The palmetto herald. (Port Royal, S.C.) 1864-1864, July 28, 1864, Image 1
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THE PALMETTO HERALD
18 PCHLI81IED BT
a W. MA80N ?fc CO.,
EVERY THURSDAY MORNING,(
AT PORT ROYAL, S. C.
OfIce cor. Merchant*' Row and Palmetto Avenue
Terms t
Single Copy Five Cents.
One Hundred Copies $8 60
Per Annum to any Address $2 00
. .
raymem in van a my in Advance.
A limited number of ADVERTISEMENTS received
at Twenty-live Cents per Line, JOB
PRINTING executed neatly and promptly.
AN UNDERGROUND STORY.
From Milan we went to Parma, and
having spent a week in the latter city,
Ward well and myself bought horses to
carry us to St. Stefano, the man of whdtn
we bought them pledging himself to buy
them back at any time within ajnonth,
if we did not injure them, only deducting
a moderate price for their use. St.
Stefano is at the head waters of the Tafo,
and distant from Parma some five-andforty
miles. It Is ncstly away at the foot
of the Appcnines, and we had been invited
hitherto by our friend Montallo,
who owned an extensive vineyard there.
We had first met Michael Montallo in
Genoa, and as a warm intimacy sprang
up between us, and as he promised us
any amount of pleasure, we accepted his
invitation to visit him. He had gone on
a few days in advance to prepare for our
coining.
We were fortunate in our horses, for
we obtained two noble ones, and their
keeper assured us that if we started betimes
in the morning we should k&ve no
difficulty in reaching St. Stefano before
night. We started early?only half an
hour after the sun was 'up?and as the
road followed the bank of the Taro nearly
all the way, the ride was a delightful
one. It was only three o'clock when we
reached Compiano, which was only ten
miles from Montallo's residence. After
leaving this place we left the river, and
found ourselves among the mountains,
the road winding around among lolly
spurs of the range. We had reached a
point where the path had crossed a swift
mountain torrent, and had just crossed
the bridge, when a dozen horsemen appeared
before us. There was no mistaking
those habits; the tall, peaked hat,
with its gaudy band; the short, embroidered
jackets; the blue shirts, and the
leathern belts with their load of weapons.
"Stand and deliver!" were the first
words we heard; and after a few mo*
ments hesitation we concluded to obey.
We begged of them to allow us to retain
our portmanteaus and clothing, but they
tnAiili-1 ollottr via not K!nA TLotr n-nro
nuuiu ouvvv uo uviuui^. iii^j nviv
dark, savage-looking men, long inured to
crime, and I could find nothing of that
romance about them which I had so often
heard of in connection with the Italian
banditti; but, on the contrary, they were
low, vulgar-looking fellows, with a hangdog
look, that forbade all thought of any
such thing as a " lady-love" in connection
with them. They took our portmanteaus,
with all our clothing, our watches and
money, and then bade us go on. I found
mvself lighter in burden to the amonnt
of five hundred dollars in money, a watch
worth a hundred more, and clothing
worth perhaps another hundred. Ward'
well had been wise enough to leave most
of his money in Parma, so his loss was
not so much. So when we reached
Montallo'8 our pleasure was somewhat
damped.
"Never mind," he said, when we had
told our story," " I have clothing enough,
and if you have escaped Delmarto and
his band with your lives, you should consider
yourselves fortunate."
" Then they arc known ?" said I.
" Known!" repeated my host, with a
dubious shrug wf the shoulders, " I should
fMrot
IT ROYAL, S. C., TH1
. A ......
think they were. Why, they have been
the pest of these mountain regions for
over eight years. Right here is the only
handy pass over the mountains to Genoa,
and these villains have grown fat in purse
on the heavy robberies they have committed.
They are the terror of all travelers,
and the plague of all officers and
soldiers."
"Then they cannot be soldiers."
" Why, bless you, no. More than two
knniliwi uLtiuw Hoiw onont ft Cnrtnlirht
at a time about tfceir haunts without ef- j
feet. To a stranger a>i account of the
escapes they have made would be incredible.
Sometimes they are here, and
sometimes there; but the moment a party
of soldiers heave in sight, they are nowhere
!"
That evening Montallo entertained us
with an account of Dalmarto's exploits,
and I was glai he did, for thereby I was
enabled to go to bed a happy man. The
loss of my propcitv seemea as nothing,
for I could only feel thankful that I was
alive. On the following morning we had
an opportunity to look about, and never
did I find myself In a more charming
spot. Montallo's place was in a deep,
wide valley or vale, with noble mountains
upon slopes on both sides. From his
place it was only about thirty miles over
across to Genoa, and as he could carry
all his wines over upon mules, his extensive
vineyards were profitable. He kept
a dozen men at work most of the time,
besides the muleteers. He was a wealthier
man than I had supposed.
