The big steamer was moving slowly up the beautiful Bay of Naples, straight toward the busy, noisy city of Naples. Rising from the shore, not far away, was the smoking mountain of Vesuvius, about which the Sunbonnet Babies' father had told them such strange stories.
He told them that Mount Vesuvius was like a great kettle full of boiling rock, that sometimes the fire under the kettle becomes so hot it boils over, covering the mountain sides and even the plains with melted rock and hot ashes. Such mountains, he said, are called volcanoes.
Molly and May stood on the deck of the steamer eagerly watching the smoking volcano, wondering if it would ever boil over again.
"I almost wish it would boil over now!" cried Molly. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to see red-hot rock come right out of the top of the mountain and fall down all around it!"
"Yes, it would be wonderful," said May, "but I am sure I don't want to see it. The hot ashes might even reach us here on the steamer."
"Father says he will take us to see the old city of Pompeii, which was buried by Vesuvius nearly two thousand years ago. Men are digging away the ashes and cinders now, so we can see just how the people used to live."
"Pompeii must be right over there," said May
"Pompeii must be right over there near the foot of the mountain," said May. "Isn't it strange to think that those trees and farms may be growing on top of an old, old city?"
"Look at the big city just ahead of our boat!" cried Molly. "It is Naples. We are almost there!"