The Argosy — page 260: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

In Sunny Climes. 243 _ At your feet lie the ruins of Pompeii, which year by year are being ‘more and more opened up. By-and-by there will be nothing left to discover, and many an Othello will then find his occupation gone. A ‘great plain stretches before you, bounded by a chain of hills. These stand out wonderfully against the background of that blue sky. Often they seem to reflect its colour, and a purple mist, beauti- ful and romantic, gently veils them. The plain is full of life; rich vegetation alternated by towns and villages. Lovely villas nestle on _ he hill-sides, with gardens that are simply earthly paradises. Here Romeos and Juliettes might live and love for ever. ' Long white roads lead towards Naples, and Naples itself sleeps in the far distance. All the hum of the noisy city cannot reach you jhere. ‘To your left stretches the great Bay, its waters gently wash- ing these classic shores. ‘These waters are of the deepest ultra- ‘marine, and they flash and flame in the sunlight. White-winged \boats, pure as the wings of a celestial visitant, are gliding to and fro, wafted by the ‘gentlest of breezes. Beyond all lies the Island of Capri, rising upwards with all its beauty of form. Everything else jthat is beautiful about it is lost from here. You must imagine its ‘luxuriant vegetation, the white foam of the gently breaking waves - jas they wash its base; the clinging vines, the drooping creepers that decorate its gardens. A lovely haze, now purple, now golden, jalmost always veils this Capri. For centuries it has been the delight of artists, the home of romance. For here you may find mature in her diversified moods: rich luxuriance side by side with wild and rugged grandeur ; gently sloping shores contrasted by pre- cipitous rocks that plunge boldly, unbrokenly, into the sea. Its vine- yard yield grapes for the celebrated wine of the country, and its jorange-groves perfume the air. Close to it, separated only by a little sea, lies Sorrento, with its deep ravines, its frequent torrents. Sorrento has been celebrated br alltime. Its plains, surrounded by undulating hills, are fertile stoves intermingle their charms and perfume; the delicate pome- pec waves side by side with the no less sweet but less fruitful _ All this you may see, and much more you may imagine, from your jummit, that yawning chasm will claim your attention, and, if you ave a vivid imagination, excite your awe. As you gaze upon it and in the bygone ages. A vision will rise up before you. The sun is juddenly shut out from the sky. The air is darkened. Tongues of ‘Pache of cinders appears to fall from the sky. People hurrying in fair women, its lovely walks, its broken picturesque archways, its is those of Eden—and surely as beautiful. Vineyards and orange- .cacia, vantage ground of Vesuvius. But, by day or by night, once on the pon the ruins far below, insensibly your mind will lose itself ame, streams of molten lava cast a lurid glare upon all. An ava- _ Ae streets of Pompeii are overtaken. Some gain the shore and put COMIC OOO <5} (CO) im