The Redwood gazette., 1902-04-30

4 N 49, [ umn OF smoke
W n -. rising lazily to
the clouds, I have always greatly
desired to see it.and my pleasure, a
few days ago, when I actually went
to Naples and caught sight of the
famous volcano, may be partly i'm
agined Itlooks very much like the
pictures and the bay Of Naples with
it's clustering cities and this smok-
ing mountain at one side is a scene
one can never forget.
Naples itself is not very interest
ing, at least after Rome. A few
days exhausts it's resources, for ex-
cept the Muses. Nazionale and the
Aquarium, there is not great deal
of interest save that Of the street
life. That is fascinating. People
live on the pavements; there they
comb their hair and mend their
clothes and eat their coarse bread
and fnocchi Ga kind of fennel with
the flavor of sweet anise) gossip,
make love, or quarrel as the case
may be. At evening and morning
a goat or COW is driven up. Mad
anne comes out with her cup, milks
her portion, gossiping all the time
with her neighbors engaged in SINH
lar tasks then the animals are
driven in. I have seen the goats
climb up the stairs to the inhabl-
tants of the first story and | am told
they often 90 clear to the top OF
these buildings to be milked. They
are driven along the sidewalks and
you may be sure that they do not
make way for the passers by. l
have grown accustomed to getting
off the walk for a man Gin continental
cities this is quite necessary but tc
disturb myself for goat seems
decided injury.
The streets OF old Naples are very
narrow, dark, dirty and evil smell
ing. The women hang their clothes
out of the windows to dry -ano
these from story to story of the lofty
apartment houses, on either side the
narrow way, give very peculiar
appearance. Some one has said il
is strange that while the women o
Naples seem to be always washing
no one ever seems to be clean. The
truth of this statement is appreci-
ated by the visitor to the southern
city. Such dirt, such poverty and
such innumerable beggars can surely
be found Nowhere else in civilized
countries. One must be many times
a millionaire were penny given to
each and all who ask.
The National Museum is, of course,
a treasure house of much Of the
finest art now in existence. 1t is
necessary to 90 there in order to
gain any clear conception of what
Pompeii must have been in the days
of it's glory, and it would repay
many a visit. The Aquarium, the
finest in the world, is also delight
full. My chief interest there CEN
tered in the octopus which l bribed
the keeper to feed. / was rewarded
by seeing one OF the most gruesome
isights have ever witnessed When
the long, Shiny. reddish arms of that
creature stretched out and drew in
that poor quivering little crab I felt
as if had been present at mur.
der, and judged that the devil-fsh
had been rightly named.
But, as said before. the chiel
charm of Naples lies in the bay and
the volcano. The latter blazed up
gloriously one evening and gave US
our first realization of the slumber.
ing fires beneath. The ascent of the
mountain is difficult, and I think
hardly worth the trouble. We
started from Pompeii and drove as
far as Tore Annunziata, where
horses.were procured. The horses
we're very forlorn looking animals
and the saddles were more forlorr
still. The strap broke when they
were cinching mine, and although
they patched it up. when got on
my saddle turned and threw me Off
I ordered another saddle, but the,