Morning journal and courier., 1890-04-19

about and between jagged curling fringes of
lava, set there like convolutions of wave
crests whirled upon end and instantly con-
gealed. But everywhere were cinders, grit,
ice, snow, needle pointed spears of lava,
powdered sulphur, ashes. pit falls, and worse
than all, the danger of dislodging the rock
ing masses above us.
On several occasions we had barely passed,
and pushed cur weight from treacheroui
| scales of mingled snow and scorie, when
they cracked away and went erumbling be-
hind, frequently dislodging other crusts and
projections, when q combined crash and
laundering into the darkness would follow.
At these times my own bravery would for
sake me, + am afraid, and would beg Bal
bino for indulgio and rest. With the ut,
most suavity the little old roll of bones al
ways acceded; aud, far above me, while my
knees beat the cinders from my trowsers,
and my chattering teeth ratified like casti-
nets, chirp as q canary in the groves behind
Catania, this human mountain elve would
ruminatively hum merry Sicilian canzione,
now and again letting few lively, though
respectfully modulated, bars escape through
his not wholly unmusical nose.
Perhaps an hour and a half was consumed
in this manner of climbing, when. on being
pulled up particularly precipitous and ugly
slope stood on my feet beside Balbino, and,
even before he had ,sententiously uttered the
one word "Trionfo!nI I saw the stars beyond
a jagged mass of black, and was conscious
that we were at last at the very crater's edge.
After cropping about with the greatest cau-
tion for little, Balbino found an angle in
the lava which offered fairly good shelter.
We crept into this, huddled closely together,
and, watching the torches which still fick-
cred far below in the Bosco, or wooded re-
gion, waited for the dawn. It was an eerie
spot to rest. It seemed darker than when
we left Casa deg1i Eng1esi. nearly two hours
before. Inntlmerable times in my life had
read, heard or thought the old saying about
the darkest hour being just before the dawn.
However familiar one may be with centuries
old material or ethical truisms, there is a
one time in each individuals life when indi-
vidual facts sweep into and possess the re-
motest territories of realization. In that
way this familiar truism came to me for the
first time, and for all time, at the edge Of
%tna's crater. The atmosphere was perfect
ly clear, rare and crisp. The stars were
apparently all visible; but film seemed to
gradually overcome their former quality of
pulsing glowing, then to remove their pecu-
liar globular, dew drop like form and tremu-
lousness, and finally to almost erase them
from the armament. Balbino's practiced
eye oomprehended all this in material
sense, and he said we had now but a little
time to wait. But that little time seemed
very long. Fortunately no wind was blow
ing, but 1t was bitterly cold; and the cold
seemed to come in waves each more intense
than the preceding one. Intermittant with
these were apparent pulsations of warm air
bearing an odor as of asfetida. These were
the exhalations of Htna.
Though we were now within few feet OF
eleven thousand feet above the sea level,
did not experience that difficulty in breatL-
ing which many travellers lay great stress
nj oil 1rt, al Nfv
ness and WEAKNESS was continually contend
ed against. The most marked blended phys
ical and mental experience in these extreme
attitudes is, think, an almost uncomfortable
impulse to step off and down to the greatest
depths below, coupled with dim sort of
fancy that one is ready winged for such de-
scent; and even steady headed Balbino had,
tic "reminiscences where unfortunate persons,
unable to control similar fatal impulses, had
been dashed to pieces upon the lava rocks
below.
But even while he was relating these the
density of the darkness had given way.
Through the murky gray the horizon line of
the Ionian sea and the sky could be family
traced. We left our little shelter and found
solid footing in the crust of the crater's edge
where we could cling tightly to the finty
lobes, angles and ridges which some former
action of the boiling lava had provided.
Hardly was this done before the stars were
swept from sight, and the entire sky had
changed to dark opaline hue. Then, as the
first faint shimmerings of red quivered
above the sea, as if to sweep the last vestige
of night from the earth's face, came such a
blast of piercing wind as hurled showers of
lava grit whistling before it. tore great crusts
of ice and lava from their places, and caused
us to cling to each other and the serrated
cone edge for our very lives. It passed as
quickly as it came, roaring across the Bosco
towards Palermo. When we looked again
the eastern sky was aaame; the Ionian sea,
dimpled and rippled by the softer breezss of
lesser altitude, mass of tremulous purple;
and the crests of the Oalabrian mountains of
lower Italy seemed emitting sinuous stream
of liquid fire.
"Vivo!-acuto" almost yelled Balbino, as
he lifted me bodily from my feet and whirled
me squarely about so that I faced the west.
"This is the momento eminentissimo!'
And 80 it was "the supreme moment"
As was whirled about the last glimpse was
of the first glories of the grandest sunrise
my eyes rested upon equally as grand a
scene, curious and almost sublime effect in
light and shade; probably one nowhere else
visible upon the globe, owing to the nom
existence elsewhere of like combined condi-
tlons of altitude, contour and almost limit
less expanse of panoramic back ground. To
make this clear to the reader 1t must be re-
membered that Etna, standing near the
center of the eastern shore of the island of
Sicily, rises from base, fully sixty miles in
diameter, gradually and almost unbrokenly
to the tremendous altitude in it's crater of
practically eleven thousand feet. The first
rays of the rising sun strike horizontally
ethwart this, but all is darkness beyond.
Half way across Sicily is thrown a shadow
h u5r k~ 1.- y-k~
of gray and pearl and blue in countless val
leys blend with this mighty sable wing,
transforming it to purple as exquisite as
the untouched film of the grape. To its al
most measureless point it's edges are as clear
ly defined as those of velvet fabric
stretched upon bed of green, and no artists
brush will ever reveal such lieuid streams of
rose fading to flushing green, as, leaping and
flashing along its lines, startle and amaze as
light for an instant possessing the essence of
life itself!
From this brief and enhancing spectacle
one involuntarily turns to the contemplation
of the majestic cYclorama spread out to view.
Where else can such mighty reach of Viz
sion be found? There is nothing to intercept
the sight. Three seas, the italian, Ionian
and the African, blend with the horizon,
save where, on the west, more than one hun~
AA0N aAAACS away oeauA Oho AclSutS pcu1uu
Palermo, and where, to the northeast, rise
the Apulian mountains in the narrow strip
forming southern Italy. With your glass
you can see across the isles of Lapari to the
eternal fires of Stromholi, the ancients' en-.
trance to purgatory; while. over one hum
dred and twenty-f five miles to the south, are
discerned the outlines of Malta, where Ca
lypso enslayed Odysseus, st. Paul was ship
and the British empire, behind the
most tremendous ramparts of our time, dom
mates the Mediterranean and holds the gold
en- key to all the orient. Nearer the glisten-
Ing roofs of more than one hundred cities
and villages simmer in the morning sun
light, among the greatest of which are Aci
Reall, Giarre, Messina, Randazho, Bronte.
Aderno, Paterno and classic Catania and
Syracuse. Nearer still the vast rim of how-
ers, olive groves and vineyards. Above this
the lesser but still stupendous circle of green,
where stand the massive oak, chestnut and
lex trees. Then desolation, complete, hor-
rid, hateful, unspeakable. From ones feet,
clearly traced to the farthest base edge, lead
great burrows Of purply black, where the
livid rivers ran, interspersed with lesser vol
specks from where we stand
and awful CULTS miles in width, hundreds of
feet in depth, and 80 indescribably blasted.
cursed and ifeless that even silence crouches
in their formless and hideous
depths. This the faintest hint of what one
sees. No one can come with the power to
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