etreated,
he had made a rush, and had just attained the very edge of the
crater, when suddenly he found himself overwhelmed by a tremendous
cloud of smoke. To resist it, or to endure it in any way, was
impossible. He thought only of flight He turned mechanically, and
ran, with this idea of flight alone in his mind. That was all he
remembered. He must have run for at least a hundred feet, for that
was about the distance which lay between the summit and the place
where he was found.

Michael Angelo started off and got a carriage, by means of which
Bob was taken to Naples. He did not seem to have suffered any very
serious injury; but for some days he was quite languid and miserable,
and complained of a taste of sulphur in his mouth; his coat, too,
which on going up was of a dark-blue color, had become quite faded,
from the action of the powerful sulphurous fumes.

On the whole, Bob, as well as the rest of the party, had ample
reason to feel thankful.

CHAPTER XVIII.

_Pompeii, the City of the Dead.--The Monuments of the Past.--Temples,
Towers, and Palaces.--Tombs and Monuments.--Theatres and
Amphitheatres.--Streets and Squares._

A few days after their ascent of Vesuvius, the whole party started
off to visit Pompeii. The prospect of this journey gave them
unusual delight. Bob had now completely recovered his health and
spirits. Clive's poetic interest in so renowned a place was roused
to the highest pitch of enthusiasm. David's classical taste was
stimulated. Frank's healthy love of sight-seeing was excited by
the thought of a place that so far surpassed all others in interest;
and Uncle Moses evidently considered that this was the one thing
in Europe which could repay the traveller for the fatigues of a
pilgrimage. Thus each, in his own way, felt his inmost heart stirred
within him as they approached the disentombed city; and at length,
when they reached the entrance to the place, it is difficult to
say which one felt the strongest excitement.

They found a number of other visitors there, consisting of
representatives of all nations--Russians, Germans, Americans,
French, and English; ladies, gentlemen, and boys. Michael Angelo
was with them, and was more useful to them than any mere guide-book
could have been.

The first emotions of awe which filled their minds as they entered
the streets of the mysterious city gradually faded away, and they
began to examine everything with great interest. The first thi