey. / stoDDed dismOunted climbed III