diff options
| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-03-08 00:45:06 -0800 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-03-08 00:45:06 -0800 |
| commit | 415d40d7d37d4ba95615b00fcff0c0fd2567774e (patch) | |
| tree | 5d37a1cf555e63a80e1217f2da5fcf06674393e9 | |
| parent | 9d5c262ba969fe8e84c8f23a3f72a1427ef4e50f (diff) | |
152 files changed, 2 insertions, 73246 deletions
diff --git a/42447-0.txt b/42447-0.txt index 51b3698..dc28a54 100644 --- a/42447-0.txt +++ b/42447-0.txt @@ -1,25 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, Their -Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery - Tourist's Edition - -Author: Samuel Adams Drake - -Release Date: March 31, 2013 [EBook #42447] - -Language: English - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42447 *** Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was @@ -14146,365 +14125,4 @@ illustrations were printed together on an Adams press. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - -***** This file should be named 42447-8.txt or 42447-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/4/4/42447/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at -http://gutenberg.org/license). - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at -809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official -page at http://pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit http://pglaf.org - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42447 *** diff --git a/42447-8.txt b/42447-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 777d154..0000000 --- a/42447-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14512 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, Their -Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery - Tourist's Edition - -Author: Samuel Adams Drake - -Release Date: March 31, 2013 [EBook #42447] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON.] - - - - -Tourist's Edition - -THE HEART -OF THE -WHITE MOUNTAINS - -THEIR LEGEND AND SCENERY - -BY - -SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE - -AUTHOR OF "NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST" -"CAPTAIN NELSON" ETC. - -WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY - -W. HAMILTON GIBSON - -"_Eyes loose: thoughts close_" - -NEW YORK -HARPER & BROTHERS. FRANKLIN SQUARE -1882 - - - - -Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881, by - -HARPER & BROTHERS, - -In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - -_All rights reserved._ - - -To JOHN G. WHITTIER: - -_An illustrious and venerated bard, who shares with you the love and -honor of his countrymen, tells us that the poets are the best travelling -companions. Like Orlando in the forest of Arden, they "hang odes on -hawthorns and elegies on thistles." - -In the spirit of that delightful companionship, so graciously announced, -it is to you, who have kindled on our aged summits - - "The light that never was on sea or land, - The consecration and the poet's dream." - -that this volume is affectionately dedicated by_ - -THE AUTHOR. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The very flattering reception which the sumptuous holiday edition -of "The Heart of the White Mountains" received on its _dbut_ has -decided the Messrs. Harper to re-issue it in a more convenient and less -expensive form, with the addition of a Tourist's Appendix, and an Index -farther adapting it for the use of actual travellers. While all the -original features remain intact, these additions serve to render the -references in the text intelligible to the uninstructed reader, and at -the same time help to make a practical working manual. One or two new -maps contribute to the same end. - -I take the opportunity thus afforded me to say that, when "The Heart of -the White Mountains" was originally prepared, I hoped it might go into -the hands of those who, making the journey for the first time, feel the -need of something different from the conventional guide-book of the day, -and for whom it would also be, during the hours of travel or of leisure -among the mountains, to some extent an entertaining as well as a useful -companion. So far as author and publisher are concerned, that purpose is -now realized. - -Finally, I wrote the book because I could not help it. - -SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE. - -MELROSE, _January, 1882_. - - - - -GENERAL CONTENTS. - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - - PAGE - -I. _MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS_.....1 - -II. _INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE_: Voyage from Wolfborough to Centre -Harbor.--The Indians.--Centre Harbor.--Legendary.--Ascent of Red -Hill.--Sunset on the Lake.....8 - -III. _CHOCORUA_: Stage Journey to Tamworth.--Scramble for -Places.--Valley of the Bear Camp.--Legend of Chocorua.--Sandwich -Mountains.--Chocorua Lake.--Ascent of Mount Chocorua.....18 - -IV. _LOVEWELL_: Fryeburg.--Lovewell's Fight.--Desperate Encounter with -the Pigwackets.--Death of Paugus.....33 - -V. _NORTH CONWAY_: The Antechamber of the Mountains.--White -Horse Ledge.--Fording the Saco.--Indian Custom.--Echo Lake.--The -Cathedral.--Diana's Baths.--Artists' Falls.--The Moats.--Winter Ascent -of Mount Kearsarge.....39 - -VI. _FROM KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN_: Conway Intervales.--Bartlett -Bowlder.--Singular Homicide.--Bartlett.--A Lost Village.--Ascent of -Mount Carrigain.--A Shaggy Wilderness.....55 - -VII. _VALLEY OF THE SACO_: Autumnal Foliage.--The Story of -Nancy.--Doctor Bemis.--Abel Crawford, the Veteran Guide.--Ethan A. -Crawford.--The Mount Crawford Glen.--Giant's Stairs.--Frankenstein -Cliff.--Superb View of Mount Washington.--Mount Willey.....66 - -VIII. _THROUGH THE NOTCH_: Great Notch of the White Mountains.--The -Willey House, and Slide of 1826.--"Colonizing" Voters.--Mount -Willard.--Mount Webster, and its Cascades.--Gate of the Notch.--Summit -of the Pass.....76 - -IX. _CRAWFORD'S_: The Elephant's Head.--Crawford House, and -Glen.--Discovery of The Notch.--Ascent of Mount Willard.--Magnificent -_coup d'oeil_.....87 - -X. _THE ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S_: The Bridle-path.--Wreck of -the Forest.--A Forest of Ice.--Dwarf Trees.--Summit of Mount -Clinton.--Caught in a Snow-storm.--The Colonel's Hat.--Oakes's -Gulf.--The Plateau.--Climbing the Dome.--The Summit at Last.....95 - - -SECOND JOURNEY. - -I. _LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS_: Indian Tradition and Legend.--Ascent -of Mount Washington by Darby Field.--Indian Name of the White Mountains -.....113 - -II. _JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY_: Thorn Hill.--Jackson.--Jackson -Falls.--Goodrich Falls.--The Ellis.--A Captive Maiden's Song.--Pretty -Indian Legend.--Pinkham Notch, from the Ellis.--A Mountain -Homestead.--Artist Life.....122 - -III. _THE CARTER NOTCH_: Valley of the Wildcat.--The Guide.--The -Way In.--Summit of The Notch.--Awful Desolation.--The Giant's -Barricade.--Carter Dome.--The Way Out.....132 - -IV. _THE PINKHAM NOTCH_: The Glen House.--Thompson's Falls.--Emerald -Pool.--Crystal Cascade.--Glen Ellis and its Legend.....144 - -V. _A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S_: Tuckerman's Ravine.--The Path.--Hermit -Lake.--"No Thoroughfare."--Interior of the Ravine.--The Snow -Arch.....155 - -VI. _IN AND ABOUT GORHAM_: The Peabody Valley.--Copp's Farm.--The -Imp.--Nathaniel Copp's Adventure.--Gorham and the Androscoggin.--Mount -Hayes.--Mount Madison.--Wholesale Destruction of the Forests.--Logging -in the Mountains.--Berlin Falls.--Shelburne and Bethel.....165 - -VII. _ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD_: Bruin and the Travellers.--The -Ledge.--The Great Gulf.--Fatal Accident.--Lost Travellers.--Arrival at -the Signal-station.--A Night on the Summit.....178 - -VIII. _MOUNT WASHINGTON_: View from the Summit.--The Great Gale.--Life -on the Summit.--Shadow of Mount Washington.--Bigelow's Lawn.--The Hunter -Monument.--Lake of the Clouds.--The Mountain Butterfly.....189 - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - -I. _THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE_: Plymouth.--Death of Hawthorne.--John -Stark, the Hunter.--Livermore Fall.--Trout and Salmon -Breeding.--Franconia Mountains from West Campton.--Settlement of -Campton.--Valley of Mad River.--Tripyramid Mountain.--Waterville and its -Surroundings.....209 - -II. _THE FRANCONIA PASS_: The Flume House.--The Pool.--The -Flume.--Ascent of Mount Pemigewasset.--The Basin.--Mount -Cannon.--Profile Lake.--Old Man of the Mountain.--Summit of the -Pass.....224 - -III. _THE KING OF FRANCONIA_: Profile House and Glen.--Eagle -Cliff.--Echo Lake.--Ascent of Mount Lafayette.--The Lakes.--Singular -Atmospheric Effects.....237 - -IV. _FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD_: The Roadside Spring.--Franconia -Iron Works and Vicinity.--Sugar Hill.....248 - -V. _THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW_: Newbury and Haverhill.....256 - -VI. _THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES_: Robert Rogers, the -Ranger.--Destruction of the Abenaqui Village.--Retreat and Pursuit of -the Rangers.--Legend of the Silver Image.....259 - -VII. _MOOSEHILLOCK_: Ascent of the Mountain from Warren.--View from the -Summit.....267 - -VIII. _BETHLEHEM_: Bethlehem Street.--Sudden Rise of a Mountain -Resort.--The Environs.--Maplewood and the Great Range.--The Place of -Sunsets.--The "Hermit."--The Soldier turned Peddler.....276 - -IX. _JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER_: Jefferson -Hill.--Starr King and Cherry Mountains.--The Great Chain Again.--Thomas -Starr King.--Ethan Crawford's.--Ravine of the Cascades.--Randolph Hill -and King's Ravine.--The Cherry Mountain Road.--Fabyan's.--Captain -Rosebrook .....291 - -X. _THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS_: The Mountain Railway.--An Evening -Ascension.--Moonlight on the Summit.--Sunrise.--A March to Mount -Adams.--The Great Gulf of the Five Mountains.--The Castellated -Ridge.--Peak of Mount Adams.--Conclusion.....304 - - - - - -Illustrations. - - -These Illustrations, excepting those marked *, were designed by W. -HAMILTON GIBSON. - -SUBJECT. ENGRAVER. PAGE. -TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON _R. Hoskin_ Frontispiece - -WINNIPISEOGEE, FROM RED HILL _J. Tinkey_ 15 - -*"ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!" _V. Bernstrom_ 20 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -PASSACONNAWAY, FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER _Smithwick and French_ 24 - -CHOCORUA _R. Hoskin_ 26 - -LOVEWELL'S POND _J. P. Davis_ 34 - -MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM THE SACO _F. S. King_ 40 - -THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY _E. Held_ 41 - -ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY _G. J. Buechner_ 45 - -KEARSARGE IN WINTER _R. Hoskin_ 48 - -*SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE _H. Deis_ 53 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -CONWAY MEADOWS _W. H. Morse_ 56 - -BARTLETT BOWLDER _E. Held_ 58 - -*NANCY IN THE SNOW _J. P. Davis_ 68 - _Designed by Sol Eytinge._ - -*ABEL CRAWFORD (PORTRAIT) _Thos. Johnson_ 70 - -STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY _J. Linton_ 75 - -MOUNT WILLARD, FROM WILLEY BROOK _G. Smith_ 78 - -THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER _F. S. King_ 85 - -ELEPHANT'S HEAD, WINTER _H. Wolf_ 88 - -LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH _C. Mayer_ 91 - -GIANT'S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN _J. Hellawell_ 124 - -MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS _F. Pettit_ 126 - -THE CARTER NOTCH _Smithwick and French_ 134 - -THE EMERALD POOL _W. H. Morse_ 147 - -THE CRYSTAL CASCADE _H. Wolf_ 149 - -THE PATH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE _R. Hoskin_ 157 - -HERMIT LAKE _W. J. Dana_ 160 - -SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE _N. Orr_ 163 - -THE IMP _J. Tinkey_ 166 - -THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE _G. Smith_ 176 - -MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF _W. H. Morse_ 182 - -WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT _R. Schelling_ 187 - -*THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE _J. Tinkey_ 194 - _Designed by Thure de Thulstrup_ - -LAKE OF THE CLOUDS _J. P. Davis_ 200 - -ON THE PROFILE ROAD _Smithwick and French_ 213 - -WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER _J. Hellawell_ 217 - -BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS _J. S. Harley_ 220 - -FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON _F. S. King_ 222 - -A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL _C. Mayer_ 225 - -THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH _J. P. Davis_ 227 - -THE BASIN _G. J. Buechner_ 230 - -*THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN _A. Measom_ 234 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -*EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE _P. Annin_ 238 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -ECHO LAKE, FRANCONIA _G. J. Buechner_ 240 - -MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, -LAFAYETTE _R. Schelling_ 242 - -CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE _R. Hoskin_ 245 - -*FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH _C. Mayer_ 248 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -*THE ROADSIDE SPRING 250 - _Designed by W. A . Rogers._ - -*ROBERT ROGERS (PORTRAIT) _C. Mayer_ 260 - -*THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON 274 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM _J. Tinkey_ 280 - -THE NORTHERN PEAKS, FROM JEFFERSON _Smithwick and French_ 292 - -MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN'S _E. Held_ 301 - -*MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING -TIMES _T. Johnson_ 305 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY _J. Hellawell_ 309 - -THE CASTELLATED RIDGE, MOUNT JEFFERSON _J. Tinkey_ 315 - -MAP OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS (_East Side_) xv - - " " " (_Central and Northern Section_) 111 - - " " " (_West Side_) 207 - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - - - PAGE - -I. _MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS_ 1 - -II. _INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE_ 8 - -III. _CHOCORUA_ 18 - -IV. _LOVEWELL_ 33 - -V. _NORTH CONWAY_ 39 - -VI. _KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN_ 55 - -VII. _VALLEY OF THE SACO_ 66 - -VIII. _THROUGH THE NOTCH_ 76 - -IX. _CRAWFORD'S_ 87 - -X. _ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S_ 95 - -[Illustration: [Map]] - - - - -THE - -HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. - - - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - -I. - -_MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS._ - - "Si jeunesse savait! si viellesse pouvait!" - - -One morning in September I was sauntering up and down the -railway-station waiting for the slow hands of the clock to reach the -hour fixed for the departure of the train. The fact that these hands -never move backward did not in the least seem to restrain the impatience -of the travellers thronging into the station, some with happy, some with -anxious faces, some without trace of either emotion, yet all betraying -the same eagerness and haste of manner. All at once I heard my name -pronounced, and felt a heavy hand upon my shoulder. - -"What!" I exclaimed, in genuine surprise, "is it you, colonel?" - -"Myself," affirmed the speaker, offering his cigar-case. - -"And where did you drop from"--accepting an Havana; "the Blue Grass?" - -"I reckon." - -"But what are you doing in New England, when you should be in Kentucky?" - -"Doing, I? oh, well," said my friend, with a shade of constraint; then -with a quizzical smile, "You are a Yankee; guess." - -"Take care." - -"Guess." - -"Running away from your creditors?" - -The colonel's chin cut the air contemptuously. - -"Running after a woman, perhaps?" - -My companion quickly took the cigar from his lips, looked at me with -mouth half opened, then stammered, "What in blue brimstone put that into -your head?" - -"Evidently you are going on a journey, but are dressed for an evening -party," I replied, comprising with a glance the colonel's black suit, -lavender gloves, and white cravat. - -"Why," said the colonel, glancing rather complacently at himself--"why -we Kentuckians always travel so at home. But it's now your turn; where -are you going yourself?" - -"To the mountains." - -"Good; so am I: White Mountains, Green Mountains, Rocky Mountains, or -Mountains of the Moon, I care not." - -"What is your route?" - -"I'm not at all familiar with the topography of your mountains. What is -yours?" - -"By the Eastern to Lake Winnipiseogee, thence to Centre Harbor, thence -by stage and rail to North Conway and the White Mountain Notch." - -My friend purchased his ticket by the indicated route, and the train -was soon rumbling over the bridges which span the Charles and Mystic. -Farewell, Boston, city where, like thy railways, all extremes meet, but -where I would still rather live on a crust moistened with east wind than -cast my lot elsewhere. - -When we had fairly emerged into the light and sunshine of the open -country, I recognized my old acquaintance George Brentwood. At a gesture -from me he came and sat opposite to us. - -George Brentwood was a blond young man of thirty-four or thirty-five, -with brown hair, full reddish beard, shrewdish blue eyes, a robust -frame, and a general air of negligent repose. In a word, he was the -antipodes of my companion, whose hair, eyebrows, and mustache were -coal-black, eyes dark and sparkling, manner nervous, and his attitudes -careless and unconstrained, though not destitute of a certain natural -grace. Both were men to be remarked in a crowd. - -"George," said I, "permit me to introduce my friend Colonel Swords." - -After a few civil questions and answers, George declared his -destination to be ours, and was cordially welcomed to join us. By way -of breaking the ice, he observed, - -"Apropos of your title, colonel, I presume you served in the Rebellion?" - -The colonel hitched a little on his seat before replying. Knowing him -to be a very modest man, I came to his assistance. "Yes," said I, "the -colonel fought hard and bled freely. Let me see, where were you wounded?" - -"Through the chest." - -"No, I mean in what battle?" - -"Spottsylvania." - -"Left on the field for dead, and taken prisoner," I finished. - -George is a fellow of very generous impulses. "My dear sir," said he, -effusively, grasping the colonel's hand, "after what you have suffered -for the old flag, you can need no other passport to the gratitude and -friendship of a New-Englander. Count me as one of your debtors. During -the war it was my fortune--my misfortune, I should say--to be in a -distant country; otherwise we should have been found fighting shoulder -to shoulder under Grant, or Sherman, or Sheridan, or Thomas. - -The colonel's color rose. He drew himself proudly up, cleared his -throat, and said, laconically, "Hardly, stranger, seeing that I had the -honor to fight under the Confederate flag." - -You have seen a tortoise suddenly draw back into his shell. Well, George -as suddenly retreated into his. For an instant he looked at the Southron -as one might at a confessed murderer; then stammered out a few random -and unmeaning words about mistaken sense of duty--gallant but useless -struggle, you know--drew a newspaper from his pocket, and hid his -confusion behind it. - -Fearing my fiery Kentuckian might let fall some unlucky word that would -act like a live coal dropped on the tortoise's back, I hastened to -interpose. "But really, colonel," I urged, returning to the charge, -"with the Blue Ridge always at your back, I wager you did not come a -thousand miles merely to see our mountains. Come, what takes you from -Lexington?" - -"A truant disposition." - -"Nothing else?" - -His dark face grew swarthy, then pale. He looked at me doubtfully a -moment, and then leaned close to my ear. "You guessed it," he whispered. - -"A woman?" - -"Yes; you know that I was taken prisoner and sent North. Through the -influence of a friend who had known my family before the war, I was -allowed to pass my first days of convalescence in a beautiful little -village in Berkshire. There I was cured of the bullet, but received a -more mortal wound." - -"What a misfortune!" - -"Yes; no; confound you, let me finish." - -"Helen, the daughter of the gentleman who procured my transfer from the -hospital to his pleasant home" (the proud Southerner would not say his -benefactor), "was a beautiful creature. Let me describe her to you." - -"Oh," I hastened to say, "I know her." Like all lovers, that subject -might have a beginning but no ending. - -"You?" - -"Of course. Listen. Yellow hair, rippling ravishingly from an alabaster -forehead, pink cheeks, pouting lips, dimpled chin, snowy throat--" - -The colonel made a gesture of impatience. "Pshaw, that's a type, not a -portrait. Well, the upshot of it was that I was exchanged, and ordered -to report at Baltimore for transportation to our lines. Imagine my -dismay. No, you can't, for I was beginning to think she cared for me, -and I was every day getting deeper and deeper in love. But to tell her! -That posed me. When alone with her, my cowardly tongue clove to the roof -of my mouth. Once or twice I came very near bawling out, 'I love you!' -just as I would have given an order to a squadron to charge a battery." - -"Well; but you did propose at last?" - -"Oh yes." - -"And was accepted." - -The colonel lowered his head, and his face grew pinched. - -"Refused gently, but positively refused." - -"Come," I hazarded, thinking the story ended, "I do not like your Helen." - -"Why?" - -"Because either you are mistaken, or she seems just a little of a -coquette." - -"Oh, you don't know her," said the colonel, warmly; "when we parted she -betrayed unusual agitation--for her; but I was cut to the quick by her -refusal, and determined not to let her see how deeply I felt it. After -the Deluge--you know what I mean--after the tragedy at Appomattox, I -went back to the old home. Couldn't stay there. I tried New Orleans, -Cuba. No use." - -Something rose in the colonel's throat, but he gulped it down and went -on: - -"The image of that girl pursues me. Did you ever try running away from -yourself? Well, after fighting it out with myself until I could endure -it no longer, I put pride in my pocket, came straight to Berkshire, only -to find Helen gone." - -"That was unlucky; where?" - -"To the mountains, of course. Everybody seems to be going there; but I -shall find her." - -"Don't be too sanguine. It will be like looking for a needle in a -hay-stack. The mountains are a perfect Ddalian labyrinth," I could not -help saying, in my vexation. Instead of an ardent lover of nature, I had -picked up the "baby of a girl." But there was George Brentwood. I went -over and sat by George. - -It was generally understood that George was deeply enamored of a young -and beautiful widow who had long ceased to count her love affairs, -who all the world, except George, knew loved only herself, and who -had therefore nothing left worth mentioning to bestow upon another. -By nature a coquette, passionately fond of admiration, her self-love -was flattered by the attentions of such a man as George, and he, poor -fellow, driven one day to the verge of despair, the next intoxicated -with the crumbs she threw him, was the victim of a species of slavery -which was fast undermining his buoyant and generous disposition. The -colonel was in hot pursuit of his adored Helen. Two words sufficed to -acquaint me that George was escaping from his beautiful tormentor. At -all events, I was sure of him. - -"How charming the country is! What a delightful sense of freedom!" -George drew a deep breath, and stretched his limbs luxuriously. "Shall -we have an old-fashioned tramp together?" He continued, with assumed -vivacity, "The deuce take me if I go back to town for a twelve-month. -How we creep along! I feel exultation in putting the long miles between -me and the accursed city," said George, at last. - -"You experience no regret, then, at leaving the city?" - -George merely looked at me; but he could not have spoken more eloquently. - -The train had just left Portsmouth, when the conductor entered the car -holding aloft a yellow envelope. Every eye was instantly riveted upon -it. Conversation ceased. For whom of the fifty or sixty occupants of -the car had this flash overtaken the express train? In that moment the -criminal realized the futility of flight, the merchant the uncertainty -of his investments, the man of leisure all the ordinary contingencies of -life. The conductor put an end to the suspense by demanding, - -"Is Mr. George Brentwood in this car?" - -In spite of an heroic effort at self-control, George's hand trembled as -he tore open the envelope; but as he read his face became radiant. Had -he been alone I believe he would have kissed the paper. - -"Your news is not bad?" I ventured to ask, seeing him relapse into a -fit of musing, and noting the smile that came and went like a ripple on -still water. - -"Thank you, quite the contrary; but it is important that I should -immediately return to Boston." - -"How unfortunate!" - -George turned on me a fixed and questioning look, but made no reply. - -"And the mountains?" I persisted. - -"Oh, sink the mountains!" - -I last saw George striding impatiently up and down the platform of the -Rochester station, watch in hand. Without doubt he had received his -recall. However, there was still the lovelorn colonel. - -Never have I seen a man more thoroughly enraptured with the growing -beauty of the scenery. I promised myself much enjoyment in his society, -for his comments were both original and picturesque; so that by the time -we arrived at Wolfborough I had already forgotten George and his widow. - -There was the usual throng of idlers lounging about the pier with -their noses in the air, and their hands in their pockets; perhaps more -than the usual confusion, for the steamer merely touched to take and -leave passengers. We went on board. As the bell tolled the colonel -uttered an exclamation. He became all on a sudden transformed from a -passive spectator into an excited and prominent actor in the scene. -He gesticulated wildly, swung his hat, and shouted in a frantic way, -apparently to attract the attention of some one in the crowd; failing in -which he seized his luggage, took the stairs in two steps, and darting -like a rocket among the astonished spectators, who divided to the right -and left before his impetuous onset, was in the act of vigorously -shaking hands with a hale old gentleman of fifty odd when the boat swung -clear. He waved his unoccupied hand, and I saw his face wreathed in -smiles. I could not fail to interpret the gesture as an adieu. - -"Halloo!" I shouted, "what of the mountains?" - -"Burn the mountains!" was his reply. The steamer glided swiftly down the -little bay, and I was left to continue my journey alone. - - - - -II. - -_INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE._ - - First a lake - Tinted with sunset, next the wavy lines - Of far receding hills.--WHITTIER. - - -When the steamer glides out of the land-locked inlet at the bottom -of which Wolfborough is situated, one of those pictures, forever -ineffaceable, presents itself. In effect, all the conditions of a -picture are realized. Here is the shining expanse of the lake stretching -away in the distance, and finally lost among tufted inlets and -foliage-rounded promontories. To the right are the Ossipee mountains, -dark, vigorously outlined, and wooded to their summits. To the left, -more distant, rise the twin domes of the Belknap peaks. In front, and -closing the view, the imposing Sandwich summits dominate the scene. - -All these mountains seem advancing into the lake. They possess a -special character of color, outline, or physiognomy which fixes them -in the memory, not confusedly, but in the place appropriate to this -beautiful picture, to its fine proportions, exquisite harmony, and -general effectiveness. Even M. Chateaubriand, who maintains that -mountains should only be seen from a distance--even he would have found -in Winnipiseogee the perfection of his ideal _mise en scne_; for here -they stand well back from the lake, so as to give the best effect of -perspective. - -Lovely as the lake is, the eye will rove among the mountains that we -have come to see. They, and they alone, are the objects which have -enticed us--entice us even now with a charm and mystery that we cannot -pretend to explain. We do not wish it explained. We know that we are -as free, as light of heart, as the birds that skim the placid surface -of the lake, and coquet with their own shadows. The memory of those -mountains is like snatches of music that come unbidden and haunt you -perpetually. - -Having taken in the grander features, the eye is occupied with its -details. We see the lake quivering in sunshine. From bold summit to -beautiful water the shores are clothed in most vivid green. The islands, -which we believe to be floating gardens, are almost tropical in the -luxuriance and richness of their vegetation. The deep shadows they fling -down image each islet so faithfully that it seems, like Narcissus, -gloating over its own beauty. Here and there a glimmer of water through -the trees denotes secluded little havens. Boats float idly on the calm -surface. Water-fowl rise and beat the glossy, dark water with startled -wings. White tents appear, and handkerchiefs flutter from jutting points -or headlands. Over all tower the mountains. - -The steamer glided swiftly and noiselessly on, attended by the echo -of her paddles from the shores. Dimpled waves, parting from her prow, -rolled indolently in, and broke on the foam-fretted rocks. There was a -warmth of color about these rocks, a pure transparency to the water, a -brightness to the foliage, an invigorating strength in the mountains -that exerted a cheerful influence upon our spirits. - -As we advanced up the lake new and rare vistas rapidly succeeded. -After leaving Long Island behind, the near ranges drew apart, holding -us admiring and absorbed spectators of a moving panorama of distant -summits. An opening appeared, through which Mount Washington burst upon -us blue as lapis-lazuli, a chaplet of clouds crowning his imperial -front. Slowly, majestically, he marches by, and now Chocorua scowls upon -us. A murmur of admiration ran from group to group as these monumental -figures were successively unveiled. Men kept silence, but women could -not repress the exclamation, "How beautiful!" The two grandest types -which these mountains enclose were thus displayed in the full splendor -of noonday. - -I should add that those who now saw Mount Washington for the first -time, and whose curiosity was whetted by the knowledge that it was the -highest peak of the whole family of mountains, openly manifested their -disappointment. That Mount Washington! It was in vain to remind them -that the eye traversed forty miles in its flight from lake to summit. -Fault of perspective or not, the mountain was not nearly so high as -they imagined. Chocorua, on the contrary, with its ashen spire and -olive-green flanks, realized more fully their idea of a high mountain. -One was near, the other far. Imagination fails to make a mountain higher -than it looks. The mind takes its measure after the eye. - -Our boat was now rapidly nearing Centre Harbor. On the right its -progress gradually unmasking the western slopes of the Ossipee range, -more fully opened the view of Chocorua and his dependent peaks. We -were looking in the direction of Tamworth. Ossipee, and Conway. Red -Hill, a detached mountain at the head of the lake, now moved into the -gap, excluding further views of distant summits. Moosehillock, lofty -but unimpressive, has for some time showed its flattened heights over -the Sandwich Mountains, but is now sinking behind them. To the west, -thronged with islands, is the long reach of water toward the outlet of -the lake at Weirs.[1] - -This lake was the highway over which Indian war-parties advanced or -retreated during their predatory incursions from Canada. Many captives -must have crossed it whom its mountain walls seemed forever destined to -separate from friends and kindred. The Indians who inhabited villages at -Winnipiseogee (Weirs), Ossipee, and Pigwacket (Fryeburg), were hostile; -and from time to time during the old wars troops were marched from -the English settlements to subdue them. These scouting-parties found -the woods well stocked with bear, moose, and deer, and the lake with -salmon-trout, some of which, according to the narrative before me, were -three feet long, and weighed twelve pounds each. - -Traces of Indian occupation remained up to the present century. -Fishing-weirs and woodland paths were frequently discovered by the -whites; but a greater curiosity than either is mentioned by Dr. Belknap, -in his "History of New Hampshire," who there tells of a pine-tree, -standing on the shore of Winnipiseogee River, on which was carved a -canoe with two men in it, supposed to have been a mark of direction to -those who were expected to follow. Another was a tree in Moultonborough, -standing near a carrying-place between two ponds. On this tree was a -representation of one of their expeditions. The number of killed and -the prisoners were shown by rude drawings of human beings, the former -being distinguished by the mark of a knife across the throat. Even the -distinction of sex was preserved in the drawing. - -Centre Harbor is advantageously situated for a sojourn more or less -prolonged. Although settled as early as 1755, it is, in common with the -other lake towns, barren of history or tradition. Its greatest impulse -is, beyond question, the tide of tourists which annually ebbs and flows -among the most sequestered nooks, enriching this charming region like an -inundation of the Nile. An anecdote will, however, serve to illustrate -the character of the men who first subdued this wilderness. Our anecdote -represents its hero a man of resources. His career proves him a man of -courage. Although a veritable personage, let us call him General Hampton. - -The fact that General Hampton lived in that only half-cleared atmosphere -following the age of credulity and superstition, naturally accounts -for the extraordinary legend concerning him which, for the rest, had -its origin among his own friends and neighbors, who merely shared the -general belief in the practice of diabolic arts, through compacts with -the arch-enemy of mankind himself, universally prevailing in that -day--yes, prevailing all over Christendom. By a mere legend, we are thus -able to lay hold of the thread which conducts us back through the dark -era of superstition and delusion, and which is now so amazing. - -The general, says the legend, encountered a far more notable adversary -than Abenaki warriors or conjurers, among whom he had lived, and whom it -was the passion of his life to exterminate. - -In an evil hour his yearning to amass wealth suddenly led him to declare -that he would sell his soul for the possession of unbounded riches. -Think of the devil, and he is at your elbow. The fatal declaration was -no sooner made--the general was sitting alone by his fireside--than -a shower of sparks came down the chimney, out of which stepped a man -dressed from top to toe in black velvet. The astonished Hampton noticed -that the stranger's ruffles were not even smutted. - -"Your servant, general," quoth the stranger, suavely, "but let us make -haste, if you please, for I am expected at the governor's in a quarter -of an hour," he added, picking up a live coal with his thumb and -forefinger and consulting his watch with it. - -The general's wits began to desert him. Portsmouth was five leagues, -long ones at that, from Hampton House, and his strange visitor talked, -with the utmost unconcern, of getting there in fifteen minutes. His -astonishment caused him to stammer out, - -"Then you must be the--" - -"Tush! what signifies a name?" interrupted the stranger, with a -deprecating wave of the hand. "Come, do we understand each other? is it -a bargain or not?" - -At the talismanic word "bargain" the general pricked up his ears. He had -often been heard to say that neither man nor devil could get the better -of him in a trade. He took out his jack-knife and began to whittle. The -devil took out his, and began to pare his nails. - -"But what proof have I that you can perform what you promise?" demanded -Hampton, pursing up his mouth, and contracting his bushy eyebrows. - -The fiend ran his fingers carelessly through his peruke; a shower of -golden guineas fell to the floor, and rolled to the four corners of the -room. The general quickly stooped to pick up one; but no sooner had his -fingers closed upon it than he uttered a yell. It was red-hot. - -The devil chuckled. "Try again," he said. - -But Hampton shook his head, and retreated a step. - -"Don't be afraid." - -Hampton cautiously touched a coin. It was cool. He weighed it in his -hand, and rung it on the table. It was full weight and true ring. Then -he went down on his hands and knees, and began to gather up the guineas -with feverish haste. - -"Are you satisfied?" demanded Satan. - -"Completely, your majesty." - -"Then to business. By-the-way, have you anything to drink in the house?" - -"There is some Old Jamaica in the cupboard." - -"Excellent. I am as thirsty as a Puritan on election-day," said the -devil, seating himself at the table and negligently flinging his mantle -back over his shoulder. - -Hampton brought a decanter and a couple of glasses from the cupboard, -filled one and passed it to his infernal guest, who tasted it, and -smacked his lips with the air of a connoisseur. Hampton watched every -gesture. "Does your excellency not find it to his taste?" he ventured to -ask. - -"H'm, I have drunk worse; but let me show you how to make a salamander," -replied Satan, touching the lighted end of the taper to the liquor, -which instantly burst into a spectral blue flame. The fiend then -raised the tankard, glanced approvingly at the blaze--which to -Hampton's disordered intellect resembled an adder's forked and agile -tongue--nodded, and said, patronizingly, "To our better acquaintance." -He then quaffed the contents at a single gulp. - -Hampton shuddered. This was not the way he had been used to seeing -healths drunk. He pretended, however, to drink, for fear of giving -offence, but somehow the liquor choked him. The demon set down the -tankard, and observed, in a matter-of-fact way that put his listener in -a cold sweat, - -"Now that you are convinced I am able to make you the richest man in all -the province, listen. In consideration of your agreement, duly signed -and sealed, to deliver your soul"--here he drew a parchment from his -breast--"I engage, on my part, on the first day of every month, to fill -your boots with golden elephants like these before you. But mark me -well," said Satan, holding up a forefinger glittering with diamonds; "if -you try to play me any trick you will repent it. I know you, Jonathan -Hampton, and shall keep my eye upon you. So beware!" - -Hampton flinched a little at this plain speech; but a thought seemed to -strike him, and he brightened up. Satan opened the scroll, smoothed out -the creases, dipped a pen in the inkhorn at his girdle, and pointing to -a blank space said, laconically, "Sign!" - -Hampton hesitated. - -"If you are afraid," sneered Satan, "why put me to all this trouble?" -And he began to put the gold in his pocket. - -His victim seized the pen, but his hand shook so he could not write. He -gulped down a swallow of rum, stole a look at his infernal guest, who -nodded his head by way of encouragement, and a second time approached -his pen to the paper. The struggle was soon over. The unhappy Hampton -wrote his name at the bottom of the fatal list, which he was astonished -to see numbered some of the highest personages in the province. "I shall -at least be in good company," he muttered. - -"Good!" said Satan, rising and putting the scroll carefully within his -breast. "Rely on me, general, and be sure you keep faith. Remember!" -So saying, the demon waved his hand, wrapped his mantle about him, and -vanished up the chimney. - -Satan performed his part of the contract to the letter. On the first day -of every month the boots, which were hung on the crane in the fireplace -the night before, were found in the morning stuffed full of guineas. It -is true that Hampton had ransacked the village for the largest pair to -be found, and had finally secured a brace of trooper's boots, which came -up to the wearer's thigh; but the contract merely expressed boots, and -the devil does not stand upon trifles. - -Hampton rolled in wealth. Everything prospered. His neighbors regarded -him first with envy, then with aversion, at last with fear. Not a few -affirmed he had entered into a league with the Evil One. Others shook -their heads, saying, "What does it signify? that man would outwit the -devil himself." - -But one morning, when the fiend came as usual to fill the boots, what -was his astonishment to find that he could not fill them. He poured in -the guineas, but it was like pouring water into a rat-hole. The more he -put in, the more the quantity seemed to diminish. In vain he persisted: -the boots could not be filled. - -The devil scratched his ear. "I must look into this," he reflected. -No sooner said than he attempted to descend, but found his progress -suddenly arrested. The chimney was choked up with guineas. Foaming with -rage, the demon tore the boots from the crane. The crafty general had -cut off the soles, leaving only the legs for the devil to fill. The -chamber was knee-deep with gold. - -The devil gave a horrible grin, and disappeared. The same night Hampton -House was burnt to the ground, the general only escaping in his shirt. -He had been dreaming he was dead and in hell. His precious guineas were -secreted in the wainscot, the ceiling, and other hiding-places known -only to himself. He blasphemed, wept, and tore his hair. Suddenly he -grew calm. After all, the loss was not irreparable, he reflected. Gold -would melt, it is true; but he would find it all, of course he would, -at daybreak, run into a solid lump in the cellar--every guinea. That is -true of ordinary gold. - -The general worked with the energy of despair clearing away the rubbish. -He refused all offers of assistance: he dared not accept them. But the -gold had vanished. Whether it was really consumed, or had passed again -into the massy entrails of the earth, will never be known. It is certain -that every vestige of it had disappeared. - -When the general died and was buried, strange rumors began to circulate. -To quiet them, the grave was opened; but when the lid was removed from -the coffin, it was found to be empty. - -Having reached Centre Harbor at two in the afternoon, there was still -time to ascend Red Hill before sunset. This eminence would be called -a mountain anywhere else. Its altitude is inconsiderable, but its -situation at the head of the lake, on its very borders, is highly -favorable to a commanding prospect of the surrounding lake region. -There are two summits, the northern and highest being only a little -more than two thousand feet. - -[Illustration: WINNIPISEOGEE FROM RED HILL.] - -For such an excursion little preparation is necessary. In fact a -carriage-road ascends within a mile of the superior summit; and from -this point the path is one of the easiest I have ever traversed. The -value of a pure atmosphere is so well understood by every mountain -tourist that he will neglect no opportunity which this thrice-fickle -element offers him. This was a day of days. - -After a little promenade of two hours, or two hours and a half, I -reached the cairn on the summit, from which a tattered signal flag -fluttered in the breeze. Without extravagance, the view is one of the -most engaging that the eye ever looked upon. I had before me that -beautiful valley extending between the Sandwich chain on the left and -the Ossipee range on the right, the distance filled by a background of -mountains. It was across this valley that we saw Mount Washington, while -coming up the lake. But that noble peak was now hid. - -The first chain trending to the west threw one gigantic arm around the -beautiful little Squam Lake, which like a magnificent gem sparkled at my -feet. The second stretched its huge rampart along the eastern shores of -Winnipiseogee. - -The surface of this valley is tumbled about in most charming disorder. -Three villages crowned as many eminences in the foreground; three little -lakes, half hid in the middle distance, blue as turquoise, lighted the -fading hues of field and forest. Hamlets and farms, groves and forests -innumerable, were scattered broadcast over this inviting landscape. The -harvests were gathered, and the mellowed tints of green, orange, and -gold resembled rich old tapestry. Men and animals looked like insects -creeping along the roads. - -From this point of view the Sandwich Mountains took far greater interest -and character, and I remarked that no two summits were precisely alike -in form or outline. Higher and more distant peaks peered curiously -over their brawny shoulders from their lairs in the valley of the -Pemigewasset; but more remarkable, more weird than all, was the gigantic -monolith which tops the rock-ribbed pile of Chocorua. The more I looked, -the more this monstrous freak of nature fascinated. As the sun glided -down the west, a ruddy glow tinged its pinnacle; while the shadows -lurking in the ravines stole up the mountain side and crouched for a -final spring upon the summit. Little by little, twilight flowed over the -valley, and a thin haze rose from its surface. - -I had waited for this moment, and now turned to the lakes. Winnipiseogee -was visible throughout its whole length, the multitude of islands -peeping above it giving the idea of an inundation rather than an inland -sea. On the farthest shores mere specks of white denoted houses; and -traced in faint relief on the southern sky, so unsubstantial, indeed, -as to render it doubtful if it were sky or mountain, was the Grand -Monadnock, the fixed sentinel of all this august assemblage of mountains. - -Glowing in sunset splendor, streaked with all the hues of the rainbow, -the lake was indeed magnificent. - -In vain the eve roved hither and thither seeking some foil to this -peerless beauty. Everywhere the same unrivalled picture led it captive -over thirty miles of gleaming water, up the graceful curves of the -mountains, to rest at last among crimson clouds floating in rosy vapor -over their notched summits. - -Imagination must assist the reader to reproduce this ravishing -spectacle. To attempt to describe it is like a profanation. Paradise -seemed to have opened wide its gates to my enraptured gaze; or had -I surprised the secrets of the unknown world? I stood silent and -spellbound, with a strange, exquisite feeling at the heart. I felt a -thrill of pain when a voice from the forest broke the solemn stillness -which alone befitted this almost supernatural vision. Now I understood -the pagan's adoration of the sun. My mind ran over the most striking or -touching incidents of Scripture, where the sublimity of the scene is -always in harmony with the grandeur of the event--the Temptation, the -Sermon on the Mount, the Transfiguration--and memory brought to my aid -these words, so simple, so tender, yet so expressive, "And he went up -into the mountain to pray, himself, alone." - - - - -III. - -_CHOCORUA._ - - "There I saw above me mountains, - And I asked of them what century - Met them in their youth." - - -After a stay at Centre Harbor long enough to gain a knowledge of its -charming environs, but which seemed all too brief, I took the stage at -two o'clock one sunny afternoon for Tamworth. I had resolved, if the -following morning should be clear, to ascend Chocorua, which from the -summit of Red Hill seemed to fling his defiance from afar. - -Following my custom, I took an outside seat with the driver. There being -only three or four passengers, what is frequently a bone of contention -was settled without that display of impudent selfishness which is seen -when a dozen or more travellers are all struggling for precedence. But -at the steamboat landing the case was different. I remained a quiet -looker-on of the scene that ensued. It was sufficiently ridiculous. - -At the moment the steamboat touched her pier the passengers prepared to -spring to the shore, and force had to be used to keep them back until -she could be secured. An instant after the crowd rushed pell-mell up -the wharf, surrounded the stage, and began, women as well as men, a -promiscuous scramble for the two or three unoccupied seats at the top. - -Two men and one woman succeeded in obtaining the prizes. The woman -interested me by the intense triumph that sparkled in her black eyes -and glowed on her cheeks at having distanced several competitors of her -own sex, to say nothing of the men. She beamed! As I made room for her, -she said, with a toss of the head, "I guess I haven't been through Lake -George for nothing." - -Crack! We were jolting along the road, around the base of Red Hill, the -horses stepping briskly out at the driver's chirrup, the coach pitching -and lurching like a gondola in a sea. What a sense of exhilaration, -of lightness! The air so pure and elastic, the odor of the pines so -fragrant, so invigorating, which we breathe with all the avidity of -a convalescent who for the first time crosses the threshold of his -chamber. Each moment I felt my body growing lighter. A delicious -sense of self-ownership breaks the chain binding us to the toiling, -struggling, worrying life we have left behind. We carry our world with -us. Life begins anew, or rather it has only just begun. - -The view of the ranges which on either side elevate two immense walls of -green is kept for nearly the whole distance. As we climb the hill into -Sandwich, Mount Israel is the prominent object; then brawny Whiteface, -Passaconnaway's pyramid, Chocorua's mutilated spire advance, in their -turn, into line. Sometimes we were in a thick forest, sometimes on a -broad, sunny glade; now threading our way through groves of pitch-pine, -now winding along the banks of the Bear-Camp River. - -The views of the mountains, as the afternoon wore away, grew more -and more interesting. The ravines darkened, the summits brightened. -Cloud-shadows chased each other up and down the steeps, or, flitting -slowly across the valley, spread thick mantles of black that seemed to -deaden the sound of our wheels as we passed over them. On one side all -was light, on the other all gloom. But the landscape is not all that may -be seen to advantage from the top of a stage-coach. - -From time to time, as something provoked an exclamation of surprise or -pleasure, certain of the inside occupants manifested open discontent. -They were losing something where they had expected to see everything. - -While the horses were being changed, one of the insides, I need not say -it was a woman, thrust her head out of the window, and addressed the -young person perched like a bird upon the highest seat. Her voice was -soft and persuasive: - -"Miss!" - -"Madam!" - -"I'm so afraid you find it too cold up there. Sha'n't I change places -with you?" - -The little one gave her voice a droll inflection as she briskly replied, -"Oh dear no, thank you; I'm very comfortable indeed." - -"But," urged the other, "you don't look strong; indeed, dear, you don't. -Aren't you very, very tired, sitting so long without any support to your -back?" - -"Thanks, no; my spine is the strongest part of me." - -"But," still persisted the inside, changing her voice to a loud whisper, -"to be sitting alone with all those men!" - -[Illustration: "ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!"] - -"They mind their business, and I mind mine," said the little one, -reddening; "besides," she quickly added, "you proposed changing places, -I believe!" - -"Oh!" returned the other, with an accent impossible to convey in words, -"if you like it." - -"I tell you what, ma'am," snapped the one in possession, "I've been all -over Europe alone, and was never once insulted except by persons of my -own sex." - -This home-thrust ended the colloquy. The first speaker quickly drew in -her head, and I remarked a general twitching of muscles on the faces -around me. The driver shook his head in silent glee. The little woman's -eyes emitted sparks. - -From West Ossipee I drove over to Tamworth Iron Works, where I passed -the night, and where I had, so to speak, Chocorua under my thumb. - -This mountain being the most proper for a legend, it accordingly has -one. Here it is in all its purity: - -After the terrible battle in which the Sokokis were nearly destroyed, -a remnant of the tribe, with their chief, Chocorua, fled into the -fastnesses of these mountains, where the foot of a white man had never -intruded. Here they trapped the beaver, speared the salmon, and hunted -the moose. - -The survivors of Lovewell's band brought the first news of their -disaster to the settlements. More like spectres than living men, their -haggard looks, bloodshot eyes, and shaking limbs, their clothing hanging -about them in shreds, announced the hardships of that long and terrible -march but too plainly. - -Among those who had set out with the expedition were three brothers--one -a mere stripling, the others famous hunters. The eldest of the three, -having fallen lame on the second day, was left behind. His brethren -would have conducted him back to the nearest village, but he promptly -refused their proffered aid, saying, - -"'Tis enough to lose one man; three are too many. Go; do my part as well -as your own." - -The two had gone but a few steps when the disabled ranger called the -second brother back. - -"Tom," said the elder, "take care of our brother." - -"Surely," replied the other, in some surprise. "Surely," he repeated. - -"I charge you," continued the first speaker, "watch over the boy as I -would myself." - -"Never fear, Lance; whatever befalls Hugh happens to me." - -"Not so," said the other, with energy; "you must die for him, if need -be." - -"They shall chop me as fine as sausage-meat before a hair of the lad's -head is harmed." - -"God bless you, Tom!" The brothers then embraced and separated. - -"What was our brother saying to you?" demanded the younger, when Tom -rejoined him. - -"He begged me, seeing he could not go with us, to shoot two or three -redskins for him; and I promised." The two then quickened their pace in -order to overtake their comrades. - -Among those who succeeded in regaining the settlements was a man who had -been wounded in twenty places. He was at once a ghastly and a pitiful -object. Faint with hunger, fatigue, and loss of blood, he reeled, fell, -slowly rose to his feet, and sunk lifeless at the entrance to the -village. This time he did not rise again. - -A crowd ran up. When they had wiped the blood and dirt from the dead -man's face, a by-stander threw himself upon the body with the cry, "My -God, it is Tom!" - -The following day the surviving brother joined a strong party despatched -by the colonial authorities to the scene of Lovewell's encounter, where -they arrived after a forced march. Here, among the trampled thickets, -they found the festering corpses of the slain. Among them was Hugh, the -younger brother. He was riddled with bullets and shockingly mangled. -Up to this moment, Lance had hoped against hope; now the dread reality -stared him in the face. The stout ranger grew white, his fingers -convulsively clutched the barrel of his gun, and something like a curse -escaped through his clinched teeth; then, kneeling beside the body, he -buried his face in his hands. Hugh's blood cried aloud for vengeance. - -Thorough but unavailing search was made for the savages. They had -disappeared, after applying the torch to their village. Silently and -sadly the rangers performed the last service for their fallen comrades, -and then, turning their backs upon the mountains, commenced their march -homeward. - -The next day the absence of Lance was remarked; but, as he was their -best hunter, the rangers made no doubt he would rejoin them at the next -halt. - -Chocorua was not ignorant that the English were near. Like the vulture, -he scented danger from afar. From the summit of the mountain he had -watched the smoke of the hostile camp-fires stealing above the forest. -The remainder of the tribe had buried themselves still deeper in the -wilderness. They were too few for attack, too weak for defence. - -One morning the chief ascended the pinnacle, and swept the horizon -with his piercing eye. Far in the south a faint smoke told where the -foe had pitched his last encampment. Chocorua's dark eye lighted with -exultation. The accursed pale-faces were gone. - -He turned to descend the mountain, but had not taken ten steps when a -white hunter, armed to the teeth, started from behind the crags and -barred his passage. The chief recoiled, but not with fear, as the muzzle -of his adversary's weapon touched his naked breast. The white man's -eyes shone with deadly purpose, as he forced the chieftain, step by -step, back to the highest point of the mountain. Chocorua could not pass -except over the hunter's dead body. - -Glaring into each other's eyes with mortal hate, the two men reached the -summit. - -"Chocorua will go no farther," said the chief, haughtily. - -The white man trembled with excitement. For a moment he could not speak. -Then, in a voice husky with suppressed emotion, he exclaimed, - -"Die, then, like a dog, thou destroyer of my family, thou incarnate -devil! The white man has been in Chocorua's wigwam; has counted their -scalps--father, mother, sister, brother. He has tracked him to the -mountain-top. Now, demon or devil, Chocorua dies by my hand." - -The chief saw no escape. He comprehended that his last moment was come. -As if all the savage heroism of his race had come to his aid, he drew -himself up to his full height, and stood erect and motionless as a -statue of bronze upon the enormous pedestal of the mountain. His dark -eye blazed, his nostrils dilated, the muscles of his bronzed forehead -stood out like whip-cord. The black eagle's feather in his scalplock -fluttered proudly in the cool morning breeze. He stood thus for a moment -looking death sternly in the face, then, raising his bared arm with a -gesture of superb disdain, he spoke with energy: - -"Chocorua is unarmed; Chocorua will die. His heart is big and strong -with the blood of the accursed pale-face. He laughs at death. He spits -in the white man's face. Go; tell your warriors Chocorua died like a -chief!" - -With this defiance on his lips the chief sprung from the brink into -the unfathomable abyss below. An appalling crash was followed by -a death-like silence. As soon as he recovered from his stupor the -hunter ran to the verge of the precipice and looked over. A horrible -fascination held him an instant. Then, shouldering his gun, he retraced -his steps down the mountain, and the next day rejoined his comrades. - -[Illustration: PASSACONNAWAY FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER.] - -The general and front views of the Sandwich group, which may be had in -perfection from the hill behind the Chocorua House, or from the opposite -elevation, are very striking, embracing as they do the principal summits -from Chocorua to the heavy mass of Black Mountain. There are more -distinct traits, perhaps, embodied in this range than in any other among -the White Hills, except that incomparable band of peaks constituting the -northern half of the great chain itself. There seems, too, a special -fitness in designating these mountains by their Indian titles--Chocorua, -Paugus, Passaconnaway, Wonnalancet--a group of great sagamores, wild, -grand, picturesque.[2] - -The highway now skirted the margin of Chocorua Lake, a lovely little -sheet of water voluptuously reposing at the foot of its overshadowing -mountain. I cannot call Chocorua beautiful, yet of all the White -Mountain peaks is it the most individual, the most aggressively -suggestive. But the lake, fast locked in the embrace of encircling -hills, bathed in all the affluence of the blessed sunlight, its bosom -decorated with white lilies, its shores glassed in water which looks -like a sheet of satin--ah, this was beautiful indeed! Its charming -seclusion, its rare combination of laughing water and impassive old -mountains; above all, the striking contrast between its chaste beauty -and the huge-ribbed thing rising above, awakens a variety of sensations. -It is passing strange. The mountain attracts, and at the same time -repels you. Two sentiments struggle here for mastery--open admiration, -energetic repulsion. For the first time, perhaps, in his life, the -beholder feels an antipathy for a creation of inanimate nature. Chocorua -suggests some fabled prodigy of the old mythology--a headless Centaur, -sprung from the foul womb of earth. The lake seems another Andromeda -exposed to a monster. - -A beautiful Indian legend ran to the effect that the stillness of the -lake was sacred to the Great Spirit, and that if a human voice was heard -upon its waters the offender's canoe would instantly sink to the bottom. - -Chocorua, as seen from Tamworth, shows a long, undulating ridge of white -rising over one of green, both extending toward the east, and opening -between a deep ravine, through which a path ascends to the summit. But -this way affords no view until the summit is close at hand. Beyond the -hump-backed ridge of Chocorua the tip of the southern peak of Moat -Mountain peers over, like a mountain standing on tiptoe. - -The mountain, with its formidable outworks, is constantly in view until -the highway is left for a wood-road winding around its base into an -interval where there is a farm-house. Here the road ends and the ascent -begins. - -Taking a guide here, who was strong, nimble, and sure-footed, but who -proved to be lamentably ignorant of the topography of the country, we -were in a few moments rapidly threading the path up the mountain. It -ought to be said here that, with rare exceptions, the men who serve you -in these ascensions should be regarded rather as porters than as guides. - -In about an hour we reached the summit of the first mountain; for there -are four subordinate ridges to cross before you stand under the single -block of granite forming the pinnacle. - -[Illustration: CHOCORUA.] - -When reconnoitring this pinnacle through your glass, at a distance of -five miles, you will say to scale it would be difficult; when you have -climbed close underneath you will say it is impossible. After surveying -it from the bare ledges of Bald Mountain, where we stood letting the -cool breeze blow upon us, I asked my guide where we could ascend. He -pointed out a long crack, or crevice, toward the left, in which a few -bushes were growing. It is narrow, almost perpendicular, and seemingly -impracticable. I could not help exclaiming, "What, up there! nothing but -birds of the air can mount that sheer wall!" It is, however, there or -nowhere you must ascend. - -The whole upper zone of the mountain seems smitten with palsy. Except -in the ravines between the inferior summits, nothing grew, nothing -relieved the wide-spread desolation. Beyond us rose the enormous conical -crag, scarred and riven by lightning, which gives to Chocorua its highly -distinctive character. It is no longer ashen, but black with lichens. -There was little of symmetry, nothing of grace; only the grandeur of -power. You might as well pelt it with snow-balls as batter it with the -mightiest artillery. For ages it has brushed the tempest aside, has seen -the thunder-bolt shivered against its imperial battlements; for ages to -come it will continue to defy the utmost power that can assail it. And -what enemies it has withstood, overthrown, or put to rout! Not far from -the base of the pinnacle evidence that the mountain was once densely -wooded is on all sides. The rotted stumps of large trees still cling -with a death-grip to the ledges, the shrivelled trunks lie bleaching -where they were hurled by the hurricane. Many years ago this region -was desolated by fire. In the night Old Chocorua, lighting his fiery -torch, stood in the midst of his own funeral pyre. The burning mountain -illuminated the sky and put out the stars. A brilliant circle of light, -twenty miles in extent, surrounded the flaming peak like a halo; while -underneath an immense tongue of forked flame licked the sides of the -summit with devouring haste. The lakes, those bright jewels lying in the -lap of the valleys, glowed like enormous carbuncles. Superstitious folk -regarded the conflagration as a portent of war or pestilence. In the -morning a few charred trunks, standing erect, were all that remained of -the original forest. The rocks themselves bear witness to the intense -heat which has either cracked them wide open, crumbled them in pieces, -or divested them, like oysters, of their outer shell, all along the path -of the conflagration. - -The walk over the lower summits to the base of the peak occupied -another hour, and is a most profitable feature of the ascent. On each -side a superb panorama of mountains and lakes, of towns, villages, and -hamlets, is being slowly unrolled; while every forward step develops the -inaccessible character of the high summit more and more. - -Having strayed from the path to gather blueberries, my companion set me -again on the march by pointing out where a bear had been feeding not -long before. Yet, while assuring me that Bruin was perfectly harmless -at this season, I did not fail to remark that my guide made the most -rapid strides of the day after this discovery. While feeling our way -around the base of the pinnacle, in order to gain the ravine by which -it is attacked, the path suddenly stopped. At the right, projecting -rocks, affording a hold for neither hand nor foot, rose like a wall; -before us, joined to the perpendicular rock, an unbroken ledge of -bare granite, smoothly polished by ice, swept down by a sharp incline -hundreds of feet, and then broke off abruptly into profounder depths. To -advance upon this ledge, as steep as a roof, and where one false step -would inevitably send the climber rolling to the bottom of the ravine, -demands steady nerves. It invests the whole jaunt with just enough of -the perilous to excite the apprehensions, or provoke the enthusiasm of -the individual who stands there for the first time, looking askance at -his guide, and revolving the chances of crossing it in safety. While -debating with myself whether to take off my boots, or go down on my -hands and knees and creep, the guide crossed this place with a steady -step; and, upon reaching the opposite side, grasped a fragment of rock -with one hand while extending his staff to me with the other. Rather -than accept his assistance, I passed over with an assurance I was far -from feeling; but when we came down the mountain I walked across with -far more ease in my stockings.[3] - -When he saw me safely over, my conductor moved on, with the remark, - -"A skittish place." - -"Skittish," indeed! We proceeded to drag ourselves up the ravine by the -aid of bushes, or such protruding rocks as offered a hold. From the -valley below we must have looked like flies creeping up a wall. After a -breathless scramble, which put me in mind of the escalade of the Iron -Castle of Porto Bello, where the English, having no scaling-ladders, -mounted over each other's shoulders, we came to a sort of plateau, on -which was a ruined hut. The view here is varied and extensive; but after -regaining our breath we hastened to complete the ascent, in order to -enjoy, in all its perfection, the prospect awaiting us on the summit. - -Like Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, it is among mountains that my knowledge -of them has been obtained. I have little hesitation, then, in -pronouncing the view from Chocorua one of the noblest that can reward -the adventurous climber; for, notwithstanding it is not a high peak, and -cannot, therefore, unfold the whole mountain system at a glance, it yet -affords an unsurpassed view-point, from which one sees the surrounding -mountains rising on all sides in all their majesty, and clothed in all -their terrors. - -Let me try to explain why Chocorua is such a remarkable and eligible -post of observation. - -One comprehends perfectly that the last high building on the skirts of a -city embraces the largest unobstructed view of the surrounding country. -This mountain is placed at the extremity of a range that abuts upon -the lower Saco valley, and therefore overlooks all the hill-country -on the east and south-east as far as the sea-coast. The arc of this -circle of vision extends from the Camden Hills to Agamenticus, or from -the Penobscot to the Piscataqua. The day being one of a thousand, I -distinctly saw the ocean with the naked eye; not merely as a white -blur on the horizon's edge, but actual blue water, over which smoke -was curling. This magnificent _coup-d'oeil_ embraces the scattered -villages of Conway, Fryeburg, Madison, Eaton, Ossipee, with their -numerous lakes and streams. I counted seventeen of the former flashing -in the sun. - -In the second place, Chocorua stands at the entrance to the valley -opening between the Sandwich and Ossipee chains, and commands, -therefore, to the south-west, between these natural walls, the northern -limb of Winnipiseogee and of Squam, which are seen glittering on each -side of Red Hill. In the foreground, at the foot of the mountain, -Chocorua Lake is beyond question the most enticing object in a landscape -wonderfully lighted and enriched by its profusion of brilliant waters, -which resemble so many highly burnished reflectors multiplying the rays -of the sun. I was now looking back to my first station on Red Hill, -only the range of vision was much more extensive. It is unnecessary -to recapitulate the names of the villages and summits seen in this -direction. Over the lakes, Winnipiseogee and Squam, the humid peaks of -Mount Belknap and of Mount Kearsarge, in Warner, last caught the eye. -These two sections of the landscape first meet the eye of the climber -while advancing toward the peak, whose rugged head and brawny shoulders -intercept the view to the north, only to be enjoyed when the mountain is -fully conquered. - -Upon the cap-stone crowning the pinnacle, supporting myself by grasping -the signal-staff planted on the highest point of this rock, from which -the wind threatened to sweep us like chaff, I enjoyed the third and -final act of this sublime tableau, in which the whole company of -mountains is crowded upon the stage. Hundreds of dark and bristling -shapes confronted us. Like a horde of barbarians, they seemed silently -awaiting the signal to march upon the lowlands. As the wind swept -through their ranks, an impatient murmur rose from the midst. Each -mountain shook its myriad spears, and gave its voice to swell the -sublime chorus. At first all was confusion; then I began to seek out -the chiefs, whose rock-helmed heads, lifted high above their grisly -battalions, invested each with a distinction and a sovereignty which -yielded nothing except to that imperial peak over which attendant clouds -hovered or floated swiftly away, as if bearing a message to those -distant encampments pitched on the farthest verge of the horizon. - -At my left hand extended all the summits, forming at their western -extremity the valley of Mad River, and terminating in the immovable -mass of Black Mountain. The peaks of Tripyramid, Tecumseh, and -Osceola stretched along the northern course of this stream, and over -them gleamed afar the massive plateau-ridge of Moosehillock. From my -stand-point the great wall of the Sandwich chain, which from Tamworth -presents an unbroken front to the south, now divided into ridges running -north and south, separated by profound ravines. Paugus crouched at my -feet; Passaconnaway elevated his fine crest next; Whiteface, his lowered -and brilliant front; and then Black Mountain, the giant landmark of half -a score of towns and villages. - -Directly at my feet, to the north-west, the great intervale of Swift -River gleamed from the depths of this valley, like sunshine from -a storm-cloud. Following the course of this little oasis, the eye -wandered over the inaccessible and untrodden peaks of the Pemigewasset -wilderness, resting last on the blue ridge of the Franconia Mountains. -About midway of this line one sees the bristling slopes of Mounts -Carrigain and Hancock, and the Carrigain Notch, through which a hardy -pedestrian may pass from the Pemigewasset to the Saco by following -the course of the streams flowing out of it. Besides its solitary, -picturesque grandeur, Carrigain has the distinction of being the -geographical centre of the White Mountain group. Taking its peak for an -axis, a radius thirty miles long will describe a circle, including in -its sweep nearly the whole mountain system. In this sense Carrigain is, -therefore, the hub of the White Mountains. - -Having explored the horizon thus far, I now turned more to the north, -where, by a fortunate chance, Chocorua dominates a portion of the chain -intervening between itself and the Saco Valley. I was looking straight -up this valley through the great White Mountain Notch. There was the -dark spire of Mount Willey, and the scarred side of Webster. There was -the arched rock of Mount Willard, and over it the liquid profile of -Cherry Mountain. It was superb; it was idyllic. Such was the perfect -transparency of the air, that I clearly distinguished the red color of -the slides on Mount Webster without the aid of my glass. - -From this centre, outlined with a bold, free hand against the azure, the -undulations of the great White Mountains ascended grandly to the dome -of Mount Washington, and then plunged into the defiles of the Pinkham -Notch. Following this line eastward, the eye traversed the mountains of -Jackson to the half-closed aperture of the Carter Notch, finally resting -on the pinnacle of Kearsarge. Without stirring a single step, we have -taken a journey of three hundred miles. - -Down in the valley the day was one of the sultriest; up here it was so -cold that our teeth chattered. We were forced to descend into the hollow -lying between the northerly foot of the peak and the first of the bald -knobs constituting the great white ridge of the mountain. Here is a fine -spring, and here, on either side of this singular rock-gallery, is a -landscape of rare beauty enclosed by its walls. Here, too, the mutilated -pyramid of the peak rises before you like an antique ruin. One finds, -without effort, striking resemblances to winding galleries, bastions, -and battlements. He could pass days and weeks here without a single wish -to return to earth. Here we ate our luncheon, and perused the landscape -at leisure. Before us stretched the long course of the Saco, from its -source in the Notch to where, with one grand sweep to the east, it takes -leave of the mountains, flows awhile demurely through the lowlands, and -in two or three infuriated plunges reaches the sea. - -I do not remember when I have more fully enjoyed the serene calm of a -Sabbath evening than while wandering among the fragrant and stately -pines that skirt the shores of Lake Chocorua. Indeed, except for the -occasional sound of hoofs along the cool and shady road, or of voices -coming from the bosom of the lake itself, one might say a perpetual -Sabbath reigned here. Yonder tall, athletic pines, those palms of the -north, through which the glimmer of water is seen, hum their monotonous -lullaby to the drowsy lake. The mountains seem so many statues to -Silence. There is no use for speech here. The mute and expressive -language of two lovers, accustomed to read each others' secret thoughts, -is the divine medium. Truant breezes ruffle the foliage in playful -wantonness, but the trees only shake their green heads and murmur "Hush! -hush!" A consecration is upon the mere, a hallowed light within the -wood. Here is the place to linger over the pages of "Hyperion," or dream -away the idle hours with the poets; and here, stretched along the turf, -one gets closer to Nature, studying her with ever-increasing wonder and -delight, or musing upon the thousand forms of mysterious life swarming -in the clod under his hand. - -Charming, too, are the walks by the lake-side in the effulgence of -the harvest-moon; and enchanting the white splendor quivering on its -dark waters. A boat steals by; see! its oars dip up molten silver. The -voyagers troll a love-ditty. Dangerous ground this colonnade of woods -and yonder sparkling water for self-conscious lovers! Love and the ocean -have the same subtle sympathy with moonlight. The stronger its beams the -higher rises the flood. - -Very little of the world--but that little the best part--gets in here. -It is out of the beaten path of mountain-travel, so that those only who -have in a manner served their apprenticeship are sojourners. One small -hotel and a few boarding-houses easily accommodate all comers. For -people who like to refine their pleasures, as well as their society, -or who have wearied of life at the great hotels, such a place offers -a most tempting retreat. Display makes no part of the social regime. -Mrs. P---- is not jealous of Mrs. Q----'s diamonds. Ladies stroll -about unattended, gather water-lilies, cardinal-flowers, and rare -ferns by brook or way-side. Gentlemen row, drive, climb the mountains, -or make little pedestrian tours of discovery. Quiet people are -irresistibly attracted to this kind of life, which, with a good degree -of probability, they assert to be the true and only rational way of -enjoying the mountains. - - - - -IV. - -_LOVEWELL._ - - Of worthy Captain Lovewell I purpose now to sing. - How valiantly he served his country and his king. - _Old Ballad._ - - -LET us make a dtour to historic Fryeburg, leaving the cars at Conway, -which in former times enjoyed a happy pre-eminence as the centre upon -which the old stage-routes converged, and where travellers, going or -returning from the mountains, always passed the night. But those old -travellers have mostly gone where the name of Chatigee, by which both -drivers and tourists liked to designate Conway, is going; only there is -for the name, fortunately, no resurrection. No one knows its origin; -none will mourn its decease. - -It is here, at Conway, or Conway Corner, that first enrapturing view of -the White Mountains bursts upon the traveller like a splendid vision. -But we shall see it again on our return from Fryeburg. Moreover, -I enjoyed this constant espionage from a distance before a nearer -approach, this exchange of preliminary civilities before coming closer -to the heart of the mountains. - -Fryeburg stands on a dry and sandy plain, elevated above the Saco River. -It lies behind the mountain range, which, terminating in Conway, compels -the river to make a right angle. Turning these mountains, the river -seems now to be in no hurry, but coils about the meadows in a manner -that instantly recalls the famous Connecticut Ox-Bow. Chocorua and -Kearsarge are the two prominent figures in the landscape. - -The village street is most beautifully shaded by elms of great size, -which, giving to each other an outstretched hand over the way, spring an -arch of green high above, through which we look up and down. At one end -justice is dispensed at the Oxford House--an inn with a pedigree; at the -other learning is diffused in the academy where Webster once taught and -disciplined the rising generation. A scroll over the inn door bears the -date of 1763. The first school-house and the first framed house built -in Fryeburg are still standing, a little way out of the village. On our -way to the remarkable rock, emerging from the plain like a walrus from -the sea, we linger a moment in the village graveyard to read the long -inscription on the monument of General Joseph Frye, a veteran of the old -wars, and founder of the town which bears his name. Ascending now the -rock to which we just referred, called the Jockey Cap, we are lifted -high above the plain, having the river meadows, the graceful loops of -the river itself, the fine pyramid of Kearsarge on one side, and on the -other the dark sheet of Lovewell's Pond stretched at our feet. - -[Illustration: LOVEWELL'S POND] - -It was here, under the shadow of Mount Kearsarge, was fought one of the -bloodiest and most obstinately contested battles that can be found in -the annals of war; so terrible, indeed, that the story was repeated from -fireside to fireside, and from generation to generation, as worthy a -niche beside that of Leonidas and his band of heroes. Familiar as is the -tale--and who does not know it by heart?--it can still send the blood -throbbing to the temples, or coursing back to the heart. Unfortunately, -the details are sufficiently meagre, but, in truth, they need no -embellishment. Their very simplicity presents the tragedy in all its -grandeur. It is an epic. - -In April, 1725, John Lovewell, a hardy and experienced ranger of -Dunstable, whose exploits had already noised his fame abroad, marched -with forty-six men for the Indian villages at Pigwacket, now Fryeburg, -Maine. At Ossipee he built a small fort, designed as a refuge in case of -disaster. This precaution undoubtedly saved the lives of some of his -men. He was now within two short marches of the enemy's village. The -scouts having found Indian tracks in the neighborhood, Lovewell resumed -his route, leaving one of his men who had fallen sick, his surgeon, and -eight men, to guard the fort. His command was now reduced to thirty-four -officers and men. - -The rangers reached the shores of the beautiful lake which bears -Lovewell's name, and bivouacked for the night. - -The night passed without an alarm; but the sentinels who watched the -encampment reported hearing strange noises in the woods. Lovewell -scented the presence of his enemy. - -In fact, on the morning of the 8th of May, while his band were on their -knees seeking Divine favor in the approaching conflict, the report of a -gun brought every man to his feet. Upon reconnoitring, a solitary Indian -was discovered on a point of land about a mile from the camp. - -The leader immediately called his men about him, and told them that -they must now quickly decide whether to fight or retreat. The men, with -one accord, replied that they had not come so far in search of the -enemy to beat a shameful retreat the moment he was found. Seeing his -band possessed with this spirit, Lovewell then prepared for battle. -The rangers threw off their knapsacks and blankets, looked to their -primings, and loosened their knives and axes. The order was then given, -and they moved cautiously out of their camp. Believing the enemy was in -his front, Lovewell neglected to place a guard over his baggage. - -Instead of plunging into the woods, the Indian who had alarmed the camp -stood where he was first seen until the scouts fired upon him, when he -returned the fire, wounding Lovewell and one other. Ensign Wyman then -levelled his musket and shot him dead. The day began thus unfortunately -for the English. Lovewell was mortally wounded in the abdomen, but -continued to give his orders. - -After clearing the woods in their front without finding any more -Indians, the rangers fell back toward the spot where they had deposited -their packs. This was a sandy plain, thinly covered with pines, at the -north-east end of the lake. - -During their absence, the Indians, led by the old chief, Paugus, whose -name was a terror throughout the length and breadth of the English -frontiers, stumbled upon the deserted encampment. Paugus counted the -packs, and, finding his warriors outnumbered the rangers, the wily -chief placed them in ambush; he divined that the English would return -from their unsuccessful scout sooner or later, and he prepared to -repeat the tactics used with such fatal effect at Bloody Brook, and at -the defeat of Wadsworth. This consisted in arranging his savages in a -semicircle, the two wings of which, enveloping the rangers, would expose -them to a murderous cross-fire at short musket-range. - -Without suspecting their danger, Lovewell's men fell into the fatal -snare which the crafty Paugus had thus spread for them. Hardly had they -entered it when the grove blazed with a deadly volley, and resounded -with the yells of the Indians. As if confident of their prey, they even -left their coverts, and flung themselves upon the English with a fury -nothing could withstand. - -In this onset Lovewell, who, notwithstanding his wound, bravely -encouraged his men with voice and example, received a second wound, and -fell. Two of his lieutenants were killed at his side; but with desperate -valor the rangers charged up to the muzzles of the enemy's guns, killing -nine, and sweeping the others before them. This gallant charge cost them -eight killed, besides their captain; two more were badly wounded. - -Twenty-three men had now to maintain the conflict with the whole Sokokis -tribe. Their situation was indeed desperate. Relief was impossible; -for they were fifty miles from the nearest English settlements. Their -packs and provisions were in the enemy's hands, and the woods swarmed -with foes. To conquer or die was the only alternative. These devoted -Englishmen despaired of conquering, but they prepared to die bravely. - -Ensign Wyman, on whom the command devolved after the death of Lovewell, -was his worthy successor. Seeing the enemy stealing upon his flanks as -if to surround him, he ordered his men to fall back to the shore of the -lake, where their right was protected by a brook, and their left by a -rocky point extending into the lake. A few large pines stood on the -beach between. - -This manoeuvre was executed under a hot fire, which still further -thinned the ranks of the English. The Indians closed in upon them, -filling the air with demoniac yells whenever a victim fell. Assailing -the whites with taunts, and shaking ropes in their faces, they cried -out to them to yield. But to the repeated demands to surrender, the -rangers replied only with bullets. They thought of the fort and its ten -defenders, and hoped, or rather prayed, for night. This hope, forlorn as -it seemed, encouraged them to fight on, and they delivered their fire -with fatal precision whenever an Indian showed himself. The English were -in a trap, but the Indians dared not approach within reach of the lion's -claws. - -While this long combat was proceeding, one of the English went to the -lake to wash his gun, and, on emerging at the shore, descried an Indian -in the act of cleansing his own. This Indian was Paugus. - -The ranger went to work like a man who comprehends that his life depends -upon a second. The chief followed him in every movement. Both charged -their guns at the same instant. The Englishman threw his ramrod on the -sand; the Indian dropped his. - -"Me kill you," said Paugus, priming his weapon from his powder-horn. - -"The chief lies," retorted the undaunted ranger, striking the breech of -his firelock upon the ground with such force that it primed itself. An -instant later Paugus fell, shot through the heart. - -"I said I should kill you," muttered the victor, spurning the dead body -of his enemy, and plunging into the thickest of the fight. - -Darkness closed the conflict, which had continued without cessation -since ten in the morning. Little by little the shouts of the enemy grew -feebler, and finally ceased. The English stood to their arms until -midnight, when, convinced that the savages had abandoned the sanguinary -field of battle, they began their retreat toward the fort. Only nine -were unhurt. Eleven were badly wounded, but were resolved to march with -their comrades, though they died by the way. Three more were alive, but -had received their death-wounds. One of these was Lieutenant Robbins, of -Chelmsford. Knowing that he must be left behind, he begged his comrades -to load his gun, in order that he might sell his life as dearly as -possible when the savages returned to wreak their vengeance upon the -wounded. - -I have said that twenty-three men continued the fight after the bloody -repulse in which Lovewell was killed. There were only twenty-two. The -other, whose name the reader will excuse me from mentioning, fled from -the field and gained the fort, where he spread the report that Lovewell -was cut to pieces, himself being the sole survivor. This intelligence, -striking terror, decided the little garrison to abandon the fort, which -was immediately done, and in haste. - -This was the crowning misfortune of the expedition. The rangers now -became a band of panic-stricken fugitives. After incredible hardships, -less than twenty starving, emaciated, and footsore men, half of them -badly wounded, straggled into the nearest English settlements. - -The loss of the Indians could only be guessed; but the battle led to the -immediate abandonment of their village, from which so many war-parties -had formerly harassed the English. Paugus, the savage wolf, the -implacable foe of the whites, was dead. His tribe forsook the graves of -their fathers, nor rested until they had put many long leagues between -them and their pursuers. For them the advance of the English was the -Juggernaut under whose wheels their race was doomed to perish from the -face of the earth. - - - - -V. - -_NORTH CONWAY._ - - "Tall spire from which the sound of cheerful bells - Just undulates upon the listening ear, - Groves, heaths, and smoking villages remote." - - -The entrance to North Conway is, without doubt, the most beautiful and -imposing introduction to the high mountains. - -Although the traveller has for fifty miles skirted the outlying ranges, -catching quick-shifting glimpses of the great summits, yet, when at last -the train swings round the foot of the Moat range into the Saco Valley, -so complete is the transition, so charming the picture, that not even -the most apathetic can repress a movement of surprise and admiration. -This is the moment when every one feels the inadequacy of his own -conceptions. - -Nature has formed here a vast antechamber, into which you are ushered -through a gate-way of mountains upon the numerous inner courts, -galleries, and cloisters of her most secluded retreats. Here the -mountains fall back before the impetuous flood of the Saco, which comes -pouring down from the summit of the great Notch, white, and panting with -the haste of its flight. Here the river gives rendezvous to several of -its larger affluents--the East Branch, the Ellis, the Swift--and, like -an army taking the field, their united streams, sweeping grandly around -the foot of the last mountain range, emerge into the open country. Here -the valley, contracted at its extremity between the gentle slope of -Kearsarge and the abrupt declivities of Moat, encloses an ellipse of -verdant and fertile land ravishing to behold, skirted on one side by -thick woods, behind which precipices a thousand feet high rise black and -threatening, overlooked on the other by a high terrace, along which the -village is built. It is the inferior summit of Kearsarge, which descends -by a long, regular slope to the intervale at its upper end, while a -secondary ridge of the Moats, advancing on the opposite side, drops -into it by a precipice. The superb silver-gray crest of Kearsarge is -seen rising in a regular pyramid behind the right shoulder of its lower -summit. Ordinarily the house perched on the top is seen as distinctly as -those in the village. It is the last in the village. - -Looking up through this verdant mountain park, at a distance of twenty -miles, the imposing masses of the great summits seem scaling the skies. -Then, heavily massed on the right, comes the Carter range, divided by -the cup-shaped dip of the Carter Notch; then the truncated cone of -Double-Head; and then, with outworks firmly planted in the valley, the -glittering pinnacle of Kearsarge. The mountain in front of you, looking -up the village street, is Thorn Mountain, on the other side of which is -Jackson, and the way up the Ellis Valley to the Pinkham Notch, the Glen -House, Gorham, and the Androscoggin. - -The traveller, who is ushered upon this splendid scene with the rapidity -of steam, perceives that he is at last among real mountains, and quickly -yields to the indefinable charm which from this moment surrounds and -holds him a willing captive. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WASHINGTON FROM THE SACO.] - -Looking across the meadow from the village street, the eye is stopped -by an isolated ridge of bare, overhanging precipices. It is thrust out -into the valley from Moat Mountain, of which it forms a part, presenting -two singular, regularly arched cliffs, seven hundred to nine hundred and -fifty feet in height toward the village. The green forest underneath -contrasts vividly with the lustrous black of these precipitous walls, -which glisten brightly in the sunshine, where they are wet by tiny -streams flowing down. On the nearest of these is a very curious -resemblance to the head and shoulders of a horse in the act of rearing, -occasioned by a white incrustation on the face of the cliff. This -accident gives to it the name of White Horse Ledge. All marriageable -ladies, maiden or widow, run out to look at it, in consequence of the -belief current in New England that if, after seeing a white horse, -you count a hundred, the first gentleman you meet will be your future -husband! Underneath this cliff a charming little lake lies hid. - -Next beyond is the Cathedral Ledge, so called from the curious rock -cavity it contains; and still farther up the valley is Humphrey's Ledge, -one of the finest rock-studies of them all when we stand underneath -it. But the reader now has a general acquaintance with North Conway, -and with its topography. He begins his study of mountain beauty in a -spirit of loving enthusiasm, which leads him on and on to the ripeness -of an education achieved by simply throwing himself upon the bosom of -indulgent Nature, putting the world as far as possible behind him. - -[Illustration: THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY.] - -But now from these masses of hard rock let us turn once more to the -valley, where the rich intervales spread an exhaustless feast for the -eye. If autumn be the season, the vase-like elms, the stacks of yellow -corn, the golden pumpkins looking like enormous oranges, the floor-cloth -of green and gold damasked with purple gorse and coppice, give the idea -of an immense table groaning beneath its luxurious weight of fruit and -flowers. - -Turn now to the mountain presiding with such matchless grace and dignity -over the village. Kearsarge, in the twilight, deserves, like Lorenzo di -Medicis, to be called "the magnificent." The yellow and orange foliage -looks, for all the world, like a golden shower fallen upon it. The -gray ledges at the apex, which the clear, yellow light renders almost -incandescent, are far more in harmony with the rest of the mountain than -in the vernal season. - -Are we yet in sympathy with that free-masonry of art through which our -eminent landscape-painters recognized here the true picturesque point -of view of the great mountains, the effective contrasts and harmonious -ensemble of the near scenery--the grandest allied with the humblest -objects of nature? One cannot turn in any direction without recognizing -a picture he has seen in the studios, or in the saloons of the clubs. - -The first persons I saw on the platform of the railway-station were my -quondam companions, the colonel and George. We met like friends who had -parted only half an hour before. During dinner it was agreed that we -should pass our afternoon among the cliffs. This arrangement appeared -very judicious; the distance is short, and the attractions many. - -We accordingly set out for the ledges at three in the afternoon. -The weather did not look promising, to be sure, but we decided it -sufficiently so for this promenade of three or four hours. - -While en route, let me mention a discovery. One morning, while sitting -on the piazza of the Kearsarge House enjoying the dreamy influence -of the warm atmosphere, which spun its soft, gossamer web about the -mountains, I observed a peculiar shadow thrown by a jutting mass of the -Cathedral Ledge upon a smooth surface, which exactly resembled a human -figure standing upright. I looked away, then back again, to see if I -was not the victim of an illusion. No, it was still there. Now it is -always there. The head and upper part of the body were inclined slightly -forward, the legs perfectly formed. At ten every forenoon, punctual -to the hour, this phantom, emerging from the rock, stands, fixed and -motionless as a statue, in its niche. At every turn of the sun, this -shade silently interrogates the feverish activity that has replaced the -silence of ages. One day or another I shall demand of my phantom what it -has witnessed. - -The road we followed soon turned sharply away from the main street of -the village, to the left, and in a few rods more plunged into the Saco, -leaving us standing on the bank, looking askance at a wide expanse of -water, choked with bowlders, around which the swift current whirled and -foamed with rage. We decided it too shallow to swim, but doubted if it -was not too deep to ford. We had reached our Rubicon. - -"We must wade," said the colonel, with decision. - -"Precisely my idea," assented George, beginning to unlace his shoes. - -I put my hand in the river. Ugh! it was as cold as ice. - -Having assured ourselves no one saw us, we divested ourselves of shoes, -stockings, pantaloons, and drawers. We put our stockings in our pockets, -disposed our clothing in a roll over the shoulder, as soldiers do on the -march, tied our shoes together, and hung them around our necks. Then, -placing our hands upon each others' shoulders, as I have seen gymnasts -do in a circus, we entered the river, like candidates for baptism, -feeling our way, and catching our breath. - -"_Sans-culottes_," suggested the colonel, who knew a little French. - -"Kit-kats," added George, who knows something of art, as the water rose -steadily above our knees. - -The treacherous bowlders tripped us up at every step, so that one or -the other was constantly floundering, like a stranded porpoise in a -frog-pond. But, thanks to our device, we reached the middle of the river -without anything worse than a few bruises. Here we were fairly stopped. -The water was waist-deep, and the current every moment threatened to -lift us from our feet. How foolish we looked! - -Advance or retreat? That was the question. One pointed up stream, -another down; while, to aggravate the situation, rain began to patter -around us. In two minutes the river was steaming. George, who is a great -infant, suggested putting our hands in our pockets, to keep them warm, -and our clothes in the river, to keep them dry. - -"By Jove!" ejaculated the colonel, "the river is smoking." - -"Let us join the river," said George, producing his cigar-case. - -Putting our heads together over the colonel's last match, thus forming -an antique tripod of our bodies, we succeeded in getting a light; and -for the first time, I venture to affirm, since its waters gushed from -the mountains, incense ascended from the bosom of the Saco. - -"I'm freezing!" stuttered George. - -I was pushing forward, to cut the dilemma short, when the colonel -interposed with, - -"Stop; I want to tell you a story." - -"A story? here--in the middle of the river?" we shouted. - -"In the middle of the river; here--a story!" he echoed. - -"I would like to sit down while I listen," observed George. - -Evidently the coldness of the water had forced the blood into our -friend's head. He was ill, but obstinate. We therefore resigned -ourselves to hear him. - -"This river and this situation remind me of the Potawatamies," he began. - -"Potawatamies!" we echoed, with chattering teeth. "Go on; go on." - -"When I was on the Plains," continued the colonel, "I passed some time -among those Indians. During my stay, the chief invited me to accompany -him on a buffalo-hunt. I accepted on the spot; for of all things a -buffalo-hunt was the one I was most desirous of seeing. We set out at -daybreak the next morning. After a few hours' march, we came to a stream -between deep banks, and flowing with a rapid current, like this one--" - -"Go on; go on!" we shiveringly articulated. - -"At a gesture from the chief, a young squaw dismounted from her pony, -advanced to the edge of the stream, and began, timidly, to wade it. When -she hesitated, as she did two or three times, the chief said something -which encouraged her to proceed. All at once she stopped, threw up her -arms, and screamed something in the Indian dialect; at which all the -braves burst into a loud laugh, the squaws joining in. - -"'What does she say?' I asked of the chief. - -"'Up to the middle,' he replied, pushing his pony into the stream." - -The stream grew shallower, so that we soon emerged from the water upon -the opposite bank. Here we poured the water from our shoes, and resumed -our wet clothing. Everything was cooled, except our ardor. - -As we approached nearer, the ledges were full of grim recesses, rude -rock-niches, and traversed by perpendicular cracks from brow to base. -"Take care!" I shouted; "there is a huge piece of the cliff just ready -to fall." - -In some places the rock is sheer and smooth, in others it is broken -regularly down, for half its whole height, to where it is joined by rude -buttresses of massive granite. The lithe maples climb up the steepest -ravines, but cannot pass the waste of sheer rock stretching between -them and the firs, which look down over the brink of the precipice. -Rusted purple is the prevailing color, blotched here and there with -white, like the drip oozing from limestone. We soon emerged on the shore -of Echo Lake. - -Hovering under the great precipices, which lie heavily shadowed on its -glossy surface, are gathered the waters flowing from the airy heights -above--the little rills, the rivulets, the cascades. The tremendous -shadow the cliff flings down seems lying deep in the bosom of the lake, -as if perpetually imprinted there. Slender birches, brilliant foliage, -were daintily etched upon the surface, like arabesques on polished -steel. The water is perfectly transparent, and without a ripple. Indeed, -the breezes playing around the summit, or humming in the tree-tops, seem -forbidden to enter this haunt of Dryads. The lake laps the yellow strand -with a light, fluttering movement. The place seems dedicated to silence -itself. - -[Illustration: ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY.] - -To destroy this illusion, a man came out of a booth and touched off a -small cannon. The effect was like knocking at half a dozen doors at -once. And the silence which followed seemed all the deeper. Then the -aged rock was pelted with questions, and made to jeer, laugh, menace, -or curse by turns, or all at once. How grandly it bore all these petty -insolences! How presumptuous in us thus to cover its hoary front with -obloquy! We could never get the last word. We did not even come off in -triumph. How ironically the mountain repeated, "Who are you?" and "What -am I!" With what energy it at last vociferated, "Go to the devil!" To -the Devil's Den we accordingly go. - -Following a woodland path skirting the base of the cliffs, we were -very soon before the entrance of the Devil's Den, formed by a huge -piece of the cliff falling upon other detached fragments in such a way -as to leave an aperture large enough to admit fifty persons at once. A -ponderous mass divides the cavern into two chambers, one of which is -light, airy, and spacious, the other dark, gloomy, and contracted--a -mere hole. This might well have been the lair of the bears and panthers -formerly roaming, unmolested, these woods. - -The Cathedral is a recess higher up in the same cliff, hollowed out -by the cleaving off of the lower rock, leaving the upper portion of -the precipice overhanging. The top of the roof is as high as a tall -tree. Some maples that have grown here since the outer portion of the -rock fell, assist, with their straight-limbed, columnar trunks, the -resemblance to a chancel. A little way off this cavity has really the -appearance of a gigantic shell, like those fossils seen imbedded in -subterranean rocks. We did not miss here the delicious glimpses of -Kearsarge, and of the mountains across the valley which, now that the -sun came out, were all in brilliant light, while the cool afternoon -shadows already wrapped the woods about us in twilight gloom. - -Still farther on we came upon a fine cascade falling down a long, -irregular staircase of broken rock. One of these steps extends, a solid -mass of granite, more than a hundred feet across the bed of the stream, -and is twenty feet high. Unless the brook is full, it is not a single -sheet we see, but twenty, fifty crystal streams gushing or spirting -from the grooves they have channelled in the hard granite, and falling -into basins they have hollowed out. It is these curious, circular stone -cavities, out of which the freshest and cleanest water constantly pours, -that give to the cascade the name of Diana's Baths. The water never -dashes itself noisily down, but slips, like oil, from the rocks, with a -pleasant, purling sound no single word of our language will correctly -describe. From here we returned to the village in the same way that we -came.[4] - -The wild and bristling little mountain range on the east side of North -Conway embodies a good deal of picturesque character. It is there our -way lies to Artists' Falls, which are on a brook issuing from these -Green Hills. I found the walk, following its windings, more remunerative -than the falls themselves. The brook, flowing first over a smooth -granite ledge, collects in a little pool below, out of which the pure -water filters through bowlders and among glittering pebbles to a gorge -between two rocks, down which it plunges. The beauty of this cascade -consists in its waywardness. Now it is a thin sheet, flowing demurely -along; now it breaks out in uncontrollable antics; and at length, as if -tired of this sport, darts like an arrow down the rocky fissure, and is -a mountain brook again. - -The ascent of Kearsarge and of the Moats fittingly crowns the series of -excursions which are the most attractive feature of out-of-door life -at North Conway. The northern peak of Moat is the one most frequently -climbed, but the southern affords almost equally admirable views of the -Saco, the Ellis, and the Swift River valleys, with the mountain chains -enclosing them. The prospect here is, however, much the same as that -obtained from Chocorua, which is seen rising beyond the Swift River -valley. To that description I must, therefore, refer the reader, who is -already acquainted with its principal features. - -The high ridge is an arid and desolate heap of summits stripped bare -of vegetation by fire. When this fire occurred, twenty odd years -ago, it drove the bears and rattlesnakes from their forest homes in -great numbers, so that they fell an easy prey to their destroyers. A -depression near its centre divides the ridge in two, constituting, in -effect, two mountains. We crossed the range in its whole length, and, -after newly refreshing ourselves with the admirable views had from -its greater elevation, descended the northern peak to Diana's Baths. -Probably the most striking view of the Moats is from Conway. Here the -summits, thrown into a mass of lawless curves and blunted, prong-like -protuberances, rear a blackened and weird-looking cluster on high. But -for a wide region they divide with Chocorua the honors of the landscape, -constituting, at Jackson especially, a large and imposing background, -massively based and buttressed, and cutting through space with their -trenchant edge. - -In the winter of 1876, finding myself at North Conway, I determined to -make the attempt to ascend Mount Kearsarge, notwithstanding two-thirds -of the mountain were shrouded in snow, and the bare shaft constituting -the spire sheathed in glittering ice. The mountain had definitively gone -into winter-quarters. - -I was up early enough to surprise, all at once, the unwonted and -curiously-blended effect of moonlight, starlight, and the twilight of -dawn. The new moon, with the old in her arms, balanced her shining -crescent on the curved peak of Moat Mountain. All these high, -surrounding peaks, carved in marble and flooded with effulgence, -impressed the spirit with that mingled awe and devotion felt among -the antique monuments of some vast cemetery. The sight thrilled and -solemnized by its chaste magnificence. Glittering stars, snow-draped -summits, black mountains casting sable draperies upon the dead white -of the valley, constituted a scene of sepulchral pomp into which the -supernatural entered unchallenged. One by one the stars went out. The -moon grew pale. A clear emerald, overspreading the east, was reflected -from lofty peak and tapering spire. - -[Illustration: KEARSARGE IN WINTER.] - -Day broke bright, clear, and crisp. There, again, was the same matchless -array of high and noble summits, sitting on thrones of alabaster -whiteness. While the moon still lingered in the west, the broad red -disk of the sun rose over the wooded ridges in the east. So sun and -moon, monarch and queen, saluted each other. One gave the watchword, -and descended behind the moated mountain; the other ascended the vacant -throne. Thus night and day met and exchanged majestic salutation in the -courts of the morning. - -The mercury stood at three degrees below zero in the village, when I -set out on foot for the mountain. A light fall of snow had renewed -the Christmas decorations. The trees had newly-leaved and blossomed. -Beautiful it was to see the dark old pines thick-flaked with new snow, -and the same feathery substance lodged on every twig and branchlet, -tangle of vines, or tuft of tawny yellow grass. Fir-trees looked like -gigantic azaleas; thickets like coral groves. Nothing too slender or too -fragile for the white flight to alight upon. Talk of decorative art! -Even the telegraph-wires hung in broad, graceful festoons of white, -and the poor washer-woman's clothes-line was changed into the same -immaterial thing of beauty. - -The ascent proved more toilsome than I had anticipated, as my feet -broke through the frozen crust at every step. But if the climb had been -difficult when in the woods, it certainly presented few attractions when -I emerged from them half a mile below the summit. I found the surface of -the bare ledges, which now continue to the top of the mountain, sheeted -in ice, smooth and slippery as glass. - -Many a time have I laughed heartily at the feverish indecision of a dog -when he runs along the margin of a pond into which he has been urged -to plunge. He turns this way and that, whines, barks, crouches for the -leap, laps the water, but hesitates. Imagine, now, the same animal -chasing some object upon slippery ice, his feet spread widely apart; -his frantic efforts to stop; the circles described in the air by his -tail. Well, I experienced the same perplexity, and made nearly the same -ridiculous evolutions. - -After several futile attempts to advance over it, and as often finding -myself sliding backward with entire loss of control of my own movements, -I tried the rugged ravine, traversing the summit, with some success, -steadying my steps on the iced bowlders by grasping the bushes which -grew there among clefts of the rock. But this way, besides being -extremely fatiguing, was decidedly the more dangerous of the two; and -I was glad, after a brief trial, to abandon it for the ice, in which, -here and there, detached stones, solidly embedded, furnished points of -support, if they could be reached. By pursuing a zigzag course from -stone to stone, sometimes--like a pious Moslem approaching the tomb of -the Prophet--upon my hands and knees, and shedding tears from the force -of the wind, I succeeded in getting over the ledges after an hour's -obstinate battle to maintain an upright position, and after several -mishaps had taught me a degree of caution closely approaching timidity. -By far the most treacherous ground was where fresh snow, covering the -smooth ice, spread its pitfalls in the path, causing me several times -to measure my length; but at last these obstacles were one by one -surmounted; I groped my way, foot by foot, up the sharp rise of the -pinnacle, finding myself at the front door of the house which is so -conspicuous an object from the valley. - -Never was air more pure, more crisp, or more transparent. Besides, -what air can rival that of winter? I felt myself rather floating than -walking. Certainly there is a lightness, a clearness, and a depth that -belongs to no other season. At no other season do we behold our native -skies so blue, so firm, or so brilliant as when the limpid ether, -winnowed by the fierce north wind to absolute purity, presents objects -with such marvellous clearness, precision, and fidelity, that we hardly -persuade ourselves they are forty, fifty, or a hundred miles distant. To -realize this rare condition was all the object of the ascent--an object -attained in a measure far beyond any anticipations I had formed. - -As may easily be imagined, the immediate effect was bewildering in the -extreme. In the first place, the direct rays of the noonday sun covered -the mountain-top with dazzling brilliancy. The eye fairly ached with -looking at it. In the second, the intensity of the blue was such as to -give the idea that the grand expanse of sky was hard frozen. Nothing -more coldly brilliant than this immense azure dome can be conceived. -There was not the faintest trace of a cloud anywhere; nothing but this -splendid void. Under this high-vaulted dome, imagine now a vast expanse -of white etched with brown--a landscape in sepia. Such was the general -effect. - -But the inexpressible delight of having all this admirable scene to -one's self! Taine asks, "Can anything be sweeter than the certainty -of being alone? In any widely known spot, you are in constant dread -of an incursion of tourists; the hallooing of guides, the loud-voiced -admiration, the bustle, whether of unfastening horses, or of unpacking -provisions, or of airing opinions, all disturb the budding sensation; -civilization recovers its hold upon you. But here, what security and -what silence! nothing that recalls man; the landscape is just what it -has been these six thousand years." - -The view from this mountain is justly admired. Stripped of life and -color, I found it sad, pathetic even. Dead white and steel blue rudely -repulsed the sensitive eye. The north wind, cold and cutting, drove me -to take shelter under glaring rocks. The cracking of ice first on one -side, then on the other, diverted the attention from the landscape, -as if the mountain was continually snapping its fingers in disdain. -I had constantly the feeling that some _one_ or some _thing_ was at -my elbow. What childishness! But where now was the lavish summer, the -barbaric splendors of autumn--its arabesques of foliage, its velvet -shadows, its dappled skies, its glow, mantling like that of health and -beauty? All-pervading gloom and defoliation were rendered ten times more -melancholy by the splendid glare. Winter flung her white shroud over the -land to hide the repulsiveness of death. - -I looked across the valley where Moat Mountain reared its magnificent -dark wave. Passing to the north side, the eye wandered over the wooded -summits to the silvery heap of Washington, to which frozen, rose-colored -mists were clinging. A great ice-cataract rolled down over the edge -of Tuckerman's Ravine, its wave of glittering emerald. It shone with -enchanting brilliancy, cheating the imagination with the idea that -it moved; that the thin, spectral vapor rose from the depths of the -ice-cold gorge below. There gaped, wide open, the enormous hole of -Carter Notch; there the pale-blue Saco wound in and out of the hills, -with hamlets and villages strung along its serpentine course; and, as -the river grows, villages increase to towns, towns to cities. There -was the sea sparkling like a plain of quicksilver, with ponds and -lakes innumerable between. There, in the south-west, as far as the eye -could reach, was Monadnock demanding recognition; and in the west, -Moosehillock, Lafayette, Carrigain peaks, lifted with calm superiority -above the chaos of mountains, like higher waves of a frozen sea. -Finally, there were the snow-capped summits of the great range seen -throughout their whole extent, sunning their satin sides in indolent -enjoyment. - -This view has no peer in these mountains. Indeed, the mountain seems -expressly placed to command in one comprehensive sweep of the eye the -most impressive features of any mountain landscape. Being a peak of the -second order--that is to say, one not dominating all the chains--while -it does not unfold the topography of the region in its whole extent, -it is sufficiently elevated to permit the spectator to enjoy that -increasing grandeur with which the distant ranges rise, tier upon tier, -to their great central spires, without lessening materially their -loftiness, or the peculiar and varied expression of their contours. The -peak of Kearsarge peeps down over one shoulder into New Hampshire, over -the other into Maine. It looks straight up through the open door of the -Carter Notch, and boldly stares Washington in the face. It sees the -sun rise from the ocean, and set behind Mount Lafayette. It patronizes -Moat, measures itself proudly with Chocorua, and maintains a distant -acquaintance with Monadnock. It is a handsome mountain, and, as such, -is a general favorite with the ladies and the artists. Like a careful -shepherd, it every morning scans the valleys to see that none of its -flock of villages has wandered. For these villagers it is a sun-dial, a -weather-vane, an almanac; for the wayfarer, a sure guide; and for the -poet, a mountain with a soul. - -[Illustration: SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE.] - -The cold was intense, the wind piercing. On its north side the house -was deeply incrusted with ice-spars--windows and all. I feel that only -scant justice can be done to their wondrous beauty. All the scrubby -bushes growing out of interstices of the crumbling summit--wee twig -and slender filament--were stemmed with ice; while the rocks bristled -with countless frost feathers. With my pitch-cakes and a few twigs -I lighted a fire, which might be seen from the half-dozen villages -clustered about the foot of the mountain, and pleased myself with -imagining the astonishment with which a smoke curling upward from -this peak would be greeted for fifty miles around. I then prepared to -descend--I say prepared to descend, for the thing at once so easy to -say and so difficult of performance suddenly revived the recollection -of the hazardous scramble up the ledges, and made it seem child's play -by comparison. For a brief hour I had forgotten all this. However, go -down I must. But how? The first step on the ice threatened a descent -more rapid than flesh and blood could calmly contemplate. I had no -hatchet to cut steps in the ice; no rope to attach to the rocks, and -thus lower myself, as is practised in crossing the glaciers of the -Alps; and there was no foothold. For a moment I seriously thought of -forcing an entrance into the house, and, making a signal of distress, -resign myself to the possibility of help from below. But while sitting -on a rock looking blankly at the glassy declivity stretching down from -the summit, a bright idea came to my aid. I remembered having read in -Bourrienne's "Memoirs" that Bonaparte--the great Bonaparte--was forced -to slide down the summit of the Great St. Bernard _seated_, while -making his famous passage of the Alps. Yes, the great Corsican really -advanced to the conquest of Italy in this undignified posture. But never -did great example find more unworthy imitator. Seating myself, as the -Little Corporal had done, using my staff as a rudder, and steering for -protruding stones in order to check the force of the descent from time -to time, I slid down with a celerity the very remembrance of which makes -my head swim, arriving safe, but breathless and much astonished, at -the first irregular patch of snow. The pleasure of standing erect on -something the feet could grasp was one not to be translated into words. - -Upon reaching the hotel, I procured another pair of pantaloons of my -host, and some court-plaster from the village apothecary. If any of my -readers think my dignity compromised, I beg him to remember the example -of the great Napoleon, and his famous expedient for circumventing the -Great St. Bernard. - - - - -VI. - -_FROM KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN._ - - _Raleigh._--"Fain would I climb, but that I fear to fall." - _Queen Elizabeth._--"If thy heart fail thee, climb thou not at all." - - -After the storm, we had a fine lunar bow. The corona in the centre was a -clear silver, the outer circle composed of pale green and orange fires. -Over the moon's disk clouds swept a continuous stormy flight. The great -planet resembled a splendid decoration hung high in the heavens. - -Having now progressed to terms of easy familiarity with the village, it -was decided to pay our respects to the Intervale, which unites it with -the neighboring town of Bartlett. - -The road up the valley first skirts a wood, and through this wood are -delicious glimpses of Mount Adams. During the heat of the day or cool -of the evening this extensive and beautiful forest has always been a -favorite haunt. Tall, athletic pines, that bend in the breeze like -whalebone, lift their immense clusters of impenetrable foliage on high. -The sighs of lovers are softly echoed in their green tops; voices and -laughter issue from it. We, too, will swing our hammock here, and -breathe the healing fragrance that is so grateful. - -In a little enclosure of rough stone, on the Bigelow place, lie the -remains of the ill-fated Willey family, who were destroyed by the -memorable slide of 1826. The inscription closes with this not too lucid -figure: - - "We gaze around, we read their monument; - We sigh, and when we sigh we sink." - -Where the high terrace, making one grand sweep to the right, again -unveils the same superb view of the great summits, now wholly -unobstructed by houses or groves, we halt before that picture, -unrivalled in these mountains, not surpassed, perhaps, upon earth, and -which we never tire of gazing upon. Its most salient features have -already been described; but here in their very midst, from their very -heart, nature seems to have snatched a garden-spot from the haggard -mountains arrested in their advance by the command, "Thus far, and no -farther!" The elms, all grace, all refinement of form, bend before -the fierce blasts of winter, but stir not. The frozen east wind flies -shrieking through, as if to tear them limb from limb. The ground is -littered with their branches. They bow meekly before its rage, but stir -not. Really, they seem so many sentinels jealously guarding that repose -of which the vale is so eloquently the expression. The vale regards the -stormy summits around with the unconcern of perfect security. It is rest -to look at it. - -[Illustration: CONWAY MEADOWS.] - -Again we scan the great peaks which in clear days come boldly down and -stand at our very doors, but on hazy ones remove to a vast distance, -keeping vaguely aloof day in and day out. Sometimes they are in the -sulks, sometimes bold and forward. By turns they are graciously -condescending, or tantalizingly incomprehensible. One time they muffle -themselves in clouds from head to foot, so we cannot detect a suggestive -line or a contour; another, throwing off all disguise, they expose their -most secret beauties to the free gaze of the multitude. This is to set -the beholder's blood on fire with the passion to climb as high as those -gray shafts of everlasting rock that so proudly survey the creeping -leagues beneath them. - -Nowhere is the unapproachable grandeur of Mount Washington more fully -manifested than here. This large and impressive view is at once -suggestive of that glorious pre-eminence always associated with high -mountains. There are mountains, respectable ones too, in the middle -distance; but over these the great peak lords it with undisputed sway. -The bold and firm, though gradual, lines of ascent culminating at the -apex, extend over leagues of sky. After a clear sunset, Mount Washington -takes the same dull lead-color of the clouds hovering like enormous -night-birds over its head. - -North Conway permits, to the tourist, a choice of two very agreeable -excursions, either of which may be made in a day, although they could -profitably occupy a week. One is to follow the course of the Saco, -through the great Notch, to Fabyans, where you are on the westward -side of the great range, and where you take the rail to the summit -of Mount Washington. The other excursion is to diverge from the Saco -Valley three or four miles from North Conway, ascending the valley of -Ellis River--one of the lame affluents of the Saco--through the Pinkham -Notch to the Glen House, where you are exactly under the eastern foot -of Mount Washington, and may ascend it, by the carriage-road, in a -coach-and-four. We had already chosen the first route, and as soon as -the roads were a little settled we began our march. - -The storm was over. The keen north wind drove the mists in utter rout -before it. Peak after peak started out of the clouds, glowered on us a -moment, and then muffled his enormous head in fleecy vapor. The clouds -seemed thronged with monstrous apparitions, struggling fiercely with -the gale, which in pure wantonness tore aside the magic drapery that -rendered them invisible, scattering its tattered rags far and wide over -the valley. - -Now the sun entered upon the work begun by the wind. Quicker than -thought, a ray of liquid flame transfixed the vapors, flashed upon the -vale, and, flying from summit to summit, kindled them with newborn -splendor. One would have said a flaming javelin, hurled from high -heaven, had just cleft its dazzling way to earth. The mists slunk away -and hid themselves. The valley was inundated with golden light. Even the -dark faces of the cliffs brightened and beamed upon the vale, where the -bronzed foliage fluttered, and the river leaped for joy. In a little -time nothing was left but scattered clouds winging their way toward the -lowlands. - -[Illustration: BARTLETT BOWLDER.] - -Near Glen Station is one of those curiosities--a transported -boulder--which was undoubtedly left while on its travels through the -mountains, poised upon four smaller ones, in the position seen in the -engraving. - -Three miles below the village of Bartlett we stopped before a -farm-house, with the gable-end toward the road, to inquire the distance -to the next tavern, where we meant to pass the night. A gruff voice from -the inside growled something by way of reply; but as its owner, whoever -he might be, did not take the trouble to open his door, the answer was -unintelligible. - -"The churl!" muttered the colonel. "I have a great mind to teach him to -open when a gentleman knocks." - -"And I advise you not to try it," said the voice from the inside. - -The one thing a Kentuckian never shrinks from is a challenge. He only -said, "Wait a minute," while putting his broad shoulder against the -door; but now George and I interfered. Neither of us had any desire to -signalize our entry into the village by a brawl, and after some trouble -we succeeded in pacifying our fire-eater with the promise to stop at -this house on our way back. - -"I shall know it again," said the colonel, looking back, and nibbling -his long mustache with suppressed wrath; "something has been spilled on -the threshold--something like blood." - -We laughed heartily. The blood, we concluded, was in the colonel's eyes. - -Some time after nightfall we arrived in the village, having put thirteen -miles of road behind us without fatigue. Our host received us with a -blazing fire--what fires they do have in the mountains, to be sure!--a -pitcher of cider, and the remark, "Don't be afraid of it, gentlemen." - -All three hastened to reassure him on this point. The colonel began with -a loud smack, and George finished the jug with a deep sigh. - -"Don't be afraid of it," repeated the landlord, returning presently with -a fresh pitcher. "There are five barrels more like it in the cellar." - -"Landlord," quoth George, "let one of your boys take a mattress, two -blankets, and a pillow to the cellar. I intend to pass the night there." - -"I only wish your well was full of it," said the colonel, taking a -second pull at the jug, and making a second explosion with his lips. - -"Gentlemen," said I, "we have surely entered a land of milk and honey." - -"You shall have as much of both as you desire," said our host, very -affably. "Supper is ready, gentlemen." - -After supper a man came in for whom I felt, upon the instant, one of -those secret antipathies which are natural to me. The man was an utter -stranger. No matter: the repugnance seized me all the same. - -After a tour of the tap-room, and some words with our landlord in an -undertone, the stranger went out with the look of a man who had asked -for something and had been refused. - -"Where have I heard that man's voice?" said the colonel, thoughtfully. - -Our landlord is one of the most genial to be found among the mountains. -While sitting over the fire during the evening, the conversation turned -upon the primitive simplicity of manners remarked among mountaineers in -general; and our host illustrated it with this incident: - -"You noticed, perhaps, a man who left here a few moments ago?" he began. - -We replied affirmatively. It was my antipathy. - -"Well, that man killed a traveller a few years back." - -We instinctively recoiled. The air seemed tainted with the murderer's -presence. - -"Yes; dead as a mutton," continued the landlord, punching the logs -reflectively, and filling the chimney with sparks. "The man came to -his house one dark and stormy night, and asked to be admitted. The man -of the house flatly refused. The stranger pleaded hard, but the fellow -ordered him away with threats. Finding entreaties useless, the traveller -began to grow angry, and attempted to push open the door, which was -only fastened by a button, as the custom is. The man of the house said -nothing, but took his gun from a corner, and when the intruder crossed -the threshold he put three slugs through him. The wounded man expired on -the threshold, covering it with his blood." - -"Murdered him, and for that? Come, come, you are joking!" ejaculated -George, with a half smile of incredulity. - -"Blowed him right through, just as I tell you," reiterated the narrator, -without heeding the doubt George's question implied. - -"That sounds a little like Old Kentuck," observed the colonel, coolly. - -"Yes; but listen to the sequel, gentlemen," resumed the landlord. "The -murderer took the dead body in his arms, finding, to his horror, that -it was an acquaintance with whom he had been drinking the day before; -he took up the body, as I was saying, laid it out upon a table, and -then went quietly to bed. In the morning he very honestly exhibited the -corpse to all who passed his door, and told his story as I tell it to -you. I had it from his own lips." - -"That beats Kentucky," asseverated the colonel. For my own part, I -believed the landlord was amusing himself at our expense. - -"I don't know about Kentucky," observed the landlord; "I was never there -in my life; but I do know that, when the dead man was buried, the man -who killed him went to the funeral like any curious or indifferent -spectator." - -This was too much. George rose from his chair, and began to be -interested in a placard on the wall. "And you say this happened near -here?" he slowly inquired; "perhaps, now, you could show us the very -house?" he finished, dryly. - -"Nothing easier. It's only three miles back on the road you came. The -blood-stain is plain, or was, on the threshold." - -We exchanged glances. This was the house where we halted to inquire our -way. The colonel's eyes dilated, but he said nothing. - -"But was there no trial?" I asked. - -"Trial? oh yes. After several days had run by, somebody thought of -that; so one morning the slayer saddled his horse and rode over to the -county-seat to inquire about it. He was tried at the next sessions, and -acquitted. The judge charged justifiable homicide; that a man's house is -his fort; the jury did not leave their benches. By-the-bye, gentlemen, -that is some of the man's cider you are drinking." - -I felt decided symptoms of revolt in my stomach; George made a grimace, -and the colonel threw his unfinished glass in the fire. During the -remainder of the evening he rallied us a good deal on the subject of New -England hospitality, but said no more about going back to chastise the -man of the red house.[5] - -The sun rose clear over the right shoulder of Kearsarge. After breakfast -the landlord took us out and introduced us to his neighbors, the -mountains. While he was making the presentation in due form, I jotted -down the following, which has, at least, the merit of conciseness: - -_Upper Bartlett_: an ellipse of fertile land; three Lombardy poplars; a -river murmuring unseen; a wall of mountains, with Kearsarge looking up, -and Carrigain looking down the intervale. _Item_: the cider is excellent. - -We had before us the range extending between Swift River and the Saco, -over which I looked from the summit of Chocorua straight to Mount -Washington. To the east this range is joined with the out-works of -Moat. Then come Table, Bear, Silver Spring (Bartlett Haystack), and -Tremont, in the order named. Then comes the valley of Sawyer's River, -with Carrigain rising between its walls; then, crossing to the north -side of the Saco, the most conspicuous object is the bold Hart's Ledge, -between which and Sawyer's Rock, on the opposite bank, the river is -crowded into a narrow channel. The mountain behind the hotel is Mount -Langdon, with Crawford more distant. Observe closely the curious -configuration of this peak. Whether we go up or down, it nods familiarly -to us from every point of approach. - -But Kearsarge and Carrigain are the grand features here. One gives -his adieu, the other his welcome. One is the perfection of symmetry, -of grace; the other simply demands our homage. His snowy crown, -dazzling white against the pure blue, was the badge of an incontestable -superiority. These two mountains are the presiding genii of this -charming intervale. You look first at the massive lineaments of one, -then at the flowing lines of the other, as at celebrated men, whose -features you would strongly impress upon the memory. - -From the village street we saw the sun go down behind Mount Carrigain, -and touch with his glittering sceptre the crest of Hancock. We looked up -the valley dominated by the giant of the Pemigewasset wilderness with -feelings of high respect for this illustrious hermit, who only deigns to -show himself from this single point, and whose peak long yielded only to -the most persevering and determined climbers. - -Two days were formerly required for the ascent of this mountain, but -a long day will now suffice, thanks to the path constructed under the -direction of the Appalachian Club. The mountain is four thousand six -hundred and twenty-five feet above the sea, and is wooded to its summit. -The valley of Sawyer's River drains the deep basin between Carrigain and -Hancock, entering the Saco near the railroad station called Livermore. -The lumbermen have now penetrated this valley to the foot of the -mountain, with their rude logging roads, offering a way soon, it is -hoped, to be made plainer for future climbers than it was our lot to -find it. - -Thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the mountains, we now regarded -distances with disdain, and fatigue with indifference. We had learned -to make our toilets in the stream, and our beds in the fragrant groves. -Truly, the bronzed faces that peered at us as we bent over some solemn, -pine-shaded pool were not those we had been accustomed to seeing at -home; but having solved the problem of man's true existence, we only -laughed at each other's tawny countenances while shouldering our packs -and tightening our belts for the day's march. - -Leaving Bartlett at an early hour, we turned aside from the highway -a little beyond the bridge which spans Sawyer's River, and were soon -following a rough and stony cart-way ascending the banks of this -stream, which thundered along its rocky bed, making the woods echo with -its roar. The road grew rapidly worse, the river wilder, the forest -gloomier, until, at the end of two miles, coming suddenly out into the -sun, we entered a rude street of unpainted cabins, terminating at some -saw-mills. This hamlet, which to the artistic eye so disadvantageously -replaces the original forest, is the only settlement in the large -township of Livermore. Its mission is to ravage and lay waste the -adjacent mountains. Notwithstanding the occupation is legitimate, one -instinctively rebels at the waste around him, where the splendid natural -forest, literally hewed and hacked in pieces, exposes rudely all the -deformities of the mountains. But this lost hamlet is the first in which -a genuine emotion of any kind awaits the traveller. Ten to one it is -like nothing he ever dreamed of; his surprise is, therefore, extreme. -The men were rough, hardy-looking fellows; the women appeared contented, -but as if hard work had destroyed their good looks prematurely. Both -announced, by their looks and their manner, that the life they led was -no child's play; the men spoke only when addressed; the women stole -furtive glances at us; the half-dressed children stopped their play -to stare at the strangers. Here was neither spire nor bell. One cow -furnished all the milk for the commonalty. The mills being shut, there -was no sound except the river plashing over the rocks far down in the -gorge below; and had I encountered such a place on the sea-coast or the -frontier, I should at once have said I had stumbled upon the secret -hold of outlaws and smugglers, into which signs, grips, and passwords -were necessary to procure admission. To me, therefore, the hamlet of -Livermore was a wholly new experience. - -From this hamlet to the foot of the mountain is a long and uninteresting -tramp of five miles through the woods. We found the walking good, and -strode rapidly on, coming first to a wood-cutter's camp pitched on the -banks of Carrigain Brook, and next to the clearing they had made at the -mountain's foot. Here the actual work of the ascent began in earnest. - -Carrigain is solid, compact, massive. It is covered from head to foot -with forest. No incident of the way diverts the attention for a single -moment from the severe exertion required to overcome its steeply -inclined side; no breathing levels, no restful outlooks, no gorges, no -precipices, no cascades break the monotony of the escalade. We conquer, -as Napoleon's grenadiers did, by our legs. It is the most inexorable of -mountains, and the most exasperating. From base to summit you cannot -obtain a cup of water to slake your thirst. - -Two hours of this brought us out upon the bare summit of the great -northern spur, beyond which the true peak rose a few hundred feet -higher. Carrigain, at once the desire and the bugbear of climbers, was -beneath our feet. - -We have already examined, from the rocks of Chocorua, the situation -of this peak. We then entitled it the Hub of the White Mountains. -It reveals all the magnitude, unfolds the topography of the woody -wilderness stretching between the Saco and the Pemigewasset valleys. As -nearly as possible, it exhibits the same amazing profusion of unbroken -forest, here and there darkly streaked by hidden watercourses, as when -the daring foot of the first climber pressed the unviolated crest of the -august peak of Washington. In all its length and breadth there is not -one object that suggests, even remotely, the presence of man. We saw not -even the smoke of a hunter's camp. All was just as created; an absolute, -savage, unkempt wilderness. - -Heavens, what a bristling array of dark and shaggy mountains! Now and -then, where water gleamed out of their hideous depths, a great brilliant -eye seemed watching us from afar. We knew that we had only to look up to -see a dazzling circlet of lofty peaks drawn around the horizon, chains -set with glittering stones, clusters sparkling with antique crests; -still we could not withdraw our eyes from the profound abysses sunk deep -in the bowels of the land, typical of the uncovered bed of the primeval -ocean, sad and terrible, from which that ocean seemed only to have just -receded. - -But who shall describe all this solitary, this oppressive grandeur? -and what language portray the awfulness of these untrodden mountains? -Now and then, high up their bleak summits, a patch of forest had been -plucked up by the roots, or shaken from its hold in the throes of the -mountain, laid bare a long and glittering scar, red as a half-closed -wound. Such is the appearance of Mount Lowell, on the other side of the -gap dividing Carrigain from the Notch mountains. We saw where the dark -slope of Mount Willey gives birth to the infant Merrimack. We saw the -confluent waters of this stream, so light of foot, speeding through the -gloomy defiles, as if fear had given them wings. We saw the huge mass of -Mount Hancock force itself slowly upward out of the press. Unutterable -lawlessness stamped the whole region as its own. - -That I have thus dwelt upon its most extraordinary feature, instead of -examining the landscape in detail, must suffice for the intelligent -reader. I have not the temerity to coolly put the dissecting-knife into -its heart. To science the things which belong to science. Besides, to -the man of feeling all this is but secondary. We are not here to make a -chart. - -After a visit to the high summit, where some work was done in the -interest of future climbers, we set out at four in the afternoon, on -our return down the mountain. A second time we halted on the spur to -glance upward at the heap of summits over which Mount Washington lifts a -regular dome. The long line of peaks, ascending from Crawford's, seems -approaching it by a succession of huge steps. It was after dark when we -saw the lights of the village before us, and were again warmly welcomed -by the rousing fire and smoking viands of mine host. - - - - -VII. - -_VALLEY OF THE SACO._ - - With our faint heart the mountain strives; - Its arms outstretched, the Druid wood - Waits with its benedicte. - _Sir Launfal._ - - -At eight o'clock in the morning we resumed our march, with the intention -of reaching Crawford's the same evening. The day was cold, raw, and -windy, so we walked briskly--sharp air and cutting wind acting like whip -and spur. - -I retain a vivid recollection of this morning. Autumn had passed her -cool hand over the fevered earth. Soft as three-piled velvet, the green -turf left no trace of our tread. The sky was of a dazzling blue, and -frescoed with light clouds, transparent as gauze, pure as the snow -glistening on the high summits. On both sides of us audacious mountains -braced their feet in the valley; while others mounted over their brawny -shoulders, as if to scale the heavens. - -But what shall I say of the grand harlequinade of nature which the -valley presented to our view? I cannot employ Victor Hugo's odd simile -of a peacock's tail; that is more of a witticism than a description. -The death of the year seemed to prefigure the glorious and surprising -changes of color in a dying dolphin--putting on unparalleled beauty at -the moment of dissolution, and so going out in a blaze of glory. - -From the meagre summits enfiladed by the north wind, and where a -solitary pine or cedar intensified the desolation, to the upper forests, -the mountains bristled with a scanty growth of dead or dying trees. -Those scattered birches, high up the mountain side, looked like quills -on a porcupine's back; that group, glistening in the morning sun, -like the pipes of an immense organ. From this line of death, which -vegetation crossed at its peril, the eye dropped down over a limitless -forest of dark evergreen spotted with bright yellow. The effect of the -sunlight on this foliage was magical. Myriad flambeaux illuminated the -deep gloom, doubling the intensity of the sun, emitting rays, glowing, -resplendent. This splendid light, which the heavy masses of orange -seemed to absorb, gave a velvety softness to the lower ridges and spurs, -covering their hard, angular lines with a magnificent drapery. The lower -forests, the valley, were one vast sea of color. Here the bewildering -melange of green and gold, orange and crimson, purple and russet, -produced the effect of an immense Turkish rug--the colors being soft -and rich, rather than vivid or brilliant. This quality, the blending -of a thousand tints, the dreamy grace, the sumptuous profusion, the -inexpressible tenderness, intoxicated the senses. Earth seemed no longer -earth. We had entered a garden of the gods. - -From time to time a scarlet maple flamed up in the midst of the forest, -and its red foliage, scattered at our feet by the wind, glowed like -flakes of fire beaten from an anvil. A tangled maze of color changed the -road into an avenue bordered with rare and variegated plants. Autumn's -bright sceptre, the golden-rod, pointed the way. Blue and white daisies -strewed the greensward. - -After passing Sawyer's River, the road turned abruptly to the north, -skirting the base of the Nancy range. We were at the door of the second -chamber in this remarkable gallery of nature. - -Before crossing the threshold it is expedient to allude to the incident -which has given a name not only to the mountain, but to the torrent we -see tearing its impetuous way down from the upper forests. The story of -Nancy's Brook is as follows: - -In the latter part of the last century, a maiden, whose Christian name -of Nancy is all that comes down to us, was living in the little hamlet -of Jefferson. She loved, and was betrothed to a young man of the farm. -The wedding-day was fixed, and the young couple were on the eve of -setting out for Portsmouth, where their happiness was to be consummated -at the altar. In the trustfulness of love, the young girl confided the -small sum which constituted all her marriage-portion to her lover. This -man repaid her simple faith with the basest treachery. Seizing his -opportunity, he left the hamlet without a word of explanation or of -adieu. The deserted maiden was one of those natures which cannot quietly -sit down under calamity. Urged on by the intensity of her feelings, she -resolved to pursue her recreant lover. He could not resist her prayers, -her entreaties, her tears! She was young, vigorous, intrepid. With her -to decide and to act were the same thing. In vain the family attempted -to dissuade her from her purpose. At nightfall she set out. - -A hundred years ago the route taken by this brave girl was not, as -to-day, a thoroughfare which one may follow with his eyes shut. It was -only an obscure path, little travelled by day, deserted by night. For -thirty miles, from Colonel Whipple's, in Jefferson, to Bartlett, there -was not a human habitation. The forests were filled with wild beasts. -The rigor of the season--it was December--added its own perils. But -nothing could daunt the heroic spirit of Nancy; she had found man more -cruel than all besides. - -[Illustration: NANCY IN THE SNOW.] - -The girl's hope was to overtake her lover before dawn at the place where -she expected he would have camped for the night. She found the camp -deserted, and the embers extinguished. Spurred on by hope or despair, -she pushed on down the tremendous defile of the Notch, fording the -turbulent and frozen Saco, and toiling through deep snows and over rocks -and fallen trees, until, feeling her strength fail, she sunk exhausted -on the margin of the brook which seems perpetually bemoaning her sad -fate. Here, cold and rigid as marble, under a canopy of evergreen which -the snow tenderly drooped above, they found her. She was wrapped in her -cloak, and in the same attitude of repose as when she fell asleep on her -nuptial couch of snow-crusted moss. - -The story goes that the faithless lover became a hopeless maniac on -learning the fate of his victim, dying in horrible paroxysms not long -after. Tradition adds that for many years, on every anniversary of her -death, the mountains resounded with ravings, shrieks, and agonized -cries, which the superstitious attributed to the unhappy ghost of the -maniac lover.[6] - -It was not quite noon when we entered the beautiful and romantic glen -under the shadow of Mount Crawford. Upon our left, a little in advance, -a solidly-built English country-house, with gables, stood on a terrace -well above the valley. At our right, and below, was the old Mount -Crawford tavern, one of the most ancient of mountain hostelries. Upon -the opposite side of the vale rose the enormous mass of Mount Crawford; -and near where we stood, a humble mound, overgrown with bushes, enclosed -the mortal remains of the hardy pioneer whose monument is the mountain. - -We had an excusable curiosity to see a man who, in the prime of life, -had forsaken the city, its pleasures, its opportunities, and had come -to pass the rest of his life among these mountains; one, too, whose -enormous possessions procured for him the title of Lord of the Valley. -We heard with astonishment that our day's journey, of which we had -completed the half only, was wholly over his tract--I ought to say his -dominions--that is, over thirteen miles of field, forest, and mountain. -This being equal to a small principality, it seemed quite natural and -proper to approach the proprietor with some degree of ceremony. - -A servant took our cards at the door, and returned with an invitation to -enter. The apartment into which we were conducted was the most singular -I have ever seen; certainly it has no counterpart in this world, unless -the famous hut of Robinson Crusoe has escaped the ravages of time. -It was literally crammed with antique furniture, among which was a -high-backed chair used in dentistry; squat little bottles, containing -chemicals; and a bench, on which was a spirit-lamp; a turning-lathe, a -small portable furnace, and a variety of instruments or tools of which -we did not know the use. A few prints and oil-paintings adorned the -walls. A cheerful fire burnt on the hearth. - -"Were we in the sixteenth century," said George, "I should say this was -the laboratory of some famous alchemist." - -[Illustration: ABEL CRAWFORD.] - -Further investigation was cut short by the entrance of our host, who was -a venerable-looking man, turned of eighty, with a silver beard falling -upon his breast, and a general expression of benignity. He stooped a -little, but seemed hale and hearty, notwithstanding the weight of his -fourscore years. - -Doctor Bemis received us graciously. For an hour he entertained us with -the story of his life among the mountains, "to which," said he, "I -credit the last forty-five years--for I at first came here in pursuit of -health." After he had satisfied our curiosity concerning himself, which -he did with perfect _bonhomie_, I asked him to describe Abel Crawford, -the veteran guide of the White Hills. - -"Abel," said the doctor, "was six feet four; Erastus, the eldest son, -was six feet six, or taller than Washington; and Ethan was still -taller, being nearly seven feet. In fact, not one of the sons was less -than six feet; so you may imagine what sort of family group it was -when 'his boys,' as Abel loved to call them, were all at home. Ah, -well!" continued the doctor, with a sigh, "that kind of timber does -not flourish in the mountains now. Why, the very sight of one of those -giants inspired the timid with confidence. Ethan, called in his day -the Giant of the Hills, was a man of iron frame and will. Fear and he -were strangers. He would take up an exhausted traveller in his sinewy -arms and carry him as you would a baby, until his strength or courage -returned. The first bridle-path up the mountain was opened by him -in--let me see--ah! I have it, it was in 1821. Ethan, with the help of -his father, also built the Notch House above.[7] - -"Abel was long-armed, lean, and sinewy. Doctor Dwight, whose 'Travels -in New England' you have doubtless read, stopped with Crawford, on his -way down the Notch, in 1797. His nearest neighbor then, on the north, -was Captain Rosebrook, who lived on or near the site of the present -Fabyan House. Crawford's life of hardship had made little impression on -a constitution of iron. At seventy-five he rode the first horse that -reached the summit of Mount Washington. At eighty he often walked to -his son's (Thomas J. Crawford), at the entrance of the Notch, before -breakfast. I recollect him perfectly at this time, and his appearance -was peculiarly impressive. He was erect and vigorous as one of those -pines on yonder mountain. His long white hair fell down upon his -shoulders, and his fresh, ruddy face was always expressive of good-humor. - -"The destructive freshet of 1826," continued the doctor, "swept -everything before it, flooding the intervale, and threatening the old -house down there with instant demolition. During that terrible night, -when the Willey family perished, Mrs. Crawford was alone with her young -children in the house. The water rose with such rapidity that she was -driven to the upper story for safety. While here, the thud of floating -trees, driven by the current against the house, awakened new terrors. At -every concussion the house trembled. Wooden walls could not long stand -that terrible pounding. The heroic woman, alive to the danger, seized a -stout pole, and, going to the nearest window, kept the side of the house -exposed to the flood free from the mass of wreck-stuff collected against -it. She held her post thus throughout the night, until the danger had -passed. When the flood subsided, Crawford found several fine trout alive -in his cellar." - -"When do the great freshets usually occur?" I asked. - -"In the autumn," replied our host. "It is not the melting snows, but the -sudden rainfalls that we fear." - -"Yes," resumed he, reflectively, "the Crawfords were a family of -athletes. With them the race of guides became extinct. Soon after -settling here, Abel went with his wife to Bartlett on some occasion, -leaving their two boys in the care of a hired man. When they had gone, -this man took what he could find of value and decamped. When Abel -returned, which he did on the following day, he immediately set out -in pursuit of the thief, overtook him thirty miles from here, in the -Franconia forests, flogged him within an inch of his life, and let him -go." - -"Sixty miles on foot, and alone, to recover a few stolen goods, and -punish a thief!" cried the astonished colonel; "that beats Daniel Boone." - -"Yes; and what is more, the boys were brought up to face hunger, cold, -fatigue, with Indian stoicism, and even to encounter bears, lynxes, and -wolves with no other weapons than those provided by nature. There, now, -was Ethan, for example," said the doctor, smiling at the recollection. -"One day he took it into his head to have a tame bear for the diversion -of his guests. Well, he caught a young one, half grown, and remarkably -vicious, in a trap. But how to get him home! At length Ethan tied his -fore and hind paws together so he couldn't scratch, and put a muzzle of -withes over his nose so he couldn't bite. Then, shouldering his prize -as he would a bag of meal, the guide started for home, in great glee -at the success of his clever expedient. He had not gone far, however, -before Bruin managed to get one paw wholly and his muzzle partly free, -and began to scratch and struggle and snap at his captor savagely. Ethan -wanted to get the bear home terribly; but, after having his clothing -nearly torn off his back, he grew angry, and threw the beast upon the -ground with such force as to kill him instantly." - -"Report," said I, "credits you with naming most of the mountains which -overlook the intervale." - -"Yes," replied the doctor, "Resolution, over there"--indicating the -mountain allied to Crawford, and to the ridge which forms one of -the buttresses of Mount Washington--"I named in recognition of the -perseverance of Mr. Davis, who became discouraged while making a path to -Mount Washington in 1845." - -"Is the route practicable?" I asked. - -"Practicable, yes; but nearly obliterated, and seldom ascended. Have you -seen Frankenstein?" demanded the doctor, in his turn. - -We replied in the negative. - -"It will repay a visit. I named it for a young German artist who passed -some time with me, and who was fascinated by its rugged picturesqueness. -Here is some of his work," pointing to the paintings which, apparently, -formed the foundation of the collection on the walls. - -Our host accompanied us to the door with a second injunction not to -forget Frankenstein. - -"You have something there good for the eyes," I observed, indicating the -green carpet of the vale beneath us. - -"True; but you should have seen it when the deer boldly came down the -mountain and browsed quietly among the cattle. That was a pretty sight, -and one of frequent occurrence when I first knew the place. At that -time," he continued, "the stage passed up every other day. Sometimes -there were one or two, but seldom three passengers." - -Proceeding on our way, we now had a fine view of the Giant's Stairs, -which we had already seen from Mount Carrigain, but less boldly outlined -than they appear from the valley, where they really look like two -enormous steps cut on the very summit of the opposite ridge. No name -could be more appropriate, though each of the degrees of this colossal -staircase demands a giant not of our days; for they are respectively -three hundred and fifty, and four hundred and fifty feet in height. It -was over those steps that the Davis path ascended. - -A mile or a mile and a half above the Crawford Glen, we emerged from -behind a projecting spur of the mountain which hid the upper valley, -when, by a common impulse, we stopped, fairly stupefied with admiration -and surprise. - -Thrust out before us, athwart the pass, a black and castellated pile -of precipices shot upward to a dizzy height, and broke off abruptly -against the sky. Its bulging sides and regular outlines resembled the -clustered towers and frowning battlements of some antique fortress -built to command the pass. Gashed, splintered, defaced, it seemed to -have withstood for ages the artillery of heaven and the assaults of -time. With what solitary grandeur it lifted its mailed front above the -forest, and seemed even to regard the mountains with disdain! Silent, -gloomy, impregnable, it wanted nothing to recall those dark abodes of -the Thousand and One Nights, in which malignant genii are imprisoned for -thousands of years. - -This was Frankenstein. We at once accord it a place as the most -suggestive of cliffs. From the other side of the valley the resemblance -to a medival castle is still more striking. It has a black gorge for a -moat, so deep that the head swims when crossing it; and to-day, as we -crept over the cat's-cradle of a bridge thrown across for the passage -of the railway, and listened to the growling of the torrent far down -beneath, the whole frail structure seemed trembling under us. - -But what a contrast! what a singular freak of nature! At the foot of -this grisly precipice, clothing it with almost superhuman beauty, was a -plantation of maples and birches, all resplendent in crimson and gold. -Never have I seen such masses of color laid on such a background. Below -all was light and splendor; above, all darkness and gloom. Here the eye -fairly revelled in beauty, there it recoiled in terror. The cliff was -like a naked and swarthy Ethiopian up to his knees in roses. - -We walked slowly, with our eyes fixed on these cliffs, until another -turn of the road--we were now on the railway embankment--opened a vista -deserving to be remembered as one of the marvels of this glorious -picture-gallery. - -The perfection and magnificence of this truly regal picture, the -gigantic scale on which it is presented, without the least blemish to -mar its harmony or disturb the impression of one grand, unique whole, is -a revelation to the least susceptible nature in the world. - -Frankenstein was now a little withdrawn, on our left. Upon the right, -fluttering its golden foliage as if to attract our attention, a -plantation of tall, satin-stemmed birches stretched for some distance -along the railway. Between the long buttress of the cliff and this -forest lay open the valley of Mount Washington River, which is driven -deep into the heart of the great range. There, through this valley, -cutting the sapphire sky with their silver silhouette, were the giant -mountains, surmounted by the splendid dome of Washington himself. - -[Illustration: STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY.] - -Passing beyond, we had a fine retrospect of Crawford, with his curved -horn; and upon the dizzy iron bridge thrown across the gorge beneath -Frankenstein, striking views are obtained of the mountains below. They -seemed loftier and grander, and more imposing than ever. - -Turning our faces toward the north, we now beheld the immense bulk and -superb crest of Willey. On the other side of the valley was the long -battlement of Mount Webster. We were at the entrance of the great Notch. - - - - -VIII. - -_THROUGH THE NOTCH._ - - Around his waist are forests braced, - The avalanche in his hand.--BYRON. - - -The valley, which had continually contracted since leaving Bartlett, -now appeared fast shut between these two mountains; but on turning the -tremendous support which Mount Willey flings down, we were in presence -of the amazing defile cloven through the midst, and giving entrance to -the heart of the White Hills. - -These gigantic mountains divided to the right and left, like the Red -Sea before the Israelites. Through the immense trough, over which their -crests hung suspended in mid-air, the highway creeps and the river -steals away. The road is only seen at intervals through the forest; a -low murmur, like the hum of bees, announces the river. - -I have no conception of the man who can approach this stupendous chasm -without a sensation of fear. The idea of imminent annihilation is -everywhere overwhelming. The mind refuses to reason, or rather to fix -itself, except on a single point. What if the same power that commanded -these awful mountains to remove should hurl them back to ever-during -fixedness? Should, do I say? The gulf seemed contracting under our very -eyes--the great mountains toppling to their fall. With an eagerness -excited by high expectation, we had pressed forward; but now we -hesitated. - -This emotion, which many of my readers have doubtless partaken, was our -tribute to the dumb but eloquent expression of power too vast for our -feeble intellects to measure. It was the triumph of matter over mind; of -the finite over the infinite. - -Below, it was all admiration and surprise; here, all amazement and fear. -The more the mountains exalted themselves, the more we were abased. -Trusting, nevertheless, in our insignificance, we moved on, looking with -all our eyes, absorbed, silent, and almost worshipping. - -The wide split of the Notch, which we had now entered, had on one side -Mount Willey, drawn up to his full height; and on the other Mount -Webster, striped with dull red on clingy yellow, like an old tiger's -skin. Willey is the highest; Webster the most remarkable. Willey has -a conical spire; Webster a long, irregular battlement. Willey is a -mountain; Webster a huge block of granite. - -For two miles the gorge winds between these mountains to where it is -apparently sealed up by a sheer mass of purple precipices lodged full -in its throat. This is Mount Willard. The vast chasm glowed with the -gorgeous colors of the foliage, even when a passing cloud obscured the -sun. These general observations made, we cast our eyes down into the -vale reposing at our feet. We had chosen for our point of view that to -which Abel Crawford conducted Sir Charles Lyell in 1845. The scientist -has made the avalanche bear witness to the glacier, precisely as one -criminal is made to convict another under our laws. - -Five hundred feet below us was a little clearing, containing a hamlet -of two or three houses. From this hamlet to the storm-crushed crags -glistening on the summit of Mount Willey the track of an old avalanche -was still distinguishable, though the birches and alders rooted among -the dbris threatened to obliterate it at no distant day. - -We descended by this still plain path to the houses at the foot of the -mountain. One and the other are associated with the most tragic event -connected with the history of the great Notch. - -We found two houses, a larger and smaller, fronting the road, neither -of which merits a description; although evidence that it was visited by -multitudes of curious pilgrims abounded on the walls of the unoccupied -building. - -Since quite early in the century, this house was kept as an inn; and -for a long time it was the only stopping-place between Abel Crawford's -below and Captain Rosebrook's above--a distance of thirteen miles. Its -situation, at the entrance of the great Notch, was advantageous to the -public and to the landlord, but attended with a danger which seems not -to have been sufficiently regarded, if indeed it caused successive -inmates particular concern. This fatal security had a lamentable sequel. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WILLARD FROM WILLEY BROOK.] - -In 1826 this house was occupied by Samuel Willey, his wife, five -children, and two hired men. During the summer a drought of unusual -severity dried the streams, and parched the thin soil of the neighboring -mountains. On the evening of the 26th of June, the family heard a heavy, -rumbling noise, apparently proceeding from the mountain behind them. In -terror and amazement they ran out of the house. They saw the mountain -in motion. They saw an immense mass of earth and rock detach itself -and move toward the valley, at first slowly, then with gathered and -irresistible momentum. Rocks, trees, earth, were swooping down upon -them from the heights in three destroying streams. The spectators stood -rooted to the spot. Before they could recover their presence of mind the -avalanche was upon them. One torrent crossed the road only ten rods from -the house; another a little distance beyond; while the third and largest -portion took a different direction. With great labor a way was made over -the mass of rubbish for the road. The avalanche had shivered the largest -trees, and borne rocks weighing many tons almost to the door of the -lonely habitation. - -This awful warning passed unheeded. On the 28th of August, at dusk, -a storm burst upon the mountains, and raged with indescribable fury -throughout the night. The rain fell in sheets. Innumerable torrents -suddenly broke forth on all sides, deluging the narrow valley, and -bearing with them forests that had covered the mountains for ages. The -swollen and turbid Saco rose over its banks, flooding the Intervales, -and spreading destruction in its course. - -Two days afterward a traveller succeeded in forcing his way through the -Notch. He found the Willey House standing uninjured in the midst of -woful desolation. A second avalanche, descended from Mount Willey during -the storm, had buried the little vale beneath its ruins. The traveller, -affrighted by the scene around him, pushed open the door. As he did so, -a half-famished dog, sole inmate of the house, disputed his entrance -with a mournful howl. He entered. The interior was silent and deserted. -A candle burnt to the socket, the clothing of the inmates lying by their -bedsides, testified to the haste with which this devoted family had -fled. The death-like hush pervading the lonely cabin--these evidences -of the horrible and untimely fate of the family--the appalling scene of -wreck all around, froze the solitary intruder's blood. In terror he, -too, fled from the doomed dwelling. - -On arriving at Bartlett, the traveller reported what he had seen. -Assistance was despatched to the scene of disaster. The rescuers came -too late to render aid to the living, but they found, and buried on the -spot, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Willey, and the two hired men. The -remaining children were never found. - -It was easily conjectured that the terrified family, alive at last to -the appalling danger that menaced them, and feeling the solid earth -tremble in the throes of the mountain, sought safety in flight. They -only rushed to their doom. The discovery of the bodies showed but too -plainly the manner of their death. They had been instantly swallowed up -by the avalanche, which, in the inexplicable order of things visible in -great calamities, divided behind the house, leaving the frail structure -unharmed, while its inmates were hurried into eternity.[8] - -For some time after the disaster a curse seemed to rest upon the -old Notch House. No one would occupy it. Travellers shunned it. It -remained untenanted, though open to all who might be driven to seek its -inhospitable shelter, until the deep impression of horror which the fate -of the Willey family inspired had, in a measure, effaced itself. - -The effects of the cataclysm were everywhere. For twenty-one miles, -almost its entire length, the turnpike was demolished. Twenty-one of -the twenty-three bridges were swept away. In some places the meadows -were buried to the depth of several feet beneath sand, earth, and -rocks; in others, heaps of great trees, which the torrent had torn -up by the roots, barricaded the route. The mountains presented a -ghastly spectacle. One single night sufficed to obliterate the work of -centuries, to strip their summits bare of verdure, and to leave them -with shreds of forest and patches of shrubbery hanging to their stark -and naked sides. Thus their whole aspect was altered to an extent hardly -to be realized to-day, though remarked with mingled wonder and dread -long after the period of the convulsion. - -From the house our eyes naturally wandered to the mountain, where -quarrymen were pecking at its side like yellow-hammers at a dead -sycamore. All at once a tremendous explosion was heard, and a stream -of loosened earth and bowlders came rattling down the mountain. So -unexpected was the sound, so startling its multiplied echo, it seemed as -if the mountain had uttered a roar of rage and pain, which was taken up -and repeated by the other mountains until the uproar became deafening. -When the reverberation died away in the distance, we again heard the -metallic click of the miners' hammers chipping away at the gaunt ribs of -Mount Willey. - -How does it happen that this catastrophe is still able to awaken the -liveliest interest for the fate of the Willey family? Why is it that -the oft-repeated tale seems ever new in the ears of sympathetic -listeners? Our age is crowded with horrors, to which this seems trifling -indeed. May we not attribute it to the influence which the actual scene -exerts on the imagination? One must stand on the spot to comprehend; -must feel the mysterious terror to which all who come within the -influence of the gorge submit. Here the annihilation of a family is but -the legitimate expression of that feeling. It seems altogether natural -to the place. The ravine might well be the sepulchre of a million human -beings, instead of the grave of a single obscure family. - -We reached the public-house, at the side of the Willey house, with -appetites whetted by our long walk. The mercury had only risen to -thirty-eight degrees by the thermometer nailed to the door-post. We went -in. - -In general, the mountain publicans are not only very obliging, but equal -to even the most unexpected demands. The colonel, who never brags, had -boasted for the last half-hour what he was going to do at this repast. -In point of fact, we were famishing. - -A man was standing with his back to the fire, his hands thrust -underneath his coat-tails, and a pipe in his mouth. Either the pipe -illuminated his nose, or his nose the pipe. He also had a nervous -contraction of the muscles of his face, causing an involuntary twitching -of the eyebrows, and at the same time of his ears, up and down. This -habit, taken in connection with the perfect immobility of the figure, -made on us the impression of a statue winking. We therefore hesitated to -address it--I mean _him_--until a moment's puzzled scrutiny satisfied us -that it--I mean the strange object--was alive. He merely turned his head -when we entered the room, wagged his ears playfully, winked furiously, -and then resumed his first attitude. In all probability he was some -stranger like ourselves. - -I accosted him. "Sir," said I, "can you tell us if it is possible to -procure a dinner here?" - -The man took the pipe from his mouth, shook out the ashes very -deliberately, and, without looking at me, tranquilly observed, - -"You would like dinner, then?" - -"Would we like dinner? We breakfasted at Bartlett, and have passed six -hours fasting." - -"And eleven miles. You see, a long way between meals," interjected -George, with decision. - -"It's after the regular dinner," drawled the apathetic smoker, using his -thumb for a stopper, and stooping for a brand with which to relight his -pipe. - -"In that case we are willing to pay for any additional trouble," I -hastened to say. - -The man seemed reflecting. We _were_ hungry; that was incontestable; -but we were also shivering, and he maintained his position astride the -hearth-stone, like the fabled Colossus of old. - -"A cold day," said the colonel, threshing himself. - -"I did not notice it," returned the stranger, indifferently. - -"Only thirty-eight at the door," said George, stamping his feet with -unnecessary vehemence. - -"Indeed!" observed our man, with more interest. - -"Yes," George asserted; "and if the fireplace were only larger, or the -screen smaller." - -The man hastily stepped aside, knocking over, as he did so, a blazing -brand, which he kicked viciously back into the fire. - -Having carried the outworks, we approached the citadel. "Perhaps, sir," -I ventured, "you can inform us where the landlord may be found?" - -"You wanted dinner, I believe?" The tone in which this question was put -gave me goose-flesh. I could not speak, George dropped into a chair. -The colonel propped himself against the chimney-piece. I shrugged my -shoulders, and nodded expressively to my companions, who returned two -glances of eloquent dismay. Evidently nothing was to be got out of this -fellow. - -"Dinner for one?" continued the eternal smoker. - -"For three!" I exclaimed, out of all patience. - -"For four; I shall eat double," added the colonel. - -"Six!" shouted George, seizing the dinner-bell on the mantel-piece. - -"Stop," said the man, betraying a little excitement; "don't ring that -bell." - -"Why not?" demanded George; "we want to see the landlord; and, by Jove," -brandishing the bell aloft, "see him we will!" - -"He stands before you, gentlemen; and if you will have a little patience -I will see what can be done." So saying, he put his pipe on the -chimney-piece, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and went out, -muttering, as he did so. "The world was not made in a day." - -In three-quarters of an hour we sat down to a funereal repast, the -bare recollection of which makes me ill, but which was enlivened by the -following conversation: - -"How many inhabitants are in your tract?" I asked of the man who waited -on us. - -"Do you mean inhabitants?" - -"Certainly, I mean inhabitants." - -"Well, that's not an easy one." - -"How so?" - -"Because the same question not only puzzled the State Legislature, but -made the attorney-general sick." - -We became attentive. - -"Explain that, if you please," said I. - -"Why, just look at it: with only eight legal voters in the tract" (he -called it track), "we cast five hundred ballots at the State election." - -"Five hundred ballots! then your voters must have sprung from the ground -or from the rocks." - -"Pretty nearly so." - -"Actual men?" - -"Actual men." - -"You are jesting." - -My man looked at me as if I had offered him an affront. The supposition -was plainly inadmissible. He was completely innocent of the charge. - -"You hear those men pounding away up the hill?" he demanded, jerking his -thumb in the direction indicated. - -"Yes." - -"Well, those are the five hundred voters. On election morning they came -to the polling-place with a ballot in one hand, and a pick, a sledge, -or a drill in the other. Our supervisor is a very honest, blunt sort of -man: he refused their ballots on the spot." - -"Well?" - -"Well, one of them had a can of nitro-glycerine and a coil of wire. He -deposited his can in a corner, hitched on the wire, and was going out -with his comrades, when the supervisor, feeling nervous, said, - -"'The polls are open, gentlemen.'" - -"Ingenious," remarked George. - -The man looked astounded. - -"He means dangerous," said I; "but go on." - -"I will. When the votes were counted, at sundown, it was found that our -precinct had elected two representatives to the General Court. But when -the successful candidates presented their certificates at Concord, some -meddlesome city fellow questioned the validity of the election. The -upshot of it was that the two nitro-glycerites came back with a flea in -each ear." - -"And the five hundred were disfranchised," said George. - -"Why, as to that, half were French Canadians, half Irish, and the devil -knows what the rest were; I don't." - -"Never mind the rest. You see," said George, rising, "how, with the -railway, the blessings of civilization penetrate into the dark corners -of the earth." - -The colonel began his sacramental, "That beats--" when he was -interrupted by a second explosion, which shook the building. We paid our -reckoning, George saying, as he threw his money on the table, "A heavy -charge." - -"No more than the regular price," said the landlord, stiffly. - -"I referred, my dear sir, to the explosion," replied George, with the -sardonic grin habitual to him on certain occasions. - -"Oh!" said the host, resuming his pipe and his fireplace. - -We spent the remaining hours of this memorable afternoon sauntering -through the Notch, which is dripping with cascades, and noisy with -mountain torrents. The Saco, here nothing but a brook, crawls languidly -along its bed of broken rock. From dizzy summit to where they meet the -river, the old wasted mountains sit warming their scarred sides in the -sun. Looking up at the passage of the railway around Mount Willey, it -impressed us as a single fractured stone might have done on the Great -Pyramid, or a pin's scratch on the face of a giant. The locomotive, -which groped its way along its broken shell, stopped, and stealthily -moving again, seemed a mouse that the laboring mountain had brought -forth. But when its infernal clamor broke the silence, what demoniacal -yells shook the forests! Farewell to our dream of inviolable nature. The -demon of progress had forced his way into the very sanctuary. There were -no longer any White Mountains. - -We passed by the beautiful brook Kedron, flung down from the utmost -heights of Willey, between banks mottled with colors. Then, high up on -our right, two airy water-falls seemed to hang suspended from the summit -of Webster. These, called respectively the Silver Cascade, and the -Flume withdrew the attention from every other object, until a sharp turn -to the right brought the overhanging precipice of Mount Willard full -upon us. This enormous mass of granite, rising seven hundred feet above -the road, stands in the very jaws of the gorge, which it commands from -end to end. - -[Illustration: THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER.] - -Here the railway seems fairly stopped; but with a graceful sweep it -eludes the mountain, and glides around its massive shoulder, giving, as -it does so, a hand to the high-road, which comes straggling up the sharp -ascent. The river, now shrunken to a rivulet, is finally lost to view -beneath heaped-up blocks of granite, which the infuriated old mountain -has hurled down upon it. It is heard painfully gurgling under the ruins, -like a victim crushed, and dying by inches. - -Now and here we entered a close, dark defile hewn down between cliffs, -ascending on the right in regular terraces, on the left in ruptured -masses. These terraces were fringed at the top with tapering evergreens, -and displayed gaudy tufts of maple and mountain-ash on their cool gray. -Those on the right are furthermore decorated with natural sculptures, -indicated by sign-boards, which the curious investigate profitably or -unprofitably, according to their fertility of imagination. - -For a few rods this narrow cleft continues; then, on a sudden, the rocks -which lift themselves on either side shut together. An enormous mass -has tumbled from its ancient location on the left side, and, taking a -position within twenty feet of the opposite precipice, forms the natural -gate of the Notch, through which a way was made for the common road -with great labor, through which the river frays a passage, but where -no one would imagine there was room for either. The railway has made a -breach for itself through the solid rock, greatly diminishing the native -grandeur of the place. All three emerge from the shadow and gloom of the -pass into the cheerful sunshine of a little prairie, at the extremity of -which are seen the white walls of a hotel. - -The whole route we had traversed is full of contrasts, full of -surprises; but this sudden transition was the most picturesque, the most -startling of all. We seemed to have reached the end of the world. - - - - -IX. - -_CRAWFORD'S._ - - The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts - Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rose. - SHAKSPEARE. - - -All who have passed much time at the mountains have seen the -elephant--near the gate of the Notch. - -Though it is only from Nature's chisel, the elephant is an honest one, -and readily admitted into the category of things curious or marvellous -constantly displayed for our inspection. Standing on the piazza of the -hotel, the enormous forehead and trunk seem just emerging from the -shaggy woods near the entrance to the pass. And the gray of the granite -strengthens the illusion still more. From the Elephant's Head, a title -suggestive of the near vicinity of a public-house, there is a fine view -down the Notch for those who cannot ascend Mount Willard. - -The Crawford House, being built at the highest point of the pass, -nearly two thousand feet above the sea, is not merely a hotel--it is a -water-shed. The roof divides the rain falling upon it into two streams, -flowing on one side into the Saco, on the other into the Ammonoosuc. -Here the sun rises over the Willey range, and sets behind Mount Clinton. -The north side of the piazza enables you to look over the forests into -the valley of the Ammonoosuc, where the view is closed by the chain -dividing this basin from that of Israel's River. But we are not yet -ready to conduct the reader into this Promised Land. - -My window overlooked a grassy plain of perhaps half a mile, the view -being closed by the Gate of the Notch, now disfigured by snow-sheds -built for the protection of the railway. The massive, full-rounded bulk -of Webster rose above, the forests of Willard tumbled down into the -ragged fissure. Half-way between the hotel and the Gate, over-borne by -the big shadow of Mount Clinton, extends the pretty lakelet which is -the fountain-head of the Saco. Beyond the lake, and at the left, is -where the old Notch House stood. This lake was once a beaver-pond, and -this plain a boggy meadow, through which a road of corduroy and sods -conducted the early traveller. The highway and railway run amicably side -by side, dividing the little vale in two. - -[Illustration: ELEPHANT'S HEAD, WINTER.] - -This pass, which was certainly known to the Indians, was, in 1771, -rediscovered by Timothy Nash, a hunter, who was persuaded by Benjamin -Sawyer, another hunter, to admit him to an equal share in the discovery. -In 1773 Nash and Sawyer received a grant of 2184 acres, skirting the -mountains on the west, as a reward. With the prodigality characteristic -of their class, the hunters squandered their large acquisition in a -little time after it was granted. Both the Crawford and Fabyan hotels -stand upon their tract. - -Of many excursions which this secluded retreat offers, that to the -summit of Mount Washington, by the bridle-path opened in 1840 by Thomas -J. Crawford, and that to the top of Mount Willard, are the principal. -The route to the first begins opposite to the hotel, at the left; the -latter turns from the glen a quarter of a mile below, on the right. -Supposing Mount Washington a cathedral set on an eminence, you are here -on the summit of the eminence, with one foot on the immense staircase of -the cathedral. - -Our resolve to ascend by the bridle-path was already formed, and we -regarded the climb up Mount Willard as indispensable. As for the -cascades, which lulled us to sleep, who shall describe them? We could -not lift our eyes to the heights above without seeing one or more -fluttering in the play of the breeze, and making rainbows in pure -diversion. President Dwight, in his "Travels," has no more eloquent -passage than that describing the Flume Cascade. How many since have -thrown down pen or pencil in sheer despair of reproducing, by words -or pigments, the aerial lightness, the joyous freedom; above all, the -exuberant, unquenchable vitality that characterize mountain water-falls! -Down the Notch is a masterpiece, hidden from the eye of the passer-by, -called Ripley Falls, which fairly revels in its charming seclusion. -Only a short walk from the hotel, by a woodland path, there is another, -Beecher's Cascade, whose capricious leaps and playful somersaults, all -the while volubly chattering to itself, like a child alone with its -playthings, fascinates us, as sky, water, and fire charm the eyes of an -infant. It is always tumbling down, and as often leaping to its feet to -resume its frolicsome gambols, with no loss of sprightliness or sign of -weariness that we can detect. Only a lover may sing the praises of these -mountain cascades falling from the skies: - -"The torrent is the soul of the valley. Not only is it the Providence or -the scourge, often both at once, but it gives to it a physiognomy; it -gladdens or saddens it; it lends it a voice; it communicates life to it. -A valley without its torrent is only a hole." - -They give the name of Idlewild to the romantic sylvan retreat, reached -by a winding path, diverging near the hotel, on the left. I visited -it in company with Mr. Atwater, whose taste and enthusiasm for the -work have converted the natural disorder of the mountain side into -a trysting-place fit for elves and fairies; but where one encounters -ladies in elegant toilets, enjoying a quiet stroll among the fern-draped -rocks. Some fine vistas of the valley mountains have been opened through -the woods--beautiful little bits of blue, framed in illuminated foliage. -One notes approvingly the revival of an olden taste in the cutting and -shaping of trees into rustic chairs, stairways, and arbors. - -After a day like ours, the great fires and admirable order of the -hotel were grateful indeed. If it is true that the way to man's heart -lies through his stomach, the cherry-lipped waiter-girl, who whispered -her seductive tale in my too-willing ear at supper, made a veritable -conquest. My compliments to her, notwithstanding the penalty paid for -lingering too long over the griddle-cakes. - -The autumn nights being cool, it was something curious to see the parlor -doors every now and then thrown wide open, to admit a man who came -trundling in on a wheelbarrow a monster log fit for the celebration of -Yule-tide. The city guest, accustomed to the economy of wood at home, -because it is dear, looks on this prodigality first with consternation, -and finally with admiration. When the big log is deposited on the -blazing hearth amid fusees of sparks, the easy-chairs again close around -the fireplace a charmed circle; and while the buzz of conversation goes -on, and the faces are illuminated by the ruddy glow, the wood snaps, -and hisses, and spits as if it had life and sense of feeling. The men -talk in drowsy undertones; the ladies, watching the chimney-soot catch -fire and redden, point out to each other the old grandame's pictures -of "folks coming home from meeting." This scene is the counterpart of -a warm summer evening on the piazza--both typical of unrestrained, -luxurious indolence. How many pictures have appeared in that old -fireplace! and what experiences its embers revived! Water shows us only -our own faces in their proper mask--nothing more, nothing less; but -fire, the element of the supernatural, is able, so at least we believe, -to unfold the future as easily as it turns our eyes into the past. If -only we could read! - -When we arose in the morning, what was our astonishment to see the -surrounding mountains white with snow. Like one smitten with sudden -terror, they had grown gray in a night. Striking, indeed, was the -transformation from yesterday's pomp; beautiful the contrast between -the dark green below and the dead white of the upper zones. Thickly -incrusted with hoar-frost, the stiffened foliage of the pines and firs -gave those trees the unwonted appearance of bursting into blossom. Over -all a dull and brooding sky shed its cold, wan light upon the glen, -forbidding all thought of attacking the high summits, at least for this -day. - -Dismissing this, therefore, as impracticable, we nevertheless determined -on ascending Mount Willard--an easy thing to do, considering you have -only to follow a good carriage-road for two miles and a half to reach -the precipices overlooking the Saco Valley. - -Startling, indeed, by its sublimity was the spectacle that rewarded our -trouble a thousand-fold. Still, the sensations partook more of wonder -than admiration--much more. The unpractised eye is so utterly confounded -by the immensity of this awful chasm of the Notch, yawning in all its -extent and all its grandeur far down beneath, that, powerless to grasp -the fulness and the vastness thus suddenly encountered, it stupidly -stares into those far-retreating depths. The scene really seems too -tremendous for flesh and blood to comprehend. For an instant, while -standing on the brink of the sheer precipice, which here suddenly drops -seven or eight hundred feet, my head swam and my knees trembled. - -[Illustration: LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH.] - -First came the idea that I was looking down into the dry bed of some -primeval cataract, whose mighty rush and roar the imagination summoned -again from the tomb of ages, and whose echo was in the cascades, hung -like two white arms on the black and hairy breast of the adjacent -mountain. This idea carries us luck to the Deluge, of which science -pretends to have found proofs in the basin of the Notch. What am I -saying? to the Deluge! it transports us to the Beginning itself, when -"_Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved -upon the face of the waters._" - -You see the immense walls of Mount Willey on one side, and of Webster -on the other, rushing downward thousands of feet, and meeting in one -magnificently imposing sweep at their bases. This vast natural inverted -archway has the heavens for a roof. The eye roves from the shaggy head -of one mountain to the shattered cornices of the other. One is terrible, -the other forbidding. The naked precipices of Willey, furrowed by -avalanches, still show where the fatal slide of 1826 crushed its way -down into the valley, traversing a mile in only a few moments. Far down -in the distance you see the Willey hamlet and its bright clearing. You -see the Saco's silver. - -Such, imperfectly, are the more salient features of this immense cavity -of the Notch, three miles long, two thousand feet deep, rounded as if -by art, and as full of suggestions as a ripe melon of seeds. I recall -few natural wonders so difficult to get away from, or that haunt you so -perpetually. - -Like ivy on storied and crumbling towers, so high up the cadaverous -cliffs of Willey the hardy fir-tree feels its way, insinuating its long -roots in every fissure where a little mould has crept, but mounting -always like the most intrepid of climbers. Upon the other side, the -massed and plumed forest advances boldly up the sharp declivity of -Webster; but in mid-ascent is met and ploughed in long, thin lines by -cataracts of stones, poured down upon it from the summit. Only a few -straggling bushes succeed in mounting higher; and far up, upon the very -edge of the crumbling parapet, one solitary cedar tottered. The thought -of imminent destruction prevailed over every other. Indeed, it seemed -as if one touch would precipitate the whole mass of earth, stones, and -trees into the vale beneath. - -Between these high, receding walls, which draw widely apart at the -outlet of the pass, mountains rise, range upon range. Over the flattened -Nancy summits, Chocorua lifts his crested head once more into view. We -pass in review the summits massed between, which on this morning were -of a deep blue-black, and stood vigorously forth from a sad and boding -sky. - -From the ledges of Mount Willard, Washington and the peaks between are -visible in a clear day. This morning they were muffled in clouds, which -a strong upper current of air began slowly to disperse. We, therefore, -secured a good position, and waited patiently for the unveiling. - -Little by little the clouds shook themselves free from the mountain, and -began a slow, measured movement toward the Ammonoosuc Valley. As they -were drawn out thinner and thinner, like fleeces, by invisible hands, -we began to be conscious of some luminous object behind them, and all -at once, through a rift, there burst upon the sight the grand mass of -Washington, all resplendent in silvery whiteness. From moment to moment -the trooping clouds, as if pausing to pay homage to the illustrious -recluse, encompassed it about. Then moving on, the endless procession -again and again disclosed the snowy crest, shining out in unshrouded -effulgence. To look was to be wonder-struck--to be dumb. - -As the clouds unrolled more and more their snowy billows, other and -lower summits rose above, as on that memorable morn after the Deluge, -where they appeared like islands of crystal floating in a sea of -silvery vapor. We gazed for an hour upon this unearthly display, which -derived unique splendor from fitful sun-rays shot through the folds of -surrounding clouds, then drawing off, and again darting unawares upon -the stainless white of the summits. It was a dream of the celestial -spheres to see the great dome, one moment glittering like beaten silver, -another shining with the dull lustre of a gigantic opal. - -I have since made several journeys through the Notch by the railway. -The effect of the scenery, joined with some sense of peril in the minds -of the timid, is very marked. Old travellers find a new and veritable -sensation of excitement; while new ones forget fatigue, drop the novels -they have been reading, maintaining a state of breathless suspense and -admiration until the train vanishes out at the rocky portal, after an -ascent of nearly six hundred feet in two miles. - -In effect, the road is a most striking expression of the maxim, -"_L'audace, et toujours de l'audace_," as applied to modern engineering -skill. From Bemis's to Crawford's its way is literally carved out of -the side of the mountain. But if the engineers have stolen a march upon -it, the thought, how easily the mountain could shake off this puny, -clinging thing, prevailing over every other, announces that the mountain -is still the master. - -There are no two experiences which the traveller retains so long or so -vividly as this journey through the great Notch, and this survey from -the ledges of Mount Willard, which is so admirably placed to command it. -To my mind, the position of this mountain suggests the doubt whether -nature did not make a mistake here. Was not the splitting of the -mountains an after-thought? - - - - -X. - -_THE ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S._ - - On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds. - With a diadem of snow.--_Manfred._ - - -At five in the morning I was aroused by a loud rap at the door. In an -instant I had jumped out of bed, ran to the window, and peered out. It -was still dark; but the heavens were bright with stars, so bright that -there was light in the room. Now or never was our opportunity. Not a -moment was to be lost. - -I began a vigorous reveille upon the window-pane. George half opened one -sleepy eye, and asked if the house was on fire. The colonel pretended -not to have heard. - -"Up, sluggards!" I exclaimed; "the mountain is ours!" - -"Do you know who first tempted man to go up into a high mountain?" -growled George. - -"Satan!" whined a smothered voice from beneath the bedclothes. - -The case evidently was one which demanded heroic treatment. In an -instant I whipped off the bedclothes; in another I received two violent -blows full in the chest, which compelled me to give ground. The pillows -were followed by the bolster, which I parried with a chair, the bolster -by a sortie of the garrison _in puris naturalibus_. For a few seconds -the mle was furious, the air thick with flying missiles. By a common -instinct we drew apart, with the intention of renewing the combat, when -we heard quick blows upon the partition at the left, and scared voices -from the chamber at the right demanding what was the matter. George -dropped his pillow, and articulated in a broken voice, "Malediction! I -am awake." - -"Come, gentlemen," I urged, "if you are sufficiently diverted, dress -yourselves, and let us be off. At the present moment you remind me of -the half-armed warriors on the pediment of the Parthenon." - -"I take it you mean the frieze," said George, with chattering teeth. - -The colonel was on all-fours, picking up the different articles of his -wardrobe from the four corners of the chamber. "My stocking," said he, -groping among the furniture. - -"What do you call this?" inquired George, fishing the dripping article -from the water-pitcher. - -"Eh! where the deuce is my watch?" redemanded the colonel, still seeking. - -"Perhaps this is yours?" George again suggested, drawing it, with mock -dexterity, as he had seen Hermann do, from a boot-leg. - -We quickly threw on our clothes, but at the moment of starting George -put his hand into his breast and made a frightful grimace. - -"What is it?" we both asked in one breath. "What is the matter?" - -"My pocket-book is gone." - -After five minutes' ransacking in every hole and corner of the room, -and after shaking the bedclothes carefully, all to no purpose, it was -discovered that George and myself had exchanged coats. We then went -down-stairs into the great hall, where a solitary jet of gas burnt -blue, and a sleepy watchman dozed on a settee. The morning air was -more than chilly: it was "a nipping and an eager air." There were two -or three futile attempts at pleasantry, but hunger, darkness, and the -cold quickly silenced them. A man is never himself when roused at five -in the morning. No matter how desirable the excursion may have looked -the night before, turning out of a warm bed to hurry on your clothes by -candle-light, and to take the road fasting, strips it of all glamour. - -Day broke disclosing a clear sky, up which the rosy tints of sunrise -were streaming. The last star trembled in the zone of dusky blue above -the grand old hills, like a tear-drop on the eyelids of the night. The -warm color flowed over the frosted heads of the pines, mantling their -ghastly white with the warm glow of reviving life. Then the eye fell -upon the lower forests, still wrapped in deep shadows, the tiny lake, -the boats, and, lastly, the oval plain, or vestibule of the Notch, above -which ascended the shaggy sides of Mount Willard, and the retreating -outline of Mount Webster. The little plain was white with hoar-frost; -the frozen fountain dripped slowly into its basin, like a penitent -telling its beads. - -After a hasty breakfast, despatched with mountain appetites, behold us -at half-past six entering the forest in Indian file! My companions -again found their accustomed gayety, and soon the solemn old woods -echoed with mirth. Our hopes were as high as the mountain itself. - -A dtour as far as Gibbs's Falls cost a good half-hour in recovering -the bridle-path; but we were at length _en route_, myself at the head, -George behind. The colonel carried the flask, and marched in the -middle. He was considered the most incorruptible of the three; but this -precaution was deemed an indispensable safeguard, should he, in a moment -of forgetfulness, carry the flask to his lips. - -The side of Mount Clinton, which we were now climbing, is very steep. -The name of bridle-path, which they give the long gully we had entered, -is a snare for pedestrians, but a greater delusion for cavaliers. The -rains, the melting snows, have so channelled it as to leave little -besides interlaced roots of old trees and loose bowlders in its bed. -Higher up it is nothing but the bare course of a mountain torrent. - -The long rain had thoroughly soaked the earth, rendering it miry and -slippery to the feet; the heavy air, compounded of a thousand odors, -hindered, rather than assisted, the free play of the lungs. Our progress -was slow, our breathing quick and labored. Every leaf trembled with -rain-drops, so that the flight of a startled bird overhead sprinkled us -with fine spray. Finches chattered in the tree-tops, squirrels scolded -us sharply from fallen logs. - -Looking up was like looking through some glorious, illuminated -window--the changed foliage seemed to have fixed the gorgeous hues of -the sunset. Through its crimson and gold, violet and green, patches of -blue sky greeted us with fair promise for the day. Looking ahead, the -path zigzagged among ascending trees, plunged into the sombre depths -above our heads, and was lost. One impression that I received may be, -yet I doubt, common to others. On either side of me the forest seemed -all in motion; the dusky trunks striding silently and stealthily by, -moving when we moved, halting when we halted. The greenwood was as full -of illusions as the human heart. I can never repress a certain fear in a -forest, and to-day this seemed peopled with sprites, gnomes, and fauns. -Once or twice a crow rose lazily from the top of a dead pine, and flew -croaking away; but we thought not of omens or auguries, and pushed gayly -on up the sharp ascent. - -It was a wild woodland walk, with few glimpses out of the forest. -For about a mile we steered toward the sun, climbing one of the long -braces of the mountain. Stopping near here, at a spring deliciously -pure and cold, we soon turned toward the north. As we advanced up the -mountain the sun began to gild the tree-tops, and stray beams to play -at hide-and-seek among the black trunks. We saw dells of Arcadian -loveliness, and we heard the noise of rivulets, trickling in their -depths, that we did not see. - -Wh-r-r-r! rose a startled partridge, directly in our path, bringing us -to a full stop. Another and another took flight. - -"Gad!" muttered the colonel, wiping his forehead, "I was dreaming of -old times; I declare I thought the mountain had got our range, and was -shelling us." - -"_Salmis_ of partridge; _sauce aux champignons_," said George, licking -his lips, and looking wistfully after the birds. You see, one spoke from -the head, the other from the stomach. - -Half an hour's steady tramp brought us to an abandoned camp, where -travellers formerly passed the night. A long stretch of corduroy road, -and we were in the region of resinous trees. Here it was like going up -rickety stairs, the mossed and sodden logs affording only a treacherous -foothold. Evidence that we were nearing the summit was on all sides. -Patches of snow covered the ground and were lodged among the branches. -From these little runlets made their way into the path, as the most -convenient channel. There were many dead pines, having their curiously -distorted limbs hung with the long gray lichen called "old man's beard." -Multitudes of great trees, prostrated by the wind, lay rotting along -the ground, or had lodged in falling, constituting a woful picture of -wreck and ruin. Here was not only the confusion and havoc of a primitive -forest, untouched by the axe, but the battle-ground of ages, where -frost, fire, and flood had steadily and pitilessly beaten the forest -back in every desperate effort made to scale the summit. Prone upon the -earth, stripped naked, or bursting their bark, the dead trees looked -like fallen giants despoiled of their armor, and left festering upon the -field. But we advanced to a scene still more weird. - -The last mile gives occasional glimpses into the Ammonoosuc Valley, of -Fabyan's, of the hamlet at the base of Washington, and of the mountains -between Fabyan's and Jefferson. The last half-mile is a steady planting -of one foot before another up the ledges. We left the forest for a -scanty growth of firs, rooted among enormous rocks, and having their -branches pinned down to their sides by snow and ice. The whole forest -had been seized, pinioned, and cast into a death-like stupor. Each -tree seemed to keep the attitude in which it was first overtaken; each -silvered head to have dropped on its breast at the moment the spell -overcame it. Perpetual imprisonment rewarded the temerity of the forest -for thus invading the dominion of the Ice King. There it stood, all -glittering in its crystal chains! - -But as we threaded our way among these trees, still as statues, the -sun came valiantly to the rescue. A warm breath fanned our cheeks and -traversed the ice-locked forest. Instantly a thrill ran along the -mountain. Quick, snapping noises filled the air. The trees burst their -fetters in a trice. Myriad crystals fluttered overhead, or fell tinkling -on the rocks at our feet. Another breath, and tree after tree lifted its -bowed head gracefully erect. The forest was free. - -George, who began by asking every few rods how much farther it was, now -repeated the question for the fiftieth time; but we paid no attention. - -We now entered a sort of liliputian forest, not higher than the knee, -but which must have presented an almost insuperable barrier to early -explorers of the mountain. In fact, as they could neither go through it -nor around it, they must have walked over it, the thick-matted foliage -rendering this the only alternative. No one could tell how long these -trees had been growing, when a winter of unheard-of severity destroyed -them all, leaving only their skeletons bleaching in the sun and -weather. Wrenched, twisted, and made to grow the wrong way by the wind, -the branches resembled the cast-off antlers of some extinct race of -quadrupeds which had long ago resorted to the top of the mountain. The -girdle of blasted trees below was piteous, but this was truly a strange -spectacle. Indeed, the pallid forehead of the mountain seemed wearing a -crown of thorns. - -Getting clear of the dwarf-trees, or knee-wood, as it is called in the -Alps, we ran quickly up the bare summit ledge. The transition from the -gloom and desolation below into clear sunshine and free air was almost -as great as from darkness to light. We lost all sense of fatigue; we -felt only exultation and supreme content. - -Here we were, we three, more than four thousand feet above the sea, -confronted by an expanse so vast that no eye but an eagle's might grasp -it, so thronged with upstarting peaks as to confound and bewilder us -out of all power of expression. One feeling was uppermost--our own -insignificance. We were like flies on the gigantic forehead of an -elephant. - -However, we had climbed and were astride the ridge-pole of New England. -The rains which beat upon it descend on one side to the Atlantic, on -the other to Long Island Sound. The golden sands which are the glory of -the New England coast have been borne, atom by atom, grain by grain, -from this grand laboratory of Nature; and if you would know the source -of her great industries, her wealth, her prosperity, seek it along the -rivers which are born of these skies, cradled in these ravines, and -nourished amid the tangled mazes of these impenetrable forests. How, -like beautiful serpents, their sources lie knotted and coiled in the -heart of these mountains! How lovingly they twine about the feet of the -grand old hills! Too proud to bear its burdens, they create commerce, -building cities, scattering wealth as they run on. No barriers can stay, -no chains fetter their free course. They laugh and run on. - -We stood facing the south. Far down beneath us, at our left, was the -valley of Mount Washington River. A dark, serpentine rift in the -unbroken forest indicated the course of the stream. Mechanically we -turned to follow it up the long gorge through which it flows, to where -it issues, in secret, from the side of Mount Washington itself. In front -of us arose the great Notch Mountains; beyond, mountains were piled on -mountains; higher still, like grander edifices of some imperial city, -towered the pinnacles of Lafayette, Carrigain, Chocorua, Kearsarge, and -the rest. Yes, there they were, pricking the keen air with their blunted -spears, fretting the blue vault with the everlasting menace of a power -to mount higher if it so willed, filling us with the daring aspiration -to rise as high as they pointed. Here and there something flashed -brightly upon the eye; but it was no easy thing to realize that those -little pools we saw glistening among the mountains were some of the -largest lakes in New England. - -Leaving the massive Franconia group, the eye swept over the Ammonoosuc -basin, over the green heights of Bethlehem and Littleton, overtopped by -the distant Green Mountains; then along the range dividing the waters -flowing from the western slopes of the great summits into separate -streams; then Whitefield, Lancaster, Jefferson; and, lastly, rested upon -the amazing apparition of Washington, rising two thousand feet above -the crags on which we stood. Perched upon the cap-stone of this massive -pile, like a dove-cot on the cupola of St. Peter's, we distinctly saw -the Summit House. Between us and our goal rose the brown heads of -Pleasant, Franklin, and Monroe, over which our path lay. All these -peaks and their connecting ridges were freely spattered with snow. - -"By Jove!" ejaculated the colonel at last; "this beats Kentucky!" - -It is necessary to say two words concerning a spectacle equally novel -and startling to dwellers in more temperate regions, and which now held -us in mingled astonishment and admiration. We could hardly believe -our eyes. This bleak and desolate ridge, where only scattered tufts -of coarse grass, stinted shrubs, or spongy moss gave evidence of -life, which seemed never to have known the warmth of a sunbeam, was -transformed into a garden of exquisite beauty by the frozen north wind. - -We remarked the iced branches of dwarf firs inhabiting the upper zone -of the mountain as we passed them; but here, on this summit, the -surfaces of the rocks actually bristled with spikes, spear-heads, and -lance-points, all of ice, all shooting in the direction of the north -wind. The forms were as various as beautiful, but most commonly took -that of a single spray, though sometimes they were moulded into perfect -clusters of berries, branching coral, or pendulous crystals. Common -shrubs were transformed to diamond aigrettes, coarse grasses into -bird-of-paradise plumes, by the simple adhesion of frost-dust. The iron -rocks attracted the flying particles as the loadstone attracts steel. -Cellini never fashioned anything half so marvellous as this exquisite -workmanship of a frozen mist. Yet, though it was all surpassingly -beautiful, it was strangely suggestive of death. There was no life--no, -not even the chirrup of an insect. No wonder our eyes sought the valley. - -Hardly had we time to take in these unaccustomed sights, when, to our -unspeakable dismay, ominous streakings of gray appeared in the southern -and eastern horizons. The sun was already overclouded, and emitted -only a dull glare. For a moment a premonition of defeat came over me; -but another look at the summit removed all indecision, and, without -mentioning my fears to my companions, we all three plunged into the -bushy ravine that leads to Mount Pleasant. - -Suddenly I felt the wind in my face, and the air was filled with -whirling snow-flakes. We had not got over half the distance to the -second mountain, before the ill-omened vapors had expanded into a -storm-cloud that boded no good to any that might be abroad on the -mountain. My idea was that we could gain the summit before it overtook -us. I accordingly lengthened my steps, and we moved on at a pace which -brought us quickly to the second mountain. But, rapidly as we had -marched, the storm was before us. - -Here began our first experience of the nature of the task in hand. The -burly side of Mount Pleasant was safely turned, but beyond this snow had -obliterated the path, which was only here and there indicated by little -heaps of loose stones. It became difficult, and we frequently lost it -altogether among the deep drifts. We called a halt, passed the flask, -and attempted to derive some encouragement from the prospect. - -The storm-cloud was now upon us in downright earnest. Already the flying -scud drifted in our faces, and poured, like another Niagara, over the -ridge one long, unbroken billow. The sun retreated farther and farther, -until it looked like a farthing dip shining behind a blanket. Another -furious blast, and it disappeared altogether. And now, to render our -discomfiture complete, the gigantic dome of Washington, that had lured -us on, disappeared, swallowed up in a vortex of whirling vapor; and -presently we were all at once assailed by a blinding snow-squall. -Henceforth there was neither luminary nor landmark to guide us. None of -us had any knowledge of the route, and not one had thought of a guide. -To render our situation more serious still, George now declared that he -had sprained an ankle. - -If I had never before realized how the most vigorous travellers had -perished within a few paces of the summit, I understood it this day. - -Bathed in perspiration, warned by the fresh snow that the path would -soon be lost beyond recovery, we held a brief council upon the situation -before and behind us. It was more than aggravating either way. - -All three secretly favored a retreat. Without doubt it was not only the -safest, but the wisest course to pursue; yet to turn back was to give in -beaten, and defeat was not easy to accept. Even George, notwithstanding -his ankle, was pluckily inclined to go on. There was no time to lose, -so we emerged from the friendly shelter of a jutting ledge upon the -trackless waste before us. - -From this point, at the northern foot of Pleasant, progress was -necessarily slow. We could not distinguish objects twenty paces through -the flying scud and snow, and we knew vaguely that somewhere here the -mountain ridge suddenly broke off, on both sides, into precipices -thousands of feet down. George, being lame, kept the middle, while the -colonel and I searched for stone-heaps at the right and left. - -We were marching along thus, when I heard an exclamation, and saw the -colonel's hat driven past me through the air. The owner ran rapidly over -to my side. - -"Take care!" I shouted, throwing myself in his path; "take care!" - -"But my hat!" cried he, pushing on past me. The wind almost drowned our -voices. - -"Are you mad?" I screamed, gripping his arm, and forcing him backward by -main strength. - -He gave me a dazed look, but seemed to comprehend nothing of my -excitement. George halted, looking first at one, then at the other. - -"Wait," said I, loosening a piece of ice with my boot. On both sides of -us rose a whirlpool of boiling clouds. I tossed the piece of ice in the -direction the hat had taken--not a sound; a second after the first--the -same silence; a third in the opposite direction. We listened intently, -painfully, but could hear nothing except the loud beating of our own -hearts. A dozen steps more would have precipitated our companion from -the top to the bottom of the mountain. - -I looked at the man whose arm I still tightly grasped. He was as pale as -a corpse. - -"This must be Oakes's Gulf," I ventured, in order to break the silence, -after we had all taken a pull at the flask. - -"This is Oakes's Gulf--agreed; but where in perdition is my hat?" -demanded the colonel, wiping the big drops from his forehead. - -After he had tied a handkerchief around his head, we crossed this -Devil's Bridge, with the caution of men fully alive to the consequences -of a false step, and with that tension of the nerves which announces the -terrible or the unknown.