| Show our oui alicent of vesuvius 11 well landlord what is tho the pros prod poo pec t for it i tup trip to vesuvius to morrow marrow was our first question after obtaining rooms room nt at the metropolitan hotel on the evening of our arrival at naples very good the smoke of 0 the mountain is id blowing away from naples n buro auto sign eiga of fair weather when wen the old volcano hides bides himself from us in smoke dont don t attempt an ascent for it be tokens foul fool weather br on tho next morning owe we ro rose a early to make tho the ascent at 8 40 A it U our party consist ingot of three pera persons ons took seats in our balecha ca lecha lecho a ve cicile like a baro barouche ucho with two seats boats each other it was drawn by three horses two of them harnessed in ia the usual way and the third ontjo on tho left side of tho others making three abreast 11 bat who is is this fellow getting upon the seat with the tha driver I 1 oh ob ho he in ia your vide ida 11 meekly mealy replies VI ins the landlord bat wo we told you lust last night might we should not take a guide until we reach the hermitage very well he ha will not go then and the disappointed guide dismounts away we tattle at break took neck spend through the tha crowded streets directs where all sort of eire are exposed for sale ealo bail and men and women are working at their various occupations some borao even making their toilets in the open street on we go through tho the wonderful fish market ket with its strange beranga forms forma of marine manno life temptingly displayed through thron gli crowds of beggars of all de script ionis past countrymen coming into town with vegetables in long pointed baskets dangling on each aide of 0 their poor over loalles donkeys nere Us 1 anil I thero there we meet country stages biases like gar carts upon two wb wheels 0 als carrying troia from eight persons persona up t to 0 as many as can cling on to an inch of surface all drawn by one oca horse on on we ire ga go winding around the tha beautiful bay of naples which stretches off on our oar right on oa whose placid gators lie the tha ships of all nations milo mile after mile is traversed arb versed with no hange 1 except that wo we meet A greater umber cumber of country teams carrying in in all kinds of protace pro lace teams strangely put together WI two animals al like alike usually it horse and donkey or a cow or ox and a donkey or a cow and ama a laborde horse 0 uce o u u team was composed of ull nil throe three the numerous flocks of goats straggling about everywhere through tho the tracts are strongly suggestive of 0 the tind kind ol of milk and butterwei butt batter erwe we use our oar driver diba dismounts lounts and ami buys bays a bundle of at 9 roots of a w oman for part of 0 our horses dinner beggars of all s ires anil and descriptions beset us andl and oven even run along beside our carriage for several rods roda at last we wa roach a bill on ca choffo summit our gar rounded by filth and wretchedness stands the royal palace under whose walls walla numberless beggars are ara sheltering themselves from the uld cold winter winds after descending this hill our oar carriage carnaga atols at a door over which is the english sign eign 11 Off Olli loial cled 0 aides to vo to ll 11 buvina P bot why do you stop bere driver 2 to take a guide A guide I 1 yon idov wo wa will not have a guide gaide drive on lile an anil I 1 so this league between tween hotel kee he eperu pere guides and drivers meets with rebuff number two we f now tarn out of 0 the city of rosins koginu which ii 11 built upon the ancient andi take a lefthand lef left tha hind course coaree toward tho the volcano nut bat hero here is ia a 14 long hill where the bersee must walk and we are a at t the mercy malcy of ef a dozen beggars who run for us as as toon soon its ii wo we come in sight eight every I 1 ol 01 one get ol 01 them in begs lo 10 a piteous leous toun tono and with expressive gestures ge for a cent centime litle or some urge us tu to buy their ranged at exorbitant prices among them is u a fellow teu tell or twelve teara old with chinned shinned wl dt oness also what cin can la be seen goen ol of its his half shut oyes anti aad le he can speak a fow few of Engli bli nud and wants hii pay for it llo ila tries to drive away the othor oil or beggars und and demands pay for that per ear vice and wants tu to buy BOUW bolan oranges tor for us ua and ani expects uy pay tor for also but bat in the midst of 0 ahli ahia confusion cont mou a procession meets us IZ men in in week robes roben approach carrying n i strangely shaped coffin or casket upon their shoulders the coill a is is gorgeous gor geona in in crimson nuil and gilt but bat ij 13 car carneil us as carelessly car elesely us as if it were nothing but a stick etick of wood behind it follow boys in ill black skirts blurts suit aud white racks while abilo mayoral oral priests in in similar garments follow irregularly some on oa oue one side of the dotree 11 some on the other all staring about I 1 indifferently will this hill never end 2 shall wo never got get out oat of 0 this babol it we succeed in in buying a flow few oranges gad and at last reach the