Two days were spent in wandering
about the premises and visiting his extensive
wine vaults, and on the morning of
the third day he proposed to visit the
great cave of Castclio.
"It is a great place," said our host,
" and a place which no one has yet fully
explored. It was accidently found some
J rears ago by a poor peasant, who had
ost some goats, and was up there searching
tor them. But come, you shall see
for yourselves."
At seven o'clock we mounted our
mules and set out, and after travelling
some six miles along a winding path
among crags and clitfa, we began to ascend
a mountain. It was a tedious ride
up the rough, circuitous path, but we
manaeed to take it pleasantlv. and at
length our host bade us stop. "We were
now upon a broad table rock, with a perpendicular
descent of some hundred feet
upon one hand, and upon the other the
mountain still towered up above us. We
hitched the mules to some dwarf place
that grew out from a fissure in the rock,
and then having taken our torches, we
prepared to follow our leader. These
torches were huge lamps, made to hang
on wooden handles, something after the
fashion of the torches carried by engine
men.
Each of us took a torch, a loaf of bread,
and a flask of wine, and then set out.
For a distance of twenty rods or more,
we climbed up a steep ascent, and here
we came upon another table, only much
smaller than the first. Upon this, standing
close in to the side ot the mountain,
was a huge detached rock, and back of
this we found the entrance to the cave.
It was a rough, jagged aperture, -some
ten feet in diameter, with only a scene of
darkness beyond. Montallo entered first,
and we followed. For a distance of
about twenty feet we passed through a
tunnel not varying much in height from
Kn AnfminAA on/1 n A/v? 4kln mvao
uic i/ubiiuit^, ouu ailci uiis Mic way ucg&a
to widen and expand, until we found
ourselves in a vast chamber, the extremities
of which were lost in utter gloom.
The floor was quite smooth, but had a
descent as we went on. Through this
hall we travelled nearly four hundred
fees and then we came to a place where
we had to crawl along upon our hands
and knees; but this was only a few feet,
-and then we found ourselves in a hall not
so large as the first, but vastly more
grand, for the wills were hung all over
V
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tio |?i
JRSDAY, JULY 28, 1
i i" 1 - =
with stafectites, and as the light of our
torches struck on the flashing pendants,
the plact had the appearance of one vast
stclliferous dome.
After feasting our eyes upon this for a
while, we passed on to another cave, still
smaller ftian the others, and here we saw
passages leading off in all directions.
They wwe narrow and high, seeming
like vast Assures where the rock had split
asuMdw.' Into one of these I entered
alone, and as the way seemed straight, I
kept oo for some distance, the thought of
finding any difficulty in getting back
never once entering my head. I did not
notice that though the way seemed
straight as I was going, yet it had slightly
radiating branches going back. At
length the flow became rough, and while
I held the torch above my head, and
looked only upon the floor to see xthat
my footing was sure, an intervening spur
caught my light and threw it from my
honu. For an instant the fallen flame
quivered with its^expiring throes?and
then I was in utter darkness. I groped
about until I found my torch, and then I
turned to make my way back. My eyes
were of no more use than was my lighted
torch; but I fancied I had not gone far,
and that a tew moments groping would
lead me to my companions.
But ere long I felt that something must
be wrong, ana then I remembered that I
had my apparatus for lightning cigars
with, and atter a while I managed to relight
my torck Strange that I had not
thought of thi$ before. However, the way
was once more light, and I pushed on,
and ere long I came out into a large
apartment, and was upon the point ot
calling for my friends when I discovered
that T tv-qb in a rJor>p whpra I hflH nnt
been before. Again I called out with all
my power, but only the staitling echoes
of my own voice replied, But my eye
caught a passage that I was sure led back
toward the spot where I had left my
companions, and I started into it. I had
not gone fifty feet before I came to a
point where the passage branched off in
three different ways, but I took the one
which led straight on, and followed it
until I was satisfied that I was on the
wrong track. To go back I considered
the safest way, so back I turned; but ere
I had gone three rods found the way
dvided into two branches. I had not
noticed this before. Without much hesitation
I took the one that led to the right, j
for it seemed to me that tiiat was tiie one
by which I had come.
And on I went?on, on; and by-andby
I had the peculiar satisfaction of being
otfnvinced that I had made another mistake.