[9] - -We had not gone far when a tremendous gust sent us reeling toward the -abyss. I dropped on my hands and knees, and my companions followed -suit. We arose, shook off the snow, and slowly mounted the long, steep, -and rocky side of Franklin. Upon gaining the summit, the walking was -better. We were also protected by the slope of the mountain. The worst -seemed over. But what fantastic objects were the big rocks, scattered, -or rather lying in wait, along our route! What grotesque appearances -continually started out of the clouds! Now it was an enormous bear -squatted on his haunches; now a dark-browed sphinx; and more than once -we could have sworn we saw human beings stealthily watching us from -a distance. How easy to imagine these weird objects lost travellers, -suddenly turned to stone for their presumptuous invasion of the domain -of terrors! It really seemed as if we had but to stamp our feet to see a -legion of demons start into life and bar our way. - -Say what you will, we could not shake off the dread which these -unearthly objects inspired; nor could we forbear, were it at the risk of -being turned to stone, looking back, or peering furtively from side to -side when some new apparition thrust its hideous suggestions before us. -What would you have? Are we not all children who shrink from entering -a haunted chamber, and shudder in the presence of death? Well, the -mountain was haunted, and death seemed near. We forgot fatigue, forgot -cold, to yield to this mysterious terror, which daunted us as no peril -could do, and froze us with vague presentiment of the unknown. - -Covered from head to foot with snow, bearded with icicles, tracking -this solitude, which refused the echo of a foot-fall, like spectres, we -seemed to have entered the debatable ground forever dedicated to spirits -having neither home on earth nor hope in heaven, but doomed to wander -up and down these livid crags for an eternity of woe. The mountain had -already taken possession of our physical, now it seized upon our moral -nature. Neither the one nor the other could resist the impressions which -naked rock, furious tempest, and hidden danger stamped on every foot of -the way. - -In this way we reached Mount Monroe, last of the peaks in our route -to the summit, where we were forced to pick our way among the rocks, -struggling forward through drifts frequently waist deep. - -It was here that, finding myself some distance in advance of the -others--for poor George was lagging painfully--I halted for them to come -up. I was choking with thirst, aggravated by eating the damp snow. As -soon as the colonel was near enough--the wind only could be heard--I -made a gesture of a man drinking. He did not seem to understand, though -I impatiently repeated the pantomime. He came to where I stood. - -"The flask!" I exclaimed. - -He drew it slowly from his pocket, and handed it to me with a hang-dog -look that I failed for the moment to interpret. I put it to my lips, -shook it, turned it bottom up. Not a drop! - -And, nevertheless, this was the man in whom I had trusted. Csar only -succumbed to the dagger of Brutus; but I had not the courage to fall -with dignity under this new misfortune, and so stood staring at the -flask and the culprit alternately. - -"Say that our cup is now full," suggested the incorrigible George. "The -paradox strikes me as ingenious and appropriate." - -It really was too bad. Snow and sleet had wet us to the skin, and clung -to our frozen garments. Our hands and faces were swollen and inflamed; -our eyes half closed and blood-shot. Even this short minute's halt set -our teeth chattering. George could only limp along, and it was evident -could not hold out much longer. Just now my uneasiness was greater than -my sympathy. He was an accessory before the fact; for, while I was -diligently looking out the path, he had helped the colonel to finish the -flask. - -We were nearing the goal: so much was certain. But the violence of the -gale, increasing with the greater altitude, warned us against delay. -We therefore pushed on across the stony terraces extending beyond, and -were at length rewarded by seeing before us the heaped-up pile of broken -granite constituting the peak of Washington, and which we knew still -rose a thousand feet above our heads. The sight of this towering mass, -which seems formed of the dbris of the Creation, is well calculated -to stagger more adventurous spirits than the three weary and foot-sore -men who stood watching the cloud-billows, silently rolling up, dash -themselves unceasingly against its foundations. We looked first at the -mountain, then in each other's faces, then began the ascent. - -For near an hour we toiled upward, sometimes up to the middle in snow, -always carefully feeling our way among the treacherous pitfalls it -concealed. Compelled to halt every few rods to recover breath, the -distance traversed could not be great. Still, with dogged perseverance, -we kept on, occasionally lending each other a helping hand out of a -drift, or from rock to rock; but no words were exchanged, for the stock -of gayety with which we set out was now exhausted. The gravity of the -situation began to create uneasiness in the minds of my companions. All -at once I heard my name called out. I turned. It was the colonel, whose -halloo in midst of this stony silence startled me. - -"You pretend," he began, "that it's only a thousand feet from the -plateau to the top of this accursed mountain?" - -"No more, no less. Professor Guyot assures us of the fact." - -"Well, then, here we have been zigzagging about for a good hour, haven't -we?" - -"An hour and twenty minutes," said I, consulting my watch. - -"And not a sign of the houses or the railway, or any other creeping -thing. Do you want my opinion?" - -"Charmed." - -"We have passed the houses without seeing them in the storm, and are now -on the side of the mountain opposite from where we started." - -"So that you conclude--?" - -"We are lost." - -This was, of course, mere guesswork; but we had no compass, and might -be travelling in the wrong direction, after all. A moment's reflection, -however, reassured me. "Is that your opinion, too, George?" I asked. - -George had taken off his boot, and was chafing his swollen ankle. He -looked up. - -"My opinion is that I don't know anything about it; but as you got us -into this scrape, you had better get us out of it, and be spry about it -too, for the deuce take me if I can go much farther." - -"Why," croaked the colonel, "I recollect hearing of a traveller who, -like us, actually walked by the Summit House without seeing it, when he -was hailed by a man who, by mere accident, chanced to be outside, and -who imagined he saw something moving in the fog. In five minutes the -stranger would inevitably have walked over a precipice with his eyes -open." - -"And I remember seeing on the wall of the tavern where we stopped, at -Bartlett, a placard offering a reward for a man who, like us, set out -from Crawford's, and was never heard of," George put in.[10] - -"And I read of one who, like us, almost reached the summit, but -mistaking a lower peak for the pinnacle, losing his head, crawled, -exhausted, under a rock to die there," I finished, firing the last shot. - -Without another word both my comrades grappled vigorously with the -mountain, and for ten minutes nothing was heard but our labored -breathing. On whatever side we might be, so long as we continued to -ascend I had little fear of being in the wrong road. Our affair was to -get to the top. - -At the end of ten minutes we came suddenly upon a walled enclosure, -which we conjectured to be the corral at the end of the bridle-path. We -hailed it like an oasis in the midst of this desert. We entered, brushed -the snow from a stone, and sat down. - -Up to this time my umbrella had afforded a good deal of merriment to my -companions, who could not understand why I encumbered myself with it on -a day which began as this one did, perfectly clear and cloudless. Since -the storm came on, the force of the wind would at any time have lifted -off his feet the man who attempted to spread it, and even if it had -not, as well might one have walked blindfolded in that treacherous road -as with an open umbrella before him. Now it was my turn, or, rather, -the turn of the abused umbrella. A few moments of rest were absolutely -necessary; but the wind cut like a cimeter, and we felt ourselves -freezing. I opened the umbrella, and, protected by it from the wind, -we crouched under its friendly shelter, and lighted our cigars. Never -before did I know the luxury of a smoke like that. - -"Now," said I, complacently glancing up at our tent, "ever since I -read how an umbrella saved a man's life, I determined never to go on a -mountain without one." - -"An umbrella! How do you make that out?" demanded both my auditors. - -"It is very simple. He was lost on this very mountain, under conditions -similar to those we are now experiencing, except that his carrying an -umbrella was an accident, and that he was alone. He passed two nights -under it. But the story will keep." - -It may well be imagined that we had not the least disposition to be -merry; yet for all that there was something irresistibly comical in -three men sitting with their feet in the snow, and putting their heads -together under a single umbrella. Various were the conjectures. We could -hear nothing but the rushing wind, see nothing but driving sleet. George -believed we were still half a mile from the summit; the colonel was not -able to precisely fix his opinion, but thought us still a long way off. -After diligent search, in which we all joined, I succeeded in finding -something like a path turning to the right, and we again resumed our -slow clambering over the rocks. - -Perhaps ten minutes passed thus, when we again halted and peered -anxiously into the whirling vapor--nothing, neither monument nor -stone, to indicate where we were. A new danger confronted us; one I -had hitherto repulsed because I dared not think of it. The light was -failing, and darkness would soon be here. God help any that this night -surprised on the mountain! While we eagerly sought on all sides some -evidence that human feet had ever passed that way, a terrific blast, -that seemed to concentrate the fury of the tempest in one mighty effort, -dashed us helpless upon the rocks. For some seconds we were blinded, and -could only crouch low until its violence subsided. But as the monstrous -wave recoiled from the mountain, a piercing cry brought us quickly to -our feet. - -"Look!" shouted George, waving his hat like a madman--"look there!" he -repeated. - -Vaguely, through the tattered clouds, like a wreck driving miserably -before the tempest, we distinguished a building propped up by timbers -crusted with thick ice. The gale shook and beat upon it with demoniacal -glee, but never did weary eyes rest on a more welcome object. For ten -seconds, perhaps, we held it in view; then, in a twinkling, the clouds -rolled over it, shut together, and it was gone--swallowed up in the -vortex. - -A moment of bewilderment succeeded, after which we made a simultaneous -rush in the direction of the building. In five minutes more we were -within the hotel, thawing our frozen clothing before a rousing fire. - -It provokes a smile when I think of it. Here, in this frail structure, -perched like another Noah's Ark on its mountain, and which every gust -threatened to scatter to the winds of heaven, a grand piano was going -in the parlor, a telegraphic instrument clicked in a corner, and we sat -down to a _mnu_ that made the colonel forget the loss of his hat. - -"By the bones of Daniel Boone! I can say as Napoleon did on the Great -St. Bernard, 'I have spoiled a hat among your mountains; well, I shall -find a new one on the other side,'" observed the colonel, uncorking a -second bottle of champagne. - - - - -SECOND JOURNEY. - - - PAGE - -I. _LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS_ 113 - -II. _JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY_ 122 - -III. _THE CARTER NOTCH_ 132 - -IV. _THE PINKHAM NOTCH_ 144 - -V. _A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S_ 155 - -VI. _IN AND ABOUT GORHAM_ 165 - -VII. _ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD_ 178 - -VIII._MOUNT WASHINGTON_ 189 - -[Illustration: WHITE MOUNTAINS - -(CENTRAL AND NORTHERN SECTION.) - -FROM -WALLING'S MAP OF -NEW HAMPSHIRE, -With corrections by -Members of the -APPALACHIAN CLUB. -1881. -] - - - - -SECOND JOURNEY - - - - -I. - -_LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS._ - - My lord, I will hoist saile; and all the wind - My bark can beare shall hasten me to find - A great new world. - --SIR W. DAVENANT. - - -When Cabot, in the _Mathew_, of Bristol, was sailing by the New England -coast, and the amazed savage beheld a pyramid of white sails rising, -like a cloud, out of the sea, the navigator saw from the deck of his -ship, rising out of the land, a cluster of lofty summits cut like a -cameo on the northern sky. - -The Indian left his tradition of the marvellous apparition, which he at -first believed to be a mass of trees wrapped in faded foliage, drifting -slowly at the caprice of the waves; but, as he gazed, fire streamed -from the strange object, a cloud shut it from his view, and a peal like -distant thunder was wafted on the breeze to his startled ears. That peal -announced the doom of his race. He was looking at the first ship. - -Succeeding navigators, Italians, Portuguese, French, English--a roll of -famous names--sailed these seas, and, in their turn, hailed the distant -summits. They became the great distinguishing landmarks of this corner -of the New World. They are found on all the maps traced by the early -geographers from the relations of the discoverers themselves. Having -thus found form and substance, they also found a name--the Mountains of -St. John. - -Ships multiplied. Men of strange garb, speech, complexion, erected their -habitations along the coast, the unresisting Indian never dreaming -that the thin line which the sea had cast up would speedily rise to an -inundation destined to sweep him from the face of the earth. Then began -that steady advance, slow at first, gathering momentum with the years, -before which he recoiled step by step, and finally disappeared forever. -His destiny was accomplished. To-day only mountains and streams transmit -to us the certainty that he ever did exist. They are his monument, his -lament, his eternal accusation. - -The White Mountains stood for the Indian not only as an image, but as -the actual dwelling-place of Omnipotence. His dreaded Manitou, whose -voice was the thunder, whose anger the lightning, and on whose face -no mortal could look and live, was the counterpart of the terrible -Thor, the Icelandic god, throned in a palace of ice among frozen and -inaccessible mountain peaks, over which he could be heard urging his -loud chariot amid the rage of the tempest. Frost and fire, plague and -famine were the terrific natural agents common to the Indian and to the -Norse mythology; and to his god of terrors the Indian conjurer addressed -his prayers, his incantations, and his propitiatory offerings, when -some calamity had befallen or threatened his tribe. But to cross the -boundary which separated him from the abiding-place of the Manitou! -plant his audacious foot within the region from which Nature shrunk back -affrighted! Not all the wealth he believed the mountain hoarded would -have tempted him to brave the swift and terrible vengeance of the justly -offended, all-powerful Manitou. So far, then, as he was concerned, the -mountain remained inviolate, inviolable, as a kind of hell, filled with -the despairing shrieks of those who in an evil hour transgressed the -limits sacred to immortals.[11] - -As a pendant to this superstition, in which their deity is with simple -grandeur throned on the highest mountain peak, it is curious to remember -the Indian tradition of the Deluge; for, like so many peoples, they had -their tradition, coming from a remote time, and having strong family -resemblance with that of more enlightened nations. According to it, all -the inhabitants of the earth were drowned, except one Powaw and his -wife, who were preserved by climbing to the top of the White Mountains, -and who were the progenitors of the subsequent races of man. The Powaw -took with him a hare, which, upon the subsiding of the waters, he freed, -as Noah did the dove, seeing in its prolonged absence the assurance that -he and his companion might safely descend to earth. The likeness of this -tradition with the story of Deucalion, and Pyrrha, his wife, as related -by Ovid, is very striking. One does not easily consent to refer it to -accident alone. - -There is one thing more. When asked by the whites to point out the -Indian's heaven, the savage stretched his arm in the direction of the -White Hills, and replied that heaven was just beyond. Such being his -religion, and such the influence of the mountain upon this highly -imaginative, poetic, natural man, one finds himself drawn legitimately -in the train of those marvels which our ancestors considered the most -credible things in the world, and which the sceptical cannot explain by -a sneer. - -According to the Indians, on the highest mountain, suspended from a -crag overlooking a dismal lake, was an enormous carbuncle, which many -declared they had seen blazing in the night like a live coal. Some even -asserted that its ruddy glare lighted the livid rocks around like the -fire of a midnight encampment, while by day it emitted rays, like the -sun, dazzling to look upon. And this extraordinary sight they declared -they had not only seen, but seen again and again. - -It is true that the Indians did not hesitate to declare that no mortal -hand could hope to grasp the great fire-stone. It was, said they, in the -special guardianship of the genius of the mountain, who, on the approach -of human footsteps, troubled the waters of the lake, causing a dark mist -to rise, in which the venturesome mortal became bewildered, and then -hopelessly lost. Several noted conjurers of the Pigwackets, rendered -foolhardy by their success in exorcising evil spirits, so far conquered -their fears as to ascend the mountain; but they never returned, and had, -no doubt, expiated their folly by being transformed into stone, or flung -headlong down some stark and terrible precipice. - -This tale of the great carbuncle fired the imagination of the simple -settlers to the highest pitch. We believe what we wish to believe, and, -notwithstanding their religion refused to admit the existence of the -Indian demon, its guardian, they seem to have had little difficulty in -crediting the reality of the jewel itself. At any rate, the belief that -the mountain shut up precious mines has come down to our own day; we -are assured by a learned historian of fifty years ago that the story of -the great carbuncle still found full credence in his.[12] We are now -acquainted with the spirit of the time when the first attempt to scale -the mountain, known to us, was rewarded with complete success. But the -record is of exasperating brevity. - -Among the earliest settlers of Exeter, New Hampshire, was a man by the -name of Darby Field. The antecedents of this obscure personage are -securely hidden behind the mists of more than two centuries. - -A hundred and twenty-five years before the ascent of Mont Blanc by -Jacques Balmat, Darby Field successfully ascended to the summit of the -"White Hill," to-day known as Mount Washington; but the exploit of the -adventurous Irishman is far more remarkable in its way than that of the -brave Swiss, since he had to make his way for eighty miles through a -wilderness inhabited only by beasts of prey, or by human beings scarcely -less savage, before he reached the foot of the great range; while Balmat -lived under the very shadow of the monarch of the Alps, so that its -spectre was forever crossing his path. Furthermore, the greater part of -the ascent of Mont Blanc was already familiar ground to the guides and -chamois-hunters of the Swiss Alps. On the contrary, according to every -probability, Field was the first human being whose daring foot invaded -the hitherto inviolable seclusion of the illustrious hermit of New -England. - -For such an adventure one instinctively seeks a motive. I did not long -amuse myself with the idea that this explorer climbed merely for the -sake of climbing; and I have little notion that he dreamed of posthumous -renown. It is far more probable that the reports brought by the Indians -of the fabulous treasures of the mountains led to Field's long, arduous, -and really perilous journey. It is certain that he was possessed of -rare intrepidity, as well as the true craving for adventure. That goes -without saying; still, the whole undertaking--its inception, its pursuit -to the end in the face of extraordinary obstacles, which he had no means -of measuring or anticipating--announces a very different sort of man -from the ordinary, a purpose before which all dangers disappear. - -In June, 1642, that is to say, only twelve years after the Puritan -settlements in Massachusetts Bay, Field set out from the sea-coast for -the White Hills. - -So far as known, he prosecuted his journey to the Indian village -of Pigwacket, the existence of which is thus established, without -noteworthy accident or adventure. Here he was joined by some Indians, -who conducted him within eight miles of the summit, when, declaring that -to go farther would expose them to the wrath of their great Evil Spirit, -they halted, and refused to proceed. The brave Irishman was equal to the -emergency. To turn back, baffled, within sight of his goal was evidently -not an admitted contingency. Leaving the Indians, therefore, squatted -upon the rocks, and no doubt regarding him as a man rushing upon a -fool's fate, Field again resolutely faced the mountain, when, seeing him -equally unmoved by their warnings as unshaken in his determination to -reach the summit, two of the boldest warriors ran after him, while the -others stoically made their preparations to await a return which they -never expected to take place. They watched the retreating figures until -lost among the rocks. - -In the language of the original narration, the rest of the ascent was -effected by "a ridge between two valleys filled with snow, out of which -came two branches of the Saco River, which met at the foot of the hill, -where was an Indian town of two hundred people." ... "By-the-way, among -the rocks, there were two ponds, one a blackish water, and the other -reddish.".... "Within twelve miles of the top was neither tree nor -grass, but low savins, which they went upon the top of sometimes." - -The adventurous climber pushed on. Soon he was assailed by thick clouds, -through which he and his companions resolutely toiled upward. This slow -and labored progress through entangling mists continued until within -four miles of the summit, when Field emerged above them into a region -of intense cold. Surmounting the immense pile of shattered rocks which -constitute the spire, he at last stood upon the unclouded summit, -with its vast landscape outspread beneath him, and the air so clear -that the sea seemed not more than twenty miles distant. No doubt the -daring explorer experienced all the triumph natural to his successful -achievement. It is not difficult to imagine the exultation with which he -planted his audacious foot upon the topmost crag, for, like Columbus, -Cabot, Balboa, he, too, was a real discoverer. The Indians must have -regarded him, who thus scornfully braved the vengeance of their god of -terrors, as something more than man. I have often pictured him standing -there, proudly erect, while the wonder-struck savages crouched humbly at -his feet. Both, in their way, felt the presence of their God; but the -white man would confront his as an equal, while the savage adored with -his face in the dust. - -The three men, after their first emotion of ecstasy, amazement, or fear, -looked about them. For the moment the great carbuncle was forgotten. -Field had chosen the best month of the twelve for his attempt, and now -saw a vast and unknown region stretching away on the north and east to -the shores of what he took for seas, but what were really only seas of -vapor, heaped against the farthest horizons. He fancied he saw a great -water to the north, which he judged to be a hundred miles broad, for -no land was beyond it. He thought he descried the great Gulf of Canada -to the east, and in the west the great lake out of which the river of -Canada came. All these illusions are sufficiently familiar to mountain -explorers; and it must not be forgotten that in Field's day geographical -knowledge of the interior of the country was indeed limited. In fact, he -must have brought back with him the first accurate knowledge respecting -the sources of those rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the -mountains. The great gulf on the north side of Mount Washington is -truly declared to be such a precipice that they could scarce discern to -the bottom; the great northern wilderness as "daunting terrible," and -clothed with "infinite thick woods." Such is its aspect to-day. - -The day must have been so far spent that Field had but little time in -which to prosecute his search. He, however, found "store of Muscovy -glass" and some crystals, which, supposing them to be diamonds, he -carefully secured and brought away. These glittering masses, congealed, -according to popular belief, like ice on the frozen regions of the -mountains, gave them the name of the Crystal Hills--a name the most -poetic, the most suggestive, and the most fitting that has been applied -to the highest summits since the day they were first discovered by -Englishmen. - -Descending the mountain, Field rejoined his Indians, who were doubtless -much astonished to see him return to them safe and sound; for, while he -had been making the ascent, a furious tempest, sent, as these savages -believed, to destroy the rash pale-face and his equally reckless -companions, burst upon the mountain. He found them drying themselves by -a fire of pine-knots; and, after a short halt, the party took their way -down the mountain to the Indian village. - -Before a month elapsed, Field, with five or six companions, made a -second ascent; but the gem of inestimable value, by whose light one -might read at night, continued to elude his pursuit. The search was not, -however, abandoned. Others continued it. The marvellous story, as firmly -believed as ever by the credulous, survived, in all its purity, to our -own century, to be finally transmitted to immortality by Hawthorne's -tale of "The Great Carbuncle." It may be said here that great influence -was formerly attributed to this stone, which the learned in alchemy -believed prevailed against the dangers of infection, and was a sure -talisman to preserve its owner from peril by sea or by land. - -A tradition is ten times a tradition when it has a fixed locality. -Without this it is a myth, a mere vagabond of a tradition. Knowing this, -I searched diligently for the spot where the great carbuncle, like the -eye of a Cyclop, shed its red lustre far down the valley of the Saco; -and if the little mountain tarn to-day known as Hermit Lake, over which -the gaunt crags rise in austere grandeur, be not the place, then I am -persuaded that further seeking would be unavailing. I cannot go so far -as to say that it never existed. - -What seems passing strange is that the feat performed by Field,[13] the -fame of which spread throughout the colony, should have been nearly, -if not wholly, forgotten before the lapse of a century. Robert Rogers, -one of the most celebrated hunters of the White Mountains, subsequently -a renowned partisan leader in the French and Indian wars, uses the -following language concerning them: - -"I cannot learn that any person was ever on the top of these mountains. -I have been told by the Indians that they have often attempted it in -vain, by reason of the change of air they met with, which I am inclined -to believe, having ascended them myself 'til the alteration of air was -very perceptible; and even then I had not advanced half way up; the -valleys below were then concealed from view by clouds." - -It is not precisely known when or how these granite peaks took the name -of the White Mountains. We find them so designated in 1672 by Josselyn, -who himself performed the feat of ascending the highest summit, of -which a brief record is found in his "New England's Rarities." One -cannot help saying of this book that either the author was a liar of the -first magnitude, or else we have to regret the degeneracy of Nature, -exhausted by her long travail; for this narrator gravely tells us of -frogs which were as big as a child of a year old, and of poisonous -serpents which the Indians caught with their bare hands, and ate alive -with great gusto. These are rarities indeed. - -The first mention I have met with of an Indian name for the White -Mountains is in the narrative of John Gyles's captivity, printed in -Boston in 1736, saying: - -"These White Hills, at the head of Penobscot River, are by the Indians -said to be much higher than those called Agiockochook,[14] above Saco." - -The similitude between the names White Mountains and Mont Blanc suggests -the same idea, that color, rather than character, makes the first and -strongest impression upon the beholder. Thus we have White Mountains and -Green Mountains, Red Mountains and Black Mountains, the world over. The -eye seizes a color before the mind fixes upon a distinctive feature, -or the imagination a resemblance. It is stated, on the authority of -Schoolcraft, that the Algonquins called these summits "White Rocks." -Mariners, approaching from the open sea, descried what seemed a -cloud-bank, rising from the landward horizon, when twenty leagues from -the nearest coast, and before any other land was visible from the -mast-head. Thirty leagues distant in a direct line, in a clear midsummer -day, the distant summits appeared of a pearly whiteness; observed -again from a church steeple on the sea-coast, with the sky partially -overcast, they were whitish-gray, showing that the change from blue to -white, or to cool tones approximating with white, is due to atmospheric -conditions. The early writers succeed only imperfectly in accounting -for this phenomenon, which for six months of the year at least has no -connection whatever with the snows that cover the highest peaks only -from the middle of October to the middle of April, a period during which -few navigators of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries visited our -shores, or, indeed, ventured to put to sea at all.[15] - - - - -II. - -_JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY._ - - Once more, O mountains of the North, unveil - Your brows, and lay your cloudy mantles by!--WHITTIER. - - -It is Petrarch who says, "A journey on foot hath most pleasant -commodities; a man may go at his pleasure; none shall stay him, none -shall carry him beyond his wish, none shall trouble him; he hath but -one labor, the labor of nature, to go." Every true pedestrian ought to -render full faith to the poet's assertion; and should he chance to have -his Laura, he will see her somewhere, or, rather, everywhere, I promise -him. But that is his affair. - -There are two ways of reaching Jackson from North Conway. One route -leaves the travelled highway a short distance beyond the East Branch of -the Saco, and ascends Thorn Hill; another diverges from it near Glen -Station, in Bartlett. The Thorn Hill way is the longer; but, as the -views are unsurpassed, I unhesitatingly chose it in preference to the -easier and shorter road. - -The walk from the Intervale over Thorn Hill gives ravishing backward -glimpses, opening to a full and broad panorama of the Saco meadows and -of the surrounding mountains. Needless to call them by name. One might -forget names, but the image never. Then, advancing to the summit, full -upon the charmed eye comes that glorious vision of the great mountains, -elevated to an immense height, and seeming, in their benevolence, to -say, "Approach, mortals!" Underneath is the village. - -We have left the grand vestibule of the Saco to enter an amphitheatre. -Washington, in his snowy toga, occupies the place of high honor. Adams -flaunts his dainty spire over the Pinkham Notch, at the monarch's left -hand. Then comes an embattled wall, pierced through its centre by the -immense hollow of the Carter Notch. - -Jackson is the ideal mountain village. From Thorn Hill it looked a -little elysium, with its handful of white houses huddled around its -one little church spire, like a congregation sitting at the feet of -their pastor. You perceive neither entrance nor exit, so completely is -the deep vale shut in by mountains. The streams, that make two veins -of silver in the green floor, seem vainly seeking a way out. One would -think Nature had locked the door and thrown away the key. The first -stream is the Wildcat, coming from the Carter Notch; the second, the -Ellis, from the Pinkham Notch. They unite just below the village, and, -like a forlorn-hope, together cut their way out of the mountains. - -Getting down into the village, the high mountains now sink out of -sight, and I saw only the nearer and less elevated ones immediately -surrounding--on the north, Eagle and Wildcat; on the east, Tin and -Thorn; on the west, Iron Mountain. The latter has fine, bold cliffs. -Over its smooth slope I again saw the two great steps of the Giant's -Stairs, mounting the long ridge which conducts to the great plateau of -Mount Washington. - -The village has a bright, pleasant look, but is not otherwise remarkable -in itself. Three hotels, the church, and a score or so of houses, -constitute the central portion. But if the village is small, the -township is large; and what is the visitor's astonishment, on opening -his eyes some fine morning, to see farms and farm-houses scattered along -the very summit of Thorn Mountain, whence they appear to regard the -little world below with a lofty disdain. How came they there? is the -question one feels inclined to ask; for in this enchanted air he loses -the desire, almost the faculty, of thinking for himself. The inhabitants -of this little colony seem to prize their seclusion, and only descend to -earth at the call of necessity. Their neighbors are the eagles. Surely -this is _Ultima Thule_. Alas! no; the tax-gatherer mounts even here. - -The people of Jackson are above all anxious for the development of -the mineral resources of the place. They have iron and tin, and claim -also the existence of copper and even of gold ores. Yet it is probable -that the vein most profitable for them, the one most likely to yield -satisfactory returns, is that on which the summer hotels have been -located and opened. So far, the mountains refuse to give up the wealth -they hoard. - -[Illustration: GIANT'S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN.] - -The Wildcat cuts the village in two. It is a perfect highwayman of a -stream. The very air is tremulous with its rush and roar. I halted -awhile on the little bridge that spans it, from which, looking down -the long pathway it makes, I enjoyed a fine retrospect of the Moats, -and, looking up, saw the torrent come bounding toward me. Here it makes -a swift descent over granite ledges, clean and fresh from constant -scrubbing, as the face of a country urchin, and as freckled. See how -hard every rod of its course is beset by huge hump-backed bowlders! A -river in fetters! - -Just above the bridge the stream plunges, two white streaks of water, -twenty to thirty feet obliquely down. Now it is dark, now light; -sometimes tinged a pale emerald, sometimes a rich amber, where it falls -down in thin sheets. For half a mile the ledges look as if an earthquake -had ripped them up to make a channel for this tempest of water. It is -from these ledges, looking down the course of the stream, that Moat -Mountain is so incomparably fine. It stretches itself luxuriously along -the rich meadows, like a Sybarite upon his couch of velvet, lifting -its head high enough to embrace the landscape, of which itself is the -most attractive feature. And the tall pines rise above the framework of -forest, as if to look at the beautiful mountain, clothed with the light -of the morning, and reclining with such infinite grace. - -Sprays of trembling foliage droop or stretch themselves out over the -stream in search of the fine dew it sends up. They seem endeavoring to -hide the broad scar made through the forest. The clear sun illuminates -their green leaves, and makes the cool rocks emit a sensible warmth. It -also illuminates the little fountains of water. Ferns and young willows -shoot from crevices, delicate mosses attach themselves to the grim -bowlders. I found the perfect print of a human foot sunk in the hardest -rock; also cavities as cleverly rounded as if pebbles had been taken -from the granite. On the banks, under the thick shade of the pines, I -gathered a handful of the showy pappoose flower, the green leaves of -which are edible. Little mauve butterflies fluttered at our knees like -violets blown about by the wind. - -The crest of the fall is split, and broken up in huge fragments. The -main stream gains an outlet by a deep channel it has cut in the rock; -then turns a mill; then shoots down the face of the ledge. Above the -high ledge the bed of the river widens to about two hundred feet. Higher -up, where it is broken in long regular steps over which fifty cascades -tumble, I thought it most beautiful. - -Besides Jackson Falls, so called, there is a fine cataract on the Ellis, -known as Goodrich Falls. This is a mile and a half out of the village, -where the Conway road passes the Ellis by a bridge; and, being directly -upon the high-road, is one of the best known. The river here suddenly -pours its whole volume over a precipice eighty feet high, making the -earth tremble with the shock. I made my way down the steep bank to the -bed of the river below the fall, from which I saw, first, the curling -wave, large, regular, and glassy, of the dam, then three wild and -foaming pitches of broken water, with detached cascades gushing out from -the rocks at the right--all falling heavily into the eddying pool below. -Where the water was not white, or filliped into fine spray, it was the -color of pale sherry, and opaque, gradually changing to amber gold -as the light penetrated it and the descending sheet of the fall grew -thinner. The full tide of the river showed the fall to the best possible -advantage. But spring is the season of cascades--the only season when -one is sure of seeing them at all. - -One gets strongly attached to such a stream as the Ellis. If it has -been his only comrade for weeks, as it has been mine, the liking grows -stronger every day--the sense of companionship is full and complete: -the river is so voluble, so vivacious, so full of noisy chatter. If you -are dull, it rouses and lifts you out of yourself; if gay, it is as gay -as you. Besides, there is the paradox that, notwithstanding you may be -going in different directions, it never leaves you for a single moment. -One talks as it runs, one listens as he walks. A secret, an indefinable -sympathy springs up. You are no longer alone. - -[Illustration: MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS.] - -Among other stories that the river told me was the following: - -Once, while on their way to Canada through these mountains, a war-party -of Indians, fresh from a successful forray on the sea-coast, halted with -their prisoners on the banks of a stream whose waters stopped their way. -For weeks these miserable captives had toiled through trackless forests, -through swollen and angry torrents, sometimes climbing mountains on -their hands and knees--they were so steep--and at night stretching their -aching limbs on the cold ground, with no other roof than the heavens.[16] - -The captives were a mother, with her new-born babe, scarcely fourteen -days old, her boy of six, her two daughters of fourteen and sixteen -years, and her maid. Two of her little flock were missing. One little -prattler was playing at her knee, and another in the orchard, when -thirteen red devils burst in the door of their happy home. Two cruel -strokes of the axe stretched them lifeless in their blood before her -frenzied eyes. One was killed to intimidate, the other was despatched -because he was afraid, and cried out to his mother. There was no time -for tears--none even for a parting kiss. Think of that, mothers of the -nineteenth century! The tragedy finished, the hapless survivors were -hurried from the house into the woods. There was no resistance. The blow -fell like a stroke of lightning from a clear sky. - -This mother, whose eyes never left the embroidered belt of the chief, -where the reeking scalps of her murdered babes hung; this mother, -who had tasted the agony of death from hour to hour, and whose -incomparable courage not only supported her own weak frame, but had -so far miraculously preserved the lives of her little ones, now stood -shivering on the shores of the swollen torrent with her babe in her -arms, and holding her little boy by the hand. In rags, bleeding, and -almost famished, her misery should have melted a heart of stone. But she -well knew the mercy of her masters. When fainting, they had goaded her -on with blows, or, making a gesture as if to snatch her little one from -her arms, significantly grasped their tomahawks. Hope was gone; but the -mother's instinct was not yet extinguished in that heroic breast. - -But at this moment of sorrow and despair, what was her amazement to hear -the Indians accost her daughter Sarah, and command her to sing them a -song. What mysterious chord had the wild, flowing river touched in those -savage breasts? The girl prepared to obey, and the Indians to listen. In -the heart of these vast solitudes, which never before echoed to a human -voice, the heroic English maiden chanted to the plaintive refrain of the -river the sublime words of the Psalmist: - -"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we -remembered Zion. - -"We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. - -"For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and -they that wasted us required of us mirth." - -As she sung, the poor girl's voice trembled and her eyes filled, but she -never once looked toward her mother. - -When the last notes of the singer's voice died away, the bloodiest -devil, he who murdered the children, took the babe gently from the -mother, without a word; another lifted her burden to his own shoulder; -another, the little boy; when the whole company entered the river. - -Gentlemen, metaphysicians, explain that scene, if you please: it is no -romance. - -As this tale plunged me in a train of sombre reflection, the river -recounted one of those marvellous legends which contain more poetry than -superstition, and which here seem so appropriate. - -According to the legend, a family living at the foot of a lofty peak -had a daughter more beautiful than any maiden of the tribe, possessing -a mind elevated far above the common order, and as accomplished as -beautiful. When she reached a proper age, her parents looked around -them for a suitable match, but in vain. None of the young men of the -tribe were worthy of so peerless a creature. Suddenly this lovely -wildflower of the mountains disappeared. Diligent was the search, and -loud the lamentations when no trace of her light moccasin could be -found in forest or glade. The tribe mourned her as lost. But one day -some hunters, who had penetrated into the fastnesses of the mountain, -discovered the lost maiden disporting herself in the limpid waters -of a stream with a beautiful youth, whose hair, like her own, flowed -down below his waist. On the approach of the intruders, the youthful -bathers vanished from sight. The relatives of the maiden recognized her -companion as one of the kind spirits of the mountain, and henceforth -looked upon him as their son. They called upon him for moose, bear, or -whatever creature they desired, and had only to go to the water-side -and signify their desire, when, behold! the animal came swimming toward -them. This legend strongly reminded me of one of those marvellous fables -of the Hartz, in which a princess of exceeding beauty, destroyed by the -arts of a wicked fairy, was often seen bathing in the river Ilse. If she -met a traveller, she conducted him into the interior of the mountain and -loaded him with riches. Each legend dimly conveys its idea of the wealth -believed to reside in the mountain itself. - -The Ellis continues to guide us farther and farther into the mountains. -If we turn in the direction of the Glen House, a mile out of the -village the Giant's Stairs come finely into view, and are held for -some distance. Then bewitching vistas of Mount Washington, with snow -decorating his huge sides, rise and sink, appear and disappear, until -we reach an open vale, where the stream is spanned by a rude bridge. -The route offers nothing more striking in its way than the view of the -Pinkham Notch, which lies open at this point. - -One of my walks extending as far as the last house on this road, -permitted me to gratify a strong desire to see something of the in-door -life of the poorer class of farmers. That desire was fully satisfied. -There was nothing remarkable about the house itself; but the room in -which I rested would have furnished Meyer von Bremen a capital subject -for one of his characteristic interiors--it carried me back a century -at least. In one corner a woman upward of seventy, I should say, sat -at a spinning-wheel. She rose, got my bread-and-milk, and then resumed -her spinning. A young mother, with a babe in her lap and two tow-headed -urchins at her knee, occupied a high-backed rocking-chair. To judge -from appearances, the river which flowed by the door was completely -forgotten. Her efforts to hush the babe being interrupted by the peevish -whining of one of the brats, she dealt him a sound box on the ear, upon -which the whole pack howled in unison, while the mother, very red with -the effect of her own anger, dragged the culprit from the room. There -was still another occupant, a young girl, so silently plying her needle -that I did not at first notice her. The floor was bare. A rickety chair -or two and a cradle finished the meagre inventory of the apartment. -The general appearance of things was untidy and unthrifty, rather than -squalid; but I could not help recalling Sir William Davenant's remark, -"that those tenants never get much furniture who begin with a cradle." - -In such rambles, romantic and picturesque, in such dreams, the time -runs away. The weeks are long days, the days moments. Every one asks -himself why he finds Jackson so enticing, but no one is able to answer -the question. _Cui bono?_ When I am happy, shall I make myself miserable -searching for the reason? Not if I know it. - -Like bees to the sweetest flowers, the artists alight on the choicest -bits of scenery by instinct. One runs across their umbrellas almost -everywhere, spread like gigantic mushrooms; but some of them seem only -to live and have their true artistic being here. In general, they -are gentle, unobtrusive, and rather subdued in the presence of their -beloved mountains. Some among them, however, develop actual rapacity -in the search for new subjects, as, with a pencil between their teeth, -they creep in ambush to surprise and carry off some mountain beauty -which you or I are to ransom. Does a traveller contemplate some arduous -exploration in an unvisited region? the artist knocks him over by -quietly remarking, "I camped there several days last year." - -In France they maintain that high mountains cannot be painted. -Consequently, the modern French landscape is almost always a dead -level; an illimitable plain, through which a placid stream quietly -meanders, with a thick wood of aged trees at the left, a snug hamlet in -the middle distance, some shrubbery on the right, and a clumsy ox-cart -with peasants, in the foreground. All these details are sufficiently -commonplace; but they appeal strongly to our human yearning for a life -of perfect peace--a sanctuary the world cannot enter. Turner knew that -he must paint a mountain with its head in the clouds, and its feet -plunged in unfathomable abysses. Imagination would do the rest, and -imagination governs the universe. - -Photography cannot reproduce the true relation of distant mountains to -the landscape. The highest summits look like hills. For want of color, -too, it is always twilight. Even running water has a frozen look, -and rocks emit a dead, sepulchral glare. But for details--every leaf -of the tree, or shadow of the leaf--it is faultless; it is the thing -itself. True, under the magnifying-glass the foliage looks crisped, as -is noticed after a first frost. In short, the photograph of mountain -scenery is like that of a friend taken in his coffin. We say with a -shiver that is he, but, alas, how changed! A body without a soul. Again, -photography cannot suggest movement. Perfect immobility is a condition -indispensable to a successful picture. A successful picture! A petrified -landscape! - -"In the morning to the mountain," says the proverb, as emblematic of -high hopes. For two stations embodying the best features the vicinity -of Jackson can offer, the crest of Thorn Mountain and the ledges above -Fernald's Farm are strongly commended to every sojourner. Both are -easily reached. On the first, you are a child lifted above the crowd -on the shoulders of a giant; the mountains have come to you. On the -second, you have taken the best possible position to study the form and -structure of Mount Washington. You see all the ravines, and can count -all the gigantic feelers the immense mountain throws down into the -gorge of the Ellis. In this way, step by step, we continue to master the -topography of the region visited as we take our chocolate, one sip at a -time. - -I prepared to continue my journey to the Glen House by the valley of -the Wildcat and the Carter Notch, which is a sort of side entrance to -the Peabody Valley. Two passes thus lie on alternate sides of the same -mountain chain. Before doing so, however, two words are necessary. - - - - -III. - -_THE CARTER NOTCH._ - - Stranger, if thou hast learned a truth which needs - No school of long experience, that the world - Is full of guilt and misery, and hast seen - Enough of all its sorrows, crimes, and cares, - To tire thee of it, enter this wild wood - And view the haunts of nature. - --BRYANT. - - -What traveller can pass beyond the crest of Thorn Hill without paying -his tribute of silent admiration to the splendid pageant of mountains -visible from this charmed spot! Before him the great rampart, bristling -with its countless towers, is breached as cleanly as if a cannon-ball -had just crashed through it. It is an immense hole; it is the cavity -from which, apparently, one of those great iron teeth has just been -extracted. Only it does not disfigure the landscape. Far from it. It -really exalts the surrounding peaks. They are enormously aggrandized by -it. You look around for a mountain of proper size and shape to fill it. -That gives the true idea. It is a mountainous hole. - -The little river, tumbling step by step down its broken ledges into -Jackson, comes direct from the Notch, and its stream is the thread -which conducts through the labyrinth of thick woods. I dearly love the -companionship of these mountain streams. They are the voices of the -wilderness, singing high or low, softly humming a melodious refrain to -your thoughts, or, joining innumerable cascades in one grand chorus, -they salute the ear with a gush of sound that strips the forest of its -loneliness and awe. This same madcap Wildcat runs shouting and hallooing -through the woods like a stream possessed. - -By half-past seven of a bright and crisp morning I was climbing the -steep hill-side over which Jackson Falls pour down. Here was a genuine -surprise. On arriving at the top, instead of entering a difficult and -confined gorge, I found a charming and tolerably wide vale, dotted with -farms, extending far up into the midst of the mountains. You hardly -realize that the stream flowing so demurely along the bottom of the -valley is the same making its entry into the village with such noise -and tumult. Half a mile above the falls the snowy cupola of Washington -showed itself over Eagle Mountain for a few moments. Then, farther on, -Adams was seen, also white with snow. For five miles the road skirts the -western slopes of the valley, which grows continually deeper, narrower, -and higher. Spruce Mountain is now on our left, the broad flanks of -Black Mountain occupy the right side of the valley. Beyond Black -Mountain Carter Dome lifts its ponderous mass, and between them the dip -of the Perkins Notch, dividing the two ranges, gives admittance to the -Wild River Valley, and to the Androscoggin, in Shelburne. Before me the -grand, downward curves of Carter Notch opened wider and wider. - -I picked up, _en route_, the guide of this locality, who lives on the -side of the mountain near where the road is left for the woods. Our -business was transacted in two words. While he was strapping on his -knapsack I had leisure to observe the manner of man he was. - -The guide, whose Christian name is Jonathan, is known in all the country -round as "Jock" Davis. He was a medium-sized, muscular man, whiskered to -his eyes, with a pair of bare arms the color of unglazed earthen-ware, -and a step like a panther. As he strode silently on before, with his dog -at his heels, I was reminded of the Jibenainosay and his inseparable -Little Peter. He was steady as a clock, careful, and a capital forester, -but a trifle taciturn. From time to time, as he drew my attention to the -things noticeable or interesting by the way, his face grew animated, and -his eyes sparkled. By the same token I believed I detected that dormant -perception of beauty and grandeur which is inborn, and which travellers -are in general too much disposed to deny any existence among the natives -of these mountains. It is true, one cannot express his feelings with -the vivacity of the other; but if there is such a thing as speech in -silence, the honest guide's looks spoke volumes. - -He told me that he was accustomed to get his own living in the woods, -like an old bear. He had trapped and gummed all through the region we -were in; the slopes of the great range, and the Wild River wilderness, -which he declared, with a shake of the head, to be "a horrid hole." Now -and then, without halting, he took a step to the right or left to look -into his fox and sable traps, set near the foot-path. When he spoke of -"gumming" on Wildcat Mountain, I was near making an awkward mistake; I -understood him to say "gunning." So I very innocently asked what he had -bagged. He opened his eyes widely and replied, "Gum."[17] - -[Illustration: THE CARTER NOTCH.] - -Seeing me ready, Davis whistled to his dog, and we entered the -logging-road in Indian file. We at once took a brisk pace, which in a -short time brought us to the edge of a clearing, now badly overgrown -with bramble and coppice, and showing how easily nature obliterates -the mark of civilization when left alone. In this clearing an old -cellar told its sad story but too plainly. Those pioneers who first -struck the axe into the noble pines here are all gone. They abandoned -in consternation the effort to wring a scanty subsistence from this -inhospitable and unfruitful region. Even the poor farms I had seen -encroaching upon the skirts of this wilderness seemed fighting in -retreat. - -We quickly came to a second opening, where the axe of God had smote -the forest still more ruthlessly than that of man. The ground was -encumbered with half-burnt trees, among which the gaudy fire-weed grew -rank and tall. Divining my thought, the guide explained in his quaint, -sententious way, "Fire went through it; then the wind harricaned it -down." A comprehensive sweep of his staff indicated the area traversed -by the whirlwind of fire and the tornado. This opening disclosed at our -left the gray cliffs and yawning aperture of the Notch--by far the most -satisfactory view yet obtained, and the nearest. - -Burying ourselves in deeper solitudes, broken only by the hound in full -cry after a fox or a rabbit, we descended to the banks of the Wildcat at -a point one and a half miles from the road we had left. We then crossed -the rude bridge of logs, keeping company with the gradually diminishing -river, now upon one bank, now on the other, making a gradual ascent -along with it, frequently pausing in mid-stream to glance up and down -through the beautiful vistas it has cut through the trees. Halt at the -third crossing, traveller, and take in the long course through the -avenue of black, moss-draped firs! one so sombre and austere, the other -gliding so bright and blithesome out of its shadow and gloom. Just above -this spot a succession of tiny water-falls comes like a procession of -nymphs out of an enchanted wood. - -We were now in a colder region. The sparseness of the timber led me to -look right and left for the stumps of felled trees, but I saw nothing of -the kind. To the rigorous climate and extreme leanness of the soil they -attribute the scanty, undersized growth. I did not see fifty good timber -trees along the whole route. Where a large tree had been prostrated by -the wind, its upturned and matted roots showed a pitiful quantity of -earth adhering. Finding it impossible to grow downward more than a few -poor inches, they spread themselves laterally out to a great distance. -But the fir, with its flame-shaped point, is a symbol of indomitable -pluck. You see it standing erect on the top of some huge bowlder, which -its strong, thick roots clutch like a vulture's talons. How came it -there? Look at those rotting trunks, so beautifully covered with the -lycopodium and partridge-plum! The seed of a fir has taken root in the -bark. A tiny tree is already springing from the rich mould. As it grows, -its roots grasp whatever offers a support; and if the decaying tree has -fallen across a bowlder, they strike downward into the soil beneath -it, and the rock is a prisoner during the lifetime of the tree. Its -resin protects it from the icy blasts of winter, and from the alternate -freezing and thawing of early spring. It is emphatically the tree of the -mountains. - -An hour and a half of pretty rapid walking brought us to the bottom of a -steep rise. We were at length come to close quarters with the formidable -outworks of Wildcat Mountain. The brook has for some distance poured a -stream of the purest water over moss of the richest green, but now it -most mysteriously vanishes from sight. From this point the singular rock -called the Pulpit is seen overhanging the upper crags of the Dome.[18] - -We drank a cup of delicious water from a spring by the side of the path, -and, finding direct access forbidden by the towering and misshapen mass -before us, turned sharply to the left, and attacked the side of Wildcat -Mountain. We had now attained an altitude of nearly three thousand feet -above the sea, or two thousand two hundred and fifty above the village -of Jackson; we were more than a thousand higher than the renowned -Crawford Notch. - -On every side the ground was loaded down with huge gray bowlders, so -ponderous that it seemed as if the solid earth must give way under them. -Some looked as if the merest touch would send them crashing down the -mountain. Undermined by the slow action of time, these fragments have -fallen one by one from the high cliffs, and accumulated at the base. -Among these the path serpentined for half a mile more, bringing us at -last to the summit of the spur we had been climbing, and to the broad -entrance of the Notch. We passed quickly over the level ground we were -upon, stopped by the side of a well-built cabin of bark, threw off our -loads, and then, fascinated by the exceeding strangeness of everything -around me, I advanced to the edge of the scrubby growth in front of the -camp, in order to command an unobstructed view. - -Shall I live long enough to forget this sublime tragedy of nature, -enacted Heaven knows when or how? How still it was! I seemed to have -arrived at the instant a death-like silence succeeds the catastrophe. -I saw only the bare walls of a temple, of which some Samson had just -overthrown the columns--walls overgrown with a forest, ruins overspread -with one struggling for existence. - -Imagine the light of a mid-day sun brightening the tops of the -mountains, while within a sepulchral gloom rendered all objects--rocks, -trees, cliffs--all the more weird and fantastic. I was between two high -mountains, whose walls enclose the pass. Overhanging it, fifteen hundred -feet at least, the sunburnt crags of the Dome towered above the highest -precipices of the mountain behind me. These stately barriers, at once -so noble and imposing, seemed absolutely indestructible. Impossible to -conceive anything more enduring than this imperishable rock. So long -as the world stands, those mountains will stand. And nothing can shake -this conviction. They look so strong, so confident in their strength, so -incapable of change. - -But what, then, is this dusky gray mass, stretching huge and irregular -across the chasm from mountain to mountain, completely filling the -space between, and so effectually blockading the entrance that we were -compelled to pick our way up the steep side of the mountain in order to -turn it? - -Picture to yourself acres upon acres of naked granite, split and -splintered in every conceivable form, of enormous size and weight, yet -pitched, piled, and tumbled about like playthings, tilted, or so poised -and balanced as to open numberless caves, which sprinkled the whole area -with a thousand shadows--figure this, I repeat, to yourself--and the -mind will then grasp but faintly the idea of this colossal barricade, -seemingly built by the giants of old to guard their last stronghold from -all intrusion. At some distance in front of me a rock of prodigious -size, very closely resembling the gable of a house, thrusting itself -half out, conveyed its horrible suggestion of an avalanche in the act of -ingulfing a hamlet. And all this one beholds in a kind of stupefaction. - -Whence came this colossal dbris? I had at first the idea that the -great arch, springing from peak to peak, supported on the Atlantean -shoulders of the two mountains, had fallen in ruins. I even tried to -imagine the terrific crash with which heaven and earth came together in -the fall. Easy to realize here Schiller's graphic description of the -Jungfrau: - -"One walks there between life and death. Two threatening peaks shut in -the solitary way. Pass over this place of terror without noise; dread -lest you awaken the sleeping avalanche." - -It is evident, however, as soon as the eye attaches itself to the side -of the Dome, that one of its loftiest precipices, originally measuring -an altitude as great as any yet remaining, has precipitated itself in a -crushed and broken mass into the abyss. Nothing is left of the primitive -edifice except these ruins. It is easily conceived that, previous to -the convulsion, the interior aspect of the Notch was quite different -from what is seen to-day. It was doubtless narrower, gloomier, and -deeper before the cliff became dislodged. The track of the convulsion is -easily traced. From top to bottom the side of the mountain is hollowed -out, exposing a shallow ravine, in which nothing but dwarf spruces will -grow, and in which the erratic rocks, arrested here and there in their -fall, seem endeavoring to regain their ancient position on the summit. -There is no trace whatever of the rubbish ordinarily accompanying a -slide--only these rocks. - -Seeing that all this happened long ago, I asked the guide why the larger -growth we saw on both sides of the hollow had not succeeded in covering -the old scar, as is the case with the Willey Slide; but he was unable to -advance even a conjecture. The spruce, however, loves ruins, spreading -itself out over them with avidity. - -We felt our way cautiously and slowly out over the bowlders; for the -moment one quits the usual track he risks falling headlong upon the -sharp rocks beneath. In the midst of these grisly blocks stunted firs -are born, and die for want of sustenance, making the dreary waste -bristle with hard and horny skeletons. The spruce, dwarfed and deformed, -has established itself solidly in the interstices; a few bushes spring -up in the crannies. With this exception, the entire area is denuded -of vegetation. The obstruction is heaped in two principal ridges, -traversing its greatest breadth, and opening a broad way between. -This is one of the most curious features I remarked. From a flat rock -on the summit of the first we obtained the best idea of the general -configuration of the Notch; and from this point, also, we saw the two -little lakes beneath us which are the sources of the Wildcat. Beyond, -and above the hollow they occupy, the two mountains meet in the low -ridge constituting the true summit of Carter Notch. Far down, under -the bowlders, the Wildcat gropes its way out; but, notwithstanding one -or the other was continually dropping out of sight into the caverns -with which they are filled, we could neither hear nor see anything to -indicate its route. It is buried out of sight and sound. - -No incident of the whole excursion is more curiously inexplicable than -the total disappearance of the brook at the mountain's foot. Notice that -it was last seen gushing from the side we ascended, half a mile below -the camp. Whence does it come? When we were on top of the bowlders, -looking down on the water of the two little lakes, we wonderingly ask, -"Where does it go? How does it get out?" The mystery is, however, solved -by the certainty that their waters flow out underneath the barrier, so -that this mammoth pile of dbris, which could destroy a city, was unable -to arrest the flow of a rivulet. - -But all this wreck and ruin exerts a saddening influence; it seems -to prefigure the Death of the Mountain. So one gladly turns to the -landscape--a very noble though not extensive one--enclosing all the -mountains and valleys to the south of us lying between Kearsarge and -Moat. - -After this tour of the rocks, we returned to the hut and ate our -luncheon. Here the Pulpit Rock, which is sure to catch the eye whenever -it wanders to the cliffs opposite, looks very much like the broken -handle of a jug. Davis explained that, by advancing fifteen or twenty -paces upon it, it would be possible to hang suspended over the thousand -feet of space beneath. While thus occupied, the dog received his share -of the bread and meat; nor was the little tame hawk that came and hopped -so fearlessly at our feet forgotten. This bird and a cross-bill were the -only living things I saw.[19] - -Being fully rested and refreshed, we started on a second exploration of -the upper part of the Notch. Thus far our examination had been confined -to the lower portion only. Descending the spur upon which the hut is -situated, we were, in a few moments, at the bottom of the deep cavity -lying between the Giants' Barricade and the little mountain forming the -northern portal. This area is undoubtedly the original floor of the -pass. We had now reached a position between the lakes. Looking backward, -the barricade lifted a black and frowning wall a hundred and fifty feet -above our heads. Looking down, the water of the lakes seemed "an image -of the Dead Sea sleeping at the foot of Jerusalem destroyed." While I -stood looking into them, a passing cloud, pausing in astonishment at -seeing itself reflected from these shadowy depths, darkened the whole -interior. Deprived all at once of sunlight, the scene became one of -great and magnificent solemnity. The pass assumed the appearance of a -vast cavern. The ponds lay still and cold below. The air grew chill, -the water black as ink. The ruddy color faded from the cliffs. They -became livid. I saw the thousands upon thousands of fir-trees, rigid and -sombre, ranged tier on tier like spectators in an immense circus, who -are awaiting the signal for some terrible spectacle to begin. When the -cloud tranquilly resumed its journey, a load seemed lifted off. It was -Nature repeating to herself, - - "Put out the light, and then put out the light." - -We had reached the camp at half-past ten. At half-past twelve we began -the ascent of the Dome. It is not so much the height as the steepness of -this mountain that wins our respect. The path goes straight up to the -first summit, deflects a little to reach the Pulpit, and then, turning -more northerly, ascends for a mile and a half more by a much easier rise -to the highest peak. There are no open ledges on the route. The path is -cut through a wood from base to summit; and, with the exception of a -few trees felled to open an outlook in the direction of the main range, -was covered on the summit itself with a dense growth of fir-trees from -twelve to fifteen feet high. To obtain a view of the whole horizon, it -was necessary, at the time of my visit, to climb one of these trees. - -I will not fatigue the reader with any detailed account of the ascent. -Suffice it to say that it was a slow and toilsome lifting of one heavy -foot after another for three-quarters of an hour. Sometimes the slope -was so near the vertical that we could ascend only a few rods at a -time. I improved these halts by leaning against a tree, and panting like -a doe pursued by the hunter. Davis threw himself upon the ground and -watched me attentively, but without speaking. If he expected me to give -out, I disappointed him by giving the signal to move on. I had already -served my apprenticeship on Carrigain. It was difficult to maintain -an upright position. Once, indeed, on looking up, I perceived that -the guide had abandoned in disgust the idea of walking erect, and was -creeping on all-fours, like his dog. This breathless scramble continued -for three-quarters of an hour, at the end of which we turned into the -short by-path conducting to the Pulpit. - -Near the Pulpit is a cleared space large enough to afford standing room -for fifteen or twenty persons. This Pulpit is a huge, rectangular rock, -jutting out from the face of the cliff on which we stood, and is not at -all unworthy of the name given to it by the guide. It is a fine station -from which to survey the deep rent in the side of the mountain, as well -as the mammoth stone-heap, which it overlooks. The black side of Mount -Wildcat, ploughed from top to bottom with four deep gashes, - - "The least a death to nature," - -is also seen to excellent advantage across the airy space between the -mountains. The fluttering of a handkerchief at the door of the little -cabin greatly enlivened the solitary scene, and drew from us the same -signal in return. - -At first sight the ascent by the chasm seems feasible; but Davis, who -has twice performed this difficult feat, declared with a shrug that -nothing would tempt him to do it again. Those who have ever come to -close quarters with the shrubby growth of these ruins will know how to -leave it in undisputed possession of its own chosen ground. The dwarf -spruce is the Cossack of the woods. - -What a beautiful landscape is that from the Pulpit! The southern horizon -is now widely opened. The mountains around Jackson have dwindled -to hills. Especially curious are the flattened top and distorted -contour-lines of Iron Mountain. Another singular feature is the way we -look through the cloven summit of Doublehead to Kearsarge's stately -pyramid. Here are strips of the Ellis and Saco Valleys, and all of the -Wildcat. The lakes in Ossipee are dazzling to look upon. Old Chocorua -lifts his brilliant spire; then Moat his iron bulwarks. Crawford, -Resolution, and the Giants' Stairs extend on the right, behind Iron. -The view is then cut off by the burly form of Wildcat. Far back in the -picture are the notched walls of the Franconia and Sandwich chains, -topped by pale blue peaks. - -Continuing the ascent for about three-fourths of a mile, we came to a -point only a rod or two distant from the head of the great slide of -1869, and from the top of a tree here was the most thrilling prospect of -Washington and the great northern peaks I ever beheld. All the summits -as far south as Monroe are included in the view. - -Over the right shoulder of Wildcat appeared the dazzling summit of -Washington, having at his left the noble cone of Jefferson, the -matchless shaft of Adams, and the massive pyramid of Madison. Each gray -head was profusely powdered with snow. Dark clouds, heavily charged with -frost, partially intercepted the sun's rays, and, enveloping the great -mountains in their shadows, cast over them a mantle of the deepest blue; -but enough light escaped to gild the arid slopes of the great ravines a -rich brown gold, and to pierce through, and beautifully expose, against -the dark bulk of Adams, a thin veil of slowly falling snow. Imagine an -Ethiopian wrapped from head to foot in lace! - -A chapter could not give the thousand details of this grand picture. -One devours it with avidity. He sees to the greatest possible advantage -the magnificent proportions of Washington, with his massive slopes -rolling up and up, like petrified storm-clouds, to the final summit. -He sees the miles of carriage-road, from where it leaves the woods, -as far as the great northern plateau. He looks deep down into the -depths of Tuckerman's and Huntington's ravines, and between them sees -Raymond's Cataract crusting the bare cliffs with a vein of quicksilver. -The massive head-wall of Tuckerman's was freely spattered with fresh -snow; the Lion's Head rose stark and forbidding; the upper cliffs of -Huntington's, - - "With twenty trenched gashes in his head," - -the great billows of land rushing downward into the dark gulfs, -resembled the vortex of a frozen whirlpool. - -But for refinement of form, delicacy of outline, and a predominant, -inexplicable grace, Adams stands forth here without a rival. -Washington is the undisputed monarch, but Adams is the highest type of -mountain beauty here. That splendid, slightly concave, antique shaft, -rising in unconscious symmetry from the shoulders of two supporting -mountain-peaks, which seem prostrating themselves at its feet, changes -the emotion of awe and respect to one of admiration and pleasure. Our -elevation presented all the great summits in an unrivalled attitude for -observation or study; and whoever has once beheld them--banded together -with bonds of adamant, their heads in the snow, and their feet in the -impenetrable shades of the Great Gulf; with every one of their thousands -of feet under his eye--every line as firm and strong, and every contour -true as the Great Architect drew it--without loss or abatement; vigorous -in old age as in youth; monuments of one race, and silent spectators -of the passing of another; victors in the battle with Time; chronicles -and retrospect of ages; types of the Everlasting and Unchangeable--will -often try to summon up the picture of the great peaks, and once more -marshal their towering battlements before the memory. - -The descent occupied less than half an hour, so rapidly is it made. -We had nothing whatever to do with regulating our speed, but were -fully occupied in so placing our feet as to avoid pitching headlong, -or sitting suddenly down in a miry place. We simply tumbled down the -mountain, like two rocks detached from its peak. - -After a last survey of the basin of the Notch, from the clearing above -the upper lake, we crossed the little mountain at its head, taking the -path leading to the Glen House. We descended the reverse side together, -to the point where the great slide referred to came thundering down from -the Dome into the gorge of Nineteen Mile Brook. This landslip, which -happened October 4th, 1869, was one of the results of the disastrous -autumnal storms, which deluged the mountains with rain, and set in -motion here an enormous quantity of wreck and dbris. It was at this -time that Mr. Thompson, the proprietor of the Glen House, lost his life -in the Peabody River, in a desperate effort to avert the destruction of -his mill. - -Here I parted from my guide; and, after threading the woods for two -hours more, following the valley of Nineteen Mile Brook, came out of -their shadowy embrace into the stony pastures above the Glen House. - - - - -IV. - -_THE PINKHAM NOTCH._ - - Levons les yeux vers les saintes montagnes. - --RACINE. - - -The Glen House is one of the last strongholds of the old ways of travel. -Jackson is twelve, Randolph seven, and Gorham eight miles distant. These -are the nearest villages. The nearest farm-houses are Copp's, three -miles on the road to Randolph, and Emery's, six on the road to Jackson. -The nearest railway-station is eight miles off, at Gorham. The nearest -steam-whistle is there. So much for its seclusion. - -Being thus isolated, the Glen House is naturally the point of direction -for the region adjacent. Situated at the base of Carter Mountain, on a -terrace rising above the Peabody River, which it overlooks, it has only -the valley of this stream--a half mile of level meadow here--between -it and the base of Mount Washington. The carriage-road to the summit, -which, in 1861, superseded the old bridle-path, is seen crossing this -meadow. This road occupied six years in building, is eight miles long, -and is as well and solidly built as any similar piece of highway in New -England. - -When it is a question of this gigantic mass, which here offers such an -easy mode of ascent, the interest is assured. Respecting the appearance -of Mount Washington from the Glen House itself, it is a received -truth that neither the height nor the proportions of a high mountain -are properly appreciated when the spectator is placed exactly at the -base. The same is true here of Mount Washington, which is too much -foreshortened for a favorable estimate of its grandeur or its elevation. -The Dome looks flat, elongated, obese. But it is only a step from the -hotel to more eligible posts of observation, say the clearings on Mount -Carter, or, better still, the slopes of Wildcat, which are easily -reached over a good path. - -Still, Mount Washington is surveyed with more astonishment, perhaps, -from this point, than from any other. Its lower section is covered -with a dense forest, out of which rise the successive and stupendous -undulations culminating at last in the absolutely barren summit, which -the nearer swells almost conceal. The true peak stands well to the left, -indicated by a white building when the sun is shining, and a dark one -when it is not. As seen from this spot, the peculiar formation of the -mountain gives the impression of a semi-fluid mass, first cooled to -hardness, then receiving successive additions, which, although eternally -united with its bulk, have left the point of contact forever visible. -When the first mass cooled, it received a second, a third, and a fourth. -One believes, so to speak, certain intervals to have elapsed in the -process of solidifying these masses, which seem, to me at least, not -risen above the earth, but poured down upon it. - -It is related that an Englishman, seated on the balcony of his hotel at -Chamouni, after having conscientiously followed the peripatetics of a -sunset, remarked, "Very fine, very fine indeed! but it is a pity Mont -Blanc hides the view." In this sense, Mount Washington "hides the view" -to the west. No peak dares show its head in this direction. - -From the vicinity of the hotel, Wildcat Mountain allows the eye to -embrace, at the left, Mount Washington as far as Tuckerman's Ravine. -Only a few miles of the valley can be traced on this side; but at the -right it is open for nearly its whole length, fully exposing that -magnificent sweep of the great northern peaks, here bending majestically -to the north-east, and exhibiting their titanic props, deep hollows, -soaring peaks, to the admiring scrutiny of every wayfarer. It is -impossible to appreciate this view all at once. No one can pretend -to analyze the sensations produced by looking at mountains. The bare -thought of them causes a flutter of enthusiasm wherever we may be. At -such moments one lays down the pen to revel in the recollection. - -Among these grandees, Adams looks highest. It is indispensable that this -mountain should be seen from some higher point. It is only half seen -from the Glen, although the view here is by far the best to be had in -any valley enclosing the great chain. Ascend, therefore, even at the -risk of some toil, one of the adjacent heights, and this superb monument -will deign to show the true symmetrical relation of summit to base. - -I have already said that most travellers approach this charming mountain -nook by the Pinkham defile, instead of making their dbut by the -Carter Notch. It will be well worth our while to retrace at least so -much of this route, through the first-named pass, as will enable us to -gain a knowledge, not so much of what it shows as of what it hides. By -referring to the chapter on Jackson, we shall then have seen all that -can be seen on the travelled highway. - -The four miles back through the Pinkham forest deserve to be called the -Avenue of Cascades. Not less than four drop from the mountain tops, or -leap down the confined gorges. Let us first walk in this direction. - -Two miles from the hotel we meet a sprightly and vigorous brook coming -down from Wildcat Mountain to swell the Peabody. A short walk up this -stream brings us to Thompson's Falls, which are several pretty cascades -slipping down a bed of granite. The ledges over which they glide offer -a practicable road to the top of the falls, from which is a most -interesting view into Tuckerman's Ravine, and of the summit of Mount -Washington. - -Some overpowering, some unexplained fascination about these dark and -mysterious chambers of the mountain arouses in us a desire strangely -like to that intense craving for a knowledge of futurity itself. We -think of the Purgatory of the ancients into which we would willingly -descend if, like Dante holding the hand of Virgil, we might hope to -return unscathed to earth. "This is nothing but an enormous breach -in the mountain," you say, weakly attempting to throw off the spell -by ridiculing the imagination. Be it so. But it has all the terrible -suggestiveness of a descent into the world of the dead. When we walk in -the dark we say that we are afraid of falling. It is a falsehood. We are -afraid of a _Presence_. - -That dark curling lip of the south wall, looking as if the eternal -adamant of the hills had been scorched and shrivelled by consuming -flame, marks the highest curve of the massive granite spur rooted deep -in the Pinkham defile. It is named Boott's Spur. The sky-line of the -ravine's head-wall is five thousand feet above the sea, on the great -plateau over which the Crawford trail passes. That enormous crag, rising -like another Tower of Famine, on the north and east divides the ravine -proper from the collateral chamber, known as Huntington's, out of which -the source of the Peabody gushes a swift torrent, and near which the -carriage-road winds its devious way up to the summit. In the depression -of this craggy ridge, between the two ravines, sufficient water is -collected to form the beautiful cataract known as Raymond's, which is -seen from all those elevations commanding the ravine itself. - -[Illustration: THE EMERALD POOL.] - -The ravine also furnishes a route to the summit of Mount Washington in -so far that the ascent may be continued from the head of the chasm to -the high plateau, and so up the pinnacle, by the old Crawford trail, or -over the crag on the right to the carriage-road; but it is not to be -highly recommended on that account, except to strong climbers. It should -be visited for itself, and for what is to be seen going or returning by -the different paths. I have also descended from the Summit House to the -ravine and returned by the same route; an excursion growing in favor -with those tourists having a day or two on their hands, and who approach -the mountain from the west or opposite side. In that case a return to -the summit saves a long dtour. - -Before we come to Thompson's Falls a well-trod path leads to the Emerald -Pool, which Bierstadt's painting has rendered famous. At first one sees -only a deep hollow, with a dark and glassy pool at the bottom, and a -cool light coming down through the high tree-tops. Two large rocks -tightly compress the stream which fills it, so that the water gushes -out with sufficient force to whiten a little, without disturbing the -placid repose of the pool. This gives the effect of milk poured upon -ink. Above these rocks we look up the stony bed of the frantic river -and meet the blue mass of a distant mountain. Rocks are picturesquely -dropped about the margin. Upon one side a birch leans far out over the -basin, whose polished surface brilliantly reflects the white light of -its bark. One sees the print of foliage on the black water, like that of -ferns and grasses upon coal; or, rather, like the most beautiful Italian -mosaics--black marble inlaid with arabesques of color. The illusion -is more perfect still when the yellow and scarlet of the maples is -reflected, as in autumn. - -The contrast between the absolutely quiet pool and the feverish -excitement of the river is singular. It is that of a life: one, serene -and unmoved, receives the other in its bosom and calms its excitement. -It then runs out over the pebbles at a steadier pace, soothed, -tranquillized, and strengthened, to meet its destiny by this one moment -of peace and rest. - -Doubtless many turn languidly into this charming sylvan retreat with -only a dim perception of its beauty. Few go away except to sing its -praises with heart and tongue. Solitude is here. Repose is here. Peace -is omnipresent. And, freed from the excitements of city life, "Peace -at any price" is the cry of him whom care pursues as with a knotted -scourge. If he find not rest here, 'tis his soul "is poor." For him -the smell of the earth, the fragrance of the pines, the very stones, -have healing or strength. He grows drowsy with the lullaby of the -brook. A delicious languor steals over him. A thousand dreamy fancies -float through his imagination. He is a child again; or, rather, he is -born again. The artificial man drops off. Stocks and bonds are clean -forgotten. His step is more elastic, his eye more alert, his heart -lighter. He departs believing he has read, "Let all who enter here leave -care behind." And all this comes of seeing a little shaded mountain pool -consecrated by Nature. He has only experienced her religion and received -her baptism. - -Burying ourselves deeper in the pass, the trees, stirred by the breeze, -shake out their foliage like a maiden her long tresses. And the glory -of one is the glory of the other. We look up to the greater mountains, -still wrapped in shadows, saying to those whom its beams caress, "Out of -my sun!" - -At the third mile a guide-board at the right announces the Crystal -Cascade. We turn aside here, and, entering the wood, soon reach the -banks of a stream. The last courtesy this white-robed maid makes on -crossing the threshold of her mountain home is called the Crystal -Cascade. It is an adieu full of grace and feeling. - -[Illustration: THE CRYSTAL CASCADE.] - -The Crystal Cascade divides with Glen Ellis the honor of being the most -beautiful water-fall of the White Mountains. And well may it claim this -distinction. These two charming and radiant sisters have each their -especial admirers, who come in multitudes every year, like pilgrims -to the shrine of a goddess. In fact, they are as unlike as two human -countenances. Every one is astonished at the changes effected by simple -combinations of rocks, trees, and water. One shrinks from a critical -analysis of what appeals so strangely to his human sympathies. Indeed, -he should possess the language of a Dumas or a Ruskin, the poetry of -a Longfellow or a Whittier, the pencil of a Turner or a Church, to do -justice to this pre-eminently beautiful of cascades. - -Look around. On the right bank of the stream, where a tall birch leans -its forked branches out over the pool below, a jutting rock embraces -in one glance the greater part of the fall. The cliffs, rising on both -sides, make a most wild and impressive setting. The trees, which shade -or partly screen it, exclude the light. The ferns and shrubbery trace -their arabesques of foliage upon the cold, damp rocks. The sides of -the mountain, receding into black shadows, seem set with innumerable -columns, supporting a roof of dusky leafage. All this combines to -produce the effect of standing under the vault of some old dimly-lighted -cathedral--a subdued, a softened feeling. A voice seems whispering, "God -is here!" - -Through these sombre shades the cascade comes like a gleam of light: -it redeems the solitude. High up, hundreds of feet up the mountain, it -boils and foams; it hardly seems to run. How it turns and tosses, and -writhes on its hard bed! The green leaves quiver at its struggles. Birds -fly silently by. Down, down, and still down over its shattered stairs -falls the doomed flood, until, lashed and broken into a mere feathery -cloud, it reaches a narrow gorge between abrupt cliffs of granite. A -little pellucid basin, half white, half black water, receives it in -full career. It then flows out by a pretty water-fall of twenty feet -more. But here, again, the sharp, wedge-shaped cliff, advancing from -the opposite bank, compresses its whole volume within a deep and narrow -trough, through which it flies with the rapidity of light, makes a -right angle, and goes down the mountain, uttering loud complaints. From -below, the jagged, sharp-edged cliff forms a kind of vestibule, behind -which the cascade conceals itself. Behind this, farther back, is a rock, -perfectly black, and smooth as polished ebony, over which the surplus -water of the fall spreads a tangled web of antique lace. Some very -curious work has been going on here since the stream first made its way -through the countless obstacles it meets in the long miles to its secret -fountains on Mount Washington. One carries away a delightful impression -of the Crystal Cascade. To the natural beauty of falling water it brings -the charm of lawless unrestraint. It scorns the straight and narrow -path; has stolen interviews with secret nooks on this side or that; is -forever coquettishly adjusting its beautiful dishabille. What power has -taken one of those dazzling clouds, floating over the great summit, and -pinned it to the mountain side, from which it strives to rise and soar -away? - -We are now in the wildest depths of the Pinkham defile. The road is -gloomy enough, edging its way always through a dense wood around a -spur of Mount Washington, which it closely hugs. Upon reaching the -summit, thirteen hundred and fifty feet above the Saco, at Bartlett, a -sign-board showed where to leave the highway, but now the noise of the -fall coming clearer and clearer was an even surer guide. - -The sense of seclusion is perfect. Stately pines, funereal cedars, -sombre hemlocks, throng the banks, as if come to refresh their -parched foliage with the fine spray ascending from the cataract. This -spray sparkles in the sun like diamond-dust. Through the thick-set, -clean-limbed tree-trunks jets of foam can be seen in mad riot along -the rocky gorge. They leap, toss their heads, and tumble over each -other like young lambs at play. Backward up the stream, downward beyond -the fall, we see the same tumult of waters in the midst of statuesque -immobility; we hear the roar of the fall echoing in the tops of the -pines; we feel the dull earth throb with the superabundant energy of the -wild river. - -Making my way to the rocks above the cataract, I saw the torrent swiftly -descending in two long, arching billows, flecked with foam, and tossing -myriad diamonds to the sun. Two large masses of rock, loosened from the -cliffs that hang over it, have dropped into the stream, turning it a -little from its ancient course, but only to make it more picturesque and -more tumultuous. On the left of the gorge the rocks are richly striped -with black, yellow, and purple. The water is crystal clear, and cold as -ice, having come, in less time than it takes to write, from the snows of -Tuckerman's Ravine. The variegated hues of the rocks, glistening with -spray, of the water itself seizing and imprisoning, like flies in amber, -every shadow these rocks let fall, the roar of the cataract, make a deep -and abiding impression of savage force and beauty. - -But I had not yet seen the fall. Descending by slippery stairs to the -pool beneath it, I saw, eighty feet above me, the whole stream force its -way through a narrow cleft, and stand in one unbroken column, superbly -erect, upon the level surface of the pool. The sheet was as white as -marble, the pool as green as malachite. As if stunned by the fall, it -turns slowly round; then, recovering, precipitates itself down the rocky -gorge with greater passion than ever. - -On its upper edge the curling sheet of the fall was shot with sunlight, -and shone with enchanting brilliancy. All below was one white, feathery -mass, gliding down with the swift and noiseless movement of an avalanche -of fresh snow. No sound until the moment of contact with the submerged -rocks beneath; then it finds a voice that shakes the hoary forest to -its centre. How this exquisite white thing fascinates! One has almost -to tear himself away from the spot. Undine seems beckoning us to -descend with her into the crystal grottoes of the pool. From the tender -dalliance of a sunbeam with the glittering mists constantly ascending -was born a pale Iris. Exquisitely its evanescent hues decorated the -virgin drapery of the fall. Within these mists two airy forms sometimes -discover themselves, hand-in-hand. - -The story runs that the daughter of a sagamore inhabiting the little -vale, now Jackson, was secretly wooed and won by a young brave of -another and neighboring tribe. But the haughty old chief destined her -for a renowned warrior of his own band. Mustering his friends, the -preferred lover presented himself in the village, and, according to -Indian usage, laying - - "--at her father's feet that night - His softest furs and wampum white." - -demanded his bride. The alliance was too honorable to permit an abrupt -refusal. Smothering his wrath, the father assembled his braves. The -matter was debated in solemn council. It was determined that the rivals -should settle their dispute by a trial of skill, the winner to carry off -the beautiful prize. A mark was set up, the ground carefully measured, -and the two warriors took their respective places in the midst of the -assembled tribe. The heart of the Indian maiden beat with hope when -her lover sent his arrow quivering in the edge of the target; but it -sunk when his rival, stepping scornfully to his place, shot within the -very centre. A shout of triumph rewarded the skill of the victor; but -before it died away the defeated warrior strode to the spot where his -mistress was seated and spoke a few hurried words, intended for her -ear alone. The girl sprung to her feet and grasped her lover's hand. -In another moment they were running swiftly for the woods. They were -hotly pursued. It became a matter of life and death. Perceiving escape -impossible, rendered desperate by the near approach of their pursuers, -the fugitives, still holding fast each other's hand, rushed to the verge -of the cataract and flung themselves headlong into its deadly embrace. - -Over the pool the gray and gloomy wall of Wildcat Mountain seems -stretching up to an incredible height. The astonishing wildness of the -surroundings affects one very deeply. You look up. You see the firs -surmounting those tall cliffs sway to and fro, as if growing dizzy with -the sight of the abyss beneath them. - -The Ellis Cascade is not so light as those mountain sylphs in the great -Notch, which a zephyr lifts from their feet, and scatters far and -wide; it is a vestal hotly pursued by impish goblins to the brink of -the precipice, transformed into a water-fall. For an instant the iron -grip of the cliff seems clutching its snowy throat, but with a mocking -courtesy the fair stream eludes the grasp, and so escapes. - -While returning from Glen Ellis, I saw, not more than a quarter of -a mile from this fall, a beautiful cascade come streaming down a -long trough of granite from a great height, and disappear behind the -tree-tops that skirt the narrow gorge. I had never before seen this -cascade, it being usually dry in summer. The sight of glancing water -among the shaggy upper forests of the mountain--for you hear nothing--is -a real pleasure to the eye. The rock down which this cascade flows is -New River Cliff. - -Before leaving the Ellis, which I did regretfully, it is proper to -recall an incident which gave rise to one of its affluents. In 1775, -says Sullivan, in his "History of Maine," the Saco was found to -swell suddenly, and in a singular manner. As there had not been rain -sufficient to account for this increase of volume, people were at a -loss how to explain the phenomenon, until it was finally discovered to -be occasioned by a new river having broken out of the side of the White -Mountains. - -When this river issued from the mountains, in October, 1775, a mixture -of iron-ore gave the water a deep red color, and this singular, and to -them most startling, appearance led the people inhabiting the upper -banks of the Saco to declare that the river ran blood--a circumstance -which these simple-minded folk regarded as of evil omen for the success -of their arms in the struggle then going on between the Colonies and -Great Britain. Except for illustrating a marked characteristic the -incident would possess little importance. Considerable doubt exists as -to the precise course of this New River, by which it is conjectured that -the ascents of Cutler, Boott, Bigelow, and perhaps others, early in -this century, were made to the summit of Mount Washington. But this is -merely conjecture.[20] - -After Glen Ellis one has had enough, for the day at least, of waterfalls -and cascade. Its excitement is strangely infectious and exhilarating. At -the same time, it casts a sweet and gentle spell over the spirits. If he -be wise, the visitor will not exhaust in a single tour of the sun the -pleasures yet in store, but, after a fall, try a ravine or a mountain -ascent, thus introducing that variety which is the spice of all our -pleasures. - - - - -V. - -_A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S._ - - The crag leaps down, and over it the flood: - Know'st thou it, then? - 'Tis there! 'tis there - Our way runs.... Wilt thou go?--GOETHE. - - -At the mountains the first look of every one is directed to the heavens, -not in silent adoration or holy meditation, but in earnest scrutiny -of the weather. For here the weather governs with absolute sway; and -nowhere is it more capricious. Morning and evening skies are, therefore, -consulted with an interest the varied destinies of the day may be -supposed to suggest. From being a merely conventional topic, the weather -becomes one of the first importance, and such salutations as "A fine -day," or "A nice morning," are in less danger of being coupled with a -wet day or a scowling forenoon. To sum up the whole question, where life -in the open air is the common aim of all, a rainy day is a day lost, and -everybody knows that a lost day can never be recovered. Sun worship is, -therefore, universal. - -The prospect being duly weighed and pronounced good, or fair, or fairly -good, _presto!_ the hotel presents a scene of active preparation. -Anglers, with rod and basket, betake themselves to the neighboring trout -brooks, artists to the woods or the open. Mountain wagons clatter up -to the door with an exhilarating spirit and dash. Amid much laughter -and cracking of jokes, these strong, yet slight-looking vehicles are -speedily filled with parties for the summit, the Crystal Cascade, or -Glen Ellis; knots of pedestrians, picturesquely dressed, move off with -elastic tread for some long-meditated climb among the hills or in the -ravines; while the regular stages for Gorham or Glen Station depart amid -hurried and hearty leave-takings, the flutter of handkerchiefs, and the -sharp crack of the driver's whip. Now they are off, and quiet settles -once more upon the long veranda. - -My own plans included a trip in and out of Tuckerman's Ravine; in by -the old Thompson path, out by the Crystal Cascade. It is necessary to -depart a little from the order of time, as my first essay (during the -first week of May) was frustrated by the deep snows then effectually -blockading the way above Hermit Lake. The following July found me more -fortunate, and it is this excursion that I shall now lay before the -reader for his approval. - -I chose a companion to whom I unfolded the scheme, while reconnoitring -the ravine through my glass. He eagerly embraced my proposal, declaring -his readiness to start on the instant. Upon a hint I let fall touching -his ability to make this then fatiguing march, he observed, rather -stiffly, "I went through one Wilderness with Grant; guess I can through -this." - -"Pack your knapsack, then, comrade, and you shall inscribe 'Tuckerman's' -along with Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg." - -"Bless me! is it so very tough as all that? No matter, give me five -minutes to settle my affairs, and I'm with you." - -Let us improve these minutes by again directing the glass toward the -ravine. - -The upper section of this remarkable ravine--that portion lifted above -the forest line--is finely observed from the neighborhood of the -Crystal Cascade, but from the Glen House the curiously distorted rim -and vertical wall of its south and west sides, the astonishing crag -standing sentinel over its entrance, may be viewed at full leisure. -It constitutes quite too important a feature of the landscape to -escape notice. Dominated by the towering mass of the Dome, infolded by -undulating slopes descending from opposite braces of Mount Washington, -and resembling gigantic draperies, we see an enormous, funnel-shaped, -hollow sunk in the very heart of the mountain. We see, also, that access -is feasible only from the north-east, where the entrance is defended by -the high crag spoken of. Behind these barriers, graven with a thousand -lines and filled with a thousand shadows, the amphitheatre lifts its -formidable walls into view. - -For two miles our plain way led up the summit-road, but at this -distance, where it suddenly changes direction to the right, we plunged -into the forest. Our course now lay onward and upward over what had at -some time been a path--now an untrodden one--encumbered at every few -rods with fallen trees, soaked with rain, and grown up with moose-wood. -Time and again we found the way barred by these exasperating windfalls, -and their thick _abatis_ of branches, forcing us alternately to go -down on all-fours and creep underneath, or to mount and dismount, like -recruits, on the wooden horse of a cavalry school. - -But to any one loving the woods--and this day I loved not wisely, but -too well--this walk is something to be taken, but not repeated, for fear -of impairing the first and most abiding impressions. One cannot have -such a revelation twice. - -[Illustration: THE PATH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE.] - -I recall no mountain-path that is so richly diversified with all -the wildest forms of mountain beauty. At first our progress through -primitive groves of pine, hemlock, and birch was impeded by nothing more -remarkable than the giant trees stretching interminably, rank upon rank, -tier upon tier. But these woods, these countless gray and black and -white trunks, and outspread framework of branches, supported a canopy -of thick foliage, filled with voices innumerable. Something stirred in -the top of a lofty pine; and then, like an alguazil on a watch-tower, a -crow, apparent sentinel of all the feathered colony, rose clumsily on -his talons, flapped two sable wings, and thrice hoarsely challenged, -"Caw! caw! caw!" What clamor, what a liliputian Babel ensued! Our ears -fairly tingled with the calls, outcries, and objurgations apparently -flung down at us by the multitudinous population overhead. Hark to the -woodpecker's rat-tat-tat, the partridge's muffled drum! List to the -bugle of the wood-thrush, sweet and clear! Now sounds the cat-bird's -shrill alarm, the owl's hoot of indignant surprise. Then the squirrels, -those little monkeys of our northern woods, grated their teeth sharply -at us, and let fall nuts on our heads as we passed underneath. Never -were visitors more unwelcome. - -Before long we came to a brook, then to another. Their foaming waters -shot past like a herd of wild horses. These we crossed. We now began to -thread a region where the forest was more open. The moss we trampled -underfoot, and which here replaces the grass of the valleys, was beating -the tallest trees in the race for the mountain-top. It was the old story -of the tortoise and the hare over again. But this moss: have you ever -looked at it before your heel bruised the perfumed flowers springing -from its velvet? Here are tufts exquisitely decorated with coral -lichens; here the violet and anemone nestle lovingly together; here it -creeps up the gray trunks, or hides the bare roots of old trees. Tread -softly! This is the abode of elves and fairies. Step lightly! you expect -to hear the crushed flowers cry out with pain. - -These enchanting spots, where stones are couches and trees canopies, -tempted us to sit down on a cushioned bowlder, or throw ourselves -upon the thick carpet into which we sunk ankle-deep at every step. -Even the bald, gray rocks were tapestried with mosses, lichens, and -vines. All around, under the thick shade, hundreds of enormous trees -lay rotting; yet exquisitely the prostrate trunks were overspread with -robes of softest green, effectually concealing the repulsiveness, the -suggestions of decay. Now and then the dead tree rose into new life -through the sturdy roots of a young fir, or luxuriant, plumed ferns -growing in its bark. This inexpressible fecundity, in the midst of -inexpressible wastefulness, declared that for Nature there is no such -thing as death. And they tell us the day of miracles has passed! Upon -this dream of elf-land the cool morning light fell in oblique streams -through the tree-trunks, as through grated windows, filling all the wood -with a subdued twilight glimmer, leaving a portion of its own gleams -on the moss-grown rocks, while the trees stretched their black shadows -luxuriously along the thick-piled sward, like weary soldiers in a -bivouac. - -We proceeded thus from chamber to chamber, and from cloister to -cloister, at times descending some spur of the mountain into a -deep-shaded dell, and again climbing a swift and miry slope to better -ground, until we crossed the stream coming from the high spur spoken of. -From here the ground rapidly rose for half a mile more, when we suddenly -came out of the low firs full upon the Lion's Head crag, rising above -Hermit Lake, and visible from the vicinity of the Glen House. To be thus -unexpectedly confronted by this wall of imperishable rock stirs one very -deeply. For the moment it dominates _us_, even as it does the little -tarn so unconsciously slumbering at its feet. It is horribly mutilated -and defaced. Its sides are thickly sowed with stunted trees, that bury -their roots in its cracks and rents with a gripe of iron. In effect it -is the barbican of the great ravine. Crouched underneath, by the shore -of the lake, is a matted forest of firs and spruces, dwindled to half -their usual size, grizzled with long lichens, and occupying, as if by -stealth, the debatable ground between life and death. It is, in fact, -more dead than alive. Deeply sunk beneath is the lake. - -Hermit Lake--a little pool nestling underneath a precipice--demands a -word. Its solitary state, its waters green and profound, and the thick -shades by which it was covered, seemed strangely at variance with the -intense activity of the foaming torrents we had seen, and could still -hear rushing down the mountain. It was too small for a lake, or else it -was dwarfed by the immense mass of overshadowing rock towering above it, -whose reflected light streamed across its still and glossy surface. Here -we bid farewell to the forest. - -We had now gained a commanding post of observation, though there was -yet rough work to do. We saw the whole magnificent sweep of the ravine, -to where it terminates in a semicircle of stupendous cliffs that seem -hewn perpendicularly a thousand feet down. Lying against the western -wall we distinguished patches of snow; but they appeared of trifling -extent. Great wooded mountain slopes stretched away from the depths -of the gorge on either side, making the iron lineaments of the giant -cliffs seem harder by their own softness and delicacy. Here and there -these exquisite draperies were torn in long rents by land-slips. In the -west arose the shattered peak of Monroe--a mass of splintered granite, -conspicuous at every point for its irreclaimable deformity. It seemed -as if the huge open maw of the ravine might swallow up this peak with -ease. There was a Dantesque grandeur and solemnity everywhere. With our -backs against the trees, we watched the bellying sails of a stray cloud -which intercepted in its aerial voyage our view of the great summit; -but it soon floated away, discovering the whitish-gray ledges to the -very capstone of the dome itself. Looking down and over the thick woods -beyond, we met again the burly Carter Mountains, pushed backward from -the Pinkham Notch, and kept back by an invisible yet colossal strength. - -[Illustration: HERMIT LAKE.] - -From Hermit Lake the only practicable way was by clambering up the bed -of the mountain brook that falls through the ravine. The whole expanse -that stretched on either side was a chaos of shattered granite, pitched -about in awful confusion. Path there was none. No matter what way we -turned, "no thoroughfare" was carved in stolid stone. We tried to force -a passage through the stunted cedars that are mistaken at a mile for -greensward, but were beaten back, torn and bleeding, to the brook. We -then turned to the great bowlders, to be equally buffeted and abused, -and finally repulsed upon the brook, which seemed all the while mocking -our efforts. Once, while forcing a route, inch by inch, through the -scrub, I was held suspended over a deep crevice, by my belt, until -extricated by my comrade. At another time he disappeared to the armpits -in a hole, from which I drew him like a blade from a scabbard. At this -moment we found ourselves unable either to advance or retreat. The dwarf -trees squeezed us like a vise. Who would have thought there was so much -life in them? At our wits' end, we looked at our bleeding hands, then at -each other. The brook was the only clew to such a labyrinth, and to it, -as from Scylla to Charybdis, we turned as soon as we recovered breath. -But to reach it was no easy matter; we had literally to cut our way out -of the jungle. - -When we were there, and had rested awhile from the previous severe -exertions, my companion, alternately mopping his forehead and feeling -his bruises, looked up with a quizzical expression, and ejaculated, -"Faith, I am almost as glad to get out of this wilderness as the other! -In any case," he gayly added, "I have lost the most blood here; while in -Virginia I did not receive a scratch." - -After this rude initiation into the mysteries of the ravine, we advanced -directly up the bed of the brook. But the brook is for half a mile -nothing but a succession of leaps and plunges, its course choked with -bowlders. We however toiled on, from rock to rock, first boosting, then -hoisting each other up; one moment splashing in a pool, the next halting -in dismay under a cascade, which we must either mount like a chamois or -ascend like a trout. The climber here tastes the full enjoyment of an -encounter with untamed nature, which calls every thew and sinew into -action. At length the stream grew narrower, suddenly divided, and we -stood at the mouth of the Snow Arch, confronted by the vertical upper -wall of the ravine. - -We stood in an arena "more majestic than the circus of a Titus or a -Vespasian." The scene was one of awful desolation. A little way below -us the gorge was heaped with the ruins of some unrecorded convulsion, -by which the precipice had been cloven from base to summit, and the -enormous fragments heaved into the chasm with a force the imagination -is powerless to conceive. In the interstices among these blocks -rose thickets of dwarf cedars, as stiff and unyielding as the livid -rock itself. It was truly an arena which might have witnessed the -gladiatorial combats of immortals. - -We did not at first look at the Snow Arch. The eye was irresistibly -fascinated by the tremendous mass of the precipice above. From top to -bottom its tawny front was covered with countless little streams, that -clung to its polished wall without once quitting their hold. They twined -and twisted in their downward course, like a brood of young serpents -escaping from their lair; nor could I banish the idea of the ghastly -head of a Gorgon clothed with tresses of serpents. A poetic imagination -has named this tangled knot of mountain rills, "The fall of a thousand -streams." At the foot of the cliff the scattered waters unite, before -entering the Snow Arch, in a single stream. Turning now to the right, -the narrowing gorge, ascending by a steep slope as high as the upper -edge of the precipice, points out the only practicable way to the summit -of Mount Washington in this direction. But we have had enough of such -climbing, for one day, at least. - -Partial recovery from the stupefaction which seizes and holds one fast -is doubtless signalized in every case by an effort to account for the -overwhelming disaster of which these ruins are the mute yet speaking -evidence. We need go no farther in the search than the innocent-looking -little rills, first dripping from the Alpine mosses, then percolating -through the rocks of the high plateau, and falling over its edge in a -thousand streams. Puny as they look, before their inroads the plateau -line has doubtless receded, like the great wall of rock over which -Niagara pours the waters of four seas. With their combined forces--how -long ago cannot be guessed; and what, indeed, does it signify?--knitted -together by frost into Herculean strength, they assailed the granite -cliffs that were older than the sun, older than the moon or the stars, -mined and countermined year by year, inch by inch, drop by drop, -until--honey-combed, riddled, and pierced to its centre, and all was -ready for its final overthrow--winter gave the signal. In a twinkling, -yielding to the stroke, and shattered into a thousand fragments, -the cliffs laid their haughty heads low in the dust. Afterward the -accumulated waters tranquilly continued the process of demolition, and -of removing the soil from the deep excavation they had made, until -the floor of the ravine had sunk to its present level. In California -a man with a hose washes away mountains to get at the gold deposits. -This principle of hydraulic force is borrowed, pure and simple, from a -mountain cataract. - -[Illustration: SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE.] - -Osgood, the experienced guide, who had visited the ravine oftener -than anybody else, assured me that never within his remembrance had -this forgotten forgement of winter, the Snow Arch, been seen to such -advantage. We estimated its width at above two hundred feet, where it -threw a solid bridge of ice over the stream, and not far from three -hundred in its greatest length, where it lay along the slope of the -gorge. Summer and winter met on this neutral ground. Entering the Arch -was joining January and July with a step. Flowers blossomed at the -threshold. We caught water, as it dripped ice-cold from the roof, and -pledged Old Winter in his own cellarage. The brook foamed at our feet. -Looking up, there was a pretty picture of a tiny water-fall pouring in -at the upper end and out at the ragged portal of the grotto. But I think -we were most charmed with the remarkable sculpture of the roof, which -was a groined arch fashioned as featly as was ever done by human hands. -What the stream had begun in secret the warm vapors had chiselled with -a bolder hand, but not altered. As it was formed, so it remained--a -veritable chapel of the hills, the brook droning its low, monotonous -chant, and the dripping roof tinkling its refrain unceasingly. If the -interior of the great ravine impressed us as the hidden receptacle of -all waste matter, this lustrous heap of snow, so insignificant in its -relation to the immensity of the chasm that we scarcely looked at it at -first, now chased away the feeling of mingled terror and aversion--of -having stolen unawares into the one forbidden chamber--and possessed us -with a sense of the beautiful, which remained long after its glittering -particles had melted into the stream that flowed beneath. So under a -cold exterior is nourished the principle of undying love, which the aged -mountain gives that earth may forever renew her fairest youth. - -The presence of this miniature glacier is a very simple matter. The -fierce winds of winter which sweep over the plateau whirl the snows -before them, over its crest, into the ravine, where they are lodged at -the foot of the precipice, and accumulate to a great depth. As soon as -released by spring, the little streams, falling down this wall, seek -their old channels, and, being warmer, succeed in forcing a passage -through the ice. By the end of August the ice usually disappears, though -it sometimes remains even later. - -After picking up some fine specimens of quartz, sparkling with mica, and -uttering a parting malediction on the black flies that tormented us, we -took our way down and out of the ravine, following the general course of -the stream along its steep valley, and, after an uneventful march of two -hours, reached the upper waters of the Crystal Cascade. - - - - -VI. - -_IN AND ABOUT GORHAM._ - - That lonely dwelling stood among the hills - By a gray mountain stream. - --SOUTHEY. - - -After the events described in the last chapter, I continued, like the -navigator of unknown coasts, my tour of the great range. Half a mile -below the Glen House, the Great Gulf discharges from its black throat -the little river rising on the plateau at its head. The head of this -stupendous abyss is a mountain, and mountains wall it in. Its depths -remain unexplored except by an occasional angler or trapper. - -Two and a half miles farther on a road diverges to the left, crosses the -Peabody by a bridge, and stretches on over a depression of the range -to Randolph, where it intersects the great route from Lancaster and -Jefferson to Gorham. Over the river, snugly ensconced at the foot of -Mount Madison, is the old Copp place. Commanding, as it does, a noble -prospect up and down the valley, and of all the great peaks except -Washington, its situation is most inviting; more than this, the picture -of the weather-stained farm-house nestling among these sleeping giants -revives in fullest vigor our preconceived idea of life in the mountains, -already shaken by the balls, routs, and grand toilets of the hotels. -The house, as we see by Mistress Dolly Copp's register, has been known -to many generations of tourists. The Copps have lived here about half a -century. - -Travellers going up or down, between the Glen House and Gorham, usually -make a dtour as far as Copp's, in order to view the Imp to better -advantage than can be done from the road. Among these travellers some -have now and then knocked at the door and demanded to see the Imp. The -hired girl invariably requests them to wait until she can call the -mistress. - -[Illustration: THE IMP.] - -Directly opposite the farm-house the inclined ridge of Imp Mountain -is broken down perpendicularly some two hundred feet, leaving a -jagged cliff, resembling an immense step, facing up the valley. This -is a mountain of the Carter chain, sloping gradually toward the Glen -House. Upon this cliff, or this step, is the distorted human profile -which gives the mountain its name. A strong, clear light behind it -is necessary to bring out all the features, the mouth especially, in -bold relief against the sky, when the expression is certainly almost -diabolical. One imagines that some goblin, imprisoned for ages within -the mountain, and suddenly liberated by an earthquake, exhibits its -hideous countenance, still wearing the same look it wore at the moment -it was entombed in its mask of granite. The forenoon is the best time, -and the road, a few rods back from the house, the best point from which -to see it. The coal-black face is then in shadow. - -The Copp farm-house has a tale of its own, illustrating in a remarkable -manner the amount of physical hardship that long training, and -familiarity with rough out-of-door life, will occasionally enable -men to endure. Seeing two men in the door-yard, I sat down on the -chopping-block, and entered into conversation with them. - -By the time I had taken out my note-book I had all the members of the -household and all the inmates of the barn-yard around me. I might -add that all were talking at once. The matron stood in the door-way, -which her ample figure quite filled, trifling with the beads of a gold -necklace. A younger face stared out over her shoulder; while an old man, -whose countenance had hardened into a vacant smile, and one of forty -or thereabouts, alternately passed my glass one to the other, with an -astonishment similar to that displayed by Friday when he first looked -through Crusoe's telescope. - -"Which of you is named Nathaniel Copp?" I asked, after they had -satisfied their curiosity. - -"That is my name," the younger very deliberately responded. "Really," -thought I, "there is little enough of the conventional hero in that -face;" therefore I again asked, "Are you the same Nathaniel Copp who was -lost while hunting in the mountains, let me see, about twenty-five years -ago?" - -"Yes; but I wasn't lost after I got down to Wild River," he hastily -rejoined, like a man who has a reputation to defend. - -"Tell me about it, will you?" - -I take from my note-book the following relation of the exploit of this -mountain Nimrod, as I received it on the spot. But I had literally to -draw it out of him, a syllable at a time. - -On the last day of January, 1855, Nathaniel Copp, son of Hayes D. Copp, -of Pinkham's Grant, near the Glen House, set out from home on a deer -hunt, and was out four successive days. On the fifth day he again left -to look for a deer killed the previous day, about eight miles from home. -Having found it, he dragged the carcass (weighing two hundred and thirty -pounds) home through the snow, and at one o'clock P.M. started -for another he had tracked near the place where the former was killed, -which he followed until he lost the track, at dark. He then found that -he had lost his own way, and should, in all probability, be obliged to -spend the night in the woods, with the temperature ranging from 32 to -35 below zero. - -Knowing that to remain quiet was certain death, and having nothing with -which to light a fire, the hunter began walking for his life. The moon -shone out bright and clear, making the cold seem even more intense. -While revolving in his mind his unpleasant predicament he heard a deer -bleat. He gave chase, and easily overtook it. The snow was too deep for -the animal to escape from a hunter on snow-shoes. Copp leaped upon his -back, and despatched him with his hunting-knife. He then dressed him, -and, taking out the heart, put it in his pocket, not for a trophy, but, -as he told me, to keep starvation at arm's-length. The excitement of the -chase made him forget cold until he perceived himself growing benumbed. -Rousing himself, he again pushed on, whither he knew not, but spurred -by the instinct of self-preservation. Daylight found him still striding -on, with no clew to a way out of the thick woods, which imprisoned him -on every side. At length, at ten in the morning, he came out at or near -Wild River, in Gilead, forty miles from home, having walked twenty one -consecutive hours without rest or food, the greater part of the time -through a tangled growth of underbrush. - -His friends at home becoming alarmed at his prolonged absence during -such freezing weather, three of them, Hayes D. Copp, his father, John -Goulding, and Thomas Culhane, started in search of him. They followed -his track until it was lost in the darkness, and, by the aid of their -dog, found the deer which young Copp had killed and dressed. They again -started on the trail, but with the faintest hope of ever finding the -lost man alive, and, after being out twenty-six hours in the extreme -cold, found the object of their search. - -No words can do justice to the heroic self-denial and fortitude with -which these men continued an almost hopeless search, when every moment -expecting to find the stiffened corpse of their friend. Goulding froze -both feet; the others their ears. - -When found, young Copp did not seem to realize in the least the great -danger through which he had passed, and talked with perfect unconcern -of hunts that he had planned for the next week. One of his feet was so -badly frozen, from the effect of too tightly lacing his snow-shoe, that -the toes had to be amputated. - -Until reaching the bridge, within two miles of Gorham, I saw no one, -heard nothing except the strokes of an axe, borne on the still air from -some logging-camp, twittering birds, or chattering river. Ascending the -hill above the bridge, I took my last look back at Mount Washington, -over whose head rose-tinted clouds hung in graceful folds. The summit -was beautifully distinct. The bases of all the mountains were floating -in that delicious blue haze, enrapturing to the artist, exasperating -to the climber. Turning to my route, I had before me the village of -Gorham, with the long slopes of Mount Hayes meeting in a regular pyramid -behind it. Against the dusky wall of the mountain one white spire stood -out clean and sharp. At my right, along the river, was a cluster of -saw-mills, sheds, and shanties; beyond, an irregular line of forest -concealing the town--all except the steeple; beyond that the mountain. -As I entered the village, the shrill scream of a locomotive pierced the -still air, and, like the horn of Ernani, broke my dream of forgetfulness -with its fatal blast. Adieu, dreams of delusion! we are once more -manacled with the city. - -I loitered along the river road, hoping, as the sky was clear, to see -the sun go down on the great summits. Nor was I disappointed. As I -walked on, Madison, the superb, gradually drew out of the Peabody Glen, -and soon Washington came into line over the ridge of Moriah, whose -highest precipices were kindled with a ruddy glow, while a wonderful -white light rested, like a halo, on the brow of the monarch. Of a -sudden, the crest of Moriah paled, then grew dark; night rose from the -black glen, twilight descended from the dusky heavens. For an instant -the humps of Clay reddened in the afterglow. Then the light went out, -and I saw only the towering forms of the giant mountains dimly traced -upon the sky. A star fell. At this signal the great dome sparkled with -myriad lights. Night had ascended her mountain throne. - -Gorham is situated on the Grand Trunk Railway, between Paris and Berlin, -with Milan just beyond--names a trifle ambitious for villages with -the bark on, but conferring distinction upon half a hundred otherwise -obscure villages scattered from Maine to California. - -Gorham is also situated in one of those natural parks, called -intervales, in an amphitheatre of hills, through which the Androscoggin -flows with a strong, steady tide. The left bank is appropriated by Mount -Hayes, the right by the village--a suspension bridge giving access from -one to the other. This mountain rises abruptly from the river to a broad -summit-plateau, from which a wide and brilliant prospect rewards the -climber. The central portion of Gorham is getting to be much too busy -for that rest and quietude which is so greatly desired by a large class -of travellers to the mountains, but, on the other hand, its position -with respect to the highest summits is more advantageous than that of -any other town lying on the skirts of the mountains, and accessible by -railway. In one hour the tourist can be at the Glen House, in three -on the summit of Mount Washington. Being at the very end of the great -chain, in the angle where its last elevation abuts on the Androscoggin, -the valley conducting around the northerly side of the great eminences, -through the settlements of Randolph and Jefferson, furnishes another and -a charming avenue of travel into the region watered by the Connecticut. -As the great tide of travel flows in from the west and south, Gorham -has profited little by the extension of railways furnishing more direct -communication with the heart of the mountains. - -Mount Hayes is the guardian of the village, erecting its rocky rampart -over it, like the precipices of Cape Diamond over Quebec. The hill in -front is called Pine Mountain, though it is only a mountain by brevet. -The tip of the peak of Madison peers down into the village over this -hill. I plainly saw the snow up there from my window. To the left, and -over the low slope of Pine Mountain, rise the Carter summits, which here -make a remarkably imposing background to the picture, and in conjunction -with the great range form the basin of the Peabody. I saw this stream, -making its final exit from the mountains, throw itself exhausted with -its rapid course into the Androscoggin, half a mile below the hotel. -North-west of the village street, drawn up in line across the valley, -extend the Pilot peaks. - -The Carter group is said to have been named after a hunter. According -to Farmer, the Pilot Mountains were so called from a dog. Willard, a -hunter, had been lost two or three days on these mountains, on the east -side of which his camp was situated. Every day he observed that Pilot, -his dog, regularly left him, as he supposed in search of game; but -toward nightfall would as regularly return to his master. This at length -excited the attention of the hunter, who, when nearly exhausted with -fatigue and hunger, decided to commit himself to the guidance of Pilot, -and in a short time was conducted by the intelligent animal in safety to -his camp. - -My first morning at Gorham was a beautiful one, and I prepared to -improve it to the utmost by a walk around the northern base of Madison, -neither knowing nor caring whither it might lead me. Spring was in -her most enchanting mood. A few steps, and I was amid the marvels of -a new creation, the tasselled birches, the downy willows, the oaks in -gosling-gray. Even the gnarled and withered apple-trees gave promise of -blossoming, and the young ferns, pushing aside the dead leaves, came -forth with their tiny fists doubled for the battle of life. Why did not -Nature so order it that mankind might rest like the trees, or shall we, -like them, come forth at last strong, vigorous, beautiful, from that -long refreshing slumber? - -Leaving the village, at the end of a mile and a half I took the road -turning to the left, where Moose River falls into the Androscoggin, at -the point where the latter, making a remarkable bend, turns sharply away -to the north. Moose River is a true mountain stream, clear and limpid, -foaming along a bed of sand and pebbles. - -From this spot the whole extent of the Pilot range was unrolled at my -right, while at the left, majestic among the lower hills, Madison and -Adams were massed in one grand pyramid. The snows glistening on the -summits seemed trophies torn from winter. - -About a mile from the turning, at Lary's, I found the best station for -viewing the statuesque proportions of Madison. The foreground a swift -mountain stream, white as the snows where it takes its rise. Beyond, -a strip of meadow land, covered with young birches and poplars, just -showing their tender, trembling foliage. Among these are scattered -large, dead trees, relics of the primeval forest; the middle ground -a young forest, showing in its dainty wicker-work of branchlets that -beady appearance which belongs to spring alone, and is so exquisitely -beautiful. Above this ascends, mile upon mile, the enormous bulk of -the mountain, ashen-gray at the summit, dusky olive-green below. Stark -precipices, hedged about with blasted pines, and seamed with snow, -capped the great pile. Over this a pale azure, deepening in intensity -toward the zenith, unrolled its magnificent drapery. - -After the ascent of Mount Hayes, which Mr. King has fittingly described -as "the chair set by the Creator at the proper distance and angle to -appreciate and enjoy" the kingly prominence of Mount Washington, the -two things best worth seeing in the neighborhood are the falls of the -Androscoggin at Berlin, and the beautiful view of the loftiest of the -White Mountain peaks from what is called here the Lead Mine Bridge. To -get to the falls you must ascend the river, and to obtain the view you -must descend a few miles. I consecrated a day to this excursion. - -With a head already filled with the noise of half a hundred mountain -torrents, water-falls, or cascades, I set out after breakfast for -Berlin Falls, feeling that the passage of a body of water such as the -Androscoggin is at Gorham, through a narrow gorge, must be something -different from the common. - -A word about Berlin. Its situation is far more picturesque than that of -Gorham. There is the same environment of mountains, and, in addition to -the falls, a magnificent view of Madison, Adams, Jefferson, and of the -Carter range. The precipices of Mount Forist, which overhang railway and -village, are noticeable among a thousand. Here Dead River falls into the -Androscoggin, and here the Grand Trunk Railway, taking leave of this -river, turns to the north-west, crosses over to the Upper Ammonoosuc, -twists and twines along: with it among the northern mountains, and at -last emerges upon the level meadows of the Connecticut. - -Berlin has another aspect. Lumber is its business; lumber its staple of -conversation; people go to bed to dream of lumber. In a word, lumber is -everywhere. The lumberman admires a tree in his way quite as much as you -or I. No eye like his to estimate its height, its girth, its thickness. -But as ships to Shylock, so trees to him are naught but boards--so many -feet. So that there is something almost ferocious in the lumberman's or -mill-owner's admiration for the forest; something almost startling in -the idea that this out-of-the-way corner is devouring the forests at the -rate of twenty car-loads a day. In plain language, this village cuts up -a good-sized grove every day, and rejoices over it with a new house or a -new barn. - -At the risk of being classed with the sentimental and the unpractical, -every one who is alive to the consequences of converting our forests -into deserts, or worse than deserts, should raise a voice of warning -against this wholesale destruction. The consequences may be remote, -but they are certain. For the most part, the travelled routes have -long since been stripped of their valuable timber trees. Now the mills -are fast eating their way into the hitherto inaccessible regions, -leaving a track of desolation behind wherever they go, like that of a -destroying army. What cannot be carried away is burnt. Fires are seen -blazing by the side of every saw-mill, in which all the waste material -is carefully consumed. A trifle? Enough is consumed every year in this -way to furnish the great city of New York with its fuel. I speak with -moderation. Not a village but has its saw-mills; while at Whitefield, -Bethlehem, Livermore, Low, and Burbank's Grant, and many other -localities, the havoc is frightful. Forest fires, originating chiefly in -the logging-camps, annually desolate leagues of forest land. How long is -this to continue? - -The mountain labors incessantly to re-create, but what can it do against -such fearful odds? and what shall we do when it can no longer furnish -pine to build our homes, or wood to warm them? Delve deeper and deeper -under the Alleghanies? In about two hundred and fifty years the noble -forests, which set the early discoverers wild with enthusiasm, have -been steadily driven farther and farther back into the interior, until -"the forest primeval" exists not nearer than a hundred miles inland. -Then the great northern wilderness began at the sea-coast. It is now -in the vicinity of Lake Umbagog. Still the warfare goes on. I do not -call occasional bunches of wood forests. All this means less and less -moisture; consequently, more and more drought. The tree draws the -cloud from heaven, and bestows it on the earth. The summer of 1880 was -one of almost unexampled dryness. Large rivers dwindled to pitiful -rivulets, brooks were dried up, and the beautiful cascades in many -instances wholly disappeared. The State is powerless to interfere. Not -so individuals, or combinations of individuals for the preservation of -such tracts of woodland as the noble Cathedral woods of North Conway. In -the West a man who plants a tree is a public benefactor; is he who saves -the life of one in the East less so? America, says Berthold Auerbach, is -no longer "the Promised Land for the Old World;" if she does not protect -her woods, she will become "waste and dry," like the Promised Land of -the ancients--Palestine itself. Look on this picture of Michelet: - -"On the shores of the Caspian, for three or four hundred leagues, -one sees nothing, one encounters nothing, but midway an isolated and -solitary tree. It is the love and worship of every passing wayfarer. -Each one offers it something; and the very Tartar, in default of every -other gift, will snatch a hair from his beard or his horse's mane." - -The season when the great movement of lumber from the northern -wilderness to the sea begins is one of great activity. The logs are -floated down the Androscoggin from Lake Umbagog with the spring -freshets, when those destined to go farther are "driven," as the -lumbermen's phrase is, over the falls and through the rapids here, to -be picked up below. It may well be believed that the passage of the -falls by a "drive" is a sight worth witnessing. Sometimes the logs -get so tightly jammed in the narrow gorge of the river that it seems -impossible to extricate them; but the dam they form causes the river -to rise behind it, when the accumulated and pent-up waters force their -way through the obstruction, tossing huge logs in the air as if they -were straws. A squad of lumbermen--tough, muscular, handy fellows they -are--accompanies each drive, just as _vaqueros_ do a Texan herd; and -the herd of logs, like the herd of cattle, is branded with the owner's -mark. After making the drive of the falls, the men move down below them, -where they find active and, so far as appearance goes, dangerous work in -disentangling the snarls of logs caught among the rocks of the rapids. -Against a current no ordinary boat could stem for a moment; they dart -hither and thither in their light bateaux, as the herdsman does on his -active little mustang. If a log grounds in the midst of the rapids, the -bateaux dashes toward it. One river-driver jumps upon it, and holds the -boat fast, while another grapples it with a powerful lever called a -cant-dog. In a moment the log rolls off the rocks with a loud splash, -and is hurried away by the rapid tide. - -During the drive the lumberman is almost always wet to the skin, day -in and day out. When a raft of logs is first started in the spring the -men suffer from the exposure; but after a little time the work seems -to toughen and harden them, so that they do not in the least mind the -amphibious life they are forced to lead. Rain or shine, they get to -their work at five in the morning, leaving it only when it is too dark -to see longer. Each squad--for the whole force is divided into what may -be called skirmishers, advanced-guards, main body, and rear-guard, each -having its appointed work to perform--then repairs to its camp, which is -generally a tent pitched near the river, where the cook is waiting for -their arrival with a hot supper of fried doughnuts and baked beans--the -lumberman's diet of preference. They pass the evening playing euchre, -telling stories, or relating the experiences of the day, and are as -simple, hearty, happy-go-lucky fellows as can be found in the wide world. - -To say that the Berlin Falls begin two miles below the village is no -more than the truth, since at this distance the river was sheeted in -foam from shore to shore. For these two miles its bed is so thickly sown -with rocks that it is like a river stretched on the rack. The whole -river, every drop of it, is hemmed in by enormous masses of granite, -forming a long, narrow, and rocky gorge, down which it bursts in one mad -plunge, tossing and roaring like the Maelstrom. What fury! What force! -The solid earth shakes, and the very air trembles. It is a saturnalia. A -whirlwind of passion, swift, uncontrollable, and terrible. - -The best situation I could find was upon a jutting ledge below the -little foot-bridge thrown from rock to rock. Several turns in the long -course of the cataract prevent its whole extent being seen all at once; -but it starts up hither and thither among the rocks, boiling with rage -at being so continually hindered in its free course, until, at last, -madness seizes it, and, flying straight at the throat of the gorge, -it goes down in one long white wave, overwhelming everything in its -way. It reaches the foot of the rocks in fleeces, darts wildly hither -and thither, shakes off the grasp of concealed rocks, and, racing on, -stretches itself on its wide and shallow bed, uttering a tremulous wail. - -From the village at the falls, and from Berlin Mills, are elevations -from which the great White Mountains are grandly conspicuous. The view -is similar to that much extolled one from Milan, the town next to -Berlin. Here the three great mountains, closed in mass, display a triple -crown of peaks, Washington being thrown back to the left, and behind -Madison, with Adams on his right. Best of all is the blended effect of -early morning, or of the afterglow, when a few light clouds sail along -the crimson sky, and their shadows play hide-and-seek on the mountain -sides. - -In the afternoon, while walking down the road to Shelburne, I met an -apparently honest farmer, with whom I held some discourse. He was -curious about the great city he had known half a century before, when -it was in swaddling clothes; I about the mountains above and around us, -that had never known change since the world began. An amiable contest -ensued, in which each tried to lead the other to talk of the topic most -interesting to himself. The husbandman grew eloquent upon his native -State and its great man. "But what," I insisted, "do you think of your -greatest mountain there?" pointing to the splendid peak. - -"Oh, drat the mountains! I never look at 'em. Ask the old woman." - -Some enticing views may be had from the Shelburne intervales, embracing -Madison on the right, and Washington on the left. It is, therefore, -permitted to steal an occasional look back until we reach the Lead Mine -Bridge, and stand over the middle of the flashing Androscoggin. - -The dimpled river, broad here, and showing tufts of foliage on its satin -surface, recedes between wooded banks to the middle distance, where it -disappears. Swaying to and fro, without noise, the lithe and slender -willows on the margin continually dipped their budding twigs in the -stream, as if to show its clear transparency, while letting fall, drop -by drop, its crystal globules. They gently nodded their green heads, -keeping time to the low music of the river. - -[Illustration: THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE.] - -Beyond the river, over gently meeting slopes of the valley, two -magnificent shapes, Washington and Madison, rose grandly. Those truly -regal summits still wore their winter ermine. They were drawn so widely -apart as to show the familiar peaks of Mount Clay protruding between -them. It is hardly possible to imagine a more beautiful picture of -mountain scenery. Noble river, hoary summits, blanched precipices, over -whose haggard visages a little color was beginning to steal, eloquently -appealed to every perception of the beautiful and the sublime. Much as -the view from this point is extolled, it can hardly be over-praised. -True, it exhibits the same objects that we see from Berlin and Milan; -but the order of arrangement is not only reversed, but so altered as to -render any comparison impossible. In this connection it may be remarked -that a short removal usually changes the whole character of a mountain -landscape. No two are precisely alike. - -The annals of Shelburne, which originally included Gorham within its -limits, are sufficiently meagre; but they furnish the same story -of struggle with hardship--often with danger--common to the early -settlements in this region. Shelburne was settled, just before the -breaking out of the Revolution, by a handful of adventurous pioneers, -who were attacked in 1781 by a prowling band of hostile Indians. This -incursion is memorable as one of the last recorded in the long series -going back into the first decade of the New England colonies. It was -one of the boldest. The histories place the number of Indians at only -six. After visiting Bethel, where they captured three white men, and -Gilead, where they killed another, they entered Shelburne. Here they -killed and scalped Peter Poor, and took a negro prisoner. Such was the -terror inspired by this audacious onset, that the inhabitants, making no -defence, fled, panic-struck, to Hark Hill, where they passed the night, -leaving the savages to plunder the village at their leisure. The next -day the refugees continued their flight, stopping only when they reached -Fryeburg, fifty-nine miles from the scene of disaster. - -Before taking leave of the Androscoggin Valley, which is an opulent -picture-gallery, and where at every step one finds himself arrested -before some masterpiece of Nature, the traveller is strongly advised to -continue his journey to Bethel, the town next below Shelburne. Bethel -is one of the loveliest and dreamiest of mountain nooks. Its expanses -of rich verdure, its little steeple, emerging from groves of elm-trees, -its rustic bridge spanning the tireless river, its air of lethargy and -indolence, captivate eye and mind; and to eyes tired with the hardness -and glare of near mountains, the distant peaks become points of welcome -repose. - - - - -VII. - -_ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD._ - - Where the huge mountain rears his brow sublime, - On which no neighboring height its shadow flings, - Led by desire intense the steep I climb. - PETRARCH. - - -The first days of May, 1877, found me again at the Glen House, prepared -to put in immediate execution the long-deferred purpose of ascending -Mount Washington in the balmy days of spring. Before separating for the -night, my young Jehu, who drove me from Gorham in an hour, said, with a -grin, - -"So you are going where they cut their butter with a chisel, and their -meat with a hand-saw?" - -"What do you mean?" - -"Oh, you will learn to-morrow." - -"Till to-morrow, then." - -"Good-night." - -"Good-night." - -At six in the morning, while the stars were yet twinkling, I stood in -the road in front of the Glen House. Everything announced a beautiful -day. The rising sun crimsoned, first, the dun wall of Tuckerman's -Ravine, then the high summits, and then flowed down their brawny -flanks--his first salutation being to the monarch. In ten minutes I was -alone in the forest with the squirrels, the partridges, the woodpeckers, -and my own thoughts. - -As bears are not unfrequently seen at this season of the year, I kept my -eyes about me. One of the old drivers related to me that one morning, -while going up this road with a heavy load of passengers, his horses -suddenly stopped, showing most unmistakable signs of terror. The place -was a dangerous one, where the road had been wholly excavated from -the steep side of the mountain, so, keeping one eye upon his fractious -team, he threw quick glances right and left with the other; while the -passengers, alarmed by the sudden stop, the driver's shouts to his -animals, and the still more alarming backward movement of the coach, -thrust their heads out of the windows, and with white faces demanded -what was the matter. - -"By thunder!" ejaculated Jehu, "there was my leaders all in a lather, -an' backin' almost atop of the fill-horses, and them passengers -a-shoutin' like lunatics let out on a picnic. 'Look! darn it all,' -sez I, a-pintin' with my whip. My hosses was all in a heap, I tell -ye, rarin' and charging, when a little Harvard student, with his head -sand-papered, sung out, 'All right, Cap, I've chucked your hind wheels;' -and then he made for the leaders' heads. Them college chaps ain't such -darned fools arter all, they ain't." - -"What was it?" - -"A big black bear, all huddled up in a bunch, a-takin' his morning -observation on the scenery from the top of a dead sycamore. You see the -side of the hill was so slantin' steep that he wa'n't more'n tew rod -from the road." - -"What did you do?" - -"Dew?" echoed the driver, laughing--"dew?" he repeated, "why, them crazy -passengers, when they found the bear couldn't get at _them_, just picked -up rocks and hove them at the old cuss. When one hit him a crack, Lord, -how he'd shake his head and growl! But, you see, he couldn't get at 'em, -so they banged away, until Mr. Bruin couldn't stan' it any longer, an' -slid right down the tree as slick as grease, and as mad as Old Nick. It -tickled me most to death to see him a-makin' tooth-picks fly from that -tree." - -"Was that your only encounter with bears?" I asked, willing to draw him -out. - -"Waal, no, not exactly," he replied, chuckling to himself, gleefully, at -some recollection the question revived. "There used to be a tame bear -over to the Alpine House. One night the critter got loose, and we all -cal'lated he'd took to the woods. Anyhow we hunted high and low; but -no bear. Waal, you see, one forenoon our hostler Mike--his real name -was Pat, but there was another Pat came afore him, so we called t'other -Mike--went up in the barn-chamber to pitch some hay down to the hosses." -Here he stopped and began to choke. - -"Well, go on; what has that to do with the bear?" - -"Just you hold your hosses a minnit, stranger. Mike hadn't no sooner -jabbed his pitchfork down, so as to git a big bunch, when it struck -something soft-like, and then, before he knew what ailed him, the -hay-mow riz rite up afore him, with the almightiest growl comin' out -on't was ever heerd in any maynagery this side of Noah's Ark." - -Here the driver broke down utterly, gasping, "Oho! aha! oh Lord! ah! -ha! ha! ha! ha! ho! ho! Mike!" until his breath was quite gone, and the -big tears rolled down his cheeks. Then he heaved a deep sigh, attempted -to go on, but immediately went off in a second hysterical explosion. I -waited for his recovery. - -"Waal," he at length resumed, "the long and short of it was this: that -air bear had buried himself under the hay-mow, and was a-snoozin' it -comfortable and innocent as you please, when Mike prodded him in the -ribs with the pitchfork. The fust any of us knew we saw Mike come -a-flyin' out of the barn-chamber window and the bear arter him. Mike led -him a length. Maybe that Irishman didn't streak it for the house! Bless -you, he never teched the ground arter he struck it! The boys couldn't -do anything for laughing, and Mick was so scart he forgot to yell. That -bear was so hoppin' wild we had to kill him; and if you wanted to make -Mike fightin' mad any time, all you had to do was to ask him to go up in -the barn-chamber and pitch down a bear." - -The first four miles are merely toilsome. It is only when emerging upon -the bare crags above the woods that the wonders of the ascent begin, and -the succession of views, dimly seen through my eyes in this chapter, -challenges the attention at every step. There is one exception. About -a mile up, the road issues upon a jutting spur of the mountain, from -which the summit, with the house on the highest point, is seen in clear -weather. - -Suddenly I came out of the low firs, the scrubby growth of birches, upon -the fear-inspiring desolation of the bared and wintry summit. The high -sun poured down with dazzling brightness upon the white ledges, which, -rising like a wall above the solitary cabin before me, thrust their -jagged edges in the way, as if to forbid farther progress. Out of this -glittering precipice dead trees thrust huge antlers. This formless mass -overhanging the Half-Way House, known as The Ledge, is one of the most -terrific sights of the journey. - -Until clear of the woods, my uneasiness, inspired by the recollection -of the ascent from Crawford's, was extreme; but I now stood, in the -full blaze of an unclouded sun, upon a treeless wilderness of rock, a -gratified spectator of one of the most extraordinary scenes it has ever -fallen to man's lot to witness. But what a frightful silence! Not a -murmur; not a rustling leaf; but all still as death. I was half-afraid. - -At my feet yawned the measureless void of the Great Gulf, torn from the -entrails of the mountain by Titanic hands. Above my head leaped up the -endless pile of granite constituting the dome of Washington. It had now -exchanged its gray cassock for pale green. All around was unutterable -desolation. Crevassed with wide splits, encompassed round by lofty -mountain walls, the gorge was at once fascinating and forbidding, grand -yet terrible. The high-encircling steeps of Clay and Jefferson, Adams -and Madison, enclosing it with one mighty sweep, ascended out of its -depths and stretched along the sky, which seemed receding before their -daring advance. Peering down into the abyss, where the tallest pines -were shrubs and their trunks needles, the earth seemed split to its -centre, and the feet of these mountains rooted in the midst. To confront -such a spectacle unmoved one should be more, or less than human. - -Looking backward over the forest through which I had come, the eye -caught a blur of white and a gleam of blue in the Peabody Glen. The -white was the hotel, the blue the river. Following the vale out to -its entrance upon the Androscoggin meadows, the same swift messenger -ascended Moriah, and, traversing the confederate peaks to the summit of -Mount Carter, stopped short at its journey's end. - -As I slowly mounted the Ledge the same unnatural appearance was -everywhere--the same wreck, same desolation, same discord. The dead -cedars, bleaching all around, looked like an army of gigantic crabs -crawling up the mountain side, which universal ruin overspread, and -which even the soft sunshine rendered more ghastly and more solemn. I -looked eagerly along the road; listened. Not a human being; not a sound. -I was alone upon the mountain. - -[Illustration: MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF.] - -From here I no longer walked upon earth but on air. Respiration became -more and more difficult. Not even a zephyr stirred, while the glare -was painful to eyes already overtaxed in the endeavor to grasp the -full meaning of this most unaccustomed scene. The road, steadily -ascending, showed its zigzags far up the mountain. Now and then a rude -receptacle had been dug, or rather built up, by the road-side, in which -earth to mend the road was stored; and this soil, wholly composed of -disintegrated rock, must be scraped from underneath the ledges, from -crevices, from hollows, and husbanded with care. "As cheap as dirt," -was a saying without significance here. As I neared the summit the -melting snows had, in many places, swept it bare, exposing the naked -ledge; and here earth must be brought up from lower down the mountain. -But the pains bestowed upon it equals the incessant demand for its -preservation, and had I not seen with my own eyes I could scarcely have -believed so excellent a specimen of road-making existed in this desert. - -But how long will the mountain resist the denuding process constantly -going on, and what repair the gradual but certain disintegration of the -peak? It is a monument of human inability to act upon it in any way. -Be it so. The snows, the frosts, the rains, pursue their work none the -less surely. You see in the deep gullies, the avalanches of stones, the -sands of the sea-shore--so many evidences of the forces which, sooner or -later, will accomplish the miracle and remove the mountain. - -From my next halting-place I perceived that I had been traversing a -promontory of the mountain jutting boldly out into the Great Gulf, above -the Half-Way House; and, looking down over the parapet-wall, a mile or -more of the road uncoiled its huge folds, turning hither and thither, -doubling upon itself like a bewildered serpent, and, like the serpent, -always gaining a little on the mountain. This is one of the strangest -sights of this strange journey; but, in order to appreciate it at its -full value, one should be descending by the stage-coach, when the -danger, more apparent than real, is intensified by the swift descent of -the mountain into the gulf below, over which the traveller sees himself -suspended with feelings more poignant than agreeable. The fact that -there has never been a fatal accident upon the carriage-road speaks -volumes for the caution and skill of the drivers; but, as one of the -oldest and most experienced said to me, "There should be no fooling, no -chaffing, and no drinking on that road."[21] - -Continuing to ascend, the road once more took a different direction, -curving around that side of the mountain rising above the Pinkham -forest. This dtour brought the Carter chain upon my left, instead of on -my right. - -Thus far I had encountered little snow, though the rocks were everywhere -crusted with ice; but now a sudden turning brought me full upon an -enormous bank, completely blocking the road, which here skirted the -edge of a high precipice. Had a sentinel suddenly barred my way with -his bayonet, I could not have been more astonished. I was brought to a -dead stand. I looked over the parapet, then at the snow-bank, then at -the mountain. The first look made me shudder, the second thoughtful, the -third gave me a headache. - -At this spot the side of the mountain was only a continuation of the -precipice, bent slightly backward from the perpendicular, and ascending -several hundred feet higher. The snow, extending a hundred feet or more -above, and conforming nearly with the slope of the mountain, filled the -road for thrice that distance. I saw that it was only prevented from -sliding into the valley by the low wall of loose stones at the edge of -the road; but how long would that resist the great pressure upon it? The -snow-bank had already melted at its edges, so that I could crawl some -distance underneath, and hear the drip of water above and below, showing -that it was being steadily undermined. In fact, the whole mass seemed on -the point of precipitating itself over the precipice. I could neither go -around it nor under it; so much was certain. - -What to do? I had only a strong umbrella, the inseparable companion -of my mountain jaunts, and the glacier was as steep as a roof. What -assurance was there that if I ventured upon it the whole sheet, -dislodged by my weight, might not be shot off the mountain side, -carrying me with it to the bottom of the abyss? But while I felt no -desire to add mine to the catalogue of victims already claimed by the -mountain, the idea of being turned back was inadmissible. Native -caution put the question, "Will you?" and native persistency answered, -"I will." - -When a thing is to be done, the best way is to do it. I therefore tried -the snow, and, finding a solid foothold, resolved to venture; had it -been soft, I should not have dared. Using my umbrella as an alpenstock, -I crossed on the parapet, where the declivity was the least, and without -accident, but slowly and breathlessly, until near the opposite side, -when I passed the intervening space in two bounds, alighting in the road -with the blood tingling to my fingers' ends. - -A sharp turn around a ledge, and the south-east wall of Tuckerman's -Ravine rose up, like a wraith, out of the forest. Nearer at hand was the -head of Huntington's, while to the right the cone of Washington loomed -grandly more than a thousand feet higher. A little to the left you look -down into the gloomy depths of the Pinkham defile, the valley of Ellis -River, the Saco Valley to North Conway, where the familiar figure of -Kearsarge is the presiding genius. The blue course of the Ellis, which -is nothing but a long cascade, the rich green of the Conway intervales, -the blanched peak of Chocorua, the sapphire summits of the Ossipee -Mountains, were presented in conjunction with the black and humid walls -of the ravine, and the iron-gray mass of the great dome. The crag on -which I stood leans out over the mountain like a bastion, from which -the spectator sees the deep-intrenched valleys, the rivers which wash -the feet of the monarch, and the long line of summits which partake his -grandeur while making it all the more impressive.[22] - -Turning now my back upon the Glen, the way led in the opposite -direction, and began to look over the depression between Clay and -Jefferson into the world of blue peaks beyond. From here the striking -spectacle of the four great northern peaks, their naked summits, their -sides seamed with old and new slides, and flecked with snow, constantly -enlarged. There were some terrible rents in the side of Clay, red as -half-closed wounds; in one place the mountain seemed cloven to its -centre. It was of this gulf that the first climber said it was such -a precipice he could scarce discern to the bottom. The rifts in the -walls of the ravine, the blasted fir-trees leaning over the abyss, -and clutching the rocks with a death-gripe, the rocks themselves, -tormented, formidable, impending, astound by their vivid portrayal of -the formless, their suggestions of the agony in which these mountains -were brought forth. - -I was now fairly upon the broad, grass-grown terrace at the base of the -pinnacle, sometimes called the Cow Pasture. The low peak rising upon its -limits is a monument to the fatal temerity of a traveller who, having -climbed, as he supposed, to the top of the mountain, died from hunger -or exposure, or from both, at this inhospitable spot.[23] A skeleton in -rags was found, at the end of a year, huddled under some rocks. Farther -down the mountain a heap of stones indicates the place where Doctor -Ball, of Boston, was found by the party sent in search of him, famished, -exhausted, and almost delirious. When rescued, he had passed two nights -upon the mountain, without food, fire, or shelter, after as many days -of fruitless wandering up and down, always led astray by his want of -knowledge, and mocked by occasional glimpses of snowy peaks above, or -the distant Glen below. More dead than alive, he was supported down the -mountain as far as the camp at The Ledge, whence he was able to ride to -the Glen House. His reappearance had the effect of one risen from the -dead. In reality, the rescuing party took up with them materials for a -rude bier, expecting to find a dead body stiffening in the snow.[24] - -Besides this almost unheard of resistance to hunger, cold, and -exhaustion combined, and notwithstanding the fortitude which enabled the -lost man to continue his desperate struggle for life until rescued, all -would doubtless have been to no purpose without the aid of an umbrella, -which, by a lucky chance, he took at setting out. This umbrella was -his only protection during the two terrible vigils he made upon the -mountain. How, is related in the chapter on the ascent from Crawford's. - -Crossing the terrace, where even the road seems glad to rest after its -laborious climb of seven miles, and where the traveller may also relax -his efforts, preparatory to his arduous advance up the pinnacle, I came -upon the railway, still solidly embedded in snow and ice. - -[Illustration: WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT.] - -Still making a route for itself among massy blocks, tilted at every -conceivable angle, but forming, nevertheless, a symmetrical cone, the -carriage-road winds up the steep ascent, to which the railway is nailed. -While traversing the plateau, with the Summit House now in full view, -my eye caught, far above me, the figure of a man pacing up and down -before the building, like a sentinel on his post. I swung my hat in the -air; again; but he did not see me. Nevertheless, I experienced a thrill -of pleasure at seeing him, so acutely had the sense of loneliness come -over me in these awful solitudes. It put such vigor into my steps that -in half an hour I crossed the last rise, when the solitary pedestrian, -making an about-face at the end of his beat, suddenly discovered -a strange form and figure emerging from the rocks before him. He -stopped short, took the pipe from his teeth, looking with open-mouthed -astonishment, then, as I continued to approach, he hastened toward me, -met me half-way, and, between rapid questions and answers, led the way -into the signal station. - -Behold me installed in the cupola of New England! While I was resting, -my host, a tall, bronzed, bearded man, bustled about the two or three -apartments constituting this swallow's nest. He put the kettle on the -stove, gave the fire a stir, spread a cloth upon the table, and took -some plates, cups, and saucers from a locker, some canned meats and -fruit from a cupboard, I, meanwhile, following all these movements with -an interest easily imagined. His preparations completed, my host first -ran his eye over them approvingly, then, presenting a pen, requested me -to inscribe my name in the visitors' book. I did so, noticing that the -last entry was in October--that is, five months had elapsed since the -last climber wended his solitary way down the mountain. My hospitable -entertainer then, with perfect politeness, begged me to draw my chair to -the table and fall to. I did not refuse. While he poured out the tea, I -asked, - -"Whom have I the pleasure of addressing?" and he modestly replied, - -"Private Doyle, sir, of the United States Signal Service. Have another -bit of devilled ham? No? Try these peaches." - -"Thank you. At least Uncle Sam renders your exile tolerable. Is this -your ordinary fare?" - -"Oh, as to that, you should see us in the dead of winter, chopping our -frozen meat with a hatchet, and our lard with a chisel." - -This, then, was what my young Jehu had meant. Where was I? I glanced -out of the window. Nothing but sky, nothing but rocks; immensity and -desolation. I disposed my ideas to hear my companion ask, "What is the -news from the other world?" - - - - -VIII. - -_MOUNT WASHINGTON._ - - The soldiers from the mountain Theches ran from rear to front, - breaking their ranks, crowding tumultuously upon each other, - laughing and shouting, "The sea! the sea!"--XENOPHON'S - _Anabasis_. - - -After the repast we walked out, Private Doyle and I, upon the narrow -platform behind the house. According to every appearance I had reached -_Ultima Thule_. - -For some moments--moments not to be forgotten--we stood there silent. -Neither stirred. The scene was too tremendous to be grasped in an -instant. A moment was needed to recover one's moral equipoise, as well -as for the unpractised eye to adjust itself to the vastness of the -landscape, and to the multitude of objects, strange objects, everywhere -confronting it. My own sensations were at first too vague for analysis, -too tumultuous for expression. The flood choked itself. - -All seemed chaos. On every side the great mountains fell away like -mists of the morning, dispersing, receding to an endless distance, -diminishing, growing more and more vague, and finally vanishing on -a limitless horizon neither earth nor sky. Never before had such a -spectacle offered itself to my gaze. The first idea was of standing on -the threshold of another planet, and of looking down upon this world of -ours outspread beneath; the second, of being face to face with eternity -itself. No one ever felt exhilaration at first. The scene is too -solemnizing. - -But by degrees order came out of this chaos. The bewildering throng of -mountains arranged itself in chains, clusters, or families. Hills drew -apart, valleys opened, streams twinkled in the sun, towns and villages -clung to the skirts of the mountains or dotted the rich meadows; but all -was mysterious, all as yet unreal. - -Comprehending at last that all New England was under my feet, I began -to search out certain landmarks. But this investigation is fatiguing: -besides, it conducts to nothing--absolutely nothing. Pointing to -a scrap of blue haze in the west, my companion observed, "That is -Mount Mansfield;" and I, mechanically, repeated, "Ah! that is Mount -Mansfield." It was nothing. Distance and Infinity have no more relation -than Time and Eternity. It sufficed for me, God knows, to be admitted -near the person of the great autocrat of New England, while under skies -so fair and radiant he gave audience to his imposing and splendid -retinue of mountains. - -But still, independent of the will, the eye flitted from peak to -peak, from summit to summit, making the slow circuit of this immense -horizon, hovering at last over a band of white gleaming far away in the -south-east like a luminous cloud, on whose surface objects like birds -reposed. It was the sea, and the specks ships sailing on the main. -With the aid of a telescope we could even tell what sails the vessels -carried. In these few seconds the eye had put a girdle of six hundred -miles about.[25] - -I consider this first introduction to what the peak of Mount Washington -looks down upon an epoch in any man's life. I saw the whole noble -company of mountains from highest to lowest. I saw the deep depressions -through which the Connecticut, the Merrimac, the Saco, the Androscoggin, -wind toward the lowlands. I saw the lakes which nurse the infant -tributaries of those streams. I saw the great northern forests, the -notched wall of the Green Mountains, the wide expanse of level land, -flat and heavy like the ocean, and finally the ocean itself. And all -this was mingled in one mighty scene. - -The utmost that I can say of this view is that it is a marvel. You -receive an impression of the illimitable such as no other natural -spectacle--no, not even the sea--can give. Astonishment can go no -farther. Nevertheless, the truth is that you are on too high a -view-point for the most effective grasp of mountain scenery. This -immense height renders near objects indistinct, obscures the more -distant. Seldom, indeed, is the land seen, even under favoring -conditions, except through a soft haze, which, you are surprised to -notice, becomes more and more transparent as you descend. The eye -explores this _clair-obscur_, and gradually discerns this or that -object. It is true that you see to a great distance, but you do not -distinguish anything clearly. This is the rule, derived from many -observations, to which the crystal air of autumn and winter makes the -rare and fortunate exception. - -There is a more cogent reason why the view from Mount Washington is -inferior to that from other and lower summits. Everything is below -you, and, naturally, therefore, any picture of these mountains not -showing the cloud-capped dome of the monarch, attended by his cortge -of grand peaks--the central, dominating, perfecting group--must be -essentially incomplete. Imagine Rome without St. Peter's, or, to come -nearer home, Boston without her State House! One word more: from this -lofty height you lose the symmetrical relation of the lesser summits to -the grand whole. Even these signal embodiments of heroic strength--the -peaks of Jefferson, Adams, and Madison--so vigorously self-asserting -that what they lose in stature they gain by a powerful individuality, -even these suffer a partial eclipse; but the summits stretching to -the southward are so dwarfed as to be divested of any character as -typical mountain structures. What fascinates us is the "sublime chaos -of trenchant crests, of peaks shooting upward;" and the charm of the -view--such at least is the writer's conviction--resides rather in the -immediate surroundings than in the extent of the panorama, great as that -unquestionably is. - -One thing struck me with great force--the enormous mass of the mountain. -The more you realize that the dependent peaks, stretching eight miles -north, and as many south, are nothing but buttresses, the more this -prodigious weight amazes. Two long spurs, divided by the valley of the -Rocky Branch, also descend into the Saco Valley as far as Bartlett; and -another, shorter, but of the same indestructible masonry, is traced -between the valleys of the Ammonoosuc and of Israel's River. In a word, -as the valleys lie and the roads run, we must travel sixty or seventy -miles around in order to make the circuit of Mount Washington at its -base. - -Even here one is not satisfied if he sees a stone ever so little above -him.[26] The best posts for an outlook, after the signal station, are -upon a point of rocks behind the old Tip-Top House, and from the end -of the hotel platform, where the railway begins its terrifying descent. -From all these situations the view was large and satisfying. From the -first station one overlooks the southern summits; from the second, the -northern. A movement of the head discloses, in turn, the ocean, the -lakes and lowlands of Maine and New Hampshire, the broad highlands -of Massachusetts, the fading forms of Monadnock and Wachusett, the -highest peaks of Vermont and New York, and, finally, the great Canadian -wilderness. - -After all this, the eye dwells upon the hideous waste of rock -blackened by ages of exposure, corroded with a green incrustation, -like _verd-antique_, constituting the dome. It is at once mournful and -appalling. Time has dealt the mountain some crushing blows, as we see by -these ghastly ruins, bearing silent testimony to their own great age. It -is necessary to step with care, for the rocks are sharp-edged. The green -appearance is due to lichens which bespatter them. Greedy little spiders -inhabit them. Truly this is a spot disinherited by Nature. - -Noticing many boards scattered helter-skelter about the top and sides of -the mountain, I drew my companion's attention to them, and he explained -that what I saw was the result of the great January gale, which had -blown down the shed used as an engine-house, demolished every vestige of -the walk leading from the hotel to the signal station, and distributed -the fragments as if they had been straws far and wide, as I saw them. - -The same gale had swept the coast from Hatteras to Canso with -destructive fury. I begged Private Doyle to give me his recollections of -it. We returned to the station, and he began as follows: - -"At the time of the tornado I was sick, and my comrade, Sergeant M----, -who is now absent on leave, had to do my turn as well as his own. 'Uncle -Sam,' you know, keeps two of us here, for fear of accidents."[27] - -"It surprised me to find you here alone," I assented. - -"This is the third day." Then, resuming his narrative, "During the -forenoon preceding the gale we observed nothing very unusual; but the -clouds kept sinking and sinking, until, in the afternoon, the summit -alone was above them. For miles around nothing could be seen but one -vast ocean of frozen vapor, with peaks sticking out here and there, -like icebergs floating in this ocean--all being cased in snow and ice. -I cannot tell you how curious this was. Later in the day the density of -the clouds became such that they reflected the colors of the spectrum: -and that too was beautiful beyond description. It was about this time -Sergeant M---- came to where I was lying, and said, 'There is going to -be the devil to pay; so I guess I'll make everything snug.' - -"By nine in the evening the wind had increased to one hundred miles an -hour, with heavy sleet, so that no observation could be safely made -from without. At midnight the velocity of the storm was one hundred and -twenty miles, and the exposed thermometer recorded 24 below zero. We -could hardly get it above freezing inside the house. With the stove red, -water froze within three feet of the fire; in fact, where you are now -sitting. - -"At this time the uproar outside was deafening. About one o'clock -the wind rose to one hundred and fifty miles. It was now blowing a -hurricane. That carpet (indicating the one in the room where we were) -stood up a foot from the floor, like a sail. The wind, gathering up all -the loose ice on top of the mountain, dashed it against the house in -one continuous volley. I lay wondering how long we should stand this -terrific pounding, when all at once there came a crash. M---- shouted to -me to get up; but I had tumbled out in a hurry on hearing the glass go. -You see I was ready-dressed, to keep myself warm in bed. - -"Our united efforts were hardly equal to closing the storm-shutters from -the inside; but we succeeded, finally, though the lights were out, and -we worked in the dark." He rose in order to show me how the shutters, -made of thick oak planks, were secured by a bar, and by strong wooden -buttons screwed in the window-frame. - -"We had scarcely done this," resumed Doyle, "and were shivering over the -fire, when a heavy gust of wind again burst open the shutters as easy -as if they had never been fastened at all. We sprang to our feet. After -a hard tussle we again secured the windows by nailing a cleat to the -floor, against which we fixed one end of a board, using the other end as -a lever. You understand?" I nodded. "Well, even then it was all we could -do to force the shutters back into place. But we did it. We _had_ to do -it. - -"The rest of the night was passed in momentary expectation that the -building would be blown over into Tuckerman's Ravine, and we with it. -At four in the morning the wind registered one hundred and eighty-six -miles. It had shifted then from east to north-east. From this time it -steadily fell to ten miles at nine o'clock--as calm as a daisy. This was -the heaviest blow ever experienced on the mountain." - -"Suppose this house had gone, and the hotel stood fast, could you have -effected an entrance into the hotel?" I asked. - -"No, indeed. We could not have faced the wind." - -"Not for a hundred feet, and in a matter of life and death?" - -"In that gale? We should have been lifted clean off our feet and smashed -upon the rocks like this bottle," flinging one out at the door. - -"So then for all those hours you expected from one moment to another to -be swept into eternity?" - -[Illustration: THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE.] - -"We did what we could. Each of us wrapped himself up in blankets and -quilts, tying these tightly around him with ropes, to which were -attached bars of iron, so that if the house went by the board we might -stand a chance--a slim one--of anchoring, somehow, somewhere." - -I tried to make him admit that he was afraid; but he would not. Only he -forgot, he said, in the excitement of that terrible night, that he was -ill, until the danger was over. - -"We are going to have a blow," observed Doyle, glancing at the -barometer--"barometer falling, wind rising. Besides, that blue haze, -creeping over the valley, is a pretty sure sign of a change of weather." -His prognostic was completely verified in the course of a few hours. - -"Now," said Doyle, rising, "I must go and feed my chick." - -We retraced our steps to the point of rocks overhanging the southern -slope, where he stopped and began to scatter crumbs, I watching him -curiously meanwhile. Pretty soon he went down on his hands and knees and -peered underneath the rocks. "Ah!" he exclaimed, with vivacity, "there -you are!" - -"What is it?" I asked; "what is there?" - -"My mouse. He is rather shy, and knows I am not alone," he replied, -chirruping to the animal with affectionate concern. - -Brought to the mountain top in some barrel or box, the little stowaway -had become domesticated, and would come at the call of his human -playmate. The incident was trifling enough of itself, yet there was -something touching in this companionship, something that sharply -recalled the sense of loneliness I had myself experienced. In reality, -the disparity between the man and the mouse seemed not greater than that -between the mountain and the man. - -While we were standing among the rocks the sun touched the western -horizon. The heavens became obscured. All at once I saw an immense -shadow striding across the valley below us. Slowly and majestically it -ascended the Carter chain until it reached the highest summit. I could -not repress an exclamation of surprise; but what was my astonishment -to see this immense phantom, without pausing in its advance, lift -itself into the upper air to an incredible height, and stand fixed and -motionless high above all the surrounding mountains. It was the shadow -of Mount Washington projected upon the dusky curtain of the sky. All the -other peaks seemed to bow their heads by a sentiment of respect, while -the actual and the spectre mountain exchanged majestic salutations. Then -the vast gray pyramid retreated step by step into the thick shades. -Night fell. - -The expected storm which the observer had predicted did not fail to put -in an appearance. By the time we reached the house the wind had risen to -forty miles an hour, driving the clouds in an unbroken flight against -the summit, from which they rebounded with rage equal to that displayed -in their vindictive onset. The Great Gulf was like the crater of some -mighty volcano on the eve of an eruption, vomiting forth volumes of -thickening cloud and mist. It seemed the mustering-place of all the -storm-legions of the Atlantic, steadily pouring forth from its black -jaws, unfurling their ghostly standards as they advanced to storm -the battlements of the mountain. Occasionally a break in the column -disclosed the opposite peaks looming vast and black as midnight. Then -the effect was indescribable. At one moment everything seemed resolving -into its original elements; the next I was reminded of a gigantic -mould, not from mortal hands, in which all these vast forms were slowly -cooling. The moon shed a pale, wan light over this unearthly scene, -in which creation and annihilation seemed confusedly struggling. The -sublime drama of the Fourth Day, when light was striving with darkness -for its allotted place in the universe, seemed enacting under my eyes. - -The evening passed in comparative quiet, although the gale was now -moving from east to west at the rate of sixty miles an hour. Rain -rattled on the roof like shot. Now and then the building shuddered -and creaked, like a good ship breasting the fury of the gale. Vivid -flashes of lightning made the well-lighted room momentarily dark, -and checked conversation as suddenly as if we had felt the electric -shock. Under such novel conditions, with strange noises all about him, -one does not feel quite at ease. Nevertheless the kettle sung on the -stove, the telegraph instrument ticked on the table. We had Fabyan's, -Littleton, and White River Junction within call. We had plenty of -books, the station being well furnished from voluntary gifts of the -considerate-benevolent. At nine Doyle went out, but immediately returned -and said he had something to show me. I followed him out to the platform -behind the house. A forest fire had been seen all day in the direction -of Fabyan's, but at night it looked like a burning lake sunk in depths -of infernal blackness. I had never seen anything so nearly realizing my -idea of hell. No other object was visible--only this red glare as of -a sun in partial eclipse shining at the bottom of an immense hole. We -watched it a few minutes and then went in. I attempted to be cheerful, -but how was one to rise above such surroundings? Alternately the storm -roared and whined for admittance. Worn out with the tension, physical -and moral, of this day, I crept into bed and tried to shut the storm -out. The poor exile in the next room murmured to himself, "Ah, this -horrible solitude!" - -The next morning, while looking down from this eagle's nest upon the -southern peaks to where the bridle path could be distinctly traced -across the plateau, and still winding on around the peaked crest of -Monroe, I was seized with a longing to explore the route which on a -former occasion proved so difficult, but to-day presenting apparently -nothing more serious than a fatiguing scramble up and down the cone. -Accordingly, taking leave of my companion, I began to feel my way down -that cataract of granite, fallen, it would seem, from the skies.[28] - -In proportion as I descended, the mountain ridge below regained, little -by little, its actual character. Except where patches of snow mottled -it with white, it displayed one uniform and universal tinge of faded -orange where the soft sunshine fell full upon it, toned into rusty brown -when overshadowed, gradually deepening to an intense blue-black in the -ravines. But so insignificant did the summits look, when far below, -that I hardly recognized them for the same I had seen from Fabyan's and -had traversed from Crawford's. Monroe, the nearest, has, however, a -most striking resemblance to an enormous petrified wave on the eve of -dashing itself down into the valley. The lower you descend the stronger -this impression becomes; but from the summit of Mount Washington this -peak is so belittled that the mountains seemed saying to each other, -"Good-morning, Mole-hill!" "Good-morning, Big Bully!" - -When I reached the stone-corral, the ground, if ground it can be -called, descended less abruptly, over successive stony terraces, to a -comparative level, haired over with a coarse, wiry, and tangled grass, -strewed with bowlders, and inundated along its upper margin by torrents -of stones. Upon closer inspection these stones arranged themselves -in irregular semicircular ridges. In the eyes of the botanist and -entomologist this seemingly arid region is more attractive than the most -beautiful gardens of the valley. Among these grasses and these stones -lie hid the beautiful Alpine flowers of which no species exist in the -lowlands. Only the arbutus, which puts forth its pink-and-white flowers -earliest of all, and is warmed into life by the snows, at all resembles -them in its habits. Over this grassy plain the wind swept continually -and roughly; but on putting the grass aside with the hand, the tiny -blossoms greet you with a smile of bewitching sweetness. - -These areas, extending between and sometimes surrounding the high peaks, -or even approaching their summits, are the "lawns" of the botanist, and -his most interesting field of research. Within its scope about fifty -species of strictly Alpine plants vegetate. As we ascend the mountain, -after the dwarf trees come the Lapland rhododendron, Labrador tea, dwarf -birch, and Alpine willows, which, in turn, give place to the Greenland -sandwort, diapensia, cassiope, and other plants, with arctic rushes, -sedges, and lichens, which flourish on the very summit. - -To the left, this plain, on which the grass mournfully rustled, sloped -gently for, I should guess, half a mile, and then rolled heavily off, -over a grass-grown rim, into Tuckerman's Ravine. In this direction the -Carter Mountains appeared. Beyond, stretching away out of the plain, -extended the long Boott's Spur, over which the Davis path formerly -ascended from the valley of the Saco, but which is now, from long -disuse, traced with difficulty. Between this headland and Monroe opened -the valley of Mount Washington River, the old Dry River of the carbuncle -hunters, which the eye followed to its junction with the Saco, beyond -which the precipices of Frankenstein glistened in the sun, like a -corselet of steel. Oakes's Gulf cuts deeply into the head of the gorge. -The plain, the ravine, the spur, and the gulf transmit the names of -those indefatigable botanists, Bigelow, Tuckerman, Boott, and Oakes. - -On the other side of the ridge--for of course this plain has its -ridge--the ground was more broken in its rapid descent toward the -Ammonoosuc Valley, into which I looked over the right shoulder of Monroe. - -But what a sight for the rock-wearied eye was the little Lake of the -Clouds, cuddled close to the hairy breast of this mountain! On the -instant the prevailing gloom was lighted as if by magic by this dainty -nursling of the clouds, which seemed innocently smiling in the face of -the hideous mountain. And the stooping monster seemed to regard the -little waif, lying there in its rocky cradle, with astonishment, and to -forego his first impulse to strangle it where it lay. Lion and lamb were -lying down together. - -Casting an eye upward, and finding the houses on the summit were hidden -by the retreating curvature of the cone, I saw, with chagrin, light -mists scudding over my head. It was a notice to hasten my movements idle -to disregard here. Crossing as rapidly as possible Bigelow's Lawn--the -half-mile of grass ground referred to, where I sunk ankle-deep in moss, -or stumbled twenty times in as many rods over concealed stones--I -skirted the head of the chasm for some distance. But from above the -ravine does not make a startling impression. I, however, discovered, -lodged underneath its walls, a bank of snow. All around I heard water -gurgling under my feet in rock-worn channels while making its way -tranquilly to the brow of the ravine. These little underground runlets -are the same that glide over the head-wall, and are the head tributaries -of the Ellis.[29] - -Retracing my way to the ridge and to the path, which I followed for some -distance, startling the silence with an occasional halloo, I descended -into the hollow, where the Lake of the Clouds seems to have checked -itself, white and still, on the very edge of the tremendous gully, cut -deep into the western slopes. The lake is the fountain-head of the -Ammonoosuc. Its waters are too cold to nourish any species of fishes; -they are too elevated for any of the feathered tribe to pay it a visit. - -[Illustration: LAKE OF THE CLOUDS.] - -Strange spectacle! A fairy haunt, rock-rimmed and fringed about with -Alpine shrubs, half-disclosing, half-concealing its bare bosom, coyly -reposed on this wind-swept ridge, like "a good deed in a naughty -world." From its crystal basin a tiny rill trickled through soft moss -to the dizzy verge beyond, where, like some airy sprite, clothed with -the rainbow and tossing its white tresses to the sport of the breeze, -it tripped gayly over the grisly precipice and fell in a silvery -shower from height to height. Where it passed, flowers, ferns, and -rich herbage sprung forth upon the hard face of the granite. Tapering -fir-trees exhaled a dewy freshness; aspens quivered with the delight -of its coming, and aged trees, tottering, decrepit, piteous to see, -stretched their withered limbs toward heaven. On it went, and still on, -leaving its white robe clinging to the mountain side. All the forest -seemed crowding forward to catch it; but, now reverently kissing the -feet of the old trees, now saucily flinging a handful of crystal in the -faces of scowling cliffs, it eluded the embrace of the forest, which -thrilled with its musical laughter from lowest deeps to the summit of -high-rocking pines. When it was no longer visible a sonorous murmur -heralded its triumphal progress. No wonder the bewildered eye roved from -bleak summit to voluptuous vale; from the handful of drops above to the -brimming river below. The miracle of Horeb was being repeated hour by -hour, like an affair of every-day life. - -This hand-mirror of Venus has two tiny companion pools close by. The -weary explorer may sip a draught of sweetest savor while admiring -their exceeding beauty--a beauty heightened by its unexpectedness, and -teaching that not all is barren even here. A benison on those little -lakes! - -Stone houses of refuge are much needed on the mountains over which -the Crawford trail reaches the summit. They should always be provided -with fagots for a fire, clean straw or boughs for a bed, and printed -directions for the inexperienced traveller to follow. A fireplace, -furnished with a crane and a kettle for heating water, would be absolute -luxuries. Being done, this glorious promenade--the equal of which does -not exist in New England--would be taken with confidence by numbers, -instead of, as now, by the few. It is the appropriate pendant of the -ascent from the Glen by the carriage-road, or from Fabyan's by the -railway. One can hardly pretend to have seen the mountains in their -grandest aspects until he has threaded this wondrous picture-gallery, -this marvellous hall of statues.[30] - -While recrossing the plateau, from which Washington has the appearance -of one mountain piled upon another, I suddenly came upon a dead sparrow -in my path. Poor little fellow! he was too adventurous, and sunk on -stiffening pinions beneath the frozen wind. Ten steps farther on a large -brown butterfly flew up and fluttered cheerily along the path. Why, -then, did the bird die and the butterfly live? - -This mountain butterfly, which endured cold that the bird could not, has -excited the attention of naturalists, it is said. The mountain is 6293 -feet high, and the butterflies never descend below an elevation of about -5600 feet. Here they "disport during the month of July of every year," -thriving upon the scanty deposits of honey found in the flowers of the -few species of hardy plants that grow in the crevices of the rocks at -this great altitude, and upon other available liquid substances. The -insect measures, from tip to tip of the expanded fore-wings, about -one and eight-tenths inches. It is colored in shades of brown, with -various bands and marblings diversifying the surface of the wings. The -butterfly is known to naturalists as the _OEneis semidea_, and was -first described, in 1828, by Thomas Say. An allied species occurs on -Long's Peak and other elevated heights in Colorado; and another is found -at Hopedale, Labrador; but they are confined to these widely separated -localities. It is surmised that the butterfly, like the Alpine flora, -beautifully illustrates the presence, or rather the advance and retreat, -of the glacier. - -I took up the little winged chorister of the vale who was not able to -make spring come to the mountain for all his warbling. Truly, was not -the little bird's fate typical of those ambitious climbers for fame -who, chilled to death by neglect or indifference, die singing on the -heights? So the sparrow's fall gave me food for reflection, during which -I reached the little circular enclosure at the foot of the cone. - -Once more I climbed the rambling and rocky stairs leading to the summit; -but long before reaching it clouds were drifting above and below me. -The day was to end like so many others. The crabbed old mountain had -exhausted his store of benevolence. I hurried on down the Glen road. -After descending a mile I heard a rumbling sound, deep and prolonged, -like distant thunder. The thought of being overtaken on the mountain by -a thunder-storm made me quicken my pace almost to a run. On turning the -corner where the snow-bank had lain, like a lion in the path, devoutly -wishing myself well and safely over, I felt something rise in my throat. -The bank was no longer there. Every vestige of it had disappeared, and, -in all probability, its sudden plunge down the mountain was what I had -taken for thunder. Ten minutes sooner and I should have been upon its -treacherous bridge. - -I passed the Half-Way House, entered the dusk forest, where the -tree-tops were swaying wildly to and fro, the birds flitting silently, -and the tall pines discordantly humming, as if getting the pitch of the -storm. Suddenly it grew dark. A stream of fire blinded me with its -glare. Then a deafening peal shook the solid earth. Another and another -succeeded: Olympian salvos greeted the arrival of the storm king. - -The rain was pattering among the leaves when I emerged into the open -vale, guided by the lights of the Glen House shining through the -darkness. My heavy feet almost refused to carry me farther, and I walked -like the statue in "Don Juan." - - - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - - - PAGE -I. _THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE_ 209 - -II. _THE FRANCONIA PASS_ 224 - -III. _THE KING OF FRANCONIA_ 237 - -IV. _FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD_ 248 - -V. _THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW_ 256 - -VI. _THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES_ 259 - -VII. _MOOSEHILLOCK_ 267 - -VIII._BETHLEHEM_ 276 - -IX. _JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER_ 291 - -X. _THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS_ 304 - -[Illustration: WHITE MOUNTAINS - -(WEST SIDE) - -1881.] - - - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - - - - -I. - -_THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE._ - - O child of that white-crested mountain whose springs - Gush forth in the shade of the cliff-eagle's wings, - Down whose slopes to the lowlands thy wild waters shine, - Leaping gray walls of rock, flashing through the dwarf-pine! - WHITTIER. - - -Plymouth lies at the entrance to the Pemigewasset Valley, like an -encampment pitched to dispute its passage. At present its design is to -facilitate the ingress of tourists. - -I am sitting at the window this morning looking down the Pemigewasset -Valley. It is a gray, sad morning. Wet clouds hang and droop heavily -over. In the distance the frayed and tattered edges are rolled up, -half-disclosing the humid outlines of the hills on the other side of -the valley. The trees are budded with rain-drops. Through a lattice -of bordering foliage I look down upon the river, shrunken by drought -to half its usual breadth, and exposing its parched bed of sand and -pebbles. It gives an expiring gurgle in its stony throat. It is one of -those mornings that, in spite of our philosophy, strangely affect the -spirits, and are like a presentiment of evil. The clouds are funereal -draperies; the river chants a dirge. - -In this world of ours, where events push each other aside with such -appalling rapidity, perhaps it is scarcely remembered that Hawthorne -breathed his last in this house on the night of May 18th, 1864. He who -was born in sight of these mountains had come among them to die. - -In company with his old college mate and loving friend, General Pierce, -he came from Centre Harbor to Plymouth the day previous to the sad -event. Devoted friends--and few men have known more devoted--had for -some time seen that his days were numbered. The fire had all but gone -out from his eye, which seemed interrogating the world of which he was -already more than half an inhabitant. A presentiment of his approaching -end seemed foreshadowed in the changed look and faltering step of -Hawthorne himself: he walked like a man consciously going to his grave. -Still, much was hoped--it could hardly be that much was expected--from -this journey, and from the companionship of two men grown gray with -care, each standing on the pinnacle of his ambition, each disappointed, -but united, one to the other, by the ties of life-long friendship; -turning their backs upon the gay world, and walking hand-in-hand among -the sweet groves and pleasant streams like boys again. It was like a -dream of their lost youth: the reality was no more. - -On this journey General Pierce was the watchful, tender, and sympathetic -nurse. Without doubt either of these men would have died for the other. - -But these hopes, these cares, alas! proved delusive. The angel of death -came unbidden into the sacred companionship; the shadow of his wings -hovered over them unseen. In the night, without a sigh or a struggle, as -he himself wished it might be, the hand of death was gently and kindly -laid on the fevered brain and fluttering heart. In the morning his -friend entered the chamber to find only the lifeless form of Nathaniel -Hawthorne plunged in the slumber that knows no awakening. Great heart -and mighty brain were stilled forever. - -While the weather gives such inhospitable welcome let us employ the -time by turning over a leaf from history. According to Farmer, the -intervales here were formerly resorted to by the Indians for hunting -and fishing. At the mouth of Baker's River, which here joins the -Pemigewasset, they had a settlement. Graves, bones, gun-barrels, besides -many implements of their rude husbandry, have been discovered. Here, it -is said, the Indians were attacked by a party of English from Haverhill, -Massachusetts, led by Captain Baker, who defeated them, killed many, and -destroyed a large quantity of fur. From him Baker's River receives its -name. - -Before the French and Indian war broke out this region was debatable -ground, into which only the most celebrated and intrepid white hunters -ventured. Among these was a young man of twenty-three, named Stark, who -lived near the Amoskeag Falls, in what is now Manchester. In April, -1752, Stark was hunting here with three companions, one of whom was -his brother William. They had pitched their camp on Baker's River, -in the present limits of Rumney, and were prosecuting their hunt with -good success, when they suddenly discovered the presence of Indians in -their vicinity. Though it was a time of peace, they were not the less -apprehensive on that account, and determined to change their position. -But the Indians had also discovered the white hunters, and prepared to -entrap them. When Stark went out very early the next morning to collect -the traps he was intercepted and made prisoner. The Indians then took a -position on the bank of the river to ambush his companions as they came -down. Eastman, who was on the shore, next fell into their hands; but -the two others were in a canoe floating quietly down the stream out of -reach. Stark was ordered to hail and decoy them to the shore. He obeyed; -but, instead of lending himself to the treachery, shouted to his friends -that he was taken, and to save themselves. They instantly steered for -the opposite shore, receiving a volley as they did so. Stinson, one of -those in the boat, was shot dead; but William Stark escaped through the -heroism of his brother, who knocked up the guns of the savages as they -covered him with fatal aim. - -Stark and his fellow-prisoner were taken to St. Francis by Acton and -his prowling band, with whom they had had the misfortune to fall in. At -St. Francis the Indians set Stark hoeing their corn. At first he cut up -the corn and spared the weeds; but this expedient not serving to relieve -him of the drudgery, he threw his hoe into the river, telling his -captors that hoeing corn was the business of squaws, not of warriors. -This answer procured him recognition among them as a spirit worthy of -themselves. He was adopted into the tribe, and called the "Young Chief." -The promise of youth was fulfilled. The young hunter of the White -Mountains and the conqueror of Bennington are the same. - -The choice is open to leave the railway here and enter the mountains by -the Pemigewasset Valley, or to continue by it the route which conducts -to the summit of Mount Washington, by Bethlehem and Fabyan's. To journey -on by rail to the Profile House is seventy-five miles, while by the -common road, following the Pemigewasset, the distance is only thirty -miles. A daily stage passes over this route, which I risk nothing in -saying is always one of the delightful reminiscences of the whole -journey. Deciding in favor of the last excursion, my first care was to -procure a conveyance. - -At three in the afternoon I set out for Campton, seven miles up the -valley, which the carriage-road soon enters upon, and which by a few -unregarded turnings is presently as fast shut up as if its mountain -gates had in reality swung noiselessly together behind you. Hardly had I -recovered from the effect of the deception produced by seeing the same -mountain first in front, next on my right hand, and then shifted over to -the other side of the valley, when I saw, spanned by a high bridge, the -river in violent commotion far down below me. - -The Pemigewasset, confined here between narrow banks, has cut for -itself two deep channels through its craggy and cavernous bed; but -one of these being dammed for the purpose of deepening the other, the -general picturesqueness of the fall is greatly diminished. Still, it is -a pretty and engaging sight, this cataract, especially if the river be -full, although you think of a mettled Arabian harnessed in a tread-mill -when you look at it. Livermore Fall, as it is called, is but two miles -from Plymouth, the white houses of which look hot in the same brilliant -sunlight that falls so gently upon the luxuriant green of the valley. -The feature of this fall is the deep water-worn chasm through which it -plunges. - -By crossing the bridge here the left bank of the stream may be followed, -the valley towns of Campton, Thornton, and Woodstock being divided by it -into numerous villages or hamlets, frequently puzzling the uninitiated -traveller, who has set out in all confidence, but who is seized by -the most cruel perplexity, upon hearing that there are four villages -in Campton, each several miles distant from the other. One would have -pleased him far better. - -[Illustration: ON THE PROFILE ROAD.] - -Crossing this bridge, and descending to the level meadow below the -falls, I made a brief inspection of the establishment for breeding and -stocking with trout and salmon the depleted mountain streams of New -Hampshire. The breeding-house and basins are situated just below the -falls, on the banks of the river. This is a work undertaken by the -State, with the expectation of repeopling its rivers, brooks, and ponds -with their finny inhabitants. All those streams immediately accessible -from the villages are so persistently fished by the inhabitants as to -afford little sport to the angler from a distance, who is compelled -to go farther and fare worse; but the State is certainly entitled to -much credit for its endeavor to make two trout grow where only one grew -before. It is feared, however, that the experiment of stocking the -Pemigewasset with salmon will not prove successful. The farmers who live -along the banks say that one of these fish is rarely seen, although the -fishery is protected by the most rigid regulations. No one who has not -visited the mountains between May 1st--the earliest date when fishing -is permitted--and the middle of June, can have an idea of the number -of sportsmen every year resorting to the trout streams, or of the -unheard-of drain upon those streams. Not the least of many ludicrous -sights I have witnessed was that of a man, weighing two hundred pounds, -excitedly swinging aloft a trout weighing less than two ounces, and this -trophy he exhibited to me with unfeigned triumph--the butcher! This is -mere slaughter, and ought not to be tolerated. A pretty sight is to see -the breeding-trout follow you in your walk around the margin of their -little basin to be fed from your hand. They are tame as pigeons and -ravenous as sharks. - -Mount Prospect, in Holderness, is the first landmark of note. It is -seen, soon after leaving Plymouth, rising from the opposite side of the -valley, its green crest commanding a superb view of the lake region -below, and of the lofty Franconia Mountains above. It is worth ascending -this mountain were it only to see again the beautiful islet-spotted -Squam Lake and far-reaching Winnipiseogee quivering in noonday splendor. - -The beautiful valley is now open throughout its whole extent. Of -course I refer only to that portion lying above Plymouth. But it is an -anomaly of mountain valleys. Its length is about twenty-five miles, and -its greatest width, I should judge, not more than three or four. For -twenty miles it is almost as straight as an arrow. There is nothing to -hinder a perfectly free and open view up or down. Contrast this with -the wilful and tortuous windings of the Ammonoosuc, or the Saco, which -seem to grope and feel their way foot by foot along their cramped and -crooked channels. The angle of ascent, too, is here so gradual as to be -scarcely noticed until the foot of the mountain wall, at its head, is -reached. True, this valley is not clothed with a feeling of overpowering -grandeur, but it is beautiful. It is not terrible, but bewitching. - -The vista of mountains on the east side of the valley becomes every -moment more and more extended, and more and more interesting. A long -array of summits trending away to the north, with detached mountains -heaved above the lower clusters, like great whales sporting in a frozen -sea, is gradually uncovered. Green as a carpet, level as a floor, the -valley, adorned with clumps of elms, groves of maples, and strips of -tilled land of a rich chocolate brown, makes altogether a picture which -sets the eye fairly dancing. Even the daisies, the clover, and the -buttercups which so plentifully spangle the meadows seem far brighter -and sweeter in this atmosphere, nodding a playful welcome as you pass -them by. We are in the country of flowers. - -Since passing Blair's and the bridge over the river to Campton Hollow I -was on the alert for that first and most engaging view of the Franconia -Mountains which has been so highly extolled. Perhaps I should say -that one poetic nature has revealed it to a thousand others. Without -doubt this landscape is the more striking because it is the first, and -consequently deepest, impression of grand mountain scenery obtained -by those upon whom at a turn of the road, and without premonition, it -flashes like the realization of some ecstatic vision. - -Half a mile below the little hamlet of West Campton the road crosses -the point of a hill pushed well out into the valley. It is here that -the circlet of mountains is seen enclosing the valley on all sides -like a gigantic palisade. In one place, far away in the north, this -wall is shattered to its centre, like the famous Breach of Roland; -and through this enormous loop-hole we see golden mists rising above -the undiscovered country beyond. We are looking through the far-famed -Franconia Notch. On one side the clustered peaks of Lafayette lift -themselves serenely into the sky. On the left a silvery light is -playing on the ledges of Mount Cannon, softening all the asperities of -this stern-visaged mountain. The two great groups now stand fully and -finely exposed; though the lower and nearer summits are blended with -the higher by distance. Remark the difference of outline. A series of -humps marks the crest-line of the group, which culminates in the oblique -wall of Mount Cannon. On the contrary, that on the right, culminating -in Lafayette, presents two beautiful and regular pyramids, older than -Cheops, which sometimes in early morning exactly resemble two stately -monuments, springing alert and vigorous as the day which gilds them. At -a distance of twenty miles it demands good eyes and a clear atmosphere -to detect the supporting lines of these pyramidal structures, which in -reality are two separate mountains, Liberty and Flume. This exquisite -landscape seldom fails of producing a rapturous outburst from those who -are making the journey for the first time. - -There are many points of resemblance between this view and that of the -White Mountains from Conway Corner. Both unfold at once, and in a single -glance, the principal systems about which all the subordinate chains -seem manoeuvring under the commanding gaze of Washington or Lafayette. - -Soon after starting it was evident that my driver's loquaciousness was -due to his having "crooked his elbow" too often while loitering about -Plymouth. The frequent plunge of the wheels into the ditches by the -roadside, accompanied with a shower of mud, was little conducive to the -calm and free enjoyment of the beauties of the landscape. The driver -alone was unconcerned, and as often as good fortune enabled him to steer -clear of upsetting his passengers would articulate, thickly, "Don't be -alarmed, Cap': no one was ever hurt on this road." - -Silently committing myself to that Providence which is said to watch -over the destinies of tipplers, I breathed freely only when we drew up -at the hospitable door of the village inn, bespattered with mud, but -with no broken bones. - -Sanborn's, at West Campton, is the old road-side inn that long ago swung -the stag-and-hounds as its distinctive emblem. A row of superb maples -shades the road. Here we have fairly entered the renowned intervales, -that gleam among the darker forests or groves like patches of blue in -a storm-clouded sky. Looking southward, across the level meadows, the -hills of Rumney flinging up smooth, firm curves, and the more distant, -downward-plunging outline of Mount Prospect, in Holderness, close the -valley. Upon the left, where the clearings extend quite to the summits -of the near hills, the maple groves interspersed among them resemble -soldiers advancing up the green slopes in columns of attack. Following -this line a little, the valley of Mad River is distinguished by the deep -trough through which it descends from the mountains of Waterville. And -here, peering over the nearer elevations, the huge blue-black mass of -Black Mountain flings two splendid peaks aloft. - -For a more intimate acquaintance with these surroundings the hillside -pasture above the school-house gives a perspective of greater breadth; -while that from the Ellsworth road is in some respects finer still. -About two miles up this road the valley of the East Branch, showing the -massive Mount Hancock, cicatriced with one long, narrow scar, is lifted -into view. The other features of the landscape remain the same, except -that Mount Cannon is now cut off by the hill rising to the north of us. -As often as one of these hidden valleys is thus revealed we are seized -with a longing to explore it. - -[Illustration: WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER.] - -One need not push inquiry into the antecedents of Campton or the -neighboring villages very far. The township was originally granted to -General Jabez Spencer, of East Haddam, Connecticut, in 1761. In 1768 a -few families had come into Campton, Plymouth, Hebron, Sandwich, Rumney, -Holderness, and Bridgewater. No opening had been made for civilized men -on this side of Canada except for three families, who had gone fifty -miles into the wilderness to begin a settlement where Lancaster now -is. The name is derived simply from the circumstance that the first -proprietors built a camp when they visited their grant. The different -villages are much frequented by artists, who have spread the fame of -Campton from one end of the Union to the other. But a serpent has -entered even this Eden--the villagers are sighing for the advent of the -railway. - -Having dedicated one day to an exploration of the Mad River Valley, I -can pronounce it well worth any tourist's while to tarry long enough -in the vicinity for the purpose. It is certainly one of the finest -exhibitions of mountain scenery far or near. Here is a valley twelve -miles long, at the bottom of which a rapid river bruises itself on a bed -of broken rock, while above it are heaped mountains to be picked out -of a thousand for peculiarity of form or structure. The Pemigewasset -is passed by a ford just deep enough at times to invest the journey -with a little healthy excitement at the very beginning. The ford has, -however, been carefully marked by large stones placed at the edge of the -submerged road. - -Fording the river and climbing the hill which lies across the entrance -to this land-locked valley, I was at once ushered upon a scene of -great and varied charm. Right before me, sunning his three peaks four -thousand feet above, was the prodigious mass of Black Mountain. Far up -the valley it stretched, forming an unbroken wall nearly ten miles long, -and apparently sealing all access from the Sandwich side. A nipple, -a pyramid, and a flattened mound protruding from the summit ridge -constitute these eminences, easily recognized from the Franconia highway -among a host of lesser peaks. At the southern end of this mountain -the range is broken through, giving passage to a rough and straggling -road--fourteen hundred feet above the sea-level--to Sandwich Centre, and -to the lake towns south of it. This pass is known as Sandwich Notch. - -Campton Village lies along the hill-slope opposite to Black Mountain. -Completely does it fill the artistic sense. Its situation leaves nothing -to be desired in an ideal mountain village. So completely is it secluded -from the rest of the world by its environment of mountains, that you -might pass and repass the Pemigewasset Valley a hundred times without -once surprising the secret of its existence. All those houses, half hid -beneath groves of maples, bespeak luxurious repose. Opposite to Black -Mountain, whose dark forest drapery hides the mass of the mountain, is -the immense whitish-yellow rock called Welch Mountain. Only a scanty -vegetation is suffered to creep among the crevices. It is really -nothing but a big excrescent rock, having a principal summit shaped -somewhat like a Martello tower; and, indeed, resembling one in ruins. -The bright ledges brilliantly reflect the sun, causing the eye to turn -gratefully to the sombre gloom of the evergreens crowding the sides of -the neighboring mountains. Welch Mountain reminded me, I hardly know -why, of Chocorua; but the resemblance can scarcely extend farther than -to the meagreness, mutually characteristic, and to the blistered, almost -calcined ledges, which in each case catch the earliest and latest beams -of day. In fact, I could think only of a leper sunning his scars, and in -rags. - -At the head of the vale, alternately coming into and retreating from -view--for we are still progressing--is the mysterious triple-crowned -mountain known on the maps as Tripyramid. When first seen it seems -standing solitary and alone, and to have wrapped itself in a veil of -thinnest gauze. As we advance it displays the white streak of an immense -slide, which occurred in 1869. This mountain is visible from the shore -of the lake at Laconia. It is one of the first to greet us from the -elevated summits, though from no point is its singularly admirable and -well-proportioned architecture so advantageously exhibited as when -approaching by this valley. Its northern peak stands farthest from the -others, yet not so far as to mar the general grace and harmony of form. -Hail to thee, mountain of the high, heroic crest, for thy fortunate name -and the gracious, kingly mien with which thou wearest thy triple crown! -Prince thou art and potentate. None approach thy forest courts but do -thee homage. - -The end of the valley was reached in two hours of very leisurely -driving. The road abruptly terminated among a handful of houses -scattered about the bottom of a deep and narrow vale. This is, beyond -question, the most remarkable mountain glen into which civilization has -thus far penetrated. On looking up at the big mountains one experiences -a half-stifled feeling; and, on looking around the scattered hamlet, its -dozen houses seem undergoing perpetual banishment. - -This diminutive settlement, in which signs of progress and decay stand -side by side--progress evidenced by new and showy cottages; decay by -abandoned and dilapidated ones--is at the edge of a region as shaggy and -wild as any in the famed Adirondack wilderness. It fairly jostles the -wilderness. It braves it. It is really insolent. Yet are its natural -resources so slender that the struggle to keep the breath in it must -have been long and obstinate. A wheezy saw-mill indicates at once its -origin and its means of livelihood; but it is evident that it might -have remained obscure and unknown until doomsday, had not a few anglers -stumbled upon it while in pursuit of brooks and waters new. - -[Illustration: BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS.] - -The glen is surrounded by peaks that for boldness, savage freedom, -and power challenge any that we can remember. They threaten while -maintaining an attitude of lofty scorn for the saucy intruder. The -curious Noon Peak--we have at length got to the end of the almost -endless Black Mountain--nods familiarly from the south. It long stood -for a sun-dial for the settlement; hence its name. Tecumseh, a noble -mountain, and Osceola, its worthy companion, rise to the north. A -short walk in this direction brings Kancamagus[31] and the gap between -this mountain and Osceola into view. All these mountains stand in the -magnificent order in which they were first placed by Nature; but never -does the idea of inertia, of helpless immobility, cross the mind of the -beholder for a single moment. - -The unvisited region between Greeley's, in Waterville, and the Saco is -destined to be one of the favorite haunts of the sportsman, the angler, -and the lover of the grand old woods. It is crossed and recrossed by -swift streams, sown with lakes, glades, and glens, and thickly set -with mountains, among which the timid deer browses, and the bear and -wildcat roam unmolested. Fish and game, untamed and untrodden mountains -and woods, welcome the sportsman here. With Greeley's for a base, -encampments may be pitched in the forest, and exploration carried into -the most out-of-the-way corners. The full zest of such a life can -only be understood by those to whom its freedom and unrestraint, its -healthful and vigorous existence, have already proved their charm. The -time may come when the mountains shall be covered with a thousand tents, -and the summer-dwellers will resemble the tribes of Israel encamped by -the sweet waters of Sion. - -Waterville maintains unfrequent communication with Livermore and the -Saco by a path twelve miles long--constructed by the Appalachian -Mountain Club--over which a few pedestrians pass every year. I have -explored this path for several miles beyond Beckytown while visiting -the great slide which sloughed off from the side of Tripyramid, and -the cascades on the way to it. Osceola, Hancock, and Carrigain, three -remarkably fine mountains, offer inviting excursions to expert climbers. -I was reluctantly compelled to renounce the intention of passing over -the whole route, which should occupy, at least, two days or parts of -days, one night being spent in camp. - -The Mad River drive is a delightful episode. In the way of mountain -valley there is nothing like it. Bold crag, furious torrent, lonely -cabin, blue peak, deep hollow, choked up with the densest foliage, -constitute its varied and ever-changing features. The overhanging -woods looked as if it had been raining sunshine; the road like an -endless grotto of illuminated leaves, musical with birds, and exhaling a -thousand perfumes. - -[Illustration: FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON.] - -The remainder of the route up the Pemigewasset is more and more a -revelation of the august summits that have so constantly met us -since entering this lovely valley. Boldly emerging from the mass of -mountains, they present themselves at every mile in new combinations. -Through Thornton and Woodstock the spectacle continues almost without -intermission. Gradually, the finely-pointed peaks of the Lafayette group -deploy and advance toward us. Now they pitch sharply down into the -valley of the East Branch. Now the great shafts of stone are crusted -with silvery light, or sprayed with the cataract. Now the sun gilds the -slides that furrow, but do not deface them. Stay a moment at this rapid -brook that comes hastening from the west! It is an envoy from yonder -great, billowy mountain that lords it so proudly over - - "many a nameless slide-scarred crest - And pine-dark gorge between." - -That is Moosehillock. Facing again the north, the road is soon swallowed -up by the forest, and the forest by the mountains. A few poor cottages -skirt the route. Still ascending, the miles grow longer and less -interesting, until the white house, first seen from far below, suddenly -stands uncovered at the left. We are at the Flume House, and before the -gates of the Franconia Notch. - - - - -II. - -THE FRANCONIA PASS. - - Beyond them, like a sun-rimmed cloud, - The great Notch Mountains shone, - Watched over by the solemn-browed - And awful face of stone!