top of tho the hill and are deserted by all the except the albino suit and two others who rua ran along beside us ua as fust fast as aa our miserable maer ablo horses can trot over the thorough rough road soon boon wo we began tho the asolina at 0 Ve flavi us in car cartiest liest the ila road loail turns buck back ward anil and forward again and again rising it little lettla all the timo time A part of it is tudo made over lava streams of tile tho seventeenth century ou chien a scanty acuity vegetation is growling growing ta ila places anil and parts of it over streams of moro more recent eruptions all black anil and congh we see nea the tha hermitage and observatory above us ns apparently not more than half a milo oil off bat we go co on milo mile after mile on oar car zigzag course our oar followers shorten tile the route by climbing straight up tho the rocks and roach tho the hermitage before us we come upon a party apart yol of podes trillus from massachusetts who are ascending aRcen in in the same way with willi B U too leave learo us ua belli behind u d at oary every turn some now new object of 0 curiosity or interest meets our oar eyes here an old man with a violin red and a young min mau with an all accordion accompanying pa his hia voice boico favor us ua with an italian for several rods dented ol of course by bj the obsequious bow end and hat bat hero is a little ch church ilitch and an aa urchin runs up to tell us ua it la is the church of oe st at somebody antl anti wants a for information abo the A woman runs out of a hut but bringing some bottles of wine called christ or tears of christ which violent lat batione la tiona ione she elio insists on selling belling to us as but with extreme indignation und una ment meat carries thou back when we flourish our coffee bottles at her what new ratio for obtaining money can phereba the there reba ba ahl ah I 1 here it is at the next turn tarn a little ragged urchin rans rang out and stands upon his head till we ve pass and then runs alter after us aa exiling calling bondly for his hia pay we proceed slowly climbing olimbi loi fez nearly two hours and reach the ueral tago tage at 1120 hare wo va leave the tha team and oat oar lunch which ilia landlord hail had put pat up ap for or us we put our bottles liott loa of coffee and lemonade leao Bada in ia our pockets and some eggs which WP wo tire are to cook in ia the hot lava britho in tha crater then we so some sticks or rough cause canes n anil ud try L to hire a guide but bat we ire are considered victims so BO they charge eleven francs we know the lawful Is ia only lour four francs but nobody pretends to speak ox or understand english now and the tha policeman whose duty anty it is to protect travelers iron from the extortion of the guides is u nowhere to bo be found thanks to friends fri enila wo we know guidell are not necessary so BO oil off wo we start ab 1110 1140 atone alone to the great amazement of 0 guides guide and beggars who call otter after us that we must matt not go alone we shall got get lost or be lulled killed A plain I 1 in p path a ill leads directly over the Is lava tel beds ds of 0 several eruptions of quite recent date data aud and wo we follow it but as aa soon as the guides see sea that we really meau mean to go alone and that they lava over reathea themselves se leven of them start after us as hoping we ire shall need their assistance when wo we reach the cone forty borly of haril rings us to the foot of the cone hoye here we flail flad the or chairs chaire with poles extending tending oi from the in seat eat forward and backward the guide in ia front carries tho the poles in his hands the one behind carries them on his shoulders and aad in this chair one cart can bo be carried up the cone for francs franca here are our bevan turp surely madame wants wanta a porta atina 11 sparely sa loss dots not and sho alio will not gjok her bar neck in one they cm can speak and ami understand ed english g now cow we va begin begia thu this ascent naoe nl some ot of the impudent fellows start ahead urging us to t 0 take hold of straps which they have in their hands others follow close behind and want to pugh us they purposely hinder to TIB as mul mui M to pom blo to with th their straps or hands thrust out la in our oar way anil and with their constant jargon the path la is very anil abd our feet sink several intakes into the loose looe ashes mud and gravel at every step slap but bat putting patting our sticks naicha down doba carefully we push our selves upward neither entreaties nor throats threats nor wa oren swinging our camos at mom avail to drive oil off our tai mentora worse woree than mosquitoes in ia ft a Bira cip ara cheso italian guides Caldes with lauli sli bati bM ti oy I 1 they cling to us but becoming cy weary at last nail arld seeing comae another party coming comi jig they ron ran for them bad and but ono one is ia left soon boon he bo too ruts dis dia coa ringed and goes back and weare we are leit left alone again we fit all down in ia the ashes lor for a tow few moments tB to root rest and again agaba press on lowarl the ilia top which seems na as for far off air as ever now und and then we vo come to