The World Traveler by Rob Bauer

Author:Rob Bauer [Bauer, Rob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: 1800's, Action & Adventure, African-American, Australia, Baseball, Boys, Historical, Homelessness, Orphans, Performing Arts, Prejudice & Racism, Sports, Travel, Young Adult
ISBN: 9781948478113
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2018-09-29T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

February 17, 1889

Naples, Italy

“Come on, Clarence, you’re almost up.” The voice belongs to an ash-dusted and sweaty Tom Burns, but I’m exhausted as I try to climb a little higher.

I can’t believe I’ve even made it this far, but Jim Manning, his face also streaked by ash and sweat, extends his hand and helps me onto the ledge.

“Well, men,” Fogarty informs us, “the volcano is about 4,000 feet tall, and we still have a few hundred left to go. We’ll take a minute to rest here and then see how high we can get.”

He says this almost as a shout because the activity in the volcano’s cone is extremely loud, and it’s hard to hear him.

While we regain our breath, we all take out some bread that Fogarty and Burns purchased at a market before we left Naples. We sit there chewing slowly while fine particles of ash rain down on us. I look up. The sky around the top of the mountain is still the same mix of angry-looking, brooding gray clouds and reflected eerie red light that we saw yesterday on the train. I run my dirt-streaked hand over my head a few times. Gray dust silently drifts down onto my chest and shoulders.

“What is that smell?” Manning asks Burns.

“Burning sulfur, I think,” Burns replies. “I don’t know how it works, but I think that the volcano gives it off when it releases gases into the air.”

“What do you think?” Fogarty asks our group. “If we go this way, it looks like we can get close to the edge of the cone right up there.” He points upward toward the smoking crater at the summit of the mountain.

“Let’s go, then,” Burns says. It looks like he might win his ten-dollar wager. He’s panting a bit and his green linen shirt is almost as gray as his boots by now, but Burns has kept up with Fogarty and Manning to this point, and he doesn’t look beat quite yet.

“Are you ready, Clarence?” Manning asks while he chews down a last mouthful of Italian bread.

“Just a moment, sir, I’m afraid my arms and legs are not as strong as yours are. I’ll be ready in a bit.” I drink a little more from my canteen.

“See, what did I say?” Fogarty says as he spreads his arms, gesturing toward the city that is now a couple thousand feet below us. “Look at this view. We’ll be the only ones who can say they climbed a volcano in Italy when we get back to America. First, we climbed the pyramids and now this. The whole city spread out below us, the bay, the warm air, just take it all in. No one can say we haven’t lived a full life on this trip. Just wait until Palmer and MacMillan hear our story this evening. Awooooooo!”

“I think I can go again now,” I tell the group. Partly it’s true, and partly I don’t want to hear Fogarty howl again.

My legs ache badly,

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