--WHITTIER. - - -When Boswell exclaimed in ecstasy, "An immense mountain!" Dr. Johnson -sneered, "An immense protuberance!" but he, the sublime cynic, became -respectful before leaving the Hebrides. Charles Lamb, too, at one time -pretended something approaching contempt for mountains; but, after a -visit to Coleridge, he made the _amende honorable_ in these terms: - -"I feel I shall remember your mountains to the last day of my life. -They haunt me perpetually. I am like a man who has been falling in love -unknown to himself; which he finds out when he leaves the lady." - -Notwithstanding their prepossessions against nature, and their -undisguised preference for the smoke and dirt of London, the mountains -awoke something in these two men which was apparently a revelation of -themselves unto themselves. I have felt a higher respect for both since -I knew that they loved mountains, as I pity those who have only seen -heaven through the smoke of the city. It is not easy to explain two -ideas so essentially opposite as are presented in the earlier and later -declarations of these widely famous authors, unless we agree, keeping -"Elia's" odd simile in mind, that in the first case they should, like -woman, be taken, not at what she says, but what she means. - -The Flume House is the proper tarrying-place for an investigation of the -mountain gorge from which it derives both its custom and its name. It -is also placed opposite to the Pool, another of those natural wonders -with which the pass is crowded, and which tempt us at every step to turn -aside from the travelled road. - -Fronting the hotel is a belt of woods, with two massive mountains -rising behind. In the concealment of these woods the Pemigewasset, -contracted to a modest stream, runs along the foot of the mountains. -A rough, zigzag path leads through the woods to the river and to the -Pool. Now raise the eyes to the summit-ridge of yonder mountain. The -peak finely reproduces the features of a gigantic human face, while -the undulations of the ridge fairly suggest a recumbent human figure -wrapped in a shroud. The outlines of the forehead and nose are curiously -like the profile of Washington; hence the colossal figure is called -Washington Lying in State. This immortal sculpture gave rise to the idea -that the tomb of Washington, like that of Desaix, on the St. Bernard, -should be on the great summit that bears his name. - -[Illustration: A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL.] - -From the Flume House I looked up through the deep cleft of the Notch--an -impressive vista. To the left is Cannon, or Profile Mountain; to the -right the beetling crags of Eagle Cliff; then the pointed, shapely peaks -of Lafayette; and so the range continues breaking off and off, bending -away into lesser mountains that finally melt into pale-blue shadows. -Now a stray cloud atop a peak gives it a volcanic character. Now a puff -scatters it like thistle-down. It is a sultry summer's morning, and -banks of film hang like huge spider's-webs in the tree-tops. Soon they -detach themselves, and, floating lazily upward, are seized by a truant -breeze, spun mischievously round, and then settle quietly down on the -highest peaks like young eaglets on their nest. - -Let us first walk down to the Pool. This Pool is a caprice of the river. -Imagine a cistern, deeply sunk in granite, receiving at one end a weary -cascade, which seems to crave a moment's rest before hurrying on down -the rocky pass. In the mystery and seclusion of ages, and with only the -rude implements picked up by the way, the river has hollowed a basin -a hundred feet wide and forty deep out of the stubborn rock. Without -doubt Nature thus first taught us to cut the hardest marble with sand -and water. Cliffs traversed by cracks rise a hundred feet higher. -The water is a glossy and lustrous sea-green, and of such marvellous -transparency that you see the brilliant pebbles sparkling at the bottom, -shifting with the waves of light like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. -Overtopping trees lean timidly over and peer down into the Pool, which -coldly repulses their shadows. Only the colorless hue of the rocks -is reflected; and the stranger, seeing an old man with a gray beard -standing erect in a boat, has no other idea than that he has arrived on -the borders and is to be accosted by the ferryman of Hades. - -The Flume is reached by going down the road a short distance, and then -diverging to the left and crossing the river to the Flume Brook. A -carriage-way conducts almost to the entrance of the gorge. Then begins -an easy and interesting promenade up the bed of the brook. - -This is a remarkable rock-gallery, driven several hundred feet into -the heart of the mountain, through which an ice-cold brook rushes. The -miracle of Moses seems repeated here sublimely. Some unknown power smote -the rock, and the prisoned stream gushed forth free and lightsome as -air. You approach it over broad ledges of freckled granite, polished -by the constant flow of a thin, pellucid sheet of water to slippery -smoothness. Proceeding a short distance up this natural esplanade, you -enter a damp and gloomy fissure between perpendicular walls, rising -seventy feet above the stream, and, on lifting your eyes suddenly, -espy an enormous bowlder tightly wedged between the cliffs. Now try to -imagine a force capable of grasping the solid rock and dividing it in -halves as easily as you would an apple with your two hands. - -[Illustration: THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH.] - -At sight of the suspended bowlder, which seems, like Paul Pry, to have -"just dropped in," I believe every visitor has his moment of hesitation, -which he usually ends by passing underneath, paying as he goes with a -tremor of the nerves, more or less, for his temerity. But there is no -danger. It is seen that the deep crevice, into which the rock seems -jammed with the especial purpose of holding it asunder, also hugs the -intruder like a vise; so closely, indeed, that, according to every -appearance, it must stay where it is until doomsday, unless released by -some passing earthquake from its imprisonment. Sentimental tourists do -not omit to find a moral in this curiosity, which really looks to be on -the eve of dropping, with a loud splash, into the torrent beneath. On -top of the cliffs I picked up a visiting-card, on which some one with -a poetic turn had written, "Does not this bowlder remind you of the -sword of Damocles?" To a civil question, civil reply: No; to me it looks -like a nut in a cracker. - -Over the gorge bends an arcade of interlaced foliage shot through and -through with sunshine; and wherever cleft or cranny can be found young -birches, sword-ferns, trailing vines, insinuating their long roots in -the damp mould, garland the cold granite with tenderest green. The -exquisite white anemone blooms in the mossy wall wet with tiny streams -that do not run but glide unperceived down. What could be more cunning -than the persistency with which these hardy waifs, clinging or drooping -along the craggy way, draw their sustenance from the rock, which seems -to nourish them in spite of itself? Underneath your feet the swollen -torrent storms along the gorge, dashing itself recklessly against -intruding bowlders, or else passing them with a curl of disdain. How -gallantly it surmounts every obstacle in its way! How crystal-clear are -its waters! On it speeds, scattering pearls and diamonds right and left, -like the prodigal it is; unpolluted, as yet, by the filth of cities, or -turned into a languid, broken-spirited drudge by dams or mill-wheels. -"Stop me?" it seems exclaiming. "Why, I am offspring of the clouds, -their messenger to the parched earth, the mountain maid-of-all-work! -Stay; step aside here in the sun and I will show you my rainbow-signet! -When I rest, do you not behold the mother imaged in the features of the -child? Stop me! Put your hand in my bosom and see how strong and full -of life are my pulse-beats. To-morrow I shall be vapor. Thought is not -freer. I do not belong to earth any more than the eagle sailing above -yonder mountain-top." - -Overhead a fallen tree-trunk makes a crazy bridge from cliff to cliff. -The sight of the gorge, with the flood foaming far below, the glitter -of falling waters through the trees, the splendid light in the midst of -deepest gloom, the solemn pines--the odorous forest, the wildness and -the coolness--impart an indescribable charm to the spot that makes us -reluctant to leave it. Many ladies ascend to the head of the gorge and, -crossing on the rude bridge, leave their visiting-cards on the other -side; one had left her pocket-handkerchief, with the scent fresh upon -it. I picked it up, and out hopped a toad. - -After the Pool and the Flume, an ascent of the mountain behind the hotel -will be found conducive to enjoyment of another kind. This mountain -commands delicious views of the valley of the Pemigewasset. A short hour -is usually sufficient for the climb. It was a very raw, windy morning -on which I climbed it, but the uncommon purity of the air and the -exceeding beauty of the landscape were most rarely combined with cloud -effects seen only in conjunction with a brisk north-west wind. I had -taken a station similar to that occupied by Mount Willard with respect -to the Saco Valley, now opening a vista essentially different from -that most memorable one in my mountain experience. The valley is not -the same. You see the undulating course of the river for many leagues, -and but for an intercepting hill, which hides them, might distinguish -the houses of Plymouth. The vales of Woodstock, Thornton, and Campton, -spotted with white houses, lie outspread in the sun, between enclosing -mountains; and the windings of the Pemigewasset are now seen dark and -glossy, now white with foam, appearing, disappearing, and finally lost -to view in the blended distance. The sky was packed with clouds. Over -the vivid green of the intervales their black shadows drifted swiftly -and noiselessly, first turning the light on, then off again, with -magical effect. To look up and see these clouds all in motion, and then, -looking down, see those weird draperies darkly trailing over the land, -was a reminiscence of - - "The dim and shadowy armies of our unquiet dreams-- - Their footsteps brush the dewy fern and paint the shaded streams." - -The mountain ridges flowed southward with marvellous smoothness to the -vanishing-point, on one side of the valley bright green, on the other -indigo blue. This picture was not startling, like that from the Crawford -Notch, but, in its own way, was incomparable. The sunsets are said to be -beautiful beyond description. - -One looks up the Notch upon the great central peaks composing -the water-shed--Cannon, Lafayette, Lincoln, and the rest--to see -crags, ridges, black forests, rising before him in all their gloomy -magnificence. - -[Illustration: THE BASIN.] - -On one side all is beauty, harmony, and grace; on the other, a packed -mass of bristling, steep-sided mountains seem storming the sky with -their gray turrets. Could we but look over the brawny shoulders of the -mountains opposite to us, the eye would take in the vast, untrodden -solitudes of the Pemigewasset forests cut by the East Branch and -presided over by Mount Carrigain--a region as yet reserved for those -restless and adventurous spirits whom the beaten paths of travel have -ceased to charm or attract. But an excursion into this "forest primeval" -is to be no holiday promenade. It is an arduous and difficult march -over slippery rocks, through tangled thickets, or up the beds of -mountain torrents. Hard fare and a harder bed of boughs finish the day, -every hour of which has been a continued combat with fresh obstacles. -At this price one may venture to encounter the virgin wilderness or, as -the cant phrase is, "try roughing it." It is a curious feeling to turn -your back upon the last cart-path, then upon the last foot-path; to hear -the distant baying of a hound grow fainter and fainter--in a word, to -exchange at a single step the sights and sounds of civilized life, the -movement, the bustle, for a silence broken only by the hum of bees and -the murmur of invisible waters. - -I left the Flume House in company with a young-old man, whom I met -there, and in whom I hoped to find another and a surer pair of eyes, -for, were he to have as many as Argus, the sight-seer would find -employment for them all. - -While gayly threading the green-wood, we came upon a miniature edition -of the Pool, situated close to the highway, called the Basin. A basin -in fact it is, and a bath fit for the gods. It is plain to see that -the stream once poured over the smooth ledges here, instead of making -its exit by the present channel. A cascade falls into it with hollow -roar. This cistern has been worn by the rotary motion of large pebbles -which the little cascade, pouring down into it from above, set and -kept actively whirling and grinding at its own mad caprice. But this -was not the work of a day. Long and constant attrition only could have -scooped this cavity out of the granite, which is here so clean, smooth, -and white, and filled to the brim with a grayish-emerald water, light, -limpid, and incessantly replenished by the effervescent cascade. In the -beginning this was doubtless an insignificant crevice, into which a few -pebbles and a handful of sand were dropped by the stream, but which, -having no way of escape, were kept in a perpetual tread-mill, until what -was at first a mere hole became as we now see it. The really curious -feature of the stone basin is a strip of granite projecting into it -which closely resembles a human leg and foot, luxuriously cooling itself -in the stream. Such queer freaks of nature are not merely curious, -but they while away the hours so agreeably that time and distance are -forgotten. - -As we walked on, the hills were constantly hemming us in closer and -closer. Suddenly we entered a sort of crater, with high mountains all -around. One impulse caused us to halt and look about us. In full view -at our left the inaccessible precipices of Mount Cannon rose above a -mountain of shattered stones, which ages upon ages of battering have -torn piecemeal from it. Its base was heaped high with these ruins. -Seldom has it fallen to my lot to see anything so grandly typical -of the indomitable as this sorely battered and disfigured mountain -citadel, which nevertheless lifts and will still lift its unconquerable -battlements so long as one stone remains upon another. Hewed and -hacked, riven and torn, gashed and defaced in countless battles, one -can hardly repress an emotion of pity as well as of admiration. I do -not recollect, in all these mountains, another such striking example -of the denuding forces with which they are perpetually at war. When we -see mountains crumbling before our very eyes, may we not begin to doubt -the stability of things that we are pleased to call eternal? Still, -although it seems erected solely for the pastime of all the powers of -destruction, this one, so glorious in its unconquerable resolve to die -at its post--this one, exposing its naked breast to the fury of its -deadliest foes--so stern and terrific of aspect, so high and haughty, -so dauntlessly throwing down the gauntlet to Fate itself--assures us -that the combat will be long and obstinate, and that the mountain will -fall at last, if fall it must, with the grace and heroism of a gladiator -in the Roman arena. The gale flies at it with a shriek of impotent -rage. Winter strips off its broidered tunic and flings white dust in -its aged face. Rust corrodes, rains drench, fires scorch it; lightning -and frost are forever searching out the weak spots in its harness; but, -still uplifting its adamantine crest, it receives unshaken the stroke -or the blast, spurns the lightning, mocks the thunder, and stands fast. -Underneath is a little lake, which at sunset resembles a pool of blood -that has trickled drop by drop from the deep wounds in the side of the -mountain. - -We are still advancing in this region of wonders. In our front soars an -insuperable mass of forest-shagged rock. Behind it rises the absolutely -regal Lafayette. Our footsteps are stayed by the glimmer of water -through trees by the road-side. We have reached the summit of the pass. - -Six miles of continued ascent from the Flume House have brought us to -Profile Lake, which the road skirts. Although a pretty enough piece of -water, it is not for itself this lake is resorted to by its thousands, -or for being the source of the Pemigewasset, or for its trout--which -you take for the reflection of birds on its burnished surface--but for -the mountain rising high above, whose wooded slopes it so faithfully -mirrors. Now lift the eyes to the bare summit! It is difficult to -believe the evidence of the senses! Upon the high cliffs of this -mountain is the remarkable and celebrated natural rock sculpture of a -human head, which, from a height twelve hundred feet above the lake, -has for uncounted ages looked with the same stony stare down the pass -upon the windings of the river through its incomparable valley. The -profile itself measures about forty feet from the tip of the chin to -the flattened crown which imparts to it such a peculiarly antique -appearance. All is perfect, except that the forehead is concealed by -something like the visor of a helmet. And all this illusion is produced -by several projecting crags. It might be said to have been begotten by a -thunder-bolt. - -Taking a seat within a rustic arbor on the high shore of the lake, -one is at liberty to peruse at leisure what, I dare say, is the most -extraordinary sight of a lifetime. A change of position varies more or -less the character of the expression, which is, after all, the marked -peculiarity of this monstrous _alto relievo_; for let the spectator -turn his gaze vacantly upon the more familiar objects at hand--as he -inevitably will, to assure himself that he is not the victim of some -strange hallucination--a fascination born neither of admiration nor -horror, but strongly partaking of both emotions, draws him irresistibly -back to the Dantesque head stuck, like a felon's, on the highest -battlements of the pass. The more you may have seen, the more your -feelings are disciplined, the greater the confusion of ideas. The moment -is come to acknowledge yourself vanquished. This is not merely a face, -it is a portrait. That is not the work of some cunning chisel, but a -cast from a living head. You feel and will always maintain that those -features have had a living and breathing counterpart. Nothing more, -nothing less. - -But where and what was the original prototype? Not man; since, ages -before he was created, the chisel of the Almighty wrought this sculpture -upon the rock above us. No, not man; the face is too majestic, too -nobly grand, for anything of mortal mould. One of the antique gods may, -perhaps, have sat for this archetype of the coming man. And yet not man, -we think, for the head will surely hold the same strange converse with -futurity when man shall have vanished from the face of the earth. - -This gigantic silhouette, which has been dubbed the Old Man of the -Mountain, is unquestionably the greatest curiosity of this or any other -mountain region. It is unique. But it is not merely curious; nor is -it more marvellous for the wonderful accuracy of outline than for the -almost superhuman expression of frozen terror it eternally fixes on the -vague and shadowy distance--a far-away look; an intense and speechless -amazement, such as sometimes settles on the faces of the dying at the -moment the soul leaves the body forever--untranslatable into words, but -seeming to declare the presence of some unutterable vision, too bright -and dazzling for mortal eyes to behold. The face puts the whole world -behind it. It does everything but speak--nay, you are ready to swear -that it is going to speak! And so this chance jumbling together of a few -stones has produced a sculpture before which Art hangs her head. - -I renounce in dismay the idea of reproducing the effect on the reader's -mind which this prodigy produced on my own. Impressions more pronounced, -yet at the same time more inexplicable, have never so effectually -overcome that habitual self-command derived from many experiences of -travel among strange and unaccustomed scenes. From the moment the -startled eye catches it one is aware of a _Presence_ which dominates the -spirit, first with strange fear, then by that natural revulsion which -at such moments makes the imagination supreme, conducts straight to -the supernatural, there to leave it helplessly struggling in a maze of -impotent conjecture. But, even upon this debatable ground, between two -worlds, one is not able to surprise the secret of those lips of marble. -The Sphinx overcomes us by his stony, his disdainful silence. Let the -visitor be ever so unimpassioned, surely he must be more than mortal to -resist the impression of mingled awe, wonder, and admiration which a -first sight of this weird object forces upon him. He is, indeed, less -than human if the feeling does not continually grow and deepen while -he looks. The face is so amazing, that I have often tried to imagine -the sensations of him who first discovered it peering from the top of -the mountain with such absorbed, open-mouthed wonder. Again I see the -tired Indian hunter, pausing to slake his thirst by the lake-side, -start as his gaze suddenly encounters this terrific apparition. I -fancy the half-uttered exclamation sticking in his throat. I behold -him standing there with bated breath, not daring to stir hand or foot, -his white lips parted, his scared eyes dilated, until his own swarthy -features exactly reflect that unearthly, that intense amazement stamped -large and vivid upon the livid rock. There he remains, rooted to the -spot, unable to reason, trembling in every limb. For him there are no -accidents of nature; for him everything has its design. His moment of -terrible suspense is hardly difficult to understand, seeing how careless -thousands that come and go are thrilled, and awed, and silenced, -notwithstanding you tell them the face is nothing but rocks. - -[Illustration: THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.] - -If the effect upon minds of the common order be so pronounced, a first -sight of the Great Stone Face may easily be supposed to act powerfully -upon the imaginative and impressible. The novelist, Hawthorne, makes -it the interpreter of a noble life. For him the Titanic countenance is -radiant with majestic benignity. He endows it with a soul, surrounds the -colossal brow with the halo of a spiritual grandeur, and, marshalling -his train of phantoms, proceeds to pass inexorable judgment upon them. -Another legend--like its predecessor, too long for our pages--runs to -the effect that a painter who had resolved to paint Christ sitting in -judgment, and who was filled with the grandeur of his subject, wandered -up and down the great art palaces, the cathedrals of the Old World, -seeking in vain a model which should in all things be the embodiment of -his ideal. In despair at the futility of his search he hears a strange -report, brought by some pious missionaries from the New World, of a -wonderful image of the human face which the Indians looked upon with -sacred veneration. The painter immediately crossed the sea, and caused -himself to be guided to the spot, where he beheld, in the profile of the -great White Mountains, the object of his search and fulfilment of his -dream. The legend is entitled _Christus Judex._ - -Had Byron visited this place of awe and mystery, his "Manfred," the -scene of which is laid among the mountains of the Bernese Alps, would -doubtless have had a deeper and perhaps gloomier impulse; but even among -the eternal realms of ice the poet never beheld an object that could -so arouse the gloomy exaltation he has breathed into that tragedy. His -line-- - - "Bound to earth, he lifts his eye to heaven"-- - -becomes descriptive here. - -Again and again we turn to the face. We go away to wonder if it is still -there. We come back to wonder still more. An emotion of pity mingles -with the rest. Time seems to have passed it by. It seems undergoing some -terrible sentence. It is a greater riddle than the gigantic stone face -on the banks of the Nile. - -All effects of light and shadow are so many changes of countenance or of -expression. I have seen the face cut sharp and clear as an antique cameo -upon the morning sky. I have seen it suffused, nay, almost transfigured, -in the sunset glow. Often and often does a cloud rest upon its brow. I -have seen it start fitfully out of the flying scud to be the next moment -smothered in clouds. I have heard the thunder roll from its lips of -stone. I recall the sunken cheeks, wet with the damps of its night-long -vigil, glistening in the morning sunshine--smiling through tears. I -remember its emaciated visage streaked and crossed with wrinkles that -the snow had put there in a night; but never have I seen it insipid or -commonplace. On the contrary, the overhanging brow, the antique nose, -the protruding under-lip, the massive chin, might belong to another -Prometheus chained to the rock, but whom no punishment could make lower -his haughty head. - -I lingered by the margin of the lake watching the play of the clouds -upon the water, until a loud and resonant peal, followed by large, warm -drops, admonished me to seek the nearest shelter. And what thunder! -The hills rocked. What echoes! The mountains seemed knocking their -stony heads together. What lightning! The very heavens cracked with the -flashes. - - "Far along - From peak to peak the rattling crags among - Leaps the live thunder! not from one lone cloud, - But every mountain now hath found a tongue, - And Jura answers, through her misty shroud, - Back to the joyous Alps, who call to her aloud!" - - - - -III. - -_THE KING OF FRANCONIA._ - - Hills draw like heaven - And stronger, sometimes, holding out their hands - To pull you from the vile flats up to them. - E. B. BROWNING. - - -At noon we reached the spacious and inviting Profile House, which is -hid away in a deep and narrow glen, nearly two thousand feet above -the sea. No situation could be more sequestered or more charming. The -place seems stolen from the unkempt wilderness that shuts it in. An -oval, grassy plain, not extensive, but bright and smiling, spreads its -green between a grisly precipice and a shaggy mountain. And there, if -you-will believe me, in front of the long, white-columned hotel, like a -Turkish rug on a carpet, was a pretty flower-garden. Like those flowers -on the lawn were beauties sauntering up and down in exquisite morning -toilets, coquetting with their bright-colored parasols, and now and then -glancing up at the grim old mountains with that air of elegant disdain -which is so redoubtable a weapon--even in the mountains. Little children -fluttered about the grass like beautiful butterflies, and as unmindful -of the terrors that hovered over them so threateningly. Nurses in their -stiff grenadier caps and white aprons, lackeys in livery, cadets in -uniform, elegant equipages, blooded horses, dainty shapes on horseback, -cavaliers, and last, but not least, the resolute pedestrian, or the -gentlemen strollers up and down the shaded avenues, made up a scene as -animated as attractive. There is tonic in the air: there is healing in -the balm of these groves. Even the horses step out more briskly. Peals -of laughter startle the solemn old woods. You hear them high up the -mountain side. There go a pair of lovers, the gentleman with his book, -whose most telling passages he has carefully conned, the lady with her -embroidery, over which she bends lower as he reads on. Ah, happy days! -What is this youth, which, having it, we are so eager to escape, and, -when it is gone, we look back upon with such longing? - -[Illustration: EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE.] - -The lofty crag opposite the hotel is Eagle Cliff, a name at once -legitimate and satisfying, although it is now untenanted by the eagles -which formerly made their home in the security of its precipitous -rocks. The cliff is also seen to great advantage from Echo Lake, half a -mile farther on, of which it constitutes a striking feature. In simple -parlance it is an advanced spur of Mount Lafayette. The high and curving -wall of this cliff encloses on one side the Profile Glen, while Mount -Cannon forms the other. The precipices tower so far above the glen that -large trees look like shrubs. Behind Eagle Cliff, almost isolating it -from the mountain, of which it is the barbacan, a hideous ravine yawns -upon the pass. Here and there, among the thick-set evergreen trees, -beech and birch and maple, spread masses of rich green, and mottle it -with softness. The purple rock bulges daringly out, forming a parapet of -adamant. - -The turf underneath the cliff was most beautifully and profusely -spangled with the delicate pink anemone, the _fleur des fes_, that -pale darling of our New England woods, to which the arbutus resigns the -sceptre of spring. It is a moving sight to see these little drooping -flowers, so shy and modest, yet so meek and trustful, growing at the -foot of a bare and sterile rock. The face hardened looking up; grew -soft looking down. "Don't tread on us!" "May not a flower look up at a -mountain?" they seem to plead. Lightly fall the dews upon your upturned -faces, dear little flowers! Soft be the sunshine and gentle the winds -that kiss those sky-tinted cheeks! In thy sweet purity and innocence -I see faces that are beneath the sod, flowers that have blossomed in -Paradise. - -We see also, from the hotel, the singular rock that occasioned the -change of name from Profile to Cannon Mountain. It nearly resembles a -piece of heavy ordnance protruding, threateningly, from the parapet of a -fortress. - -Taking one of the well-worn paths conducting to the water-side, a few -minutes' walk brings us to the shore of Echo Lake, with Eagle Cliff now -rising grandly on our right. Nowhere among the White Hills is there a -fuller realization of a mountain lake than this. Light flaws frost it -with silver. Sharp keels cut it as diamonds cut glass. The water is so -transparent that you see fishes swimming or floating indolently about. - -[Illustration: ECHO LAKE.] - -Echo Lake is somewhat larger than Profile Lake, and is only a step -from the road. Its sources are in the hundred streams that descend the -surrounding mountains, and its waters are discharged by the valley, -lying between us and the heights of Bethlehem, into the Ammonoosuc. -Therefore, in coming from one lake to the other we have crossed the -summit of the pass. On one side the waters flow to the Merrimac, on the -other to the Connecticut. An idle fancy tempted me to bring a cup of -water from Profile and cast it into Echo Lake, forgetting that, although -divided in their lives, the twin lakes had yet a common destiny in the -abyss of the ocean. I found the outlook from the boat-house on the whole -the most satisfying, because one looks back directly through the deep -chasm of the Notch. - -In this beautiful little mountain-tarn the true artist finds his ideal. -The snowy peak of Lafayette looked down into it with a freezing stare. -Cannon Mountain now showed his retreating wall on the right. The huge, -castellated rampart of Eagle Cliff lifted on its borders precipices -dripping with moisture, and glistening in the sun like casements. -Except for the lake, the whole aspect would be irredeemably savage -and forbidding--a blind landscape; but when the sun sinks behind the -long ridge of Mount Cannon, purpling all these grisly crags, and the -cloaked shadows, groping their way foot by foot up the ravines, seem -spectres risen from the depths of the lake, you see, underneath the -cliffs, long and slender spears of golden light thrust deep into its -black and glossy tide, crimsoning it as with its own life-blood. Then, -too, is the proper moment for surprising these vain old mountains -viewing themselves in their mountain mirror, in which the bald, the -wrinkled, and the decrepit appear young, vigorous, and gloriously fair; -to see them gloating over their swarthy features like the bandit in -"Fra Diavolo." Their ragged mantles are changed to gaudy cashmeres, -picturesquely twisted about their brawny shoulders, their snows to -laces. Oh the pomp, the majesty of these sunsets, which so glorify -the upturned faces of the haggard cliffs; which transmute, as in the -miracle, water into wine; which instantly transform these rugged -mountain walls into gates of jasper, and ruby, and onyx--glowing, -effulgent, enrapturing! And then, after the sun drops wearily down the -west, that gauze-like vapor, spun from the breath of evening, rising -like incense from the surface of the lake, which the mountains put on -for the masque of night; and, finally, the inquisitive stars piercing -the lake with ice-cold gleams, or the full-moon breaking in one great -burst of splendor on its level surface! - -The echo adds its feats of ventriloquism. The marvel of the phonograph -is but a mimicry of Nature, the universal teacher. Now the man blows -a strong, clear blast upon a long Alpine horn, and, like a bugle-call -flying from camp to camp, the martial signal is repeated, not once, but -again and again, in waves of bewitching sweetness and with the exquisite -modulations of the wood-thrush's note. From covert to covert, now here, -now there, it chants its rapturous melody. Once again it glides upon -the entranced ear, and still we lean in breathless eagerness to catch -the last faint cadence sighing itself away upon the palpitating air. A -cannon was then fired. The report and echo came with the flash. In a -moment more a deep and hollow rumbling sound, as if the mountains were -splitting their huge sides with suppressed laughter, startled us. - -The ascent of Mount Lafayette fittingly crowns the series of excursions -through which we have passed since leaving Plymouth. This mountain -dominates the valleys north and south with undisputed sway. It is the -King of Franconia. - -At seven in the morning I crossed the little clearing, and, turning into -the path leading to the summit, found myself at the beginning of a steep -ascent. It was one of the last and fairest days of that bright season -which made the poet exclaim, - - "And what is so fair as a day in June?" - -The thunder-storm of the previous afternoon, which continued its furious -cannonade at intervals throughout the night, had purified the air and -given promise of a day favorable for the ascension. No clouds were upon -the mountains. Everything betokened a pacific disposition. - -[Illustration: MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, LAFAYETTE.] - -The path at once attacks the south side of Eagle Cliff. A short way up, -openings afford fine views of Mount Cannon and its weird profile, of the -valley below, and of the glen we have just left. The stupendous mass of -Eagle Cliff, suspended a thousand feet over your head, accelerates the -pace. - -After an hour of steady, but not rapid, climbing, the path turned -abruptly under the shattered, but still formidable, precipices of the -cliff, which rose some distance higher, skirted it awhile, and then -began to zigzag among huge rocks along the narrow ridge uniting the -cliff with the mass of the mountain. Two deep ravines fall away on -either side. For two or three hundred yards, from the time the shoulder -of the cliff is turned until the mountain itself is reached, the walk -is as romantic an episode of mountain climbing as any I can recall, -except the narrow gully of Chocorua. But this passage presents no such -difficulties as must be overcome there. Although heaped with rocks, the -way is easy, and is quite level. In one place, where it glides between -two prodigious masses of rock dislodged from the cliff, it is so narrow -as to admit only a single person at a time. When I turned to look back -down the black ravine, cutting into the south side of the mountain, my -eye met nothing but immense rocks stopped in their descent on the very -edge of the gulf. It is among these that a way has been found for the -path, which was to me a reminiscence of the high defiles of the Isthmus -of Darien; to complete the illusion, nothing was now wanting except the -tinkling bells of the mules and the song of the muleteer. I climbed upon -one of the high rocks, and gazed to my full content upon the granite -parapet of Mount Cannon. - -In a few rods more the path encountered the great ravine opening into -the valley of Gale River. Through its wide trough brilliant strips of -this valley gleamed out far below. The village of Franconia and the -heights of Lisbon and Bethlehem now appeared on this side. - -I think that the perception of a distance climbed is greater to one who -is looking down from a great height than to one looking up. Doubtless -the imagination, which associates the plunging lines of a deep gorge -with the horror of a fall, has much to do with this impression. Upon -crossing a bridge of logs, the peak of Lafayette leaped up; yet so -distant as to promise no easy conquest. Somewhere down the gorge I heard -the roar of a brook; then the report of the cannon at Echo Lake; but up -here there was no echo. - -The usual indications now assured me that I was nearing the top. In -three-quarters of an hour from the time of leaving the natural bridge, -joining Eagle Cliff with the mountain, I stood upon the first of the -great billows which, rolling in to a common centre, appear to have -forced the true summit a thousand feet higher. - -The first, perhaps the most curious, thing that I noticed--for one -hardly suspects the existence of considerable bodies of water in these -high regions, and, therefore, never comes upon them except unawares--was -two little lakelets, nestling in the hollow between me and the main -peak. Reposing amid the sterility of the high peaks, these lakes -surround themselves with such plants as have survived the ascent from -below, or, nourished by the snows of the summit, those that never do -descend into temperate climates. Thus an appearance of fertility--one -of those deceptions that we welcome, knowing it to be such--greets us -unexpectedly. But its appearance is weird and forbidding. Here the -extremes of arctic and temperate vegetation meet and embrace; here the -flowers of the valley annually visit their pale sisters, banished by -Nature to these Siberian solitudes; and here the rough, strong Alpine -grass, striking its roots deep among the atoms of sand, granite, or -flint, lives almost in defiance of Nature herself; and when the snows -come and the freezing north winds blow, and it can no longer stand -erect, throws itself upon the tender plants, like a brave soldier -expiring on the body of his helpless comrade, saved by his own devotion. - -But these Alpine lakes always provoke a smile. When some distance -beyond the Eagle Lakes, as they are called, and higher, I caught, -underneath a wooded ridge of Cannon, the sparkle of one hidden among -the summits on the opposite side of the Notch. The immense, solitary -Kinsman Mountain overtops Cannon as easily as Cannon does Eagle Cliff. -In its dark setting of the thickest and blackest forests this lake -blazed like one of the enormous diamonds which our forefathers so firmly -believed existed among these mountains. They call this water--only to -be discovered by getting above it--Lonesome Lake, and in summer it is -the chosen retreat of one well known to American literature, whom the -mountains know, and who knows them. - -I descended the slope to the plateau on which the lakes lie, soon -gaining the rush-grown shore of the nearest. Its water was hardly -drinkable, but your thirsty climber is not apt to be too fastidious. -These lakes are prettier from a distance; the spongy and yielding moss, -the sickly yellow sedge surrounding them, and the rusty brown of the -brackish water, do not invite us to tarry long. - -[Illustration: CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE.] - -The ascent of the pinnacle now began. It is too much a repetition, -though by no means as toilsome, of the Mount Washington climb to merit -particular description. This peak, too, seems disinherited by Nature. -The last trees encountered are the stunted firs with distorted little -trunks, which it may have required half a century to grow as thick as -the wrist. I left the region of Alpine trees to enter that of gray -rocks, constantly increasing in size toward the summit, where they were -confusedly piled in ragged ridges, one upon another, looming large and -threateningly in the distance. But as often as I stopped to breathe -I scanned "the landscape o'er" with all the delight of a wholly new -experience. The fascination of being on a mountain-top has yet to be -explained. Perhaps, after all, it is not susceptible of analysis. - -After gaining the highest visible point, to find the real summit -still beyond, I stopped to drink at a delicious spring trickling from -underneath a large rock, around which the track wound. I was now among -the ruin and demolition of the summit, standing in the midst of a vast -atmospheric ocean. - -Had I staked all my hopes upon the distant view, no choice but -disappointment was mine to accept. Steeped in the softest, dreamiest -azure that ever dull earth borrowed from bright heaven, a hundred peaks -lifted their airy turrets on high. These castles of the air--for I will -maintain that they were nothing else--loomed with enchanting grace, -the nearest like battlements of turquoise and amethyst, or, receding -through infinite gradations to the merest shadows, seemed but the dusky -reflection of those less remote. The air was full of illusions. There -was bright sunshine, yet only a deluge of semi-opaque golden vapor. -There were forms without substance. See those iron-ribbed, deep-chested -mountains! I declare it seemed as if a swallow might fly through them -with ease! Over the great Twin chain were traced, apparently on the air -itself, some humid outlines of surpassing grace which I recognized for -the great White Mountains. It was a dream of the great poetic past: of -the golden age of Milton and of Dante. The mountains seemed dissolving -and floating away before my eyes. - -Stretched beneath the huge land-billows, the valleys--north, south, or -west--reflected the fervid sunshine with softened brilliance, and all -those white farms and hamlets spotting them looked like flakes of foam -in the hollows of an immense ocean. - -Heaven forbid that I should profane such a scene with the dry recital -of this view or that! I did not even think of it. A study of one of -Nature's most capricious moods interested me far more than a study of -topography. How should I know that what I saw were mountains, when the -earth itself was not clearly distinguishable? Alone, surrounded by all -these delusions, I had, indeed, a support for my feet, but none whatever -for the bewildered senses. - -I found the mountain-top untenanted except by horse-flies, black gnats, -and active little black spiders. These swarmed upon the rocks. I also -found buttercups, the mountain-cranberry, and a heath, bearing a little -white flower, blossoming near the summit. There were the four walls of a -ruined building, a cairn, and a signal-staff to show that some one had -been before me. This staff is 5259 feet above the ocean, or 3245 feet -above the summit of the Franconia Pass. - -The ascent required about three, and the descent about two hours. The -distance is not much less than four miles; but, these miles being a -nearly uninterrupted climb from the base to the summit of the mountain, -haste is out of the question, if going up, and imprudent, if coming -down. There are no breakneck or dangerous places on the route; nor any -where the traveller is liable to lose his way, even in a fog, except -on the first summit, where the new and old paths meet, and where a -guide-board should be erected. - - - - -IV. - -_FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD._ - - Believe if thou wilt that mountains change their places, but - believe not that men change their dispositions.--_Oriental Proverb_. - - -Although one may make the journey from the Profile House to Bethlehem -with greater ease and rapidity by the railway recently constructed along -the side of the Franconia range, preference will unquestionably be given -to the old way by all who would not lose some of the most striking views -the neighborhood affords. Beginning near the hotel, the railway skirts -the shore of Echo Lake, and then plunges into a forest it was the first -to invade. By a descent of one hundred feet to the mile, for nine and -a half miles, it reaches the Ammonoosuc at Bethlehem station. I have -nothing to say against the locomotive, but then I should not like to go -through the gallery of the Louvre behind one. - -[Illustration: FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH.] - -From Echo Lake the high-road to Franconia, Littleton, and Bethlehem -winds down the steep mountain side into the valley of Gale River. To -the left, in the middle distance, appear the little church-tower and -white buildings constituting the village of Franconia Iron Works. This -village is charmingly placed for effectively commanding a survey of the -amphitheatre of mountains which isolates it from the neighboring towns -and settlements. - -As we come down the three-mile descent, from the summit of the pass -to the level of the deep valley, and to the northern base of the -notch-mountains, an eminence rises to the left. Half-way up, occupying -a well-chosen site, there is a hotel, and on the high ridge another -commands not only this valley, but also those lying to the west of it. -On the opposite side to us rise the green heights of Bethlehem, Mount -Agassiz being conspicuous by the observatory on its summit. Those -farm-houses dotting the hill-side show how the road crooks and turns to -get to the top. Following these heights westward, a deep rift indicates -the course of the stream dividing the valley, and of the highway to -Littleton. Between these walls the long ellipse of fertile land beckons -us to descend. - -I am always most partial to those grassy lanes and by-ways going no one -knows where, especially if they have well-sweeps and elm-trees in them; -but here also is the old red farm-house, with its antiquated sweep, -its colony of arching elms, its wild-rose clustering above the porch, -its embodiment of those magical words, "Home, sweet home." It fits the -rugged landscape as no other habitation can. It fits it to a T, as -we say in New England. More than this, it unites us with another and -different generation. What a story of toil, privation, endurance these -old walls could tell! How genuine the surprise with which they look down -upon the more modern houses of the village! Here, too, is the Virginia -fence, on which the king of the barn-yard defiantly perches. There is -the field behind it, and the men scattering seed in the fallow earth. -Yonder, in the mowing-ground, a laborer is sharpening his scythe, the -steel ringing musically under the quick strokes of his "rifle." - -Over there, to the left, is the rustic bridge, and hard by a clump of -peeled birches throw their grateful shade over the hot road. Many stop -here, for the white-columned trunks are carved with initials, some -freshly cut, some mere scars. But why mutilate the tree? What signify -those letters, that every idler should gratify his little vanity by -giving it a stab? Do you know that the birch does not renew its bark, -and that the tree thus stripped of its natural protection is doomed? -Cease, then, I pray you, this senseless mutilation; nor call down the -just malediction of the future traveller for destroying his shade. -Unable to escape its fate, the poor tree, like a victim at the stake, -stoically receives your barbarous strokes and gashes. Refrain, then, -traveller, for pity's sake! Have a little mercy! Know that the ancients -believed the tree possessed of a soul. Remember the touching story -of Adonis, barbarously wounded, surviving in a pine, where he weeps -eternally. Consider how often is the figure of "The Tree" used in the -Scriptures as emblematic of the life eternal! Who would wish to inhabit -a treeless heaven? - -The stream--which does not allow us to forget that it is here--is a -vociferous mountain brook. Hardly less forward is the roadside fountain -gushing into a water-trough its refreshing abundance for the tired and -dusty wayfarer. It makes no difference in the world whether he goes -on two legs or on four. "Drink and be filled" is the invitation thus -generously held out to all alike. With what a sigh of pleasure your -steaming beast lifts his reluctant and dripping muzzle from the cool -wave, and after satisfying again and again his thirst, luxuriously -immersing his nose for the third and fourth time, still pretends to -drink! How deliciously light and limpid and sparkling is the water, and -how sweet! How it cools the hot blood! You quaff nectar. You sip it as -you would champagne. It tastes far better, you think, pouring from this -half-decayed, moss-crusted spout than from iron, or bronze, or marble. -Come, fellow-traveller, a bumper! Fill high! God bless the man who -first invented the roadside fountain! He was a true benefactor of his -fellow-man. - -[Illustration: THE ROADSIDE SPRING.] - -Turn once more to the house. A little girl tosses corn, kernel by -kernel, to her pet chickens. There go a flight of pigeons: they curvet -and wheel, and settle on the ridge-pole, where they begin to flirt, and -strut, and coo. The men in the field look up at the top of the mountain, -to see if it is not yet noon. And now a woman, with plump bare arms, -coming briskly to the open door, puts the dinner-horn to her lips with -one hand while placing the other lightly upon her hip. She does not know -that act and attitude are alike inviting. How should she? - -Let us follow the pretty stream that is our guide. Franconia has the -reputation of being the hottest in summer and in winter the coldest of -the mountain villages. It _is_ hot. The houses are strung along the road -for a mile. People may or may not live in them: you see nobody. One -modest church-tower catches the eye for a moment, and then, as we enter -the heart of the village, a square barrack of a building, just across -the stream, is pointed out as the old furnace, which in times past gave -importance to this out-of-the-way corner. But the old furnace is now -deserted except by cows from the neighboring pastures, who come and go -through its open doors in search of shade. At present the river, which -brings its music and its freshness to the very doors of the villagers, -is the only busy thing in the place. - -During the Rebellion the furnace was kept busy night and day, turning -out iron to be cast into cannon. The very hills were melted down for -the defence of the imperilled Union. In the adjoining town of Lisbon -the discovery of gold-bearing quartz turned the heads of the usually -steady-going population. The precious deposits were first found on the -Bailey farm, in 1865, and similar specimens were soon detected on the -farms adjoining. It is said the old people could scarcely be made to -credit these reports until they had seen and handled the precious metal; -for the country had been settled nearly a century, and the presence of -any but the baser ores was wholly unsuspected and disbelieved. - -There is one peculiarity, common to all these mountain villages, -to which I must allude. A stranger is not known by any personal -peculiarity, but by his horse. If you ask for such or such a person, -the chances are ten to one you will immediately be asked in return if -he drove a bay horse, or a black colt, or a brown mare with one white -ear; so quick are these lazy-looking men, that loll on the door-steps or -spread themselves out over the shop-counters, to observe what interests -them most. The girls here know the points of a horse better than most -men, and are far more reckless drivers than men. To a man who, like -myself, has lived in a horse-stealing country, it does look queerly to -see the barn-doors standing open at night. But then every country has -its own customs. - -One seeks in vain for any scraps of history or tradition that might -shed even a momentary lustre upon this village out of the past. Yet its -situation invites the belief that it is full of both. Disappointed in -this, we at least have an inexhaustible theme in the dark and tranquil -mountains bending over us. - -Mount Lafayette presents toward Franconia two enormous green billows, -rolled apart, the deep hollow between being the great ravine dividing -the mountain from base to summit. Over this deep incision, which, -from the irregularity of one of its ridges, looks widest at the top, -presides, with matchless dignity, the bared and craggy peak whose dusky -brown gradually mingles with the scant verdure checked hundreds of feet -down. With what hauteur it seems to regard this effort of Nature to -place a garland on its bronzed and knotted forehead! One can never get -over his admiration for the savage grace with which the mountain, which -at first sight seems literally thrown together, develops a beauty, a -harmony, and an intelligence giving such absolute superiority to works -of Nature over those of man. - -The side of Mount Cannon turned toward the village now elevates two -almost regular triangular masses, one rising behind the other, and -both surmounted by the rounded summit, which, except in its mass, has -little resemblance to a mountain. It is seen that on two-thirds of these -elevations a new forest has replaced the original growth. Twenty-five -years ago a destructive fire raged on this mountain, destroying all the -vegetation, as well as the thin soil down to the hard rock. Even that -was cracked and peeled like old parchment. This burning mountain was a -scene of startling magnificence during several nights, when the village -was as light as day, the sky overspread an angry glow, and the river -ran blood-red. The hump-backed ridges, connecting Cannon with Kinsman, -present nearly the same appearance from this as from the other side of -the Notch--or as remarked when approaching from Campton. - -The superb picture seen from the upper end of the valley, combining, as -it does, the two great chains in a single glance of the eye, is extended -and improved by going a mile out of the village to the school-house on -the Sugar Hill road. It is a peerless landscape. I have gazed at it for -hours with that ineffable delight which baffles all power of expression. -It will have no partakers. One must go there alone and see the setting -sun paint those vast shapes with colors the heavens alone are capable of -producing. - -Distinguished by the beautiful groves of maple that adorn its crest, -Sugar Hill is destined to grow more and more in the popular esteem. No -traveller should pass it by. It is so admirably placed as to command -in one magnificent sweep of the eye all the highest mountains; it is -also lifted into sun and air by an elevation sufficiently high to -reach the cooler upper currents. The days are not so breathless or -so stifling as they are down in the valley. You look deep into the -Franconia Notch, and watch the evening shadows creep up the great east -wall. Extending beyond these nearer mountains, the scarcely inferior -Twin summits pose themselves like gigantic athletes. Passing to the -other side of the valley, we see as far as the pale peaks of Vermont, -and those rising above the valley of Israel's River. But better than -all, grander than all, is that kingly coronet of great mountains set on -the lustrous green cushion of the valley. Nowhere, I venture to affirm, -will the felicity of the title, "Crown of New England,"[32] receive -more unanimous acceptance than from this favored spot. Especially when -a canopy of clouds overspreading permits the pointed peaks to reflect -the illuminated fires of sunset does the crown seem blazing with jewels -and precious stones. All the great summits are visible here, and all the -ravines, except those in Madison, are as clearly distinguished as if not -more than ten instead of twenty miles separated us. - -The high crest of Sugar Hill unfolds an unrivalled panorama. This is but -faint praise. Yet I find myself instinctively preferring the landscape -from Goodenow's; for those great horizons, uncovered all at once, like -a magnificent banquet, are too much for one pair of eyes, however good, -or however unwearied with continued sight-seeing. As we cannot look -at all the pictures of a gallery at once, we naturally single out the -masterpieces. The effort to digest too much natural scenery is a species -of intellectual gluttony the overtaxed brain will be quick to revenge, -by an attack of indigestion or a loss of appetite. - -I was very fond of walking, in the cool of the evening, either in this -direction or to the upper end of the village, on the Bethlehem road. -There is one point on this road, before it begins in earnest its ascent -of the heights, that became a favorite haunt of mine. Emerging from the -concealment of thick woods upon a sandy plain, covered here with a thick -carpet of verdure, and skirted by a regiment of pines seemingly awaiting -only the word of command to advance into the valley, a landscape second -to none that I have seen is before you. At the same time he would be -an audacious mortal who attempted to transfer it to page or canvas. -Nothing disturbs the exquisite harmony of the scene. To the left of -you are all the White Mountains, from Adams to Pleasant; in front, the -Franconia range, from Kinsman to the Great Haystack. Here is the deep -rent of the Notch from which we have but lately descended. Here, too, -overtopped and subjugated by the superb spire of Lafayette, the long -and curiously-distorted outline of Eagle Cliff pitches headlong down -into the half-open aperture of the pass. Nothing but an earthquake could -have made such a breach. How that tremendous, earth-swooping ridge seems -battered down by the blows of a huge mace! Unspeakably wild and stern, -the fractured mountains are to the valley what a raging tempest is to -the serenest of skies: one part of the heavens convulsed by the storm, -another all peace and calm. Thus from behind his impregnable outworks -Lafayette, stern and defiant, keeps eternal watch and ward over the -valley cowering at his feet. - -From this spot, too, sacred as yet from all intrusion, the profound -ravine, descending nearly from the summit of Lafayette, is fully -exposed. It is a thing of cracks, crevices, and rents; of upward -curves in brilliant light; of black, mysterious hollows, which the eye -investigates inch by inch, to where the gorge is swallowed up by the -thick forests underneath. The whole side of the principal peak seems -torn away. Up there, among the snows, is the source of a flashing stream -which comes roaring down through the gorge. Storms swell it into an -ungovernable and raging torrent. Thus under the folds of his mantle the -lordly peak carries peace or war for the vale. - -After the half-stifled feeling experienced among the great mountains, -it is indeed a rare pleasure to once more come forth into full -breathing-space, and to inspect at leisure from some friendly shade -the grandeur magnified by distance, yet divested of excitements that -set the brain whirling by the rapidity of their succession. If the -wayfarer chances to see, as I did, the whole noble array of high -summits presenting a long, snowy line of unsullied brilliance against -a background of pale azure, he will account it one of the crowning -enjoyments of his journey. - -The Bridal Veil Falls, lying on the northern slope of Mount Kinsman, -will, when a good path shall enable tourists to visit them, prove one -of the most attractive features of Franconia. Truth compels me to say -that I did not once hear them spoken of during the fortnight passed in -the village, although fishermen were continually bringing in trout from -the Copper-mine Brook, on which these falls are situated. The height of -the fall is given at seventy-six feet, and its surroundings are said -to be of the most romantic and picturesque character. Its marvellous -transparency, which permits the ledges to be seen through the gauze-like -sheet falling over them, has given to it its name. - -From Franconia I took the daily stage to Littleton, which lies on both -banks of the Ammonoosuc, and, turning my back upon the high mountains, -ran down the rail to Wells River, having the intention of cultivating a -more intimate acquaintance with that most noble and interesting entrance -formed by the meeting of the Ammonoosuc with the Connecticut. - - - - -V. - -_THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW._ - - Say, have the solid rocks - Into streams of silver been melted, - Flowing over the plains, - Spreading to lakes in the fields? - LONGFELLOW. - - -The Connecticut is justly named "the beautiful river," and its valley -"the garden of New England." Issuing from the heart of the northern -wilderness, it spreads boundless fertility throughout its stately march -to the sea. It is not a rapid river, but flows with an even and majestic -tide through its long avenue of mountains. Radiant envoy of the skies, -its mission is peace on earth and good-will toward men. As it advances -the confluent streams flock to it from their mountain homes. On one side -the Green Mountains of Vermont send their hundred tributaries to swell -its flood; on the other side the White Hills of New Hampshire pour their -impetuous torrents into its broad and placid bosom. Two States thus vie -with each other in contributing the wealth it lavishes with absolutely -impartial hand along the shores of each. - -Unlike the storied Rhine, no crumbling ruins crown the lofty heights -of this beautiful river. Its verdant hill-sides everywhere display the -evidences of thrift and happiness; its only fortresses are the watchful -and everlasting peaks that catch the earliest beams of the New England -sun and flash the welcome signal from tower to tower. From time to time -the mountains, which seem crowding its banks to see it pass, draw back, -as if to give the noble river room. It rewards this benevolence with -a garden-spot. Sometimes the mountains press too closely upon it, and -the offended stream repays this temerity with a barrenness equal to the -beneficence it has just bestowed. Where it is permitted to expand the -amphitheatres thus created are the highest types of decorative nature. -Graciously touching first one shore and then the other, making the -loveliest windings imaginable, the river actually seems on the point of -retracing its steps; but, yielding to destiny, it again resumes its -slow march, loitering meanwhile in the cool shadows of the mountains, or -indolently stretching itself at full length upon the green carpet of the -level meadows. Every traveller who has passed here has seen the Happy -Valley of Rasselas.[33] - -Such is the renowned Ox-Bow of Lower Cos. Tell me, you who have seen -it, if the sight has not caused a ripple of pleasurable excitement? - -Here the Connecticut receives the waters of the Ammonoosuc, flowing from -the very summit of the White Hills, and, in its turn, made to guide -the railway to its own birthplace among the snows of Mount Washington. -Here the valley, graven in long lines by the ploughshare, heaped with -fruitful orchards and groves, extends for many miles up and down its -checkered and variegated floor. But it is most beautiful between the -villages of Newbury and Haverhill, or at the Great and Little Ox-Bow, -where the fat and fecund meadows, extending for two miles from side -to side of the valley, resemble an Eden upon earth, and the villages, -prettily arranged on terraces above them, half-hid in a thick fringe of -foliage, the mantel-ornaments of their own best rooms. Only moderate -elevations rise on the Vermont side; but the New Hampshire shore is -upheaved into the finely accentuated Benton peaks, behind which, -like a citadel within its outworks, is uplifted the gigantic bulk of -Moosehillock--the greatest mountain of all this valley, and its natural -landmark--keeping strict watch over it as far as the Canadian frontiers. - -The traveller approaching by the Connecticut Valley holds this exquisite -landscape in view from the Vermont side of the river. The tourist -who approaches by the valley of the Merrimac enjoys it from the New -Hampshire shore. - -The large village of Newbury, usually known as the "Street," is built -along a plateau, rising well above the intervale, and joined to the -foothills of the Green Mountains. The Passumpsic Railway coasts the -intervale, just touching the northern skirt of the village. The -village of Haverhill is similarly situated with respect to the skirt -of the White Mountains; but its surface is much more uneven, and it -is elevated higher above the valley than its opposite neighbor. The -Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railway, having crossed the divide between -the waters of the Merrimac and the Connecticut, now follows the high -level, after a swift descent from Warren Summit. These plateaus, or -terraces, forming broken shelves, first upon one side of the valley, -then upon the other, strongly resemble the remains of the ancient bed of -a river of tenfold the magnitude of the stream as we see it to-day. They -give rise at once to all those interesting conjectures, or theories, -which are considered the special field of the geologist, but are also -equally attractive to every intelligent observer of Nature and her -wondrous works. - -Of these two villages, which are really subdivided into half a dozen, -and which so beautifully decorate the mountain walls of this valley, -it is no treason to the Granite State to say that Newbury enjoys a -preference few will be found to dispute. It has the grandest mountain -landscape. Moosehillock is lifted high above the Benton range, which -occupies the foreground. The whole background is filled with high -summits--Lafayette feeling his way up among the clouds, Moosehillock -roughly pushing his out of the throng. Meadows of emerald, river -of burnished steel, hill-sides in green and buff, and etched with -glittering hamlets, gray mountains, bending darkly over, cloud-detaining -peaks, vanishing in the far east--surely fairer landscape never brought -a glow of pleasure to the cheek, or kindled the eye of a traveller, -already sated with a panorama reaching from these mountains to the Sound. - -We are now, I imagine, sufficiently instructed in the general -characteristics of the famed Ox-Bow to pass from its picturesque and -topographical features into the domain of history, and to summon from -the past the details of a tragedy in war, which, had it occurred in -the days of Homer, would have been embalmed in an epic. Our history -begins at a period before any white settlement existed in the region -immediately about us. No wonder the red man relinquished it only at the -point of the bayonet. It was a country worth fighting for to the bitter -end. - - - - -VI. - -_THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES._ - - "L'histoire sa vrit; la legende a la sienne." - - -In the month of September, 1759, the army of Sir Jeffrey Amherst -was in cantonments at Crown Point. A picked corps of American -rangers, commanded by Robert Rogers, was attached to this army. One -day an aide-de-camp brought Rogers an order to repair forthwith to -head-quarters, and in a few moments the ranger entered the general's -marquee. - -"At your orders, general," said the ranger, making his salute. - -"About that accursed hornet's-nest of St. Francis?" said the general, -frowning. - -"When I was a lad, your excellency, we used to burn a hornet's-nest, if -it became troublesome," observed Rogers, significantly. - -"And how many do you imagine, major, this one has stung to death in the -last six years?" inquired General Amherst, fumbling among his papers. - -"I don't know; a great many, your excellency." - -"Six hundred men, women, and children." - -The two men looked at each other a moment without speaking. - -"At this rate," continued the general, "his Majesty's New England -provinces will soon be depopulated." - -"For God's sake, general, put a stop to this butchery!" ejaculated the -exasperated ranger. - -"That's exactly what I have sent for you to do. Here are your orders. -You are commanded, and I expect you to destroy that nest of vipers, -root and branch. Remember the atrocities committed by these Indian -scoundrels, and take your revenge; but remember, also, that I forbid the -killing of women and children. Exterminate the fighting-men, but spare -the non-combatants. That is war. Now make an end of St. Francis once and -for all." - -[Illustration: ROBERT ROGERS.] - -Nearly a hundred leagues separated the Abenaqui village from the -English; and we should add that once there, in the heart of the enemy's -country, all idea of help from the army must be abandoned, and the -rangers, depending wholly upon themselves, be deprived of every resource -except to cut their way through all obstacles. But this was exactly the -kind of service for which this distinctive body of American soldiers was -formed. - -Sir Jeffrey Amherst had said to Rogers, "Go and wipe out St. Francis for -me," precisely as he would have said to his orderly, "Go and saddle my -horse." - -But this illustrates the high degree of confidence which the army -reposed in the chief of the rangers. The general knew that this -expedition demanded, at every stage, the highest qualities in a leader. -Rogers had already proved himself possessed of these qualities in a -hundred perilous encounters. - -That night, without noise or display, the two hundred men detailed for -the expedition left their encampment, which was habitually in the van of -the army. On the evening of the twenty-second day since leaving Crown -Point a halt was ordered. The rangers were near their destination. From -the top of a tree the doomed village was discovered three miles distant. -Not the least sign that the presence of an enemy was suspected could -be seen or heard. The village wore its ordinary aspect of profound -security. Rogers therefore commanded his men to rest, and prepare -themselves for the work in hand. - -At eight in the evening, having first disguised himself, Rogers took -Lieutenant Turner and Ensign Avery, and with them reconnoitred the -Indian town. He found it the scene of high festivity, and for an -hour watched unseen the unsuspecting inhabitants celebrating with -dancing and barbaric music the nuptials of one of the tribe. All this -marvellously favored his plans. Not dreaming of an enemy, the savages -abandoned themselves to unrestrained enjoyment and hilarity. The fte -was protracted until a late hour under the very eyes of the spies, who, -finding themselves unnoticed, crept boldly into the village, where they -examined the ground and concerted the plan of attack. - -At length all was hushed. The last notes of revelry faded on the still -night air. One by one the drowsy merry-makers retired to their lodges, -and soon the village was wrapped in profound slumber--the slumber of -death. This was the moment so anxiously awaited by Rogers. Time was -precious. He quickly made his way back to the spot where the rangers -were lying on their arms. One by one the men were aroused and fell into -their places. It was two in the morning when he left the village. At -three the whole body moved stealthily up to within five hundred yards -of the village, where the men halted, threw off their packs, and were -formed for the assault in three divisions. The village continued silent -as the grave. - -St. Francis was a village of about forty or fifty wigwams, thrown -together in a disorderly clump. In the midst was a chapel, to which the -inhabitants were daily summoned by matin and vesper bell to hear the -holy father, whose spiritual charge they were, celebrate the mass. The -place was enriched with the spoil torn from the English and the ransom -of many miserable captives. We have said that these Indians had slain -and taken, in six years, six hundred English: that is equivalent to one -hundred every year. - -The knowledge of numberless atrocities nerved the arms and steeled the -hearts of the avengers. When the sun began to brighten the east the -three bands of rangers, waiting eagerly for the signal, rushed upon the -village. - -A deplorable and sickening scene of carnage ensued. The surprise was -complete. The first and only warning the amazed savages had were the -volleys that mowed them down by scores and fifties. Eyes heavy with the -carousal of the previous night opened to encounter an appalling carnival -of butchery and horror. Two of the stoutest of the rangers--Farrington -and Bradley--led one of the attacking columns to the door where the -wedding had taken place. Finding it barred, they threw themselves so -violently against it that the fastenings gave way, precipitating Bradley -headlong among the Indians who were asleep on their mats. All these were -slain before they could make the least resistance. - -On all sides the axe and the rifle were soon reaping their deadly -harvest. Those panic-stricken, half-dazed wretches who rushed pell-mell -into the streets either ran stupidly upon the uplifted weapons of the -rangers or were shot down by squads advantageously posted to receive -them. A few who ran this terrible gauntlet plunged into the river -flowing before the village, and struck boldly out for the opposite -shore; but the avengers had closed every avenue of escape, and the -fugitives were picked off from the banks. The same fate overtook those -who tumbled into their canoes and pushed out into the stream. The frail -barks were riddled with shot, leaving their occupants an easy target for -a score of rifles. The incessant flashes, the explosions of musketry, -the shouts of the assailants, and the yells of their victims were all -mingled in one horrible uproar. For two hours this massacre continued. -Combat it cannot be called. Rendered furious by the sight of hundreds of -scalps waving mournfully in the night-wind in front of the lodges, the -pitiless assailants hunted the doomed savages down like blood-hounds. -Every shot was followed by a death-whoop, every stroke by a howl of -agony. For two horrible hours the village shook with explosions and -echoed with frantic outcries. It was then given up to pillage, and then -to the torch, and all those who from fear had hid themselves perished -miserably in the flames. At seven o'clock in the morning all was over. -Silence once more enveloped the hideous scene of conflagration and -slaughter. The village of St. Francis was the funeral pyre of two -hundred warriors. Rogers had indeed taken the fullest revenge enjoined -by Sir Jeffrey Amherst's orders. - -From this point our true history passes into the legendary. - -While the sack of St. Francis was going on a number of the Abenaquis -took refuge in the little chapel. Their retreat was discovered. A few -of their assailants having collected in the neighborhood precipitated -themselves toward it, with loud cries. Others ran up. Two or three blows -with the butt of a musket forced open the door, when the building was -instantly filled with armed men. - -An unforeseen reception awaited them. Lighted candles burnt on the high -altar, shedding a mild radiance throughout the interior, and casting -a dull glow upon the holy vessels of gold and silver upon the altar. -At the altar's foot, clad in the sacred vestments of his office, stood -the missionary, a middle-aged, vigorous-looking man, his arms crossed -upon his breast, his face lighted up with the exaltation of a martyr. -Face and figure denoted the high resolve to meet fate half-way. Behind -him crouched the knot of half-crazed savages, who had fled to the -sanctuary for its protection, and who, on seeing their mortal enemies, -instinctively took a posture of defence. The priest, at two or three -paces in advance of them, seemed to offer his body as their rampart. The -scene was worthy the pencil of a Rembrandt. - -At this sight the intruders halted, the foremost even falling back a -step, but the vessels of gold and silver inflamed their cupidity to -the highest pitch; while the hostile attitude of the warriors was a -menace men already steeped in bloodshed regarded a moment in still more -threatening silence, and then by a common impulse recognized by covering -the forlorn group with their rifles. - -Believing the critical moment come, the priest threw up his hands in -an attitude of supplication, arresting the fatal volley as much by -the dignity of the gesture itself, as by the resonant voice which -exclaimed, in French, "Madmen, for pity's sake, for the sake of Him on -the Cross, stay your hands! This violence! What is your will? What seek -ye in the house of God?" - -A gunshot outside, followed by a mournful howl, was his sole response. - -The priest shuddered, and his crisped lips murmured an _ave_. He -comprehended that another soul had been sent, unshriven, to its final -account. - -"Hear him!" said a ranger, in a mocking undertone; "his gabble minds me -of a flock of wild geese." - -A burst of derisive laughter followed this coarse sally. - -In fact, they had not too much respect for the Church of Rome, these -wild woodsmen, but were filled with ineradicable hatred for its -missionaries, domesticated among their enemies, in whom they believed -they saw the real heads of the tribes, and the legitimate objects, -therefore, of their vengeance. - -"Yield, Papist! Come, you shall have good quarter; on the word of a -ranger you shall," cried an authoritative voice, the speaker at the same -time advancing a step, and dropping his rifle the length of his sinewy -arms. - -"Never!" answered the ecclesiastic, crossing himself. - -A suppressed voice from behind hurriedly murmured in his ear, "_coutez: -rendez-vous, mon pre: je vous en supplie!_" - -"_Jamais! mieux vaut la mort que la misricorde de brigands et -meurtriers!_" ejaculated the missionary, rejecting the counsel also, -with a vehement shake of the head. - -"_Grand Dieu! tout, donc, est fini_," sighed the voice, despairingly. - -The rangers understood the gesture better than the words. An officer, -the same who had just spoken, again impatiently demanded, this time in a -higher and more threatening key, - -"A last time! Do you yield or no? Answer, friar!" - -The priest turned quickly, took the consecrated Host from the altar, -elevated it above his head, and, in a voice that was long remembered by -those who heard it, exclaimed, - -"To your knees, monsters! to your knees!" - -What the ranger understood of this pantomime and this command was that -they conveyed a scornful and a final refusal. Muttering under his -breath, "Your blood be upon your own head, then," he levelled his -gun and pulled the trigger. A general discharge from both sides shook -the building, filling it with thick and stifling smoke, and instantly -extinguishing the lights. The few dim rays penetrating the windows, and -which seemed recoiling from the frightful spectacle within, enabled the -combatants vaguely to distinguish each other in the obscurity. Not a cry -was heard; nothing but quick reports or blows signaled the progress of -this lugubrious combat. - -This butchery continued ten minutes, at the end of which the rangers, -with the exception of one of their number killed outright, issued from -the chapel, after having first stripped the altar, despoiled the shrine -of its silver image of the Virgin, and flung the Host upon the ground. -While this profanation was enacting a voice rose from the heap of dead -at the altar's foot, which made the boldest heart among the rangers stop -beating. It said, - -"The Great Spirit of the Abenaquis will scatter darkness in the path of -the accursed Pale-faces! Hunger walks before and Death strikes their -trail! Their wives weep for the warriors that do not return! Manitou is -angry when the dead speak. The dead have spoken!" - -The torch was then applied to the chapel, and, like the rest of the -village, it was fast being reduced to a heap of cinders. But now -something singular transpired. As the rangers filed out from the -shambles the bell of the little chapel began to toll. In wonder and -dread they listened to its slow and measured strokes until, the flames -having mounted to the belfry, it fell with a loud clang among the ruins. -The rangers hastened onward. This unexpected sound already filled them -with gloomy forebodings. - -After the stern necessities of their situation rendered a separation -the sole hope of successful retreat, the party which carried along -with it the silver image was so hard pressed by the Indians, and by a -still more relentless enemy, famine, that it reached the banks of the -Connecticut reduced to four half-starved, emaciated men. More than once -had they been on the point of flinging their burden into some one of the -torrents every hour obstructing their way; but as one after another fell -exhausted or lifeless, the unlucky image passed from hand to hand, and -was thus preserved up to the moment so eagerly and so confidently looked -for, during that long and dreadful march, to end all their privations. - -But the chastisement of heaven, prefigured in the words of the expiring -Abenaqui, had already overtaken them. Half-crazed by their sufferings, -they mistook the place of rendezvous appointed by their chief, and, -having no tidings of their comrades, believed themselves to be the sole -survivors of all that gallant but ill-fated band. In this conviction, to -which a mournful destiny conducted, they took the fatal determination -to cross the mountains under the guidance of one of their number who -had, or professed, a knowledge of the way through the Great Notch of the -White Hills. - -For four days they dragged themselves onward through thickets, through -deep snows and swollen streams, without sustenance of any kind, when -three of them, in consequence of their complicated miseries, aggravated -by finding no way through the wall of mountains, lost their senses. -What leather covered their cartouch-boxes they had already scorched -to a cinder and greedily devoured. At length, on the last days of -October, as they were crossing a small river dammed by logs, they -discovered some human bodies, not only scalped, but horribly mangled, -which were supposed to be some of their own band. But this was no -time for distinctions. On them they accordingly fell like cannibals, -their impatience being too great to await the kindling of a fire to -dress their horrid food by. When they had thus abated somewhat the -excruciating pangs they before endured, the fragments were carefully -collected for a future store. - -My pen refuses to record the dreadful extremities to which starvation -reduced these miserable wretches. At length, after some days of -fruitless wandering up and down, finding the mountains inexorably -closing in upon them, even this last dreadful resource failed, and, -crawling under some rocks, they perished miserably in the delirium -produced by hunger and despair, blaspheming, and hurling horrible -imprecations at the silver image, to which, in their insanity, they -attributed all their sufferings. One of them, seizing the statue, -tottered to the edge of a precipice, and, exerting all his remaining -strength, dashed it down into the gulf at his feet. - -Tradition affirms that the first settlers who ascended Israel's River -found relics of the lost detachment near the foot of the mountains; but, -notwithstanding the most diligent search, the silver image has thus far -eluded every effort made for its recovery. - - - - -VII. - -MOOSEHILLOCK. - - And so, when restless and adrift, I keep - Great comfort in a quietness like this, - An awful strength that lies in fearless sleep, - On this great shoulder lay my head, nor miss - The things I longed for but an hour ago. - SARAH O. JEWETT. - - -Moosehillock, or Moosilauke,[34] is one of four or five summits from -which the best idea of the whole area of the White Mountains may be -obtained. It is not so remarkable for its form as for its mass. It is an -immense mountain. - -Lifted in solitary grandeur upon the extreme borders of the army of -peaks to which it belongs, and which it seems defending, haughtily -over-bearing those lesser summits of the Green Mountains confronting -it from the opposite shores of the Connecticut, which here separates -the two grand systems, like two hostile armies, the one from the other, -Moosehillock resembles a crouching lion, magnificent in repose, but -terrible in its awakening. - -This immense strength, paralyzed and helpless though it seems, is -nevertheless capable of arousing in us a sentiment of respectful -fear--respect for the creative power, fear for the suspended life we -believe is there. The mountain really seems lying extended under the sky -listening for the awful command, "Arise and walk!" - -This mountain received a name before Mount Washington, and is in -some respects, as I hope to point out, the most interesting of the -whole group. In the first place, it commands a hundred miles of the -Connecticut Valley, including, of course, all the great peaks of the -Green Mountain and Adirondack chains. Again, its position confers -decided advantages for studying the configuration of the Franconia -group, to which, in a certain sense, it is allied, and of the ranges -enclosing the Pemigewasset Valley, which it overlooks. Moosehillock -stands in the broad angle formed by the meeting waters of the -Connecticut and the Ammonoosuc. In a word, it is an advanced bastion -of the whole cluster of castellated summits, constituting the White -Mountains in a larger meaning. - -Therefore no summit better repays a visit than Moosehillock; yet it is -astonishing, considering the ease of access, how few make the ascent. -The traveller can hardly do better than begin here his experiences of -mountain adventure, should chance conduct him this way; or, if making -his exit from the mountain region by the Connecticut Valley, he may, -taking it in his way out, make this the appropriate pendant of his -tours, romantic and picturesque. - -Having been so long known to and frequented by the Indian as well as -white hunters, the mountain is naturally the subject of considerable -legend,[35] which the historian of Warren has scrupulously gathered -together. One of these tales, founded on the disaster of Rogers, -recounts the sufferings of two of his men, hopelessly snared in the -great Jobildunk ravine. But that tale of horror needs no embellishment -from romance. This enormous rent, equally hideous in fact as in name, -cut into the vitals of the mountain so deeply that a dark stream gushes -from the gaping wound, conceals within its mazes several fine cascades. -Owing to long-continued drought, the streams were so puny and so languid -when I visited the mountain that I explored only the upper portion of -the gorge, which bristles with an untamed forest, levelling its myriad -spears at the breast of the climber. - -The greater part of the mountain lies in the town of Benton, or, -perhaps, it would be nearer the truth to say that fully half the -township is appropriated by its prodigious earthwork. But, to reach it -without undergoing the fatigues of a long march through the woods, -it is necessary to proceed to the village of Warren, which is twenty -miles north of Plymouth, and about fourteen south of Haverhill. Behind -the village rises Mount Carr. Still farther to the north the summits -of Mounts Kineo, Cushman, and Waternomee, continuing this range now -separating us from the Pemigewasset Valley, form also the eastern wall -of the valley of Baker's River, which has its principal source in the -ravines of Moosehillock. There is a bridle-path opening communication -with the mountain from the Benton side, on the north; and so with Lisbon -and Franconia. A carriage-road is also contemplated on that side, which -will render access still more feasible for a large summer population; -while a bridle-path, lately opened between two peaks of the Carr range, -facilitates ingress from the Pemigewasset side. - -I set out from the village of Warren on one of the hottest afternoons -of an intensely hot and dry summer. The five miles between the village -and the base of the mountain need not detain the sight-seer. At the -crossing of Baker's River I remarked again the granite-bed honey-combed -with those curious pot-holes sunk by whirling stones, first set in -motion and then spun around by the stream, which here, breaking up into -several wild pitches, pours through a rocky gorge. But how gratefully -cool and refreshing was even the sound of rushing water in that still, -stifling atmosphere, coming, one would think, from a furnace! Then for -two miles more the horse crept along the road, constantly ascending the -side of the valley, until the last house was reached. Here we passed a -turnpike-gate, rolled over the crisped turf of a stony pasture through a -second gate, and were at the foot of Moosehillock. - -In a trice we exchanged the sultriness, the dryness, the dust, parching -or suffocating us, of a shadeless road, for the cool, moist air of the -mountain-forest and the delectable sound of running water. A brook shot -past; then another; then the horse, who stopped when he liked, and as -often as he liked, like a man forced to undertake a task which he is -determined shall cost his task-masters dearly, began a languid progress -up the increasing declivity before us. His sighs and groans, as he -plodded wearily along, were enough to melt a heart of stone. I therefore -dismounted and walked on, leaving the driver to follow as he could. The -question was, not how the horse should get us up the mountain, but how -we should get the horse up. - -They call it four and a half miles from the bottom to the top. The -distances indicated by the sign-boards, nailed to trees, did not appear -to me exact. They are not exact; and the reason why they are not is -sufficiently original to merit a word of explanation. Having long -observed the effect of imagination, especially in computing distances, -the builder of the road, as he himself informed me, adopted a truly -ingenious method of his own. He lengthened or shortened his miles -according as the travelling was good or bad. For example: the first -mile, being an easy one, was stretched to a mile and a quarter. The -last mile is also very good travelling. That, too, he lengthened to a -mile and a half. In this way he reduced the intervening two and a half -miles of the worst road to one and three-fourth miles. This absolutely -harmless piece of deception, he averred, considerably shortened the most -difficult part of the journey. No one complained that the good miles -were too long, while the bad ones were now passed over with far less -grumbling than before they were abbreviated by this simple expedient, -which very few, I am convinced, would have thought of. In fact, the sum -of the whole distance being scrupulously adhered to, it is the most -civil piece of engineering of which I have any knowledge. - -The road up is rough, tedious, and, until the ridge at the foot of the -south peak is reached, uninteresting. It crooks and turns with absolute -lawlessness while climbing the flanks of the southern peak, skirting -also the side of the profound ravine eating its way into the mountain -from the south. Nearing this summit we obtained through an opening a -glimpse of Mount Washington, veiled in the clouds. The trees now visibly -dwindled. Just before reaching the ridge, where it joins this peak, a -fine spring, deliciously cold, gushed from the mountain side. A few -rods more of ascent brought us quite out upon the long, narrow, curving -backbone of the mountain, uplifting its sharp edge between two profound -gorges, connecting the peaks set at its two extremes, between which -Nature has decreed a perpetual divorce. The sun was just setting as we -emerged upon this natural way conducting from peak to peak along the -airy crest of the mountain. - -Although this, it will be remembered, is one of the longest miles, -according to the scale of computation in vogue here, the unexpected -speed which the horse now put forth, the sight of the squat, little -Tip-Top House, clinging to the summit beyond, the upper and nether -worlds floating or fading in splendor, while the night-breezes sweeping -over cooled our foreheads, and rudely jostled the withered trees, drawn -a little apart to the right and left to let us pass, quickly replaced -that weariness of mind and body which the mountain exacts of all who -pass over it on a sultry midsummer's day. - -At the extremity of the ridge, which is only wide enough for the road, -a gradual ascent led to the high summit and to a level plateau of a -few acres at its top. This was treeless, but covered with something -like soil, smooth, and, being singularly free from the large stones -found everywhere else, affords good walking in any direction. The -house is built of rough stone, and, though of primitive construction, -is comfortable, and even inviting. Furthermore, its materials being -collected on the spot, one accepts it as still constituting a part of -the mountain, which, indeed, at a little distance it really seems to -be. In the evening I went out, to find the mountain blindfolded with -clouds. Soon rain began to drive against the window-panes in volleys. -At a late hour we heard wheels grinding on the rocks outside, and then -a party of tourists drove up to the door, dripping and crestfallen at -having undertaken the ascent with a storm staring them in the face. But -they had only this one day, they said, and were "bound" to go up the -mountain. So up they toiled through pitch darkness, through rain and -cloud, passed the night in a building said to be on the summit, and -returned down the mountain in the morning, to catch their train, through -as dense a fog as ever exasperated a hurried tourist. But they had been -to the top! Are there anywhere else in the world people who travel two -hundred miles for a single day's recreation? - -It is very curious, this being domesticated on the top of a mountain. We -go to bed wondering if the scene will not all vanish in our dreams. It -was very odd, too, to see the tourists silently mount their buck-board -in the morning, and disappear, within a stone's throw, in clouds. -Detaching themselves to all intents from earth, they began a flight in -air. Walking a short distance, perhaps a gunshot, from the house, I -groped my way back with difficulty. The case seemed desperate. - -But grandest scene of all was the breaking up of the storm. Shortly -after noon the high sun began to exert a sensible influence upon the -clouds. A perceptible warmth, replacing the chill and clammy mists, -began to pervade the mountain-top. Presently a dim sun-ray shot through. -Then, as if a noiseless explosion had suddenly rent them, the whole -mass of clouds was torn in ten thousand tatters flying through space. -All nature seemed seized with sudden frenzy. Here a summit and there a -peak was seen, struggling fiercely in the grasp of the storm. Coming up -with rushing noise, the west wind charged home the routed storm-clouds -with fresh squadrons. What indescribable yet noiseless tumult raged in -the heavens! Even the mountains seemed scarcely able to stem the tide -of fugitives. A panic seized them. Fear gave them wings. They rushed -pell-mell into the ravines and clung to the tree-tops; they dashed -themselves blindly against the adamant of Lafayette, only to fall -back broken into the deep fosse beneath. Bolts of dazzling sunshine -continually tore through them. The gorges themselves seemed heaped with -the wounded and the dying. But the rushing wind, trampling the fugitives -down, dispersed and cut them mercilessly to pieces. One was irresistibly -carried away by this rage of battle. In ten minutes I looked around upon -a clear sky. One cloud, impaled on the gleaming spear of Lafayette, -hung limp and lifeless; another floated like a scarf from the polished -casque of Chocorua; a third, taken prisoner _en route_, humbly held the -train of Washington. All the rest of the phantom host, using its power -to render itself invisible, vanished from sight as if the mountains had -swallowed it up. - -The landscape being now fully uncovered, I enjoyed all its rare -perfection. It is a superb and fascinating one, invested with a -powerful individuality, surrounded by a charm of its own. You wish to -see the two great chains? There they are, the greater rising over the -lesser, in the order fixed by Nature. That sunny space in the softened -coloring of old tapestry, more to the right, is the Pemigewasset Valley, -and the spot from where not long ago we looked up at this mountain -looming large in the distance. We raise our eyes to glance up the East -Branch upon Mount Hancock and the peaks of Carrigain peeping over. -We touch with magic wand the faint cone of Kearsarge, so dim that it -seems as if it must rise and float away; then, continuing to call the -roll of mountains, Moat, Tripyramid, Chocorua, and all our earlier -acquaintances rise or nod among the Sandwich peaks. Some draw their -cloud-draperies over their bare shoulders, some sun their naked and -hairy breasts in savage luxury. We alight like a bird upon the glassy -bosom of Winnepiseogee the incomparable, and, like the bird, again rise, -refreshed, for flights still more remote. We sweep over the Uncanoonucs -into Massachusetts, steadying the eye upon far Wachusett as we pass from -the Merrimac Valley. Now come thronging in upon us the mountains of the -Connecticut Valley. We rest awhile upon the transcendently beautiful -expanse of the Ox-Bow, and its playthings of villages, strung along -the glittering necklace of the river. Across this valley, lifting our -eyes, we wander among the loftiest peaks of the Green Mountains--those -colossal _verd-antiques_--exchanging frozen glances across the placid -expanse of Champlain with the haughtiest summits of the Adirondacks. -We grow tired of this. One last look, this time up the valley, reveals -to us the wide and curious gap between two distant mountains, and far -beyond Memphremagog, where these mountains rise, we scan all the route -travelled by Rogers, the perils of which are fresh in our memory. We -pass on unchallenged into the dominions of Victoria. - -Is not this a landscape worth coming ten miles out of one's way to see? -And yet the half is not told. I have merely indicated its dimensions. -Now let the reader, drawing an imaginary line from peak to peak, go -over at leisure all that lies between. I merely prick the chart for -him. Moosehillock, not quite five thousand feet high, overlooks all -New Hampshire, pushes investigation into Maine and Massachusetts, is -familiar with Vermont, distant with New York, and has an eye upon -Canada. It is said the ocean has been seen, but I did not see it. - -Circumstances compelled me to drive the old horse, who has made more -ascensions of the mountain than any living thing, back to Warren. No -other was to be had for love or money. Had there been time I would have -preferred walking, but there was not. This horse measured sixteen hands. -His thin body and long legs resembled a horse upon stilts. He looked -dejected, but resigned. I argued that he would be able to get down the -mountain somehow; and, once out of the woods, I could count on his -eagerness to get home, to some extent, perhaps. I was not deceived in -either expectation. - -The road, as I have said, is for most of the way a rough, steep, and -stony one. In order to check the havoc made by sudden showers, and -to hold the thin soil in place, hemlock-boughs were spread over it, -artfully concealing those protruding stones which the scanty soil -refused to cover. He who intrusted himself to it did not find it a -bed of roses. The buck-board was the longest, clumsiest, and most -ill-favored it has ever been my lot to see. This vehicle, being peculiar -to the mountains, demands, at least, a word. It is a very primitive and -ingenious affair, and cheaply constructed. Naturally, therefore, it -originated where the farmers were poor and the roads bad. But what is -the buck-board? Every one has seen the spring-board of a gymnasium or of -a circus. A smooth plank, ten feet long, resting upon trestles placed -at either end, assists the acrobat to vault high in the air. Each time -he falls the rebound sends him up again. This is the principle of the -buck-board. Remove the trestles, put a pair of wheels in the place of -each, and you have the vehicle itself, _minus_ shafts or pole, according -as one or two horses are to draw it. Increased weight bends the board or -the spring more and more until it is in danger of touching the ground. -The passengers sit in the hollow of this spring, the natural tendency of -which is to shoot them into the air. - -[Illustration: THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON.] - -I am justified in speaking thus of the road and the vehicle. But -who shall describe the horse? That animal was possessed of a devil, -and, like the swine of the miracle, ran violently all the way down -the mountain, without stopping for water or breath. Fortunate indeed -for me was it that the sea was not at the bottom. In three-quarters -of an hour, half of which was spent in the air, I was at the foot -of the mountain which had required two tedious hours to ascend. How -the quadruped managed to avoid falling headlong fifty times over -the concealed stones I have no idea. How I contrived to alight, -when a wheel, coming violently against one of these stones, put the -spring-board in play--how I contrived to alight, I remark, during this -game of battledoor and shuttlecock, never twice in the same place, is to -this day an enigma. - -The houses of ancient Rome frequently bore the inscription for the -benefit of strangers, "_Cave canem._" This could be advantageously -replaced here, upon the first turnpike-gate, at the mountain's foot, -with the warning, "Beware of the horse!" - - - - -VIII. - -_BETHLEHEM._ - - _Ros._ O Jupiter! how weary are my spirits! - _Touch._ I care not for my spirits, if my legs were not weary. - _As You Like It._ - - -Having finished with the western approach to the White Mountains, I -was now at liberty to retrace my route up the Ammonoosuc Valley, which -so abounds in picturesque details--farms, hamlets, herds, groups of -pines, maples, torrents, roads feeling their way up the heights--to -that anomaly of mountain towns, Bethlehem. Thanks to the locomotive, -the journey is short. The villages of Bath, Lisbon, Littleton, are -successively entered; the same flurry gives a momentary activity to each -station, the same faces crowd the platforms, and the same curiosity is -exhibited by the passengers, whose excitement receives an increase with -every halt of the laboring train. - -Bethlehem is ranged high up, along the side of a mountain, like the -best china in a cupboard. The crest of Mount Agassiz[36] rises behind -it. Beneath the village the ground descends, rather abruptly, to the -Ammonoosuc, which winds, through matted woods, its way out of the -mountains. There are none of those eye-catching gleams of water which so -agreeably diversify these interminable miles of forest and mountain land. - -It is only by ascending the slopes of Mount Agassiz that we can secure -a stand-point fairly showing the commanding position of Bethlehem, or -where its immediate surroundings may be viewed all at once. It is so -situated, with respect to the curvature of this mountain, that at one -end of the village they do not know what is going on at the other. -One end revels in the wide panorama of the west, the other holds the -unsurpassed view of the great peaks to the east. - -Bethlehem has risen, almost by magic, at the point where the old highway -up the Ammonoosuc is intersected by that coming from Plymouth, the -Pemigewasset Valley, and the Profile House. In time a small roadside -hamlet naturally clustered about this spot. Dr. Timothy Dwight, the -pioneer traveller for health and pleasure among these mountains, -passed through here in 1803. Speaking of the appearance of Bethlehem, -he says: "There is nothing which merits notice, except the patience, -enterprise, and hardihood of the settlers which have induced them to -stay upon so forbidding a spot; a magnificent prospect of the White -Mountains; and a splendid collection of other mountains in their -neighborhood, particularly on the south-west." It was then reached by -only one wretched road, which passed the Ammonoosuc by a dangerous ford. -The few scattered habitations were mere log-cabins, rough and rude. -The few planting-fields were still covered with dead trees, stark and -forbidding, which the settlers, unable to fell with the axe, killed by -girdling, as the Indians did. - -From this historical picture of Bethlehem in the past, we turn to -the Bethlehem of to-day. It is turning from the post-rider to the -locomotive. Not a single feature is recognizable except the splendid -prospect of the White Mountains, and the magnificent collection of -other mountains, which call forth the same admiration to-day. Fortunate -geographical position, salubrity, fine scenery--these, and these alone, -are the legitimate cause of what may be termed the rise and progress -of Bethlehem. All that the original settlers seem to have accomplished -is to clear away the forests which intercepted, and to make the road -conducting to the view. - -It is the position of Bethlehem with respect to the recognized points -or objects of interest that gives to it a certain strategic advantage. -For example, it is admirably situated for excursions north, south, -east, or west. It is ten miles to the Profile, twelve to the Fabyan, -seventeen to the Crawford, fifteen to the Waumbek, and eighteen to the -base of Mount Washington. One can breakfast at Bethlehem, dine on Mount -Washington, and be back for tea; and he can repeat the experience with -respect to the other points named as often as inclination may prompt. -Moreover, the great elevation exempts Bethlehem from the malaria and -heat of the valleys. The air is dry, pure, and invigorating, rendering -it the paradise of those invalids who suffer from periodical attacks of -hay-fever. Lastly, it is new, or comparatively new, and possesses the -charm of novelty--not the least consideration to the thousands who are -in pursuit of that and that only. - -Bethlehem Street is the legitimate successor of the old road. This is -a name _sui generis_ which seems hardly appropriate here, although it -is so commonly applied to the principal thoroughfares of our inland New -England villages. It has a spick-and-span look, as if sprung up like -a bed of mushrooms in a night. And so, in fact, it has; for Bethlehem -as a summer resort dates only a few years back its sudden rise from -comparative obscurity into the full blaze of popular fame and favor. -The guide-book of fifteen years ago speaks of the _one_ small but -comfortable hotel, kept by the Hon. J. G. Sinclair. In fact, very little -account was made of it by travellers, except to remark the magnificent -view of the White Mountains on the east, or of the Franconia Mountains -on the south, as they passed over the then prescribed tour from North -Conway to Plymouth, or _vice versa_. - -But this newness, which you at first resent, besides introducing here -and there some few attempts at architectural adornment, contrasts -very agreeably with the ill-built, rambling, and slip-shod appearance -of the older village-centres. They are invariably most picturesque -from a distance. But here there is an evident effort to render the -place itself attractive by making it beautiful. Good taste generally -prevails. I suspect, however, that the era of good taste, beginning with -the incoming of a more refined and intelligent class of travellers, -communicated its spirit to two or three enterprising and sagacious -men,[37] who saw in what Nature had done an incentive for their own -efforts. We walk here in a broad, well-built thoroughfare, skirted on -both sides with hotels, boarding-houses, and modern cottages, in which -three or four thousand sojourners annually take refuge. All this has -grown from the "one small hotel" of a dozen years ago. Shade-trees and -grass-plots beautify the way-side. An immense horizon is visible from -these houses, and even the hottest summer days are rendered endurable -by the light airs produced and set in motion by the oppressive heats of -the valley. The sultriest season is, therefore, no bar to out-of-door -exercise for persons of average health, rendering walks, rambles, or -drives subject only to the will or caprice of the pleasure-seeker. -But in the evening all these houses are emptied of their occupants. -The whole village is out-of-doors, enjoying the coolness or the -panorama with all the zest unconstrained gratification always brings. -The multitudes of well-dressed promenaders surprise every new-comer, -who immediately thinks of Saratoga or Newport, and their social -characteristics. Bethlehem, he thinks, must be the ideal of those who -would carry city or, at least, suburban life among the mountains; who do -not care a fig for solitude, but prefer to find their pleasures still -connected with their home life. They are seeing life and seeing nature -at the same time. - -Sauntering along the street from the Sinclair House, a strikingly large -and beautiful prospect opens as we come to the Belleview. Here the -road, making its exit from the village, descends to the Ammonoosuc. The -valley broadens and deepens, exposing to view all the town of Littleton, -picturesquely scattered about the distant hill-sides. Its white houses -resemble a bank of daisies. The hills take an easy attitude of rest. -Six hundred feet below us the bottom of the valley exhibits its rich -savannas, interspersed with cottages and groves. Above its deep hollow -the Green Mountains glimmer in the far west. "Ah!" you say, "we will -stop here." - -Let us now again, leaving the Sinclair House behind, ascend the -road to the Profile. It is not so much travelled as it was before -the locomotive, in his coat-of-mail, sounded his loud trumpet at -the gates of Franconia. A mile takes us to the brow of the hill. We -hardly know which way to look first. Two noble and comprehensive views -present themselves. To the left Mount Agassiz rears his commanding -peak. In front of us, across a valley, is the great, deeply-cloven -Franconia Notch. Lafayette is superb here. Now the large, compact -mass of Moosehillock looms on the extreme right, together with all -those striking objects lately studied or observed from the village of -Franconia, which so quietly reposes beneath us. But this landscape -properly belongs to the environs of Bethlehem, and never is it so -incomparably grand as when the summits are fitfully revealed, battling -fiercely with storm-clouds. Every phase of the conflict is watched with -eager attention. Seeing all this passion above, it calls up a smile to -look down at the unbroken and unconscious tranquillity of the valley. - -[Illustration: MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM.] - -Facing now in the direction of Bethlehem, the eye roves over the -broad basin of the Ammonoosuc for many miles up and down. The hills of -Littleton, Whitefield, Dalton, Carroll, and Jefferson bend away from -the opposite side; and over the last the toothed Percy Peaks[38] rise -blue and clear at the point where the waters of the Connecticut and the -Androscoggin, approaching each other, conduct the Grand Trunk Railway -out of the mountains. The west is packed with the high summits of the -Green Mountain chain. The great White Mountains are concealed, as yet, -by the swell of the mountain down whose side the road conducts to the -village. "This," you exclaim, "this is the spot where we will pitch -our tents!" But there is no public-house here, and we are reluctantly -forced to descend. In proportion as we go down, this seemingly limitless -panorama suffers a partial eclipse. The landscape changes from the -high-wrought epic to the grand pastoral, if such a distinction may -be applied to differing forms of mountain scenery. This approach is, -without doubt, the most striking introduction to Bethlehem. It is -curiously instructive, too, as regards the relative merits of successive -elevations, each higher than the other, as proper view-points. - -A third ramble is altogether indispensable before we can say that we -know Bethlehem of the Hills. The direction is now to the east, by the -road to the Crawford House, or Fabyan's, or the Twin. We continue along -the high plateau, in the shade of sugar-maples or Lombardy poplars, -to the eastern skirt of the village, the houses getting more and more -unfrequent, until we come upon the edge of the slope to the Ammonoosuc, -where the road to Whitefield, Lancaster, and Jefferson, leaving the main -thoroughfare, drops quietly down into Bethlehem Hollow. No envious hill -now obstructs the truly "magnificent view." Through the open valley the -lordly mountains again inthrall us with the might of an overpowering -majesty. - -This locality has taken the name of the great hotel erected here -by Isaac Cruft, whose hand is visible everywhere in Bethlehem. The -Maplewood, as it is called, easily maintains at its own end the prestige -of Bethlehem for rapid growth. When I first visited the place, in -1875, I found a modest roadside hostelry accommodating sixty guests; -five years later a mammoth structure, in which six hundred could be -accommodated, had risen, like Aladdin's palace, on the same spot. -Instead of our little musical entertainment, our mock-trial, our quiet -rubber of whist, of an evening, there were readings, lectures, balls, -masquerades, theatricals, _musicales_, for every day of the week. - -But Bethlehem is emphatically the place of sunsets. In this respect no -other mountain resort can pretend to equal it. From no other village -are so many mountains visible at once; at no other has the landscape -such length and breadth for giving full effect to these truly wonderful -displays. More because the sublimity of the scene deserves a permanent -chronicle than from any confidence in my own ability to reproduce it, I -attempt in black and white to describe one of unparalleled intensity of -color, one that may never be repeated, certainly never excelled, while -the sun, the heavens, and the mountains shall last. - -A cold drizzle having set in on the day of my arrival, the mountains -were invisible when I rose in the morning. I looked, but they were no -longer there. I was much vexed at the prospect of being storm-bound, -or of making under compulsion a sojourn I had beforehand resolved -to make at my own good will and pleasure. So strongly is the spirit -of resistance developed in us. After a critical investigation of -the weather, it crossed my mind like an intuition that something -extraordinary was preparing behind the enormous masses of clouds -clinging like wet draperies to the skirts of the mountains, forming -an impenetrable curtain, now and then slowly lifted by the fresh -north wind, now suddenly distended or collapsing like huge sails, but -noiselessly and mysteriously as the ghostly canvas of the _Flying -Dutchman._ - -Toward the middle of the afternoon, the wind having freshened, the -lower clouds broke apart here and there--just enough to reveal to us -that ever-new picture of the White Mountains, beautifully robed in -fresh snow, above the darker line of forest; but so thoroughly were -the high summits blended with the dull silver-gray of upper sky that -the true line of separation defied the keenest scrutiny to detect it. -This produced a curious optical illusion. Extended sumptuously along -the crest-line, rivalling the snow itself, a bank of white clouds -rendered the deception perfect, since just above them began that heavy -and dull expanse which overspread and darkened the whole heavens, -thus imperfectly delineating a second line of summits mounting to a -prodigious height. They seemed miles upon miles high. - -Up stretched this gigantic and shadowy phantasm of towers, domes, -and peaks, illimitably, as if mountains and heavens were indeed come -together in eternal alliance. At the same time the finger dipped in -water could trace a more conclusive outline on glass than the eye could -find here. The summits, a little luminous, emitted a cold, spectral -glare. It gave you a chill to look at them. No sky, no earth, no deep -gorges, no stark precipices--no anything except that dead wall, so -sepulchral in its gray gloom that equally mind and imagination failed to -find one familiar outline or contour. The true peaks seemed clouds, and -the clouds peaks. But this phantasm was only the prologue. - -At the hour of sunset all the lower clouds had disappeared. The -upper heavens now wore that deep grape-purple impervious to light -or warmth, and producing the effect of a vast dome hung with black. -The storm replaced the azure tint of the sky with the most sombre -color in its laboratory. The light visibly waned. The icy peaks still -reflected a boreal glitter. But in the west these funereal draperies -fell a little short of touching the edge of the horizon--a bare -hand's-breadth--leaving a crevice filled with golden light, pure and -limpid as water, clear and vivid as winnowed sunshine. The sun's eye -would soon be applied to this peep-hole. A feverish impatience seized -us. We could see the people at their doors and in the street standing -silent and expectant, with their faces turned to the heavens. From a -station near Cruft's Ledge we watched intently for the moment when this -splendid light, concentrated in one level sheet, should fall upon the -great mountains. - -In a few seconds a yellow spot of piercing brilliancy appeared in this -narrow band of light. One look at it was blinding; a second would have -paralyzed the optic nerve. Mechanically we put up our hands to shut -it out. Imagine a stream of molten iron--hissing-hot and throwing off -fiery spray--gushing from the side of a furnace! Even that can give -but a feeble idea of the unspeakable intensity of this last sun-ray. -It blazed. It flooded us with a suffocating effulgence. Suppose now -this cataract of liquid flame suddenly illuminating the pitchy darkness -of a cavern in the bowels of the earth. The effect was electrifying. -Confined between the upper and nether expanse--dull earth and brooding -sky--rendered tenfold more dazzling by the blackness above, beneath, the -sun poured upon the great mountains one magnificent torrent of radiance. -In an instant the broad land was deluged with the supreme glories of -that morning when the awful voice of God uttered the sublime command, - - "Let there be light, and there was light." - -An electric shock awoke the torpid earth, transfigured the mountains. On -swept the mighty wave, shedding light, and warmth, and splendor where a -moment before all was dark, cold, and spiritless. Like Ajax before Troy, -the giant hills braced on their dazzling armor. Like Achilles's shield, -they threw back the brightness of the sun. Every tree stood sharply out. -Every cavern disclosed its inmost secrets. Twigs glittered diamonds, -leaves emitted golden rays. All was ravishingly beautiful. - -This superb exhibition continued while one might count a hundred. Then -all the lower mountains took on that ineffable purple that baffles -description. Starr King, Cherry Mountain, were resplendent. As if the -livid and thick-clustered clouds above had been trodden by invisible -feet, these peaks seemed drenched with the juice of the wine-press. -The high summits, buried in snow and cloud, were yet coldly impassive, -but presently, little by little, the light crept up and up. Now it -seized the topmost pinnacles. Heavens, what a sight! Ineffable glory -seemed quenched in the sublime terrors of that moment. On our right the -Twin and Franconia mountains glowed, from base to summit, like coals -of fire. The lower forests were wrapped in flame. Then all the snowy -line of peaks, from Adams to Clinton, turned blood-red. No pale rose -or carnation tints, as in those enrapturing summer sunsets so often -witnessed here. The stupendous and flaming mountains of hell seemed -risen before us, clothed with immortal terrors. We stood rooted to -the spot, like men who saw the judgment-day dawning, the solid earth -consuming, before their doubting eyes. Everlasting, unquenchable fires -seemed encompassing us about. Nothing more weird, more unearthly, -or more infernal was ever seen. Even the country-people, stolid and -indifferent as they usually are, regarded it with mingled stupefaction -and dismay. - -The drama approached its climax. Before we were aware, the valley grew -dark. But still, the granite peaks of Lafayette, and of that admirable -pyramid, Mount Garfield, which even the greater mountain cannot reduce -to impotence, glowed like iron drawn from the fire. Their incandescent -points, thrust upward into the black gulf of the heavens, towered -above the blacker gulfs below unspeakably. By degrees the scorching -heat cooled. The great Franconia spires successively paled. But long -after they seemed reduced to ashes, the red flame still lingered upon -the snows of Mount Washington. At last that, too, faded out. Life was -extinct. The great summit took on a wan and livid hue. Night kindly -spread her mantle over the lifeless form of the mountain, which still -disclosed its larger outlines rigid, majestic, even in death. - -Twilight succeeded--twilight steeped in silence and coolness, in the -thousand odors exhaled by the teeming earth. One by one the birds hushed -their noisy twitter. Overcome by their own perfumes, flowers shut their -dewy petals and drooped their tender little heads. The river seemed a -drowsy voice rising from the depths of the forest, complaining that -it alone should toil on while all else reposed. With night comes the -feeling of immensity. With sleep the conviction that we are nothing, -and that the order of nature disturbs itself in nothing for us. If we -awake, well; if not, well again. What if we should never wake? One such -splendid pageant as I have attempted to describe instinctively quenches -human pride. It is true, a sunset is in itself nothing, but it compels -you to admit that the world moves for itself, not for you. Believe it -not a gorgeous display in which you, the critical spectator, assist, but -the signal that the day ends and the night cometh. A spectacle that can -arouse the emotions of joy, fear, hope, suspense--nothing? Perhaps. God -knows. - -There are very pleasant walks, affording fine views of all the highest -mountains, around the eastern slope or to the summit of the mountain -rising at the back of the hotel. The bare but grassy crest of this -mountain, one of my favorite haunts, enabled me to reconnoitre my route -in advance up the valley, and to look over into the yet unvisited -region of Jefferson, or back again, at the environs of Franconia. The -glory that pours down upon these hills, the vales they infold, the wild -streams, the craggy mountain spurs, the soft, velvety clearings that -turn their dimpled cheeks to be kissed by the sunshine, may all be seen -and fully enjoyed from this spot. - -The heights behind us are well-wooded on the summits, but below this -belt of woodland extends a broad band of sunny clearings checkered with -fields of waving grain. These fields are among the highest cultivated -lands in New England. Long tillage was necessary to reduce this -refractory soil to subjection. Farther down, toward the railway-station, -the pastures are so encumbered with stones that a sheep would turn from -them in dismay. To mow among these stones a man would have to go down on -his knees. - -There is a beautiful orchard of sugar-maples down the road to the -Hollow; but it always makes me sad to see these trees standing with -their naked sides pierced and bleeding from gaping wounds. - -At the corner of this road my attention was arrested by a sign-board -planted in front of an unpainted cottage, behind which rose a clump -of magnificent birches. I walked over to see what it could mean. The -sign-board bore the name "Sir Isaac Newton Gay," in large black letters. -Here was a spur to curiosity! A knight, or at least a baronet, living -in humble seclusion, yet parading his quality thus in the face of the -world! Going to the gate, my perplexity increased upon seeing the -grass-plot in front of the dwelling literally covered with broken glass, -lamp-chimneys, bits of colored china, bottles of every imaginable shape -and size stuck upright upon sticks, interspersed with lumps of white -quartz. Some cabalistic meaning, doubtless, attached to the display. -This brilliant rubbish sparkled in the sun, filling the enclosure with -the cheap glitter of a pawnbroker's shop-window. The thing so far -announced a little eccentricity, at least, so I made bold to push my -investigation still farther, and was rewarded by finding, piled against -the trunk of a tree, at the back of the house, a heap of skulls of -animals as high as my head. The recluse's intent was now plain. Here -was a lesson that he who ran might read. The rubbish in the front yard -illustrated the pomp, glitter, and emptiness of life; the monument of -skulls its true estate, divested of all false show or pretence. Without -doubt this was a philosopher worthy of his name. - -I was admitted by a singular-looking being, with dry, straight, lank -hair, weak features, watery eyes, and a shuffling gait. Some accident -having partially closed one eye, gave him a look of preternatural -wisdom. He was ready to give an opinion on any subject under the sun, -no matter how difficult or abstruse, as soon as broached, and stroked -his scanty beard while doing so with evident self-complacency. I had a -moment to see that the walls were papered with old handbills of county -fairs, travelling shows, and the like, the floor covered with patches of -carpet as various as Joseph's coat, when my man began a formula similar -to what the Bearded Lady drawls out or the Tattooed Man recites through -his nose to gaping rustics at a country muster, at ten cents a head. -He told where he was born, how old he was, and how long he had lived -in Bethlehem. At the proper moment I put my hand in my pocket and took -out a dime, which he thankfully accepted, and dropped inside a broken -coffee-pot. - -"Sir," I observed, "seeing you are American-born, I infer your title -must have been conferred by some foreign potentate?" - -"No; that is my name." - -"But," I pursued, "has it not an unrepublican sound in a country where -titles are regarded with distrust, not to say aversion?" - -"I tell you it is my name," with some heat; "I was named for the great -_Sir_ Isaac Newton." - -"Your pardon, Sir Isaac. May I ask if you inherit the genius of your -distinguished namesake?" - -"Well, yes, to some extent I do; I philoserphize a good deal. I read a -good many books folks leaves here, besides what newspapers I can pick -up; but you see it costs a lifetime to get knowledge." - -Jaques, the misanthrope, wandering in the Forest of Arden, was not more -astonished at Touchstone's philosophy than I at this answer. "Very -true," I assented. "What is your philosophy of life?" - -He tapped his forehead with his forefinger, but it was only too evident -the apartment was untenanted. He remained a moment or two as if in deep -thought, and then began, - -"Well, I'm eighty-six years of age, come next July." - -My flesh began to creep: he was beginning, for the third time, his -eternal formula. The hermit, fumbling a red handkerchief, resumed, - -"I can say I've never wanted for necessaries, and don't propose to give -myself any trouble about it." And then he expatiated on the folly of -fretfulness. - -The Hermit of Bethlehem, as he is called, but who opens his door wide -for the world to enter, is a very ordinary sort of hermit indeed. -Still, his very feebleness of intellect, his vanity even, should be a -shield instead of a target for those who, like myself, are lured by the -unmeaning trumpery at his door, which has no other significance in the -world than a childish passion for objects that glitter in the sun. - -The constituents of hotel life do not belong to any locality: they -are universal. It is curious to see here people who have spent half -their lives in India, or China, or Australia moving about among the -untravelled with the well-bred ease and adaptation to circumstances that -newly-fledged tourists can neither understand nor imitate. It is very -droll, too, that people who have lived ten years in the same street, at -home, without knowing each other, meet here for the first time. - -I beg to introduce another acquaintance picked up by the roadside while -walking from the Twin Mountain House to Bethlehem. Had I been driving, -the incident would still have waited for a narrator. - -Climbing the hill-side at a snail's pace was a peddler's cart, drawn by -a scrubby little white horse, and bearing a new broom for an ensign, -which seemed to symbolize that this petty trader meant to sweep the road -clean of its loose cash. The sides of the cart were gayly decorated -with pans, basins, dippers by the dozen, and bristled with knickknacks -for barter or ready money, from a gridiron to a door-mat. The movement -of the vehicle over the stony road kept up a lively clatter, which -announced its coming from afar. There being for the moment, no house in -sight, the proprietor was engaged in picking raspberries by the roadside. - -The peddler--well, he was little, and stubby too, like his horse, -for whom he had dismounted to lighten the pull up-hill. The animal -seemed to know his business, for he stopped short as often as he came -to a water-bar, blew a cloud from his nostrils, champed his bit, and -distended his sides so alarmingly with a long, deep respiration, that -the patched-up harness seemed in danger of bursting. He then glanced -over his shoulder toward his master, shook his head deprecatingly, and, -with a deep sigh, moved on. - -The little merchant of small wares and great had on a rusty felt hat, -rakishly set on one side of his bullet head, and a faded olive-green -coat, rather short in the skirts, to conceal two patches in his -trousers. The latter were tucked into a pair of dusty boots very much -turned up at the toes. His face was a good deal sunburnt, and his -hair, eyebrows, and mustache were the color of the road--sandy. Except -a pair of scissors, the points of which protruded from his left-hand -vest-pocket, I perceived no weapon offensive or defensive about him. He -was a very innocent-looking peddler indeed. - -As I was passing him he held out a handful of ripe fruit. The hand was -disfigured with an ugly cicatrice: it was rather dirty. He accompanied -the offer with an invitation to "hop on" his cart and ride. This double -civility emanated from a gentleman and a peddler. - -The walk from Crawford's to Bethlehem _is_ rather fatiguing; but I said, -as in duty bound, "No" (I said it because the thought of riding through -Bethlehem Street on the top of a peddler's cart appeared ridiculous in -my eyes--with shame I confess it), "thank you; your horse already has -all he can pull, and I have only a mile or two farther to go." - -The peddler then fell into step with me, taking a long, even stride that -brought back old recollections. I said, - -"You have been a soldier." - -"How know you dat?" - -"By your gait--you do not walk, you march: by that sabre-cut on your -right hand." - -"Ha! you goot eyes haf; but it a payonet vas." - -Believing I saw a veteran of our great civil war, I asked, with -undisguised interest, - -"Where did you serve? Where were you wounded?" - -"Von year und half in war mit Danemark, von year und half mit Oustria, -und two mit Vrance." - -I looked at him again. What! That undersized, insignificant appearing -little chap, whom I could easily have pitched into the ditch, he a -soldier of Sadowa, of Metz, of Paris. Bah! - -"So, the wars over, you emigrated to America?" - -"Right avay. Ven I get home from Baris I tell Linda, my vife, 'Look -here, Linda: I been soldier six year. Now I plenty fighting got. Dere's -two hunder thaler in the knapsack. Shut your mouth tight, open your eye -close, and we get out of dis double-quig.' She say 'Where I go?' und I -tell her the _U_-nited States, by hell, befor anoder var come. She begin -to cry, I begin to schwear, und we settle it right avay." - -I asked if he minded telling how he came by the wound in his hand. This -is what he told me in his broken English: - -When Marshal Bazaine made his last desperate effort to shake off the -deadly gripe the Prussians had fastened upon Metz, a battalion of -_tirailleurs_ suddenly surrounded an advanced post established by -the Germans in the suburbs. The morning was foggy, and the surprise -complete. The picket had hardly the time to run to their arms before -they were driven back pell-mell on the reserve, amid a shower of balls. -The reserve took refuge in a stone building surrounded by a thick hedge, -maintaining an irregular fire from the windows. One of the last to cross -the court-yard, with the French at his heels, was our German. Before -he could gain the friendly shelter of the house he stumbled and fell -headlong, his gun flying through the air as he came to the ground, so -that he was not only prostrate but disarmed. - -Half-stunned, he scrambled to his knees just as his nearest pursuer -made a savage lunge with his sabre-bayonet. The Prussian instinctively -grasped it. While trying thus to parry the deadly thrust, the keen -weapon pierced his hand, and he was a second time borne to the earth, -or, rather, pinned to it by his adversary's bayonet. - -"_Rendez-vous Allemand, cochon!_" screamed the Frenchman, bestriding the -little Prussian with a look of mortal hatred. - -"_Je ne fous combrends,_" replied the wounded man, drawing a revolver -with his free hand and shooting his enemy dead. "I couldn't helb it, -I vas so mad," finished the ex-soldier, running to serve two of his -customers, who stood waiting for him at a gate by the roadside. I left -him exhibiting ribbons, edgings, confectionery--heaven knows what!--with -all the volubility of an experienced shopman. - - - - -IX. - -_JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER._ - - Through the valley runs a river, bright and rocky, cool and swift, - Where the wave with many a quiver plays around the pine-tree's drift. - _Good Words._ - - -It remains to introduce the reader into the valley watered by Israel's -River, and for this purpose we take the rail from Bethlehem to -Whitefield, and from Whitefield to Jefferson. - -Like Bethlehem, Jefferson lies reposing in mid-ascent of a mountain. -Here the resemblance ends. The mountain above it is higher, the valley -beneath more open, permitting an unimpeded view up and down. The -hill-side upon which the clump of hotels is situated makes no steep -plunge into the valley, but inclines gently down to the banks of the -river. Instead of crowding upon and jostling each other, the mountains -forming opposite sides of this valley remain tranquilly in the alignment -they were commanded not to overstep. The confusion there is reduced to -admirable order here; the smooth slopes, the clean lines, the ample -views, the roominess, so to speak, of the landscape, indicate that -everything has been done without haste, with precision, and without -deviation from the original plan, which contemplated a paradise upon -earth. - -Issuing from the wasted sides of Mount Jefferson and Mount Adams, -Israel's River runs a short north-westerly course of fifteen miles into -the Connecticut at Lancaster. This beautiful stream received its name -from Israel Glines, a hunter, who frequented these regions long before -the settlement of the country. The road from Lancaster to Gorham follows -the northern highlands of its valley to its head, then crossing the -dividing ridge which separates its waters from those of Moose River, -descends this stream to the Androscoggin at Gorham. - -On the north side Starr King Mountain rises 2400 feet above the valley -and 3800 feet above the sea. On the south side Cherry Mountain lifts -itself 3670 feet higher than the tide-level. These two mountains form -the broad basin through which Israel's River flows for more than half -its course. The village of Jefferson Hill lies on the southern slope -of Starr King, and, of course, on the north side of the valley. Cherry -Mountain, the most prominent object in the foreground, is itself a -fine mountain study. It looks down through the great Notch, greeting -Chocorua. It is conspicuous from any elevated point north of the -Franconia group--from Fabyan's, Bethlehem, Whitefield, Lancaster, etc. -Owl's Head is a conspicuous protuberance of this mountain. Over the -right shoulder of Cherry Mountain stand the great Franconia Peaks, and -to the right of these, its buildings visible, is Bethlehem. Now look up -the valley. - -[Illustration: THE NORTHERN PEAKS FROM JEFFERSON.] - -We see that we have taken one step nearer the northern wing of the -great central edifice whose snowy dome dominates New England. We are -advancing as if to turn this magnificent battle-line of Titans, on -whose right Madison stands in an attitude to repel assault. Adams next -erects his sharp lance, Jefferson his shining crescent, Washington his -broad buckler, and Monroe his twin crags against the sky. Jefferson, -as the nearest, stands boldly forward, showing its tremendous ravines, -and long, supporting ridges, with great distinctness. Washington loses -something of its grandeur here; at least it is not the most striking -object; that must be sought for among the sable-sided giants standing at -his right hand. The southern peaks, being foreshortened, show only an -irregular and flattened outline which we do not look at a second time. -From Madison to Lafayette, our two rallying points, the distance can -hardly be less than forty miles as the eye travels: the entire circuit -it is able to trace cannot fall short of seventy or eighty miles. As -at Bethlehem, the view out of the valley is chiefly remarkable for its -contrast with every other feature. - -I took a peculiar satisfaction in these views, they were so ample, -so extensive, so impressive. Here you really feel as if the whole -noble company of mountains were marshalled solely for your delighted -inspection. At no other point is there such unmeasured gratification -in seeing, because the eye roves without hinderance over the grandest -summits, placed like the Capitol at the head of its magnificent avenue. -It alights first on one pinnacle, then flits to another. It interrogates -these immortal structures with a calm scrutiny. It dives into the cool -ravines; it seeks to penetrate, like the birds, the profound silence -of the forests. It toils slowly up the broken crags, or loiters by -the cascades, hanging like athletes from dizzy brinks. It shrinks, it -admires, it questions; it is grave, gay, or thoughtful by turns. I do -not believe the man lives who, looking up to those mountains as in the -face of the Deity, can deliberately utter a falsehood: the lie would -choke him. - -Furthermore, you get the best idea of height here, because the long -amphitheatre of mountains is seen steadily growing in stature toward -the great central group; and comparison is, by all odds, the best of -teachers for the eye. - -If for no other reason than the respect due to age, Jefferson deserves a -moment to itself. It was granted, October 3d, 1765, to John Goffe, under -the name of Dartmouth. The road diverging here, and crossing Cherry -Mountain to Fabyan's, is the oldest, as it long was the only highway -through the White Mountains. In those early times the travelled way -was by the Connecticut River and Lancaster through this valley to the -White Mountain Notch. The divergent road is the old turnpike between -Vermont and Portland. Gradually, as settlements were pushed farther and -farther up the Ammonoosuc, a way was made by Bath, Lisbon, Littleton, -and Dalton, to Lancaster; but to pass beyond it was still necessary to -follow the old route; nor was it until after the settlement of Bethlehem -cleared the way that an execrable horse-path was made over the present -great highway up the Ammonoosuc. In 1803 President Dwight passed over -this new road on his second excursion to the great Notch. Few travellers -would now be willing to undergo what he did to see the mountains. -There were then only three or four houses in the sixteen miles between -Bethlehem and the Notch. - -One of the first settlers of Jefferson was Colonel Joseph Whipple, -mentioned in the narrative of Nancy, the ill-starred mountain-maid, who -died while following her faithless lover in his flight from Jefferson -out of the mountains. Colonel Whipple lived on the road to Cherry -Mountain, near the mill. In 1797 his was the only house on the road. -During the Revolution a party of Indians, led by a white man, surrounded -the house, and made Whipple their prisoner. Inventing some pretext, the -colonel obtained leave to go into another room, from which he made his -escape by a window and fled to the woods, where he successfully eluded -pursuit. - -Finding myself already well advanced toward the summit of Starr King, -I finished the ascent of this mountain during an afternoon's stroll. -Nothing worthy of remark, except the exquisite view from the summit, -presented itself. Here I met again a throng of old acquaintances, and -encountered a crowd of new ones. Here I saw something like a shadow -darken the side of Mount Washington, and watched it creep steadily up -and up to the summit. The shadow was the smoke of the locomotive making -its last ascent for the day, under the eyes of thousands of spectators, -who look at it to turn away with a smile, a shrug, or a shake of the -head. - -The name of Starr King has become a household word with all travellers -in the White Mountains. It was most fitting that he who interpreted -Nature so well and so truly should receive his monument at her hands. To -him the mountains were emblematic of her highest perfection. He loved -them. His tone when speaking of them is always tender and caressing. -They appealed to his rare and exquisite perception of the beautiful, -to his fine and sensitive nature, capable of detecting intuitively -what was hid from common eyes. He felt their presence to be ennobling -and uplifting. He opened for us the charmed portal. We accompanied him -through an earthly paradise then first revealed to us by the fervor -and wealth of his description. He led us to the shadiest retreats, the -coolest groves, the most secluded glens. He guided our footsteps up the -steep mountain-side to the bleak summit. Thrice fitting was it that a -mountain should perpetuate the name of Thomas Starr King. As was said at -the grave of Gautier, he too dated "from the creation of the beautiful." - - * * * * * - -I have now rested four days at Ethan Crawford's, who lives on the side -of Boy Mountain, five miles east of Jefferson Hill, on the road to -Gorham. This Ethan is a son of the celebrated guide and host so well -known to former travellers by the _sobriquet_ of Keeper of the Mountains. - -I go to the window, and facing toward the setting sun look down the -broadening valley of Israel's River, over the glistening house-tops -of Whitefield, into and beyond the Connecticut Valley. I have Mitten -Mountain and Cherry Mountain, both heavily wooded, just over the way, -although the view of these elevations is in part intercepted by a nearer -mountain, also covered with a vigorous forest. At this moment I hear the -rush of the stream far down in the Hollow; and, following the serpentine -line its dark course makes among the press of hills, am confronted by -the massive slopes of Madison and Adams, the sombre ravine and castled -crags of Jefferson, and the hoary crest of Washington. I am really in -the heart of the mountains. - -Swiftly from these mountains descend, with exquisite grace, enormous -billows of deep sea-green, which do not subside but lift themselves -proudly at the foot of those great overhanging walls of olive and -malachite. Here rolling together, their foliage, bright or dark, repeats -the effect of flaws sweeping over a sunny sea. Their deep hollows, -arching sides, and limpid crests perfect the resemblance to the moment -when, having exerted its utmost energy, the panting ocean stands -exhausted and motionless in the grasp of the north wind. - -These lower mountains, interposing a barrier between the two valleys -of the Ammonoosuc and of Israel's River, seem, you think, pushed up -from the yielding earth simply by the enormous weight of the higher -and neighboring mountains whose keen summit-lines cut New England in -halves. At this hour these lines are edged with dull gold. All along -the wavering heights I can detect with the naked eye isolated black -crags, and can plainly see the deep dents in the broken cornices and -capitals of the grand old mountains--those vestiges of their primordial -architecture. Here the inclined ridge of the plateau, connecting the -pinnacle of Washington with the peaks of Monroe, is traced along its -whole extent. At this distance its craggy outline breaks in light -ripples, announcing nothing of that wilderness of stones assailing the -climber. All the asperities are softened into capricious harmonies. -Below yawn the ravines. - -The tracks of old slides and torrents in the side of Monroe remind -you of the branches of a gigantic fossil tree, exposed by a fracture -dividing the mountain in two. Such is, in fact, the impression received -by looking at this mountain; but the object which most excites my -attention is the broad and deep rent in the side of Jefferson, over -which hang on one side the crumbling counterfeits of towers and -battlements, while on the other cataracts, like necklaces, are suspended -over its unfathomed abysses. Cloud-shadows drift noiselessly along the -warm steeps. Cataracts glisten brightly in the sun. The grave peaks look -down unmoved on the play of the one and the sport of the other. - -The picture of life in East Jefferson would not be complete without the -old hound dozing in the sun, the turkey-cocks strutting consequentially -up and down, the barn-swallows darting swiftly in and out, the ring of -young Ethan's anvil, and the bleating of sheep far up the mountain-side. -I see them nibbling the fresh herbage, and watch the gambols of the -lambs like a child--only the child laughs aloud, and I do not laugh. -Voices come down the hillside, and I see the slow movement of a hammock -and the flutter of a dress in the maple-grove. Poetry and perfume mingle -with the scent of wild-flowers and songs of golden-mouthed birds. - -Evening does not drive us within doors, the nights are so enchanting. -Day fades imperceptibly out. Even the stars seem disconcerted. One by -one they peep, and then flit from view. We watch the slow mustering of -the celestial host in silence. A meteor leaps from heaven to earth. -The fire-flies resemble a shower of sparks, or, as darkness deepens, -a phosphorescent sea. Dorbeetles hurtle the still air, and frogs sing -barcarolles in the misty fens. Now the mountains put on their sable -armor that is to render them invisible. Here the poet must assist us: - - "It is the hush of night; and all between - Thy margin and the mountains, dusk, yet clear, - Mellowed and mingling, yet distinctly seen-- - Save darkened Jura, whose capped heights appear - Precipitously steep." - -Light seems reluctant to leave the summits. It does not wholly fade -out of the west until a late hour. In a clear and starry night all the -surrounding mountains can be distinguished long after the valley is -steeped in darkness. At half-past nine I could easily tell the time by -my watch; and even at this hour a pale, nebulous light still lingered -where the sun had gone down. So at near two thousand feet above the full -sea one peers over into that deeper horizon where twilight and dawn meet -and embrace on the dusky threshold of midnight. - -While in the neighborhood, I devoted a day to an exploration of the -Ravine of the Cascades. This ravine is entered from a point on the -Gorham road about three miles distant from the Mount Adams House. A -cart-way crosses the meadow here to an abandoned mill which is on the -stream coming from the ravine, and by which you must ascend. A more -beautiful example of a mountain brook it has never been my lot to see. -The ascent is, however, tedious and toilsome in the extreme over the -smooth and slippery rocks in its bed. Four hours of this brought me to -the region of low trees, and to the foot of the first fall, which, I -judged, descended about thirty feet. This way to the summit is open only -to the most vigorous climbers. Even then it is better to descend into -the ravine from the gap between Adams and Jefferson in order to visit -these cascades. - -The two most profitable excursions to be made here are undoubtedly the -ascent of Mount Adams and the drive to the top of Randolph Hill. I have -found on the first summit irrefragable evidence that, next to Washington -and Lafayette, Adams is the peak which summer tourists are most desirous -of ascending. A good path, on which there is a camp, leads to the -summit. Having other views in regard to this mountain, which I had so -often admired from a distance, I made a third reconnoisance of its -outworks and its remarkable ravine, while _en route_ for Randolph Hill. - -Unquestionably fine as the views are along this road, on which you are -at one time rolling smoothly over meadow or upland, with the great -northern peak rising to its full height, or again toiling up a stony -hill-side to obtain a much better idea of its real character and -prodigious dimensions, the climax is reserved until, turning from the -highway, you begin a slow advance up the long hill-side that makes an -almost uninterrupted descent for five miles to the Androscoggin. Here -I saw from a balcony what I had before seen from the ground-floor. -The view is large and expansive. You look down the surging land into -the Androscoggin. You look over among the mountains circling its -head, huddled together like a frightened herd. You look down into the -valley of the Moose, and through the gap in the great chain you again -see the valley of the Peabody and the Carter Notch. Now you hold the -great northern peaks admiringly at arm's-length, as you would an old -friend. Putting an imaginary hand on each broad shoulder, you scan them -from head to foot. They submit calmly and with condescension to your -lengthened scrutiny. Presently the low sun floods them with royal purple -and gilds the topmost crags with refined gold. You glance up the valley. -The little river comes like a stream of fire which the huge mountains -seem crowding forward to trample out. Now look down. The same mountains -seem spurning the glittering serpent away from their feet. - -King's Ravine is as well seen from this point, perhaps, as any. It -is a huge natural niche excavated high up the mountain. You see -everything--grizzled spruces, blackened shafts of stone, rifted walls, -tawny crags--all in one glance. It is formidable and forbidding, though -a way has been made through it by which to ascend Mount Adams. Now that -there is a good path skirting the ravine and avoiding it, that look will -usually suffice to deter sensible people from attempting to reach the -summit by it. It is far better to descend into it and grope one's way -down through and underneath the bowlders. The same, and even greater, -obstacles are encountered as in Tuckerman's. In early spring the walls -of the ravine are streaked with slowly-melting snows. These gulches, all -converging toward the bottom, send a torrent roaring down with noise -equal to surf on a hard sea-beach. This torrent is the principal source -of the Moose. - -Well do I remember my first venture here. I had walked from Gorham. -Seeing a man chopping wood by the side of the road, I entered into -conversation with him; but at the first suggestion I let fall of an -intention to climb to the ravine he gaped open-mouthed. To ascend -the brook to the ravine, the escarpment of the ravine to the high -precipices, the precipices to the gate-way, was an exploit in those -days. But this was long ago. A good climber now puts King's Ravine down -in his list of excursions with the same nonchalance that a belle of the -ball-room enters an additional waltz on her card of engagements.[39] - -One day I had fished along the Moose without success. Nothing could -give a better idea of a mountain stream than this one, fed by snows and -gushing from the breached side of Mount Adams. But either the water was -too cold or the trout too wary. They persistently refused my fly. I -tried red and brown hackle, then a white moth-miller; all to no purpose. -Feeling downright hungry, I determined to seek a dinner elsewhere. -Unjointing my rod, I returned, rather crestfallen, down the mountain -into the road. - -I knocked at the first house. Pretty soon the curtain of the first -window at my left hand was partly drawn aside. I felt that I was under -the fire of a pair of very black eyes. An instant after the door was -half-opened by a woman past middle life, who examined me with a scared -look while wiping her hands on a corner of her apron. Two or three white -heads peeped out from the folds of her dress like young chickens from -the old hen's wing, and as many pairs of widely-opened eyes surveyed me -with innocent surprise. - -Perceiving her confusion, I was on the point of asking some indifferent -question, about the distance, the road--I knew not what--but my stomach -gave me a twinge of disdain, and I stood my ground. Hunger has no -conscience: honor was at stake. In two words I made known my wants, I -confess with confidence oozing away at my fingers' ends. - -Her confusion became still greater--so evident, indeed, that I took a -backward step and stammered, quite humbly, "A hunch of bread-and-cheese -or a cup of milk--" when the good-wife nailed me to the threshold. - -Quoth she, "The men folks have all _et_ their dinners, and there hain't -no more meat; but if you could put up with a few trout?" - -Put up with trout! Did I hear aright? The word made my mouth water. -I softly repeated it to myself--"Trout!"--would I put up with trout? -Not to lower myself in this woman's estimation, I replied that, seeing -there was nothing else in the house, I would put up with trout. Let it -suffice that I made a repast fit for a prince, and, like a prince, being -served by a bashful maiden with cheeks like the arbutus, which everybody -knows shows its most delicate pink only in the seclusion of its native -woods. - -My hours of leisure in Jefferson being numbered, having now made the -circuit of the great range by all the avenues penetrating or environing -it, the reader's further indulgence is craved while his faithful guide -points his well-worn alpenstock to the last stage of our mountain -journeys. - -Behold us at last, after many capricious wanderings, after calculated -avoidance, approaching the inevitable end. We are _en route_ for -Fabyan's by the road over Cherry Mountain. This road is twelve miles -long. As we mount with it the side of Cherry Mountain the beautiful -vistas continually detain us. We are now climbing the eastern wall of -the valley, so long the prominent figure from the heights of Jefferson. -We now look back upon the finely-traced slopes of Starr King, with the -village luxuriously extended in the sun. For some time we are like two -travellers going in opposite directions, but who turn again and again -for a last adieu. Now the forest closes over us and we see each other no -more. - -Noonday found me descending that side of the mountain overlooking the -Ammonoosuc Valley. Where the Cherry Mountain road joins the valley -highway the White Mountain House, an old-time tavern, stands. The -railway passes close to its door. A mile more over the level brings us -to Fabyan's, so called from one of the old mountain landlords, whose -immortality is thus assured. Now that mammoth caravansary, which seems -all eyes, is reached just as the doors opening upon the great hall -disclose a long array of tables, while permitting a delicious odor to -assail our nostrils. - -To speak to the purpose, the Fabyan House really commands a superb front -view of Mount Washington, from which it is not six miles in a bee-line. -All the southern peaks, among which Mount Pleasant is undoubtedly the -most conspicuous for its form and its mass, and for being thrown so -boldly out from the rest, are before the admiring spectator; but the -northern peaks, with the exception of Clay and Jefferson, are cut off -partly by the slopes of Mount Deception, which rises directly before the -hotel, partly by the trend of the great range itself to the north-east. -The view is superior from the neighborhood of the Mount Pleasant House, -half a mile beyond Fabyan's, where Mount Jefferson is fully and finely -brought into the picture. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN'S.] - -The railway is seen mounting a foot-hill, crossing a second and -higher elevation, then dimly carved upon the massive flanks of Mount -Washington itself, as far as the long ridge which ascends from the -north in one unbroken slope. It is then lost. We see the houses upon -the summit, and from the Mount Pleasant House the little cluster of -roofs at the base. A long and well-defined gully, exactly dividing the -mountain, is frequently taken to be the railway, which is really much -farther to the left. The smoke of a train ascending or descending still -further indicates the line of iron, which we admit to the category of -established facts only under protest. - -Sylvester Marsh, of Littleton, New Hampshire, was the man who dreamed -of setting aside the laws of gravitation with a puff of steam. Like -all really great inventions, his had to run the gauntlet of ridicule. -When the charter for a railway to the summit of Mount Washington was -before the Legislature a member moved that Mr. Marsh also have leave -to build one to the moon. Had the motion prevailed, I am persuaded Mr. -Marsh would have built it. Really, the project seemed only a little -more audacious. But in three years from the time work was begun (April, -1866) the track was laid and the mountain in irons.[40] The summit which -the superstitious Indian dared not approach, nor the most intrepid -white hunter ascend, is now annually visited by thousands, without more -fatigue than would follow any other excursion occupying the same time. -The excitement of a first passage, the strain upon the nerves, is quite -another thing. - -In a little grass-grown enclosure, on the other side of the Ammonoosuc, -is a headstone bearing the following inscription: - - IN MEMORY OF - CAP ELIEZER ROSBROOK - WHO DIED SEP. 25 - 1817 - In the 70 Year - Of His Age. - - When I lie buried deep in dust, - My flesh shall be thy care - These withering limbs to thee I trust - To raise them strong and fair. - - WIDOW - HANNAH ROSEBROOK - Died May 4, 1829 - Aged 84 - -Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. For they rest from their labors - And their works do follow them. - -So far as is known Rosebrook was the first white settler on this spot. -One account[41] says he came here in 1788, another fixes his settlement -in 1792.[42] His military title appears to have been derived from -services rendered on the Canadian frontier during the Revolutionary -War. Rosebrook was a true pioneer, restless, adventurous, and fearless. -He was a man of large and athletic frame. From his home in Massachusetts -he had first removed to what is now Colebrook, then to Guildhall, Vt., -and lastly here, to Nash and Sawyer's Location, exchanging the comforts -which years of toil had surrounded him with, abandoning the rich and -fertile meadow-lands of the Connecticut, for a log-cabin far from any -human habitation, and with no other neighbors than the bears and wolves -that prowled unharmed the shaggy wilderness at his door. With his axe -this sturdy yeoman attacked the forest closely investing his lonely -cabin. Year by year, foot by foot, he wrested from it a little land -for tillage. With his gun he kept the beast of prey from his little -enclosure, or provided venison or bear's meat for the wife and little -ones who anxiously awaited his return from the hunt. Hunger and they -were no strangers. For years the strokes of Rosebrook's axe, or the -crack of his rifle, were the only sounds that disturbed the silences -of ages. Little by little the circle was enlarged. One after another -the giants of the forest fell beneath his blows. But years of resolute -conflict with nature and with privation found him at last in the -enjoyment of a dearly-earned prosperity. Travellers began to pass his -doors. The Great White Mountain Notch soon became a thoroughfare, which -could never have been safely travelled but for Rosebrook's intrepidity -and Rosebrook's hospitality. In this way began the feeble tide of travel -through these wilds. In this way the splendidly equipped hotel, with its -thousands of guests the locomotive every hour brings to its door, traces -its descent from the rude and humble cabin of Eleazer Rosebrook. - - - - -X. - -_THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS._ - - Cradled and rocked by wind and cloud, - Safe pillowed on the summit proud, - Steadied by that encircling arm - Which holds the Universe from harm, - I knew the Lord my soul would keep, - Upon His mountain-tops asleep! - LUCY LARCOM. - - -Thus I found myself again at the base of Mount Washington, but on the -reverse, opposed to the Glen. Before the completion of the railway from -Fabyan's to the foot of the mountain I had passed over the intervening -six miles by stage--a delightful experience; but one now steps on -board an open car, which in less than half the time formerly occupied -leaves him at the point where the mountain car and engine wait for him. -The route lies along the foaming Ammonoosuc, and its justly admired -falls, cut deep through solid granite, into the uncouth and bristling -wilderness which surrounds the base of the mountain. The peculiarity -of these falls does not consist in long, abrupt descents of perturbed -water, but in the neatly excavated caves, rock-niches, and smoothly -rounded cliffs and basins through which for some distance the impatient -stream rears and plunges like a courser feeling the curb. Imperfect -glimpses hardly give an idea of the curious and interesting processes -of rock-cutting to one who merely looks down from the high banks above -while the train is in rapid motion. It is better, therefore, to visit -these falls by way of the old turnpike. - -The advance up the valley which has first given us an outlook through -the great Notch, on our right, presents for some time the huge green -hemisphere of Mount Pleasant as the conspicuous object. The track then -swerves to the left, bringing Mount Washington into view, and in a few -minutes more we are at the ill-favored clump of houses and sheds at its -base. - -[Illustration: MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING TIMES.] - -The mechanism of the road-way is very simple. The track is formed of -three iron rails, firmly clamped to stout timbers, laid lengthwise upon -transverse pieces, or sleepers. These are securely embedded, where the -surface will allow, or raised upon trestles, where its inequalities -would compel a serious deflection from a smooth or regular inclination. -One of these, about half-way up the mountain, is called Jacob's Ladder. -Here the train achieves the most difficult part of the ascent. After -traversing the whole line on foot, and inspecting it minutely and -thoroughly, I can candidly pronounce it not only a marvel of mechanical -skill, but bear witness to the scrupulous care taken to keep every -timber and every bolt in its place. In two words, the structure is -nothing but a ladder of wood and iron laid upon the side of the -mountain.[43] - -The propelling force employed is equally simple. The engine and car -merely rest upon and are kept in place by the two outer rails, while -the power is applied to the middle one, which we have just called a -rail, but is, more properly speaking, a little ladder of steel cogs, -into which the corresponding teeth of the locomotive's driving-wheel -play--a firm hold being thus secured. The question now merely is, how -much power is necessary to overcome gravity and lift the weight of the -machine into the air? This cogged-rail is the fulcrum, and steam the -lever. Mr. Sylvester Marsh has not precisely lifted the mountain, but he -has, nevertheless, with the aid of Mr. Walter Aiken, reduced it, to all -intents, to a level. - -The boiler of the locomotive, inclined forward so as to preserve a -horizontal position when the engine is ascending, the smoke-stack -also pitched forward, give the idea of a machine that has been in a -collision. Everything seems knocked out of place. But this queer-looking -thing, that with bull-dog tenacity literally hangs on to the mountain -with its teeth, is capable of performing a feat such as Watt never -dreamed of, or Stephenson imagined. It goes up the mountain as easily as -a bear climbs a tree, and like a bear. - -I had often watched the last ascension of the train, which usually -reaches the summit at sunset, and I had as often pleased myself with -considering whether it then most resembled a big, shining beetle -crawling up the mountain side, or some fiery dragon of the fabulous -times, dragging his prey after him to his den, after ravaging the -valley. My own turn was now come to make the trial. It was a cold -afternoon in September when I entered the little carriage, not much -larger than a street-car, and felt the premonitory jerk with which the -ascent begins. The first hill is so steep that you look up to see the -track always mounting high above your head; but one soon gets used to -the novelty, and to the clatter which accompanies the incessant dropping -of a pawl into the indentures of the cogged-rail, and in which he -recognizes an element of safety. The train did not move faster than one -could walk, but it moved steadily, except when it now and then stopped -at a water-tank, standing solitary and alone upon the waste of rocks. - -By the time we emerged above the forest into the chill and wind-swept -desolation above it--a first sight of which is so amazing--the sun -had set behind the Green Mountain summits, showing a long, serrated -line of crimson peaks, above which clouds of lake floated in a sea -of amber. It grew very cold. Great-coats and shawls were quickly -put on. Thick darkness enveloped the mountain as we approached the -head of the profound gulf separating us from Mount Clay, which is the -most remarkable object seen at any time either during the ascent or -descent. Into this pitchy ravine, into its midnight blackness, a long -and brilliant train of sparks trailed downward from the locomotive, so -that we seemed being transported heavenward in a chariot of fire. This -flaming torch, lighting us on, now disclosed snow and ice on all sides. -We had successfully attained the last slope which conceals the railway -from the valley. Up this the locomotive toiled and panted, while we -watched the stars come out and emit cold gleams around, above, beneath. -The light of the Summit House twinkled small, then grew large, as, -surmounting the last and steepest pitch of the pinnacle, we were pushed -before a long row of lighted windows crusted thick with hoar-frost. -Stiffened with cold, the passengers rushed for the open door without -ceremony. In an instant the car was empty; while the locomotive, -dripping with its unheard-of efforts, seemed to regard this desertion -with reproachful glances. - -Reader, have you ever sat beside Mrs. Dodge's fire after such a passive -ascension as that just described? After a two hours' combat with the -instinct of self-preservation, did you dream of such comforts, luxuries -even, awaiting you on the bleak mountain-top, where nothing grows, and -where water even congeals and refuses to run? Could you, in the highest -flights of fancy, imagine that you would one day sit in the courts of -heaven, or feast sumptuously amid the stars? All this you either have -done or may do. And now, while the smartly-dressed waiter-girl, who -seems to have donned her white apron as a personal favor, brings you the -best the larder affords, pinch yourself to see if you are awake. - -In several ascensions by the railway I have always remarked the same -symptoms of uneasiness among the passengers, betrayed by pale faces, -compressed lips, hands tightening their grasp of the chairs, or subdued -and startled exclamations, quickly repressed. To escape the influence of -such weird surroundings one should be absolutely stolid--a stock or a -stone. So for all it is an experience more or less acute, according to -his sensibility, strength of nerve, and power of self-control. However -well it may be disguised, the strong equally with the weak, and more -deeply than the weak, feel the strain which ninety minutes' combat with -gravitation, attraction, ponderosity, engenders. The mind does not for a -single instant quit its hold of this defiance of Nature's laws. As long -as iron and steel hold fast, there is no danger; but you think iron and -steel are iron and steel, and no more. An anecdote will illustrate this -feeling. - -After pointing out to a lady-passenger the skilful devices for stopping -the engine--the pawl, the steam, and the atmospheric brakes--and after -patiently explaining their mechanism and uses, the listener asked the -conductor, with much interest, - -"Then, if the pawl breaks while we are going up?" - -"The engine will be stopped by means of these powerful brakes, applied -directly to the axles, which will, of course, render the train -motionless. As the locomotive has two driving-wheels, the engineer can -bring a double power to bear, as you see. Each is independent of the -other, so that if one gives way the other is still more than sufficient -to keep the engine stationary." - -"Thank you; but the car?" - -"Oh, the car is not attached to the engine at all; and should the -engineer lose the control of his machine, which is not at all likely, -the car can be brought to a stand-still by independent brakes of its -own. You see the engine goes up behind, and in front, down; and the car -is simply pushed forward, or follows it." - -"So that you consider it--." - -"Perfectly safe, madam, perfectly safe." - -"Thank you. One question more. Suppose all these things break at once. -What then? Where would we go?" - -"That, madam, would depend on what sort of a life you had led." - -I have still a consolation for the timid. Ten years' trial has confirmed -the declaration of its projectors, that they would make the road as safe -or safer than the ordinary railway. No life has been lost by an injury -to a passenger during that time. Besides, what is the difference? After -its day, the railway will pass like the stage-coach--that is, unless you -believe, as you do not, that the world and all progress are to stop with -ourselves. - -[Illustration: ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY.] - -The affable lady hostess told me that she paid an annual rental of ten -thousand dollars for her palace of ice; nominally for a year, but really -for a term of only seventy-six days, this being the limit of the season -upon the summit. During the remaining two hundred and eighty-nine -days the house is closed. During four or five months it is buried, or -half-buried, in a snow-drift. Of this large sum, three thousand dollars -go to the Pingree heirs. These facts may tend to modify the views of -those who think the charges exorbitant, if such there are. - -Raising my eyes to look out of the window, the light from within -fell upon a bank of snow. A man was stooping over it as if in search -of something. Going out, I found him feeling it with his hands, and -examining it with childish wonder and curiosity. I approached this -eccentric person very softly; but he, seeing my shadow on the snow -beside him, looked up. - -"Can I assist you in recovering what you have lost?" I inquired. - -"Thank you; no. I have lost nothing. Ah! I see," he continued, laughing -quietly, "you think I have lost my wits. But it is not so. I am a native -of the East Indies, and I assure you this is the first time in my life I -have ever seen snow near enough to handle it. Imagine what an experience -the ascent of Mount Washington is for me!" - -We took a turn down the hard-frozen Glen road together in order to see -the moon come up. The telegraph-poles, fantastically crusted with ice to -the thickness of a foot, stretched a line of white-hooded phantoms down -the dark side of the mountain. From successive coatings of frozen mist -the wires were as thick as cables. Couches of snow lay along the rocks, -and fresh snow had apparently been rubbed into all the inequalties of -the cliffs rising out of the Great Gulf. The scene was supremely weird, -supremely desolate. - -From here we crossed over to the railway, and, ascending by it, shortly -came upon the heap of stones, surmounted by its tablet, erected on -the spot where Miss Bourne perished while ascending the mountain, in -September, 1855. The party, of which she was one, setting out in high -spirits in the afternoon from the Glen House, was overtaken near the -summit by clouds, which hid the house from view, and among which they -became bewildered. It was here Miss Bourne declared she could go no -farther. Overcome by her exertions, she sunk exhausted and fainting -upon the rocks. Her friends were scarcely awakened to her true -condition when, amid the surrounding darkness and gloom, this young -and lovely maiden of only twenty expired in the arms of her uncle. The -mourners wrapped the body in their own cloaks, and, ignorant that a -few rods only separated them from the summit, kept a vigil throughout -the long and weary night. We hasten over this night of dread. In the -morning, discovering their destination a few rods above them, they bore -the lifeless form of their companion to it with feelings not to be -described. A rude bier was made, and she who had started up the mountain -full of life now descended it a corpse. - -The evening treated us to a magnificent spectacle. The moon, in -full-orbed splendor, moved majestically up the heavens, attended by her -glittering retinue of stars. Frozen peaks, reflecting the mild radiance, -shone like beaten silver. But the immense hollows between, the deep -valleys that had been open to view, were now inundated with a white and -luminous vapor, from which the multitude of icy summits emerged like a -vast archipelago--a sea of islands. This spectral ocean seemed on the -point of ingulfing the mountains. This motionless sea, these austere -peaks, uprising, were inconceivably weird and solemnizing. An awful hush -pervaded the inanimate but threatening host of cloud-girt mountains. -Upon them, upon the sea of frozen vapor, absorbing its light, the clear -moon poured its radiance. The stars seemed nearer and brighter than -ever before. The planets shone with piercing brilliancy; they emitted -a sensible light. The Milky Way, erecting its glittering nebula to the -zenith, to which it was pinned by a dazzling star, floated, a glorious, -star-spangled veil, amid this vast sea of gems. One could vaguely catch -the idea of an unpeopled desolation rising from the fathomless void of -a primeval ocean. The peaks, incased in snow and ice, seemed stamped -with the traces of its subsidence. Pale and haggard, they lifted their -antique heads in silent adoration. - -Going to my room and extinguishing the light, I stood for some time -at the window, unable to reconcile the unwonted appearance of the -stars shining far below, with the fixed idea that they ought not to be -there. Yet there they were. To tell the truth, my head was filled with -the surpassing pomp I had just witnessed, of which I had not before -the faintest conception. I felt as if I was silently conversing with -all those stars, looking at me and my petty aspirations with such -inflexible, disdainful immobility. When one feels that he is nothing, -self-assurance is no great thing. The conceit is taken out of him. On a -mountain the man stands naked before his Maker. He is nothing. That is -why I leave him there. - -That night I did not sleep a wink. Twenty times I jumped out of bed and -ran to the window to convince myself that it was not all a dream. No; -moon and stars were still bright. Over the Great Gulf, all ghastly in -the moonlight, stood Mount Jefferson in his winding-sheet. I dressed -myself, and from the embrasure of my window kept a vigil. - -Sunrise did not produce the startling effect I had anticipated. The -morning was fine and cloudless. A gong summoned the inmates of the -hotel to the spectacle. Without dressing themselves, they ran to their -windows, where, wrapped in bed-blankets, they stood eagerly watching the -east. To the pale emerald of early dawn a ruddy glow succeeded. Before -we were aware, the rocky waste around us grew dusky red. The crimsoned -air glided swiftly over the neighboring summits. Now the brightness -was upon Adams and Jefferson and Clay, and now it rolled its purpled -flood into the Great Gulf, to mingle with the intense blackness at the -bottom. For some moments the mountain-tops held the color, then it was -transfused into the clear sunshine of open day; while the vapors, heavy -and compact, stretched along the valleys, still smothering the land, -retained their leaden hue. - -It was still early when I descended the carriage-road on my way to Mount -Adams. The usual way is to keep the railway as far as the old Gulf Tank, -near which is a house of refuge, provided with a cooking-stove, fuel, -and beds. I continued, however, to coast the upper crags of the Great -Gulf, until compelled to make directly for the southern peak of Mount -Clay. The view from this _col_ is imposing, embracing at once, and -without turning the head, all the southern summits of the chain. Here I -was joined by two travellers fresh from Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. - -Each choosing a route for himself, we pushed on to the high summit of -Clay, from which we looked down into the deep gap dividing this mountain -from Jefferson. Arrived there, we resolutely attacked the eastern slopes -of this fine peak, whose notched summit rose more than seven hundred and -fifty feet above our heads. Patches of Alpine grasses, of reindeer-moss, -interspersed with irregular ridges of stones, extended quite up to the -summit, which was a mere elongated stone-heap crowning the apex of its -cone. Those undulating masses encircling its bulk, half hid among the -grass, were like an immense python crushing the mountain in its deadly -folds. We picked our way carefully among this chaotic dbris, which the -Swiss aptly call "cemeteries of the devil," tripping now and then in the -long, wiry grass, or burying our feet among the hummocks of dry moss, -which were so many impediments to rapid progress. This appearance and -this experience were common to the whole route. - -At each summit we threw ourselves upon the ground, to feast upon the -landscape while regaining breath. Each halt developed more and more -the grand and stupendous mass of Washington receding from the depths -of the Great Gulf, along whose edge the carriage-road serpentined -and finally disappeared. We saw, a little softened by distance, the -horribly mutilated crags of the head wall stripped bare of all verdure, -presenting on its knobbed agglomerates of tempest-gnawed granite a -thousand eye-catching points and detaining as many shadows. Nothing--not -even the glittering leagues of mountains and valleys shooting or -slumbering above, beneath--so riveted the attention as this apparently -bottomless pit of the five mountains. It was a continued wonder. It drew -us by a strange magnetism to its dizzy brink, chained us there, and -then abandoned us to a physical and moral vertigo, in which the power -of critical investigation was lost. An invisible force seemed always -dragging us toward it. Whence comes this horrible, this uncontrollable -desire to throw ourselves in? - -Out of the death-like torpor which eternally shrouds the ravine -the smiling valley seems escaping. The crystal air of the heights -grows thick in its depths. Beasts and birds of prey haunt its gloomy -solitudes. An immense grave seems yawning to receive the mountains. The -aged mountains seem standing with one foot in the grave. - -This gulf makes an impression altogether different from the others. -It is an immense ravine. Each of the five mountains pushes down into -it massive buttresses of granite, forming lesser ravines between of -considerable extent. Through these streams trickle down from invisible -sources. But these buttresses, which fall lightly and gracefully as -folds of velvet from summit to base of the highest mountains, these -ravines, are hardly noticed. The insatiable maw of the gulf swallows -them as easily as an anaconda a rabbit. In immensity, which you do not -easily grasp, in grandeur, which you do not know how to measure, this -has no partakers here. Even the great Carter Mountain, rising from the -Peabody Valley, seems no more than a stone rolled away from the entrance -of this enormous sepulchre. - -Our first difficulties were encountered upon the reverse of Mount -Jefferson, from whose side rocky spurs detached themselves, and, jutting -out from the side of the mountain, formed an irregular line of cliffs -of varying height, in the way we had selected for the descent. But -these were no great affair. We now had the Ravine of the Castles upon -our left, the stately pyramid of Adams in front, and, beneath, the deep -hollow between this mountain and the one we were descending. We had the -little hamlet of East Jefferson at the mouth of the ravine, and that -crowd of peaks, tightly wedged between the waters of the Connecticut and -the Androscoggin, looming above it. - -A deviation to the left enabled us to approach the Castellated Ridge, -which is, beyond dispute, the most extraordinary rock-formation the -whole extent of the range can show. As it is then fully before you, it -is seen to much better advantage when approached from Mount Adams. I -do not know who gave it this name, but none could be more felicitous -or expressive. It is a sloping ridge of red-brown granite, broken at -its summit into a long line of picturesque towers and battlements, -rising threateningly over an escarpment of dbris. Such an illusion is -too rarely encountered to be easily forgotten. It is hardly possible -to doubt you are really looking at an antique ruin. One would like to -wander among these pre-Adamite fortifications, which curiously remind -him of the old Spanish fortresses among the Pyrenees. From the opposite -side of the ravine--for I had not the time requisite for a closer -examination--the rock composing the most elevated portion of the ridge -appears to have been split perpendicularly down, probably by frost, -allowing these broken columns and shafts to stand erect upon the verge -of the abyss. In the warm afternoon light, when the shadows fall, it is -hardly possible to conceive a finer picture of a crumbling but still -formidable mountain fortress. Bastions and turrets stand boldly out. -Each broken shaft sends a long shadow streaming down into the ravine, -whose high and deeply-furrowed sides are thus beautifully striped with -dusk-purple, while the sunlit parts retain a greenish-gray. - -At the foot of Jefferson we found, concealed among rushes, a spring, -which refreshed us like wells of the desert the parched and fainting -Arab. From here two routes offered themselves. One was by keeping the -curved ridge, rising gradually to a subordinate peak (Samuel Adams),[44] -and to the foot of the summit itself; a second was by crossing the -ground sloping downward from this ridge into the Great Gulf. We chose -the latter, notwithstanding the dwarf-spruce, advancing well up to the -foot of the ridge, promised a warm reception. - -[Illustration: THE CASTELLATED RIDGE.] - -At last, after sustaining a vigorous tussle with the scrub-firs, and -stopping to unearth a brook whose waters purred underneath stones, -I stood at the foot of the pointed shaft I had so often seen wedged -into the sky. Five hundred feet or more of the apex of this pyramid -is apparently formed of broken rocks, dropped one by one into place. -Nothing like a ledge or a cliff is to be seen: only these ponderous, -sharp-edged masses of cold gray stone, lifted one above another to the -tapering point. Up this mutilated pyramid we began a slow advance. It -was necessary to carefully choose one step before taking another, in -order to avoid plunging into the deep crevasses traversing the peak in -every direction. At last I placed my foot upon the topmost crag. - -No one can help regarding this peak with the open admiration which is -its due. You conceive that every mountain ought to have a pinnacle. -Well, here it is. We could easily have stood astride the culminating -point. But how came these rocks here? and what was the primitive -structure, if these fragments we see are its relics? One hardly believes -that an ice-raft could have first transported and then deposited such -misshapen masses in their present symmetrical form. Still less does -he admit that the original shaft, crushed in a thousand pieces by -the glacier itself, fell with such grace as to rise again, as he now -sees it, from its own ruins. If, again, it proceeds from the eternal -hammering of King Frost, what was the antique edifice that first rose so -proudly above the frozen seas of the great primeval void? But to science -the things which belong to science. We have a book describing heaven, -but not one that resolves the problems of earth. The "_Veni, vidi, -vici,_" of the Book of Genesis leaves us at the beginning. We are still -staring, still questioning, still vacillating between this theory and -that hypothesis.[45] - -We had from the summit an inspiring though not an extensive view. A -bank of dun-colored smoke smirched the fair western sky as high as the -summits of the Green Mountains. At fifty miles mountains and valleys -melted confusedly into each other. Water emitted only a dull glimmer. -Here a peak and there a summit surveyed us from afar. All else was -intangible; almost imaginary. At twenty-five miles the land, resuming -its ordinary appearance, was bathed in the soft brilliance caused by the -sun shining through an atmosphere only half transparent. - -Upon this obscure mass we traced once more the well-known objects -environing the great mountain. To the south Mount Washington divided -the landscape in two. For some time we stood admiring its magnificent -_torso_, its amplitude of rock-land, its easy preponderance over every -other summit. Again we followed the road down the great north-east -spur. Once more we caught the white specks which denote the line of -the railway. We plunged our eyes down into the Great Gulf, and lifted -them to the shattered protuberances of Clay, which seemed to mark the -route where the glacier crushed and ground its way through the very -centre of the chain. A second time we descended Jefferson to the deep -dip, opening like a trough between two enormous sea-waves, where we -first saw the little Storm Lake glistening. Following now the long, -rocky ridge, rolling downward toward the hamlets of Jefferson and -Randolph, the mountains yawned wide at our feet. We were looking over -into King's Ravine--to its very bottom. We peered curiously into its -remotest depths, traced the difficult and breathless ascent through -the remarkable natural gateway at its head out upon a second ridge, -on which a little pond (Star Lake) lies hid. We then crossed the gap -communicating with Mount Madison, whose summit, last and lowest of the -great northern peaks, dominates the Androscoggin Valley with undisputed -sway. To-day it made on us scarcely an impression. Its peak, which from -the valley holds a rough similitude with that of Adams, is dwarfed here. -You look down upon it. - -More applicable to Adams than to any other, for our eyes grow dazzled -with the glitter and sparkle of countless mica-flakes incrusting the -hard granite with clear brilliancy as from the facets of a diamond; more -applicable, again, from the stern, unconquerable attitude of the great -gray shaft itself, lifted in such conscious pride beyond the confines -of the vast ethereal vault of blue--a tower of darkness invading the -bright realms of light; a defiance flung by earth in the face of high -heaven--is the magnificent description of the Matterhorn from the pen of -Ruskin: - -"If one of these little flakes of mica-sand, hurried in tremulous -spangling along the bottom of the ancient river, too light to sink, -too faint to float, almost too small for sight, could have had a mind -given to it as it was at last borne down with its kindred dust into -the abysses of the stream, and laid (would it not have thought?) for a -hopeless eternity in the dark ooze, the most despised, forgotten, and -feeble of all earth's atoms; incapable of any use or change; not fit, -down there in the diluvial darkness, so much as to help an earth-wasp -to build its nest, or feed the first fibre of a lichen--what would it -have thought had it been told that one day, knitted into a strength as -of imperishable iron, rustless by the air, infusible by the flame, out -of the substance of it, with its fellows, the axe of God should hew that -Alpine tower;--that against _it_--poor, helpless mica-flake!--the snowy -hills should lie bowed like flocks of sheep, and the kingdoms of the -earth fade away in unregarded blue; and around it--weak, wave-drifted -mica-flake!--the great war of the firmament should burst in thunder, and -yet stir it not; and the fiery arrows and angry meteors of the night -fall blunted back from it into the air; and all the stars in the clear -heaven should light, one by one, as they rose, new cressets upon the -points of snow that fringed its abiding-place on the imperishable spire!" - -Myself and my companions set out on our return to the Summit House early -in the afternoon, choosing this time the ridge in preference to the -scrubby slope. From this we turned away, at the end of half an hour, -by an obscure path leading to a boggy pool, sunk in a mossy hollow -underneath it, crossed the area of scattered bowlders, strewn all around -like the relics of a petrified tempest, and, filling our cups at the -spring, drank to Mount Adams, the paragon of mountain peaks. - -As we again approached the brow of Mount Washington the sun resembled -a red-hot globe of iron flying through the west and spreading a -conflagration through the heavens. Again the colossal shadow of the -mountain began its stately ascension in the east. One moment the burning -eye of the great luminary interrogated this phantom, sprung from the -loins of the hoary peak. Then it dropped heavily down behind the Green -Mountains, as it has done for thousands of years, the landscape fading, -fading into one vast, shadowy abyss, out of which arose the star-lit -dome of the august summit. - - - - -TOURIST'S APPENDIX. - -PREPARED FOR "THE HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS." - - -GEOGRAPHY.--The White Mountains are in the northern central part of the -State of New Hampshire. They occupy the whole area of the State between -Maine and Vermont, and between Lake Winnipiseogee and the head-streams -of the Connecticut and Androscoggin rivers. - -Two principal chains, having a general direction from south-west to -north-east, constitute this great water-shed of New England. These are -the Franconia and the White Mountains proper, sometimes called the -"Presidential Range." - -Grouped on all sides of the higher summits are a great number of -inferior ridges, among which, as in the Sandwich Range, rise some very -fine peaks, widely extending the mountainous area, and diversifying it -with numerous valleys, lakes, and streams. - -Two principal rivers, the Saco and Merrimack, flowing from these two -chief clusters, form the two great valleys of the White Mountain system; -and by these valleys the railways enter the mountains from the seaboard. -Lake Winnipiseogee, which washes the southern foot of the mountains, -is also a thoroughfare, as are the valleys of the Connecticut and -Androscoggin rivers. - -DISTANCES.--It is 430 miles from Philadelphia to Fabyan's; 340 from New -York, _via_ Springfield; 190 from Montreal, _via_ Newport; 208 _via_ -Groveton; 169 from Boston, _via_ North Conway (Eastern R.R.); 208 _via_ -Concord (B., C., & M. R.R.); 91 from Portland, _via_ North Conway (P. -& O. R.R.); 91 from Portland to Gorham (G. T. R.); 199 from Boston to -Gorham, _via_ Eastern and Grand Trunk roads; and 206 _via_ Boston and -Maine and Grand Trunk roads. - -ROUTES.--Procure, before starting, the official time-tables of the -railroads running to the mountains or making direct connection with -them, by application to local agents, by writing to the ticket-agents of -the roads, or by consulting a railway guide-book. The roads reaching the -mountains are-- - -From Washington: The Pennsylvania, and New York & New England. - -From Philadelphia: The Pennsylvania, and New York & New England. - -From Montreal: The Grand Trunk, and The South-eastern. - -From Quebec: The Grand Trunk Railway. - -From Saratoga: The Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. - -From New York: New York, New Haven, & Hartford (all rail _via_ -Springfield, White River Junction, and Wells River to Fabyan's; or all -rail _via_ Springfield, Worcester, Nashua, and Concord, N. H.; or all -rail _via_ "Shore Line," Boston & Albany, or New York & New England -roads to Boston); or by Fall River, Norwich, or Stonington "Sound Lines" -to Boston; thence by either of the following railroads: - -[Illustration: JACOBS LADDER, MOUNT WASHINGTON RAILWAY.] - -From Boston: Eastern R.R., _via_ Beverly (18 miles, branch to Cape Ann); -Hampton (46 miles, Boar's Head and Rye Beaches); Portsmouth (56 miles, -Newcastle and Isles of Shoals and York Beach); Kittery (57 miles); -Wolfborough Junction (98 miles, branch to Lake Winnipiseogee); North -Conway (138 miles; connects with Portland and Ogdensburg); Intervale -(139 miles); Glen Station (144 miles, for Jackson and Glen House); -Crawford's (165 miles); Fabyan's (169 miles; connects with B., C., & M. -for Summit of Mount Washington, Bethlehem, Profile House, and Jefferson; -or by same route to Portland, thence by P. & O. R.R. to North Conway, or -Grand Trunk Railway to Gorham). - -Boston, Lowell & Concord, and Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroads, -_via_ Lowell (26 miles); Nashua, Manchester, Concord (75 miles); -Plymouth (123 miles); Woodsville (166 miles, Wells River); Littleton -(185 miles, for Sugar Hill); Wing Road (192 miles, branch to Jefferson); -Bethlehem (196 miles, branch road to Profile House, also to "Maplewood," -and Bethlehem Street); Twin Mountain House, Fabyan's (208 miles, branch -to Summit of Mount Washington, 217 miles); connects at Fabyan's with P. -& O. and Eastern roads for North Conway, Portland, and Boston. - -Boston & Maine R.R. _via_ Lawrence (26 miles); Haverhill, Exeter (50 -miles); Dover (68 miles); Rochester (78 miles); Alton Bay (96 miles), -connecting with steamer for Wolfborough and Centre Harbor, on Lake -Winnipiseogee; or by the same road to Portland, thence by P. & O. to -North Conway and Fabyan's, or Grand Trunk to Gorham and Glen House. - -From Portland: Portland & Ogdensburg R.R. via Sebago Lake (17 miles); -Fryeburg (49 miles); Conway Centre, North Conway (60 miles); Glen -Station (66 miles, Jackson and Glen House); Bartlett (72 miles); -Crawford's (87 miles); Fabyan's (91 miles; connects with B., C., & M. -R.R. for Summit of Mount Washington, Bethlehem, Profile House, Sugar -Hill, Jefferson, etc.). - -Grand Trunk Railway: Danville Junction (27 miles); Bethel (70 miles); -Shelburne (86 miles); Gorham (91 miles, for Glen House). - -A good way to do the mountains by rail is to buy an excursion-ticket -over the route entering on the west, and, passing through, leave them -by the roads on the east side via Boston or Portland, or _vice versa_. -At Fabyan's, where the two great routes meet, the traveller coming from -either direction may pursue his journey without delay. From _Boston to -Boston_, _Portland to Portland_, there is continuous rail without going -twice over the same line. - -_Lake Winnipiseogee._--At Alton Bay, Wolfborough, and Weirs steamer is -taken for Centre Harbor, at the head of the lake. Here the traveller may -either take the daily stages for West Ossipee (E. R.R.) or steamer to -Weirs (B., C., & M.), and thus be again on the direct rail routes. - -HOW TO CHOOSE A LOCATION.--Do you wish a quiet retreat, off the -travelled routes, where you may have rest and seclusion, or do you -desire to fix yourself in a position favorable to exploring the whole -mountain region? - -In either case consult (1) some friend who has visited the mountains; -(2), consult the maps in this volume; (3), consult the landlord in any -place you may fancy for a limited or a lengthened residence; (4), apply -to the agents of the Eastern, Portland, & Ogdensburg, Boston, Concord, & -Montreal, Boston & Maine, or Grand Trunk Railways, for books or folders -containing a list of the mountain hotels reached by their lines, and the -charge for board by the day and week. (The Eastern, and B., C., & M. -print revised lists every year, for gratuitous distribution.) - -Wolfborough, Weirs, Centre Harbor, and Sandwich (all on or near -Lake Winnipiseogee); Blair's, Sanborn's, Campton Village, Thornton, -and Woodstock, in the Pemigewasset Valley; Tamworth, Conway Corner, -Fryeburg, the Intervale (North Conway), Jackson, the Glen House, Bethel -(Me.), Shelburne, Randolph, East Jefferson, Jefferson Hill, Lancaster, -Littleton, Franconia, Sugar Hill, Haverhill, and Newbury (Vt.)--all come -within the category first named; while the second want will be supplied -at such points as North Conway, Crawford's, Fabyan's, Twin Mountain -House, Bethlehem, and the Profile House. North Conway and Bethlehem are -the keys to the whole mountain region. Fabyan's and the Glen House are -the proper points from which to ascend Mount Washington. - -To aid in locating these places on the map, refer constantly to the -Index at the end of the volume. - -Leaving Boston or Portland in the morning, any of the points named may -be reached in from four to eight hours. - -HINTS FOR TOURISTS.--Select your destination, if possible, in advance; -and if you require apartments, telegraph to the hotel where you mean -to stop, giving the number of persons in your party, thus avoiding -the disappointment of arriving, at the end of a long journey, at an -over-crowded hotel. - -[Illustration: U. S. METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN -SUMMER.] - -Should you fix upon a particular locality for a long or short stay, -write to one (or more) of the landlords for terms, etc.; and if his -house is off the line of railway, inform him of the day and train you -mean to take, so that he may meet you with a carriage at the nearest -station. But if you do not go upon the day named, remember to notify the -landlord. - -Always take some warm woollen clothing (inside and outside) for mountain -ascensions. It is unsafe to be without it in any season, as the nights -are usually cool even in midsummer. - -From the middle of June to the middle of October is the season of -mountain travel. The best views are obtained in June, September, and -October. From the middle of September to the middle of October the air -is pure and invigorating, the mountain forests are then in a blaze of -autumnal splendor, the cascades are finer, and out-of-door jaunts are -less fatiguing than in July and August. - -Should you wish merely to make a rapid tour of the mountain region, it -will be best so to arrange your route before starting that the first day -will bring you where there is something to be seen, to a comfortable -hotel, and from which your journey may be continued with an economy of -time and money. - -The three journeys described in this volume will enable you to see all -that is most desirable to be seen; but the excellent facilities for -traversing the mountains render it immaterial whether these routes -are precisely followed, taken in their reverse order, or adopted as -a general plan, with such modifications as the tourist's time or -inclination may suggest. - -Upon arriving at his destination the traveller naturally desires to -use his time to the best advantage possible. But he is ignorant how to -do this. "What shall I do?" "Where shall I go?" are the two questions -that confront him. Let us suppose him arrived, first, at NORTH -CONWAY. - -As he stands gazing up the Saco Valley, Moat Mountain is on his left, -Kearsarge at his right, and Mount Washington in front. (Refer to the -Chapter and Index articles on North Conway.) The high cliffs on the side -of Moat are called the Ledges. This glorious view may be improved by -going a mile up the railroad, or highway, to the Intervale. The Ledges -contain the local celebrities. Taking a carriage, or walking, one may -visit them in an afternoon, seeing in turn Echo Lake, the Devil's Den, -the Cathedral, and Diana's Baths. The picturesque bits of river, meadow, -and mountain seen going and returning will make the way seem short, and -are certain to detain the artistic traveller. Artists' Falls, on the -opposite side of the valley, will repay a visit, if the stream is in -good condition. Artists' Brook, on which these falls are, runs from the -hills east of the village. A carriage-road leads to the Artists' Falls -House, from which a short walk brings one to the falls. This excursion -will require not more than two hours. Then there are the drives to -Kearsarge village, under the mountain, and back by the Intervale; to -Jackson, over Thorn Hill, and back by Goodrich Falls (three to four -hours each); to Bartlett Bowlder, by the west, and back by the east side -of the valley; to Fryeburg and Mount Chocorua--the last two requiring -each half a day at least. The ascent of Kearsarge (from Kearsarge -village) or of the Moats (from Diana's Baths) each demands a day to -itself. But by starting early in the morning a good climber may ascend -and descend Kearsarge, getting back to the village by two o'clock in the -afternoon. - -_At the Intervale_ he can easily repeat all these experiences, as this -is a suburb of North Conway. Let him take his first stroll over the -meadows to the river, or among the grand old pines in the forest near -the railway station, while preparing for more extended excursions. - -_At Glen Station._--While waiting for the luggage to be put on, if the -day is perfectly clear, the traveller, by going up the track a few -rods, to the bridge over the Ellis, may get a glimpse of the summit of -Mount Washington, with the hotel upon the apex; also of Carter Notch. -On the way to Jackson he will pass over Goodrich Falls by a bridge. He -should not fail to remark the fine cliffs of Iron Mountain, at his left -hand, before entering the village. Should he be _en route_ for the Glen -House, let him be on the lookout for the Giant's Stairs, on the left, -after leaving Jackson, and then for the grand view of Pinkham Notch, -with Mount Washington at the left, about four miles beyond Jackson. The -summit of Spruce Hill--the scene of the highway robbery in 1881--is the -top of the long rise beyond the bridge over Ellis River. - -_At Jackson_ we have moved eight miles nearer Mount Washington, in -the direction of the Glen House (12 miles) and Gorham (20 miles), and -also toward the Carter Notch, distant from the village 9 miles. The -excursions back to North Conway are similar to those described from -that place. The first thing to do here is to stroll up the Wildcat, and -pass an hour or two among the falls on this stream, which begin at the -village. A walk or drive up this valley to Fernald's Farm, and back -by the opposite side, or over Thorn Hill, are two tempting half-day -excursions. In an hour one may walk to Goodrich Falls (road to Glen -Station) and back to the village. He may start after breakfast, and -drive to Glen Ellis Falls (road to Glen House), eight miles, returning -to the hotel for dinner; or, lunching at Glen Ellis, go on one mile -farther to the Crystal Cascade; then, dining at the Glen House (3 -miles), return at leisure. But it is a mistake to take two such pieces -of water in one day. The pedestrian whose base is Jackson, and who -makes this trip, should pass the night at the Glen House and return by -the Carter Notch, the distance being about the same as by the highway. -But he should never try this alone, for fear of a disabling accident. -Or he may take the Glen House stage at Jackson early in the afternoon, -and, letting it drop him at Glen Ellis, make his own way to the hotel -(4 miles) on foot, after a visit to the falls. Apply to Mr. Osgood, the -veteran guide, at the Glen House, for services, or directions how to -enter the Carter Notch from the Glen House side; and to Jock Davis, who -lives at the head of the Wildcat Valley, if going in from the Jackson -side. - -Ladies who are accustomed to walking can reach Carter Notch with a -little help now and then from the gentlemen. But the fatigue of going -and returning on the same day would be too great. A party could enter -the Notch in the afternoon, pass the night in Davis's comfortable cabin, -and return the next morning. The path in is much easier and plainer from -the Jackson than from the Glen House side; but there is no difficulty -about keeping either. Davis will take up everything necessary for -camping out, except food, which may be procured at your hotel before -starting. There is plenty of water in the Notch. - -_At the Glen House_ one may finish the afternoon by walking back a mile -on the Jackson road to the Emerald Pool; or, if he is in the vein, go -one mile farther on to Thompson's Falls, and, ascending to the top, look -over the forest into Tuckerman's Ravine. The Crystal Cascade (3 miles) -and Glen Ellis (4 miles) from the hotel, ought to occupy half a day, but -three hours (driving) will suffice, if one is in a hurry. The drive to -Jackson, or march into the Notch, are just noted under Jackson. To go -into Tuckerman's Ravine by the Crystal Cascade, or by Thompson's Path -(Mount Washington carriage-road), will take a whole day. Ladies have -been into Tuckerman's; but the trial cannot be recommended except for -the most vigorous and courageous. The Appalachian Club has a camp near -Hermit Lake, where a party going into the ravine in the afternoon may -pass a comfortable night, ascend to the Snow Arch in the morning, and -return to the hotel for dinner. - -A three-mile walk on the Gorham road, crossing the Peabody River to the -Copp Farmhouse, gives a view of the celebrated "Imp" profile, on the -top of the opposite mountain. This walk is an affair of two hours and -a half. (See art. "Imp" in Index.) The Garnet Pool (one mile from the -hotel) may be taken on the way. Or, for a short and interesting stroll, -go down this road a half-mile to where the Great Gulf opens wide before -you its immense wall of mountains. The carriage-road to the summit -requires four hours for the ascent by stage; a good climber can do it -on foot in about the same time. Should a storm overtake him above the -woods, he can find shelter in the Half-way House, just at the edge of -the forest. - -[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON.] - -_At Crawford's_ one can saunter into the woods at the left of the -hotel, and enjoy himself in the sylvan retreat, "Idlewild;" or, going -down the road, ascend the Elephant's Head by a path turning in at the -left (sign-board), obtaining the view down the Notch; or, continuing -on a short distance, enter and examine the Gate of the Notch. All -these objects are in full view from the hotel. Other rambles of an -hour are to Gibbs' Falls, entering the woods at the left of the hotel -(guide-board), or, crossing the bridge over the railroad track on the -right, to Beecher's Cascades. The ascent of Mount Willard (3 miles) -should on no account be omitted. Good carriage-road all the way, and -vehicles from the hotel. The celebrated Crawford Trail to the Summit -of Mount Washington, the scene of many exploits, begins in the grove -at the left of this hotel. The distance is fully nine miles, and six -or seven hours will be none too many for the jaunt. Four intervening -mountains, Clinton, Pleasant, Franklin, and Monroe, are crossed. There -is a shelter-hut in the woods near the summit of Clinton. - -[Illustration: METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN WINTER.] - -_At Fabyan's._--Three or four hours may be profitably spent on Mount -Deception, opposite the hotel. The first summit is as much as one would -care to undertake in an afternoon, to get the extended and magnificent -view of the great range at sunset. Opposite the hotel is a cosy little -cottage, kept open by the railroads for the use of travellers, and to -give them information respecting routes, hotels, distances, fares, etc. -The Upper Ammonoosuc Falls (3-1/2 miles) are well worth a visit. They -are on the Old Turnpike to the base of Mount Washington. The traveller -has now at command all the important points in the mountains. - -He is 9 miles from the Summit, 4 from Crawford's, 29 from North Conway, -13 from Bethlehem, 22 from the Profile, and 18 from Jefferson--all -reached by rail in one or two hours. - -_At Bethlehem._--If the tourist locates himself at the "Maplewood," the -walk up the mountain to the Observatory, or to Cruft's Ledge, at sunset, -or to the village (1-1/2 miles), or down the Whitefield road to The -Hollow, is a good introduction. At "The Street" he will find the busiest -thoroughfare in the mountains, leading him on to a beautiful panorama -of the Ammonoosuc Valley, with Littleton in its lap; or, ascending the -old Profile House road above the Sinclair House for a mile, will see the -great Franconia mountains from the best view-point. Bethlehem is 9 miles -from the Profile House, 13 from Fabyan's, 17 from Crawford's, 42 from -North Conway, 15 from Jefferson, and 22 from the Summit. - -_At Profile House._--If you arrive by rail via Bethlehem, you have -crossed the broad flank and great ravine of Mount Lafayette to the -shores of Echo Lake, a mile from the hotel. But the opposite side -of this lake is a more eligible site for views of the surrounding -mountains; and the summit of Bald Mountain, at its north end, is still -better. From the long piazza of the Profile House the great Notch -mountains close in toward the south. Cannon Mountain is on your right, -with the peculiar rocks giving it this name thrust out from the highest -ridge in full view. The woods at the foot of this mountain, filling -the pass in front of you, conceal the beautiful Profile Lake, the -twin-sister of Echo Lake. The enormous rock at your left is Eagle Cliff, -a spur of Mount Lafayette, the mountain being ascended on the south side -of this cliff. Improve the first hour of leisure by walking directly -down the road to Profile Lake. In a few minutes you will reach the shore -near a rustic arbor (guide-board), furnished with seats, and here you -command the best view of the renowned "Old Man of the Mountain." Boats -may be had here for a sail upon the lake. Return to the hotel by the -path through the woods. Walk next up the pass one mile to Echo Lake -(boats and fishing-gear at the boat-house); or, extending your jaunt -as far as Bald Mountain, obtain, by following the old path through the -woods at the right, the best observation of the pass from the north. The -trip to the Flume House (including the Basin, Pool, and Flume) is next -in order, and will occupy a half day, although the distance is only six -miles, and the road excellent. If the forenoon is taken, a party can -either return to the hotel for dinner or dine well at the Flume House. -The Pool is reached by a path half a mile long, entering the woods -opposite the Flume House. It will take an hour to drive to the Flume; -and an hour to go into the chasm itself and return is little enough; -allowing another hour for the Pool makes four hours for the excursion. - -The ascent of Mount Lafayette (3-3/4 miles) demands three to four hours. -Saddle-horses can be procured at the hotel. Those unwilling to undertake -the whole climb may, by ascending Eagle Cliff (1 mile on same path), -secure a grand view of the Notch and lakes, the Profile, the ravines, -and the Pemigewasset Valley. A stage leaves the Profile House every -morning for Plymouth, connecting with trains for Boston and New York, -and permitting the tourist to enjoy the beauties of the Pemigewasset -Valley. But it is better to ascend this valley. - -_At the Flume House_ (refer to the preceding article).--It is a -comparatively easy climb of an hour and a half to the top of Mount -Pemigewasset, behind the hotel. See, from the hotel, the outline of the -mountain ridge opposite, called Washington Lying in State. - -_At Jefferson._--The branch railway from Whitefield (B., C., & M. R.R.) -leaves its passengers about three miles from the cluster of hotels and -boarding-houses called Jefferson Hill, or five from East Jefferson -(E. A. Crawford's, Highland, or Mount Adams House); but carriages -are usually in waiting for all these houses. The walks and drives up -and down this valley are numerous and interesting, especially so in -the direction of Mount Adams and Randolph Hill, Cherry Mountain and -Lancaster. The trip over Cherry Mountain, reaching Fabyan's (13 miles) -by sunset, or from Fabyan's, reaching Jefferson at this hour, is a -memorable experience of mountain beauty. Excursions to Mount Washington, -Profile House, Glen House, or Gorham, demand a day. The ascent of Starr -King, Owl's Head, Ravine of the Cascades, King's Ravine, or Mount Adams -are the _pices de rsistance_ for this locality. - -ITINERARY OF A WALKING TOUR.