narrow pathway, which it filled
up like a rampart. The Greeks, who had loitered to discern, if
possible, the person of the vigorous woodman, were intercepted by the
fallen giant of the mountain, but had escaped injury, as we could
perceive them in their saddles through the foliage.

Startled by the ominous appearance of this incident, the governor
immediately rode back, and bade his attendants dismount and lead their
horses over a sheep-path which rose on the mountain slope, above the
level of the fallen tree, while he would ride on slowly until they
rejoined him. Execrating the peasant who had thus annoyed him, he
turned his courser's head, and we proceeded at a slow pace to the
now contiguous spot which I had described to Colonna as best suited
to his purpose. Here the base of an enormous cliff projected like a
rampart into the defile, and sloped abruptly into two right angles,
connected by a level line of nearly perpendicular rock, which rose
in castellated grandeur to a towering height. The numerous crevices
and hollows were fringed with dazzling heath-flowers and luxuriant
creepers, between which the bare black surface of the rock frowned on
the passing gazer like the ruined stronghold of some mountain robber.
We now turned the first angle of the cliff, looking upward as we rode
at the majestic front of this singular work of nature. Still gazing,
we had proceeded about fifty paces, and the governor was remarking,
that the level and lofty summit would make a commanding military
station, when suddenly our coursers halted, and looking down we saw
before us the tall and kingly figure of Colonna, standing like an
apparition in the pathway. His right hand rested on his unsheathed
sword, and his attitude was that of careless and assured composure;
but in his gathered brow, and in the boding glitter of his eye, I
could discern the deadly purpose of the forest lion, about to spring
upon his prey, and fully confident in his own powers and resources. At
this sudden encounter of Montalto's son, who seemed to start with
spectral abruptness from the ground beneath us, Barozzo shook in his
saddle as if he had seen an accusing spirit. For a moment the blood
left his face, his breath shortened, and his chest heaved with strong
internal emotion, but his iron features soon regained their wonted
character of intrepidity. He then darted upon me a keen look of
inquiry and suspicion; before, however, he had time to speak, Colonna
was u