Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-19

frequently sliding and crgnching out rf Gt
onr wav down startling declivitles, only
to land waist-deep in, some OF tne SheLSS
pockets or to be brought up with thua anu
thnmn against some solid lava wall beyond. But
in this wise and without serious discontinue Vi
mishap, we
CROSS BID THE BILLowY MASSES
and reached the base of the final cone. To my
ewes it seemed vast precipice, intermlnaoie In
height. and absolutely insurmountable. And
here the real struggle began. never nao
more thorough admiration for physical aglll-
tv than the thin little siciIian now
compelled. 1t seemed that the why
,ouou had wings for unseen use.
Irncoiling a slender leash, woven OF hair and
much resembling lariat, and leaving me IN
nossession of one end below, he would appear "
leap from point to point In the darknsss auo1e .
nntil the line was taut, when with endless repe-
tition of soothing and reassurlng AgeVoi1
menteI''-sE gentilmerte! easily! -genty.
he would nalf draw me to his own Ssle few w
ascent Now and then we would mo q Few
wards of almost level space. AGAIN, t1e couLse
would wind about and between Jagged, curing ~
fringes of lava, set there ike conVoIutIIohs u
Irave -crests whirled upon end and instantly cOI
oealed But everywhere were clnders, grIt'
ice, snow spears r % worse than
ali, the danger of dislodging the rocking MASSES
! above US. I'D ho-el,, nassed
| and nnshing our weight from treacherous
scales of mingled snow and scorlse, "hS S1 inT
= cracked away and went crumpIihg pSAIno LIZ
frequently dislodging other crusts ana pro-
iaetions when a combined crash and thun-
| dering into the darkness would follow. Az tpese
| times nv own bravery would forsake me. L am =
aFrsi5 and would beg Balbino for indulglo and
| rest With the utmost suavlty the llttIe oIu Ion
| of bones always acceded; and, iar aDoso - mU
| while NV knees beat the cinders from my EoW-
sers and nv chattering teeth ratified like castl,
| nets chirp as a canary in the groves DeHlne
Catania this human WoH9 id ce e now ant
again letting few lively. though resPeciLioiIii;
modulated bars escape through his not "hoilS
: unInusicalsnose. ., "a :,
this manner of elm bling, when, on nelng PoIiee
up a particular prec1pltous ana ugly saO he
| fore he had sententiously uttered the Wor'
tHTrionfo!'' 1 saw the stars beyond lagge'
mass of black, and was conscious tnat we "sI
At last at the very crater's edge. After groPin1
about with the greatest caution LOT nLLIe: s oal
bino found angle in the lava "HlC t oUT lie
fairly good shelter. We crept lnto e1 ~
hnddled closely together, and. watching Tn
torches which still fickered far below IN Tn
Bosco, or Wooded Region,
WAITED FOR THE DAWN.
! twas an eerie spot to rest, 1t seemed darke
than when we left Casa degh Englesl, near
4 two hours before. Innumersble times In m
Iife had read. heard or thought tn
$ old saving about the darkest hour o.
1 inc lust before the dawn. How
y | ovar familiar one may be with centuries
a | old material or ethical trulsms, there IS on
4 | time in each individuals life When lndlVi n
4 facts sweep into and possess the remotest yer
tories of realization. In that way TINS IsmllI
truism came to me for the hrst time, anu ior {
4 time. at the edge of Etna's crater. me at NO
a Dhere was perfectly clear. rare ana crisp. a
6 stars were apparently all visible; ont ~
seemed to gradually overcome their FORMER qua
II ity of pulsing glowing, then TO remove gnelr
o | culIar globular, dew drop like form ana Iren
= | iousness and finally to almost erase them IFo
p the ornament. Balbino's practlced eye COZ
70 | pretended all this in maternal sense, anu
>, said we had now but little time 10 va
"A | Rnf that little time seemed very long. re
A. tnnately no wind was blowing, but 1t was o.
"a teTIv cold; and the cold seemed to come
"a weves each more intense than the preceol
m one, Intermittant with these were appare
n nnIsations of warm air bearing an odor as
- esaafetida These were the exhalatlons OF Ell
Ia Though we were now within few feet OF i
ne oO feet above the sea level, did not experle1
"a that didiculty in breathing which many trsv
ioa ers Law great stress upon, although an actl
IS condition of weakness and WEAKNESS was &C
ne tinnaIlv commended against The M
N marked blended physical and men
- | aToerienee in these extreme aitltuc
NJ | iS r think an almost uncomfortable impulse
an | Sten off and down to the greatest depths beio
~ conDIed with dim sort OF fancy that one
&C readv-yinged for such descent; and even steae
"a | headed Balbino had, or pretended TO have,
"a | nnmber of authentic "reminiscences where :
Il. fortunate persons, unable to control similar