--Two weeks of fine weather will enable -a good pedestrian to traverse the mountains from Plymouth to North -Conway, or _vice versa_, following the great highways throughout the -whole journey, and giving time to see what is on the route. Good hotel -accommodation will be found at the end of each day. Should bad weather -unsettle his plans, he will nearly always be able to avail himself of -regular stage or railway conveyance for a less or greater distance. -Thus: First day, Plymouth to Woodstock (dine at Sanborn's, West -Campton), 16 miles; second day, Flume House (visiting Flume and Pool), -8 miles; third day, Profile House (visiting Basin and "Old Man"), 5-1/2 -miles; fourth day, Bethlehem (_via_ Echo Lake and Franconia), 9 miles; -fifth day, Whitefield, 8 miles; sixth day, East Jefferson, 13 miles; -seventh day, Glen House, 14 miles; eighth day, for vicinity of Glen -House; ninth day, Summit of Mount Washington by carriage-road, 8 miles; -tenth day, descent by mountain railway to Crawford's, 13 miles; eleventh -day, through the Notch to Bartlett, 13 miles; twelfth day, Jackson and -vicinity, 9 miles; thirteenth day, North Conway, 8 miles. Total, 124 -miles. - -_Advice for Climbers._--Don't hurry when on a level road--keep your -strength for the ascent. Always take the long route up a mountain, if it -be the easier one. Be careful where you plant the foot in gullied trails -or on icy ledges--a sprain is a serious matter if you are alone. Carry -in your pocket a flask, fitted with a tumbler or cup; matches that will -ignite in the wind, half a dozen cakes of pitch-kindling, a good glass, -and a luncheon; in your hand a stout walking-stick; and upon your feet -shoes that can be trusted--none of your gimcracks--but broad-soled ones, -shod with steel nails. On a long march a rubber overcoat, a haversack, -and an umbrella will be needed. Cold tea slakes thirst more effectually -than water; but when you are exposed to wet and cold something stronger -will be found useful. Should you have a palpitation of the heart, or an -inclination to vertigo, do not climb at all. Take quiet rambles instead. -My word for it, they are better for you than scaling breathless ascents -or looking down over dizzy precipices. If you feel nausea, stop at once -until you recover from it. If caught on the Crawford trail between -Mounts Clinton and Washington, go back to the hut on the first-named -mountain. - -_Newspapers for Tourists_, at Bethlehem (_The Echo_) and on the Summit -(_Among the Clouds_) are published during the season of travel, -giving hotel arrivals, information concerning rail and stage routes, -excursions, and whatever may be of interest to the summer population in -general. - -Telegraphic and telephone communication may be had at all the principal -hotels and railway-stations. - -The Appalachian Mountain Club prints every year a periodical made up of -scientific and literary contributions from its members. Address the club -at Boston. - -_Trout_, _pickerel_, and _black bass_ are found in all the mountain -waters. The State stocks the ponds and streams with trout, bass, and -salmon from its breeding-houses at Plymouth. Fishing legally begins May -1. There is good trout-fishing on Swift River (Albany), with Conway for -head-quarters. From Jackson, or Glen House, the Wildcat and Ellis are -both good trout streams; so are Nineteen-Mile Brook and the West Branch -of Peabody; but the Wild River region (from Shelburne, Glen House, or -Jackson) affords better sport, because less visited. To go in from -Jackson or Glen House a guide will be necessary, and Davis, of Jackson, -is a good one. From Jefferson and Randolph the upper waters of the -Moose, and Israel's River (especially in the Mount Jefferson ravine), -are fished with good success. E. A. Crawford, of East Jefferson, knows -the best spots. From Bartlett there should be good fishing on Sawyer's -River, above the Livermore mills. Consult Frank George, the veteran -landlord of the Bartlett House. From Crawford's the best fishing-ground -is Ethan's Pond, behind Mount Willey. At Franconia the writer has -seen some fine strings brought from the Copper-mine Brook (back of -Mount Kinsman). Fair fishing may also be had on Lafayette Brook--ask -Charles Edson, of the Edson House. Profile Lake is stocked with trout -for the benefit of guests of the hotel. The upper streams of the -Pemigewasset are all good fishing-ground. Apply to Mr. D. P. Pollard, -North Woodstock, or Merrill Greeley, Waterville. The houses of both are -resorted to by experienced fishermen who track the East Branch or Mad -River tributaries. Pickerel and bass are caught in Lakes Winnipiseogee, -Squam, Chocorua, Ossipee, and Silver, besides scores of ponds lying -chiefly in the lake region. - -N.B.--Those going exclusively to fish should go early in the season for -the best sport. - -_Guides._--The landlords will either accompany you or procure a suitable -person. - -_Camping Out._--A wall tent is preferable, but two persons get along -comfortably in one of the "A" pattern. Get one with the fly, which -can be spread behind the tent, thus giving an additional room, in -which the cooking and eating may be done under cover. Set up your tent -where there is natural drainage--where the surface water will run off -during wet weather. Dig a shallow trench around it, on the outside, -for this purpose, and if you can obtain them, lay boards for a floor. -A kerosene-oil stove, with its utensils, folding cot-bed, camp-chairs, -and mess-chest, containing dishes (tin is best), constitute a complete -outfit, to be reduced according to convenience or pleasure. To make a -woods-man's camp, first set up two crotched posts five feet high, and -six or eight apart (according to number). On these lay a pole. From this -pole three or four others extend to the ground. Then cut brush or bark -for the roof and sides, and build your fire in front. For a camp of this -sort a hatchet and packet of matches only are necessary. But always -pitch your encampment in the vicinity of wood and water. - -_Mount Washington Railway._--Length, from base to summit, 3 miles. Rise -in the three miles, 3,625 feet. Steepest grade, 13-1/2 inches in three -feet, or 1980 feet to the mile. Begun in 1866; completed in 1869. - -_Mount Washington Carriage-road._--Length, 8 miles. Average grade, one -foot in eight. Steepest grade, one foot in six. Begun in 1855; finished -in 1861. - -_Mount Washington Signal Station._--The Summit was first occupied for -scientific purposes in the winter of 1870-'71. Since then it has been -attached to the Weather Bureau at Washington, and occupied by men -detailed from the United States Signal Corps, the men volunteering for -the service. - -ALTITUDES.--The following list of altitudes of the more important -and well-known points has been compiled from the publications of the -Geological Survey of New Hampshire and of the Appalachian Mountain Club. -The figures in =heavy-face= type are the results either of actual -levelling or of trigonometrical survey, while the remainder depend upon -barometrical measurement. Where the mean of two not widely-differing -authorities is given, the fact is denoted by the letter "_m_" preceding -the figures: - - MOUNTAIN SUMMITS. - - Adams-----_m_ 5785 - Ascutney (Vermont)-----3186 - Black (Sandwich Dome)-----=3999= - Boott's Spur-----5524 - Cannon-----3850 - Carrigain-----_m_ 4651 - Carter Dome-----_m_ 4827 - Chocorua-----3540 - Clay-----5553 - Clinton-----_m_ 4315 - Crawford-----3134 - Giant's Stairs-----3500 - Gunstock-----=2394= - Iron-----_about_ 2000 - Jefferson-----5714 - Kearsarge, S. (Merrimack County)-----=2943= - Kearsarge, N. (Carroll County)-----=3251= - Lafayette-----=5259= - Madison-----_m_ 5350 - Moat (North peak)-----3200 - Monadnock-----_m_ 3177 - Monroe-----_m_ 5375 - Moosilauke-----=4811= - Moriah-----4653 - Osceola-----_m_ 4408 - Passaconnaway-----4200 - Percy (North peak)-----3336 - Pleasant (Great range)-----_m_ 4768 - Pleasant (Maine)-----=2021= - Starr King-----_m_ 3872 - Twin-----_about_ 5000 - Washington-----=6293= - Webster-----4000 - Whiteface-----=4007= - Willey-----4300 - - VILLAGES AND HOTELS. - - Bartlett (Upper)-----=660= - Bethlehem (Sinclair House)-----_m_ 1454 - Franconia-----921 - Crawford House-----=1899= - Fabyan "-----1571 - Flume "-----1431 - Glen "-----=1632= - Gorham-----=812= - Jackson-----759 - Jefferson Hill-----1440 - Jefferson Highlands (Mt. Adams House)-----1648 - Lancaster-----=870= - North Conway-----=521= - Plymouth-----=473= - Profile House-----1974 - Sugar Hill (Post Office)-----1351 - Waterville (Greeley's Hotel)-----_m_ 1544 - Willey House-----=1323= - - NOTCHES. - - Carter Notch-----3240 - Cherry Mt. Road (summit)-----_m_ 2180 - Crawford or White Mt. Notch-----=1914= - Dixville Notch-----1831 - Franconia Notch-----_m_ 2015 - Pinkham Notch (south of Glen House)-----2018 - Carrigain Notch-----2465 - - MISCELLANEOUS. - - Ammonoosuc Sta. (base of Mt. Washington)-----=2668= - Camp of Appalachian Mountain Club, on the - -----Mt. Adams path-----3307 - Echo Lake (Franconia)-----_m_ 1928 - Lake of the Clouds-----5053 - Lake Winnipiseogee-----=500= - -_Distant Points Visible from Mount Washington_ (taken from -"Appalachia").--Mount Megantic (Canada), 86 miles, seen between -Jefferson and Adams; Mount Carmel, 65 miles, just over Mount Adams; -Saddleback, 60 miles, head of Rangely Lakes; Mount Abraham, 68 -miles, N., 47 E.; Ebene Mountain, 135 miles, vicinity of Moosehead -Lake (rarely seen, even with a telescope); Mount Blue, 57 miles, -near Farmington, Me.; Sebago Lake, 43 miles, over Mount Doublehead; -Portland, 67 miles, over Lake Sebago; Mount Agamenticus, 79 miles, -between Kearsarge and Moat Mountains; Isles of Shoals, 96 miles, to -the right of Agamenticus (rarely seen); Mount Monadnock, 104 miles, -between Carrigain and Sandwich Dome; Mount Ascutney (Vt.), 81 miles, -S., 45 W.; Killington Peaks (near Rutland, Vt.), 88 miles, on the -horizon between Moosilauk and Lincoln; Camel's Hump (Vt), 78 miles, over -Bethlehem Street; Mount Whiteface (Adirondack chain, N.Y.), 130 miles, -over the right slope of Camel's Hump; Mount Mansfield (highest of Green -Mountains), 77 miles, between Twin Mountain House and Mount Deception; -Mount Wachusett (Mass.), 126 miles, is also visible under favorable -conditions, just to the right of Whiteface (N. H.). - -MOUNTAIN PATHS. [Those with an asterisk (*) were built by the -Appalachian Mountain Club.] _Chocorua._--There are three or four paths. -The best leads from the Hammond Farm, 2-1/2 miles from the Chocorua Lake -House, and 14 miles from North Conway. The ascent, as far as the foot of -the final peak, is feasible for ladies. From this point the easiest way -is to flank the peak to the left until an old watercourse is reached, -which may be followed nearly to the summit. - -*_Moat._--An old path leads from the Swift River road to the summit of -the South Peak. Another, from the clearings on an old road which extends -along the base of the South Peak, leads to the top of the middle ridge; -but the best path for tourists is the one from Diana's Baths, on Cedar -Brook, following the stream to the foot of the ridge, thence over the -ridge to the summit of the North Peak. Path well made, and plainly -marked with signs and cairns; about 3-1/2 miles in length. - -*_Middle Mountain, North Conway._--Beginning at the ice-ponds near -Artists' Falls House, the path extends around the base of Peaked -Mountain, thence to the bare ledges which reach to the summit. Distance, -1-5/8 miles. Path well marked, and the view very beautiful. - -_Kearsarge, North Conway._--A bridle-path starts from a farm-house near -Kearsarge Village, and extends to the summit. Distance, nearly 3 miles. -Route plain, and not difficult. - -*_Mount Bartlett._--The path starts near the Pequawket House, Lower -Bartlett, follows old logging roads for some distance, runs thence -directly to the summit. From the summit the path extends along the ridge -until it joins the bridle-path to Kearsarge. - -*_Carrigain._--The route leads from the mills at Livermore, which are -reached by a road leaving the P. & O. R.R. at Livermore Station. From -the mills, logging roads are followed--crossing Duck Pond and Carrigain -Brooks--to the base; thence by a plain path through a fine forest to -"Burnt Hat Ridge," from which it is only a short distance to the summit. - -From mills to summit is about 5 miles. Station to mills, 2 miles. - -*_Livermore-Waterville Path._--This is intended for a bridle-path. -Starting from the mills at Livermore, a logging-road is followed nearly -two miles on the southerly side of Sawyer's River. Here the path begins -and runs along the north-west base of Green's Cliff, crosses Swift River -at a beautiful fall, thence through the Notch south of Mount Kancamagus -to Greeley's, in Waterville. The path is well marked by painted signs. -Distance from Livermore to Swift River, 5 miles; to Greeley's, 12 miles. - -*_Mount Willey._--Path leaves the P. & O. R.R. a little south of Willey -Station. The rise is rapid until the Brook Kedron is reached; this -brook is then followed to its source, thence the path leads direct to -the summit. Distance, 1-1/2 miles. The climb is steep; but the view -unsurpassed. - -_Crawford Bridle-path_ leads from the Crawford House to the summit of -Washington. Path is plain, and the travelling along the ridge is easy; -but it is not in condition for horses. See pp. 325, 326. - -*_Carter Notch._--Path begins near the end of the Wildcat Valley road, -about 5-1/2 miles from Jackson; thence it follows the valley of the -brook to the ponds in the Notch. From the ponds it follows Nineteen Mile -Brook to the clearing back of the Glen House. The travelling is easy; -the view in the Notch grand. - -Distance from the road to the ponds, about 4 miles; from the ponds to -the Glen House, about the same. - -*_Carter Dome._--The path starts from the larger pond in the Notch, and -is well marked to the summit. It is very steep, and about 1-1/2 miles in -length. - -_Great Gulf._--A path beginning near the Glen House goes through this -gorge. From the end of the path the carriage-road or railroad on Mount -Washington may be reached by a severe climb up the side of the ravine. - -_Tuckerman's Ravine._--The Glen House path leaves the Mount Washington -carriage-road about 2 miles up, then crosses through the forest to -Hermit Lake. - -*_Via Crystal Cascade._--The Mountain Club path begins about 3 miles -from the Glen House, on the Jackson road, ascending the stream until it -joins the Glen House path near Hermit Lake. Here the Club has a good -camp for the use of travellers. Beyond, a single path extends to the -Snow-field; and a feasible route has been marked with white paint on the -rocks--up the head wall of the ravine, and thence to the summit. - -*_Mount Adams._--This path starts opposite the residence of Charles -E. Lowe, on the road from Jefferson Hill to Gorham, about 8-1/2 miles -from either town, and climbs the steep spur forming one wall of King's -Ravine, following over the ledges to the westerly peak, thence to the -summit. Distance, about 4 miles. Nearly half way up the spur a good -camp has been built for the use of climbers. The way over the ledges is -marked by cairns. Mount Jefferson may be reached by turning to the right -before reaching the summit of the westerly peak; Madison by turning to -the left. - -*_King's Ravine._--The path branches from the Mount Adams path about -1-1/2 miles from Lowe's. The bowlders in the Ravine are reached without -great difficulty. From the bowlders up the head-wall, and through the -gate-way, the climb is arduous; and the way is not very distinctly -marked. From the gate-way, Madison and the several peaks of Adams may be -reached. - -_Mount Madison._--There are several routes up Madison, but the best -is probably that leading up the ridge from "Dolly" Copp's, on the Old -Pinkham Road. The climb is tedious, and the path somewhat overgrown. The -Mountain Club will probably clear and keep this path in good condition. - -*_Bridal Veil Falls._--Path starts from Horace Brooks's, on the road -from Franconia to Easton--2 to 3 miles from Sugar Hill and Franconia -Village. It follows an old road across the clearings to Copper-mine -Brook, thence by the brook to the foot of the Falls. Distance, 2-1/2 -miles from Brooks's. Walking easy. - -The path to the Flume on Mount Kinsman leads from the same highway about -a mile beyond Brooks's. - -_Mount Lafayette._--The bridle-path begins near the Profile House, -turning Eagle Cliff, and crossing over to the main ridge. It leads -nearly to the summit of the ridge, thence across the col by the lakes, -and up the main peak. Distance, 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 miles. - -_Mount Cannon._--The path enters the forest near the cottages in front -of the Profile House. The summit is reached by a steep climb of 1-1/2 -miles. The Cannon Rock is a short distance down the mountain-side, to -the left of the path as it emerges from the forest; the forehead rock of -the Profile can be reached by bearing down the mountain diagonally to -the right from Cannon Rock until the edge of the cliff is reached. It is -a hard scramble to the latter. - -_Black Mountain, Waterville._--The new path leaves the highway 2 miles -below Greeley's, near Drake's Brook. It runs near the edge of the ravine -of Drake's Brook, crosses the ridge between Noon and Jennings' Peaks--to -each of which a branch path leads--thence up the northerly slope of the -main summit. Distance from the road to the summit is 3-1/4 miles. The -views are very fine, and the climb easy for ordinary walkers. - -_Osceola._--Path leaves the Greeley-pond path beyond the saw-mill above -Greeley's, bearing to the left. Ascent easy. Distance, about 4 miles. - -_Tecumseh._--Path branches from the Osceola path at the crossing of -the west branch of Mad River, 7/8 of a mile from Greeley's. The grade -is easy, except for a short distance near the summit. Distance from -Greeley's, 3 miles. - -_Tri-Pyramid._--The great slide on Tri-Pyramid may be reached from -Greeley's by a path across the pasture to the right from the rear of the -house, thence about 1-1/2 miles through fine old woods to a deserted -clearing known as Beckytown. From here the stream may be followed by -clambering over the _dbris_ of the slide nearly 2 miles to the base of -the South Peak. The summit is reached by climbing to the apex of the -slide, thence bearing up to the right a short distance through low woods. - -*_Thornton-Warren Path._--This path was built to enable visitors in the -Upper Pemigewasset Valley or in Warren to cross from one locality to -the other, avoiding the long dtour _via_ Plymouth. It starts from the -Profile House stage-road at the junction of the Tannery road, in West -Thornton, crosses Hubbard Brook at this point, and passes over a long -stretch of pasture until the woods are reached. At this point, and at -all doubtful points, signs have been placed. For much of the distance -the path follows Hubbard Brook, and passes out through the Notch between -Mounts Kineo and Cushman to an old road-way leading to clearings on -Baker's River, near the mountain-houses at the foot of Mount Moosilauke. - -Distance from the stage-road to the road-way in Warren, 8 miles. A -permanent camp has been built half-way on Hubbard Brook. - -A trail has been spotted from a point in the path about 1 mile north of -the camp to the summit of Kineo. - - - - -INDEX. - - Refer to a mountain, lake, or river, under its proper name, - thus: Washington (Mount); Squam (Lake); Saco (River). - - The abbreviations in parentheses show that the town or village - is on the line of a railway: (E. R.R.) stands for Eastern; (P. & - O.), Portland and Ogdensburg; (B., C., & M.), Boston, Concord, and - Montreal; (G. T. R.), Grand Trunk; (Pass.), Passumpsic. - - -ADAMS, Mount, from North Conway, 55; - from Thorn Hill, 122; - from Wildcat Valley, 133; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from the Glen House, 145; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181; - ascent by King's Ravine, 298; - ascent from Mount Washington, 312-315; - the apex, 315; - view from, 316. - -Adirondacks, from Moosehillock, 273. - -Agassiz, Mount, from Profile House Road, 249, 276. - -Agiochook, or Agiockochook (Indian name for the White Mountains), 120. - -Amherst, Sir Jeffrey (Gen.), in the French War, 259. - -Ammonoosuc, Falls of, 304. - -Ammonoosuc River, source of, 179. - -Ammonoosuc Valley, from Mount Clinton, 98; - at Bethlehem, 277; - at Fabyan's, 300. - -Androscoggin River, at Gorham, 170; - at Berlin, 174; - at Shelburne, 176; - at Bethel, 177. - -Appalachian Mountain Club, 62, 221. - -Artists' Falls (North Conway), 46, 47. - -Autumn foliage, 66, 67. - - -BAKER'S RIVER (branch of Pemigewasset, branch of the Merrimack), 210; - falls on, 269. - -Bald Mountain, an inferior summit of Chocorua, 26. - -Ball, B. L., lost on Mount Washington, 186. - -Bartlett Bowlder, 58. - -Bartlett (P. & O. R.R.), mountains surrounding, 61, 62; - ascent of Mount Carrigain from, 62-65. - -Basin (Franconia Pass), 231. - -Beecher's Cascade (near Crawford House), 89. - -Belknap, Jeremy, D.D. (historian of New Hampshire), quoted, 69. - -Belknap, Mount (Lake Winnipiseogee), 8. - -Bemis, Dr. Samuel A., home of, 69, 70. - -Berlin (G. T. R.), 172; - the Falls, 174, 175. - -Bethel, Maine (G. T. R.), 177. - -Bethlehem (B., C., & M. R.R.), 276; - admirable position of as a centre, 277; - Bethlehem Street, 278, 279; - fine views from, 280, 281; - a sunset from the "Maplewood," 282-284; - White Mountains from, 284; - the Hermit, 286; - the peddler, 288. - -Bigelow's Lawn (Mount Washington), 198. - -Black Mountain (Sandwich Dome), from West Campton, 216; - Noon Peak, 220; - from Waterville (Greeley's), 221. - -Boott's Spur (Mount Washington), 146; - from the plateau, 198. - -Bourne, Lizzie, death of, on Mount Washington, 310. - -Bridal Veil Falls (Mount Kinsman), 255. - -Brown, George L. (painter), referred to, 253. - -Buck-board wagon described, 273. - - -CAMPTON, 211; - Campton Hollow, 214; - West Campton, and view from, 215; - Sanborn's, 216; - annals of Campton, 216. - -Campton Village (Pemigewasset Valley), 218. - -Cannon (or Profile) Mountain, from West Campton, 215; - from the clearing below the Profile, 231; - remarkable profile on, 232; - from Franconia, 252. - -Carrigain, Mount, from Chocorua, 30; - from Bartlett, 62; - ascent from Bartlett, 62-64; - view from summit, 64, 65. - -Carrigain Notch, from Mount Chocorua, 30; - from Mount Carrigain, 64. - -Carter Dome, 133; - the Pulpit, 136; - ascent of, and view from, 140, 141. - -Carter Mountains, from Gorham, 170. - -Carter Notch, from Chocorua, 31; - from North Conway, 40; - from Thorn Hill, 122, 132; - way into, from Jackson, 132; - impressive desolation of the interior, 137; - the Giants' Barricade, 137, 138; - the lakes, 139; - way out to Glen House, 143. - -Castellated Ridge (Mount Jefferson), 314. - -Cathedral (North Conway), 46. - -Cathedral Ledge (North Conway), 41, 42. - -Cathedral Woods (North Conway), 55. - -Centre Harbor, approach to, by Lake Winnipiseogee, 8-10; - settled, 10; - route by stage to West Ossipee _via_ Sandwich and Tamworth, 18-21. - -Chandler, Benjamin, lost on Mount Washington, 186. - -Cherry Mountain (Valley of Israel's River), 291; - Owl's Head, 292; - road to Fabyan's, 300. - -Chocorua, Lake, from the mountain, 29, 31, 32. - -Chocorua (Sho'kor'ua), Mount, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 9; - from Red Hill, 16; - legend of, 21; - ascent from Tamworth, 25-28; - landscapes from, 29-31; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Clay, Mount (next north of Washington), 169; - ascent of, 312. - -Clinton, Mount (near Crawford House), 97; - view from summit, 100. (First mountain ascended by Crawford Path.) - -Connecticut Ox-Bow, 256-258. - -Conway, or Conway Corner (E. R.R.), superb view of the great chain from, 33. - -Copp Farm (view-point for seeing "The Imp"), 165. - -Copp, Nathaniel, his adventurous deer-hunt, 167. - -Copper-mine Brook (branch of Gale River), 255. - -Crawford, Abel, described, 70-72. - -Crawford, Ethan Allen, 71, 72; - his burial-place, 302. - -Crawford bridle-path, opened, 89; - march to the summit (_see_ Chapter X.); - Mount Clinton first, 117; - the crystal forests, 98; - Liliputian wood, 99; - fine view from summit, 100; - frost-work, 100; - Mount Pleasant next, 102; - in a snow-storm, 102; - crossing the ridge, 103; - Oakes's Gulf, 103; - Mount Franklin next, 103; - (_water here_) weird objects by the way, 104; - Mount Monroe next (two peaks, with shallow ponds near the path); - the plateau, 105; - base of the cone reached, 105; - ascent of the cone, 107; - the stone corral, 107; - the summit, 108. - -Crawford Glen (Saco Valley), 69. - -Crawford House (summit of Crawford Notch), its surroundings, 87-94. - -Crawford, Mount (Saco Valley, east side), 69; - Davis Path to Mount Washington, 73; - view of from Frankenstein Bridge, 74. - -Crawford Notch (_see_ Great Notch of the White Mountains). - -Crawford, T. J., opens a bridle-path to the summit, 89. - -Crystal Cascade (Pinkham Notch), 149, 150. - - -DARTMOUTH, _see_ Jefferson. - -Davis Path (to Mount Washington), 73; - junction with Crawford Path, 198. - -Deception, Mount (near Fabyan's), 300. - -Destruction of mountain forests, 172. - -Devil's Den (North Conway), 45, 46. - -Diana's Baths (North Conway ), 46. - -Douglass, William, M.D., quoted, on the origin - of the name White Mountains, 121, _note_. - -Dwight, Timothy, L.L.D., 71 (_see_ his "Travels in New England," - and journeys through the mountains). - - -EAGLE CLIFF (Franconia Pass), from Flume House, 225; - from Profile House, 238, 239; - ascent by the bridle-path, 243; - from Franconia, 254. - -Eagle Lakes (Mount Lafayette), 244. (Also called Cloud Lakes.) - -Eagle Mountain (Eagle Mountain House), Wildcat Valley, Jackson, 133. - -Early settlements by white people, 216, 217, 293. - -Echo Lake (Franconia Pass), 239. - -Echo Lake (North Conway), 45. - -Elephant's Head (Crawford Notch), 87. - -Ellis River (branch of the Saco; rises in Pinkham Notch), - _see_ Goodrich Falls, 125; - Glen Ellis Falls, 151; - incident connected with, 153. - -Emerald Pool (near Glen House, Pinkham Notch), 147, 148. - -Endicott Rock, a surveyor's monument at the outlet of Lake Winnipiseogee, 10. - - -FABYAN'S (B., C., & M. and P. & O. R.R.), view at, 300; - Mount Washington Railway, 301; - Eleazer Rosebrook and E. A. Crawford, 302, 303. - -Fall of a Thousand Streams, 162. - -Farmer, John (historian), quoted, 210. - -Field, Darby, makes the first ascent of Mount Washington, 116-119; - second ascent, 119, _see note_. - -Flume (Franconia Pass), way to and description of, 226-228. - -Flume Cascade, _see_ description by Dr. T. Dwight, in his - "Travels in New England." - -Flume House (Franconia Pass), 224. - -Franconia Mountains, from West Campton, 215; - from Bethlehem, 280; - from Jefferson, 292. - -Franconia Pass (Chapters II. and III., Third Journey), Flume House, 224; - the Pool, 225; - the Flume, 226; - the Basin, 231; - Mounts Cannon and Lafayette, 231, 232; - the "Old Man," 232; - Profile Lake, 232; - Profile House, 237; - Eagle Cliff, 238; - Echo Lake, 239; - sunset in the pass, 240; - from Bethlehem heights, 279. - -Franconia village (Iron Works), from Mount Lafayette, 243; - general view of, 251; - fine views in, 253, 254. - -Frankenstein Cliff (Saco Valley), named, 73; - appearance of, from the valley, 73, 74; - the bridge, 74. - -Fryeburg, Maine (P. & O. R.R.), 33-38. - - -GALE RIVER (branch of the Ammonoosuc, branch of the Connecticut), 243. - -Garfield, Mount (_see_ Haystack), 284. - -Giant's Stairs (Saco Valley, east side), 73; - from Jackson, 123, 129. - -Gibbs's Falls (near Crawford House), 97. - -Glen Ellis Falls, 151, 152; legend of, 152. - -Glen House, way to, by Jackson and Carter Notch, 131; - its surroundings, 144; - carriage-road to the summit, 144; - Mount Washington from, 144, 145; - Emerald Pool, 147, 148; - Thompson's Falls, 146; - Crystal Cascade, 149; - Glen Ellis Falls, 151; - Tuckerman's Ravine, 155; - The Imp, 165; - to or from Gorham, 165, 170; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181. - -Goodenow's, _see_ Sugar Hill. - -Goodrich Falls (Ellis River), 125. - -Gorham (G. T. R.), its situation, 169. - -Grand Monadnock, from Red Hill, 17; - from Mount Washington, 192. - -Great Gulf, from Glen House, 165; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181, 185; - from Mount Clay, 313. - -Great Notch of the White Mountains (Crawford Notch), from Mount Chocorua, 31; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - approach to, by the Saco Valley, 76; - the mountains forming it, 77; - Willey, or Notch House, 77; - landslip of 1826, 79, 80; - the Cascades, 84, 85, 89, 97; - Gate of the Notch, 86; - summit of the Notch (Crawford House), 86; - Elephant's Head, 87; - discovery of the Pass, 88, 89; - the Notch from Mount Willard, 91; - from Mount Clinton, 100. - -Greeley's, _see_ Waterville. - -Green Mountains, from Mount Washington, 190; - from Moosehillock, 273. - -Gyles, John (Capt.), quoted on the Indian name for the White Mountains, 120. - - -Hancock, Mount, from the Ellsworth road (Campton), 216; - from Moosehillock, 272. - -Hart's Ledge (Saco Valley, east side, near Bartlett), 62. - -Haverhill (B., C., & M. R.R.), 257. - -Hawthorne, Nathaniel, origin of his story of "The Great Carbuncle," 119; - death of, 209; - legend of "The Great Stone Face," 235. - -Hayes, Mount (Gorham, New Hampshire), 169-171. - -Haystack, Mount (now Mount Garfield), 254. - -Hermit Lake (Tuckerman's Ravine, Mount Washington), 159. - -Hitchcock, C. H. (geologist), 197. - -Humphrey's Ledge (near Glen Station), 41. - -Hunter, Harry W., lost on Mount Washington, 199, _note_. - -Huntington's Ravine, from Carter Dome, 142. - - -Idlewild (near Crawford House), 89. - -Imp, The (rock profile near Glen House), 166. - -Indians, customs of mountain tribes, 10; - Sokokis, or Pigwackets, or _Pequawkets_, destruction of - by Love-well, 34-38; - Indian names, 24, 25, _note_; - superstitions regarding the high summits, traditions, etc. - (_see_ Chapter I., Second Journey); - attack Shelburne, 177; - at Plymouth, 210; - attack Dartmouth (Jefferson), 294. - -Intervale (North Conway, E. R.R. and P. & O. R.R.), superb - panorama from, 55-57; - _see_ art. North Conway. - -Israel's River (branch of the Connecticut), 291. - - -Jackson (_see_ Chapters II. and III., Second Journey), 122-143; - how to get there from North Conway, 122; - its topography, 123; - Jackson Falls (on Wildcat River), 124; - Fernald's Farm, 130; - Wildcat Valley, 133; - to Carter Notch, 133-140. - -Jackson, C. T. (geologist), quoted, 197, _note_. - -Jackson Falls (Wildcat River), 124. - -Jefferson, Mount, from Jefferson Hill, 293; - Ravine of the Cascades, 297; - ascent from Mount Washington, 312; - Ravine of the Castles, 313; - Castellated Ridge, 314. - -Jefferson (branch R.R. from Whitefield), 291; - Jefferson Hill, 292; - antecedents of, 293; - Indian attack on, 294; - East Jefferson, 295; - to Randolph Hill, 297; - to Fabyan's, 300. - -Jockey Cap (Fryeburg, Maine), 34. - -Josselyn, John (author of "New England's Rarities"), - ascends Mount Washington, 119. - - -Kearsarge, Mount, from North Conway, 39, 40, 41; - winter ascent of, 47-54; - view from summit, 51, 52; - from Bartlett, 62; - from Carter Dome, 141. - -King, Thomas Starr, tribute to, 294, 295. - -King's Ravine (Mount Adams), from Randolph Hill, 298; - from Mount Adams, 317. - -Kinsman, Mount (next south of Cannon, Franconia group), 244, 252. - - -Lafayette, Mount, from West Campton, 215; - _see_ Chapter III., Third Journey; - Eagle Cliff, 238, 239; - from Echo Lake, 240; - ascent from the Profile House, 243-247; - the Notch, 243; - the ravines, 243-254; - Eagle Lakes, 244; - summit and view, 246, 247; - from Franconia Iron Works, 252; - from Newbury, Vermont, 258; - from Bethlehem heights, 279. - -Lake of the Clouds (Mount Washington), 198. - -Lary's (Gorham, New Hampshire), 171. - -Lead Mine Bridge (Shelburne, G. T. R.), grand view from, 175, 176. - -Legends of General Hampton and the Devil, 11-14; - of Mount Chocorua, 21-24; - of Passaconnaway, 24, 25, _note_; - Indian tradition of the Deluge, 114; - the Indian's heaven, 115; - the Great Carbuncle, 115; - the war party and its prisoners, 127, 128; - the youthful lovers, 128; - of Glen Ellis Falls, 152; - of the Silver Image, 263. - -Lion's Head (Tuckerman's Ravine), 142, 146, 159. - -Lisbon (B., C., & M. R.R.), discovery of gold ores in, 251. - -Littleton (B., C., & M. R.R.), from Bethlehem, 279. - -Livermore (P. & O. R.R.), Saco Valley, logging hamlet of, 63; - way to the Pemigewasset, 221. - -Livermore Falls (Pemigewasset River), 212. - -Logging on the Androscoggin, 173, 174. - -Lonesome Lake (Mount Kinsman), 244. - -Long Island, Lake Winnipiseogee, east shore, 9. - -Lovewell, John (captain of colonial rangers), battle with the Sokokis, 34-38. - -Lovewell's Pond (scene of Lovewell's fight), 34. - -Lowell, Mount (Saco Valley), slide on, 64. - - -MAD RIVER and Valley (branch of Pemigewasset), 218. - -Madison, Mount (next north of Adams), 165. - -Marsh, Sylvester, projector of Mount Washington railway, 301. - -Merrimack River, source of, 65. - -Moat Range, position of, 39; - cliffs of, 40, 41, 44; - the ascent, 47; - from Jackson Falls, 124. - -Monroe, Mount, from Tuckerman's Ravine, 160. - -Moose River (branch of Androscoggin), 171. - -Moosehillock, or Moosilauke, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 10; - from Chocorua, 30; - from Pemigewasset Valley, 223; - from Newbury, Vermont, 258; - _see_ Chapter VII., Third Journey, 269-275; - how to reach the mountain, 269; - the mountain's top, 271; - view from, 273; - from Bethlehem, 279. - -Moriah, Mount (Carter Chain, near Gorham), 169. - -Mountain Butterfly, 202. - - -NANCY'S BROOK (Saco Valley), story of, 67-69. - -Newbury, Vermont (Pass. R.R.), 257. - -Nineteen Mile Brook (branch of the Peabody River, a branch - of the Androscoggin; rises in Carter Notch), 143. - -North Conway (E. R.R. and P. & O. R.R.), topographical features of, 39-41; - excursions from, 57; - _see_ Intervale, White Horse Ledge, Cathedral Ledge, Humphrey's - Ledge, Echo Lake, Diana's Baths, Artists' Falls, - Kearsarge and Moat Mountains, etc. - - -OAKE'S GULF (in great range), 103. - -Old Man of the Mountain (Franconia Pass), 231-236; - legends of, 235. - -Ossipee Mountains, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 8. - -Owl's Head (Lake Memphremagog), from Moosehillock, 273; - Cherry Mountain, 292. - - -PEABODY RIVER (branch of the Androscoggin; rises in Pinkham - Notch), 144, 154, _note_. - -Pemigewasset River, branch of Merrimack, 210; - Livermore Falls, 211; - East Branch, 223. - -Pemigewasset, Mount (near Flume House), ascent and view, 229. - -Pemigewasset Valley (Chapter I., Third Journey), 210-223; - villages of, 212. - -Pemigewasset Wilderness, way through, 221, 229. - -Percy Peaks, 280, note. - -Perkins Notch, position of, 133. - -Pilot Mountains from Gorham, 170; - origin of name, 170, 171. - -Pine Mountain (Gorham, New Hampshire), 170. - -Pinkham Notch from Thorn Hill, 122; - from the road between Jackson and Glen House, 129; - from Glen House, 144; - _see_ Thompson's Falls, Emerald Pool, Crystal Cascade, - Tuckerman's Ravine, Glen Ellis Falls, etc., 144-164. - -Pleasant, Mount, from Fabyan's, 300. - -Plymouth (B., C., & M. R.R.), 209; - routes through the mountains, 211. - -Pool, The (Franconia Pass), 225. - -Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, passage of the White Mountains Notch, 93. - -Prime, W. C., referred to, 244. - -Profile House (Franconia Pass), its attractions, 237-240; - _see_ Old Man, Profile Lake, Mounts Cannon and Lafayette, - Eagle Cliff, Echo Lake, etc.; - to Bethlehem by the old highway via Franconia, 248; - by rail, 248. - -Profile Lake (Franconia Pass), 232. - -Prospect, Mount (Holderness), 214. - - -RANDOLPH HILL, drive to, and view from, 297, 298. - -Ravine of the Castles (Mount Jefferson), 313. - -Raymond's Cataract, from Carter Dome, 142; - from Pinkham Notch, 147; - see Tuckerman's Ravine. - -Red Hill from Lake Winnipiseogee, 10; - ascent of, from Centre Harbor, and view from summit, 14-17. - -Ripley Falls (on Cow Brook, Saco Valley), 89. - -Rogers's, Robert (Major), account of the White Mountains, 119, 121, note; - destroys St. Francis, 259; - _see_ Chapter VI., Third Journey. - -Rosebrook, Eleazer, sketch of, 302, 303. - - -SACO VALLEY (Chapters IV. to IX., inclusive), from Mount Chocorua, 31; - at Fryeburg (Maine), 33; - at North Conway, 39; - at Bartlett, 61-65; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - source of the Saco, 88; - historical incident, 153. - -Sandwich Mountains from Lake Winnipiseogee, 8; - from Sandwich Centre, 19; - from Tamworth (Nickerson's), 24. - -Sandwich (town of), mountains near, 19. - -Sandwich Notch, position of, 218. - -Sawyer's River (branch of the Saco), valley of, 62, 63. - -Sawyer's Rock (Saco Valley, west side, near Bartlett), 62. - -Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe, quoted on the Indian name for the - White Mountains, 120. - -Silver Cascade (Crawford Notch), 85. - -Snow Arch (Tuckerman's Ravine), 161, 162. - -Spencer, Jabez (General), settles Campton, 216. - -Squam Lake from Red Hill, 16. - -St. Francis de Sales, sacked by Rogers, 259; - _see_ Chapter VI., Third Journey. - -Star Lake (Mount Adams), 317. - -Stark, John (General), captured by Indians, 210, 211. - -Stark, William, 210, 211. - -Starr King Mountain, 291. - -Storm Lake (between Madison and Adams), 317. - -Sugar Hill, from Profile House road, 249; - view from, 252, 253. - -Sullivan, James (Governor of Massachusetts), his authority for - the story of "The Great Carbuncle," 116; - quoted, 153. - -Swift River (branch of the Saco), from Mount Chocorua, 30. - - -TAMWORTH IRON WORKS (point from which Chocorua is usually ascended), 21, 25. - -Thompson's Falls (near Glen House), 146. - -Thorn Mountain, from North Conway, 40; - walk over Thorn Hill (lower spur of Thorn Mountain) to Jackson, 122, 132. - -Tripyramid Mountain, from Mad River Valley, 219; - slide on, 221. - -Trout-breeding, State establishment at Plymouth, 212. - -Trout-fishing begins in New Hampshire May 1, 213. - -Trumbull, J. Hammond, LL.D., quoted on the Indian names - for the White Mountains, 120, _note_. - -Tuckerman's Ravine from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from Thompson's Falls, 146; - way into from Glen House, 156; - appearance from Glen House, 156; - Hermit Lake and Lion's Head Crag, 159; - Snow Arch, 161; - head wall, 162; - out by the path to Crystal Cascade, 164. - - -VIEWS, from Red Hill, 14-17; - from Chocorua, 29-31; - from Jockey Cap, 34; - from Conway Corner, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from the Intervale (North Conway), 55-57; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - from above Bemis's, 74; - from Mount Willard, 91; - from Mount Clinton, 100; - from Carter Dome, 141; - from Glen House, 145; - from Gorham, 169; - from Berlin, 172, 175; - from Shelburne (Lead Mine Bridge), 176; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181, 185; - from the summit, 189-192; - from West Campton, 215; - from the Ellsworth road (Pemigewasset valley), 216; - from Mount Pemigewasset (Flume House), 229; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - from Sugar Hill, 252; - from the foot of Bethlehem heights (Gale River valley), 254; - from Moosehillock, 272; - from Bethlehem, 280, 281; - from Jefferson Hill, 292; - from East Jefferson, 295; - from Randolph Hill, 297; - from Mount Adams, 316. - - -WARREN (B., C., & M. R.R.), point from which to ascend Moosehillock, 269. - -Washington, Mount, River (formerly Dry River), grand - view of the high summits up this valley from P. & O. R.R., 74; - the valley from Mount Clinton, 100. - -Washington, Mount, carriage-road, 178; - Half-way House and the Ledge, 180; - Great Gulf, 181; - accident on, 183; - Willis's Seat, and the view 185; - Cow Pasture, 186; - Dr. Ball's adventure, 186; - fate of a climber, 186; - up the pinnacle, 186; - United States Meteorological Station, 187; - the summit, 188. - -Washington, Mount, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 9; - from Mount Chocorua, 31; - from Conway, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from Mount Carrigain, 65; - first path to, 71; - Davis path, 73; - view near Bemis's (P. & O. R.R.), 74; - Crawford bridle-path opened, 89; - from Mount Willard, 93; - from Mount Clinton, 100; - first ascension, 116-119; - Indian traditions of, _see_ Chapter I., Second Journey; - from Thorn Hill, 122; - from the Wildcat Valley, 133; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from Glen House, 144; - from the Glen House and Gorham road, 168; - carriage-road, _see_ Chapter VII., Second Journey; - the Signal Station, 187, 196; - a winter tornado on the summit, 192-194; - shadow of the mountain, 195; - the plateau--its floral and entomological treasures, 197, 198; - transported bowlders on, 197; - Lake of the Clouds, 198; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - travellers lost on, 186, 199, 310; - from Moosehillock, 270; - from Bethlehem, 281, 282; - from Fabyan's, 300; - railway to summit, 301-306; - moonlight on the summit, 311; - sunrise, 312; - sunset, 318. - -Washington, Mount, Railway, from Fabyan's, 301; - to the base, 304; - its mechanism, 305; - Jacob's Ladder, 305; - up the mountain, 306, 307; - the Summit Hotel, 307. - -Waterville (Mad River valley), the neighborhood, 219; - path to Livermore, 221. - -Webster, Daniel, at Fryeburg, Maine, 33. - -Webster, Mount, approach to, 75; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Weirs (B., C., & M. R.R.), Lake Winnipiseogee, west shore, 10, _see note_. - -Welch Mountain (Pemigewasset valley), 218. - -Whipple, Joseph (Colonel), settles at Jefferson, 294. - -White Horse Ledge (North Conway), 41. - -White Mountains, general view of, from Conway, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Carrigain (in mass), 65; - legends of, _see_ Chapter 1., Second Journey; - first ascensions, 116-119; - how named, 119, 120; - appearance from the coast, 120, 121; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - from Bethlehem, 281; - from Fabyan's, 300. - -Wildcat River (branch of the Ellis, a branch of the Saco; - rises in Carter Notch), Jackson Falls on, 124; - disappearance of, 136. - -Wildcat Mountain (one of Carter Notch and Pinkham - Notch Mountains), position of, 123; - avalanche of bowlders, 136; - appearance from Carter Notch, 141; - from Glen House, 145. - -Wildcat Valley (Jackson to Carter Notch), 133-140. - -Willard, Mount, 77; - ascent of, from Crawford House, 91. - -Willey family, burial-place of, 55; - destruction of, by a landslip, 77-80. - -Willey, Mount, from Carrigain, 65; - approach to by the valley, 75; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Winnipiseogee, Lake, sail up, from Wolfborough to Centre Harbor, 8-10; - Indian occupation and customs, 10; - sunset view of, from Red Hill. 16, 17. - -Winnipiseogee River (outlet of the lake), Indian remains on, 10; - Endicott Rock in, 10, _note_. - -Wolfborough ( E. R.R. branch ), Lake Winnipiseogee, 8. - - -NEW YORK & NEW ENGLAND RAILROAD. - -THIS IS THE MOST CONVENIENT LINE BETWEEN - -Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, - -AS IT IS THE ONLY LINE RUNNING - -THROUGH PULLMAN CARS WITHOUT CHANGE. - - The train leaving Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia in - the afternoon, arrives in Boston the following morning in season - to connect with trains on the Eastern, Boston & Maine, and Boston - & Lowell Railroads, for points in the White Mountains and shore - resorts. The morning trains from the White Mountains and shore - resorts arrive in Boston in sufficient time to cross the city and - take the 7 P.M. train for the South. - - Berths in Pullman Sleepers can be secured in advance on - application to the Company's Office, - -322 Washington St., Boston, and Depot, foot of Summer St.; and at -Pennsylvania Railroad Ticket Offices in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and -Washington. - -==>Ask for Tickets via New England and Str. Maryland Lines. - -S. M. FELTON, Jr., General Manager. A. C. KENDALL, General Passenger Agent. - - -WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO. - -90 & 92 Tremont Street, - -(Opposite Tremont House), BOSTON, MASS. - -DEALERS IN - -Ribbons, Laces, Flowers, Montures, Velvets, Nets, - -FEATHERS, SPRAYS, &c. - - HATS, for Ladies and Misses; CORSETS--the Best Fitting and - Most Sensible: KID GLOVES A SPECIALTY--Latest Styles, Lowest - Prices; BUTTONS, TRIMMINGS, &c., in endless variety; HOSIERY and - UNDERWEAR, for Ladies and Misses--an admirable assortment at low - rates. - -FANCY GOODS, PERFUMERY, TOILET ARTICLES, &c. - -AND MANY OTHER NOVELTIES. - - Ladies visiting Boston, or gentlemen wishing to make purchases - for absent wives, sisters, or lady friends, will do well to inspect - the admirably selected stock of Gloves, Laces, Velvets, Ribbons, - Flowers, Millinery Goods, Hats, Hosiery, Small Wares, and Fancy - Goods generally, offered by WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO., at - 90 and 92 Tremont Street (opposite the Tremont House). This firm - has won an enviable reputation for the excellence of its goods, its - courteous attendance, and the moderation of its prices; while its - location renders it most convenient of access by horse cars, either - from the hotels or from any of the railroad depots. - -==>Orders by mail or express will receive prompt attention. - -WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO.,--90 and 92 Tremont Street, Boston. - -SHORE LINE ROUTE. - -NEW YORK AND BOSTON. - - Trains leave GRAND CENTRAL DEPOT, New York, for Boston, at - =8.05 A.M.=, =1= and =10 P.M.=; arriving in Boston - at =6= and =8.05 P.M.=, and =6.20 A.M.= - -Sundays for Boston at 10 P.M. - -WAGNER DRAWING-ROOM CARS - - On 1 P.M. trains from Boston and New York. - -WAGNER SLEEPING CARS - - On night trains from Boston and New York. - - Leave BOSTON and PROVIDENCE STATION, Boston, at =8 A.M.=, - =1= and =10.30 P.M.=; arriving in the Grand Central - Depot, New York, at =4.22= and =7.40 P.M.=, and =6.38 - A.M.= - -Sundays for New York at 10.30 P.M. - - For further information, apply to - -J. W. RICHARDSON, Agent, State Street, Corner Washington; - -Or at Providence Railroad Station, Columbus Avenue, near Boston Common. - -A. A. FOLSOM, Superintendent. - -HARPER'S CYCLOPEDIA - -OF - -BRITISH AND AMERICAN POETRY. - -EDITED BY - -EPES SARGENT. - -Large 8vo, nearly 1000 pages, Illuminated Cloth, with Colored Edges, -$4.50; Half Leather, $5.00. - - Mr. Sargent was eminently fitted for the preparation of a work - of this kind. Few men possessed a wider or more profound knowledge - of English literature; and his judgment was clear, acute, and - discriminating. * * * The beautiful typography and other exterior - charms broadly hint at the rich feast of instruction and enjoyment - which the superb volume is eminently fitted to furnish.--_N.Y. - Times._ - - We commend it highly. It contains so many of the notable poems - of our language, and so much that is sound poetry, if not notable, - that it will make itself a pleasure wherever it is found.--_N.Y. - Herald._ - - The selections are made with a good deal of taste - and judgment, and without prejudice against any school or - individual. An index of first lines adds to the usefulness of the - volume.--_N.Y. Sun._ - - The collection is remarkably complete. * * * Mr. Sargent's - work deserves special commendation for the exquisite justice it - does to living writers but little known. It is a volume of rare and - precious flowers culled because of their intrinsic value, without - regard to the writer's fame. The selections are prefaced by a brief - biographical notice of the author, with a critical estimate of the - poetry. * * * A valuable acquisition to the literary treasures of - American households.--_N.Y. Evening Express._ - - He seems to have culled the choicest and the best from the - broad field. * * * Mr. Sargent had the fine ear to detect the pure, - true music of the heart and imagination wherever it was voiced. * * - * The elegant volume is a household treasure which will be highly - prized.--_Evangelist, N.Y._ - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>_Sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on -receipt of the price._ - -DRAKE'S NEW ENGLAND COAST. - - NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST. By SAMUEL - ADAMS DRAKE. With numerous Illustrations. Square 8vo, Cloth, - $3 50; Half Calf, $5 75. - - MY DEAR SIR,--I laid out your new and beautiful - book to take with me to-day to my summer home, but before I go I - wish to thank you for preparing a volume which is every way so - delightful. All summer I shall have it at hand, and many a pleasant - hour I anticipate in the enjoyment of it. I have _read_ far enough - in it already to feel how admirably you have done your part of it, - and I have _seen_, in turning over the delectable pages, what a - panorama of lovely nooks and rocky coast your artist has prepared - for the pleasure of your readers. May they be a good many thousand - this year, and continue to increase time onward. If I am not - greatly out in my judgment, edition after edition will be called - for. Truly yours, - -JAMES T. FIELDS. - -Thy "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast" is a delightful book, -and one of most frequent reference in my library. Thy friend, - -JOHN G. WHITTIER. - -I take this opportunity of acknowledging the pleasure I have received -from your interesting book on our New England coast. It was my companion -last summer on the coast of Maine. Yours truly, - -F. PARKMAN. - -Mr. Samuel Adams Drake does for the New England coast such service as -Mr. Nordhoff has done for the Pacific. His "Nooks and Corners of the -New England Coast"--a volume of 459 pages--is an admirable guide both -to the lover of the picturesque and the searcher for historic lore, as -well as to stay-at-home travellers. The "Preface" tells the story of the -book; it is a sketch-map of the coast, with the motto, "On this line, if -it takes all summer." "Summer" began with Mr. Drake one Christmas-day -at Mount Desert, whence he went South, touching at Castine, Pemaquid, -and Monhegan; Wells and "Agamenticus, the ancient city" of York; -Kittery Point; "The Shoals;" Newcastle; Salem and Marblehead; Plymouth -and Duxbury; Nantucket; Newport; Mount Hope; New London, Norwich, and -Saybrook. What nature has to show and history to tell at each of these -places, who were the heroes and worthies--all this Mr. Drake gives in -pleasant talk--_N.Y Tribune._ - -MY DEAR MR. DRAKE,--I have given your beautiful book, "Nooks -and Corners of the New England Coast," a pretty general perusal. It is -one "after my own heart," and I thank you very much for it. Your Preface -is an admirable "hit" in more ways than one. Like Grant, whom you have -quoted, it took you, I imagine, _all winter_ as well as _all summer_ -to accomplish your victory, for you speak of experiences with snow and -sleet. - -You have gathered into your volume, in the most attractive form, a vast -amount of historical and descriptive matter that is exceedingly useful. -I hope your pen will not be stayed. Your friend and brother of the pen, - -BENSON J. LOSSING. - -To-morrow I leave home for a week or two in Maine, and shall take your -beautiful volume, "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast," with -me to read and enjoy at leisure. I am sure it cannot fail to be very -interesting. - -Yours faithfully, -HENRY W. LONGFELLOW. - -I need not tell you with how much interest both my husband and -myself--lovers of the valley--look forward to your work, nor how much -pleasure your "Nooks and Corners" has already afforded us. - -With most cordial regards, -HARRIET P. SPOFFORD. - -His style is at once simple and graphic, and his work as conscientious -and faithful to fact as if he were the dullest of annalists instead of -one of the liveliest of essayists and historians. The legitimate charm -of variety--characteristic of a work of this kind--makes the book more -entertaining than any volume of similar size devoted exclusively to -chronology, biography, essays, or anecdotes.--JOHN G. SAXE, in -the _Brooklyn Argus_. - -Mr. Drake's "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast" ought to be in -the hands of every one who visits our sea-side resorts. The artistic -features serve to embellish a very interesting description of our New -England watering-places, enlivened with anecdotes, bits of history -connected with the various places, and pleasant gossip about people and -things in general.--_Saturday Evening Gazette_, Boston. - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>HARPER & BROTHERS _will send the above work by mail, postage -prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price_. - -GLOWING TRIBUTES TO AMERICAN ART. - -WHAT LEADING ENGLISH PAPERS - -SAY OF - -"PASTORAL DAYS; - -OR, - -MEMORIES OF A NEW ENGLAND YEAR." - -BY W. HAMILTON GIBSON. - -4to, Illuminated Cloth, Gilt Edges, $7 50. - -FROM "THE TIMES," LONDON. - - The title of this very beautifully illustrated book conveys - but a very faint idea of its merits, which lie, not in the - descriptions of the varied beauties of the fields and fens of New - England, but in the admirable wood-engravings, which on every - page picture far more than could be given in words. The author - has the rare gift of feeling for the exquisitely graceful forms - of plant life and the fine touch of an expert draughtsman, which - enables him both to select and to draw with a refinement which few - artists in this direction have ever shown. Besides these essential - qualities in a painter from nature, Mr. Gibson has a fine sense - of the poetic and picturesque in landscape, of which there are - many charming pieces in this volume, interesting in themselves as - pictures, and singularly so in their resemblance to the scenery - of Old England. Most of the little vignette-like views might be - mistaken for Birket Foster's thoroughly English pictures, and some - are like Old Crome's vigorous idyls. One of the most striking--a - wild forest scene with a storm passing, called "The Line Storm"--is - quite remarkable in the excellent drawing of the trees swept by the - gale and in the general composition of the picture, which is full - of the true poetic conception of grandeur in landscape beauty. But - all Mr. Gibsons's good drawing would have been nothing unless he - had been so ably aided by the artist engravers, who have throughout - worked with such sympathy with his taste, and so much regard for - the native grace of wild flowers, grasses, ferns, insects, and - all the infinite beauties of the fields, down to the mysterious - spider and his silky net spread over the brambles. These cuts are - exceptional examples of beautiful work. Nothing in the whole round - of wood-engraving can surpass, if it has even equalled, these - in delicacy as well as breadth of effect. Much as our English - cutters pride themselves on belonging to the school which Bewick - and Jackson founded, they must certainly come to these American - artists to learn the something more which is to be found in their - works. In point of printing, too, there is much to be learned in - the extremely fine ink and paper, which, although subjected to - "hot-pressing," are evidently adapted in some special condition for - wood-printing. The printing is obviously by hand-press,[46] and in - the arrangement of the type with the cuts on each page the greatest - ingenuity and invention are displayed. This, too, has been designed - with a sort of a Japanesque fancy; here is a tangled mass of - grasses and weeds, with a party of ants stealing out of the shade, - and there the dragon-flies flit across among the blossoms of the - reeds, or the feathery seeds of the dandelion float on the page. - Each section of the seasons has its suggestive picture: Springtime, - with a flight of birds under a may-flower branch that hangs across - the brook: Summer, a host of butterflies sporting round the wild - rose: Autumn, with the swallows flying south and falling leaves - that strew the page; while for Winter the chrysalis hangs in the - leafless bough, and the snow-clad graves in the village church-yard - tell the same story of sleep and awakening. As many as thirty - different artists, besides the author and designer, have assisted - in producing this very tastefully illustrated volume, which - commends itself by its genuine artistic merits to all lovers of the - picturesque and the natural. - -FROM "THE SATURDAY REVIEW," LONDON. - - This pleasant American book has brought to our remembrance, - though without any sense of imitation, two old-fashioned favorites. - In the first place, its descriptions of rural humanity, its rustic - sweetness and humor, have a certain analogy with the delicately - pencilled studies of life in Miss Mitford's "Our Village;" but the - relation it bears to the second book is much closer. It is more - than forty years since Mr. P. H. Gosse published the first of those - delightful sketches of animal life at home which have led so many - of us with a wholesome purpose into the woods and lanes. It was in - the _Canadian Naturalist_ that he broke this new ground; and though - we do not think this has ever been one of his best-known books, we - cannot but believe that there are still many readers who will be - reminded of it as they glance down Mr. Gibson's pages. - - People must be strangely constituted who do not enjoy such - pages as Mr. Gibson has presented to us here. It is not merely that - he writes well, but the subject itself is irresistibly fascinating. - We plunge with him into the silence of a New England village in a - clearing of the woods. The spring is awakening in a flush of tender - green, in a fever of warm days and shivering nights, and we hasten - with our companion through all the bustle and stir of the few busy - hours of light so swiftly that the darkness is on us before we are - aware. Then falls on the ear a pathetic, an intolerable silence; - a deep mist covers the ground, a few lights twinkle in scattered - farms and cottages, and all seems brooding, melting, in the deep - and throbbing hush of the darkness. * * * The wailing of the great - owl upon the maple-tree takes our author back in memory to the - scenes of his youth, where the owl was looked upon as a creature of - most sinister omen, and his own partiality to it, as a proof that - there was something uncanny or even "fey" about him. All this is - described with great sympathy and delicacy; but perhaps Mr. Gibson - is most felicitous in his little touches of floral painting. He - has a few words about the earthy, spicy fragrance of the arbutus - that might have been said in verse by the late Mr. Bryant; his - description of the effect of biting the bulbs of the Indian turnip, - or "Jack-in-the-pulpit," is inimitable in its quiet way; while the - phrase about the fading dandelions--"the golden stars upon the - lawn are nearly all burned out; we see their downy ashes in the - grass"--is perhaps the best thing ever said about a humble flower, - whose vulgarity, in the literal sense, blinds us to the beauty of - its evolution and decay. - - In his studies of life and country manners Mr. Gibson is a - very agreeable and amusing, if not quite so novel, a companion. - Not seldom he reminds us not merely of Miss Mitford, but sometimes - of Thoreau and of Hawthorne. The story of Aunt Huldy, the village - crone who sustained herself upon simples to the age of a hundred - and three, is one of those little vignettes, half humorous, half - pathetic, and altogether picturesque, in which the Americans excel. - Aunt Huldy was an old witch in a scarlet hood, whose long white - hair flowing behind her was wont to frighten the village children - who came upon her in the woods; but she was absolutely harmless, a - crazy old valetudinarian, who was always searching for the elixir - of life in strange herbs and decoctions. At last she thought - she had found it in sweet-fern, and she spent her last years in - grubbing up every specimen she could find, smoking it, chewing it, - drinking it, and sleeping with a little bag of it tied round her - neck. - - But although Mr. Gibson writes so well, he modestly disclaims - all pretension as a writer, and lets us know that he is an artist - by profession. His book is illustrated by more than seventy designs - from his pencil, engraved in that beautiful American manner to - which we have often called attention. The scenes designed are - closely analogous to those described in the text. We have an - apple-orchard in full blossom, with a group of idlers lounging - underneath the boughs; scenes in the fields so full of mystery and - stillness that we are reminded of Millet, or of our own Mason; - clusters of flowers drawn with all the knowledge of a botanist and - the sympathy of a poet. It is hard to define the peculiar pleasure - that such illustrations give to the eye. It is something that - includes and yet transcends the mere enjoyment of whatever artistic - excellence the designs may possess. We are directly reminded by - them of such similar scenes as have been either the rule or the - still more fascinating exception of every childish life, and at - their suggestion the past comes back; in the familiar Wordsworthian - phrase, "a river flows on through the vale of Cheapside." - - We know so little over here of the best American art that - it may chance that Mr. Gibson is very well known in New York. - We confess, however, that we never heard of him before; but his - drawings are so full of delicate fancy and feeling, and his writing - so skilful and graceful, that, in calling attention to his book, we - cannot but express the hope that we soon may hear of him again, in - either function, or in both. - -"PASTORAL DAYS" is published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York, -who will send the work, postage prepaid, to any part of the United -States, on receipt of $7 50. - -HARPER'S GUIDE TO EUROPE. - -HARPER'S HAND-BOOK FOR TRAVELLERS IN EUROPE AND THE EAST: being a Guide -through Great Britain and Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, -Italy, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Tyrol, Spain, Russia, -Denmark, Norway, Sweden, United States, and Canada. By W. Pembroke -Fetridge. With Maps and Plans of Cities. In Three Volumes. 12mo, -Leather, Pocket-Book Form, $3 00 per vol. _The volumes sold separately_. - -VOL. I. GREAT BRITAIN, IRELAND, FRANCE, BELGIUM, -HOLLAND. - -VOL. II. GERMANY, AUSTRIA, ITALY, SICILY AND MALTA, EGYPT, -THE DESERT, SYRIA AND PALESTINE, TURKEY, GREECE. - -VOL. III. SWITZERLAND, TYROL, DENMARK, NORWAY, SWEDEN, -RUSSIA, SPAIN, UNITED STATES AND CANADA. - -It has stood the test of trying experience, and has proved the -traveller's friend in all emergencies. Each year has added to its -attractions and value, until it is about as near perfect as it is -possible to make it.--_Boston Post_. - - Personal use of this Guide during several visits to - various portions of Europe enables us to attest its merits. No - American is fully equipped for travel in Europe without this - Hand-Book.--_Philadelphia North American_. - - Take "Harper's Hand-Book," and read it carefully through; - then return to the parts relating to the places you have resolved - to visit; follow the route on the maps, and particularly study the - plans of cities. So you will start with sound pre-knowledge, which - will smoothen the entire course of travel.--_Philadelphia Press_. - - The book is not only unrivalled as a guide-book, for which - it is primarily intended, but it is a complete cyclopdia of - all that relates to the countries, towns, and cities which are - described in it--their curiosities, most notable scenes, their - most celebrated historical, commercial, literary, and artistic - centres. Besides general descriptions of great value, there are - minute and detailed accounts of everything that is worth seeing - or knowing relative to the countries of the Old World. The great - value of the book consists in the fact that it covers all the - ground that any traveller may pass through--being exhaustive not - only of one country or two, but comprising in its ample pages exact - and full information respecting every country in Europe and the - East.--_Christian Intelligencer_, N. Y. - - It is a marvellous compendium of information, and the author - has labored hard to make his book keep pace with the progress of - events. * * * It forms a really valuable work of reference on all - the topics which it treats, and in that way is as useful to the - reader who stays at home as to the traveller who carries it with - him abroad.--_N. Y. Times_. - - I have received and examined with lively interest the new - and extended edition of your extremely valuable "Hand-Book for - Travellers in Europe and the East." You have evidently spared no - time or pains in consolidating the results of your wide travel, - your great experience. You succeed in presenting to the traveller - the most valuable guide and friend with which I have the good - fortune to be acquainted. With the warmest thanks, I beg you to - receive the most cordial congratulations of yours, very faithfully, - JOHN MEREDITH READ. Jr., _United States Minister of - Greece._ - - From having travelled somewhat extensively in former years - in Europe and the East. I can say with entire truth that you have - succeeded in combining more that is instructive and valuable for - the traveller than is contained in any one or series of hand-books - that I have ever met with.--T. BIGELOW LAWRENCE. - - To make a tour abroad without a guide-book is impossible. - The object should be to secure that which is most complete and - comprehensive in the least compass. The scope, plan, and execution - of Harper's makes it, on the whole, the most satisfactory that can - be found.--_Albany Journal_. - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -HARPER & BROTHERS _will send the above work by mail, postage -prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price._ - -ENGLISH MEN OF LETTERS. - -EDITED BY JOHN MORLEY. - -The following volumes are now ready: - -JOHNSON, LESLIE STEPHEN. - -GIBBON, J. C. MORISON. - -SCOTT, R. H. HUTTON. - -SHELLEY, J. A. SYMONDS. - -HUME, Professor HUXLEY. - -GOLDSMITH, WILLIAM BLACK. - -DEFOE, WILLIAM MINTO. - -BURNS, Principal SHAIRP. - -SPENSER, The DEAN OF ST. PAUL'S. - -THACKERAY, ANTHONY TROLLOPE. - -BURKE, JOHN MORLEY. - -MILTON, MARK PATTISON. - -SOUTHEY, Professor DOWDEN. - -CHAUCER, Professor A. W. WARD. - -BUNYAN, J. A. FROUDE. - -COWPER, GOLDWIN SMITH. - -POPE, LESLIE STEPHEN. - -BYRON, JOHN NICHOL. - -LOCKE, THOMAS FOWLER. - -WORDSWORTH, F. W. H. MYERS. - -DRYDEN, G. SAINTSBURY. - -LANDOR, Professor SIDNEY COLVIN. - -DE QUINCEY, Professor D. MASSON. - -LAMB, The Rev. ALFRED AINGER. - -BENTLEY, Professor JEBB. - -12mo, Cloth, 75 cents per volume. - -HAWTHORNE. By HENRY JAMES, JR.............12mo, Cloth, $1 00. - -VOLUMES IN PREPARATION: - -SWIFT, JOHN MORLEY. - -GRAY, E. W. GOSSE. - -ADAM SMITH, LEONARD H. COURTNEY. - -DICKENS, Professor A. W. WARD. - -_Others will be announced._ - -Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>HARPER & BROTHERS _will send any of the above works by mail, -postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the -price_. */ - -ENGLISH CLASSICS. - -EDITED, WITH NOTES, - -BY WM. J. ROLFE, A.M. - -SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS. - - The Merchant of Venice. - The Tempest. - Julius Csar. - Hamlet. - As You Like It. - Henry the Fifth. - Macbeth. - Henry the Eighth. - Midsummer-Night's Dream. - Richard III. - Richard the Second. - Much Ado About Nothing. - Antony and Cleopatra. - Romeo and Juliet. - Othello. - Twelfth Night. - The Winter's Tale. - King John. - Henry IV. Part I. - Henry IV. Part II. - King Lear. - Taming of the Shrew. - All's Well that Ends Well. - Coriolanus. - Comedy of Errors. - Cymbeline. - Merry Wives of Windsor. - Measure for Measure. - Two Gentlemen of Verona. - Love's Labour's Lost. - Timon of Athens. - -SELECT POEMS OF OLIVER GOLDSMITH. - -SELECT POEMS OF THOMAS GRAY. - -_ILLUSTRATED._ - -16MO, CLOTH, 50 CENTS PER VOLUME; PAPER, 40 CENTS PER VOLUME. - -In the preparation of this edition of the English Classics it has been -the aim to adapt them for school and home reading, in essentially -the same way as Greek and Latin Classics are edited for educational -purposes. The chief requisites are a pure text (expurgated, if -necessary), and the notes needed for its thorough explanation and -illustration. - -Each of Shakespeare's plays is complete in one volume, and is preceded -by an introduction containing the "History of the Play," the "Sources of -the Plot," and "Critical Comments on the Play." - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -HARPER & BROTHERS _will send any of the above work by mail, -postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the -price_. - -[Illustration: Map of White Mountains, New Hampshire] - -[Illustration: Map of Vermont and New Hampshire] - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -griping his arm=> gripping his arm {pg 103} - -more and more drouth=> more and more drought {pg 173} - -turned to looked back=> turned to look back {pg 243} - -Moosilauk 4881=> Moosilauke 4881 {pg 330} - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] So called from the fishing-weirs of the Indians. The Indian name was -Aquedahtan. Here is the Endicott Rock, with an inscription made by -Massachusetts surveyors in 1652. - -[2] No tradition attaches to the last three peaks. Passaconnaway was a -great chieftain and conjurer of the Pennacooks. It is of him the poet -Whittier writes: - - Burned for him the drifted snow, - Bade through ice fresh lilies blow, - And the leaves of summer glow - Over winter's wood. - -This noted patriarch and necromancer, in whose arts not only the Indians -but the English seemed to have put entire faith, after living to a great -age, was, according to the tradition, translated to heaven from the -summit of Mount Washington, after the manner of Elias, in a chariot of -fire, surrounded by a tempest of flame. Wonnalancet was the son and -successor of Passaconnaway. Paugus, an under chief of the Pigwackets, or -Sokokis, killed in the battle with Lovewell, related in the next -chapter. - -[3] Something has since been done by the Appalachian Club to render this -part of the ascent less hazardous than it formerly was. - -[4] The Saco has since been bridged, and is traversed with all ease. - -[5] The sequel to this strange but true story is in keeping with the -rest of its horrible details. Perpetually haunted by the ghost of his -victim, the murderer became a prey to remorse. Life became -insupportable. He felt that he was both shunned and abhorred. Gradually -he fell into a decline, and within a few years from the time the deed -was committed he died. - -[6] Dr. Jeremy Belknap relates that, on his journey through this region -in 1784, he was besought by the superstitious villagers to lay the -spirits which were still believed to haunt the fastnesses of the -mountains. - -[7] This house stood just within the entrance to the Notch, from the -north, or Fabyan side. It was for some time kept by Thomas J., one of -the famous Crawfords. Travellers who are a good deal puzzled by the -frequent recurrence of the name "Crawford's" will recollect that the -present hotel is now the only one in this valley bearing the name. - -[8] A portion of the slide touching the house, even moved it a little -from its foundations before being stopped by the resistance it opposed -to the progress of the dbris. - -[9] I have since passed over the same route without finding those -sensations to which our inexperience, and the tempest which surrounded -us, rendered us peculiarly liable. In reality, the ridge connecting -Mount Pleasant with Mount Franklin is passed without hesitation, in good -weather, by the most timid; but when a rod of the way cannot be seen the -case is different, and caution necessary. The view of this natural -bridge from the summit of Mount Franklin is one of the imposing sights -of the day's march. - -[10] The remains of this ill-fated climber have since been found at the -foot of the pinnacle. See chapter on Mount Washington. - -[11] This analogy of belief may be carried farther still, to the -populations of Asia, which surround the great "Abode of Snow"--the -Himalayas. It would be interesting to see in this similarity of -religious worship a link between the Asiatic, the primitive man, and the -American--the most recent, and the most unfortunate. Our province is -simply to recount a fact to which the brothers Schlaginweit -("Exploration de la Haute Asie") bear witness: - -"It is in spite of himself, under the enticement of a great reward, that -the superstitious Hindoo decides to accompany the traveller into the -mountains, which he dreads less for the unknown dangers of the ascent -than for the sacrilege he believes he is committing in approaching the -holy asylum, the inviolable sanctuary of the gods he reveres; his -trouble becomes extreme when he sees in the peak to be climbed not the -mountain, but the god whose name it bears. Henceforth it is by sacrifice -and prayer alone that he may appease the profoundly offended deity." - -[12] Sullivan: "History of Maine." - -[13] Field's second ascension (July, 1642) was followed in the same year -by that of Vines and Gorges, two magistrates of Sir F. Gorges's province -of Maine, within which the mountains were believed to lie. Their visit -contributed little to the knowledge of the region, as they erroneously -reported the high plateau of the great chain to be the source of the -Kennebec, as well as of the Androscoggin and Connecticut rivers. - -[14] It also occurs, reduced to Agiochook, in the ballad, of unknown -origin, on the death of Captain Lovewell. One of these was, doubtless, -the authority of Belknap. Touching the signification of Agiochook, it is -the opinion of Dr. J. Hammond Trumbull that the word which Captain Gyles -imperfectly translated from sound into English syllables is Algonquin -for "at the mountains on that side," or "over yonder." "As to the -generally received interpretations of Agiockochook, such as 'the abode -of the Great Spirit,' 'the place of the Spirit of the Great Forest,' or, -as one writer prefers, 'the place of the Storm Spirit,'" says Dr. -Trumbull, "it is enough to say that no element of any Algonkin word -meaning 'great,' 'spirit,' 'forest,' 'storm,' or 'abode,' or combining -the meaning of any two of these words, occurs in 'Agiockochook.' The -only Indian name for the White Hills that bears internal evidence of -genuineness is one given on the authority of President Alden, as used -'by one of the eastern tribes,' that is, Waumbekketmethna, which easily -resolves itself into the Kennebec-Abnaki waubeghiket-amadinar, 'white -greatest mountain.' It is very probable, however, that this synthesis is -a mere translation, by an Indian, of the English 'White Mountains.' I -have never, myself, succeeded in obtaining this name from the modern -Abnakis." - -[15] Here is what Douglass says in his "Summary" (1748-'53): "The White -Hills, or rather mountains, inland about seventy miles north from the -mouth of Piscataqua Harbor, about seven miles west by north from the -head of the Pigwoket branch of Saco River; they are called white not -from their being continually covered with snow, but because they are -bald atop, producing no trees or brush, and covered with a whitish stone -or shingle: these hills may be observed at a great distance, and are a -considerable guide or direction to the Indians in travelling that -country." - -And Robert Rogers ("Account of America," London, 1765) remarks that the -White Mountains were "so called from that appearance which is like snow, -consisting, as is generally supposed, of a white flint, from which the -reflection is very brilliant and dazzling." - -[16] Captivity of Elizabeth Hanson, taken at Dover, New Hampshire, 1724. - -[17] No Yankee girl need be told for what purpose spruce gum is -procured; but it will doubtless be news to many that the best quality is -worth a dollar the pound. Davis told me he had gathered enough in a -single season to fetch ninety dollars. - -[18] I use the name, as usually applied, to the whole mountain. In point -of fact, the Dome is not visible from the Notch. - -[19] The guide knew no other name for the larger bird than meat-hawk; -but its size, plumage, and utter fearlessness are characteristic of the -Canada jay, occasionally encountered in these high latitudes. I cannot -refrain from reminding the reader that the cross-bill is the subject of -a beautiful German legend, translated by Longfellow. The dying and -forsaken Saviour sees a little bird striving to draw the nail from his -bleeding palm with his beak: - - "And the Saviour spoke in mildness: - 'Blest be thou of all the good! - Bear, as token of this moment, - Marks of blood and holy rood!" - - "And the bird is called the cross-bill; - Covered all with blood so clear. - In the groves of pine it singeth - Songs like legends, strange to hear." - -[20] Peabody River is said to have originated in the same manner, and in -a single night. It is probable, however, that as long as there has been -a valley there has also been a stream. - -[21] Since the above was written, a deplorable accident has given -melancholy emphasis to these words of warning. I leave them as they are, -because they were employed by the very person to whom the disaster was -due: "The first accident by which any passengers were ever injured on -the carriage-road, from the Glen House to the summit of Mount -Washington, occurred July 3d, 1880, about a mile below the Half-Way -House. One of the six-horse mountain wagons, containing a party of nine -persons--the last load of the excursionists from Michigan to make the -descent of the mountain--was tipped over, and one lady was killed and -five others injured. Soon after starting from the summit the passengers -discovered that the driver had been drinking while waiting for the party -to descend. They left this wagon a short distance from the summit and -walked to the Half-Way House, four miles below, where one of the -employs of the Carriage-road Company assured them that there was no bad -place below that, and that he thought it would be safe for them to -resume their seats with the driver, who was with them. Soon after -passing the Half-Way House, in driving around a curve too rapidly, the -carriage was overset, throwing the occupants into the woods and on the -rocks. Mrs. Ira Chichester, of Allegan, Michigan, was instantly killed, -her husband, who was sitting at her side, being only slightly bruised. -Of the other occupants, several were more or less injured. The injured -were brought at once to the Glen House, and received every possible care -and attention. Lindsey, the driver, was taken up insensible. He had been -on the road ten years, and was considered one of the safest and most -reliable drivers in the mountains." - -[22] A stone bench, known as Willis's Seat, has been fixed in the -parapet wall at the extreme southern angle of the road, between the -sixth and seventh miles. It is a fine lookout, but will need to be -carefully searched for. - -[23] Benjamin Chandler, of Delaware, in August, 1856. - -[24] Dr. B. L. Ball's "Three Days on the White Mountains," in October, -1855. - -[25] Considering the pinnacle of Mount Washington as the centre of a -circle of vision, the greatest distance I have been able to see with the -naked eye, in nine ascensions, did not probably much exceed one hundred -miles. This being half the diameter, the circumference would surpass six -hundred miles. It is now considered settled that Katahdin, one hundred -and sixty miles distant, is not visible from Mount Washington. - -[26] The highest point, formerly indicated by a cairn and a beacon, is -now occupied by an observatory, built of planks, and, of course, -commanding the whole horizon. It is desirable to examine this vast -landscape in detail, or so much of it as the eye embraces at once, and -no more. - -[27] One poor fellow (Private Stevens) did die here in 1872. His comrade -remained one day and two nights alone with the dead body before help -could be summoned from below. - -[28] It was for a long time believed that the summit of Mount Washington -bore no marks of the great Glacial Period, which the lamented Agassiz -was the first to present in his great work on the glaciers of the Alps. -Such was the opinion of Dr. C. T. Jackson, State Geologist of New -Hampshire. It is now announced that Professor C. H. Hitchcock has -detected the presence of transported bowlders not identical with the -rocks in place. - -[29] In going to and returning from the ravine, I must have walked over -the very spot which has since derived a tragical interest from the -discovery, in July, 1880, of a human skeleton among the rocks. Three -students, who had climbed up through the ravine on the way to the -summit, stumbled upon the remains. Some fragments of clothing remained, -and in a pocket were articles identifying the lost man as Harry W. -Hunter, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. This was the same person whom I had -seen placarded as missing, in 1875, and who is referred to in the -chapter on the ascent from Crawford's. A cairn and tablet, similar to -those erected on the spot where Miss Bourne perished, had already been -placed here when I last visited the locality, where the remains had so -long lain undiscovered in their solitary tomb. An inscription upon the -tablet gives the following details: "Henry W. Hunter, aged twenty-two -years, perished in a storm, September 3d, 1874, while walking from the -Willey House to the summit. Remains found July 14th, 1880, by a party of -Amherst students." The place is conspicuous from the plain, and is -between the Crawford Path and Tuckerman's. By going a few rods to the -left, the Summit House, one mile distant, is in full view. This makes -the third person known to have perished on or near the summit of Mount -Washington. Young Hunter died without a witness to the agony of his last -moments. No search was made until nearly a year had elapsed. It proved -ineffectual, and was abandoned. Thus, strangely and by chance, was -brought to light the fact that he sunk exhausted and lifeless at the -foot of the cone itself. I can fully appreciate the nature of the -situation in which this too adventurous but truly unfortunate climber -was placed. - -[30] A log-hut has been built near the summit of Mount Clinton since -this was written. It is a good deed. But the long miles over the summits -remain as yet neglected. Had one existed at the base of Monroe, it is -probable that one life, at least, might have been saved. It is on the -plain that danger and difficulties thicken. - -[31] Kancamagus, the Pennacook sachem, led the Indian assault on Dover, -in 1689. - -[32] This name was given to his picture of the great range, in -possession of the Prince of Wales, by Mr. George L. Brown, the eminent -landscape-painter. The canvas represents the summits in the sumptuous -garb of autumn. - -[33] The true source of the Connecticut remained so long in doubt that -it passed into a by-word. Cotton Mather, speaking of an ecclesiastical -quarrel in Hartford, says that it was almost as obscure as the rise of -the Connecticut River. - -[34] This orthography is of recent adoption. By recent I mean within -thirty years. Before that time it was always Moosehillock. Nothing is -easier than to unsettle a name. So far as known, I believe there is not -a single summit of the White Mountain group having a name given to it by -the Indians. On the contrary, the Indian names have all come from the -white people. That these are sometimes far-fetched is seen in Osceola -and Tecumseh; that they are often puerile, it is needless to point out. -Moosehillock is probably no exception. It is not unlikely to be an -English nickname. The result of these changes is that the people -inhabiting the region contiguous to the mountain do not know how to -spell the name on their guide-boards. - -[35] Speaking of legends, that of Rubenzal, of the Silesian mountains, -is not unlike Irving's legend of Rip Van Winkle and the Catskills. Both -were Dutch legends. The Indian legends of Moosehillock are very like to -those of high mountains, everywhere. - -[36] In the valley of the Aar, at the head of the Aar glacier, in -Switzerland, is a peak named for Agassiz, who thus has two enduring -monuments, one in his native, the other in his adopted land. The eminent -Swiss scientist spent much time among the White Mountains. - -[37] Such, for example, as the Hon. J. G. Sinclair, Isaac Cruft, Esq., -and ex-Governor Howard of Rhode Island. - -[38] The twin Percy Peaks, which we saw in the north, rise in the -south-east corner of Stratford. Their name was probably derived from the -township now called Stark, and formerly Percy. The township was named by -Governor Wentworth in honor of Hugh, Earl of Northumberland, who figured -in the early days of the American Revolution. The adjoining township of -Northumberland is also commemorative of the same princely house. - -[39] The greater part of the ascent so nearly coincides, in its main -features, with that into Tuckerman's, that a description would be, in -effect, a repetition. To my mind Tuckerman's is the grander of the two; -it is only when the upper section of King's is reached that it begins to -be either grand or interesting by comparison. - -[40] The road up the Rigi, in Switzerland, was modelled upon the plans -of Mr. Marsh. - -[41] Dr. Timothy Dwight. - -[42] Rev. Benjamin G. Willey. - -[43] The greatest angle of inclination is twelve feet in one hundred. - -[44] Samuel Adams at the feet of John Adams is not the exact order that -we have been accustomed to seeing these men. Better leave Samuel Adams -where he stands in history--alone. - -[45] It is only forty years since Agassiz advanced his now generally -adopted theory of the Glacial Period. The Indians believed that the -world was originally covered with water, and that their god created the -dry land from a grain of sand. - -[46] The English reviewer is in error here. The letterpress and -illustrations were printed together on an Adams press. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, -Their Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - -***** This file should be named 42447-8.txt or 42447-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/4/4/42447/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at -http://gutenberg.org/license). - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at -809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official -page at http://pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit http://pglaf.org - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/42447-8.zip b/42447-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4abfb93..0000000 --- a/42447-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/42447-h.zip b/42447-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index bc6a7cd..0000000 --- a/42447-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/42447.txt b/42447.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9d273af..0000000 --- a/42447.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14512 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, Their -Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery - Tourist's Edition - -Author: Samuel Adams Drake - -Release Date: March 31, 2013 [EBook #42447] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON.] - - - - -Tourist's Edition - -THE HEART -OF THE -WHITE MOUNTAINS - -THEIR LEGEND AND SCENERY - -BY - -SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE - -AUTHOR OF "NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST" -"CAPTAIN NELSON" ETC. - -WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY - -W. HAMILTON GIBSON - -"_Eyes loose: thoughts close_" - -NEW YORK -HARPER & BROTHERS. FRANKLIN SQUARE -1882 - - - - -Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881, by - -HARPER & BROTHERS, - -In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - -_All rights reserved._ - - -To JOHN G. WHITTIER: - -_An illustrious and venerated bard, who shares with you the love and -honor of his countrymen, tells us that the poets are the best travelling -companions. Like Orlando in the forest of Arden, they "hang odes on -hawthorns and elegies on thistles." - -In the spirit of that delightful companionship, so graciously announced, -it is to you, who have kindled on our aged summits - - "The light that never was on sea or land, - The consecration and the poet's dream." - -that this volume is affectionately dedicated by_ - -THE AUTHOR. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The very flattering reception which the sumptuous holiday edition -of "The Heart of the White Mountains" received on its _debut_ has -decided the Messrs. Harper to re-issue it in a more convenient and less -expensive form, with the addition of a Tourist's Appendix, and an Index -farther adapting it for the use of actual travellers. While all the -original features remain intact, these additions serve to render the -references in the text intelligible to the uninstructed reader, and at -the same time help to make a practical working manual. One or two new -maps contribute to the same end. - -I take the opportunity thus afforded me to say that, when "The Heart of -the White Mountains" was originally prepared, I hoped it might go into -the hands of those who, making the journey for the first time, feel the -need of something different from the conventional guide-book of the day, -and for whom it would also be, during the hours of travel or of leisure -among the mountains, to some extent an entertaining as well as a useful -companion. So far as author and publisher are concerned, that purpose is -now realized. - -Finally, I wrote the book because I could not help it. - -SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE. - -MELROSE, _January, 1882_. - - - - -GENERAL CONTENTS. - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - - PAGE - -I. _MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS_.....1 - -II. _INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE_: Voyage from Wolfborough to Centre -Harbor.--The Indians.--Centre Harbor.--Legendary.--Ascent of Red -Hill.--Sunset on the Lake.....8 - -III. _CHOCORUA_: Stage Journey to Tamworth.--Scramble for -Places.--Valley of the Bear Camp.--Legend of Chocorua.--Sandwich -Mountains.--Chocorua Lake.--Ascent of Mount Chocorua.....18 - -IV. _LOVEWELL_: Fryeburg.--Lovewell's Fight.--Desperate Encounter with -the Pigwackets.--Death of Paugus.....33 - -V. _NORTH CONWAY_: The Antechamber of the Mountains.--White -Horse Ledge.--Fording the Saco.--Indian Custom.--Echo Lake.--The -Cathedral.--Diana's Baths.--Artists' Falls.--The Moats.--Winter Ascent -of Mount Kearsarge.....39 - -VI. _FROM KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN_: Conway Intervales.--Bartlett -Bowlder.--Singular Homicide.--Bartlett.--A Lost Village.--Ascent of -Mount Carrigain.--A Shaggy Wilderness.....55 - -VII. _VALLEY OF THE SACO_: Autumnal Foliage.--The Story of -Nancy.--Doctor Bemis.--Abel Crawford, the Veteran Guide.--Ethan A. -Crawford.--The Mount Crawford Glen.--Giant's Stairs.--Frankenstein -Cliff.--Superb View of Mount Washington.--Mount Willey.....66 - -VIII. _THROUGH THE NOTCH_: Great Notch of the White Mountains.--The -Willey House, and Slide of 1826.--"Colonizing" Voters.--Mount -Willard.--Mount Webster, and its Cascades.--Gate of the Notch.--Summit -of the Pass.....76 - -IX. _CRAWFORD'S_: The Elephant's Head.--Crawford House, and -Glen.--Discovery of The Notch.--Ascent of Mount Willard.--Magnificent -_coup d'oeil_.....87 - -X. _THE ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S_: The Bridle-path.--Wreck of -the Forest.--A Forest of Ice.--Dwarf Trees.--Summit of Mount -Clinton.--Caught in a Snow-storm.--The Colonel's Hat.--Oakes's -Gulf.--The Plateau.--Climbing the Dome.--The Summit at Last.....95 - - -SECOND JOURNEY. - -I. _LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS_: Indian Tradition and Legend.--Ascent -of Mount Washington by Darby Field.--Indian Name of the White Mountains -.....113 - -II. _JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY_: Thorn Hill.--Jackson.--Jackson -Falls.--Goodrich Falls.--The Ellis.--A Captive Maiden's Song.--Pretty -Indian Legend.--Pinkham Notch, from the Ellis.--A Mountain -Homestead.--Artist Life.....122 - -III. _THE CARTER NOTCH_: Valley of the Wildcat.--The Guide.--The -Way In.--Summit of The Notch.--Awful Desolation.--The Giant's -Barricade.--Carter Dome.--The Way Out.....132 - -IV. _THE PINKHAM NOTCH_: The Glen House.--Thompson's Falls.--Emerald -Pool.--Crystal Cascade.--Glen Ellis and its Legend.....144 - -V. _A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S_: Tuckerman's Ravine.--The Path.--Hermit -Lake.--"No Thoroughfare."--Interior of the Ravine.--The Snow -Arch.....155 - -VI. _IN AND ABOUT GORHAM_: The Peabody Valley.--Copp's Farm.--The -Imp.--Nathaniel Copp's Adventure.--Gorham and the Androscoggin.--Mount -Hayes.--Mount Madison.--Wholesale Destruction of the Forests.--Logging -in the Mountains.--Berlin Falls.--Shelburne and Bethel.....165 - -VII. _ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD_: Bruin and the Travellers.--The -Ledge.--The Great Gulf.--Fatal Accident.--Lost Travellers.--Arrival at -the Signal-station.--A Night on the Summit.....178 - -VIII. _MOUNT WASHINGTON_: View from the Summit.--The Great Gale.--Life -on the Summit.--Shadow of Mount Washington.--Bigelow's Lawn.--The Hunter -Monument.--Lake of the Clouds.--The Mountain Butterfly.....189 - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - -I. _THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE_: Plymouth.--Death of Hawthorne.--John -Stark, the Hunter.--Livermore Fall.--Trout and Salmon -Breeding.--Franconia Mountains from West Campton.--Settlement of -Campton.--Valley of Mad River.--Tripyramid Mountain.--Waterville and its -Surroundings.....209 - -II. _THE FRANCONIA PASS_: The Flume House.--The Pool.--The -Flume.--Ascent of Mount Pemigewasset.--The Basin.--Mount -Cannon.--Profile Lake.--Old Man of the Mountain.--Summit of the -Pass.....224 - -III. _THE KING OF FRANCONIA_: Profile House and Glen.--Eagle -Cliff.--Echo Lake.--Ascent of Mount Lafayette.--The Lakes.--Singular -Atmospheric Effects.....237 - -IV. _FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD_: The Roadside Spring.--Franconia -Iron Works and Vicinity.--Sugar Hill.....248 - -V. _THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW_: Newbury and Haverhill.....256 - -VI. _THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES_: Robert Rogers, the -Ranger.--Destruction of the Abenaqui Village.--Retreat and Pursuit of -the Rangers.--Legend of the Silver Image.....259 - -VII. _MOOSEHILLOCK_: Ascent of the Mountain from Warren.--View from the -Summit.....267 - -VIII. _BETHLEHEM_: Bethlehem Street.--Sudden Rise of a Mountain -Resort.--The Environs.--Maplewood and the Great Range.--The Place of -Sunsets.--The "Hermit."--The Soldier turned Peddler.....276 - -IX. _JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER_: Jefferson -Hill.--Starr King and Cherry Mountains.--The Great Chain Again.--Thomas -Starr King.--Ethan Crawford's.--Ravine of the Cascades.--Randolph Hill -and King's Ravine.--The Cherry Mountain Road.--Fabyan's.--Captain -Rosebrook .....291 - -X. _THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS_: The Mountain Railway.--An Evening -Ascension.--Moonlight on the Summit.--Sunrise.--A March to Mount -Adams.--The Great Gulf of the Five Mountains.--The Castellated -Ridge.--Peak of Mount Adams.--Conclusion.....304 - - - - - -Illustrations. - - -These Illustrations, excepting those marked *, were designed by W. -HAMILTON GIBSON. - -SUBJECT. ENGRAVER. PAGE. -TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON _R. Hoskin_ Frontispiece - -WINNIPISEOGEE, FROM RED HILL _J. Tinkey_ 15 - -*"ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!" _V. Bernstrom_ 20 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -PASSACONNAWAY, FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER _Smithwick and French_ 24 - -CHOCORUA _R. Hoskin_ 26 - -LOVEWELL'S POND _J. P. Davis_ 34 - -MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM THE SACO _F. S. King_ 40 - -THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY _E. Held_ 41 - -ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY _G. J. Buechner_ 45 - -KEARSARGE IN WINTER _R. Hoskin_ 48 - -*SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE _H. Deis_ 53 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -CONWAY MEADOWS _W. H. Morse_ 56 - -BARTLETT BOWLDER _E. Held_ 58 - -*NANCY IN THE SNOW _J. P. Davis_ 68 - _Designed by Sol Eytinge._ - -*ABEL CRAWFORD (PORTRAIT) _Thos. Johnson_ 70 - -STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY _J. Linton_ 75 - -MOUNT WILLARD, FROM WILLEY BROOK _G. Smith_ 78 - -THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER _F. S. King_ 85 - -ELEPHANT'S HEAD, WINTER _H. Wolf_ 88 - -LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH _C. Mayer_ 91 - -GIANT'S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN _J. Hellawell_ 124 - -MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS _F. Pettit_ 126 - -THE CARTER NOTCH _Smithwick and French_ 134 - -THE EMERALD POOL _W. H. Morse_ 147 - -THE CRYSTAL CASCADE _H. Wolf_ 149 - -THE PATH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE _R. Hoskin_ 157 - -HERMIT LAKE _W. J. Dana_ 160 - -SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE _N. Orr_ 163 - -THE IMP _J. Tinkey_ 166 - -THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE _G. Smith_ 176 - -MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF _W. H. Morse_ 182 - -WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT _R. Schelling_ 187 - -*THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE _J. Tinkey_ 194 - _Designed by Thure de Thulstrup_ - -LAKE OF THE CLOUDS _J. P. Davis_ 200 - -ON THE PROFILE ROAD _Smithwick and French_ 213 - -WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER _J. Hellawell_ 217 - -BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS _J. S. Harley_ 220 - -FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON _F. S. King_ 222 - -A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL _C. Mayer_ 225 - -THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH _J. P. Davis_ 227 - -THE BASIN _G. J. Buechner_ 230 - -*THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN _A. Measom_ 234 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -*EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE _P. Annin_ 238 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -ECHO LAKE, FRANCONIA _G. J. Buechner_ 240 - -MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, -LAFAYETTE _R. Schelling_ 242 - -CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE _R. Hoskin_ 245 - -*FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH _C. Mayer_ 248 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -*THE ROADSIDE SPRING 250 - _Designed by W. A . Rogers._ - -*ROBERT ROGERS (PORTRAIT) _C. Mayer_ 260 - -*THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON 274 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM _J. Tinkey_ 280 - -THE NORTHERN PEAKS, FROM JEFFERSON _Smithwick and French_ 292 - -MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN'S _E. Held_ 301 - -*MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING -TIMES _T. Johnson_ 305 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY _J. Hellawell_ 309 - -THE CASTELLATED RIDGE, MOUNT JEFFERSON _J. Tinkey_ 315 - -MAP OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS (_East Side_) xv - - " " " (_Central and Northern Section_) 111 - - " " " (_West Side_) 207 - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - - - PAGE - -I. _MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS_ 1 - -II. _INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE_ 8 - -III. _CHOCORUA_ 18 - -IV. _LOVEWELL_ 33 - -V. _NORTH CONWAY_ 39 - -VI. _KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN_ 55 - -VII. _VALLEY OF THE SACO_ 66 - -VIII. _THROUGH THE NOTCH_ 76 - -IX. _CRAWFORD'S_ 87 - -X. _ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S_ 95 - -[Illustration: [Map]] - - - - -THE - -HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. - - - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - -I. - -_MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS._ - - "Si jeunesse savait! si viellesse pouvait!" - - -One morning in September I was sauntering up and down the -railway-station waiting for the slow hands of the clock to reach the -hour fixed for the departure of the train. The fact that these hands -never move backward did not in the least seem to restrain the impatience -of the travellers thronging into the station, some with happy, some with -anxious faces, some without trace of either emotion, yet all betraying -the same eagerness and haste of manner. All at once I heard my name -pronounced, and felt a heavy hand upon my shoulder. - -"What!" I exclaimed, in genuine surprise, "is it you, colonel?" - -"Myself," affirmed the speaker, offering his cigar-case. - -"And where did you drop from"--accepting an Havana; "the Blue Grass?" - -"I reckon." - -"But what are you doing in New England, when you should be in Kentucky?" - -"Doing, I? oh, well," said my friend, with a shade of constraint; then -with a quizzical smile, "You are a Yankee; guess." - -"Take care." - -"Guess." - -"Running away from your creditors?" - -The colonel's chin cut the air contemptuously. - -"Running after a woman, perhaps?" - -My companion quickly took the cigar from his lips, looked at me with -mouth half opened, then stammered, "What in blue brimstone put that into -your head?" - -"Evidently you are going on a journey, but are dressed for an evening -party," I replied, comprising with a glance the colonel's black suit, -lavender gloves, and white cravat. - -"Why," said the colonel, glancing rather complacently at himself--"why -we Kentuckians always travel so at home. But it's now your turn; where -are you going yourself?" - -"To the mountains." - -"Good; so am I: White Mountains, Green Mountains, Rocky Mountains, or -Mountains of the Moon, I care not." - -"What is your route?" - -"I'm not at all familiar with the topography of your mountains. What is -yours?" - -"By the Eastern to Lake Winnipiseogee, thence to Centre Harbor, thence -by stage and rail to North Conway and the White Mountain Notch." - -My friend purchased his ticket by the indicated route, and the train -was soon rumbling over the bridges which span the Charles and Mystic. -Farewell, Boston, city where, like thy railways, all extremes meet, but -where I would still rather live on a crust moistened with east wind than -cast my lot elsewhere. - -When we had fairly emerged into the light and sunshine of the open -country, I recognized my old acquaintance George Brentwood. At a gesture -from me he came and sat opposite to us. - -George Brentwood was a blond young man of thirty-four or thirty-five, -with brown hair, full reddish beard, shrewdish blue eyes, a robust -frame, and a general air of negligent repose. In a word, he was the -antipodes of my companion, whose hair, eyebrows, and mustache were -coal-black, eyes dark and sparkling, manner nervous, and his attitudes -careless and unconstrained, though not destitute of a certain natural -grace. Both were men to be remarked in a crowd. - -"George," said I, "permit me to introduce my friend Colonel Swords." - -After a few civil questions and answers, George declared his -destination to be ours, and was cordially welcomed to join us. By way -of breaking the ice, he observed, - -"Apropos of your title, colonel, I presume you served in the Rebellion?" - -The colonel hitched a little on his seat before replying. Knowing him -to be a very modest man, I came to his assistance. "Yes," said I, "the -colonel fought hard and bled freely. Let me see, where were you wounded?" - -"Through the chest." - -"No, I mean in what battle?" - -"Spottsylvania." - -"Left on the field for dead, and taken prisoner," I finished. - -George is a fellow of very generous impulses. "My dear sir," said he, -effusively, grasping the colonel's hand, "after what you have suffered -for the old flag, you can need no other passport to the gratitude and -friendship of a New-Englander. Count me as one of your debtors. During -the war it was my fortune--my misfortune, I should say--to be in a -distant country; otherwise we should have been found fighting shoulder -to shoulder under Grant, or Sherman, or Sheridan, or Thomas. - -The colonel's color rose. He drew himself proudly up, cleared his -throat, and said, laconically, "Hardly, stranger, seeing that I had the -honor to fight under the Confederate flag." - -You have seen a tortoise suddenly draw back into his shell. Well, George -as suddenly retreated into his. For an instant he looked at the Southron -as one might at a confessed murderer; then stammered out a few random -and unmeaning words about mistaken sense of duty--gallant but useless -struggle, you know--drew a newspaper from his pocket, and hid his -confusion behind it. - -Fearing my fiery Kentuckian might let fall some unlucky word that would -act like a live coal dropped on the tortoise's back, I hastened to -interpose. "But really, colonel," I urged, returning to the charge, -"with the Blue Ridge always at your back, I wager you did not come a -thousand miles merely to see our mountains. Come, what takes you from -Lexington?" - -"A truant disposition." - -"Nothing else?" - -His dark face grew swarthy, then pale. He looked at me doubtfully a -moment, and then leaned close to my ear. "You guessed it," he whispered. - -"A woman?" - -"Yes; you know that I was taken prisoner and sent North. Through the -influence of a friend who had known my family before the war, I was -allowed to pass my first days of convalescence in a beautiful little -village in Berkshire. There I was cured of the bullet, but received a -more mortal wound." - -"What a misfortune!" - -"Yes; no; confound you, let me finish." - -"Helen, the daughter of the gentleman who procured my transfer from the -hospital to his pleasant home" (the proud Southerner would not say his -benefactor), "was a beautiful creature. Let me describe her to you." - -"Oh," I hastened to say, "I know her." Like all lovers, that subject -might have a beginning but no ending. - -"You?" - -"Of course. Listen. Yellow hair, rippling ravishingly from an alabaster -forehead, pink cheeks, pouting lips, dimpled chin, snowy throat--" - -The colonel made a gesture of impatience. "Pshaw, that's a type, not a -portrait. Well, the upshot of it was that I was exchanged, and ordered -to report at Baltimore for transportation to our lines. Imagine my -dismay. No, you can't, for I was beginning to think she cared for me, -and I was every day getting deeper and deeper in love. But to tell her! -That posed me. When alone with her, my cowardly tongue clove to the roof -of my mouth. Once or twice I came very near bawling out, 'I love you!' -just as I would have given an order to a squadron to charge a battery." - -"Well; but you did propose at last?" - -"Oh yes." - -"And was accepted." - -The colonel lowered his head, and his face grew pinched. - -"Refused gently, but positively refused." - -"Come," I hazarded, thinking the story ended, "I do not like your Helen." - -"Why?" - -"Because either you are mistaken, or she seems just a little of a -coquette." - -"Oh, you don't know her," said the colonel, warmly; "when we parted she -betrayed unusual agitation--for her; but I was cut to the quick by her -refusal, and determined not to let her see how deeply I felt it. After -the Deluge--you know what I mean--after the tragedy at Appomattox, I -went back to the old home. Couldn't stay there. I tried New Orleans, -Cuba. No use." - -Something rose in the colonel's throat, but he gulped it down and went -on: - -"The image of that girl pursues me. Did you ever try running away from -yourself? Well, after fighting it out with myself until I could endure -it no longer, I put pride in my pocket, came straight to Berkshire, only -to find Helen gone." - -"That was unlucky; where?" - -"To the mountains, of course. Everybody seems to be going there; but I -shall find her." - -"Don't be too sanguine. It will be like looking for a needle in a -hay-stack. The mountains are a perfect Daedalian labyrinth," I could not -help saying, in my vexation. Instead of an ardent lover of nature, I had -picked up the "baby of a girl." But there was George Brentwood. I went -over and sat by George. - -It was generally understood that George was deeply enamored of a young -and beautiful widow who had long ceased to count her love affairs, -who all the world, except George, knew loved only herself, and who -had therefore nothing left worth mentioning to bestow upon another. -By nature a coquette, passionately fond of admiration, her self-love -was flattered by the attentions of such a man as George, and he, poor -fellow, driven one day to the verge of despair, the next intoxicated -with the crumbs she threw him, was the victim of a species of slavery -which was fast undermining his buoyant and generous disposition. The -colonel was in hot pursuit of his adored Helen. Two words sufficed to -acquaint me that George was escaping from his beautiful tormentor. At -all events, I was sure of him. - -"How charming the country is! What a delightful sense of freedom!" -George drew a deep breath, and stretched his limbs luxuriously. "Shall -we have an old-fashioned tramp together?" He continued, with assumed -vivacity, "The deuce take me if I go back to town for a twelve-month. -How we creep along! I feel exultation in putting the long miles between -me and the accursed city," said George, at last. - -"You experience no regret, then, at leaving the city?" - -George merely looked at me; but he could not have spoken more eloquently. - -The train had just left Portsmouth, when the conductor entered the car -holding aloft a yellow envelope. Every eye was instantly riveted upon -it. Conversation ceased. For whom of the fifty or sixty occupants of -the car had this flash overtaken the express train? In that moment the -criminal realized the futility of flight, the merchant the uncertainty -of his investments, the man of leisure all the ordinary contingencies of -life. The conductor put an end to the suspense by demanding, - -"Is Mr. George Brentwood in this car?" - -In spite of an heroic effort at self-control, George's hand trembled as -he tore open the envelope; but as he read his face became radiant. Had -he been alone I believe he would have kissed the paper. - -"Your news is not bad?" I ventured to ask, seeing him relapse into a -fit of musing, and noting the smile that came and went like a ripple on -still water. - -"Thank you, quite the contrary; but it is important that I should -immediately return to Boston." - -"How unfortunate!" - -George turned on me a fixed and questioning look, but made no reply. - -"And the mountains?" I persisted. - -"Oh, sink the mountains!" - -I last saw George striding impatiently up and down the platform of the -Rochester station, watch in hand. Without doubt he had received his -recall. However, there was still the lovelorn colonel. - -Never have I seen a man more thoroughly enraptured with the growing -beauty of the scenery. I promised myself much enjoyment in his society, -for his comments were both original and picturesque; so that by the time -we arrived at Wolfborough I had already forgotten George and his widow. - -There was the usual throng of idlers lounging about the pier with -their noses in the air, and their hands in their pockets; perhaps more -than the usual confusion, for the steamer merely touched to take and -leave passengers. We went on board. As the bell tolled the colonel -uttered an exclamation. He became all on a sudden transformed from a -passive spectator into an excited and prominent actor in the scene. -He gesticulated wildly, swung his hat, and shouted in a frantic way, -apparently to attract the attention of some one in the crowd; failing in -which he seized his luggage, took the stairs in two steps, and darting -like a rocket among the astonished spectators, who divided to the right -and left before his impetuous onset, was in the act of vigorously -shaking hands with a hale old gentleman of fifty odd when the boat swung -clear. He waved his unoccupied hand, and I saw his face wreathed in -smiles. I could not fail to interpret the gesture as an adieu. - -"Halloo!" I shouted, "what of the mountains?" - -"Burn the mountains!" was his reply. The steamer glided swiftly down the -little bay, and I was left to continue my journey alone. - - - - -II. - -_INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE._ - - First a lake - Tinted with sunset, next the wavy lines - Of far receding hills.--WHITTIER. - - -When the steamer glides out of the land-locked inlet at the bottom -of which Wolfborough is situated, one of those pictures, forever -ineffaceable, presents itself. In effect, all the conditions of a -picture are realized. Here is the shining expanse of the lake stretching -away in the distance, and finally lost among tufted inlets and -foliage-rounded promontories. To the right are the Ossipee mountains, -dark, vigorously outlined, and wooded to their summits. To the left, -more distant, rise the twin domes of the Belknap peaks. In front, and -closing the view, the imposing Sandwich summits dominate the scene. - -All these mountains seem advancing into the lake. They possess a -special character of color, outline, or physiognomy which fixes them -in the memory, not confusedly, but in the place appropriate to this -beautiful picture, to its fine proportions, exquisite harmony, and -general effectiveness. Even M. Chateaubriand, who maintains that -mountains should only be seen from a distance--even he would have found -in Winnipiseogee the perfection of his ideal _mise en scene_; for here -they stand well back from the lake, so as to give the best effect of -perspective. - -Lovely as the lake is, the eye will rove among the mountains that we -have come to see. They, and they alone, are the objects which have -enticed us--entice us even now with a charm and mystery that we cannot -pretend to explain. We do not wish it explained. We know that we are -as free, as light of heart, as the birds that skim the placid surface -of the lake, and coquet with their own shadows. The memory of those -mountains is like snatches of music that come unbidden and haunt you -perpetually. - -Having taken in the grander features, the eye is occupied with its -details. We see the lake quivering in sunshine. From bold summit to -beautiful water the shores are clothed in most vivid green. The islands, -which we believe to be floating gardens, are almost tropical in the -luxuriance and richness of their vegetation. The deep shadows they fling -down image each islet so faithfully that it seems, like Narcissus, -gloating over its own beauty. Here and there a glimmer of water through -the trees denotes secluded little havens. Boats float idly on the calm -surface. Water-fowl rise and beat the glossy, dark water with startled -wings. White tents appear, and handkerchiefs flutter from jutting points -or headlands. Over all tower the mountains. - -The steamer glided swiftly and noiselessly on, attended by the echo -of her paddles from the shores. Dimpled waves, parting from her prow, -rolled indolently in, and broke on the foam-fretted rocks. There was a -warmth of color about these rocks, a pure transparency to the water, a -brightness to the foliage, an invigorating strength in the mountains -that exerted a cheerful influence upon our spirits. - -As we advanced up the lake new and rare vistas rapidly succeeded. -After leaving Long Island behind, the near ranges drew apart, holding -us admiring and absorbed spectators of a moving panorama of distant -summits. An opening appeared, through which Mount Washington burst upon -us blue as lapis-lazuli, a chaplet of clouds crowning his imperial -front. Slowly, majestically, he marches by, and now Chocorua scowls upon -us. A murmur of admiration ran from group to group as these monumental -figures were successively unveiled. Men kept silence, but women could -not repress the exclamation, "How beautiful!" The two grandest types -which these mountains enclose were thus displayed in the full splendor -of noonday. - -I should add that those who now saw Mount Washington for the first -time, and whose curiosity was whetted by the knowledge that it was the -highest peak of the whole family of mountains, openly manifested their -disappointment. That Mount Washington! It was in vain to remind them -that the eye traversed forty miles in its flight from lake to summit. -Fault of perspective or not, the mountain was not nearly so high as -they imagined. Chocorua, on the contrary, with its ashen spire and -olive-green flanks, realized more fully their idea of a high mountain. -One was near, the other far. Imagination fails to make a mountain higher -than it looks. The mind takes its measure after the eye. - -Our boat was now rapidly nearing Centre Harbor. On the right its -progress gradually unmasking the western slopes of the Ossipee range, -more fully opened the view of Chocorua and his dependent peaks. We -were looking in the direction of Tamworth. Ossipee, and Conway. Red -Hill, a detached mountain at the head of the lake, now moved into the -gap, excluding further views of distant summits. Moosehillock, lofty -but unimpressive, has for some time showed its flattened heights over -the Sandwich Mountains, but is now sinking behind them. To the west, -thronged with islands, is the long reach of water toward the outlet of -the lake at Weirs.[1] - -This lake was the highway over which Indian war-parties advanced or -retreated during their predatory incursions from Canada. Many captives -must have crossed it whom its mountain walls seemed forever destined to -separate from friends and kindred. The Indians who inhabited villages at -Winnipiseogee (Weirs), Ossipee, and Pigwacket (Fryeburg), were hostile; -and from time to time during the old wars troops were marched from -the English settlements to subdue them. These scouting-parties found -the woods well stocked with bear, moose, and deer, and the lake with -salmon-trout, some of which, according to the narrative before me, were -three feet long, and weighed twelve pounds each. - -Traces of Indian occupation remained up to the present century. -Fishing-weirs and woodland paths were frequently discovered by the -whites; but a greater curiosity than either is mentioned by Dr. Belknap, -in his "History of New Hampshire," who there tells of a pine-tree, -standing on the shore of Winnipiseogee River, on which was carved a -canoe with two men in it, supposed to have been a mark of direction to -those who were expected to follow. Another was a tree in Moultonborough, -standing near a carrying-place between two ponds. On this tree was a -representation of one of their expeditions. The number of killed and -the prisoners were shown by rude drawings of human beings, the former -being distinguished by the mark of a knife across the throat. Even the -distinction of sex was preserved in the drawing. - -Centre Harbor is advantageously situated for a sojourn more or less -prolonged. Although settled as early as 1755, it is, in common with the -other lake towns, barren of history or tradition. Its greatest impulse -is, beyond question, the tide of tourists which annually ebbs and flows -among the most sequestered nooks, enriching this charming region like an -inundation of the Nile. An anecdote will, however, serve to illustrate -the character of the men who first subdued this wilderness. Our anecdote -represents its hero a man of resources. His career proves him a man of -courage. Although a veritable personage, let us call him General Hampton. - -The fact that General Hampton lived in that only half-cleared atmosphere -following the age of credulity and superstition, naturally accounts -for the extraordinary legend concerning him which, for the rest, had -its origin among his own friends and neighbors, who merely shared the -general belief in the practice of diabolic arts, through compacts with -the arch-enemy of mankind himself, universally prevailing in that -day--yes, prevailing all over Christendom. By a mere legend, we are thus -able to lay hold of the thread which conducts us back through the dark -era of superstition and delusion, and which is now so amazing. - -The general, says the legend, encountered a far more notable adversary -than Abenaki warriors or conjurers, among whom he had lived, and whom it -was the passion of his life to exterminate. - -In an evil hour his yearning to amass wealth suddenly led him to declare -that he would sell his soul for the possession of unbounded riches. -Think of the devil, and he is at your elbow. The fatal declaration was -no sooner made--the general was sitting alone by his fireside--than -a shower of sparks came down the chimney, out of which stepped a man -dressed from top to toe in black velvet. The astonished Hampton noticed -that the stranger's ruffles were not even smutted. - -"Your servant, general," quoth the stranger, suavely, "but let us make -haste, if you please, for I am expected at the governor's in a quarter -of an hour," he added, picking up a live coal with his thumb and -forefinger and consulting his watch with it. - -The general's wits began to desert him. Portsmouth was five leagues, -long ones at that, from Hampton House, and his strange visitor talked, -with the utmost unconcern, of getting there in fifteen minutes. His -astonishment caused him to stammer out, - -"Then you must be the--" - -"Tush! what signifies a name?" interrupted the stranger, with a -deprecating wave of the hand. "Come, do we understand each other? is it -a bargain or not?" - -At the talismanic word "bargain" the general pricked up his ears. He had -often been heard to say that neither man nor devil could get the better -of him in a trade. He took out his jack-knife and began to whittle. The -devil took out his, and began to pare his nails. - -"But what proof have I that you can perform what you promise?" demanded -Hampton, pursing up his mouth, and contracting his bushy eyebrows. - -The fiend ran his fingers carelessly through his peruke; a shower of -golden guineas fell to the floor, and rolled to the four corners of the -room. The general quickly stooped to pick up one; but no sooner had his -fingers closed upon it than he uttered a yell. It was red-hot. - -The devil chuckled. "Try again," he said. - -But Hampton shook his head, and retreated a step. - -"Don't be afraid." - -Hampton cautiously touched a coin. It was cool. He weighed it in his -hand, and rung it on the table. It was full weight and true ring. Then -he went down on his hands and knees, and began to gather up the guineas -with feverish haste. - -"Are you satisfied?" demanded Satan. - -"Completely, your majesty." - -"Then to business. By-the-way, have you anything to drink in the house?" - -"There is some Old Jamaica in the cupboard." - -"Excellent. I am as thirsty as a Puritan on election-day," said the -devil, seating himself at the table and negligently flinging his mantle -back over his shoulder. - -Hampton brought a decanter and a couple of glasses from the cupboard, -filled one and passed it to his infernal guest, who tasted it, and -smacked his lips with the air of a connoisseur. Hampton watched every -gesture. "Does your excellency not find it to his taste?" he ventured to -ask. - -"H'm, I have drunk worse; but let me show you how to make a salamander," -replied Satan, touching the lighted end of the taper to the liquor, -which instantly burst into a spectral blue flame. The fiend then -raised the tankard, glanced approvingly at the blaze--which to -Hampton's disordered intellect resembled an adder's forked and agile -tongue--nodded, and said, patronizingly, "To our better acquaintance." -He then quaffed the contents at a single gulp. - -Hampton shuddered. This was not the way he had been used to seeing -healths drunk. He pretended, however, to drink, for fear of giving -offence, but somehow the liquor choked him. The demon set down the -tankard, and observed, in a matter-of-fact way that put his listener in -a cold sweat, - -"Now that you are convinced I am able to make you the richest man in all -the province, listen. In consideration of your agreement, duly signed -and sealed, to deliver your soul"--here he drew a parchment from his -breast--"I engage, on my part, on the first day of every month, to fill -your boots with golden elephants like these before you. But mark me -well," said Satan, holding up a forefinger glittering with diamonds; "if -you try to play me any trick you will repent it. I know you, Jonathan -Hampton, and shall keep my eye upon you. So beware!" - -Hampton flinched a little at this plain speech; but a thought seemed to -strike him, and he brightened up. Satan opened the scroll, smoothed out -the creases, dipped a pen in the inkhorn at his girdle, and pointing to -a blank space said, laconically, "Sign!" - -Hampton hesitated. - -"If you are afraid," sneered Satan, "why put me to all this trouble?" -And he began to put the gold in his pocket. - -His victim seized the pen, but his hand shook so he could not write. He -gulped down a swallow of rum, stole a look at his infernal guest, who -nodded his head by way of encouragement, and a second time approached -his pen to the paper. The struggle was soon over. The unhappy Hampton -wrote his name at the bottom of the fatal list, which he was astonished -to see numbered some of the highest personages in the province. "I shall -at least be in good company," he muttered. - -"Good!" said Satan, rising and putting the scroll carefully within his -breast. "Rely on me, general, and be sure you keep faith. Remember!" -So saying, the demon waved his hand, wrapped his mantle about him, and -vanished up the chimney. - -Satan performed his part of the contract to the letter. On the first day -of every month the boots, which were hung on the crane in the fireplace -the night before, were found in the morning stuffed full of guineas. It -is true that Hampton had ransacked the village for the largest pair to -be found, and had finally secured a brace of trooper's boots, which came -up to the wearer's thigh; but the contract merely expressed boots, and -the devil does not stand upon trifles. - -Hampton rolled in wealth. Everything prospered. His neighbors regarded -him first with envy, then with aversion, at last with fear. Not a few -affirmed he had entered into a league with the Evil One. Others shook -their heads, saying, "What does it signify? that man would outwit the -devil himself." - -But one morning, when the fiend came as usual to fill the boots, what -was his astonishment to find that he could not fill them. He poured in -the guineas, but it was like pouring water into a rat-hole. The more he -put in, the more the quantity seemed to diminish. In vain he persisted: -the boots could not be filled. - -The devil scratched his ear. "I must look into this," he reflected. -No sooner said than he attempted to descend, but found his progress -suddenly arrested. The chimney was choked up with guineas. Foaming with -rage, the demon tore the boots from the crane. The crafty general had -cut off the soles, leaving only the legs for the devil to fill. The -chamber was knee-deep with gold. - -The devil gave a horrible grin, and disappeared. The same night Hampton -House was burnt to the ground, the general only escaping in his shirt. -He had been dreaming he was dead and in hell. His precious guineas were -secreted in the wainscot, the ceiling, and other hiding-places known -only to himself. He blasphemed, wept, and tore his hair. Suddenly he -grew calm. After all, the loss was not irreparable, he reflected. Gold -would melt, it is true; but he would find it all, of course he would, -at daybreak, run into a solid lump in the cellar--every guinea. That is -true of ordinary gold. - -The general worked with the energy of despair clearing away the rubbish. -He refused all offers of assistance: he dared not accept them. But the -gold had vanished. Whether it was really consumed, or had passed again -into the massy entrails of the earth, will never be known. It is certain -that every vestige of it had disappeared. - -When the general died and was buried, strange rumors began to circulate. -To quiet them, the grave was opened; but when the lid was removed from -the coffin, it was found to be empty. - -Having reached Centre Harbor at two in the afternoon, there was still -time to ascend Red Hill before sunset. This eminence would be called -a mountain anywhere else. Its altitude is inconsiderable, but its -situation at the head of the lake, on its very borders, is highly -favorable to a commanding prospect of the surrounding lake region. -There are two summits, the northern and highest being only a little -more than two thousand feet. - -[Illustration: WINNIPISEOGEE FROM RED HILL.] - -For such an excursion little preparation is necessary. In fact a -carriage-road ascends within a mile of the superior summit; and from -this point the path is one of the easiest I have ever traversed. The -value of a pure atmosphere is so well understood by every mountain -tourist that he will neglect no opportunity which this thrice-fickle -element offers him. This was a day of days. - -After a little promenade of two hours, or two hours and a half, I -reached the cairn on the summit, from which a tattered signal flag -fluttered in the breeze. Without extravagance, the view is one of the -most engaging that the eye ever looked upon. I had before me that -beautiful valley extending between the Sandwich chain on the left and -the Ossipee range on the right, the distance filled by a background of -mountains. It was across this valley that we saw Mount Washington, while -coming up the lake. But that noble peak was now hid. - -The first chain trending to the west threw one gigantic arm around the -beautiful little Squam Lake, which like a magnificent gem sparkled at my -feet. The second stretched its huge rampart along the eastern shores of -Winnipiseogee. - -The surface of this valley is tumbled about in most charming disorder. -Three villages crowned as many eminences in the foreground; three little -lakes, half hid in the middle distance, blue as turquoise, lighted the -fading hues of field and forest. Hamlets and farms, groves and forests -innumerable, were scattered broadcast over this inviting landscape. The -harvests were gathered, and the mellowed tints of green, orange, and -gold resembled rich old tapestry. Men and animals looked like insects -creeping along the roads. - -From this point of view the Sandwich Mountains took far greater interest -and character, and I remarked that no two summits were precisely alike -in form or outline. Higher and more distant peaks peered curiously -over their brawny shoulders from their lairs in the valley of the -Pemigewasset; but more remarkable, more weird than all, was the gigantic -monolith which tops the rock-ribbed pile of Chocorua. The more I looked, -the more this monstrous freak of nature fascinated. As the sun glided -down the west, a ruddy glow tinged its pinnacle; while the shadows -lurking in the ravines stole up the mountain side and crouched for a -final spring upon the summit. Little by little, twilight flowed over the -valley, and a thin haze rose from its surface. - -I had waited for this moment, and now turned to the lakes. Winnipiseogee -was visible throughout its whole length, the multitude of islands -peeping above it giving the idea of an inundation rather than an inland -sea. On the farthest shores mere specks of white denoted houses; and -traced in faint relief on the southern sky, so unsubstantial, indeed, -as to render it doubtful if it were sky or mountain, was the Grand -Monadnock, the fixed sentinel of all this august assemblage of mountains. - -Glowing in sunset splendor, streaked with all the hues of the rainbow, -the lake was indeed magnificent. - -In vain the eve roved hither and thither seeking some foil to this -peerless beauty. Everywhere the same unrivalled picture led it captive -over thirty miles of gleaming water, up the graceful curves of the -mountains, to rest at last among crimson clouds floating in rosy vapor -over their notched summits. - -Imagination must assist the reader to reproduce this ravishing -spectacle. To attempt to describe it is like a profanation. Paradise -seemed to have opened wide its gates to my enraptured gaze; or had -I surprised the secrets of the unknown world? I stood silent and -spellbound, with a strange, exquisite feeling at the heart. I felt a -thrill of pain when a voice from the forest broke the solemn stillness -which alone befitted this almost supernatural vision. Now I understood -the pagan's adoration of the sun. My mind ran over the most striking or -touching incidents of Scripture, where the sublimity of the scene is -always in harmony with the grandeur of the event--the Temptation, the -Sermon on the Mount, the Transfiguration--and memory brought to my aid -these words, so simple, so tender, yet so expressive, "And he went up -into the mountain to pray, himself, alone." - - - - -III. - -_CHOCORUA._ - - "There I saw above me mountains, - And I asked of them what century - Met them in their youth." - - -After a stay at Centre Harbor long enough to gain a knowledge of its -charming environs, but which seemed all too brief, I took the stage at -two o'clock one sunny afternoon for Tamworth. I had resolved, if the -following morning should be clear, to ascend Chocorua, which from the -summit of Red Hill seemed to fling his defiance from afar. - -Following my custom, I took an outside seat with the driver. There being -only three or four passengers, what is frequently a bone of contention -was settled without that display of impudent selfishness which is seen -when a dozen or more travellers are all struggling for precedence. But -at the steamboat landing the case was different. I remained a quiet -looker-on of the scene that ensued. It was sufficiently ridiculous. - -At the moment the steamboat touched her pier the passengers prepared to -spring to the shore, and force had to be used to keep them back until -she could be secured. An instant after the crowd rushed pell-mell up -the wharf, surrounded the stage, and began, women as well as men, a -promiscuous scramble for the two or three unoccupied seats at the top. - -Two men and one woman succeeded in obtaining the prizes. The woman -interested me by the intense triumph that sparkled in her black eyes -and glowed on her cheeks at having distanced several competitors of her -own sex, to say nothing of the men. She beamed! As I made room for her, -she said, with a toss of the head, "I guess I haven't been through Lake -George for nothing." - -Crack! We were jolting along the road, around the base of Red Hill, the -horses stepping briskly out at the driver's chirrup, the coach pitching -and lurching like a gondola in a sea. What a sense of exhilaration, -of lightness! The air so pure and elastic, the odor of the pines so -fragrant, so invigorating, which we breathe with all the avidity of -a convalescent who for the first time crosses the threshold of his -chamber. Each moment I felt my body growing lighter. A delicious -sense of self-ownership breaks the chain binding us to the toiling, -struggling, worrying life we have left behind. We carry our world with -us. Life begins anew, or rather it has only just begun. - -The view of the ranges which on either side elevate two immense walls of -green is kept for nearly the whole distance. As we climb the hill into -Sandwich, Mount Israel is the prominent object; then brawny Whiteface, -Passaconnaway's pyramid, Chocorua's mutilated spire advance, in their -turn, into line. Sometimes we were in a thick forest, sometimes on a -broad, sunny glade; now threading our way through groves of pitch-pine, -now winding along the banks of the Bear-Camp River. - -The views of the mountains, as the afternoon wore away, grew more -and more interesting. The ravines darkened, the summits brightened. -Cloud-shadows chased each other up and down the steeps, or, flitting -slowly across the valley, spread thick mantles of black that seemed to -deaden the sound of our wheels as we passed over them. On one side all -was light, on the other all gloom. But the landscape is not all that may -be seen to advantage from the top of a stage-coach. - -From time to time, as something provoked an exclamation of surprise or -pleasure, certain of the inside occupants manifested open discontent. -They were losing something where they had expected to see everything. - -While the horses were being changed, one of the insides, I need not say -it was a woman, thrust her head out of the window, and addressed the -young person perched like a bird upon the highest seat. Her voice was -soft and persuasive: - -"Miss!" - -"Madam!" - -"I'm so afraid you find it too cold up there. Sha'n't I change places -with you?" - -The little one gave her voice a droll inflection as she briskly replied, -"Oh dear no, thank you; I'm very comfortable indeed." - -"But," urged the other, "you don't look strong; indeed, dear, you don't. -Aren't you very, very tired, sitting so long without any support to your -back?" - -"Thanks, no; my spine is the strongest part of me." - -"But," still persisted the inside, changing her voice to a loud whisper, -"to be sitting alone with all those men!" - -[Illustration: "ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!"] - -"They mind their business, and I mind mine," said the little one, -reddening; "besides," she quickly added, "you proposed changing places, -I believe!" - -"Oh!" returned the other, with an accent impossible to convey in words, -"if you like it." - -"I tell you what, ma'am," snapped the one in possession, "I've been all -over Europe alone, and was never once insulted except by persons of my -own sex." - -This home-thrust ended the colloquy. The first speaker quickly drew in -her head, and I remarked a general twitching of muscles on the faces -around me. The driver shook his head in silent glee. The little woman's -eyes emitted sparks. - -From West Ossipee I drove over to Tamworth Iron Works, where I passed -the night, and where I had, so to speak, Chocorua under my thumb. - -This mountain being the most proper for a legend, it accordingly has -one. Here it is in all its purity: - -After the terrible battle in which the Sokokis were nearly destroyed, -a remnant of the tribe, with their chief, Chocorua, fled into the -fastnesses of these mountains, where the foot of a white man had never -intruded. Here they trapped the beaver, speared the salmon, and hunted -the moose. - -The survivors of Lovewell's band brought the first news of their -disaster to the settlements. More like spectres than living men, their -haggard looks, bloodshot eyes, and shaking limbs, their clothing hanging -about them in shreds, announced the hardships of that long and terrible -march but too plainly. - -Among those who had set out with the expedition were three brothers--one -a mere stripling, the others famous hunters. The eldest of the three, -having fallen lame on the second day, was left behind. His brethren -would have conducted him back to the nearest village, but he promptly -refused their proffered aid, saying, - -"'Tis enough to lose one man; three are too many. Go; do my part as well -as your own." - -The two had gone but a few steps when the disabled ranger called the -second brother back. - -"Tom," said the elder, "take care of our brother." - -"Surely," replied the other, in some surprise. "Surely," he repeated. - -"I charge you," continued the first speaker, "watch over the boy as I -would myself." - -"Never fear, Lance; whatever befalls Hugh happens to me." - -"Not so," said the other, with energy; "you must die for him, if need -be." - -"They shall chop me as fine as sausage-meat before a hair of the lad's -head is harmed." - -"God bless you, Tom!" The brothers then embraced and separated. - -"What was our brother saying to you?" demanded the younger, when Tom -rejoined him. - -"He begged me, seeing he could not go with us, to shoot two or three -redskins for him; and I promised." The two then quickened their pace in -order to overtake their comrades. - -Among those who succeeded in regaining the settlements was a man who had -been wounded in twenty places. He was at once a ghastly and a pitiful -object. Faint with hunger, fatigue, and loss of blood, he reeled, fell, -slowly rose to his feet, and sunk lifeless at the entrance to the -village. This time he did not rise again. - -A crowd ran up. When they had wiped the blood and dirt from the dead -man's face, a by-stander threw himself upon the body with the cry, "My -God, it is Tom!" - -The following day the surviving brother joined a strong party despatched -by the colonial authorities to the scene of Lovewell's encounter, where -they arrived after a forced march. Here, among the trampled thickets, -they found the festering corpses of the slain. Among them was Hugh, the -younger brother. He was riddled with bullets and shockingly mangled. -Up to this moment, Lance had hoped against hope; now the dread reality -stared him in the face. The stout ranger grew white, his fingers -convulsively clutched the barrel of his gun, and something like a curse -escaped through his clinched teeth; then, kneeling beside the body, he -buried his face in his hands. Hugh's blood cried aloud for vengeance. - -Thorough but unavailing search was made for the savages. They had -disappeared, after applying the torch to their village. Silently and -sadly the rangers performed the last service for their fallen comrades, -and then, turning their backs upon the mountains, commenced their march -homeward. - -The next day the absence of Lance was remarked; but, as he was their -best hunter, the rangers made no doubt he would rejoin them at the next -halt. - -Chocorua was not ignorant that the English were near. Like the vulture, -he scented danger from afar. From the summit of the mountain he had -watched the smoke of the hostile camp-fires stealing above the forest. -The remainder of the tribe had buried themselves still deeper in the -wilderness. They were too few for attack, too weak for defence. - -One morning the chief ascended the pinnacle, and swept the horizon -with his piercing eye. Far in the south a faint smoke told where the -foe had pitched his last encampment. Chocorua's dark eye lighted with -exultation. The accursed pale-faces were gone. - -He turned to descend the mountain, but had not taken ten steps when a -white hunter, armed to the teeth, started from behind the crags and -barred his passage. The chief recoiled, but not with fear, as the muzzle -of his adversary's weapon touched his naked breast. The white man's -eyes shone with deadly purpose, as he forced the chieftain, step by -step, back to the highest point of the mountain. Chocorua could not pass -except over the hunter's dead body. - -Glaring into each other's eyes with mortal hate, the two men reached the -summit. - -"Chocorua will go no farther," said the chief, haughtily. - -The white man trembled with excitement. For a moment he could not speak. -Then, in a voice husky with suppressed emotion, he exclaimed, - -"Die, then, like a dog, thou destroyer of my family, thou incarnate -devil! The white man has been in Chocorua's wigwam; has counted their -scalps--father, mother, sister, brother. He has tracked him to the -mountain-top. Now, demon or devil, Chocorua dies by my hand." - -The chief saw no escape. He comprehended that his last moment was come. -As if all the savage heroism of his race had come to his aid, he drew -himself up to his full height, and stood erect and motionless as a -statue of bronze upon the enormous pedestal of the mountain. His dark -eye blazed, his nostrils dilated, the muscles of his bronzed forehead -stood out like whip-cord. The black eagle's feather in his scalplock -fluttered proudly in the cool morning breeze. He stood thus for a moment -looking death sternly in the face, then, raising his bared arm with a -gesture of superb disdain, he spoke with energy: - -"Chocorua is unarmed; Chocorua will die. His heart is big and strong -with the blood of the accursed pale-face. He laughs at death. He spits -in the white man's face. Go; tell your warriors Chocorua died like a -chief!" - -With this defiance on his lips the chief sprung from the brink into -the unfathomable abyss below. An appalling crash was followed by -a death-like silence. As soon as he recovered from his stupor the -hunter ran to the verge of the precipice and looked over. A horrible -fascination held him an instant. Then, shouldering his gun, he retraced -his steps down the mountain, and the next day rejoined his comrades. - -[Illustration: PASSACONNAWAY FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER.] - -The general and front views of the Sandwich group, which may be had in -perfection from the hill behind the Chocorua House, or from the opposite -elevation, are very striking, embracing as they do the principal summits -from Chocorua to the heavy mass of Black Mountain. There are more -distinct traits, perhaps, embodied in this range than in any other among -the White Hills, except that incomparable band of peaks constituting the -northern half of the great chain itself. There seems, too, a special -fitness in designating these mountains by their Indian titles--Chocorua, -Paugus, Passaconnaway, Wonnalancet--a group of great sagamores, wild, -grand, picturesque.[2] - -The highway now skirted the margin of Chocorua Lake, a lovely little -sheet of water voluptuously reposing at the foot of its overshadowing -mountain. I cannot call Chocorua beautiful, yet of all the White -Mountain peaks is it the most individual, the most aggressively -suggestive. But the lake, fast locked in the embrace of encircling -hills, bathed in all the affluence of the blessed sunlight, its bosom -decorated with white lilies, its shores glassed in water which looks -like a sheet of satin--ah, this was beautiful indeed! Its charming -seclusion, its rare combination of laughing water and impassive old -mountains; above all, the striking contrast between its chaste beauty -and the huge-ribbed thing rising above, awakens a variety of sensations. -It is passing strange. The mountain attracts, and at the same time -repels you. Two sentiments struggle here for mastery--open admiration, -energetic repulsion. For the first time, perhaps, in his life, the -beholder feels an antipathy for a creation of inanimate nature. Chocorua -suggests some fabled prodigy of the old mythology--a headless Centaur, -sprung from the foul womb of earth. The lake seems another Andromeda -exposed to a monster. - -A beautiful Indian legend ran to the effect that the stillness of the -lake was sacred to the Great Spirit, and that if a human voice was heard -upon its waters the offender's canoe would instantly sink to the bottom. - -Chocorua, as seen from Tamworth, shows a long, undulating ridge of white -rising over one of green, both extending toward the east, and opening -between a deep ravine, through which a path ascends to the summit. But -this way affords no view until the summit is close at hand. Beyond the -hump-backed ridge of Chocorua the tip of the southern peak of Moat -Mountain peers over, like a mountain standing on tiptoe. - -The mountain, with its formidable outworks, is constantly in view until -the highway is left for a wood-road winding around its base into an -interval where there is a farm-house. Here the road ends and the ascent -begins. - -Taking a guide here, who was strong, nimble, and sure-footed, but who -proved to be lamentably ignorant of the topography of the country, we -were in a few moments rapidly threading the path up the mountain. It -ought to be said here that, with rare exceptions, the men who serve you -in these ascensions should be regarded rather as porters than as guides. - -In about an hour we reached the summit of the first mountain; for there -are four subordinate ridges to cross before you stand under the single -block of granite forming the pinnacle. - -[Illustration: CHOCORUA.] - -When reconnoitring this pinnacle through your glass, at a distance of -five miles, you will say to scale it would be difficult; when you have -climbed close underneath you will say it is impossible. After surveying -it from the bare ledges of Bald Mountain, where we stood letting the -cool breeze blow upon us, I asked my guide where we could ascend. He -pointed out a long crack, or crevice, toward the left, in which a few -bushes were growing. It is narrow, almost perpendicular, and seemingly -impracticable. I could not help exclaiming, "What, up there! nothing but -birds of the air can mount that sheer wall!" It is, however, there or -nowhere you must ascend. - -The whole upper zone of the mountain seems smitten with palsy. Except -in the ravines between the inferior summits, nothing grew, nothing -relieved the wide-spread desolation. Beyond us rose the enormous conical -crag, scarred and riven by lightning, which gives to Chocorua its highly -distinctive character. It is no longer ashen, but black with lichens. -There was little of symmetry, nothing of grace; only the grandeur of -power. You might as well pelt it with snow-balls as batter it with the -mightiest artillery. For ages it has brushed the tempest aside, has seen -the thunder-bolt shivered against its imperial battlements; for ages to -come it will continue to defy the utmost power that can assail it. And -what enemies it has withstood, overthrown, or put to rout! Not far from -the base of the pinnacle evidence that the mountain was once densely -wooded is on all sides. The rotted stumps of large trees still cling -with a death-grip to the ledges, the shrivelled trunks lie bleaching -where they were hurled by the hurricane. Many years ago this region -was desolated by fire. In the night Old Chocorua, lighting his fiery -torch, stood in the midst of his own funeral pyre. The burning mountain -illuminated the sky and put out the stars. A brilliant circle of light, -twenty miles in extent, surrounded the flaming peak like a halo; while -underneath an immense tongue of forked flame licked the sides of the -summit with devouring haste. The lakes, those bright jewels lying in the -lap of the valleys, glowed like enormous carbuncles. Superstitious folk -regarded the conflagration as a portent of war or pestilence. In the -morning a few charred trunks, standing erect, were all that remained of -the original forest. The rocks themselves bear witness to the intense -heat which has either cracked them wide open, crumbled them in pieces, -or divested them, like oysters, of their outer shell, all along the path -of the conflagration. - -The walk over the lower summits to the base of the peak occupied -another hour, and is a most profitable feature of the ascent. On each -side a superb panorama of mountains and lakes, of towns, villages, and -hamlets, is being slowly unrolled; while every forward step develops the -inaccessible character of the high summit more and more. - -Having strayed from the path to gather blueberries, my companion set me -again on the march by pointing out where a bear had been feeding not -long before. Yet, while assuring me that Bruin was perfectly harmless -at this season, I did not fail to remark that my guide made the most -rapid strides of the day after this discovery. While feeling our way -around the base of the pinnacle, in order to gain the ravine by which -it is attacked, the path suddenly stopped. At the right, projecting -rocks, affording a hold for neither hand nor foot, rose like a wall; -before us, joined to the perpendicular rock, an unbroken ledge of -bare granite, smoothly polished by ice, swept down by a sharp incline -hundreds of feet, and then broke off abruptly into profounder depths. To -advance upon this ledge, as steep as a roof, and where one false step -would inevitably send the climber rolling to the bottom of the ravine, -demands steady nerves. It invests the whole jaunt with just enough of -the perilous to excite the apprehensions, or provoke the enthusiasm of -the individual who stands there for the first time, looking askance at -his guide, and revolving the chances of crossing it in safety. While -debating with myself whether to take off my boots, or go down on my -hands and knees and creep, the guide crossed this place with a steady -step; and, upon reaching the opposite side, grasped a fragment of rock -with one hand while extending his staff to me with the other. Rather -than accept his assistance, I passed over with an assurance I was far -from feeling; but when we came down the mountain I walked across with -far more ease in my stockings.[3] - -When he saw me safely over, my conductor moved on, with the remark, - -"A skittish place." - -"Skittish," indeed! We proceeded to drag ourselves up the ravine by the -aid of bushes, or such protruding rocks as offered a hold. From the -valley below we must have looked like flies creeping up a wall. After a -breathless scramble, which put me in mind of the escalade of the Iron -Castle of Porto Bello, where the English, having no scaling-ladders, -mounted over each other's shoulders, we came to a sort of plateau, on -which was a ruined hut. The view here is varied and extensive; but after -regaining our breath we hastened to complete the ascent, in order to -enjoy, in all its perfection, the prospect awaiting us on the summit. - -Like Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, it is among mountains that my knowledge -of them has been obtained. I have little hesitation, then, in -pronouncing the view from Chocorua one of the noblest that can reward -the adventurous climber; for, notwithstanding it is not a high peak, and -cannot, therefore, unfold the whole mountain system at a glance, it yet -affords an unsurpassed view-point, from which one sees the surrounding -mountains rising on all sides in all their majesty, and clothed in all -their terrors. - -Let me try to explain why Chocorua is such a remarkable and eligible -post of observation. - -One comprehends perfectly that the last high building on the skirts of a -city embraces the largest unobstructed view of the surrounding country. -This mountain is placed at the extremity of a range that abuts upon -the lower Saco valley, and therefore overlooks all the hill-country -on the east and south-east as far as the sea-coast. The arc of this -circle of vision extends from the Camden Hills to Agamenticus, or from -the Penobscot to the Piscataqua. The day being one of a thousand, I -distinctly saw the ocean with the naked eye; not merely as a white -blur on the horizon's edge, but actual blue water, over which smoke -was curling. This magnificent _coup-d'oeil_ embraces the scattered -villages of Conway, Fryeburg, Madison, Eaton, Ossipee, with their -numerous lakes and streams. I counted seventeen of the former flashing -in the sun. - -In the second place, Chocorua stands at the entrance to the valley -opening between the Sandwich and Ossipee chains, and commands, -therefore, to the south-west, between these natural walls, the northern -limb of Winnipiseogee and of Squam, which are seen glittering on each -side of Red Hill. In the foreground, at the foot of the mountain, -Chocorua Lake is beyond question the most enticing object in a landscape -wonderfully lighted and enriched by its profusion of brilliant waters, -which resemble so many highly burnished reflectors multiplying the rays -of the sun. I was now looking back to my first station on Red Hill, -only the range of vision was much more extensive. It is unnecessary -to recapitulate the names of the villages and summits seen in this -direction. Over the lakes, Winnipiseogee and Squam, the humid peaks of -Mount Belknap and of Mount Kearsarge, in Warner, last caught the eye. -These two sections of the landscape first meet the eye of the climber -while advancing toward the peak, whose rugged head and brawny shoulders -intercept the view to the north, only to be enjoyed when the mountain is -fully conquered. - -Upon the cap-stone crowning the pinnacle, supporting myself by grasping -the signal-staff planted on the highest point of this rock, from which -the wind threatened to sweep us like chaff, I enjoyed the third and -final act of this sublime tableau, in which the whole company of -mountains is crowded upon the stage. Hundreds of dark and bristling -shapes confronted us. Like a horde of barbarians, they seemed silently -awaiting the signal to march upon the lowlands. As the wind swept -through their ranks, an impatient murmur rose from the midst. Each -mountain shook its myriad spears, and gave its voice to swell the -sublime chorus. At first all was confusion; then I began to seek out -the chiefs, whose rock-helmed heads, lifted high above their grisly -battalions, invested each with a distinction and a sovereignty which -yielded nothing except to that imperial peak over which attendant clouds -hovered or floated swiftly away, as if bearing a message to those -distant encampments pitched on the farthest verge of the horizon. - -At my left hand extended all the summits, forming at their western -extremity the valley of Mad River, and terminating in the immovable -mass of Black Mountain. The peaks of Tripyramid, Tecumseh, and -Osceola stretched along the northern course of this stream, and over -them gleamed afar the massive plateau-ridge of Moosehillock. From my -stand-point the great wall of the Sandwich chain, which from Tamworth -presents an unbroken front to the south, now divided into ridges running -north and south, separated by profound ravines. Paugus crouched at my -feet; Passaconnaway elevated his fine crest next; Whiteface, his lowered -and brilliant front; and then Black Mountain, the giant landmark of half -a score of towns and villages. - -Directly at my feet, to the north-west, the great intervale of Swift -River gleamed from the depths of this valley, like sunshine from -a storm-cloud. Following the course of this little oasis, the eye -wandered over the inaccessible and untrodden peaks of the Pemigewasset -wilderness, resting last on the blue ridge of the Franconia Mountains. -About midway of this line one sees the bristling slopes of Mounts -Carrigain and Hancock, and the Carrigain Notch, through which a hardy -pedestrian may pass from the Pemigewasset to the Saco by following -the course of the streams flowing out of it. Besides its solitary, -picturesque grandeur, Carrigain has the distinction of being the -geographical centre of the White Mountain group. Taking its peak for an -axis, a radius thirty miles long will describe a circle, including in -its sweep nearly the whole mountain system. In this sense Carrigain is, -therefore, the hub of the White Mountains. - -Having explored the horizon thus far, I now turned more to the north, -where, by a fortunate chance, Chocorua dominates a portion of the chain -intervening between itself and the Saco Valley. I was looking straight -up this valley through the great White Mountain Notch. There was the -dark spire of Mount Willey, and the scarred side of Webster. There was -the arched rock of Mount Willard, and over it the liquid profile of -Cherry Mountain. It was superb; it was idyllic. Such was the perfect -transparency of the air, that I clearly distinguished the red color of -the slides on Mount Webster without the aid of my glass. - -From this centre, outlined with a bold, free hand against the azure, the -undulations of the great White Mountains ascended grandly to the dome -of Mount Washington, and then plunged into the defiles of the Pinkham -Notch. Following this line eastward, the eye traversed the mountains of -Jackson to the half-closed aperture of the Carter Notch, finally resting -on the pinnacle of Kearsarge. Without stirring a single step, we have -taken a journey of three hundred miles. - -Down in the valley the day was one of the sultriest; up here it was so -cold that our teeth chattered. We were forced to descend into the hollow -lying between the northerly foot of the peak and the first of the bald -knobs constituting the great white ridge of the mountain. Here is a fine -spring, and here, on either side of this singular rock-gallery, is a -landscape of rare beauty enclosed by its walls. Here, too, the mutilated -pyramid of the peak rises before you like an antique ruin. One finds, -without effort, striking resemblances to winding galleries, bastions, -and battlements. He could pass days and weeks here without a single wish -to return to earth. Here we ate our luncheon, and perused the landscape -at leisure. Before us stretched the long course of the Saco, from its -source in the Notch to where, with one grand sweep to the east, it takes -leave of the mountains, flows awhile demurely through the lowlands, and -in two or three infuriated plunges reaches the sea. - -I do not remember when I have more fully enjoyed the serene calm of a -Sabbath evening than while wandering among the fragrant and stately -pines that skirt the shores of Lake Chocorua. Indeed, except for the -occasional sound of hoofs along the cool and shady road, or of voices -coming from the bosom of the lake itself, one might say a perpetual -Sabbath reigned here. Yonder tall, athletic pines, those palms of the -north, through which the glimmer of water is seen, hum their monotonous -lullaby to the drowsy lake. The mountains seem so many statues to -Silence. There is no use for speech here. The mute and expressive -language of two lovers, accustomed to read each others' secret thoughts, -is the divine medium. Truant breezes ruffle the foliage in playful -wantonness, but the trees only shake their green heads and murmur "Hush! -hush!" A consecration is upon the mere, a hallowed light within the -wood. Here is the place to linger over the pages of "Hyperion," or dream -away the idle hours with the poets; and here, stretched along the turf, -one gets closer to Nature, studying her with ever-increasing wonder and -delight, or musing upon the thousand forms of mysterious life swarming -in the clod under his hand. - -Charming, too, are the walks by the lake-side in the effulgence of -the harvest-moon; and enchanting the white splendor quivering on its -dark waters. A boat steals by; see! its oars dip up molten silver. The -voyagers troll a love-ditty. Dangerous ground this colonnade of woods -and yonder sparkling water for self-conscious lovers! Love and the ocean -have the same subtle sympathy with moonlight. The stronger its beams the -higher rises the flood. - -Very little of the world--but that little the best part--gets in here. -It is out of the beaten path of mountain-travel, so that those only who -have in a manner served their apprenticeship are sojourners. One small -hotel and a few boarding-houses easily accommodate all comers. For -people who like to refine their pleasures, as well as their society, -or who have wearied of life at the great hotels, such a place offers -a most tempting retreat. Display makes no part of the social regime. -Mrs. P---- is not jealous of Mrs. Q----'s diamonds. Ladies stroll -about unattended, gather water-lilies, cardinal-flowers, and rare -ferns by brook or way-side. Gentlemen row, drive, climb the mountains, -or make little pedestrian tours of discovery. Quiet people are -irresistibly attracted to this kind of life, which, with a good degree -of probability, they assert to be the true and only rational way of -enjoying the mountains. - - - - -IV. - -_LOVEWELL._ - - Of worthy Captain Lovewell I purpose now to sing. - How valiantly he served his country and his king. - _Old Ballad._ - - -LET us make a detour to historic Fryeburg, leaving the cars at Conway, -which in former times enjoyed a happy pre-eminence as the centre upon -which the old stage-routes converged, and where travellers, going or -returning from the mountains, always passed the night. But those old -travellers have mostly gone where the name of Chatigee, by which both -drivers and tourists liked to designate Conway, is going; only there is -for the name, fortunately, no resurrection. No one knows its origin; -none will mourn its decease. - -It is here, at Conway, or Conway Corner, that first enrapturing view of -the White Mountains bursts upon the traveller like a splendid vision. -But we shall see it again on our return from Fryeburg. Moreover, -I enjoyed this constant espionage from a distance before a nearer -approach, this exchange of preliminary civilities before coming closer -to the heart of the mountains. - -Fryeburg stands on a dry and sandy plain, elevated above the Saco River. -It lies behind the mountain range, which, terminating in Conway, compels -the river to make a right angle. Turning these mountains, the river -seems now to be in no hurry, but coils about the meadows in a manner -that instantly recalls the famous Connecticut Ox-Bow. Chocorua and -Kearsarge are the two prominent figures in the landscape. - -The village street is most beautifully shaded by elms of great size, -which, giving to each other an outstretched hand over the way, spring an -arch of green high above, through which we look up and down. At one end -justice is dispensed at the Oxford House--an inn with a pedigree; at the -other learning is diffused in the academy where Webster once taught and -disciplined the rising generation. A scroll over the inn door bears the -date of 1763. The first school-house and the first framed house built -in Fryeburg are still standing, a little way out of the village. On our -way to the remarkable rock, emerging from the plain like a walrus from -the sea, we linger a moment in the village graveyard to read the long -inscription on the monument of General Joseph Frye, a veteran of the old -wars, and founder of the town which bears his name. Ascending now the -rock to which we just referred, called the Jockey Cap, we are lifted -high above the plain, having the river meadows, the graceful loops of -the river itself, the fine pyramid of Kearsarge on one side, and on the -other the dark sheet of Lovewell's Pond stretched at our feet. - -[Illustration: LOVEWELL'S POND] - -It was here, under the shadow of Mount Kearsarge, was fought one of the -bloodiest and most obstinately contested battles that can be found in -the annals of war; so terrible, indeed, that the story was repeated from -fireside to fireside, and from generation to generation, as worthy a -niche beside that of Leonidas and his band of heroes. Familiar as is the -tale--and who does not know it by heart?--it can still send the blood -throbbing to the temples, or coursing back to the heart. Unfortunately, -the details are sufficiently meagre, but, in truth, they need no -embellishment. Their very simplicity presents the tragedy in all its -grandeur. It is an epic. - -In April, 1725, John Lovewell, a hardy and experienced ranger of -Dunstable, whose exploits had already noised his fame abroad, marched -with forty-six men for the Indian villages at Pigwacket, now Fryeburg, -Maine. At Ossipee he built a small fort, designed as a refuge in case of -disaster. This precaution undoubtedly saved the lives of some of his -men. He was now within two short marches of the enemy's village. The -scouts having found Indian tracks in the neighborhood, Lovewell resumed -his route, leaving one of his men who had fallen sick, his surgeon, and -eight men, to guard the fort. His command was now reduced to thirty-four -officers and men. - -The rangers reached the shores of the beautiful lake which bears -Lovewell's name, and bivouacked for the night. - -The night passed without an alarm; but the sentinels who watched the -encampment reported hearing strange noises in the woods. Lovewell -scented the presence of his enemy. - -In fact, on the morning of the 8th of May, while his band were on their -knees seeking Divine favor in the approaching conflict, the report of a -gun brought every man to his feet. Upon reconnoitring, a solitary Indian -was discovered on a point of land about a mile from the camp. - -The leader immediately called his men about him, and told them that -they must now quickly decide whether to fight or retreat. The men, with -one accord, replied that they had not come so far in search of the -enemy to beat a shameful retreat the moment he was found. Seeing his -band possessed with this spirit, Lovewell then prepared for battle. -The rangers threw off their knapsacks and blankets, looked to their -primings, and loosened their knives and axes. The order was then given, -and they moved cautiously out of their camp. Believing the enemy was in -his front, Lovewell neglected to place a guard over his baggage. - -Instead of plunging into the woods, the Indian who had alarmed the camp -stood where he was first seen until the scouts fired upon him, when he -returned the fire, wounding Lovewell and one other. Ensign Wyman then -levelled his musket and shot him dead. The day began thus unfortunately -for the English. Lovewell was mortally wounded in the abdomen, but -continued to give his orders. - -After clearing the woods in their front without finding any more -Indians, the rangers fell back toward the spot where they had deposited -their packs. This was a sandy plain, thinly covered with pines, at the -north-east end of the lake. - -During their absence, the Indians, led by the old chief, Paugus, whose -name was a terror throughout the length and breadth of the English -frontiers, stumbled upon the deserted encampment. Paugus counted the -packs, and, finding his warriors outnumbered the rangers, the wily -chief placed them in ambush; he divined that the English would return -from their unsuccessful scout sooner or later, and he prepared to -repeat the tactics used with such fatal effect at Bloody Brook, and at -the defeat of Wadsworth. This consisted in arranging his savages in a -semicircle, the two wings of which, enveloping the rangers, would expose -them to a murderous cross-fire at short musket-range. - -Without suspecting their danger, Lovewell's men fell into the fatal -snare which the crafty Paugus had thus spread for them. Hardly had they -entered it when the grove blazed with a deadly volley, and resounded -with the yells of the Indians. As if confident of their prey, they even -left their coverts, and flung themselves upon the English with a fury -nothing could withstand. - -In this onset Lovewell, who, notwithstanding his wound, bravely -encouraged his men with voice and example, received a second wound, and -fell. Two of his lieutenants were killed at his side; but with desperate -valor the rangers charged up to the muzzles of the enemy's guns, killing -nine, and sweeping the others before them. This gallant charge cost them -eight killed, besides their captain; two more were badly wounded. - -Twenty-three men had now to maintain the conflict with the whole Sokokis -tribe. Their situation was indeed desperate. Relief was impossible; -for they were fifty miles from the nearest English settlements. Their -packs and provisions were in the enemy's hands, and the woods swarmed -with foes. To conquer or die was the only alternative. These devoted -Englishmen despaired of conquering, but they prepared to die bravely. - -Ensign Wyman, on whom the command devolved after the death of Lovewell, -was his worthy successor. Seeing the enemy stealing upon his flanks as -if to surround him, he ordered his men to fall back to the shore of the -lake, where their right was protected by a brook, and their left by a -rocky point extending into the lake. A few large pines stood on the -beach between. - -This manoeuvre was executed under a hot fire, which still further -thinned the ranks of the English. The Indians closed in upon them, -filling the air with demoniac yells whenever a victim fell. Assailing -the whites with taunts, and shaking ropes in their faces, they cried -out to them to yield. But to the repeated demands to surrender, the -rangers replied only with bullets. They thought of the fort and its ten -defenders, and hoped, or rather prayed, for night. This hope, forlorn as -it seemed, encouraged them to fight on, and they delivered their fire -with fatal precision whenever an Indian showed himself. The English were -in a trap, but the Indians dared not approach within reach of the lion's -claws. - -While this long combat was proceeding, one of the English went to the -lake to wash his gun, and, on emerging at the shore, descried an Indian -in the act of cleansing his own. This Indian was Paugus. - -The ranger went to work like a man who comprehends that his life depends -upon a second. The chief followed him in every movement. Both charged -their guns at the same instant. The Englishman threw his ramrod on the -sand; the Indian dropped his. - -"Me kill you," said Paugus, priming his weapon from his powder-horn. - -"The chief lies," retorted the undaunted ranger, striking the breech of -his firelock upon the ground with such force that it primed itself. An -instant later Paugus fell, shot through the heart. - -"I said I should kill you," muttered the victor, spurning the dead body -of his enemy, and plunging into the thickest of the fight. - -Darkness closed the conflict, which had continued without cessation -since ten in the morning. Little by little the shouts of the enemy grew -feebler, and finally ceased. The English stood to their arms until -midnight, when, convinced that the savages had abandoned the sanguinary -field of battle, they began their retreat toward the fort. Only nine -were unhurt. Eleven were badly wounded, but were resolved to march with -their comrades, though they died by the way. Three more were alive, but -had received their death-wounds. One of these was Lieutenant Robbins, of -Chelmsford. Knowing that he must be left behind, he begged his comrades -to load his gun, in order that he might sell his life as dearly as -possible when the savages returned to wreak their vengeance upon the -wounded. - -I have said that twenty-three men continued the fight after the bloody -repulse in which Lovewell was killed. There were only twenty-two. The -other, whose name the reader will excuse me from mentioning, fled from -the field and gained the fort, where he spread the report that Lovewell -was cut to pieces, himself being the sole survivor. This intelligence, -striking terror, decided the little garrison to abandon the fort, which -was immediately done, and in haste. - -This was the crowning misfortune of the expedition. The rangers now -became a band of panic-stricken fugitives. After incredible hardships, -less than twenty starving, emaciated, and footsore men, half of them -badly wounded, straggled into the nearest English settlements. - -The loss of the Indians could only be guessed; but the battle led to the -immediate abandonment of their village, from which so many war-parties -had formerly harassed the English. Paugus, the savage wolf, the -implacable foe of the whites, was dead. His tribe forsook the graves of -their fathers, nor rested until they had put many long leagues between -them and their pursuers. For them the advance of the English was the -Juggernaut under whose wheels their race was doomed to perish from the -face of the earth. - - - - -V. - -_NORTH CONWAY._ - - "Tall spire from which the sound of cheerful bells - Just undulates upon the listening ear, - Groves, heaths, and smoking villages remote." - - -The entrance to North Conway is, without doubt, the most beautiful and -imposing introduction to the high mountains. - -Although the traveller has for fifty miles skirted the outlying ranges, -catching quick-shifting glimpses of the great summits, yet, when at last -the train swings round the foot of the Moat range into the Saco Valley, -so complete is the transition, so charming the picture, that not even -the most apathetic can repress a movement of surprise and admiration. -This is the moment when every one feels the inadequacy of his own -conceptions. - -Nature has formed here a vast antechamber, into which you are ushered -through a gate-way of mountains upon the numerous inner courts, -galleries, and cloisters of her most secluded retreats. Here the -mountains fall back before the impetuous flood of the Saco, which comes -pouring down from the summit of the great Notch, white, and panting with -the haste of its flight. Here the river gives rendezvous to several of -its larger affluents--the East Branch, the Ellis, the Swift--and, like -an army taking the field, their united streams, sweeping grandly around -the foot of the last mountain range, emerge into the open country. Here -the valley, contracted at its extremity between the gentle slope of -Kearsarge and the abrupt declivities of Moat, encloses an ellipse of -verdant and fertile land ravishing to behold, skirted on one side by -thick woods, behind which precipices a thousand feet high rise black and -threatening, overlooked on the other by a high terrace, along which the -village is built. It is the inferior summit of Kearsarge, which descends -by a long, regular slope to the intervale at its upper end, while a -secondary ridge of the Moats, advancing on the opposite side, drops -into it by a precipice. The superb silver-gray crest of Kearsarge is -seen rising in a regular pyramid behind the right shoulder of its lower -summit. Ordinarily the house perched on the top is seen as distinctly as -those in the village. It is the last in the village. - -Looking up through this verdant mountain park, at a distance of twenty -miles, the imposing masses of the great summits seem scaling the skies. -Then, heavily massed on the right, comes the Carter range, divided by -the cup-shaped dip of the Carter Notch; then the truncated cone of -Double-Head; and then, with outworks firmly planted in the valley, the -glittering pinnacle of Kearsarge. The mountain in front of you, looking -up the village street, is Thorn Mountain, on the other side of which is -Jackson, and the way up the Ellis Valley to the Pinkham Notch, the Glen -House, Gorham, and the Androscoggin. - -The traveller, who is ushered upon this splendid scene with the rapidity -of steam, perceives that he is at last among real mountains, and quickly -yields to the indefinable charm which from this moment surrounds and -holds him a willing captive. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WASHINGTON FROM THE SACO.] - -Looking across the meadow from the village street, the eye is stopped -by an isolated ridge of bare, overhanging precipices. It is thrust out -into the valley from Moat Mountain, of which it forms a part, presenting -two singular, regularly arched cliffs, seven hundred to nine hundred and -fifty feet in height toward the village. The green forest underneath -contrasts vividly with the lustrous black of these precipitous walls, -which glisten brightly in the sunshine, where they are wet by tiny -streams flowing down. On the nearest of these is a very curious -resemblance to the head and shoulders of a horse in the act of rearing, -occasioned by a white incrustation on the face of the cliff. This -accident gives to it the name of White Horse Ledge. All marriageable -ladies, maiden or widow, run out to look at it, in consequence of the -belief current in New England that if, after seeing a white horse, -you count a hundred, the first gentleman you meet will be your future -husband! Underneath this cliff a charming little lake lies hid. - -Next beyond is the Cathedral Ledge, so called from the curious rock -cavity it contains; and still farther up the valley is Humphrey's Ledge, -one of the finest rock-studies of them all when we stand underneath -it. But the reader now has a general acquaintance with North Conway, -and with its topography. He begins his study of mountain beauty in a -spirit of loving enthusiasm, which leads him on and on to the ripeness -of an education achieved by simply throwing himself upon the bosom of -indulgent Nature, putting the world as far as possible behind him. - -[Illustration: THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY.] - -But now from these masses of hard rock let us turn once more to the -valley, where the rich intervales spread an exhaustless feast for the -eye. If autumn be the season, the vase-like elms, the stacks of yellow -corn, the golden pumpkins looking like enormous oranges, the floor-cloth -of green and gold damasked with purple gorse and coppice, give the idea -of an immense table groaning beneath its luxurious weight of fruit and -flowers. - -Turn now to the mountain presiding with such matchless grace and dignity -over the village. Kearsarge, in the twilight, deserves, like Lorenzo di -Medicis, to be called "the magnificent." The yellow and orange foliage -looks, for all the world, like a golden shower fallen upon it. The -gray ledges at the apex, which the clear, yellow light renders almost -incandescent, are far more in harmony with the rest of the mountain than -in the vernal season. - -Are we yet in sympathy with that free-masonry of art through which our -eminent landscape-painters recognized here the true picturesque point -of view of the great mountains, the effective contrasts and harmonious -ensemble of the near scenery--the grandest allied with the humblest -objects of nature? One cannot turn in any direction without recognizing -a picture he has seen in the studios, or in the saloons of the clubs. - -The first persons I saw on the platform of the railway-station were my -quondam companions, the colonel and George. We met like friends who had -parted only half an hour before. During dinner it was agreed that we -should pass our afternoon among the cliffs. This arrangement appeared -very judicious; the distance is short, and the attractions many. - -We accordingly set out for the ledges at three in the afternoon. -The weather did not look promising, to be sure, but we decided it -sufficiently so for this promenade of three or four hours. - -While en route, let me mention a discovery. One morning, while sitting -on the piazza of the Kearsarge House enjoying the dreamy influence -of the warm atmosphere, which spun its soft, gossamer web about the -mountains, I observed a peculiar shadow thrown by a jutting mass of the -Cathedral Ledge upon a smooth surface, which exactly resembled a human -figure standing upright. I looked away, then back again, to see if I -was not the victim of an illusion. No, it was still there. Now it is -always there. The head and upper part of the body were inclined slightly -forward, the legs perfectly formed. At ten every forenoon, punctual -to the hour, this phantom, emerging from the rock, stands, fixed and -motionless as a statue, in its niche. At every turn of the sun, this -shade silently interrogates the feverish activity that has replaced the -silence of ages. One day or another I shall demand of my phantom what it -has witnessed. - -The road we followed soon turned sharply away from the main street of -the village, to the left, and in a few rods more plunged into the Saco, -leaving us standing on the bank, looking askance at a wide expanse of -water, choked with bowlders, around which the swift current whirled and -foamed with rage. We decided it too shallow to swim, but doubted if it -was not too deep to ford. We had reached our Rubicon. - -"We must wade," said the colonel, with decision. - -"Precisely my idea," assented George, beginning to unlace his shoes. - -I put my hand in the river. Ugh! it was as cold as ice. - -Having assured ourselves no one saw us, we divested ourselves of shoes, -stockings, pantaloons, and drawers. We put our stockings in our pockets, -disposed our clothing in a roll over the shoulder, as soldiers do on the -march, tied our shoes together, and hung them around our necks. Then, -placing our hands upon each others' shoulders, as I have seen gymnasts -do in a circus, we entered the river, like candidates for baptism, -feeling our way, and catching our breath. - -"_Sans-culottes_," suggested the colonel, who knew a little French. - -"Kit-kats," added George, who knows something of art, as the water rose -steadily above our knees. - -The treacherous bowlders tripped us up at every step, so that one or -the other was constantly floundering, like a stranded porpoise in a -frog-pond. But, thanks to our device, we reached the middle of the river -without anything worse than a few bruises. Here we were fairly stopped. -The water was waist-deep, and the current every moment threatened to -lift us from our feet. How foolish we looked! - -Advance or retreat? That was the question. One pointed up stream, -another down; while, to aggravate the situation, rain began to patter -around us. In two minutes the river was steaming. George, who is a great -infant, suggested putting our hands in our pockets, to keep them warm, -and our clothes in the river, to keep them dry. - -"By Jove!" ejaculated the colonel, "the river is smoking." - -"Let us join the river," said George, producing his cigar-case. - -Putting our heads together over the colonel's last match, thus forming -an antique tripod of our bodies, we succeeded in getting a light; and -for the first time, I venture to affirm, since its waters gushed from -the mountains, incense ascended from the bosom of the Saco. - -"I'm freezing!" stuttered George. - -I was pushing forward, to cut the dilemma short, when the colonel -interposed with, - -"Stop; I want to tell you a story." - -"A story? here--in the middle of the river?" we shouted. - -"In the middle of the river; here--a story!" he echoed. - -"I would like to sit down while I listen," observed George. - -Evidently the coldness of the water had forced the blood into our -friend's head. He was ill, but obstinate. We therefore resigned -ourselves to hear him. - -"This river and this situation remind me of the Potawatamies," he began. - -"Potawatamies!" we echoed, with chattering teeth. "Go on; go on." - -"When I was on the Plains," continued the colonel, "I passed some time -among those Indians. During my stay, the chief invited me to accompany -him on a buffalo-hunt. I accepted on the spot; for of all things a -buffalo-hunt was the one I was most desirous of seeing. We set out at -daybreak the next morning. After a few hours' march, we came to a stream -between deep banks, and flowing with a rapid current, like this one--" - -"Go on; go on!" we shiveringly articulated. - -"At a gesture from the chief, a young squaw dismounted from her pony, -advanced to the edge of the stream, and began, timidly, to wade it. When -she hesitated, as she did two or three times, the chief said something -which encouraged her to proceed. All at once she stopped, threw up her -arms, and screamed something in the Indian dialect; at which all the -braves burst into a loud laugh, the squaws joining in. - -"'What does she say?' I asked of the chief. - -"'Up to the middle,' he replied, pushing his pony into the stream." - -The stream grew shallower, so that we soon emerged from the water upon -the opposite bank. Here we poured the water from our shoes, and resumed -our wet clothing. Everything was cooled, except our ardor. - -As we approached nearer, the ledges were full of grim recesses, rude -rock-niches, and traversed by perpendicular cracks from brow to base. -"Take care!" I shouted; "there is a huge piece of the cliff just ready -to fall." - -In some places the rock is sheer and smooth, in others it is broken -regularly down, for half its whole height, to where it is joined by rude -buttresses of massive granite. The lithe maples climb up the steepest -ravines, but cannot pass the waste of sheer rock stretching between -them and the firs, which look down over the brink of the precipice. -Rusted purple is the prevailing color, blotched here and there with -white, like the drip oozing from limestone. We soon emerged on the shore -of Echo Lake. - -Hovering under the great precipices, which lie heavily shadowed on its -glossy surface, are gathered the waters flowing from the airy heights -above--the little rills, the rivulets, the cascades. The tremendous -shadow the cliff flings down seems lying deep in the bosom of the lake, -as if perpetually imprinted there. Slender birches, brilliant foliage, -were daintily etched upon the surface, like arabesques on polished -steel. The water is perfectly transparent, and without a ripple. Indeed, -the breezes playing around the summit, or humming in the tree-tops, seem -forbidden to enter this haunt of Dryads. The lake laps the yellow strand -with a light, fluttering movement. The place seems dedicated to silence -itself. - -[Illustration: ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY.] - -To destroy this illusion, a man came out of a booth and touched off a -small cannon. The effect was like knocking at half a dozen doors at -once. And the silence which followed seemed all the deeper. Then the -aged rock was pelted with questions, and made to jeer, laugh, menace, -or curse by turns, or all at once. How grandly it bore all these petty -insolences! How presumptuous in us thus to cover its hoary front with -obloquy! We could never get the last word. We did not even come off in -triumph. How ironically the mountain repeated, "Who are you?" and "What -am I!" With what energy it at last vociferated, "Go to the devil!" To -the Devil's Den we accordingly go. - -Following a woodland path skirting the base of the cliffs, we were -very soon before the entrance of the Devil's Den, formed by a huge -piece of the cliff falling upon other detached fragments in such a way -as to leave an aperture large enough to admit fifty persons at once. A -ponderous mass divides the cavern into two chambers, one of which is -light, airy, and spacious, the other dark, gloomy, and contracted--a -mere hole. This might well have been the lair of the bears and panthers -formerly roaming, unmolested, these woods. - -The Cathedral is a recess higher up in the same cliff, hollowed out -by the cleaving off of the lower rock, leaving the upper portion of -the precipice overhanging. The top of the roof is as high as a tall -tree. Some maples that have grown here since the outer portion of the -rock fell, assist, with their straight-limbed, columnar trunks, the -resemblance to a chancel. A little way off this cavity has really the -appearance of a gigantic shell, like those fossils seen imbedded in -subterranean rocks. We did not miss here the delicious glimpses of -Kearsarge, and of the mountains across the valley which, now that the -sun came out, were all in brilliant light, while the cool afternoon -shadows already wrapped the woods about us in twilight gloom. - -Still farther on we came upon a fine cascade falling down a long, -irregular staircase of broken rock. One of these steps extends, a solid -mass of granite, more than a hundred feet across the bed of the stream, -and is twenty feet high. Unless the brook is full, it is not a single -sheet we see, but twenty, fifty crystal streams gushing or spirting -from the grooves they have channelled in the hard granite, and falling -into basins they have hollowed out. It is these curious, circular stone -cavities, out of which the freshest and cleanest water constantly pours, -that give to the cascade the name of Diana's Baths. The water never -dashes itself noisily down, but slips, like oil, from the rocks, with a -pleasant, purling sound no single word of our language will correctly -describe. From here we returned to the village in the same way that we -came.[4] - -The wild and bristling little mountain range on the east side of North -Conway embodies a good deal of picturesque character. It is there our -way lies to Artists' Falls, which are on a brook issuing from these -Green Hills. I found the walk, following its windings, more remunerative -than the falls themselves. The brook, flowing first over a smooth -granite ledge, collects in a little pool below, out of which the pure -water filters through bowlders and among glittering pebbles to a gorge -between two rocks, down which it plunges. The beauty of this cascade -consists in its waywardness. Now it is a thin sheet, flowing demurely -along; now it breaks out in uncontrollable antics; and at length, as if -tired of this sport, darts like an arrow down the rocky fissure, and is -a mountain brook again. - -The ascent of Kearsarge and of the Moats fittingly crowns the series of -excursions which are the most attractive feature of out-of-door life -at North Conway. The northern peak of Moat is the one most frequently -climbed, but the southern affords almost equally admirable views of the -Saco, the Ellis, and the Swift River valleys, with the mountain chains -enclosing them. The prospect here is, however, much the same as that -obtained from Chocorua, which is seen rising beyond the Swift River -valley. To that description I must, therefore, refer the reader, who is -already acquainted with its principal features. - -The high ridge is an arid and desolate heap of summits stripped bare -of vegetation by fire. When this fire occurred, twenty odd years -ago, it drove the bears and rattlesnakes from their forest homes in -great numbers, so that they fell an easy prey to their destroyers. A -depression near its centre divides the ridge in two, constituting, in -effect, two mountains. We crossed the range in its whole length, and, -after newly refreshing ourselves with the admirable views had from -its greater elevation, descended the northern peak to Diana's Baths. -Probably the most striking view of the Moats is from Conway. Here the -summits, thrown into a mass of lawless curves and blunted, prong-like -protuberances, rear a blackened and weird-looking cluster on high. But -for a wide region they divide with Chocorua the honors of the landscape, -constituting, at Jackson especially, a large and imposing background, -massively based and buttressed, and cutting through space with their -trenchant edge. - -In the winter of 1876, finding myself at North Conway, I determined to -make the attempt to ascend Mount Kearsarge, notwithstanding two-thirds -of the mountain were shrouded in snow, and the bare shaft constituting -the spire sheathed in glittering ice. The mountain had definitively gone -into winter-quarters. - -I was up early enough to surprise, all at once, the unwonted and -curiously-blended effect of moonlight, starlight, and the twilight of -dawn. The new moon, with the old in her arms, balanced her shining -crescent on the curved peak of Moat Mountain. All these high, -surrounding peaks, carved in marble and flooded with effulgence, -impressed the spirit with that mingled awe and devotion felt among -the antique monuments of some vast cemetery. The sight thrilled and -solemnized by its chaste magnificence. Glittering stars, snow-draped -summits, black mountains casting sable draperies upon the dead white -of the valley, constituted a scene of sepulchral pomp into which the -supernatural entered unchallenged. One by one the stars went out. The -moon grew pale. A clear emerald, overspreading the east, was reflected -from lofty peak and tapering spire. - -[Illustration: KEARSARGE IN WINTER.] - -Day broke bright, clear, and crisp. There, again, was the same matchless -array of high and noble summits, sitting on thrones of alabaster -whiteness. While the moon still lingered in the west, the broad red -disk of the sun rose over the wooded ridges in the east. So sun and -moon, monarch and queen, saluted each other. One gave the watchword, -and descended behind the moated mountain; the other ascended the vacant -throne. Thus night and day met and exchanged majestic salutation in the -courts of the morning. - -The mercury stood at three degrees below zero in the village, when I -set out on foot for the mountain. A light fall of snow had renewed -the Christmas decorations. The trees had newly-leaved and blossomed. -Beautiful it was to see the dark old pines thick-flaked with new snow, -and the same feathery substance lodged on every twig and branchlet, -tangle of vines, or tuft of tawny yellow grass. Fir-trees looked like -gigantic azaleas; thickets like coral groves. Nothing too slender or too -fragile for the white flight to alight upon. Talk of decorative art! -Even the telegraph-wires hung in broad, graceful festoons of white, -and the poor washer-woman's clothes-line was changed into the same -immaterial thing of beauty. - -The ascent proved more toilsome than I had anticipated, as my feet -broke through the frozen crust at every step. But if the climb had been -difficult when in the woods, it certainly presented few attractions when -I emerged from them half a mile below the summit. I found the surface of -the bare ledges, which now continue to the top of the mountain, sheeted -in ice, smooth and slippery as glass. - -Many a time have I laughed heartily at the feverish indecision of a dog -when he runs along the margin of a pond into which he has been urged -to plunge. He turns this way and that, whines, barks, crouches for the -leap, laps the water, but hesitates. Imagine, now, the same animal -chasing some object upon slippery ice, his feet spread widely apart; -his frantic efforts to stop; the circles described in the air by his -tail. Well, I experienced the same perplexity, and made nearly the same -ridiculous evolutions. - -After several futile attempts to advance over it, and as often finding -myself sliding backward with entire loss of control of my own movements, -I tried the rugged ravine, traversing the summit, with some success, -steadying my steps on the iced bowlders by grasping the bushes which -grew there among clefts of the rock. But this way, besides being -extremely fatiguing, was decidedly the more dangerous of the two; and -I was glad, after a brief trial, to abandon it for the ice, in which, -here and there, detached stones, solidly embedded, furnished points of -support, if they could be reached. By pursuing a zigzag course from -stone to stone, sometimes--like a pious Moslem approaching the tomb of -the Prophet--upon my hands and knees, and shedding tears from the force -of the wind, I succeeded in getting over the ledges after an hour's -obstinate battle to maintain an upright position, and after several -mishaps had taught me a degree of caution closely approaching timidity. -By far the most treacherous ground was where fresh snow, covering the -smooth ice, spread its pitfalls in the path, causing me several times -to measure my length; but at last these obstacles were one by one -surmounted; I groped my way, foot by foot, up the sharp rise of the -pinnacle, finding myself at the front door of the house which is so -conspicuous an object from the valley. - -Never was air more pure, more crisp, or more transparent. Besides, -what air can rival that of winter? I felt myself rather floating than -walking. Certainly there is a lightness, a clearness, and a depth that -belongs to no other season. At no other season do we behold our native -skies so blue, so firm, or so brilliant as when the limpid ether, -winnowed by the fierce north wind to absolute purity, presents objects -with such marvellous clearness, precision, and fidelity, that we hardly -persuade ourselves they are forty, fifty, or a hundred miles distant. To -realize this rare condition was all the object of the ascent--an object -attained in a measure far beyond any anticipations I had formed. - -As may easily be imagined, the immediate effect was bewildering in the -extreme. In the first place, the direct rays of the noonday sun covered -the mountain-top with dazzling brilliancy. The eye fairly ached with -looking at it. In the second, the intensity of the blue was such as to -give the idea that the grand expanse of sky was hard frozen. Nothing -more coldly brilliant than this immense azure dome can be conceived. -There was not the faintest trace of a cloud anywhere; nothing but this -splendid void. Under this high-vaulted dome, imagine now a vast expanse -of white etched with brown--a landscape in sepia. Such was the general -effect. - -But the inexpressible delight of having all this admirable scene to -one's self! Taine asks, "Can anything be sweeter than the certainty -of being alone? In any widely known spot, you are in constant dread -of an incursion of tourists; the hallooing of guides, the loud-voiced -admiration, the bustle, whether of unfastening horses, or of unpacking -provisions, or of airing opinions, all disturb the budding sensation; -civilization recovers its hold upon you. But here, what security and -what silence! nothing that recalls man; the landscape is just what it -has been these six thousand years." - -The view from this mountain is justly admired. Stripped of life and -color, I found it sad, pathetic even. Dead white and steel blue rudely -repulsed the sensitive eye. The north wind, cold and cutting, drove me -to take shelter under glaring rocks. The cracking of ice first on one -side, then on the other, diverted the attention from the landscape, -as if the mountain was continually snapping its fingers in disdain. -I had constantly the feeling that some _one_ or some _thing_ was at -my elbow. What childishness! But where now was the lavish summer, the -barbaric splendors of autumn--its arabesques of foliage, its velvet -shadows, its dappled skies, its glow, mantling like that of health and -beauty? All-pervading gloom and defoliation were rendered ten times more -melancholy by the splendid glare. Winter flung her white shroud over the -land to hide the repulsiveness of death. - -I looked across the valley where Moat Mountain reared its magnificent -dark wave. Passing to the north side, the eye wandered over the wooded -summits to the silvery heap of Washington, to which frozen, rose-colored -mists were clinging. A great ice-cataract rolled down over the edge -of Tuckerman's Ravine, its wave of glittering emerald. It shone with -enchanting brilliancy, cheating the imagination with the idea that -it moved; that the thin, spectral vapor rose from the depths of the -ice-cold gorge below. There gaped, wide open, the enormous hole of -Carter Notch; there the pale-blue Saco wound in and out of the hills, -with hamlets and villages strung along its serpentine course; and, as -the river grows, villages increase to towns, towns to cities. There -was the sea sparkling like a plain of quicksilver, with ponds and -lakes innumerable between. There, in the south-west, as far as the eye -could reach, was Monadnock demanding recognition; and in the west, -Moosehillock, Lafayette, Carrigain peaks, lifted with calm superiority -above the chaos of mountains, like higher waves of a frozen sea. -Finally, there were the snow-capped summits of the great range seen -throughout their whole extent, sunning their satin sides in indolent -enjoyment. - -This view has no peer in these mountains. Indeed, the mountain seems -expressly placed to command in one comprehensive sweep of the eye the -most impressive features of any mountain landscape. Being a peak of the -second order--that is to say, one not dominating all the chains--while -it does not unfold the topography of the region in its whole extent, -it is sufficiently elevated to permit the spectator to enjoy that -increasing grandeur with which the distant ranges rise, tier upon tier, -to their great central spires, without lessening materially their -loftiness, or the peculiar and varied expression of their contours. The -peak of Kearsarge peeps down over one shoulder into New Hampshire, over -the other into Maine. It looks straight up through the open door of the -Carter Notch, and boldly stares Washington in the face. It sees the -sun rise from the ocean, and set behind Mount Lafayette. It patronizes -Moat, measures itself proudly with Chocorua, and maintains a distant -acquaintance with Monadnock. It is a handsome mountain, and, as such, -is a general favorite with the ladies and the artists. Like a careful -shepherd, it every morning scans the valleys to see that none of its -flock of villages has wandered. For these villagers it is a sun-dial, a -weather-vane, an almanac; for the wayfarer, a sure guide; and for the -poet, a mountain with a soul. - -[Illustration: SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE.] - -The cold was intense, the wind piercing. On its north side the house -was deeply incrusted with ice-spars--windows and all. I feel that only -scant justice can be done to their wondrous beauty. All the scrubby -bushes growing out of interstices of the crumbling summit--wee twig -and slender filament--were stemmed with ice; while the rocks bristled -with countless frost feathers. With my pitch-cakes and a few twigs -I lighted a fire, which might be seen from the half-dozen villages -clustered about the foot of the mountain, and pleased myself with -imagining the astonishment with which a smoke curling upward from -this peak would be greeted for fifty miles around. I then prepared to -descend--I say prepared to descend, for the thing at once so easy to -say and so difficult of performance suddenly revived the recollection -of the hazardous scramble up the ledges, and made it seem child's play -by comparison. For a brief hour I had forgotten all this. However, go -down I must. But how? The first step on the ice threatened a descent -more rapid than flesh and blood could calmly contemplate. I had no -hatchet to cut steps in the ice; no rope to attach to the rocks, and -thus lower myself, as is practised in crossing the glaciers of the -Alps; and there was no foothold. For a moment I seriously thought of -forcing an entrance into the house, and, making a signal of distress, -resign myself to the possibility of help from below. But while sitting -on a rock looking blankly at the glassy declivity stretching down from -the summit, a bright idea came to my aid. I remembered having read in -Bourrienne's "Memoirs" that Bonaparte--the great Bonaparte--was forced -to slide down the summit of the Great St. Bernard _seated_, while -making his famous passage of the Alps. Yes, the great Corsican really -advanced to the conquest of Italy in this undignified posture. But never -did great example find more unworthy imitator. Seating myself, as the -Little Corporal had done, using my staff as a rudder, and steering for -protruding stones in order to check the force of the descent from time -to time, I slid down with a celerity the very remembrance of which makes -my head swim, arriving safe, but breathless and much astonished, at -the first irregular patch of snow. The pleasure of standing erect on -something the feet could grasp was one not to be translated into words. - -Upon reaching the hotel, I procured another pair of pantaloons of my -host, and some court-plaster from the village apothecary. If any of my -readers think my dignity compromised, I beg him to remember the example -of the great Napoleon, and his famous expedient for circumventing the -Great St. Bernard. - - - - -VI. - -_FROM KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN._ - - _Raleigh._--"Fain would I climb, but that I fear to fall." - _Queen Elizabeth._--"If thy heart fail thee, climb thou not at all." - - -After the storm, we had a fine lunar bow. The corona in the centre was a -clear silver, the outer circle composed of pale green and orange fires. -Over the moon's disk clouds swept a continuous stormy flight. The great -planet resembled a splendid decoration hung high in the heavens. - -Having now progressed to terms of easy familiarity with the village, it -was decided to pay our respects to the Intervale, which unites it with -the neighboring town of Bartlett. - -The road up the valley first skirts a wood, and through this wood are -delicious glimpses of Mount Adams. During the heat of the day or cool -of the evening this extensive and beautiful forest has always been a -favorite haunt. Tall, athletic pines, that bend in the breeze like -whalebone, lift their immense clusters of impenetrable foliage on high. -The sighs of lovers are softly echoed in their green tops; voices and -laughter issue from it. We, too, will swing our hammock here, and -breathe the healing fragrance that is so grateful. - -In a little enclosure of rough stone, on the Bigelow place, lie the -remains of the ill-fated Willey family, who were destroyed by the -memorable slide of 1826. The inscription closes with this not too lucid -figure: - - "We gaze around, we read their monument; - We sigh, and when we sigh we sink." - -Where the high terrace, making one grand sweep to the right, again -unveils the same superb view of the great summits, now wholly -unobstructed by houses or groves, we halt before that picture, -unrivalled in these mountains, not surpassed, perhaps, upon earth, and -which we never tire of gazing upon. Its most salient features have -already been described; but here in their very midst, from their very -heart, nature seems to have snatched a garden-spot from the haggard -mountains arrested in their advance by the command, "Thus far, and no -farther!" The elms, all grace, all refinement of form, bend before -the fierce blasts of winter, but stir not. The frozen east wind flies -shrieking through, as if to tear them limb from limb. The ground is -littered with their branches. They bow meekly before its rage, but stir -not. Really, they seem so many sentinels jealously guarding that repose -of which the vale is so eloquently the expression. The vale regards the -stormy summits around with the unconcern of perfect security. It is rest -to look at it. - -[Illustration: CONWAY MEADOWS.] - -Again we scan the great peaks which in clear days come boldly down and -stand at our very doors, but on hazy ones remove to a vast distance, -keeping vaguely aloof day in and day out. Sometimes they are in the -sulks, sometimes bold and forward. By turns they are graciously -condescending, or tantalizingly incomprehensible. One time they muffle -themselves in clouds from head to foot, so we cannot detect a suggestive -line or a contour; another, throwing off all disguise, they expose their -most secret beauties to the free gaze of the multitude. This is to set -the beholder's blood on fire with the passion to climb as high as those -gray shafts of everlasting rock that so proudly survey the creeping -leagues beneath them. - -Nowhere is the unapproachable grandeur of Mount Washington more fully -manifested than here. This large and impressive view is at once -suggestive of that glorious pre-eminence always associated with high -mountains. There are mountains, respectable ones too, in the middle -distance; but over these the great peak lords it with undisputed sway. -The bold and firm, though gradual, lines of ascent culminating at the -apex, extend over leagues of sky. After a clear sunset, Mount Washington -takes the same dull lead-color of the clouds hovering like enormous -night-birds over its head. - -North Conway permits, to the tourist, a choice of two very agreeable -excursions, either of which may be made in a day, although they could -profitably occupy a week. One is to follow the course of the Saco, -through the great Notch, to Fabyans, where you are on the westward -side of the great range, and where you take the rail to the summit -of Mount Washington. The other excursion is to diverge from the Saco -Valley three or four miles from North Conway, ascending the valley of -Ellis River--one of the lame affluents of the Saco--through the Pinkham -Notch to the Glen House, where you are exactly under the eastern foot -of Mount Washington, and may ascend it, by the carriage-road, in a -coach-and-four. We had already chosen the first route, and as soon as -the roads were a little settled we began our march. - -The storm was over. The keen north wind drove the mists in utter rout -before it. Peak after peak started out of the clouds, glowered on us a -moment, and then muffled his enormous head in fleecy vapor. The clouds -seemed thronged with monstrous apparitions, struggling fiercely with -the gale, which in pure wantonness tore aside the magic drapery that -rendered them invisible, scattering its tattered rags far and wide over -the valley. - -Now the sun entered upon the work begun by the wind. Quicker than -thought, a ray of liquid flame transfixed the vapors, flashed upon the -vale, and, flying from summit to summit, kindled them with newborn -splendor. One would have said a flaming javelin, hurled from high -heaven, had just cleft its dazzling way to earth. The mists slunk away -and hid themselves. The valley was inundated with golden light. Even the -dark faces of the cliffs brightened and beamed upon the vale, where the -bronzed foliage fluttered, and the river leaped for joy. In a little -time nothing was left but scattered clouds winging their way toward the -lowlands. - -[Illustration: BARTLETT BOWLDER.] - -Near Glen Station is one of those curiosities--a transported -boulder--which was undoubtedly left while on its travels through the -mountains, poised upon four smaller ones, in the position seen in the -engraving. - -Three miles below the village of Bartlett we stopped before a -farm-house, with the gable-end toward the road, to inquire the distance -to the next tavern, where we meant to pass the night. A gruff voice from -the inside growled something by way of reply; but as its owner, whoever -he might be, did not take the trouble to open his door, the answer was -unintelligible. - -"The churl!" muttered the colonel. "I have a great mind to teach him to -open when a gentleman knocks." - -"And I advise you not to try it," said the voice from the inside. - -The one thing a Kentuckian never shrinks from is a challenge. He only -said, "Wait a minute," while putting his broad shoulder against the -door; but now George and I interfered. Neither of us had any desire to -signalize our entry into the village by a brawl, and after some trouble -we succeeded in pacifying our fire-eater with the promise to stop at -this house on our way back. - -"I shall know it again," said the colonel, looking back, and nibbling -his long mustache with suppressed wrath; "something has been spilled on -the threshold--something like blood." - -We laughed heartily. The blood, we concluded, was in the colonel's eyes. - -Some time after nightfall we arrived in the village, having put thirteen -miles of road behind us without fatigue. Our host received us with a -blazing fire--what fires they do have in the mountains, to be sure!--a -pitcher of cider, and the remark, "Don't be afraid of it, gentlemen." - -All three hastened to reassure him on this point. The colonel began with -a loud smack, and George finished the jug with a deep sigh. - -"Don't be afraid of it," repeated the landlord, returning presently with -a fresh pitcher. "There are five barrels more like it in the cellar." - -"Landlord," quoth George, "let one of your boys take a mattress, two -blankets, and a pillow to the cellar. I intend to pass the night there." - -"I only wish your well was full of it," said the colonel, taking a -second pull at the jug, and making a second explosion with his lips. - -"Gentlemen," said I, "we have surely entered a land of milk and honey." - -"You shall have as much of both as you desire," said our host, very -affably. "Supper is ready, gentlemen." - -After supper a man came in for whom I felt, upon the instant, one of -those secret antipathies which are natural to me. The man was an utter -stranger. No matter: the repugnance seized me all the same. - -After a tour of the tap-room, and some words with our landlord in an -undertone, the stranger went out with the look of a man who had asked -for something and had been refused. - -"Where have I heard that man's voice?" said the colonel, thoughtfully. - -Our landlord is one of the most genial to be found among the mountains. -While sitting over the fire during the evening, the conversation turned -upon the primitive simplicity of manners remarked among mountaineers in -general; and our host illustrated it with this incident: - -"You noticed, perhaps, a man who left here a few moments ago?" he began. - -We replied affirmatively. It was my antipathy. - -"Well, that man killed a traveller a few years back." - -We instinctively recoiled. The air seemed tainted with the murderer's -presence. - -"Yes; dead as a mutton," continued the landlord, punching the logs -reflectively, and filling the chimney with sparks. "The man came to -his house one dark and stormy night, and asked to be admitted. The man -of the house flatly refused. The stranger pleaded hard, but the fellow -ordered him away with threats. Finding entreaties useless, the traveller -began to grow angry, and attempted to push open the door, which was -only fastened by a button, as the custom is. The man of the house said -nothing, but took his gun from a corner, and when the intruder crossed -the threshold he put three slugs through him. The wounded man expired on -the threshold, covering it with his blood." - -"Murdered him, and for that? Come, come, you are joking!" ejaculated -George, with a half smile of incredulity. - -"Blowed him right through, just as I tell you," reiterated the narrator, -without heeding the doubt George's question implied. - -"That sounds a little like Old Kentuck," observed the colonel, coolly. - -"Yes; but listen to the sequel, gentlemen," resumed the landlord. "The -murderer took the dead body in his arms, finding, to his horror, that -it was an acquaintance with whom he had been drinking the day before; -he took up the body, as I was saying, laid it out upon a table, and -then went quietly to bed. In the morning he very honestly exhibited the -corpse to all who passed his door, and told his story as I tell it to -you. I had it from his own lips." - -"That beats Kentucky," asseverated the colonel. For my own part, I -believed the landlord was amusing himself at our expense. - -"I don't know about Kentucky," observed the landlord; "I was never there -in my life; but I do know that, when the dead man was buried, the man -who killed him went to the funeral like any curious or indifferent -spectator." - -This was too much. George rose from his chair, and began to be -interested in a placard on the wall. "And you say this happened near -here?" he slowly inquired; "perhaps, now, you could show us the very -house?" he finished, dryly. - -"Nothing easier. It's only three miles back on the road you came. The -blood-stain is plain, or was, on the threshold." - -We exchanged glances. This was the house where we halted to inquire our -way. The colonel's eyes dilated, but he said nothing. - -"But was there no trial?" I asked. - -"Trial? oh yes. After several days had run by, somebody thought of -that; so one morning the slayer saddled his horse and rode over to the -county-seat to inquire about it. He was tried at the next sessions, and -acquitted. The judge charged justifiable homicide; that a man's house is -his fort; the jury did not leave their benches. By-the-bye, gentlemen, -that is some of the man's cider you are drinking." - -I felt decided symptoms of revolt in my stomach; George made a grimace, -and the colonel threw his unfinished glass in the fire. During the -remainder of the evening he rallied us a good deal on the subject of New -England hospitality, but said no more about going back to chastise the -man of the red house.