THE COASTS OF SICILY. 95 



centric zones, all perfectly well defined, with its sixty- 

 five villages lying in the midst of rich campagnas, 

 furrowed and broken up by the lava beds, which 

 diverge from the centre like so many black radia- 

 ting lines. To the south the eye embraced in one 

 glance Augusta, Syracuse, and Cape Passaro, around 

 which the coast seemed to bend back upon itself, as 

 it were, disappearing finally amid the mist which 

 enveloped the coast at Girgenti. Wrapt in mute ad- 

 miration we cast our eyes from one extremity to the 

 other of this immense circle, when suddenly the guide 

 exclaimed, " Eccolo ! ecco il sole," and truly there 

 was the sun, which, raising its ensanguined orb 

 before us, bathed, in one universal tinge of purple, 

 earth, sea, and sky, and projected to the very limits 

 of the horizon, and across the entire island, the 

 gigantic shadow of Etna, which, becoming more and 

 more contracted, grew also more distinct in propor- 

 tion as the sun rose higher above the Ionian Sea. 



Light vapours were now everywhere curling up- 

 wards from the earth, as it began to be warmed by 

 the rising sun. First thin and airy, they gradually 

 thickened, and soon contracted the horizon on every 

 side. After throwing one last look at the valley of 

 the crater, we left our place of observation and 

 descended towards the foot of a Mamelon which 

 lay to the east. Our guide soon stopped us near a 

 narrow and steep declivity, which was entirely de- 

 tached from the rounded margin of the cone, and 

 abutted upon a precipice which descended to a 

 depth of several hundred feet. Here we saw him 

 roll up the sleeve of his jacket and apply it to his 



