Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1817 edition. Excerpt: ... obliged to write in bed, in a very awkward and disagreeable posture; the cause of which shall be explained to you in my next. Adieu. Ever yours. letter X. Catania, May 29, at night. after getting a comfortable nap on our bed of leaves in the Spelonca del Capriole, we awoke about eleven o'clock; and melting down a sufficient quantity of snow, we boiled our tea kettle, and made a hearty meal to prepare us for the remaining part of our expedition. We were nine in number; for we had our three servants, the Cyclops (our conductor), and two men to take care of our mules. The Cyclops now began to display his great knowledge of the mountain, and we followed him with implicit confidence. He conducted us uver " Antres vast, and deserts wild," where scarce human foot had ever trod. Sometimes through gloomy forests, which by day-light were delightful, but now, from the universal darkness, the rustling of the trees; the heavy dull bellowing of the mountain, the vast expanse of ocean stretched at an immense distance below us, inspired a kind of awful horror. Sometimes wc found ourselves ascending great rocks of lava, where, if our mules should make but a false step, we might be thrown headlong over the precipice. However, by the assistance of the Cyclops, wc overcame all these difficulties; and he managed matters so well, that in the space of two hours we found we had got above the regions of vegetation; and had left the forests of jEtna far behind. These appeared now like a dark and gloomy gulf below us, that surrounded the mountain. The prospect before us was of a very different nature; we beheld an expanse of snow and ice that alarmed us exceedingly, and almost staggered our resolution. In the centre of this, but still at a great distance, we...