a beam or dyke dajka of 0 hard rock lva lava liko a ledge over which we vo eliab this is not lot so tiresome as aa ahn loose ashes soon tho the boy finda ands he ha lies broken one of his eggs I 1 und rod to our finds it is in tit il ready hard our landlord hal hail our order so BO goodly goodby good ly by to lava laca cooked aggs after forty live five re unites of this climb ing we wa come to a 11 little eave cavo built of lava anti rocks halt an hour later inter lit at tile the party wo we h binl 10 seen coming up the mountain pata pass 11 its two turn men tire walking ono of thena ig ia pulled malonff by it gaide a n edrop the other ii 18 I 1 p a ruido guide from froin behind T alio id woman womac having refu soil is is carried by two jyo aldos on oa w boac b oso shoulders olin bho is is sitting bitting they with their armo locked tightly around each oilier it ter anti and she sha with civilli her arms dilding tightly arcand their douds posic positively ively a frightful might bight hero the gravel begins to be hot an occasional puff of steam wood from crevices hero bail and there rho ilio looting footing however is a little firmer lu in tell lea minutes more mora wo we reat tench ilithe the summit laving having beoo been ova hour and twenty ova minutes climbing tho the cone which has nn an alti duda dudo of about tivo thousand feet anil and is ai ad ad raises rud gravel oan be despal up we had been two hours honra and alyk i walking from the tha hermitage nermit tae words worda cannot our I 1 fa alinga ba as wo we gaze the before us ui we stano stand upon a 11 narrow ridge bar rounding the old crater looking down into the tha crater wu wol see bee a in a 4 of black lira lava it is n streaked here lore nud anil I 1 there hero with rod red toning or bracks caused by cooling it is ii also with re ra I 1 holes from which sloam shoara bi birties sties this iliin is an old orator enter it is ia near nearly I 1 y circular about three fourths of it a mile in diameter anil and from tour four ta ova bundred foot in depth near it center 11 small cone hiees to the height ol of about two feet bet from this constantly issue isano smoke anti and steam und about every two minutes with tarri terncio flo III wanderings ande rings suit puff logs it thrown high into the aifred me red hotston as and flames away down dowa among the reil hot seems a ami a smoking spots are ilia people who had hisil lassoe massod us A short distance diat unos to our let laft ival wo land the broken away on one sido side ot of the orator hero the overflow overl low of 1878 passed off and we wa still see tho the liiva lava very slowly near by is ia a very tory difficult path down into tho the crater uhe the two gentlemen lot jot tho the party regardless of the almost out BU meeting locating fames of sul plair with which tho the sit air is filled plunge iowa down the tha steep steel unil anra boba kaea ajr balof leaping over tile the rod hot t chasms where a misstep would bo be fats fatula to life on they go picking vp specimens here and there till thoy they roach tho the other party they coina upon tuo malted lava laa Les leaping ping tho the iava around the edges ot of tile the coins thas im bedding them or 01 with tongs tonga with moulds tit at their tips they pick up lava thus malting making with pictures on on each side of them but tho the thundering still continues inoes and the eruptions are be 60 violent that tho the smaller stones tattle rattle all about us and it seems foolhardy to remain ion get in ia the crater so up como come the stragglers feeling well visit repaid for their peri lons descent deeo ent sod and somewhat relieved to return unhurt an unusually violent eruption ernp tion just as they are coming ont sent rocks hying flying in ia all directions and the sulphurous smoke compelled them to cover their mouths with handkerchiefs we find bad it too chilly to linger long here so eat our boiled eggs and ami drink our coffee and then seek for tile highest point of 0 the mountain moan taia before returning homi home soon we stand eland there wo we are feet above the sea ae and 2173 above th the a hermitage we give a lingering look down into the crater then at the masses of rook anil andi flimel flying high into the air then wo gaza toward the beautiful mountains away in the routh the love lovely bay spread out before us with capt capri lying quietly upon its bosom at the little white cities around the base of 0 the rom pompeii poil corre del Annan ziata torro torre di greco besina basins part ici I 1 and finally at naples itself nestled at nailer ar the aba hill farl faulber ber off to the west meat surely barely this view to one is worth the ascent of the mountain but underneath us na is the hidden bidden foun ountria oun taia of fire which belches forth its flames bull and smoke continually day slid and night tho grandest sight bight of all almost with regret rot ret gre gret wo we itara to return to our hotel and zoom soon the descent is much easier than the ascent at forty five minutes past sit wo we are lauded landed safely fit at our hotal tired but bat we shall remember our trip to vesuvius as one of tho the events ot of 1 our lives yontub hB companion |