[5] - -The sun rose clear over the right shoulder of Kearsarge. After breakfast -the landlord took us out and introduced us to his neighbors, the -mountains. While he was making the presentation in due form, I jotted -down the following, which has, at least, the merit of conciseness: - -_Upper Bartlett_: an ellipse of fertile land; three Lombardy poplars; a -river murmuring unseen; a wall of mountains, with Kearsarge looking up, -and Carrigain looking down the intervale. _Item_: the cider is excellent. - -We had before us the range extending between Swift River and the Saco, -over which I looked from the summit of Chocorua straight to Mount -Washington. To the east this range is joined with the out-works of -Moat. Then come Table, Bear, Silver Spring (Bartlett Haystack), and -Tremont, in the order named. Then comes the valley of Sawyer's River, -with Carrigain rising between its walls; then, crossing to the north -side of the Saco, the most conspicuous object is the bold Hart's Ledge, -between which and Sawyer's Rock, on the opposite bank, the river is -crowded into a narrow channel. The mountain behind the hotel is Mount -Langdon, with Crawford more distant. Observe closely the curious -configuration of this peak. Whether we go up or down, it nods familiarly -to us from every point of approach. - -But Kearsarge and Carrigain are the grand features here. One gives -his adieu, the other his welcome. One is the perfection of symmetry, -of grace; the other simply demands our homage. His snowy crown, -dazzling white against the pure blue, was the badge of an incontestable -superiority. These two mountains are the presiding genii of this -charming intervale. You look first at the massive lineaments of one, -then at the flowing lines of the other, as at celebrated men, whose -features you would strongly impress upon the memory. - -From the village street we saw the sun go down behind Mount Carrigain, -and touch with his glittering sceptre the crest of Hancock. We looked up -the valley dominated by the giant of the Pemigewasset wilderness with -feelings of high respect for this illustrious hermit, who only deigns to -show himself from this single point, and whose peak long yielded only to -the most persevering and determined climbers. - -Two days were formerly required for the ascent of this mountain, but -a long day will now suffice, thanks to the path constructed under the -direction of the Appalachian Club. The mountain is four thousand six -hundred and twenty-five feet above the sea, and is wooded to its summit. -The valley of Sawyer's River drains the deep basin between Carrigain and -Hancock, entering the Saco near the railroad station called Livermore. -The lumbermen have now penetrated this valley to the foot of the -mountain, with their rude logging roads, offering a way soon, it is -hoped, to be made plainer for future climbers than it was our lot to -find it. - -Thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the mountains, we now regarded -distances with disdain, and fatigue with indifference. We had learned -to make our toilets in the stream, and our beds in the fragrant groves. -Truly, the bronzed faces that peered at us as we bent over some solemn, -pine-shaded pool were not those we had been accustomed to seeing at -home; but having solved the problem of man's true existence, we only -laughed at each other's tawny countenances while shouldering our packs -and tightening our belts for the day's march. - -Leaving Bartlett at an early hour, we turned aside from the highway -a little beyond the bridge which spans Sawyer's River, and were soon -following a rough and stony cart-way ascending the banks of this -stream, which thundered along its rocky bed, making the woods echo with -its roar. The road grew rapidly worse, the river wilder, the forest -gloomier, until, at the end of two miles, coming suddenly out into the -sun, we entered a rude street of unpainted cabins, terminating at some -saw-mills. This hamlet, which to the artistic eye so disadvantageously -replaces the original forest, is the only settlement in the large -township of Livermore. Its mission is to ravage and lay waste the -adjacent mountains. Notwithstanding the occupation is legitimate, one -instinctively rebels at the waste around him, where the splendid natural -forest, literally hewed and hacked in pieces, exposes rudely all the -deformities of the mountains. But this lost hamlet is the first in which -a genuine emotion of any kind awaits the traveller. Ten to one it is -like nothing he ever dreamed of; his surprise is, therefore, extreme. -The men were rough, hardy-looking fellows; the women appeared contented, -but as if hard work had destroyed their good looks prematurely. Both -announced, by their looks and their manner, that the life they led was -no child's play; the men spoke only when addressed; the women stole -furtive glances at us; the half-dressed children stopped their play -to stare at the strangers. Here was neither spire nor bell. One cow -furnished all the milk for the commonalty. The mills being shut, there -was no sound except the river plashing over the rocks far down in the -gorge below; and had I encountered such a place on the sea-coast or the -frontier, I should at once have said I had stumbled upon the secret -hold of outlaws and smugglers, into which signs, grips, and passwords -were necessary to procure admission. To me, therefore, the hamlet of -Livermore was a wholly new experience. - -From this hamlet to the foot of the mountain is a long and uninteresting -tramp of five miles through the woods. We found the walking good, and -strode rapidly on, coming first to a wood-cutter's camp pitched on the -banks of Carrigain Brook, and next to the clearing they had made at the -mountain's foot. Here the actual work of the ascent began in earnest. - -Carrigain is solid, compact, massive. It is covered from head to foot -with forest. No incident of the way diverts the attention for a single -moment from the severe exertion required to overcome its steeply -inclined side; no breathing levels, no restful outlooks, no gorges, no -precipices, no cascades break the monotony of the escalade. We conquer, -as Napoleon's grenadiers did, by our legs. It is the most inexorable of -mountains, and the most exasperating. From base to summit you cannot -obtain a cup of water to slake your thirst. - -Two hours of this brought us out upon the bare summit of the great -northern spur, beyond which the true peak rose a few hundred feet -higher. Carrigain, at once the desire and the bugbear of climbers, was -beneath our feet. - -We have already examined, from the rocks of Chocorua, the situation -of this peak. We then entitled it the Hub of the White Mountains. -It reveals all the magnitude, unfolds the topography of the woody -wilderness stretching between the Saco and the Pemigewasset valleys. As -nearly as possible, it exhibits the same amazing profusion of unbroken -forest, here and there darkly streaked by hidden watercourses, as when -the daring foot of the first climber pressed the unviolated crest of the -august peak of Washington. In all its length and breadth there is not -one object that suggests, even remotely, the presence of man. We saw not -even the smoke of a hunter's camp. All was just as created; an absolute, -savage, unkempt wilderness. - -Heavens, what a bristling array of dark and shaggy mountains! Now and -then, where water gleamed out of their hideous depths, a great brilliant -eye seemed watching us from afar. We knew that we had only to look up to -see a dazzling circlet of lofty peaks drawn around the horizon, chains -set with glittering stones, clusters sparkling with antique crests; -still we could not withdraw our eyes from the profound abysses sunk deep -in the bowels of the land, typical of the uncovered bed of the primeval -ocean, sad and terrible, from which that ocean seemed only to have just -receded. - -But who shall describe all this solitary, this oppressive grandeur? -and what language portray the awfulness of these untrodden mountains? -Now and then, high up their bleak summits, a patch of forest had been -plucked up by the roots, or shaken from its hold in the throes of the -mountain, laid bare a long and glittering scar, red as a half-closed -wound. Such is the appearance of Mount Lowell, on the other side of the -gap dividing Carrigain from the Notch mountains. We saw where the dark -slope of Mount Willey gives birth to the infant Merrimack. We saw the -confluent waters of this stream, so light of foot, speeding through the -gloomy defiles, as if fear had given them wings. We saw the huge mass of -Mount Hancock force itself slowly upward out of the press. Unutterable -lawlessness stamped the whole region as its own. - -That I have thus dwelt upon its most extraordinary feature, instead of -examining the landscape in detail, must suffice for the intelligent -reader. I have not the temerity to coolly put the dissecting-knife into -its heart. To science the things which belong to science. Besides, to -the man of feeling all this is but secondary. We are not here to make a -chart. - -After a visit to the high summit, where some work was done in the -interest of future climbers, we set out at four in the afternoon, on -our return down the mountain. A second time we halted on the spur to -glance upward at the heap of summits over which Mount Washington lifts a -regular dome. The long line of peaks, ascending from Crawford's, seems -approaching it by a succession of huge steps. It was after dark when we -saw the lights of the village before us, and were again warmly welcomed -by the rousing fire and smoking viands of mine host. - - - - -VII. - -_VALLEY OF THE SACO._ - - With our faint heart the mountain strives; - Its arms outstretched, the Druid wood - Waits with its benedicte. - _Sir Launfal._ - - -At eight o'clock in the morning we resumed our march, with the intention -of reaching Crawford's the same evening. The day was cold, raw, and -windy, so we walked briskly--sharp air and cutting wind acting like whip -and spur. - -I retain a vivid recollection of this morning. Autumn had passed her -cool hand over the fevered earth. Soft as three-piled velvet, the green -turf left no trace of our tread. The sky was of a dazzling blue, and -frescoed with light clouds, transparent as gauze, pure as the snow -glistening on the high summits. On both sides of us audacious mountains -braced their feet in the valley; while others mounted over their brawny -shoulders, as if to scale the heavens. - -But what shall I say of the grand harlequinade of nature which the -valley presented to our view? I cannot employ Victor Hugo's odd simile -of a peacock's tail; that is more of a witticism than a description. -The death of the year seemed to prefigure the glorious and surprising -changes of color in a dying dolphin--putting on unparalleled beauty at -the moment of dissolution, and so going out in a blaze of glory. - -From the meagre summits enfiladed by the north wind, and where a -solitary pine or cedar intensified the desolation, to the upper forests, -the mountains bristled with a scanty growth of dead or dying trees. -Those scattered birches, high up the mountain side, looked like quills -on a porcupine's back; that group, glistening in the morning sun, -like the pipes of an immense organ. From this line of death, which -vegetation crossed at its peril, the eye dropped down over a limitless -forest of dark evergreen spotted with bright yellow. The effect of the -sunlight on this foliage was magical. Myriad flambeaux illuminated the -deep gloom, doubling the intensity of the sun, emitting rays, glowing, -resplendent. This splendid light, which the heavy masses of orange -seemed to absorb, gave a velvety softness to the lower ridges and spurs, -covering their hard, angular lines with a magnificent drapery. The lower -forests, the valley, were one vast sea of color. Here the bewildering -melange of green and gold, orange and crimson, purple and russet, -produced the effect of an immense Turkish rug--the colors being soft -and rich, rather than vivid or brilliant. This quality, the blending -of a thousand tints, the dreamy grace, the sumptuous profusion, the -inexpressible tenderness, intoxicated the senses. Earth seemed no longer -earth. We had entered a garden of the gods. - -From time to time a scarlet maple flamed up in the midst of the forest, -and its red foliage, scattered at our feet by the wind, glowed like -flakes of fire beaten from an anvil. A tangled maze of color changed the -road into an avenue bordered with rare and variegated plants. Autumn's -bright sceptre, the golden-rod, pointed the way. Blue and white daisies -strewed the greensward. - -After passing Sawyer's River, the road turned abruptly to the north, -skirting the base of the Nancy range. We were at the door of the second -chamber in this remarkable gallery of nature. - -Before crossing the threshold it is expedient to allude to the incident -which has given a name not only to the mountain, but to the torrent we -see tearing its impetuous way down from the upper forests. The story of -Nancy's Brook is as follows: - -In the latter part of the last century, a maiden, whose Christian name -of Nancy is all that comes down to us, was living in the little hamlet -of Jefferson. She loved, and was betrothed to a young man of the farm. -The wedding-day was fixed, and the young couple were on the eve of -setting out for Portsmouth, where their happiness was to be consummated -at the altar. In the trustfulness of love, the young girl confided the -small sum which constituted all her marriage-portion to her lover. This -man repaid her simple faith with the basest treachery. Seizing his -opportunity, he left the hamlet without a word of explanation or of -adieu. The deserted maiden was one of those natures which cannot quietly -sit down under calamity. Urged on by the intensity of her feelings, she -resolved to pursue her recreant lover. He could not resist her prayers, -her entreaties, her tears! She was young, vigorous, intrepid. With her -to decide and to act were the same thing. In vain the family attempted -to dissuade her from her purpose. At nightfall she set out. - -A hundred years ago the route taken by this brave girl was not, as -to-day, a thoroughfare which one may follow with his eyes shut. It was -only an obscure path, little travelled by day, deserted by night. For -thirty miles, from Colonel Whipple's, in Jefferson, to Bartlett, there -was not a human habitation. The forests were filled with wild beasts. -The rigor of the season--it was December--added its own perils. But -nothing could daunt the heroic spirit of Nancy; she had found man more -cruel than all besides. - -[Illustration: NANCY IN THE SNOW.] - -The girl's hope was to overtake her lover before dawn at the place where -she expected he would have camped for the night. She found the camp -deserted, and the embers extinguished. Spurred on by hope or despair, -she pushed on down the tremendous defile of the Notch, fording the -turbulent and frozen Saco, and toiling through deep snows and over rocks -and fallen trees, until, feeling her strength fail, she sunk exhausted -on the margin of the brook which seems perpetually bemoaning her sad -fate. Here, cold and rigid as marble, under a canopy of evergreen which -the snow tenderly drooped above, they found her. She was wrapped in her -cloak, and in the same attitude of repose as when she fell asleep on her -nuptial couch of snow-crusted moss. - -The story goes that the faithless lover became a hopeless maniac on -learning the fate of his victim, dying in horrible paroxysms not long -after. Tradition adds that for many years, on every anniversary of her -death, the mountains resounded with ravings, shrieks, and agonized -cries, which the superstitious attributed to the unhappy ghost of the -maniac lover.[6] - -It was not quite noon when we entered the beautiful and romantic glen -under the shadow of Mount Crawford. Upon our left, a little in advance, -a solidly-built English country-house, with gables, stood on a terrace -well above the valley. At our right, and below, was the old Mount -Crawford tavern, one of the most ancient of mountain hostelries. Upon -the opposite side of the vale rose the enormous mass of Mount Crawford; -and near where we stood, a humble mound, overgrown with bushes, enclosed -the mortal remains of the hardy pioneer whose monument is the mountain. - -We had an excusable curiosity to see a man who, in the prime of life, -had forsaken the city, its pleasures, its opportunities, and had come -to pass the rest of his life among these mountains; one, too, whose -enormous possessions procured for him the title of Lord of the Valley. -We heard with astonishment that our day's journey, of which we had -completed the half only, was wholly over his tract--I ought to say his -dominions--that is, over thirteen miles of field, forest, and mountain. -This being equal to a small principality, it seemed quite natural and -proper to approach the proprietor with some degree of ceremony. - -A servant took our cards at the door, and returned with an invitation to -enter. The apartment into which we were conducted was the most singular -I have ever seen; certainly it has no counterpart in this world, unless -the famous hut of Robinson Crusoe has escaped the ravages of time. -It was literally crammed with antique furniture, among which was a -high-backed chair used in dentistry; squat little bottles, containing -chemicals; and a bench, on which was a spirit-lamp; a turning-lathe, a -small portable furnace, and a variety of instruments or tools of which -we did not know the use. A few prints and oil-paintings adorned the -walls. A cheerful fire burnt on the hearth. - -"Were we in the sixteenth century," said George, "I should say this was -the laboratory of some famous alchemist." - -[Illustration: ABEL CRAWFORD.] - -Further investigation was cut short by the entrance of our host, who was -a venerable-looking man, turned of eighty, with a silver beard falling -upon his breast, and a general expression of benignity. He stooped a -little, but seemed hale and hearty, notwithstanding the weight of his -fourscore years. - -Doctor Bemis received us graciously. For an hour he entertained us with -the story of his life among the mountains, "to which," said he, "I -credit the last forty-five years--for I at first came here in pursuit of -health." After he had satisfied our curiosity concerning himself, which -he did with perfect _bonhomie_, I asked him to describe Abel Crawford, -the veteran guide of the White Hills. - -"Abel," said the doctor, "was six feet four; Erastus, the eldest son, -was six feet six, or taller than Washington; and Ethan was still -taller, being nearly seven feet. In fact, not one of the sons was less -than six feet; so you may imagine what sort of family group it was -when 'his boys,' as Abel loved to call them, were all at home. Ah, -well!" continued the doctor, with a sigh, "that kind of timber does -not flourish in the mountains now. Why, the very sight of one of those -giants inspired the timid with confidence. Ethan, called in his day -the Giant of the Hills, was a man of iron frame and will. Fear and he -were strangers. He would take up an exhausted traveller in his sinewy -arms and carry him as you would a baby, until his strength or courage -returned. The first bridle-path up the mountain was opened by him -in--let me see--ah! I have it, it was in 1821. Ethan, with the help of -his father, also built the Notch House above.[7] - -"Abel was long-armed, lean, and sinewy. Doctor Dwight, whose 'Travels -in New England' you have doubtless read, stopped with Crawford, on his -way down the Notch, in 1797. His nearest neighbor then, on the north, -was Captain Rosebrook, who lived on or near the site of the present -Fabyan House. Crawford's life of hardship had made little impression on -a constitution of iron. At seventy-five he rode the first horse that -reached the summit of Mount Washington. At eighty he often walked to -his son's (Thomas J. Crawford), at the entrance of the Notch, before -breakfast. I recollect him perfectly at this time, and his appearance -was peculiarly impressive. He was erect and vigorous as one of those -pines on yonder mountain. His long white hair fell down upon his -shoulders, and his fresh, ruddy face was always expressive of good-humor. - -"The destructive freshet of 1826," continued the doctor, "swept -everything before it, flooding the intervale, and threatening the old -house down there with instant demolition. During that terrible night, -when the Willey family perished, Mrs. Crawford was alone with her young -children in the house. The water rose with such rapidity that she was -driven to the upper story for safety. While here, the thud of floating -trees, driven by the current against the house, awakened new terrors. At -every concussion the house trembled. Wooden walls could not long stand -that terrible pounding. The heroic woman, alive to the danger, seized a -stout pole, and, going to the nearest window, kept the side of the house -exposed to the flood free from the mass of wreck-stuff collected against -it. She held her post thus throughout the night, until the danger had -passed. When the flood subsided, Crawford found several fine trout alive -in his cellar." - -"When do the great freshets usually occur?" I asked. - -"In the autumn," replied our host. "It is not the melting snows, but the -sudden rainfalls that we fear." - -"Yes," resumed he, reflectively, "the Crawfords were a family of -athletes. With them the race of guides became extinct. Soon after -settling here, Abel went with his wife to Bartlett on some occasion, -leaving their two boys in the care of a hired man. When they had gone, -this man took what he could find of value and decamped. When Abel -returned, which he did on the following day, he immediately set out -in pursuit of the thief, overtook him thirty miles from here, in the -Franconia forests, flogged him within an inch of his life, and let him -go." - -"Sixty miles on foot, and alone, to recover a few stolen goods, and -punish a thief!" cried the astonished colonel; "that beats Daniel Boone." - -"Yes; and what is more, the boys were brought up to face hunger, cold, -fatigue, with Indian stoicism, and even to encounter bears, lynxes, and -wolves with no other weapons than those provided by nature. There, now, -was Ethan, for example," said the doctor, smiling at the recollection. -"One day he took it into his head to have a tame bear for the diversion -of his guests. Well, he caught a young one, half grown, and remarkably -vicious, in a trap. But how to get him home! At length Ethan tied his -fore and hind paws together so he couldn't scratch, and put a muzzle of -withes over his nose so he couldn't bite. Then, shouldering his prize -as he would a bag of meal, the guide started for home, in great glee -at the success of his clever expedient. He had not gone far, however, -before Bruin managed to get one paw wholly and his muzzle partly free, -and began to scratch and struggle and snap at his captor savagely. Ethan -wanted to get the bear home terribly; but, after having his clothing -nearly torn off his back, he grew angry, and threw the beast upon the -ground with such force as to kill him instantly." - -"Report," said I, "credits you with naming most of the mountains which -overlook the intervale." - -"Yes," replied the doctor, "Resolution, over there"--indicating the -mountain allied to Crawford, and to the ridge which forms one of -the buttresses of Mount Washington--"I named in recognition of the -perseverance of Mr. Davis, who became discouraged while making a path to -Mount Washington in 1845." - -"Is the route practicable?" I asked. - -"Practicable, yes; but nearly obliterated, and seldom ascended. Have you -seen Frankenstein?" demanded the doctor, in his turn. - -We replied in the negative. - -"It will repay a visit. I named it for a young German artist who passed -some time with me, and who was fascinated by its rugged picturesqueness. -Here is some of his work," pointing to the paintings which, apparently, -formed the foundation of the collection on the walls. - -Our host accompanied us to the door with a second injunction not to -forget Frankenstein. - -"You have something there good for the eyes," I observed, indicating the -green carpet of the vale beneath us. - -"True; but you should have seen it when the deer boldly came down the -mountain and browsed quietly among the cattle. That was a pretty sight, -and one of frequent occurrence when I first knew the place. At that -time," he continued, "the stage passed up every other day. Sometimes -there were one or two, but seldom three passengers." - -Proceeding on our way, we now had a fine view of the Giant's Stairs, -which we had already seen from Mount Carrigain, but less boldly outlined -than they appear from the valley, where they really look like two -enormous steps cut on the very summit of the opposite ridge. No name -could be more appropriate, though each of the degrees of this colossal -staircase demands a giant not of our days; for they are respectively -three hundred and fifty, and four hundred and fifty feet in height. It -was over those steps that the Davis path ascended. - -A mile or a mile and a half above the Crawford Glen, we emerged from -behind a projecting spur of the mountain which hid the upper valley, -when, by a common impulse, we stopped, fairly stupefied with admiration -and surprise. - -Thrust out before us, athwart the pass, a black and castellated pile -of precipices shot upward to a dizzy height, and broke off abruptly -against the sky. Its bulging sides and regular outlines resembled the -clustered towers and frowning battlements of some antique fortress -built to command the pass. Gashed, splintered, defaced, it seemed to -have withstood for ages the artillery of heaven and the assaults of -time. With what solitary grandeur it lifted its mailed front above the -forest, and seemed even to regard the mountains with disdain! Silent, -gloomy, impregnable, it wanted nothing to recall those dark abodes of -the Thousand and One Nights, in which malignant genii are imprisoned for -thousands of years. - -This was Frankenstein. We at once accord it a place as the most -suggestive of cliffs. From the other side of the valley the resemblance -to a mediaeval castle is still more striking. It has a black gorge for a -moat, so deep that the head swims when crossing it; and to-day, as we -crept over the cat's-cradle of a bridge thrown across for the passage -of the railway, and listened to the growling of the torrent far down -beneath, the whole frail structure seemed trembling under us. - -But what a contrast! what a singular freak of nature! At the foot of -this grisly precipice, clothing it with almost superhuman beauty, was a -plantation of maples and birches, all resplendent in crimson and gold. -Never have I seen such masses of color laid on such a background. Below -all was light and splendor; above, all darkness and gloom. Here the eye -fairly revelled in beauty, there it recoiled in terror. The cliff was -like a naked and swarthy Ethiopian up to his knees in roses. - -We walked slowly, with our eyes fixed on these cliffs, until another -turn of the road--we were now on the railway embankment--opened a vista -deserving to be remembered as one of the marvels of this glorious -picture-gallery. - -The perfection and magnificence of this truly regal picture, the -gigantic scale on which it is presented, without the least blemish to -mar its harmony or disturb the impression of one grand, unique whole, is -a revelation to the least susceptible nature in the world. - -Frankenstein was now a little withdrawn, on our left. Upon the right, -fluttering its golden foliage as if to attract our attention, a -plantation of tall, satin-stemmed birches stretched for some distance -along the railway. Between the long buttress of the cliff and this -forest lay open the valley of Mount Washington River, which is driven -deep into the heart of the great range. There, through this valley, -cutting the sapphire sky with their silver silhouette, were the giant -mountains, surmounted by the splendid dome of Washington himself. - -[Illustration: STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY.] - -Passing beyond, we had a fine retrospect of Crawford, with his curved -horn; and upon the dizzy iron bridge thrown across the gorge beneath -Frankenstein, striking views are obtained of the mountains below. They -seemed loftier and grander, and more imposing than ever. - -Turning our faces toward the north, we now beheld the immense bulk and -superb crest of Willey. On the other side of the valley was the long -battlement of Mount Webster. We were at the entrance of the great Notch. - - - - -VIII. - -_THROUGH THE NOTCH._ - - Around his waist are forests braced, - The avalanche in his hand.--BYRON. - - -The valley, which had continually contracted since leaving Bartlett, -now appeared fast shut between these two mountains; but on turning the -tremendous support which Mount Willey flings down, we were in presence -of the amazing defile cloven through the midst, and giving entrance to -the heart of the White Hills. - -These gigantic mountains divided to the right and left, like the Red -Sea before the Israelites. Through the immense trough, over which their -crests hung suspended in mid-air, the highway creeps and the river -steals away. The road is only seen at intervals through the forest; a -low murmur, like the hum of bees, announces the river. - -I have no conception of the man who can approach this stupendous chasm -without a sensation of fear. The idea of imminent annihilation is -everywhere overwhelming. The mind refuses to reason, or rather to fix -itself, except on a single point. What if the same power that commanded -these awful mountains to remove should hurl them back to ever-during -fixedness? Should, do I say? The gulf seemed contracting under our very -eyes--the great mountains toppling to their fall. With an eagerness -excited by high expectation, we had pressed forward; but now we -hesitated. - -This emotion, which many of my readers have doubtless partaken, was our -tribute to the dumb but eloquent expression of power too vast for our -feeble intellects to measure. It was the triumph of matter over mind; of -the finite over the infinite. - -Below, it was all admiration and surprise; here, all amazement and fear. -The more the mountains exalted themselves, the more we were abased. -Trusting, nevertheless, in our insignificance, we moved on, looking with -all our eyes, absorbed, silent, and almost worshipping. - -The wide split of the Notch, which we had now entered, had on one side -Mount Willey, drawn up to his full height; and on the other Mount -Webster, striped with dull red on clingy yellow, like an old tiger's -skin. Willey is the highest; Webster the most remarkable. Willey has -a conical spire; Webster a long, irregular battlement. Willey is a -mountain; Webster a huge block of granite. - -For two miles the gorge winds between these mountains to where it is -apparently sealed up by a sheer mass of purple precipices lodged full -in its throat. This is Mount Willard. The vast chasm glowed with the -gorgeous colors of the foliage, even when a passing cloud obscured the -sun. These general observations made, we cast our eyes down into the -vale reposing at our feet. We had chosen for our point of view that to -which Abel Crawford conducted Sir Charles Lyell in 1845. The scientist -has made the avalanche bear witness to the glacier, precisely as one -criminal is made to convict another under our laws. - -Five hundred feet below us was a little clearing, containing a hamlet -of two or three houses. From this hamlet to the storm-crushed crags -glistening on the summit of Mount Willey the track of an old avalanche -was still distinguishable, though the birches and alders rooted among -the debris threatened to obliterate it at no distant day. - -We descended by this still plain path to the houses at the foot of the -mountain. One and the other are associated with the most tragic event -connected with the history of the great Notch. - -We found two houses, a larger and smaller, fronting the road, neither -of which merits a description; although evidence that it was visited by -multitudes of curious pilgrims abounded on the walls of the unoccupied -building. - -Since quite early in the century, this house was kept as an inn; and -for a long time it was the only stopping-place between Abel Crawford's -below and Captain Rosebrook's above--a distance of thirteen miles. Its -situation, at the entrance of the great Notch, was advantageous to the -public and to the landlord, but attended with a danger which seems not -to have been sufficiently regarded, if indeed it caused successive -inmates particular concern. This fatal security had a lamentable sequel. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WILLARD FROM WILLEY BROOK.] - -In 1826 this house was occupied by Samuel Willey, his wife, five -children, and two hired men. During the summer a drought of unusual -severity dried the streams, and parched the thin soil of the neighboring -mountains. On the evening of the 26th of June, the family heard a heavy, -rumbling noise, apparently proceeding from the mountain behind them. In -terror and amazement they ran out of the house. They saw the mountain -in motion. They saw an immense mass of earth and rock detach itself -and move toward the valley, at first slowly, then with gathered and -irresistible momentum. Rocks, trees, earth, were swooping down upon -them from the heights in three destroying streams. The spectators stood -rooted to the spot. Before they could recover their presence of mind the -avalanche was upon them. One torrent crossed the road only ten rods from -the house; another a little distance beyond; while the third and largest -portion took a different direction. With great labor a way was made over -the mass of rubbish for the road. The avalanche had shivered the largest -trees, and borne rocks weighing many tons almost to the door of the -lonely habitation. - -This awful warning passed unheeded. On the 28th of August, at dusk, -a storm burst upon the mountains, and raged with indescribable fury -throughout the night. The rain fell in sheets. Innumerable torrents -suddenly broke forth on all sides, deluging the narrow valley, and -bearing with them forests that had covered the mountains for ages. The -swollen and turbid Saco rose over its banks, flooding the Intervales, -and spreading destruction in its course. - -Two days afterward a traveller succeeded in forcing his way through the -Notch. He found the Willey House standing uninjured in the midst of -woful desolation. A second avalanche, descended from Mount Willey during -the storm, had buried the little vale beneath its ruins. The traveller, -affrighted by the scene around him, pushed open the door. As he did so, -a half-famished dog, sole inmate of the house, disputed his entrance -with a mournful howl. He entered. The interior was silent and deserted. -A candle burnt to the socket, the clothing of the inmates lying by their -bedsides, testified to the haste with which this devoted family had -fled. The death-like hush pervading the lonely cabin--these evidences -of the horrible and untimely fate of the family--the appalling scene of -wreck all around, froze the solitary intruder's blood. In terror he, -too, fled from the doomed dwelling. - -On arriving at Bartlett, the traveller reported what he had seen. -Assistance was despatched to the scene of disaster. The rescuers came -too late to render aid to the living, but they found, and buried on the -spot, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Willey, and the two hired men. The -remaining children were never found. - -It was easily conjectured that the terrified family, alive at last to -the appalling danger that menaced them, and feeling the solid earth -tremble in the throes of the mountain, sought safety in flight. They -only rushed to their doom. The discovery of the bodies showed but too -plainly the manner of their death. They had been instantly swallowed up -by the avalanche, which, in the inexplicable order of things visible in -great calamities, divided behind the house, leaving the frail structure -unharmed, while its inmates were hurried into eternity.[8] - -For some time after the disaster a curse seemed to rest upon the -old Notch House. No one would occupy it. Travellers shunned it. It -remained untenanted, though open to all who might be driven to seek its -inhospitable shelter, until the deep impression of horror which the fate -of the Willey family inspired had, in a measure, effaced itself. - -The effects of the cataclysm were everywhere. For twenty-one miles, -almost its entire length, the turnpike was demolished. Twenty-one of -the twenty-three bridges were swept away. In some places the meadows -were buried to the depth of several feet beneath sand, earth, and -rocks; in others, heaps of great trees, which the torrent had torn -up by the roots, barricaded the route. The mountains presented a -ghastly spectacle. One single night sufficed to obliterate the work of -centuries, to strip their summits bare of verdure, and to leave them -with shreds of forest and patches of shrubbery hanging to their stark -and naked sides. Thus their whole aspect was altered to an extent hardly -to be realized to-day, though remarked with mingled wonder and dread -long after the period of the convulsion. - -From the house our eyes naturally wandered to the mountain, where -quarrymen were pecking at its side like yellow-hammers at a dead -sycamore. All at once a tremendous explosion was heard, and a stream -of loosened earth and bowlders came rattling down the mountain. So -unexpected was the sound, so startling its multiplied echo, it seemed as -if the mountain had uttered a roar of rage and pain, which was taken up -and repeated by the other mountains until the uproar became deafening. -When the reverberation died away in the distance, we again heard the -metallic click of the miners' hammers chipping away at the gaunt ribs of -Mount Willey. - -How does it happen that this catastrophe is still able to awaken the -liveliest interest for the fate of the Willey family? Why is it that -the oft-repeated tale seems ever new in the ears of sympathetic -listeners? Our age is crowded with horrors, to which this seems trifling -indeed. May we not attribute it to the influence which the actual scene -exerts on the imagination? One must stand on the spot to comprehend; -must feel the mysterious terror to which all who come within the -influence of the gorge submit. Here the annihilation of a family is but -the legitimate expression of that feeling. It seems altogether natural -to the place. The ravine might well be the sepulchre of a million human -beings, instead of the grave of a single obscure family. - -We reached the public-house, at the side of the Willey house, with -appetites whetted by our long walk. The mercury had only risen to -thirty-eight degrees by the thermometer nailed to the door-post. We went -in. - -In general, the mountain publicans are not only very obliging, but equal -to even the most unexpected demands. The colonel, who never brags, had -boasted for the last half-hour what he was going to do at this repast. -In point of fact, we were famishing. - -A man was standing with his back to the fire, his hands thrust -underneath his coat-tails, and a pipe in his mouth. Either the pipe -illuminated his nose, or his nose the pipe. He also had a nervous -contraction of the muscles of his face, causing an involuntary twitching -of the eyebrows, and at the same time of his ears, up and down. This -habit, taken in connection with the perfect immobility of the figure, -made on us the impression of a statue winking. We therefore hesitated to -address it--I mean _him_--until a moment's puzzled scrutiny satisfied us -that it--I mean the strange object--was alive. He merely turned his head -when we entered the room, wagged his ears playfully, winked furiously, -and then resumed his first attitude. In all probability he was some -stranger like ourselves. - -I accosted him. "Sir," said I, "can you tell us if it is possible to -procure a dinner here?" - -The man took the pipe from his mouth, shook out the ashes very -deliberately, and, without looking at me, tranquilly observed, - -"You would like dinner, then?" - -"Would we like dinner? We breakfasted at Bartlett, and have passed six -hours fasting." - -"And eleven miles. You see, a long way between meals," interjected -George, with decision. - -"It's after the regular dinner," drawled the apathetic smoker, using his -thumb for a stopper, and stooping for a brand with which to relight his -pipe. - -"In that case we are willing to pay for any additional trouble," I -hastened to say. - -The man seemed reflecting. We _were_ hungry; that was incontestable; -but we were also shivering, and he maintained his position astride the -hearth-stone, like the fabled Colossus of old. - -"A cold day," said the colonel, threshing himself. - -"I did not notice it," returned the stranger, indifferently. - -"Only thirty-eight at the door," said George, stamping his feet with -unnecessary vehemence. - -"Indeed!" observed our man, with more interest. - -"Yes," George asserted; "and if the fireplace were only larger, or the -screen smaller." - -The man hastily stepped aside, knocking over, as he did so, a blazing -brand, which he kicked viciously back into the fire. - -Having carried the outworks, we approached the citadel. "Perhaps, sir," -I ventured, "you can inform us where the landlord may be found?" - -"You wanted dinner, I believe?" The tone in which this question was put -gave me goose-flesh. I could not speak, George dropped into a chair. -The colonel propped himself against the chimney-piece. I shrugged my -shoulders, and nodded expressively to my companions, who returned two -glances of eloquent dismay. Evidently nothing was to be got out of this -fellow. - -"Dinner for one?" continued the eternal smoker. - -"For three!" I exclaimed, out of all patience. - -"For four; I shall eat double," added the colonel. - -"Six!" shouted George, seizing the dinner-bell on the mantel-piece. - -"Stop," said the man, betraying a little excitement; "don't ring that -bell." - -"Why not?" demanded George; "we want to see the landlord; and, by Jove," -brandishing the bell aloft, "see him we will!" - -"He stands before you, gentlemen; and if you will have a little patience -I will see what can be done." So saying, he put his pipe on the -chimney-piece, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and went out, -muttering, as he did so. "The world was not made in a day." - -In three-quarters of an hour we sat down to a funereal repast, the -bare recollection of which makes me ill, but which was enlivened by the -following conversation: - -"How many inhabitants are in your tract?" I asked of the man who waited -on us. - -"Do you mean inhabitants?" - -"Certainly, I mean inhabitants." - -"Well, that's not an easy one." - -"How so?" - -"Because the same question not only puzzled the State Legislature, but -made the attorney-general sick." - -We became attentive. - -"Explain that, if you please," said I. - -"Why, just look at it: with only eight legal voters in the tract" (he -called it track), "we cast five hundred ballots at the State election." - -"Five hundred ballots! then your voters must have sprung from the ground -or from the rocks." - -"Pretty nearly so." - -"Actual men?" - -"Actual men." - -"You are jesting." - -My man looked at me as if I had offered him an affront. The supposition -was plainly inadmissible. He was completely innocent of the charge. - -"You hear those men pounding away up the hill?" he demanded, jerking his -thumb in the direction indicated. - -"Yes." - -"Well, those are the five hundred voters. On election morning they came -to the polling-place with a ballot in one hand, and a pick, a sledge, -or a drill in the other. Our supervisor is a very honest, blunt sort of -man: he refused their ballots on the spot." - -"Well?" - -"Well, one of them had a can of nitro-glycerine and a coil of wire. He -deposited his can in a corner, hitched on the wire, and was going out -with his comrades, when the supervisor, feeling nervous, said, - -"'The polls are open, gentlemen.'" - -"Ingenious," remarked George. - -The man looked astounded. - -"He means dangerous," said I; "but go on." - -"I will. When the votes were counted, at sundown, it was found that our -precinct had elected two representatives to the General Court. But when -the successful candidates presented their certificates at Concord, some -meddlesome city fellow questioned the validity of the election. The -upshot of it was that the two nitro-glycerites came back with a flea in -each ear." - -"And the five hundred were disfranchised," said George. - -"Why, as to that, half were French Canadians, half Irish, and the devil -knows what the rest were; I don't." - -"Never mind the rest. You see," said George, rising, "how, with the -railway, the blessings of civilization penetrate into the dark corners -of the earth." - -The colonel began his sacramental, "That beats--" when he was -interrupted by a second explosion, which shook the building. We paid our -reckoning, George saying, as he threw his money on the table, "A heavy -charge." - -"No more than the regular price," said the landlord, stiffly. - -"I referred, my dear sir, to the explosion," replied George, with the -sardonic grin habitual to him on certain occasions. - -"Oh!" said the host, resuming his pipe and his fireplace. - -We spent the remaining hours of this memorable afternoon sauntering -through the Notch, which is dripping with cascades, and noisy with -mountain torrents. The Saco, here nothing but a brook, crawls languidly -along its bed of broken rock. From dizzy summit to where they meet the -river, the old wasted mountains sit warming their scarred sides in the -sun. Looking up at the passage of the railway around Mount Willey, it -impressed us as a single fractured stone might have done on the Great -Pyramid, or a pin's scratch on the face of a giant. The locomotive, -which groped its way along its broken shell, stopped, and stealthily -moving again, seemed a mouse that the laboring mountain had brought -forth. But when its infernal clamor broke the silence, what demoniacal -yells shook the forests! Farewell to our dream of inviolable nature. The -demon of progress had forced his way into the very sanctuary. There were -no longer any White Mountains. - -We passed by the beautiful brook Kedron, flung down from the utmost -heights of Willey, between banks mottled with colors. Then, high up on -our right, two airy water-falls seemed to hang suspended from the summit -of Webster. These, called respectively the Silver Cascade, and the -Flume withdrew the attention from every other object, until a sharp turn -to the right brought the overhanging precipice of Mount Willard full -upon us. This enormous mass of granite, rising seven hundred feet above -the road, stands in the very jaws of the gorge, which it commands from -end to end. - -[Illustration: THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER.] - -Here the railway seems fairly stopped; but with a graceful sweep it -eludes the mountain, and glides around its massive shoulder, giving, as -it does so, a hand to the high-road, which comes straggling up the sharp -ascent. The river, now shrunken to a rivulet, is finally lost to view -beneath heaped-up blocks of granite, which the infuriated old mountain -has hurled down upon it. It is heard painfully gurgling under the ruins, -like a victim crushed, and dying by inches. - -Now and here we entered a close, dark defile hewn down between cliffs, -ascending on the right in regular terraces, on the left in ruptured -masses. These terraces were fringed at the top with tapering evergreens, -and displayed gaudy tufts of maple and mountain-ash on their cool gray. -Those on the right are furthermore decorated with natural sculptures, -indicated by sign-boards, which the curious investigate profitably or -unprofitably, according to their fertility of imagination. - -For a few rods this narrow cleft continues; then, on a sudden, the rocks -which lift themselves on either side shut together. An enormous mass -has tumbled from its ancient location on the left side, and, taking a -position within twenty feet of the opposite precipice, forms the natural -gate of the Notch, through which a way was made for the common road -with great labor, through which the river frays a passage, but where -no one would imagine there was room for either. The railway has made a -breach for itself through the solid rock, greatly diminishing the native -grandeur of the place. All three emerge from the shadow and gloom of the -pass into the cheerful sunshine of a little prairie, at the extremity of -which are seen the white walls of a hotel. - -The whole route we had traversed is full of contrasts, full of -surprises; but this sudden transition was the most picturesque, the most -startling of all. We seemed to have reached the end of the world. - - - - -IX. - -_CRAWFORD'S._ - - The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts - Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rose. - SHAKSPEARE. - - -All who have passed much time at the mountains have seen the -elephant--near the gate of the Notch. - -Though it is only from Nature's chisel, the elephant is an honest one, -and readily admitted into the category of things curious or marvellous -constantly displayed for our inspection. Standing on the piazza of the -hotel, the enormous forehead and trunk seem just emerging from the -shaggy woods near the entrance to the pass. And the gray of the granite -strengthens the illusion still more. From the Elephant's Head, a title -suggestive of the near vicinity of a public-house, there is a fine view -down the Notch for those who cannot ascend Mount Willard. - -The Crawford House, being built at the highest point of the pass, -nearly two thousand feet above the sea, is not merely a hotel--it is a -water-shed. The roof divides the rain falling upon it into two streams, -flowing on one side into the Saco, on the other into the Ammonoosuc. -Here the sun rises over the Willey range, and sets behind Mount Clinton. -The north side of the piazza enables you to look over the forests into -the valley of the Ammonoosuc, where the view is closed by the chain -dividing this basin from that of Israel's River. But we are not yet -ready to conduct the reader into this Promised Land. - -My window overlooked a grassy plain of perhaps half a mile, the view -being closed by the Gate of the Notch, now disfigured by snow-sheds -built for the protection of the railway. The massive, full-rounded bulk -of Webster rose above, the forests of Willard tumbled down into the -ragged fissure. Half-way between the hotel and the Gate, over-borne by -the big shadow of Mount Clinton, extends the pretty lakelet which is -the fountain-head of the Saco. Beyond the lake, and at the left, is -where the old Notch House stood. This lake was once a beaver-pond, and -this plain a boggy meadow, through which a road of corduroy and sods -conducted the early traveller. The highway and railway run amicably side -by side, dividing the little vale in two. - -[Illustration: ELEPHANT'S HEAD, WINTER.] - -This pass, which was certainly known to the Indians, was, in 1771, -rediscovered by Timothy Nash, a hunter, who was persuaded by Benjamin -Sawyer, another hunter, to admit him to an equal share in the discovery. -In 1773 Nash and Sawyer received a grant of 2184 acres, skirting the -mountains on the west, as a reward. With the prodigality characteristic -of their class, the hunters squandered their large acquisition in a -little time after it was granted. Both the Crawford and Fabyan hotels -stand upon their tract. - -Of many excursions which this secluded retreat offers, that to the -summit of Mount Washington, by the bridle-path opened in 1840 by Thomas -J. Crawford, and that to the top of Mount Willard, are the principal. -The route to the first begins opposite to the hotel, at the left; the -latter turns from the glen a quarter of a mile below, on the right. -Supposing Mount Washington a cathedral set on an eminence, you are here -on the summit of the eminence, with one foot on the immense staircase of -the cathedral. - -Our resolve to ascend by the bridle-path was already formed, and we -regarded the climb up Mount Willard as indispensable. As for the -cascades, which lulled us to sleep, who shall describe them? We could -not lift our eyes to the heights above without seeing one or more -fluttering in the play of the breeze, and making rainbows in pure -diversion. President Dwight, in his "Travels," has no more eloquent -passage than that describing the Flume Cascade. How many since have -thrown down pen or pencil in sheer despair of reproducing, by words -or pigments, the aerial lightness, the joyous freedom; above all, the -exuberant, unquenchable vitality that characterize mountain water-falls! -Down the Notch is a masterpiece, hidden from the eye of the passer-by, -called Ripley Falls, which fairly revels in its charming seclusion. -Only a short walk from the hotel, by a woodland path, there is another, -Beecher's Cascade, whose capricious leaps and playful somersaults, all -the while volubly chattering to itself, like a child alone with its -playthings, fascinates us, as sky, water, and fire charm the eyes of an -infant. It is always tumbling down, and as often leaping to its feet to -resume its frolicsome gambols, with no loss of sprightliness or sign of -weariness that we can detect. Only a lover may sing the praises of these -mountain cascades falling from the skies: - -"The torrent is the soul of the valley. Not only is it the Providence or -the scourge, often both at once, but it gives to it a physiognomy; it -gladdens or saddens it; it lends it a voice; it communicates life to it. -A valley without its torrent is only a hole." - -They give the name of Idlewild to the romantic sylvan retreat, reached -by a winding path, diverging near the hotel, on the left. I visited -it in company with Mr. Atwater, whose taste and enthusiasm for the -work have converted the natural disorder of the mountain side into -a trysting-place fit for elves and fairies; but where one encounters -ladies in elegant toilets, enjoying a quiet stroll among the fern-draped -rocks. Some fine vistas of the valley mountains have been opened through -the woods--beautiful little bits of blue, framed in illuminated foliage. -One notes approvingly the revival of an olden taste in the cutting and -shaping of trees into rustic chairs, stairways, and arbors. - -After a day like ours, the great fires and admirable order of the -hotel were grateful indeed. If it is true that the way to man's heart -lies through his stomach, the cherry-lipped waiter-girl, who whispered -her seductive tale in my too-willing ear at supper, made a veritable -conquest. My compliments to her, notwithstanding the penalty paid for -lingering too long over the griddle-cakes. - -The autumn nights being cool, it was something curious to see the parlor -doors every now and then thrown wide open, to admit a man who came -trundling in on a wheelbarrow a monster log fit for the celebration of -Yule-tide. The city guest, accustomed to the economy of wood at home, -because it is dear, looks on this prodigality first with consternation, -and finally with admiration. When the big log is deposited on the -blazing hearth amid fusees of sparks, the easy-chairs again close around -the fireplace a charmed circle; and while the buzz of conversation goes -on, and the faces are illuminated by the ruddy glow, the wood snaps, -and hisses, and spits as if it had life and sense of feeling. The men -talk in drowsy undertones; the ladies, watching the chimney-soot catch -fire and redden, point out to each other the old grandame's pictures -of "folks coming home from meeting." This scene is the counterpart of -a warm summer evening on the piazza--both typical of unrestrained, -luxurious indolence. How many pictures have appeared in that old -fireplace! and what experiences its embers revived! Water shows us only -our own faces in their proper mask--nothing more, nothing less; but -fire, the element of the supernatural, is able, so at least we believe, -to unfold the future as easily as it turns our eyes into the past. If -only we could read! - -When we arose in the morning, what was our astonishment to see the -surrounding mountains white with snow. Like one smitten with sudden -terror, they had grown gray in a night. Striking, indeed, was the -transformation from yesterday's pomp; beautiful the contrast between -the dark green below and the dead white of the upper zones. Thickly -incrusted with hoar-frost, the stiffened foliage of the pines and firs -gave those trees the unwonted appearance of bursting into blossom. Over -all a dull and brooding sky shed its cold, wan light upon the glen, -forbidding all thought of attacking the high summits, at least for this -day. - -Dismissing this, therefore, as impracticable, we nevertheless determined -on ascending Mount Willard--an easy thing to do, considering you have -only to follow a good carriage-road for two miles and a half to reach -the precipices overlooking the Saco Valley. - -Startling, indeed, by its sublimity was the spectacle that rewarded our -trouble a thousand-fold. Still, the sensations partook more of wonder -than admiration--much more. The unpractised eye is so utterly confounded -by the immensity of this awful chasm of the Notch, yawning in all its -extent and all its grandeur far down beneath, that, powerless to grasp -the fulness and the vastness thus suddenly encountered, it stupidly -stares into those far-retreating depths. The scene really seems too -tremendous for flesh and blood to comprehend. For an instant, while -standing on the brink of the sheer precipice, which here suddenly drops -seven or eight hundred feet, my head swam and my knees trembled. - -[Illustration: LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH.] - -First came the idea that I was looking down into the dry bed of some -primeval cataract, whose mighty rush and roar the imagination summoned -again from the tomb of ages, and whose echo was in the cascades, hung -like two white arms on the black and hairy breast of the adjacent -mountain. This idea carries us luck to the Deluge, of which science -pretends to have found proofs in the basin of the Notch. What am I -saying? to the Deluge! it transports us to the Beginning itself, when -"_Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved -upon the face of the waters._" - -You see the immense walls of Mount Willey on one side, and of Webster -on the other, rushing downward thousands of feet, and meeting in one -magnificently imposing sweep at their bases. This vast natural inverted -archway has the heavens for a roof. The eye roves from the shaggy head -of one mountain to the shattered cornices of the other. One is terrible, -the other forbidding. The naked precipices of Willey, furrowed by -avalanches, still show where the fatal slide of 1826 crushed its way -down into the valley, traversing a mile in only a few moments. Far down -in the distance you see the Willey hamlet and its bright clearing. You -see the Saco's silver. - -Such, imperfectly, are the more salient features of this immense cavity -of the Notch, three miles long, two thousand feet deep, rounded as if -by art, and as full of suggestions as a ripe melon of seeds. I recall -few natural wonders so difficult to get away from, or that haunt you so -perpetually. - -Like ivy on storied and crumbling towers, so high up the cadaverous -cliffs of Willey the hardy fir-tree feels its way, insinuating its long -roots in every fissure where a little mould has crept, but mounting -always like the most intrepid of climbers. Upon the other side, the -massed and plumed forest advances boldly up the sharp declivity of -Webster; but in mid-ascent is met and ploughed in long, thin lines by -cataracts of stones, poured down upon it from the summit. Only a few -straggling bushes succeed in mounting higher; and far up, upon the very -edge of the crumbling parapet, one solitary cedar tottered. The thought -of imminent destruction prevailed over every other. Indeed, it seemed -as if one touch would precipitate the whole mass of earth, stones, and -trees into the vale beneath. - -Between these high, receding walls, which draw widely apart at the -outlet of the pass, mountains rise, range upon range. Over the flattened -Nancy summits, Chocorua lifts his crested head once more into view. We -pass in review the summits massed between, which on this morning were -of a deep blue-black, and stood vigorously forth from a sad and boding -sky. - -From the ledges of Mount Willard, Washington and the peaks between are -visible in a clear day. This morning they were muffled in clouds, which -a strong upper current of air began slowly to disperse. We, therefore, -secured a good position, and waited patiently for the unveiling. - -Little by little the clouds shook themselves free from the mountain, and -began a slow, measured movement toward the Ammonoosuc Valley. As they -were drawn out thinner and thinner, like fleeces, by invisible hands, -we began to be conscious of some luminous object behind them, and all -at once, through a rift, there burst upon the sight the grand mass of -Washington, all resplendent in silvery whiteness. From moment to moment -the trooping clouds, as if pausing to pay homage to the illustrious -recluse, encompassed it about. Then moving on, the endless procession -again and again disclosed the snowy crest, shining out in unshrouded -effulgence. To look was to be wonder-struck--to be dumb. - -As the clouds unrolled more and more their snowy billows, other and -lower summits rose above, as on that memorable morn after the Deluge, -where they appeared like islands of crystal floating in a sea of -silvery vapor. We gazed for an hour upon this unearthly display, which -derived unique splendor from fitful sun-rays shot through the folds of -surrounding clouds, then drawing off, and again darting unawares upon -the stainless white of the summits. It was a dream of the celestial -spheres to see the great dome, one moment glittering like beaten silver, -another shining with the dull lustre of a gigantic opal. - -I have since made several journeys through the Notch by the railway. -The effect of the scenery, joined with some sense of peril in the minds -of the timid, is very marked. Old travellers find a new and veritable -sensation of excitement; while new ones forget fatigue, drop the novels -they have been reading, maintaining a state of breathless suspense and -admiration until the train vanishes out at the rocky portal, after an -ascent of nearly six hundred feet in two miles. - -In effect, the road is a most striking expression of the maxim, -"_L'audace, et toujours de l'audace_," as applied to modern engineering -skill. From Bemis's to Crawford's its way is literally carved out of -the side of the mountain. But if the engineers have stolen a march upon -it, the thought, how easily the mountain could shake off this puny, -clinging thing, prevailing over every other, announces that the mountain -is still the master. - -There are no two experiences which the traveller retains so long or so -vividly as this journey through the great Notch, and this survey from -the ledges of Mount Willard, which is so admirably placed to command it. -To my mind, the position of this mountain suggests the doubt whether -nature did not make a mistake here. Was not the splitting of the -mountains an after-thought? - - - - -X. - -_THE ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S._ - - On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds. - With a diadem of snow.--_Manfred._ - - -At five in the morning I was aroused by a loud rap at the door. In an -instant I had jumped out of bed, ran to the window, and peered out. It -was still dark; but the heavens were bright with stars, so bright that -there was light in the room. Now or never was our opportunity. Not a -moment was to be lost. - -I began a vigorous reveille upon the window-pane. George half opened one -sleepy eye, and asked if the house was on fire. The colonel pretended -not to have heard. - -"Up, sluggards!" I exclaimed; "the mountain is ours!" - -"Do you know who first tempted man to go up into a high mountain?" -growled George. - -"Satan!" whined a smothered voice from beneath the bedclothes. - -The case evidently was one which demanded heroic treatment. In an -instant I whipped off the bedclothes; in another I received two violent -blows full in the chest, which compelled me to give ground. The pillows -were followed by the bolster, which I parried with a chair, the bolster -by a sortie of the garrison _in puris naturalibus_. For a few seconds -the melee was furious, the air thick with flying missiles. By a common -instinct we drew apart, with the intention of renewing the combat, when -we heard quick blows upon the partition at the left, and scared voices -from the chamber at the right demanding what was the matter. George -dropped his pillow, and articulated in a broken voice, "Malediction! I -am awake." - -"Come, gentlemen," I urged, "if you are sufficiently diverted, dress -yourselves, and let us be off. At the present moment you remind me of -the half-armed warriors on the pediment of the Parthenon." - -"I take it you mean the frieze," said George, with chattering teeth. - -The colonel was on all-fours, picking up the different articles of his -wardrobe from the four corners of the chamber. "My stocking," said he, -groping among the furniture. - -"What do you call this?" inquired George, fishing the dripping article -from the water-pitcher. - -"Eh! where the deuce is my watch?" redemanded the colonel, still seeking. - -"Perhaps this is yours?" George again suggested, drawing it, with mock -dexterity, as he had seen Hermann do, from a boot-leg. - -We quickly threw on our clothes, but at the moment of starting George -put his hand into his breast and made a frightful grimace. - -"What is it?" we both asked in one breath. "What is the matter?" - -"My pocket-book is gone." - -After five minutes' ransacking in every hole and corner of the room, -and after shaking the bedclothes carefully, all to no purpose, it was -discovered that George and myself had exchanged coats. We then went -down-stairs into the great hall, where a solitary jet of gas burnt -blue, and a sleepy watchman dozed on a settee. The morning air was -more than chilly: it was "a nipping and an eager air." There were two -or three futile attempts at pleasantry, but hunger, darkness, and the -cold quickly silenced them. A man is never himself when roused at five -in the morning. No matter how desirable the excursion may have looked -the night before, turning out of a warm bed to hurry on your clothes by -candle-light, and to take the road fasting, strips it of all glamour. - -Day broke disclosing a clear sky, up which the rosy tints of sunrise -were streaming. The last star trembled in the zone of dusky blue above -the grand old hills, like a tear-drop on the eyelids of the night. The -warm color flowed over the frosted heads of the pines, mantling their -ghastly white with the warm glow of reviving life. Then the eye fell -upon the lower forests, still wrapped in deep shadows, the tiny lake, -the boats, and, lastly, the oval plain, or vestibule of the Notch, above -which ascended the shaggy sides of Mount Willard, and the retreating -outline of Mount Webster. The little plain was white with hoar-frost; -the frozen fountain dripped slowly into its basin, like a penitent -telling its beads. - -After a hasty breakfast, despatched with mountain appetites, behold us -at half-past six entering the forest in Indian file! My companions -again found their accustomed gayety, and soon the solemn old woods -echoed with mirth. Our hopes were as high as the mountain itself. - -A detour as far as Gibbs's Falls cost a good half-hour in recovering -the bridle-path; but we were at length _en route_, myself at the head, -George behind. The colonel carried the flask, and marched in the -middle. He was considered the most incorruptible of the three; but this -precaution was deemed an indispensable safeguard, should he, in a moment -of forgetfulness, carry the flask to his lips. - -The side of Mount Clinton, which we were now climbing, is very steep. -The name of bridle-path, which they give the long gully we had entered, -is a snare for pedestrians, but a greater delusion for cavaliers. The -rains, the melting snows, have so channelled it as to leave little -besides interlaced roots of old trees and loose bowlders in its bed. -Higher up it is nothing but the bare course of a mountain torrent. - -The long rain had thoroughly soaked the earth, rendering it miry and -slippery to the feet; the heavy air, compounded of a thousand odors, -hindered, rather than assisted, the free play of the lungs. Our progress -was slow, our breathing quick and labored. Every leaf trembled with -rain-drops, so that the flight of a startled bird overhead sprinkled us -with fine spray. Finches chattered in the tree-tops, squirrels scolded -us sharply from fallen logs. - -Looking up was like looking through some glorious, illuminated -window--the changed foliage seemed to have fixed the gorgeous hues of -the sunset. Through its crimson and gold, violet and green, patches of -blue sky greeted us with fair promise for the day. Looking ahead, the -path zigzagged among ascending trees, plunged into the sombre depths -above our heads, and was lost. One impression that I received may be, -yet I doubt, common to others. On either side of me the forest seemed -all in motion; the dusky trunks striding silently and stealthily by, -moving when we moved, halting when we halted. The greenwood was as full -of illusions as the human heart. I can never repress a certain fear in a -forest, and to-day this seemed peopled with sprites, gnomes, and fauns. -Once or twice a crow rose lazily from the top of a dead pine, and flew -croaking away; but we thought not of omens or auguries, and pushed gayly -on up the sharp ascent. - -It was a wild woodland walk, with few glimpses out of the forest. -For about a mile we steered toward the sun, climbing one of the long -braces of the mountain. Stopping near here, at a spring deliciously -pure and cold, we soon turned toward the north. As we advanced up the -mountain the sun began to gild the tree-tops, and stray beams to play -at hide-and-seek among the black trunks. We saw dells of Arcadian -loveliness, and we heard the noise of rivulets, trickling in their -depths, that we did not see. - -Wh-r-r-r! rose a startled partridge, directly in our path, bringing us -to a full stop. Another and another took flight. - -"Gad!" muttered the colonel, wiping his forehead, "I was dreaming of -old times; I declare I thought the mountain had got our range, and was -shelling us." - -"_Salmis_ of partridge; _sauce aux champignons_," said George, licking -his lips, and looking wistfully after the birds. You see, one spoke from -the head, the other from the stomach. - -Half an hour's steady tramp brought us to an abandoned camp, where -travellers formerly passed the night. A long stretch of corduroy road, -and we were in the region of resinous trees. Here it was like going up -rickety stairs, the mossed and sodden logs affording only a treacherous -foothold. Evidence that we were nearing the summit was on all sides. -Patches of snow covered the ground and were lodged among the branches. -From these little runlets made their way into the path, as the most -convenient channel. There were many dead pines, having their curiously -distorted limbs hung with the long gray lichen called "old man's beard." -Multitudes of great trees, prostrated by the wind, lay rotting along -the ground, or had lodged in falling, constituting a woful picture of -wreck and ruin. Here was not only the confusion and havoc of a primitive -forest, untouched by the axe, but the battle-ground of ages, where -frost, fire, and flood had steadily and pitilessly beaten the forest -back in every desperate effort made to scale the summit. Prone upon the -earth, stripped naked, or bursting their bark, the dead trees looked -like fallen giants despoiled of their armor, and left festering upon the -field. But we advanced to a scene still more weird. - -The last mile gives occasional glimpses into the Ammonoosuc Valley, of -Fabyan's, of the hamlet at the base of Washington, and of the mountains -between Fabyan's and Jefferson. The last half-mile is a steady planting -of one foot before another up the ledges. We left the forest for a -scanty growth of firs, rooted among enormous rocks, and having their -branches pinned down to their sides by snow and ice. The whole forest -had been seized, pinioned, and cast into a death-like stupor. Each -tree seemed to keep the attitude in which it was first overtaken; each -silvered head to have dropped on its breast at the moment the spell -overcame it. Perpetual imprisonment rewarded the temerity of the forest -for thus invading the dominion of the Ice King. There it stood, all -glittering in its crystal chains! - -But as we threaded our way among these trees, still as statues, the -sun came valiantly to the rescue. A warm breath fanned our cheeks and -traversed the ice-locked forest. Instantly a thrill ran along the -mountain. Quick, snapping noises filled the air. The trees burst their -fetters in a trice. Myriad crystals fluttered overhead, or fell tinkling -on the rocks at our feet. Another breath, and tree after tree lifted its -bowed head gracefully erect. The forest was free. - -George, who began by asking every few rods how much farther it was, now -repeated the question for the fiftieth time; but we paid no attention. - -We now entered a sort of liliputian forest, not higher than the knee, -but which must have presented an almost insuperable barrier to early -explorers of the mountain. In fact, as they could neither go through it -nor around it, they must have walked over it, the thick-matted foliage -rendering this the only alternative. No one could tell how long these -trees had been growing, when a winter of unheard-of severity destroyed -them all, leaving only their skeletons bleaching in the sun and -weather. Wrenched, twisted, and made to grow the wrong way by the wind, -the branches resembled the cast-off antlers of some extinct race of -quadrupeds which had long ago resorted to the top of the mountain. The -girdle of blasted trees below was piteous, but this was truly a strange -spectacle. Indeed, the pallid forehead of the mountain seemed wearing a -crown of thorns. - -Getting clear of the dwarf-trees, or knee-wood, as it is called in the -Alps, we ran quickly up the bare summit ledge. The transition from the -gloom and desolation below into clear sunshine and free air was almost -as great as from darkness to light. We lost all sense of fatigue; we -felt only exultation and supreme content. - -Here we were, we three, more than four thousand feet above the sea, -confronted by an expanse so vast that no eye but an eagle's might grasp -it, so thronged with upstarting peaks as to confound and bewilder us -out of all power of expression. One feeling was uppermost--our own -insignificance. We were like flies on the gigantic forehead of an -elephant. - -However, we had climbed and were astride the ridge-pole of New England. -The rains which beat upon it descend on one side to the Atlantic, on -the other to Long Island Sound. The golden sands which are the glory of -the New England coast have been borne, atom by atom, grain by grain, -from this grand laboratory of Nature; and if you would know the source -of her great industries, her wealth, her prosperity, seek it along the -rivers which are born of these skies, cradled in these ravines, and -nourished amid the tangled mazes of these impenetrable forests. How, -like beautiful serpents, their sources lie knotted and coiled in the -heart of these mountains! How lovingly they twine about the feet of the -grand old hills! Too proud to bear its burdens, they create commerce, -building cities, scattering wealth as they run on. No barriers can stay, -no chains fetter their free course. They laugh and run on. - -We stood facing the south. Far down beneath us, at our left, was the -valley of Mount Washington River. A dark, serpentine rift in the -unbroken forest indicated the course of the stream. Mechanically we -turned to follow it up the long gorge through which it flows, to where -it issues, in secret, from the side of Mount Washington itself. In front -of us arose the great Notch Mountains; beyond, mountains were piled on -mountains; higher still, like grander edifices of some imperial city, -towered the pinnacles of Lafayette, Carrigain, Chocorua, Kearsarge, and -the rest. Yes, there they were, pricking the keen air with their blunted -spears, fretting the blue vault with the everlasting menace of a power -to mount higher if it so willed, filling us with the daring aspiration -to rise as high as they pointed. Here and there something flashed -brightly upon the eye; but it was no easy thing to realize that those -little pools we saw glistening among the mountains were some of the -largest lakes in New England. - -Leaving the massive Franconia group, the eye swept over the Ammonoosuc -basin, over the green heights of Bethlehem and Littleton, overtopped by -the distant Green Mountains; then along the range dividing the waters -flowing from the western slopes of the great summits into separate -streams; then Whitefield, Lancaster, Jefferson; and, lastly, rested upon -the amazing apparition of Washington, rising two thousand feet above -the crags on which we stood. Perched upon the cap-stone of this massive -pile, like a dove-cot on the cupola of St. Peter's, we distinctly saw -the Summit House. Between us and our goal rose the brown heads of -Pleasant, Franklin, and Monroe, over which our path lay. All these -peaks and their connecting ridges were freely spattered with snow. - -"By Jove!" ejaculated the colonel at last; "this beats Kentucky!" - -It is necessary to say two words concerning a spectacle equally novel -and startling to dwellers in more temperate regions, and which now held -us in mingled astonishment and admiration. We could hardly believe -our eyes. This bleak and desolate ridge, where only scattered tufts -of coarse grass, stinted shrubs, or spongy moss gave evidence of -life, which seemed never to have known the warmth of a sunbeam, was -transformed into a garden of exquisite beauty by the frozen north wind. - -We remarked the iced branches of dwarf firs inhabiting the upper zone -of the mountain as we passed them; but here, on this summit, the -surfaces of the rocks actually bristled with spikes, spear-heads, and -lance-points, all of ice, all shooting in the direction of the north -wind. The forms were as various as beautiful, but most commonly took -that of a single spray, though sometimes they were moulded into perfect -clusters of berries, branching coral, or pendulous crystals. Common -shrubs were transformed to diamond aigrettes, coarse grasses into -bird-of-paradise plumes, by the simple adhesion of frost-dust. The iron -rocks attracted the flying particles as the loadstone attracts steel. -Cellini never fashioned anything half so marvellous as this exquisite -workmanship of a frozen mist. Yet, though it was all surpassingly -beautiful, it was strangely suggestive of death. There was no life--no, -not even the chirrup of an insect. No wonder our eyes sought the valley. - -Hardly had we time to take in these unaccustomed sights, when, to our -unspeakable dismay, ominous streakings of gray appeared in the southern -and eastern horizons. The sun was already overclouded, and emitted -only a dull glare. For a moment a premonition of defeat came over me; -but another look at the summit removed all indecision, and, without -mentioning my fears to my companions, we all three plunged into the -bushy ravine that leads to Mount Pleasant. - -Suddenly I felt the wind in my face, and the air was filled with -whirling snow-flakes. We had not got over half the distance to the -second mountain, before the ill-omened vapors had expanded into a -storm-cloud that boded no good to any that might be abroad on the -mountain. My idea was that we could gain the summit before it overtook -us. I accordingly lengthened my steps, and we moved on at a pace which -brought us quickly to the second mountain. But, rapidly as we had -marched, the storm was before us. - -Here began our first experience of the nature of the task in hand. The -burly side of Mount Pleasant was safely turned, but beyond this snow had -obliterated the path, which was only here and there indicated by little -heaps of loose stones. It became difficult, and we frequently lost it -altogether among the deep drifts. We called a halt, passed the flask, -and attempted to derive some encouragement from the prospect. - -The storm-cloud was now upon us in downright earnest. Already the flying -scud drifted in our faces, and poured, like another Niagara, over the -ridge one long, unbroken billow. The sun retreated farther and farther, -until it looked like a farthing dip shining behind a blanket. Another -furious blast, and it disappeared altogether. And now, to render our -discomfiture complete, the gigantic dome of Washington, that had lured -us on, disappeared, swallowed up in a vortex of whirling vapor; and -presently we were all at once assailed by a blinding snow-squall. -Henceforth there was neither luminary nor landmark to guide us. None of -us had any knowledge of the route, and not one had thought of a guide. -To render our situation more serious still, George now declared that he -had sprained an ankle. - -If I had never before realized how the most vigorous travellers had -perished within a few paces of the summit, I understood it this day. - -Bathed in perspiration, warned by the fresh snow that the path would -soon be lost beyond recovery, we held a brief council upon the situation -before and behind us. It was more than aggravating either way. - -All three secretly favored a retreat. Without doubt it was not only the -safest, but the wisest course to pursue; yet to turn back was to give in -beaten, and defeat was not easy to accept. Even George, notwithstanding -his ankle, was pluckily inclined to go on. There was no time to lose, -so we emerged from the friendly shelter of a jutting ledge upon the -trackless waste before us. - -From this point, at the northern foot of Pleasant, progress was -necessarily slow. We could not distinguish objects twenty paces through -the flying scud and snow, and we knew vaguely that somewhere here the -mountain ridge suddenly broke off, on both sides, into precipices -thousands of feet down. George, being lame, kept the middle, while the -colonel and I searched for stone-heaps at the right and left. - -We were marching along thus, when I heard an exclamation, and saw the -colonel's hat driven past me through the air. The owner ran rapidly over -to my side. - -"Take care!" I shouted, throwing myself in his path; "take care!" - -"But my hat!" cried he, pushing on past me. The wind almost drowned our -voices. - -"Are you mad?" I screamed, gripping his arm, and forcing him backward by -main strength. - -He gave me a dazed look, but seemed to comprehend nothing of my -excitement. George halted, looking first at one, then at the other. - -"Wait," said I, loosening a piece of ice with my boot. On both sides of -us rose a whirlpool of boiling clouds. I tossed the piece of ice in the -direction the hat had taken--not a sound; a second after the first--the -same silence; a third in the opposite direction. We listened intently, -painfully, but could hear nothing except the loud beating of our own -hearts. A dozen steps more would have precipitated our companion from -the top to the bottom of the mountain. - -I looked at the man whose arm I still tightly grasped. He was as pale as -a corpse. - -"This must be Oakes's Gulf," I ventured, in order to break the silence, -after we had all taken a pull at the flask. - -"This is Oakes's Gulf--agreed; but where in perdition is my hat?" -demanded the colonel, wiping the big drops from his forehead. - -After he had tied a handkerchief around his head, we crossed this -Devil's Bridge, with the caution of men fully alive to the consequences -of a false step, and with that tension of the nerves which announces the -terrible or the unknown.[9] - -We had not gone far when a tremendous gust sent us reeling toward the -abyss. I dropped on my hands and knees, and my companions followed -suit. We arose, shook off the snow, and slowly mounted the long, steep, -and rocky side of Franklin. Upon gaining the summit, the walking was -better. We were also protected by the slope of the mountain. The worst -seemed over. But what fantastic objects were the big rocks, scattered, -or rather lying in wait, along our route! What grotesque appearances -continually started out of the clouds! Now it was an enormous bear -squatted on his haunches; now a dark-browed sphinx; and more than once -we could have sworn we saw human beings stealthily watching us from -a distance. How easy to imagine these weird objects lost travellers, -suddenly turned to stone for their presumptuous invasion of the domain -of terrors! It really seemed as if we had but to stamp our feet to see a -legion of demons start into life and bar our way. - -Say what you will, we could not shake off the dread which these -unearthly objects inspired; nor could we forbear, were it at the risk of -being turned to stone, looking back, or peering furtively from side to -side when some new apparition thrust its hideous suggestions before us. -What would you have? Are we not all children who shrink from entering -a haunted chamber, and shudder in the presence of death? Well, the -mountain was haunted, and death seemed near. We forgot fatigue, forgot -cold, to yield to this mysterious terror, which daunted us as no peril -could do, and froze us with vague presentiment of the unknown. - -Covered from head to foot with snow, bearded with icicles, tracking -this solitude, which refused the echo of a foot-fall, like spectres, we -seemed to have entered the debatable ground forever dedicated to spirits -having neither home on earth nor hope in heaven, but doomed to wander -up and down these livid crags for an eternity of woe. The mountain had -already taken possession of our physical, now it seized upon our moral -nature. Neither the one nor the other could resist the impressions which -naked rock, furious tempest, and hidden danger stamped on every foot of -the way. - -In this way we reached Mount Monroe, last of the peaks in our route -to the summit, where we were forced to pick our way among the rocks, -struggling forward through drifts frequently waist deep. - -It was here that, finding myself some distance in advance of the -others--for poor George was lagging painfully--I halted for them to come -up. I was choking with thirst, aggravated by eating the damp snow. As -soon as the colonel was near enough--the wind only could be heard--I -made a gesture of a man drinking. He did not seem to understand, though -I impatiently repeated the pantomime. He came to where I stood. - -"The flask!" I exclaimed. - -He drew it slowly from his pocket, and handed it to me with a hang-dog -look that I failed for the moment to interpret. I put it to my lips, -shook it, turned it bottom up. Not a drop! - -And, nevertheless, this was the man in whom I had trusted. Caesar only -succumbed to the dagger of Brutus; but I had not the courage to fall -with dignity under this new misfortune, and so stood staring at the -flask and the culprit alternately. - -"Say that our cup is now full," suggested the incorrigible George. "The -paradox strikes me as ingenious and appropriate." - -It really was too bad. Snow and sleet had wet us to the skin, and clung -to our frozen garments. Our hands and faces were swollen and inflamed; -our eyes half closed and blood-shot. Even this short minute's halt set -our teeth chattering. George could only limp along, and it was evident -could not hold out much longer. Just now my uneasiness was greater than -my sympathy. He was an accessory before the fact; for, while I was -diligently looking out the path, he had helped the colonel to finish the -flask. - -We were nearing the goal: so much was certain. But the violence of the -gale, increasing with the greater altitude, warned us against delay. -We therefore pushed on across the stony terraces extending beyond, and -were at length rewarded by seeing before us the heaped-up pile of broken -granite constituting the peak of Washington, and which we knew still -rose a thousand feet above our heads. The sight of this towering mass, -which seems formed of the debris of the Creation, is well calculated -to stagger more adventurous spirits than the three weary and foot-sore -men who stood watching the cloud-billows, silently rolling up, dash -themselves unceasingly against its foundations. We looked first at the -mountain, then in each other's faces, then began the ascent. - -For near an hour we toiled upward, sometimes up to the middle in snow, -always carefully feeling our way among the treacherous pitfalls it -concealed. Compelled to halt every few rods to recover breath, the -distance traversed could not be great. Still, with dogged perseverance, -we kept on, occasionally lending each other a helping hand out of a -drift, or from rock to rock; but no words were exchanged, for the stock -of gayety with which we set out was now exhausted. The gravity of the -situation began to create uneasiness in the minds of my companions. All -at once I heard my name called out. I turned. It was the colonel, whose -halloo in midst of this stony silence startled me. - -"You pretend," he began, "that it's only a thousand feet from the -plateau to the top of this accursed mountain?" - -"No more, no less. Professor Guyot assures us of the fact." - -"Well, then, here we have been zigzagging about for a good hour, haven't -we?" - -"An hour and twenty minutes," said I, consulting my watch. - -"And not a sign of the houses or the railway, or any other creeping -thing. Do you want my opinion?" - -"Charmed." - -"We have passed the houses without seeing them in the storm, and are now -on the side of the mountain opposite from where we started." - -"So that you conclude--?" - -"We are lost." - -This was, of course, mere guesswork; but we had no compass, and might -be travelling in the wrong direction, after all. A moment's reflection, -however, reassured me. "Is that your opinion, too, George?" I asked. - -George had taken off his boot, and was chafing his swollen ankle. He -looked up. - -"My opinion is that I don't know anything about it; but as you got us -into this scrape, you had better get us out of it, and be spry about it -too, for the deuce take me if I can go much farther." - -"Why," croaked the colonel, "I recollect hearing of a traveller who, -like us, actually walked by the Summit House without seeing it, when he -was hailed by a man who, by mere accident, chanced to be outside, and -who imagined he saw something moving in the fog. In five minutes the -stranger would inevitably have walked over a precipice with his eyes -open." - -"And I remember seeing on the wall of the tavern where we stopped, at -Bartlett, a placard offering a reward for a man who, like us, set out -from Crawford's, and was never heard of," George put in.[10] - -"And I read of one who, like us, almost reached the summit, but -mistaking a lower peak for the pinnacle, losing his head, crawled, -exhausted, under a rock to die there," I finished, firing the last shot. - -Without another word both my comrades grappled vigorously with the -mountain, and for ten minutes nothing was heard but our labored -breathing. On whatever side we might be, so long as we continued to -ascend I had little fear of being in the wrong road. Our affair was to -get to the top. - -At the end of ten minutes we came suddenly upon a walled enclosure, -which we conjectured to be the corral at the end of the bridle-path. We -hailed it like an oasis in the midst of this desert. We entered, brushed -the snow from a stone, and sat down. - -Up to this time my umbrella had afforded a good deal of merriment to my -companions, who could not understand why I encumbered myself with it on -a day which began as this one did, perfectly clear and cloudless. Since -the storm came on, the force of the wind would at any time have lifted -off his feet the man who attempted to spread it, and even if it had -not, as well might one have walked blindfolded in that treacherous road -as with an open umbrella before him. Now it was my turn, or, rather, -the turn of the abused umbrella. A few moments of rest were absolutely -necessary; but the wind cut like a cimeter, and we felt ourselves -freezing. I opened the umbrella, and, protected by it from the wind, -we crouched under its friendly shelter, and lighted our cigars. Never -before did I know the luxury of a smoke like that. - -"Now," said I, complacently glancing up at our tent, "ever since I -read how an umbrella saved a man's life, I determined never to go on a -mountain without one." - -"An umbrella! How do you make that out?" demanded both my auditors. - -"It is very simple. He was lost on this very mountain, under conditions -similar to those we are now experiencing, except that his carrying an -umbrella was an accident, and that he was alone. He passed two nights -under it. But the story will keep." - -It may well be imagined that we had not the least disposition to be -merry; yet for all that there was something irresistibly comical in -three men sitting with their feet in the snow, and putting their heads -together under a single umbrella. Various were the conjectures. We could -hear nothing but the rushing wind, see nothing but driving sleet. George -believed we were still half a mile from the summit; the colonel was not -able to precisely fix his opinion, but thought us still a long way off. -After diligent search, in which we all joined, I succeeded in finding -something like a path turning to the right, and we again resumed our -slow clambering over the rocks. - -Perhaps ten minutes passed thus, when we again halted and peered -anxiously into the whirling vapor--nothing, neither monument nor -stone, to indicate where we were. A new danger confronted us; one I -had hitherto repulsed because I dared not think of it. The light was -failing, and darkness would soon be here. God help any that this night -surprised on the mountain! While we eagerly sought on all sides some -evidence that human feet had ever passed that way, a terrific blast, -that seemed to concentrate the fury of the tempest in one mighty effort, -dashed us helpless upon the rocks. For some seconds we were blinded, and -could only crouch low until its violence subsided. But as the monstrous -wave recoiled from the mountain, a piercing cry brought us quickly to -our feet. - -"Look!" shouted George, waving his hat like a madman--"look there!" he -repeated. - -Vaguely, through the tattered clouds, like a wreck driving miserably -before the tempest, we distinguished a building propped up by timbers -crusted with thick ice. The gale shook and beat upon it with demoniacal -glee, but never did weary eyes rest on a more welcome object. For ten -seconds, perhaps, we held it in view; then, in a twinkling, the clouds -rolled over it, shut together, and it was gone--swallowed up in the -vortex. - -A moment of bewilderment succeeded, after which we made a simultaneous -rush in the direction of the building. In five minutes more we were -within the hotel, thawing our frozen clothing before a rousing fire. - -It provokes a smile when I think of it. Here, in this frail structure, -perched like another Noah's Ark on its mountain, and which every gust -threatened to scatter to the winds of heaven, a grand piano was going -in the parlor, a telegraphic instrument clicked in a corner, and we sat -down to a _menu_ that made the colonel forget the loss of his hat. - -"By the bones of Daniel Boone! I can say as Napoleon did on the Great -St. Bernard, 'I have spoiled a hat among your mountains; well, I shall -find a new one on the other side,'" observed the colonel, uncorking a -second bottle of champagne. - - - - -SECOND JOURNEY. - - - PAGE - -I. _LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS_ 113 - -II. _JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY_ 122 - -III. _THE CARTER NOTCH_ 132 - -IV. _THE PINKHAM NOTCH_ 144 - -V. _A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S_ 155 - -VI. _IN AND ABOUT GORHAM_ 165 - -VII. _ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD_ 178 - -VIII._MOUNT WASHINGTON_ 189 - -[Illustration: WHITE MOUNTAINS - -(CENTRAL AND NORTHERN SECTION.) - -FROM -WALLING'S MAP OF -NEW HAMPSHIRE, -With corrections by -Members of the -APPALACHIAN CLUB. -1881. -] - - - - -SECOND JOURNEY - - - - -I. - -_LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS._ - - My lord, I will hoist saile; and all the wind - My bark can beare shall hasten me to find - A great new world. - --SIR W. DAVENANT. - - -When Cabot, in the _Mathew_, of Bristol, was sailing by the New England -coast, and the amazed savage beheld a pyramid of white sails rising, -like a cloud, out of the sea, the navigator saw from the deck of his -ship, rising out of the land, a cluster of lofty summits cut like a -cameo on the northern sky. - -The Indian left his tradition of the marvellous apparition, which he at -first believed to be a mass of trees wrapped in faded foliage, drifting -slowly at the caprice of the waves; but, as he gazed, fire streamed -from the strange object, a cloud shut it from his view, and a peal like -distant thunder was wafted on the breeze to his startled ears. That peal -announced the doom of his race. He was looking at the first ship. - -Succeeding navigators, Italians, Portuguese, French, English--a roll of -famous names--sailed these seas, and, in their turn, hailed the distant -summits. They became the great distinguishing landmarks of this corner -of the New World. They are found on all the maps traced by the early -geographers from the relations of the discoverers themselves. Having -thus found form and substance, they also found a name--the Mountains of -St. John. - -Ships multiplied. Men of strange garb, speech, complexion, erected their -habitations along the coast, the unresisting Indian never dreaming -that the thin line which the sea had cast up would speedily rise to an -inundation destined to sweep him from the face of the earth. Then began -that steady advance, slow at first, gathering momentum with the years, -before which he recoiled step by step, and finally disappeared forever. -His destiny was accomplished. To-day only mountains and streams transmit -to us the certainty that he ever did exist. They are his monument, his -lament, his eternal accusation. - -The White Mountains stood for the Indian not only as an image, but as -the actual dwelling-place of Omnipotence. His dreaded Manitou, whose -voice was the thunder, whose anger the lightning, and on whose face -no mortal could look and live, was the counterpart of the terrible -Thor, the Icelandic god, throned in a palace of ice among frozen and -inaccessible mountain peaks, over which he could be heard urging his -loud chariot amid the rage of the tempest. Frost and fire, plague and -famine were the terrific natural agents common to the Indian and to the -Norse mythology; and to his god of terrors the Indian conjurer addressed -his prayers, his incantations, and his propitiatory offerings, when -some calamity had befallen or threatened his tribe. But to cross the -boundary which separated him from the abiding-place of the Manitou! -plant his audacious foot within the region from which Nature shrunk back -affrighted! Not all the wealth he believed the mountain hoarded would -have tempted him to brave the swift and terrible vengeance of the justly -offended, all-powerful Manitou. So far, then, as he was concerned, the -mountain remained inviolate, inviolable, as a kind of hell, filled with -the despairing shrieks of those who in an evil hour transgressed the -limits sacred to immortals.[11] - -As a pendant to this superstition, in which their deity is with simple -grandeur throned on the highest mountain peak, it is curious to remember -the Indian tradition of the Deluge; for, like so many peoples, they had -their tradition, coming from a remote time, and having strong family -resemblance with that of more enlightened nations. According to it, all -the inhabitants of the earth were drowned, except one Powaw and his -wife, who were preserved by climbing to the top of the White Mountains, -and who were the progenitors of the subsequent races of man. The Powaw -took with him a hare, which, upon the subsiding of the waters, he freed, -as Noah did the dove, seeing in its prolonged absence the assurance that -he and his companion might safely descend to earth. The likeness of this -tradition with the story of Deucalion, and Pyrrha, his wife, as related -by Ovid, is very striking. One does not easily consent to refer it to -accident alone. - -There is one thing more. When asked by the whites to point out the -Indian's heaven, the savage stretched his arm in the direction of the -White Hills, and replied that heaven was just beyond. Such being his -religion, and such the influence of the mountain upon this highly -imaginative, poetic, natural man, one finds himself drawn legitimately -in the train of those marvels which our ancestors considered the most -credible things in the world, and which the sceptical cannot explain by -a sneer. - -According to the Indians, on the highest mountain, suspended from a -crag overlooking a dismal lake, was an enormous carbuncle, which many -declared they had seen blazing in the night like a live coal. Some even -asserted that its ruddy glare lighted the livid rocks around like the -fire of a midnight encampment, while by day it emitted rays, like the -sun, dazzling to look upon. And this extraordinary sight they declared -they had not only seen, but seen again and again. - -It is true that the Indians did not hesitate to declare that no mortal -hand could hope to grasp the great fire-stone. It was, said they, in the -special guardianship of the genius of the mountain, who, on the approach -of human footsteps, troubled the waters of the lake, causing a dark mist -to rise, in which the venturesome mortal became bewildered, and then -hopelessly lost. Several noted conjurers of the Pigwackets, rendered -foolhardy by their success in exorcising evil spirits, so far conquered -their fears as to ascend the mountain; but they never returned, and had, -no doubt, expiated their folly by being transformed into stone, or flung -headlong down some stark and terrible precipice. - -This tale of the great carbuncle fired the imagination of the simple -settlers to the highest pitch. We believe what we wish to believe, and, -notwithstanding their religion refused to admit the existence of the -Indian demon, its guardian, they seem to have had little difficulty in -crediting the reality of the jewel itself. At any rate, the belief that -the mountain shut up precious mines has come down to our own day; we -are assured by a learned historian of fifty years ago that the story of -the great carbuncle still found full credence in his.[12] We are now -acquainted with the spirit of the time when the first attempt to scale -the mountain, known to us, was rewarded with complete success. But the -record is of exasperating brevity. - -Among the earliest settlers of Exeter, New Hampshire, was a man by the -name of Darby Field. The antecedents of this obscure personage are -securely hidden behind the mists of more than two centuries. - -A hundred and twenty-five years before the ascent of Mont Blanc by -Jacques Balmat, Darby Field successfully ascended to the summit of the -"White Hill," to-day known as Mount Washington; but the exploit of the -adventurous Irishman is far more remarkable in its way than that of the -brave Swiss, since he had to make his way for eighty miles through a -wilderness inhabited only by beasts of prey, or by human beings scarcely -less savage, before he reached the foot of the great range; while Balmat -lived under the very shadow of the monarch of the Alps, so that its -spectre was forever crossing his path. Furthermore, the greater part of -the ascent of Mont Blanc was already familiar ground to the guides and -chamois-hunters of the Swiss Alps. On the contrary, according to every -probability, Field was the first human being whose daring foot invaded -the hitherto inviolable seclusion of the illustrious hermit of New -England. - -For such an adventure one instinctively seeks a motive. I did not long -amuse myself with the idea that this explorer climbed merely for the -sake of climbing; and I have little notion that he dreamed of posthumous -renown. It is far more probable that the reports brought by the Indians -of the fabulous treasures of the mountains led to Field's long, arduous, -and really perilous journey. It is certain that he was possessed of -rare intrepidity, as well as the true craving for adventure. That goes -without saying; still, the whole undertaking--its inception, its pursuit -to the end in the face of extraordinary obstacles, which he had no means -of measuring or anticipating--announces a very different sort of man -from the ordinary, a purpose before which all dangers disappear. - -In June, 1642, that is to say, only twelve years after the Puritan -settlements in Massachusetts Bay, Field set out from the sea-coast for -the White Hills. - -So far as known, he prosecuted his journey to the Indian village -of Pigwacket, the existence of which is thus established, without -noteworthy accident or adventure. Here he was joined by some Indians, -who conducted him within eight miles of the summit, when, declaring that -to go farther would expose them to the wrath of their great Evil Spirit, -they halted, and refused to proceed. The brave Irishman was equal to the -emergency. To turn back, baffled, within sight of his goal was evidently -not an admitted contingency. Leaving the Indians, therefore, squatted -upon the rocks, and no doubt regarding him as a man rushing upon a -fool's fate, Field again resolutely faced the mountain, when, seeing him -equally unmoved by their warnings as unshaken in his determination to -reach the summit, two of the boldest warriors ran after him, while the -others stoically made their preparations to await a return which they -never expected to take place. They watched the retreating figures until -lost among the rocks. - -In the language of the original narration, the rest of the ascent was -effected by "a ridge between two valleys filled with snow, out of which -came two branches of the Saco River, which met at the foot of the hill, -where was an Indian town of two hundred people." ... "By-the-way, among -the rocks, there were two ponds, one a blackish water, and the other -reddish.".... "Within twelve miles of the top was neither tree nor -grass, but low savins, which they went upon the top of sometimes." - -The adventurous climber pushed on. Soon he was assailed by thick clouds, -through which he and his companions resolutely toiled upward. This slow -and labored progress through entangling mists continued until within -four miles of the summit, when Field emerged above them into a region -of intense cold. Surmounting the immense pile of shattered rocks which -constitute the spire, he at last stood upon the unclouded summit, -with its vast landscape outspread beneath him, and the air so clear -that the sea seemed not more than twenty miles distant. No doubt the -daring explorer experienced all the triumph natural to his successful -achievement. It is not difficult to imagine the exultation with which he -planted his audacious foot upon the topmost crag, for, like Columbus, -Cabot, Balboa, he, too, was a real discoverer. The Indians must have -regarded him, who thus scornfully braved the vengeance of their god of -terrors, as something more than man. I have often pictured him standing -there, proudly erect, while the wonder-struck savages crouched humbly at -his feet. Both, in their way, felt the presence of their God; but the -white man would confront his as an equal, while the savage adored with -his face in the dust. - -The three men, after their first emotion of ecstasy, amazement, or fear, -looked about them. For the moment the great carbuncle was forgotten. -Field had chosen the best month of the twelve for his attempt, and now -saw a vast and unknown region stretching away on the north and east to -the shores of what he took for seas, but what were really only seas of -vapor, heaped against the farthest horizons. He fancied he saw a great -water to the north, which he judged to be a hundred miles broad, for -no land was beyond it. He thought he descried the great Gulf of Canada -to the east, and in the west the great lake out of which the river of -Canada came. All these illusions are sufficiently familiar to mountain -explorers; and it must not be forgotten that in Field's day geographical -knowledge of the interior of the country was indeed limited. In fact, he -must have brought back with him the first accurate knowledge respecting -the sources of those rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the -mountains. The great gulf on the north side of Mount Washington is -truly declared to be such a precipice that they could scarce discern to -the bottom; the great northern wilderness as "daunting terrible," and -clothed with "infinite thick woods." Such is its aspect to-day. - -The day must have been so far spent that Field had but little time in -which to prosecute his search. He, however, found "store of Muscovy -glass" and some crystals, which, supposing them to be diamonds, he -carefully secured and brought away. These glittering masses, congealed, -according to popular belief, like ice on the frozen regions of the -mountains, gave them the name of the Crystal Hills--a name the most -poetic, the most suggestive, and the most fitting that has been applied -to the highest summits since the day they were first discovered by -Englishmen. - -Descending the mountain, Field rejoined his Indians, who were doubtless -much astonished to see him return to them safe and sound; for, while he -had been making the ascent, a furious tempest, sent, as these savages -believed, to destroy the rash pale-face and his equally reckless -companions, burst upon the mountain. He found them drying themselves by -a fire of pine-knots; and, after a short halt, the party took their way -down the mountain to the Indian village. - -Before a month elapsed, Field, with five or six companions, made a -second ascent; but the gem of inestimable value, by whose light one -might read at night, continued to elude his pursuit. The search was not, -however, abandoned. Others continued it. The marvellous story, as firmly -believed as ever by the credulous, survived, in all its purity, to our -own century, to be finally transmitted to immortality by Hawthorne's -tale of "The Great Carbuncle." It may be said here that great influence -was formerly attributed to this stone, which the learned in alchemy -believed prevailed against the dangers of infection, and was a sure -talisman to preserve its owner from peril by sea or by land. - -A tradition is ten times a tradition when it has a fixed locality. -Without this it is a myth, a mere vagabond of a tradition. Knowing this, -I searched diligently for the spot where the great carbuncle, like the -eye of a Cyclop, shed its red lustre far down the valley of the Saco; -and if the little mountain tarn to-day known as Hermit Lake, over which -the gaunt crags rise in austere grandeur, be not the place, then I am -persuaded that further seeking would be unavailing. I cannot go so far -as to say that it never existed. - -What seems passing strange is that the feat performed by Field,[13] the -fame of which spread throughout the colony, should have been nearly, -if not wholly, forgotten before the lapse of a century. Robert Rogers, -one of the most celebrated hunters of the White Mountains, subsequently -a renowned partisan leader in the French and Indian wars, uses the -following language concerning them: - -"I cannot learn that any person was ever on the top of these mountains. -I have been told by the Indians that they have often attempted it in -vain, by reason of the change of air they met with, which I am inclined -to believe, having ascended them myself 'til the alteration of air was -very perceptible; and even then I had not advanced half way up; the -valleys below were then concealed from view by clouds." - -It is not precisely known when or how these granite peaks took the name -of the White Mountains. We find them so designated in 1672 by Josselyn, -who himself performed the feat of ascending the highest summit, of -which a brief record is found in his "New England's Rarities." One -cannot help saying of this book that either the author was a liar of the -first magnitude, or else we have to regret the degeneracy of Nature, -exhausted by her long travail; for this narrator gravely tells us of -frogs which were as big as a child of a year old, and of poisonous -serpents which the Indians caught with their bare hands, and ate alive -with great gusto. These are rarities indeed. - -The first mention I have met with of an Indian name for the White -Mountains is in the narrative of John Gyles's captivity, printed in -Boston in 1736, saying: - -"These White Hills, at the head of Penobscot River, are by the Indians -said to be much higher than those called Agiockochook,[14] above Saco." - -The similitude between the names White Mountains and Mont Blanc suggests -the same idea, that color, rather than character, makes the first and -strongest impression upon the beholder. Thus we have White Mountains and -Green Mountains, Red Mountains and Black Mountains, the world over. The -eye seizes a color before the mind fixes upon a distinctive feature, -or the imagination a resemblance. It is stated, on the authority of -Schoolcraft, that the Algonquins called these summits "White Rocks." -Mariners, approaching from the open sea, descried what seemed a -cloud-bank, rising from the landward horizon, when twenty leagues from -the nearest coast, and before any other land was visible from the -mast-head. Thirty leagues distant in a direct line, in a clear midsummer -day, the distant summits appeared of a pearly whiteness; observed -again from a church steeple on the sea-coast, with the sky partially -overcast, they were whitish-gray, showing that the change from blue to -white, or to cool tones approximating with white, is due to atmospheric -conditions. The early writers succeed only imperfectly in accounting -for this phenomenon, which for six months of the year at least has no -connection whatever with the snows that cover the highest peaks only -from the middle of October to the middle of April, a period during which -few navigators of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries visited our -shores, or, indeed, ventured to put to sea at all.[15] - - - - -II. - -_JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY._ - - Once more, O mountains of the North, unveil - Your brows, and lay your cloudy mantles by!--WHITTIER. - - -It is Petrarch who says, "A journey on foot hath most pleasant -commodities; a man may go at his pleasure; none shall stay him, none -shall carry him beyond his wish, none shall trouble him; he hath but -one labor, the labor of nature, to go." Every true pedestrian ought to -render full faith to the poet's assertion; and should he chance to have -his Laura, he will see her somewhere, or, rather, everywhere, I promise -him. But that is his affair. - -There are two ways of reaching Jackson from North Conway. One route -leaves the travelled highway a short distance beyond the East Branch of -the Saco, and ascends Thorn Hill; another diverges from it near Glen -Station, in Bartlett. The Thorn Hill way is the longer; but, as the -views are unsurpassed, I unhesitatingly chose it in preference to the -easier and shorter road. - -The walk from the Intervale over Thorn Hill gives ravishing backward -glimpses, opening to a full and broad panorama of the Saco meadows and -of the surrounding mountains. Needless to call them by name. One might -forget names, but the image never. Then, advancing to the summit, full -upon the charmed eye comes that glorious vision of the great mountains, -elevated to an immense height, and seeming, in their benevolence, to -say, "Approach, mortals!" Underneath is the village. - -We have left the grand vestibule of the Saco to enter an amphitheatre. -Washington, in his snowy toga, occupies the place of high honor. Adams -flaunts his dainty spire over the Pinkham Notch, at the monarch's left -hand. Then comes an embattled wall, pierced through its centre by the -immense hollow of the Carter Notch. - -Jackson is the ideal mountain village. From Thorn Hill it looked a -little elysium, with its handful of white houses huddled around its -one little church spire, like a congregation sitting at the feet of -their pastor. You perceive neither entrance nor exit, so completely is -the deep vale shut in by mountains. The streams, that make two veins -of silver in the green floor, seem vainly seeking a way out. One would -think Nature had locked the door and thrown away the key. The first -stream is the Wildcat, coming from the Carter Notch; the second, the -Ellis, from the Pinkham Notch. They unite just below the village, and, -like a forlorn-hope, together cut their way out of the mountains. - -Getting down into the village, the high mountains now sink out of -sight, and I saw only the nearer and less elevated ones immediately -surrounding--on the north, Eagle and Wildcat; on the east, Tin and -Thorn; on the west, Iron Mountain. The latter has fine, bold cliffs. -Over its smooth slope I again saw the two great steps of the Giant's -Stairs, mounting the long ridge which conducts to the great plateau of -Mount Washington. - -The village has a bright, pleasant look, but is not otherwise remarkable -in itself. Three hotels, the church, and a score or so of houses, -constitute the central portion. But if the village is small, the -township is large; and what is the visitor's astonishment, on opening -his eyes some fine morning, to see farms and farm-houses scattered along -the very summit of Thorn Mountain, whence they appear to regard the -little world below with a lofty disdain. How came they there? is the -question one feels inclined to ask; for in this enchanted air he loses -the desire, almost the faculty, of thinking for himself. The inhabitants -of this little colony seem to prize their seclusion, and only descend to -earth at the call of necessity. Their neighbors are the eagles. Surely -this is _Ultima Thule_. Alas! no; the tax-gatherer mounts even here. - -The people of Jackson are above all anxious for the development of -the mineral resources of the place. They have iron and tin, and claim -also the existence of copper and even of gold ores. Yet it is probable -that the vein most profitable for them, the one most likely to yield -satisfactory returns, is that on which the summer hotels have been -located and opened. So far, the mountains refuse to give up the wealth -they hoard. - -[Illustration: GIANT'S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN.] - -The Wildcat cuts the village in two. It is a perfect highwayman of a -stream. The very air is tremulous with its rush and roar. I halted -awhile on the little bridge that spans it, from which, looking down -the long pathway it makes, I enjoyed a fine retrospect of the Moats, -and, looking up, saw the torrent come bounding toward me. Here it makes -a swift descent over granite ledges, clean and fresh from constant -scrubbing, as the face of a country urchin, and as freckled. See how -hard every rod of its course is beset by huge hump-backed bowlders! A -river in fetters! - -Just above the bridge the stream plunges, two white streaks of water, -twenty to thirty feet obliquely down. Now it is dark, now light; -sometimes tinged a pale emerald, sometimes a rich amber, where it falls -down in thin sheets. For half a mile the ledges look as if an earthquake -had ripped them up to make a channel for this tempest of water. It is -from these ledges, looking down the course of the stream, that Moat -Mountain is so incomparably fine. It stretches itself luxuriously along -the rich meadows, like a Sybarite upon his couch of velvet, lifting -its head high enough to embrace the landscape, of which itself is the -most attractive feature. And the tall pines rise above the framework of -forest, as if to look at the beautiful mountain, clothed with the light -of the morning, and reclining with such infinite grace. - -Sprays of trembling foliage droop or stretch themselves out over the -stream in search of the fine dew it sends up. They seem endeavoring to -hide the broad scar made through the forest. The clear sun illuminates -their green leaves, and makes the cool rocks emit a sensible warmth. It -also illuminates the little fountains of water. Ferns and young willows -shoot from crevices, delicate mosses attach themselves to the grim -bowlders. I found the perfect print of a human foot sunk in the hardest -rock; also cavities as cleverly rounded as if pebbles had been taken -from the granite. On the banks, under the thick shade of the pines, I -gathered a handful of the showy pappoose flower, the green leaves of -which are edible. Little mauve butterflies fluttered at our knees like -violets blown about by the wind. - -The crest of the fall is split, and broken up in huge fragments. The -main stream gains an outlet by a deep channel it has cut in the rock; -then turns a mill; then shoots down the face of the ledge. Above the -high ledge the bed of the river widens to about two hundred feet. Higher -up, where it is broken in long regular steps over which fifty cascades -tumble, I thought it most beautiful. - -Besides Jackson Falls, so called, there is a fine cataract on the Ellis, -known as Goodrich Falls. This is a mile and a half out of the village, -where the Conway road passes the Ellis by a bridge; and, being directly -upon the high-road, is one of the best known. The river here suddenly -pours its whole volume over a precipice eighty feet high, making the -earth tremble with the shock. I made my way down the steep bank to the -bed of the river below the fall, from which I saw, first, the curling -wave, large, regular, and glassy, of the dam, then three wild and -foaming pitches of broken water, with detached cascades gushing out from -the rocks at the right--all falling heavily into the eddying pool below. -Where the water was not white, or filliped into fine spray, it was the -color of pale sherry, and opaque, gradually changing to amber gold -as the light penetrated it and the descending sheet of the fall grew -thinner. The full tide of the river showed the fall to the best possible -advantage. But spring is the season of cascades--the only season when -one is sure of seeing them at all. - -One gets strongly attached to such a stream as the Ellis. If it has -been his only comrade for weeks, as it has been mine, the liking grows -stronger every day--the sense of companionship is full and complete: -the river is so voluble, so vivacious, so full of noisy chatter. If you -are dull, it rouses and lifts you out of yourself; if gay, it is as gay -as you. Besides, there is the paradox that, notwithstanding you may be -going in different directions, it never leaves you for a single moment. -One talks as it runs, one listens as he walks. A secret, an indefinable -sympathy springs up. You are no longer alone. - -[Illustration: MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS.] - -Among other stories that the river told me was the following: - -Once, while on their way to Canada through these mountains, a war-party -of Indians, fresh from a successful forray on the sea-coast, halted with -their prisoners on the banks of a stream whose waters stopped their way. -For weeks these miserable captives had toiled through trackless forests, -through swollen and angry torrents, sometimes climbing mountains on -their hands and knees--they were so steep--and at night stretching their -aching limbs on the cold ground, with no other roof than the heavens.[16] - -The captives were a mother, with her new-born babe, scarcely fourteen -days old, her boy of six, her two daughters of fourteen and sixteen -years, and her maid. Two of her little flock were missing. One little -prattler was playing at her knee, and another in the orchard, when -thirteen red devils burst in the door of their happy home. Two cruel -strokes of the axe stretched them lifeless in their blood before her -frenzied eyes. One was killed to intimidate, the other was despatched -because he was afraid, and cried out to his mother. There was no time -for tears--none even for a parting kiss. Think of that, mothers of the -nineteenth century! The tragedy finished, the hapless survivors were -hurried from the house into the woods. There was no resistance. The blow -fell like a stroke of lightning from a clear sky. - -This mother, whose eyes never left the embroidered belt of the chief, -where the reeking scalps of her murdered babes hung; this mother, -who had tasted the agony of death from hour to hour, and whose -incomparable courage not only supported her own weak frame, but had -so far miraculously preserved the lives of her little ones, now stood -shivering on the shores of the swollen torrent with her babe in her -arms, and holding her little boy by the hand. In rags, bleeding, and -almost famished, her misery should have melted a heart of stone. But she -well knew the mercy of her masters. When fainting, they had goaded her -on with blows, or, making a gesture as if to snatch her little one from -her arms, significantly grasped their tomahawks. Hope was gone; but the -mother's instinct was not yet extinguished in that heroic breast. - -But at this moment of sorrow and despair, what was her amazement to hear -the Indians accost her daughter Sarah, and command her to sing them a -song. What mysterious chord had the wild, flowing river touched in those -savage breasts? The girl prepared to obey, and the Indians to listen. In -the heart of these vast solitudes, which never before echoed to a human -voice, the heroic English maiden chanted to the plaintive refrain of the -river the sublime words of the Psalmist: - -"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we -remembered Zion. - -"We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. - -"For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and -they that wasted us required of us mirth." - -As she sung, the poor girl's voice trembled and her eyes filled, but she -never once looked toward her mother. - -When the last notes of the singer's voice died away, the bloodiest -devil, he who murdered the children, took the babe gently from the -mother, without a word; another lifted her burden to his own shoulder; -another, the little boy; when the whole company entered the river. - -Gentlemen, metaphysicians, explain that scene, if you please: it is no -romance. - -As this tale plunged me in a train of sombre reflection, the river -recounted one of those marvellous legends which contain more poetry than -superstition, and which here seem so appropriate. - -According to the legend, a family living at the foot of a lofty peak -had a daughter more beautiful than any maiden of the tribe, possessing -a mind elevated far above the common order, and as accomplished as -beautiful. When she reached a proper age, her parents looked around -them for a suitable match, but in vain. None of the young men of the -tribe were worthy of so peerless a creature. Suddenly this lovely -wildflower of the mountains disappeared. Diligent was the search, and -loud the lamentations when no trace of her light moccasin could be -found in forest or glade. The tribe mourned her as lost. But one day -some hunters, who had penetrated into the fastnesses of the mountain, -discovered the lost maiden disporting herself in the limpid waters -of a stream with a beautiful youth, whose hair, like her own, flowed -down below his waist. On the approach of the intruders, the youthful -bathers vanished from sight. The relatives of the maiden recognized her -companion as one of the kind spirits of the mountain, and henceforth -looked upon him as their son. They called upon him for moose, bear, or -whatever creature they desired, and had only to go to the water-side -and signify their desire, when, behold! the animal came swimming toward -them. This legend strongly reminded me of one of those marvellous fables -of the Hartz, in which a princess of exceeding beauty, destroyed by the -arts of a wicked fairy, was often seen bathing in the river Ilse. If she -met a traveller, she conducted him into the interior of the mountain and -loaded him with riches. Each legend dimly conveys its idea of the wealth -believed to reside in the mountain itself. - -The Ellis continues to guide us farther and farther into the mountains. -If we turn in the direction of the Glen House, a mile out of the -village the Giant's Stairs come finely into view, and are held for -some distance. Then bewitching vistas of Mount Washington, with snow -decorating his huge sides, rise and sink, appear and disappear, until -we reach an open vale, where the stream is spanned by a rude bridge. -The route offers nothing more striking in its way than the view of the -Pinkham Notch, which lies open at this point. - -One of my walks extending as far as the last house on this road, -permitted me to gratify a strong desire to see something of the in-door -life of the poorer class of farmers. That desire was fully satisfied. -There was nothing remarkable about the house itself; but the room in -which I rested would have furnished Meyer von Bremen a capital subject -for one of his characteristic interiors--it carried me back a century -at least. In one corner a woman upward of seventy, I should say, sat -at a spinning-wheel. She rose, got my bread-and-milk, and then resumed -her spinning. A young mother, with a babe in her lap and two tow-headed -urchins at her knee, occupied a high-backed rocking-chair. To judge -from appearances, the river which flowed by the door was completely -forgotten. Her efforts to hush the babe being interrupted by the peevish -whining of one of the brats, she dealt him a sound box on the ear, upon -which the whole pack howled in unison, while the mother, very red with -the effect of her own anger, dragged the culprit from the room. There -was still another occupant, a young girl, so silently plying her needle -that I did not at first notice her. The floor was bare. A rickety chair -or two and a cradle finished the meagre inventory of the apartment. -The general appearance of things was untidy and unthrifty, rather than -squalid; but I could not help recalling Sir William Davenant's remark, -"that those tenants never get much furniture who begin with a cradle." - -In such rambles, romantic and picturesque, in such dreams, the time -runs away. The weeks are long days, the days moments. Every one asks -himself why he finds Jackson so enticing, but no one is able to answer -the question. _Cui bono?_ When I am happy, shall I make myself miserable -searching for the reason? Not if I know it. - -Like bees to the sweetest flowers, the artists alight on the choicest -bits of scenery by instinct. One runs across their umbrellas almost -everywhere, spread like gigantic mushrooms; but some of them seem only -to live and have their true artistic being here. In general, they -are gentle, unobtrusive, and rather subdued in the presence of their -beloved mountains. Some among them, however, develop actual rapacity -in the search for new subjects, as, with a pencil between their teeth, -they creep in ambush to surprise and carry off some mountain beauty -which you or I are to ransom. Does a traveller contemplate some arduous -exploration in an unvisited region? the artist knocks him over by -quietly remarking, "I camped there several days last year." - -In France they maintain that high mountains cannot be painted. -Consequently, the modern French landscape is almost always a dead -level; an illimitable plain, through which a placid stream quietly -meanders, with a thick wood of aged trees at the left, a snug hamlet in -the middle distance, some shrubbery on the right, and a clumsy ox-cart -with peasants, in the foreground. All these details are sufficiently -commonplace; but they appeal strongly to our human yearning for a life -of perfect peace--a sanctuary the world cannot enter. Turner knew that -he must paint a mountain with its head in the clouds, and its feet -plunged in unfathomable abysses. Imagination would do the rest, and -imagination governs the universe. - -Photography cannot reproduce the true relation of distant mountains to -the landscape. The highest summits look like hills. For want of color, -too, it is always twilight. Even running water has a frozen look, -and rocks emit a dead, sepulchral glare. But for details--every leaf -of the tree, or shadow of the leaf--it is faultless; it is the thing -itself. True, under the magnifying-glass the foliage looks crisped, as -is noticed after a first frost. In short, the photograph of mountain -scenery is like that of a friend taken in his coffin. We say with a -shiver that is he, but, alas, how changed! A body without a soul. Again, -photography cannot suggest movement. Perfect immobility is a condition -indispensable to a successful picture. A successful picture! A petrified -landscape! - -"In the morning to the mountain," says the proverb, as emblematic of -high hopes. For two stations embodying the best features the vicinity -of Jackson can offer, the crest of Thorn Mountain and the ledges above -Fernald's Farm are strongly commended to every sojourner. Both are -easily reached. On the first, you are a child lifted above the crowd -on the shoulders of a giant; the mountains have come to you. On the -second, you have taken the best possible position to study the form and -structure of Mount Washington. You see all the ravines, and can count -all the gigantic feelers the immense mountain throws down into the -gorge of the Ellis. In this way, step by step, we continue to master the -topography of the region visited as we take our chocolate, one sip at a -time. - -I prepared to continue my journey to the Glen House by the valley of -the Wildcat and the Carter Notch, which is a sort of side entrance to -the Peabody Valley. Two passes thus lie on alternate sides of the same -mountain chain. Before doing so, however, two words are necessary. - - - - -III. - -_THE CARTER NOTCH._ - - Stranger, if thou hast learned a truth which needs - No school of long experience, that the world - Is full of guilt and misery, and hast seen - Enough of all its sorrows, crimes, and cares, - To tire thee of it, enter this wild wood - And view the haunts of nature. - --BRYANT. - - -What traveller can pass beyond the crest of Thorn Hill without paying -his tribute of silent admiration to the splendid pageant of mountains -visible from this charmed spot! Before him the great rampart, bristling -with its countless towers, is breached as cleanly as if a cannon-ball -had just crashed through it. It is an immense hole; it is the cavity -from which, apparently, one of those great iron teeth has just been -extracted. Only it does not disfigure the landscape. Far from it. It -really exalts the surrounding peaks. They are enormously aggrandized by -it. You look around for a mountain of proper size and shape to fill it. -That gives the true idea. It is a mountainous hole. - -The little river, tumbling step by step down its broken ledges into -Jackson, comes direct from the Notch, and its stream is the thread -which conducts through the labyrinth of thick woods. I dearly love the -companionship of these mountain streams. They are the voices of the -wilderness, singing high or low, softly humming a melodious refrain to -your thoughts, or, joining innumerable cascades in one grand chorus, -they salute the ear with a gush of sound that strips the forest of its -loneliness and awe. This same madcap Wildcat runs shouting and hallooing -through the woods like a stream possessed. - -By half-past seven of a bright and crisp morning I was climbing the -steep hill-side over which Jackson Falls pour down. Here was a genuine -surprise. On arriving at the top, instead of entering a difficult and -confined gorge, I found a charming and tolerably wide vale, dotted with -farms, extending far up into the midst of the mountains. You hardly -realize that the stream flowing so demurely along the bottom of the -valley is the same making its entry into the village with such noise -and tumult. Half a mile above the falls the snowy cupola of Washington -showed itself over Eagle Mountain for a few moments. Then, farther on, -Adams was seen, also white with snow. For five miles the road skirts the -western slopes of the valley, which grows continually deeper, narrower, -and higher. Spruce Mountain is now on our left, the broad flanks of -Black Mountain occupy the right side of the valley. Beyond Black -Mountain Carter Dome lifts its ponderous mass, and between them the dip -of the Perkins Notch, dividing the two ranges, gives admittance to the -Wild River Valley, and to the Androscoggin, in Shelburne. Before me the -grand, downward curves of Carter Notch opened wider and wider. - -I picked up, _en route_, the guide of this locality, who lives on the -side of the mountain near where the road is left for the woods. Our -business was transacted in two words. While he was strapping on his -knapsack I had leisure to observe the manner of man he was. - -The guide, whose Christian name is Jonathan, is known in all the country -round as "Jock" Davis. He was a medium-sized, muscular man, whiskered to -his eyes, with a pair of bare arms the color of unglazed earthen-ware, -and a step like a panther. As he strode silently on before, with his dog -at his heels, I was reminded of the Jibenainosay and his inseparable -Little Peter. He was steady as a clock, careful, and a capital forester, -but a trifle taciturn. From time to time, as he drew my attention to the -things noticeable or interesting by the way, his face grew animated, and -his eyes sparkled. By the same token I believed I detected that dormant -perception of beauty and grandeur which is inborn, and which travellers -are in general too much disposed to deny any existence among the natives -of these mountains. It is true, one cannot express his feelings with -the vivacity of the other; but if there is such a thing as speech in -silence, the honest guide's looks spoke volumes. - -He told me that he was accustomed to get his own living in the woods, -like an old bear. He had trapped and gummed all through the region we -were in; the slopes of the great range, and the Wild River wilderness, -which he declared, with a shake of the head, to be "a horrid hole." Now -and then, without halting, he took a step to the right or left to look -into his fox and sable traps, set near the foot-path. When he spoke of -"gumming" on Wildcat Mountain, I was near making an awkward mistake; I -understood him to say "gunning." So I very innocently asked what he had -bagged. He opened his eyes widely and replied, "Gum."[17] - -[Illustration: THE CARTER NOTCH.] - -Seeing me ready, Davis whistled to his dog, and we entered the -logging-road in Indian file. We at once took a brisk pace, which in a -short time brought us to the edge of a clearing, now badly overgrown -with bramble and coppice, and showing how easily nature obliterates -the mark of civilization when left alone. In this clearing an old -cellar told its sad story but too plainly. Those pioneers who first -struck the axe into the noble pines here are all gone. They abandoned -in consternation the effort to wring a scanty subsistence from this -inhospitable and unfruitful region. Even the poor farms I had seen -encroaching upon the skirts of this wilderness seemed fighting in -retreat. - -We quickly came to a second opening, where the axe of God had smote -the forest still more ruthlessly than that of man. The ground was -encumbered with half-burnt trees, among which the gaudy fire-weed grew -rank and tall. Divining my thought, the guide explained in his quaint, -sententious way, "Fire went through it; then the wind harricaned it -down." A comprehensive sweep of his staff indicated the area traversed -by the whirlwind of fire and the tornado. This opening disclosed at our -left the gray cliffs and yawning aperture of the Notch--by far the most -satisfactory view yet obtained, and the nearest. - -Burying ourselves in deeper solitudes, broken only by the hound in full -cry after a fox or a rabbit, we descended to the banks of the Wildcat at -a point one and a half miles from the road we had left. We then crossed -the rude bridge of logs, keeping company with the gradually diminishing -river, now upon one bank, now on the other, making a gradual ascent -along with it, frequently pausing in mid-stream to glance up and down -through the beautiful vistas it has cut through the trees. Halt at the -third crossing, traveller, and take in the long course through the -avenue of black, moss-draped firs! one so sombre and austere, the other -gliding so bright and blithesome out of its shadow and gloom. Just above -this spot a succession of tiny water-falls comes like a procession of -nymphs out of an enchanted wood. - -We were now in a colder region. The sparseness of the timber led me to -look right and left for the stumps of felled trees, but I saw nothing of -the kind. To the rigorous climate and extreme leanness of the soil they -attribute the scanty, undersized growth. I did not see fifty good timber -trees along the whole route. Where a large tree had been prostrated by -the wind, its upturned and matted roots showed a pitiful quantity of -earth adhering. Finding it impossible to grow downward more than a few -poor inches, they spread themselves laterally out to a great distance. -But the fir, with its flame-shaped point, is a symbol of indomitable -pluck. You see it standing erect on the top of some huge bowlder, which -its strong, thick roots clutch like a vulture's talons. How came it -there? Look at those rotting trunks, so beautifully covered with the -lycopodium and partridge-plum! The seed of a fir has taken root in the -bark. A tiny tree is already springing from the rich mould. As it grows, -its roots grasp whatever offers a support; and if the decaying tree has -fallen across a bowlder, they strike downward into the soil beneath -it, and the rock is a prisoner during the lifetime of the tree. Its -resin protects it from the icy blasts of winter, and from the alternate -freezing and thawing of early spring. It is emphatically the tree of the -mountains. - -An hour and a half of pretty rapid walking brought us to the bottom of a -steep rise. We were at length come to close quarters with the formidable -outworks of Wildcat Mountain. The brook has for some distance poured a -stream of the purest water over moss of the richest green, but now it -most mysteriously vanishes from sight. From this point the singular rock -called the Pulpit is seen overhanging the upper crags of the Dome.[18] - -We drank a cup of delicious water from a spring by the side of the path, -and, finding direct access forbidden by the towering and misshapen mass -before us, turned sharply to the left, and attacked the side of Wildcat -Mountain. We had now attained an altitude of nearly three thousand feet -above the sea, or two thousand two hundred and fifty above the village -of Jackson; we were more than a thousand higher than the renowned -Crawford Notch. - -On every side the ground was loaded down with huge gray bowlders, so -ponderous that it seemed as if the solid earth must give way under them. -Some looked as if the merest touch would send them crashing down the -mountain. Undermined by the slow action of time, these fragments have -fallen one by one from the high cliffs, and accumulated at the base. -Among these the path serpentined for half a mile more, bringing us at -last to the summit of the spur we had been climbing, and to the broad -entrance of the Notch. We passed quickly over the level ground we were -upon, stopped by the side of a well-built cabin of bark, threw off our -loads, and then, fascinated by the exceeding strangeness of everything -around me, I advanced to the edge of the scrubby growth in front of the -camp, in order to command an unobstructed view. - -Shall I live long enough to forget this sublime tragedy of nature, -enacted Heaven knows when or how? How still it was! I seemed to have -arrived at the instant a death-like silence succeeds the catastrophe. -I saw only the bare walls of a temple, of which some Samson had just -overthrown the columns--walls overgrown with a forest, ruins overspread -with one struggling for existence. - -Imagine the light of a mid-day sun brightening the tops of the -mountains, while within a sepulchral gloom rendered all objects--rocks, -trees, cliffs--all the more weird and fantastic. I was between two high -mountains, whose walls enclose the pass. Overhanging it, fifteen hundred -feet at least, the sunburnt crags of the Dome towered above the highest -precipices of the mountain behind me. These stately barriers, at once -so noble and imposing, seemed absolutely indestructible. Impossible to -conceive anything more enduring than this imperishable rock. So long -as the world stands, those mountains will stand. And nothing can shake -this conviction. They look so strong, so confident in their strength, so -incapable of change. - -But what, then, is this dusky gray mass, stretching huge and irregular -across the chasm from mountain to mountain, completely filling the -space between, and so effectually blockading the entrance that we were -compelled to pick our way up the steep side of the mountain in order to -turn it? - -Picture to yourself acres upon acres of naked granite, split and -splintered in every conceivable form, of enormous size and weight, yet -pitched, piled, and tumbled about like playthings, tilted, or so poised -and balanced as to open numberless caves, which sprinkled the whole area -with a thousand shadows--figure this, I repeat, to yourself--and the -mind will then grasp but faintly the idea of this colossal barricade, -seemingly built by the giants of old to guard their last stronghold from -all intrusion. At some distance in front of me a rock of prodigious -size, very closely resembling the gable of a house, thrusting itself -half out, conveyed its horrible suggestion of an avalanche in the act of -ingulfing a hamlet. And all this one beholds in a kind of stupefaction. - -Whence came this colossal debris? I had at first the idea that the -great arch, springing from peak to peak, supported on the Atlantean -shoulders of the two mountains, had fallen in ruins. I even tried to -imagine the terrific crash with which heaven and earth came together in -the fall. Easy to realize here Schiller's graphic description of the -Jungfrau: - -"One walks there between life and death. Two threatening peaks shut in -the solitary way. Pass over this place of terror without noise; dread -lest you awaken the sleeping avalanche." - -It is evident, however, as soon as the eye attaches itself to the side -of the Dome, that one of its loftiest precipices, originally measuring -an altitude as great as any yet remaining, has precipitated itself in a -crushed and broken mass into the abyss. Nothing is left of the primitive -edifice except these ruins. It is easily conceived that, previous to -the convulsion, the interior aspect of the Notch was quite different -from what is seen to-day. It was doubtless narrower, gloomier, and -deeper before the cliff became dislodged. The track of the convulsion is -easily traced. From top to bottom the side of the mountain is hollowed -out, exposing a shallow ravine, in which nothing but dwarf spruces will -grow, and in which the erratic rocks, arrested here and there in their -fall, seem endeavoring to regain their ancient position on the summit. -There is no trace whatever of the rubbish ordinarily accompanying a -slide--only these rocks. - -Seeing that all this happened long ago, I asked the guide why the larger -growth we saw on both sides of the hollow had not succeeded in covering -the old scar, as is the case with the Willey Slide; but he was unable to -advance even a conjecture. The spruce, however, loves ruins, spreading -itself out over them with avidity. - -We felt our way cautiously and slowly out over the bowlders; for the -moment one quits the usual track he risks falling headlong upon the -sharp rocks beneath. In the midst of these grisly blocks stunted firs -are born, and die for want of sustenance, making the dreary waste -bristle with hard and horny skeletons. The spruce, dwarfed and deformed, -has established itself solidly in the interstices; a few bushes spring -up in the crannies. With this exception, the entire area is denuded -of vegetation. The obstruction is heaped in two principal ridges, -traversing its greatest breadth, and opening a broad way between. -This is one of the most curious features I remarked. From a flat rock -on the summit of the first we obtained the best idea of the general -configuration of the Notch; and from this point, also, we saw the two -little lakes beneath us which are the sources of the Wildcat. Beyond, -and above the hollow they occupy, the two mountains meet in the low -ridge constituting the true summit of Carter Notch. Far down, under -the bowlders, the Wildcat gropes its way out; but, notwithstanding one -or the other was continually dropping out of sight into the caverns -with which they are filled, we could neither hear nor see anything to -indicate its route. It is buried out of sight and sound. - -No incident of the whole excursion is more curiously inexplicable than -the total disappearance of the brook at the mountain's foot. Notice that -it was last seen gushing from the side we ascended, half a mile below -the camp. Whence does it come? When we were on top of the bowlders, -looking down on the water of the two little lakes, we wonderingly ask, -"Where does it go? How does it get out?" The mystery is, however, solved -by the certainty that their waters flow out underneath the barrier, so -that this mammoth pile of debris, which could destroy a city, was unable -to arrest the flow of a rivulet. - -But all this wreck and ruin exerts a saddening influence; it seems -to prefigure the Death of the Mountain. So one gladly turns to the -landscape--a very noble though not extensive one--enclosing all the -mountains and valleys to the south of us lying between Kearsarge and -Moat. - -After this tour of the rocks, we returned to the hut and ate our -luncheon. Here the Pulpit Rock, which is sure to catch the eye whenever -it wanders to the cliffs opposite, looks very much like the broken -handle of a jug. Davis explained that, by advancing fifteen or twenty -paces upon it, it would be possible to hang suspended over the thousand -feet of space beneath. While thus occupied, the dog received his share -of the bread and meat; nor was the little tame hawk that came and hopped -so fearlessly at our feet forgotten. This bird and a cross-bill were the -only living things I saw.[19] - -Being fully rested and refreshed, we started on a second exploration of -the upper part of the Notch. Thus far our examination had been confined -to the lower portion only. Descending the spur upon which the hut is -situated, we were, in a few moments, at the bottom of the deep cavity -lying between the Giants' Barricade and the little mountain forming the -northern portal. This area is undoubtedly the original floor of the -pass. We had now reached a position between the lakes. Looking backward, -the barricade lifted a black and frowning wall a hundred and fifty feet -above our heads. Looking down, the water of the lakes seemed "an image -of the Dead Sea sleeping at the foot of Jerusalem destroyed." While I -stood looking into them, a passing cloud, pausing in astonishment at -seeing itself reflected from these shadowy depths, darkened the whole -interior. Deprived all at once of sunlight, the scene became one of -great and magnificent solemnity. The pass assumed the appearance of a -vast cavern. The ponds lay still and cold below. The air grew chill, -the water black as ink. The ruddy color faded from the cliffs. They -became livid. I saw the thousands upon thousands of fir-trees, rigid and -sombre, ranged tier on tier like spectators in an immense circus, who -are awaiting the signal for some terrible spectacle to begin. When the -cloud tranquilly resumed its journey, a load seemed lifted off. It was -Nature repeating to herself, - - "Put out the light, and then put out the light." - -We had reached the camp at half-past ten. At half-past twelve we began -the ascent of the Dome. It is not so much the height as the steepness of -this mountain that wins our respect. The path goes straight up to the -first summit, deflects a little to reach the Pulpit, and then, turning -more northerly, ascends for a mile and a half more by a much easier rise -to the highest peak. There are no open ledges on the route. The path is -cut through a wood from base to summit; and, with the exception of a -few trees felled to open an outlook in the direction of the main range, -was covered on the summit itself with a dense growth of fir-trees from -twelve to fifteen feet high. To obtain a view of the whole horizon, it -was necessary, at the time of my visit, to climb one of these trees. - -I will not fatigue the reader with any detailed account of the ascent. -Suffice it to say that it was a slow and toilsome lifting of one heavy -foot after another for three-quarters of an hour. Sometimes the slope -was so near the vertical that we could ascend only a few rods at a -time. I improved these halts by leaning against a tree, and panting like -a doe pursued by the hunter. Davis threw himself upon the ground and -watched me attentively, but without speaking. If he expected me to give -out, I disappointed him by giving the signal to move on. I had already -served my apprenticeship on Carrigain. It was difficult to maintain -an upright position. Once, indeed, on looking up, I perceived that -the guide had abandoned in disgust the idea of walking erect, and was -creeping on all-fours, like his dog. This breathless scramble continued -for three-quarters of an hour, at the end of which we turned into the -short by-path conducting to the Pulpit. - -Near the Pulpit is a cleared space large enough to afford standing room -for fifteen or twenty persons. This Pulpit is a huge, rectangular rock, -jutting out from the face of the cliff on which we stood, and is not at -all unworthy of the name given to it by the guide. It is a fine station -from which to survey the deep rent in the side of the mountain, as well -as the mammoth stone-heap, which it overlooks. The black side of Mount -Wildcat, ploughed from top to bottom with four deep gashes, - - "The least a death to nature," - -is also seen to excellent advantage across the airy space between the -mountains. The fluttering of a handkerchief at the door of the little -cabin greatly enlivened the solitary scene, and drew from us the same -signal in return. - -At first sight the ascent by the chasm seems feasible; but Davis, who -has twice performed this difficult feat, declared with a shrug that -nothing would tempt him to do it again. Those who have ever come to -close quarters with the shrubby growth of these ruins will know how to -leave it in undisputed possession of its own chosen ground. The dwarf -spruce is the Cossack of the woods. - -What a beautiful landscape is that from the Pulpit! The southern horizon -is now widely opened. The mountains around Jackson have dwindled -to hills. Especially curious are the flattened top and distorted -contour-lines of Iron Mountain. Another singular feature is the way we -look through the cloven summit of Doublehead to Kearsarge's stately -pyramid. Here are strips of the Ellis and Saco Valleys, and all of the -Wildcat. The lakes in Ossipee are dazzling to look upon. Old Chocorua -lifts his brilliant spire; then Moat his iron bulwarks. Crawford, -Resolution, and the Giants' Stairs extend on the right, behind Iron. -The view is then cut off by the burly form of Wildcat. Far back in the -picture are the notched walls of the Franconia and Sandwich chains, -topped by pale blue peaks. - -Continuing the ascent for about three-fourths of a mile, we came to a -point only a rod or two distant from the head of the great slide of -1869, and from the top of a tree here was the most thrilling prospect of -Washington and the great northern peaks I ever beheld. All the summits -as far south as Monroe are included in the view. - -Over the right shoulder of Wildcat appeared the dazzling summit of -Washington, having at his left the noble cone of Jefferson, the -matchless shaft of Adams, and the massive pyramid of Madison. Each gray -head was profusely powdered with snow. Dark clouds, heavily charged with -frost, partially intercepted the sun's rays, and, enveloping the great -mountains in their shadows, cast over them a mantle of the deepest blue; -but enough light escaped to gild the arid slopes of the great ravines a -rich brown gold, and to pierce through, and beautifully expose, against -the dark bulk of Adams, a thin veil of slowly falling snow. Imagine an -Ethiopian wrapped from head to foot in lace! - -A chapter could not give the thousand details of this grand picture. -One devours it with avidity. He sees to the greatest possible advantage -the magnificent proportions of Washington, with his massive slopes -rolling up and up, like petrified storm-clouds, to the final summit. -He sees the miles of carriage-road, from where it leaves the woods, -as far as the great northern plateau. He looks deep down into the -depths of Tuckerman's and Huntington's ravines, and between them sees -Raymond's Cataract crusting the bare cliffs with a vein of quicksilver. -The massive head-wall of Tuckerman's was freely spattered with fresh -snow; the Lion's Head rose stark and forbidding; the upper cliffs of -Huntington's, - - "With twenty trenched gashes in his head," - -the great billows of land rushing downward into the dark gulfs, -resembled the vortex of a frozen whirlpool. - -But for refinement of form, delicacy of outline, and a predominant, -inexplicable grace, Adams stands forth here without a rival. -Washington is the undisputed monarch, but Adams is the highest type of -mountain beauty here. That splendid, slightly concave, antique shaft, -rising in unconscious symmetry from the shoulders of two supporting -mountain-peaks, which seem prostrating themselves at its feet, changes -the emotion of awe and respect to one of admiration and pleasure. Our -elevation presented all the great summits in an unrivalled attitude for -observation or study; and whoever has once beheld them--banded together -with bonds of adamant, their heads in the snow, and their feet in the -impenetrable shades of the Great Gulf; with every one of their thousands -of feet under his eye--every line as firm and strong, and every contour -true as the Great Architect drew it--without loss or abatement; vigorous -in old age as in youth; monuments of one race, and silent spectators -of the passing of another; victors in the battle with Time; chronicles -and retrospect of ages; types of the Everlasting and Unchangeable--will -often try to summon up the picture of the great peaks, and once more -marshal their towering battlements before the memory. - -The descent occupied less than half an hour, so rapidly is it made. -We had nothing whatever to do with regulating our speed, but were -fully occupied in so placing our feet as to avoid pitching headlong, -or sitting suddenly down in a miry place. We simply tumbled down the -mountain, like two rocks detached from its peak. - -After a last survey of the basin of the Notch, from the clearing above -the upper lake, we crossed the little mountain at its head, taking the -path leading to the Glen House. We descended the reverse side together, -to the point where the great slide referred to came thundering down from -the Dome into the gorge of Nineteen Mile Brook. This landslip, which -happened October 4th, 1869, was one of the results of the disastrous -autumnal storms, which deluged the mountains with rain, and set in -motion here an enormous quantity of wreck and debris. It was at this -time that Mr. Thompson, the proprietor of the Glen House, lost his life -in the Peabody River, in a desperate effort to avert the destruction of -his mill. - -Here I parted from my guide; and, after threading the woods for two -hours more, following the valley of Nineteen Mile Brook, came out of -their shadowy embrace into the stony pastures above the Glen House. - - - - -IV. - -_THE PINKHAM NOTCH._ - - Levons les yeux vers les saintes montagnes. - --RACINE. - - -The Glen House is one of the last strongholds of the old ways of travel. -Jackson is twelve, Randolph seven, and Gorham eight miles distant. These -are the nearest villages. The nearest farm-houses are Copp's, three -miles on the road to Randolph, and Emery's, six on the road to Jackson. -The nearest railway-station is eight miles off, at Gorham. The nearest -steam-whistle is there. So much for its seclusion. - -Being thus isolated, the Glen House is naturally the point of direction -for the region adjacent. Situated at the base of Carter Mountain, on a -terrace rising above the Peabody River, which it overlooks, it has only -the valley of this stream--a half mile of level meadow here--between -it and the base of Mount Washington. The carriage-road to the summit, -which, in 1861, superseded the old bridle-path, is seen crossing this -meadow. This road occupied six years in building, is eight miles long, -and is as well and solidly built as any similar piece of highway in New -England. - -When it is a question of this gigantic mass, which here offers such an -easy mode of ascent, the interest is assured. Respecting the appearance -of Mount Washington from the Glen House itself, it is a received -truth that neither the height nor the proportions of a high mountain -are properly appreciated when the spectator is placed exactly at the -base. The same is true here of Mount Washington, which is too much -foreshortened for a favorable estimate of its grandeur or its elevation. -The Dome looks flat, elongated, obese. But it is only a step from the -hotel to more eligible posts of observation, say the clearings on Mount -Carter, or, better still, the slopes of Wildcat, which are easily -reached over a good path. - -Still, Mount Washington is surveyed with more astonishment, perhaps, -from this point, than from any other. Its lower section is covered -with a dense forest, out of which rise the successive and stupendous -undulations culminating at last in the absolutely barren summit, which -the nearer swells almost conceal. The true peak stands well to the left, -indicated by a white building when the sun is shining, and a dark one -when it is not. As seen from this spot, the peculiar formation of the -mountain gives the impression of a semi-fluid mass, first cooled to -hardness, then receiving successive additions, which, although eternally -united with its bulk, have left the point of contact forever visible. -When the first mass cooled, it received a second, a third, and a fourth. -One believes, so to speak, certain intervals to have elapsed in the -process of solidifying these masses, which seem, to me at least, not -risen above the earth, but poured down upon it. - -It is related that an Englishman, seated on the balcony of his hotel at -Chamouni, after having conscientiously followed the peripatetics of a -sunset, remarked, "Very fine, very fine indeed! but it is a pity Mont -Blanc hides the view." In this sense, Mount Washington "hides the view" -to the west. No peak dares show its head in this direction. - -From the vicinity of the hotel, Wildcat Mountain allows the eye to -embrace, at the left, Mount Washington as far as Tuckerman's Ravine. -Only a few miles of the valley can be traced on this side; but at the -right it is open for nearly its whole length, fully exposing that -magnificent sweep of the great northern peaks, here bending majestically -to the north-east, and exhibiting their titanic props, deep hollows, -soaring peaks, to the admiring scrutiny of every wayfarer. It is -impossible to appreciate this view all at once. No one can pretend -to analyze the sensations produced by looking at mountains. The bare -thought of them causes a flutter of enthusiasm wherever we may be. At -such moments one lays down the pen to revel in the recollection. - -Among these grandees, Adams looks highest. It is indispensable that this -mountain should be seen from some higher point. It is only half seen -from the Glen, although the view here is by far the best to be had in -any valley enclosing the great chain. Ascend, therefore, even at the -risk of some toil, one of the adjacent heights, and this superb monument -will deign to show the true symmetrical relation of summit to base. - -I have already said that most travellers approach this charming mountain -nook by the Pinkham defile, instead of making their debut by the -Carter Notch. It will be well worth our while to retrace at least so -much of this route, through the first-named pass, as will enable us to -gain a knowledge, not so much of what it shows as of what it hides. By -referring to the chapter on Jackson, we shall then have seen all that -can be seen on the travelled highway. - -The four miles back through the Pinkham forest deserve to be called the -Avenue of Cascades. Not less than four drop from the mountain tops, or -leap down the confined gorges. Let us first walk in this direction. - -Two miles from the hotel we meet a sprightly and vigorous brook coming -down from Wildcat Mountain to swell the Peabody. A short walk up this -stream brings us to Thompson's Falls, which are several pretty cascades -slipping down a bed of granite. The ledges over which they glide offer -a practicable road to the top of the falls, from which is a most -interesting view into Tuckerman's Ravine, and of the summit of Mount -Washington. - -Some overpowering, some unexplained fascination about these dark and -mysterious chambers of the mountain arouses in us a desire strangely -like to that intense craving for a knowledge of futurity itself. We -think of the Purgatory of the ancients into which we would willingly -descend if, like Dante holding the hand of Virgil, we might hope to -return unscathed to earth. "This is nothing but an enormous breach -in the mountain," you say, weakly attempting to throw off the spell -by ridiculing the imagination. Be it so. But it has all the terrible -suggestiveness of a descent into the world of the dead. When we walk in -the dark we say that we are afraid of falling. It is a falsehood. We are -afraid of a _Presence_. - -That dark curling lip of the south wall, looking as if the eternal -adamant of the hills had been scorched and shrivelled by consuming -flame, marks the highest curve of the massive granite spur rooted deep -in the Pinkham defile. It is named Boott's Spur. The sky-line of the -ravine's head-wall is five thousand feet above the sea, on the great -plateau over which the Crawford trail passes. That enormous crag, rising -like another Tower of Famine, on the north and east divides the ravine -proper from the collateral chamber, known as Huntington's, out of which -the source of the Peabody gushes a swift torrent, and near which the -carriage-road winds its devious way up to the summit. In the depression -of this craggy ridge, between the two ravines, sufficient water is -collected to form the beautiful cataract known as Raymond's, which is -seen from all those elevations commanding the ravine itself. - -[Illustration: THE EMERALD POOL.] - -The ravine also furnishes a route to the summit of Mount Washington in -so far that the ascent may be continued from the head of the chasm to -the high plateau, and so up the pinnacle, by the old Crawford trail, or -over the crag on the right to the carriage-road; but it is not to be -highly recommended on that account, except to strong climbers. It should -be visited for itself, and for what is to be seen going or returning by -the different paths. I have also descended from the Summit House to the -ravine and returned by the same route; an excursion growing in favor -with those tourists having a day or two on their hands, and who approach -the mountain from the west or opposite side. In that case a return to -the summit saves a long detour. - -Before we come to Thompson's Falls a well-trod path leads to the Emerald -Pool, which Bierstadt's painting has rendered famous. At first one sees -only a deep hollow, with a dark and glassy pool at the bottom, and a -cool light coming down through the high tree-tops. Two large rocks -tightly compress the stream which fills it, so that the water gushes -out with sufficient force to whiten a little, without disturbing the -placid repose of the pool. This gives the effect of milk poured upon -ink. Above these rocks we look up the stony bed of the frantic river -and meet the blue mass of a distant mountain. Rocks are picturesquely -dropped about the margin. Upon one side a birch leans far out over the -basin, whose polished surface brilliantly reflects the white light of -its bark. One sees the print of foliage on the black water, like that of -ferns and grasses upon coal; or, rather, like the most beautiful Italian -mosaics--black marble inlaid with arabesques of color. The illusion -is more perfect still when the yellow and scarlet of the maples is -reflected, as in autumn. - -The contrast between the absolutely quiet pool and the feverish -excitement of the river is singular. It is that of a life: one, serene -and unmoved, receives the other in its bosom and calms its excitement. -It then runs out over the pebbles at a steadier pace, soothed, -tranquillized, and strengthened, to meet its destiny by this one moment -of peace and rest. - -Doubtless many turn languidly into this charming sylvan retreat with -only a dim perception of its beauty. Few go away except to sing its -praises with heart and tongue. Solitude is here. Repose is here. Peace -is omnipresent. And, freed from the excitements of city life, "Peace -at any price" is the cry of him whom care pursues as with a knotted -scourge. If he find not rest here, 'tis his soul "is poor." For him -the smell of the earth, the fragrance of the pines, the very stones, -have healing or strength. He grows drowsy with the lullaby of the -brook. A delicious languor steals over him. A thousand dreamy fancies -float through his imagination. He is a child again; or, rather, he is -born again. The artificial man drops off. Stocks and bonds are clean -forgotten. His step is more elastic, his eye more alert, his heart -lighter. He departs believing he has read, "Let all who enter here leave -care behind." And all this comes of seeing a little shaded mountain pool -consecrated by Nature. He has only experienced her religion and received -her baptism. - -Burying ourselves deeper in the pass, the trees, stirred by the breeze, -shake out their foliage like a maiden her long tresses. And the glory -of one is the glory of the other. We look up to the greater mountains, -still wrapped in shadows, saying to those whom its beams caress, "Out of -my sun!" - -At the third mile a guide-board at the right announces the Crystal -Cascade. We turn aside here, and, entering the wood, soon reach the -banks of a stream. The last courtesy this white-robed maid makes on -crossing the threshold of her mountain home is called the Crystal -Cascade. It is an adieu full of grace and feeling. - -[Illustration: THE CRYSTAL CASCADE.] - -The Crystal Cascade divides with Glen Ellis the honor of being the most -beautiful water-fall of the White Mountains. And well may it claim this -distinction. These two charming and radiant sisters have each their -especial admirers, who come in multitudes every year, like pilgrims -to the shrine of a goddess. In fact, they are as unlike as two human -countenances. Every one is astonished at the changes effected by simple -combinations of rocks, trees, and water. One shrinks from a critical -analysis of what appeals so strangely to his human sympathies. Indeed, -he should possess the language of a Dumas or a Ruskin, the poetry of -a Longfellow or a Whittier, the pencil of a Turner or a Church, to do -justice to this pre-eminently beautiful of cascades. - -Look around. On the right bank of the stream, where a tall birch leans -its forked branches out over the pool below, a jutting rock embraces -in one glance the greater part of the fall. The cliffs, rising on both -sides, make a most wild and impressive setting. The trees, which shade -or partly screen it, exclude the light. The ferns and shrubbery trace -their arabesques of foliage upon the cold, damp rocks. The sides of -the mountain, receding into black shadows, seem set with innumerable -columns, supporting a roof of dusky leafage. All this combines to -produce the effect of standing under the vault of some old dimly-lighted -cathedral--a subdued, a softened feeling. A voice seems whispering, "God -is here!" - -Through these sombre shades the cascade comes like a gleam of light: -it redeems the solitude. High up, hundreds of feet up the mountain, it -boils and foams; it hardly seems to run. How it turns and tosses, and -writhes on its hard bed! The green leaves quiver at its struggles. Birds -fly silently by. Down, down, and still down over its shattered stairs -falls the doomed flood, until, lashed and broken into a mere feathery -cloud, it reaches a narrow gorge between abrupt cliffs of granite. A -little pellucid basin, half white, half black water, receives it in -full career. It then flows out by a pretty water-fall of twenty feet -more. But here, again, the sharp, wedge-shaped cliff, advancing from -the opposite bank, compresses its whole volume within a deep and narrow -trough, through which it flies with the rapidity of light, makes a -right angle, and goes down the mountain, uttering loud complaints. From -below, the jagged, sharp-edged cliff forms a kind of vestibule, behind -which the cascade conceals itself. Behind this, farther back, is a rock, -perfectly black, and smooth as polished ebony, over which the surplus -water of the fall spreads a tangled web of antique lace. Some very -curious work has been going on here since the stream first made its way -through the countless obstacles it meets in the long miles to its secret -fountains on Mount Washington. One carries away a delightful impression -of the Crystal Cascade. To the natural beauty of falling water it brings -the charm of lawless unrestraint. It scorns the straight and narrow -path; has stolen interviews with secret nooks on this side or that; is -forever coquettishly adjusting its beautiful dishabille. What power has -taken one of those dazzling clouds, floating over the great summit, and -pinned it to the mountain side, from which it strives to rise and soar -away? - -We are now in the wildest depths of the Pinkham defile. The road is -gloomy enough, edging its way always through a dense wood around a -spur of Mount Washington, which it closely hugs. Upon reaching the -summit, thirteen hundred and fifty feet above the Saco, at Bartlett, a -sign-board showed where to leave the highway, but now the noise of the -fall coming clearer and clearer was an even surer guide. - -The sense of seclusion is perfect. Stately pines, funereal cedars, -sombre hemlocks, throng the banks, as if come to refresh their -parched foliage with the fine spray ascending from the cataract. This -spray sparkles in the sun like diamond-dust. Through the thick-set, -clean-limbed tree-trunks jets of foam can be seen in mad riot along -the rocky gorge. They leap, toss their heads, and tumble over each -other like young lambs at play. Backward up the stream, downward beyond -the fall, we see the same tumult of waters in the midst of statuesque -immobility; we hear the roar of the fall echoing in the tops of the -pines; we feel the dull earth throb with the superabundant energy of the -wild river. - -Making my way to the rocks above the cataract, I saw the torrent swiftly -descending in two long, arching billows, flecked with foam, and tossing -myriad diamonds to the sun. Two large masses of rock, loosened from the -cliffs that hang over it, have dropped into the stream, turning it a -little from its ancient course, but only to make it more picturesque and -more tumultuous. On the left of the gorge the rocks are richly striped -with black, yellow, and purple. The water is crystal clear, and cold as -ice, having come, in less time than it takes to write, from the snows of -Tuckerman's Ravine. The variegated hues of the rocks, glistening with -spray, of the water itself seizing and imprisoning, like flies in amber, -every shadow these rocks let fall, the roar of the cataract, make a deep -and abiding impression of savage force and beauty. - -But I had not yet seen the fall. Descending by slippery stairs to the -pool beneath it, I saw, eighty feet above me, the whole stream force its -way through a narrow cleft, and stand in one unbroken column, superbly -erect, upon the level surface of the pool. The sheet was as white as -marble, the pool as green as malachite. As if stunned by the fall, it -turns slowly round; then, recovering, precipitates itself down the rocky -gorge with greater passion than ever. - -On its upper edge the curling sheet of the fall was shot with sunlight, -and shone with enchanting brilliancy. All below was one white, feathery -mass, gliding down with the swift and noiseless movement of an avalanche -of fresh snow. No sound until the moment of contact with the submerged -rocks beneath; then it finds a voice that shakes the hoary forest to -its centre. How this exquisite white thing fascinates! One has almost -to tear himself away from the spot. Undine seems beckoning us to -descend with her into the crystal grottoes of the pool. From the tender -dalliance of a sunbeam with the glittering mists constantly ascending -was born a pale Iris. Exquisitely its evanescent hues decorated the -virgin drapery of the fall. Within these mists two airy forms sometimes -discover themselves, hand-in-hand. - -The story runs that the daughter of a sagamore inhabiting the little -vale, now Jackson, was secretly wooed and won by a young brave of -another and neighboring tribe. But the haughty old chief destined her -for a renowned warrior of his own band. Mustering his friends, the -preferred lover presented himself in the village, and, according to -Indian usage, laying - - "--at her father's feet that night - His softest furs and wampum white." - -demanded his bride. The alliance was too honorable to permit an abrupt -refusal. Smothering his wrath, the father assembled his braves. The -matter was debated in solemn council. It was determined that the rivals -should settle their dispute by a trial of skill, the winner to carry off -the beautiful prize. A mark was set up, the ground carefully measured, -and the two warriors took their respective places in the midst of the -assembled tribe. The heart of the Indian maiden beat with hope when -her lover sent his arrow quivering in the edge of the target; but it -sunk when his rival, stepping scornfully to his place, shot within the -very centre. A shout of triumph rewarded the skill of the victor; but -before it died away the defeated warrior strode to the spot where his -mistress was seated and spoke a few hurried words, intended for her -ear alone. The girl sprung to her feet and grasped her lover's hand. -In another moment they were running swiftly for the woods. They were -hotly pursued. It became a matter of life and death. Perceiving escape -impossible, rendered desperate by the near approach of their pursuers, -the fugitives, still holding fast each other's hand, rushed to the verge -of the cataract and flung themselves headlong into its deadly embrace. - -Over the pool the gray and gloomy wall of Wildcat Mountain seems -stretching up to an incredible height. The astonishing wildness of the -surroundings affects one very deeply. You look up. You see the firs -surmounting those tall cliffs sway to and fro, as if growing dizzy with -the sight of the abyss beneath them. - -The Ellis Cascade is not so light as those mountain sylphs in the great -Notch, which a zephyr lifts from their feet, and scatters far and -wide; it is a vestal hotly pursued by impish goblins to the brink of -the precipice, transformed into a water-fall. For an instant the iron -grip of the cliff seems clutching its snowy throat, but with a mocking -courtesy the fair stream eludes the grasp, and so escapes. - -While returning from Glen Ellis, I saw, not more than a quarter of -a mile from this fall, a beautiful cascade come streaming down a -long trough of granite from a great height, and disappear behind the -tree-tops that skirt the narrow gorge. I had never before seen this -cascade, it being usually dry in summer. The sight of glancing water -among the shaggy upper forests of the mountain--for you hear nothing--is -a real pleasure to the eye. The rock down which this cascade flows is -New River Cliff. - -Before leaving the Ellis, which I did regretfully, it is proper to -recall an incident which gave rise to one of its affluents. In 1775, -says Sullivan, in his "History of Maine," the Saco was found to -swell suddenly, and in a singular manner. As there had not been rain -sufficient to account for this increase of volume, people were at a -loss how to explain the phenomenon, until it was finally discovered to -be occasioned by a new river having broken out of the side of the White -Mountains. - -When this river issued from the mountains, in October, 1775, a mixture -of iron-ore gave the water a deep red color, and this singular, and to -them most startling, appearance led the people inhabiting the upper -banks of the Saco to declare that the river ran blood--a circumstance -which these simple-minded folk regarded as of evil omen for the success -of their arms in the struggle then going on between the Colonies and -Great Britain. Except for illustrating a marked characteristic the -incident would possess little importance. Considerable doubt exists as -to the precise course of this New River, by which it is conjectured that -the ascents of Cutler, Boott, Bigelow, and perhaps others, early in -this century, were made to the summit of Mount Washington. But this is -merely conjecture.[20] - -After Glen Ellis one has had enough, for the day at least, of waterfalls -and cascade. Its excitement is strangely infectious and exhilarating. At -the same time, it casts a sweet and gentle spell over the spirits. If he -be wise, the visitor will not exhaust in a single tour of the sun the -pleasures yet in store, but, after a fall, try a ravine or a mountain -ascent, thus introducing that variety which is the spice of all our -pleasures. - - - - -V. - -_A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S._ - - The crag leaps down, and over it the flood: - Know'st thou it, then? - 'Tis there! 'tis there - Our way runs.... Wilt thou go?--GOETHE. - - -At the mountains the first look of every one is directed to the heavens, -not in silent adoration or holy meditation, but in earnest scrutiny -of the weather. For here the weather governs with absolute sway; and -nowhere is it more capricious. Morning and evening skies are, therefore, -consulted with an interest the varied destinies of the day may be -supposed to suggest. From being a merely conventional topic, the weather -becomes one of the first importance, and such salutations as "A fine -day," or "A nice morning," are in less danger of being coupled with a -wet day or a scowling forenoon. To sum up the whole question, where life -in the open air is the common aim of all, a rainy day is a day lost, and -everybody knows that a lost day can never be recovered. Sun worship is, -therefore, universal. - -The prospect being duly weighed and pronounced good, or fair, or fairly -good, _presto!_ the hotel presents a scene of active preparation. -Anglers, with rod and basket, betake themselves to the neighboring trout -brooks, artists to the woods or the open. Mountain wagons clatter up -to the door with an exhilarating spirit and dash. Amid much laughter -and cracking of jokes, these strong, yet slight-looking vehicles are -speedily filled with parties for the summit, the Crystal Cascade, or -Glen Ellis; knots of pedestrians, picturesquely dressed, move off with -elastic tread for some long-meditated climb among the hills or in the -ravines; while the regular stages for Gorham or Glen Station depart amid -hurried and hearty leave-takings, the flutter of handkerchiefs, and the -sharp crack of the driver's whip. Now they are off, and quiet settles -once more upon the long veranda. - -My own plans included a trip in and out of Tuckerman's Ravine; in by -the old Thompson path, out by the Crystal Cascade. It is necessary to -depart a little from the order of time, as my first essay (during the -first week of May) was frustrated by the deep snows then effectually -blockading the way above Hermit Lake. The following July found me more -fortunate, and it is this excursion that I shall now lay before the -reader for his approval. - -I chose a companion to whom I unfolded the scheme, while reconnoitring -the ravine through my glass. He eagerly embraced my proposal, declaring -his readiness to start on the instant. Upon a hint I let fall touching -his ability to make this then fatiguing march, he observed, rather -stiffly, "I went through one Wilderness with Grant; guess I can through -this." - -"Pack your knapsack, then, comrade, and you shall inscribe 'Tuckerman's' -along with Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg." - -"Bless me! is it so very tough as all that? No matter, give me five -minutes to settle my affairs, and I'm with you." - -Let us improve these minutes by again directing the glass toward the -ravine. - -The upper section of this remarkable ravine--that portion lifted above -the forest line--is finely observed from the neighborhood of the -Crystal Cascade, but from the Glen House the curiously distorted rim -and vertical wall of its south and west sides, the astonishing crag -standing sentinel over its entrance, may be viewed at full leisure. -It constitutes quite too important a feature of the landscape to -escape notice. Dominated by the towering mass of the Dome, infolded by -undulating slopes descending from opposite braces of Mount Washington, -and resembling gigantic draperies, we see an enormous, funnel-shaped, -hollow sunk in the very heart of the mountain. We see, also, that access -is feasible only from the north-east, where the entrance is defended by -the high crag spoken of. Behind these barriers, graven with a thousand -lines and filled with a thousand shadows, the amphitheatre lifts its -formidable walls into view. - -For two miles our plain way led up the summit-road, but at this -distance, where it suddenly changes direction to the right, we plunged -into the forest. Our course now lay onward and upward over what had at -some time been a path--now an untrodden one--encumbered at every few -rods with fallen trees, soaked with rain, and grown up with moose-wood. -Time and again we found the way barred by these exasperating windfalls, -and their thick _abatis_ of branches, forcing us alternately to go -down on all-fours and creep underneath, or to mount and dismount, like -recruits, on the wooden horse of a cavalry school. - -But to any one loving the woods--and this day I loved not wisely, but -too well--this walk is something to be taken, but not repeated, for fear -of impairing the first and most abiding impressions. One cannot have -such a revelation twice. - -[Illustration: THE PATH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE.] - -I recall no mountain-path that is so richly diversified with all -the wildest forms of mountain beauty. At first our progress through -primitive groves of pine, hemlock, and birch was impeded by nothing more -remarkable than the giant trees stretching interminably, rank upon rank, -tier upon tier. But these woods, these countless gray and black and -white trunks, and outspread framework of branches, supported a canopy -of thick foliage, filled with voices innumerable. Something stirred in -the top of a lofty pine; and then, like an alguazil on a watch-tower, a -crow, apparent sentinel of all the feathered colony, rose clumsily on -his talons, flapped two sable wings, and thrice hoarsely challenged, -"Caw! caw! caw!" What clamor, what a liliputian Babel ensued! Our ears -fairly tingled with the calls, outcries, and objurgations apparently -flung down at us by the multitudinous population overhead. Hark to the -woodpecker's rat-tat-tat, the partridge's muffled drum! List to the -bugle of the wood-thrush, sweet and clear! Now sounds the cat-bird's -shrill alarm, the owl's hoot of indignant surprise. Then the squirrels, -those little monkeys of our northern woods, grated their teeth sharply -at us, and let fall nuts on our heads as we passed underneath. Never -were visitors more unwelcome. - -Before long we came to a brook, then to another. Their foaming waters -shot past like a herd of wild horses. These we crossed. We now began to -thread a region where the forest was more open. The moss we trampled -underfoot, and which here replaces the grass of the valleys, was beating -the tallest trees in the race for the mountain-top. It was the old story -of the tortoise and the hare over again. But this moss: have you ever -looked at it before your heel bruised the perfumed flowers springing -from its velvet? Here are tufts exquisitely decorated with coral -lichens; here the violet and anemone nestle lovingly together; here it -creeps up the gray trunks, or hides the bare roots of old trees. Tread -softly! This is the abode of elves and fairies. Step lightly! you expect -to hear the crushed flowers cry out with pain. - -These enchanting spots, where stones are couches and trees canopies, -tempted us to sit down on a cushioned bowlder, or throw ourselves -upon the thick carpet into which we sunk ankle-deep at every step. -Even the bald, gray rocks were tapestried with mosses, lichens, and -vines. All around, under the thick shade, hundreds of enormous trees -lay rotting; yet exquisitely the prostrate trunks were overspread with -robes of softest green, effectually concealing the repulsiveness, the -suggestions of decay. Now and then the dead tree rose into new life -through the sturdy roots of a young fir, or luxuriant, plumed ferns -growing in its bark. This inexpressible fecundity, in the midst of -inexpressible wastefulness, declared that for Nature there is no such -thing as death. And they tell us the day of miracles has passed! Upon -this dream of elf-land the cool morning light fell in oblique streams -through the tree-trunks, as through grated windows, filling all the wood -with a subdued twilight glimmer, leaving a portion of its own gleams -on the moss-grown rocks, while the trees stretched their black shadows -luxuriously along the thick-piled sward, like weary soldiers in a -bivouac. - -We proceeded thus from chamber to chamber, and from cloister to -cloister, at times descending some spur of the mountain into a -deep-shaded dell, and again climbing a swift and miry slope to better -ground, until we crossed the stream coming from the high spur spoken of. -From here the ground rapidly rose for half a mile more, when we suddenly -came out of the low firs full upon the Lion's Head crag, rising above -Hermit Lake, and visible from the vicinity of the Glen House. To be thus -unexpectedly confronted by this wall of imperishable rock stirs one very -deeply. For the moment it dominates _us_, even as it does the little -tarn so unconsciously slumbering at its feet. It is horribly mutilated -and defaced. Its sides are thickly sowed with stunted trees, that bury -their roots in its cracks and rents with a gripe of iron. In effect it -is the barbican of the great ravine. Crouched underneath, by the shore -of the lake, is a matted forest of firs and spruces, dwindled to half -their usual size, grizzled with long lichens, and occupying, as if by -stealth, the debatable ground between life and death. It is, in fact, -more dead than alive. Deeply sunk beneath is the lake. - -Hermit Lake--a little pool nestling underneath a precipice--demands a -word. Its solitary state, its waters green and profound, and the thick -shades by which it was covered, seemed strangely at variance with the -intense activity of the foaming torrents we had seen, and could still -hear rushing down the mountain. It was too small for a lake, or else it -was dwarfed by the immense mass of overshadowing rock towering above it, -whose reflected light streamed across its still and glossy surface. Here -we bid farewell to the forest. - -We had now gained a commanding post of observation, though there was -yet rough work to do. We saw the whole magnificent sweep of the ravine, -to where it terminates in a semicircle of stupendous cliffs that seem -hewn perpendicularly a thousand feet down. Lying against the western -wall we distinguished patches of snow; but they appeared of trifling -extent. Great wooded mountain slopes stretched away from the depths -of the gorge on either side, making the iron lineaments of the giant -cliffs seem harder by their own softness and delicacy. Here and there -these exquisite draperies were torn in long rents by land-slips. In the -west arose the shattered peak of Monroe--a mass of splintered granite, -conspicuous at every point for its irreclaimable deformity. It seemed -as if the huge open maw of the ravine might swallow up this peak with -ease. There was a Dantesque grandeur and solemnity everywhere. With our -backs against the trees, we watched the bellying sails of a stray cloud -which intercepted in its aerial voyage our view of the great summit; -but it soon floated away, discovering the whitish-gray ledges to the -very capstone of the dome itself. Looking down and over the thick woods -beyond, we met again the burly Carter Mountains, pushed backward from -the Pinkham Notch, and kept back by an invisible yet colossal strength. - -[Illustration: HERMIT LAKE.] - -From Hermit Lake the only practicable way was by clambering up the bed -of the mountain brook that falls through the ravine. The whole expanse -that stretched on either side was a chaos of shattered granite, pitched -about in awful confusion. Path there was none. No matter what way we -turned, "no thoroughfare" was carved in stolid stone. We tried to force -a passage through the stunted cedars that are mistaken at a mile for -greensward, but were beaten back, torn and bleeding, to the brook. We -then turned to the great bowlders, to be equally buffeted and abused, -and finally repulsed upon the brook, which seemed all the while mocking -our efforts. Once, while forcing a route, inch by inch, through the -scrub, I was held suspended over a deep crevice, by my belt, until -extricated by my comrade. At another time he disappeared to the armpits -in a hole, from which I drew him like a blade from a scabbard. At this -moment we found ourselves unable either to advance or retreat. The dwarf -trees squeezed us like a vise. Who would have thought there was so much -life in them? At our wits' end, we looked at our bleeding hands, then at -each other. The brook was the only clew to such a labyrinth, and to it, -as from Scylla to Charybdis, we turned as soon as we recovered breath. -But to reach it was no easy matter; we had literally to cut our way out -of the jungle. - -When we were there, and had rested awhile from the previous severe -exertions, my companion, alternately mopping his forehead and feeling -his bruises, looked up with a quizzical expression, and ejaculated, -"Faith, I am almost as glad to get out of this wilderness as the other! -In any case," he gayly added, "I have lost the most blood here; while in -Virginia I did not receive a scratch." - -After this rude initiation into the mysteries of the ravine, we advanced -directly up the bed of the brook. But the brook is for half a mile -nothing but a succession of leaps and plunges, its course choked with -bowlders. We however toiled on, from rock to rock, first boosting, then -hoisting each other up; one moment splashing in a pool, the next halting -in dismay under a cascade, which we must either mount like a chamois or -ascend like a trout. The climber here tastes the full enjoyment of an -encounter with untamed nature, which calls every thew and sinew into -action. At length the stream grew narrower, suddenly divided, and we -stood at the mouth of the Snow Arch, confronted by the vertical upper -wall of the ravine. - -We stood in an arena "more majestic than the circus of a Titus or a -Vespasian." The scene was one of awful desolation. A little way below -us the gorge was heaped with the ruins of some unrecorded convulsion, -by which the precipice had been cloven from base to summit, and the -enormous fragments heaved into the chasm with a force the imagination -is powerless to conceive. In the interstices among these blocks -rose thickets of dwarf cedars, as stiff and unyielding as the livid -rock itself. It was truly an arena which might have witnessed the -gladiatorial combats of immortals. - -We did not at first look at the Snow Arch. The eye was irresistibly -fascinated by the tremendous mass of the precipice above. From top to -bottom its tawny front was covered with countless little streams, that -clung to its polished wall without once quitting their hold. They twined -and twisted in their downward course, like a brood of young serpents -escaping from their lair; nor could I banish the idea of the ghastly -head of a Gorgon clothed with tresses of serpents. A poetic imagination -has named this tangled knot of mountain rills, "The fall of a thousand -streams." At the foot of the cliff the scattered waters unite, before -entering the Snow Arch, in a single stream. Turning now to the right, -the narrowing gorge, ascending by a steep slope as high as the upper -edge of the precipice, points out the only practicable way to the summit -of Mount Washington in this direction. But we have had enough of such -climbing, for one day, at least. - -Partial recovery from the stupefaction which seizes and holds one fast -is doubtless signalized in every case by an effort to account for the -overwhelming disaster of which these ruins are the mute yet speaking -evidence. We need go no farther in the search than the innocent-looking -little rills, first dripping from the Alpine mosses, then percolating -through the rocks of the high plateau, and falling over its edge in a -thousand streams. Puny as they look, before their inroads the plateau -line has doubtless receded, like the great wall of rock over which -Niagara pours the waters of four seas. With their combined forces--how -long ago cannot be guessed; and what, indeed, does it signify?--knitted -together by frost into Herculean strength, they assailed the granite -cliffs that were older than the sun, older than the moon or the stars, -mined and countermined year by year, inch by inch, drop by drop, -until--honey-combed, riddled, and pierced to its centre, and all was -ready for its final overthrow--winter gave the signal. In a twinkling, -yielding to the stroke, and shattered into a thousand fragments, -the cliffs laid their haughty heads low in the dust. Afterward the -accumulated waters tranquilly continued the process of demolition, and -of removing the soil from the deep excavation they had made, until -the floor of the ravine had sunk to its present level. In California -a man with a hose washes away mountains to get at the gold deposits. -This principle of hydraulic force is borrowed, pure and simple, from a -mountain cataract. - -[Illustration: SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE.] - -Osgood, the experienced guide, who had visited the ravine oftener -than anybody else, assured me that never within his remembrance had -this forgotten forgement of winter, the Snow Arch, been seen to such -advantage. We estimated its width at above two hundred feet, where it -threw a solid bridge of ice over the stream, and not far from three -hundred in its greatest length, where it lay along the slope of the -gorge. Summer and winter met on this neutral ground. Entering the Arch -was joining January and July with a step. Flowers blossomed at the -threshold. We caught water, as it dripped ice-cold from the roof, and -pledged Old Winter in his own cellarage. The brook foamed at our feet. -Looking up, there was a pretty picture of a tiny water-fall pouring in -at the upper end and out at the ragged portal of the grotto. But I think -we were most charmed with the remarkable sculpture of the roof, which -was a groined arch fashioned as featly as was ever done by human hands. -What the stream had begun in secret the warm vapors had chiselled with -a bolder hand, but not altered. As it was formed, so it remained--a -veritable chapel of the hills, the brook droning its low, monotonous -chant, and the dripping roof tinkling its refrain unceasingly. If the -interior of the great ravine impressed us as the hidden receptacle of -all waste matter, this lustrous heap of snow, so insignificant in its -relation to the immensity of the chasm that we scarcely looked at it at -first, now chased away the feeling of mingled terror and aversion--of -having stolen unawares into the one forbidden chamber--and possessed us -with a sense of the beautiful, which remained long after its glittering -particles had melted into the stream that flowed beneath. So under a -cold exterior is nourished the principle of undying love, which the aged -mountain gives that earth may forever renew her fairest youth. - -The presence of this miniature glacier is a very simple matter. The -fierce winds of winter which sweep over the plateau whirl the snows -before them, over its crest, into the ravine, where they are lodged at -the foot of the precipice, and accumulate to a great depth. As soon as -released by spring, the little streams, falling down this wall, seek -their old channels, and, being warmer, succeed in forcing a passage -through the ice. By the end of August the ice usually disappears, though -it sometimes remains even later. - -After picking up some fine specimens of quartz, sparkling with mica, and -uttering a parting malediction on the black flies that tormented us, we -took our way down and out of the ravine, following the general course of -the stream along its steep valley, and, after an uneventful march of two -hours, reached the upper waters of the Crystal Cascade. - - - - -VI. - -_IN AND ABOUT GORHAM._ - - That lonely dwelling stood among the hills - By a gray mountain stream. - --SOUTHEY. - - -After the events described in the last chapter, I continued, like the -navigator of unknown coasts, my tour of the great range. Half a mile -below the Glen House, the Great Gulf discharges from its black throat -the little river rising on the plateau at its head. The head of this -stupendous abyss is a mountain, and mountains wall it in. Its depths -remain unexplored except by an occasional angler or trapper. - -Two and a half miles farther on a road diverges to the left, crosses the -Peabody by a bridge, and stretches on over a depression of the range -to Randolph, where it intersects the great route from Lancaster and -Jefferson to Gorham. Over the river, snugly ensconced at the foot of -Mount Madison, is the old Copp place. Commanding, as it does, a noble -prospect up and down the valley, and of all the great peaks except -Washington, its situation is most inviting; more than this, the picture -of the weather-stained farm-house nestling among these sleeping giants -revives in fullest vigor our preconceived idea of life in the mountains, -already shaken by the balls, routs, and grand toilets of the hotels. -The house, as we see by Mistress Dolly Copp's register, has been known -to many generations of tourists. The Copps have lived here about half a -century. - -Travellers going up or down, between the Glen House and Gorham, usually -make a detour as far as Copp's, in order to view the Imp to better -advantage than can be done from the road. Among these travellers some -have now and then knocked at the door and demanded to see the Imp. The -hired girl invariably requests them to wait until she can call the -mistress. - -[Illustration: THE IMP.] - -Directly opposite the farm-house the inclined ridge of Imp Mountain -is broken down perpendicularly some two hundred feet, leaving a -jagged cliff, resembling an immense step, facing up the valley. This -is a mountain of the Carter chain, sloping gradually toward the Glen -House. Upon this cliff, or this step, is the distorted human profile -which gives the mountain its name. A strong, clear light behind it -is necessary to bring out all the features, the mouth especially, in -bold relief against the sky, when the expression is certainly almost -diabolical. One imagines that some goblin, imprisoned for ages within -the mountain, and suddenly liberated by an earthquake, exhibits its -hideous countenance, still wearing the same look it wore at the moment -it was entombed in its mask of granite. The forenoon is the best time, -and the road, a few rods back from the house, the best point from which -to see it. The coal-black face is then in shadow. - -The Copp farm-house has a tale of its own, illustrating in a remarkable -manner the amount of physical hardship that long training, and -familiarity with rough out-of-door life, will occasionally enable -men to endure. Seeing two men in the door-yard, I sat down on the -chopping-block, and entered into conversation with them. - -By the time I had taken out my note-book I had all the members of the -household and all the inmates of the barn-yard around me. I might -add that all were talking at once. The matron stood in the door-way, -which her ample figure quite filled, trifling with the beads of a gold -necklace. A younger face stared out over her shoulder; while an old man, -whose countenance had hardened into a vacant smile, and one of forty -or thereabouts, alternately passed my glass one to the other, with an -astonishment similar to that displayed by Friday when he first looked -through Crusoe's telescope. - -"Which of you is named Nathaniel Copp?" I asked, after they had -satisfied their curiosity. - -"That is my name," the younger very deliberately responded. "Really," -thought I, "there is little enough of the conventional hero in that -face;" therefore I again asked, "Are you the same Nathaniel Copp who was -lost while hunting in the mountains, let me see, about twenty-five years -ago?" - -"Yes; but I wasn't lost after I got down to Wild River," he hastily -rejoined, like a man who has a reputation to defend. - -"Tell me about it, will you?" - -I take from my note-book the following relation of the exploit of this -mountain Nimrod, as I received it on the spot. But I had literally to -draw it out of him, a syllable at a time. - -On the last day of January, 1855, Nathaniel Copp, son of Hayes D. Copp, -of Pinkham's Grant, near the Glen House, set out from home on a deer -hunt, and was out four successive days. On the fifth day he again left -to look for a deer killed the previous day, about eight miles from home. -Having found it, he dragged the carcass (weighing two hundred and thirty -pounds) home through the snow, and at one o'clock P.M. started -for another he had tracked near the place where the former was killed, -which he followed until he lost the track, at dark. He then found that -he had lost his own way, and should, in all probability, be obliged to -spend the night in the woods, with the temperature ranging from 32 deg. to -35 deg. below zero. - -Knowing that to remain quiet was certain death, and having nothing with -which to light a fire, the hunter began walking for his life. The moon -shone out bright and clear, making the cold seem even more intense. -While revolving in his mind his unpleasant predicament he heard a deer -bleat. He gave chase, and easily overtook it. The snow was too deep for -the animal to escape from a hunter on snow-shoes. Copp leaped upon his -back, and despatched him with his hunting-knife. He then dressed him, -and, taking out the heart, put it in his pocket, not for a trophy, but, -as he told me, to keep starvation at arm's-length. The excitement of the -chase made him forget cold until he perceived himself growing benumbed. -Rousing himself, he again pushed on, whither he knew not, but spurred -by the instinct of self-preservation. Daylight found him still striding -on, with no clew to a way out of the thick woods, which imprisoned him -on every side. At length, at ten in the morning, he came out at or near -Wild River, in Gilead, forty miles from home, having walked twenty one -consecutive hours without rest or food, the greater part of the time -through a tangled growth of underbrush. - -His friends at home becoming alarmed at his prolonged absence during -such freezing weather, three of them, Hayes D. Copp, his father, John -Goulding, and Thomas Culhane, started in search of him. They followed -his track until it was lost in the darkness, and, by the aid of their -dog, found the deer which young Copp had killed and dressed. They again -started on the trail, but with the faintest hope of ever finding the -lost man alive, and, after being out twenty-six hours in the extreme -cold, found the object of their search. - -No words can do justice to the heroic self-denial and fortitude with -which these men continued an almost hopeless search, when every moment -expecting to find the stiffened corpse of their friend. Goulding froze -both feet; the others their ears. - -When found, young Copp did not seem to realize in the least the great -danger through which he had passed, and talked with perfect unconcern -of hunts that he had planned for the next week. One of his feet was so -badly frozen, from the effect of too tightly lacing his snow-shoe, that -the toes had to be amputated. - -Until reaching the bridge, within two miles of Gorham, I saw no one, -heard nothing except the strokes of an axe, borne on the still air from -some logging-camp, twittering birds, or chattering river. Ascending the -hill above the bridge, I took my last look back at Mount Washington, -over whose head rose-tinted clouds hung in graceful folds. The summit -was beautifully distinct. The bases of all the mountains were floating -in that delicious blue haze, enrapturing to the artist, exasperating -to the climber. Turning to my route, I had before me the village of -Gorham, with the long slopes of Mount Hayes meeting in a regular pyramid -behind it. Against the dusky wall of the mountain one white spire stood -out clean and sharp. At my right, along the river, was a cluster of -saw-mills, sheds, and shanties; beyond, an irregular line of forest -concealing the town--all except the steeple; beyond that the mountain. -As I entered the village, the shrill scream of a locomotive pierced the -still air, and, like the horn of Ernani, broke my dream of forgetfulness -with its fatal blast. Adieu, dreams of delusion! we are once more -manacled with the city. - -I loitered along the river road, hoping, as the sky was clear, to see -the sun go down on the great summits. Nor was I disappointed. As I -walked on, Madison, the superb, gradually drew out of the Peabody Glen, -and soon Washington came into line over the ridge of Moriah, whose -highest precipices were kindled with a ruddy glow, while a wonderful -white light rested, like a halo, on the brow of the monarch. Of a -sudden, the crest of Moriah paled, then grew dark; night rose from the -black glen, twilight descended from the dusky heavens. For an instant -the humps of Clay reddened in the afterglow. Then the light went out, -and I saw only the towering forms of the giant mountains dimly traced -upon the sky. A star fell. At this signal the great dome sparkled with -myriad lights. Night had ascended her mountain throne. - -Gorham is situated on the Grand Trunk Railway, between Paris and Berlin, -with Milan just beyond--names a trifle ambitious for villages with -the bark on, but conferring distinction upon half a hundred otherwise -obscure villages scattered from Maine to California. - -Gorham is also situated in one of those natural parks, called -intervales, in an amphitheatre of hills, through which the Androscoggin -flows with a strong, steady tide. The left bank is appropriated by Mount -Hayes, the right by the village--a suspension bridge giving access from -one to the other. This mountain rises abruptly from the river to a broad -summit-plateau, from which a wide and brilliant prospect rewards the -climber. The central portion of Gorham is getting to be much too busy -for that rest and quietude which is so greatly desired by a large class -of travellers to the mountains, but, on the other hand, its position -with respect to the highest summits is more advantageous than that of -any other town lying on the skirts of the mountains, and accessible by -railway. In one hour the tourist can be at the Glen House, in three -on the summit of Mount Washington. Being at the very end of the great -chain, in the angle where its last elevation abuts on the Androscoggin, -the valley conducting around the northerly side of the great eminences, -through the settlements of Randolph and Jefferson, furnishes another and -a charming avenue of travel into the region watered by the Connecticut. -As the great tide of travel flows in from the west and south, Gorham -has profited little by the extension of railways furnishing more direct -communication with the heart of the mountains. - -Mount Hayes is the guardian of the village, erecting its rocky rampart -over it, like the precipices of Cape Diamond over Quebec. The hill in -front is called Pine Mountain, though it is only a mountain by brevet. -The tip of the peak of Madison peers down into the village over this -hill. I plainly saw the snow up there from my window. To the left, and -over the low slope of Pine Mountain, rise the Carter summits, which here -make a remarkably imposing background to the picture, and in conjunction -with the great range form the basin of the Peabody. I saw this stream, -making its final exit from the mountains, throw itself exhausted with -its rapid course into the Androscoggin, half a mile below the hotel. -North-west of the village street, drawn up in line across the valley, -extend the Pilot peaks. - -The Carter group is said to have been named after a hunter. According -to Farmer, the Pilot Mountains were so called from a dog. Willard, a -hunter, had been lost two or three days on these mountains, on the east -side of which his camp was situated. Every day he observed that Pilot, -his dog, regularly left him, as he supposed in search of game; but -toward nightfall would as regularly return to his master. This at length -excited the attention of the hunter, who, when nearly exhausted with -fatigue and hunger, decided to commit himself to the guidance of Pilot, -and in a short time was conducted by the intelligent animal in safety to -his camp. - -My first morning at Gorham was a beautiful one, and I prepared to -improve it to the utmost by a walk around the northern base of Madison, -neither knowing nor caring whither it might lead me. Spring was in -her most enchanting mood. A few steps, and I was amid the marvels of -a new creation, the tasselled birches, the downy willows, the oaks in -gosling-gray. Even the gnarled and withered apple-trees gave promise of -blossoming, and the young ferns, pushing aside the dead leaves, came -forth with their tiny fists doubled for the battle of life. Why did not -Nature so order it that mankind might rest like the trees, or shall we, -like them, come forth at last strong, vigorous, beautiful, from that -long refreshing slumber? - -Leaving the village, at the end of a mile and a half I took the road -turning to the left, where Moose River falls into the Androscoggin, at -the point where the latter, making a remarkable bend, turns sharply away -to the north. Moose River is a true mountain stream, clear and limpid, -foaming along a bed of sand and pebbles. - -From this spot the whole extent of the Pilot range was unrolled at my -right, while at the left, majestic among the lower hills, Madison and -Adams were massed in one grand pyramid. The snows glistening on the -summits seemed trophies torn from winter. - -About a mile from the turning, at Lary's, I found the best station for -viewing the statuesque proportions of Madison. The foreground a swift -mountain stream, white as the snows where it takes its rise. Beyond, -a strip of meadow land, covered with young birches and poplars, just -showing their tender, trembling foliage. Among these are scattered -large, dead trees, relics of the primeval forest; the middle ground -a young forest, showing in its dainty wicker-work of branchlets that -beady appearance which belongs to spring alone, and is so exquisitely -beautiful. Above this ascends, mile upon mile, the enormous bulk of -the mountain, ashen-gray at the summit, dusky olive-green below. Stark -precipices, hedged about with blasted pines, and seamed with snow, -capped the great pile. Over this a pale azure, deepening in intensity -toward the zenith, unrolled its magnificent drapery. - -After the ascent of Mount Hayes, which Mr. King has fittingly described -as "the chair set by the Creator at the proper distance and angle to -appreciate and enjoy" the kingly prominence of Mount Washington, the -two things best worth seeing in the neighborhood are the falls of the -Androscoggin at Berlin, and the beautiful view of the loftiest of the -White Mountain peaks from what is called here the Lead Mine Bridge. To -get to the falls you must ascend the river, and to obtain the view you -must descend a few miles. I consecrated a day to this excursion. - -With a head already filled with the noise of half a hundred mountain -torrents, water-falls, or cascades, I set out after breakfast for -Berlin Falls, feeling that the passage of a body of water such as the -Androscoggin is at Gorham, through a narrow gorge, must be something -different from the common. - -A word about Berlin. Its situation is far more picturesque than that of -Gorham. There is the same environment of mountains, and, in addition to -the falls, a magnificent view of Madison, Adams, Jefferson, and of the -Carter range. The precipices of Mount Forist, which overhang railway and -village, are noticeable among a thousand. Here Dead River falls into the -Androscoggin, and here the Grand Trunk Railway, taking leave of this -river, turns to the north-west, crosses over to the Upper Ammonoosuc, -twists and twines along: with it among the northern mountains, and at -last emerges upon the level meadows of the Connecticut. - -Berlin has another aspect. Lumber is its business; lumber its staple of -conversation; people go to bed to dream of lumber. In a word, lumber is -everywhere. The lumberman admires a tree in his way quite as much as you -or I. No eye like his to estimate its height, its girth, its thickness. -But as ships to Shylock, so trees to him are naught but boards--so many -feet. So that there is something almost ferocious in the lumberman's or -mill-owner's admiration for the forest; something almost startling in -the idea that this out-of-the-way corner is devouring the forests at the -rate of twenty car-loads a day. In plain language, this village cuts up -a good-sized grove every day, and rejoices over it with a new house or a -new barn. - -At the risk of being classed with the sentimental and the unpractical, -every one who is alive to the consequences of converting our forests -into deserts, or worse than deserts, should raise a voice of warning -against this wholesale destruction. The consequences may be remote, -but they are certain. For the most part, the travelled routes have -long since been stripped of their valuable timber trees. Now the mills -are fast eating their way into the hitherto inaccessible regions, -leaving a track of desolation behind wherever they go, like that of a -destroying army. What cannot be carried away is burnt. Fires are seen -blazing by the side of every saw-mill, in which all the waste material -is carefully consumed. A trifle? Enough is consumed every year in this -way to furnish the great city of New York with its fuel. I speak with -moderation. Not a village but has its saw-mills; while at Whitefield, -Bethlehem, Livermore, Low, and Burbank's Grant, and many other -localities, the havoc is frightful. Forest fires, originating chiefly in -the logging-camps, annually desolate leagues of forest land. How long is -this to continue? - -The mountain labors incessantly to re-create, but what can it do against -such fearful odds? and what shall we do when it can no longer furnish -pine to build our homes, or wood to warm them? Delve deeper and deeper -under the Alleghanies? In about two hundred and fifty years the noble -forests, which set the early discoverers wild with enthusiasm, have -been steadily driven farther and farther back into the interior, until -"the forest primeval" exists not nearer than a hundred miles inland. -Then the great northern wilderness began at the sea-coast. It is now -in the vicinity of Lake Umbagog. Still the warfare goes on. I do not -call occasional bunches of wood forests. All this means less and less -moisture; consequently, more and more drought. The tree draws the -cloud from heaven, and bestows it on the earth. The summer of 1880 was -one of almost unexampled dryness. Large rivers dwindled to pitiful -rivulets, brooks were dried up, and the beautiful cascades in many -instances wholly disappeared. The State is powerless to interfere. Not -so individuals, or combinations of individuals for the preservation of -such tracts of woodland as the noble Cathedral woods of North Conway. In -the West a man who plants a tree is a public benefactor; is he who saves -the life of one in the East less so? America, says Berthold Auerbach, is -no longer "the Promised Land for the Old World;" if she does not protect -her woods, she will become "waste and dry," like the Promised Land of -the ancients--Palestine itself. Look on this picture of Michelet: - -"On the shores of the Caspian, for three or four hundred leagues, -one sees nothing, one encounters nothing, but midway an isolated and -solitary tree. It is the love and worship of every passing wayfarer. -Each one offers it something; and the very Tartar, in default of every -other gift, will snatch a hair from his beard or his horse's mane." - -The season when the great movement of lumber from the northern -wilderness to the sea begins is one of great activity. The logs are -floated down the Androscoggin from Lake Umbagog with the spring -freshets, when those destined to go farther are "driven," as the -lumbermen's phrase is, over the falls and through the rapids here, to -be picked up below. It may well be believed that the passage of the -falls by a "drive" is a sight worth witnessing. Sometimes the logs -get so tightly jammed in the narrow gorge of the river that it seems -impossible to extricate them; but the dam they form causes the river -to rise behind it, when the accumulated and pent-up waters force their -way through the obstruction, tossing huge logs in the air as if they -were straws. A squad of lumbermen--tough, muscular, handy fellows they -are--accompanies each drive, just as _vaqueros_ do a Texan herd; and -the herd of logs, like the herd of cattle, is branded with the owner's -mark. After making the drive of the falls, the men move down below them, -where they find active and, so far as appearance goes, dangerous work in -disentangling the snarls of logs caught among the rocks of the rapids. -Against a current no ordinary boat could stem for a moment; they dart -hither and thither in their light bateaux, as the herdsman does on his -active little mustang. If a log grounds in the midst of the rapids, the -bateaux dashes toward it. One river-driver jumps upon it, and holds the -boat fast, while another grapples it with a powerful lever called a -cant-dog. In a moment the log rolls off the rocks with a loud splash, -and is hurried away by the rapid tide. - -During the drive the lumberman is almost always wet to the skin, day -in and day out. When a raft of logs is first started in the spring the -men suffer from the exposure; but after a little time the work seems -to toughen and harden them, so that they do not in the least mind the -amphibious life they are forced to lead. Rain or shine, they get to -their work at five in the morning, leaving it only when it is too dark -to see longer. Each squad--for the whole force is divided into what may -be called skirmishers, advanced-guards, main body, and rear-guard, each -having its appointed work to perform--then repairs to its camp, which is -generally a tent pitched near the river, where the cook is waiting for -their arrival with a hot supper of fried doughnuts and baked beans--the -lumberman's diet of preference. They pass the evening playing euchre, -telling stories, or relating the experiences of the day, and are as -simple, hearty, happy-go-lucky fellows as can be found in the wide world. - -To say that the Berlin Falls begin two miles below the village is no -more than the truth, since at this distance the river was sheeted in -foam from shore to shore. For these two miles its bed is so thickly sown -with rocks that it is like a river stretched on the rack. The whole -river, every drop of it, is hemmed in by enormous masses of granite, -forming a long, narrow, and rocky gorge, down which it bursts in one mad -plunge, tossing and roaring like the Maelstrom. What fury! What force! -The solid earth shakes, and the very air trembles. It is a saturnalia. A -whirlwind of passion, swift, uncontrollable, and terrible. - -The best situation I could find was upon a jutting ledge below the -little foot-bridge thrown from rock to rock. Several turns in the long -course of the cataract prevent its whole extent being seen all at once; -but it starts up hither and thither among the rocks, boiling with rage -at being so continually hindered in its free course, until, at last, -madness seizes it, and, flying straight at the throat of the gorge, -it goes down in one long white wave, overwhelming everything in its -way. It reaches the foot of the rocks in fleeces, darts wildly hither -and thither, shakes off the grasp of concealed rocks, and, racing on, -stretches itself on its wide and shallow bed, uttering a tremulous wail. - -From the village at the falls, and from Berlin Mills, are elevations -from which the great White Mountains are grandly conspicuous. The view -is similar to that much extolled one from Milan, the town next to -Berlin. Here the three great mountains, closed in mass, display a triple -crown of peaks, Washington being thrown back to the left, and behind -Madison, with Adams on his right. Best of all is the blended effect of -early morning, or of the afterglow, when a few light clouds sail along -the crimson sky, and their shadows play hide-and-seek on the mountain -sides. - -In the afternoon, while walking down the road to Shelburne, I met an -apparently honest farmer, with whom I held some discourse. He was -curious about the great city he had known half a century before, when -it was in swaddling clothes; I about the mountains above and around us, -that had never known change since the world began. An amiable contest -ensued, in which each tried to lead the other to talk of the topic most -interesting to himself. The husbandman grew eloquent upon his native -State and its great man. "But what," I insisted, "do you think of your -greatest mountain there?" pointing to the splendid peak. - -"Oh, drat the mountains! I never look at 'em. Ask the old woman." - -Some enticing views may be had from the Shelburne intervales, embracing -Madison on the right, and Washington on the left. It is, therefore, -permitted to steal an occasional look back until we reach the Lead Mine -Bridge, and stand over the middle of the flashing Androscoggin. - -The dimpled river, broad here, and showing tufts of foliage on its satin -surface, recedes between wooded banks to the middle distance, where it -disappears. Swaying to and fro, without noise, the lithe and slender -willows on the margin continually dipped their budding twigs in the -stream, as if to show its clear transparency, while letting fall, drop -by drop, its crystal globules. They gently nodded their green heads, -keeping time to the low music of the river. - -[Illustration: THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE.] - -Beyond the river, over gently meeting slopes of the valley, two -magnificent shapes, Washington and Madison, rose grandly. Those truly -regal summits still wore their winter ermine. They were drawn so widely -apart as to show the familiar peaks of Mount Clay protruding between -them. It is hardly possible to imagine a more beautiful picture of -mountain scenery. Noble river, hoary summits, blanched precipices, over -whose haggard visages a little color was beginning to steal, eloquently -appealed to every perception of the beautiful and the sublime. Much as -the view from this point is extolled, it can hardly be over-praised. -True, it exhibits the same objects that we see from Berlin and Milan; -but the order of arrangement is not only reversed, but so altered as to -render any comparison impossible. In this connection it may be remarked -that a short removal usually changes the whole character of a mountain -landscape. No two are precisely alike. - -The annals of Shelburne, which originally included Gorham within its -limits, are sufficiently meagre; but they furnish the same story -of struggle with hardship--often with danger--common to the early -settlements in this region. Shelburne was settled, just before the -breaking out of the Revolution, by a handful of adventurous pioneers, -who were attacked in 1781 by a prowling band of hostile Indians. This -incursion is memorable as one of the last recorded in the long series -going back into the first decade of the New England colonies. It was -one of the boldest. The histories place the number of Indians at only -six. After visiting Bethel, where they captured three white men, and -Gilead, where they killed another, they entered Shelburne. Here they -killed and scalped Peter Poor, and took a negro prisoner. Such was the -terror inspired by this audacious onset, that the inhabitants, making no -defence, fled, panic-struck, to Hark Hill, where they passed the night, -leaving the savages to plunder the village at their leisure. The next -day the refugees continued their flight, stopping only when they reached -Fryeburg, fifty-nine miles from the scene of disaster. - -Before taking leave of the Androscoggin Valley, which is an opulent -picture-gallery, and where at every step one finds himself arrested -before some masterpiece of Nature, the traveller is strongly advised to -continue his journey to Bethel, the town next below Shelburne. Bethel -is one of the loveliest and dreamiest of mountain nooks. Its expanses -of rich verdure, its little steeple, emerging from groves of elm-trees, -its rustic bridge spanning the tireless river, its air of lethargy and -indolence, captivate eye and mind; and to eyes tired with the hardness -and glare of near mountains, the distant peaks become points of welcome -repose. - - - - -VII. - -_ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD._ - - Where the huge mountain rears his brow sublime, - On which no neighboring height its shadow flings, - Led by desire intense the steep I climb. - PETRARCH. - - -The first days of May, 1877, found me again at the Glen House, prepared -to put in immediate execution the long-deferred purpose of ascending -Mount Washington in the balmy days of spring. Before separating for the -night, my young Jehu, who drove me from Gorham in an hour, said, with a -grin, - -"So you are going where they cut their butter with a chisel, and their -meat with a hand-saw?" - -"What do you mean?" - -"Oh, you will learn to-morrow." - -"Till to-morrow, then." - -"Good-night." - -"Good-night." - -At six in the morning, while the stars were yet twinkling, I stood in -the road in front of the Glen House. Everything announced a beautiful -day. The rising sun crimsoned, first, the dun wall of Tuckerman's -Ravine, then the high summits, and then flowed down their brawny -flanks--his first salutation being to the monarch. In ten minutes I was -alone in the forest with the squirrels, the partridges, the woodpeckers, -and my own thoughts. - -As bears are not unfrequently seen at this season of the year, I kept my -eyes about me. One of the old drivers related to me that one morning, -while going up this road with a heavy load of passengers, his horses -suddenly stopped, showing most unmistakable signs of terror. The place -was a dangerous one, where the road had been wholly excavated from -the steep side of the mountain, so, keeping one eye upon his fractious -team, he threw quick glances right and left with the other; while the -passengers, alarmed by the sudden stop, the driver's shouts to his -animals, and the still more alarming backward movement of the coach, -thrust their heads out of the windows, and with white faces demanded -what was the matter. - -"By thunder!" ejaculated Jehu, "there was my leaders all in a lather, -an' backin' almost atop of the fill-horses, and them passengers -a-shoutin' like lunatics let out on a picnic. 