A few minutes after, a party of visiters arrived who had no such humane scruples: they were resolved to see the experiment tried. Accordingly, a dog was brought forward; and I now had a chance to see how much truth there was in the assertion that these animals were fond of being choked to death. The poor dog no sooner perceived his visiters than he became as perfectly aware of what was going forward as if he had heard and understood every syllable that had been said. It showed the utmost unwillingness to proceed towards the cavern, but his master seized him by the neck and dragged him with main force along till he reached the mouth of the cave, into which he thrust him howling and making the most piteous cries. In a few minutes he fell upon the ground motionless, and lay without any signs of life. The spectators declared that they had seen enough to satisfy them; on which the fellow took the dog up by the ears and plunged him into the lake. After two or three dips, the poor animal began to agitate his limbs and at length came to himself and ran scampering off. These inhuman exhibitions ought not to be encouraged by travellers.
Every part of the neighborhood of the city abounds with evidence of the existence of volcanic fire, under ground. As I walked along the road I found the smoke issuing from holes and clefts in the ground: and on placing my hands in these fissures, I found them so hot that one might roast eggs in them. Yet people build houses and pass their lives upon these spots, without troubling themselves with the reflection that they live on a thin crust of soil hanging over a yawning gulf of fire! In my walk homeward I passed by a hill, about the size of Bunker Hill, which some time ago rose up suddenly, in a single night, from a level plain. It is now all overgrown with weeds and bushes. If it were not for Mount Vesuvius, which affords a breathing-place for these subterranean fires, it is highly probable that the whole face of the country would be rent into fragments by earthquakes and volcanic explosions. Vesuvius may be called the safety valve of the country.
On my way home, I was stopped on the road by an immense crowd. It was a funeral. A long train of monks and priests attended the hearse, each one clad in a dress which resembled a loose white sheet thrown over the head and falling down to the feet, with little round holes cut for the eyes. They looked like a congregation of spectres from the other world. The corpse was that of an army officer. He lay not in a coffin, but exposed in full uniform upon a crimson pall edged with gold. Everything accompanying the hearse was pompous, showy and dazzling.
This indeed is the characteristic of the people; almost everything in their manners and mode of life is calculated to strike the senses and produce effect by dazzling and external display. Nothing can surpass the splendor of their religious processions, the rich and imposing decoration of their churches, and the pomp and parade and showy display which attend the solemnization of all their public festivals. The population of these countries are exceedingly sensitive to the effect of all these exhibitions, and their lively and acute feelings bring them under the influence of whatever is addressed strongly to their outward senses. They are little guided by sound reason and sober reflection, but are at the mercy of all the impulses that arise from a keen sensibility and an excitable imagination.
Story of Philip Brusque.
CHAPTER XI.
The meeting.—Discussion.—A government adopted.—Conclusion for the present.
The time for the meeting of the people to take measures for the establishment of a government for the island of Fredonia, was fixed for the day which followed the events narrated in the last chapter. This meeting was looked forward to with intense interest, by all parties. The men, who knew that there could be no peace or safety in society, without government, regarded the event as likely to decide whether the inhabitants of the island were to be happy or miserable.
The women, who were perhaps not apt to reflect upon these things, had also learned from their experience that a government, establishing and enforcing laws, was indispensable to the quiet and security of society: they saw that their own lives, their freedom, their homes, were not secure, without the protection of law. Even the children had found that government was necessary, and these as well as the women, were now rejoicing at the prospect of having this great blessing bestowed upon the little community of Fredonia.
The day for the meeting arrived, and the men of the island assembled, agreeably to the appointment. First came the men of the tent party, and then, those from the Outcast’s cave. The latter were greeted by a shout of welcome, and mingling with the rest, a kind shaking of hands took place between those, who so lately were arrayed against each other in deadly conflict.