the carriage to the other side of the peninsula,
where the girls obtained their first view of the Gulf of Salerno, with
the lovely Isles of the Sirens lying just beneath them.

And now they were on the great road that skirts the coast as far as
Salerno, and has no duplicate in all the known world. For it is cut from
the solid rock of precipitous cliffs rising straight from the sea, which
the highway overhangs at an average height of five hundred feet, the
traveller being protected only by a low stone parapet from the vast gulf
that yawns beneath. And on the other side of the road the cliffs
continue to ascend a like distance toward the sky, their irregular
surfaces dotted with wonderful houses that cling to the slopes, and
vineyards that look as though they might slip down at any moment upon
the heads of timorous pilgrims.

When it rained they put up the carriage top, which afforded but partial
shelter. The shower was brief, but was shortly followed by hail as big
as peas, which threatened to dash in the frail roof of their _carrozza_.
While they shrank huddled beneath the blankets, the sun came out
suddenly, and the driver shed his leathern apron, cracked his whip, and
began singing merrily as the vehicle rolled over the smooth road.

Our travellers breathed again, and prepared to enjoy once more the
wonderful vistas that were unfolded at every turn of the winding way.
Sometimes they skirted a little cove where, hundreds of feet below, the
fishermen sat before their tiny huts busily mending their nets. From
that distance the boats drawn upon the sheltered beach seemed like mere
toys. Then they would span a chasm on a narrow stone bridge, or plunge
through an arch dividing the solid mountain. But ever the road returned
in a brief space to the edge of the sea-cliff, and everywhere it was
solid as the hills themselves, and seemingly as secure.

They had just sighted the ancient town of Positano and were circling a
gigantic point of rock, when the great adventure of the day overtook
them. Without warning the wind came whistling around them in a great
gale, which speedily increased in fury until it drove the blinded horses
reeling against the low parapet and pushed upon the carriage as if
determined to dash it over the precipice.

As it collided against the stone wall the vehicle tipped dangerously,
hurling the driver from his seat to dive headforemost into the space
beneath. But the man clung to the reins desperately,