Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-19
SICILIAN SCENES.
A Night Spent in a Weird Retreat at the
Risk of Being Exterminated.
A Tour to the Summit" in Charge of Sicli1an
Guide-A Few of the Per1lous FestS
in Climbing Enumerated
PALERMO, SICILY, March 10, 1890.

PALERMO, March 49, 1oSO'
For the Gazette.
There never came to me sweeter or more per-
feet sleep than that one upon the rough oencneS
of the half ruined Casa degh Englesl' on 'ile
niateau lust beneath the great cone OF Etna'
Bslbino, friend and guide, SAID ne
would awaken me betimes and he
did. It was a singular feeling to re-
olive where the night had been spent, as Balblno
assured me no one had ever been known TO pass
an entire night at the weird retreat ano 70 re-
Tnamher how If the death-deallng volcano ha1
once hiccou ehed in those hours, our ltailan anu
American anatomies would have oien1eo WIZ
the fused elements ana noaIeo o9"h W Te go
and the sea- in after years TO De worKeu oEet
and sold IS lava relics to coming generations u
tourists. ,:.,i tta but and
a sill more welcome aroma of cooking food, LOT
one's appetite is ravenous IN THESE crisp uPPILt
| regions. Balbino had brewed POI VI o "a
coffee roasted eggs in the ashes peneaIn, an. an
with our canteens of wine and water, our loWA
and bread-a composite of the Hour OF WheaI'
| corn and chestnuts-had spread tootnsone re
| Dast mon two huge blocks of lava It was z
| O'clock in the morning when we hao nhl- I!
this, adjusted our heavy W9oieh the little
fire for use on our return, stepped out into Inc
| cold and singing air. - IT, Casa
n the Summit in an hour said Balbino
| tSRmt that with a reproachful tone, ese
msIedetto They do that to compl etely exnausS
them and add greater value 10 their pTe!en.lT1,,0
| services We viii go, a suo belf agio, lelsurey
| iiIte gentlemen, in two. The ninfei (Wster-
mics die PewetaS-liIies'' the poetical Balbino
meant the stars It was dark, very dark, Win
| out. But the stars were
MORE THAN SHINING.
Ebev glowed, each like topaz bead penoen'
| from a canopy of velvet. So near they seemeo'
| the inuulse almost came to lift ones stan II
| effort TO touch them. Against the slde-arc o
| en mi =. Stv The black peak set like a wsll OF ony1
| % he crashed against at steps advance.
| RaIbino marched with the step OF veteran
oroee the rough plateau OF perhaps three
| 4onrths of mile TO the base OF the cone Ou
/ ewes soon became accustomed 70 the oA5H ~,
by guide taking IN sl abe to follow YER
| con,fortablv I asked him why he had not pro
vided torches, and he told me they were o :.
| bindrance to the practical guide, as the hgh
Minded one save where standing, and destroye
the effect of the starhgnt., ,, - .Lo-4Ir, .d5ad
,,rse .re strangers, guides and torcher los
| IN the Rosco The party is trying to reach Etn
| FOR the sun rise They will not come so Tar
'h TNrning saw far down the mountain he
| dozen flashes like bright hre-tles now swayln1
and waving, now lost oenno Ine msIes % Is1
Tbav added a weird feeling OF pursuit. as
wished ON not without many stumble and an o.
ppes;onai fail Before leaving the Casa we nd
-onn5 thongs of kid skin about our trousers
thasntles NV companion wore shoes, but naa
pair of honestly made ~ ths sole. We
6IIed yTifh stout hob nails. an invaluable alo
climbing Pico IL the Azores, a few months -, q
FORE BalbinG had ey sther Reg iesgings sro9nd Il
n tons of his shoes. Before we could have cross:
the plateau the ashes grit and loss loose s oDe
q .iirrS WITHOUT such protection. Hs
way across the rock-strewn plain we came Gpf
traces of snow, and soon ice sn Ser ane alter
E ind had erceiy tossed it about. had be
IS banked in most fantastic, forms: We hao ITo
II Dse ~ We would climb upon our hands a
- lnee. over some sharp hump OF lava a
fail of solid footing on the o'ner SAG