'Look! darn it all,' -sez I, a-pintin' with my whip. My hosses was all in a heap, I tell -ye, rarin' and charging, when a little Harvard student, with his head -sand-papered, sung out, 'All right, Cap, I've chucked your hind wheels;' -and then he made for the leaders' heads. Them college chaps ain't such -darned fools arter all, they ain't." - -"What was it?" - -"A big black bear, all huddled up in a bunch, a-takin' his morning -observation on the scenery from the top of a dead sycamore. You see the -side of the hill was so slantin' steep that he wa'n't more'n tew rod -from the road." - -"What did you do?" - -"Dew?" echoed the driver, laughing--"dew?" he repeated, "why, them crazy -passengers, when they found the bear couldn't get at _them_, just picked -up rocks and hove them at the old cuss. When one hit him a crack, Lord, -how he'd shake his head and growl! But, you see, he couldn't get at 'em, -so they banged away, until Mr. Bruin couldn't stan' it any longer, an' -slid right down the tree as slick as grease, and as mad as Old Nick. It -tickled me most to death to see him a-makin' tooth-picks fly from that -tree." - -"Was that your only encounter with bears?" I asked, willing to draw him -out. - -"Waal, no, not exactly," he replied, chuckling to himself, gleefully, at -some recollection the question revived. "There used to be a tame bear -over to the Alpine House. One night the critter got loose, and we all -cal'lated he'd took to the woods. Anyhow we hunted high and low; but -no bear. Waal, you see, one forenoon our hostler Mike--his real name -was Pat, but there was another Pat came afore him, so we called t'other -Mike--went up in the barn-chamber to pitch some hay down to the hosses." -Here he stopped and began to choke. - -"Well, go on; what has that to do with the bear?" - -"Just you hold your hosses a minnit, stranger. Mike hadn't no sooner -jabbed his pitchfork down, so as to git a big bunch, when it struck -something soft-like, and then, before he knew what ailed him, the -hay-mow riz rite up afore him, with the almightiest growl comin' out -on't was ever heerd in any maynagery this side of Noah's Ark." - -Here the driver broke down utterly, gasping, "Oho! aha! oh Lord! ah! -ha! ha! ha! ha! ho! ho! Mike!" until his breath was quite gone, and the -big tears rolled down his cheeks. Then he heaved a deep sigh, attempted -to go on, but immediately went off in a second hysterical explosion. I -waited for his recovery. - -"Waal," he at length resumed, "the long and short of it was this: that -air bear had buried himself under the hay-mow, and was a-snoozin' it -comfortable and innocent as you please, when Mike prodded him in the -ribs with the pitchfork. The fust any of us knew we saw Mike come -a-flyin' out of the barn-chamber window and the bear arter him. Mike led -him a length. Maybe that Irishman didn't streak it for the house! Bless -you, he never teched the ground arter he struck it! The boys couldn't -do anything for laughing, and Mick was so scart he forgot to yell. That -bear was so hoppin' wild we had to kill him; and if you wanted to make -Mike fightin' mad any time, all you had to do was to ask him to go up in -the barn-chamber and pitch down a bear." - -The first four miles are merely toilsome. It is only when emerging upon -the bare crags above the woods that the wonders of the ascent begin, and -the succession of views, dimly seen through my eyes in this chapter, -challenges the attention at every step. There is one exception. About -a mile up, the road issues upon a jutting spur of the mountain, from -which the summit, with the house on the highest point, is seen in clear -weather. - -Suddenly I came out of the low firs, the scrubby growth of birches, upon -the fear-inspiring desolation of the bared and wintry summit. The high -sun poured down with dazzling brightness upon the white ledges, which, -rising like a wall above the solitary cabin before me, thrust their -jagged edges in the way, as if to forbid farther progress. Out of this -glittering precipice dead trees thrust huge antlers. This formless mass -overhanging the Half-Way House, known as The Ledge, is one of the most -terrific sights of the journey. - -Until clear of the woods, my uneasiness, inspired by the recollection -of the ascent from Crawford's, was extreme; but I now stood, in the -full blaze of an unclouded sun, upon a treeless wilderness of rock, a -gratified spectator of one of the most extraordinary scenes it has ever -fallen to man's lot to witness. But what a frightful silence! Not a -murmur; not a rustling leaf; but all still as death. I was half-afraid. - -At my feet yawned the measureless void of the Great Gulf, torn from the -entrails of the mountain by Titanic hands. Above my head leaped up the -endless pile of granite constituting the dome of Washington. It had now -exchanged its gray cassock for pale green. All around was unutterable -desolation. Crevassed with wide splits, encompassed round by lofty -mountain walls, the gorge was at once fascinating and forbidding, grand -yet terrible. The high-encircling steeps of Clay and Jefferson, Adams -and Madison, enclosing it with one mighty sweep, ascended out of its -depths and stretched along the sky, which seemed receding before their -daring advance. Peering down into the abyss, where the tallest pines -were shrubs and their trunks needles, the earth seemed split to its -centre, and the feet of these mountains rooted in the midst. To confront -such a spectacle unmoved one should be more, or less than human. - -Looking backward over the forest through which I had come, the eye -caught a blur of white and a gleam of blue in the Peabody Glen. The -white was the hotel, the blue the river. Following the vale out to -its entrance upon the Androscoggin meadows, the same swift messenger -ascended Moriah, and, traversing the confederate peaks to the summit of -Mount Carter, stopped short at its journey's end. - -As I slowly mounted the Ledge the same unnatural appearance was -everywhere--the same wreck, same desolation, same discord. The dead -cedars, bleaching all around, looked like an army of gigantic crabs -crawling up the mountain side, which universal ruin overspread, and -which even the soft sunshine rendered more ghastly and more solemn. I -looked eagerly along the road; listened. Not a human being; not a sound. -I was alone upon the mountain. - -[Illustration: MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF.] - -From here I no longer walked upon earth but on air. Respiration became -more and more difficult. Not even a zephyr stirred, while the glare -was painful to eyes already overtaxed in the endeavor to grasp the -full meaning of this most unaccustomed scene. The road, steadily -ascending, showed its zigzags far up the mountain. Now and then a rude -receptacle had been dug, or rather built up, by the road-side, in which -earth to mend the road was stored; and this soil, wholly composed of -disintegrated rock, must be scraped from underneath the ledges, from -crevices, from hollows, and husbanded with care. "As cheap as dirt," -was a saying without significance here. As I neared the summit the -melting snows had, in many places, swept it bare, exposing the naked -ledge; and here earth must be brought up from lower down the mountain. -But the pains bestowed upon it equals the incessant demand for its -preservation, and had I not seen with my own eyes I could scarcely have -believed so excellent a specimen of road-making existed in this desert. - -But how long will the mountain resist the denuding process constantly -going on, and what repair the gradual but certain disintegration of the -peak? It is a monument of human inability to act upon it in any way. -Be it so. The snows, the frosts, the rains, pursue their work none the -less surely. You see in the deep gullies, the avalanches of stones, the -sands of the sea-shore--so many evidences of the forces which, sooner or -later, will accomplish the miracle and remove the mountain. - -From my next halting-place I perceived that I had been traversing a -promontory of the mountain jutting boldly out into the Great Gulf, above -the Half-Way House; and, looking down over the parapet-wall, a mile or -more of the road uncoiled its huge folds, turning hither and thither, -doubling upon itself like a bewildered serpent, and, like the serpent, -always gaining a little on the mountain. This is one of the strangest -sights of this strange journey; but, in order to appreciate it at its -full value, one should be descending by the stage-coach, when the -danger, more apparent than real, is intensified by the swift descent of -the mountain into the gulf below, over which the traveller sees himself -suspended with feelings more poignant than agreeable. The fact that -there has never been a fatal accident upon the carriage-road speaks -volumes for the caution and skill of the drivers; but, as one of the -oldest and most experienced said to me, "There should be no fooling, no -chaffing, and no drinking on that road."[21] - -Continuing to ascend, the road once more took a different direction, -curving around that side of the mountain rising above the Pinkham -forest. This detour brought the Carter chain upon my left, instead of on -my right. - -Thus far I had encountered little snow, though the rocks were everywhere -crusted with ice; but now a sudden turning brought me full upon an -enormous bank, completely blocking the road, which here skirted the -edge of a high precipice. Had a sentinel suddenly barred my way with -his bayonet, I could not have been more astonished. I was brought to a -dead stand. I looked over the parapet, then at the snow-bank, then at -the mountain. The first look made me shudder, the second thoughtful, the -third gave me a headache. - -At this spot the side of the mountain was only a continuation of the -precipice, bent slightly backward from the perpendicular, and ascending -several hundred feet higher. The snow, extending a hundred feet or more -above, and conforming nearly with the slope of the mountain, filled the -road for thrice that distance. I saw that it was only prevented from -sliding into the valley by the low wall of loose stones at the edge of -the road; but how long would that resist the great pressure upon it? The -snow-bank had already melted at its edges, so that I could crawl some -distance underneath, and hear the drip of water above and below, showing -that it was being steadily undermined. In fact, the whole mass seemed on -the point of precipitating itself over the precipice. I could neither go -around it nor under it; so much was certain. - -What to do? I had only a strong umbrella, the inseparable companion -of my mountain jaunts, and the glacier was as steep as a roof. What -assurance was there that if I ventured upon it the whole sheet, -dislodged by my weight, might not be shot off the mountain side, -carrying me with it to the bottom of the abyss? But while I felt no -desire to add mine to the catalogue of victims already claimed by the -mountain, the idea of being turned back was inadmissible. Native -caution put the question, "Will you?" and native persistency answered, -"I will." - -When a thing is to be done, the best way is to do it. I therefore tried -the snow, and, finding a solid foothold, resolved to venture; had it -been soft, I should not have dared. Using my umbrella as an alpenstock, -I crossed on the parapet, where the declivity was the least, and without -accident, but slowly and breathlessly, until near the opposite side, -when I passed the intervening space in two bounds, alighting in the road -with the blood tingling to my fingers' ends. - -A sharp turn around a ledge, and the south-east wall of Tuckerman's -Ravine rose up, like a wraith, out of the forest. Nearer at hand was the -head of Huntington's, while to the right the cone of Washington loomed -grandly more than a thousand feet higher. A little to the left you look -down into the gloomy depths of the Pinkham defile, the valley of Ellis -River, the Saco Valley to North Conway, where the familiar figure of -Kearsarge is the presiding genius. The blue course of the Ellis, which -is nothing but a long cascade, the rich green of the Conway intervales, -the blanched peak of Chocorua, the sapphire summits of the Ossipee -Mountains, were presented in conjunction with the black and humid walls -of the ravine, and the iron-gray mass of the great dome. The crag on -which I stood leans out over the mountain like a bastion, from which -the spectator sees the deep-intrenched valleys, the rivers which wash -the feet of the monarch, and the long line of summits which partake his -grandeur while making it all the more impressive.[22] - -Turning now my back upon the Glen, the way led in the opposite -direction, and began to look over the depression between Clay and -Jefferson into the world of blue peaks beyond. From here the striking -spectacle of the four great northern peaks, their naked summits, their -sides seamed with old and new slides, and flecked with snow, constantly -enlarged. There were some terrible rents in the side of Clay, red as -half-closed wounds; in one place the mountain seemed cloven to its -centre. It was of this gulf that the first climber said it was such -a precipice he could scarce discern to the bottom. The rifts in the -walls of the ravine, the blasted fir-trees leaning over the abyss, -and clutching the rocks with a death-gripe, the rocks themselves, -tormented, formidable, impending, astound by their vivid portrayal of -the formless, their suggestions of the agony in which these mountains -were brought forth. - -I was now fairly upon the broad, grass-grown terrace at the base of the -pinnacle, sometimes called the Cow Pasture. The low peak rising upon its -limits is a monument to the fatal temerity of a traveller who, having -climbed, as he supposed, to the top of the mountain, died from hunger -or exposure, or from both, at this inhospitable spot.[23] A skeleton in -rags was found, at the end of a year, huddled under some rocks. Farther -down the mountain a heap of stones indicates the place where Doctor -Ball, of Boston, was found by the party sent in search of him, famished, -exhausted, and almost delirious. When rescued, he had passed two nights -upon the mountain, without food, fire, or shelter, after as many days -of fruitless wandering up and down, always led astray by his want of -knowledge, and mocked by occasional glimpses of snowy peaks above, or -the distant Glen below. More dead than alive, he was supported down the -mountain as far as the camp at The Ledge, whence he was able to ride to -the Glen House. His reappearance had the effect of one risen from the -dead. In reality, the rescuing party took up with them materials for a -rude bier, expecting to find a dead body stiffening in the snow.[24] - -Besides this almost unheard of resistance to hunger, cold, and -exhaustion combined, and notwithstanding the fortitude which enabled the -lost man to continue his desperate struggle for life until rescued, all -would doubtless have been to no purpose without the aid of an umbrella, -which, by a lucky chance, he took at setting out. This umbrella was -his only protection during the two terrible vigils he made upon the -mountain. How, is related in the chapter on the ascent from Crawford's. - -Crossing the terrace, where even the road seems glad to rest after its -laborious climb of seven miles, and where the traveller may also relax -his efforts, preparatory to his arduous advance up the pinnacle, I came -upon the railway, still solidly embedded in snow and ice. - -[Illustration: WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT.] - -Still making a route for itself among massy blocks, tilted at every -conceivable angle, but forming, nevertheless, a symmetrical cone, the -carriage-road winds up the steep ascent, to which the railway is nailed. -While traversing the plateau, with the Summit House now in full view, -my eye caught, far above me, the figure of a man pacing up and down -before the building, like a sentinel on his post. I swung my hat in the -air; again; but he did not see me. Nevertheless, I experienced a thrill -of pleasure at seeing him, so acutely had the sense of loneliness come -over me in these awful solitudes. It put such vigor into my steps that -in half an hour I crossed the last rise, when the solitary pedestrian, -making an about-face at the end of his beat, suddenly discovered -a strange form and figure emerging from the rocks before him. He -stopped short, took the pipe from his teeth, looking with open-mouthed -astonishment, then, as I continued to approach, he hastened toward me, -met me half-way, and, between rapid questions and answers, led the way -into the signal station. - -Behold me installed in the cupola of New England! While I was resting, -my host, a tall, bronzed, bearded man, bustled about the two or three -apartments constituting this swallow's nest. He put the kettle on the -stove, gave the fire a stir, spread a cloth upon the table, and took -some plates, cups, and saucers from a locker, some canned meats and -fruit from a cupboard, I, meanwhile, following all these movements with -an interest easily imagined. His preparations completed, my host first -ran his eye over them approvingly, then, presenting a pen, requested me -to inscribe my name in the visitors' book. I did so, noticing that the -last entry was in October--that is, five months had elapsed since the -last climber wended his solitary way down the mountain. My hospitable -entertainer then, with perfect politeness, begged me to draw my chair to -the table and fall to. I did not refuse. While he poured out the tea, I -asked, - -"Whom have I the pleasure of addressing?" and he modestly replied, - -"Private Doyle, sir, of the United States Signal Service. Have another -bit of devilled ham? No? Try these peaches." - -"Thank you. At least Uncle Sam renders your exile tolerable. Is this -your ordinary fare?" - -"Oh, as to that, you should see us in the dead of winter, chopping our -frozen meat with a hatchet, and our lard with a chisel." - -This, then, was what my young Jehu had meant. Where was I? I glanced -out of the window. Nothing but sky, nothing but rocks; immensity and -desolation. I disposed my ideas to hear my companion ask, "What is the -news from the other world?" - - - - -VIII. - -_MOUNT WASHINGTON._ - - The soldiers from the mountain Theches ran from rear to front, - breaking their ranks, crowding tumultuously upon each other, - laughing and shouting, "The sea! the sea!"--XENOPHON'S - _Anabasis_. - - -After the repast we walked out, Private Doyle and I, upon the narrow -platform behind the house. According to every appearance I had reached -_Ultima Thule_. - -For some moments--moments not to be forgotten--we stood there silent. -Neither stirred. The scene was too tremendous to be grasped in an -instant. A moment was needed to recover one's moral equipoise, as well -as for the unpractised eye to adjust itself to the vastness of the -landscape, and to the multitude of objects, strange objects, everywhere -confronting it. My own sensations were at first too vague for analysis, -too tumultuous for expression. The flood choked itself. - -All seemed chaos. On every side the great mountains fell away like -mists of the morning, dispersing, receding to an endless distance, -diminishing, growing more and more vague, and finally vanishing on -a limitless horizon neither earth nor sky. Never before had such a -spectacle offered itself to my gaze. The first idea was of standing on -the threshold of another planet, and of looking down upon this world of -ours outspread beneath; the second, of being face to face with eternity -itself. No one ever felt exhilaration at first. The scene is too -solemnizing. - -But by degrees order came out of this chaos. The bewildering throng of -mountains arranged itself in chains, clusters, or families. Hills drew -apart, valleys opened, streams twinkled in the sun, towns and villages -clung to the skirts of the mountains or dotted the rich meadows; but all -was mysterious, all as yet unreal. - -Comprehending at last that all New England was under my feet, I began -to search out certain landmarks. But this investigation is fatiguing: -besides, it conducts to nothing--absolutely nothing. Pointing to -a scrap of blue haze in the west, my companion observed, "That is -Mount Mansfield;" and I, mechanically, repeated, "Ah! that is Mount -Mansfield." It was nothing. Distance and Infinity have no more relation -than Time and Eternity. It sufficed for me, God knows, to be admitted -near the person of the great autocrat of New England, while under skies -so fair and radiant he gave audience to his imposing and splendid -retinue of mountains. - -But still, independent of the will, the eye flitted from peak to -peak, from summit to summit, making the slow circuit of this immense -horizon, hovering at last over a band of white gleaming far away in the -south-east like a luminous cloud, on whose surface objects like birds -reposed. It was the sea, and the specks ships sailing on the main. -With the aid of a telescope we could even tell what sails the vessels -carried. In these few seconds the eye had put a girdle of six hundred -miles about.[25] - -I consider this first introduction to what the peak of Mount Washington -looks down upon an epoch in any man's life. I saw the whole noble -company of mountains from highest to lowest. I saw the deep depressions -through which the Connecticut, the Merrimac, the Saco, the Androscoggin, -wind toward the lowlands. I saw the lakes which nurse the infant -tributaries of those streams. I saw the great northern forests, the -notched wall of the Green Mountains, the wide expanse of level land, -flat and heavy like the ocean, and finally the ocean itself. And all -this was mingled in one mighty scene. - -The utmost that I can say of this view is that it is a marvel. You -receive an impression of the illimitable such as no other natural -spectacle--no, not even the sea--can give. Astonishment can go no -farther. Nevertheless, the truth is that you are on too high a -view-point for the most effective grasp of mountain scenery. This -immense height renders near objects indistinct, obscures the more -distant. Seldom, indeed, is the land seen, even under favoring -conditions, except through a soft haze, which, you are surprised to -notice, becomes more and more transparent as you descend. The eye -explores this _clair-obscur_, and gradually discerns this or that -object. It is true that you see to a great distance, but you do not -distinguish anything clearly. This is the rule, derived from many -observations, to which the crystal air of autumn and winter makes the -rare and fortunate exception. - -There is a more cogent reason why the view from Mount Washington is -inferior to that from other and lower summits. Everything is below -you, and, naturally, therefore, any picture of these mountains not -showing the cloud-capped dome of the monarch, attended by his cortege -of grand peaks--the central, dominating, perfecting group--must be -essentially incomplete. Imagine Rome without St. Peter's, or, to come -nearer home, Boston without her State House! One word more: from this -lofty height you lose the symmetrical relation of the lesser summits to -the grand whole. Even these signal embodiments of heroic strength--the -peaks of Jefferson, Adams, and Madison--so vigorously self-asserting -that what they lose in stature they gain by a powerful individuality, -even these suffer a partial eclipse; but the summits stretching to -the southward are so dwarfed as to be divested of any character as -typical mountain structures. What fascinates us is the "sublime chaos -of trenchant crests, of peaks shooting upward;" and the charm of the -view--such at least is the writer's conviction--resides rather in the -immediate surroundings than in the extent of the panorama, great as that -unquestionably is. - -One thing struck me with great force--the enormous mass of the mountain. -The more you realize that the dependent peaks, stretching eight miles -north, and as many south, are nothing but buttresses, the more this -prodigious weight amazes. Two long spurs, divided by the valley of the -Rocky Branch, also descend into the Saco Valley as far as Bartlett; and -another, shorter, but of the same indestructible masonry, is traced -between the valleys of the Ammonoosuc and of Israel's River. In a word, -as the valleys lie and the roads run, we must travel sixty or seventy -miles around in order to make the circuit of Mount Washington at its -base. - -Even here one is not satisfied if he sees a stone ever so little above -him.[26] The best posts for an outlook, after the signal station, are -upon a point of rocks behind the old Tip-Top House, and from the end -of the hotel platform, where the railway begins its terrifying descent. -From all these situations the view was large and satisfying. From the -first station one overlooks the southern summits; from the second, the -northern. A movement of the head discloses, in turn, the ocean, the -lakes and lowlands of Maine and New Hampshire, the broad highlands -of Massachusetts, the fading forms of Monadnock and Wachusett, the -highest peaks of Vermont and New York, and, finally, the great Canadian -wilderness. - -After all this, the eye dwells upon the hideous waste of rock -blackened by ages of exposure, corroded with a green incrustation, -like _verd-antique_, constituting the dome. It is at once mournful and -appalling. Time has dealt the mountain some crushing blows, as we see by -these ghastly ruins, bearing silent testimony to their own great age. It -is necessary to step with care, for the rocks are sharp-edged. The green -appearance is due to lichens which bespatter them. Greedy little spiders -inhabit them. Truly this is a spot disinherited by Nature. - -Noticing many boards scattered helter-skelter about the top and sides of -the mountain, I drew my companion's attention to them, and he explained -that what I saw was the result of the great January gale, which had -blown down the shed used as an engine-house, demolished every vestige of -the walk leading from the hotel to the signal station, and distributed -the fragments as if they had been straws far and wide, as I saw them. - -The same gale had swept the coast from Hatteras to Canso with -destructive fury. I begged Private Doyle to give me his recollections of -it. We returned to the station, and he began as follows: - -"At the time of the tornado I was sick, and my comrade, Sergeant M----, -who is now absent on leave, had to do my turn as well as his own. 'Uncle -Sam,' you know, keeps two of us here, for fear of accidents."[27] - -"It surprised me to find you here alone," I assented. - -"This is the third day." Then, resuming his narrative, "During the -forenoon preceding the gale we observed nothing very unusual; but the -clouds kept sinking and sinking, until, in the afternoon, the summit -alone was above them. For miles around nothing could be seen but one -vast ocean of frozen vapor, with peaks sticking out here and there, -like icebergs floating in this ocean--all being cased in snow and ice. -I cannot tell you how curious this was. Later in the day the density of -the clouds became such that they reflected the colors of the spectrum: -and that too was beautiful beyond description. It was about this time -Sergeant M---- came to where I was lying, and said, 'There is going to -be the devil to pay; so I guess I'll make everything snug.' - -"By nine in the evening the wind had increased to one hundred miles an -hour, with heavy sleet, so that no observation could be safely made -from without. At midnight the velocity of the storm was one hundred and -twenty miles, and the exposed thermometer recorded 24 deg. below zero. We -could hardly get it above freezing inside the house. With the stove red, -water froze within three feet of the fire; in fact, where you are now -sitting. - -"At this time the uproar outside was deafening. About one o'clock -the wind rose to one hundred and fifty miles. It was now blowing a -hurricane. That carpet (indicating the one in the room where we were) -stood up a foot from the floor, like a sail. The wind, gathering up all -the loose ice on top of the mountain, dashed it against the house in -one continuous volley. I lay wondering how long we should stand this -terrific pounding, when all at once there came a crash. M---- shouted to -me to get up; but I had tumbled out in a hurry on hearing the glass go. -You see I was ready-dressed, to keep myself warm in bed. - -"Our united efforts were hardly equal to closing the storm-shutters from -the inside; but we succeeded, finally, though the lights were out, and -we worked in the dark." He rose in order to show me how the shutters, -made of thick oak planks, were secured by a bar, and by strong wooden -buttons screwed in the window-frame. - -"We had scarcely done this," resumed Doyle, "and were shivering over the -fire, when a heavy gust of wind again burst open the shutters as easy -as if they had never been fastened at all. We sprang to our feet. After -a hard tussle we again secured the windows by nailing a cleat to the -floor, against which we fixed one end of a board, using the other end as -a lever. You understand?" I nodded. "Well, even then it was all we could -do to force the shutters back into place. But we did it. We _had_ to do -it. - -"The rest of the night was passed in momentary expectation that the -building would be blown over into Tuckerman's Ravine, and we with it. -At four in the morning the wind registered one hundred and eighty-six -miles. It had shifted then from east to north-east. From this time it -steadily fell to ten miles at nine o'clock--as calm as a daisy. This was -the heaviest blow ever experienced on the mountain." - -"Suppose this house had gone, and the hotel stood fast, could you have -effected an entrance into the hotel?" I asked. - -"No, indeed. We could not have faced the wind." - -"Not for a hundred feet, and in a matter of life and death?" - -"In that gale? We should have been lifted clean off our feet and smashed -upon the rocks like this bottle," flinging one out at the door. - -"So then for all those hours you expected from one moment to another to -be swept into eternity?" - -[Illustration: THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE.] - -"We did what we could. Each of us wrapped himself up in blankets and -quilts, tying these tightly around him with ropes, to which were -attached bars of iron, so that if the house went by the board we might -stand a chance--a slim one--of anchoring, somehow, somewhere." - -I tried to make him admit that he was afraid; but he would not. Only he -forgot, he said, in the excitement of that terrible night, that he was -ill, until the danger was over. - -"We are going to have a blow," observed Doyle, glancing at the -barometer--"barometer falling, wind rising. Besides, that blue haze, -creeping over the valley, is a pretty sure sign of a change of weather." -His prognostic was completely verified in the course of a few hours. - -"Now," said Doyle, rising, "I must go and feed my chick." - -We retraced our steps to the point of rocks overhanging the southern -slope, where he stopped and began to scatter crumbs, I watching him -curiously meanwhile. Pretty soon he went down on his hands and knees and -peered underneath the rocks. "Ah!" he exclaimed, with vivacity, "there -you are!" - -"What is it?" I asked; "what is there?" - -"My mouse. He is rather shy, and knows I am not alone," he replied, -chirruping to the animal with affectionate concern. - -Brought to the mountain top in some barrel or box, the little stowaway -had become domesticated, and would come at the call of his human -playmate. The incident was trifling enough of itself, yet there was -something touching in this companionship, something that sharply -recalled the sense of loneliness I had myself experienced. In reality, -the disparity between the man and the mouse seemed not greater than that -between the mountain and the man. - -While we were standing among the rocks the sun touched the western -horizon. The heavens became obscured. All at once I saw an immense -shadow striding across the valley below us. Slowly and majestically it -ascended the Carter chain until it reached the highest summit. I could -not repress an exclamation of surprise; but what was my astonishment -to see this immense phantom, without pausing in its advance, lift -itself into the upper air to an incredible height, and stand fixed and -motionless high above all the surrounding mountains. It was the shadow -of Mount Washington projected upon the dusky curtain of the sky. All the -other peaks seemed to bow their heads by a sentiment of respect, while -the actual and the spectre mountain exchanged majestic salutations. Then -the vast gray pyramid retreated step by step into the thick shades. -Night fell. - -The expected storm which the observer had predicted did not fail to put -in an appearance. By the time we reached the house the wind had risen to -forty miles an hour, driving the clouds in an unbroken flight against -the summit, from which they rebounded with rage equal to that displayed -in their vindictive onset. The Great Gulf was like the crater of some -mighty volcano on the eve of an eruption, vomiting forth volumes of -thickening cloud and mist. It seemed the mustering-place of all the -storm-legions of the Atlantic, steadily pouring forth from its black -jaws, unfurling their ghostly standards as they advanced to storm -the battlements of the mountain. Occasionally a break in the column -disclosed the opposite peaks looming vast and black as midnight. Then -the effect was indescribable. At one moment everything seemed resolving -into its original elements; the next I was reminded of a gigantic -mould, not from mortal hands, in which all these vast forms were slowly -cooling. The moon shed a pale, wan light over this unearthly scene, -in which creation and annihilation seemed confusedly struggling. The -sublime drama of the Fourth Day, when light was striving with darkness -for its allotted place in the universe, seemed enacting under my eyes. - -The evening passed in comparative quiet, although the gale was now -moving from east to west at the rate of sixty miles an hour. Rain -rattled on the roof like shot. Now and then the building shuddered -and creaked, like a good ship breasting the fury of the gale. Vivid -flashes of lightning made the well-lighted room momentarily dark, -and checked conversation as suddenly as if we had felt the electric -shock. Under such novel conditions, with strange noises all about him, -one does not feel quite at ease. Nevertheless the kettle sung on the -stove, the telegraph instrument ticked on the table. We had Fabyan's, -Littleton, and White River Junction within call. We had plenty of -books, the station being well furnished from voluntary gifts of the -considerate-benevolent. At nine Doyle went out, but immediately returned -and said he had something to show me. I followed him out to the platform -behind the house. A forest fire had been seen all day in the direction -of Fabyan's, but at night it looked like a burning lake sunk in depths -of infernal blackness. I had never seen anything so nearly realizing my -idea of hell. No other object was visible--only this red glare as of -a sun in partial eclipse shining at the bottom of an immense hole. We -watched it a few minutes and then went in. I attempted to be cheerful, -but how was one to rise above such surroundings? Alternately the storm -roared and whined for admittance. Worn out with the tension, physical -and moral, of this day, I crept into bed and tried to shut the storm -out. The poor exile in the next room murmured to himself, "Ah, this -horrible solitude!" - -The next morning, while looking down from this eagle's nest upon the -southern peaks to where the bridle path could be distinctly traced -across the plateau, and still winding on around the peaked crest of -Monroe, I was seized with a longing to explore the route which on a -former occasion proved so difficult, but to-day presenting apparently -nothing more serious than a fatiguing scramble up and down the cone. -Accordingly, taking leave of my companion, I began to feel my way down -that cataract of granite, fallen, it would seem, from the skies.[28] - -In proportion as I descended, the mountain ridge below regained, little -by little, its actual character. Except where patches of snow mottled -it with white, it displayed one uniform and universal tinge of faded -orange where the soft sunshine fell full upon it, toned into rusty brown -when overshadowed, gradually deepening to an intense blue-black in the -ravines. But so insignificant did the summits look, when far below, -that I hardly recognized them for the same I had seen from Fabyan's and -had traversed from Crawford's. Monroe, the nearest, has, however, a -most striking resemblance to an enormous petrified wave on the eve of -dashing itself down into the valley. The lower you descend the stronger -this impression becomes; but from the summit of Mount Washington this -peak is so belittled that the mountains seemed saying to each other, -"Good-morning, Mole-hill!" "Good-morning, Big Bully!" - -When I reached the stone-corral, the ground, if ground it can be -called, descended less abruptly, over successive stony terraces, to a -comparative level, haired over with a coarse, wiry, and tangled grass, -strewed with bowlders, and inundated along its upper margin by torrents -of stones. Upon closer inspection these stones arranged themselves -in irregular semicircular ridges. In the eyes of the botanist and -entomologist this seemingly arid region is more attractive than the most -beautiful gardens of the valley. Among these grasses and these stones -lie hid the beautiful Alpine flowers of which no species exist in the -lowlands. Only the arbutus, which puts forth its pink-and-white flowers -earliest of all, and is warmed into life by the snows, at all resembles -them in its habits. Over this grassy plain the wind swept continually -and roughly; but on putting the grass aside with the hand, the tiny -blossoms greet you with a smile of bewitching sweetness. - -These areas, extending between and sometimes surrounding the high peaks, -or even approaching their summits, are the "lawns" of the botanist, and -his most interesting field of research. Within its scope about fifty -species of strictly Alpine plants vegetate. As we ascend the mountain, -after the dwarf trees come the Lapland rhododendron, Labrador tea, dwarf -birch, and Alpine willows, which, in turn, give place to the Greenland -sandwort, diapensia, cassiope, and other plants, with arctic rushes, -sedges, and lichens, which flourish on the very summit. - -To the left, this plain, on which the grass mournfully rustled, sloped -gently for, I should guess, half a mile, and then rolled heavily off, -over a grass-grown rim, into Tuckerman's Ravine. In this direction the -Carter Mountains appeared. Beyond, stretching away out of the plain, -extended the long Boott's Spur, over which the Davis path formerly -ascended from the valley of the Saco, but which is now, from long -disuse, traced with difficulty. Between this headland and Monroe opened -the valley of Mount Washington River, the old Dry River of the carbuncle -hunters, which the eye followed to its junction with the Saco, beyond -which the precipices of Frankenstein glistened in the sun, like a -corselet of steel. Oakes's Gulf cuts deeply into the head of the gorge. -The plain, the ravine, the spur, and the gulf transmit the names of -those indefatigable botanists, Bigelow, Tuckerman, Boott, and Oakes. - -On the other side of the ridge--for of course this plain has its -ridge--the ground was more broken in its rapid descent toward the -Ammonoosuc Valley, into which I looked over the right shoulder of Monroe. - -But what a sight for the rock-wearied eye was the little Lake of the -Clouds, cuddled close to the hairy breast of this mountain! On the -instant the prevailing gloom was lighted as if by magic by this dainty -nursling of the clouds, which seemed innocently smiling in the face of -the hideous mountain. And the stooping monster seemed to regard the -little waif, lying there in its rocky cradle, with astonishment, and to -forego his first impulse to strangle it where it lay. Lion and lamb were -lying down together. - -Casting an eye upward, and finding the houses on the summit were hidden -by the retreating curvature of the cone, I saw, with chagrin, light -mists scudding over my head. It was a notice to hasten my movements idle -to disregard here. Crossing as rapidly as possible Bigelow's Lawn--the -half-mile of grass ground referred to, where I sunk ankle-deep in moss, -or stumbled twenty times in as many rods over concealed stones--I -skirted the head of the chasm for some distance. But from above the -ravine does not make a startling impression. I, however, discovered, -lodged underneath its walls, a bank of snow. All around I heard water -gurgling under my feet in rock-worn channels while making its way -tranquilly to the brow of the ravine. These little underground runlets -are the same that glide over the head-wall, and are the head tributaries -of the Ellis.[29] - -Retracing my way to the ridge and to the path, which I followed for some -distance, startling the silence with an occasional halloo, I descended -into the hollow, where the Lake of the Clouds seems to have checked -itself, white and still, on the very edge of the tremendous gully, cut -deep into the western slopes. The lake is the fountain-head of the -Ammonoosuc. Its waters are too cold to nourish any species of fishes; -they are too elevated for any of the feathered tribe to pay it a visit. - -[Illustration: LAKE OF THE CLOUDS.] - -Strange spectacle! A fairy haunt, rock-rimmed and fringed about with -Alpine shrubs, half-disclosing, half-concealing its bare bosom, coyly -reposed on this wind-swept ridge, like "a good deed in a naughty -world." From its crystal basin a tiny rill trickled through soft moss -to the dizzy verge beyond, where, like some airy sprite, clothed with -the rainbow and tossing its white tresses to the sport of the breeze, -it tripped gayly over the grisly precipice and fell in a silvery -shower from height to height. Where it passed, flowers, ferns, and -rich herbage sprung forth upon the hard face of the granite. Tapering -fir-trees exhaled a dewy freshness; aspens quivered with the delight -of its coming, and aged trees, tottering, decrepit, piteous to see, -stretched their withered limbs toward heaven. On it went, and still on, -leaving its white robe clinging to the mountain side. All the forest -seemed crowding forward to catch it; but, now reverently kissing the -feet of the old trees, now saucily flinging a handful of crystal in the -faces of scowling cliffs, it eluded the embrace of the forest, which -thrilled with its musical laughter from lowest deeps to the summit of -high-rocking pines. When it was no longer visible a sonorous murmur -heralded its triumphal progress. No wonder the bewildered eye roved from -bleak summit to voluptuous vale; from the handful of drops above to the -brimming river below. The miracle of Horeb was being repeated hour by -hour, like an affair of every-day life. - -This hand-mirror of Venus has two tiny companion pools close by. The -weary explorer may sip a draught of sweetest savor while admiring -their exceeding beauty--a beauty heightened by its unexpectedness, and -teaching that not all is barren even here. A benison on those little -lakes! - -Stone houses of refuge are much needed on the mountains over which -the Crawford trail reaches the summit. They should always be provided -with fagots for a fire, clean straw or boughs for a bed, and printed -directions for the inexperienced traveller to follow. A fireplace, -furnished with a crane and a kettle for heating water, would be absolute -luxuries. Being done, this glorious promenade--the equal of which does -not exist in New England--would be taken with confidence by numbers, -instead of, as now, by the few. It is the appropriate pendant of the -ascent from the Glen by the carriage-road, or from Fabyan's by the -railway. One can hardly pretend to have seen the mountains in their -grandest aspects until he has threaded this wondrous picture-gallery, -this marvellous hall of statues.[30] - -While recrossing the plateau, from which Washington has the appearance -of one mountain piled upon another, I suddenly came upon a dead sparrow -in my path. Poor little fellow! he was too adventurous, and sunk on -stiffening pinions beneath the frozen wind. Ten steps farther on a large -brown butterfly flew up and fluttered cheerily along the path. Why, -then, did the bird die and the butterfly live? - -This mountain butterfly, which endured cold that the bird could not, has -excited the attention of naturalists, it is said. The mountain is 6293 -feet high, and the butterflies never descend below an elevation of about -5600 feet. Here they "disport during the month of July of every year," -thriving upon the scanty deposits of honey found in the flowers of the -few species of hardy plants that grow in the crevices of the rocks at -this great altitude, and upon other available liquid substances. The -insect measures, from tip to tip of the expanded fore-wings, about -one and eight-tenths inches. It is colored in shades of brown, with -various bands and marblings diversifying the surface of the wings. The -butterfly is known to naturalists as the _OEneis semidea_, and was -first described, in 1828, by Thomas Say. An allied species occurs on -Long's Peak and other elevated heights in Colorado; and another is found -at Hopedale, Labrador; but they are confined to these widely separated -localities. It is surmised that the butterfly, like the Alpine flora, -beautifully illustrates the presence, or rather the advance and retreat, -of the glacier. - -I took up the little winged chorister of the vale who was not able to -make spring come to the mountain for all his warbling. Truly, was not -the little bird's fate typical of those ambitious climbers for fame -who, chilled to death by neglect or indifference, die singing on the -heights? So the sparrow's fall gave me food for reflection, during which -I reached the little circular enclosure at the foot of the cone. - -Once more I climbed the rambling and rocky stairs leading to the summit; -but long before reaching it clouds were drifting above and below me. -The day was to end like so many others. The crabbed old mountain had -exhausted his store of benevolence. I hurried on down the Glen road. -After descending a mile I heard a rumbling sound, deep and prolonged, -like distant thunder. The thought of being overtaken on the mountain by -a thunder-storm made me quicken my pace almost to a run. On turning the -corner where the snow-bank had lain, like a lion in the path, devoutly -wishing myself well and safely over, I felt something rise in my throat. -The bank was no longer there. Every vestige of it had disappeared, and, -in all probability, its sudden plunge down the mountain was what I had -taken for thunder. Ten minutes sooner and I should have been upon its -treacherous bridge. - -I passed the Half-Way House, entered the dusk forest, where the -tree-tops were swaying wildly to and fro, the birds flitting silently, -and the tall pines discordantly humming, as if getting the pitch of the -storm. Suddenly it grew dark. A stream of fire blinded me with its -glare. Then a deafening peal shook the solid earth. Another and another -succeeded: Olympian salvos greeted the arrival of the storm king. - -The rain was pattering among the leaves when I emerged into the open -vale, guided by the lights of the Glen House shining through the -darkness. My heavy feet almost refused to carry me farther, and I walked -like the statue in "Don Juan." - - - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - - - PAGE -I. _THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE_ 209 - -II. _THE FRANCONIA PASS_ 224 - -III. _THE KING OF FRANCONIA_ 237 - -IV. _FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD_ 248 - -V. _THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW_ 256 - -VI. _THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES_ 259 - -VII. _MOOSEHILLOCK_ 267 - -VIII._BETHLEHEM_ 276 - -IX. _JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER_ 291 - -X. _THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS_ 304 - -[Illustration: WHITE MOUNTAINS - -(WEST SIDE) - -1881.] - - - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - - - - -I. - -_THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE._ - - O child of that white-crested mountain whose springs - Gush forth in the shade of the cliff-eagle's wings, - Down whose slopes to the lowlands thy wild waters shine, - Leaping gray walls of rock, flashing through the dwarf-pine! - WHITTIER. - - -Plymouth lies at the entrance to the Pemigewasset Valley, like an -encampment pitched to dispute its passage. At present its design is to -facilitate the ingress of tourists. - -I am sitting at the window this morning looking down the Pemigewasset -Valley. It is a gray, sad morning. Wet clouds hang and droop heavily -over. In the distance the frayed and tattered edges are rolled up, -half-disclosing the humid outlines of the hills on the other side of -the valley. The trees are budded with rain-drops. Through a lattice -of bordering foliage I look down upon the river, shrunken by drought -to half its usual breadth, and exposing its parched bed of sand and -pebbles. It gives an expiring gurgle in its stony throat. It is one of -those mornings that, in spite of our philosophy, strangely affect the -spirits, and are like a presentiment of evil. The clouds are funereal -draperies; the river chants a dirge. - -In this world of ours, where events push each other aside with such -appalling rapidity, perhaps it is scarcely remembered that Hawthorne -breathed his last in this house on the night of May 18th, 1864. He who -was born in sight of these mountains had come among them to die. - -In company with his old college mate and loving friend, General Pierce, -he came from Centre Harbor to Plymouth the day previous to the sad -event. Devoted friends--and few men have known more devoted--had for -some time seen that his days were numbered. The fire had all but gone -out from his eye, which seemed interrogating the world of which he was -already more than half an inhabitant. A presentiment of his approaching -end seemed foreshadowed in the changed look and faltering step of -Hawthorne himself: he walked like a man consciously going to his grave. -Still, much was hoped--it could hardly be that much was expected--from -this journey, and from the companionship of two men grown gray with -care, each standing on the pinnacle of his ambition, each disappointed, -but united, one to the other, by the ties of life-long friendship; -turning their backs upon the gay world, and walking hand-in-hand among -the sweet groves and pleasant streams like boys again. It was like a -dream of their lost youth: the reality was no more. - -On this journey General Pierce was the watchful, tender, and sympathetic -nurse. Without doubt either of these men would have died for the other. - -But these hopes, these cares, alas! proved delusive. The angel of death -came unbidden into the sacred companionship; the shadow of his wings -hovered over them unseen. In the night, without a sigh or a struggle, as -he himself wished it might be, the hand of death was gently and kindly -laid on the fevered brain and fluttering heart. In the morning his -friend entered the chamber to find only the lifeless form of Nathaniel -Hawthorne plunged in the slumber that knows no awakening. Great heart -and mighty brain were stilled forever. - -While the weather gives such inhospitable welcome let us employ the -time by turning over a leaf from history. According to Farmer, the -intervales here were formerly resorted to by the Indians for hunting -and fishing. At the mouth of Baker's River, which here joins the -Pemigewasset, they had a settlement. Graves, bones, gun-barrels, besides -many implements of their rude husbandry, have been discovered. Here, it -is said, the Indians were attacked by a party of English from Haverhill, -Massachusetts, led by Captain Baker, who defeated them, killed many, and -destroyed a large quantity of fur. From him Baker's River receives its -name. - -Before the French and Indian war broke out this region was debatable -ground, into which only the most celebrated and intrepid white hunters -ventured. Among these was a young man of twenty-three, named Stark, who -lived near the Amoskeag Falls, in what is now Manchester. In April, -1752, Stark was hunting here with three companions, one of whom was -his brother William. They had pitched their camp on Baker's River, -in the present limits of Rumney, and were prosecuting their hunt with -good success, when they suddenly discovered the presence of Indians in -their vicinity. Though it was a time of peace, they were not the less -apprehensive on that account, and determined to change their position. -But the Indians had also discovered the white hunters, and prepared to -entrap them. When Stark went out very early the next morning to collect -the traps he was intercepted and made prisoner. The Indians then took a -position on the bank of the river to ambush his companions as they came -down. Eastman, who was on the shore, next fell into their hands; but -the two others were in a canoe floating quietly down the stream out of -reach. Stark was ordered to hail and decoy them to the shore. He obeyed; -but, instead of lending himself to the treachery, shouted to his friends -that he was taken, and to save themselves. They instantly steered for -the opposite shore, receiving a volley as they did so. Stinson, one of -those in the boat, was shot dead; but William Stark escaped through the -heroism of his brother, who knocked up the guns of the savages as they -covered him with fatal aim. - -Stark and his fellow-prisoner were taken to St. Francis by Actaeon and -his prowling band, with whom they had had the misfortune to fall in. At -St. Francis the Indians set Stark hoeing their corn. At first he cut up -the corn and spared the weeds; but this expedient not serving to relieve -him of the drudgery, he threw his hoe into the river, telling his -captors that hoeing corn was the business of squaws, not of warriors. -This answer procured him recognition among them as a spirit worthy of -themselves. He was adopted into the tribe, and called the "Young Chief." -The promise of youth was fulfilled. The young hunter of the White -Mountains and the conqueror of Bennington are the same. - -The choice is open to leave the railway here and enter the mountains by -the Pemigewasset Valley, or to continue by it the route which conducts -to the summit of Mount Washington, by Bethlehem and Fabyan's. To journey -on by rail to the Profile House is seventy-five miles, while by the -common road, following the Pemigewasset, the distance is only thirty -miles. A daily stage passes over this route, which I risk nothing in -saying is always one of the delightful reminiscences of the whole -journey. Deciding in favor of the last excursion, my first care was to -procure a conveyance. - -At three in the afternoon I set out for Campton, seven miles up the -valley, which the carriage-road soon enters upon, and which by a few -unregarded turnings is presently as fast shut up as if its mountain -gates had in reality swung noiselessly together behind you. Hardly had I -recovered from the effect of the deception produced by seeing the same -mountain first in front, next on my right hand, and then shifted over to -the other side of the valley, when I saw, spanned by a high bridge, the -river in violent commotion far down below me. - -The Pemigewasset, confined here between narrow banks, has cut for -itself two deep channels through its craggy and cavernous bed; but -one of these being dammed for the purpose of deepening the other, the -general picturesqueness of the fall is greatly diminished. Still, it is -a pretty and engaging sight, this cataract, especially if the river be -full, although you think of a mettled Arabian harnessed in a tread-mill -when you look at it. Livermore Fall, as it is called, is but two miles -from Plymouth, the white houses of which look hot in the same brilliant -sunlight that falls so gently upon the luxuriant green of the valley. -The feature of this fall is the deep water-worn chasm through which it -plunges. - -By crossing the bridge here the left bank of the stream may be followed, -the valley towns of Campton, Thornton, and Woodstock being divided by it -into numerous villages or hamlets, frequently puzzling the uninitiated -traveller, who has set out in all confidence, but who is seized by -the most cruel perplexity, upon hearing that there are four villages -in Campton, each several miles distant from the other. One would have -pleased him far better. - -[Illustration: ON THE PROFILE ROAD.] - -Crossing this bridge, and descending to the level meadow below the -falls, I made a brief inspection of the establishment for breeding and -stocking with trout and salmon the depleted mountain streams of New -Hampshire. The breeding-house and basins are situated just below the -falls, on the banks of the river. This is a work undertaken by the -State, with the expectation of repeopling its rivers, brooks, and ponds -with their finny inhabitants. All those streams immediately accessible -from the villages are so persistently fished by the inhabitants as to -afford little sport to the angler from a distance, who is compelled -to go farther and fare worse; but the State is certainly entitled to -much credit for its endeavor to make two trout grow where only one grew -before. It is feared, however, that the experiment of stocking the -Pemigewasset with salmon will not prove successful. The farmers who live -along the banks say that one of these fish is rarely seen, although the -fishery is protected by the most rigid regulations. No one who has not -visited the mountains between May 1st--the earliest date when fishing -is permitted--and the middle of June, can have an idea of the number -of sportsmen every year resorting to the trout streams, or of the -unheard-of drain upon those streams. Not the least of many ludicrous -sights I have witnessed was that of a man, weighing two hundred pounds, -excitedly swinging aloft a trout weighing less than two ounces, and this -trophy he exhibited to me with unfeigned triumph--the butcher! This is -mere slaughter, and ought not to be tolerated. A pretty sight is to see -the breeding-trout follow you in your walk around the margin of their -little basin to be fed from your hand. They are tame as pigeons and -ravenous as sharks. - -Mount Prospect, in Holderness, is the first landmark of note. It is -seen, soon after leaving Plymouth, rising from the opposite side of the -valley, its green crest commanding a superb view of the lake region -below, and of the lofty Franconia Mountains above. It is worth ascending -this mountain were it only to see again the beautiful islet-spotted -Squam Lake and far-reaching Winnipiseogee quivering in noonday splendor. - -The beautiful valley is now open throughout its whole extent. Of -course I refer only to that portion lying above Plymouth. But it is an -anomaly of mountain valleys. Its length is about twenty-five miles, and -its greatest width, I should judge, not more than three or four. For -twenty miles it is almost as straight as an arrow. There is nothing to -hinder a perfectly free and open view up or down. Contrast this with -the wilful and tortuous windings of the Ammonoosuc, or the Saco, which -seem to grope and feel their way foot by foot along their cramped and -crooked channels. The angle of ascent, too, is here so gradual as to be -scarcely noticed until the foot of the mountain wall, at its head, is -reached. True, this valley is not clothed with a feeling of overpowering -grandeur, but it is beautiful. It is not terrible, but bewitching. - -The vista of mountains on the east side of the valley becomes every -moment more and more extended, and more and more interesting. A long -array of summits trending away to the north, with detached mountains -heaved above the lower clusters, like great whales sporting in a frozen -sea, is gradually uncovered. Green as a carpet, level as a floor, the -valley, adorned with clumps of elms, groves of maples, and strips of -tilled land of a rich chocolate brown, makes altogether a picture which -sets the eye fairly dancing. Even the daisies, the clover, and the -buttercups which so plentifully spangle the meadows seem far brighter -and sweeter in this atmosphere, nodding a playful welcome as you pass -them by. We are in the country of flowers. - -Since passing Blair's and the bridge over the river to Campton Hollow I -was on the alert for that first and most engaging view of the Franconia -Mountains which has been so highly extolled. Perhaps I should say -that one poetic nature has revealed it to a thousand others. Without -doubt this landscape is the more striking because it is the first, and -consequently deepest, impression of grand mountain scenery obtained -by those upon whom at a turn of the road, and without premonition, it -flashes like the realization of some ecstatic vision. - -Half a mile below the little hamlet of West Campton the road crosses -the point of a hill pushed well out into the valley. It is here that -the circlet of mountains is seen enclosing the valley on all sides -like a gigantic palisade. In one place, far away in the north, this -wall is shattered to its centre, like the famous Breach of Roland; -and through this enormous loop-hole we see golden mists rising above -the undiscovered country beyond. We are looking through the far-famed -Franconia Notch. On one side the clustered peaks of Lafayette lift -themselves serenely into the sky. On the left a silvery light is -playing on the ledges of Mount Cannon, softening all the asperities of -this stern-visaged mountain. The two great groups now stand fully and -finely exposed; though the lower and nearer summits are blended with -the higher by distance. Remark the difference of outline. A series of -humps marks the crest-line of the group, which culminates in the oblique -wall of Mount Cannon. On the contrary, that on the right, culminating -in Lafayette, presents two beautiful and regular pyramids, older than -Cheops, which sometimes in early morning exactly resemble two stately -monuments, springing alert and vigorous as the day which gilds them. At -a distance of twenty miles it demands good eyes and a clear atmosphere -to detect the supporting lines of these pyramidal structures, which in -reality are two separate mountains, Liberty and Flume. This exquisite -landscape seldom fails of producing a rapturous outburst from those who -are making the journey for the first time. - -There are many points of resemblance between this view and that of the -White Mountains from Conway Corner. Both unfold at once, and in a single -glance, the principal systems about which all the subordinate chains -seem manoeuvring under the commanding gaze of Washington or Lafayette. - -Soon after starting it was evident that my driver's loquaciousness was -due to his having "crooked his elbow" too often while loitering about -Plymouth. The frequent plunge of the wheels into the ditches by the -roadside, accompanied with a shower of mud, was little conducive to the -calm and free enjoyment of the beauties of the landscape. The driver -alone was unconcerned, and as often as good fortune enabled him to steer -clear of upsetting his passengers would articulate, thickly, "Don't be -alarmed, Cap': no one was ever hurt on this road." - -Silently committing myself to that Providence which is said to watch -over the destinies of tipplers, I breathed freely only when we drew up -at the hospitable door of the village inn, bespattered with mud, but -with no broken bones. - -Sanborn's, at West Campton, is the old road-side inn that long ago swung -the stag-and-hounds as its distinctive emblem. A row of superb maples -shades the road. Here we have fairly entered the renowned intervales, -that gleam among the darker forests or groves like patches of blue in -a storm-clouded sky. Looking southward, across the level meadows, the -hills of Rumney flinging up smooth, firm curves, and the more distant, -downward-plunging outline of Mount Prospect, in Holderness, close the -valley. Upon the left, where the clearings extend quite to the summits -of the near hills, the maple groves interspersed among them resemble -soldiers advancing up the green slopes in columns of attack. Following -this line a little, the valley of Mad River is distinguished by the deep -trough through which it descends from the mountains of Waterville. And -here, peering over the nearer elevations, the huge blue-black mass of -Black Mountain flings two splendid peaks aloft. - -For a more intimate acquaintance with these surroundings the hillside -pasture above the school-house gives a perspective of greater breadth; -while that from the Ellsworth road is in some respects finer still. -About two miles up this road the valley of the East Branch, showing the -massive Mount Hancock, cicatriced with one long, narrow scar, is lifted -into view. The other features of the landscape remain the same, except -that Mount Cannon is now cut off by the hill rising to the north of us. -As often as one of these hidden valleys is thus revealed we are seized -with a longing to explore it. - -[Illustration: WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER.] - -One need not push inquiry into the antecedents of Campton or the -neighboring villages very far. The township was originally granted to -General Jabez Spencer, of East Haddam, Connecticut, in 1761. In 1768 a -few families had come into Campton, Plymouth, Hebron, Sandwich, Rumney, -Holderness, and Bridgewater. No opening had been made for civilized men -on this side of Canada except for three families, who had gone fifty -miles into the wilderness to begin a settlement where Lancaster now -is. The name is derived simply from the circumstance that the first -proprietors built a camp when they visited their grant. The different -villages are much frequented by artists, who have spread the fame of -Campton from one end of the Union to the other. But a serpent has -entered even this Eden--the villagers are sighing for the advent of the -railway. - -Having dedicated one day to an exploration of the Mad River Valley, I -can pronounce it well worth any tourist's while to tarry long enough -in the vicinity for the purpose. It is certainly one of the finest -exhibitions of mountain scenery far or near. Here is a valley twelve -miles long, at the bottom of which a rapid river bruises itself on a bed -of broken rock, while above it are heaped mountains to be picked out -of a thousand for peculiarity of form or structure. The Pemigewasset -is passed by a ford just deep enough at times to invest the journey -with a little healthy excitement at the very beginning. The ford has, -however, been carefully marked by large stones placed at the edge of the -submerged road. - -Fording the river and climbing the hill which lies across the entrance -to this land-locked valley, I was at once ushered upon a scene of -great and varied charm. Right before me, sunning his three peaks four -thousand feet above, was the prodigious mass of Black Mountain. Far up -the valley it stretched, forming an unbroken wall nearly ten miles long, -and apparently sealing all access from the Sandwich side. A nipple, -a pyramid, and a flattened mound protruding from the summit ridge -constitute these eminences, easily recognized from the Franconia highway -among a host of lesser peaks. At the southern end of this mountain -the range is broken through, giving passage to a rough and straggling -road--fourteen hundred feet above the sea-level--to Sandwich Centre, and -to the lake towns south of it. This pass is known as Sandwich Notch. - -Campton Village lies along the hill-slope opposite to Black Mountain. -Completely does it fill the artistic sense. Its situation leaves nothing -to be desired in an ideal mountain village. So completely is it secluded -from the rest of the world by its environment of mountains, that you -might pass and repass the Pemigewasset Valley a hundred times without -once surprising the secret of its existence. All those houses, half hid -beneath groves of maples, bespeak luxurious repose. Opposite to Black -Mountain, whose dark forest drapery hides the mass of the mountain, is -the immense whitish-yellow rock called Welch Mountain. Only a scanty -vegetation is suffered to creep among the crevices. It is really -nothing but a big excrescent rock, having a principal summit shaped -somewhat like a Martello tower; and, indeed, resembling one in ruins. -The bright ledges brilliantly reflect the sun, causing the eye to turn -gratefully to the sombre gloom of the evergreens crowding the sides of -the neighboring mountains. Welch Mountain reminded me, I hardly know -why, of Chocorua; but the resemblance can scarcely extend farther than -to the meagreness, mutually characteristic, and to the blistered, almost -calcined ledges, which in each case catch the earliest and latest beams -of day. In fact, I could think only of a leper sunning his scars, and in -rags. - -At the head of the vale, alternately coming into and retreating from -view--for we are still progressing--is the mysterious triple-crowned -mountain known on the maps as Tripyramid. When first seen it seems -standing solitary and alone, and to have wrapped itself in a veil of -thinnest gauze. As we advance it displays the white streak of an immense -slide, which occurred in 1869. This mountain is visible from the shore -of the lake at Laconia. It is one of the first to greet us from the -elevated summits, though from no point is its singularly admirable and -well-proportioned architecture so advantageously exhibited as when -approaching by this valley. Its northern peak stands farthest from the -others, yet not so far as to mar the general grace and harmony of form. -Hail to thee, mountain of the high, heroic crest, for thy fortunate name -and the gracious, kingly mien with which thou wearest thy triple crown! -Prince thou art and potentate. None approach thy forest courts but do -thee homage. - -The end of the valley was reached in two hours of very leisurely -driving. The road abruptly terminated among a handful of houses -scattered about the bottom of a deep and narrow vale. This is, beyond -question, the most remarkable mountain glen into which civilization has -thus far penetrated. On looking up at the big mountains one experiences -a half-stifled feeling; and, on looking around the scattered hamlet, its -dozen houses seem undergoing perpetual banishment. - -This diminutive settlement, in which signs of progress and decay stand -side by side--progress evidenced by new and showy cottages; decay by -abandoned and dilapidated ones--is at the edge of a region as shaggy and -wild as any in the famed Adirondack wilderness. It fairly jostles the -wilderness. It braves it. It is really insolent. Yet are its natural -resources so slender that the struggle to keep the breath in it must -have been long and obstinate. A wheezy saw-mill indicates at once its -origin and its means of livelihood; but it is evident that it might -have remained obscure and unknown until doomsday, had not a few anglers -stumbled upon it while in pursuit of brooks and waters new. - -[Illustration: BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS.] - -The glen is surrounded by peaks that for boldness, savage freedom, -and power challenge any that we can remember. They threaten while -maintaining an attitude of lofty scorn for the saucy intruder. The -curious Noon Peak--we have at length got to the end of the almost -endless Black Mountain--nods familiarly from the south. It long stood -for a sun-dial for the settlement; hence its name. Tecumseh, a noble -mountain, and Osceola, its worthy companion, rise to the north. A -short walk in this direction brings Kancamagus[31] and the gap between -this mountain and Osceola into view. All these mountains stand in the -magnificent order in which they were first placed by Nature; but never -does the idea of inertia, of helpless immobility, cross the mind of the -beholder for a single moment. - -The unvisited region between Greeley's, in Waterville, and the Saco is -destined to be one of the favorite haunts of the sportsman, the angler, -and the lover of the grand old woods. It is crossed and recrossed by -swift streams, sown with lakes, glades, and glens, and thickly set -with mountains, among which the timid deer browses, and the bear and -wildcat roam unmolested. Fish and game, untamed and untrodden mountains -and woods, welcome the sportsman here. With Greeley's for a base, -encampments may be pitched in the forest, and exploration carried into -the most out-of-the-way corners. The full zest of such a life can -only be understood by those to whom its freedom and unrestraint, its -healthful and vigorous existence, have already proved their charm. The -time may come when the mountains shall be covered with a thousand tents, -and the summer-dwellers will resemble the tribes of Israel encamped by -the sweet waters of Sion. - -Waterville maintains unfrequent communication with Livermore and the -Saco by a path twelve miles long--constructed by the Appalachian -Mountain Club--over which a few pedestrians pass every year. I have -explored this path for several miles beyond Beckytown while visiting -the great slide which sloughed off from the side of Tripyramid, and -the cascades on the way to it. Osceola, Hancock, and Carrigain, three -remarkably fine mountains, offer inviting excursions to expert climbers. -I was reluctantly compelled to renounce the intention of passing over -the whole route, which should occupy, at least, two days or parts of -days, one night being spent in camp. - -The Mad River drive is a delightful episode. In the way of mountain -valley there is nothing like it. Bold crag, furious torrent, lonely -cabin, blue peak, deep hollow, choked up with the densest foliage, -constitute its varied and ever-changing features. The overhanging -woods looked as if it had been raining sunshine; the road like an -endless grotto of illuminated leaves, musical with birds, and exhaling a -thousand perfumes. - -[Illustration: FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON.] - -The remainder of the route up the Pemigewasset is more and more a -revelation of the august summits that have so constantly met us -since entering this lovely valley. Boldly emerging from the mass of -mountains, they present themselves at every mile in new combinations. -Through Thornton and Woodstock the spectacle continues almost without -intermission. Gradually, the finely-pointed peaks of the Lafayette group -deploy and advance toward us. Now they pitch sharply down into the -valley of the East Branch. Now the great shafts of stone are crusted -with silvery light, or sprayed with the cataract. Now the sun gilds the -slides that furrow, but do not deface them. Stay a moment at this rapid -brook that comes hastening from the west! It is an envoy from yonder -great, billowy mountain that lords it so proudly over - - "many a nameless slide-scarred crest - And pine-dark gorge between." - -That is Moosehillock. Facing again the north, the road is soon swallowed -up by the forest, and the forest by the mountains. A few poor cottages -skirt the route. Still ascending, the miles grow longer and less -interesting, until the white house, first seen from far below, suddenly -stands uncovered at the left. We are at the Flume House, and before the -gates of the Franconia Notch. - - - - -II. - -THE FRANCONIA PASS. - - Beyond them, like a sun-rimmed cloud, - The great Notch Mountains shone, - Watched over by the solemn-browed - And awful face of stone!--WHITTIER. - - -When Boswell exclaimed in ecstasy, "An immense mountain!" Dr. Johnson -sneered, "An immense protuberance!" but he, the sublime cynic, became -respectful before leaving the Hebrides. Charles Lamb, too, at one time -pretended something approaching contempt for mountains; but, after a -visit to Coleridge, he made the _amende honorable_ in these terms: - -"I feel I shall remember your mountains to the last day of my life. -They haunt me perpetually. I am like a man who has been falling in love -unknown to himself; which he finds out when he leaves the lady." - -Notwithstanding their prepossessions against nature, and their -undisguised preference for the smoke and dirt of London, the mountains -awoke something in these two men which was apparently a revelation of -themselves unto themselves. I have felt a higher respect for both since -I knew that they loved mountains, as I pity those who have only seen -heaven through the smoke of the city. It is not easy to explain two -ideas so essentially opposite as are presented in the earlier and later -declarations of these widely famous authors, unless we agree, keeping -"Elia's" odd simile in mind, that in the first case they should, like -woman, be taken, not at what she says, but what she means. - -The Flume House is the proper tarrying-place for an investigation of the -mountain gorge from which it derives both its custom and its name. It -is also placed opposite to the Pool, another of those natural wonders -with which the pass is crowded, and which tempt us at every step to turn -aside from the travelled road. - -Fronting the hotel is a belt of woods, with two massive mountains -rising behind. In the concealment of these woods the Pemigewasset, -contracted to a modest stream, runs along the foot of the mountains. -A rough, zigzag path leads through the woods to the river and to the -Pool. Now raise the eyes to the summit-ridge of yonder mountain. The -peak finely reproduces the features of a gigantic human face, while -the undulations of the ridge fairly suggest a recumbent human figure -wrapped in a shroud. The outlines of the forehead and nose are curiously -like the profile of Washington; hence the colossal figure is called -Washington Lying in State. This immortal sculpture gave rise to the idea -that the tomb of Washington, like that of Desaix, on the St. Bernard, -should be on the great summit that bears his name. - -[Illustration: A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL.] - -From the Flume House I looked up through the deep cleft of the Notch--an -impressive vista. To the left is Cannon, or Profile Mountain; to the -right the beetling crags of Eagle Cliff; then the pointed, shapely peaks -of Lafayette; and so the range continues breaking off and off, bending -away into lesser mountains that finally melt into pale-blue shadows. -Now a stray cloud atop a peak gives it a volcanic character. Now a puff -scatters it like thistle-down. It is a sultry summer's morning, and -banks of film hang like huge spider's-webs in the tree-tops. Soon they -detach themselves, and, floating lazily upward, are seized by a truant -breeze, spun mischievously round, and then settle quietly down on the -highest peaks like young eaglets on their nest. - -Let us first walk down to the Pool. This Pool is a caprice of the river. -Imagine a cistern, deeply sunk in granite, receiving at one end a weary -cascade, which seems to crave a moment's rest before hurrying on down -the rocky pass. In the mystery and seclusion of ages, and with only the -rude implements picked up by the way, the river has hollowed a basin -a hundred feet wide and forty deep out of the stubborn rock. Without -doubt Nature thus first taught us to cut the hardest marble with sand -and water. Cliffs traversed by cracks rise a hundred feet higher. -The water is a glossy and lustrous sea-green, and of such marvellous -transparency that you see the brilliant pebbles sparkling at the bottom, -shifting with the waves of light like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. -Overtopping trees lean timidly over and peer down into the Pool, which -coldly repulses their shadows. Only the colorless hue of the rocks -is reflected; and the stranger, seeing an old man with a gray beard -standing erect in a boat, has no other idea than that he has arrived on -the borders and is to be accosted by the ferryman of Hades. - -The Flume is reached by going down the road a short distance, and then -diverging to the left and crossing the river to the Flume Brook. A -carriage-way conducts almost to the entrance of the gorge. Then begins -an easy and interesting promenade up the bed of the brook. - -This is a remarkable rock-gallery, driven several hundred feet into -the heart of the mountain, through which an ice-cold brook rushes. The -miracle of Moses seems repeated here sublimely. Some unknown power smote -the rock, and the prisoned stream gushed forth free and lightsome as -air. You approach it over broad ledges of freckled granite, polished -by the constant flow of a thin, pellucid sheet of water to slippery -smoothness. Proceeding a short distance up this natural esplanade, you -enter a damp and gloomy fissure between perpendicular walls, rising -seventy feet above the stream, and, on lifting your eyes suddenly, -espy an enormous bowlder tightly wedged between the cliffs. Now try to -imagine a force capable of grasping the solid rock and dividing it in -halves as easily as you would an apple with your two hands. - -[Illustration: THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH.] - -At sight of the suspended bowlder, which seems, like Paul Pry, to have -"just dropped in," I believe every visitor has his moment of hesitation, -which he usually ends by passing underneath, paying as he goes with a -tremor of the nerves, more or less, for his temerity. But there is no -danger. It is seen that the deep crevice, into which the rock seems -jammed with the especial purpose of holding it asunder, also hugs the -intruder like a vise; so closely, indeed, that, according to every -appearance, it must stay where it is until doomsday, unless released by -some passing earthquake from its imprisonment. Sentimental tourists do -not omit to find a moral in this curiosity, which really looks to be on -the eve of dropping, with a loud splash, into the torrent beneath. On -top of the cliffs I picked up a visiting-card, on which some one with -a poetic turn had written, "Does not this bowlder remind you of the -sword of Damocles?" To a civil question, civil reply: No; to me it looks -like a nut in a cracker. - -Over the gorge bends an arcade of interlaced foliage shot through and -through with sunshine; and wherever cleft or cranny can be found young -birches, sword-ferns, trailing vines, insinuating their long roots in -the damp mould, garland the cold granite with tenderest green. The -exquisite white anemone blooms in the mossy wall wet with tiny streams -that do not run but glide unperceived down. What could be more cunning -than the persistency with which these hardy waifs, clinging or drooping -along the craggy way, draw their sustenance from the rock, which seems -to nourish them in spite of itself? Underneath your feet the swollen -torrent storms along the gorge, dashing itself recklessly against -intruding bowlders, or else passing them with a curl of disdain. How -gallantly it surmounts every obstacle in its way! How crystal-clear are -its waters! On it speeds, scattering pearls and diamonds right and left, -like the prodigal it is; unpolluted, as yet, by the filth of cities, or -turned into a languid, broken-spirited drudge by dams or mill-wheels. -"Stop me?" it seems exclaiming. "Why, I am offspring of the clouds, -their messenger to the parched earth, the mountain maid-of-all-work! -Stay; step aside here in the sun and I will show you my rainbow-signet! -When I rest, do you not behold the mother imaged in the features of the -child? Stop me! Put your hand in my bosom and see how strong and full -of life are my pulse-beats. To-morrow I shall be vapor. Thought is not -freer. I do not belong to earth any more than the eagle sailing above -yonder mountain-top." - -Overhead a fallen tree-trunk makes a crazy bridge from cliff to cliff. -The sight of the gorge, with the flood foaming far below, the glitter -of falling waters through the trees, the splendid light in the midst of -deepest gloom, the solemn pines--the odorous forest, the wildness and -the coolness--impart an indescribable charm to the spot that makes us -reluctant to leave it. Many ladies ascend to the head of the gorge and, -crossing on the rude bridge, leave their visiting-cards on the other -side; one had left her pocket-handkerchief, with the scent fresh upon -it. I picked it up, and out hopped a toad. - -After the Pool and the Flume, an ascent of the mountain behind the hotel -will be found conducive to enjoyment of another kind. This mountain -commands delicious views of the valley of the Pemigewasset. A short hour -is usually sufficient for the climb. It was a very raw, windy morning -on which I climbed it, but the uncommon purity of the air and the -exceeding beauty of the landscape were most rarely combined with cloud -effects seen only in conjunction with a brisk north-west wind. I had -taken a station similar to that occupied by Mount Willard with respect -to the Saco Valley, now opening a vista essentially different from -that most memorable one in my mountain experience. The valley is not -the same. You see the undulating course of the river for many leagues, -and but for an intercepting hill, which hides them, might distinguish -the houses of Plymouth. The vales of Woodstock, Thornton, and Campton, -spotted with white houses, lie outspread in the sun, between enclosing -mountains; and the windings of the Pemigewasset are now seen dark and -glossy, now white with foam, appearing, disappearing, and finally lost -to view in the blended distance. The sky was packed with clouds. Over -the vivid green of the intervales their black shadows drifted swiftly -and noiselessly, first turning the light on, then off again, with -magical effect. To look up and see these clouds all in motion, and then, -looking down, see those weird draperies darkly trailing over the land, -was a reminiscence of - - "The dim and shadowy armies of our unquiet dreams-- - Their footsteps brush the dewy fern and paint the shaded streams." - -The mountain ridges flowed southward with marvellous smoothness to the -vanishing-point, on one side of the valley bright green, on the other -indigo blue. This picture was not startling, like that from the Crawford -Notch, but, in its own way, was incomparable. The sunsets are said to be -beautiful beyond description. - -One looks up the Notch upon the great central peaks composing -the water-shed--Cannon, Lafayette, Lincoln, and the rest--to see -crags, ridges, black forests, rising before him in all their gloomy -magnificence. - -[Illustration: THE BASIN.] - -On one side all is beauty, harmony, and grace; on the other, a packed -mass of bristling, steep-sided mountains seem storming the sky with -their gray turrets. Could we but look over the brawny shoulders of the -mountains opposite to us, the eye would take in the vast, untrodden -solitudes of the Pemigewasset forests cut by the East Branch and -presided over by Mount Carrigain--a region as yet reserved for those -restless and adventurous spirits whom the beaten paths of travel have -ceased to charm or attract. But an excursion into this "forest primeval" -is to be no holiday promenade. It is an arduous and difficult march -over slippery rocks, through tangled thickets, or up the beds of -mountain torrents. Hard fare and a harder bed of boughs finish the day, -every hour of which has been a continued combat with fresh obstacles. -At this price one may venture to encounter the virgin wilderness or, as -the cant phrase is, "try roughing it." It is a curious feeling to turn -your back upon the last cart-path, then upon the last foot-path; to hear -the distant baying of a hound grow fainter and fainter--in a word, to -exchange at a single step the sights and sounds of civilized life, the -movement, the bustle, for a silence broken only by the hum of bees and -the murmur of invisible waters. - -I left the Flume House in company with a young-old man, whom I met -there, and in whom I hoped to find another and a surer pair of eyes, -for, were he to have as many as Argus, the sight-seer would find -employment for them all. - -While gayly threading the green-wood, we came upon a miniature edition -of the Pool, situated close to the highway, called the Basin. A basin -in fact it is, and a bath fit for the gods. It is plain to see that -the stream once poured over the smooth ledges here, instead of making -its exit by the present channel. A cascade falls into it with hollow -roar. This cistern has been worn by the rotary motion of large pebbles -which the little cascade, pouring down into it from above, set and -kept actively whirling and grinding at its own mad caprice. But this -was not the work of a day. Long and constant attrition only could have -scooped this cavity out of the granite, which is here so clean, smooth, -and white, and filled to the brim with a grayish-emerald water, light, -limpid, and incessantly replenished by the effervescent cascade. In the -beginning this was doubtless an insignificant crevice, into which a few -pebbles and a handful of sand were dropped by the stream, but which, -having no way of escape, were kept in a perpetual tread-mill, until what -was at first a mere hole became as we now see it. The really curious -feature of the stone basin is a strip of granite projecting into it -which closely resembles a human leg and foot, luxuriously cooling itself -in the stream. Such queer freaks of nature are not merely curious, -but they while away the hours so agreeably that time and distance are -forgotten. - -As we walked on, the hills were constantly hemming us in closer and -closer. Suddenly we entered a sort of crater, with high mountains all -around. One impulse caused us to halt and look about us. In full view -at our left the inaccessible precipices of Mount Cannon rose above a -mountain of shattered stones, which ages upon ages of battering have -torn piecemeal from it. Its base was heaped high with these ruins. -Seldom has it fallen to my lot to see anything so grandly typical -of the indomitable as this sorely battered and disfigured mountain -citadel, which nevertheless lifts and will still lift its unconquerable -battlements so long as one stone remains upon another. Hewed and -hacked, riven and torn, gashed and defaced in countless battles, one -can hardly repress an emotion of pity as well as of admiration. I do -not recollect, in all these mountains, another such striking example -of the denuding forces with which they are perpetually at war. When we -see mountains crumbling before our very eyes, may we not begin to doubt -the stability of things that we are pleased to call eternal? Still, -although it seems erected solely for the pastime of all the powers of -destruction, this one, so glorious in its unconquerable resolve to die -at its post--this one, exposing its naked breast to the fury of its -deadliest foes--so stern and terrific of aspect, so high and haughty, -so dauntlessly throwing down the gauntlet to Fate itself--assures us -that the combat will be long and obstinate, and that the mountain will -fall at last, if fall it must, with the grace and heroism of a gladiator -in the Roman arena. The gale flies at it with a shriek of impotent -rage. Winter strips off its broidered tunic and flings white dust in -its aged face. Rust corrodes, rains drench, fires scorch it; lightning -and frost are forever searching out the weak spots in its harness; but, -still uplifting its adamantine crest, it receives unshaken the stroke -or the blast, spurns the lightning, mocks the thunder, and stands fast. -Underneath is a little lake, which at sunset resembles a pool of blood -that has trickled drop by drop from the deep wounds in the side of the -mountain. - -We are still advancing in this region of wonders. In our front soars an -insuperable mass of forest-shagged rock. Behind it rises the absolutely -regal Lafayette. Our footsteps are stayed by the glimmer of water -through trees by the road-side. We have reached the summit of the pass. - -Six miles of continued ascent from the Flume House have brought us to -Profile Lake, which the road skirts. Although a pretty enough piece of -water, it is not for itself this lake is resorted to by its thousands, -or for being the source of the Pemigewasset, or for its trout--which -you take for the reflection of birds on its burnished surface--but for -the mountain rising high above, whose wooded slopes it so faithfully -mirrors. Now lift the eyes to the bare summit! It is difficult to -believe the evidence of the senses! Upon the high cliffs of this -mountain is the remarkable and celebrated natural rock sculpture of a -human head, which, from a height twelve hundred feet above the lake, -has for uncounted ages looked with the same stony stare down the pass -upon the windings of the river through its incomparable valley. The -profile itself measures about forty feet from the tip of the chin to -the flattened crown which imparts to it such a peculiarly antique -appearance. All is perfect, except that the forehead is concealed by -something like the visor of a helmet. And all this illusion is produced -by several projecting crags. It might be said to have been begotten by a -thunder-bolt. - -Taking a seat within a rustic arbor on the high shore of the lake, -one is at liberty to peruse at leisure what, I dare say, is the most -extraordinary sight of a lifetime. A change of position varies more or -less the character of the expression, which is, after all, the marked -peculiarity of this monstrous _alto relievo_; for let the spectator -turn his gaze vacantly upon the more familiar objects at hand--as he -inevitably will, to assure himself that he is not the victim of some -strange hallucination--a fascination born neither of admiration nor -horror, but strongly partaking of both emotions, draws him irresistibly -back to the Dantesque head stuck, like a felon's, on the highest -battlements of the pass. The more you may have seen, the more your -feelings are disciplined, the greater the confusion of ideas. The moment -is come to acknowledge yourself vanquished. This is not merely a face, -it is a portrait. That is not the work of some cunning chisel, but a -cast from a living head. You feel and will always maintain that those -features have had a living and breathing counterpart. Nothing more, -nothing less. - -But where and what was the original prototype? Not man; since, ages -before he was created, the chisel of the Almighty wrought this sculpture -upon the rock above us. No, not man; the face is too majestic, too -nobly grand, for anything of mortal mould. One of the antique gods may, -perhaps, have sat for this archetype of the coming man. And yet not man, -we think, for the head will surely hold the same strange converse with -futurity when man shall have vanished from the face of the earth. - -This gigantic silhouette, which has been dubbed the Old Man of the -Mountain, is unquestionably the greatest curiosity of this or any other -mountain region. It is unique. But it is not merely curious; nor is -it more marvellous for the wonderful accuracy of outline than for the -almost superhuman expression of frozen terror it eternally fixes on the -vague and shadowy distance--a far-away look; an intense and speechless -amazement, such as sometimes settles on the faces of the dying at the -moment the soul leaves the body forever--untranslatable into words, but -seeming to declare the presence of some unutterable vision, too bright -and dazzling for mortal eyes to behold. The face puts the whole world -behind it. It does everything but speak--nay, you are ready to swear -that it is going to speak! And so this chance jumbling together of a few -stones has produced a sculpture before which Art hangs her head. - -I renounce in dismay the idea of reproducing the effect on the reader's -mind which this prodigy produced on my own. Impressions more pronounced, -yet at the same time more inexplicable, have never so effectually -overcome that habitual self-command derived from many experiences of -travel among strange and unaccustomed scenes. From the moment the -startled eye catches it one is aware of a _Presence_ which dominates the -spirit, first with strange fear, then by that natural revulsion which -at such moments makes the imagination supreme, conducts straight to -the supernatural, there to leave it helplessly struggling in a maze of -impotent conjecture. But, even upon this debatable ground, between two -worlds, one is not able to surprise the secret of those lips of marble. -The Sphinx overcomes us by his stony, his disdainful silence. Let the -visitor be ever so unimpassioned, surely he must be more than mortal to -resist the impression of mingled awe, wonder, and admiration which a -first sight of this weird object forces upon him. He is, indeed, less -than human if the feeling does not continually grow and deepen while -he looks. The face is so amazing, that I have often tried to imagine -the sensations of him who first discovered it peering from the top of -the mountain with such absorbed, open-mouthed wonder. Again I see the -tired Indian hunter, pausing to slake his thirst by the lake-side, -start as his gaze suddenly encounters this terrific apparition. I -fancy the half-uttered exclamation sticking in his throat. I behold -him standing there with bated breath, not daring to stir hand or foot, -his white lips parted, his scared eyes dilated, until his own swarthy -features exactly reflect that unearthly, that intense amazement stamped -large and vivid upon the livid rock. There he remains, rooted to the -spot, unable to reason, trembling in every limb. For him there are no -accidents of nature; for him everything has its design. His moment of -terrible suspense is hardly difficult to understand, seeing how careless -thousands that come and go are thrilled, and awed, and silenced, -notwithstanding you tell them the face is nothing but rocks. - -[Illustration: THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.] - -If the effect upon minds of the common order be so pronounced, a first -sight of the Great Stone Face may easily be supposed to act powerfully -upon the imaginative and impressible. The novelist, Hawthorne, makes -it the interpreter of a noble life. For him the Titanic countenance is -radiant with majestic benignity. He endows it with a soul, surrounds the -colossal brow with the halo of a spiritual grandeur, and, marshalling -his train of phantoms, proceeds to pass inexorable judgment upon them. -Another legend--like its predecessor, too long for our pages--runs to -the effect that a painter who had resolved to paint Christ sitting in -judgment, and who was filled with the grandeur of his subject, wandered -up and down the great art palaces, the cathedrals of the Old World, -seeking in vain a model which should in all things be the embodiment of -his ideal. In despair at the futility of his search he hears a strange -report, brought by some pious missionaries from the New World, of a -wonderful image of the human face which the Indians looked upon with -sacred veneration. The painter immediately crossed the sea, and caused -himself to be guided to the spot, where he beheld, in the profile of the -great White Mountains, the object of his search and fulfilment of his -dream. The legend is entitled _Christus Judex._ - -Had Byron visited this place of awe and mystery, his "Manfred," the -scene of which is laid among the mountains of the Bernese Alps, would -doubtless have had a deeper and perhaps gloomier impulse; but even among -the eternal realms of ice the poet never beheld an object that could -so arouse the gloomy exaltation he has breathed into that tragedy. His -line-- - - "Bound to earth, he lifts his eye to heaven"-- - -becomes descriptive here. - -Again and again we turn to the face. We go away to wonder if it is still -there. We come back to wonder still more. An emotion of pity mingles -with the rest. Time seems to have passed it by. It seems undergoing some -terrible sentence. It is a greater riddle than the gigantic stone face -on the banks of the Nile. - -All effects of light and shadow are so many changes of countenance or of -expression. I have seen the face cut sharp and clear as an antique cameo -upon the morning sky. I have seen it suffused, nay, almost transfigured, -in the sunset glow. Often and often does a cloud rest upon its brow. I -have seen it start fitfully out of the flying scud to be the next moment -smothered in clouds. I have heard the thunder roll from its lips of -stone. I recall the sunken cheeks, wet with the damps of its night-long -vigil, glistening in the morning sunshine--smiling through tears. I -remember its emaciated visage streaked and crossed with wrinkles that -the snow had put there in a night; but never have I seen it insipid or -commonplace. On the contrary, the overhanging brow, the antique nose, -the protruding under-lip, the massive chin, might belong to another -Prometheus chained to the rock, but whom no punishment could make lower -his haughty head. - -I lingered by the margin of the lake watching the play of the clouds -upon the water, until a loud and resonant peal, followed by large, warm -drops, admonished me to seek the nearest shelter. And what thunder! -The hills rocked. What echoes! The mountains seemed knocking their -stony heads together. What lightning! The very heavens cracked with the -flashes. - - "Far along - From peak to peak the rattling crags among - Leaps the live thunder! not from one lone cloud, - But every mountain now hath found a tongue, - And Jura answers, through her misty shroud, - Back to the joyous Alps, who call to her aloud!" - - - - -III. - -_THE KING OF FRANCONIA._ - - Hills draw like heaven - And stronger, sometimes, holding out their hands - To pull you from the vile flats up to them. - E. B. BROWNING. - - -At noon we reached the spacious and inviting Profile House, which is -hid away in a deep and narrow glen, nearly two thousand feet above -the sea. No situation could be more sequestered or more charming. The -place seems stolen from the unkempt wilderness that shuts it in. An -oval, grassy plain, not extensive, but bright and smiling, spreads its -green between a grisly precipice and a shaggy mountain. And there, if -you-will believe me, in front of the long, white-columned hotel, like a -Turkish rug on a carpet, was a pretty flower-garden. Like those flowers -on the lawn were beauties sauntering up and down in exquisite morning -toilets, coquetting with their bright-colored parasols, and now and then -glancing up at the grim old mountains with that air of elegant disdain -which is so redoubtable a weapon--even in the mountains. Little children -fluttered about the grass like beautiful butterflies, and as unmindful -of the terrors that hovered over them so threateningly. Nurses in their -stiff grenadier caps and white aprons, lackeys in livery, cadets in -uniform, elegant equipages, blooded horses, dainty shapes on horseback, -cavaliers, and last, but not least, the resolute pedestrian, or the -gentlemen strollers up and down the shaded avenues, made up a scene as -animated as attractive. There is tonic in the air: there is healing in -the balm of these groves. Even the horses step out more briskly. Peals -of laughter startle the solemn old woods. You hear them high up the -mountain side. There go a pair of lovers, the gentleman with his book, -whose most telling passages he has carefully conned, the lady with her -embroidery, over which she bends lower as he reads on. Ah, happy days! -What is this youth, which, having it, we are so eager to escape, and, -when it is gone, we look back upon with such longing? - -[Illustration: EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE.] - -The lofty crag opposite the hotel is Eagle Cliff, a name at once -legitimate and satisfying, although it is now untenanted by the eagles -which formerly made their home in the security of its precipitous -rocks. The cliff is also seen to great advantage from Echo Lake, half a -mile farther on, of which it constitutes a striking feature. In simple -parlance it is an advanced spur of Mount Lafayette. The high and curving -wall of this cliff encloses on one side the Profile Glen, while Mount -Cannon forms the other. The precipices tower so far above the glen that -large trees look like shrubs. Behind Eagle Cliff, almost isolating it -from the mountain, of which it is the barbacan, a hideous ravine yawns -upon the pass. Here and there, among the thick-set evergreen trees, -beech and birch and maple, spread masses of rich green, and mottle it -with softness. The purple rock bulges daringly out, forming a parapet of -adamant. - -The turf underneath the cliff was most beautifully and profusely -spangled with the delicate pink anemone, the _fleur des fees_, that -pale darling of our New England woods, to which the arbutus resigns the -sceptre of spring. It is a moving sight to see these little drooping -flowers, so shy and modest, yet so meek and trustful, growing at the -foot of a bare and sterile rock. The face hardened looking up; grew -soft looking down. "Don't tread on us!" "May not a flower look up at a -mountain?" they seem to plead. Lightly fall the dews upon your upturned -faces, dear little flowers! Soft be the sunshine and gentle the winds -that kiss those sky-tinted cheeks! In thy sweet purity and innocence -I see faces that are beneath the sod, flowers that have blossomed in -Paradise. - -We see also, from the hotel, the singular rock that occasioned the -change of name from Profile to Cannon Mountain. It nearly resembles a -piece of heavy ordnance protruding, threateningly, from the parapet of a -fortress. - -Taking one of the well-worn paths conducting to the water-side, a few -minutes' walk brings us to the shore of Echo Lake, with Eagle Cliff now -rising grandly on our right. Nowhere among the White Hills is there a -fuller realization of a mountain lake than this. Light flaws frost it -with silver. Sharp keels cut it as diamonds cut glass. The water is so -transparent that you see fishes swimming or floating indolently about. - -[Illustration: ECHO LAKE.] - -Echo Lake is somewhat larger than Profile Lake, and is only a step -from the road. Its sources are in the hundred streams that descend the -surrounding mountains, and its waters are discharged by the valley, -lying between us and the heights of Bethlehem, into the Ammonoosuc. -Therefore, in coming from one lake to the other we have crossed the -summit of the pass. On one side the waters flow to the Merrimac, on the -other to the Connecticut. An idle fancy tempted me to bring a cup of -water from Profile and cast it into Echo Lake, forgetting that, although -divided in their lives, the twin lakes had yet a common destiny in the -abyss of the ocean. I found the outlook from the boat-house on the whole -the most satisfying, because one looks back directly through the deep -chasm of the Notch. - -In this beautiful little mountain-tarn the true artist finds his ideal. -The snowy peak of Lafayette looked down into it with a freezing stare. -Cannon Mountain now showed his retreating wall on the right. The huge, -castellated rampart of Eagle Cliff lifted on its borders precipices -dripping with moisture, and glistening in the sun like casements. -Except for the lake, the whole aspect would be irredeemably savage -and forbidding--a blind landscape; but when the sun sinks behind the -long ridge of Mount Cannon, purpling all these grisly crags, and the -cloaked shadows, groping their way foot by foot up the ravines, seem -spectres risen from the depths of the lake, you see, underneath the -cliffs, long and slender spears of golden light thrust deep into its -black and glossy tide, crimsoning it as with its own life-blood. Then, -too, is the proper moment for surprising these vain old mountains -viewing themselves in their mountain mirror, in which the bald, the -wrinkled, and the decrepit appear young, vigorous, and gloriously fair; -to see them gloating over their swarthy features like the bandit in -"Fra Diavolo." Their ragged mantles are changed to gaudy cashmeres, -picturesquely twisted about their brawny shoulders, their snows to -laces. Oh the pomp, the majesty of these sunsets, which so glorify -the upturned faces of the haggard cliffs; which transmute, as in the -miracle, water into wine; which instantly transform these rugged -mountain walls into gates of jasper, and ruby, and onyx--glowing, -effulgent, enrapturing! And then, after the sun drops wearily down the -west, that gauze-like vapor, spun from the breath of evening, rising -like incense from the surface of the lake, which the mountains put on -for the masque of night; and, finally, the inquisitive stars piercing -the lake with ice-cold gleams, or the full-moon breaking in one great -burst of splendor on its level surface! - -The echo adds its feats of ventriloquism. The marvel of the phonograph -is but a mimicry of Nature, the universal teacher. Now the man blows -a strong, clear blast upon a long Alpine horn, and, like a bugle-call -flying from camp to camp, the martial signal is repeated, not once, but -again and again, in waves of bewitching sweetness and with the exquisite -modulations of the wood-thrush's note. From covert to covert, now here, -now there, it chants its rapturous melody. Once again it glides upon -the entranced ear, and still we lean in breathless eagerness to catch -the last faint cadence sighing itself away upon the palpitating air. A -cannon was then fired. The report and echo came with the flash. In a -moment more a deep and hollow rumbling sound, as if the mountains were -splitting their huge sides with suppressed laughter, startled us. - -The ascent of Mount Lafayette fittingly crowns the series of excursions -through which we have passed since leaving Plymouth. This mountain -dominates the valleys north and south with undisputed sway. It is the -King of Franconia. - -At seven in the morning I crossed the little clearing, and, turning into -the path leading to the summit, found myself at the beginning of a steep -ascent. It was one of the last and fairest days of that bright season -which made the poet exclaim, - - "And what is so fair as a day in June?" - -The thunder-storm of the previous afternoon, which continued its furious -cannonade at intervals throughout the night, had purified the air and -given promise of a day favorable for the ascension. No clouds were upon -the mountains. Everything betokened a pacific disposition. - -[Illustration: MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, LAFAYETTE.] - -The path at once attacks the south side of Eagle Cliff. A short way up, -openings afford fine views of Mount Cannon and its weird profile, of the -valley below, and of the glen we have just left. The stupendous mass of -Eagle Cliff, suspended a thousand feet over your head, accelerates the -pace. - -After an hour of steady, but not rapid, climbing, the path turned -abruptly under the shattered, but still formidable, precipices of the -cliff, which rose some distance higher, skirted it awhile, and then -began to zigzag among huge rocks along the narrow ridge uniting the -cliff with the mass of the mountain. Two deep ravines fall away on -either side. For two or three hundred yards, from the time the shoulder -of the cliff is turned until the mountain itself is reached, the walk -is as romantic an episode of mountain climbing as any I can recall, -except the narrow gully of Chocorua. But this passage presents no such -difficulties as must be overcome there. Although heaped with rocks, the -way is easy, and is quite level. In one place, where it glides between -two prodigious masses of rock dislodged from the cliff, it is so narrow -as to admit only a single person at a time. When I turned to look back -down the black ravine, cutting into the south side of the mountain, my -eye met nothing but immense rocks stopped in their descent on the very -edge of the gulf. It is among these that a way has been found for the -path, which was to me a reminiscence of the high defiles of the Isthmus -of Darien; to complete the illusion, nothing was now wanting except the -tinkling bells of the mules and the song of the muleteer. I climbed upon -one of the high rocks, and gazed to my full content upon the granite -parapet of Mount Cannon. - -In a few rods more the path encountered the great ravine opening into -the valley of Gale River. Through its wide trough brilliant strips of -this valley gleamed out far below. The village of Franconia and the -heights of Lisbon and Bethlehem now appeared on this side. - -I think that the perception of a distance climbed is greater to one who -is looking down from a great height than to one looking up. Doubtless -the imagination, which associates the plunging lines of a deep gorge -with the horror of a fall, has much to do with this impression. Upon -crossing a bridge of logs, the peak of Lafayette leaped up; yet so -distant as to promise no easy conquest. Somewhere down the gorge I heard -the roar of a brook; then the report of the cannon at Echo Lake; but up -here there was no echo. - -The usual indications now assured me that I was nearing the top. In -three-quarters of an hour from the time of leaving the natural bridge, -joining Eagle Cliff with the mountain, I stood upon the first of the -great billows which, rolling in to a common centre, appear to have -forced the true summit a thousand feet higher. - -The first, perhaps the most curious, thing that I noticed--for one -hardly suspects the existence of considerable bodies of water in these -high regions, and, therefore, never comes upon them except unawares--was -two little lakelets, nestling in the hollow between me and the main -peak. Reposing amid the sterility of the high peaks, these lakes -surround themselves with such plants as have survived the ascent from -below, or, nourished by the snows of the summit, those that never do -descend into temperate climates. Thus an appearance of fertility--one -of those deceptions that we welcome, knowing it to be such--greets us -unexpectedly. But its appearance is weird and forbidding. Here the -extremes of arctic and temperate vegetation meet and embrace; here the -flowers of the valley annually visit their pale sisters, banished by -Nature to these Siberian solitudes; and here the rough, strong Alpine -grass, striking its roots deep among the atoms of sand, granite, or -flint, lives almost in defiance of Nature herself; and when the snows -come and the freezing north winds blow, and it can no longer stand -erect, throws itself upon the tender plants, like a brave soldier -expiring on the body of his helpless comrade, saved by his own devotion. - -But these Alpine lakes always provoke a smile. When some distance -beyond the Eagle Lakes, as they are called, and higher, I caught, -underneath a wooded ridge of Cannon, the sparkle of one hidden among -the summits on the opposite side of the Notch. The immense, solitary -Kinsman Mountain overtops Cannon as easily as Cannon does Eagle Cliff. -In its dark setting of the thickest and blackest forests this lake -blazed like one of the enormous diamonds which our forefathers so firmly -believed existed among these mountains. They call this water--only to -be discovered by getting above it--Lonesome Lake, and in summer it is -the chosen retreat of one well known to American literature, whom the -mountains know, and who knows them. - -I descended the slope to the plateau on which the lakes lie, soon -gaining the rush-grown shore of the nearest. Its water was hardly -drinkable, but your thirsty climber is not apt to be too fastidious. -These lakes are prettier from a distance; the spongy and yielding moss, -the sickly yellow sedge surrounding them, and the rusty brown of the -brackish water, do not invite us to tarry long. - -[Illustration: CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE.] - -The ascent of the pinnacle now began. It is too much a repetition, -though by no means as toilsome, of the Mount Washington climb to merit -particular description. This peak, too, seems disinherited by Nature. -The last trees encountered are the stunted firs with distorted little -trunks, which it may have required half a century to grow as thick as -the wrist. I left the region of Alpine trees to enter that of gray -rocks, constantly increasing in size toward the summit, where they were -confusedly piled in ragged ridges, one upon another, looming large and -threateningly in the distance. But as often as I stopped to breathe -I scanned "the landscape o'er" with all the delight of a wholly new -experience. The fascination of being on a mountain-top has yet to be -explained. Perhaps, after all, it is not susceptible of analysis. - -After gaining the highest visible point, to find the real summit -still beyond, I stopped to drink at a delicious spring trickling from -underneath a large rock, around which the track wound. I was now among -the ruin and demolition of the summit, standing in the midst of a vast -atmospheric ocean. - -Had I staked all my hopes upon the distant view, no choice but -disappointment was mine to accept. Steeped in the softest, dreamiest -azure that ever dull earth borrowed from bright heaven, a hundred peaks -lifted their airy turrets on high. These castles of the air--for I will -maintain that they were nothing else--loomed with enchanting grace, -the nearest like battlements of turquoise and amethyst, or, receding -through infinite gradations to the merest shadows, seemed but the dusky -reflection of those less remote. The air was full of illusions. There -was bright sunshine, yet only a deluge of semi-opaque golden vapor. -There were forms without substance. See those iron-ribbed, deep-chested -mountains! I declare it seemed as if a swallow might fly through them -with ease! Over the great Twin chain were traced, apparently on the air -itself, some humid outlines of surpassing grace which I recognized for -the great White Mountains. It was a dream of the great poetic past: of -the golden age of Milton and of Dante. The mountains seemed dissolving -and floating away before my eyes. - -Stretched beneath the huge land-billows, the valleys--north, south, or -west--reflected the fervid sunshine with softened brilliance, and all -those white farms and hamlets spotting them looked like flakes of foam -in the hollows of an immense ocean. - -Heaven forbid that I should profane such a scene with the dry recital -of this view or that! I did not even think of it. A study of one of -Nature's most capricious moods interested me far more than a study of -topography. How should I know that what I saw were mountains, when the -earth itself was not clearly distinguishable? Alone, surrounded by all -these delusions, I had, indeed, a support for my feet, but none whatever -for the bewildered senses. - -I found the mountain-top untenanted except by horse-flies, black gnats, -and active little black spiders. These swarmed upon the rocks. I also -found buttercups, the mountain-cranberry, and a heath, bearing a little -white flower, blossoming near the summit. There were the four walls of a -ruined building, a cairn, and a signal-staff to show that some one had -been before me. This staff is 5259 feet above the ocean, or 3245 feet -above the summit of the Franconia Pass. - -The ascent required about three, and the descent about two hours. The -distance is not much less than four miles; but, these miles being a -nearly uninterrupted climb from the base to the summit of the mountain, -haste is out of the question, if going up, and imprudent, if coming -down. There are no breakneck or dangerous places on the route; nor any -where the traveller is liable to lose his way, even in a fog, except -on the first summit, where the new and old paths meet, and where a -guide-board should be erected. - - - - -IV. - -_FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD._ - - Believe if thou wilt that mountains change their places, but - believe not that men change their dispositions.--_Oriental Proverb_. - - -Although one may make the journey from the Profile House to Bethlehem -with greater ease and rapidity by the railway recently constructed along -the side of the Franconia range, preference will unquestionably be given -to the old way by all who would not lose some of the most striking views -the neighborhood affords. Beginning near the hotel, the railway skirts -the shore of Echo Lake, and then plunges into a forest it was the first -to invade. By a descent of one hundred feet to the mile, for nine and -a half miles, it reaches the Ammonoosuc at Bethlehem station. I have -nothing to say against the locomotive, but then I should not like to go -through the gallery of the Louvre behind one. - -[Illustration: FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH.] - -From Echo Lake the high-road to Franconia, Littleton, and Bethlehem -winds down the steep mountain side into the valley of Gale River. To -the left, in the middle distance, appear the little church-tower and -white buildings constituting the village of Franconia Iron Works. This -village is charmingly placed for effectively commanding a survey of the -amphitheatre of mountains which isolates it from the neighboring towns -and settlements. - -As we come down the three-mile descent, from the summit of the pass -to the level of the deep valley, and to the northern base of the -notch-mountains, an eminence rises to the left. Half-way up, occupying -a well-chosen site, there is a hotel, and on the high ridge another -commands not only this valley, but also those lying to the west of it. -On the opposite side to us rise the green heights of Bethlehem, Mount -Agassiz being conspicuous by the observatory on its summit. Those -farm-houses dotting the hill-side show how the road crooks and turns to -get to the top. Following these heights westward, a deep rift indicates -the course of the stream dividing the valley, and of the highway to -Littleton. Between these walls the long ellipse of fertile land beckons -us to descend. - -I am always most partial to those grassy lanes and by-ways going no one -knows where, especially if they have well-sweeps and elm-trees in them; -but here also is the old red farm-house, with its antiquated sweep, -its colony of arching elms, its wild-rose clustering above the porch, -its embodiment of those magical words, "Home, sweet home." It fits the -rugged landscape as no other habitation can. It fits it to a T, as -we say in New England. More than this, it unites us with another and -different generation. What a story of toil, privation, endurance these -old walls could tell! How genuine the surprise with which they look down -upon the more modern houses of the village! Here, too, is the Virginia -fence, on which the king of the barn-yard defiantly perches. There is -the field behind it, and the men scattering seed in the fallow earth. -Yonder, in the mowing-ground, a laborer is sharpening his scythe, the -steel ringing musically under the quick strokes of his "rifle." - -Over there, to the left, is the rustic bridge, and hard by a clump of -peeled birches throw their grateful shade over the hot road. Many stop -here, for the white-columned trunks are carved with initials, some -freshly cut, some mere scars. But why mutilate the tree? What signify -those letters, that every idler should gratify his little vanity by -giving it a stab? Do you know that the birch does not renew its bark, -and that the tree thus stripped of its natural protection is doomed? -Cease, then, I pray you, this senseless mutilation; nor call down the -just malediction of the future traveller for destroying his shade. -Unable to escape its fate, the poor tree, like a victim at the stake, -stoically receives your barbarous strokes and gashes. Refrain, then, -traveller, for pity's sake! Have a little mercy! Know that the ancients -believed the tree possessed of a soul. Remember the touching story -of Adonis, barbarously wounded, surviving in a pine, where he weeps -eternally. Consider how often is the figure of "The Tree" used in the -Scriptures as emblematic of the life eternal! Who would wish to inhabit -a treeless heaven? - -The stream--which does not allow us to forget that it is here--is a -vociferous mountain brook. Hardly less forward is the roadside fountain -gushing into a water-trough its refreshing abundance for the tired and -dusty wayfarer. It makes no difference in the world whether he goes -on two legs or on four. "Drink and be filled" is the invitation thus -generously held out to all alike. With what a sigh of pleasure your -steaming beast lifts his reluctant and dripping muzzle from the cool -wave, and after satisfying again and again his thirst, luxuriously -immersing his nose for the third and fourth time, still pretends to -drink! How deliciously light and limpid and sparkling is the water, and -how sweet! How it cools the hot blood! You quaff nectar. You sip it as -you would champagne. It tastes far better, you think, pouring from this -half-decayed, moss-crusted spout than from iron, or bronze, or marble. -Come, fellow-traveller, a bumper! Fill high! God bless the man who -first invented the roadside fountain! He was a true benefactor of his -fellow-man. - -[Illustration: THE ROADSIDE SPRING.] - -Turn once more to the house. A little girl tosses corn, kernel by -kernel, to her pet chickens. There go a flight of pigeons: they curvet -and wheel, and settle on the ridge-pole, where they begin to flirt, and -strut, and coo. The men in the field look up at the top of the mountain, -to see if it is not yet noon. And now a woman, with plump bare arms, -coming briskly to the open door, puts the dinner-horn to her lips with -one hand while placing the other lightly upon her hip. She does not know -that act and attitude are alike inviting. How should she? - -Let us follow the pretty stream that is our guide. Franconia has the -reputation of being the hottest in summer and in winter the coldest of -the mountain villages. It _is_ hot. The houses are strung along the road -for a mile. People may or may not live in them: you see nobody. One -modest church-tower catches the eye for a moment, and then, as we enter -the heart of the village, a square barrack of a building, just across -the stream, is pointed out as the old furnace, which in times past gave -importance to this out-of-the-way corner. But the old furnace is now -deserted except by cows from the neighboring pastures, who come and go -through its open doors in search of shade. At present the river, which -brings its music and its freshness to the very doors of the villagers, -is the only busy thing in the place. - -During the Rebellion the furnace was kept busy night and day, turning -out iron to be cast into cannon. The very hills were melted down for -the defence of the imperilled Union. In the adjoining town of Lisbon -the discovery of gold-bearing quartz turned the heads of the usually -steady-going population. The precious deposits were first found on the -Bailey farm, in 1865, and similar specimens were soon detected on the -farms adjoining. It is said the old people could scarcely be made to -credit these reports until they had seen and handled the precious metal; -for the country had been settled nearly a century, and the presence of -any but the baser ores was wholly unsuspected and disbelieved. - -There is one peculiarity, common to all these mountain villages, -to which I must allude. A stranger is not known by any personal -peculiarity, but by his horse. If you ask for such or such a person, -the chances are ten to one you will immediately be asked in return if -he drove a bay horse, or a black colt, or a brown mare with one white -ear; so quick are these lazy-looking men, that loll on the door-steps or -spread themselves out over the shop-counters, to observe what interests -them most. The girls here know the points of a horse better than most -men, and are far more reckless drivers than men. To a man who, like -myself, has lived in a horse-stealing country, it does look queerly to -see the barn-doors standing open at night. But then every country has -its own customs. - -One seeks in vain for any scraps of history or tradition that might -shed even a momentary lustre upon this village out of the past. Yet its -situation invites the belief that it is full of both. Disappointed in -this, we at least have an inexhaustible theme in the dark and tranquil -mountains bending over us. - -Mount Lafayette presents toward Franconia two enormous green billows, -rolled apart, the deep hollow between being the great ravine dividing -the mountain from base to summit. Over this deep incision, which, -from the irregularity of one of its ridges, looks widest at the top, -presides, with matchless dignity, the bared and craggy peak whose dusky -brown gradually mingles with the scant verdure checked hundreds of feet -down. With what hauteur it seems to regard this effort of Nature to -place a garland on its bronzed and knotted forehead! One can never get -over his admiration for the savage grace with which the mountain, which -at first sight seems literally thrown together, develops a beauty, a -harmony, and an intelligence giving such absolute superiority to works -of Nature over those of man. - -The side of Mount Cannon turned toward the village now elevates two -almost regular triangular masses, one rising behind the other, and -both surmounted by the rounded summit, which, except in its mass, has -little resemblance to a mountain. It is seen that on two-thirds of these -elevations a new forest has replaced the original growth. Twenty-five -years ago a destructive fire raged on this mountain, destroying all the -vegetation, as well as the thin soil down to the hard rock. Even that -was cracked and peeled like old parchment. This burning mountain was a -scene of startling magnificence during several nights, when the village -was as light as day, the sky overspread an angry glow, and the river -ran blood-red. The hump-backed ridges, connecting Cannon with Kinsman, -present nearly the same appearance from this as from the other side of -the Notch--or as remarked when approaching from Campton. - -The superb picture seen from the upper end of the valley, combining, as -it does, the two great chains in a single glance of the eye, is extended -and improved by going a mile out of the village to the school-house on -the Sugar Hill road. It is a peerless landscape. I have gazed at it for -hours with that ineffable delight which baffles all power of expression. -It will have no partakers. One must go there alone and see the setting -sun paint those vast shapes with colors the heavens alone are capable of -producing. - -Distinguished by the beautiful groves of maple that adorn its crest, -Sugar Hill is destined to grow more and more in the popular esteem. No -traveller should pass it by. It is so admirably placed as to command -in one magnificent sweep of the eye all the highest mountains; it is -also lifted into sun and air by an elevation sufficiently high to -reach the cooler upper currents. The days are not so breathless or -so stifling as they are down in the valley. You look deep into the -Franconia Notch, and watch the evening shadows creep up the great east -wall. Extending beyond these nearer mountains, the scarcely inferior -Twin summits pose themselves like gigantic athletes. Passing to the -other side of the valley, we see as far as the pale peaks of Vermont, -and those rising above the valley of Israel's River. But better than -all, grander than all, is that kingly coronet of great mountains set on -the lustrous green cushion of the valley. Nowhere, I venture to affirm, -will the felicity of the title, "Crown of New England,"[32] receive -more unanimous acceptance than from this favored spot. Especially when -a canopy of clouds overspreading permits the pointed peaks to reflect -the illuminated fires of sunset does the crown seem blazing with jewels -and precious stones. All the great summits are visible here, and all the -ravines, except those in Madison, are as clearly distinguished as if not -more than ten instead of twenty miles separated us. - -The high crest of Sugar Hill unfolds an unrivalled panorama. This is but -faint praise. Yet I find myself instinctively preferring the landscape -from Goodenow's; for those great horizons, uncovered all at once, like -a magnificent banquet, are too much for one pair of eyes, however good, -or however unwearied with continued sight-seeing. As we cannot look -at all the pictures of a gallery at once, we naturally single out the -masterpieces. The effort to digest too much natural scenery is a species -of intellectual gluttony the overtaxed brain will be quick to revenge, -by an attack of indigestion or a loss of appetite. - -I was very fond of walking, in the cool of the evening, either in this -direction or to the upper end of the village, on the Bethlehem road. -There is one point on this road, before it begins in earnest its ascent -of the heights, that became a favorite haunt of mine. Emerging from the -concealment of thick woods upon a sandy plain, covered here with a thick -carpet of verdure, and skirted by a regiment of pines seemingly awaiting -only the word of command to advance into the valley, a landscape second -to none that I have seen is before you. At the same time he would be -an audacious mortal who attempted to transfer it to page or canvas. -Nothing disturbs the exquisite harmony of the scene. To the left of -you are all the White Mountains, from Adams to Pleasant; in front, the -Franconia range, from Kinsman to the Great Haystack. Here is the deep -rent of the Notch from which we have but lately descended. Here, too, -overtopped and subjugated by the superb spire of Lafayette, the long -and curiously-distorted outline of Eagle Cliff pitches headlong down -into the half-open aperture of the pass. Nothing but an earthquake could -have made such a breach. How that tremendous, earth-swooping ridge seems -battered down by the blows of a huge mace! Unspeakably wild and stern, -the fractured mountains are to the valley what a raging tempest is to -the serenest of skies: one part of the heavens convulsed by the storm, -another all peace and calm. Thus from behind his impregnable outworks -Lafayette, stern and defiant, keeps eternal watch and ward over the -valley cowering at his feet. - -From this spot, too, sacred as yet from all intrusion, the profound -ravine, descending nearly from the summit of Lafayette, is fully -exposed. It is a thing of cracks, crevices, and rents; of upward -curves in brilliant light; of black, mysterious hollows, which the eye -investigates inch by inch, to where the gorge is swallowed up by the -thick forests underneath. The whole side of the principal peak seems -torn away. Up there, among the snows, is the source of a flashing stream -which comes roaring down through the gorge. Storms swell it into an -ungovernable and raging torrent. Thus under the folds of his mantle the -lordly peak carries peace or war for the vale. - -After the half-stifled feeling experienced among the great mountains, -it is indeed a rare pleasure to once more come forth into full -breathing-space, and to inspect at leisure from some friendly shade -the grandeur magnified by distance, yet divested of excitements that -set the brain whirling by the rapidity of their succession. If the -wayfarer chances to see, as I did, the whole noble array of high -summits presenting a long, snowy line of unsullied brilliance against -a background of pale azure, he will account it one of the crowning -enjoyments of his journey. - -The Bridal Veil Falls, lying on the northern slope of Mount Kinsman, -will, when a good path shall enable tourists to visit them, prove one -of the most attractive features of Franconia. Truth compels me to say -that I did not once hear them spoken of during the fortnight passed in -the village, although fishermen were continually bringing in trout from -the Copper-mine Brook, on which these falls are situated. The height of -the fall is given at seventy-six feet, and its surroundings are said -to be of the most romantic and picturesque character. Its marvellous -transparency, which permits the ledges to be seen through the gauze-like -sheet falling over them, has given to it its name. - -From Franconia I took the daily stage to Littleton, which lies on both -banks of the Ammonoosuc, and, turning my back upon the high mountains, -ran down the rail to Wells River, having the intention of cultivating a -more intimate acquaintance with that most noble and interesting entrance -formed by the meeting of the Ammonoosuc with the Connecticut. - - - - -V. - -_THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW._ - - Say, have the solid rocks - Into streams of silver been melted, - Flowing over the plains, - Spreading to lakes in the fields? - LONGFELLOW. - - -The Connecticut is justly named "the beautiful river," and its valley -"the garden of New England." Issuing from the heart of the northern -wilderness, it spreads boundless fertility throughout its stately march -to the sea. It is not a rapid river, but flows with an even and majestic -tide through its long avenue of mountains. Radiant envoy of the skies, -its mission is peace on earth and good-will toward men. As it advances -the confluent streams flock to it from their mountain homes. On one side -the Green Mountains of Vermont send their hundred tributaries to swell -its flood; on the other side the White Hills of New Hampshire pour their -impetuous torrents into its broad and placid bosom. Two States thus vie -with each other in contributing the wealth it lavishes with absolutely -impartial hand along the shores of each. - -Unlike the storied Rhine, no crumbling ruins crown the lofty heights -of this beautiful river. Its verdant hill-sides everywhere display the -evidences of thrift and happiness; its only fortresses are the watchful -and everlasting peaks that catch the earliest beams of the New England -sun and flash the welcome signal from tower to tower. From time to time -the mountains, which seem crowding its banks to see it pass, draw back, -as if to give the noble river room. It rewards this benevolence with -a garden-spot. Sometimes the mountains press too closely upon it, and -the offended stream repays this temerity with a barrenness equal to the -beneficence it has just bestowed. Where it is permitted to expand the -amphitheatres thus created are the highest types of decorative nature. -Graciously touching first one shore and then the other, making the -loveliest windings imaginable, the river actually seems on the point of -retracing its steps; but, yielding to destiny, it again resumes its -slow march, loitering meanwhile in the cool shadows of the mountains, or -indolently stretching itself at full length upon the green carpet of the -level meadows. Every traveller who has passed here has seen the Happy -Valley of Rasselas.[33] - -Such is the renowned Ox-Bow of Lower Coos. Tell me, you who have seen -it, if the sight has not caused a ripple of pleasurable excitement? - -Here the Connecticut receives the waters of the Ammonoosuc, flowing from -the very summit of the White Hills, and, in its turn, made to guide -the railway to its own birthplace among the snows of Mount Washington. -Here the valley, graven in long lines by the ploughshare, heaped with -fruitful orchards and groves, extends for many miles up and down its -checkered and variegated floor. But it is most beautiful between the -villages of Newbury and Haverhill, or at the Great and Little Ox-Bow, -where the fat and fecund meadows, extending for two miles from side -to side of the valley, resemble an Eden upon earth, and the villages, -prettily arranged on terraces above them, half-hid in a thick fringe of -foliage, the mantel-ornaments of their own best rooms. Only moderate -elevations rise on the Vermont side; but the New Hampshire shore is -upheaved into the finely accentuated Benton peaks, behind which, -like a citadel within its outworks, is uplifted the gigantic bulk of -Moosehillock--the greatest mountain of all this valley, and its natural -landmark--keeping strict watch over it as far as the Canadian frontiers. - -The traveller approaching by the Connecticut Valley holds this exquisite -landscape in view from the Vermont side of the river. The tourist -who approaches by the valley of the Merrimac enjoys it from the New -Hampshire shore. - -The large village of Newbury, usually known as the "Street," is built -along a plateau, rising well above the intervale, and joined to the -foothills of the Green Mountains. The Passumpsic Railway coasts the -intervale, just touching the northern skirt of the village. The -village of Haverhill is similarly situated with respect to the skirt -of the White Mountains; but its surface is much more uneven, and it -is elevated higher above the valley than its opposite neighbor. The -Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railway, having crossed the divide between -the waters of the Merrimac and the Connecticut, now follows the high -level, after a swift descent from Warren Summit. These plateaus, or -terraces, forming broken shelves, first upon one side of the valley, -then upon the other, strongly resemble the remains of the ancient bed of -a river of tenfold the magnitude of the stream as we see it to-day. They -give rise at once to all those interesting conjectures, or theories, -which are considered the special field of the geologist, but are also -equally attractive to every intelligent observer of Nature and her -wondrous works. - -Of these two villages, which are really subdivided into half a dozen, -and which so beautifully decorate the mountain walls of this valley, -it is no treason to the Granite State to say that Newbury enjoys a -preference few will be found to dispute. It has the grandest mountain -landscape. Moosehillock is lifted high above the Benton range, which -occupies the foreground. The whole background is filled with high -summits--Lafayette feeling his way up among the clouds, Moosehillock -roughly pushing his out of the throng. Meadows of emerald, river -of burnished steel, hill-sides in green and buff, and etched with -glittering hamlets, gray mountains, bending darkly over, cloud-detaining -peaks, vanishing in the far east--surely fairer landscape never brought -a glow of pleasure to the cheek, or kindled the eye of a traveller, -already sated with a panorama reaching from these mountains to the Sound. - -We are now, I imagine, sufficiently instructed in the general -characteristics of the famed Ox-Bow to pass from its picturesque and -topographical features into the domain of history, and to summon from -the past the details of a tragedy in war, which, had it occurred in -the days of Homer, would have been embalmed in an epic. Our history -begins at a period before any white settlement existed in the region -immediately about us. No wonder the red man relinquished it only at the -point of the bayonet. It was a country worth fighting for to the bitter -end. - - - - -VI. - -_THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES._ - - "L'histoire a sa verite; la legende a la sienne." - - -In the month of September, 1759, the army of Sir Jeffrey Amherst -was in cantonments at Crown Point. A picked corps of American -rangers, commanded by Robert Rogers, was attached to this army. One -day an aide-de-camp brought Rogers an order to repair forthwith to -head-quarters, and in a few moments the ranger entered the general's -marquee. - -"At your orders, general," said the ranger, making his salute. - -"About that accursed hornet's-nest of St. Francis?" said the general, -frowning. - -"When I was a lad, your excellency, we used to burn a hornet's-nest, if -it became troublesome," observed Rogers, significantly. - -"And how many do you imagine, major, this one has stung to death in the -last six years?" inquired General Amherst, fumbling among his papers. - -"I don't know; a great many, your excellency." - -"Six hundred men, women, and children." - -The two men looked at each other a moment without speaking. - -"At this rate," continued the general, "his Majesty's New England -provinces will soon be depopulated." - -"For God's sake, general, put a stop to this butchery!" ejaculated the -exasperated ranger. - -"That's exactly what I have sent for you to do. Here are your orders. -You are commanded, and I expect you to destroy that nest of vipers, -root and branch. Remember the atrocities committed by these Indian -scoundrels, and take your revenge; but remember, also, that I forbid the -killing of women and children. Exterminate the fighting-men, but spare -the non-combatants. That is war. Now make an end of St. Francis once and -for all." - -[Illustration: ROBERT ROGERS.] - -Nearly a hundred leagues separated the Abenaqui village from the -English; and we should add that once there, in the heart of the enemy's -country, all idea of help from the army must be abandoned, and the -rangers, depending wholly upon themselves, be deprived of every resource -except to cut their way through all obstacles. But this was exactly the -kind of service for which this distinctive body of American soldiers was -formed. - -Sir Jeffrey Amherst had said to Rogers, "Go and wipe out St. Francis for -me," precisely as he would have said to his orderly, "Go and saddle my -horse." - -But this illustrates the high degree of confidence which the army -reposed in the chief of the rangers. The general knew that this -expedition demanded, at every stage, the highest qualities in a leader. -Rogers had already proved himself possessed of these qualities in a -hundred perilous encounters. - -That night, without noise or display, the two hundred men detailed for -the expedition left their encampment, which was habitually in the van of -the army. On the evening of the twenty-second day since leaving Crown -Point a halt was ordered. The rangers were near their destination. From -the top of a tree the doomed village was discovered three miles distant. -Not the least sign that the presence of an enemy was suspected could -be seen or heard. The village wore its ordinary aspect of profound -security. Rogers therefore commanded his men to rest, and prepare -themselves for the work in hand. - -At eight in the evening, having first disguised himself, Rogers took -Lieutenant Turner and Ensign Avery, and with them reconnoitred the -Indian town. He found it the scene of high festivity, and for an -hour watched unseen the unsuspecting inhabitants celebrating with -dancing and barbaric music the nuptials of one of the tribe. All this -marvellously favored his plans. Not dreaming of an enemy, the savages -abandoned themselves to unrestrained enjoyment and hilarity. The fete -was protracted until a late hour under the very eyes of the spies, who, -finding themselves unnoticed, crept boldly into the village, where they -examined the ground and concerted the plan of attack. - -At length all was hushed. The last notes of revelry faded on the still -night air. One by one the drowsy merry-makers retired to their lodges, -and soon the village was wrapped in profound slumber--the slumber of -death. This was the moment so anxiously awaited by Rogers. Time was -precious. He quickly made his way back to the spot where the rangers -were lying on their arms. One by one the men were aroused and fell into -their places. It was two in the morning when he left the village. At -three the whole body moved stealthily up to within five hundred yards -of the village, where the men halted, threw off their packs, and were -formed for the assault in three divisions. The village continued silent -as the grave. - -St. Francis was a village of about forty or fifty wigwams, thrown -together in a disorderly clump. In the midst was a chapel, to which the -inhabitants were daily summoned by matin and vesper bell to hear the -holy father, whose spiritual charge they were, celebrate the mass. The -place was enriched with the spoil torn from the English and the ransom -of many miserable captives. We have said that these Indians had slain -and taken, in six years, six hundred English: that is equivalent to one -hundred every year. - -The knowledge of numberless atrocities nerved the arms and steeled the -hearts of the avengers. When the sun began to brighten the east the -three bands of rangers, waiting eagerly for the signal, rushed upon the -village. - -A deplorable and sickening scene of carnage ensued. The surprise was -complete. The first and only warning the amazed savages had were the -volleys that mowed them down by scores and fifties. Eyes heavy with the -carousal of the previous night opened to encounter an appalling carnival -of butchery and horror. Two of the stoutest of the rangers--Farrington -and Bradley--led one of the attacking columns to the door where the -wedding had taken place. Finding it barred, they threw themselves so -violently against it that the fastenings gave way, precipitating Bradley -headlong among the Indians who were asleep on their mats. All these were -slain before they could make the least resistance. - -On all sides the axe and the rifle were soon reaping their deadly -harvest. Those panic-stricken, half-dazed wretches who rushed pell-mell -into the streets either ran stupidly upon the uplifted weapons of the -rangers or were shot down by squads advantageously posted to receive -them. A few who ran this terrible gauntlet plunged into the river -flowing before the village, and struck boldly out for the opposite -shore; but the avengers had closed every avenue of escape, and the -fugitives were picked off from the banks. The same fate overtook those -who tumbled into their canoes and pushed out into the stream. The frail -barks were riddled with shot, leaving their occupants an easy target for -a score of rifles. The incessant flashes, the explosions of musketry, -the shouts of the assailants, and the yells of their victims were all -mingled in one horrible uproar. For two hours this massacre continued. -Combat it cannot be called. Rendered furious by the sight of hundreds of -scalps waving mournfully in the night-wind in front of the lodges, the -pitiless assailants hunted the doomed savages down like blood-hounds. -Every shot was followed by a death-whoop, every stroke by a howl of -agony. For two horrible hours the village shook with explosions and -echoed with frantic outcries. It was then given up to pillage, and then -to the torch, and all those who from fear had hid themselves perished -miserably in the flames. At seven o'clock in the morning all was over. -Silence once more enveloped the hideous scene of conflagration and -slaughter. The village of St. Francis was the funeral pyre of two -hundred warriors. Rogers had indeed taken the fullest revenge enjoined -by Sir Jeffrey Amherst's orders. - -From this point our true history passes into the legendary. - -While the sack of St. Francis was going on a number of the Abenaquis -took refuge in the little chapel. Their retreat was discovered. A few -of their assailants having collected in the neighborhood precipitated -themselves toward it, with loud cries. Others ran up. Two or three blows -with the butt of a musket forced open the door, when the building was -instantly filled with armed men. - -An unforeseen reception awaited them. Lighted candles burnt on the high -altar, shedding a mild radiance throughout the interior, and casting -a dull glow upon the holy vessels of gold and silver upon the altar. -At the altar's foot, clad in the sacred vestments of his office, stood -the missionary, a middle-aged, vigorous-looking man, his arms crossed -upon his breast, his face lighted up with the exaltation of a martyr. -Face and figure denoted the high resolve to meet fate half-way. Behind -him crouched the knot of half-crazed savages, who had fled to the -sanctuary for its protection, and who, on seeing their mortal enemies, -instinctively took a posture of defence. The priest, at two or three -paces in advance of them, seemed to offer his body as their rampart. The -scene was worthy the pencil of a Rembrandt. - -At this sight the intruders halted, the foremost even falling back a -step, but the vessels of gold and silver inflamed their cupidity to -the highest pitch; while the hostile attitude of the warriors was a -menace men already steeped in bloodshed regarded a moment in still more -threatening silence, and then by a common impulse recognized by covering -the forlorn group with their rifles. - -Believing the critical moment come, the priest threw up his hands in -an attitude of supplication, arresting the fatal volley as much by -the dignity of the gesture itself, as by the resonant voice which -exclaimed, in French, "Madmen, for pity's sake, for the sake of Him on -the Cross, stay your hands! This violence! What is your will? What seek -ye in the house of God?" - -A gunshot outside, followed by a mournful howl, was his sole response. - -The priest shuddered, and his crisped lips murmured an _ave_. He -comprehended that another soul had been sent, unshriven, to its final -account. - -"Hear him!" said a ranger, in a mocking undertone; "his gabble minds me -of a flock of wild geese." - -A burst of derisive laughter followed this coarse sally. - -In fact, they had not too much respect for the Church of Rome, these -wild woodsmen, but were filled with ineradicable hatred for its -missionaries, domesticated among their enemies, in whom they believed -they saw the real heads of the tribes, and the legitimate objects, -therefore, of their vengeance. - -"Yield, Papist! Come, you shall have good quarter; on the word of a -ranger you shall," cried an authoritative voice, the speaker at the same -time advancing a step, and dropping his rifle the length of his sinewy -arms. - -"Never!" answered the ecclesiastic, crossing himself. - -A suppressed voice from behind hurriedly murmured in his ear, "_Ecoutez: -rendez-vous, mon pere: je vous en supplie!_" - -"_Jamais! mieux vaut la mort que la misericorde de brigands et -meurtriers!_" ejaculated the missionary, rejecting the counsel also, -with a vehement shake of the head. - -"_Grand Dieu! tout, donc, est fini_," sighed the voice, despairingly. - -The rangers understood the gesture better than the words. An officer, -the same who had just spoken, again impatiently demanded, this time in a -higher and more threatening key, - -"A last time! Do you yield or no? Answer, friar!" - -The priest turned quickly, took the consecrated Host from the altar, -elevated it above his head, and, in a voice that was long remembered by -those who heard it, exclaimed, - -"To your knees, monsters! to your knees!" - -What the ranger understood of this pantomime and this command was that -they conveyed a scornful and a final refusal. Muttering under his -breath, "Your blood be upon your own head, then," he levelled his -gun and pulled the trigger. A general discharge from both sides shook -the building, filling it with thick and stifling smoke, and instantly -extinguishing the lights. The few dim rays penetrating the windows, and -which seemed recoiling from the frightful spectacle within, enabled the -combatants vaguely to distinguish each other in the obscurity. Not a cry -was heard; nothing but quick reports or blows signaled the progress of -this lugubrious combat. - -This butchery continued ten minutes, at the end of which the rangers, -with the exception of one of their number killed outright, issued from -the chapel, after having first stripped the altar, despoiled the shrine -of its silver image of the Virgin, and flung the Host upon the ground. -While this profanation was enacting a voice rose from the heap of dead -at the altar's foot, which made the boldest heart among the rangers stop -beating. It said, - -"The Great Spirit of the Abenaquis will scatter darkness in the path of -the accursed Pale-faces! Hunger walks before and Death strikes their -trail! Their wives weep for the warriors that do not return! Manitou is -angry when the dead speak. The dead have spoken!" - -The torch was then applied to the chapel, and, like the rest of the -village, it was fast being reduced to a heap of cinders. But now -something singular transpired. As the rangers filed out from the -shambles the bell of the little chapel began to toll. In wonder and -dread they listened to its slow and measured strokes until, the flames -having mounted to the belfry, it fell with a loud clang among the ruins. -The rangers hastened onward. This unexpected sound already filled them -with gloomy forebodings. - -After the stern necessities of their situation rendered a separation -the sole hope of successful retreat, the party which carried along -with it the silver image was so hard pressed by the Indians, and by a -still more relentless enemy, famine, that it reached the banks of the -Connecticut reduced to four half-starved, emaciated men. More than once -had they been on the point of flinging their burden into some one of the -torrents every hour obstructing their way; but as one after another fell -exhausted or lifeless, the unlucky image passed from hand to hand, and -was thus preserved up to the moment so eagerly and so confidently looked -for, during that long and dreadful march, to end all their privations. - -But the chastisement of heaven, prefigured in the words of the expiring -Abenaqui, had already overtaken them. Half-crazed by their sufferings, -they mistook the place of rendezvous appointed by their chief, and, -having no tidings of their comrades, believed themselves to be the sole -survivors of all that gallant but ill-fated band. In this conviction, to -which a mournful destiny conducted, they took the fatal determination -to cross the mountains under the guidance of one of their number who -had, or professed, a knowledge of the way through the Great Notch of the -White Hills. - -For four days they dragged themselves onward through thickets, through -deep snows and swollen streams, without sustenance of any kind, when -three of them, in consequence of their complicated miseries, aggravated -by finding no way through the wall of mountains, lost their senses. -What leather covered their cartouch-boxes they had already scorched -to a cinder and greedily devoured. At length, on the last days of -October, as they were crossing a small river dammed by logs, they -discovered some human bodies, not only scalped, but horribly mangled, -which were supposed to be some of their own band. But this was no -time for distinctions. On them they accordingly fell like cannibals, -their impatience being too great to await the kindling of a fire to -dress their horrid food by. When they had thus abated somewhat the -excruciating pangs they before endured, the fragments were carefully -collected for a future store. - -My pen refuses to record the dreadful extremities to which starvation -reduced these miserable wretches. At length, after some days of -fruitless wandering up and down, finding the mountains inexorably -closing in upon them, even this last dreadful resource failed, and, -crawling under some rocks, they perished miserably in the delirium -produced by hunger and despair, blaspheming, and hurling horrible -imprecations at the silver image, to which, in their insanity, they -attributed all their sufferings. One of them, seizing the statue, -tottered to the edge of a precipice, and, exerting all his remaining -strength, dashed it down into the gulf at his feet. - -Tradition affirms that the first settlers who ascended Israel's River -found relics of the lost detachment near the foot of the mountains; but, -notwithstanding the most diligent search, the silver image has thus far -eluded every effort made for its recovery. - - - - -VII. - -MOOSEHILLOCK. - - And so, when restless and adrift, I keep - Great comfort in a quietness like this, - An awful strength that lies in fearless sleep, - On this great shoulder lay my head, nor miss - The things I longed for but an hour ago. - SARAH O. JEWETT. - - -Moosehillock, or Moosilauke,[34] is one of four or five summits from -which the best idea of the whole area of the White Mountains may be -obtained. It is not so remarkable for its form as for its mass. It is an -immense mountain. - -Lifted in solitary grandeur upon the extreme borders of the army of -peaks to which it belongs, and which it seems defending, haughtily -over-bearing those lesser summits of the Green Mountains confronting -it from the opposite shores of the Connecticut, which here separates -the two grand systems, like two hostile armies, the one from the other, -Moosehillock resembles a crouching lion, magnificent in repose, but -terrible in its awakening. - -This immense strength, paralyzed and helpless though it seems, is -nevertheless capable of arousing in us a sentiment of respectful -fear--respect for the creative power, fear for the suspended life we -believe is there. The mountain really seems lying extended under the sky -listening for the awful command, "Arise and walk!" - -This mountain received a name before Mount Washington, and is in -some respects, as I hope to point out, the most interesting of the -whole group. In the first place, it commands a hundred miles of the -Connecticut Valley, including, of course, all the great peaks of the -Green Mountain and Adirondack chains. Again, its position confers -decided advantages for studying the configuration of the Franconia -group, to which, in a certain sense, it is allied, and of the ranges -enclosing the Pemigewasset Valley, which it overlooks. Moosehillock -stands in the broad angle formed by the meeting waters of the -Connecticut and the Ammonoosuc. In a word, it is an advanced bastion -of the whole cluster of castellated summits, constituting the White -Mountains in a larger meaning. - -Therefore no summit better repays a visit than Moosehillock; yet it is -astonishing, considering the ease of access, how few make the ascent. -The traveller can hardly do better than begin here his experiences of -mountain adventure, should chance conduct him this way; or, if making -his exit from the mountain region by the Connecticut Valley, he may, -taking it in his way out, make this the appropriate pendant of his -tours, romantic and picturesque. - -Having been so long known to and frequented by the Indian as well as -white hunters, the mountain is naturally the subject of considerable -legend,[35] which the historian of Warren has scrupulously gathered -together. One of these tales, founded on the disaster of Rogers, -recounts the sufferings of two of his men, hopelessly snared in the -great Jobildunk ravine. But that tale of horror needs no embellishment -from romance. This enormous rent, equally hideous in fact as in name, -cut into the vitals of the mountain so deeply that a dark stream gushes -from the gaping wound, conceals within its mazes several fine cascades. -Owing to long-continued drought, the streams were so puny and so languid -when I visited the mountain that I explored only the upper portion of -the gorge, which bristles with an untamed forest, levelling its myriad -spears at the breast of the climber. - -The greater part of the mountain lies in the town of Benton, or, -perhaps, it would be nearer the truth to say that fully half the -township is appropriated by its prodigious earthwork. But, to reach it -without undergoing the fatigues of a long march through the woods, -it is necessary to proceed to the village of Warren, which is twenty -miles north of Plymouth, and about fourteen south of Haverhill. Behind -the village rises Mount Carr. Still farther to the north the summits -of Mounts Kineo, Cushman, and Waternomee, continuing this range now -separating us from the Pemigewasset Valley, form also the eastern wall -of the valley of Baker's River, which has its principal source in the -ravines of Moosehillock. There is a bridle-path opening communication -with the mountain from the Benton side, on the north; and so with Lisbon -and Franconia. A carriage-road is also contemplated on that side, which -will render access still more feasible for a large summer population; -while a bridle-path, lately opened between two peaks of the Carr range, -facilitates ingress from the Pemigewasset side. - -I set out from the village of Warren on one of the hottest afternoons -of an intensely hot and dry summer. The five miles between the village -and the base of the mountain need not detain the sight-seer. At the -crossing of Baker's River I remarked again the granite-bed honey-combed -with those curious pot-holes sunk by whirling stones, first set in -motion and then spun around by the stream, which here, breaking up into -several wild pitches, pours through a rocky gorge. But how gratefully -cool and refreshing was even the sound of rushing water in that still, -stifling atmosphere, coming, one would think, from a furnace! Then for -two miles more the horse crept along the road, constantly ascending the -side of the valley, until the last house was reached. Here we passed a -turnpike-gate, rolled over the crisped turf of a stony pasture through a -second gate, and were at the foot of Moosehillock. - -In a trice we exchanged the sultriness, the dryness, the dust, parching -or suffocating us, of a shadeless road, for the cool, moist air of the -mountain-forest and the delectable sound of running water. A brook shot -past; then another; then the horse, who stopped when he liked, and as -often as he liked, like a man forced to undertake a task which he is -determined shall cost his task-masters dearly, began a languid progress -up the increasing declivity before us. His sighs and groans, as he -plodded wearily along, were enough to melt a heart of stone. I therefore -dismounted and walked on, leaving the driver to follow as he could. The -question was, not how the horse should get us up the mountain, but how -we should get the horse up. - -They call it four and a half miles from the bottom to the top. The -distances indicated by the sign-boards, nailed to trees, did not appear -to me exact. They are not exact; and the reason why they are not is -sufficiently original to merit a word of explanation. Having long -observed the effect of imagination, especially in computing distances, -the builder of the road, as he himself informed me, adopted a truly -ingenious method of his own. He lengthened or shortened his miles -according as the travelling was good or bad. For example: the first -mile, being an easy one, was stretched to a mile and a quarter. The -last mile is also very good travelling. That, too, he lengthened to a -mile and a half. In this way he reduced the intervening two and a half -miles of the worst road to one and three-fourth miles. This absolutely -harmless piece of deception, he averred, considerably shortened the most -difficult part of the journey. No one complained that the good miles -were too long, while the bad ones were now passed over with far less -grumbling than before they were abbreviated by this simple expedient, -which very few, I am convinced, would have thought of. In fact, the sum -of the whole distance being scrupulously adhered to, it is the most -civil piece of engineering of which I have any knowledge. - -The road up is rough, tedious, and, until the ridge at the foot of the -south peak is reached, uninteresting. It crooks and turns with absolute -lawlessness while climbing the flanks of the southern peak, skirting -also the side of the profound ravine eating its way into the mountain -from the south. Nearing this summit we obtained through an opening a -glimpse of Mount Washington, veiled in the clouds. The trees now visibly -dwindled. Just before reaching the ridge, where it joins this peak, a -fine spring, deliciously cold, gushed from the mountain side. A few -rods more of ascent brought us quite out upon the long, narrow, curving -backbone of the mountain, uplifting its sharp edge between two profound -gorges, connecting the peaks set at its two extremes, between which -Nature has decreed a perpetual divorce. The sun was just setting as we -emerged upon this natural way conducting from peak to peak along the -airy crest of the mountain. - -Although this, it will be remembered, is one of the longest miles, -according to the scale of computation in vogue here, the unexpected -speed which the horse now put forth, the sight of the squat, little -Tip-Top House, clinging to the summit beyond, the upper and nether -worlds floating or fading in splendor, while the night-breezes sweeping -over cooled our foreheads, and rudely jostled the withered trees, drawn -a little apart to the right and left to let us pass, quickly replaced -that weariness of mind and body which the mountain exacts of all who -pass over it on a sultry midsummer's day. - -At the extremity of the ridge, which is only wide enough for the road, -a gradual ascent led to the high summit and to a level plateau of a -few acres at its top. This was treeless, but covered with something -like soil, smooth, and, being singularly free from the large stones -found everywhere else, affords good walking in any direction. The -house is built of rough stone, and, though of primitive construction, -is comfortable, and even inviting. Furthermore, its materials being -collected on the spot, one accepts it as still constituting a part of -the mountain, which, indeed, at a little distance it really seems to -be. In the evening I went out, to find the mountain blindfolded with -clouds. Soon rain began to drive against the window-panes in volleys. -At a late hour we heard wheels grinding on the rocks outside, and then -a party of tourists drove up to the door, dripping and crestfallen at -having undertaken the ascent with a storm staring them in the face. But -they had only this one day, they said, and were "bound" to go up the -mountain. So up they toiled through pitch darkness, through rain and -cloud, passed the night in a building said to be on the summit, and -returned down the mountain in the morning, to catch their train, through -as dense a fog as ever exasperated a hurried tourist. But they had been -to the top! Are there anywhere else in the world people who travel two -hundred miles for a single day's recreation? - -It is very curious, this being domesticated on the top of a mountain. We -go to bed wondering if the scene will not all vanish in our dreams. It -was very odd, too, to see the tourists silently mount their buck-board -in the morning, and disappear, within a stone's throw, in clouds. -Detaching themselves to all intents from earth, they began a flight in -air. Walking a short distance, perhaps a gunshot, from the house, I -groped my way back with difficulty. The case seemed desperate. - -But grandest scene of all was the breaking up of the storm. Shortly -after noon the high sun began to exert a sensible influence upon the -clouds. A perceptible warmth, replacing the chill and clammy mists, -began to pervade the mountain-top. Presently a dim sun-ray shot through. -Then, as if a noiseless explosion had suddenly rent them, the whole -mass of clouds was torn in ten thousand tatters flying through space. -All nature seemed seized with sudden frenzy. Here a summit and there a -peak was seen, struggling fiercely in the grasp of the storm. Coming up -with rushing noise, the west wind charged home the routed storm-clouds -with fresh squadrons. What indescribable yet noiseless tumult raged in -the heavens! Even the mountains seemed scarcely able to stem the tide -of fugitives. A panic seized them. Fear gave them wings. They rushed -pell-mell into the ravines and clung to the tree-tops; they dashed -themselves blindly against the adamant of Lafayette, only to fall -back broken into the deep fosse beneath. Bolts of dazzling sunshine -continually tore through them. The gorges themselves seemed heaped with -the wounded and the dying. But the rushing wind, trampling the fugitives -down, dispersed and cut them mercilessly to pieces. One was irresistibly -carried away by this rage of battle. In ten minutes I looked around upon -a clear sky. One cloud, impaled on the gleaming spear of Lafayette, -hung limp and lifeless; another floated like a scarf from the polished -casque of Chocorua; a third, taken prisoner _en route_, humbly held the -train of Washington. All the rest of the phantom host, using its power -to render itself invisible, vanished from sight as if the mountains had -swallowed it up. - -The landscape being now fully uncovered, I enjoyed all its rare -perfection. It is a superb and fascinating one, invested with a -powerful individuality, surrounded by a charm of its own. You wish to -see the two great chains? There they are, the greater rising over the -lesser, in the order fixed by Nature. That sunny space in the softened -coloring of old tapestry, more to the right, is the Pemigewasset Valley, -and the spot from where not long ago we looked up at this mountain -looming large in the distance. We raise our eyes to glance up the East -Branch upon Mount Hancock and the peaks of Carrigain peeping over. -We touch with magic wand the faint cone of Kearsarge, so dim that it -seems as if it must rise and float away; then, continuing to call the -roll of mountains, Moat, Tripyramid, Chocorua, and all our earlier -acquaintances rise or nod among the Sandwich peaks. Some draw their -cloud-draperies over their bare shoulders, some sun their naked and -hairy breasts in savage luxury. We alight like a bird upon the glassy -bosom of Winnepiseogee the incomparable, and, like the bird, again rise, -refreshed, for flights still more remote. We sweep over the Uncanoonucs -into Massachusetts, steadying the eye upon far Wachusett as we pass from -the Merrimac Valley. Now come thronging in upon us the mountains of the -Connecticut Valley. We rest awhile upon the transcendently beautiful -expanse of the Ox-Bow, and its playthings of villages, strung along -the glittering necklace of the river. Across this valley, lifting our -eyes, we wander among the loftiest peaks of the Green Mountains--those -colossal _verd-antiques_--exchanging frozen glances across the placid -expanse of Champlain with the haughtiest summits of the Adirondacks. -We grow tired of this. One last look, this time up the valley, reveals -to us the wide and curious gap between two distant mountains, and far -beyond Memphremagog, where these mountains rise, we scan all the route -travelled by Rogers, the perils of which are fresh in our memory. We -pass on unchallenged into the dominions of Victoria. - -Is not this a landscape worth coming ten miles out of one's way to see? -And yet the half is not told. I have merely indicated its dimensions. -Now let the reader, drawing an imaginary line from peak to peak, go -over at leisure all that lies between. I merely prick the chart for -him. Moosehillock, not quite five thousand feet high, overlooks all -New Hampshire, pushes investigation into Maine and Massachusetts, is -familiar with Vermont, distant with New York, and has an eye upon -Canada. It is said the ocean has been seen, but I did not see it. - -Circumstances compelled me to drive the old horse, who has made more -ascensions of the mountain than any living thing, back to Warren. No -other was to be had for love or money. Had there been time I would have -preferred walking, but there was not. This horse measured sixteen hands. -His thin body and long legs resembled a horse upon stilts. He looked -dejected, but resigned. I argued that he would be able to get down the -mountain somehow; and, once out of the woods, I could count on his -eagerness to get home, to some extent, perhaps. I was not deceived in -either expectation. - -The road, as I have said, is for most of the way a rough, steep, and -stony one. In order to check the havoc made by sudden showers, and -to hold the thin soil in place, hemlock-boughs were spread over it, -artfully concealing those protruding stones which the scanty soil -refused to cover. He who intrusted himself to it did not find it a -bed of roses. The buck-board was the longest, clumsiest, and most -ill-favored it has ever been my lot to see. This vehicle, being peculiar -to the mountains, demands, at least, a word. It is a very primitive and -ingenious affair, and cheaply constructed. Naturally, therefore, it -originated where the farmers were poor and the roads bad. But what is -the buck-board? Every one has seen the spring-board of a gymnasium or of -a circus. A smooth plank, ten feet long, resting upon trestles placed -at either end, assists the acrobat to vault high in the air. Each time -he falls the rebound sends him up again. This is the principle of the -buck-board. Remove the trestles, put a pair of wheels in the place of -each, and you have the vehicle itself, _minus_ shafts or pole, according -as one or two horses are to draw it. Increased weight bends the board or -the spring more and more until it is in danger of touching the ground. -The passengers sit in the hollow of this spring, the natural tendency of -which is to shoot them into the air. - -[Illustration: THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON.] - -I am justified in speaking thus of the road and the vehicle. But -who shall describe the horse? That animal was possessed of a devil, -and, like the swine of the miracle, ran violently all the way down -the mountain, without stopping for water or breath. Fortunate indeed -for me was it that the sea was not at the bottom. In three-quarters -of an hour, half of which was spent in the air, I was at the foot -of the mountain which had required two tedious hours to ascend. How -the quadruped managed to avoid falling headlong fifty times over -the concealed stones I have no idea. How I contrived to alight, -when a wheel, coming violently against one of these stones, put the -spring-board in play--how I contrived to alight, I remark, during this -game of battledoor and shuttlecock, never twice in the same place, is to -this day an enigma. - -The houses of ancient Rome frequently bore the inscription for the -benefit of strangers, "_Cave canem._" This could be advantageously -replaced here, upon the first turnpike-gate, at the mountain's foot, -with the warning, "Beware of the horse!" - - - - -VIII. - -_BETHLEHEM._ - - _Ros._ O Jupiter! how weary are my spirits! - _Touch._ I care not for my spirits, if my legs were not weary. - _As You Like It._ - - -Having finished with the western approach to the White Mountains, I -was now at liberty to retrace my route up the Ammonoosuc Valley, which -so abounds in picturesque details--farms, hamlets, herds, groups of -pines, maples, torrents, roads feeling their way up the heights--to -that anomaly of mountain towns, Bethlehem. Thanks to the locomotive, -the journey is short. The villages of Bath, Lisbon, Littleton, are -successively entered; the same flurry gives a momentary activity to each -station, the same faces crowd the platforms, and the same curiosity is -exhibited by the passengers, whose excitement receives an increase with -every halt of the laboring train. - -Bethlehem is ranged high up, along the side of a mountain, like the -best china in a cupboard. The crest of Mount Agassiz[36] rises behind -it. Beneath the village the ground descends, rather abruptly, to the -Ammonoosuc, which winds, through matted woods, its way out of the -mountains. There are none of those eye-catching gleams of water which so -agreeably diversify these interminable miles of forest and mountain land. - -It is only by ascending the slopes of Mount Agassiz that we can secure -a stand-point fairly showing the commanding position of Bethlehem, or -where its immediate surroundings may be viewed all at once. It is so -situated, with respect to the curvature of this mountain, that at one -end of the village they do not know what is going on at the other. -One end revels in the wide panorama of the west, the other holds the -unsurpassed view of the great peaks to the east. - -Bethlehem has risen, almost by magic, at the point where the old highway -up the Ammonoosuc is intersected by that coming from Plymouth, the -Pemigewasset Valley, and the Profile House. In time a small roadside -hamlet naturally clustered about this spot. Dr. Timothy Dwight, the -pioneer traveller for health and pleasure among these mountains, -passed through here in 1803. Speaking of the appearance of Bethlehem, -he says: "There is nothing which merits notice, except the patience, -enterprise, and hardihood of the settlers which have induced them to -stay upon so forbidding a spot; a magnificent prospect of the White -Mountains; and a splendid collection of other mountains in their -neighborhood, particularly on the south-west." It was then reached by -only one wretched road, which passed the Ammonoosuc by a dangerous ford. -The few scattered habitations were mere log-cabins, rough and rude. -The few planting-fields were still covered with dead trees, stark and -forbidding, which the settlers, unable to fell with the axe, killed by -girdling, as the Indians did. - -From this historical picture of Bethlehem in the past, we turn to -the Bethlehem of to-day. It is turning from the post-rider to the -locomotive. Not a single feature is recognizable except the splendid -prospect of the White Mountains, and the magnificent collection of -other mountains, which call forth the same admiration to-day. Fortunate -geographical position, salubrity, fine scenery--these, and these alone, -are the legitimate cause of what may be termed the rise and progress -of Bethlehem. All that the original settlers seem to have accomplished -is to clear away the forests which intercepted, and to make the road -conducting to the view. - -It is the position of Bethlehem with respect to the recognized points -or objects of interest that gives to it a certain strategic advantage. -For example, it is admirably situated for excursions north, south, -east, or west. It is ten miles to the Profile, twelve to the Fabyan, -seventeen to the Crawford, fifteen to the Waumbek, and eighteen to the -base of Mount Washington. One can breakfast at Bethlehem, dine on Mount -Washington, and be back for tea; and he can repeat the experience with -respect to the other points named as often as inclination may prompt. -Moreover, the great elevation exempts Bethlehem from the malaria and -heat of the valleys. The air is dry, pure, and invigorating, rendering -it the paradise of those invalids who suffer from periodical attacks of -hay-fever. Lastly, it is new, or comparatively new, and possesses the -charm of novelty--not the least consideration to the thousands who are -in pursuit of that and that only. - -Bethlehem Street is the legitimate successor of the old road. This is -a name _sui generis_ which seems hardly appropriate here, although it -is so commonly applied to the principal thoroughfares of our inland New -England villages. It has a spick-and-span look, as if sprung up like -a bed of mushrooms in a night. And so, in fact, it has; for Bethlehem -as a summer resort dates only a few years back its sudden rise from -comparative obscurity into the full blaze of popular fame and favor. -The guide-book of fifteen years ago speaks of the _one_ small but -comfortable hotel, kept by the Hon. J. G. Sinclair. In fact, very little -account was made of it by travellers, except to remark the magnificent -view of the White Mountains on the east, or of the Franconia Mountains -on the south, as they passed over the then prescribed tour from North -Conway to Plymouth, or _vice versa_. - -But this newness, which you at first resent, besides introducing here -and there some few attempts at architectural adornment, contrasts -very agreeably with the ill-built, rambling, and slip-shod appearance -of the older village-centres. They are invariably most picturesque -from a distance. But here there is an evident effort to render the -place itself attractive by making it beautiful. Good taste generally -prevails. I suspect, however, that the era of good taste, beginning with -the incoming of a more refined and intelligent class of travellers, -communicated its spirit to two or three enterprising and sagacious -men,[37] who saw in what Nature had done an incentive for their own -efforts. We walk here in a broad, well-built thoroughfare, skirted on -both sides with hotels, boarding-houses, and modern cottages, in which -three or four thousand sojourners annually take refuge. All this has -grown from the "one small hotel" of a dozen years ago. Shade-trees and -grass-plots beautify the way-side. An immense horizon is visible from -these houses, and even the hottest summer days are rendered endurable -by the light airs produced and set in motion by the oppressive heats of -the valley. The sultriest season is, therefore, no bar to out-of-door -exercise for persons of average health, rendering walks, rambles, or -drives subject only to the will or caprice of the pleasure-seeker. -But in the evening all these houses are emptied of their occupants. -The whole village is out-of-doors, enjoying the coolness or the -panorama with all the zest unconstrained gratification always brings. -The multitudes of well-dressed promenaders surprise every new-comer, -who immediately thinks of Saratoga or Newport, and their social -characteristics. Bethlehem, he thinks, must be the ideal of those who -would carry city or, at least, suburban life among the mountains; who do -not care a fig for solitude, but prefer to find their pleasures still -connected with their home life. They are seeing life and seeing nature -at the same time. - -Sauntering along the street from the Sinclair House, a strikingly large -and beautiful prospect opens as we come to the Belleview. Here the -road, making its exit from the village, descends to the Ammonoosuc. The -valley broadens and deepens, exposing to view all the town of Littleton, -picturesquely scattered about the distant hill-sides. Its white houses -resemble a bank of daisies. The hills take an easy attitude of rest. -Six hundred feet below us the bottom of the valley exhibits its rich -savannas, interspersed with cottages and groves. Above its deep hollow -the Green Mountains glimmer in the far west. "Ah!" you say, "we will -stop here." - -Let us now again, leaving the Sinclair House behind, ascend the -road to the Profile. It is not so much travelled as it was before -the locomotive, in his coat-of-mail, sounded his loud trumpet at -the gates of Franconia. A mile takes us to the brow of the hill. We -hardly know which way to look first. Two noble and comprehensive views -present themselves. To the left Mount Agassiz rears his commanding -peak. In front of us, across a valley, is the great, deeply-cloven -Franconia Notch. Lafayette is superb here. Now the large, compact -mass of Moosehillock looms on the extreme right, together with all -those striking objects lately studied or observed from the village of -Franconia, which so quietly reposes beneath us. But this landscape -properly belongs to the environs of Bethlehem, and never is it so -incomparably grand as when the summits are fitfully revealed, battling -fiercely with storm-clouds. Every phase of the conflict is watched with -eager attention. Seeing all this passion above, it calls up a smile to -look down at the unbroken and unconscious tranquillity of the valley. - -[Illustration: MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM.] - -Facing now in the direction of Bethlehem, the eye roves over the -broad basin of the Ammonoosuc for many miles up and down. The hills of -Littleton, Whitefield, Dalton, Carroll, and Jefferson bend away from -the opposite side; and over the last the toothed Percy Peaks[38] rise -blue and clear at the point where the waters of the Connecticut and the -Androscoggin, approaching each other, conduct the Grand Trunk Railway -out of the mountains. The west is packed with the high summits of the -Green Mountain chain. The great White Mountains are concealed, as yet, -by the swell of the mountain down whose side the road conducts to the -village. "This," you exclaim, "this is the spot where we will pitch -our tents!" But there is no public-house here, and we are reluctantly -forced to descend. In proportion as we go down, this seemingly limitless -panorama suffers a partial eclipse. The landscape changes from the -high-wrought epic to the grand pastoral, if such a distinction may -be applied to differing forms of mountain scenery. This approach is, -without doubt, the most striking introduction to Bethlehem. It is -curiously instructive, too, as regards the relative merits of successive -elevations, each higher than the other, as proper view-points. - -A third ramble is altogether indispensable before we can say that we -know Bethlehem of the Hills. The direction is now to the east, by the -road to the Crawford House, or Fabyan's, or the Twin. We continue along -the high plateau, in the shade of sugar-maples or Lombardy poplars, -to the eastern skirt of the village, the houses getting more and more -unfrequent, until we come upon the edge of the slope to the Ammonoosuc, -where the road to Whitefield, Lancaster, and Jefferson, leaving the main -thoroughfare, drops quietly down into Bethlehem Hollow. No envious hill -now obstructs the truly "magnificent view." Through the open valley the -lordly mountains again inthrall us with the might of an overpowering -majesty. - -This locality has taken the name of the great hotel erected here -by Isaac Cruft, whose hand is visible everywhere in Bethlehem. The -Maplewood, as it is called, easily maintains at its own end the prestige -of Bethlehem for rapid growth. When I first visited the place, in -1875, I found a modest roadside hostelry accommodating sixty guests; -five years later a mammoth structure, in which six hundred could be -accommodated, had risen, like Aladdin's palace, on the same spot. -Instead of our little musical entertainment, our mock-trial, our quiet -rubber of whist, of an evening, there were readings, lectures, balls, -masquerades, theatricals, _musicales_, for every day of the week. - -But Bethlehem is emphatically the place of sunsets. In this respect no -other mountain resort can pretend to equal it. From no other village -are so many mountains visible at once; at no other has the landscape -such length and breadth for giving full effect to these truly wonderful -displays. More because the sublimity of the scene deserves a permanent -chronicle than from any confidence in my own ability to reproduce it, I -attempt in black and white to describe one of unparalleled intensity of -color, one that may never be repeated, certainly never excelled, while -the sun, the heavens, and the mountains shall last. - -A cold drizzle having set in on the day of my arrival, the mountains -were invisible when I rose in the morning. I looked, but they were no -longer there. I was much vexed at the prospect of being storm-bound, -or of making under compulsion a sojourn I had beforehand resolved -to make at my own good will and pleasure. So strongly is the spirit -of resistance developed in us. After a critical investigation of -the weather, it crossed my mind like an intuition that something -extraordinary was preparing behind the enormous masses of clouds -clinging like wet draperies to the skirts of the mountains, forming -an impenetrable curtain, now and then slowly lifted by the fresh -north wind, now suddenly distended or collapsing like huge sails, but -noiselessly and mysteriously as the ghostly canvas of the _Flying -Dutchman._ - -Toward the middle of the afternoon, the wind having freshened, the -lower clouds broke apart here and there--just enough to reveal to us -that ever-new picture of the White Mountains, beautifully robed in -fresh snow, above the darker line of forest; but so thoroughly were -the high summits blended with the dull silver-gray of upper sky that -the true line of separation defied the keenest scrutiny to detect it. -This produced a curious optical illusion. Extended sumptuously along -the crest-line, rivalling the snow itself, a bank of white clouds -rendered the deception perfect, since just above them began that heavy -and dull expanse which overspread and darkened the whole heavens, -thus imperfectly delineating a second line of summits mounting to a -prodigious height. They seemed miles upon miles high. - -Up stretched this gigantic and shadowy phantasm of towers, domes, -and peaks, illimitably, as if mountains and heavens were indeed come -together in eternal alliance. At the same time the finger dipped in -water could trace a more conclusive outline on glass than the eye could -find here. The summits, a little luminous, emitted a cold, spectral -glare. It gave you a chill to look at them. No sky, no earth, no deep -gorges, no stark precipices--no anything except that dead wall, so -sepulchral in its gray gloom that equally mind and imagination failed to -find one familiar outline or contour. The true peaks seemed clouds, and -the clouds peaks. But this phantasm was only the prologue. - -At the hour of sunset all the lower clouds had disappeared. The -upper heavens now wore that deep grape-purple impervious to light -or warmth, and producing the effect of a vast dome hung with black. -The storm replaced the azure tint of the sky with the most sombre -color in its laboratory. The light visibly waned. The icy peaks still -reflected a boreal glitter. But in the west these funereal draperies -fell a little short of touching the edge of the horizon--a bare -hand's-breadth--leaving a crevice filled with golden light, pure and -limpid as water, clear and vivid as winnowed sunshine. The sun's eye -would soon be applied to this peep-hole. A feverish impatience seized -us. We could see the people at their doors and in the street standing -silent and expectant, with their faces turned to the heavens. From a -station near Cruft's Ledge we watched intently for the moment when this -splendid light, concentrated in one level sheet, should fall upon the -great mountains. - -In a few seconds a yellow spot of piercing brilliancy appeared in this -narrow band of light. One look at it was blinding; a second would have -paralyzed the optic nerve. Mechanically we put up our hands to shut -it out. Imagine a stream of molten iron--hissing-hot and throwing off -fiery spray--gushing from the side of a furnace! Even that can give -but a feeble idea of the unspeakable intensity of this last sun-ray. -It blazed. It flooded us with a suffocating effulgence. Suppose now -this cataract of liquid flame suddenly illuminating the pitchy darkness -of a cavern in the bowels of the earth. The effect was electrifying. -Confined between the upper and nether expanse--dull earth and brooding -sky--rendered tenfold more dazzling by the blackness above, beneath, the -sun poured upon the great mountains one magnificent torrent of radiance. -In an instant the broad land was deluged with the supreme glories of -that morning when the awful voice of God uttered the sublime command, - - "Let there be light, and there was light." - -An electric shock awoke the torpid earth, transfigured the mountains. On -swept the mighty wave, shedding light, and warmth, and splendor where a -moment before all was dark, cold, and spiritless. Like Ajax before Troy, -the giant hills braced on their dazzling armor. Like Achilles's shield, -they threw back the brightness of the sun. Every tree stood sharply out. -Every cavern disclosed its inmost secrets. Twigs glittered diamonds, -leaves emitted golden rays. All was ravishingly beautiful. - -This superb exhibition continued while one might count a hundred. Then -all the lower mountains took on that ineffable purple that baffles -description. Starr King, Cherry Mountain, were resplendent. As if the -livid and thick-clustered clouds above had been trodden by invisible -feet, these peaks seemed drenched with the juice of the wine-press. -The high summits, buried in snow and cloud, were yet coldly impassive, -but presently, little by little, the light crept up and up. Now it -seized the topmost pinnacles. Heavens, what a sight! Ineffable glory -seemed quenched in the sublime terrors of that moment. On our right the -Twin and Franconia mountains glowed, from base to summit, like coals -of fire. The lower forests were wrapped in flame. Then all the snowy -line of peaks, from Adams to Clinton, turned blood-red. No pale rose -or carnation tints, as in those enrapturing summer sunsets so often -witnessed here. The stupendous and flaming mountains of hell seemed -risen before us, clothed with immortal terrors. We stood rooted to -the spot, like men who saw the judgment-day dawning, the solid earth -consuming, before their doubting eyes. Everlasting, unquenchable fires -seemed encompassing us about. Nothing more weird, more unearthly, -or more infernal was ever seen. Even the country-people, stolid and -indifferent as they usually are, regarded it with mingled stupefaction -and dismay. - -The drama approached its climax. Before we were aware, the valley grew -dark. But still, the granite peaks of Lafayette, and of that admirable -pyramid, Mount Garfield, which even the greater mountain cannot reduce -to impotence, glowed like iron drawn from the fire. Their incandescent -points, thrust upward into the black gulf of the heavens, towered -above the blacker gulfs below unspeakably. By degrees the scorching -heat cooled. The great Franconia spires successively paled. But long -after they seemed reduced to ashes, the red flame still lingered upon -the snows of Mount Washington. At last that, too, faded out. Life was -extinct. The great summit took on a wan and livid hue. Night kindly -spread her mantle over the lifeless form of the mountain, which still -disclosed its larger outlines rigid, majestic, even in death. - -Twilight succeeded--twilight steeped in silence and coolness, in the -thousand odors exhaled by the teeming earth. One by one the birds hushed -their noisy twitter. Overcome by their own perfumes, flowers shut their -dewy petals and drooped their tender little heads. The river seemed a -drowsy voice rising from the depths of the forest, complaining that -it alone should toil on while all else reposed. With night comes the -feeling of immensity. With sleep the conviction that we are nothing, -and that the order of nature disturbs itself in nothing for us. If we -awake, well; if not, well again. What if we should never wake? One such -splendid pageant as I have attempted to describe instinctively quenches -human pride. It is true, a sunset is in itself nothing, but it compels -you to admit that the world moves for itself, not for you. Believe it -not a gorgeous display in which you, the critical spectator, assist, but -the signal that the day ends and the night cometh. A spectacle that can -arouse the emotions of joy, fear, hope, suspense--nothing? Perhaps. God -knows. - -There are very pleasant walks, affording fine views of all the highest -mountains, around the eastern slope or to the summit of the mountain -rising at the back of the hotel. The bare but grassy crest of this -mountain, one of my favorite haunts, enabled me to reconnoitre my route -in advance up the valley, and to look over into the yet unvisited -region of Jefferson, or back again, at the environs of Franconia. The -glory that pours down upon these hills, the vales they infold, the wild -streams, the craggy mountain spurs, the soft, velvety clearings that -turn their dimpled cheeks to be kissed by the sunshine, may all be seen -and fully enjoyed from this spot. - -The heights behind us are well-wooded on the summits, but below this -belt of woodland extends a broad band of sunny clearings checkered with -fields of waving grain. These fields are among the highest cultivated -lands in New England. Long tillage was necessary to reduce this -refractory soil to subjection. Farther down, toward the railway-station, -the pastures are so encumbered with stones that a sheep would turn from -them in dismay. To mow among these stones a man would have to go down on -his knees. - -There is a beautiful orchard of sugar-maples down the road to the -Hollow; but it always makes me sad to see these trees standing with -their naked sides pierced and bleeding from gaping wounds. - -At the corner of this road my attention was arrested by a sign-board -planted in front of an unpainted cottage, behind which rose a clump -of magnificent birches. I walked over to see what it could mean. The -sign-board bore the name "Sir Isaac Newton Gay," in large black letters. -Here was a spur to curiosity! A knight, or at least a baronet, living -in humble seclusion, yet parading his quality thus in the face of the -world! Going to the gate, my perplexity increased upon seeing the -grass-plot in front of the dwelling literally covered with broken glass, -lamp-chimneys, bits of colored china, bottles of every imaginable shape -and size stuck upright upon sticks, interspersed with lumps of white -quartz. Some cabalistic meaning, doubtless, attached to the display. -This brilliant rubbish sparkled in the sun, filling the enclosure with -the cheap glitter of a pawnbroker's shop-window. The thing so far -announced a little eccentricity, at least, so I made bold to push my -investigation still farther, and was rewarded by finding, piled against -the trunk of a tree, at the back of the house, a heap of skulls of -animals as high as my head. The recluse's intent was now plain. Here -was a lesson that he who ran might read. The rubbish in the front yard -illustrated the pomp, glitter, and emptiness of life; the monument of -skulls its true estate, divested of all false show or pretence. Without -doubt this was a philosopher worthy of his name. - -I was admitted by a singular-looking being, with dry, straight, lank -hair, weak features, watery eyes, and a shuffling gait. Some accident -having partially closed one eye, gave him a look of preternatural -wisdom. He was ready to give an opinion on any subject under the sun, -no matter how difficult or abstruse, as soon as broached, and stroked -his scanty beard while doing so with evident self-complacency. I had a -moment to see that the walls were papered with old handbills of county -fairs, travelling shows, and the like, the floor covered with patches of -carpet as various as Joseph's coat, when my man began a formula similar -to what the Bearded Lady drawls out or the Tattooed Man recites through -his nose to gaping rustics at a country muster, at ten cents a head. -He told where he was born, how old he was, and how long he had lived -in Bethlehem. At the proper moment I put my hand in my pocket and took -out a dime, which he thankfully accepted, and dropped inside a broken -coffee-pot. - -"Sir," I observed, "seeing you are American-born, I infer your title -must have been conferred by some foreign potentate?" - -"No; that is my name." - -"But," I pursued, "has it not an unrepublican sound in a country where -titles are regarded with distrust, not to say aversion?" - -"I tell you it is my name," with some heat; "I was named for the great -_Sir_ Isaac Newton." - -"Your pardon, Sir Isaac. May I ask if you inherit the genius of your -distinguished namesake?" - -"Well, yes, to some extent I do; I philoserphize a good deal. I read a -good many books folks leaves here, besides what newspapers I can pick -up; but you see it costs a lifetime to get knowledge." - -Jaques, the misanthrope, wandering in the Forest of Arden, was not more -astonished at Touchstone's philosophy than I at this answer. "Very -true," I assented. "What is your philosophy of life?" - -He tapped his forehead with his forefinger, but it was only too evident -the apartment was untenanted. He remained a moment or two as if in deep -thought, and then began, - -"Well, I'm eighty-six years of age, come next July." - -My flesh began to creep: he was beginning, for the third time, his -eternal formula. The hermit, fumbling a red handkerchief, resumed, - -"I can say I've never wanted for necessaries, and don't propose to give -myself any trouble about it." And then he expatiated on the folly of -fretfulness. - -The Hermit of Bethlehem, as he is called, but who opens his door wide -for the world to enter, is a very ordinary sort of hermit indeed. -Still, his very feebleness of intellect, his vanity even, should be a -shield instead of a target for those who, like myself, are lured by the -unmeaning trumpery at his door, which has no other significance in the -world than a childish passion for objects that glitter in the sun. - -The constituents of hotel life do not belong to any locality: they -are universal. It is curious to see here people who have spent half -their lives in India, or China, or Australia moving about among the -untravelled with the well-bred ease and adaptation to circumstances that -newly-fledged tourists can neither understand nor imitate. It is very -droll, too, that people who have lived ten years in the same street, at -home, without knowing each other, meet here for the first time. - -I beg to introduce another acquaintance picked up by the roadside while -walking from the Twin Mountain House to Bethlehem. Had I been driving, -the incident would still have waited for a narrator. - -Climbing the hill-side at a snail's pace was a peddler's cart, drawn by -a scrubby little white horse, and bearing a new broom for an ensign, -which seemed to symbolize that this petty trader meant to sweep the road -clean of its loose cash. The sides of the cart were gayly decorated -with pans, basins, dippers by the dozen, and bristled with knickknacks -for barter or ready money, from a gridiron to a door-mat. The movement -of the vehicle over the stony road kept up a lively clatter, which -announced its coming from afar. There being for the moment, no house in -sight, the proprietor was engaged in picking raspberries by the roadside. - -The peddler--well, he was little, and stubby too, like his horse, -for whom he had dismounted to lighten the pull up-hill. The animal -seemed to know his business, for he stopped short as often as he came -to a water-bar, blew a cloud from his nostrils, champed his bit, and -distended his sides so alarmingly with a long, deep respiration, that -the patched-up harness seemed in danger of bursting. He then glanced -over his shoulder toward his master, shook his head deprecatingly, and, -with a deep sigh, moved on. - -The little merchant of small wares and great had on a rusty felt hat, -rakishly set on one side of his bullet head, and a faded olive-green -coat, rather short in the skirts, to conceal two patches in his -trousers. The latter were tucked into a pair of dusty boots very much -turned up at the toes. His face was a good deal sunburnt, and his -hair, eyebrows, and mustache were the color of the road--sandy. Except -a pair of scissors, the points of which protruded from his left-hand -vest-pocket, I perceived no weapon offensive or defensive about him. He -was a very innocent-looking peddler indeed. - -As I was passing him he held out a handful of ripe fruit. The hand was -disfigured with an ugly cicatrice: it was rather dirty. He accompanied -the offer with an invitation to "hop on" his cart and ride. This double -civility emanated from a gentleman and a peddler. - -The walk from Crawford's to Bethlehem _is_ rather fatiguing; but I said, -as in duty bound, "No" (I said it because the thought of riding through -Bethlehem Street on the top of a peddler's cart appeared ridiculous in -my eyes--with shame I confess it), "thank you; your horse already has -all he can pull, and I have only a mile or two farther to go." - -The peddler then fell into step with me, taking a long, even stride that -brought back old recollections. I said, - -"You have been a soldier." - -"How know you dat?" - -"By your gait--you do not walk, you march: by that sabre-cut on your -right hand." - -"Ha! you goot eyes haf; but it a payonet vas." - -Believing I saw a veteran of our great civil war, I asked, with -undisguised interest, - -"Where did you serve? Where were you wounded?" - -"Von year und half in war mit Danemark, von year und half mit Oustria, -und two mit Vrance." - -I looked at him again. What! That undersized, insignificant appearing -little chap, whom I could easily have pitched into the ditch, he a -soldier of Sadowa, of Metz, of Paris. Bah! - -"So, the wars over, you emigrated to America?" - -"Right avay. Ven I get home from Baris I tell Linda, my vife, 'Look -here, Linda: I been soldier six year. Now I plenty fighting got. Dere's -two hunder thaler in the knapsack. Shut your mouth tight, open your eye -close, and we get out of dis double-quig.' She say 'Where I go?' und I -tell her the _U_-nited States, by hell, befor anoder var come. She begin -to cry, I begin to schwear, und we settle it right avay." - -I asked if he minded telling how he came by the wound in his hand. This -is what he told me in his broken English: - -When Marshal Bazaine made his last desperate effort to shake off the -deadly gripe the Prussians had fastened upon Metz, a battalion of -_tirailleurs_ suddenly surrounded an advanced post established by -the Germans in the suburbs. The morning was foggy, and the surprise -complete. The picket had hardly the time to run to their arms before -they were driven back pell-mell on the reserve, amid a shower of balls. -The reserve took refuge in a stone building surrounded by a thick hedge, -maintaining an irregular fire from the windows. One of the last to cross -the court-yard, with the French at his heels, was our German. Before -he could gain the friendly shelter of the house he stumbled and fell -headlong, his gun flying through the air as he came to the ground, so -that he was not only prostrate but disarmed. - -Half-stunned, he scrambled to his knees just as his nearest pursuer -made a savage lunge with his sabre-bayonet. The Prussian instinctively -grasped it. While trying thus to parry the deadly thrust, the keen -weapon pierced his hand, and he was a second time borne to the earth, -or, rather, pinned to it by his adversary's bayonet. - -"_Rendez-vous Allemand, cochon!