Notintcouldbemoreravishing，nolustremoresuperb。Throwastoneintothewater，andthemyriadoftinybubblesthatarecreatedflashoutabrilliantglarelikebluetheatricalfires。Dipanoar，anditsbladeturnstosplendidfrostedsilver，tintedwithblue。Letamanjumpin，andinstantlyheiscasedinanarmormoregorgeousthaneverkinglyCrusaderwore。
ThenwewenttoIschia，butIhadalreadybeentothatislandandtiredmyselftodeath\"resting\"acoupleofdaysandstudyinghumanvillainy，withthelandlordoftheGrandeSentinelleforamodel。SowewenttoProcida，andfromthencetoPozzuoli，whereSt。PaullandedafterhesailedfromSamos。IlandedatpreciselythesamespotwhereSt。Paullanded，andsodidDanandtheothers。Itwasaremarkablecoincidence。St。PaulpreachedtothesepeoplesevendaysbeforehestartedtoRome。
Nero\'sBaths，theruinsofBaiæ，theTempleofSerapis;Cumæ，wheretheCumænSybilinterpretedtheoracles，theLakeAgnano，withitsancientsubmergedcitystillvisiblefardowninitsdepths——theseandahundredotherpointsofinterestweexaminedwithcriticalimbecility，buttheGrottooftheDogclaimedourchiefattention，becausewehadheardandreadsomuchaboutit。EverybodyhaswrittenabouttheGrottodelCaneanditspoisonousvapors，fromPlinydowntoSmith，andeverytouristhasheldadogoveritsfloorbythelegstotestthecapabilitiesoftheplace。Thedogdiesinaminuteandahalf——achickeninstantly。Asageneralthing，strangerswhocrawlintheretosleepdonotgetupuntiltheyarecalled。Andthentheydon\'teither。Thestrangerthatventurestosleeptheretakesapermanentcontract。Ilongedtoseethisgrotto。
Iresolvedtotakeadogandholdhimmyself\';suffocatehimalittle，andtimehim;suffocatehimsomemoreandthenfinishhim。Wereachedthegrottoataboutthreeintheafternoon，andproceededatoncetomaketheexperiments。Butnow，animportantdifficultypresenteditself。Wehadnodog。ASCENTOFVESUVIUS——CONTINUED。
AttheHermitagewewereaboutfifteenoreighteenhundredfeetabovethesea，andthusfaraportionoftheascenthadbeenprettyabrupt。Forthenexttwomilestheroadwasamixture——sometimestheascentwasabruptandsometimesitwasnot:butonecharacteristicitpossessedallthetime，withoutfailure——withoutmodification——itwasalluncompromis—inglyandunspeakablyinfamous。Itwasarough，narrowtrail，andledoveranoldlavaflow——ablackoceanwhichwastumbledintoathousandfantasticshapes——awildchaosofruin，desolation，andbarrenness——awildernessofbillowyupheavals，offuriouswhirlpools，ofminiaturemountainsrentasunder——ofgnarledandknotted，wrinkledandtwistedmassesofblacknessthatmimickedbranchingroots，greatvines，trunksoftrees，allinterlacedandmingledtogether:andalltheseweirdshapes，allthisturbulentpanorama，allthisstormy，far—stretchingwasteofblackness，withitsthrillingsuggestivenessoflife，ofaction，ofboiling，surging，furiousmotion，waspetrified！——allstrickendeadandcoldintheinstantofitsmaddestrioting！——fettered，paralyzed，andlefttogloweratheaveninimpotentrageforevermore！