The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-01-29
ASCENDING MOUNT AETNA.

ASCENDING MOUNT AETNA.
Etna is three zoned. We had driver
| through the first, the Cultivate, with its
vines and FRUITS we had entered the second,
the Boscosa, which runs up to height OF
! 1000 feet, a region Of scattering woods
oak, chestnut, beach, birch, and perennial
pine. Our road dwindlod into trail; the
trail wound in and out among ragged waves
of lava, threatened the over5hadowing
groves, dipped into hollow gorges on the
brink of which our suspicious beasts
pranced and trembled, climbed slippery
hills that glistenedin the brilliant moonlight
and sometimeslost itself altogether on the
wrong side of stumbling blocks that seemed
to start suddenly under foot, only to
! frighten us out of our saddles. "What is
the altitude ?" asked some one of the party,
with chattering teeth. -Four thousand
two hundred and sixteen feet" was the
reply. We built fire on the spot, warmed
the coffee, toasted the bread, and wished
the night was over and gone. Again in
the saddle and this time each fellow of
twice his original bulk, for we had swaddled
ourselves and each other in voluminous
blankets.
Our noses began to freeze before we
reached the Casa Inglese, where we were to
take our final rest We had come out of
the forest belt. Ribbons of cloud festooned
the mountain under our feet The beasts
reeled and stumbled and gasped for breath
as we made final struggle and drew rein
at the open door of q windowless stone
hovel, away up among the stars. "What
does she draw" said a nautical party.
Nine thousand six hundred and fifty
two feet!" With that we all sat upon the
ground, and the leathern coated flask was
passed from mouth to mouth in silence
chat was unbroken. Giuseppe kindled a
little fire and great smoke on flat stone
in the corner of the room. Nature was
craving food and drink and sleep; we were
thoroughly chilled and utterly miserable.
Six hunks as hard as boards could ma Ike
them filed one side of the apartment.
There we stretched ourselves, after a
! meagro repast, and slept a half sleep until
Giuseppe called us at daybreak to go forth
and do" the regular sunrise. We went
rolled to the eyes in blankets.
We breakfasted after that and began to
grow warm, and were as hot as possible
before we got to the top of the l 200 foot
cone, that began at our house and went up
to the jumping-of place. Of course we
slipped and sprawled and lost our wind and
our temper, and got bored and tired out
before we came to the soft, spongy warm
lip of the crater. The crater was round
at the top, funnel-shaped, yellowish or
reddish with stains of sulphur, and smoky
and smelly. A big stone started at the top
of it went tumbling down its steep sides
until it was grounded into powder Omi-
nous thunders sometimes startled us, yet
you could have seen with half an eye that
we were not afraid 1 never yet saw any
one who was-so long as he stood on the
brink Of a crater and possible destru ction.
The nervous feGr comes in anticipation, OF
with the memory of some risk foolishly
run. There was sun all about us, ur
yonder the Italian coast, Malta in the dis
tance, and the whole Island of Sicily
looking brown and bare at that altitude
Down we came, helter-skelter, torrents
of loose rocks at our heels, many Of
which we were glad to dodge, for they
were as big as an armful. Back again ovel
The dull hard trail to Nicolosi, growing
more and more weary and less patient ever,
hour We dropped into cloud banks ant
came out below them into sunshine tha
soon became oppressively warm. AS lat'
as the sixteenth century Etna was clothed
to the summit with forests. Pindar de
scribes an eruption previous to 47G, ant
eighty of those lava flows fall within th,
limits of history, beginning as early as 39t
B. G. In 1893 an eruption was accom-
panied by a fearful earthquake, which
destroyed forty towns and nearly ont
hundred thousand lives. Through all thes
convulsions of nature the Tore del Filosof,
has stood its ground, nearly ten Thousand
feet up the breast of the mountain. Tradi
ton calls this Roman ruin the observator,
of Empedocles, he who sought a voJun
tary death in the crater. Back in Catania
covered with dust and glory, we are littl
, lions, the whole lot of US, inasmuch az
we have been to the top of the highes
mountain in Italy and the highest volcano il
Europe.
Take sheet Of perforated card-b
stain it dark brown with walnut STAIN
! which may be procured from a cabine
maker; cut out of the frames, whatever shap'