Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

VOYAGE FROM MALTA TO SYRACUSE.

81

were entirely of a dark purple hue. But the most interesting production of this river is the plant from which it derives its name-the Papyrus, or "paper-rush" of the ancients. Here it grows in unbounded luxuriance, forming one of the prettiest sights imaginable; immense groups of this singular plant rise to the height of eight, ten, and even twelve feet, completely covering the margin of the river, and forming a rich canopy of its feathery clusters. For some distance both sides of the stream were entirely composed of papyri, growing up from the bottom of the water. We pulled up several to examine the lower part of the stem, which is the portion of which the paper is made; it is about as thick as a person's wrist, and of a snowy whiteness for twelve or fifteen inches from the bottom. After a great deal of time lost in contending with the matted water weeds, we arrived at last at the Fonte Cianè, a large and capacious basin, from whence the river takes its rise. The water is extremely limpid, and though twenty-two feet deep, every object at the bottom is clearly discernible; the whole Fonte is surrounded by tufts of tall papyrus, backed by rushes, amongst which a number of those beautiful and picturesque creatures, the Sicilian oxen, were quietly browsing. The chief attraction to this place is the opportunity afforded by the extreme clearness of the water, for observing the fish swimming about at the bottom of the pool. For this purpose we remained till the boat was perfectly steady; and on looking over the side, we saw hundreds of blue mullet roving amongst the beds of aquatic moss below, as distinctly as though they had been gold fishes in a globe of crystal. After quenching our thirst by several very copious draughts of the pellucid water, we returned again to the spot where we were to disembark. At this place we found mules in waiting for us, and another cicerone, or attendant. Here I dismissed the boat, and Polité and myself mounting the mules, we set off at once for the ruins of Tychæ and Neapolis.

M

TYCHE-NEAPOLIS-FORT LABDALUS-THE QUARRIES OF THE PHILOSOPHERS-STRADA DEL TOMBE-SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGE-TEMPLE OF CERES.

"I stood alone on Tychæ's ruined height-
The noble harbour as a lake below,
And the broad plains-but all was desolate-
The lizard and the grasshopper alone had life,
And as I stood, strange melancholy thoughts-
The shadows of the past they haunted me!"

Our ride lay through an extremely rich country, (once the classic soil of Theocritus,) the path being bordered in many places by hedgerows of prickly pears, enclosing vineyards and hemp fields. We crossed a small bridge where I observed quantities of the castor-oil plant, (palma christi,) growing spontaneously on the margin of the stream bed. My guide picked me a handful of fine blackberries, and had it not been for the southern air of the aloe and Indian fig beside me, I could for the moment have fancied myself once more in a Devonshire lane, wandering as I was wont to do, with my schoolmates, in the merry hours of childhood.

I observed a small tree frog, of a light green colour, upon the leaf of a cactus, which I pointed out to my guide to procure for me. The old man was quite horror-struck at the idea of my wishing for such a creature; and it was with some difficulty I could prevail upon him to pluck the leaf on which the little animal was reposing; despite, however, the old man's fears, I got him safely to Syracuse, where he found an asylum in a phial of alcohol, without having spit either fire or poison in my face! We next ascended a steep rocky path, overhung with several very fine weeping willows, beneath one of which we halted to pick up some bunches of immense white grapes, which a man was gathering from a vine that spread itself completely over the topmost boughs of a tall mulberry tree. These grapes are used for wine, and owing to their shady situation they had not attained that degree of sweetness usually met with in the grapes of Sicily; nevertheless, as we were uncommonly thirsty, they suited our purpose all the better. A little farther on we reached a small tank where

[graphic][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« ForrigeFortsæt »