, 1890-04-24
ETNA'S PEAK.
A Weird and Awe-In-
spring Adventure.
THE PERlLOUS CLIMB.
Over crags and Flinty Clink-
ers and Smoking Pits.
TIE WATER LILIES OF THE SKY
Vivid Description OF Magnificent
Sunrise Seen From tho
Orators Verge.
TIE WATER LILIES OF THE SKY


apon The rough benches OF tho half
ruined casn degli Engiesi, On the
desolate plateau just beneath the
great cone OF Etnn- Balbino. friend
and guide, said he would awaken
me betirncs and hc did. II was q
singular feeling 10 realize where tho
night had been spent, rs Bnlbino
assured me no ono had ever been
known 10 pass an entire night at the
weird retreat, and 10 remember how,
& II the death-dealing volcano had
once hlccoughed in those hours, our
italian and American anatornics
would have blended with the fused
elements and floated down TO the
cities and the sea, in after years, to
be worked over and sold as lava
relics TO coming generations OF tour
kts.
There was bright glow within
the hut, and n still more welcome
urofrin Of cooking food, for ones mp
petite is ravenous In these crisp up-
per regions. Balbino had brcwcd u
pot Of black coffee, roasted eggs in
tho ashes beneath, and with our
cAnteens Of wine and water, our
fowl and brsad--a composite of the
-four Of wheat, corn and chcstnuts--
had spread a toothsome rcpast upon
two huge blocks of lava. 1t was ,
0ctock in the morning when we
hnd finIslsed this, adjusted our heavy
WOODEN blankets like l<iiotted tunics,
and after "banking'' the little fire
for usconour return stepped out into
the cold and stinuing air.
'The guides take the straneiro
from tho Casa to the summit in an
hour said Balbino. "But that,n
with "a repronchiui tone, ''cse malle-
detto. They do that To completely
exhaust tiiem and add greater value
to their prctentions services. We
will go, "a suo bell agio, lelsurely,
like gentlemen, In two. Tho ninfci
(waier-lilics) are peeping from the
sky
by the "water lilies" the poetlcal
Balhiuo meant the stars. II was
dark, very dark. without. But the
Stars we've more than shining. They
glowed, each like n topaz bead pend
ent from n canopy OF velvet. SO
nsar they seemed, the impulse ul-
most cafno 20 iii ones staff In effort
10 touch them. Against the side
are of such a sky tins black peak set
lihe wall OF onyx to bo crashed
against ar n steps advance.
Balbino marched with the stop Of
veteran across the rough plateau
OF perhaps three-fourths of u mile
10 the base Of the cone. Our eyes
soon became accustomed TO the
darkness, and by my guido taking
In bis discngaged hand one end of
my stall j was able 10 follow very
comfortably. asked him why he
had not provided torches, and nc
told me they were only hlndrance
to the practical guide, as the light
blinded one, save where standing,
and destroyed the effect OF the star
Light.
r'See, there is the proofn he
shortly added. "rhcre are strangers,
guides and torches lost ia the
Bosco. The party IL trying to reach
ttna for the sunrise. They Will
not come SO far as the Casa.p
THE AMERICAS BOOT.
Turning / saw far down the
mountain "a half dozen flashes like
bright firefiies, now swaying and
waving, now lost behind the mazes
of oak, chestnut aud ilox, aud again
lelping into view. They added IA
weird feeling of pursuit as we
Pushed on, not without many IA
stumble and an occasional fall. Be
fore leaving the Casa we had wound
thongs of Kid skin about our trout
sers at the ankles. My companion
wore shoes; but had pair of hon
estly made American boots, with
legs reaching nearly TO the knees,
anu the sOles well filled with stout
hob nails, an invaluable aid in
climbing pico in the Azores few
months before. Balbino had
eyed these enviously, while binding
pair of leather lctgglns around the
tops OF his shoes. Before we could
have crossed the plateau the ashes,
grit and loose scoriie would have
cut TO the flesh through ones stock
ings without such protection. Half
way across the rock-strewn plain
we came upon traces Of snow, and
soon ice, SNOW ana diAintegrted
lava Ia strange piles. where, after
the wind bud ieyceiy tossed ID
about, u had been banked IN most
li,sfasIic iornIs. We had trouble IN
,spme oftllese. They were asslippery
bs shot. We would chnlb upon our
hands and knees oynr souio sharp
hump OF lava aud fail Of solid foot
ing on the other side, frequently (
sliding and crunf'iiing out Of our !
way down startling tleciNities, only /
10 iiiud N..isi-decp In some ur the |
shelly pockets, rs 10 he brought an
Will tilud and tnunlp against some
solid lava wall beyond. i5ut Ia this |
wise, and without serious diseon- |
lorture or Dlisbap, we crusscd the |
bikowly mDssos, and reached tine
base of HE final conc. 10 my eyes !
Il reeme,s vast ufecipicc. in |
tsrininsi1lc 10 height, absolutely IN |
sufmosptalsie. Aud here the reel |
struggle brgan. ! never had more |
tiionapfl admiration FOR physical !
s &gliity thar tile tliin little Sicillan |
4, i;pw tumpeiii-i. II seemed that the |
b 3try HllDN hnd wings for unseau
dse tncuiilpp slender leash, |
iiHoscn ~ hair aud resembling a |
)4rin<. Nnd Is1sying spc in pts.raslon
i,1F QI,t rsiti below, ho would appear
p tsAil fr'ils ppini 20 point Ia the |
llsYs alspyc, until thr ii,io was
14a Will endless fcf,atition of |