The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-13
THE BROTHERHOOD OF
THE SEVEN KINGS
Continued from Paae 8.

next room was but Few feet distant
from mine. il would be easy for any
one TO enter there. spring from one
balcony TO the other. and so obtain
access to my room. Doubtless this had
been done. Why had I slept? I had
firmly resolved TO stay awake all night.
In an instant had found the solution.
Fietta's letter had been a trap. The
envelope which he sent me contained a
poison on the gum. / had licked il,
heart beat wildly. knew / had not an
instant TO lose. With hasty strides /
went TO Fietta's sitting room; there was
no one there; in his bedroom, the door
OF which was open; 1T was also empty.
] rushed into the hall.
THE gentleman and the little boy
went out about half an hour ago." said
the concierge. in answer to my inquf-
ries "They have gone to Vesuvius-a
fine day for the trip" The man smiled
as he spoke.
My heart almost stopped.
How did they go?'' 1 asked.
"A carriage, two horses-best way to
go"
In a second was out in the Piazza
del Municipio. Hastily selecting pair
horse carriage out of the group OF i'm
Fortunate drivers. jumped in.
''Vesuvius." 1 shouted. "as hard as
YOU can 60"
The man began to bargain. thrust
n roll of paper money into his hand.
On receiving IL he waited no longer.
and we were soon dashing at a furious
speed along the crowded ill-paved
streets. scattering the pedestrians as
we went. Down the Via Roma and out
on 10 the Santa Lucia Quay, away and
away through endless labyrinths of
uoisome. narrow streets, till AZ length
we got out into the more open country,
NJ Of hn burning maintain
Should 1 be i'm time to prevent the ca
tastrophe which / dreaded? For l had
been I'D that mountain before, and
knew well the horrible danger at the
crater's mouth-a slip, push, and one
would never be seen again.
The ascent began. and the exhausted
horses were beginning TO fail I leaped
out. and giving the driver sum which
/ did not wait to count, ran up the
winding road of cinders and pumice
that curves round beneath the observa-
tory. My breath had failed me. and
my heart was beating so hard that
coud scarcely speak when 1 reached
!, the station where one takes ponies to
go over the new, rough lava. In an
swer to my inquiries, Cooks agent told
me that Fietta and Cecil had gone on
not a quarter OF an hour ago.
/ shouted my orders, and flinging
money right and left, I soon obtained
fleet pony. and was galloping reck-
lessly over the broken lava Throwing
the reins over the ponys head present.
" jumped off, and ran up the little mar
row path TO the funlcular wire-laid
railway that takes passengers up the
steep cone to the crater.
Just gone on, sir" said a Cooks Of
fetal. in answer to my question.
But 1 must follow at once" l said
cxcitedly hurrying toward the little
shed.
The man stopped me.
we don't take single passengers, -
he answered.
II will and must go alone" I said.
''IlF buy the car. and the railway. and
YOU. and the mountain. If necessary,
but go ] will. How much do you want
to take me alone?"
"One hundred francs" he answered
impertinently. little thinking that 1
would agree to the bargain.
Done ! replied.
I'm establishment he couated out the
notes which / handed him, and hurried
at once into the shed. Here he rang an
electric bell TO have the car at the top
started back. and, getting into the
empty car, 1 began to ascend-up, and
up and up. Soon 1 passed the empty
car returning. How slowly we moved!
My mouth was parched and dry. and /
was i'm a fever OF excitement. The
smoke from the crater was close above
me IN great wreaths. At last we
reached the top. / leaped out, and,
without waiting for a guide, made my
way past. and rushed up TO the active
cone. slipping in the shifting. loose,
gritty soil. When I reached the top a
gale was blowing, and the scenery be-
low. with the Bay and Naples and Sor-
IentO. lay before me. the most maRnifi-
cent panorama in the world. / had no
time TO glance at it, but hurried for
ward. past crags Of hot rock, from
which steam and sulphur were escap-
ing. The wind was taking the huge
volume Of smoke over to the farther
side of the crater. and / could just
catch sight OF two figures as the smoke
cleared for moment TheSfigures were
those OF Fietta and the boy. They
were evidently making a detour of the
crater, and had just entered the smoke.
! heard guide behind shout something
tome i'm Italian, but I took no notice,
and plunged at once into the binding,
suffOcating smoke that came belching
forth from the crater.
/ was now close behind Fietta and
tho boy. They held their handkerchief
mp 60 their faces to keep off the chok-
ing sulphurous fumes. and had evident
~ not seen me. Their guide was ahead
OF them. Fietta was walking slowly;
mouth. The boys hand was within his:
tho boy was nearest to the yawning
Culf 4 hot and choking blast OF
smoke blinded me for a moment, and
hid the pair from view; the next IN
slant il passed Z saw Fietta suddenly
turn, seize the boy, and push him to-
wards the edge. Through the rumbling
thunder that came from below I heard
sharp cry OF terror. and, bounding
forward 7 lust caught the lad as he
reeled. and hurled him away into
safety.
With Vel OF baffled rage Fietta
csshed through the smoke and flung
himself upon me. I moved nimbly
aside. and the doctor. carried on by the
impetus OF his rush, missed his footing
in the crumbling ashes and fell head
long down through the reeking smoke
and steam into the fathomless, seething
caldron below.
What followed may be told I'm a few
words. That evening j sailed for Malta