_" screamed the Frenchman, bestriding the -little Prussian with a look of mortal hatred. - -"_Je ne fous combrends,_" replied the wounded man, drawing a revolver -with his free hand and shooting his enemy dead. "I couldn't helb it, -I vas so mad," finished the ex-soldier, running to serve two of his -customers, who stood waiting for him at a gate by the roadside. I left -him exhibiting ribbons, edgings, confectionery--heaven knows what!--with -all the volubility of an experienced shopman. - - - - -IX. - -_JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER._ - - Through the valley runs a river, bright and rocky, cool and swift, - Where the wave with many a quiver plays around the pine-tree's drift. - _Good Words._ - - -It remains to introduce the reader into the valley watered by Israel's -River, and for this purpose we take the rail from Bethlehem to -Whitefield, and from Whitefield to Jefferson. - -Like Bethlehem, Jefferson lies reposing in mid-ascent of a mountain. -Here the resemblance ends. The mountain above it is higher, the valley -beneath more open, permitting an unimpeded view up and down. The -hill-side upon which the clump of hotels is situated makes no steep -plunge into the valley, but inclines gently down to the banks of the -river. Instead of crowding upon and jostling each other, the mountains -forming opposite sides of this valley remain tranquilly in the alignment -they were commanded not to overstep. The confusion there is reduced to -admirable order here; the smooth slopes, the clean lines, the ample -views, the roominess, so to speak, of the landscape, indicate that -everything has been done without haste, with precision, and without -deviation from the original plan, which contemplated a paradise upon -earth. - -Issuing from the wasted sides of Mount Jefferson and Mount Adams, -Israel's River runs a short north-westerly course of fifteen miles into -the Connecticut at Lancaster. This beautiful stream received its name -from Israel Glines, a hunter, who frequented these regions long before -the settlement of the country. The road from Lancaster to Gorham follows -the northern highlands of its valley to its head, then crossing the -dividing ridge which separates its waters from those of Moose River, -descends this stream to the Androscoggin at Gorham. - -On the north side Starr King Mountain rises 2400 feet above the valley -and 3800 feet above the sea. On the south side Cherry Mountain lifts -itself 3670 feet higher than the tide-level. These two mountains form -the broad basin through which Israel's River flows for more than half -its course. The village of Jefferson Hill lies on the southern slope -of Starr King, and, of course, on the north side of the valley. Cherry -Mountain, the most prominent object in the foreground, is itself a -fine mountain study. It looks down through the great Notch, greeting -Chocorua. It is conspicuous from any elevated point north of the -Franconia group--from Fabyan's, Bethlehem, Whitefield, Lancaster, etc. -Owl's Head is a conspicuous protuberance of this mountain. Over the -right shoulder of Cherry Mountain stand the great Franconia Peaks, and -to the right of these, its buildings visible, is Bethlehem. Now look up -the valley. - -[Illustration: THE NORTHERN PEAKS FROM JEFFERSON.] - -We see that we have taken one step nearer the northern wing of the -great central edifice whose snowy dome dominates New England. We are -advancing as if to turn this magnificent battle-line of Titans, on -whose right Madison stands in an attitude to repel assault. Adams next -erects his sharp lance, Jefferson his shining crescent, Washington his -broad buckler, and Monroe his twin crags against the sky. Jefferson, -as the nearest, stands boldly forward, showing its tremendous ravines, -and long, supporting ridges, with great distinctness. Washington loses -something of its grandeur here; at least it is not the most striking -object; that must be sought for among the sable-sided giants standing at -his right hand. The southern peaks, being foreshortened, show only an -irregular and flattened outline which we do not look at a second time. -From Madison to Lafayette, our two rallying points, the distance can -hardly be less than forty miles as the eye travels: the entire circuit -it is able to trace cannot fall short of seventy or eighty miles. As -at Bethlehem, the view out of the valley is chiefly remarkable for its -contrast with every other feature. - -I took a peculiar satisfaction in these views, they were so ample, -so extensive, so impressive. Here you really feel as if the whole -noble company of mountains were marshalled solely for your delighted -inspection. At no other point is there such unmeasured gratification -in seeing, because the eye roves without hinderance over the grandest -summits, placed like the Capitol at the head of its magnificent avenue. -It alights first on one pinnacle, then flits to another. It interrogates -these immortal structures with a calm scrutiny. It dives into the cool -ravines; it seeks to penetrate, like the birds, the profound silence -of the forests. It toils slowly up the broken crags, or loiters by -the cascades, hanging like athletes from dizzy brinks. It shrinks, it -admires, it questions; it is grave, gay, or thoughtful by turns. I do -not believe the man lives who, looking up to those mountains as in the -face of the Deity, can deliberately utter a falsehood: the lie would -choke him. - -Furthermore, you get the best idea of height here, because the long -amphitheatre of mountains is seen steadily growing in stature toward -the great central group; and comparison is, by all odds, the best of -teachers for the eye. - -If for no other reason than the respect due to age, Jefferson deserves a -moment to itself. It was granted, October 3d, 1765, to John Goffe, under -the name of Dartmouth. The road diverging here, and crossing Cherry -Mountain to Fabyan's, is the oldest, as it long was the only highway -through the White Mountains. In those early times the travelled way -was by the Connecticut River and Lancaster through this valley to the -White Mountain Notch. The divergent road is the old turnpike between -Vermont and Portland. Gradually, as settlements were pushed farther and -farther up the Ammonoosuc, a way was made by Bath, Lisbon, Littleton, -and Dalton, to Lancaster; but to pass beyond it was still necessary to -follow the old route; nor was it until after the settlement of Bethlehem -cleared the way that an execrable horse-path was made over the present -great highway up the Ammonoosuc. In 1803 President Dwight passed over -this new road on his second excursion to the great Notch. Few travellers -would now be willing to undergo what he did to see the mountains. -There were then only three or four houses in the sixteen miles between -Bethlehem and the Notch. - -One of the first settlers of Jefferson was Colonel Joseph Whipple, -mentioned in the narrative of Nancy, the ill-starred mountain-maid, who -died while following her faithless lover in his flight from Jefferson -out of the mountains. Colonel Whipple lived on the road to Cherry -Mountain, near the mill. In 1797 his was the only house on the road. -During the Revolution a party of Indians, led by a white man, surrounded -the house, and made Whipple their prisoner. Inventing some pretext, the -colonel obtained leave to go into another room, from which he made his -escape by a window and fled to the woods, where he successfully eluded -pursuit. - -Finding myself already well advanced toward the summit of Starr King, -I finished the ascent of this mountain during an afternoon's stroll. -Nothing worthy of remark, except the exquisite view from the summit, -presented itself. Here I met again a throng of old acquaintances, and -encountered a crowd of new ones. Here I saw something like a shadow -darken the side of Mount Washington, and watched it creep steadily up -and up to the summit. The shadow was the smoke of the locomotive making -its last ascent for the day, under the eyes of thousands of spectators, -who look at it to turn away with a smile, a shrug, or a shake of the -head. - -The name of Starr King has become a household word with all travellers -in the White Mountains. It was most fitting that he who interpreted -Nature so well and so truly should receive his monument at her hands. To -him the mountains were emblematic of her highest perfection. He loved -them. His tone when speaking of them is always tender and caressing. -They appealed to his rare and exquisite perception of the beautiful, -to his fine and sensitive nature, capable of detecting intuitively -what was hid from common eyes. He felt their presence to be ennobling -and uplifting. He opened for us the charmed portal. We accompanied him -through an earthly paradise then first revealed to us by the fervor -and wealth of his description. He led us to the shadiest retreats, the -coolest groves, the most secluded glens. He guided our footsteps up the -steep mountain-side to the bleak summit. Thrice fitting was it that a -mountain should perpetuate the name of Thomas Starr King. As was said at -the grave of Gautier, he too dated "from the creation of the beautiful." - - * * * * * - -I have now rested four days at Ethan Crawford's, who lives on the side -of Boy Mountain, five miles east of Jefferson Hill, on the road to -Gorham. This Ethan is a son of the celebrated guide and host so well -known to former travellers by the _sobriquet_ of Keeper of the Mountains. - -I go to the window, and facing toward the setting sun look down the -broadening valley of Israel's River, over the glistening house-tops -of Whitefield, into and beyond the Connecticut Valley. I have Mitten -Mountain and Cherry Mountain, both heavily wooded, just over the way, -although the view of these elevations is in part intercepted by a nearer -mountain, also covered with a vigorous forest. At this moment I hear the -rush of the stream far down in the Hollow; and, following the serpentine -line its dark course makes among the press of hills, am confronted by -the massive slopes of Madison and Adams, the sombre ravine and castled -crags of Jefferson, and the hoary crest of Washington. I am really in -the heart of the mountains. - -Swiftly from these mountains descend, with exquisite grace, enormous -billows of deep sea-green, which do not subside but lift themselves -proudly at the foot of those great overhanging walls of olive and -malachite. Here rolling together, their foliage, bright or dark, repeats -the effect of flaws sweeping over a sunny sea. Their deep hollows, -arching sides, and limpid crests perfect the resemblance to the moment -when, having exerted its utmost energy, the panting ocean stands -exhausted and motionless in the grasp of the north wind. - -These lower mountains, interposing a barrier between the two valleys -of the Ammonoosuc and of Israel's River, seem, you think, pushed up -from the yielding earth simply by the enormous weight of the higher -and neighboring mountains whose keen summit-lines cut New England in -halves. At this hour these lines are edged with dull gold. All along -the wavering heights I can detect with the naked eye isolated black -crags, and can plainly see the deep dents in the broken cornices and -capitals of the grand old mountains--those vestiges of their primordial -architecture. Here the inclined ridge of the plateau, connecting the -pinnacle of Washington with the peaks of Monroe, is traced along its -whole extent. At this distance its craggy outline breaks in light -ripples, announcing nothing of that wilderness of stones assailing the -climber. All the asperities are softened into capricious harmonies. -Below yawn the ravines. - -The tracks of old slides and torrents in the side of Monroe remind -you of the branches of a gigantic fossil tree, exposed by a fracture -dividing the mountain in two. Such is, in fact, the impression received -by looking at this mountain; but the object which most excites my -attention is the broad and deep rent in the side of Jefferson, over -which hang on one side the crumbling counterfeits of towers and -battlements, while on the other cataracts, like necklaces, are suspended -over its unfathomed abysses. Cloud-shadows drift noiselessly along the -warm steeps. Cataracts glisten brightly in the sun. The grave peaks look -down unmoved on the play of the one and the sport of the other. - -The picture of life in East Jefferson would not be complete without the -old hound dozing in the sun, the turkey-cocks strutting consequentially -up and down, the barn-swallows darting swiftly in and out, the ring of -young Ethan's anvil, and the bleating of sheep far up the mountain-side. -I see them nibbling the fresh herbage, and watch the gambols of the -lambs like a child--only the child laughs aloud, and I do not laugh. -Voices come down the hillside, and I see the slow movement of a hammock -and the flutter of a dress in the maple-grove. Poetry and perfume mingle -with the scent of wild-flowers and songs of golden-mouthed birds. - -Evening does not drive us within doors, the nights are so enchanting. -Day fades imperceptibly out. Even the stars seem disconcerted. One by -one they peep, and then flit from view. We watch the slow mustering of -the celestial host in silence. A meteor leaps from heaven to earth. -The fire-flies resemble a shower of sparks, or, as darkness deepens, -a phosphorescent sea. Dorbeetles hurtle the still air, and frogs sing -barcarolles in the misty fens. Now the mountains put on their sable -armor that is to render them invisible. Here the poet must assist us: - - "It is the hush of night; and all between - Thy margin and the mountains, dusk, yet clear, - Mellowed and mingling, yet distinctly seen-- - Save darkened Jura, whose capped heights appear - Precipitously steep." - -Light seems reluctant to leave the summits. It does not wholly fade -out of the west until a late hour. In a clear and starry night all the -surrounding mountains can be distinguished long after the valley is -steeped in darkness. At half-past nine I could easily tell the time by -my watch; and even at this hour a pale, nebulous light still lingered -where the sun had gone down. So at near two thousand feet above the full -sea one peers over into that deeper horizon where twilight and dawn meet -and embrace on the dusky threshold of midnight. - -While in the neighborhood, I devoted a day to an exploration of the -Ravine of the Cascades. This ravine is entered from a point on the -Gorham road about three miles distant from the Mount Adams House. A -cart-way crosses the meadow here to an abandoned mill which is on the -stream coming from the ravine, and by which you must ascend. A more -beautiful example of a mountain brook it has never been my lot to see. -The ascent is, however, tedious and toilsome in the extreme over the -smooth and slippery rocks in its bed. Four hours of this brought me to -the region of low trees, and to the foot of the first fall, which, I -judged, descended about thirty feet. This way to the summit is open only -to the most vigorous climbers. Even then it is better to descend into -the ravine from the gap between Adams and Jefferson in order to visit -these cascades. - -The two most profitable excursions to be made here are undoubtedly the -ascent of Mount Adams and the drive to the top of Randolph Hill. I have -found on the first summit irrefragable evidence that, next to Washington -and Lafayette, Adams is the peak which summer tourists are most desirous -of ascending. A good path, on which there is a camp, leads to the -summit. Having other views in regard to this mountain, which I had so -often admired from a distance, I made a third reconnoisance of its -outworks and its remarkable ravine, while _en route_ for Randolph Hill. - -Unquestionably fine as the views are along this road, on which you are -at one time rolling smoothly over meadow or upland, with the great -northern peak rising to its full height, or again toiling up a stony -hill-side to obtain a much better idea of its real character and -prodigious dimensions, the climax is reserved until, turning from the -highway, you begin a slow advance up the long hill-side that makes an -almost uninterrupted descent for five miles to the Androscoggin. Here -I saw from a balcony what I had before seen from the ground-floor. -The view is large and expansive. You look down the surging land into -the Androscoggin. You look over among the mountains circling its -head, huddled together like a frightened herd. You look down into the -valley of the Moose, and through the gap in the great chain you again -see the valley of the Peabody and the Carter Notch. Now you hold the -great northern peaks admiringly at arm's-length, as you would an old -friend. Putting an imaginary hand on each broad shoulder, you scan them -from head to foot. They submit calmly and with condescension to your -lengthened scrutiny. Presently the low sun floods them with royal purple -and gilds the topmost crags with refined gold. You glance up the valley. -The little river comes like a stream of fire which the huge mountains -seem crowding forward to trample out. Now look down. The same mountains -seem spurning the glittering serpent away from their feet. - -King's Ravine is as well seen from this point, perhaps, as any. It -is a huge natural niche excavated high up the mountain. You see -everything--grizzled spruces, blackened shafts of stone, rifted walls, -tawny crags--all in one glance. It is formidable and forbidding, though -a way has been made through it by which to ascend Mount Adams. Now that -there is a good path skirting the ravine and avoiding it, that look will -usually suffice to deter sensible people from attempting to reach the -summit by it. It is far better to descend into it and grope one's way -down through and underneath the bowlders. The same, and even greater, -obstacles are encountered as in Tuckerman's. In early spring the walls -of the ravine are streaked with slowly-melting snows. These gulches, all -converging toward the bottom, send a torrent roaring down with noise -equal to surf on a hard sea-beach. This torrent is the principal source -of the Moose. - -Well do I remember my first venture here. I had walked from Gorham. -Seeing a man chopping wood by the side of the road, I entered into -conversation with him; but at the first suggestion I let fall of an -intention to climb to the ravine he gaped open-mouthed. To ascend -the brook to the ravine, the escarpment of the ravine to the high -precipices, the precipices to the gate-way, was an exploit in those -days. But this was long ago. A good climber now puts King's Ravine down -in his list of excursions with the same nonchalance that a belle of the -ball-room enters an additional waltz on her card of engagements.[39] - -One day I had fished along the Moose without success. Nothing could -give a better idea of a mountain stream than this one, fed by snows and -gushing from the breached side of Mount Adams. But either the water was -too cold or the trout too wary. They persistently refused my fly. I -tried red and brown hackle, then a white moth-miller; all to no purpose. -Feeling downright hungry, I determined to seek a dinner elsewhere. -Unjointing my rod, I returned, rather crestfallen, down the mountain -into the road. - -I knocked at the first house. Pretty soon the curtain of the first -window at my left hand was partly drawn aside. I felt that I was under -the fire of a pair of very black eyes. An instant after the door was -half-opened by a woman past middle life, who examined me with a scared -look while wiping her hands on a corner of her apron. Two or three white -heads peeped out from the folds of her dress like young chickens from -the old hen's wing, and as many pairs of widely-opened eyes surveyed me -with innocent surprise. - -Perceiving her confusion, I was on the point of asking some indifferent -question, about the distance, the road--I knew not what--but my stomach -gave me a twinge of disdain, and I stood my ground. Hunger has no -conscience: honor was at stake. In two words I made known my wants, I -confess with confidence oozing away at my fingers' ends. - -Her confusion became still greater--so evident, indeed, that I took a -backward step and stammered, quite humbly, "A hunch of bread-and-cheese -or a cup of milk--" when the good-wife nailed me to the threshold. - -Quoth she, "The men folks have all _et_ their dinners, and there hain't -no more meat; but if you could put up with a few trout?" - -Put up with trout! Did I hear aright? The word made my mouth water. -I softly repeated it to myself--"Trout!"--would I put up with trout? -Not to lower myself in this woman's estimation, I replied that, seeing -there was nothing else in the house, I would put up with trout. Let it -suffice that I made a repast fit for a prince, and, like a prince, being -served by a bashful maiden with cheeks like the arbutus, which everybody -knows shows its most delicate pink only in the seclusion of its native -woods. - -My hours of leisure in Jefferson being numbered, having now made the -circuit of the great range by all the avenues penetrating or environing -it, the reader's further indulgence is craved while his faithful guide -points his well-worn alpenstock to the last stage of our mountain -journeys. - -Behold us at last, after many capricious wanderings, after calculated -avoidance, approaching the inevitable end. We are _en route_ for -Fabyan's by the road over Cherry Mountain. This road is twelve miles -long. As we mount with it the side of Cherry Mountain the beautiful -vistas continually detain us. We are now climbing the eastern wall of -the valley, so long the prominent figure from the heights of Jefferson. -We now look back upon the finely-traced slopes of Starr King, with the -village luxuriously extended in the sun. For some time we are like two -travellers going in opposite directions, but who turn again and again -for a last adieu. Now the forest closes over us and we see each other no -more. - -Noonday found me descending that side of the mountain overlooking the -Ammonoosuc Valley. Where the Cherry Mountain road joins the valley -highway the White Mountain House, an old-time tavern, stands. The -railway passes close to its door. A mile more over the level brings us -to Fabyan's, so called from one of the old mountain landlords, whose -immortality is thus assured. Now that mammoth caravansary, which seems -all eyes, is reached just as the doors opening upon the great hall -disclose a long array of tables, while permitting a delicious odor to -assail our nostrils. - -To speak to the purpose, the Fabyan House really commands a superb front -view of Mount Washington, from which it is not six miles in a bee-line. -All the southern peaks, among which Mount Pleasant is undoubtedly the -most conspicuous for its form and its mass, and for being thrown so -boldly out from the rest, are before the admiring spectator; but the -northern peaks, with the exception of Clay and Jefferson, are cut off -partly by the slopes of Mount Deception, which rises directly before the -hotel, partly by the trend of the great range itself to the north-east. -The view is superior from the neighborhood of the Mount Pleasant House, -half a mile beyond Fabyan's, where Mount Jefferson is fully and finely -brought into the picture. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN'S.] - -The railway is seen mounting a foot-hill, crossing a second and -higher elevation, then dimly carved upon the massive flanks of Mount -Washington itself, as far as the long ridge which ascends from the -north in one unbroken slope. It is then lost. We see the houses upon -the summit, and from the Mount Pleasant House the little cluster of -roofs at the base. A long and well-defined gully, exactly dividing the -mountain, is frequently taken to be the railway, which is really much -farther to the left. The smoke of a train ascending or descending still -further indicates the line of iron, which we admit to the category of -established facts only under protest. - -Sylvester Marsh, of Littleton, New Hampshire, was the man who dreamed -of setting aside the laws of gravitation with a puff of steam. Like -all really great inventions, his had to run the gauntlet of ridicule. -When the charter for a railway to the summit of Mount Washington was -before the Legislature a member moved that Mr. Marsh also have leave -to build one to the moon. Had the motion prevailed, I am persuaded Mr. -Marsh would have built it. Really, the project seemed only a little -more audacious. But in three years from the time work was begun (April, -1866) the track was laid and the mountain in irons.[40] The summit which -the superstitious Indian dared not approach, nor the most intrepid -white hunter ascend, is now annually visited by thousands, without more -fatigue than would follow any other excursion occupying the same time. -The excitement of a first passage, the strain upon the nerves, is quite -another thing. - -In a little grass-grown enclosure, on the other side of the Ammonoosuc, -is a headstone bearing the following inscription: - - IN MEMORY OF - CAP ELIEZER ROSBROOK - WHO DIED SEP. 25 - 1817 - In the 70 Year - Of His Age. - - When I lie buried deep in dust, - My flesh shall be thy care - These withering limbs to thee I trust - To raise them strong and fair. - - WIDOW - HANNAH ROSEBROOK - Died May 4, 1829 - Aged 84 - -Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. For they rest from their labors - And their works do follow them. - -So far as is known Rosebrook was the first white settler on this spot. -One account[41] says he came here in 1788, another fixes his settlement -in 1792.[42] His military title appears to have been derived from -services rendered on the Canadian frontier during the Revolutionary -War. Rosebrook was a true pioneer, restless, adventurous, and fearless. -He was a man of large and athletic frame. From his home in Massachusetts -he had first removed to what is now Colebrook, then to Guildhall, Vt., -and lastly here, to Nash and Sawyer's Location, exchanging the comforts -which years of toil had surrounded him with, abandoning the rich and -fertile meadow-lands of the Connecticut, for a log-cabin far from any -human habitation, and with no other neighbors than the bears and wolves -that prowled unharmed the shaggy wilderness at his door. With his axe -this sturdy yeoman attacked the forest closely investing his lonely -cabin. Year by year, foot by foot, he wrested from it a little land -for tillage. With his gun he kept the beast of prey from his little -enclosure, or provided venison or bear's meat for the wife and little -ones who anxiously awaited his return from the hunt. Hunger and they -were no strangers. For years the strokes of Rosebrook's axe, or the -crack of his rifle, were the only sounds that disturbed the silences -of ages. Little by little the circle was enlarged. One after another -the giants of the forest fell beneath his blows. But years of resolute -conflict with nature and with privation found him at last in the -enjoyment of a dearly-earned prosperity. Travellers began to pass his -doors. The Great White Mountain Notch soon became a thoroughfare, which -could never have been safely travelled but for Rosebrook's intrepidity -and Rosebrook's hospitality. In this way began the feeble tide of travel -through these wilds. In this way the splendidly equipped hotel, with its -thousands of guests the locomotive every hour brings to its door, traces -its descent from the rude and humble cabin of Eleazer Rosebrook. - - - - -X. - -_THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS._ - - Cradled and rocked by wind and cloud, - Safe pillowed on the summit proud, - Steadied by that encircling arm - Which holds the Universe from harm, - I knew the Lord my soul would keep, - Upon His mountain-tops asleep! - LUCY LARCOM. - - -Thus I found myself again at the base of Mount Washington, but on the -reverse, opposed to the Glen. Before the completion of the railway from -Fabyan's to the foot of the mountain I had passed over the intervening -six miles by stage--a delightful experience; but one now steps on -board an open car, which in less than half the time formerly occupied -leaves him at the point where the mountain car and engine wait for him. -The route lies along the foaming Ammonoosuc, and its justly admired -falls, cut deep through solid granite, into the uncouth and bristling -wilderness which surrounds the base of the mountain. The peculiarity -of these falls does not consist in long, abrupt descents of perturbed -water, but in the neatly excavated caves, rock-niches, and smoothly -rounded cliffs and basins through which for some distance the impatient -stream rears and plunges like a courser feeling the curb. Imperfect -glimpses hardly give an idea of the curious and interesting processes -of rock-cutting to one who merely looks down from the high banks above -while the train is in rapid motion. It is better, therefore, to visit -these falls by way of the old turnpike. - -The advance up the valley which has first given us an outlook through -the great Notch, on our right, presents for some time the huge green -hemisphere of Mount Pleasant as the conspicuous object. The track then -swerves to the left, bringing Mount Washington into view, and in a few -minutes more we are at the ill-favored clump of houses and sheds at its -base. - -[Illustration: MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING TIMES.] - -The mechanism of the road-way is very simple. The track is formed of -three iron rails, firmly clamped to stout timbers, laid lengthwise upon -transverse pieces, or sleepers. These are securely embedded, where the -surface will allow, or raised upon trestles, where its inequalities -would compel a serious deflection from a smooth or regular inclination. -One of these, about half-way up the mountain, is called Jacob's Ladder. -Here the train achieves the most difficult part of the ascent. After -traversing the whole line on foot, and inspecting it minutely and -thoroughly, I can candidly pronounce it not only a marvel of mechanical -skill, but bear witness to the scrupulous care taken to keep every -timber and every bolt in its place. In two words, the structure is -nothing but a ladder of wood and iron laid upon the side of the -mountain.[43] - -The propelling force employed is equally simple. The engine and car -merely rest upon and are kept in place by the two outer rails, while -the power is applied to the middle one, which we have just called a -rail, but is, more properly speaking, a little ladder of steel cogs, -into which the corresponding teeth of the locomotive's driving-wheel -play--a firm hold being thus secured. The question now merely is, how -much power is necessary to overcome gravity and lift the weight of the -machine into the air? This cogged-rail is the fulcrum, and steam the -lever. Mr. Sylvester Marsh has not precisely lifted the mountain, but he -has, nevertheless, with the aid of Mr. Walter Aiken, reduced it, to all -intents, to a level. - -The boiler of the locomotive, inclined forward so as to preserve a -horizontal position when the engine is ascending, the smoke-stack -also pitched forward, give the idea of a machine that has been in a -collision. Everything seems knocked out of place. But this queer-looking -thing, that with bull-dog tenacity literally hangs on to the mountain -with its teeth, is capable of performing a feat such as Watt never -dreamed of, or Stephenson imagined. It goes up the mountain as easily as -a bear climbs a tree, and like a bear. - -I had often watched the last ascension of the train, which usually -reaches the summit at sunset, and I had as often pleased myself with -considering whether it then most resembled a big, shining beetle -crawling up the mountain side, or some fiery dragon of the fabulous -times, dragging his prey after him to his den, after ravaging the -valley. My own turn was now come to make the trial. It was a cold -afternoon in September when I entered the little carriage, not much -larger than a street-car, and felt the premonitory jerk with which the -ascent begins. The first hill is so steep that you look up to see the -track always mounting high above your head; but one soon gets used to -the novelty, and to the clatter which accompanies the incessant dropping -of a pawl into the indentures of the cogged-rail, and in which he -recognizes an element of safety. The train did not move faster than one -could walk, but it moved steadily, except when it now and then stopped -at a water-tank, standing solitary and alone upon the waste of rocks. - -By the time we emerged above the forest into the chill and wind-swept -desolation above it--a first sight of which is so amazing--the sun -had set behind the Green Mountain summits, showing a long, serrated -line of crimson peaks, above which clouds of lake floated in a sea -of amber. It grew very cold. Great-coats and shawls were quickly -put on. Thick darkness enveloped the mountain as we approached the -head of the profound gulf separating us from Mount Clay, which is the -most remarkable object seen at any time either during the ascent or -descent. Into this pitchy ravine, into its midnight blackness, a long -and brilliant train of sparks trailed downward from the locomotive, so -that we seemed being transported heavenward in a chariot of fire. This -flaming torch, lighting us on, now disclosed snow and ice on all sides. -We had successfully attained the last slope which conceals the railway -from the valley. Up this the locomotive toiled and panted, while we -watched the stars come out and emit cold gleams around, above, beneath. -The light of the Summit House twinkled small, then grew large, as, -surmounting the last and steepest pitch of the pinnacle, we were pushed -before a long row of lighted windows crusted thick with hoar-frost. -Stiffened with cold, the passengers rushed for the open door without -ceremony. In an instant the car was empty; while the locomotive, -dripping with its unheard-of efforts, seemed to regard this desertion -with reproachful glances. - -Reader, have you ever sat beside Mrs. Dodge's fire after such a passive -ascension as that just described? After a two hours' combat with the -instinct of self-preservation, did you dream of such comforts, luxuries -even, awaiting you on the bleak mountain-top, where nothing grows, and -where water even congeals and refuses to run? Could you, in the highest -flights of fancy, imagine that you would one day sit in the courts of -heaven, or feast sumptuously amid the stars? All this you either have -done or may do. And now, while the smartly-dressed waiter-girl, who -seems to have donned her white apron as a personal favor, brings you the -best the larder affords, pinch yourself to see if you are awake. - -In several ascensions by the railway I have always remarked the same -symptoms of uneasiness among the passengers, betrayed by pale faces, -compressed lips, hands tightening their grasp of the chairs, or subdued -and startled exclamations, quickly repressed. To escape the influence of -such weird surroundings one should be absolutely stolid--a stock or a -stone. So for all it is an experience more or less acute, according to -his sensibility, strength of nerve, and power of self-control. However -well it may be disguised, the strong equally with the weak, and more -deeply than the weak, feel the strain which ninety minutes' combat with -gravitation, attraction, ponderosity, engenders. The mind does not for a -single instant quit its hold of this defiance of Nature's laws. As long -as iron and steel hold fast, there is no danger; but you think iron and -steel are iron and steel, and no more. An anecdote will illustrate this -feeling. - -After pointing out to a lady-passenger the skilful devices for stopping -the engine--the pawl, the steam, and the atmospheric brakes--and after -patiently explaining their mechanism and uses, the listener asked the -conductor, with much interest, - -"Then, if the pawl breaks while we are going up?" - -"The engine will be stopped by means of these powerful brakes, applied -directly to the axles, which will, of course, render the train -motionless. As the locomotive has two driving-wheels, the engineer can -bring a double power to bear, as you see. Each is independent of the -other, so that if one gives way the other is still more than sufficient -to keep the engine stationary." - -"Thank you; but the car?" - -"Oh, the car is not attached to the engine at all; and should the -engineer lose the control of his machine, which is not at all likely, -the car can be brought to a stand-still by independent brakes of its -own. You see the engine goes up behind, and in front, down; and the car -is simply pushed forward, or follows it." - -"So that you consider it--." - -"Perfectly safe, madam, perfectly safe." - -"Thank you. One question more. Suppose all these things break at once. -What then? Where would we go?" - -"That, madam, would depend on what sort of a life you had led." - -I have still a consolation for the timid. Ten years' trial has confirmed -the declaration of its projectors, that they would make the road as safe -or safer than the ordinary railway. No life has been lost by an injury -to a passenger during that time. Besides, what is the difference? After -its day, the railway will pass like the stage-coach--that is, unless you -believe, as you do not, that the world and all progress are to stop with -ourselves. - -[Illustration: ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY.] - -The affable lady hostess told me that she paid an annual rental of ten -thousand dollars for her palace of ice; nominally for a year, but really -for a term of only seventy-six days, this being the limit of the season -upon the summit. During the remaining two hundred and eighty-nine -days the house is closed. During four or five months it is buried, or -half-buried, in a snow-drift. Of this large sum, three thousand dollars -go to the Pingree heirs. These facts may tend to modify the views of -those who think the charges exorbitant, if such there are. - -Raising my eyes to look out of the window, the light from within -fell upon a bank of snow. A man was stooping over it as if in search -of something. Going out, I found him feeling it with his hands, and -examining it with childish wonder and curiosity. I approached this -eccentric person very softly; but he, seeing my shadow on the snow -beside him, looked up. - -"Can I assist you in recovering what you have lost?" I inquired. - -"Thank you; no. I have lost nothing. Ah! I see," he continued, laughing -quietly, "you think I have lost my wits. But it is not so. I am a native -of the East Indies, and I assure you this is the first time in my life I -have ever seen snow near enough to handle it. Imagine what an experience -the ascent of Mount Washington is for me!" - -We took a turn down the hard-frozen Glen road together in order to see -the moon come up. The telegraph-poles, fantastically crusted with ice to -the thickness of a foot, stretched a line of white-hooded phantoms down -the dark side of the mountain. From successive coatings of frozen mist -the wires were as thick as cables. Couches of snow lay along the rocks, -and fresh snow had apparently been rubbed into all the inequalties of -the cliffs rising out of the Great Gulf. The scene was supremely weird, -supremely desolate. - -From here we crossed over to the railway, and, ascending by it, shortly -came upon the heap of stones, surmounted by its tablet, erected on -the spot where Miss Bourne perished while ascending the mountain, in -September, 1855. The party, of which she was one, setting out in high -spirits in the afternoon from the Glen House, was overtaken near the -summit by clouds, which hid the house from view, and among which they -became bewildered. It was here Miss Bourne declared she could go no -farther. Overcome by her exertions, she sunk exhausted and fainting -upon the rocks. Her friends were scarcely awakened to her true -condition when, amid the surrounding darkness and gloom, this young -and lovely maiden of only twenty expired in the arms of her uncle. The -mourners wrapped the body in their own cloaks, and, ignorant that a -few rods only separated them from the summit, kept a vigil throughout -the long and weary night. We hasten over this night of dread. In the -morning, discovering their destination a few rods above them, they bore -the lifeless form of their companion to it with feelings not to be -described. A rude bier was made, and she who had started up the mountain -full of life now descended it a corpse. - -The evening treated us to a magnificent spectacle. The moon, in -full-orbed splendor, moved majestically up the heavens, attended by her -glittering retinue of stars. Frozen peaks, reflecting the mild radiance, -shone like beaten silver. But the immense hollows between, the deep -valleys that had been open to view, were now inundated with a white and -luminous vapor, from which the multitude of icy summits emerged like a -vast archipelago--a sea of islands. This spectral ocean seemed on the -point of ingulfing the mountains. This motionless sea, these austere -peaks, uprising, were inconceivably weird and solemnizing. An awful hush -pervaded the inanimate but threatening host of cloud-girt mountains. -Upon them, upon the sea of frozen vapor, absorbing its light, the clear -moon poured its radiance. The stars seemed nearer and brighter than -ever before. The planets shone with piercing brilliancy; they emitted -a sensible light. The Milky Way, erecting its glittering nebula to the -zenith, to which it was pinned by a dazzling star, floated, a glorious, -star-spangled veil, amid this vast sea of gems. One could vaguely catch -the idea of an unpeopled desolation rising from the fathomless void of -a primeval ocean. The peaks, incased in snow and ice, seemed stamped -with the traces of its subsidence. Pale and haggard, they lifted their -antique heads in silent adoration. - -Going to my room and extinguishing the light, I stood for some time -at the window, unable to reconcile the unwonted appearance of the -stars shining far below, with the fixed idea that they ought not to be -there. Yet there they were. To tell the truth, my head was filled with -the surpassing pomp I had just witnessed, of which I had not before -the faintest conception. I felt as if I was silently conversing with -all those stars, looking at me and my petty aspirations with such -inflexible, disdainful immobility. When one feels that he is nothing, -self-assurance is no great thing. The conceit is taken out of him. On a -mountain the man stands naked before his Maker. He is nothing. That is -why I leave him there. - -That night I did not sleep a wink. Twenty times I jumped out of bed and -ran to the window to convince myself that it was not all a dream. No; -moon and stars were still bright. Over the Great Gulf, all ghastly in -the moonlight, stood Mount Jefferson in his winding-sheet. I dressed -myself, and from the embrasure of my window kept a vigil. - -Sunrise did not produce the startling effect I had anticipated. The -morning was fine and cloudless. A gong summoned the inmates of the -hotel to the spectacle. Without dressing themselves, they ran to their -windows, where, wrapped in bed-blankets, they stood eagerly watching the -east. To the pale emerald of early dawn a ruddy glow succeeded. Before -we were aware, the rocky waste around us grew dusky red. The crimsoned -air glided swiftly over the neighboring summits. Now the brightness -was upon Adams and Jefferson and Clay, and now it rolled its purpled -flood into the Great Gulf, to mingle with the intense blackness at the -bottom. For some moments the mountain-tops held the color, then it was -transfused into the clear sunshine of open day; while the vapors, heavy -and compact, stretched along the valleys, still smothering the land, -retained their leaden hue. - -It was still early when I descended the carriage-road on my way to Mount -Adams. The usual way is to keep the railway as far as the old Gulf Tank, -near which is a house of refuge, provided with a cooking-stove, fuel, -and beds. I continued, however, to coast the upper crags of the Great -Gulf, until compelled to make directly for the southern peak of Mount -Clay. The view from this _col_ is imposing, embracing at once, and -without turning the head, all the southern summits of the chain. Here I -was joined by two travellers fresh from Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. - -Each choosing a route for himself, we pushed on to the high summit of -Clay, from which we looked down into the deep gap dividing this mountain -from Jefferson. Arrived there, we resolutely attacked the eastern slopes -of this fine peak, whose notched summit rose more than seven hundred and -fifty feet above our heads. Patches of Alpine grasses, of reindeer-moss, -interspersed with irregular ridges of stones, extended quite up to the -summit, which was a mere elongated stone-heap crowning the apex of its -cone. Those undulating masses encircling its bulk, half hid among the -grass, were like an immense python crushing the mountain in its deadly -folds. We picked our way carefully among this chaotic debris, which the -Swiss aptly call "cemeteries of the devil," tripping now and then in the -long, wiry grass, or burying our feet among the hummocks of dry moss, -which were so many impediments to rapid progress. This appearance and -this experience were common to the whole route. - -At each summit we threw ourselves upon the ground, to feast upon the -landscape while regaining breath. Each halt developed more and more -the grand and stupendous mass of Washington receding from the depths -of the Great Gulf, along whose edge the carriage-road serpentined -and finally disappeared. We saw, a little softened by distance, the -horribly mutilated crags of the head wall stripped bare of all verdure, -presenting on its knobbed agglomerates of tempest-gnawed granite a -thousand eye-catching points and detaining as many shadows. Nothing--not -even the glittering leagues of mountains and valleys shooting or -slumbering above, beneath--so riveted the attention as this apparently -bottomless pit of the five mountains. It was a continued wonder. It drew -us by a strange magnetism to its dizzy brink, chained us there, and -then abandoned us to a physical and moral vertigo, in which the power -of critical investigation was lost. An invisible force seemed always -dragging us toward it. Whence comes this horrible, this uncontrollable -desire to throw ourselves in? - -Out of the death-like torpor which eternally shrouds the ravine -the smiling valley seems escaping. The crystal air of the heights -grows thick in its depths. Beasts and birds of prey haunt its gloomy -solitudes. An immense grave seems yawning to receive the mountains. The -aged mountains seem standing with one foot in the grave. - -This gulf makes an impression altogether different from the others. -It is an immense ravine. Each of the five mountains pushes down into -it massive buttresses of granite, forming lesser ravines between of -considerable extent. Through these streams trickle down from invisible -sources. But these buttresses, which fall lightly and gracefully as -folds of velvet from summit to base of the highest mountains, these -ravines, are hardly noticed. The insatiable maw of the gulf swallows -them as easily as an anaconda a rabbit. In immensity, which you do not -easily grasp, in grandeur, which you do not know how to measure, this -has no partakers here. Even the great Carter Mountain, rising from the -Peabody Valley, seems no more than a stone rolled away from the entrance -of this enormous sepulchre. - -Our first difficulties were encountered upon the reverse of Mount -Jefferson, from whose side rocky spurs detached themselves, and, jutting -out from the side of the mountain, formed an irregular line of cliffs -of varying height, in the way we had selected for the descent. But -these were no great affair. We now had the Ravine of the Castles upon -our left, the stately pyramid of Adams in front, and, beneath, the deep -hollow between this mountain and the one we were descending. We had the -little hamlet of East Jefferson at the mouth of the ravine, and that -crowd of peaks, tightly wedged between the waters of the Connecticut and -the Androscoggin, looming above it. - -A deviation to the left enabled us to approach the Castellated Ridge, -which is, beyond dispute, the most extraordinary rock-formation the -whole extent of the range can show. As it is then fully before you, it -is seen to much better advantage when approached from Mount Adams. I -do not know who gave it this name, but none could be more felicitous -or expressive. It is a sloping ridge of red-brown granite, broken at -its summit into a long line of picturesque towers and battlements, -rising threateningly over an escarpment of debris. Such an illusion is -too rarely encountered to be easily forgotten. It is hardly possible -to doubt you are really looking at an antique ruin. One would like to -wander among these pre-Adamite fortifications, which curiously remind -him of the old Spanish fortresses among the Pyrenees. From the opposite -side of the ravine--for I had not the time requisite for a closer -examination--the rock composing the most elevated portion of the ridge -appears to have been split perpendicularly down, probably by frost, -allowing these broken columns and shafts to stand erect upon the verge -of the abyss. In the warm afternoon light, when the shadows fall, it is -hardly possible to conceive a finer picture of a crumbling but still -formidable mountain fortress. Bastions and turrets stand boldly out. -Each broken shaft sends a long shadow streaming down into the ravine, -whose high and deeply-furrowed sides are thus beautifully striped with -dusk-purple, while the sunlit parts retain a greenish-gray. - -At the foot of Jefferson we found, concealed among rushes, a spring, -which refreshed us like wells of the desert the parched and fainting -Arab. From here two routes offered themselves. One was by keeping the -curved ridge, rising gradually to a subordinate peak (Samuel Adams),[44] -and to the foot of the summit itself; a second was by crossing the -ground sloping downward from this ridge into the Great Gulf. We chose -the latter, notwithstanding the dwarf-spruce, advancing well up to the -foot of the ridge, promised a warm reception. - -[Illustration: THE CASTELLATED RIDGE.] - -At last, after sustaining a vigorous tussle with the scrub-firs, and -stopping to unearth a brook whose waters purred underneath stones, -I stood at the foot of the pointed shaft I had so often seen wedged -into the sky. Five hundred feet or more of the apex of this pyramid -is apparently formed of broken rocks, dropped one by one into place. -Nothing like a ledge or a cliff is to be seen: only these ponderous, -sharp-edged masses of cold gray stone, lifted one above another to the -tapering point. Up this mutilated pyramid we began a slow advance. It -was necessary to carefully choose one step before taking another, in -order to avoid plunging into the deep crevasses traversing the peak in -every direction. At last I placed my foot upon the topmost crag. - -No one can help regarding this peak with the open admiration which is -its due. You conceive that every mountain ought to have a pinnacle. -Well, here it is. We could easily have stood astride the culminating -point. But how came these rocks here? and what was the primitive -structure, if these fragments we see are its relics? One hardly believes -that an ice-raft could have first transported and then deposited such -misshapen masses in their present symmetrical form. Still less does -he admit that the original shaft, crushed in a thousand pieces by -the glacier itself, fell with such grace as to rise again, as he now -sees it, from its own ruins. If, again, it proceeds from the eternal -hammering of King Frost, what was the antique edifice that first rose so -proudly above the frozen seas of the great primeval void? But to science -the things which belong to science. We have a book describing heaven, -but not one that resolves the problems of earth. The "_Veni, vidi, -vici,_" of the Book of Genesis leaves us at the beginning. We are still -staring, still questioning, still vacillating between this theory and -that hypothesis.[45] - -We had from the summit an inspiring though not an extensive view. A -bank of dun-colored smoke smirched the fair western sky as high as the -summits of the Green Mountains. At fifty miles mountains and valleys -melted confusedly into each other. Water emitted only a dull glimmer. -Here a peak and there a summit surveyed us from afar. All else was -intangible; almost imaginary. At twenty-five miles the land, resuming -its ordinary appearance, was bathed in the soft brilliance caused by the -sun shining through an atmosphere only half transparent. - -Upon this obscure mass we traced once more the well-known objects -environing the great mountain. To the south Mount Washington divided -the landscape in two. For some time we stood admiring its magnificent -_torso_, its amplitude of rock-land, its easy preponderance over every -other summit. Again we followed the road down the great north-east -spur. Once more we caught the white specks which denote the line of -the railway. We plunged our eyes down into the Great Gulf, and lifted -them to the shattered protuberances of Clay, which seemed to mark the -route where the glacier crushed and ground its way through the very -centre of the chain. A second time we descended Jefferson to the deep -dip, opening like a trough between two enormous sea-waves, where we -first saw the little Storm Lake glistening. Following now the long, -rocky ridge, rolling downward toward the hamlets of Jefferson and -Randolph, the mountains yawned wide at our feet. We were looking over -into King's Ravine--to its very bottom. We peered curiously into its -remotest depths, traced the difficult and breathless ascent through -the remarkable natural gateway at its head out upon a second ridge, -on which a little pond (Star Lake) lies hid. We then crossed the gap -communicating with Mount Madison, whose summit, last and lowest of the -great northern peaks, dominates the Androscoggin Valley with undisputed -sway. To-day it made on us scarcely an impression. Its peak, which from -the valley holds a rough similitude with that of Adams, is dwarfed here. -You look down upon it. - -More applicable to Adams than to any other, for our eyes grow dazzled -with the glitter and sparkle of countless mica-flakes incrusting the -hard granite with clear brilliancy as from the facets of a diamond; more -applicable, again, from the stern, unconquerable attitude of the great -gray shaft itself, lifted in such conscious pride beyond the confines -of the vast ethereal vault of blue--a tower of darkness invading the -bright realms of light; a defiance flung by earth in the face of high -heaven--is the magnificent description of the Matterhorn from the pen of -Ruskin: - -"If one of these little flakes of mica-sand, hurried in tremulous -spangling along the bottom of the ancient river, too light to sink, -too faint to float, almost too small for sight, could have had a mind -given to it as it was at last borne down with its kindred dust into -the abysses of the stream, and laid (would it not have thought?) for a -hopeless eternity in the dark ooze, the most despised, forgotten, and -feeble of all earth's atoms; incapable of any use or change; not fit, -down there in the diluvial darkness, so much as to help an earth-wasp -to build its nest, or feed the first fibre of a lichen--what would it -have thought had it been told that one day, knitted into a strength as -of imperishable iron, rustless by the air, infusible by the flame, out -of the substance of it, with its fellows, the axe of God should hew that -Alpine tower;--that against _it_--poor, helpless mica-flake!--the snowy -hills should lie bowed like flocks of sheep, and the kingdoms of the -earth fade away in unregarded blue; and around it--weak, wave-drifted -mica-flake!--the great war of the firmament should burst in thunder, and -yet stir it not; and the fiery arrows and angry meteors of the night -fall blunted back from it into the air; and all the stars in the clear -heaven should light, one by one, as they rose, new cressets upon the -points of snow that fringed its abiding-place on the imperishable spire!" - -Myself and my companions set out on our return to the Summit House early -in the afternoon, choosing this time the ridge in preference to the -scrubby slope. From this we turned away, at the end of half an hour, -by an obscure path leading to a boggy pool, sunk in a mossy hollow -underneath it, crossed the area of scattered bowlders, strewn all around -like the relics of a petrified tempest, and, filling our cups at the -spring, drank to Mount Adams, the paragon of mountain peaks. - -As we again approached the brow of Mount Washington the sun resembled -a red-hot globe of iron flying through the west and spreading a -conflagration through the heavens. Again the colossal shadow of the -mountain began its stately ascension in the east. One moment the burning -eye of the great luminary interrogated this phantom, sprung from the -loins of the hoary peak. Then it dropped heavily down behind the Green -Mountains, as it has done for thousands of years, the landscape fading, -fading into one vast, shadowy abyss, out of which arose the star-lit -dome of the august summit. - - - - -TOURIST'S APPENDIX. - -PREPARED FOR "THE HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS." - - -GEOGRAPHY.--The White Mountains are in the northern central part of the -State of New Hampshire. They occupy the whole area of the State between -Maine and Vermont, and between Lake Winnipiseogee and the head-streams -of the Connecticut and Androscoggin rivers. - -Two principal chains, having a general direction from south-west to -north-east, constitute this great water-shed of New England. These are -the Franconia and the White Mountains proper, sometimes called the -"Presidential Range." - -Grouped on all sides of the higher summits are a great number of -inferior ridges, among which, as in the Sandwich Range, rise some very -fine peaks, widely extending the mountainous area, and diversifying it -with numerous valleys, lakes, and streams. - -Two principal rivers, the Saco and Merrimack, flowing from these two -chief clusters, form the two great valleys of the White Mountain system; -and by these valleys the railways enter the mountains from the seaboard. -Lake Winnipiseogee, which washes the southern foot of the mountains, -is also a thoroughfare, as are the valleys of the Connecticut and -Androscoggin rivers. - -DISTANCES.--It is 430 miles from Philadelphia to Fabyan's; 340 from New -York, _via_ Springfield; 190 from Montreal, _via_ Newport; 208 _via_ -Groveton; 169 from Boston, _via_ North Conway (Eastern R.R.); 208 _via_ -Concord (B., C., & M. R.R.); 91 from Portland, _via_ North Conway (P. -& O. R.R.); 91 from Portland to Gorham (G. T. R.); 199 from Boston to -Gorham, _via_ Eastern and Grand Trunk roads; and 206 _via_ Boston and -Maine and Grand Trunk roads. - -ROUTES.--Procure, before starting, the official time-tables of the -railroads running to the mountains or making direct connection with -them, by application to local agents, by writing to the ticket-agents of -the roads, or by consulting a railway guide-book. The roads reaching the -mountains are-- - -From Washington: The Pennsylvania, and New York & New England. - -From Philadelphia: The Pennsylvania, and New York & New England. - -From Montreal: The Grand Trunk, and The South-eastern. - -From Quebec: The Grand Trunk Railway. - -From Saratoga: The Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. - -From New York: New York, New Haven, & Hartford (all rail _via_ -Springfield, White River Junction, and Wells River to Fabyan's; or all -rail _via_ Springfield, Worcester, Nashua, and Concord, N. H.; or all -rail _via_ "Shore Line," Boston & Albany, or New York & New England -roads to Boston); or by Fall River, Norwich, or Stonington "Sound Lines" -to Boston; thence by either of the following railroads: - -[Illustration: JACOBS LADDER, MOUNT WASHINGTON RAILWAY.] - -From Boston: Eastern R.R., _via_ Beverly (18 miles, branch to Cape Ann); -Hampton (46 miles, Boar's Head and Rye Beaches); Portsmouth (56 miles, -Newcastle and Isles of Shoals and York Beach); Kittery (57 miles); -Wolfborough Junction (98 miles, branch to Lake Winnipiseogee); North -Conway (138 miles; connects with Portland and Ogdensburg); Intervale -(139 miles); Glen Station (144 miles, for Jackson and Glen House); -Crawford's (165 miles); Fabyan's (169 miles; connects with B., C., & M. -for Summit of Mount Washington, Bethlehem, Profile House, and Jefferson; -or by same route to Portland, thence by P. & O. R.R. to North Conway, or -Grand Trunk Railway to Gorham). - -Boston, Lowell & Concord, and Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroads, -_via_ Lowell (26 miles); Nashua, Manchester, Concord (75 miles); -Plymouth (123 miles); Woodsville (166 miles, Wells River); Littleton -(185 miles, for Sugar Hill); Wing Road (192 miles, branch to Jefferson); -Bethlehem (196 miles, branch road to Profile House, also to "Maplewood," -and Bethlehem Street); Twin Mountain House, Fabyan's (208 miles, branch -to Summit of Mount Washington, 217 miles); connects at Fabyan's with P. -& O. and Eastern roads for North Conway, Portland, and Boston. - -Boston & Maine R.R. _via_ Lawrence (26 miles); Haverhill, Exeter (50 -miles); Dover (68 miles); Rochester (78 miles); Alton Bay (96 miles), -connecting with steamer for Wolfborough and Centre Harbor, on Lake -Winnipiseogee; or by the same road to Portland, thence by P. & O. to -North Conway and Fabyan's, or Grand Trunk to Gorham and Glen House. - -From Portland: Portland & Ogdensburg R.R. via Sebago Lake (17 miles); -Fryeburg (49 miles); Conway Centre, North Conway (60 miles); Glen -Station (66 miles, Jackson and Glen House); Bartlett (72 miles); -Crawford's (87 miles); Fabyan's (91 miles; connects with B., C., & M. -R.R. for Summit of Mount Washington, Bethlehem, Profile House, Sugar -Hill, Jefferson, etc.). - -Grand Trunk Railway: Danville Junction (27 miles); Bethel (70 miles); -Shelburne (86 miles); Gorham (91 miles, for Glen House). - -A good way to do the mountains by rail is to buy an excursion-ticket -over the route entering on the west, and, passing through, leave them -by the roads on the east side via Boston or Portland, or _vice versa_. -At Fabyan's, where the two great routes meet, the traveller coming from -either direction may pursue his journey without delay. From _Boston to -Boston_, _Portland to Portland_, there is continuous rail without going -twice over the same line. - -_Lake Winnipiseogee._--At Alton Bay, Wolfborough, and Weirs steamer is -taken for Centre Harbor, at the head of the lake. Here the traveller may -either take the daily stages for West Ossipee (E. R.R.) or steamer to -Weirs (B., C., & M.), and thus be again on the direct rail routes. - -HOW TO CHOOSE A LOCATION.--Do you wish a quiet retreat, off the -travelled routes, where you may have rest and seclusion, or do you -desire to fix yourself in a position favorable to exploring the whole -mountain region? - -In either case consult (1) some friend who has visited the mountains; -(2), consult the maps in this volume; (3), consult the landlord in any -place you may fancy for a limited or a lengthened residence; (4), apply -to the agents of the Eastern, Portland, & Ogdensburg, Boston, Concord, & -Montreal, Boston & Maine, or Grand Trunk Railways, for books or folders -containing a list of the mountain hotels reached by their lines, and the -charge for board by the day and week. (The Eastern, and B., C., & M. -print revised lists every year, for gratuitous distribution.) - -Wolfborough, Weirs, Centre Harbor, and Sandwich (all on or near -Lake Winnipiseogee); Blair's, Sanborn's, Campton Village, Thornton, -and Woodstock, in the Pemigewasset Valley; Tamworth, Conway Corner, -Fryeburg, the Intervale (North Conway), Jackson, the Glen House, Bethel -(Me.), Shelburne, Randolph, East Jefferson, Jefferson Hill, Lancaster, -Littleton, Franconia, Sugar Hill, Haverhill, and Newbury (Vt.)--all come -within the category first named; while the second want will be supplied -at such points as North Conway, Crawford's, Fabyan's, Twin Mountain -House, Bethlehem, and the Profile House. North Conway and Bethlehem are -the keys to the whole mountain region. Fabyan's and the Glen House are -the proper points from which to ascend Mount Washington. - -To aid in locating these places on the map, refer constantly to the -Index at the end of the volume. - -Leaving Boston or Portland in the morning, any of the points named may -be reached in from four to eight hours. - -HINTS FOR TOURISTS.--Select your destination, if possible, in advance; -and if you require apartments, telegraph to the hotel where you mean -to stop, giving the number of persons in your party, thus avoiding -the disappointment of arriving, at the end of a long journey, at an -over-crowded hotel. - -[Illustration: U. S. METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN -SUMMER.] - -Should you fix upon a particular locality for a long or short stay, -write to one (or more) of the landlords for terms, etc.; and if his -house is off the line of railway, inform him of the day and train you -mean to take, so that he may meet you with a carriage at the nearest -station. But if you do not go upon the day named, remember to notify the -landlord. - -Always take some warm woollen clothing (inside and outside) for mountain -ascensions. It is unsafe to be without it in any season, as the nights -are usually cool even in midsummer. - -From the middle of June to the middle of October is the season of -mountain travel. The best views are obtained in June, September, and -October. From the middle of September to the middle of October the air -is pure and invigorating, the mountain forests are then in a blaze of -autumnal splendor, the cascades are finer, and out-of-door jaunts are -less fatiguing than in July and August. - -Should you wish merely to make a rapid tour of the mountain region, it -will be best so to arrange your route before starting that the first day -will bring you where there is something to be seen, to a comfortable -hotel, and from which your journey may be continued with an economy of -time and money. - -The three journeys described in this volume will enable you to see all -that is most desirable to be seen; but the excellent facilities for -traversing the mountains render it immaterial whether these routes -are precisely followed, taken in their reverse order, or adopted as -a general plan, with such modifications as the tourist's time or -inclination may suggest. - -Upon arriving at his destination the traveller naturally desires to -use his time to the best advantage possible. But he is ignorant how to -do this. "What shall I do?" "Where shall I go?" are the two questions -that confront him. Let us suppose him arrived, first, at NORTH -CONWAY. - -As he stands gazing up the Saco Valley, Moat Mountain is on his left, -Kearsarge at his right, and Mount Washington in front. (Refer to the -Chapter and Index articles on North Conway.) The high cliffs on the side -of Moat are called the Ledges. This glorious view may be improved by -going a mile up the railroad, or highway, to the Intervale. The Ledges -contain the local celebrities. Taking a carriage, or walking, one may -visit them in an afternoon, seeing in turn Echo Lake, the Devil's Den, -the Cathedral, and Diana's Baths. The picturesque bits of river, meadow, -and mountain seen going and returning will make the way seem short, and -are certain to detain the artistic traveller. Artists' Falls, on the -opposite side of the valley, will repay a visit, if the stream is in -good condition. Artists' Brook, on which these falls are, runs from the -hills east of the village. A carriage-road leads to the Artists' Falls -House, from which a short walk brings one to the falls. This excursion -will require not more than two hours. Then there are the drives to -Kearsarge village, under the mountain, and back by the Intervale; to -Jackson, over Thorn Hill, and back by Goodrich Falls (three to four -hours each); to Bartlett Bowlder, by the west, and back by the east side -of the valley; to Fryeburg and Mount Chocorua--the last two requiring -each half a day at least. The ascent of Kearsarge (from Kearsarge -village) or of the Moats (from Diana's Baths) each demands a day to -itself. But by starting early in the morning a good climber may ascend -and descend Kearsarge, getting back to the village by two o'clock in the -afternoon. - -_At the Intervale_ he can easily repeat all these experiences, as this -is a suburb of North Conway. Let him take his first stroll over the -meadows to the river, or among the grand old pines in the forest near -the railway station, while preparing for more extended excursions. - -_At Glen Station._--While waiting for the luggage to be put on, if the -day is perfectly clear, the traveller, by going up the track a few -rods, to the bridge over the Ellis, may get a glimpse of the summit of -Mount Washington, with the hotel upon the apex; also of Carter Notch. -On the way to Jackson he will pass over Goodrich Falls by a bridge. He -should not fail to remark the fine cliffs of Iron Mountain, at his left -hand, before entering the village. Should he be _en route_ for the Glen -House, let him be on the lookout for the Giant's Stairs, on the left, -after leaving Jackson, and then for the grand view of Pinkham Notch, -with Mount Washington at the left, about four miles beyond Jackson. The -summit of Spruce Hill--the scene of the highway robbery in 1881--is the -top of the long rise beyond the bridge over Ellis River. - -_At Jackson_ we have moved eight miles nearer Mount Washington, in -the direction of the Glen House (12 miles) and Gorham (20 miles), and -also toward the Carter Notch, distant from the village 9 miles. The -excursions back to North Conway are similar to those described from -that place. The first thing to do here is to stroll up the Wildcat, and -pass an hour or two among the falls on this stream, which begin at the -village. A walk or drive up this valley to Fernald's Farm, and back -by the opposite side, or over Thorn Hill, are two tempting half-day -excursions. In an hour one may walk to Goodrich Falls (road to Glen -Station) and back to the village. He may start after breakfast, and -drive to Glen Ellis Falls (road to Glen House), eight miles, returning -to the hotel for dinner; or, lunching at Glen Ellis, go on one mile -farther to the Crystal Cascade; then, dining at the Glen House (3 -miles), return at leisure. But it is a mistake to take two such pieces -of water in one day. The pedestrian whose base is Jackson, and who -makes this trip, should pass the night at the Glen House and return by -the Carter Notch, the distance being about the same as by the highway. -But he should never try this alone, for fear of a disabling accident. -Or he may take the Glen House stage at Jackson early in the afternoon, -and, letting it drop him at Glen Ellis, make his own way to the hotel -(4 miles) on foot, after a visit to the falls. Apply to Mr. Osgood, the -veteran guide, at the Glen House, for services, or directions how to -enter the Carter Notch from the Glen House side; and to Jock Davis, who -lives at the head of the Wildcat Valley, if going in from the Jackson -side. - -Ladies who are accustomed to walking can reach Carter Notch with a -little help now and then from the gentlemen. But the fatigue of going -and returning on the same day would be too great. A party could enter -the Notch in the afternoon, pass the night in Davis's comfortable cabin, -and return the next morning. The path in is much easier and plainer from -the Jackson than from the Glen House side; but there is no difficulty -about keeping either. Davis will take up everything necessary for -camping out, except food, which may be procured at your hotel before -starting. There is plenty of water in the Notch. - -_At the Glen House_ one may finish the afternoon by walking back a mile -on the Jackson road to the Emerald Pool; or, if he is in the vein, go -one mile farther on to Thompson's Falls, and, ascending to the top, look -over the forest into Tuckerman's Ravine. The Crystal Cascade (3 miles) -and Glen Ellis (4 miles) from the hotel, ought to occupy half a day, but -three hours (driving) will suffice, if one is in a hurry. The drive to -Jackson, or march into the Notch, are just noted under Jackson. To go -into Tuckerman's Ravine by the Crystal Cascade, or by Thompson's Path -(Mount Washington carriage-road), will take a whole day. Ladies have -been into Tuckerman's; but the trial cannot be recommended except for -the most vigorous and courageous. The Appalachian Club has a camp near -Hermit Lake, where a party going into the ravine in the afternoon may -pass a comfortable night, ascend to the Snow Arch in the morning, and -return to the hotel for dinner. - -A three-mile walk on the Gorham road, crossing the Peabody River to the -Copp Farmhouse, gives a view of the celebrated "Imp" profile, on the -top of the opposite mountain. This walk is an affair of two hours and -a half. (See art. "Imp" in Index.) The Garnet Pool (one mile from the -hotel) may be taken on the way. Or, for a short and interesting stroll, -go down this road a half-mile to where the Great Gulf opens wide before -you its immense wall of mountains. The carriage-road to the summit -requires four hours for the ascent by stage; a good climber can do it -on foot in about the same time. Should a storm overtake him above the -woods, he can find shelter in the Half-way House, just at the edge of -the forest. - -[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON.] - -_At Crawford's_ one can saunter into the woods at the left of the -hotel, and enjoy himself in the sylvan retreat, "Idlewild;" or, going -down the road, ascend the Elephant's Head by a path turning in at the -left (sign-board), obtaining the view down the Notch; or, continuing -on a short distance, enter and examine the Gate of the Notch. All -these objects are in full view from the hotel. Other rambles of an -hour are to Gibbs' Falls, entering the woods at the left of the hotel -(guide-board), or, crossing the bridge over the railroad track on the -right, to Beecher's Cascades. The ascent of Mount Willard (3 miles) -should on no account be omitted. Good carriage-road all the way, and -vehicles from the hotel. The celebrated Crawford Trail to the Summit -of Mount Washington, the scene of many exploits, begins in the grove -at the left of this hotel. The distance is fully nine miles, and six -or seven hours will be none too many for the jaunt. Four intervening -mountains, Clinton, Pleasant, Franklin, and Monroe, are crossed. There -is a shelter-hut in the woods near the summit of Clinton. - -[Illustration: METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN WINTER.] - -_At Fabyan's._--Three or four hours may be profitably spent on Mount -Deception, opposite the hotel. The first summit is as much as one would -care to undertake in an afternoon, to get the extended and magnificent -view of the great range at sunset. Opposite the hotel is a cosy little -cottage, kept open by the railroads for the use of travellers, and to -give them information respecting routes, hotels, distances, fares, etc. -The Upper Ammonoosuc Falls (3-1/2 miles) are well worth a visit. They -are on the Old Turnpike to the base of Mount Washington. The traveller -has now at command all the important points in the mountains. - -He is 9 miles from the Summit, 4 from Crawford's, 29 from North Conway, -13 from Bethlehem, 22 from the Profile, and 18 from Jefferson--all -reached by rail in one or two hours. - -_At Bethlehem._--If the tourist locates himself at the "Maplewood," the -walk up the mountain to the Observatory, or to Cruft's Ledge, at sunset, -or to the village (1-1/2 miles), or down the Whitefield road to The -Hollow, is a good introduction. At "The Street" he will find the busiest -thoroughfare in the mountains, leading him on to a beautiful panorama -of the Ammonoosuc Valley, with Littleton in its lap; or, ascending the -old Profile House road above the Sinclair House for a mile, will see the -great Franconia mountains from the best view-point. Bethlehem is 9 miles -from the Profile House, 13 from Fabyan's, 17 from Crawford's, 42 from -North Conway, 15 from Jefferson, and 22 from the Summit. - -_At Profile House._--If you arrive by rail via Bethlehem, you have -crossed the broad flank and great ravine of Mount Lafayette to the -shores of Echo Lake, a mile from the hotel. But the opposite side -of this lake is a more eligible site for views of the surrounding -mountains; and the summit of Bald Mountain, at its north end, is still -better. From the long piazza of the Profile House the great Notch -mountains close in toward the south. Cannon Mountain is on your right, -with the peculiar rocks giving it this name thrust out from the highest -ridge in full view. The woods at the foot of this mountain, filling -the pass in front of you, conceal the beautiful Profile Lake, the -twin-sister of Echo Lake. The enormous rock at your left is Eagle Cliff, -a spur of Mount Lafayette, the mountain being ascended on the south side -of this cliff. Improve the first hour of leisure by walking directly -down the road to Profile Lake. In a few minutes you will reach the shore -near a rustic arbor (guide-board), furnished with seats, and here you -command the best view of the renowned "Old Man of the Mountain." Boats -may be had here for a sail upon the lake. Return to the hotel by the -path through the woods. Walk next up the pass one mile to Echo Lake -(boats and fishing-gear at the boat-house); or, extending your jaunt -as far as Bald Mountain, obtain, by following the old path through the -woods at the right, the best observation of the pass from the north. The -trip to the Flume House (including the Basin, Pool, and Flume) is next -in order, and will occupy a half day, although the distance is only six -miles, and the road excellent. If the forenoon is taken, a party can -either return to the hotel for dinner or dine well at the Flume House. -The Pool is reached by a path half a mile long, entering the woods -opposite the Flume House. It will take an hour to drive to the Flume; -and an hour to go into the chasm itself and return is little enough; -allowing another hour for the Pool makes four hours for the excursion. - -The ascent of Mount Lafayette (3-3/4 miles) demands three to four hours. -Saddle-horses can be procured at the hotel. Those unwilling to undertake -the whole climb may, by ascending Eagle Cliff (1 mile on same path), -secure a grand view of the Notch and lakes, the Profile, the ravines, -and the Pemigewasset Valley. A stage leaves the Profile House every -morning for Plymouth, connecting with trains for Boston and New York, -and permitting the tourist to enjoy the beauties of the Pemigewasset -Valley. But it is better to ascend this valley. - -_At the Flume House_ (refer to the preceding article).--It is a -comparatively easy climb of an hour and a half to the top of Mount -Pemigewasset, behind the hotel. See, from the hotel, the outline of the -mountain ridge opposite, called Washington Lying in State. - -_At Jefferson._--The branch railway from Whitefield (B., C., & M. R.R.) -leaves its passengers about three miles from the cluster of hotels and -boarding-houses called Jefferson Hill, or five from East Jefferson -(E. A. Crawford's, Highland, or Mount Adams House); but carriages -are usually in waiting for all these houses. The walks and drives up -and down this valley are numerous and interesting, especially so in -the direction of Mount Adams and Randolph Hill, Cherry Mountain and -Lancaster. The trip over Cherry Mountain, reaching Fabyan's (13 miles) -by sunset, or from Fabyan's, reaching Jefferson at this hour, is a -memorable experience of mountain beauty. Excursions to Mount Washington, -Profile House, Glen House, or Gorham, demand a day. The ascent of Starr -King, Owl's Head, Ravine of the Cascades, King's Ravine, or Mount Adams -are the _pieces de resistance_ for this locality. - -ITINERARY OF A WALKING TOUR.--Two weeks of fine weather will enable -a good pedestrian to traverse the mountains from Plymouth to North -Conway, or _vice versa_, following the great highways throughout the -whole journey, and giving time to see what is on the route. Good hotel -accommodation will be found at the end of each day. Should bad weather -unsettle his plans, he will nearly always be able to avail himself of -regular stage or railway conveyance for a less or greater distance. -Thus: First day, Plymouth to Woodstock (dine at Sanborn's, West -Campton), 16 miles; second day, Flume House (visiting Flume and Pool), -8 miles; third day, Profile House (visiting Basin and "Old Man"), 5-1/2 -miles; fourth day, Bethlehem (_via_ Echo Lake and Franconia), 9 miles; -fifth day, Whitefield, 8 miles; sixth day, East Jefferson, 13 miles; -seventh day, Glen House, 14 miles; eighth day, for vicinity of Glen -House; ninth day, Summit of Mount Washington by carriage-road, 8 miles; -tenth day, descent by mountain railway to Crawford's, 13 miles; eleventh -day, through the Notch to Bartlett, 13 miles; twelfth day, Jackson and -vicinity, 9 miles; thirteenth day, North Conway, 8 miles. Total, 124 -miles. - -_Advice for Climbers._--Don't hurry when on a level road--keep your -strength for the ascent. Always take the long route up a mountain, if it -be the easier one. Be careful where you plant the foot in gullied trails -or on icy ledges--a sprain is a serious matter if you are alone. Carry -in your pocket a flask, fitted with a tumbler or cup; matches that will -ignite in the wind, half a dozen cakes of pitch-kindling, a good glass, -and a luncheon; in your hand a stout walking-stick; and upon your feet -shoes that can be trusted--none of your gimcracks--but broad-soled ones, -shod with steel nails. On a long march a rubber overcoat, a haversack, -and an umbrella will be needed. Cold tea slakes thirst more effectually -than water; but when you are exposed to wet and cold something stronger -will be found useful. Should you have a palpitation of the heart, or an -inclination to vertigo, do not climb at all. Take quiet rambles instead. -My word for it, they are better for you than scaling breathless ascents -or looking down over dizzy precipices. If you feel nausea, stop at once -until you recover from it. If caught on the Crawford trail between -Mounts Clinton and Washington, go back to the hut on the first-named -mountain. - -_Newspapers for Tourists_, at Bethlehem (_The Echo_) and on the Summit -(_Among the Clouds_) are published during the season of travel, -giving hotel arrivals, information concerning rail and stage routes, -excursions, and whatever may be of interest to the summer population in -general. - -Telegraphic and telephone communication may be had at all the principal -hotels and railway-stations. - -The Appalachian Mountain Club prints every year a periodical made up of -scientific and literary contributions from its members. Address the club -at Boston. - -_Trout_, _pickerel_, and _black bass_ are found in all the mountain -waters. The State stocks the ponds and streams with trout, bass, and -salmon from its breeding-houses at Plymouth. Fishing legally begins May -1. There is good trout-fishing on Swift River (Albany), with Conway for -head-quarters. From Jackson, or Glen House, the Wildcat and Ellis are -both good trout streams; so are Nineteen-Mile Brook and the West Branch -of Peabody; but the Wild River region (from Shelburne, Glen House, or -Jackson) affords better sport, because less visited. To go in from -Jackson or Glen House a guide will be necessary, and Davis, of Jackson, -is a good one. From Jefferson and Randolph the upper waters of the -Moose, and Israel's River (especially in the Mount Jefferson ravine), -are fished with good success. E. A. Crawford, of East Jefferson, knows -the best spots. From Bartlett there should be good fishing on Sawyer's -River, above the Livermore mills. Consult Frank George, the veteran -landlord of the Bartlett House. From Crawford's the best fishing-ground -is Ethan's Pond, behind Mount Willey. At Franconia the writer has -seen some fine strings brought from the Copper-mine Brook (back of -Mount Kinsman). Fair fishing may also be had on Lafayette Brook--ask -Charles Edson, of the Edson House. Profile Lake is stocked with trout -for the benefit of guests of the hotel. The upper streams of the -Pemigewasset are all good fishing-ground. Apply to Mr. D. P. Pollard, -North Woodstock, or Merrill Greeley, Waterville. The houses of both are -resorted to by experienced fishermen who track the East Branch or Mad -River tributaries. Pickerel and bass are caught in Lakes Winnipiseogee, -Squam, Chocorua, Ossipee, and Silver, besides scores of ponds lying -chiefly in the lake region. - -N.B.--Those going exclusively to fish should go early in the season for -the best sport. - -_Guides._--The landlords will either accompany you or procure a suitable -person. - -_Camping Out._--A wall tent is preferable, but two persons get along -comfortably in one of the "A" pattern. Get one with the fly, which -can be spread behind the tent, thus giving an additional room, in -which the cooking and eating may be done under cover. Set up your tent -where there is natural drainage--where the surface water will run off -during wet weather. Dig a shallow trench around it, on the outside, -for this purpose, and if you can obtain them, lay boards for a floor. -A kerosene-oil stove, with its utensils, folding cot-bed, camp-chairs, -and mess-chest, containing dishes (tin is best), constitute a complete -outfit, to be reduced according to convenience or pleasure. To make a -woods-man's camp, first set up two crotched posts five feet high, and -six or eight apart (according to number). On these lay a pole. From this -pole three or four others extend to the ground. Then cut brush or bark -for the roof and sides, and build your fire in front. For a camp of this -sort a hatchet and packet of matches only are necessary. But always -pitch your encampment in the vicinity of wood and water. - -_Mount Washington Railway._--Length, from base to summit, 3 miles. Rise -in the three miles, 3,625 feet. Steepest grade, 13-1/2 inches in three -feet, or 1980 feet to the mile. Begun in 1866; completed in 1869. - -_Mount Washington Carriage-road._--Length, 8 miles. Average grade, one -foot in eight. Steepest grade, one foot in six. Begun in 1855; finished -in 1861. - -_Mount Washington Signal Station._--The Summit was first occupied for -scientific purposes in the winter of 1870-'71. Since then it has been -attached to the Weather Bureau at Washington, and occupied by men -detailed from the United States Signal Corps, the men volunteering for -the service. - -ALTITUDES.--The following list of altitudes of the more important -and well-known points has been compiled from the publications of the -Geological Survey of New Hampshire and of the Appalachian Mountain Club. -The figures in =heavy-face= type are the results either of actual -levelling or of trigonometrical survey, while the remainder depend upon -barometrical measurement. Where the mean of two not widely-differing -authorities is given, the fact is denoted by the letter "_m_" preceding -the figures: - - MOUNTAIN SUMMITS. - - Adams-----_m_ 5785 - Ascutney (Vermont)-----3186 - Black (Sandwich Dome)-----=3999= - Boott's Spur-----5524 - Cannon-----3850 - Carrigain-----_m_ 4651 - Carter Dome-----_m_ 4827 - Chocorua-----3540 - Clay-----5553 - Clinton-----_m_ 4315 - Crawford-----3134 - Giant's Stairs-----3500 - Gunstock-----=2394= - Iron-----_about_ 2000 - Jefferson-----5714 - Kearsarge, S. (Merrimack County)-----=2943= - Kearsarge, N. (Carroll County)-----=3251= - Lafayette-----=5259= - Madison-----_m_ 5350 - Moat (North peak)-----3200 - Monadnock-----_m_ 3177 - Monroe-----_m_ 5375 - Moosilauke-----=4811= - Moriah-----4653 - Osceola-----_m_ 4408 - Passaconnaway-----4200 - Percy (North peak)-----3336 - Pleasant (Great range)-----_m_ 4768 - Pleasant (Maine)-----=2021= - Starr King-----_m_ 3872 - Twin-----_about_ 5000 - Washington-----=6293= - Webster-----4000 - Whiteface-----=4007= - Willey-----4300 - - VILLAGES AND HOTELS. - - Bartlett (Upper)-----=660= - Bethlehem (Sinclair House)-----_m_ 1454 - Franconia-----921 - Crawford House-----=1899= - Fabyan "-----1571 - Flume "-----1431 - Glen "-----=1632= - Gorham-----=812= - Jackson-----759 - Jefferson Hill-----1440 - Jefferson Highlands (Mt. Adams House)-----1648 - Lancaster-----=870= - North Conway-----=521= - Plymouth-----=473= - Profile House-----1974 - Sugar Hill (Post Office)-----1351 - Waterville (Greeley's Hotel)-----_m_ 1544 - Willey House-----=1323= - - NOTCHES. - - Carter Notch-----3240 - Cherry Mt. Road (summit)-----_m_ 2180 - Crawford or White Mt. Notch-----=1914= - Dixville Notch-----1831 - Franconia Notch-----_m_ 2015 - Pinkham Notch (south of Glen House)-----2018 - Carrigain Notch-----2465 - - MISCELLANEOUS. - - Ammonoosuc Sta. (base of Mt. Washington)-----=2668= - Camp of Appalachian Mountain Club, on the - -----Mt. Adams path-----3307 - Echo Lake (Franconia)-----_m_ 1928 - Lake of the Clouds-----5053 - Lake Winnipiseogee-----=500= - -_Distant Points Visible from Mount Washington_ (taken from -"Appalachia").--Mount Megantic (Canada), 86 miles, seen between -Jefferson and Adams; Mount Carmel, 65 miles, just over Mount Adams; -Saddleback, 60 miles, head of Rangely Lakes; Mount Abraham, 68 -miles, N., 47 deg. E.; Ebene Mountain, 135 miles, vicinity of Moosehead -Lake (rarely seen, even with a telescope); Mount Blue, 57 miles, -near Farmington, Me.; Sebago Lake, 43 miles, over Mount Doublehead; -Portland, 67 miles, over Lake Sebago; Mount Agamenticus, 79 miles, -between Kearsarge and Moat Mountains; Isles of Shoals, 96 miles, to -the right of Agamenticus (rarely seen); Mount Monadnock, 104 miles, -between Carrigain and Sandwich Dome; Mount Ascutney (Vt.), 81 miles, -S., 45 deg. W.; Killington Peaks (near Rutland, Vt.), 88 miles, on the -horizon between Moosilauk and Lincoln; Camel's Hump (Vt), 78 miles, over -Bethlehem Street; Mount Whiteface (Adirondack chain, N.Y.), 130 miles, -over the right slope of Camel's Hump; Mount Mansfield (highest of Green -Mountains), 77 miles, between Twin Mountain House and Mount Deception; -Mount Wachusett (Mass.), 126 miles, is also visible under favorable -conditions, just to the right of Whiteface (N. H.). - -MOUNTAIN PATHS. [Those with an asterisk (*) were built by the -Appalachian Mountain Club.] _Chocorua._--There are three or four paths. -The best leads from the Hammond Farm, 2-1/2 miles from the Chocorua Lake -House, and 14 miles from North Conway. The ascent, as far as the foot of -the final peak, is feasible for ladies. From this point the easiest way -is to flank the peak to the left until an old watercourse is reached, -which may be followed nearly to the summit. - -*_Moat._--An old path leads from the Swift River road to the summit of -the South Peak. Another, from the clearings on an old road which extends -along the base of the South Peak, leads to the top of the middle ridge; -but the best path for tourists is the one from Diana's Baths, on Cedar -Brook, following the stream to the foot of the ridge, thence over the -ridge to the summit of the North Peak. Path well made, and plainly -marked with signs and cairns; about 3-1/2 miles in length. - -*_Middle Mountain, North Conway._--Beginning at the ice-ponds near -Artists' Falls House, the path extends around the base of Peaked -Mountain, thence to the bare ledges which reach to the summit. Distance, -1-5/8 miles. Path well marked, and the view very beautiful. - -_Kearsarge, North Conway._--A bridle-path starts from a farm-house near -Kearsarge Village, and extends to the summit. Distance, nearly 3 miles. -Route plain, and not difficult. - -*_Mount Bartlett._--The path starts near the Pequawket House, Lower -Bartlett, follows old logging roads for some distance, runs thence -directly to the summit. From the summit the path extends along the ridge -until it joins the bridle-path to Kearsarge. - -*_Carrigain._--The route leads from the mills at Livermore, which are -reached by a road leaving the P. & O. R.R. at Livermore Station. From -the mills, logging roads are followed--crossing Duck Pond and Carrigain -Brooks--to the base; thence by a plain path through a fine forest to -"Burnt Hat Ridge," from which it is only a short distance to the summit. - -From mills to summit is about 5 miles. Station to mills, 2 miles. - -*_Livermore-Waterville Path._--This is intended for a bridle-path. -Starting from the mills at Livermore, a logging-road is followed nearly -two miles on the southerly side of Sawyer's River. Here the path begins -and runs along the north-west base of Green's Cliff, crosses Swift River -at a beautiful fall, thence through the Notch south of Mount Kancamagus -to Greeley's, in Waterville. The path is well marked by painted signs. -Distance from Livermore to Swift River, 5 miles; to Greeley's, 12 miles. - -*_Mount Willey._--Path leaves the P. & O. R.R. a little south of Willey -Station. The rise is rapid until the Brook Kedron is reached; this -brook is then followed to its source, thence the path leads direct to -the summit. Distance, 1-1/2 miles. The climb is steep; but the view -unsurpassed. - -_Crawford Bridle-path_ leads from the Crawford House to the summit of -Washington. Path is plain, and the travelling along the ridge is easy; -but it is not in condition for horses. See pp. 325, 326. - -*_Carter Notch._--Path begins near the end of the Wildcat Valley road, -about 5-1/2 miles from Jackson; thence it follows the valley of the -brook to the ponds in the Notch. From the ponds it follows Nineteen Mile -Brook to the clearing back of the Glen House. The travelling is easy; -the view in the Notch grand. - -Distance from the road to the ponds, about 4 miles; from the ponds to -the Glen House, about the same. - -*_Carter Dome._--The path starts from the larger pond in the Notch, and -is well marked to the summit. It is very steep, and about 1-1/2 miles in -length. - -_Great Gulf._--A path beginning near the Glen House goes through this -gorge. From the end of the path the carriage-road or railroad on Mount -Washington may be reached by a severe climb up the side of the ravine. - -_Tuckerman's Ravine._--The Glen House path leaves the Mount Washington -carriage-road about 2 miles up, then crosses through the forest to -Hermit Lake. - -*_Via Crystal Cascade._--The Mountain Club path begins about 3 miles -from the Glen House, on the Jackson road, ascending the stream until it -joins the Glen House path near Hermit Lake. Here the Club has a good -camp for the use of travellers. Beyond, a single path extends to the -Snow-field; and a feasible route has been marked with white paint on the -rocks--up the head wall of the ravine, and thence to the summit. - -*_Mount Adams._--This path starts opposite the residence of Charles -E. Lowe, on the road from Jefferson Hill to Gorham, about 8-1/2 miles -from either town, and climbs the steep spur forming one wall of King's -Ravine, following over the ledges to the westerly peak, thence to the -summit. Distance, about 4 miles. Nearly half way up the spur a good -camp has been built for the use of climbers. The way over the ledges is -marked by cairns. Mount Jefferson may be reached by turning to the right -before reaching the summit of the westerly peak; Madison by turning to -the left. - -*_King's Ravine._--The path branches from the Mount Adams path about -1-1/2 miles from Lowe's. The bowlders in the Ravine are reached without -great difficulty. From the bowlders up the head-wall, and through the -gate-way, the climb is arduous; and the way is not very distinctly -marked. From the gate-way, Madison and the several peaks of Adams may be -reached. - -_Mount Madison._--There are several routes up Madison, but the best -is probably that leading up the ridge from "Dolly" Copp's, on the Old -Pinkham Road. The climb is tedious, and the path somewhat overgrown. The -Mountain Club will probably clear and keep this path in good condition. - -*_Bridal Veil Falls._--Path starts from Horace Brooks's, on the road -from Franconia to Easton--2 to 3 miles from Sugar Hill and Franconia -Village. It follows an old road across the clearings to Copper-mine -Brook, thence by the brook to the foot of the Falls. Distance, 2-1/2 -miles from Brooks's. Walking easy. - -The path to the Flume on Mount Kinsman leads from the same highway about -a mile beyond Brooks's. - -_Mount Lafayette._--The bridle-path begins near the Profile House, -turning Eagle Cliff, and crossing over to the main ridge. It leads -nearly to the summit of the ridge, thence across the col by the lakes, -and up the main peak. Distance, 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 miles. - -_Mount Cannon._--The path enters the forest near the cottages in front -of the Profile House. The summit is reached by a steep climb of 1-1/2 -miles. The Cannon Rock is a short distance down the mountain-side, to -the left of the path as it emerges from the forest; the forehead rock of -the Profile can be reached by bearing down the mountain diagonally to -the right from Cannon Rock until the edge of the cliff is reached. It is -a hard scramble to the latter. - -_Black Mountain, Waterville._--The new path leaves the highway 2 miles -below Greeley's, near Drake's Brook. It runs near the edge of the ravine -of Drake's Brook, crosses the ridge between Noon and Jennings' Peaks--to -each of which a branch path leads--thence up the northerly slope of the -main summit. Distance from the road to the summit is 3-1/4 miles. The -views are very fine, and the climb easy for ordinary walkers. - -_Osceola._--Path leaves the Greeley-pond path beyond the saw-mill above -Greeley's, bearing to the left. Ascent easy. Distance, about 4 miles. - -_Tecumseh._--Path branches from the Osceola path at the crossing of -the west branch of Mad River, 7/8 of a mile from Greeley's. The grade -is easy, except for a short distance near the summit. Distance from -Greeley's, 3 miles. - -_Tri-Pyramid._--The great slide on Tri-Pyramid may be reached from -Greeley's by a path across the pasture to the right from the rear of the -house, thence about 1-1/2 miles through fine old woods to a deserted -clearing known as Beckytown. From here the stream may be followed by -clambering over the _debris_ of the slide nearly 2 miles to the base of -the South Peak. The summit is reached by climbing to the apex of the -slide, thence bearing up to the right a short distance through low woods. - -*_Thornton-Warren Path._--This path was built to enable visitors in the -Upper Pemigewasset Valley or in Warren to cross from one locality to -the other, avoiding the long detour _via_ Plymouth. It starts from the -Profile House stage-road at the junction of the Tannery road, in West -Thornton, crosses Hubbard Brook at this point, and passes over a long -stretch of pasture until the woods are reached. At this point, and at -all doubtful points, signs have been placed. For much of the distance -the path follows Hubbard Brook, and passes out through the Notch between -Mounts Kineo and Cushman to an old road-way leading to clearings on -Baker's River, near the mountain-houses at the foot of Mount Moosilauke. - -Distance from the stage-road to the road-way in Warren, 8 miles. A -permanent camp has been built half-way on Hubbard Brook. - -A trail has been spotted from a point in the path about 1 mile north of -the camp to the summit of Kineo. - - - - -INDEX. - - Refer to a mountain, lake, or river, under its proper name, - thus: Washington (Mount); Squam (Lake); Saco (River). - - The abbreviations in parentheses show that the town or village - is on the line of a railway: (E. R.R.) stands for Eastern; (P. & - O.), Portland and Ogdensburg; (B., C., & M.), Boston, Concord, and - Montreal; (G. T. R.), Grand Trunk; (Pass.), Passumpsic. - - -ADAMS, Mount, from North Conway, 55; - from Thorn Hill, 122; - from Wildcat Valley, 133; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from the Glen House, 145; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181; - ascent by King's Ravine, 298; - ascent from Mount Washington, 312-315; - the apex, 315; - view from, 316. - -Adirondacks, from Moosehillock, 273. - -Agassiz, Mount, from Profile House Road, 249, 276. - -Agiochook, or Agiockochook (Indian name for the White Mountains), 120. - -Amherst, Sir Jeffrey (Gen.), in the French War, 259. - -Ammonoosuc, Falls of, 304. - -Ammonoosuc River, source of, 179. - -Ammonoosuc Valley, from Mount Clinton, 98; - at Bethlehem, 277; - at Fabyan's, 300. - -Androscoggin River, at Gorham, 170; - at Berlin, 174; - at Shelburne, 176; - at Bethel, 177. - -Appalachian Mountain Club, 62, 221. - -Artists' Falls (North Conway), 46, 47. - -Autumn foliage, 66, 67. - - -BAKER'S RIVER (branch of Pemigewasset, branch of the Merrimack), 210; - falls on, 269. - -Bald Mountain, an inferior summit of Chocorua, 26. - -Ball, B. L., lost on Mount Washington, 186. - -Bartlett Bowlder, 58. - -Bartlett (P. & O. R.R.), mountains surrounding, 61, 62; - ascent of Mount Carrigain from, 62-65. - -Basin (Franconia Pass), 231. - -Beecher's Cascade (near Crawford House), 89. - -Belknap, Jeremy, D.D. (historian of New Hampshire), quoted, 69. - -Belknap, Mount (Lake Winnipiseogee), 8. - -Bemis, Dr. Samuel A., home of, 69, 70. - -Berlin (G. T. R.), 172; - the Falls, 174, 175. - -Bethel, Maine (G. T. R.), 177. - -Bethlehem (B., C., & M. R.R.), 276; - admirable position of as a centre, 277; - Bethlehem Street, 278, 279; - fine views from, 280, 281; - a sunset from the "Maplewood," 282-284; - White Mountains from, 284; - the Hermit, 286; - the peddler, 288. - -Bigelow's Lawn (Mount Washington), 198. - -Black Mountain (Sandwich Dome), from West Campton, 216; - Noon Peak, 220; - from Waterville (Greeley's), 221. - -Boott's Spur (Mount Washington), 146; - from the plateau, 198. - -Bourne, Lizzie, death of, on Mount Washington, 310. - -Bridal Veil Falls (Mount Kinsman), 255. - -Brown, George L. (painter), referred to, 253. - -Buck-board wagon described, 273. - - -CAMPTON, 211; - Campton Hollow, 214; - West Campton, and view from, 215; - Sanborn's, 216; - annals of Campton, 216. - -Campton Village (Pemigewasset Valley), 218. - -Cannon (or Profile) Mountain, from West Campton, 215; - from the clearing below the Profile, 231; - remarkable profile on, 232; - from Franconia, 252. - -Carrigain, Mount, from Chocorua, 30; - from Bartlett, 62; - ascent from Bartlett, 62-64; - view from summit, 64, 65. - -Carrigain Notch, from Mount Chocorua, 30; - from Mount Carrigain, 64. - -Carter Dome, 133; - the Pulpit, 136; - ascent of, and view from, 140, 141. - -Carter Mountains, from Gorham, 170. - -Carter Notch, from Chocorua, 31; - from North Conway, 40; - from Thorn Hill, 122, 132; - way into, from Jackson, 132; - impressive desolation of the interior, 137; - the Giants' Barricade, 137, 138; - the lakes, 139; - way out to Glen House, 143. - -Castellated Ridge (Mount Jefferson), 314. - -Cathedral (North Conway), 46. - -Cathedral Ledge (North Conway), 41, 42. - -Cathedral Woods (North Conway), 55. - -Centre Harbor, approach to, by Lake Winnipiseogee, 8-10; - settled, 10; - route by stage to West Ossipee _via_ Sandwich and Tamworth, 18-21. - -Chandler, Benjamin, lost on Mount Washington, 186. - -Cherry Mountain (Valley of Israel's River), 291; - Owl's Head, 292; - road to Fabyan's, 300. - -Chocorua, Lake, from the mountain, 29, 31, 32. - -Chocorua (Sho'kor'ua), Mount, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 9; - from Red Hill, 16; - legend of, 21; - ascent from Tamworth, 25-28; - landscapes from, 29-31; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Clay, Mount (next north of Washington), 169; - ascent of, 312. - -Clinton, Mount (near Crawford House), 97; - view from summit, 100. (First mountain ascended by Crawford Path.) - -Connecticut Ox-Bow, 256-258. - -Conway, or Conway Corner (E. R.R.), superb view of the great chain from, 33. - -Copp Farm (view-point for seeing "The Imp"), 165. - -Copp, Nathaniel, his adventurous deer-hunt, 167. - -Copper-mine Brook (branch of Gale River), 255. - -Crawford, Abel, described, 70-72. - -Crawford, Ethan Allen, 71, 72; - his burial-place, 302. - -Crawford bridle-path, opened, 89; - march to the summit (_see_ Chapter X.); - Mount Clinton first, 117; - the crystal forests, 98; - Liliputian wood, 99; - fine view from summit, 100; - frost-work, 100; - Mount Pleasant next, 102; - in a snow-storm, 102; - crossing the ridge, 103; - Oakes's Gulf, 103; - Mount Franklin next, 103; - (_water here_) weird objects by the way, 104; - Mount Monroe next (two peaks, with shallow ponds near the path); - the plateau, 105; - base of the cone reached, 105; - ascent of the cone, 107; - the stone corral, 107; - the summit, 108. - -Crawford Glen (Saco Valley), 69. - -Crawford House (summit of Crawford Notch), its surroundings, 87-94. - -Crawford, Mount (Saco Valley, east side), 69; - Davis Path to Mount Washington, 73; - view of from Frankenstein Bridge, 74. - -Crawford Notch (_see_ Great Notch of the White Mountains). - -Crawford, T. J., opens a bridle-path to the summit, 89. - -Crystal Cascade (Pinkham Notch), 149, 150. - - -DARTMOUTH, _see_ Jefferson. - -Davis Path (to Mount Washington), 73; - junction with Crawford Path, 198. - -Deception, Mount (near Fabyan's), 300. - -Destruction of mountain forests, 172. - -Devil's Den (North Conway), 45, 46. - -Diana's Baths (North Conway ), 46. - -Douglass, William, M.D., quoted, on the origin - of the name White Mountains, 121, _note_. - -Dwight, Timothy, L.L.D., 71 (_see_ his "Travels in New England," - and journeys through the mountains). - - -EAGLE CLIFF (Franconia Pass), from Flume House, 225; - from Profile House, 238, 239; - ascent by the bridle-path, 243; - from Franconia, 254. - -Eagle Lakes (Mount Lafayette), 244. (Also called Cloud Lakes.) - -Eagle Mountain (Eagle Mountain House), Wildcat Valley, Jackson, 133. - -Early settlements by white people, 216, 217, 293. - -Echo Lake (Franconia Pass), 239. - -Echo Lake (North Conway), 45. - -Elephant's Head (Crawford Notch), 87. - -Ellis River (branch of the Saco; rises in Pinkham Notch), - _see_ Goodrich Falls, 125; - Glen Ellis Falls, 151; - incident connected with, 153. - -Emerald Pool (near Glen House, Pinkham Notch), 147, 148. - -Endicott Rock, a surveyor's monument at the outlet of Lake Winnipiseogee, 10. - - -FABYAN'S (B., C., & M. and P. & O. R.R.), view at, 300; - Mount Washington Railway, 301; - Eleazer Rosebrook and E. A. Crawford, 302, 303. - -Fall of a Thousand Streams, 162. - -Farmer, John (historian), quoted, 210. - -Field, Darby, makes the first ascent of Mount Washington, 116-119; - second ascent, 119, _see note_. - -Flume (Franconia Pass), way to and description of, 226-228. - -Flume Cascade, _see_ description by Dr. T. Dwight, in his - "Travels in New England." - -Flume House (Franconia Pass), 224. - -Franconia Mountains, from West Campton, 215; - from Bethlehem, 280; - from Jefferson, 292. - -Franconia Pass (Chapters II. and III., Third Journey), Flume House, 224; - the Pool, 225; - the Flume, 226; - the Basin, 231; - Mounts Cannon and Lafayette, 231, 232; - the "Old Man," 232; - Profile Lake, 232; - Profile House, 237; - Eagle Cliff, 238; - Echo Lake, 239; - sunset in the pass, 240; - from Bethlehem heights, 279. - -Franconia village (Iron Works), from Mount Lafayette, 243; - general view of, 251; - fine views in, 253, 254. - -Frankenstein Cliff (Saco Valley), named, 73; - appearance of, from the valley, 73, 74; - the bridge, 74. - -Fryeburg, Maine (P. & O. R.R.), 33-38. - - -GALE RIVER (branch of the Ammonoosuc, branch of the Connecticut), 243. - -Garfield, Mount (_see_ Haystack), 284. - -Giant's Stairs (Saco Valley, east side), 73; - from Jackson, 123, 129. - -Gibbs's Falls (near Crawford House), 97. - -Glen Ellis Falls, 151, 152; legend of, 152. - -Glen House, way to, by Jackson and Carter Notch, 131; - its surroundings, 144; - carriage-road to the summit, 144; - Mount Washington from, 144, 145; - Emerald Pool, 147, 148; - Thompson's Falls, 146; - Crystal Cascade, 149; - Glen Ellis Falls, 151; - Tuckerman's Ravine, 155; - The Imp, 165; - to or from Gorham, 165, 170; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181. - -Goodenow's, _see_ Sugar Hill. - -Goodrich Falls (Ellis River), 125. - -Gorham (G. T. R.), its situation, 169. - -Grand Monadnock, from Red Hill, 17; - from Mount Washington, 192. - -Great Gulf, from Glen House, 165; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181, 185; - from Mount Clay, 313. - -Great Notch of the White Mountains (Crawford Notch), from Mount Chocorua, 31; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - approach to, by the Saco Valley, 76; - the mountains forming it, 77; - Willey, or Notch House, 77; - landslip of 1826, 79, 80; - the Cascades, 84, 85, 89, 97; - Gate of the Notch, 86; - summit of the Notch (Crawford House), 86; - Elephant's Head, 87; - discovery of the Pass, 88, 89; - the Notch from Mount Willard, 91; - from Mount Clinton, 100. - -Greeley's, _see_ Waterville. - -Green Mountains, from Mount Washington, 190; - from Moosehillock, 273. - -Gyles, John (Capt.), quoted on the Indian name for the White Mountains, 120. - - -Hancock, Mount, from the Ellsworth road (Campton), 216; - from Moosehillock, 272. - -Hart's Ledge (Saco Valley, east side, near Bartlett), 62. - -Haverhill (B., C., & M. R.R.), 257. - -Hawthorne, Nathaniel, origin of his story of "The Great Carbuncle," 119; - death of, 209; - legend of "The Great Stone Face," 235. - -Hayes, Mount (Gorham, New Hampshire), 169-171. - -Haystack, Mount (now Mount Garfield), 254. - -Hermit Lake (Tuckerman's Ravine, Mount Washington), 159. - -Hitchcock, C. H. (geologist), 197. - -Humphrey's Ledge (near Glen Station), 41. - -Hunter, Harry W., lost on Mount Washington, 199, _note_. - -Huntington's Ravine, from Carter Dome, 142. - - -Idlewild (near Crawford House), 89. - -Imp, The (rock profile near Glen House), 166. - -Indians, customs of mountain tribes, 10; - Sokokis, or Pigwackets, or _Pequawkets_, destruction of - by Love-well, 34-38; - Indian names, 24, 25, _note_; - superstitions regarding the high summits, traditions, etc. - (_see_ Chapter I., Second Journey); - attack Shelburne, 177; - at Plymouth, 210; - attack Dartmouth (Jefferson), 294. - -Intervale (North Conway, E. R.R. and P. & O. R.R.), superb - panorama from, 55-57; - _see_ art. North Conway. - -Israel's River (branch of the Connecticut), 291. - - -Jackson (_see_ Chapters II. and III., Second Journey), 122-143; - how to get there from North Conway, 122; - its topography, 123; - Jackson Falls (on Wildcat River), 124; - Fernald's Farm, 130; - Wildcat Valley, 133; - to Carter Notch, 133-140. - -Jackson, C. T. (geologist), quoted, 197, _note_. - -Jackson Falls (Wildcat River), 124. - -Jefferson, Mount, from Jefferson Hill, 293; - Ravine of the Cascades, 297; - ascent from Mount Washington, 312; - Ravine of the Castles, 313; - Castellated Ridge, 314. - -Jefferson (branch R.R. from Whitefield), 291; - Jefferson Hill, 292; - antecedents of, 293; - Indian attack on, 294; - East Jefferson, 295; - to Randolph Hill, 297; - to Fabyan's, 300. - -Jockey Cap (Fryeburg, Maine), 34. - -Josselyn, John (author of "New England's Rarities"), - ascends Mount Washington, 119. - - -Kearsarge, Mount, from North Conway, 39, 40, 41; - winter ascent of, 47-54; - view from summit, 51, 52; - from Bartlett, 62; - from Carter Dome, 141. - -King, Thomas Starr, tribute to, 294, 295. - -King's Ravine (Mount Adams), from Randolph Hill, 298; - from Mount Adams, 317. - -Kinsman, Mount (next south of Cannon, Franconia group), 244, 252. - - -Lafayette, Mount, from West Campton, 215; - _see_ Chapter III., Third Journey; - Eagle Cliff, 238, 239; - from Echo Lake, 240; - ascent from the Profile House, 243-247; - the Notch, 243; - the ravines, 243-254; - Eagle Lakes, 244; - summit and view, 246, 247; - from Franconia Iron Works, 252; - from Newbury, Vermont, 258; - from Bethlehem heights, 279. - -Lake of the Clouds (Mount Washington), 198. - -Lary's (Gorham, New Hampshire), 171. - -Lead Mine Bridge (Shelburne, G. T. R.), grand view from, 175, 176. - -Legends of General Hampton and the Devil, 11-14; - of Mount Chocorua, 21-24; - of Passaconnaway, 24, 25, _note_; - Indian tradition of the Deluge, 114; - the Indian's heaven, 115; - the Great Carbuncle, 115; - the war party and its prisoners, 127, 128; - the youthful lovers, 128; - of Glen Ellis Falls, 152; - of the Silver Image, 263. - -Lion's Head (Tuckerman's Ravine), 142, 146, 159. - -Lisbon (B., C., & M. R.R.), discovery of gold ores in, 251. - -Littleton (B., C., & M. R.R.), from Bethlehem, 279. - -Livermore (P. & O. R.R.), Saco Valley, logging hamlet of, 63; - way to the Pemigewasset, 221. - -Livermore Falls (Pemigewasset River), 212. - -Logging on the Androscoggin, 173, 174. - -Lonesome Lake (Mount Kinsman), 244. - -Long Island, Lake Winnipiseogee, east shore, 9. - -Lovewell, John (captain of colonial rangers), battle with the Sokokis, 34-38. - -Lovewell's Pond (scene of Lovewell's fight), 34. - -Lowell, Mount (Saco Valley), slide on, 64. - - -MAD RIVER and Valley (branch of Pemigewasset), 218. - -Madison, Mount (next north of Adams), 165. - -Marsh, Sylvester, projector of Mount Washington railway, 301. - -Merrimack River, source of, 65. - -Moat Range, position of, 39; - cliffs of, 40, 41, 44; - the ascent, 47; - from Jackson Falls, 124. - -Monroe, Mount, from Tuckerman's Ravine, 160. - -Moose River (branch of Androscoggin), 171. - -Moosehillock, or Moosilauke, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 10; - from Chocorua, 30; - from Pemigewasset Valley, 223; - from Newbury, Vermont, 258; - _see_ Chapter VII., Third Journey, 269-275; - how to reach the mountain, 269; - the mountain's top, 271; - view from, 273; - from Bethlehem, 279. - -Moriah, Mount (Carter Chain, near Gorham), 169. - -Mountain Butterfly, 202. - - -NANCY'S BROOK (Saco Valley), story of, 67-69. - -Newbury, Vermont (Pass. R.R.), 257. - -Nineteen Mile Brook (branch of the Peabody River, a branch - of the Androscoggin; rises in Carter Notch), 143. - -North Conway (E. R.R. and P. & O. R.R.), topographical features of, 39-41; - excursions from, 57; - _see_ Intervale, White Horse Ledge, Cathedral Ledge, Humphrey's - Ledge, Echo Lake, Diana's Baths, Artists' Falls, - Kearsarge and Moat Mountains, etc. - - -OAKE'S GULF (in great range), 103. - -Old Man of the Mountain (Franconia Pass), 231-236; - legends of, 235. - -Ossipee Mountains, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 8. - -Owl's Head (Lake Memphremagog), from Moosehillock, 273; - Cherry Mountain, 292. - - -PEABODY RIVER (branch of the Androscoggin; rises in Pinkham - Notch), 144, 154, _note_. - -Pemigewasset River, branch of Merrimack, 210; - Livermore Falls, 211; - East Branch, 223. - -Pemigewasset, Mount (near Flume House), ascent and view, 229. - -Pemigewasset Valley (Chapter I., Third Journey), 210-223; - villages of, 212. - -Pemigewasset Wilderness, way through, 221, 229. - -Percy Peaks, 280, note. - -Perkins Notch, position of, 133. - -Pilot Mountains from Gorham, 170; - origin of name, 170, 171. - -Pine Mountain (Gorham, New Hampshire), 170. - -Pinkham Notch from Thorn Hill, 122; - from the road between Jackson and Glen House, 129; - from Glen House, 144; - _see_ Thompson's Falls, Emerald Pool, Crystal Cascade, - Tuckerman's Ravine, Glen Ellis Falls, etc., 144-164. - -Pleasant, Mount, from Fabyan's, 300. - -Plymouth (B., C., & M. R.R.), 209; - routes through the mountains, 211. - -Pool, The (Franconia Pass), 225. - -Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, passage of the White Mountains Notch, 93. - -Prime, W. C., referred to, 244. - -Profile House (Franconia Pass), its attractions, 237-240; - _see_ Old Man, Profile Lake, Mounts Cannon and Lafayette, - Eagle Cliff, Echo Lake, etc.; - to Bethlehem by the old highway via Franconia, 248; - by rail, 248. - -Profile Lake (Franconia Pass), 232. - -Prospect, Mount (Holderness), 214. - - -RANDOLPH HILL, drive to, and view from, 297, 298. - -Ravine of the Castles (Mount Jefferson), 313. - -Raymond's Cataract, from Carter Dome, 142; - from Pinkham Notch, 147; - see Tuckerman's Ravine. - -Red Hill from Lake Winnipiseogee, 10; - ascent of, from Centre Harbor, and view from summit, 14-17. - -Ripley Falls (on Cow Brook, Saco Valley), 89. - -Rogers's, Robert (Major), account of the White Mountains, 119, 121, note; - destroys St. Francis, 259; - _see_ Chapter VI., Third Journey. - -Rosebrook, Eleazer, sketch of, 302, 303. - - -SACO VALLEY (Chapters IV. to IX., inclusive), from Mount Chocorua, 31; - at Fryeburg (Maine), 33; - at North Conway, 39; - at Bartlett, 61-65; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - source of the Saco, 88; - historical incident, 153. - -Sandwich Mountains from Lake Winnipiseogee, 8; - from Sandwich Centre, 19; - from Tamworth (Nickerson's), 24. - -Sandwich (town of), mountains near, 19. - -Sandwich Notch, position of, 218. - -Sawyer's River (branch of the Saco), valley of, 62, 63. - -Sawyer's Rock (Saco Valley, west side, near Bartlett), 62. - -Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe, quoted on the Indian name for the - White Mountains, 120. - -Silver Cascade (Crawford Notch), 85. - -Snow Arch (Tuckerman's Ravine), 161, 162. - -Spencer, Jabez (General), settles Campton, 216. - -Squam Lake from Red Hill, 16. - -St. Francis de Sales, sacked by Rogers, 259; - _see_ Chapter VI., Third Journey. - -Star Lake (Mount Adams), 317. - -Stark, John (General), captured by Indians, 210, 211. - -Stark, William, 210, 211. - -Starr King Mountain, 291. - -Storm Lake (between Madison and Adams), 317. - -Sugar Hill, from Profile House road, 249; - view from, 252, 253. - -Sullivan, James (Governor of Massachusetts), his authority for - the story of "The Great Carbuncle," 116; - quoted, 153. - -Swift River (branch of the Saco), from Mount Chocorua, 30. - - -TAMWORTH IRON WORKS (point from which Chocorua is usually ascended), 21, 25. - -Thompson's Falls (near Glen House), 146. - -Thorn Mountain, from North Conway, 40; - walk over Thorn Hill (lower spur of Thorn Mountain) to Jackson, 122, 132. - -Tripyramid Mountain, from Mad River Valley, 219; - slide on, 221. - -Trout-breeding, State establishment at Plymouth, 212. - -Trout-fishing begins in New Hampshire May 1, 213. - -Trumbull, J. Hammond, LL.D., quoted on the Indian names - for the White Mountains, 120, _note_. - -Tuckerman's Ravine from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from Thompson's Falls, 146; - way into from Glen House, 156; - appearance from Glen House, 156; - Hermit Lake and Lion's Head Crag, 159; - Snow Arch, 161; - head wall, 162; - out by the path to Crystal Cascade, 164. - - -VIEWS, from Red Hill, 14-17; - from Chocorua, 29-31; - from Jockey Cap, 34; - from Conway Corner, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from the Intervale (North Conway), 55-57; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - from above Bemis's, 74; - from Mount Willard, 91; - from Mount Clinton, 100; - from Carter Dome, 141; - from Glen House, 145; - from Gorham, 169; - from Berlin, 172, 175; - from Shelburne (Lead Mine Bridge), 176; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181, 185; - from the summit, 189-192; - from West Campton, 215; - from the Ellsworth road (Pemigewasset valley), 216; - from Mount Pemigewasset (Flume House), 229; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - from Sugar Hill, 252; - from the foot of Bethlehem heights (Gale River valley), 254; - from Moosehillock, 272; - from Bethlehem, 280, 281; - from Jefferson Hill, 292; - from East Jefferson, 295; - from Randolph Hill, 297; - from Mount Adams, 316. - - -WARREN (B., C., & M. R.R.), point from which to ascend Moosehillock, 269. - -Washington, Mount, River (formerly Dry River), grand - view of the high summits up this valley from P. & O. R.R., 74; - the valley from Mount Clinton, 100. - -Washington, Mount, carriage-road, 178; - Half-way House and the Ledge, 180; - Great Gulf, 181; - accident on, 183; - Willis's Seat, and the view 185; - Cow Pasture, 186; - Dr. Ball's adventure, 186; - fate of a climber, 186; - up the pinnacle, 186; - United States Meteorological Station, 187; - the summit, 188. - -Washington, Mount, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 9; - from Mount Chocorua, 31; - from Conway, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from Mount Carrigain, 65; - first path to, 71; - Davis path, 73; - view near Bemis's (P. & O. R.R.), 74; - Crawford bridle-path opened, 89; - from Mount Willard, 93; - from Mount Clinton, 100; - first ascension, 116-119; - Indian traditions of, _see_ Chapter I., Second Journey; - from Thorn Hill, 122; - from the Wildcat Valley, 133; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from Glen House, 144; - from the Glen House and Gorham road, 168; - carriage-road, _see_ Chapter VII., Second Journey; - the Signal Station, 187, 196; - a winter tornado on the summit, 192-194; - shadow of the mountain, 195; - the plateau--its floral and entomological treasures, 197, 198; - transported bowlders on, 197; - Lake of the Clouds, 198; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - travellers lost on, 186, 199, 310; - from Moosehillock, 270; - from Bethlehem, 281, 282; - from Fabyan's, 300; - railway to summit, 301-306; - moonlight on the summit, 311; - sunrise, 312; - sunset, 318. - -Washington, Mount, Railway, from Fabyan's, 301; - to the base, 304; - its mechanism, 305; - Jacob's Ladder, 305; - up the mountain, 306, 307; - the Summit Hotel, 307. - -Waterville (Mad River valley), the neighborhood, 219; - path to Livermore, 221. - -Webster, Daniel, at Fryeburg, Maine, 33. - -Webster, Mount, approach to, 75; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Weirs (B., C., & M. R.R.), Lake Winnipiseogee, west shore, 10, _see note_. - -Welch Mountain (Pemigewasset valley), 218. - -Whipple, Joseph (Colonel), settles at Jefferson, 294. - -White Horse Ledge (North Conway), 41. - -White Mountains, general view of, from Conway, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Carrigain (in mass), 65; - legends of, _see_ Chapter 1., Second Journey; - first ascensions, 116-119; - how named, 119, 120; - appearance from the coast, 120, 121; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - from Bethlehem, 281; - from Fabyan's, 300. - -Wildcat River (branch of the Ellis, a branch of the Saco; - rises in Carter Notch), Jackson Falls on, 124; - disappearance of, 136. - -Wildcat Mountain (one of Carter Notch and Pinkham - Notch Mountains), position of, 123; - avalanche of bowlders, 136; - appearance from Carter Notch, 141; - from Glen House, 145. - -Wildcat Valley (Jackson to Carter Notch), 133-140. - -Willard, Mount, 77; - ascent of, from Crawford House, 91. - -Willey family, burial-place of, 55; - destruction of, by a landslip, 77-80. - -Willey, Mount, from Carrigain, 65; - approach to by the valley, 75; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Winnipiseogee, Lake, sail up, from Wolfborough to Centre Harbor, 8-10; - Indian occupation and customs, 10; - sunset view of, from Red Hill. 16, 17. - -Winnipiseogee River (outlet of the lake), Indian remains on, 10; - Endicott Rock in, 10, _note_. - -Wolfborough ( E. R.R. branch ), Lake Winnipiseogee, 8. - - -NEW YORK & NEW ENGLAND RAILROAD. - -THIS IS THE MOST CONVENIENT LINE BETWEEN - -Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, - -AS IT IS THE ONLY LINE RUNNING - -THROUGH PULLMAN CARS WITHOUT CHANGE. - - The train leaving Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia in - the afternoon, arrives in Boston the following morning in season - to connect with trains on the Eastern, Boston & Maine, and Boston - & Lowell Railroads, for points in the White Mountains and shore - resorts. The morning trains from the White Mountains and shore - resorts arrive in Boston in sufficient time to cross the city and - take the 7 P.M. train for the South. - - Berths in Pullman Sleepers can be secured in advance on - application to the Company's Office, - -322 Washington St., Boston, and Depot, foot of Summer St.; and at -Pennsylvania Railroad Ticket Offices in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and -Washington. - -==>Ask for Tickets via New England and Str. Maryland Lines. - -S. M. FELTON, Jr., General Manager. A. C. KENDALL, General Passenger Agent. - - -WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO. - -90 & 92 Tremont Street, - -(Opposite Tremont House), BOSTON, MASS. - -DEALERS IN - -Ribbons, Laces, Flowers, Montures, Velvets, Nets, - -FEATHERS, SPRAYS, &c. - - HATS, for Ladies and Misses; CORSETS--the Best Fitting and - Most Sensible: KID GLOVES A SPECIALTY--Latest Styles, Lowest - Prices; BUTTONS, TRIMMINGS, &c., in endless variety; HOSIERY and - UNDERWEAR, for Ladies and Misses--an admirable assortment at low - rates. - -FANCY GOODS, PERFUMERY, TOILET ARTICLES, &c. - -AND MANY OTHER NOVELTIES. - - Ladies visiting Boston, or gentlemen wishing to make purchases - for absent wives, sisters, or lady friends, will do well to inspect - the admirably selected stock of Gloves, Laces, Velvets, Ribbons, - Flowers, Millinery Goods, Hats, Hosiery, Small Wares, and Fancy - Goods generally, offered by WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO., at - 90 and 92 Tremont Street (opposite the Tremont House). This firm - has won an enviable reputation for the excellence of its goods, its - courteous attendance, and the moderation of its prices; while its - location renders it most convenient of access by horse cars, either - from the hotels or from any of the railroad depots. - -==>Orders by mail or express will receive prompt attention. - -WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO.,--90 and 92 Tremont Street, Boston. - -SHORE LINE ROUTE. - -NEW YORK AND BOSTON. - - Trains leave GRAND CENTRAL DEPOT, New York, for Boston, at - =8.05 A.M.=, =1= and =10 P.M.=; arriving in Boston - at =6= and =8.05 P.M.=, and =6.20 A.M.= - -Sundays for Boston at 10 P.M. - -WAGNER DRAWING-ROOM CARS - - On 1 P.M. trains from Boston and New York. - -WAGNER SLEEPING CARS - - On night trains from Boston and New York. - - Leave BOSTON and PROVIDENCE STATION, Boston, at =8 A.M.=, - =1= and =10.30 P.M.=; arriving in the Grand Central - Depot, New York, at =4.22= and =7.40 P.M.=, and =6.38 - A.M.= - -Sundays for New York at 10.30 P.M. - - For further information, apply to - -J. W. RICHARDSON, Agent, State Street, Corner Washington; - -Or at Providence Railroad Station, Columbus Avenue, near Boston Common. - -A. A. FOLSOM, Superintendent. - -HARPER'S CYCLOPEDIA - -OF - -BRITISH AND AMERICAN POETRY. - -EDITED BY - -EPES SARGENT. - -Large 8vo, nearly 1000 pages, Illuminated Cloth, with Colored Edges, -$4.50; Half Leather, $5.00. - - Mr. Sargent was eminently fitted for the preparation of a work - of this kind. Few men possessed a wider or more profound knowledge - of English literature; and his judgment was clear, acute, and - discriminating. * * * The beautiful typography and other exterior - charms broadly hint at the rich feast of instruction and enjoyment - which the superb volume is eminently fitted to furnish.--_N.Y. - Times._ - - We commend it highly. It contains so many of the notable poems - of our language, and so much that is sound poetry, if not notable, - that it will make itself a pleasure wherever it is found.--_N.Y. - Herald._ - - The selections are made with a good deal of taste - and judgment, and without prejudice against any school or - individual. An index of first lines adds to the usefulness of the - volume.--_N.Y. Sun._ - - The collection is remarkably complete. * * * Mr. Sargent's - work deserves special commendation for the exquisite justice it - does to living writers but little known. It is a volume of rare and - precious flowers culled because of their intrinsic value, without - regard to the writer's fame. The selections are prefaced by a brief - biographical notice of the author, with a critical estimate of the - poetry. * * * A valuable acquisition to the literary treasures of - American households.--_N.Y. Evening Express._ - - He seems to have culled the choicest and the best from the - broad field. * * * Mr. Sargent had the fine ear to detect the pure, - true music of the heart and imagination wherever it was voiced. * * - * The elegant volume is a household treasure which will be highly - prized.--_Evangelist, N.Y._ - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>_Sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on -receipt of the price._ - -DRAKE'S NEW ENGLAND COAST. - - NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST. By SAMUEL - ADAMS DRAKE. With numerous Illustrations. Square 8vo, Cloth, - $3 50; Half Calf, $5 75. - - MY DEAR SIR,--I laid out your new and beautiful - book to take with me to-day to my summer home, but before I go I - wish to thank you for preparing a volume which is every way so - delightful. All summer I shall have it at hand, and many a pleasant - hour I anticipate in the enjoyment of it. I have _read_ far enough - in it already to feel how admirably you have done your part of it, - and I have _seen_, in turning over the delectable pages, what a - panorama of lovely nooks and rocky coast your artist has prepared - for the pleasure of your readers. May they be a good many thousand - this year, and continue to increase time onward. If I am not - greatly out in my judgment, edition after edition will be called - for. Truly yours, - -JAMES T. FIELDS. - -Thy "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast" is a delightful book, -and one of most frequent reference in my library. Thy friend, - -JOHN G. WHITTIER. - -I take this opportunity of acknowledging the pleasure I have received -from your interesting book on our New England coast. It was my companion -last summer on the coast of Maine. Yours truly, - -F. PARKMAN. - -Mr. Samuel Adams Drake does for the New England coast such service as -Mr. Nordhoff has done for the Pacific. His "Nooks and Corners of the -New England Coast"--a volume of 459 pages--is an admirable guide both -to the lover of the picturesque and the searcher for historic lore, as -well as to stay-at-home travellers. The "Preface" tells the story of the -book; it is a sketch-map of the coast, with the motto, "On this line, if -it takes all summer." "Summer" began with Mr. Drake one Christmas-day -at Mount Desert, whence he went South, touching at Castine, Pemaquid, -and Monhegan; Wells and "Agamenticus, the ancient city" of York; -Kittery Point; "The Shoals;" Newcastle; Salem and Marblehead; Plymouth -and Duxbury; Nantucket; Newport; Mount Hope; New London, Norwich, and -Saybrook. What nature has to show and history to tell at each of these -places, who were the heroes and worthies--all this Mr. Drake gives in -pleasant talk--_N.Y Tribune._ - -MY DEAR MR. DRAKE,--I have given your beautiful book, "Nooks -and Corners of the New England Coast," a pretty general perusal. It is -one "after my own heart," and I thank you very much for it. Your Preface -is an admirable "hit" in more ways than one. Like Grant, whom you have -quoted, it took you, I imagine, _all winter_ as well as _all summer_ -to accomplish your victory, for you speak of experiences with snow and -sleet. - -You have gathered into your volume, in the most attractive form, a vast -amount of historical and descriptive matter that is exceedingly useful. -I hope your pen will not be stayed. Your friend and brother of the pen, - -BENSON J. LOSSING. - -To-morrow I leave home for a week or two in Maine, and shall take your -beautiful volume, "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast," with -me to read and enjoy at leisure. I am sure it cannot fail to be very -interesting. - -Yours faithfully, -HENRY W. LONGFELLOW. - -I need not tell you with how much interest both my husband and -myself--lovers of the valley--look forward to your work, nor how much -pleasure your "Nooks and Corners" has already afforded us. - -With most cordial regards, -HARRIET P. SPOFFORD. - -His style is at once simple and graphic, and his work as conscientious -and faithful to fact as if he were the dullest of annalists instead of -one of the liveliest of essayists and historians. The legitimate charm -of variety--characteristic of a work of this kind--makes the book more -entertaining than any volume of similar size devoted exclusively to -chronology, biography, essays, or anecdotes.--JOHN G. SAXE, in -the _Brooklyn Argus_. - -Mr. Drake's "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast" ought to be in -the hands of every one who visits our sea-side resorts. The artistic -features serve to embellish a very interesting description of our New -England watering-places, enlivened with anecdotes, bits of history -connected with the various places, and pleasant gossip about people and -things in general.--_Saturday Evening Gazette_, Boston. - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>HARPER & BROTHERS _will send the above work by mail, postage -prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price_. - -GLOWING TRIBUTES TO AMERICAN ART. - -WHAT LEADING ENGLISH PAPERS - -SAY OF - -"PASTORAL DAYS; - -OR, - -MEMORIES OF A NEW ENGLAND YEAR." - -BY W. HAMILTON GIBSON. - -4to, Illuminated Cloth, Gilt Edges, $7 50. - -FROM "THE TIMES," LONDON. - - The title of this very beautifully illustrated book conveys - but a very faint idea of its merits, which lie, not in the - descriptions of the varied beauties of the fields and fens of New - England, but in the admirable wood-engravings, which on every - page picture far more than could be given in words. The author - has the rare gift of feeling for the exquisitely graceful forms - of plant life and the fine touch of an expert draughtsman, which - enables him both to select and to draw with a refinement which few - artists in this direction have ever shown. Besides these essential - qualities in a painter from nature, Mr. Gibson has a fine sense - of the poetic and picturesque in landscape, of which there are - many charming pieces in this volume, interesting in themselves as - pictures, and singularly so in their resemblance to the scenery - of Old England. Most of the little vignette-like views might be - mistaken for Birket Foster's thoroughly English pictures, and some - are like Old Crome's vigorous idyls. One of the most striking--a - wild forest scene with a storm passing, called "The Line Storm"--is - quite remarkable in the excellent drawing of the trees swept by the - gale and in the general composition of the picture, which is full - of the true poetic conception of grandeur in landscape beauty. But - all Mr. Gibsons's good drawing would have been nothing unless he - had been so ably aided by the artist engravers, who have throughout - worked with such sympathy with his taste, and so much regard for - the native grace of wild flowers, grasses, ferns, insects, and - all the infinite beauties of the fields, down to the mysterious - spider and his silky net spread over the brambles. These cuts are - exceptional examples of beautiful work. Nothing in the whole round - of wood-engraving can surpass, if it has even equalled, these - in delicacy as well as breadth of effect. Much as our English - cutters pride themselves on belonging to the school which Bewick - and Jackson founded, they must certainly come to these American - artists to learn the something more which is to be found in their - works. In point of printing, too, there is much to be learned in - the extremely fine ink and paper, which, although subjected to - "hot-pressing," are evidently adapted in some special condition for - wood-printing. The printing is obviously by hand-press,[46] and in - the arrangement of the type with the cuts on each page the greatest - ingenuity and invention are displayed. This, too, has been designed - with a sort of a Japanesque fancy; here is a tangled mass of - grasses and weeds, with a party of ants stealing out of the shade, - and there the dragon-flies flit across among the blossoms of the - reeds, or the feathery seeds of the dandelion float on the page. - Each section of the seasons has its suggestive picture: Springtime, - with a flight of birds under a may-flower branch that hangs across - the brook: Summer, a host of butterflies sporting round the wild - rose: Autumn, with the swallows flying south and falling leaves - that strew the page; while for Winter the chrysalis hangs in the - leafless bough, and the snow-clad graves in the village church-yard - tell the same story of sleep and awakening. As many as thirty - different artists, besides the author and designer, have assisted - in producing this very tastefully illustrated volume, which - commends itself by its genuine artistic merits to all lovers of the - picturesque and the natural. - -FROM "THE SATURDAY REVIEW," LONDON. - - This pleasant American book has brought to our remembrance, - though without any sense of imitation, two old-fashioned favorites. - In the first place, its descriptions of rural humanity, its rustic - sweetness and humor, have a certain analogy with the delicately - pencilled studies of life in Miss Mitford's "Our Village;" but the - relation it bears to the second book is much closer. It is more - than forty years since Mr. P. H. Gosse published the first of those - delightful sketches of animal life at home which have led so many - of us with a wholesome purpose into the woods and lanes. It was in - the _Canadian Naturalist_ that he broke this new ground; and though - we do not think this has ever been one of his best-known books, we - cannot but believe that there are still many readers who will be - reminded of it as they glance down Mr. Gibson's pages. - - People must be strangely constituted who do not enjoy such - pages as Mr. Gibson has presented to us here. It is not merely that - he writes well, but the subject itself is irresistibly fascinating. - We plunge with him into the silence of a New England village in a - clearing of the woods. The spring is awakening in a flush of tender - green, in a fever of warm days and shivering nights, and we hasten - with our companion through all the bustle and stir of the few busy - hours of light so swiftly that the darkness is on us before we are - aware. Then falls on the ear a pathetic, an intolerable silence; - a deep mist covers the ground, a few lights twinkle in scattered - farms and cottages, and all seems brooding, melting, in the deep - and throbbing hush of the darkness. * * * The wailing of the great - owl upon the maple-tree takes our author back in memory to the - scenes of his youth, where the owl was looked upon as a creature of - most sinister omen, and his own partiality to it, as a proof that - there was something uncanny or even "fey" about him. All this is - described with great sympathy and delicacy; but perhaps Mr. Gibson - is most felicitous in his little touches of floral painting. He - has a few words about the earthy, spicy fragrance of the arbutus - that might have been said in verse by the late Mr. Bryant; his - description of the effect of biting the bulbs of the Indian turnip, - or "Jack-in-the-pulpit," is inimitable in its quiet way; while the - phrase about the fading dandelions--"the golden stars upon the - lawn are nearly all burned out; we see their downy ashes in the - grass"--is perhaps the best thing ever said about a humble flower, - whose vulgarity, in the literal sense, blinds us to the beauty of - its evolution and decay. - - In his studies of life and country manners Mr. Gibson is a - very agreeable and amusing, if not quite so novel, a companion. - Not seldom he reminds us not merely of Miss Mitford, but sometimes - of Thoreau and of Hawthorne. The story of Aunt Huldy, the village - crone who sustained herself upon simples to the age of a hundred - and three, is one of those little vignettes, half humorous, half - pathetic, and altogether picturesque, in which the Americans excel. - Aunt Huldy was an old witch in a scarlet hood, whose long white - hair flowing behind her was wont to frighten the village children - who came upon her in the woods; but she was absolutely harmless, a - crazy old valetudinarian, who was always searching for the elixir - of life in strange herbs and decoctions. At last she thought - she had found it in sweet-fern, and she spent her last years in - grubbing up every specimen she could find, smoking it, chewing it, - drinking it, and sleeping with a little bag of it tied round her - neck. - - But although Mr. Gibson writes so well, he modestly disclaims - all pretension as a writer, and lets us know that he is an artist - by profession. His book is illustrated by more than seventy designs - from his pencil, engraved in that beautiful American manner to - which we have often called attention. The scenes designed are - closely analogous to those described in the text. We have an - apple-orchard in full blossom, with a group of idlers lounging - underneath the boughs; scenes in the fields so full of mystery and - stillness that we are reminded of Millet, or of our own Mason; - clusters of flowers drawn with all the knowledge of a botanist and - the sympathy of a poet. It is hard to define the peculiar pleasure - that such illustrations give to the eye. It is something that - includes and yet transcends the mere enjoyment of whatever artistic - excellence the designs may possess. We are directly reminded by - them of such similar scenes as have been either the rule or the - still more fascinating exception of every childish life, and at - their suggestion the past comes back; in the familiar Wordsworthian - phrase, "a river flows on through the vale of Cheapside." - - We know so little over here of the best American art that - it may chance that Mr. Gibson is very well known in New York. - We confess, however, that we never heard of him before; but his - drawings are so full of delicate fancy and feeling, and his writing - so skilful and graceful, that, in calling attention to his book, we - cannot but express the hope that we soon may hear of him again, in - either function, or in both. - -"PASTORAL DAYS" is published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York, -who will send the work, postage prepaid, to any part of the United -States, on receipt of $7 50. - -HARPER'S GUIDE TO EUROPE. - -HARPER'S HAND-BOOK FOR TRAVELLERS IN EUROPE AND THE EAST: being a Guide -through Great Britain and Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, -Italy, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Tyrol, Spain, Russia, -Denmark, Norway, Sweden, United States, and Canada. By W. Pembroke -Fetridge. With Maps and Plans of Cities. In Three Volumes. 12mo, -Leather, Pocket-Book Form, $3 00 per vol. _The volumes sold separately_. - -VOL. I. GREAT BRITAIN, IRELAND, FRANCE, BELGIUM, -HOLLAND. - -VOL. II. GERMANY, AUSTRIA, ITALY, SICILY AND MALTA, EGYPT, -THE DESERT, SYRIA AND PALESTINE, TURKEY, GREECE. - -VOL. III. SWITZERLAND, TYROL, DENMARK, NORWAY, SWEDEN, -RUSSIA, SPAIN, UNITED STATES AND CANADA. - -It has stood the test of trying experience, and has proved the -traveller's friend in all emergencies. Each year has added to its -attractions and value, until it is about as near perfect as it is -possible to make it.--_Boston Post_. - - Personal use of this Guide during several visits to - various portions of Europe enables us to attest its merits. No - American is fully equipped for travel in Europe without this - Hand-Book.--_Philadelphia North American_. - - Take "Harper's Hand-Book," and read it carefully through; - then return to the parts relating to the places you have resolved - to visit; follow the route on the maps, and particularly study the - plans of cities. So you will start with sound pre-knowledge, which - will smoothen the entire course of travel.--_Philadelphia Press_. - - The book is not only unrivalled as a guide-book, for which - it is primarily intended, but it is a complete cyclopaedia of - all that relates to the countries, towns, and cities which are - described in it--their curiosities, most notable scenes, their - most celebrated historical, commercial, literary, and artistic - centres. Besides general descriptions of great value, there are - minute and detailed accounts of everything that is worth seeing - or knowing relative to the countries of the Old World. The great - value of the book consists in the fact that it covers all the - ground that any traveller may pass through--being exhaustive not - only of one country or two, but comprising in its ample pages exact - and full information respecting every country in Europe and the - East.--_Christian Intelligencer_, N. Y. - - It is a marvellous compendium of information, and the author - has labored hard to make his book keep pace with the progress of - events. * * * It forms a really valuable work of reference on all - the topics which it treats, and in that way is as useful to the - reader who stays at home as to the traveller who carries it with - him abroad.--_N. Y. Times_. - - I have received and examined with lively interest the new - and extended edition of your extremely valuable "Hand-Book for - Travellers in Europe and the East." You have evidently spared no - time or pains in consolidating the results of your wide travel, - your great experience. You succeed in presenting to the traveller - the most valuable guide and friend with which I have the good - fortune to be acquainted. With the warmest thanks, I beg you to - receive the most cordial congratulations of yours, very faithfully, - JOHN MEREDITH READ. Jr., _United States Minister of - Greece._ - - From having travelled somewhat extensively in former years - in Europe and the East. I can say with entire truth that you have - succeeded in combining more that is instructive and valuable for - the traveller than is contained in any one or series of hand-books - that I have ever met with.--T. BIGELOW LAWRENCE. - - To make a tour abroad without a guide-book is impossible. - The object should be to secure that which is most complete and - comprehensive in the least compass. The scope, plan, and execution - of Harper's makes it, on the whole, the most satisfactory that can - be found.--_Albany Journal_. - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -HARPER & BROTHERS _will send the above work by mail, postage -prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price._ - -ENGLISH MEN OF LETTERS. - -EDITED BY JOHN MORLEY. - -The following volumes are now ready: - -JOHNSON, LESLIE STEPHEN. - -GIBBON, J. C. MORISON. - -SCOTT, R. H. HUTTON. - -SHELLEY, J. A. SYMONDS. - -HUME, Professor HUXLEY. - -GOLDSMITH, WILLIAM BLACK. - -DEFOE, WILLIAM MINTO. - -BURNS, Principal SHAIRP. - -SPENSER, The DEAN OF ST. PAUL'S. - -THACKERAY, ANTHONY TROLLOPE. - -BURKE, JOHN MORLEY. - -MILTON, MARK PATTISON. - -SOUTHEY, Professor DOWDEN. - -CHAUCER, Professor A. W. WARD. - -BUNYAN, J. A. FROUDE. - -COWPER, GOLDWIN SMITH. - -POPE, LESLIE STEPHEN. - -BYRON, JOHN NICHOL. - -LOCKE, THOMAS FOWLER. - -WORDSWORTH, F. W. H. MYERS. - -DRYDEN, G. SAINTSBURY. - -LANDOR, Professor SIDNEY COLVIN. - -DE QUINCEY, Professor D. MASSON. - -LAMB, The Rev. ALFRED AINGER. - -BENTLEY, Professor JEBB. - -12mo, Cloth, 75 cents per volume. - -HAWTHORNE. By HENRY JAMES, JR.............12mo, Cloth, $1 00. - -VOLUMES IN PREPARATION: - -SWIFT, JOHN MORLEY. - -GRAY, E. W. GOSSE. - -ADAM SMITH, LEONARD H. COURTNEY. - -DICKENS, Professor A. W. WARD. - -_Others will be announced._ - -Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>HARPER & BROTHERS _will send any of the above works by mail, -postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the -price_. */ - -ENGLISH CLASSICS. - -EDITED, WITH NOTES, - -BY WM. J. ROLFE, A.M. - -SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS. - - The Merchant of Venice. - The Tempest. - Julius Caesar. - Hamlet. - As You Like It. - Henry the Fifth. - Macbeth. - Henry the Eighth. - Midsummer-Night's Dream. - Richard III. - Richard the Second. - Much Ado About Nothing. - Antony and Cleopatra. - Romeo and Juliet. - Othello. - Twelfth Night. - The Winter's Tale. - King John. - Henry IV. Part I. - Henry IV. Part II. - King Lear. - Taming of the Shrew. - All's Well that Ends Well. - Coriolanus. - Comedy of Errors. - Cymbeline. - Merry Wives of Windsor. - Measure for Measure. - Two Gentlemen of Verona. - Love's Labour's Lost. - Timon of Athens. - -SELECT POEMS OF OLIVER GOLDSMITH. - -SELECT POEMS OF THOMAS GRAY. - -_ILLUSTRATED._ - -16MO, CLOTH, 50 CENTS PER VOLUME; PAPER, 40 CENTS PER VOLUME. - -In the preparation of this edition of the English Classics it has been -the aim to adapt them for school and home reading, in essentially -the same way as Greek and Latin Classics are edited for educational -purposes. The chief requisites are a pure text (expurgated, if -necessary), and the notes needed for its thorough explanation and -illustration. - -Each of Shakespeare's plays is complete in one volume, and is preceded -by an introduction containing the "History of the Play," the "Sources of -the Plot," and "Critical Comments on the Play." - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -HARPER & BROTHERS _will send any of the above work by mail, -postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the -price_. - -[Illustration: Map of White Mountains, New Hampshire] - -[Illustration: Map of Vermont and New Hampshire] - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -griping his arm=> gripping his arm {pg 103} - -more and more drouth=> more and more drought {pg 173} - -turned to looked back=> turned to look back {pg 243} - -Moosilauk 4881=> Moosilauke 4881 {pg 330} - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] So called from the fishing-weirs of the Indians. The Indian name was -Aquedahtan. Here is the Endicott Rock, with an inscription made by -Massachusetts surveyors in 1652. - -[2] No tradition attaches to the last three peaks. Passaconnaway was a -great chieftain and conjurer of the Pennacooks. It is of him the poet -Whittier writes: - - Burned for him the drifted snow, - Bade through ice fresh lilies blow, - And the leaves of summer glow - Over winter's wood. - -This noted patriarch and necromancer, in whose arts not only the Indians -but the English seemed to have put entire faith, after living to a great -age, was, according to the tradition, translated to heaven from the -summit of Mount Washington, after the manner of Elias, in a chariot of -fire, surrounded by a tempest of flame. Wonnalancet was the son and -successor of Passaconnaway. Paugus, an under chief of the Pigwackets, or -Sokokis, killed in the battle with Lovewell, related in the next -chapter. - -[3] Something has since been done by the Appalachian Club to render this -part of the ascent less hazardous than it formerly was. - -[4] The Saco has since been bridged, and is traversed with all ease. - -[5] The sequel to this strange but true story is in keeping with the -rest of its horrible details. Perpetually haunted by the ghost of his -victim, the murderer became a prey to remorse. Life became -insupportable. He felt that he was both shunned and abhorred. Gradually -he fell into a decline, and within a few years from the time the deed -was committed he died. - -[6] Dr. Jeremy Belknap relates that, on his journey through this region -in 1784, he was besought by the superstitious villagers to lay the -spirits which were still believed to haunt the fastnesses of the -mountains. - -[7] This house stood just within the entrance to the Notch, from the -north, or Fabyan side. It was for some time kept by Thomas J., one of -the famous Crawfords. Travellers who are a good deal puzzled by the -frequent recurrence of the name "Crawford's" will recollect that the -present hotel is now the only one in this valley bearing the name. - -[8] A portion of the slide touching the house, even moved it a little -from its foundations before being stopped by the resistance it opposed -to the progress of the debris. - -[9] I have since passed over the same route without finding those -sensations to which our inexperience, and the tempest which surrounded -us, rendered us peculiarly liable. In reality, the ridge connecting -Mount Pleasant with Mount Franklin is passed without hesitation, in good -weather, by the most timid; but when a rod of the way cannot be seen the -case is different, and caution necessary. The view of this natural -bridge from the summit of Mount Franklin is one of the imposing sights -of the day's march. - -[10] The remains of this ill-fated climber have since been found at the -foot of the pinnacle. See chapter on Mount Washington. - -[11] This analogy of belief may be carried farther still, to the -populations of Asia, which surround the great "Abode of Snow"--the -Himalayas. It would be interesting to see in this similarity of -religious worship a link between the Asiatic, the primitive man, and the -American--the most recent, and the most unfortunate. Our province is -simply to recount a fact to which the brothers Schlaginweit -("Exploration de la Haute Asie") bear witness: - -"It is in spite of himself, under the enticement of a great reward, that -the superstitious Hindoo decides to accompany the traveller into the -mountains, which he dreads less for the unknown dangers of the ascent -than for the sacrilege he believes he is committing in approaching the -holy asylum, the inviolable sanctuary of the gods he reveres; his -trouble becomes extreme when he sees in the peak to be climbed not the -mountain, but the god whose name it bears. Henceforth it is by sacrifice -and prayer alone that he may appease the profoundly offended deity." - -[12] Sullivan: "History of Maine." - -[13] Field's second ascension (July, 1642) was followed in the same year -by that of Vines and Gorges, two magistrates of Sir F. Gorges's province -of Maine, within which the mountains were believed to lie. Their visit -contributed little to the knowledge of the region, as they erroneously -reported the high plateau of the great chain to be the source of the -Kennebec, as well as of the Androscoggin and Connecticut rivers. - -[14] It also occurs, reduced to Agiochook, in the ballad, of unknown -origin, on the death of Captain Lovewell. One of these was, doubtless, -the authority of Belknap. Touching the signification of Agiochook, it is -the opinion of Dr. J. Hammond Trumbull that the word which Captain Gyles -imperfectly translated from sound into English syllables is Algonquin -for "at the mountains on that side," or "over yonder." "As to the -generally received interpretations of Agiockochook, such as 'the abode -of the Great Spirit,' 'the place of the Spirit of the Great Forest,' or, -as one writer prefers, 'the place of the Storm Spirit,'" says Dr. -Trumbull, "it is enough to say that no element of any Algonkin word -meaning 'great,' 'spirit,' 'forest,' 'storm,' or 'abode,' or combining -the meaning of any two of these words, occurs in 'Agiockochook.' The -only Indian name for the White Hills that bears internal evidence of -genuineness is one given on the authority of President Alden, as used -'by one of the eastern tribes,' that is, Waumbekketmethna, which easily -resolves itself into the Kennebec-Abnaki waubeghiket-amadinar, 'white -greatest mountain.' It is very probable, however, that this synthesis is -a mere translation, by an Indian, of the English 'White Mountains.' I -have never, myself, succeeded in obtaining this name from the modern -Abnakis." - -[15] Here is what Douglass says in his "Summary" (1748-'53): "The White -Hills, or rather mountains, inland about seventy miles north from the -mouth of Piscataqua Harbor, about seven miles west by north from the -head of the Pigwoket branch of Saco River; they are called white not -from their being continually covered with snow, but because they are -bald atop, producing no trees or brush, and covered with a whitish stone -or shingle: these hills may be observed at a great distance, and are a -considerable guide or direction to the Indians in travelling that -country." - -And Robert Rogers ("Account of America," London, 1765) remarks that the -White Mountains were "so called from that appearance which is like snow, -consisting, as is generally supposed, of a white flint, from which the -reflection is very brilliant and dazzling." - -[16] Captivity of Elizabeth Hanson, taken at Dover, New Hampshire, 1724. - -[17] No Yankee girl need be told for what purpose spruce gum is -procured; but it will doubtless be news to many that the best quality is -worth a dollar the pound. Davis told me he had gathered enough in a -single season to fetch ninety dollars. - -[18] I use the name, as usually applied, to the whole mountain. In point -of fact, the Dome is not visible from the Notch. - -[19] The guide knew no other name for the larger bird than meat-hawk; -but its size, plumage, and utter fearlessness are characteristic of the -Canada jay, occasionally encountered in these high latitudes. I cannot -refrain from reminding the reader that the cross-bill is the subject of -a beautiful German legend, translated by Longfellow. The dying and -forsaken Saviour sees a little bird striving to draw the nail from his -bleeding palm with his beak: - - "And the Saviour spoke in mildness: - 'Blest be thou of all the good! - Bear, as token of this moment, - Marks of blood and holy rood!" - - "And the bird is called the cross-bill; - Covered all with blood so clear. - In the groves of pine it singeth - Songs like legends, strange to hear." - -[20] Peabody River is said to have originated in the same manner, and in -a single night. It is probable, however, that as long as there has been -a valley there has also been a stream. - -[21] Since the above was written, a deplorable accident has given -melancholy emphasis to these words of warning. I leave them as they are, -because they were employed by the very person to whom the disaster was -due: "The first accident by which any passengers were ever injured on -the carriage-road, from the Glen House to the summit of Mount -Washington, occurred July 3d, 1880, about a mile below the Half-Way -House. One of the six-horse mountain wagons, containing a party of nine -persons--the last load of the excursionists from Michigan to make the -descent of the mountain--was tipped over, and one lady was killed and -five others injured. Soon after starting from the summit the passengers -discovered that the driver had been drinking while waiting for the party -to descend. They left this wagon a short distance from the summit and -walked to the Half-Way House, four miles below, where one of the -employes of the Carriage-road Company assured them that there was no bad -place below that, and that he thought it would be safe for them to -resume their seats with the driver, who was with them. Soon after -passing the Half-Way House, in driving around a curve too rapidly, the -carriage was overset, throwing the occupants into the woods and on the -rocks. Mrs. Ira Chichester, of Allegan, Michigan, was instantly killed, -her husband, who was sitting at her side, being only slightly bruised. -Of the other occupants, several were more or less injured. The injured -were brought at once to the Glen House, and received every possible care -and attention. Lindsey, the driver, was taken up insensible. He had been -on the road ten years, and was considered one of the safest and most -reliable drivers in the mountains." - -[22] A stone bench, known as Willis's Seat, has been fixed in the -parapet wall at the extreme southern angle of the road, between the -sixth and seventh miles. It is a fine lookout, but will need to be -carefully searched for. - -[23] Benjamin Chandler, of Delaware, in August, 1856. - -[24] Dr. B. L. Ball's "Three Days on the White Mountains," in October, -1855. - -[25] Considering the pinnacle of Mount Washington as the centre of a -circle of vision, the greatest distance I have been able to see with the -naked eye, in nine ascensions, did not probably much exceed one hundred -miles. This being half the diameter, the circumference would surpass six -hundred miles. It is now considered settled that Katahdin, one hundred -and sixty miles distant, is not visible from Mount Washington. - -[26] The highest point, formerly indicated by a cairn and a beacon, is -now occupied by an observatory, built of planks, and, of course, -commanding the whole horizon. It is desirable to examine this vast -landscape in detail, or so much of it as the eye embraces at once, and -no more. - -[27] One poor fellow (Private Stevens) did die here in 1872. His comrade -remained one day and two nights alone with the dead body before help -could be summoned from below. - -[28] It was for a long time believed that the summit of Mount Washington -bore no marks of the great Glacial Period, which the lamented Agassiz -was the first to present in his great work on the glaciers of the Alps. -Such was the opinion of Dr. C. T. Jackson, State Geologist of New -Hampshire. It is now announced that Professor C. H. Hitchcock has -detected the presence of transported bowlders not identical with the -rocks in place. - -[29] In going to and returning from the ravine, I must have walked over -the very spot which has since derived a tragical interest from the -discovery, in July, 1880, of a human skeleton among the rocks. Three -students, who had climbed up through the ravine on the way to the -summit, stumbled upon the remains. Some fragments of clothing remained, -and in a pocket were articles identifying the lost man as Harry W. -Hunter, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. This was the same person whom I had -seen placarded as missing, in 1875, and who is referred to in the -chapter on the ascent from Crawford's. A cairn and tablet, similar to -those erected on the spot where Miss Bourne perished, had already been -placed here when I last visited the locality, where the remains had so -long lain undiscovered in their solitary tomb. An inscription upon the -tablet gives the following details: "Henry W. Hunter, aged twenty-two -years, perished in a storm, September 3d, 1874, while walking from the -Willey House to the summit. Remains found July 14th, 1880, by a party of -Amherst students." The place is conspicuous from the plain, and is -between the Crawford Path and Tuckerman's. By going a few rods to the -left, the Summit House, one mile distant, is in full view. This makes -the third person known to have perished on or near the summit of Mount -Washington. Young Hunter died without a witness to the agony of his last -moments. No search was made until nearly a year had elapsed. It proved -ineffectual, and was abandoned. Thus, strangely and by chance, was -brought to light the fact that he sunk exhausted and lifeless at the -foot of the cone itself. I can fully appreciate the nature of the -situation in which this too adventurous but truly unfortunate climber -was placed. - -[30] A log-hut has been built near the summit of Mount Clinton since -this was written. It is a good deed. But the long miles over the summits -remain as yet neglected. Had one existed at the base of Monroe, it is -probable that one life, at least, might have been saved. It is on the -plain that danger and difficulties thicken. - -[31] Kancamagus, the Pennacook sachem, led the Indian assault on Dover, -in 1689. - -[32] This name was given to his picture of the great range, in -possession of the Prince of Wales, by Mr. George L. Brown, the eminent -landscape-painter. The canvas represents the summits in the sumptuous -garb of autumn. - -[33] The true source of the Connecticut remained so long in doubt that -it passed into a by-word. Cotton Mather, speaking of an ecclesiastical -quarrel in Hartford, says that it was almost as obscure as the rise of -the Connecticut River. - -[34] This orthography is of recent adoption. By recent I mean within -thirty years. Before that time it was always Moosehillock. Nothing is -easier than to unsettle a name. So far as known, I believe there is not -a single summit of the White Mountain group having a name given to it by -the Indians. On the contrary, the Indian names have all come from the -white people. That these are sometimes far-fetched is seen in Osceola -and Tecumseh; that they are often puerile, it is needless to point out. -Moosehillock is probably no exception. It is not unlikely to be an -English nickname. The result of these changes is that the people -inhabiting the region contiguous to the mountain do not know how to -spell the name on their guide-boards. - -[35] Speaking of legends, that of Rubenzal, of the Silesian mountains, -is not unlike Irving's legend of Rip Van Winkle and the Catskills. Both -were Dutch legends. The Indian legends of Moosehillock are very like to -those of high mountains, everywhere. - -[36] In the valley of the Aar, at the head of the Aar glacier, in -Switzerland, is a peak named for Agassiz, who thus has two enduring -monuments, one in his native, the other in his adopted land. The eminent -Swiss scientist spent much time among the White Mountains. - -[37] Such, for example, as the Hon. J. G. Sinclair, Isaac Cruft, Esq., -and ex-Governor Howard of Rhode Island. - -[38] The twin Percy Peaks, which we saw in the north, rise in the -south-east corner of Stratford. Their name was probably derived from the -township now called Stark, and formerly Percy. The township was named by -Governor Wentworth in honor of Hugh, Earl of Northumberland, who figured -in the early days of the American Revolution. The adjoining township of -Northumberland is also commemorative of the same princely house. - -[39] The greater part of the ascent so nearly coincides, in its main -features, with that into Tuckerman's, that a description would be, in -effect, a repetition. To my mind Tuckerman's is the grander of the two; -it is only when the upper section of King's is reached that it begins to -be either grand or interesting by comparison. - -[40] The road up the Rigi, in Switzerland, was modelled upon the plans -of Mr. Marsh. - -[41] Dr. Timothy Dwight. - -[42] Rev. Benjamin G. Willey. - -[43] The greatest angle of inclination is twelve feet in one hundred. - -[44] Samuel Adams at the feet of John Adams is not the exact order that -we have been accustomed to seeing these men. Better leave Samuel Adams -where he stands in history--alone. - -[45] It is only forty years since Agassiz advanced his now generally -adopted theory of the Glacial Period. The Indians believed that the -world was originally covered with water, and that their god created the -dry land from a grain of sand. - -[46] The English reviewer is in error here. The letterpress and -illustrations were printed together on an Adams press. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, -Their Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - -***** This file should be named 42447.txt or 42447.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/4/4/42447/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at -http://gutenberg.org/license). - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at -809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official -page at http://pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit http://pglaf.org - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/42447.zip b/42447.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 51fa677..0000000 --- a/42447.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-8.txt b/old/42447-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 777d154..0000000 --- a/old/42447-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14512 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, Their -Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery - Tourist's Edition - -Author: Samuel Adams Drake - -Release Date: March 31, 2013 [EBook #42447] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON.] - - - - -Tourist's Edition - -THE HEART -OF THE -WHITE MOUNTAINS - -THEIR LEGEND AND SCENERY - -BY - -SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE - -AUTHOR OF "NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST" -"CAPTAIN NELSON" ETC. - -WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY - -W. HAMILTON GIBSON - -"_Eyes loose: thoughts close_" - -NEW YORK -HARPER & BROTHERS. FRANKLIN SQUARE -1882 - - - - -Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881, by - -HARPER & BROTHERS, - -In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - -_All rights reserved._ - - -To JOHN G. WHITTIER: - -_An illustrious and venerated bard, who shares with you the love and -honor of his countrymen, tells us that the poets are the best travelling -companions. Like Orlando in the forest of Arden, they "hang odes on -hawthorns and elegies on thistles." - -In the spirit of that delightful companionship, so graciously announced, -it is to you, who have kindled on our aged summits - - "The light that never was on sea or land, - The consecration and the poet's dream." - -that this volume is affectionately dedicated by_ - -THE AUTHOR. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The very flattering reception which the sumptuous holiday edition -of "The Heart of the White Mountains" received on its _dbut_ has -decided the Messrs. Harper to re-issue it in a more convenient and less -expensive form, with the addition of a Tourist's Appendix, and an Index -farther adapting it for the use of actual travellers. While all the -original features remain intact, these additions serve to render the -references in the text intelligible to the uninstructed reader, and at -the same time help to make a practical working manual. One or two new -maps contribute to the same end. - -I take the opportunity thus afforded me to say that, when "The Heart of -the White Mountains" was originally prepared, I hoped it might go into -the hands of those who, making the journey for the first time, feel the -need of something different from the conventional guide-book of the day, -and for whom it would also be, during the hours of travel or of leisure -among the mountains, to some extent an entertaining as well as a useful -companion. So far as author and publisher are concerned, that purpose is -now realized. - -Finally, I wrote the book because I could not help it. - -SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE. - -MELROSE, _January, 1882_. - - - - -GENERAL CONTENTS. - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - - PAGE - -I. _MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS_.....1 - -II. _INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE_: Voyage from Wolfborough to Centre -Harbor.--The Indians.--Centre Harbor.--Legendary.--Ascent of Red -Hill.--Sunset on the Lake.....8 - -III. _CHOCORUA_: Stage Journey to Tamworth.--Scramble for -Places.--Valley of the Bear Camp.--Legend of Chocorua.--Sandwich -Mountains.--Chocorua Lake.--Ascent of Mount Chocorua.....18 - -IV. _LOVEWELL_: Fryeburg.--Lovewell's Fight.--Desperate Encounter with -the Pigwackets.--Death of Paugus.....33 - -V. _NORTH CONWAY_: The Antechamber of the Mountains.--White -Horse Ledge.--Fording the Saco.--Indian Custom.--Echo Lake.--The -Cathedral.--Diana's Baths.--Artists' Falls.--The Moats.--Winter Ascent -of Mount Kearsarge.....39 - -VI. _FROM KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN_: Conway Intervales.--Bartlett -Bowlder.--Singular Homicide.--Bartlett.--A Lost Village.--Ascent of -Mount Carrigain.--A Shaggy Wilderness.....55 - -VII. _VALLEY OF THE SACO_: Autumnal Foliage.--The Story of -Nancy.--Doctor Bemis.--Abel Crawford, the Veteran Guide.--Ethan A. -Crawford.--The Mount Crawford Glen.--Giant's Stairs.--Frankenstein -Cliff.--Superb View of Mount Washington.--Mount Willey.....66 - -VIII. _THROUGH THE NOTCH_: Great Notch of the White Mountains.--The -Willey House, and Slide of 1826.--"Colonizing" Voters.--Mount -Willard.--Mount Webster, and its Cascades.--Gate of the Notch.--Summit -of the Pass.....76 - -IX. _CRAWFORD'S_: The Elephant's Head.--Crawford House, and -Glen.--Discovery of The Notch.--Ascent of Mount Willard.--Magnificent -_coup d'oeil_.....87 - -X. _THE ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S_: The Bridle-path.--Wreck of -the Forest.--A Forest of Ice.--Dwarf Trees.--Summit of Mount -Clinton.--Caught in a Snow-storm.--The Colonel's Hat.--Oakes's -Gulf.--The Plateau.--Climbing the Dome.--The Summit at Last.....95 - - -SECOND JOURNEY. - -I. _LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS_: Indian Tradition and Legend.--Ascent -of Mount Washington by Darby Field.--Indian Name of the White Mountains -.....113 - -II. _JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY_: Thorn Hill.--Jackson.--Jackson -Falls.--Goodrich Falls.--The Ellis.--A Captive Maiden's Song.--Pretty -Indian Legend.--Pinkham Notch, from the Ellis.--A Mountain -Homestead.--Artist Life.....122 - -III. _THE CARTER NOTCH_: Valley of the Wildcat.--The Guide.--The -Way In.--Summit of The Notch.--Awful Desolation.--The Giant's -Barricade.--Carter Dome.--The Way Out.....132 - -IV. _THE PINKHAM NOTCH_: The Glen House.--Thompson's Falls.--Emerald -Pool.--Crystal Cascade.--Glen Ellis and its Legend.....144 - -V. _A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S_: Tuckerman's Ravine.--The Path.--Hermit -Lake.--"No Thoroughfare."--Interior of the Ravine.--The Snow -Arch.....155 - -VI. _IN AND ABOUT GORHAM_: The Peabody Valley.--Copp's Farm.--The -Imp.--Nathaniel Copp's Adventure.--Gorham and the Androscoggin.--Mount -Hayes.--Mount Madison.--Wholesale Destruction of the Forests.--Logging -in the Mountains.--Berlin Falls.--Shelburne and Bethel.....165 - -VII. _ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD_: Bruin and the Travellers.--The -Ledge.--The Great Gulf.--Fatal Accident.--Lost Travellers.--Arrival at -the Signal-station.--A Night on the Summit.....178 - -VIII. _MOUNT WASHINGTON_: View from the Summit.--The Great Gale.--Life -on the Summit.--Shadow of Mount Washington.--Bigelow's Lawn.--The Hunter -Monument.--Lake of the Clouds.--The Mountain Butterfly.....189 - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - -I. _THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE_: Plymouth.--Death of Hawthorne.--John -Stark, the Hunter.--Livermore Fall.--Trout and Salmon -Breeding.--Franconia Mountains from West Campton.--Settlement of -Campton.--Valley of Mad River.--Tripyramid Mountain.--Waterville and its -Surroundings.....209 - -II. _THE FRANCONIA PASS_: The Flume House.--The Pool.--The -Flume.--Ascent of Mount Pemigewasset.--The Basin.--Mount -Cannon.--Profile Lake.--Old Man of the Mountain.--Summit of the -Pass.....224 - -III. _THE KING OF FRANCONIA_: Profile House and Glen.--Eagle -Cliff.--Echo Lake.--Ascent of Mount Lafayette.--The Lakes.--Singular -Atmospheric Effects.....237 - -IV. _FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD_: The Roadside Spring.--Franconia -Iron Works and Vicinity.--Sugar Hill.....248 - -V. _THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW_: Newbury and Haverhill.....256 - -VI. _THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES_: Robert Rogers, the -Ranger.--Destruction of the Abenaqui Village.--Retreat and Pursuit of -the Rangers.--Legend of the Silver Image.....259 - -VII. _MOOSEHILLOCK_: Ascent of the Mountain from Warren.--View from the -Summit.....267 - -VIII. _BETHLEHEM_: Bethlehem Street.--Sudden Rise of a Mountain -Resort.--The Environs.--Maplewood and the Great Range.--The Place of -Sunsets.--The "Hermit."--The Soldier turned Peddler.....276 - -IX. _JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER_: Jefferson -Hill.--Starr King and Cherry Mountains.--The Great Chain Again.--Thomas -Starr King.--Ethan Crawford's.--Ravine of the Cascades.--Randolph Hill -and King's Ravine.--The Cherry Mountain Road.--Fabyan's.--Captain -Rosebrook .....291 - -X. _THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS_: The Mountain Railway.--An Evening -Ascension.--Moonlight on the Summit.--Sunrise.--A March to Mount -Adams.--The Great Gulf of the Five Mountains.--The Castellated -Ridge.--Peak of Mount Adams.--Conclusion.....304 - - - - - -Illustrations. - - -These Illustrations, excepting those marked *, were designed by W. -HAMILTON GIBSON. - -SUBJECT. ENGRAVER. PAGE. -TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON _R. Hoskin_ Frontispiece - -WINNIPISEOGEE, FROM RED HILL _J. Tinkey_ 15 - -*"ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!" _V. Bernstrom_ 20 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -PASSACONNAWAY, FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER _Smithwick and French_ 24 - -CHOCORUA _R. Hoskin_ 26 - -LOVEWELL'S POND _J. P. Davis_ 34 - -MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM THE SACO _F. S. King_ 40 - -THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY _E. Held_ 41 - -ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY _G. J. Buechner_ 45 - -KEARSARGE IN WINTER _R. Hoskin_ 48 - -*SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE _H. Deis_ 53 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -CONWAY MEADOWS _W. H. Morse_ 56 - -BARTLETT BOWLDER _E. Held_ 58 - -*NANCY IN THE SNOW _J. P. Davis_ 68 - _Designed by Sol Eytinge._ - -*ABEL CRAWFORD (PORTRAIT) _Thos. Johnson_ 70 - -STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY _J. Linton_ 75 - -MOUNT WILLARD, FROM WILLEY BROOK _G. Smith_ 78 - -THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER _F. S. King_ 85 - -ELEPHANT'S HEAD, WINTER _H. Wolf_ 88 - -LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH _C. Mayer_ 91 - -GIANT'S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN _J. Hellawell_ 124 - -MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS _F. Pettit_ 126 - -THE CARTER NOTCH _Smithwick and French_ 134 - -THE EMERALD POOL _W. H. Morse_ 147 - -THE CRYSTAL CASCADE _H. Wolf_ 149 - -THE PATH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE _R. Hoskin_ 157 - -HERMIT LAKE _W. J. Dana_ 160 - -SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE _N. Orr_ 163 - -THE IMP _J. Tinkey_ 166 - -THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE _G. Smith_ 176 - -MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF _W. H. Morse_ 182 - -WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT _R. Schelling_ 187 - -*THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE _J. Tinkey_ 194 - _Designed by Thure de Thulstrup_ - -LAKE OF THE CLOUDS _J. P. Davis_ 200 - -ON THE PROFILE ROAD _Smithwick and French_ 213 - -WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER _J. Hellawell_ 217 - -BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS _J. S. Harley_ 220 - -FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON _F. S. King_ 222 - -A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL _C. Mayer_ 225 - -THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH _J. P. Davis_ 227 - -THE BASIN _G. J. Buechner_ 230 - -*THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN _A. Measom_ 234 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -*EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE _P. Annin_ 238 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -ECHO LAKE, FRANCONIA _G. J. Buechner_ 240 - -MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, -LAFAYETTE _R. Schelling_ 242 - -CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE _R. Hoskin_ 245 - -*FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH _C. Mayer_ 248 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -*THE ROADSIDE SPRING 250 - _Designed by W. A . Rogers._ - -*ROBERT ROGERS (PORTRAIT) _C. Mayer_ 260 - -*THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON 274 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM _J. Tinkey_ 280 - -THE NORTHERN PEAKS, FROM JEFFERSON _Smithwick and French_ 292 - -MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN'S _E. Held_ 301 - -*MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING -TIMES _T. Johnson_ 305 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY _J. Hellawell_ 309 - -THE CASTELLATED RIDGE, MOUNT JEFFERSON _J. Tinkey_ 315 - -MAP OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS (_East Side_) xv - - " " " (_Central and Northern Section_) 111 - - " " " (_West Side_) 207 - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - - - PAGE - -I. _MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS_ 1 - -II. _INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE_ 8 - -III. _CHOCORUA_ 18 - -IV. _LOVEWELL_ 33 - -V. _NORTH CONWAY_ 39 - -VI. _KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN_ 55 - -VII. _VALLEY OF THE SACO_ 66 - -VIII. _THROUGH THE NOTCH_ 76 - -IX. _CRAWFORD'S_ 87 - -X. _ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S_ 95 - -[Illustration: [Map]] - - - - -THE - -HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. - - - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - -I. - -_MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS._ - - "Si jeunesse savait! si viellesse pouvait!" - - -One morning in September I was sauntering up and down the -railway-station waiting for the slow hands of the clock to reach the -hour fixed for the departure of the train. The fact that these hands -never move backward did not in the least seem to restrain the impatience -of the travellers thronging into the station, some with happy, some with -anxious faces, some without trace of either emotion, yet all betraying -the same eagerness and haste of manner. All at once I heard my name -pronounced, and felt a heavy hand upon my shoulder. - -"What!" I exclaimed, in genuine surprise, "is it you, colonel?" - -"Myself," affirmed the speaker, offering his cigar-case. - -"And where did you drop from"--accepting an Havana; "the Blue Grass?" - -"I reckon." - -"But what are you doing in New England, when you should be in Kentucky?" - -"Doing, I? oh, well," said my friend, with a shade of constraint; then -with a quizzical smile, "You are a Yankee; guess." - -"Take care." - -"Guess." - -"Running away from your creditors?" - -The colonel's chin cut the air contemptuously. - -"Running after a woman, perhaps?" - -My companion quickly took the cigar from his lips, looked at me with -mouth half opened, then stammered, "What in blue brimstone put that into -your head?" - -"Evidently you are going on a journey, but are dressed for an evening -party," I replied, comprising with a glance the colonel's black suit, -lavender gloves, and white cravat. - -"Why," said the colonel, glancing rather complacently at himself--"why -we Kentuckians always travel so at home. But it's now your turn; where -are you going yourself?" - -"To the mountains." - -"Good; so am I: White Mountains, Green Mountains, Rocky Mountains, or -Mountains of the Moon, I care not." - -"What is your route?" - -"I'm not at all familiar with the topography of your mountains. What is -yours?" - -"By the Eastern to Lake Winnipiseogee, thence to Centre Harbor, thence -by stage and rail to North Conway and the White Mountain Notch." - -My friend purchased his ticket by the indicated route, and the train -was soon rumbling over the bridges which span the Charles and Mystic. -Farewell, Boston, city where, like thy railways, all extremes meet, but -where I would still rather live on a crust moistened with east wind than -cast my lot elsewhere. - -When we had fairly emerged into the light and sunshine of the open -country, I recognized my old acquaintance George Brentwood. At a gesture -from me he came and sat opposite to us. - -George Brentwood was a blond young man of thirty-four or thirty-five, -with brown hair, full reddish beard, shrewdish blue eyes, a robust -frame, and a general air of negligent repose. In a word, he was the -antipodes of my companion, whose hair, eyebrows, and mustache were -coal-black, eyes dark and sparkling, manner nervous, and his attitudes -careless and unconstrained, though not destitute of a certain natural -grace. Both were men to be remarked in a crowd. - -"George," said I, "permit me to introduce my friend Colonel Swords." - -After a few civil questions and answers, George declared his -destination to be ours, and was cordially welcomed to join us. By way -of breaking the ice, he observed, - -"Apropos of your title, colonel, I presume you served in the Rebellion?" - -The colonel hitched a little on his seat before replying. Knowing him -to be a very modest man, I came to his assistance. "Yes," said I, "the -colonel fought hard and bled freely. Let me see, where were you wounded?" - -"Through the chest." - -"No, I mean in what battle?" - -"Spottsylvania." - -"Left on the field for dead, and taken prisoner," I finished. - -George is a fellow of very generous impulses. "My dear sir," said he, -effusively, grasping the colonel's hand, "after what you have suffered -for the old flag, you can need no other passport to the gratitude and -friendship of a New-Englander. Count me as one of your debtors. During -the war it was my fortune--my misfortune, I should say--to be in a -distant country; otherwise we should have been found fighting shoulder -to shoulder under Grant, or Sherman, or Sheridan, or Thomas. - -The colonel's color rose. He drew himself proudly up, cleared his -throat, and said, laconically, "Hardly, stranger, seeing that I had the -honor to fight under the Confederate flag." - -You have seen a tortoise suddenly draw back into his shell. Well, George -as suddenly retreated into his. For an instant he looked at the Southron -as one might at a confessed murderer; then stammered out a few random -and unmeaning words about mistaken sense of duty--gallant but useless -struggle, you know--drew a newspaper from his pocket, and hid his -confusion behind it. - -Fearing my fiery Kentuckian might let fall some unlucky word that would -act like a live coal dropped on the tortoise's back, I hastened to -interpose. "But really, colonel," I urged, returning to the charge, -"with the Blue Ridge always at your back, I wager you did not come a -thousand miles merely to see our mountains. Come, what takes you from -Lexington?" - -"A truant disposition." - -"Nothing else?" - -His dark face grew swarthy, then pale. He looked at me doubtfully a -moment, and then leaned close to my ear. "You guessed it," he whispered. - -"A woman?" - -"Yes; you know that I was taken prisoner and sent North. Through the -influence of a friend who had known my family before the war, I was -allowed to pass my first days of convalescence in a beautiful little -village in Berkshire. There I was cured of the bullet, but received a -more mortal wound." - -"What a misfortune!" - -"Yes; no; confound you, let me finish." - -"Helen, the daughter of the gentleman who procured my transfer from the -hospital to his pleasant home" (the proud Southerner would not say his -benefactor), "was a beautiful creature. Let me describe her to you." - -"Oh," I hastened to say, "I know her." Like all lovers, that subject -might have a beginning but no ending. - -"You?" - -"Of course. Listen. Yellow hair, rippling ravishingly from an alabaster -forehead, pink cheeks, pouting lips, dimpled chin, snowy throat--" - -The colonel made a gesture of impatience. "Pshaw, that's a type, not a -portrait. Well, the upshot of it was that I was exchanged, and ordered -to report at Baltimore for transportation to our lines. Imagine my -dismay. No, you can't, for I was beginning to think she cared for me, -and I was every day getting deeper and deeper in love. But to tell her! -That posed me. When alone with her, my cowardly tongue clove to the roof -of my mouth. Once or twice I came very near bawling out, 'I love you!' -just as I would have given an order to a squadron to charge a battery." - -"Well; but you did propose at last?" - -"Oh yes." - -"And was accepted." - -The colonel lowered his head, and his face grew pinched. - -"Refused gently, but positively refused." - -"Come," I hazarded, thinking the story ended, "I do not like your Helen." - -"Why?" - -"Because either you are mistaken, or she seems just a little of a -coquette." - -"Oh, you don't know her," said the colonel, warmly; "when we parted she -betrayed unusual agitation--for her; but I was cut to the quick by her -refusal, and determined not to let her see how deeply I felt it. After -the Deluge--you know what I mean--after the tragedy at Appomattox, I -went back to the old home. Couldn't stay there. I tried New Orleans, -Cuba. No use." - -Something rose in the colonel's throat, but he gulped it down and went -on: - -"The image of that girl pursues me. Did you ever try running away from -yourself? Well, after fighting it out with myself until I could endure -it no longer, I put pride in my pocket, came straight to Berkshire, only -to find Helen gone." - -"That was unlucky; where?" - -"To the mountains, of course. Everybody seems to be going there; but I -shall find her." - -"Don't be too sanguine. It will be like looking for a needle in a -hay-stack. The mountains are a perfect Ddalian labyrinth," I could not -help saying, in my vexation. Instead of an ardent lover of nature, I had -picked up the "baby of a girl." But there was George Brentwood. I went -over and sat by George. - -It was generally understood that George was deeply enamored of a young -and beautiful widow who had long ceased to count her love affairs, -who all the world, except George, knew loved only herself, and who -had therefore nothing left worth mentioning to bestow upon another. -By nature a coquette, passionately fond of admiration, her self-love -was flattered by the attentions of such a man as George, and he, poor -fellow, driven one day to the verge of despair, the next intoxicated -with the crumbs she threw him, was the victim of a species of slavery -which was fast undermining his buoyant and generous disposition. The -colonel was in hot pursuit of his adored Helen. Two words sufficed to -acquaint me that George was escaping from his beautiful tormentor. At -all events, I was sure of him. - -"How charming the country is! What a delightful sense of freedom!" -George drew a deep breath, and stretched his limbs luxuriously. "Shall -we have an old-fashioned tramp together?" He continued, with assumed -vivacity, "The deuce take me if I go back to town for a twelve-month. -How we creep along! I feel exultation in putting the long miles between -me and the accursed city," said George, at last. - -"You experience no regret, then, at leaving the city?" - -George merely looked at me; but he could not have spoken more eloquently. - -The train had just left Portsmouth, when the conductor entered the car -holding aloft a yellow envelope. Every eye was instantly riveted upon -it. Conversation ceased. For whom of the fifty or sixty occupants of -the car had this flash overtaken the express train? In that moment the -criminal realized the futility of flight, the merchant the uncertainty -of his investments, the man of leisure all the ordinary contingencies of -life. The conductor put an end to the suspense by demanding, - -"Is Mr. George Brentwood in this car?" - -In spite of an heroic effort at self-control, George's hand trembled as -he tore open the envelope; but as he read his face became radiant. Had -he been alone I believe he would have kissed the paper. - -"Your news is not bad?" I ventured to ask, seeing him relapse into a -fit of musing, and noting the smile that came and went like a ripple on -still water. - -"Thank you, quite the contrary; but it is important that I should -immediately return to Boston." - -"How unfortunate!" - -George turned on me a fixed and questioning look, but made no reply. - -"And the mountains?" I persisted. - -"Oh, sink the mountains!" - -I last saw George striding impatiently up and down the platform of the -Rochester station, watch in hand. Without doubt he had received his -recall. However, there was still the lovelorn colonel. - -Never have I seen a man more thoroughly enraptured with the growing -beauty of the scenery. I promised myself much enjoyment in his society, -for his comments were both original and picturesque; so that by the time -we arrived at Wolfborough I had already forgotten George and his widow. - -There was the usual throng of idlers lounging about the pier with -their noses in the air, and their hands in their pockets; perhaps more -than the usual confusion, for the steamer merely touched to take and -leave passengers. We went on board. As the bell tolled the colonel -uttered an exclamation. He became all on a sudden transformed from a -passive spectator into an excited and prominent actor in the scene. -He gesticulated wildly, swung his hat, and shouted in a frantic way, -apparently to attract the attention of some one in the crowd; failing in -which he seized his luggage, took the stairs in two steps, and darting -like a rocket among the astonished spectators, who divided to the right -and left before his impetuous onset, was in the act of vigorously -shaking hands with a hale old gentleman of fifty odd when the boat swung -clear. He waved his unoccupied hand, and I saw his face wreathed in -smiles. I could not fail to interpret the gesture as an adieu. - -"Halloo!" I shouted, "what of the mountains?" - -"Burn the mountains!" was his reply. The steamer glided swiftly down the -little bay, and I was left to continue my journey alone. - - - - -II. - -_INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE._ - - First a lake - Tinted with sunset, next the wavy lines - Of far receding hills.--WHITTIER. - - -When the steamer glides out of the land-locked inlet at the bottom -of which Wolfborough is situated, one of those pictures, forever -ineffaceable, presents itself. In effect, all the conditions of a -picture are realized. Here is the shining expanse of the lake stretching -away in the distance, and finally lost among tufted inlets and -foliage-rounded promontories. To the right are the Ossipee mountains, -dark, vigorously outlined, and wooded to their summits. To the left, -more distant, rise the twin domes of the Belknap peaks. In front, and -closing the view, the imposing Sandwich summits dominate the scene. - -All these mountains seem advancing into the lake. They possess a -special character of color, outline, or physiognomy which fixes them -in the memory, not confusedly, but in the place appropriate to this -beautiful picture, to its fine proportions, exquisite harmony, and -general effectiveness. Even M. Chateaubriand, who maintains that -mountains should only be seen from a distance--even he would have found -in Winnipiseogee the perfection of his ideal _mise en scne_; for here -they stand well back from the lake, so as to give the best effect of -perspective. - -Lovely as the lake is, the eye will rove among the mountains that we -have come to see. They, and they alone, are the objects which have -enticed us--entice us even now with a charm and mystery that we cannot -pretend to explain. We do not wish it explained. We know that we are -as free, as light of heart, as the birds that skim the placid surface -of the lake, and coquet with their own shadows. The memory of those -mountains is like snatches of music that come unbidden and haunt you -perpetually. - -Having taken in the grander features, the eye is occupied with its -details. We see the lake quivering in sunshine. From bold summit to -beautiful water the shores are clothed in most vivid green. The islands, -which we believe to be floating gardens, are almost tropical in the -luxuriance and richness of their vegetation. The deep shadows they fling -down image each islet so faithfully that it seems, like Narcissus, -gloating over its own beauty. Here and there a glimmer of water through -the trees denotes secluded little havens. Boats float idly on the calm -surface. Water-fowl rise and beat the glossy, dark water with startled -wings. White tents appear, and handkerchiefs flutter from jutting points -or headlands. Over all tower the mountains. - -The steamer glided swiftly and noiselessly on, attended by the echo -of her paddles from the shores. Dimpled waves, parting from her prow, -rolled indolently in, and broke on the foam-fretted rocks. There was a -warmth of color about these rocks, a pure transparency to the water, a -brightness to the foliage, an invigorating strength in the mountains -that exerted a cheerful influence upon our spirits. - -As we advanced up the lake new and rare vistas rapidly succeeded. -After leaving Long Island behind, the near ranges drew apart, holding -us admiring and absorbed spectators of a moving panorama of distant -summits. An opening appeared, through which Mount Washington burst upon -us blue as lapis-lazuli, a chaplet of clouds crowning his imperial -front. Slowly, majestically, he marches by, and now Chocorua scowls upon -us. A murmur of admiration ran from group to group as these monumental -figures were successively unveiled. Men kept silence, but women could -not repress the exclamation, "How beautiful!" The two grandest types -which these mountains enclose were thus displayed in the full splendor -of noonday. - -I should add that those who now saw Mount Washington for the first -time, and whose curiosity was whetted by the knowledge that it was the -highest peak of the whole family of mountains, openly manifested their -disappointment. That Mount Washington! It was in vain to remind them -that the eye traversed forty miles in its flight from lake to summit. -Fault of perspective or not, the mountain was not nearly so high as -they imagined. Chocorua, on the contrary, with its ashen spire and -olive-green flanks, realized more fully their idea of a high mountain. -One was near, the other far. Imagination fails to make a mountain higher -than it looks. The mind takes its measure after the eye. - -Our boat was now rapidly nearing Centre Harbor. On the right its -progress gradually unmasking the western slopes of the Ossipee range, -more fully opened the view of Chocorua and his dependent peaks. We -were looking in the direction of Tamworth. Ossipee, and Conway. Red -Hill, a detached mountain at the head of the lake, now moved into the -gap, excluding further views of distant summits. Moosehillock, lofty -but unimpressive, has for some time showed its flattened heights over -the Sandwich Mountains, but is now sinking behind them. To the west, -thronged with islands, is the long reach of water toward the outlet of -the lake at Weirs.[1] - -This lake was the highway over which Indian war-parties advanced or -retreated during their predatory incursions from Canada. Many captives -must have crossed it whom its mountain walls seemed forever destined to -separate from friends and kindred. The Indians who inhabited villages at -Winnipiseogee (Weirs), Ossipee, and Pigwacket (Fryeburg), were hostile; -and from time to time during the old wars troops were marched from -the English settlements to subdue them. These scouting-parties found -the woods well stocked with bear, moose, and deer, and the lake with -salmon-trout, some of which, according to the narrative before me, were -three feet long, and weighed twelve pounds each. - -Traces of Indian occupation remained up to the present century. -Fishing-weirs and woodland paths were frequently discovered by the -whites; but a greater curiosity than either is mentioned by Dr. Belknap, -in his "History of New Hampshire," who there tells of a pine-tree, -standing on the shore of Winnipiseogee River, on which was carved a -canoe with two men in it, supposed to have been a mark of direction to -those who were expected to follow. Another was a tree in Moultonborough, -standing near a carrying-place between two ponds. On this tree was a -representation of one of their expeditions. The number of killed and -the prisoners were shown by rude drawings of human beings, the former -being distinguished by the mark of a knife across the throat. Even the -distinction of sex was preserved in the drawing. - -Centre Harbor is advantageously situated for a sojourn more or less -prolonged. Although settled as early as 1755, it is, in common with the -other lake towns, barren of history or tradition. Its greatest impulse -is, beyond question, the tide of tourists which annually ebbs and flows -among the most sequestered nooks, enriching this charming region like an -inundation of the Nile. An anecdote will, however, serve to illustrate -the character of the men who first subdued this wilderness. Our anecdote -represents its hero a man of resources. His career proves him a man of -courage. Although a veritable personage, let us call him General Hampton. - -The fact that General Hampton lived in that only half-cleared atmosphere -following the age of credulity and superstition, naturally accounts -for the extraordinary legend concerning him which, for the rest, had -its origin among his own friends and neighbors, who merely shared the -general belief in the practice of diabolic arts, through compacts with -the arch-enemy of mankind himself, universally prevailing in that -day--yes, prevailing all over Christendom. By a mere legend, we are thus -able to lay hold of the thread which conducts us back through the dark -era of superstition and delusion, and which is now so amazing. - -The general, says the legend, encountered a far more notable adversary -than Abenaki warriors or conjurers, among whom he had lived, and whom it -was the passion of his life to exterminate. - -In an evil hour his yearning to amass wealth suddenly led him to declare -that he would sell his soul for the possession of unbounded riches. -Think of the devil, and he is at your elbow. The fatal declaration was -no sooner made--the general was sitting alone by his fireside--than -a shower of sparks came down the chimney, out of which stepped a man -dressed from top to toe in black velvet. The astonished Hampton noticed -that the stranger's ruffles were not even smutted. - -"Your servant, general," quoth the stranger, suavely, "but let us make -haste, if you please, for I am expected at the governor's in a quarter -of an hour," he added, picking up a live coal with his thumb and -forefinger and consulting his watch with it. - -The general's wits began to desert him. Portsmouth was five leagues, -long ones at that, from Hampton House, and his strange visitor talked, -with the utmost unconcern, of getting there in fifteen minutes. His -astonishment caused him to stammer out, - -"Then you must be the--" - -"Tush! what signifies a name?" interrupted the stranger, with a -deprecating wave of the hand. "Come, do we understand each other? is it -a bargain or not?" - -At the talismanic word "bargain" the general pricked up his ears. He had -often been heard to say that neither man nor devil could get the better -of him in a trade. He took out his jack-knife and began to whittle. The -devil took out his, and began to pare his nails. - -"But what proof have I that you can perform what you promise?" demanded -Hampton, pursing up his mouth, and contracting his bushy eyebrows. - -The fiend ran his fingers carelessly through his peruke; a shower of -golden guineas fell to the floor, and rolled to the four corners of the -room. The general quickly stooped to pick up one; but no sooner had his -fingers closed upon it than he uttered a yell. It was red-hot. - -The devil chuckled. "Try again," he said. - -But Hampton shook his head, and retreated a step. - -"Don't be afraid." - -Hampton cautiously touched a coin. It was cool. He weighed it in his -hand, and rung it on the table. It was full weight and true ring. Then -he went down on his hands and knees, and began to gather up the guineas -with feverish haste. - -"Are you satisfied?" demanded Satan. - -"Completely, your majesty." - -"Then to business. By-the-way, have you anything to drink in the house?" - -"There is some Old Jamaica in the cupboard." - -"Excellent. I am as thirsty as a Puritan on election-day," said the -devil, seating himself at the table and negligently flinging his mantle -back over his shoulder. - -Hampton brought a decanter and a couple of glasses from the cupboard, -filled one and passed it to his infernal guest, who tasted it, and -smacked his lips with the air of a connoisseur. Hampton watched every -gesture. "Does your excellency not find it to his taste?" he ventured to -ask. - -"H'm, I have drunk worse; but let me show you how to make a salamander," -replied Satan, touching the lighted end of the taper to the liquor, -which instantly burst into a spectral blue flame. The fiend then -raised the tankard, glanced approvingly at the blaze--which to -Hampton's disordered intellect resembled an adder's forked and agile -tongue--nodded, and said, patronizingly, "To our better acquaintance." -He then quaffed the contents at a single gulp. - -Hampton shuddered. This was not the way he had been used to seeing -healths drunk. He pretended, however, to drink, for fear of giving -offence, but somehow the liquor choked him. The demon set down the -tankard, and observed, in a matter-of-fact way that put his listener in -a cold sweat, - -"Now that you are convinced I am able to make you the richest man in all -the province, listen. In consideration of your agreement, duly signed -and sealed, to deliver your soul"--here he drew a parchment from his -breast--"I engage, on my part, on the first day of every month, to fill -your boots with golden elephants like these before you. But mark me -well," said Satan, holding up a forefinger glittering with diamonds; "if -you try to play me any trick you will repent it. I know you, Jonathan -Hampton, and shall keep my eye upon you. So beware!" - -Hampton flinched a little at this plain speech; but a thought seemed to -strike him, and he brightened up. Satan opened the scroll, smoothed out -the creases, dipped a pen in the inkhorn at his girdle, and pointing to -a blank space said, laconically, "Sign!" - -Hampton hesitated. - -"If you are afraid," sneered Satan, "why put me to all this trouble?" -And he began to put the gold in his pocket. - -His victim seized the pen, but his hand shook so he could not write. He -gulped down a swallow of rum, stole a look at his infernal guest, who -nodded his head by way of encouragement, and a second time approached -his pen to the paper. The struggle was soon over. The unhappy Hampton -wrote his name at the bottom of the fatal list, which he was astonished -to see numbered some of the highest personages in the province. "I shall -at least be in good company," he muttered. - -"Good!" said Satan, rising and putting the scroll carefully within his -breast. "Rely on me, general, and be sure you keep faith. Remember!" -So saying, the demon waved his hand, wrapped his mantle about him, and -vanished up the chimney. - -Satan performed his part of the contract to the letter. On the first day -of every month the boots, which were hung on the crane in the fireplace -the night before, were found in the morning stuffed full of guineas. It -is true that Hampton had ransacked the village for the largest pair to -be found, and had finally secured a brace of trooper's boots, which came -up to the wearer's thigh; but the contract merely expressed boots, and -the devil does not stand upon trifles. - -Hampton rolled in wealth. Everything prospered. His neighbors regarded -him first with envy, then with aversion, at last with fear. Not a few -affirmed he had entered into a league with the Evil One. Others shook -their heads, saying, "What does it signify? that man would outwit the -devil himself." - -But one morning, when the fiend came as usual to fill the boots, what -was his astonishment to find that he could not fill them. He poured in -the guineas, but it was like pouring water into a rat-hole. The more he -put in, the more the quantity seemed to diminish. In vain he persisted: -the boots could not be filled. - -The devil scratched his ear. "I must look into this," he reflected. -No sooner said than he attempted to descend, but found his progress -suddenly arrested. The chimney was choked up with guineas. Foaming with -rage, the demon tore the boots from the crane. The crafty general had -cut off the soles, leaving only the legs for the devil to fill. The -chamber was knee-deep with gold. - -The devil gave a horrible grin, and disappeared. The same night Hampton -House was burnt to the ground, the general only escaping in his shirt. -He had been dreaming he was dead and in hell. His precious guineas were -secreted in the wainscot, the ceiling, and other hiding-places known -only to himself. He blasphemed, wept, and tore his hair. Suddenly he -grew calm. After all, the loss was not irreparable, he reflected. Gold -would melt, it is true; but he would find it all, of course he would, -at daybreak, run into a solid lump in the cellar--every guinea. That is -true of ordinary gold. - -The general worked with the energy of despair clearing away the rubbish. -He refused all offers of assistance: he dared not accept them. But the -gold had vanished. Whether it was really consumed, or had passed again -into the massy entrails of the earth, will never be known. It is certain -that every vestige of it had disappeared. - -When the general died and was buried, strange rumors began to circulate. -To quiet them, the grave was opened; but when the lid was removed from -the coffin, it was found to be empty. - -Having reached Centre Harbor at two in the afternoon, there was still -time to ascend Red Hill before sunset. This eminence would be called -a mountain anywhere else. Its altitude is inconsiderable, but its -situation at the head of the lake, on its very borders, is highly -favorable to a commanding prospect of the surrounding lake region. -There are two summits, the northern and highest being only a little -more than two thousand feet. - -[Illustration: WINNIPISEOGEE FROM RED HILL.] - -For such an excursion little preparation is necessary. In fact a -carriage-road ascends within a mile of the superior summit; and from -this point the path is one of the easiest I have ever traversed. The -value of a pure atmosphere is so well understood by every mountain -tourist that he will neglect no opportunity which this thrice-fickle -element offers him. This was a day of days. - -After a little promenade of two hours, or two hours and a half, I -reached the cairn on the summit, from which a tattered signal flag -fluttered in the breeze. Without extravagance, the view is one of the -most engaging that the eye ever looked upon. I had before me that -beautiful valley extending between the Sandwich chain on the left and -the Ossipee range on the right, the distance filled by a background of -mountains. It was across this valley that we saw Mount Washington, while -coming up the lake. But that noble peak was now hid. - -The first chain trending to the west threw one gigantic arm around the -beautiful little Squam Lake, which like a magnificent gem sparkled at my -feet. The second stretched its huge rampart along the eastern shores of -Winnipiseogee. - -The surface of this valley is tumbled about in most charming disorder. -Three villages crowned as many eminences in the foreground; three little -lakes, half hid in the middle distance, blue as turquoise, lighted the -fading hues of field and forest. Hamlets and farms, groves and forests -innumerable, were scattered broadcast over this inviting landscape. The -harvests were gathered, and the mellowed tints of green, orange, and -gold resembled rich old tapestry. Men and animals looked like insects -creeping along the roads. - -From this point of view the Sandwich Mountains took far greater interest -and character, and I remarked that no two summits were precisely alike -in form or outline. Higher and more distant peaks peered curiously -over their brawny shoulders from their lairs in the valley of the -Pemigewasset; but more remarkable, more weird than all, was the gigantic -monolith which tops the rock-ribbed pile of Chocorua. The more I looked, -the more this monstrous freak of nature fascinated. As the sun glided -down the west, a ruddy glow tinged its pinnacle; while the shadows -lurking in the ravines stole up the mountain side and crouched for a -final spring upon the summit. Little by little, twilight flowed over the -valley, and a thin haze rose from its surface. - -I had waited for this moment, and now turned to the lakes. Winnipiseogee -was visible throughout its whole length, the multitude of islands -peeping above it giving the idea of an inundation rather than an inland -sea. On the farthest shores mere specks of white denoted houses; and -traced in faint relief on the southern sky, so unsubstantial, indeed, -as to render it doubtful if it were sky or mountain, was the Grand -Monadnock, the fixed sentinel of all this august assemblage of mountains. - -Glowing in sunset splendor, streaked with all the hues of the rainbow, -the lake was indeed magnificent. - -In vain the eve roved hither and thither seeking some foil to this -peerless beauty. Everywhere the same unrivalled picture led it captive -over thirty miles of gleaming water, up the graceful curves of the -mountains, to rest at last among crimson clouds floating in rosy vapor -over their notched summits. - -Imagination must assist the reader to reproduce this ravishing -spectacle. To attempt to describe it is like a profanation. Paradise -seemed to have opened wide its gates to my enraptured gaze; or had -I surprised the secrets of the unknown world? I stood silent and -spellbound, with a strange, exquisite feeling at the heart. I felt a -thrill of pain when a voice from the forest broke the solemn stillness -which alone befitted this almost supernatural vision. Now I understood -the pagan's adoration of the sun. My mind ran over the most striking or -touching incidents of Scripture, where the sublimity of the scene is -always in harmony with the grandeur of the event--the Temptation, the -Sermon on the Mount, the Transfiguration--and memory brought to my aid -these words, so simple, so tender, yet so expressive, "And he went up -into the mountain to pray, himself, alone." - - - - -III. - -_CHOCORUA._ - - "There I saw above me mountains, - And I asked of them what century - Met them in their youth." - - -After a stay at Centre Harbor long enough to gain a knowledge of its -charming environs, but which seemed all too brief, I took the stage at -two o'clock one sunny afternoon for Tamworth. I had resolved, if the -following morning should be clear, to ascend Chocorua, which from the -summit of Red Hill seemed to fling his defiance from afar. - -Following my custom, I took an outside seat with the driver. There being -only three or four passengers, what is frequently a bone of contention -was settled without that display of impudent selfishness which is seen -when a dozen or more travellers are all struggling for precedence. But -at the steamboat landing the case was different. I remained a quiet -looker-on of the scene that ensued. It was sufficiently ridiculous. - -At the moment the steamboat touched her pier the passengers prepared to -spring to the shore, and force had to be used to keep them back until -she could be secured. An instant after the crowd rushed pell-mell up -the wharf, surrounded the stage, and began, women as well as men, a -promiscuous scramble for the two or three unoccupied seats at the top. - -Two men and one woman succeeded in obtaining the prizes. The woman -interested me by the intense triumph that sparkled in her black eyes -and glowed on her cheeks at having distanced several competitors of her -own sex, to say nothing of the men. She beamed! As I made room for her, -she said, with a toss of the head, "I guess I haven't been through Lake -George for nothing." - -Crack! We were jolting along the road, around the base of Red Hill, the -horses stepping briskly out at the driver's chirrup, the coach pitching -and lurching like a gondola in a sea. What a sense of exhilaration, -of lightness! The air so pure and elastic, the odor of the pines so -fragrant, so invigorating, which we breathe with all the avidity of -a convalescent who for the first time crosses the threshold of his -chamber. Each moment I felt my body growing lighter. A delicious -sense of self-ownership breaks the chain binding us to the toiling, -struggling, worrying life we have left behind. We carry our world with -us. Life begins anew, or rather it has only just begun. - -The view of the ranges which on either side elevate two immense walls of -green is kept for nearly the whole distance. As we climb the hill into -Sandwich, Mount Israel is the prominent object; then brawny Whiteface, -Passaconnaway's pyramid, Chocorua's mutilated spire advance, in their -turn, into line. Sometimes we were in a thick forest, sometimes on a -broad, sunny glade; now threading our way through groves of pitch-pine, -now winding along the banks of the Bear-Camp River. - -The views of the mountains, as the afternoon wore away, grew more -and more interesting. The ravines darkened, the summits brightened. -Cloud-shadows chased each other up and down the steeps, or, flitting -slowly across the valley, spread thick mantles of black that seemed to -deaden the sound of our wheels as we passed over them. On one side all -was light, on the other all gloom. But the landscape is not all that may -be seen to advantage from the top of a stage-coach. - -From time to time, as something provoked an exclamation of surprise or -pleasure, certain of the inside occupants manifested open discontent. -They were losing something where they had expected to see everything. - -While the horses were being changed, one of the insides, I need not say -it was a woman, thrust her head out of the window, and addressed the -young person perched like a bird upon the highest seat. Her voice was -soft and persuasive: - -"Miss!" - -"Madam!" - -"I'm so afraid you find it too cold up there. Sha'n't I change places -with you?" - -The little one gave her voice a droll inflection as she briskly replied, -"Oh dear no, thank you; I'm very comfortable indeed." - -"But," urged the other, "you don't look strong; indeed, dear, you don't. -Aren't you very, very tired, sitting so long without any support to your -back?" - -"Thanks, no; my spine is the strongest part of me." - -"But," still persisted the inside, changing her voice to a loud whisper, -"to be sitting alone with all those men!" - -[Illustration: "ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!"] - -"They mind their business, and I mind mine," said the little one, -reddening; "besides," she quickly added, "you proposed changing places, -I believe!" - -"Oh!" returned the other, with an accent impossible to convey in words, -"if you like it." - -"I tell you what, ma'am," snapped the one in possession, "I've been all -over Europe alone, and was never once insulted except by persons of my -own sex." - -This home-thrust ended the colloquy. The first speaker quickly drew in -her head, and I remarked a general twitching of muscles on the faces -around me. The driver shook his head in silent glee. The little woman's -eyes emitted sparks. - -From West Ossipee I drove over to Tamworth Iron Works, where I passed -the night, and where I had, so to speak, Chocorua under my thumb. - -This mountain being the most proper for a legend, it accordingly has -one. Here it is in all its purity: - -After the terrible battle in which the Sokokis were nearly destroyed, -a remnant of the tribe, with their chief, Chocorua, fled into the -fastnesses of these mountains, where the foot of a white man had never -intruded. Here they trapped the beaver, speared the salmon, and hunted -the moose. - -The survivors of Lovewell's band brought the first news of their -disaster to the settlements. More like spectres than living men, their -haggard looks, bloodshot eyes, and shaking limbs, their clothing hanging -about them in shreds, announced the hardships of that long and terrible -march but too plainly. - -Among those who had set out with the expedition were three brothers--one -a mere stripling, the others famous hunters. The eldest of the three, -having fallen lame on the second day, was left behind. His brethren -would have conducted him back to the nearest village, but he promptly -refused their proffered aid, saying, - -"'Tis enough to lose one man; three are too many. Go; do my part as well -as your own." - -The two had gone but a few steps when the disabled ranger called the -second brother back. - -"Tom," said the elder, "take care of our brother." - -"Surely," replied the other, in some surprise. "Surely," he repeated. - -"I charge you," continued the first speaker, "watch over the boy as I -would myself." - -"Never fear, Lance; whatever befalls Hugh happens to me." - -"Not so," said the other, with energy; "you must die for him, if need -be." - -"They shall chop me as fine as sausage-meat before a hair of the lad's -head is harmed." - -"God bless you, Tom!" The brothers then embraced and separated. - -"What was our brother saying to you?" demanded the younger, when Tom -rejoined him. - -"He begged me, seeing he could not go with us, to shoot two or three -redskins for him; and I promised." The two then quickened their pace in -order to overtake their comrades. - -Among those who succeeded in regaining the settlements was a man who had -been wounded in twenty places. He was at once a ghastly and a pitiful -object. Faint with hunger, fatigue, and loss of blood, he reeled, fell, -slowly rose to his feet, and sunk lifeless at the entrance to the -village. This time he did not rise again. - -A crowd ran up. When they had wiped the blood and dirt from the dead -man's face, a by-stander threw himself upon the body with the cry, "My -God, it is Tom!" - -The following day the surviving brother joined a strong party despatched -by the colonial authorities to the scene of Lovewell's encounter, where -they arrived after a forced march. Here, among the trampled thickets, -they found the festering corpses of the slain. Among them was Hugh, the -younger brother. He was riddled with bullets and shockingly mangled. -Up to this moment, Lance had hoped against hope; now the dread reality -stared him in the face. The stout ranger grew white, his fingers -convulsively clutched the barrel of his gun, and something like a curse -escaped through his clinched teeth; then, kneeling beside the body, he -buried his face in his hands. Hugh's blood cried aloud for vengeance. - -Thorough but unavailing search was made for the savages. They had -disappeared, after applying the torch to their village. Silently and -sadly the rangers performed the last service for their fallen comrades, -and then, turning their backs upon the mountains, commenced their march -homeward. - -The next day the absence of Lance was remarked; but, as he was their -best hunter, the rangers made no doubt he would rejoin them at the next -halt. - -Chocorua was not ignorant that the English were near. Like the vulture, -he scented danger from afar. From the summit of the mountain he had -watched the smoke of the hostile camp-fires stealing above the forest. -The remainder of the tribe had buried themselves still deeper in the -wilderness. They were too few for attack, too weak for defence. - -One morning the chief ascended the pinnacle, and swept the horizon -with his piercing eye. Far in the south a faint smoke told where the -foe had pitched his last encampment. Chocorua's dark eye lighted with -exultation. The accursed pale-faces were gone. - -He turned to descend the mountain, but had not taken ten steps when a -white hunter, armed to the teeth, started from behind the crags and -barred his passage. The chief recoiled, but not with fear, as the muzzle -of his adversary's weapon touched his naked breast. The white man's -eyes shone with deadly purpose, as he forced the chieftain, step by -step, back to the highest point of the mountain. Chocorua could not pass -except over the hunter's dead body. - -Glaring into each other's eyes with mortal hate, the two men reached the -summit. - -"Chocorua will go no farther," said the chief, haughtily. - -The white man trembled with excitement. For a moment he could not speak. -Then, in a voice husky with suppressed emotion, he exclaimed, - -"Die, then, like a dog, thou destroyer of my family, thou incarnate -devil! The white man has been in Chocorua's wigwam; has counted their -scalps--father, mother, sister, brother. He has tracked him to the -mountain-top. Now, demon or devil, Chocorua dies by my hand." - -The chief saw no escape. He comprehended that his last moment was come. -As if all the savage heroism of his race had come to his aid, he drew -himself up to his full height, and stood erect and motionless as a -statue of bronze upon the enormous pedestal of the mountain. His dark -eye blazed, his nostrils dilated, the muscles of his bronzed forehead -stood out like whip-cord. The black eagle's feather in his scalplock -fluttered proudly in the cool morning breeze. He stood thus for a moment -looking death sternly in the face, then, raising his bared arm with a -gesture of superb disdain, he spoke with energy: - -"Chocorua is unarmed; Chocorua will die. His heart is big and strong -with the blood of the accursed pale-face. He laughs at death. He spits -in the white man's face. Go; tell your warriors Chocorua died like a -chief!" - -With this defiance on his lips the chief sprung from the brink into -the unfathomable abyss below. An appalling crash was followed by -a death-like silence. As soon as he recovered from his stupor the -hunter ran to the verge of the precipice and looked over. A horrible -fascination held him an instant. Then, shouldering his gun, he retraced -his steps down the mountain, and the next day rejoined his comrades. - -[Illustration: PASSACONNAWAY FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER.] - -The general and front views of the Sandwich group, which may be had in -perfection from the hill behind the Chocorua House, or from the opposite -elevation, are very striking, embracing as they do the principal summits -from Chocorua to the heavy mass of Black Mountain. There are more -distinct traits, perhaps, embodied in this range than in any other among -the White Hills, except that incomparable band of peaks constituting the -northern half of the great chain itself. There seems, too, a special -fitness in designating these mountains by their Indian titles--Chocorua, -Paugus, Passaconnaway, Wonnalancet--a group of great sagamores, wild, -grand, picturesque.