NOVEL DANGERS TERRIBLE. 367 



This tyrant was that shadowy potentate called Fear; and 

 inasmuch as the people over whom he had usurped dominion 

 were located in the midst of various gigantic enemies, and were 

 exposed at all times to many overwhelming dangers, it might 

 have been thought, though quite erroneously, that they could 

 hardly ever be exempt from the same uneasy rule. 



It was not, however, the fear of Death always at hand, under 

 any one of his familiar shapes, that ever caused a moment's re- 

 flection, much less uneasiness, to a people so entirely occupied, 

 as was that we are speaking of, in the business of life ; but at 

 the particular period of our relation, Danger, and Death behind 

 him, began suddenly to trip up their heels in a manner so new 

 and so mysterious, as to make the most heedless look very 

 seriously about them, and hence only arose the panic Terror, 

 which came for awhile to lord it over them. 



The capital of their republic, which was built upon Italian 

 soil, we shall call Monticello; and it was upon one of the 

 principal thoroughfares communicating with this city, that the 

 common enemy first began that unusual and ill-mannered mode 

 of attack to which we have alluded. This highway had been 

 traversed by many successive generations, to whom nothing had 

 thereon befallen, excepting accidents of usual occurrence ; but 

 one day, as a party of some eight or ten individuals were quietly 

 pursuing their way along what they supposed to be, as hereto- 

 fore, a solid causeway, they came suddenly upon the edge of a 

 deep and wide abyss. 



Thus taken by surprise, two or three lost their footing, and 

 rolled at once down the shelving side of this strange pitfall. 

 The others might perhaps have maintained their equilibrium, 

 but, blinded and overthrown by a shower of sand, rising from 

 the hollow before them, as if from the crater of a volcano, 

 they also, with exception of one who returned to tell the tale, 

 were precipitated down the fatal descent. 



The road whereon this alarming occurrence took place was 

 speedily abandoned, it was made, in fact, impassable ; but in 



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