The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-06-26

for the present generation-and tn
picture it gives of portion OF the re
markable phenomena of Etna acquires
a fresh interest in consequence of tn,
present activity of the brave old noun
t.in, which is not exhausted however
often it turns itself inside out:
1t was nine o'clock at night when
in May, 1851, we were summoned BY
our guide Matteo, to mount our mule.
follow his lead from Nicolosi TOWARD
the great cone of Mount Etna. Be
side Matteo we had also Antonio, an
other experienced guide, judging it uu
safe from the possibility of accident.
to 90 up with one man only. Our par
ty was, therefore, four men altogether
Mr.. B. and myself riding between the
two guides. Our path lay for nearly
or quite two hours over an unbroker
waste of ancient lava. unwooded, anC
with not plant or vine to mark ou1
course. About twelve o'clock we came
upon little hut, the Casa del Bosco
where cur guides dismounted. and
mOtiOning to us to do the same, we
found it was their purpose to feed the
animals, which example we also fol
lowed by a resort to our provision bas
ket. The mules being fed. we were
again on our way. Our path became
very rough and precipitous, now re-
quiring us to grasp the name of the
mule, and then to throw all our weight
back to avoid sliding over his neck.
But the patient. cautious creatures
toiled on, pausing occasionally for ar
instant, us if to reassure themselves
and then carefully advancing. Oul
guide, too, excited constant wonder
1t was impossible to see a path--im.
mense CULTS of rugged lava surrounded
US; we found ourselves standing on the
brink of precipices over which the
course seemed to lead us, but a sud.
den turn carried us away just as the
sense of danger was coming over us.
There were to us no visible landmarks,
and on every side in the dim distance Ol
night we saw only an unending same
ness of lava currents, ridges. CULTS, bill
lows and windings.
Above us the snowy head of Etna flOateC
like cloud against the dark blue sky
and the consultations moved with oul
ascent, rising ard falling as with q
more rapid revolution of the earth
Meteors flashed across the sky, adding
to the charm of the night the beauty Of
motion. II was now very cold, and we
could distinctly trace ut no great dis
lance from us the snow in the deep gull
leys of the mountain like white stream.
ers from the great mass above. A few
minutes brought us upon the lower
patches, and from that instant the
naked black rocks began to disappear
being replaced by the glistening snow
Our guide had several times shouted
in peculiar tone toward the west as il
to arouse the echoes of the mountain
To our surprise his cry was answered
and we were in some amazement t1
guess who should be in that lonely spot
at such an hour to return his saluta
ton The enigma was soon explained
by the appearance of another guide tc
take charge Of the mules. We had
now reached the limits of our riding:
we had been five hours in the saddle
and were on the present confines o1
the sncw. We dismounted, refreshed
ourselves with some hard eggs anG
wine, took our mountain stats anC
followed the guides, who struck out
Immediately upon the snow. The
wind now blew tiercely from the norsh
west, an ominous cloud was in the east
heavy haze hung over the island, and
l told Mr.. B. of my fears that we haC
no bright sunrise awaiting us. Still
large portions of the sky were clear
and we had good courage to go on
| pointed Matteo to the cloud, when
found he had my fears, for he SHOOK
his head despondingly, looking to the
cone, Motto Vento.'
lit was about 2:15 when we made
our first halt at the pillar of stone
erected at the base of the minor peak
of E;na, which is called Montagnuola
While stopping here over our basket OF
provisions we observed in a striking
manner the deceptive nature of dis.
lance, where objects are viewed from 8
great height, and especially at night
We saw two lights, one of which we
supposed to be the man with the mules
(who had no Light, and the other we
did not so clearly make out. On in
quiry of Matteo he told us that one
(the tirsD was lighthouse on the
coast at Catania, twenty-five miles of
the southeast. the other the signal al
Bronte, lesser distance on the west
ern side of the mountain. Never was
Iso deceived by a ply steal phenomenon
could have answered with the great
est confidence that both lights were
within hailing distance. We now
turned our course more northerly, the
angle of ascent increased, and our ex.
ertions were arduous. We saw, as We
thought, the ridge of the mountain Just
be fore us, however, and over it the
naked cone of Etna rising like an i'm.
mense dome from the naked waste
We pushed on to gain the ridge, and a.
it faded away another more distant
presented itself. We looked back on
the path we had come and forward, ir
hopes that the comparison would en-
courage us by showing that we had
passed over the longer distance. Nc
such comfortable assurance, however
was ours, and we would throw our.
selves fiat on our backs on the snow to
regain freedom of respiration, and then
push on anew. The wind was now
tiercely keen, and so powerful tina,
had it been in our faces l am
persuaded we could not have
made the ascent. Our prospects
we're bad, and worst of all the apex Of
the cone was now invisible, while heavy
masses of white vapor were constantly
nrpci nitqtQ,l m II from tho Trash NOV
tions of air which the wind brought in
contact with the whole mountain side
We gained the 'Casa Inglese,' English
House, just before four o'clock, anG
we're glad to find shelter from the
fierce wind under its gable-the only
portion which was not buried in the
snow. There was the cone immediate
ly before us and at our feet-should W.
60 up? pride said 'yes'-discretion ant
the guide said no. If the wind at tn,