alculations as to the
run made, the course steered, and the position of the ship, and found
that these tallied closely with those of the captain. Matteo and he
shared a large and handsome cabin, and the time passed pleasantly as
the vessel ran down the coast of Italy. Once out of the Adriatic a
sharp lookout was kept, but the coast of Sicily was made without seeing
any sails of a suspicious character.

The lads were struck with surprise and admiration when, on coming on
deck in the morning, they saw the great cone of Etna lying ahead of
them. Neither of them had ever seen a mountain of any size, and their
interest in the scene was heightened by a slight wreath of smoke, which
curled up from the summit of the hill.

"It is well worth a voyage, if it were only to see that mountain,"
Francis said. "What an immense height it is, and how regular in its
shape!"

"And yet," Matteo said, "those who have journeyed from Italy into
France tell me that there are mountains there beside which Etna is as
nothing. These mountains are a continuation of the range of hills which
we can see from Venice. Their tops are always covered with snow, and
cannot be ascended by man; whereas it is easy, they say, to reach the
top of Etna."

"Yes, that looks easy enough," Francis agreed. "It seems such a regular
slope, that one could almost ride up; but I dare say, when you are
close you would find all sorts of difficult places."

"I should like to try," Matteo said. "What a grand view there would be
from the top!

"Is the port we are going to try first, captain, anywhere near the foot
of the mountain?"

"No, I am going round the southern part of the island. On this side the
ground is less fertile, and we should have difficulty in obtaining a
cargo. But even were we to put into a port on this side, you would not
be able to climb Mount Etna.

"Sicily has been an unfortunate country. Its great natural wealth has
rendered it an object of desire, to all its neighbours. It was the
battleground of the Romans and Carthaginians. Pisa, Genoa, and Naples
have all contended for its possession; and the Moors frequently make
descents upon its coasts. It has seldom enjoyed a peaceful and settled
government. The consequence is that general lawlessness prevails in the
districts remote from the towns; while in the forests that clothe the
side of Mount Etna, there are numerous hordes of bandits who set the
authorities at defiance, levy blackmail throughout