Morning journal and courier., 1890-04-19

At Palermo, sieily-A Night Under the
Great Conc OF Ktna-SIghts Seen Far
Down the MouRtain-A murkY HOr.
izon-Panoramlc view-Glories of
the SuRrlse A Great Shadow
Thrown Half Way Across Sicily-A
Brief and Enhancing Spectacle
Ktna's Crater and its Ragged Rim
Hts verdant Sides.
PALERMO, Sicily, March 10.
To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
There never came to me a sweeter or more
perfect sleep than that one upon the rough
benches of the half ruined CASA degli Engle-
81, on the desolate plateau just beneath the
great cone of Etna. Balbino, friend and
guide, said he would awaken me betimes and
he did. 1t was singular feeling to realize
where the night had been spent, as Balbino
assured me no one had ever been known to
pass an entire night at the weird retreat, and
to remember how, if the death dealing vol
cano had once hiccoughed in those hours,
our Italian and American anatomies would
have blended with the fused elements and
foated down to the cities and the sea, In af-
ter years to be worked over and sold as lava
relics to coming generations of tourists.
There was bright glow within the hut,
and still more welcome aroma of cooking
food, for ones appetite is ravenous in these
crisp upper regions. Balbino had brewed a
pot of black coffee, roasted eggs in the ashes
beneath, and with our canteens of wine and
water, our fowl and bread-a composite of
the flour of wheat, corn and chestnuts-had
spread toothsome repast upon two huge
blocks of lava. 1t was two O'Clock in the
morning when we had finished this, adjusted
our heavy woolen blankets like knotted tu-
mics, and after banking" the little FIRE for
use on our return, stepped out into the cold
and stinging air.
''The guides take the straneiro from the
Casa to the summit in an hour" said Balbi-
no. "But that" with reproachful tone,
''ese maledetto. They do that to completely
exhaust them and add greater value to their
pretentious services. We will 60, suo belp
agio, leisurely, like gentlemen, in two. The
ninfei (water lilies) are peeping from the
sky!"
By the "water lilies" the poetical Balbino
meant the stars. 1t was dark, very dark,
without. But the stars were more than shin
ing. They glowed, each like topaz bead
pendent from q canopy of velvet. So near
they seemed the impulse almost came to lift
ones staff in effort to touch them. Against
the side arc of such sky the black peak set
like wall of onyx to be crashed against at q
steps advance.
Balbino marched with the step of vete-
ran across the rough plateau of perhaps
three-fourths of mile to the base of the
cone. Our eyes soon became accustomed to
disengaged hand one end of my staff I was
able to follow very comfortably. I asked
him why he had not provided torches; and
he told me they were only a hindrance to the
practical guide, as the light blinded one,
save where standing, and destroyed the effect
of the starlight.
"see, there is the proof" }" he shortly add
ed. "There are strangers, guides and torch
es lost in the Bosco. The party is trying to
reach Etna for the sunrise. They will not
come so far as the Casa"
Turning saw far down the mountain a
half dozen flashes like bright fire flies, now
swaying and waving, now lost behind the
mazes of oak, chestnut and ilex, and again
leaping into view. They added weird feel
ing of pursuit as we pushed on, not without
many stumble and an occasional fall. Be-
of kid skin about our trowsers at the ankles.
Ny companion wore shoes; but had a pair
of honestly made American boots, with legs
reaching nearly to the knees, and the soles
we'll filed with stout hob nails, an invalua-
BILE aid in climing Pico in the Azores few
months before. Balbino had eyed these en-
viously while binding pair Of leather leg
gings around the tops of his shoes. Before
we could have crossed the plateau the ashes,
grit and loose soori@ would have cut to the
flesh through ones stockings without such.
protection. Half way across the rock strewn
plain we came upon traces of snow, and soon
ice, snow and disintegrated lava in strange
piles, where, after the wind had fercely
tossed it about, 1t had been banked in most
fantastic forms. We had trouble In some of
these. They were as slippery as shot. We
would climb upon our hands and knees over
some sharp hump of lava and fail of solid
footing on the other side, frequently sliding
and crunching out of our way down startling
declivities, only to land waist deep in some
of the shelly pockets, or to be brought up
with thud and thump against some solid lava
wall beyond. But in this wise, and without
serious discomforture or mishap, we crossed
the billowy masses and reached the base of
the final cone. To my eyes 1t seemed a vast
precipice, interminable in height, absolutely
insurmountable. And here the real struggle
began. never had a more thorough admi-
ration for physical agility than the thin little
Sicilian now compelled. It seemed that the
wiry fellow had wings for unseen use. Un-