I stopped and pondered; and at
length I resolved that I would take some
path and follow as long as I could. I
was now in a small chamber, the walls
and ceiling of which were only of dark
rock, and which had three outlets. I
chose the one that I had fancied would
lead me aright, and pushed on. I had
heard of people's being lost and dying
amid the interminable labryinths of these
vast caverns, and it is not strange that
thoughts like these made me a little uneasy,
to say the least. But on I went,
sometimes thinking I must be right, and
at others that I was wrong. I passed
through four more chambers, one of
them as large as any I had'entered, and
finally I struck into a low, narrow passage,
which had a gradual descent. After
tiaveliing this some distance I stopped.
The way was very descending now, and
often I had to step down from one crag
to another, sometimes letting myself
down by hands where the perpendicular
descent was great. It seemed that I
must be going down into the bowels of
the mountain; but after a while I pushed
on agahh
And if was well that I did, for I had
not gone' twenty steps before I saw a
faint glimmer of light ahead. I put my
torch behind me, so -as to be sure, and
there was no mistake. This glimmer
raid.
Q/?J ( PRICE
oDt? \Flve Cent?.
was descending, being certainly twenty
degrees below me. But down I went,
ana when I had reached the point where
I the light came in, I found it to be a low.
narrow aperture, the wide passages I haa
been following taking an abrupt turn to
the left, and leading away into utter
darkness! I crawled out into this aperture,
and found that I was upon a sort of
shelf; about half way up the wall of a
wide chamber, and ihto this chamber the
light came from two directions?from a
| narrow fissure overhead, and from an
| entrance on the floor nearly opposite
I from where I was. I held my torch out
into the cave, and could see that the bot
luiu was uui xai uuin iwcivc lcut iiuju
where I was perched upon the shelf. And
I saw more, too. But wait.
Slowly and carefully I made my way
to the edge of the shell* and then having
found secure clutching places for my
hands I worked my way over and let my
body down, and in a moment more I
reached the bottom of the cave "in safety.
Of course my torch was extinguished,
but I could see well enough without; and
almost the first thing upon which my
eyes fell was?my own portmanteau.
Of course I knew that I was in the
robbers' cave. It was a wide cavern,
with a rough, uneven lioor, ana upon
every hand were piled up heaps of booty.
There were many bales of dry goods,
many casks, and in 6kort every conceivable
thing that travellers could carry
across the mountains. Upon one side I
saw a huge chest, which I tried to move,
but could not. It was lirmly locked,
and I supposed H contained what of
money and jewels the bandits had to store
away. I opened my portmanteau and
found my property untouched, only my
gold was missing.
But I waited not long here. I took
my portmanteau, aud had resolved to
take it off, when the thought occurred to
me that if the villains should return and
find any thing missing they might take
alarm and make off with their most valuable
booty, and furthermore, as ray portmanteau
was but little compared with
the gold I had lost, I put it back where
I bad found it, and then taking my torch,
made my way to the place where the
light came upon the floor. I found hero
an aperture only about three feet high,
and six feet in width, and having crawled
through this I found myself in a deep
ravine, and upon turning about I was
surprised to find that I could not see tho
hole from whence 1 had come. But tho
mystery was soon explained. In coming
out I had slid down a gentle descent, and
an overhanging shelf of rock completely
concealed the entrance. I should have
u.,4- 11 l
smu ueiure, uut uuj us >vuu say uere,
that from the bottom of the cave the
aperture through which I had gained
access could not be seen, for the shelf
extended some two or three feet out from
the wall, and thus hid the place; so I
doubt if the robbers ever discovered the
secret.
This ravine in which I found myself
after leaving the cavern long, narrow
and deep, with almost perpendicular
walls; but I could see that near me was
the end of it, where the solid wall aro99
upon three sides, and I of course knew
tliat tlie outlet ihust be the other way.
So on I hastened, and at length came to
the place of egress, which were very narrow,
and hidden among a thick clump of
trees. When I reached the confine of
this stunted copse I found myself upon
the westerfi side of the mountain! do I
mutt have made my way entirely through
the giant rock.
It was an easy matter to find the path
from here. With quick steps I started
for the other side. I remembered a peculiar
clump of trees that I had noticed
In - An *U /? a ? il.?
ILL IUC lUUiliLLl" UU IUC IUJJ U1 IUU UiUUUtains,
and as I could see this now I had
a sale guide. The way was toilsome,
and just as the sun was sinking to rest I
1 tcONTIKTKD OT TOOtTH