the cottages have frames against the walls where the golden heads of corn are placed; and the effect is strikingly ornamental, as they cover the whole front of the dwelling with this glowing façade.
Towards eleven o’clock on the second morning we were again on our way; and, entering our boat, we rowed along the coast, hoping to reach Salerno by twelve o’clock. Pæstum we had already seen, and I propose to give an account of it elsewhere. We could not have seen the enchanting scenery of the coast to greater advantage; and the pleasure of the excursion was greatly enhanced by the harmonious singing, or rather chanting, of our six boatmen, who gave us a succession of beautiful old Roman Catholic chants and hymns, and, being accustomed to sing together, the harmony was perfect.
Onwards we glided softly over the deep blue sea; the very sky above us looked pale, as though that glittering sea had robbed it of its brightness. How beautiful Salerno looked as we approached it! The whole coast to the right was one mass of brilliant colouring—a beautiful confusion of objects, as it were—while the vast open lanes lay like colonnades down in the sea, within which played the heavy billows. Upon the projecting point of rock stood a castle with turreted walls, on whose summit floated a small cloud.
We left our boat, and made our way through the usual crowd of boatmen, lazzaroni, peasants, men, and boys,—indeed, a greater crowd than usual, for the flower feast of the season was to be held that very day. The entire long, gently-ascending street of the town was covered over with flowers, the ground colour blue, and over these lay, in long strips, green leaves, alternated with the most gorgeous crimson and rose-coloured blossoms; at some distance, again, another similar strip, and between these a layer of dark purple flowers, so as to form, as it were, a broad border to the whole flower carpet. The middle was a mass of yellow, round, star-like flowers. The whole was a living flower mosaic floor, richer in gorgeous colouring than the most luxuriant fancy can dream of. The sun shone intensely hot over our heads, the bells rang, while the processions of the different flower-girls in their picturesque dresses moved along this exquisite flower carpet.
The people of Salerno certainly had every advantage in their command of flowers, which filled the air with a luscious perfume; and let it be borne in mind that all this brilliant display was seen on the 4th of May. And yet the natives called it a very backward season. The railway, to which we now returned, passes through the Campagna Felice; and, though I had seen it before, its wondrous fertility seemed to strike me anew. Not a spot of ground was wasted, the whole earth seemed to teem with produce.
The sun was slowly sinking beneath the horizon as we drove up to the Hôtel de Rome, and again found ourselves in our comfortable quarters there But I had scarcely retired to my room half-an-hour, thinking with pleasure of a good rest after all our fatigues, when there came a vigorous knock at my door, and then a voice calling to me to come at once to the top of the house, as the Mountain (it is never spoken of in any other terms at Naples) was in a state of great activity. So they describe a coming eruption.
I was not long in obeying the summons, and soon found myself, with the rest of our party, on the flat-terraced roof of the hotel, and immediately facing the mysterious mountain.
A sudden change had occurred in the weather, and the whole sky was dark with heavy gathering clouds. Distant thunder was already heard, and against the dark background of the gloomy sky the bright flames pouring forth from the mountain shot up clear and bright into the heavens like a magnificent column of fire, flashing and glowing—now golden, now red—in the midst of the inky darkness.
We gazed in awe-struck admiration, the flames at times giving place to showers of red-hot stones and cinders, the red torrent making its way down the sides of the mountain. All Naples seemed in a commotion, and we saw from our elevated position crowds hurrying along in the direction of Vesuvius. It was a glorious sight, and nowhere could we have seen it to greater advantage than where we were. At times the whole mountain seemed enveloped in flames, then volumes of murky smoke and vapour burst forth, and the flames died away for a time, while the angry torrents only glowed the more fiercely from the surrounding gloom. And then, again, while we watched intently, such a mass of flame burst forth from the crater that one closed one’s eyes, fairly dazzled for a time by the overpowering brightness. For four hours the eruption continued with unabated fierceness; then, as if this had only heralded the coming storm, it burst forth with a degree of violence startling even to those used to these southern storms. The wild tornado of wind seemed as though it would sweep everything from the face of the earth in its furious gusts; the lightning came not at intervals, but in one blinding, continued sheet of blue and livid light; the thunder roared and cracked all round, and all nature was in a state of the wildest tumult. We could see the white crests of the waves as they heaved themselves against the rocks; and one could scarcely believe that raging, stormy sea was the transparent blue water we had so lately seen in all its calm loveliness. At length, to the relief of all those who were watching this conflict of the elements, the rain began to fall—not in drops or showers, but in literal sheets of water, extinguishing the fiery torrents rolling down the mountain, and telling all the experienced witnesses of the scene that the danger of the eruption was over for the present.
Awful as it was to witness, there was something inexpressibly grand in this magnificent sight. It had not been wholly unexpected, for the knowing observers of the mountain had told us that the entire absence of all smoke or flame from the crater for many weeks past portended some outbreak of the fierce elements sooner or later; and so it came to pass.
And thus ended our visit to Naples and its beautiful environs.