The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-13

past as he is to put eyes and feet upon the
monster which all through that known time
stood moaning or laundering above 1t. It's
ascent is begun within the very streets of
the city. Strada Etna, Catania's longest
street, beginning at the very edge of the
port side, leads almost due north toward
the volcanoes peak. within few feet OF
10000 feet aboue the level of the sea, and
fully % miles away. The area of country
times subject to overflow of lava. Is
astounding. It's circumference is fully ITO
miles, and it describes All Irregular circle,
of greatest diameter from north to south.
Catania stands at the extreme of southern ,,,'r
detection in its southern segment. The
Alcantara river, rising in its northwestern
foothills, flows to the northeast;
thence circles it's northern edge, and
| finally sweeps around to the southeast into
the sea. The Simeteo river, having its
| source at the northeast, near that of the Al
cantara, circles the base, first to the south
| west, then southwark, and then flows
| around and into the sea to the southeast,
| below Catania. From Catania to the mouth
| of the Alcantara, the Ionian sea on the east,
running with almost a straight wall of
Gle. But within this extraordinarily dis
tinct circle of ITO miles, there is not a
square inch of the earth's surface over
which the lava has not at some time poured:
| which one cannot now distinguish to be
unauthorized lava soil; and which is not
subject to-day, or any other time. to new
coating of molten lava. The entire majes-
tic contour of the mountain, broken here
and there by lesser volcanoes, is visible from
any point at this tremendous base-edge;
but more strange than all else is the
density of population within the lower and
cultivably luxuriant rim. Threading the
base, along the sea shore. around to the
north by the shores of the Alcantara,
around to the south along the inner, or
northern shore of the SimeteO, and crowd
ing up to the very edge of its lesser yolca-
noes, are between go and 70 cities and vii
lagos, housing-and every human being in
lifelong danger of acknowledgements
of SOC, 600 souls.
It is singular fact that within all the
Etna mountain area, there is but one road
leading to the cone. That is from Catania.
Therefore Catanians block the way to the
peak with every device known to the mag
nation of man for yielding tribute.
Swarthy boatmen at the quays, muleteers in
the plazas, porters at your Inn, cOnsnls' at
taches everywhere, all manner of officials,
and even members of the nobility. dig pit
falls for the stranger that he may be robbed,
gracefully and under the law, before seeing
Etna. The guides are represented to the
world as the chief robbers here. They are
simply triaing incidents in comparison to all
the catastrophes of extortion. "Etna de-
stroys u.s. said an official in smiling expla--
nation: 1--WE utilize its grandeur to rebuild
our fortunes!'' pleasant arrangement this
for the Catanians; but let me tell those who
are to come here the truth. You cannot
make the ascent of Etna as it is ordinarily
made for less than 800. Permission to
make this move, then that one, then anoth-
er, comes through apparent diplomacy; but
always after an outlay of money. Then
there are the animals their attendants; the
cooks, their attendants; needed and needless
provisions; necessary and unnecessary cloth
ing; requisite and dangerous liquids; and al
compulsory outfit that one truly stands APP
palled by sublimity of extortion before the
city's gates are passed. Fortunately was
an observer of, rather than a victim to, this
manner of plucking. had lived at little
Sicilian lodging house in Algiers. It's land
| lord, half Moor and half Italian, had Sicilr
ian cousin at Catania, who also kept an al
berghetto or small lodging house in the
Gambayita quarter. He was thin as a stick
of maccaronl. brown as piece of lava, ten
der as Sicilian fig, and his name was Bal
bino. He had been a guides attendant;
then guide; had saved SO many Nnpoleons
as would purchase his tiny alberghetto; and
having arrived at ease and competence. could
now and then indulge kindly impulse, or
enjoy an unsel6sh act. We were good
friends at once. Constant talk about Etna
and his adored Sicily brought the old noun
taineer spirit back to Balbino; and shortly,
not as a service but a delight, he became my
guide for the ascent of the volcano.
As everybody who has visited Etna knows
there are three dreary stages in the ascent;
the first from Catania to Nicolosi, thence to
Casa degli lnglesi, and thence to the cone;
and that the traveller ia forced by custom to
make an afternoon and evening of it to and
at Nicolisi; to be routed out of the i'm there
for an all night journey of terror to the
Casa; and then while it is still dark to be
hauled up the final ascent more dead than
alive, to become transcendently elated over
the bowling furies of the crater or sun
rise from Etna, even if one needs be sup
ported upright to see them. Balbino said
that was barbaric, as it is; and that we
should go ms Christians, as we did. We set
out on foot: encountered by no impedimenta
whatever. Flung over Balbino's shoulder
was an ancient hide double pouch, similar to
our old-time saddle-baps, These were filled
with oranges, with which, as we sat and
rested by the way. We refreshed our
selves. Balbino was like chattering
schoolboy. and his tales of eruptions, lava
floods, and loss of life and property, were
appalling. The land marks of his simple
old memory famed along reaches of liquid
fire. The present, the languor and ecstacy
OF the budding year, the maze of vineyards
and olive groves on every hand, the cas-
cades leaping from the mountain sides and
bounding melodiously to the sea, as Acis
once leaped, changed into a stream, from
the same spot to sport in the lonian waters
! with his mermaid love, Galatea, and the
matchless threnodies of Sicilian birds from
! every covert, copse and grove, he neither
saw nor heard. Etna is said to have three
climatic zones, the torrid, the temperate
and tho frigid. The tropic land lies at its
extreme base. The Sicilians call this the
Piedimontana. 1t reaches almost to
Nicolosi, where after vagarous loiter-
ing we arrived towards evening. For
about eight miles further stretches ii
Bosco, the wooded region, forming the
temperate zone. From the upper edge of
this to the crest of The cone lies eternal soil
tude in the frigid zone. This they term
Discoperta, the uncovered; Netta the bar
rens, and Diserta, the desert.
In the little white mountain village of
Nicolosi, Balbino took me to the house of
his friends. Some of the family were goat-
herders around the bases of the lesser era
tiers on Etna's side; one was the village
musician, Il ne'er-do-well who piped at
mountain weddings and festivities; and
three were stalwart guides who contemplate
ed Balbino's strange freak of permitting
any straniero to escape plucking with
mournful and deprecatory faces. In the
morning necessary provisions for the as
cent we've secured. These were interesting
to me, for they were only those which an
old guide would provide for actual needs.
Each were given an extra WOODEN waistcoat.
These would be needed higher
up. Two pewter canteens each of
which held three pints, one filed with wine
and the other with waiter were ordered