1938 - The Vasculum

THE VASCULUM
Vol. XXIV. No. I. FEBRUARY, 1938.
EASTWARD HO !
J. W. HESLOP HARRISON.
A GLIMPSE OF STROMBOLI.
We left Marseilles in the morning to speed into a sea that was far
from placid. So rough, indeed, was it, that only a few of the bolder spirits,
fired by memories of Prosper Merimee's " Columba," kept a sharp look out
for the Corsican Mountains. However, they were to be disappointed, as our
good ship passed through the Straits of Bonifacio towards midnight, when
the absence of lights only too plainly emphasised the sparseness of the
population of Corsica and of its sister island Sardinia. Many consoled
themselves with the reflection that, at any rate, we could not be cheated of
our view of Stromboli in that way, for, clearly, that volcano could only
stand out more prominently on a dark night. Next morning damped their
hopes with the "authentic" information that Mussolini objected to British
ships passing through the Straits of Messina, and that we were to make for
Malta instead. Like many another ship's rumour, before noon this was
definitely proved to be baseless for the ship's course, as laid out on the
chart, was unmistakably set for the Lipari Islands. Long before they came
into sight crowds anxiously scanned the horizon, only to be baffled by the
black domelike clouds piling up on every side. Quite unexpectedly, the
islands loomed up, and the major group passed to the accompaniment of an
incessant dis-play of lightning flashes. Right and left they streaked until a
loud cry of "Look! " was heard. There, almost immediately ahead, lay a
crimson glow high in the sky, recalling the appearance of an old-fashioned
fusee. Just as suddenly as it appeared,