[2] - -The highway now skirted the margin of Chocorua Lake, a lovely little -sheet of water voluptuously reposing at the foot of its overshadowing -mountain. I cannot call Chocorua beautiful, yet of all the White -Mountain peaks is it the most individual, the most aggressively -suggestive. But the lake, fast locked in the embrace of encircling -hills, bathed in all the affluence of the blessed sunlight, its bosom -decorated with white lilies, its shores glassed in water which looks -like a sheet of satin--ah, this was beautiful indeed! Its charming -seclusion, its rare combination of laughing water and impassive old -mountains; above all, the striking contrast between its chaste beauty -and the huge-ribbed thing rising above, awakens a variety of sensations. -It is passing strange. The mountain attracts, and at the same time -repels you. Two sentiments struggle here for mastery--open admiration, -energetic repulsion. For the first time, perhaps, in his life, the -beholder feels an antipathy for a creation of inanimate nature. Chocorua -suggests some fabled prodigy of the old mythology--a headless Centaur, -sprung from the foul womb of earth. The lake seems another Andromeda -exposed to a monster. - -A beautiful Indian legend ran to the effect that the stillness of the -lake was sacred to the Great Spirit, and that if a human voice was heard -upon its waters the offender's canoe would instantly sink to the bottom. - -Chocorua, as seen from Tamworth, shows a long, undulating ridge of white -rising over one of green, both extending toward the east, and opening -between a deep ravine, through which a path ascends to the summit. But -this way affords no view until the summit is close at hand. Beyond the -hump-backed ridge of Chocorua the tip of the southern peak of Moat -Mountain peers over, like a mountain standing on tiptoe. - -The mountain, with its formidable outworks, is constantly in view until -the highway is left for a wood-road winding around its base into an -interval where there is a farm-house. Here the road ends and the ascent -begins. - -Taking a guide here, who was strong, nimble, and sure-footed, but who -proved to be lamentably ignorant of the topography of the country, we -were in a few moments rapidly threading the path up the mountain. It -ought to be said here that, with rare exceptions, the men who serve you -in these ascensions should be regarded rather as porters than as guides. - -In about an hour we reached the summit of the first mountain; for there -are four subordinate ridges to cross before you stand under the single -block of granite forming the pinnacle. - -[Illustration: CHOCORUA.] - -When reconnoitring this pinnacle through your glass, at a distance of -five miles, you will say to scale it would be difficult; when you have -climbed close underneath you will say it is impossible. After surveying -it from the bare ledges of Bald Mountain, where we stood letting the -cool breeze blow upon us, I asked my guide where we could ascend. He -pointed out a long crack, or crevice, toward the left, in which a few -bushes were growing. It is narrow, almost perpendicular, and seemingly -impracticable. I could not help exclaiming, "What, up there! nothing but -birds of the air can mount that sheer wall!" It is, however, there or -nowhere you must ascend. - -The whole upper zone of the mountain seems smitten with palsy. Except -in the ravines between the inferior summits, nothing grew, nothing -relieved the wide-spread desolation. Beyond us rose the enormous conical -crag, scarred and riven by lightning, which gives to Chocorua its highly -distinctive character. It is no longer ashen, but black with lichens. -There was little of symmetry, nothing of grace; only the grandeur of -power. You might as well pelt it with snow-balls as batter it with the -mightiest artillery. For ages it has brushed the tempest aside, has seen -the thunder-bolt shivered against its imperial battlements; for ages to -come it will continue to defy the utmost power that can assail it. And -what enemies it has withstood, overthrown, or put to rout! Not far from -the base of the pinnacle evidence that the mountain was once densely -wooded is on all sides. The rotted stumps of large trees still cling -with a death-grip to the ledges, the shrivelled trunks lie bleaching -where they were hurled by the hurricane. Many years ago this region -was desolated by fire. In the night Old Chocorua, lighting his fiery -torch, stood in the midst of his own funeral pyre. The burning mountain -illuminated the sky and put out the stars. A brilliant circle of light, -twenty miles in extent, surrounded the flaming peak like a halo; while -underneath an immense tongue of forked flame licked the sides of the -summit with devouring haste. The lakes, those bright jewels lying in the -lap of the valleys, glowed like enormous carbuncles. Superstitious folk -regarded the conflagration as a portent of war or pestilence. In the -morning a few charred trunks, standing erect, were all that remained of -the original forest. The rocks themselves bear witness to the intense -heat which has either cracked them wide open, crumbled them in pieces, -or divested them, like oysters, of their outer shell, all along the path -of the conflagration. - -The walk over the lower summits to the base of the peak occupied -another hour, and is a most profitable feature of the ascent. On each -side a superb panorama of mountains and lakes, of towns, villages, and -hamlets, is being slowly unrolled; while every forward step develops the -inaccessible character of the high summit more and more. - -Having strayed from the path to gather blueberries, my companion set me -again on the march by pointing out where a bear had been feeding not -long before. Yet, while assuring me that Bruin was perfectly harmless -at this season, I did not fail to remark that my guide made the most -rapid strides of the day after this discovery. While feeling our way -around the base of the pinnacle, in order to gain the ravine by which -it is attacked, the path suddenly stopped. At the right, projecting -rocks, affording a hold for neither hand nor foot, rose like a wall; -before us, joined to the perpendicular rock, an unbroken ledge of -bare granite, smoothly polished by ice, swept down by a sharp incline -hundreds of feet, and then broke off abruptly into profounder depths. To -advance upon this ledge, as steep as a roof, and where one false step -would inevitably send the climber rolling to the bottom of the ravine, -demands steady nerves. It invests the whole jaunt with just enough of -the perilous to excite the apprehensions, or provoke the enthusiasm of -the individual who stands there for the first time, looking askance at -his guide, and revolving the chances of crossing it in safety. While -debating with myself whether to take off my boots, or go down on my -hands and knees and creep, the guide crossed this place with a steady -step; and, upon reaching the opposite side, grasped a fragment of rock -with one hand while extending his staff to me with the other. Rather -than accept his assistance, I passed over with an assurance I was far -from feeling; but when we came down the mountain I walked across with -far more ease in my stockings.[3] - -When he saw me safely over, my conductor moved on, with the remark, - -"A skittish place." - -"Skittish," indeed! We proceeded to drag ourselves up the ravine by the -aid of bushes, or such protruding rocks as offered a hold. From the -valley below we must have looked like flies creeping up a wall. After a -breathless scramble, which put me in mind of the escalade of the Iron -Castle of Porto Bello, where the English, having no scaling-ladders, -mounted over each other's shoulders, we came to a sort of plateau, on -which was a ruined hut. The view here is varied and extensive; but after -regaining our breath we hastened to complete the ascent, in order to -enjoy, in all its perfection, the prospect awaiting us on the summit. - -Like Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, it is among mountains that my knowledge -of them has been obtained. I have little hesitation, then, in -pronouncing the view from Chocorua one of the noblest that can reward -the adventurous climber; for, notwithstanding it is not a high peak, and -cannot, therefore, unfold the whole mountain system at a glance, it yet -affords an unsurpassed view-point, from which one sees the surrounding -mountains rising on all sides in all their majesty, and clothed in all -their terrors. - -Let me try to explain why Chocorua is such a remarkable and eligible -post of observation. - -One comprehends perfectly that the last high building on the skirts of a -city embraces the largest unobstructed view of the surrounding country. -This mountain is placed at the extremity of a range that abuts upon -the lower Saco valley, and therefore overlooks all the hill-country -on the east and south-east as far as the sea-coast. The arc of this -circle of vision extends from the Camden Hills to Agamenticus, or from -the Penobscot to the Piscataqua. The day being one of a thousand, I -distinctly saw the ocean with the naked eye; not merely as a white -blur on the horizon's edge, but actual blue water, over which smoke -was curling. This magnificent _coup-d'oeil_ embraces the scattered -villages of Conway, Fryeburg, Madison, Eaton, Ossipee, with their -numerous lakes and streams. I counted seventeen of the former flashing -in the sun. - -In the second place, Chocorua stands at the entrance to the valley -opening between the Sandwich and Ossipee chains, and commands, -therefore, to the south-west, between these natural walls, the northern -limb of Winnipiseogee and of Squam, which are seen glittering on each -side of Red Hill. In the foreground, at the foot of the mountain, -Chocorua Lake is beyond question the most enticing object in a landscape -wonderfully lighted and enriched by its profusion of brilliant waters, -which resemble so many highly burnished reflectors multiplying the rays -of the sun. I was now looking back to my first station on Red Hill, -only the range of vision was much more extensive. It is unnecessary -to recapitulate the names of the villages and summits seen in this -direction. Over the lakes, Winnipiseogee and Squam, the humid peaks of -Mount Belknap and of Mount Kearsarge, in Warner, last caught the eye. -These two sections of the landscape first meet the eye of the climber -while advancing toward the peak, whose rugged head and brawny shoulders -intercept the view to the north, only to be enjoyed when the mountain is -fully conquered. - -Upon the cap-stone crowning the pinnacle, supporting myself by grasping -the signal-staff planted on the highest point of this rock, from which -the wind threatened to sweep us like chaff, I enjoyed the third and -final act of this sublime tableau, in which the whole company of -mountains is crowded upon the stage. Hundreds of dark and bristling -shapes confronted us. Like a horde of barbarians, they seemed silently -awaiting the signal to march upon the lowlands. As the wind swept -through their ranks, an impatient murmur rose from the midst. Each -mountain shook its myriad spears, and gave its voice to swell the -sublime chorus. At first all was confusion; then I began to seek out -the chiefs, whose rock-helmed heads, lifted high above their grisly -battalions, invested each with a distinction and a sovereignty which -yielded nothing except to that imperial peak over which attendant clouds -hovered or floated swiftly away, as if bearing a message to those -distant encampments pitched on the farthest verge of the horizon. - -At my left hand extended all the summits, forming at their western -extremity the valley of Mad River, and terminating in the immovable -mass of Black Mountain. The peaks of Tripyramid, Tecumseh, and -Osceola stretched along the northern course of this stream, and over -them gleamed afar the massive plateau-ridge of Moosehillock. From my -stand-point the great wall of the Sandwich chain, which from Tamworth -presents an unbroken front to the south, now divided into ridges running -north and south, separated by profound ravines. Paugus crouched at my -feet; Passaconnaway elevated his fine crest next; Whiteface, his lowered -and brilliant front; and then Black Mountain, the giant landmark of half -a score of towns and villages. - -Directly at my feet, to the north-west, the great intervale of Swift -River gleamed from the depths of this valley, like sunshine from -a storm-cloud. Following the course of this little oasis, the eye -wandered over the inaccessible and untrodden peaks of the Pemigewasset -wilderness, resting last on the blue ridge of the Franconia Mountains. -About midway of this line one sees the bristling slopes of Mounts -Carrigain and Hancock, and the Carrigain Notch, through which a hardy -pedestrian may pass from the Pemigewasset to the Saco by following -the course of the streams flowing out of it. Besides its solitary, -picturesque grandeur, Carrigain has the distinction of being the -geographical centre of the White Mountain group. Taking its peak for an -axis, a radius thirty miles long will describe a circle, including in -its sweep nearly the whole mountain system. In this sense Carrigain is, -therefore, the hub of the White Mountains. - -Having explored the horizon thus far, I now turned more to the north, -where, by a fortunate chance, Chocorua dominates a portion of the chain -intervening between itself and the Saco Valley. I was looking straight -up this valley through the great White Mountain Notch. There was the -dark spire of Mount Willey, and the scarred side of Webster. There was -the arched rock of Mount Willard, and over it the liquid profile of -Cherry Mountain. It was superb; it was idyllic. Such was the perfect -transparency of the air, that I clearly distinguished the red color of -the slides on Mount Webster without the aid of my glass. - -From this centre, outlined with a bold, free hand against the azure, the -undulations of the great White Mountains ascended grandly to the dome -of Mount Washington, and then plunged into the defiles of the Pinkham -Notch. Following this line eastward, the eye traversed the mountains of -Jackson to the half-closed aperture of the Carter Notch, finally resting -on the pinnacle of Kearsarge. Without stirring a single step, we have -taken a journey of three hundred miles. - -Down in the valley the day was one of the sultriest; up here it was so -cold that our teeth chattered. We were forced to descend into the hollow -lying between the northerly foot of the peak and the first of the bald -knobs constituting the great white ridge of the mountain. Here is a fine -spring, and here, on either side of this singular rock-gallery, is a -landscape of rare beauty enclosed by its walls. Here, too, the mutilated -pyramid of the peak rises before you like an antique ruin. One finds, -without effort, striking resemblances to winding galleries, bastions, -and battlements. He could pass days and weeks here without a single wish -to return to earth. Here we ate our luncheon, and perused the landscape -at leisure. Before us stretched the long course of the Saco, from its -source in the Notch to where, with one grand sweep to the east, it takes -leave of the mountains, flows awhile demurely through the lowlands, and -in two or three infuriated plunges reaches the sea. - -I do not remember when I have more fully enjoyed the serene calm of a -Sabbath evening than while wandering among the fragrant and stately -pines that skirt the shores of Lake Chocorua. Indeed, except for the -occasional sound of hoofs along the cool and shady road, or of voices -coming from the bosom of the lake itself, one might say a perpetual -Sabbath reigned here. Yonder tall, athletic pines, those palms of the -north, through which the glimmer of water is seen, hum their monotonous -lullaby to the drowsy lake. The mountains seem so many statues to -Silence. There is no use for speech here. The mute and expressive -language of two lovers, accustomed to read each others' secret thoughts, -is the divine medium. Truant breezes ruffle the foliage in playful -wantonness, but the trees only shake their green heads and murmur "Hush! -hush!" A consecration is upon the mere, a hallowed light within the -wood. Here is the place to linger over the pages of "Hyperion," or dream -away the idle hours with the poets; and here, stretched along the turf, -one gets closer to Nature, studying her with ever-increasing wonder and -delight, or musing upon the thousand forms of mysterious life swarming -in the clod under his hand. - -Charming, too, are the walks by the lake-side in the effulgence of -the harvest-moon; and enchanting the white splendor quivering on its -dark waters. A boat steals by; see! its oars dip up molten silver. The -voyagers troll a love-ditty. Dangerous ground this colonnade of woods -and yonder sparkling water for self-conscious lovers! Love and the ocean -have the same subtle sympathy with moonlight. The stronger its beams the -higher rises the flood. - -Very little of the world--but that little the best part--gets in here. -It is out of the beaten path of mountain-travel, so that those only who -have in a manner served their apprenticeship are sojourners. One small -hotel and a few boarding-houses easily accommodate all comers. For -people who like to refine their pleasures, as well as their society, -or who have wearied of life at the great hotels, such a place offers -a most tempting retreat. Display makes no part of the social regime. -Mrs. P---- is not jealous of Mrs. Q----'s diamonds. Ladies stroll -about unattended, gather water-lilies, cardinal-flowers, and rare -ferns by brook or way-side. Gentlemen row, drive, climb the mountains, -or make little pedestrian tours of discovery. Quiet people are -irresistibly attracted to this kind of life, which, with a good degree -of probability, they assert to be the true and only rational way of -enjoying the mountains. - - - - -IV. - -_LOVEWELL._ - - Of worthy Captain Lovewell I purpose now to sing. - How valiantly he served his country and his king. - _Old Ballad._ - - -LET us make a dtour to historic Fryeburg, leaving the cars at Conway, -which in former times enjoyed a happy pre-eminence as the centre upon -which the old stage-routes converged, and where travellers, going or -returning from the mountains, always passed the night. But those old -travellers have mostly gone where the name of Chatigee, by which both -drivers and tourists liked to designate Conway, is going; only there is -for the name, fortunately, no resurrection. No one knows its origin; -none will mourn its decease. - -It is here, at Conway, or Conway Corner, that first enrapturing view of -the White Mountains bursts upon the traveller like a splendid vision. -But we shall see it again on our return from Fryeburg. Moreover, -I enjoyed this constant espionage from a distance before a nearer -approach, this exchange of preliminary civilities before coming closer -to the heart of the mountains. - -Fryeburg stands on a dry and sandy plain, elevated above the Saco River. -It lies behind the mountain range, which, terminating in Conway, compels -the river to make a right angle. Turning these mountains, the river -seems now to be in no hurry, but coils about the meadows in a manner -that instantly recalls the famous Connecticut Ox-Bow. Chocorua and -Kearsarge are the two prominent figures in the landscape. - -The village street is most beautifully shaded by elms of great size, -which, giving to each other an outstretched hand over the way, spring an -arch of green high above, through which we look up and down. At one end -justice is dispensed at the Oxford House--an inn with a pedigree; at the -other learning is diffused in the academy where Webster once taught and -disciplined the rising generation. A scroll over the inn door bears the -date of 1763. The first school-house and the first framed house built -in Fryeburg are still standing, a little way out of the village. On our -way to the remarkable rock, emerging from the plain like a walrus from -the sea, we linger a moment in the village graveyard to read the long -inscription on the monument of General Joseph Frye, a veteran of the old -wars, and founder of the town which bears his name. Ascending now the -rock to which we just referred, called the Jockey Cap, we are lifted -high above the plain, having the river meadows, the graceful loops of -the river itself, the fine pyramid of Kearsarge on one side, and on the -other the dark sheet of Lovewell's Pond stretched at our feet. - -[Illustration: LOVEWELL'S POND] - -It was here, under the shadow of Mount Kearsarge, was fought one of the -bloodiest and most obstinately contested battles that can be found in -the annals of war; so terrible, indeed, that the story was repeated from -fireside to fireside, and from generation to generation, as worthy a -niche beside that of Leonidas and his band of heroes. Familiar as is the -tale--and who does not know it by heart?--it can still send the blood -throbbing to the temples, or coursing back to the heart. Unfortunately, -the details are sufficiently meagre, but, in truth, they need no -embellishment. Their very simplicity presents the tragedy in all its -grandeur. It is an epic. - -In April, 1725, John Lovewell, a hardy and experienced ranger of -Dunstable, whose exploits had already noised his fame abroad, marched -with forty-six men for the Indian villages at Pigwacket, now Fryeburg, -Maine. At Ossipee he built a small fort, designed as a refuge in case of -disaster. This precaution undoubtedly saved the lives of some of his -men. He was now within two short marches of the enemy's village. The -scouts having found Indian tracks in the neighborhood, Lovewell resumed -his route, leaving one of his men who had fallen sick, his surgeon, and -eight men, to guard the fort. His command was now reduced to thirty-four -officers and men. - -The rangers reached the shores of the beautiful lake which bears -Lovewell's name, and bivouacked for the night. - -The night passed without an alarm; but the sentinels who watched the -encampment reported hearing strange noises in the woods. Lovewell -scented the presence of his enemy. - -In fact, on the morning of the 8th of May, while his band were on their -knees seeking Divine favor in the approaching conflict, the report of a -gun brought every man to his feet. Upon reconnoitring, a solitary Indian -was discovered on a point of land about a mile from the camp. - -The leader immediately called his men about him, and told them that -they must now quickly decide whether to fight or retreat. The men, with -one accord, replied that they had not come so far in search of the -enemy to beat a shameful retreat the moment he was found. Seeing his -band possessed with this spirit, Lovewell then prepared for battle. -The rangers threw off their knapsacks and blankets, looked to their -primings, and loosened their knives and axes. The order was then given, -and they moved cautiously out of their camp. Believing the enemy was in -his front, Lovewell neglected to place a guard over his baggage. - -Instead of plunging into the woods, the Indian who had alarmed the camp -stood where he was first seen until the scouts fired upon him, when he -returned the fire, wounding Lovewell and one other. Ensign Wyman then -levelled his musket and shot him dead. The day began thus unfortunately -for the English. Lovewell was mortally wounded in the abdomen, but -continued to give his orders. - -After clearing the woods in their front without finding any more -Indians, the rangers fell back toward the spot where they had deposited -their packs. This was a sandy plain, thinly covered with pines, at the -north-east end of the lake. - -During their absence, the Indians, led by the old chief, Paugus, whose -name was a terror throughout the length and breadth of the English -frontiers, stumbled upon the deserted encampment. Paugus counted the -packs, and, finding his warriors outnumbered the rangers, the wily -chief placed them in ambush; he divined that the English would return -from their unsuccessful scout sooner or later, and he prepared to -repeat the tactics used with such fatal effect at Bloody Brook, and at -the defeat of Wadsworth. This consisted in arranging his savages in a -semicircle, the two wings of which, enveloping the rangers, would expose -them to a murderous cross-fire at short musket-range. - -Without suspecting their danger, Lovewell's men fell into the fatal -snare which the crafty Paugus had thus spread for them. Hardly had they -entered it when the grove blazed with a deadly volley, and resounded -with the yells of the Indians. As if confident of their prey, they even -left their coverts, and flung themselves upon the English with a fury -nothing could withstand. - -In this onset Lovewell, who, notwithstanding his wound, bravely -encouraged his men with voice and example, received a second wound, and -fell. Two of his lieutenants were killed at his side; but with desperate -valor the rangers charged up to the muzzles of the enemy's guns, killing -nine, and sweeping the others before them. This gallant charge cost them -eight killed, besides their captain; two more were badly wounded. - -Twenty-three men had now to maintain the conflict with the whole Sokokis -tribe. Their situation was indeed desperate. Relief was impossible; -for they were fifty miles from the nearest English settlements. Their -packs and provisions were in the enemy's hands, and the woods swarmed -with foes. To conquer or die was the only alternative. These devoted -Englishmen despaired of conquering, but they prepared to die bravely. - -Ensign Wyman, on whom the command devolved after the death of Lovewell, -was his worthy successor. Seeing the enemy stealing upon his flanks as -if to surround him, he ordered his men to fall back to the shore of the -lake, where their right was protected by a brook, and their left by a -rocky point extending into the lake. A few large pines stood on the -beach between. - -This manoeuvre was executed under a hot fire, which still further -thinned the ranks of the English. The Indians closed in upon them, -filling the air with demoniac yells whenever a victim fell. Assailing -the whites with taunts, and shaking ropes in their faces, they cried -out to them to yield. But to the repeated demands to surrender, the -rangers replied only with bullets. They thought of the fort and its ten -defenders, and hoped, or rather prayed, for night. This hope, forlorn as -it seemed, encouraged them to fight on, and they delivered their fire -with fatal precision whenever an Indian showed himself. The English were -in a trap, but the Indians dared not approach within reach of the lion's -claws. - -While this long combat was proceeding, one of the English went to the -lake to wash his gun, and, on emerging at the shore, descried an Indian -in the act of cleansing his own. This Indian was Paugus. - -The ranger went to work like a man who comprehends that his life depends -upon a second. The chief followed him in every movement. Both charged -their guns at the same instant. The Englishman threw his ramrod on the -sand; the Indian dropped his. - -"Me kill you," said Paugus, priming his weapon from his powder-horn. - -"The chief lies," retorted the undaunted ranger, striking the breech of -his firelock upon the ground with such force that it primed itself. An -instant later Paugus fell, shot through the heart. - -"I said I should kill you," muttered the victor, spurning the dead body -of his enemy, and plunging into the thickest of the fight. - -Darkness closed the conflict, which had continued without cessation -since ten in the morning. Little by little the shouts of the enemy grew -feebler, and finally ceased. The English stood to their arms until -midnight, when, convinced that the savages had abandoned the sanguinary -field of battle, they began their retreat toward the fort. Only nine -were unhurt. Eleven were badly wounded, but were resolved to march with -their comrades, though they died by the way. Three more were alive, but -had received their death-wounds. One of these was Lieutenant Robbins, of -Chelmsford. Knowing that he must be left behind, he begged his comrades -to load his gun, in order that he might sell his life as dearly as -possible when the savages returned to wreak their vengeance upon the -wounded. - -I have said that twenty-three men continued the fight after the bloody -repulse in which Lovewell was killed. There were only twenty-two. The -other, whose name the reader will excuse me from mentioning, fled from -the field and gained the fort, where he spread the report that Lovewell -was cut to pieces, himself being the sole survivor. This intelligence, -striking terror, decided the little garrison to abandon the fort, which -was immediately done, and in haste. - -This was the crowning misfortune of the expedition. The rangers now -became a band of panic-stricken fugitives. After incredible hardships, -less than twenty starving, emaciated, and footsore men, half of them -badly wounded, straggled into the nearest English settlements. - -The loss of the Indians could only be guessed; but the battle led to the -immediate abandonment of their village, from which so many war-parties -had formerly harassed the English. Paugus, the savage wolf, the -implacable foe of the whites, was dead. His tribe forsook the graves of -their fathers, nor rested until they had put many long leagues between -them and their pursuers. For them the advance of the English was the -Juggernaut under whose wheels their race was doomed to perish from the -face of the earth. - - - - -V. - -_NORTH CONWAY._ - - "Tall spire from which the sound of cheerful bells - Just undulates upon the listening ear, - Groves, heaths, and smoking villages remote." - - -The entrance to North Conway is, without doubt, the most beautiful and -imposing introduction to the high mountains. - -Although the traveller has for fifty miles skirted the outlying ranges, -catching quick-shifting glimpses of the great summits, yet, when at last -the train swings round the foot of the Moat range into the Saco Valley, -so complete is the transition, so charming the picture, that not even -the most apathetic can repress a movement of surprise and admiration. -This is the moment when every one feels the inadequacy of his own -conceptions. - -Nature has formed here a vast antechamber, into which you are ushered -through a gate-way of mountains upon the numerous inner courts, -galleries, and cloisters of her most secluded retreats. Here the -mountains fall back before the impetuous flood of the Saco, which comes -pouring down from the summit of the great Notch, white, and panting with -the haste of its flight. Here the river gives rendezvous to several of -its larger affluents--the East Branch, the Ellis, the Swift--and, like -an army taking the field, their united streams, sweeping grandly around -the foot of the last mountain range, emerge into the open country. Here -the valley, contracted at its extremity between the gentle slope of -Kearsarge and the abrupt declivities of Moat, encloses an ellipse of -verdant and fertile land ravishing to behold, skirted on one side by -thick woods, behind which precipices a thousand feet high rise black and -threatening, overlooked on the other by a high terrace, along which the -village is built. It is the inferior summit of Kearsarge, which descends -by a long, regular slope to the intervale at its upper end, while a -secondary ridge of the Moats, advancing on the opposite side, drops -into it by a precipice. The superb silver-gray crest of Kearsarge is -seen rising in a regular pyramid behind the right shoulder of its lower -summit. Ordinarily the house perched on the top is seen as distinctly as -those in the village. It is the last in the village. - -Looking up through this verdant mountain park, at a distance of twenty -miles, the imposing masses of the great summits seem scaling the skies. -Then, heavily massed on the right, comes the Carter range, divided by -the cup-shaped dip of the Carter Notch; then the truncated cone of -Double-Head; and then, with outworks firmly planted in the valley, the -glittering pinnacle of Kearsarge. The mountain in front of you, looking -up the village street, is Thorn Mountain, on the other side of which is -Jackson, and the way up the Ellis Valley to the Pinkham Notch, the Glen -House, Gorham, and the Androscoggin. - -The traveller, who is ushered upon this splendid scene with the rapidity -of steam, perceives that he is at last among real mountains, and quickly -yields to the indefinable charm which from this moment surrounds and -holds him a willing captive. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WASHINGTON FROM THE SACO.] - -Looking across the meadow from the village street, the eye is stopped -by an isolated ridge of bare, overhanging precipices. It is thrust out -into the valley from Moat Mountain, of which it forms a part, presenting -two singular, regularly arched cliffs, seven hundred to nine hundred and -fifty feet in height toward the village. The green forest underneath -contrasts vividly with the lustrous black of these precipitous walls, -which glisten brightly in the sunshine, where they are wet by tiny -streams flowing down. On the nearest of these is a very curious -resemblance to the head and shoulders of a horse in the act of rearing, -occasioned by a white incrustation on the face of the cliff. This -accident gives to it the name of White Horse Ledge. All marriageable -ladies, maiden or widow, run out to look at it, in consequence of the -belief current in New England that if, after seeing a white horse, -you count a hundred, the first gentleman you meet will be your future -husband! Underneath this cliff a charming little lake lies hid. - -Next beyond is the Cathedral Ledge, so called from the curious rock -cavity it contains; and still farther up the valley is Humphrey's Ledge, -one of the finest rock-studies of them all when we stand underneath -it. But the reader now has a general acquaintance with North Conway, -and with its topography. He begins his study of mountain beauty in a -spirit of loving enthusiasm, which leads him on and on to the ripeness -of an education achieved by simply throwing himself upon the bosom of -indulgent Nature, putting the world as far as possible behind him. - -[Illustration: THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY.] - -But now from these masses of hard rock let us turn once more to the -valley, where the rich intervales spread an exhaustless feast for the -eye. If autumn be the season, the vase-like elms, the stacks of yellow -corn, the golden pumpkins looking like enormous oranges, the floor-cloth -of green and gold damasked with purple gorse and coppice, give the idea -of an immense table groaning beneath its luxurious weight of fruit and -flowers. - -Turn now to the mountain presiding with such matchless grace and dignity -over the village. Kearsarge, in the twilight, deserves, like Lorenzo di -Medicis, to be called "the magnificent." The yellow and orange foliage -looks, for all the world, like a golden shower fallen upon it. The -gray ledges at the apex, which the clear, yellow light renders almost -incandescent, are far more in harmony with the rest of the mountain than -in the vernal season. - -Are we yet in sympathy with that free-masonry of art through which our -eminent landscape-painters recognized here the true picturesque point -of view of the great mountains, the effective contrasts and harmonious -ensemble of the near scenery--the grandest allied with the humblest -objects of nature? One cannot turn in any direction without recognizing -a picture he has seen in the studios, or in the saloons of the clubs. - -The first persons I saw on the platform of the railway-station were my -quondam companions, the colonel and George. We met like friends who had -parted only half an hour before. During dinner it was agreed that we -should pass our afternoon among the cliffs. This arrangement appeared -very judicious; the distance is short, and the attractions many. - -We accordingly set out for the ledges at three in the afternoon. -The weather did not look promising, to be sure, but we decided it -sufficiently so for this promenade of three or four hours. - -While en route, let me mention a discovery. One morning, while sitting -on the piazza of the Kearsarge House enjoying the dreamy influence -of the warm atmosphere, which spun its soft, gossamer web about the -mountains, I observed a peculiar shadow thrown by a jutting mass of the -Cathedral Ledge upon a smooth surface, which exactly resembled a human -figure standing upright. I looked away, then back again, to see if I -was not the victim of an illusion. No, it was still there. Now it is -always there. The head and upper part of the body were inclined slightly -forward, the legs perfectly formed. At ten every forenoon, punctual -to the hour, this phantom, emerging from the rock, stands, fixed and -motionless as a statue, in its niche. At every turn of the sun, this -shade silently interrogates the feverish activity that has replaced the -silence of ages. One day or another I shall demand of my phantom what it -has witnessed. - -The road we followed soon turned sharply away from the main street of -the village, to the left, and in a few rods more plunged into the Saco, -leaving us standing on the bank, looking askance at a wide expanse of -water, choked with bowlders, around which the swift current whirled and -foamed with rage. We decided it too shallow to swim, but doubted if it -was not too deep to ford. We had reached our Rubicon. - -"We must wade," said the colonel, with decision. - -"Precisely my idea," assented George, beginning to unlace his shoes. - -I put my hand in the river. Ugh! it was as cold as ice. - -Having assured ourselves no one saw us, we divested ourselves of shoes, -stockings, pantaloons, and drawers. We put our stockings in our pockets, -disposed our clothing in a roll over the shoulder, as soldiers do on the -march, tied our shoes together, and hung them around our necks. Then, -placing our hands upon each others' shoulders, as I have seen gymnasts -do in a circus, we entered the river, like candidates for baptism, -feeling our way, and catching our breath. - -"_Sans-culottes_," suggested the colonel, who knew a little French. - -"Kit-kats," added George, who knows something of art, as the water rose -steadily above our knees. - -The treacherous bowlders tripped us up at every step, so that one or -the other was constantly floundering, like a stranded porpoise in a -frog-pond. But, thanks to our device, we reached the middle of the river -without anything worse than a few bruises. Here we were fairly stopped. -The water was waist-deep, and the current every moment threatened to -lift us from our feet. How foolish we looked! - -Advance or retreat? That was the question. One pointed up stream, -another down; while, to aggravate the situation, rain began to patter -around us. In two minutes the river was steaming. George, who is a great -infant, suggested putting our hands in our pockets, to keep them warm, -and our clothes in the river, to keep them dry. - -"By Jove!" ejaculated the colonel, "the river is smoking." - -"Let us join the river," said George, producing his cigar-case. - -Putting our heads together over the colonel's last match, thus forming -an antique tripod of our bodies, we succeeded in getting a light; and -for the first time, I venture to affirm, since its waters gushed from -the mountains, incense ascended from the bosom of the Saco. - -"I'm freezing!" stuttered George. - -I was pushing forward, to cut the dilemma short, when the colonel -interposed with, - -"Stop; I want to tell you a story." - -"A story? here--in the middle of the river?" we shouted. - -"In the middle of the river; here--a story!" he echoed. - -"I would like to sit down while I listen," observed George. - -Evidently the coldness of the water had forced the blood into our -friend's head. He was ill, but obstinate. We therefore resigned -ourselves to hear him. - -"This river and this situation remind me of the Potawatamies," he began. - -"Potawatamies!" we echoed, with chattering teeth. "Go on; go on." - -"When I was on the Plains," continued the colonel, "I passed some time -among those Indians. During my stay, the chief invited me to accompany -him on a buffalo-hunt. I accepted on the spot; for of all things a -buffalo-hunt was the one I was most desirous of seeing. We set out at -daybreak the next morning. After a few hours' march, we came to a stream -between deep banks, and flowing with a rapid current, like this one--" - -"Go on; go on!" we shiveringly articulated. - -"At a gesture from the chief, a young squaw dismounted from her pony, -advanced to the edge of the stream, and began, timidly, to wade it. When -she hesitated, as she did two or three times, the chief said something -which encouraged her to proceed. All at once she stopped, threw up her -arms, and screamed something in the Indian dialect; at which all the -braves burst into a loud laugh, the squaws joining in. - -"'What does she say?' I asked of the chief. - -"'Up to the middle,' he replied, pushing his pony into the stream." - -The stream grew shallower, so that we soon emerged from the water upon -the opposite bank. Here we poured the water from our shoes, and resumed -our wet clothing. Everything was cooled, except our ardor. - -As we approached nearer, the ledges were full of grim recesses, rude -rock-niches, and traversed by perpendicular cracks from brow to base. -"Take care!" I shouted; "there is a huge piece of the cliff just ready -to fall." - -In some places the rock is sheer and smooth, in others it is broken -regularly down, for half its whole height, to where it is joined by rude -buttresses of massive granite. The lithe maples climb up the steepest -ravines, but cannot pass the waste of sheer rock stretching between -them and the firs, which look down over the brink of the precipice. -Rusted purple is the prevailing color, blotched here and there with -white, like the drip oozing from limestone. We soon emerged on the shore -of Echo Lake. - -Hovering under the great precipices, which lie heavily shadowed on its -glossy surface, are gathered the waters flowing from the airy heights -above--the little rills, the rivulets, the cascades. The tremendous -shadow the cliff flings down seems lying deep in the bosom of the lake, -as if perpetually imprinted there. Slender birches, brilliant foliage, -were daintily etched upon the surface, like arabesques on polished -steel. The water is perfectly transparent, and without a ripple. Indeed, -the breezes playing around the summit, or humming in the tree-tops, seem -forbidden to enter this haunt of Dryads. The lake laps the yellow strand -with a light, fluttering movement. The place seems dedicated to silence -itself. - -[Illustration: ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY.] - -To destroy this illusion, a man came out of a booth and touched off a -small cannon. The effect was like knocking at half a dozen doors at -once. And the silence which followed seemed all the deeper. Then the -aged rock was pelted with questions, and made to jeer, laugh, menace, -or curse by turns, or all at once. How grandly it bore all these petty -insolences! How presumptuous in us thus to cover its hoary front with -obloquy! We could never get the last word. We did not even come off in -triumph. How ironically the mountain repeated, "Who are you?" and "What -am I!" With what energy it at last vociferated, "Go to the devil!" To -the Devil's Den we accordingly go. - -Following a woodland path skirting the base of the cliffs, we were -very soon before the entrance of the Devil's Den, formed by a huge -piece of the cliff falling upon other detached fragments in such a way -as to leave an aperture large enough to admit fifty persons at once. A -ponderous mass divides the cavern into two chambers, one of which is -light, airy, and spacious, the other dark, gloomy, and contracted--a -mere hole. This might well have been the lair of the bears and panthers -formerly roaming, unmolested, these woods. - -The Cathedral is a recess higher up in the same cliff, hollowed out -by the cleaving off of the lower rock, leaving the upper portion of -the precipice overhanging. The top of the roof is as high as a tall -tree. Some maples that have grown here since the outer portion of the -rock fell, assist, with their straight-limbed, columnar trunks, the -resemblance to a chancel. A little way off this cavity has really the -appearance of a gigantic shell, like those fossils seen imbedded in -subterranean rocks. We did not miss here the delicious glimpses of -Kearsarge, and of the mountains across the valley which, now that the -sun came out, were all in brilliant light, while the cool afternoon -shadows already wrapped the woods about us in twilight gloom. - -Still farther on we came upon a fine cascade falling down a long, -irregular staircase of broken rock. One of these steps extends, a solid -mass of granite, more than a hundred feet across the bed of the stream, -and is twenty feet high. Unless the brook is full, it is not a single -sheet we see, but twenty, fifty crystal streams gushing or spirting -from the grooves they have channelled in the hard granite, and falling -into basins they have hollowed out. It is these curious, circular stone -cavities, out of which the freshest and cleanest water constantly pours, -that give to the cascade the name of Diana's Baths. The water never -dashes itself noisily down, but slips, like oil, from the rocks, with a -pleasant, purling sound no single word of our language will correctly -describe. From here we returned to the village in the same way that we -came.[4] - -The wild and bristling little mountain range on the east side of North -Conway embodies a good deal of picturesque character. It is there our -way lies to Artists' Falls, which are on a brook issuing from these -Green Hills. I found the walk, following its windings, more remunerative -than the falls themselves. The brook, flowing first over a smooth -granite ledge, collects in a little pool below, out of which the pure -water filters through bowlders and among glittering pebbles to a gorge -between two rocks, down which it plunges. The beauty of this cascade -consists in its waywardness. Now it is a thin sheet, flowing demurely -along; now it breaks out in uncontrollable antics; and at length, as if -tired of this sport, darts like an arrow down the rocky fissure, and is -a mountain brook again. - -The ascent of Kearsarge and of the Moats fittingly crowns the series of -excursions which are the most attractive feature of out-of-door life -at North Conway. The northern peak of Moat is the one most frequently -climbed, but the southern affords almost equally admirable views of the -Saco, the Ellis, and the Swift River valleys, with the mountain chains -enclosing them. The prospect here is, however, much the same as that -obtained from Chocorua, which is seen rising beyond the Swift River -valley. To that description I must, therefore, refer the reader, who is -already acquainted with its principal features. - -The high ridge is an arid and desolate heap of summits stripped bare -of vegetation by fire. When this fire occurred, twenty odd years -ago, it drove the bears and rattlesnakes from their forest homes in -great numbers, so that they fell an easy prey to their destroyers. A -depression near its centre divides the ridge in two, constituting, in -effect, two mountains. We crossed the range in its whole length, and, -after newly refreshing ourselves with the admirable views had from -its greater elevation, descended the northern peak to Diana's Baths. -Probably the most striking view of the Moats is from Conway. Here the -summits, thrown into a mass of lawless curves and blunted, prong-like -protuberances, rear a blackened and weird-looking cluster on high. But -for a wide region they divide with Chocorua the honors of the landscape, -constituting, at Jackson especially, a large and imposing background, -massively based and buttressed, and cutting through space with their -trenchant edge. - -In the winter of 1876, finding myself at North Conway, I determined to -make the attempt to ascend Mount Kearsarge, notwithstanding two-thirds -of the mountain were shrouded in snow, and the bare shaft constituting -the spire sheathed in glittering ice. The mountain had definitively gone -into winter-quarters. - -I was up early enough to surprise, all at once, the unwonted and -curiously-blended effect of moonlight, starlight, and the twilight of -dawn. The new moon, with the old in her arms, balanced her shining -crescent on the curved peak of Moat Mountain. All these high, -surrounding peaks, carved in marble and flooded with effulgence, -impressed the spirit with that mingled awe and devotion felt among -the antique monuments of some vast cemetery. The sight thrilled and -solemnized by its chaste magnificence. Glittering stars, snow-draped -summits, black mountains casting sable draperies upon the dead white -of the valley, constituted a scene of sepulchral pomp into which the -supernatural entered unchallenged. One by one the stars went out. The -moon grew pale. A clear emerald, overspreading the east, was reflected -from lofty peak and tapering spire. - -[Illustration: KEARSARGE IN WINTER.] - -Day broke bright, clear, and crisp. There, again, was the same matchless -array of high and noble summits, sitting on thrones of alabaster -whiteness. While the moon still lingered in the west, the broad red -disk of the sun rose over the wooded ridges in the east. So sun and -moon, monarch and queen, saluted each other. One gave the watchword, -and descended behind the moated mountain; the other ascended the vacant -throne. Thus night and day met and exchanged majestic salutation in the -courts of the morning. - -The mercury stood at three degrees below zero in the village, when I -set out on foot for the mountain. A light fall of snow had renewed -the Christmas decorations. The trees had newly-leaved and blossomed. -Beautiful it was to see the dark old pines thick-flaked with new snow, -and the same feathery substance lodged on every twig and branchlet, -tangle of vines, or tuft of tawny yellow grass. Fir-trees looked like -gigantic azaleas; thickets like coral groves. Nothing too slender or too -fragile for the white flight to alight upon. Talk of decorative art! -Even the telegraph-wires hung in broad, graceful festoons of white, -and the poor washer-woman's clothes-line was changed into the same -immaterial thing of beauty. - -The ascent proved more toilsome than I had anticipated, as my feet -broke through the frozen crust at every step. But if the climb had been -difficult when in the woods, it certainly presented few attractions when -I emerged from them half a mile below the summit. I found the surface of -the bare ledges, which now continue to the top of the mountain, sheeted -in ice, smooth and slippery as glass. - -Many a time have I laughed heartily at the feverish indecision of a dog -when he runs along the margin of a pond into which he has been urged -to plunge. He turns this way and that, whines, barks, crouches for the -leap, laps the water, but hesitates. Imagine, now, the same animal -chasing some object upon slippery ice, his feet spread widely apart; -his frantic efforts to stop; the circles described in the air by his -tail. Well, I experienced the same perplexity, and made nearly the same -ridiculous evolutions. - -After several futile attempts to advance over it, and as often finding -myself sliding backward with entire loss of control of my own movements, -I tried the rugged ravine, traversing the summit, with some success, -steadying my steps on the iced bowlders by grasping the bushes which -grew there among clefts of the rock. But this way, besides being -extremely fatiguing, was decidedly the more dangerous of the two; and -I was glad, after a brief trial, to abandon it for the ice, in which, -here and there, detached stones, solidly embedded, furnished points of -support, if they could be reached. By pursuing a zigzag course from -stone to stone, sometimes--like a pious Moslem approaching the tomb of -the Prophet--upon my hands and knees, and shedding tears from the force -of the wind, I succeeded in getting over the ledges after an hour's -obstinate battle to maintain an upright position, and after several -mishaps had taught me a degree of caution closely approaching timidity. -By far the most treacherous ground was where fresh snow, covering the -smooth ice, spread its pitfalls in the path, causing me several times -to measure my length; but at last these obstacles were one by one -surmounted; I groped my way, foot by foot, up the sharp rise of the -pinnacle, finding myself at the front door of the house which is so -conspicuous an object from the valley. - -Never was air more pure, more crisp, or more transparent. Besides, -what air can rival that of winter? I felt myself rather floating than -walking. Certainly there is a lightness, a clearness, and a depth that -belongs to no other season. At no other season do we behold our native -skies so blue, so firm, or so brilliant as when the limpid ether, -winnowed by the fierce north wind to absolute purity, presents objects -with such marvellous clearness, precision, and fidelity, that we hardly -persuade ourselves they are forty, fifty, or a hundred miles distant. To -realize this rare condition was all the object of the ascent--an object -attained in a measure far beyond any anticipations I had formed. - -As may easily be imagined, the immediate effect was bewildering in the -extreme. In the first place, the direct rays of the noonday sun covered -the mountain-top with dazzling brilliancy. The eye fairly ached with -looking at it. In the second, the intensity of the blue was such as to -give the idea that the grand expanse of sky was hard frozen. Nothing -more coldly brilliant than this immense azure dome can be conceived. -There was not the faintest trace of a cloud anywhere; nothing but this -splendid void. Under this high-vaulted dome, imagine now a vast expanse -of white etched with brown--a landscape in sepia. Such was the general -effect. - -But the inexpressible delight of having all this admirable scene to -one's self! Taine asks, "Can anything be sweeter than the certainty -of being alone? In any widely known spot, you are in constant dread -of an incursion of tourists; the hallooing of guides, the loud-voiced -admiration, the bustle, whether of unfastening horses, or of unpacking -provisions, or of airing opinions, all disturb the budding sensation; -civilization recovers its hold upon you. But here, what security and -what silence! nothing that recalls man; the landscape is just what it -has been these six thousand years." - -The view from this mountain is justly admired. Stripped of life and -color, I found it sad, pathetic even. Dead white and steel blue rudely -repulsed the sensitive eye. The north wind, cold and cutting, drove me -to take shelter under glaring rocks. The cracking of ice first on one -side, then on the other, diverted the attention from the landscape, -as if the mountain was continually snapping its fingers in disdain. -I had constantly the feeling that some _one_ or some _thing_ was at -my elbow. What childishness! But where now was the lavish summer, the -barbaric splendors of autumn--its arabesques of foliage, its velvet -shadows, its dappled skies, its glow, mantling like that of health and -beauty? All-pervading gloom and defoliation were rendered ten times more -melancholy by the splendid glare. Winter flung her white shroud over the -land to hide the repulsiveness of death. - -I looked across the valley where Moat Mountain reared its magnificent -dark wave. Passing to the north side, the eye wandered over the wooded -summits to the silvery heap of Washington, to which frozen, rose-colored -mists were clinging. A great ice-cataract rolled down over the edge -of Tuckerman's Ravine, its wave of glittering emerald. It shone with -enchanting brilliancy, cheating the imagination with the idea that -it moved; that the thin, spectral vapor rose from the depths of the -ice-cold gorge below. There gaped, wide open, the enormous hole of -Carter Notch; there the pale-blue Saco wound in and out of the hills, -with hamlets and villages strung along its serpentine course; and, as -the river grows, villages increase to towns, towns to cities. There -was the sea sparkling like a plain of quicksilver, with ponds and -lakes innumerable between. There, in the south-west, as far as the eye -could reach, was Monadnock demanding recognition; and in the west, -Moosehillock, Lafayette, Carrigain peaks, lifted with calm superiority -above the chaos of mountains, like higher waves of a frozen sea. -Finally, there were the snow-capped summits of the great range seen -throughout their whole extent, sunning their satin sides in indolent -enjoyment. - -This view has no peer in these mountains. Indeed, the mountain seems -expressly placed to command in one comprehensive sweep of the eye the -most impressive features of any mountain landscape. Being a peak of the -second order--that is to say, one not dominating all the chains--while -it does not unfold the topography of the region in its whole extent, -it is sufficiently elevated to permit the spectator to enjoy that -increasing grandeur with which the distant ranges rise, tier upon tier, -to their great central spires, without lessening materially their -loftiness, or the peculiar and varied expression of their contours. The -peak of Kearsarge peeps down over one shoulder into New Hampshire, over -the other into Maine. It looks straight up through the open door of the -Carter Notch, and boldly stares Washington in the face. It sees the -sun rise from the ocean, and set behind Mount Lafayette. It patronizes -Moat, measures itself proudly with Chocorua, and maintains a distant -acquaintance with Monadnock. It is a handsome mountain, and, as such, -is a general favorite with the ladies and the artists. Like a careful -shepherd, it every morning scans the valleys to see that none of its -flock of villages has wandered. For these villagers it is a sun-dial, a -weather-vane, an almanac; for the wayfarer, a sure guide; and for the -poet, a mountain with a soul. - -[Illustration: SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE.] - -The cold was intense, the wind piercing. On its north side the house -was deeply incrusted with ice-spars--windows and all. I feel that only -scant justice can be done to their wondrous beauty. All the scrubby -bushes growing out of interstices of the crumbling summit--wee twig -and slender filament--were stemmed with ice; while the rocks bristled -with countless frost feathers. With my pitch-cakes and a few twigs -I lighted a fire, which might be seen from the half-dozen villages -clustered about the foot of the mountain, and pleased myself with -imagining the astonishment with which a smoke curling upward from -this peak would be greeted for fifty miles around. I then prepared to -descend--I say prepared to descend, for the thing at once so easy to -say and so difficult of performance suddenly revived the recollection -of the hazardous scramble up the ledges, and made it seem child's play -by comparison. For a brief hour I had forgotten all this. However, go -down I must. But how? The first step on the ice threatened a descent -more rapid than flesh and blood could calmly contemplate. I had no -hatchet to cut steps in the ice; no rope to attach to the rocks, and -thus lower myself, as is practised in crossing the glaciers of the -Alps; and there was no foothold. For a moment I seriously thought of -forcing an entrance into the house, and, making a signal of distress, -resign myself to the possibility of help from below. But while sitting -on a rock looking blankly at the glassy declivity stretching down from -the summit, a bright idea came to my aid. I remembered having read in -Bourrienne's "Memoirs" that Bonaparte--the great Bonaparte--was forced -to slide down the summit of the Great St. Bernard _seated_, while -making his famous passage of the Alps. Yes, the great Corsican really -advanced to the conquest of Italy in this undignified posture. But never -did great example find more unworthy imitator. Seating myself, as the -Little Corporal had done, using my staff as a rudder, and steering for -protruding stones in order to check the force of the descent from time -to time, I slid down with a celerity the very remembrance of which makes -my head swim, arriving safe, but breathless and much astonished, at -the first irregular patch of snow. The pleasure of standing erect on -something the feet could grasp was one not to be translated into words. - -Upon reaching the hotel, I procured another pair of pantaloons of my -host, and some court-plaster from the village apothecary. If any of my -readers think my dignity compromised, I beg him to remember the example -of the great Napoleon, and his famous expedient for circumventing the -Great St. Bernard. - - - - -VI. - -_FROM KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN._ - - _Raleigh._--"Fain would I climb, but that I fear to fall." - _Queen Elizabeth._--"If thy heart fail thee, climb thou not at all." - - -After the storm, we had a fine lunar bow. The corona in the centre was a -clear silver, the outer circle composed of pale green and orange fires. -Over the moon's disk clouds swept a continuous stormy flight. The great -planet resembled a splendid decoration hung high in the heavens. - -Having now progressed to terms of easy familiarity with the village, it -was decided to pay our respects to the Intervale, which unites it with -the neighboring town of Bartlett. - -The road up the valley first skirts a wood, and through this wood are -delicious glimpses of Mount Adams. During the heat of the day or cool -of the evening this extensive and beautiful forest has always been a -favorite haunt. Tall, athletic pines, that bend in the breeze like -whalebone, lift their immense clusters of impenetrable foliage on high. -The sighs of lovers are softly echoed in their green tops; voices and -laughter issue from it. We, too, will swing our hammock here, and -breathe the healing fragrance that is so grateful. - -In a little enclosure of rough stone, on the Bigelow place, lie the -remains of the ill-fated Willey family, who were destroyed by the -memorable slide of 1826. The inscription closes with this not too lucid -figure: - - "We gaze around, we read their monument; - We sigh, and when we sigh we sink." - -Where the high terrace, making one grand sweep to the right, again -unveils the same superb view of the great summits, now wholly -unobstructed by houses or groves, we halt before that picture, -unrivalled in these mountains, not surpassed, perhaps, upon earth, and -which we never tire of gazing upon. Its most salient features have -already been described; but here in their very midst, from their very -heart, nature seems to have snatched a garden-spot from the haggard -mountains arrested in their advance by the command, "Thus far, and no -farther!" The elms, all grace, all refinement of form, bend before -the fierce blasts of winter, but stir not. The frozen east wind flies -shrieking through, as if to tear them limb from limb. The ground is -littered with their branches. They bow meekly before its rage, but stir -not. Really, they seem so many sentinels jealously guarding that repose -of which the vale is so eloquently the expression. The vale regards the -stormy summits around with the unconcern of perfect security. It is rest -to look at it. - -[Illustration: CONWAY MEADOWS.] - -Again we scan the great peaks which in clear days come boldly down and -stand at our very doors, but on hazy ones remove to a vast distance, -keeping vaguely aloof day in and day out. Sometimes they are in the -sulks, sometimes bold and forward. By turns they are graciously -condescending, or tantalizingly incomprehensible. One time they muffle -themselves in clouds from head to foot, so we cannot detect a suggestive -line or a contour; another, throwing off all disguise, they expose their -most secret beauties to the free gaze of the multitude. This is to set -the beholder's blood on fire with the passion to climb as high as those -gray shafts of everlasting rock that so proudly survey the creeping -leagues beneath them. - -Nowhere is the unapproachable grandeur of Mount Washington more fully -manifested than here. This large and impressive view is at once -suggestive of that glorious pre-eminence always associated with high -mountains. There are mountains, respectable ones too, in the middle -distance; but over these the great peak lords it with undisputed sway. -The bold and firm, though gradual, lines of ascent culminating at the -apex, extend over leagues of sky. After a clear sunset, Mount Washington -takes the same dull lead-color of the clouds hovering like enormous -night-birds over its head. - -North Conway permits, to the tourist, a choice of two very agreeable -excursions, either of which may be made in a day, although they could -profitably occupy a week. One is to follow the course of the Saco, -through the great Notch, to Fabyans, where you are on the westward -side of the great range, and where you take the rail to the summit -of Mount Washington. The other excursion is to diverge from the Saco -Valley three or four miles from North Conway, ascending the valley of -Ellis River--one of the lame affluents of the Saco--through the Pinkham -Notch to the Glen House, where you are exactly under the eastern foot -of Mount Washington, and may ascend it, by the carriage-road, in a -coach-and-four. We had already chosen the first route, and as soon as -the roads were a little settled we began our march. - -The storm was over. The keen north wind drove the mists in utter rout -before it. Peak after peak started out of the clouds, glowered on us a -moment, and then muffled his enormous head in fleecy vapor. The clouds -seemed thronged with monstrous apparitions, struggling fiercely with -the gale, which in pure wantonness tore aside the magic drapery that -rendered them invisible, scattering its tattered rags far and wide over -the valley. - -Now the sun entered upon the work begun by the wind. Quicker than -thought, a ray of liquid flame transfixed the vapors, flashed upon the -vale, and, flying from summit to summit, kindled them with newborn -splendor. One would have said a flaming javelin, hurled from high -heaven, had just cleft its dazzling way to earth. The mists slunk away -and hid themselves. The valley was inundated with golden light. Even the -dark faces of the cliffs brightened and beamed upon the vale, where the -bronzed foliage fluttered, and the river leaped for joy. In a little -time nothing was left but scattered clouds winging their way toward the -lowlands. - -[Illustration: BARTLETT BOWLDER.] - -Near Glen Station is one of those curiosities--a transported -boulder--which was undoubtedly left while on its travels through the -mountains, poised upon four smaller ones, in the position seen in the -engraving. - -Three miles below the village of Bartlett we stopped before a -farm-house, with the gable-end toward the road, to inquire the distance -to the next tavern, where we meant to pass the night. A gruff voice from -the inside growled something by way of reply; but as its owner, whoever -he might be, did not take the trouble to open his door, the answer was -unintelligible. - -"The churl!" muttered the colonel. "I have a great mind to teach him to -open when a gentleman knocks." - -"And I advise you not to try it," said the voice from the inside. - -The one thing a Kentuckian never shrinks from is a challenge. He only -said, "Wait a minute," while putting his broad shoulder against the -door; but now George and I interfered. Neither of us had any desire to -signalize our entry into the village by a brawl, and after some trouble -we succeeded in pacifying our fire-eater with the promise to stop at -this house on our way back. - -"I shall know it again," said the colonel, looking back, and nibbling -his long mustache with suppressed wrath; "something has been spilled on -the threshold--something like blood." - -We laughed heartily. The blood, we concluded, was in the colonel's eyes. - -Some time after nightfall we arrived in the village, having put thirteen -miles of road behind us without fatigue. Our host received us with a -blazing fire--what fires they do have in the mountains, to be sure!--a -pitcher of cider, and the remark, "Don't be afraid of it, gentlemen." - -All three hastened to reassure him on this point. The colonel began with -a loud smack, and George finished the jug with a deep sigh. - -"Don't be afraid of it," repeated the landlord, returning presently with -a fresh pitcher. "There are five barrels more like it in the cellar." - -"Landlord," quoth George, "let one of your boys take a mattress, two -blankets, and a pillow to the cellar. I intend to pass the night there." - -"I only wish your well was full of it," said the colonel, taking a -second pull at the jug, and making a second explosion with his lips. - -"Gentlemen," said I, "we have surely entered a land of milk and honey." - -"You shall have as much of both as you desire," said our host, very -affably. "Supper is ready, gentlemen." - -After supper a man came in for whom I felt, upon the instant, one of -those secret antipathies which are natural to me. The man was an utter -stranger. No matter: the repugnance seized me all the same. - -After a tour of the tap-room, and some words with our landlord in an -undertone, the stranger went out with the look of a man who had asked -for something and had been refused. - -"Where have I heard that man's voice?" said the colonel, thoughtfully. - -Our landlord is one of the most genial to be found among the mountains. -While sitting over the fire during the evening, the conversation turned -upon the primitive simplicity of manners remarked among mountaineers in -general; and our host illustrated it with this incident: - -"You noticed, perhaps, a man who left here a few moments ago?" he began. - -We replied affirmatively. It was my antipathy. - -"Well, that man killed a traveller a few years back." - -We instinctively recoiled. The air seemed tainted with the murderer's -presence. - -"Yes; dead as a mutton," continued the landlord, punching the logs -reflectively, and filling the chimney with sparks. "The man came to -his house one dark and stormy night, and asked to be admitted. The man -of the house flatly refused. The stranger pleaded hard, but the fellow -ordered him away with threats. Finding entreaties useless, the traveller -began to grow angry, and attempted to push open the door, which was -only fastened by a button, as the custom is. The man of the house said -nothing, but took his gun from a corner, and when the intruder crossed -the threshold he put three slugs through him. The wounded man expired on -the threshold, covering it with his blood." - -"Murdered him, and for that? Come, come, you are joking!" ejaculated -George, with a half smile of incredulity. - -"Blowed him right through, just as I tell you," reiterated the narrator, -without heeding the doubt George's question implied. - -"That sounds a little like Old Kentuck," observed the colonel, coolly. - -"Yes; but listen to the sequel, gentlemen," resumed the landlord. "The -murderer took the dead body in his arms, finding, to his horror, that -it was an acquaintance with whom he had been drinking the day before; -he took up the body, as I was saying, laid it out upon a table, and -then went quietly to bed. In the morning he very honestly exhibited the -corpse to all who passed his door, and told his story as I tell it to -you. I had it from his own lips." - -"That beats Kentucky," asseverated the colonel. For my own part, I -believed the landlord was amusing himself at our expense. - -"I don't know about Kentucky," observed the landlord; "I was never there -in my life; but I do know that, when the dead man was buried, the man -who killed him went to the funeral like any curious or indifferent -spectator." - -This was too much. George rose from his chair, and began to be -interested in a placard on the wall. "And you say this happened near -here?" he slowly inquired; "perhaps, now, you could show us the very -house?" he finished, dryly. - -"Nothing easier. It's only three miles back on the road you came. The -blood-stain is plain, or was, on the threshold." - -We exchanged glances. This was the house where we halted to inquire our -way. The colonel's eyes dilated, but he said nothing. - -"But was there no trial?" I asked. - -"Trial? oh yes. After several days had run by, somebody thought of -that; so one morning the slayer saddled his horse and rode over to the -county-seat to inquire about it. He was tried at the next sessions, and -acquitted. The judge charged justifiable homicide; that a man's house is -his fort; the jury did not leave their benches. By-the-bye, gentlemen, -that is some of the man's cider you are drinking." - -I felt decided symptoms of revolt in my stomach; George made a grimace, -and the colonel threw his unfinished glass in the fire. During the -remainder of the evening he rallied us a good deal on the subject of New -England hospitality, but said no more about going back to chastise the -man of the red house.[5] - -The sun rose clear over the right shoulder of Kearsarge. After breakfast -the landlord took us out and introduced us to his neighbors, the -mountains. While he was making the presentation in due form, I jotted -down the following, which has, at least, the merit of conciseness: - -_Upper Bartlett_: an ellipse of fertile land; three Lombardy poplars; a -river murmuring unseen; a wall of mountains, with Kearsarge looking up, -and Carrigain looking down the intervale. _Item_: the cider is excellent. - -We had before us the range extending between Swift River and the Saco, -over which I looked from the summit of Chocorua straight to Mount -Washington. To the east this range is joined with the out-works of -Moat. Then come Table, Bear, Silver Spring (Bartlett Haystack), and -Tremont, in the order named. Then comes the valley of Sawyer's River, -with Carrigain rising between its walls; then, crossing to the north -side of the Saco, the most conspicuous object is the bold Hart's Ledge, -between which and Sawyer's Rock, on the opposite bank, the river is -crowded into a narrow channel. The mountain behind the hotel is Mount -Langdon, with Crawford more distant. Observe closely the curious -configuration of this peak. Whether we go up or down, it nods familiarly -to us from every point of approach. - -But Kearsarge and Carrigain are the grand features here. One gives -his adieu, the other his welcome. One is the perfection of symmetry, -of grace; the other simply demands our homage. His snowy crown, -dazzling white against the pure blue, was the badge of an incontestable -superiority. These two mountains are the presiding genii of this -charming intervale. You look first at the massive lineaments of one, -then at the flowing lines of the other, as at celebrated men, whose -features you would strongly impress upon the memory. - -From the village street we saw the sun go down behind Mount Carrigain, -and touch with his glittering sceptre the crest of Hancock. We looked up -the valley dominated by the giant of the Pemigewasset wilderness with -feelings of high respect for this illustrious hermit, who only deigns to -show himself from this single point, and whose peak long yielded only to -the most persevering and determined climbers. - -Two days were formerly required for the ascent of this mountain, but -a long day will now suffice, thanks to the path constructed under the -direction of the Appalachian Club. The mountain is four thousand six -hundred and twenty-five feet above the sea, and is wooded to its summit. -The valley of Sawyer's River drains the deep basin between Carrigain and -Hancock, entering the Saco near the railroad station called Livermore. -The lumbermen have now penetrated this valley to the foot of the -mountain, with their rude logging roads, offering a way soon, it is -hoped, to be made plainer for future climbers than it was our lot to -find it. - -Thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the mountains, we now regarded -distances with disdain, and fatigue with indifference. We had learned -to make our toilets in the stream, and our beds in the fragrant groves. -Truly, the bronzed faces that peered at us as we bent over some solemn, -pine-shaded pool were not those we had been accustomed to seeing at -home; but having solved the problem of man's true existence, we only -laughed at each other's tawny countenances while shouldering our packs -and tightening our belts for the day's march. - -Leaving Bartlett at an early hour, we turned aside from the highway -a little beyond the bridge which spans Sawyer's River, and were soon -following a rough and stony cart-way ascending the banks of this -stream, which thundered along its rocky bed, making the woods echo with -its roar. The road grew rapidly worse, the river wilder, the forest -gloomier, until, at the end of two miles, coming suddenly out into the -sun, we entered a rude street of unpainted cabins, terminating at some -saw-mills. This hamlet, which to the artistic eye so disadvantageously -replaces the original forest, is the only settlement in the large -township of Livermore. Its mission is to ravage and lay waste the -adjacent mountains. Notwithstanding the occupation is legitimate, one -instinctively rebels at the waste around him, where the splendid natural -forest, literally hewed and hacked in pieces, exposes rudely all the -deformities of the mountains. But this lost hamlet is the first in which -a genuine emotion of any kind awaits the traveller. Ten to one it is -like nothing he ever dreamed of; his surprise is, therefore, extreme. -The men were rough, hardy-looking fellows; the women appeared contented, -but as if hard work had destroyed their good looks prematurely. Both -announced, by their looks and their manner, that the life they led was -no child's play; the men spoke only when addressed; the women stole -furtive glances at us; the half-dressed children stopped their play -to stare at the strangers. Here was neither spire nor bell. One cow -furnished all the milk for the commonalty. The mills being shut, there -was no sound except the river plashing over the rocks far down in the -gorge below; and had I encountered such a place on the sea-coast or the -frontier, I should at once have said I had stumbled upon the secret -hold of outlaws and smugglers, into which signs, grips, and passwords -were necessary to procure admission. To me, therefore, the hamlet of -Livermore was a wholly new experience. - -From this hamlet to the foot of the mountain is a long and uninteresting -tramp of five miles through the woods. We found the walking good, and -strode rapidly on, coming first to a wood-cutter's camp pitched on the -banks of Carrigain Brook, and next to the clearing they had made at the -mountain's foot. Here the actual work of the ascent began in earnest. - -Carrigain is solid, compact, massive. It is covered from head to foot -with forest. No incident of the way diverts the attention for a single -moment from the severe exertion required to overcome its steeply -inclined side; no breathing levels, no restful outlooks, no gorges, no -precipices, no cascades break the monotony of the escalade. We conquer, -as Napoleon's grenadiers did, by our legs. It is the most inexorable of -mountains, and the most exasperating. From base to summit you cannot -obtain a cup of water to slake your thirst. - -Two hours of this brought us out upon the bare summit of the great -northern spur, beyond which the true peak rose a few hundred feet -higher. Carrigain, at once the desire and the bugbear of climbers, was -beneath our feet. - -We have already examined, from the rocks of Chocorua, the situation -of this peak. We then entitled it the Hub of the White Mountains. -It reveals all the magnitude, unfolds the topography of the woody -wilderness stretching between the Saco and the Pemigewasset valleys. As -nearly as possible, it exhibits the same amazing profusion of unbroken -forest, here and there darkly streaked by hidden watercourses, as when -the daring foot of the first climber pressed the unviolated crest of the -august peak of Washington. In all its length and breadth there is not -one object that suggests, even remotely, the presence of man. We saw not -even the smoke of a hunter's camp. All was just as created; an absolute, -savage, unkempt wilderness. - -Heavens, what a bristling array of dark and shaggy mountains! Now and -then, where water gleamed out of their hideous depths, a great brilliant -eye seemed watching us from afar. We knew that we had only to look up to -see a dazzling circlet of lofty peaks drawn around the horizon, chains -set with glittering stones, clusters sparkling with antique crests; -still we could not withdraw our eyes from the profound abysses sunk deep -in the bowels of the land, typical of the uncovered bed of the primeval -ocean, sad and terrible, from which that ocean seemed only to have just -receded. - -But who shall describe all this solitary, this oppressive grandeur? -and what language portray the awfulness of these untrodden mountains? -Now and then, high up their bleak summits, a patch of forest had been -plucked up by the roots, or shaken from its hold in the throes of the -mountain, laid bare a long and glittering scar, red as a half-closed -wound. Such is the appearance of Mount Lowell, on the other side of the -gap dividing Carrigain from the Notch mountains. We saw where the dark -slope of Mount Willey gives birth to the infant Merrimack. We saw the -confluent waters of this stream, so light of foot, speeding through the -gloomy defiles, as if fear had given them wings. We saw the huge mass of -Mount Hancock force itself slowly upward out of the press. Unutterable -lawlessness stamped the whole region as its own. - -That I have thus dwelt upon its most extraordinary feature, instead of -examining the landscape in detail, must suffice for the intelligent -reader. I have not the temerity to coolly put the dissecting-knife into -its heart. To science the things which belong to science. Besides, to -the man of feeling all this is but secondary. We are not here to make a -chart. - -After a visit to the high summit, where some work was done in the -interest of future climbers, we set out at four in the afternoon, on -our return down the mountain. A second time we halted on the spur to -glance upward at the heap of summits over which Mount Washington lifts a -regular dome. The long line of peaks, ascending from Crawford's, seems -approaching it by a succession of huge steps. It was after dark when we -saw the lights of the village before us, and were again warmly welcomed -by the rousing fire and smoking viands of mine host. - - - - -VII. - -_VALLEY OF THE SACO._ - - With our faint heart the mountain strives; - Its arms outstretched, the Druid wood - Waits with its benedicte. - _Sir Launfal._ - - -At eight o'clock in the morning we resumed our march, with the intention -of reaching Crawford's the same evening. The day was cold, raw, and -windy, so we walked briskly--sharp air and cutting wind acting like whip -and spur. - -I retain a vivid recollection of this morning. Autumn had passed her -cool hand over the fevered earth. Soft as three-piled velvet, the green -turf left no trace of our tread. The sky was of a dazzling blue, and -frescoed with light clouds, transparent as gauze, pure as the snow -glistening on the high summits. On both sides of us audacious mountains -braced their feet in the valley; while others mounted over their brawny -shoulders, as if to scale the heavens. - -But what shall I say of the grand harlequinade of nature which the -valley presented to our view? I cannot employ Victor Hugo's odd simile -of a peacock's tail; that is more of a witticism than a description. -The death of the year seemed to prefigure the glorious and surprising -changes of color in a dying dolphin--putting on unparalleled beauty at -the moment of dissolution, and so going out in a blaze of glory. - -From the meagre summits enfiladed by the north wind, and where a -solitary pine or cedar intensified the desolation, to the upper forests, -the mountains bristled with a scanty growth of dead or dying trees. -Those scattered birches, high up the mountain side, looked like quills -on a porcupine's back; that group, glistening in the morning sun, -like the pipes of an immense organ. From this line of death, which -vegetation crossed at its peril, the eye dropped down over a limitless -forest of dark evergreen spotted with bright yellow. The effect of the -sunlight on this foliage was magical. Myriad flambeaux illuminated the -deep gloom, doubling the intensity of the sun, emitting rays, glowing, -resplendent. This splendid light, which the heavy masses of orange -seemed to absorb, gave a velvety softness to the lower ridges and spurs, -covering their hard, angular lines with a magnificent drapery. The lower -forests, the valley, were one vast sea of color. Here the bewildering -melange of green and gold, orange and crimson, purple and russet, -produced the effect of an immense Turkish rug--the colors being soft -and rich, rather than vivid or brilliant. This quality, the blending -of a thousand tints, the dreamy grace, the sumptuous profusion, the -inexpressible tenderness, intoxicated the senses. Earth seemed no longer -earth. We had entered a garden of the gods. - -From time to time a scarlet maple flamed up in the midst of the forest, -and its red foliage, scattered at our feet by the wind, glowed like -flakes of fire beaten from an anvil. A tangled maze of color changed the -road into an avenue bordered with rare and variegated plants. Autumn's -bright sceptre, the golden-rod, pointed the way. Blue and white daisies -strewed the greensward. - -After passing Sawyer's River, the road turned abruptly to the north, -skirting the base of the Nancy range. We were at the door of the second -chamber in this remarkable gallery of nature. - -Before crossing the threshold it is expedient to allude to the incident -which has given a name not only to the mountain, but to the torrent we -see tearing its impetuous way down from the upper forests. The story of -Nancy's Brook is as follows: - -In the latter part of the last century, a maiden, whose Christian name -of Nancy is all that comes down to us, was living in the little hamlet -of Jefferson. She loved, and was betrothed to a young man of the farm. -The wedding-day was fixed, and the young couple were on the eve of -setting out for Portsmouth, where their happiness was to be consummated -at the altar. In the trustfulness of love, the young girl confided the -small sum which constituted all her marriage-portion to her lover. This -man repaid her simple faith with the basest treachery. Seizing his -opportunity, he left the hamlet without a word of explanation or of -adieu. The deserted maiden was one of those natures which cannot quietly -sit down under calamity. Urged on by the intensity of her feelings, she -resolved to pursue her recreant lover. He could not resist her prayers, -her entreaties, her tears! She was young, vigorous, intrepid. With her -to decide and to act were the same thing. In vain the family attempted -to dissuade her from her purpose. At nightfall she set out. - -A hundred years ago the route taken by this brave girl was not, as -to-day, a thoroughfare which one may follow with his eyes shut. It was -only an obscure path, little travelled by day, deserted by night. For -thirty miles, from Colonel Whipple's, in Jefferson, to Bartlett, there -was not a human habitation. The forests were filled with wild beasts. -The rigor of the season--it was December--added its own perils. But -nothing could daunt the heroic spirit of Nancy; she had found man more -cruel than all besides. - -[Illustration: NANCY IN THE SNOW.] - -The girl's hope was to overtake her lover before dawn at the place where -she expected he would have camped for the night. She found the camp -deserted, and the embers extinguished. Spurred on by hope or despair, -she pushed on down the tremendous defile of the Notch, fording the -turbulent and frozen Saco, and toiling through deep snows and over rocks -and fallen trees, until, feeling her strength fail, she sunk exhausted -on the margin of the brook which seems perpetually bemoaning her sad -fate. Here, cold and rigid as marble, under a canopy of evergreen which -the snow tenderly drooped above, they found her. She was wrapped in her -cloak, and in the same attitude of repose as when she fell asleep on her -nuptial couch of snow-crusted moss. - -The story goes that the faithless lover became a hopeless maniac on -learning the fate of his victim, dying in horrible paroxysms not long -after. Tradition adds that for many years, on every anniversary of her -death, the mountains resounded with ravings, shrieks, and agonized -cries, which the superstitious attributed to the unhappy ghost of the -maniac lover.[6] - -It was not quite noon when we entered the beautiful and romantic glen -under the shadow of Mount Crawford. Upon our left, a little in advance, -a solidly-built English country-house, with gables, stood on a terrace -well above the valley. At our right, and below, was the old Mount -Crawford tavern, one of the most ancient of mountain hostelries. Upon -the opposite side of the vale rose the enormous mass of Mount Crawford; -and near where we stood, a humble mound, overgrown with bushes, enclosed -the mortal remains of the hardy pioneer whose monument is the mountain. - -We had an excusable curiosity to see a man who, in the prime of life, -had forsaken the city, its pleasures, its opportunities, and had come -to pass the rest of his life among these mountains; one, too, whose -enormous possessions procured for him the title of Lord of the Valley. -We heard with astonishment that our day's journey, of which we had -completed the half only, was wholly over his tract--I ought to say his -dominions--that is, over thirteen miles of field, forest, and mountain. -This being equal to a small principality, it seemed quite natural and -proper to approach the proprietor with some degree of ceremony. - -A servant took our cards at the door, and returned with an invitation to -enter. The apartment into which we were conducted was the most singular -I have ever seen; certainly it has no counterpart in this world, unless -the famous hut of Robinson Crusoe has escaped the ravages of time. -It was literally crammed with antique furniture, among which was a -high-backed chair used in dentistry; squat little bottles, containing -chemicals; and a bench, on which was a spirit-lamp; a turning-lathe, a -small portable furnace, and a variety of instruments or tools of which -we did not know the use. A few prints and oil-paintings adorned the -walls. A cheerful fire burnt on the hearth. - -"Were we in the sixteenth century," said George, "I should say this was -the laboratory of some famous alchemist." - -[Illustration: ABEL CRAWFORD.] - -Further investigation was cut short by the entrance of our host, who was -a venerable-looking man, turned of eighty, with a silver beard falling -upon his breast, and a general expression of benignity. He stooped a -little, but seemed hale and hearty, notwithstanding the weight of his -fourscore years. - -Doctor Bemis received us graciously. For an hour he entertained us with -the story of his life among the mountains, "to which," said he, "I -credit the last forty-five years--for I at first came here in pursuit of -health." After he had satisfied our curiosity concerning himself, which -he did with perfect _bonhomie_, I asked him to describe Abel Crawford, -the veteran guide of the White Hills. - -"Abel," said the doctor, "was six feet four; Erastus, the eldest son, -was six feet six, or taller than Washington; and Ethan was still -taller, being nearly seven feet. In fact, not one of the sons was less -than six feet; so you may imagine what sort of family group it was -when 'his boys,' as Abel loved to call them, were all at home. Ah, -well!" continued the doctor, with a sigh, "that kind of timber does -not flourish in the mountains now. Why, the very sight of one of those -giants inspired the timid with confidence. Ethan, called in his day -the Giant of the Hills, was a man of iron frame and will. Fear and he -were strangers. He would take up an exhausted traveller in his sinewy -arms and carry him as you would a baby, until his strength or courage -returned. The first bridle-path up the mountain was opened by him -in--let me see--ah! I have it, it was in 1821. Ethan, with the help of -his father, also built the Notch House above.[7] - -"Abel was long-armed, lean, and sinewy. Doctor Dwight, whose 'Travels -in New England' you have doubtless read, stopped with Crawford, on his -way down the Notch, in 1797. His nearest neighbor then, on the north, -was Captain Rosebrook, who lived on or near the site of the present -Fabyan House. Crawford's life of hardship had made little impression on -a constitution of iron. At seventy-five he rode the first horse that -reached the summit of Mount Washington. At eighty he often walked to -his son's (Thomas J. Crawford), at the entrance of the Notch, before -breakfast. I recollect him perfectly at this time, and his appearance -was peculiarly impressive. He was erect and vigorous as one of those -pines on yonder mountain. His long white hair fell down upon his -shoulders, and his fresh, ruddy face was always expressive of good-humor. - -"The destructive freshet of 1826," continued the doctor, "swept -everything before it, flooding the intervale, and threatening the old -house down there with instant demolition. During that terrible night, -when the Willey family perished, Mrs. Crawford was alone with her young -children in the house. The water rose with such rapidity that she was -driven to the upper story for safety. While here, the thud of floating -trees, driven by the current against the house, awakened new terrors. At -every concussion the house trembled. Wooden walls could not long stand -that terrible pounding. The heroic woman, alive to the danger, seized a -stout pole, and, going to the nearest window, kept the side of the house -exposed to the flood free from the mass of wreck-stuff collected against -it. She held her post thus throughout the night, until the danger had -passed. When the flood subsided, Crawford found several fine trout alive -in his cellar." - -"When do the great freshets usually occur?" I asked. - -"In the autumn," replied our host. "It is not the melting snows, but the -sudden rainfalls that we fear." - -"Yes," resumed he, reflectively, "the Crawfords were a family of -athletes. With them the race of guides became extinct. Soon after -settling here, Abel went with his wife to Bartlett on some occasion, -leaving their two boys in the care of a hired man. When they had gone, -this man took what he could find of value and decamped. When Abel -returned, which he did on the following day, he immediately set out -in pursuit of the thief, overtook him thirty miles from here, in the -Franconia forests, flogged him within an inch of his life, and let him -go." - -"Sixty miles on foot, and alone, to recover a few stolen goods, and -punish a thief!" cried the astonished colonel; "that beats Daniel Boone." - -"Yes; and what is more, the boys were brought up to face hunger, cold, -fatigue, with Indian stoicism, and even to encounter bears, lynxes, and -wolves with no other weapons than those provided by nature. There, now, -was Ethan, for example," said the doctor, smiling at the recollection. -"One day he took it into his head to have a tame bear for the diversion -of his guests. Well, he caught a young one, half grown, and remarkably -vicious, in a trap. But how to get him home! At length Ethan tied his -fore and hind paws together so he couldn't scratch, and put a muzzle of -withes over his nose so he couldn't bite. Then, shouldering his prize -as he would a bag of meal, the guide started for home, in great glee -at the success of his clever expedient. He had not gone far, however, -before Bruin managed to get one paw wholly and his muzzle partly free, -and began to scratch and struggle and snap at his captor savagely. Ethan -wanted to get the bear home terribly; but, after having his clothing -nearly torn off his back, he grew angry, and threw the beast upon the -ground with such force as to kill him instantly." - -"Report," said I, "credits you with naming most of the mountains which -overlook the intervale." - -"Yes," replied the doctor, "Resolution, over there"--indicating the -mountain allied to Crawford, and to the ridge which forms one of -the buttresses of Mount Washington--"I named in recognition of the -perseverance of Mr. Davis, who became discouraged while making a path to -Mount Washington in 1845." - -"Is the route practicable?" I asked. - -"Practicable, yes; but nearly obliterated, and seldom ascended. Have you -seen Frankenstein?" demanded the doctor, in his turn. - -We replied in the negative. - -"It will repay a visit. I named it for a young German artist who passed -some time with me, and who was fascinated by its rugged picturesqueness. -Here is some of his work," pointing to the paintings which, apparently, -formed the foundation of the collection on the walls. - -Our host accompanied us to the door with a second injunction not to -forget Frankenstein. - -"You have something there good for the eyes," I observed, indicating the -green carpet of the vale beneath us. - -"True; but you should have seen it when the deer boldly came down the -mountain and browsed quietly among the cattle. That was a pretty sight, -and one of frequent occurrence when I first knew the place. At that -time," he continued, "the stage passed up every other day. Sometimes -there were one or two, but seldom three passengers." - -Proceeding on our way, we now had a fine view of the Giant's Stairs, -which we had already seen from Mount Carrigain, but less boldly outlined -than they appear from the valley, where they really look like two -enormous steps cut on the very summit of the opposite ridge. No name -could be more appropriate, though each of the degrees of this colossal -staircase demands a giant not of our days; for they are respectively -three hundred and fifty, and four hundred and fifty feet in height. It -was over those steps that the Davis path ascended. - -A mile or a mile and a half above the Crawford Glen, we emerged from -behind a projecting spur of the mountain which hid the upper valley, -when, by a common impulse, we stopped, fairly stupefied with admiration -and surprise. - -Thrust out before us, athwart the pass, a black and castellated pile -of precipices shot upward to a dizzy height, and broke off abruptly -against the sky. Its bulging sides and regular outlines resembled the -clustered towers and frowning battlements of some antique fortress -built to command the pass. Gashed, splintered, defaced, it seemed to -have withstood for ages the artillery of heaven and the assaults of -time. With what solitary grandeur it lifted its mailed front above the -forest, and seemed even to regard the mountains with disdain! Silent, -gloomy, impregnable, it wanted nothing to recall those dark abodes of -the Thousand and One Nights, in which malignant genii are imprisoned for -thousands of years. - -This was Frankenstein. We at once accord it a place as the most -suggestive of cliffs. From the other side of the valley the resemblance -to a medival castle is still more striking. It has a black gorge for a -moat, so deep that the head swims when crossing it; and to-day, as we -crept over the cat's-cradle of a bridge thrown across for the passage -of the railway, and listened to the growling of the torrent far down -beneath, the whole frail structure seemed trembling under us. - -But what a contrast! what a singular freak of nature! At the foot of -this grisly precipice, clothing it with almost superhuman beauty, was a -plantation of maples and birches, all resplendent in crimson and gold. -Never have I seen such masses of color laid on such a background. Below -all was light and splendor; above, all darkness and gloom. Here the eye -fairly revelled in beauty, there it recoiled in terror. The cliff was -like a naked and swarthy Ethiopian up to his knees in roses. - -We walked slowly, with our eyes fixed on these cliffs, until another -turn of the road--we were now on the railway embankment--opened a vista -deserving to be remembered as one of the marvels of this glorious -picture-gallery. - -The perfection and magnificence of this truly regal picture, the -gigantic scale on which it is presented, without the least blemish to -mar its harmony or disturb the impression of one grand, unique whole, is -a revelation to the least susceptible nature in the world. - -Frankenstein was now a little withdrawn, on our left. Upon the right, -fluttering its golden foliage as if to attract our attention, a -plantation of tall, satin-stemmed birches stretched for some distance -along the railway. Between the long buttress of the cliff and this -forest lay open the valley of Mount Washington River, which is driven -deep into the heart of the great range. There, through this valley, -cutting the sapphire sky with their silver silhouette, were the giant -mountains, surmounted by the splendid dome of Washington himself. - -[Illustration: STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY.] - -Passing beyond, we had a fine retrospect of Crawford, with his curved -horn; and upon the dizzy iron bridge thrown across the gorge beneath -Frankenstein, striking views are obtained of the mountains below. They -seemed loftier and grander, and more imposing than ever. - -Turning our faces toward the north, we now beheld the immense bulk and -superb crest of Willey. On the other side of the valley was the long -battlement of Mount Webster. We were at the entrance of the great Notch. - - - - -VIII. - -_THROUGH THE NOTCH._ - - Around his waist are forests braced, - The avalanche in his hand.--BYRON. - - -The valley, which had continually contracted since leaving Bartlett, -now appeared fast shut between these two mountains; but on turning the -tremendous support which Mount Willey flings down, we were in presence -of the amazing defile cloven through the midst, and giving entrance to -the heart of the White Hills. - -These gigantic mountains divided to the right and left, like the Red -Sea before the Israelites. Through the immense trough, over which their -crests hung suspended in mid-air, the highway creeps and the river -steals away. The road is only seen at intervals through the forest; a -low murmur, like the hum of bees, announces the river. - -I have no conception of the man who can approach this stupendous chasm -without a sensation of fear. The idea of imminent annihilation is -everywhere overwhelming. The mind refuses to reason, or rather to fix -itself, except on a single point. What if the same power that commanded -these awful mountains to remove should hurl them back to ever-during -fixedness? Should, do I say? The gulf seemed contracting under our very -eyes--the great mountains toppling to their fall. With an eagerness -excited by high expectation, we had pressed forward; but now we -hesitated. - -This emotion, which many of my readers have doubtless partaken, was our -tribute to the dumb but eloquent expression of power too vast for our -feeble intellects to measure. It was the triumph of matter over mind; of -the finite over the infinite. - -Below, it was all admiration and surprise; here, all amazement and fear. -The more the mountains exalted themselves, the more we were abased. -Trusting, nevertheless, in our insignificance, we moved on, looking with -all our eyes, absorbed, silent, and almost worshipping. - -The wide split of the Notch, which we had now entered, had on one side -Mount Willey, drawn up to his full height; and on the other Mount -Webster, striped with dull red on clingy yellow, like an old tiger's -skin. Willey is the highest; Webster the most remarkable. Willey has -a conical spire; Webster a long, irregular battlement. Willey is a -mountain; Webster a huge block of granite. - -For two miles the gorge winds between these mountains to where it is -apparently sealed up by a sheer mass of purple precipices lodged full -in its throat. This is Mount Willard. The vast chasm glowed with the -gorgeous colors of the foliage, even when a passing cloud obscured the -sun. These general observations made, we cast our eyes down into the -vale reposing at our feet. We had chosen for our point of view that to -which Abel Crawford conducted Sir Charles Lyell in 1845. The scientist -has made the avalanche bear witness to the glacier, precisely as one -criminal is made to convict another under our laws. - -Five hundred feet below us was a little clearing, containing a hamlet -of two or three houses. From this hamlet to the storm-crushed crags -glistening on the summit of Mount Willey the track of an old avalanche -was still distinguishable, though the birches and alders rooted among -the dbris threatened to obliterate it at no distant day. - -We descended by this still plain path to the houses at the foot of the -mountain. One and the other are associated with the most tragic event -connected with the history of the great Notch. - -We found two houses, a larger and smaller, fronting the road, neither -of which merits a description; although evidence that it was visited by -multitudes of curious pilgrims abounded on the walls of the unoccupied -building. - -Since quite early in the century, this house was kept as an inn; and -for a long time it was the only stopping-place between Abel Crawford's -below and Captain Rosebrook's above--a distance of thirteen miles. Its -situation, at the entrance of the great Notch, was advantageous to the -public and to the landlord, but attended with a danger which seems not -to have been sufficiently regarded, if indeed it caused successive -inmates particular concern. This fatal security had a lamentable sequel. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WILLARD FROM WILLEY BROOK.] - -In 1826 this house was occupied by Samuel Willey, his wife, five -children, and two hired men. During the summer a drought of unusual -severity dried the streams, and parched the thin soil of the neighboring -mountains. On the evening of the 26th of June, the family heard a heavy, -rumbling noise, apparently proceeding from the mountain behind them. In -terror and amazement they ran out of the house. They saw the mountain -in motion. They saw an immense mass of earth and rock detach itself -and move toward the valley, at first slowly, then with gathered and -irresistible momentum. Rocks, trees, earth, were swooping down upon -them from the heights in three destroying streams. The spectators stood -rooted to the spot. Before they could recover their presence of mind the -avalanche was upon them. One torrent crossed the road only ten rods from -the house; another a little distance beyond; while the third and largest -portion took a different direction. With great labor a way was made over -the mass of rubbish for the road. The avalanche had shivered the largest -trees, and borne rocks weighing many tons almost to the door of the -lonely habitation. - -This awful warning passed unheeded. On the 28th of August, at dusk, -a storm burst upon the mountains, and raged with indescribable fury -throughout the night. The rain fell in sheets. Innumerable torrents -suddenly broke forth on all sides, deluging the narrow valley, and -bearing with them forests that had covered the mountains for ages. The -swollen and turbid Saco rose over its banks, flooding the Intervales, -and spreading destruction in its course. - -Two days afterward a traveller succeeded in forcing his way through the -Notch. He found the Willey House standing uninjured in the midst of -woful desolation. A second avalanche, descended from Mount Willey during -the storm, had buried the little vale beneath its ruins. The traveller, -affrighted by the scene around him, pushed open the door. As he did so, -a half-famished dog, sole inmate of the house, disputed his entrance -with a mournful howl. He entered. The interior was silent and deserted. -A candle burnt to the socket, the clothing of the inmates lying by their -bedsides, testified to the haste with which this devoted family had -fled. The death-like hush pervading the lonely cabin--these evidences -of the horrible and untimely fate of the family--the appalling scene of -wreck all around, froze the solitary intruder's blood. In terror he, -too, fled from the doomed dwelling. - -On arriving at Bartlett, the traveller reported what he had seen. -Assistance was despatched to the scene of disaster. The rescuers came -too late to render aid to the living, but they found, and buried on the -spot, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Willey, and the two hired men. The -remaining children were never found. - -It was easily conjectured that the terrified family, alive at last to -the appalling danger that menaced them, and feeling the solid earth -tremble in the throes of the mountain, sought safety in flight. They -only rushed to their doom. The discovery of the bodies showed but too -plainly the manner of their death. They had been instantly swallowed up -by the avalanche, which, in the inexplicable order of things visible in -great calamities, divided behind the house, leaving the frail structure -unharmed, while its inmates were hurried into eternity.[8] - -For some time after the disaster a curse seemed to rest upon the -old Notch House. No one would occupy it. Travellers shunned it. It -remained untenanted, though open to all who might be driven to seek its -inhospitable shelter, until the deep impression of horror which the fate -of the Willey family inspired had, in a measure, effaced itself. - -The effects of the cataclysm were everywhere. For twenty-one miles, -almost its entire length, the turnpike was demolished. Twenty-one of -the twenty-three bridges were swept away. In some places the meadows -were buried to the depth of several feet beneath sand, earth, and -rocks; in others, heaps of great trees, which the torrent had torn -up by the roots, barricaded the route. The mountains presented a -ghastly spectacle. One single night sufficed to obliterate the work of -centuries, to strip their summits bare of verdure, and to leave them -with shreds of forest and patches of shrubbery hanging to their stark -and naked sides. Thus their whole aspect was altered to an extent hardly -to be realized to-day, though remarked with mingled wonder and dread -long after the period of the convulsion. - -From the house our eyes naturally wandered to the mountain, where -quarrymen were pecking at its side like yellow-hammers at a dead -sycamore. All at once a tremendous explosion was heard, and a stream -of loosened earth and bowlders came rattling down the mountain. So -unexpected was the sound, so startling its multiplied echo, it seemed as -if the mountain had uttered a roar of rage and pain, which was taken up -and repeated by the other mountains until the uproar became deafening. -When the reverberation died away in the distance, we again heard the -metallic click of the miners' hammers chipping away at the gaunt ribs of -Mount Willey. - -How does it happen that this catastrophe is still able to awaken the -liveliest interest for the fate of the Willey family? Why is it that -the oft-repeated tale seems ever new in the ears of sympathetic -listeners? Our age is crowded with horrors, to which this seems trifling -indeed. May we not attribute it to the influence which the actual scene -exerts on the imagination? One must stand on the spot to comprehend; -must feel the mysterious terror to which all who come within the -influence of the gorge submit. Here the annihilation of a family is but -the legitimate expression of that feeling. It seems altogether natural -to the place. The ravine might well be the sepulchre of a million human -beings, instead of the grave of a single obscure family. - -We reached the public-house, at the side of the Willey house, with -appetites whetted by our long walk. The mercury had only risen to -thirty-eight degrees by the thermometer nailed to the door-post. We went -in. - -In general, the mountain publicans are not only very obliging, but equal -to even the most unexpected demands. The colonel, who never brags, had -boasted for the last half-hour what he was going to do at this repast. -In point of fact, we were famishing. - -A man was standing with his back to the fire, his hands thrust -underneath his coat-tails, and a pipe in his mouth. Either the pipe -illuminated his nose, or his nose the pipe. He also had a nervous -contraction of the muscles of his face, causing an involuntary twitching -of the eyebrows, and at the same time of his ears, up and down. This -habit, taken in connection with the perfect immobility of the figure, -made on us the impression of a statue winking. We therefore hesitated to -address it--I mean _him_--until a moment's puzzled scrutiny satisfied us -that it--I mean the strange object--was alive. He merely turned his head -when we entered the room, wagged his ears playfully, winked furiously, -and then resumed his first attitude. In all probability he was some -stranger like ourselves. - -I accosted him. "Sir," said I, "can you tell us if it is possible to -procure a dinner here?" - -The man took the pipe from his mouth, shook out the ashes very -deliberately, and, without looking at me, tranquilly observed, - -"You would like dinner, then?" - -"Would we like dinner? We breakfasted at Bartlett, and have passed six -hours fasting." - -"And eleven miles. You see, a long way between meals," interjected -George, with decision. - -"It's after the regular dinner," drawled the apathetic smoker, using his -thumb for a stopper, and stooping for a brand with which to relight his -pipe. - -"In that case we are willing to pay for any additional trouble," I -hastened to say. - -The man seemed reflecting. We _were_ hungry; that was incontestable; -but we were also shivering, and he maintained his position astride the -hearth-stone, like the fabled Colossus of old. - -"A cold day," said the colonel, threshing himself. - -"I did not notice it," returned the stranger, indifferently. - -"Only thirty-eight at the door," said George, stamping his feet with -unnecessary vehemence. - -"Indeed!" observed our man, with more interest. - -"Yes," George asserted; "and if the fireplace were only larger, or the -screen smaller." - -The man hastily stepped aside, knocking over, as he did so, a blazing -brand, which he kicked viciously back into the fire. - -Having carried the outworks, we approached the citadel. "Perhaps, sir," -I ventured, "you can inform us where the landlord may be found?" - -"You wanted dinner, I believe?" The tone in which this question was put -gave me goose-flesh. I could not speak, George dropped into a chair. -The colonel propped himself against the chimney-piece. I shrugged my -shoulders, and nodded expressively to my companions, who returned two -glances of eloquent dismay. Evidently nothing was to be got out of this -fellow. - -"Dinner for one?" continued the eternal smoker. - -"For three!" I exclaimed, out of all patience. - -"For four; I shall eat double," added the colonel. - -"Six!" shouted George, seizing the dinner-bell on the mantel-piece. - -"Stop," said the man, betraying a little excitement; "don't ring that -bell." - -"Why not?" demanded George; "we want to see the landlord; and, by Jove," -brandishing the bell aloft, "see him we will!" - -"He stands before you, gentlemen; and if you will have a little patience -I will see what can be done." So saying, he put his pipe on the -chimney-piece, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and went out, -muttering, as he did so. "The world was not made in a day." - -In three-quarters of an hour we sat down to a funereal repast, the -bare recollection of which makes me ill, but which was enlivened by the -following conversation: - -"How many inhabitants are in your tract?" I asked of the man who waited -on us. - -"Do you mean inhabitants?" - -"Certainly, I mean inhabitants." - -"Well, that's not an easy one." - -"How so?" - -"Because the same question not only puzzled the State Legislature, but -made the attorney-general sick." - -We became attentive. - -"Explain that, if you please," said I. - -"Why, just look at it: with only eight legal voters in the tract" (he -called it track), "we cast five hundred ballots at the State election." - -"Five hundred ballots! then your voters must have sprung from the ground -or from the rocks." - -"Pretty nearly so." - -"Actual men?" - -"Actual men." - -"You are jesting." - -My man looked at me as if I had offered him an affront. The supposition -was plainly inadmissible. He was completely innocent of the charge. - -"You hear those men pounding away up the hill?" he demanded, jerking his -thumb in the direction indicated. - -"Yes." - -"Well, those are the five hundred voters. On election morning they came -to the polling-place with a ballot in one hand, and a pick, a sledge, -or a drill in the other. Our supervisor is a very honest, blunt sort of -man: he refused their ballots on the spot." - -"Well?" - -"Well, one of them had a can of nitro-glycerine and a coil of wire. He -deposited his can in a corner, hitched on the wire, and was going out -with his comrades, when the supervisor, feeling nervous, said, - -"'The polls are open, gentlemen.'" - -"Ingenious," remarked George. - -The man looked astounded. - -"He means dangerous," said I; "but go on." - -"I will. When the votes were counted, at sundown, it was found that our -precinct had elected two representatives to the General Court. But when -the successful candidates presented their certificates at Concord, some -meddlesome city fellow questioned the validity of the election. The -upshot of it was that the two nitro-glycerites came back with a flea in -each ear." - -"And the five hundred were disfranchised," said George. - -"Why, as to that, half were French Canadians, half Irish, and the devil -knows what the rest were; I don't." - -"Never mind the rest. You see," said George, rising, "how, with the -railway, the blessings of civilization penetrate into the dark corners -of the earth." - -The colonel began his sacramental, "That beats--" when he was -interrupted by a second explosion, which shook the building. We paid our -reckoning, George saying, as he threw his money on the table, "A heavy -charge." - -"No more than the regular price," said the landlord, stiffly. - -"I referred, my dear sir, to the explosion," replied George, with the -sardonic grin habitual to him on certain occasions. - -"Oh!" said the host, resuming his pipe and his fireplace. - -We spent the remaining hours of this memorable afternoon sauntering -through the Notch, which is dripping with cascades, and noisy with -mountain torrents. The Saco, here nothing but a brook, crawls languidly -along its bed of broken rock. From dizzy summit to where they meet the -river, the old wasted mountains sit warming their scarred sides in the -sun. Looking up at the passage of the railway around Mount Willey, it -impressed us as a single fractured stone might have done on the Great -Pyramid, or a pin's scratch on the face of a giant. The locomotive, -which groped its way along its broken shell, stopped, and stealthily -moving again, seemed a mouse that the laboring mountain had brought -forth. But when its infernal clamor broke the silence, what demoniacal -yells shook the forests! Farewell to our dream of inviolable nature. The -demon of progress had forced his way into the very sanctuary. There were -no longer any White Mountains. - -We passed by the beautiful brook Kedron, flung down from the utmost -heights of Willey, between banks mottled with colors. Then, high up on -our right, two airy water-falls seemed to hang suspended from the summit -of Webster. These, called respectively the Silver Cascade, and the -Flume withdrew the attention from every other object, until a sharp turn -to the right brought the overhanging precipice of Mount Willard full -upon us. This enormous mass of granite, rising seven hundred feet above -the road, stands in the very jaws of the gorge, which it commands from -end to end. - -[Illustration: THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER.] - -Here the railway seems fairly stopped; but with a graceful sweep it -eludes the mountain, and glides around its massive shoulder, giving, as -it does so, a hand to the high-road, which comes straggling up the sharp -ascent. The river, now shrunken to a rivulet, is finally lost to view -beneath heaped-up blocks of granite, which the infuriated old mountain -has hurled down upon it. It is heard painfully gurgling under the ruins, -like a victim crushed, and dying by inches. - -Now and here we entered a close, dark defile hewn down between cliffs, -ascending on the right in regular terraces, on the left in ruptured -masses. These terraces were fringed at the top with tapering evergreens, -and displayed gaudy tufts of maple and mountain-ash on their cool gray. -Those on the right are furthermore decorated with natural sculptures, -indicated by sign-boards, which the curious investigate profitably or -unprofitably, according to their fertility of imagination. - -For a few rods this narrow cleft continues; then, on a sudden, the rocks -which lift themselves on either side shut together. An enormous mass -has tumbled from its ancient location on the left side, and, taking a -position within twenty feet of the opposite precipice, forms the natural -gate of the Notch, through which a way was made for the common road -with great labor, through which the river frays a passage, but where -no one would imagine there was room for either. The railway has made a -breach for itself through the solid rock, greatly diminishing the native -grandeur of the place. All three emerge from the shadow and gloom of the -pass into the cheerful sunshine of a little prairie, at the extremity of -which are seen the white walls of a hotel. - -The whole route we had traversed is full of contrasts, full of -surprises; but this sudden transition was the most picturesque, the most -startling of all. We seemed to have reached the end of the world. - - - - -IX. - -_CRAWFORD'S._ - - The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts - Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rose. - SHAKSPEARE. - - -All who have passed much time at the mountains have seen the -elephant--near the gate of the Notch. - -Though it is only from Nature's chisel, the elephant is an honest one, -and readily admitted into the category of things curious or marvellous -constantly displayed for our inspection. Standing on the piazza of the -hotel, the enormous forehead and trunk seem just emerging from the -shaggy woods near the entrance to the pass. And the gray of the granite -strengthens the illusion still more. From the Elephant's Head, a title -suggestive of the near vicinity of a public-house, there is a fine view -down the Notch for those who cannot ascend Mount Willard. - -The Crawford House, being built at the highest point of the pass, -nearly two thousand feet above the sea, is not merely a hotel--it is a -water-shed. The roof divides the rain falling upon it into two streams, -flowing on one side into the Saco, on the other into the Ammonoosuc. -Here the sun rises over the Willey range, and sets behind Mount Clinton. -The north side of the piazza enables you to look over the forests into -the valley of the Ammonoosuc, where the view is closed by the chain -dividing this basin from that of Israel's River. But we are not yet -ready to conduct the reader into this Promised Land. - -My window overlooked a grassy plain of perhaps half a mile, the view -being closed by the Gate of the Notch, now disfigured by snow-sheds -built for the protection of the railway. The massive, full-rounded bulk -of Webster rose above, the forests of Willard tumbled down into the -ragged fissure. Half-way between the hotel and the Gate, over-borne by -the big shadow of Mount Clinton, extends the pretty lakelet which is -the fountain-head of the Saco. Beyond the lake, and at the left, is -where the old Notch House stood. This lake was once a beaver-pond, and -this plain a boggy meadow, through which a road of corduroy and sods -conducted the early traveller. The highway and railway run amicably side -by side, dividing the little vale in two. - -[Illustration: ELEPHANT'S HEAD, WINTER.] - -This pass, which was certainly known to the Indians, was, in 1771, -rediscovered by Timothy Nash, a hunter, who was persuaded by Benjamin -Sawyer, another hunter, to admit him to an equal share in the discovery. -In 1773 Nash and Sawyer received a grant of 2184 acres, skirting the -mountains on the west, as a reward. With the prodigality characteristic -of their class, the hunters squandered their large acquisition in a -little time after it was granted. Both the Crawford and Fabyan hotels -stand upon their tract. - -Of many excursions which this secluded retreat offers, that to the -summit of Mount Washington, by the bridle-path opened in 1840 by Thomas -J. Crawford, and that to the top of Mount Willard, are the principal. -The route to the first begins opposite to the hotel, at the left; the -latter turns from the glen a quarter of a mile below, on the right. -Supposing Mount Washington a cathedral set on an eminence, you are here -on the summit of the eminence, with one foot on the immense staircase of -the cathedral. - -Our resolve to ascend by the bridle-path was already formed, and we -regarded the climb up Mount Willard as indispensable. As for the -cascades, which lulled us to sleep, who shall describe them? We could -not lift our eyes to the heights above without seeing one or more -fluttering in the play of the breeze, and making rainbows in pure -diversion. President Dwight, in his "Travels," has no more eloquent -passage than that describing the Flume Cascade. How many since have -thrown down pen or pencil in sheer despair of reproducing, by words -or pigments, the aerial lightness, the joyous freedom; above all, the -exuberant, unquenchable vitality that characterize mountain water-falls! -Down the Notch is a masterpiece, hidden from the eye of the passer-by, -called Ripley Falls, which fairly revels in its charming seclusion. -Only a short walk from the hotel, by a woodland path, there is another, -Beecher's Cascade, whose capricious leaps and playful somersaults, all -the while volubly chattering to itself, like a child alone with its -playthings, fascinates us, as sky, water, and fire charm the eyes of an -infant. It is always tumbling down, and as often leaping to its feet to -resume its frolicsome gambols, with no loss of sprightliness or sign of -weariness that we can detect. Only a lover may sing the praises of these -mountain cascades falling from the skies: - -"The torrent is the soul of the valley. Not only is it the Providence or -the scourge, often both at once, but it gives to it a physiognomy; it -gladdens or saddens it; it lends it a voice; it communicates life to it. -A valley without its torrent is only a hole." - -They give the name of Idlewild to the romantic sylvan retreat, reached -by a winding path, diverging near the hotel, on the left. I visited -it in company with Mr. Atwater, whose taste and enthusiasm for the -work have converted the natural disorder of the mountain side into -a trysting-place fit for elves and fairies; but where one encounters -ladies in elegant toilets, enjoying a quiet stroll among the fern-draped -rocks. Some fine vistas of the valley mountains have been opened through -the woods--beautiful little bits of blue, framed in illuminated foliage. -One notes approvingly the revival of an olden taste in the cutting and -shaping of trees into rustic chairs, stairways, and arbors. - -After a day like ours, the great fires and admirable order of the -hotel were grateful indeed. If it is true that the way to man's heart -lies through his stomach, the cherry-lipped waiter-girl, who whispered -her seductive tale in my too-willing ear at supper, made a veritable -conquest. My compliments to her, notwithstanding the penalty paid for -lingering too long over the griddle-cakes. - -The autumn nights being cool, it was something curious to see the parlor -doors every now and then thrown wide open, to admit a man who came -trundling in on a wheelbarrow a monster log fit for the celebration of -Yule-tide. The city guest, accustomed to the economy of wood at home, -because it is dear, looks on this prodigality first with consternation, -and finally with admiration. When the big log is deposited on the -blazing hearth amid fusees of sparks, the easy-chairs again close around -the fireplace a charmed circle; and while the buzz of conversation goes -on, and the faces are illuminated by the ruddy glow, the wood snaps, -and hisses, and spits as if it had life and sense of feeling. The men -talk in drowsy undertones; the ladies, watching the chimney-soot catch -fire and redden, point out to each other the old grandame's pictures -of "folks coming home from meeting." This scene is the counterpart of -a warm summer evening on the piazza--both typical of unrestrained, -luxurious indolence. How many pictures have appeared in that old -fireplace! and what experiences its embers revived! Water shows us only -our own faces in their proper mask--nothing more, nothing less; but -fire, the element of the supernatural, is able, so at least we believe, -to unfold the future as easily as it turns our eyes into the past. If -only we could read! - -When we arose in the morning, what was our astonishment to see the -surrounding mountains white with snow. Like one smitten with sudden -terror, they had grown gray in a night. Striking, indeed, was the -transformation from yesterday's pomp; beautiful the contrast between -the dark green below and the dead white of the upper zones. Thickly -incrusted with hoar-frost, the stiffened foliage of the pines and firs -gave those trees the unwonted appearance of bursting into blossom. Over -all a dull and brooding sky shed its cold, wan light upon the glen, -forbidding all thought of attacking the high summits, at least for this -day. - -Dismissing this, therefore, as impracticable, we nevertheless determined -on ascending Mount Willard--an easy thing to do, considering you have -only to follow a good carriage-road for two miles and a half to reach -the precipices overlooking the Saco Valley. - -Startling, indeed, by its sublimity was the spectacle that rewarded our -trouble a thousand-fold. Still, the sensations partook more of wonder -than admiration--much more. The unpractised eye is so utterly confounded -by the immensity of this awful chasm of the Notch, yawning in all its -extent and all its grandeur far down beneath, that, powerless to grasp -the fulness and the vastness thus suddenly encountered, it stupidly -stares into those far-retreating depths. The scene really seems too -tremendous for flesh and blood to comprehend. For an instant, while -standing on the brink of the sheer precipice, which here suddenly drops -seven or eight hundred feet, my head swam and my knees trembled. - -[Illustration: LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH.] - -First came the idea that I was looking down into the dry bed of some -primeval cataract, whose mighty rush and roar the imagination summoned -again from the tomb of ages, and whose echo was in the cascades, hung -like two white arms on the black and hairy breast of the adjacent -mountain. This idea carries us luck to the Deluge, of which science -pretends to have found proofs in the basin of the Notch. What am I -saying? to the Deluge! it transports us to the Beginning itself, when -"_Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved -upon the face of the waters._" - -You see the immense walls of Mount Willey on one side, and of Webster -on the other, rushing downward thousands of feet, and meeting in one -magnificently imposing sweep at their bases. This vast natural inverted -archway has the heavens for a roof. The eye roves from the shaggy head -of one mountain to the shattered cornices of the other. One is terrible, -the other forbidding. The naked precipices of Willey, furrowed by -avalanches, still show where the fatal slide of 1826 crushed its way -down into the valley, traversing a mile in only a few moments. Far down -in the distance you see the Willey hamlet and its bright clearing. You -see the Saco's silver. - -Such, imperfectly, are the more salient features of this immense cavity -of the Notch, three miles long, two thousand feet deep, rounded as if -by art, and as full of suggestions as a ripe melon of seeds. I recall -few natural wonders so difficult to get away from, or that haunt you so -perpetually. - -Like ivy on storied and crumbling towers, so high up the cadaverous -cliffs of Willey the hardy fir-tree feels its way, insinuating its long -roots in every fissure where a little mould has crept, but mounting -always like the most intrepid of climbers. Upon the other side, the -massed and plumed forest advances boldly up the sharp declivity of -Webster; but in mid-ascent is met and ploughed in long, thin lines by -cataracts of stones, poured down upon it from the summit. Only a few -straggling bushes succeed in mounting higher; and far up, upon the very -edge of the crumbling parapet, one solitary cedar tottered. The thought -of imminent destruction prevailed over every other. Indeed, it seemed -as if one touch would precipitate the whole mass of earth, stones, and -trees into the vale beneath. - -Between these high, receding walls, which draw widely apart at the -outlet of the pass, mountains rise, range upon range. Over the flattened -Nancy summits, Chocorua lifts his crested head once more into view. We -pass in review the summits massed between, which on this morning were -of a deep blue-black, and stood vigorously forth from a sad and boding -sky. - -From the ledges of Mount Willard, Washington and the peaks between are -visible in a clear day. This morning they were muffled in clouds, which -a strong upper current of air began slowly to disperse. We, therefore, -secured a good position, and waited patiently for the unveiling. - -Little by little the clouds shook themselves free from the mountain, and -began a slow, measured movement toward the Ammonoosuc Valley. As they -were drawn out thinner and thinner, like fleeces, by invisible hands, -we began to be conscious of some luminous object behind them, and all -at once, through a rift, there burst upon the sight the grand mass of -Washington, all resplendent in silvery whiteness. From moment to moment -the trooping clouds, as if pausing to pay homage to the illustrious -recluse, encompassed it about. Then moving on, the endless procession -again and again disclosed the snowy crest, shining out in unshrouded -effulgence. To look was to be wonder-struck--to be dumb. - -As the clouds unrolled more and more their snowy billows, other and -lower summits rose above, as on that memorable morn after the Deluge, -where they appeared like islands of crystal floating in a sea of -silvery vapor. We gazed for an hour upon this unearthly display, which -derived unique splendor from fitful sun-rays shot through the folds of -surrounding clouds, then drawing off, and again darting unawares upon -the stainless white of the summits. It was a dream of the celestial -spheres to see the great dome, one moment glittering like beaten silver, -another shining with the dull lustre of a gigantic opal. - -I have since made several journeys through the Notch by the railway. -The effect of the scenery, joined with some sense of peril in the minds -of the timid, is very marked. Old travellers find a new and veritable -sensation of excitement; while new ones forget fatigue, drop the novels -they have been reading, maintaining a state of breathless suspense and -admiration until the train vanishes out at the rocky portal, after an -ascent of nearly six hundred feet in two miles. - -In effect, the road is a most striking expression of the maxim, -"_L'audace, et toujours de l'audace_," as applied to modern engineering -skill. From Bemis's to Crawford's its way is literally carved out of -the side of the mountain. But if the engineers have stolen a march upon -it, the thought, how easily the mountain could shake off this puny, -clinging thing, prevailing over every other, announces that the mountain -is still the master. - -There are no two experiences which the traveller retains so long or so -vividly as this journey through the great Notch, and this survey from -the ledges of Mount Willard, which is so admirably placed to command it. -To my mind, the position of this mountain suggests the doubt whether -nature did not make a mistake here. Was not the splitting of the -mountains an after-thought? - - - - -X. - -_THE ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S._ - - On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds. - With a diadem of snow.--_Manfred._ - - -At five in the morning I was aroused by a loud rap at the door. In an -instant I had jumped out of bed, ran to the window, and peered out. It -was still dark; but the heavens were bright with stars, so bright that -there was light in the room. Now or never was our opportunity. Not a -moment was to be lost. - -I began a vigorous reveille upon the window-pane. George half opened one -sleepy eye, and asked if the house was on fire. The colonel pretended -not to have heard. - -"Up, sluggards!" I exclaimed; "the mountain is ours!" - -"Do you know who first tempted man to go up into a high mountain?" -growled George. - -"Satan!" whined a smothered voice from beneath the bedclothes. - -The case evidently was one which demanded heroic treatment. In an -instant I whipped off the bedclothes; in another I received two violent -blows full in the chest, which compelled me to give ground. The pillows -were followed by the bolster, which I parried with a chair, the bolster -by a sortie of the garrison _in puris naturalibus_. For a few seconds -the mle was furious, the air thick with flying missiles. By a common -instinct we drew apart, with the intention of renewing the combat, when -we heard quick blows upon the partition at the left, and scared voices -from the chamber at the right demanding what was the matter. George -dropped his pillow, and articulated in a broken voice, "Malediction! I -am awake." - -"Come, gentlemen," I urged, "if you are sufficiently diverted, dress -yourselves, and let us be off. At the present moment you remind me of -the half-armed warriors on the pediment of the Parthenon." - -"I take it you mean the frieze," said George, with chattering teeth. - -The colonel was on all-fours, picking up the different articles of his -wardrobe from the four corners of the chamber. "My stocking," said he, -groping among the furniture. - -"What do you call this?" inquired George, fishing the dripping article -from the water-pitcher. - -"Eh! where the deuce is my watch?" redemanded the colonel, still seeking. - -"Perhaps this is yours?" George again suggested, drawing it, with mock -dexterity, as he had seen Hermann do, from a boot-leg. - -We quickly threw on our clothes, but at the moment of starting George -put his hand into his breast and made a frightful grimace. - -"What is it?" we both asked in one breath. "What is the matter?" - -"My pocket-book is gone." - -After five minutes' ransacking in every hole and corner of the room, -and after shaking the bedclothes carefully, all to no purpose, it was -discovered that George and myself had exchanged coats. We then went -down-stairs into the great hall, where a solitary jet of gas burnt -blue, and a sleepy watchman dozed on a settee. The morning air was -more than chilly: it was "a nipping and an eager air." There were two -or three futile attempts at pleasantry, but hunger, darkness, and the -cold quickly silenced them. A man is never himself when roused at five -in the morning. No matter how desirable the excursion may have looked -the night before, turning out of a warm bed to hurry on your clothes by -candle-light, and to take the road fasting, strips it of all glamour. - -Day broke disclosing a clear sky, up which the rosy tints of sunrise -were streaming. The last star trembled in the zone of dusky blue above -the grand old hills, like a tear-drop on the eyelids of the night. The -warm color flowed over the frosted heads of the pines, mantling their -ghastly white with the warm glow of reviving life. Then the eye fell -upon the lower forests, still wrapped in deep shadows, the tiny lake, -the boats, and, lastly, the oval plain, or vestibule of the Notch, above -which ascended the shaggy sides of Mount Willard, and the retreating -outline of Mount Webster. The little plain was white with hoar-frost; -the frozen fountain dripped slowly into its basin, like a penitent -telling its beads. - -After a hasty breakfast, despatched with mountain appetites, behold us -at half-past six entering the forest in Indian file! My companions -again found their accustomed gayety, and soon the solemn old woods -echoed with mirth. Our hopes were as high as the mountain itself. - -A dtour as far as Gibbs's Falls cost a good half-hour in recovering -the bridle-path; but we were at length _en route_, myself at the head, -George behind. The colonel carried the flask, and marched in the -middle. He was considered the most incorruptible of the three; but this -precaution was deemed an indispensable safeguard, should he, in a moment -of forgetfulness, carry the flask to his lips. - -The side of Mount Clinton, which we were now climbing, is very steep. -The name of bridle-path, which they give the long gully we had entered, -is a snare for pedestrians, but a greater delusion for cavaliers. The -rains, the melting snows, have so channelled it as to leave little -besides interlaced roots of old trees and loose bowlders in its bed. -Higher up it is nothing but the bare course of a mountain torrent. - -The long rain had thoroughly soaked the earth, rendering it miry and -slippery to the feet; the heavy air, compounded of a thousand odors, -hindered, rather than assisted, the free play of the lungs. Our progress -was slow, our breathing quick and labored. Every leaf trembled with -rain-drops, so that the flight of a startled bird overhead sprinkled us -with fine spray. Finches chattered in the tree-tops, squirrels scolded -us sharply from fallen logs. - -Looking up was like looking through some glorious, illuminated -window--the changed foliage seemed to have fixed the gorgeous hues of -the sunset. Through its crimson and gold, violet and green, patches of -blue sky greeted us with fair promise for the day. Looking ahead, the -path zigzagged among ascending trees, plunged into the sombre depths -above our heads, and was lost. One impression that I received may be, -yet I doubt, common to others. On either side of me the forest seemed -all in motion; the dusky trunks striding silently and stealthily by, -moving when we moved, halting when we halted. The greenwood was as full -of illusions as the human heart. I can never repress a certain fear in a -forest, and to-day this seemed peopled with sprites, gnomes, and fauns. -Once or twice a crow rose lazily from the top of a dead pine, and flew -croaking away; but we thought not of omens or auguries, and pushed gayly -on up the sharp ascent. - -It was a wild woodland walk, with few glimpses out of the forest. -For about a mile we steered toward the sun, climbing one of the long -braces of the mountain. Stopping near here, at a spring deliciously -pure and cold, we soon turned toward the north. As we advanced up the -mountain the sun began to gild the tree-tops, and stray beams to play -at hide-and-seek among the black trunks. We saw dells of Arcadian -loveliness, and we heard the noise of rivulets, trickling in their -depths, that we did not see. - -Wh-r-r-r! rose a startled partridge, directly in our path, bringing us -to a full stop. Another and another took flight. - -"Gad!" muttered the colonel, wiping his forehead, "I was dreaming of -old times; I declare I thought the mountain had got our range, and was -shelling us." - -"_Salmis_ of partridge; _sauce aux champignons_," said George, licking -his lips, and looking wistfully after the birds. You see, one spoke from -the head, the other from the stomach. - -Half an hour's steady tramp brought us to an abandoned camp, where -travellers formerly passed the night. A long stretch of corduroy road, -and we were in the region of resinous trees. Here it was like going up -rickety stairs, the mossed and sodden logs affording only a treacherous -foothold. Evidence that we were nearing the summit was on all sides. -Patches of snow covered the ground and were lodged among the branches. -From these little runlets made their way into the path, as the most -convenient channel. There were many dead pines, having their curiously -distorted limbs hung with the long gray lichen called "old man's beard." -Multitudes of great trees, prostrated by the wind, lay rotting along -the ground, or had lodged in falling, constituting a woful picture of -wreck and ruin. Here was not only the confusion and havoc of a primitive -forest, untouched by the axe, but the battle-ground of ages, where -frost, fire, and flood had steadily and pitilessly beaten the forest -back in every desperate effort made to scale the summit. Prone upon the -earth, stripped naked, or bursting their bark, the dead trees looked -like fallen giants despoiled of their armor, and left festering upon the -field. But we advanced to a scene still more weird. - -The last mile gives occasional glimpses into the Ammonoosuc Valley, of -Fabyan's, of the hamlet at the base of Washington, and of the mountains -between Fabyan's and Jefferson. The last half-mile is a steady planting -of one foot before another up the ledges. We left the forest for a -scanty growth of firs, rooted among enormous rocks, and having their -branches pinned down to their sides by snow and ice. The whole forest -had been seized, pinioned, and cast into a death-like stupor. Each -tree seemed to keep the attitude in which it was first overtaken; each -silvered head to have dropped on its breast at the moment the spell -overcame it. Perpetual imprisonment rewarded the temerity of the forest -for thus invading the dominion of the Ice King. There it stood, all -glittering in its crystal chains! - -But as we threaded our way among these trees, still as statues, the -sun came valiantly to the rescue. A warm breath fanned our cheeks and -traversed the ice-locked forest. Instantly a thrill ran along the -mountain. Quick, snapping noises filled the air. The trees burst their -fetters in a trice. Myriad crystals fluttered overhead, or fell tinkling -on the rocks at our feet. Another breath, and tree after tree lifted its -bowed head gracefully erect. The forest was free. - -George, who began by asking every few rods how much farther it was, now -repeated the question for the fiftieth time; but we paid no attention. - -We now entered a sort of liliputian forest, not higher than the knee, -but which must have presented an almost insuperable barrier to early -explorers of the mountain. In fact, as they could neither go through it -nor around it, they must have walked over it, the thick-matted foliage -rendering this the only alternative. No one could tell how long these -trees had been growing, when a winter of unheard-of severity destroyed -them all, leaving only their skeletons bleaching in the sun and -weather. Wrenched, twisted, and made to grow the wrong way by the wind, -the branches resembled the cast-off antlers of some extinct race of -quadrupeds which had long ago resorted to the top of the mountain. The -girdle of blasted trees below was piteous, but this was truly a strange -spectacle. Indeed, the pallid forehead of the mountain seemed wearing a -crown of thorns. - -Getting clear of the dwarf-trees, or knee-wood, as it is called in the -Alps, we ran quickly up the bare summit ledge. The transition from the -gloom and desolation below into clear sunshine and free air was almost -as great as from darkness to light. We lost all sense of fatigue; we -felt only exultation and supreme content. - -Here we were, we three, more than four thousand feet above the sea, -confronted by an expanse so vast that no eye but an eagle's might grasp -it, so thronged with upstarting peaks as to confound and bewilder us -out of all power of expression. One feeling was uppermost--our own -insignificance. We were like flies on the gigantic forehead of an -elephant. - -However, we had climbed and were astride the ridge-pole of New England. -The rains which beat upon it descend on one side to the Atlantic, on -the other to Long Island Sound. The golden sands which are the glory of -the New England coast have been borne, atom by atom, grain by grain, -from this grand laboratory of Nature; and if you would know the source -of her great industries, her wealth, her prosperity, seek it along the -rivers which are born of these skies, cradled in these ravines, and -nourished amid the tangled mazes of these impenetrable forests. How, -like beautiful serpents, their sources lie knotted and coiled in the -heart of these mountains! How lovingly they twine about the feet of the -grand old hills! Too proud to bear its burdens, they create commerce, -building cities, scattering wealth as they run on. No barriers can stay, -no chains fetter their free course. They laugh and run on. - -We stood facing the south. Far down beneath us, at our left, was the -valley of Mount Washington River. A dark, serpentine rift in the -unbroken forest indicated the course of the stream. Mechanically we -turned to follow it up the long gorge through which it flows, to where -it issues, in secret, from the side of Mount Washington itself. In front -of us arose the great Notch Mountains; beyond, mountains were piled on -mountains; higher still, like grander edifices of some imperial city, -towered the pinnacles of Lafayette, Carrigain, Chocorua, Kearsarge, and -the rest. Yes, there they were, pricking the keen air with their blunted -spears, fretting the blue vault with the everlasting menace of a power -to mount higher if it so willed, filling us with the daring aspiration -to rise as high as they pointed. Here and there something flashed -brightly upon the eye; but it was no easy thing to realize that those -little pools we saw glistening among the mountains were some of the -largest lakes in New England. - -Leaving the massive Franconia group, the eye swept over the Ammonoosuc -basin, over the green heights of Bethlehem and Littleton, overtopped by -the distant Green Mountains; then along the range dividing the waters -flowing from the western slopes of the great summits into separate -streams; then Whitefield, Lancaster, Jefferson; and, lastly, rested upon -the amazing apparition of Washington, rising two thousand feet above -the crags on which we stood. Perched upon the cap-stone of this massive -pile, like a dove-cot on the cupola of St. Peter's, we distinctly saw -the Summit House. Between us and our goal rose the brown heads of -Pleasant, Franklin, and Monroe, over which our path lay. All these -peaks and their connecting ridges were freely spattered with snow. - -"By Jove!" ejaculated the colonel at last; "this beats Kentucky!" - -It is necessary to say two words concerning a spectacle equally novel -and startling to dwellers in more temperate regions, and which now held -us in mingled astonishment and admiration. We could hardly believe -our eyes. This bleak and desolate ridge, where only scattered tufts -of coarse grass, stinted shrubs, or spongy moss gave evidence of -life, which seemed never to have known the warmth of a sunbeam, was -transformed into a garden of exquisite beauty by the frozen north wind. - -We remarked the iced branches of dwarf firs inhabiting the upper zone -of the mountain as we passed them; but here, on this summit, the -surfaces of the rocks actually bristled with spikes, spear-heads, and -lance-points, all of ice, all shooting in the direction of the north -wind. The forms were as various as beautiful, but most commonly took -that of a single spray, though sometimes they were moulded into perfect -clusters of berries, branching coral, or pendulous crystals. Common -shrubs were transformed to diamond aigrettes, coarse grasses into -bird-of-paradise plumes, by the simple adhesion of frost-dust. The iron -rocks attracted the flying particles as the loadstone attracts steel. -Cellini never fashioned anything half so marvellous as this exquisite -workmanship of a frozen mist. Yet, though it was all surpassingly -beautiful, it was strangely suggestive of death. There was no life--no, -not even the chirrup of an insect. No wonder our eyes sought the valley. - -Hardly had we time to take in these unaccustomed sights, when, to our -unspeakable dismay, ominous streakings of gray appeared in the southern -and eastern horizons. The sun was already overclouded, and emitted -only a dull glare. For a moment a premonition of defeat came over me; -but another look at the summit removed all indecision, and, without -mentioning my fears to my companions, we all three plunged into the -bushy ravine that leads to Mount Pleasant. - -Suddenly I felt the wind in my face, and the air was filled with -whirling snow-flakes. We had not got over half the distance to the -second mountain, before the ill-omened vapors had expanded into a -storm-cloud that boded no good to any that might be abroad on the -mountain. My idea was that we could gain the summit before it overtook -us. I accordingly lengthened my steps, and we moved on at a pace which -brought us quickly to the second mountain. But, rapidly as we had -marched, the storm was before us. - -Here began our first experience of the nature of the task in hand. The -burly side of Mount Pleasant was safely turned, but beyond this snow had -obliterated the path, which was only here and there indicated by little -heaps of loose stones. It became difficult, and we frequently lost it -altogether among the deep drifts. We called a halt, passed the flask, -and attempted to derive some encouragement from the prospect. - -The storm-cloud was now upon us in downright earnest. Already the flying -scud drifted in our faces, and poured, like another Niagara, over the -ridge one long, unbroken billow. The sun retreated farther and farther, -until it looked like a farthing dip shining behind a blanket. Another -furious blast, and it disappeared altogether. And now, to render our -discomfiture complete, the gigantic dome of Washington, that had lured -us on, disappeared, swallowed up in a vortex of whirling vapor; and -presently we were all at once assailed by a blinding snow-squall. -Henceforth there was neither luminary nor landmark to guide us. None of -us had any knowledge of the route, and not one had thought of a guide. -To render our situation more serious still, George now declared that he -had sprained an ankle. - -If I had never before realized how the most vigorous travellers had -perished within a few paces of the summit, I understood it this day. - -Bathed in perspiration, warned by the fresh snow that the path would -soon be lost beyond recovery, we held a brief council upon the situation -before and behind us. It was more than aggravating either way. - -All three secretly favored a retreat. Without doubt it was not only the -safest, but the wisest course to pursue; yet to turn back was to give in -beaten, and defeat was not easy to accept. Even George, notwithstanding -his ankle, was pluckily inclined to go on. There was no time to lose, -so we emerged from the friendly shelter of a jutting ledge upon the -trackless waste before us. - -From this point, at the northern foot of Pleasant, progress was -necessarily slow. We could not distinguish objects twenty paces through -the flying scud and snow, and we knew vaguely that somewhere here the -mountain ridge suddenly broke off, on both sides, into precipices -thousands of feet down. George, being lame, kept the middle, while the -colonel and I searched for stone-heaps at the right and left. - -We were marching along thus, when I heard an exclamation, and saw the -colonel's hat driven past me through the air. The owner ran rapidly over -to my side. - -"Take care!" I shouted, throwing myself in his path; "take care!" - -"But my hat!" cried he, pushing on past me. The wind almost drowned our -voices. - -"Are you mad?" I screamed, gripping his arm, and forcing him backward by -main strength. - -He gave me a dazed look, but seemed to comprehend nothing of my -excitement. George halted, looking first at one, then at the other. - -"Wait," said I, loosening a piece of ice with my boot. On both sides of -us rose a whirlpool of boiling clouds. I tossed the piece of ice in the -direction the hat had taken--not a sound; a second after the first--the -same silence; a third in the opposite direction. We listened intently, -painfully, but could hear nothing except the loud beating of our own -hearts. A dozen steps more would have precipitated our companion from -the top to the bottom of the mountain. - -I looked at the man whose arm I still tightly grasped. He was as pale as -a corpse. - -"This must be Oakes's Gulf," I ventured, in order to break the silence, -after we had all taken a pull at the flask. - -"This is Oakes's Gulf--agreed; but where in perdition is my hat?" -demanded the colonel, wiping the big drops from his forehead. - -After he had tied a handkerchief around his head, we crossed this -Devil's Bridge, with the caution of men fully alive to the consequences -of a false step, and with that tension of the nerves which announces the -terrible or the unknown.[9] - -We had not gone far when a tremendous gust sent us reeling toward the -abyss. I dropped on my hands and knees, and my companions followed -suit. We arose, shook off the snow, and slowly mounted the long, steep, -and rocky side of Franklin. Upon gaining the summit, the walking was -better. We were also protected by the slope of the mountain. The worst -seemed over. But what fantastic objects were the big rocks, scattered, -or rather lying in wait, along our route! What grotesque appearances -continually started out of the clouds! Now it was an enormous bear -squatted on his haunches; now a dark-browed sphinx; and more than once -we could have sworn we saw human beings stealthily watching us from -a distance. How easy to imagine these weird objects lost travellers, -suddenly turned to stone for their presumptuous invasion of the domain -of terrors! It really seemed as if we had but to stamp our feet to see a -legion of demons start into life and bar our way. - -Say what you will, we could not shake off the dread which these -unearthly objects inspired; nor could we forbear, were it at the risk of -being turned to stone, looking back, or peering furtively from side to -side when some new apparition thrust its hideous suggestions before us. -What would you have? Are we not all children who shrink from entering -a haunted chamber, and shudder in the presence of death? Well, the -mountain was haunted, and death seemed near. We forgot fatigue, forgot -cold, to yield to this mysterious terror, which daunted us as no peril -could do, and froze us with vague presentiment of the unknown. - -Covered from head to foot with snow, bearded with icicles, tracking -this solitude, which refused the echo of a foot-fall, like spectres, we -seemed to have entered the debatable ground forever dedicated to spirits -having neither home on earth nor hope in heaven, but doomed to wander -up and down these livid crags for an eternity of woe. The mountain had -already taken possession of our physical, now it seized upon our moral -nature. Neither the one nor the other could resist the impressions which -naked rock, furious tempest, and hidden danger stamped on every foot of -the way. - -In this way we reached Mount Monroe, last of the peaks in our route -to the summit, where we were forced to pick our way among the rocks, -struggling forward through drifts frequently waist deep. - -It was here that, finding myself some distance in advance of the -others--for poor George was lagging painfully--I halted for them to come -up. I was choking with thirst, aggravated by eating the damp snow. As -soon as the colonel was near enough--the wind only could be heard--I -made a gesture of a man drinking. He did not seem to understand, though -I impatiently repeated the pantomime. He came to where I stood. - -"The flask!" I exclaimed. - -He drew it slowly from his pocket, and handed it to me with a hang-dog -look that I failed for the moment to interpret. I put it to my lips, -shook it, turned it bottom up. Not a drop! - -And, nevertheless, this was the man in whom I had trusted. Csar only -succumbed to the dagger of Brutus; but I had not the courage to fall -with dignity under this new misfortune, and so stood staring at the -flask and the culprit alternately. - -"Say that our cup is now full," suggested the incorrigible George. "The -paradox strikes me as ingenious and appropriate." - -It really was too bad. Snow and sleet had wet us to the skin, and clung -to our frozen garments. Our hands and faces were swollen and inflamed; -our eyes half closed and blood-shot. Even this short minute's halt set -our teeth chattering. George could only limp along, and it was evident -could not hold out much longer. Just now my uneasiness was greater than -my sympathy. He was an accessory before the fact; for, while I was -diligently looking out the path, he had helped the colonel to finish the -flask. - -We were nearing the goal: so much was certain. But the violence of the -gale, increasing with the greater altitude, warned us against delay. -We therefore pushed on across the stony terraces extending beyond, and -were at length rewarded by seeing before us the heaped-up pile of broken -granite constituting the peak of Washington, and which we knew still -rose a thousand feet above our heads. The sight of this towering mass, -which seems formed of the dbris of the Creation, is well calculated -to stagger more adventurous spirits than the three weary and foot-sore -men who stood watching the cloud-billows, silently rolling up, dash -themselves unceasingly against its foundations. We looked first at the -mountain, then in each other's faces, then began the ascent. - -For near an hour we toiled upward, sometimes up to the middle in snow, -always carefully feeling our way among the treacherous pitfalls it -concealed. Compelled to halt every few rods to recover breath, the -distance traversed could not be great. Still, with dogged perseverance, -we kept on, occasionally lending each other a helping hand out of a -drift, or from rock to rock; but no words were exchanged, for the stock -of gayety with which we set out was now exhausted. The gravity of the -situation began to create uneasiness in the minds of my companions. All -at once I heard my name called out. I turned. It was the colonel, whose -halloo in midst of this stony silence startled me. - -"You pretend," he began, "that it's only a thousand feet from the -plateau to the top of this accursed mountain?" - -"No more, no less. Professor Guyot assures us of the fact." - -"Well, then, here we have been zigzagging about for a good hour, haven't -we?" - -"An hour and twenty minutes," said I, consulting my watch. - -"And not a sign of the houses or the railway, or any other creeping -thing. Do you want my opinion?" - -"Charmed." - -"We have passed the houses without seeing them in the storm, and are now -on the side of the mountain opposite from where we started." - -"So that you conclude--?" - -"We are lost." - -This was, of course, mere guesswork; but we had no compass, and might -be travelling in the wrong direction, after all. A moment's reflection, -however, reassured me. "Is that your opinion, too, George?" I asked. - -George had taken off his boot, and was chafing his swollen ankle. He -looked up. - -"My opinion is that I don't know anything about it; but as you got us -into this scrape, you had better get us out of it, and be spry about it -too, for the deuce take me if I can go much farther." - -"Why," croaked the colonel, "I recollect hearing of a traveller who, -like us, actually walked by the Summit House without seeing it, when he -was hailed by a man who, by mere accident, chanced to be outside, and -who imagined he saw something moving in the fog. In five minutes the -stranger would inevitably have walked over a precipice with his eyes -open." - -"And I remember seeing on the wall of the tavern where we stopped, at -Bartlett, a placard offering a reward for a man who, like us, set out -from Crawford's, and was never heard of," George put in.[10] - -"And I read of one who, like us, almost reached the summit, but -mistaking a lower peak for the pinnacle, losing his head, crawled, -exhausted, under a rock to die there," I finished, firing the last shot. - -Without another word both my comrades grappled vigorously with the -mountain, and for ten minutes nothing was heard but our labored -breathing. On whatever side we might be, so long as we continued to -ascend I had little fear of being in the wrong road. Our affair was to -get to the top. - -At the end of ten minutes we came suddenly upon a walled enclosure, -which we conjectured to be the corral at the end of the bridle-path. We -hailed it like an oasis in the midst of this desert. We entered, brushed -the snow from a stone, and sat down. - -Up to this time my umbrella had afforded a good deal of merriment to my -companions, who could not understand why I encumbered myself with it on -a day which began as this one did, perfectly clear and cloudless. Since -the storm came on, the force of the wind would at any time have lifted -off his feet the man who attempted to spread it, and even if it had -not, as well might one have walked blindfolded in that treacherous road -as with an open umbrella before him. Now it was my turn, or, rather, -the turn of the abused umbrella. A few moments of rest were absolutely -necessary; but the wind cut like a cimeter, and we felt ourselves -freezing. I opened the umbrella, and, protected by it from the wind, -we crouched under its friendly shelter, and lighted our cigars. Never -before did I know the luxury of a smoke like that. - -"Now," said I, complacently glancing up at our tent, "ever since I -read how an umbrella saved a man's life, I determined never to go on a -mountain without one." - -"An umbrella! How do you make that out?" demanded both my auditors. - -"It is very simple. He was lost on this very mountain, under conditions -similar to those we are now experiencing, except that his carrying an -umbrella was an accident, and that he was alone. He passed two nights -under it. But the story will keep." - -It may well be imagined that we had not the least disposition to be -merry; yet for all that there was something irresistibly comical in -three men sitting with their feet in the snow, and putting their heads -together under a single umbrella. Various were the conjectures. We could -hear nothing but the rushing wind, see nothing but driving sleet. George -believed we were still half a mile from the summit; the colonel was not -able to precisely fix his opinion, but thought us still a long way off. -After diligent search, in which we all joined, I succeeded in finding -something like a path turning to the right, and we again resumed our -slow clambering over the rocks. - -Perhaps ten minutes passed thus, when we again halted and peered -anxiously into the whirling vapor--nothing, neither monument nor -stone, to indicate where we were. A new danger confronted us; one I -had hitherto repulsed because I dared not think of it. The light was -failing, and darkness would soon be here. God help any that this night -surprised on the mountain! While we eagerly sought on all sides some -evidence that human feet had ever passed that way, a terrific blast, -that seemed to concentrate the fury of the tempest in one mighty effort, -dashed us helpless upon the rocks. For some seconds we were blinded, and -could only crouch low until its violence subsided. But as the monstrous -wave recoiled from the mountain, a piercing cry brought us quickly to -our feet. - -"Look!" shouted George, waving his hat like a madman--"look there!" he -repeated. - -Vaguely, through the tattered clouds, like a wreck driving miserably -before the tempest, we distinguished a building propped up by timbers -crusted with thick ice. The gale shook and beat upon it with demoniacal -glee, but never did weary eyes rest on a more welcome object. For ten -seconds, perhaps, we held it in view; then, in a twinkling, the clouds -rolled over it, shut together, and it was gone--swallowed up in the -vortex. - -A moment of bewilderment succeeded, after which we made a simultaneous -rush in the direction of the building. In five minutes more we were -within the hotel, thawing our frozen clothing before a rousing fire. - -It provokes a smile when I think of it. Here, in this frail structure, -perched like another Noah's Ark on its mountain, and which every gust -threatened to scatter to the winds of heaven, a grand piano was going -in the parlor, a telegraphic instrument clicked in a corner, and we sat -down to a _mnu_ that made the colonel forget the loss of his hat. - -"By the bones of Daniel Boone! I can say as Napoleon did on the Great -St. Bernard, 'I have spoiled a hat among your mountains; well, I shall -find a new one on the other side,'" observed the colonel, uncorking a -second bottle of champagne. - - - - -SECOND JOURNEY. - - - PAGE - -I. _LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS_ 113 - -II. _JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY_ 122 - -III. _THE CARTER NOTCH_ 132 - -IV. _THE PINKHAM NOTCH_ 144 - -V. _A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S_ 155 - -VI. _IN AND ABOUT GORHAM_ 165 - -VII. _ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD_ 178 - -VIII._MOUNT WASHINGTON_ 189 - -[Illustration: WHITE MOUNTAINS - -(CENTRAL AND NORTHERN SECTION.) - -FROM -WALLING'S MAP OF -NEW HAMPSHIRE, -With corrections by -Members of the -APPALACHIAN CLUB. -1881. -] - - - - -SECOND JOURNEY - - - - -I. - -_LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS._ - - My lord, I will hoist saile; and all the wind - My bark can beare shall hasten me to find - A great new world. - --SIR W. DAVENANT. - - -When Cabot, in the _Mathew_, of Bristol, was sailing by the New England -coast, and the amazed savage beheld a pyramid of white sails rising, -like a cloud, out of the sea, the navigator saw from the deck of his -ship, rising out of the land, a cluster of lofty summits cut like a -cameo on the northern sky. - -The Indian left his tradition of the marvellous apparition, which he at -first believed to be a mass of trees wrapped in faded foliage, drifting -slowly at the caprice of the waves; but, as he gazed, fire streamed -from the strange object, a cloud shut it from his view, and a peal like -distant thunder was wafted on the breeze to his startled ears. That peal -announced the doom of his race. He was looking at the first ship. - -Succeeding navigators, Italians, Portuguese, French, English--a roll of -famous names--sailed these seas, and, in their turn, hailed the distant -summits. They became the great distinguishing landmarks of this corner -of the New World. They are found on all the maps traced by the early -geographers from the relations of the discoverers themselves. Having -thus found form and substance, they also found a name--the Mountains of -St. John. - -Ships multiplied. Men of strange garb, speech, complexion, erected their -habitations along the coast, the unresisting Indian never dreaming -that the thin line which the sea had cast up would speedily rise to an -inundation destined to sweep him from the face of the earth. Then began -that steady advance, slow at first, gathering momentum with the years, -before which he recoiled step by step, and finally disappeared forever. -His destiny was accomplished. To-day only mountains and streams transmit -to us the certainty that he ever did exist. They are his monument, his -lament, his eternal accusation. - -The White Mountains stood for the Indian not only as an image, but as -the actual dwelling-place of Omnipotence. His dreaded Manitou, whose -voice was the thunder, whose anger the lightning, and on whose face -no mortal could look and live, was the counterpart of the terrible -Thor, the Icelandic god, throned in a palace of ice among frozen and -inaccessible mountain peaks, over which he could be heard urging his -loud chariot amid the rage of the tempest. Frost and fire, plague and -famine were the terrific natural agents common to the Indian and to the -Norse mythology; and to his god of terrors the Indian conjurer addressed -his prayers, his incantations, and his propitiatory offerings, when -some calamity had befallen or threatened his tribe. But to cross the -boundary which separated him from the abiding-place of the Manitou! -plant his audacious foot within the region from which Nature shrunk back -affrighted! Not all the wealth he believed the mountain hoarded would -have tempted him to brave the swift and terrible vengeance of the justly -offended, all-powerful Manitou. So far, then, as he was concerned, the -mountain remained inviolate, inviolable, as a kind of hell, filled with -the despairing shrieks of those who in an evil hour transgressed the -limits sacred to immortals.[11] - -As a pendant to this superstition, in which their deity is with simple -grandeur throned on the highest mountain peak, it is curious to remember -the Indian tradition of the Deluge; for, like so many peoples, they had -their tradition, coming from a remote time, and having strong family -resemblance with that of more enlightened nations. According to it, all -the inhabitants of the earth were drowned, except one Powaw and his -wife, who were preserved by climbing to the top of the White Mountains, -and who were the progenitors of the subsequent races of man. The Powaw -took with him a hare, which, upon the subsiding of the waters, he freed, -as Noah did the dove, seeing in its prolonged absence the assurance that -he and his companion might safely descend to earth. The likeness of this -tradition with the story of Deucalion, and Pyrrha, his wife, as related -by Ovid, is very striking. One does not easily consent to refer it to -accident alone. - -There is one thing more. When asked by the whites to point out the -Indian's heaven, the savage stretched his arm in the direction of the -White Hills, and replied that heaven was just beyond. Such being his -religion, and such the influence of the mountain upon this highly -imaginative, poetic, natural man, one finds himself drawn legitimately -in the train of those marvels which our ancestors considered the most -credible things in the world, and which the sceptical cannot explain by -a sneer. - -According to the Indians, on the highest mountain, suspended from a -crag overlooking a dismal lake, was an enormous carbuncle, which many -declared they had seen blazing in the night like a live coal. Some even -asserted that its ruddy glare lighted the livid rocks around like the -fire of a midnight encampment, while by day it emitted rays, like the -sun, dazzling to look upon. And this extraordinary sight they declared -they had not only seen, but seen again and again. - -It is true that the Indians did not hesitate to declare that no mortal -hand could hope to grasp the great fire-stone. It was, said they, in the -special guardianship of the genius of the mountain, who, on the approach -of human footsteps, troubled the waters of the lake, causing a dark mist -to rise, in which the venturesome mortal became bewildered, and then -hopelessly lost. Several noted conjurers of the Pigwackets, rendered -foolhardy by their success in exorcising evil spirits, so far conquered -their fears as to ascend the mountain; but they never returned, and had, -no doubt, expiated their folly by being transformed into stone, or flung -headlong down some stark and terrible precipice. - -This tale of the great carbuncle fired the imagination of the simple -settlers to the highest pitch. We believe what we wish to believe, and, -notwithstanding their religion refused to admit the existence of the -Indian demon, its guardian, they seem to have had little difficulty in -crediting the reality of the jewel itself. At any rate, the belief that -the mountain shut up precious mines has come down to our own day; we -are assured by a learned historian of fifty years ago that the story of -the great carbuncle still found full credence in his.[12] We are now -acquainted with the spirit of the time when the first attempt to scale -the mountain, known to us, was rewarded with complete success. But the -record is of exasperating brevity. - -Among the earliest settlers of Exeter, New Hampshire, was a man by the -name of Darby Field. The antecedents of this obscure personage are -securely hidden behind the mists of more than two centuries. - -A hundred and twenty-five years before the ascent of Mont Blanc by -Jacques Balmat, Darby Field successfully ascended to the summit of the -"White Hill," to-day known as Mount Washington; but the exploit of the -adventurous Irishman is far more remarkable in its way than that of the -brave Swiss, since he had to make his way for eighty miles through a -wilderness inhabited only by beasts of prey, or by human beings scarcely -less savage, before he reached the foot of the great range; while Balmat -lived under the very shadow of the monarch of the Alps, so that its -spectre was forever crossing his path. Furthermore, the greater part of -the ascent of Mont Blanc was already familiar ground to the guides and -chamois-hunters of the Swiss Alps. On the contrary, according to every -probability, Field was the first human being whose daring foot invaded -the hitherto inviolable seclusion of the illustrious hermit of New -England. - -For such an adventure one instinctively seeks a motive. I did not long -amuse myself with the idea that this explorer climbed merely for the -sake of climbing; and I have little notion that he dreamed of posthumous -renown. It is far more probable that the reports brought by the Indians -of the fabulous treasures of the mountains led to Field's long, arduous, -and really perilous journey. It is certain that he was possessed of -rare intrepidity, as well as the true craving for adventure. That goes -without saying; still, the whole undertaking--its inception, its pursuit -to the end in the face of extraordinary obstacles, which he had no means -of measuring or anticipating--announces a very different sort of man -from the ordinary, a purpose before which all dangers disappear. - -In June, 1642, that is to say, only twelve years after the Puritan -settlements in Massachusetts Bay, Field set out from the sea-coast for -the White Hills. - -So far as known, he prosecuted his journey to the Indian village -of Pigwacket, the existence of which is thus established, without -noteworthy accident or adventure. Here he was joined by some Indians, -who conducted him within eight miles of the summit, when, declaring that -to go farther would expose them to the wrath of their great Evil Spirit, -they halted, and refused to proceed. The brave Irishman was equal to the -emergency. To turn back, baffled, within sight of his goal was evidently -not an admitted contingency. Leaving the Indians, therefore, squatted -upon the rocks, and no doubt regarding him as a man rushing upon a -fool's fate, Field again resolutely faced the mountain, when, seeing him -equally unmoved by their warnings as unshaken in his determination to -reach the summit, two of the boldest warriors ran after him, while the -others stoically made their preparations to await a return which they -never expected to take place. They watched the retreating figures until -lost among the rocks. - -In the language of the original narration, the rest of the ascent was -effected by "a ridge between two valleys filled with snow, out of which -came two branches of the Saco River, which met at the foot of the hill, -where was an Indian town of two hundred people." ... "By-the-way, among -the rocks, there were two ponds, one a blackish water, and the other -reddish.".... "Within twelve miles of the top was neither tree nor -grass, but low savins, which they went upon the top of sometimes." - -The adventurous climber pushed on. Soon he was assailed by thick clouds, -through which he and his companions resolutely toiled upward. This slow -and labored progress through entangling mists continued until within -four miles of the summit, when Field emerged above them into a region -of intense cold. Surmounting the immense pile of shattered rocks which -constitute the spire, he at last stood upon the unclouded summit, -with its vast landscape outspread beneath him, and the air so clear -that the sea seemed not more than twenty miles distant. No doubt the -daring explorer experienced all the triumph natural to his successful -achievement. It is not difficult to imagine the exultation with which he -planted his audacious foot upon the topmost crag, for, like Columbus, -Cabot, Balboa, he, too, was a real discoverer. The Indians must have -regarded him, who thus scornfully braved the vengeance of their god of -terrors, as something more than man. I have often pictured him standing -there, proudly erect, while the wonder-struck savages crouched humbly at -his feet. Both, in their way, felt the presence of their God; but the -white man would confront his as an equal, while the savage adored with -his face in the dust. - -The three men, after their first emotion of ecstasy, amazement, or fear, -looked about them. For the moment the great carbuncle was forgotten. -Field had chosen the best month of the twelve for his attempt, and now -saw a vast and unknown region stretching away on the north and east to -the shores of what he took for seas, but what were really only seas of -vapor, heaped against the farthest horizons. He fancied he saw a great -water to the north, which he judged to be a hundred miles broad, for -no land was beyond it. He thought he descried the great Gulf of Canada -to the east, and in the west the great lake out of which the river of -Canada came. All these illusions are sufficiently familiar to mountain -explorers; and it must not be forgotten that in Field's day geographical -knowledge of the interior of the country was indeed limited. In fact, he -must have brought back with him the first accurate knowledge respecting -the sources of those rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the -mountains. The great gulf on the north side of Mount Washington is -truly declared to be such a precipice that they could scarce discern to -the bottom; the great northern wilderness as "daunting terrible," and -clothed with "infinite thick woods." Such is its aspect to-day. - -The day must have been so far spent that Field had but little time in -which to prosecute his search. He, however, found "store of Muscovy -glass" and some crystals, which, supposing them to be diamonds, he -carefully secured and brought away. These glittering masses, congealed, -according to popular belief, like ice on the frozen regions of the -mountains, gave them the name of the Crystal Hills--a name the most -poetic, the most suggestive, and the most fitting that has been applied -to the highest summits since the day they were first discovered by -Englishmen. - -Descending the mountain, Field rejoined his Indians, who were doubtless -much astonished to see him return to them safe and sound; for, while he -had been making the ascent, a furious tempest, sent, as these savages -believed, to destroy the rash pale-face and his equally reckless -companions, burst upon the mountain. He found them drying themselves by -a fire of pine-knots; and, after a short halt, the party took their way -down the mountain to the Indian village. - -Before a month elapsed, Field, with five or six companions, made a -second ascent; but the gem of inestimable value, by whose light one -might read at night, continued to elude his pursuit. The search was not, -however, abandoned. Others continued it. The marvellous story, as firmly -believed as ever by the credulous, survived, in all its purity, to our -own century, to be finally transmitted to immortality by Hawthorne's -tale of "The Great Carbuncle." It may be said here that great influence -was formerly attributed to this stone, which the learned in alchemy -believed prevailed against the dangers of infection, and was a sure -talisman to preserve its owner from peril by sea or by land. - -A tradition is ten times a tradition when it has a fixed locality. -Without this it is a myth, a mere vagabond of a tradition. Knowing this, -I searched diligently for the spot where the great carbuncle, like the -eye of a Cyclop, shed its red lustre far down the valley of the Saco; -and if the little mountain tarn to-day known as Hermit Lake, over which -the gaunt crags rise in austere grandeur, be not the place, then I am -persuaded that further seeking would be unavailing. I cannot go so far -as to say that it never existed. - -What seems passing strange is that the feat performed by Field,[13] the -fame of which spread throughout the colony, should have been nearly, -if not wholly, forgotten before the lapse of a century. Robert Rogers, -one of the most celebrated hunters of the White Mountains, subsequently -a renowned partisan leader in the French and Indian wars, uses the -following language concerning them: - -"I cannot learn that any person was ever on the top of these mountains. -I have been told by the Indians that they have often attempted it in -vain, by reason of the change of air they met with, which I am inclined -to believe, having ascended them myself 'til the alteration of air was -very perceptible; and even then I had not advanced half way up; the -valleys below were then concealed from view by clouds." - -It is not precisely known when or how these granite peaks took the name -of the White Mountains. We find them so designated in 1672 by Josselyn, -who himself performed the feat of ascending the highest summit, of -which a brief record is found in his "New England's Rarities." One -cannot help saying of this book that either the author was a liar of the -first magnitude, or else we have to regret the degeneracy of Nature, -exhausted by her long travail; for this narrator gravely tells us of -frogs which were as big as a child of a year old, and of poisonous -serpents which the Indians caught with their bare hands, and ate alive -with great gusto. These are rarities indeed. - -The first mention I have met with of an Indian name for the White -Mountains is in the narrative of John Gyles's captivity, printed in -Boston in 1736, saying: - -"These White Hills, at the head of Penobscot River, are by the Indians -said to be much higher than those called Agiockochook,[14] above Saco." - -The similitude between the names White Mountains and Mont Blanc suggests -the same idea, that color, rather than character, makes the first and -strongest impression upon the beholder. Thus we have White Mountains and -Green Mountains, Red Mountains and Black Mountains, the world over. The -eye seizes a color before the mind fixes upon a distinctive feature, -or the imagination a resemblance. It is stated, on the authority of -Schoolcraft, that the Algonquins called these summits "White Rocks." -Mariners, approaching from the open sea, descried what seemed a -cloud-bank, rising from the landward horizon, when twenty leagues from -the nearest coast, and before any other land was visible from the -mast-head. Thirty leagues distant in a direct line, in a clear midsummer -day, the distant summits appeared of a pearly whiteness; observed -again from a church steeple on the sea-coast, with the sky partially -overcast, they were whitish-gray, showing that the change from blue to -white, or to cool tones approximating with white, is due to atmospheric -conditions. The early writers succeed only imperfectly in accounting -for this phenomenon, which for six months of the year at least has no -connection whatever with the snows that cover the highest peaks only -from the middle of October to the middle of April, a period during which -few navigators of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries visited our -shores, or, indeed, ventured to put to sea at all.[15] - - - - -II. - -_JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY._ - - Once more, O mountains of the North, unveil - Your brows, and lay your cloudy mantles by!--WHITTIER. - - -It is Petrarch who says, "A journey on foot hath most pleasant -commodities; a man may go at his pleasure; none shall stay him, none -shall carry him beyond his wish, none shall trouble him; he hath but -one labor, the labor of nature, to go." Every true pedestrian ought to -render full faith to the poet's assertion; and should he chance to have -his Laura, he will see her somewhere, or, rather, everywhere, I promise -him. But that is his affair. - -There are two ways of reaching Jackson from North Conway. One route -leaves the travelled highway a short distance beyond the East Branch of -the Saco, and ascends Thorn Hill; another diverges from it near Glen -Station, in Bartlett. The Thorn Hill way is the longer; but, as the -views are unsurpassed, I unhesitatingly chose it in preference to the -easier and shorter road. - -The walk from the Intervale over Thorn Hill gives ravishing backward -glimpses, opening to a full and broad panorama of the Saco meadows and -of the surrounding mountains. Needless to call them by name. One might -forget names, but the image never. Then, advancing to the summit, full -upon the charmed eye comes that glorious vision of the great mountains, -elevated to an immense height, and seeming, in their benevolence, to -say, "Approach, mortals!" Underneath is the village. - -We have left the grand vestibule of the Saco to enter an amphitheatre. -Washington, in his snowy toga, occupies the place of high honor. Adams -flaunts his dainty spire over the Pinkham Notch, at the monarch's left -hand. Then comes an embattled wall, pierced through its centre by the -immense hollow of the Carter Notch. - -Jackson is the ideal mountain village. From Thorn Hill it looked a -little elysium, with its handful of white houses huddled around its -one little church spire, like a congregation sitting at the feet of -their pastor. You perceive neither entrance nor exit, so completely is -the deep vale shut in by mountains. The streams, that make two veins -of silver in the green floor, seem vainly seeking a way out. One would -think Nature had locked the door and thrown away the key. The first -stream is the Wildcat, coming from the Carter Notch; the second, the -Ellis, from the Pinkham Notch. They unite just below the village, and, -like a forlorn-hope, together cut their way out of the mountains. - -Getting down into the village, the high mountains now sink out of -sight, and I saw only the nearer and less elevated ones immediately -surrounding--on the north, Eagle and Wildcat; on the east, Tin and -Thorn; on the west, Iron Mountain. The latter has fine, bold cliffs. -Over its smooth slope I again saw the two great steps of the Giant's -Stairs, mounting the long ridge which conducts to the great plateau of -Mount Washington. - -The village has a bright, pleasant look, but is not otherwise remarkable -in itself. Three hotels, the church, and a score or so of houses, -constitute the central portion. But if the village is small, the -township is large; and what is the visitor's astonishment, on opening -his eyes some fine morning, to see farms and farm-houses scattered along -the very summit of Thorn Mountain, whence they appear to regard the -little world below with a lofty disdain. How came they there? is the -question one feels inclined to ask; for in this enchanted air he loses -the desire, almost the faculty, of thinking for himself. The inhabitants -of this little colony seem to prize their seclusion, and only descend to -earth at the call of necessity. Their neighbors are the eagles. Surely -this is _Ultima Thule_. Alas! no; the tax-gatherer mounts even here. - -The people of Jackson are above all anxious for the development of -the mineral resources of the place. They have iron and tin, and claim -also the existence of copper and even of gold ores. Yet it is probable -that the vein most profitable for them, the one most likely to yield -satisfactory returns, is that on which the summer hotels have been -located and opened. So far, the mountains refuse to give up the wealth -they hoard. - -[Illustration: GIANT'S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN.] - -The Wildcat cuts the village in two. It is a perfect highwayman of a -stream. The very air is tremulous with its rush and roar. I halted -awhile on the little bridge that spans it, from which, looking down -the long pathway it makes, I enjoyed a fine retrospect of the Moats, -and, looking up, saw the torrent come bounding toward me. Here it makes -a swift descent over granite ledges, clean and fresh from constant -scrubbing, as the face of a country urchin, and as freckled. See how -hard every rod of its course is beset by huge hump-backed bowlders! A -river in fetters! - -Just above the bridge the stream plunges, two white streaks of water, -twenty to thirty feet obliquely down. Now it is dark, now light; -sometimes tinged a pale emerald, sometimes a rich amber, where it falls -down in thin sheets. For half a mile the ledges look as if an earthquake -had ripped them up to make a channel for this tempest of water. It is -from these ledges, looking down the course of the stream, that Moat -Mountain is so incomparably fine. It stretches itself luxuriously along -the rich meadows, like a Sybarite upon his couch of velvet, lifting -its head high enough to embrace the landscape, of which itself is the -most attractive feature. And the tall pines rise above the framework of -forest, as if to look at the beautiful mountain, clothed with the light -of the morning, and reclining with such infinite grace. - -Sprays of trembling foliage droop or stretch themselves out over the -stream in search of the fine dew it sends up. They seem endeavoring to -hide the broad scar made through the forest. The clear sun illuminates -their green leaves, and makes the cool rocks emit a sensible warmth. It -also illuminates the little fountains of water. Ferns and young willows -shoot from crevices, delicate mosses attach themselves to the grim -bowlders. I found the perfect print of a human foot sunk in the hardest -rock; also cavities as cleverly rounded as if pebbles had been taken -from the granite. On the banks, under the thick shade of the pines, I -gathered a handful of the showy pappoose flower, the green leaves of -which are edible. Little mauve butterflies fluttered at our knees like -violets blown about by the wind. - -The crest of the fall is split, and broken up in huge fragments. The -main stream gains an outlet by a deep channel it has cut in the rock; -then turns a mill; then shoots down the face of the ledge. Above the -high ledge the bed of the river widens to about two hundred feet. Higher -up, where it is broken in long regular steps over which fifty cascades -tumble, I thought it most beautiful. - -Besides Jackson Falls, so called, there is a fine cataract on the Ellis, -known as Goodrich Falls. This is a mile and a half out of the village, -where the Conway road passes the Ellis by a bridge; and, being directly -upon the high-road, is one of the best known. The river here suddenly -pours its whole volume over a precipice eighty feet high, making the -earth tremble with the shock. I made my way down the steep bank to the -bed of the river below the fall, from which I saw, first, the curling -wave, large, regular, and glassy, of the dam, then three wild and -foaming pitches of broken water, with detached cascades gushing out from -the rocks at the right--all falling heavily into the eddying pool below. -Where the water was not white, or filliped into fine spray, it was the -color of pale sherry, and opaque, gradually changing to amber gold -as the light penetrated it and the descending sheet of the fall grew -thinner. The full tide of the river showed the fall to the best possible -advantage. But spring is the season of cascades--the only season when -one is sure of seeing them at all. - -One gets strongly attached to such a stream as the Ellis. If it has -been his only comrade for weeks, as it has been mine, the liking grows -stronger every day--the sense of companionship is full and complete: -the river is so voluble, so vivacious, so full of noisy chatter. If you -are dull, it rouses and lifts you out of yourself; if gay, it is as gay -as you. Besides, there is the paradox that, notwithstanding you may be -going in different directions, it never leaves you for a single moment. -One talks as it runs, one listens as he walks. A secret, an indefinable -sympathy springs up. You are no longer alone. - -[Illustration: MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS.] - -Among other stories that the river told me was the following: - -Once, while on their way to Canada through these mountains, a war-party -of Indians, fresh from a successful forray on the sea-coast, halted with -their prisoners on the banks of a stream whose waters stopped their way. -For weeks these miserable captives had toiled through trackless forests, -through swollen and angry torrents, sometimes climbing mountains on -their hands and knees--they were so steep--and at night stretching their -aching limbs on the cold ground, with no other roof than the heavens.[16] - -The captives were a mother, with her new-born babe, scarcely fourteen -days old, her boy of six, her two daughters of fourteen and sixteen -years, and her maid. Two of her little flock were missing. One little -prattler was playing at her knee, and another in the orchard, when -thirteen red devils burst in the door of their happy home. Two cruel -strokes of the axe stretched them lifeless in their blood before her -frenzied eyes. One was killed to intimidate, the other was despatched -because he was afraid, and cried out to his mother. There was no time -for tears--none even for a parting kiss. Think of that, mothers of the -nineteenth century! The tragedy finished, the hapless survivors were -hurried from the house into the woods. There was no resistance. The blow -fell like a stroke of lightning from a clear sky. - -This mother, whose eyes never left the embroidered belt of the chief, -where the reeking scalps of her murdered babes hung; this mother, -who had tasted the agony of death from hour to hour, and whose -incomparable courage not only supported her own weak frame, but had -so far miraculously preserved the lives of her little ones, now stood -shivering on the shores of the swollen torrent with her babe in her -arms, and holding her little boy by the hand. In rags, bleeding, and -almost famished, her misery should have melted a heart of stone. But she -well knew the mercy of her masters. When fainting, they had goaded her -on with blows, or, making a gesture as if to snatch her little one from -her arms, significantly grasped their tomahawks. Hope was gone; but the -mother's instinct was not yet extinguished in that heroic breast. - -But at this moment of sorrow and despair, what was her amazement to hear -the Indians accost her daughter Sarah, and command her to sing them a -song. What mysterious chord had the wild, flowing river touched in those -savage breasts? The girl prepared to obey, and the Indians to listen. In -the heart of these vast solitudes, which never before echoed to a human -voice, the heroic English maiden chanted to the plaintive refrain of the -river the sublime words of the Psalmist: - -"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we -remembered Zion. - -"We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. - -"For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and -they that wasted us required of us mirth." - -As she sung, the poor girl's voice trembled and her eyes filled, but she -never once looked toward her mother. - -When the last notes of the singer's voice died away, the bloodiest -devil, he who murdered the children, took the babe gently from the -mother, without a word; another lifted her burden to his own shoulder; -another, the little boy; when the whole company entered the river. - -Gentlemen, metaphysicians, explain that scene, if you please: it is no -romance. - -As this tale plunged me in a train of sombre reflection, the river -recounted one of those marvellous legends which contain more poetry than -superstition, and which here seem so appropriate. - -According to the legend, a family living at the foot of a lofty peak -had a daughter more beautiful than any maiden of the tribe, possessing -a mind elevated far above the common order, and as accomplished as -beautiful. When she reached a proper age, her parents looked around -them for a suitable match, but in vain. None of the young men of the -tribe were worthy of so peerless a creature. Suddenly this lovely -wildflower of the mountains disappeared. Diligent was the search, and -loud the lamentations when no trace of her light moccasin could be -found in forest or glade. The tribe mourned her as lost. But one day -some hunters, who had penetrated into the fastnesses of the mountain, -discovered the lost maiden disporting herself in the limpid waters -of a stream with a beautiful youth, whose hair, like her own, flowed -down below his waist. On the approach of the intruders, the youthful -bathers vanished from sight. The relatives of the maiden recognized her -companion as one of the kind spirits of the mountain, and henceforth -looked upon him as their son. They called upon him for moose, bear, or -whatever creature they desired, and had only to go to the water-side -and signify their desire, when, behold! the animal came swimming toward -them. This legend strongly reminded me of one of those marvellous fables -of the Hartz, in which a princess of exceeding beauty, destroyed by the -arts of a wicked fairy, was often seen bathing in the river Ilse. If she -met a traveller, she conducted him into the interior of the mountain and -loaded him with riches. Each legend dimly conveys its idea of the wealth -believed to reside in the mountain itself. - -The Ellis continues to guide us farther and farther into the mountains. -If we turn in the direction of the Glen House, a mile out of the -village the Giant's Stairs come finely into view, and are held for -some distance. Then bewitching vistas of Mount Washington, with snow -decorating his huge sides, rise and sink, appear and disappear, until -we reach an open vale, where the stream is spanned by a rude bridge. -The route offers nothing more striking in its way than the view of the -Pinkham Notch, which lies open at this point. - -One of my walks extending as far as the last house on this road, -permitted me to gratify a strong desire to see something of the in-door -life of the poorer class of farmers. That desire was fully satisfied. -There was nothing remarkable about the house itself; but the room in -which I rested would have furnished Meyer von Bremen a capital subject -for one of his characteristic interiors--it carried me back a century -at least. In one corner a woman upward of seventy, I should say, sat -at a spinning-wheel. She rose, got my bread-and-milk, and then resumed -her spinning. A young mother, with a babe in her lap and two tow-headed -urchins at her knee, occupied a high-backed rocking-chair. To judge -from appearances, the river which flowed by the door was completely -forgotten. Her efforts to hush the babe being interrupted by the peevish -whining of one of the brats, she dealt him a sound box on the ear, upon -which the whole pack howled in unison, while the mother, very red with -the effect of her own anger, dragged the culprit from the room. There -was still another occupant, a young girl, so silently plying her needle -that I did not at first notice her. The floor was bare. A rickety chair -or two and a cradle finished the meagre inventory of the apartment. -The general appearance of things was untidy and unthrifty, rather than -squalid; but I could not help recalling Sir William Davenant's remark, -"that those tenants never get much furniture who begin with a cradle." - -In such rambles, romantic and picturesque, in such dreams, the time -runs away. The weeks are long days, the days moments. Every one asks -himself why he finds Jackson so enticing, but no one is able to answer -the question. _Cui bono?_ When I am happy, shall I make myself miserable -searching for the reason? Not if I know it. - -Like bees to the sweetest flowers, the artists alight on the choicest -bits of scenery by instinct. One runs across their umbrellas almost -everywhere, spread like gigantic mushrooms; but some of them seem only -to live and have their true artistic being here. In general, they -are gentle, unobtrusive, and rather subdued in the presence of their -beloved mountains. Some among them, however, develop actual rapacity -in the search for new subjects, as, with a pencil between their teeth, -they creep in ambush to surprise and carry off some mountain beauty -which you or I are to ransom. Does a traveller contemplate some arduous -exploration in an unvisited region? the artist knocks him over by -quietly remarking, "I camped there several days last year." - -In France they maintain that high mountains cannot be painted. -Consequently, the modern French landscape is almost always a dead -level; an illimitable plain, through which a placid stream quietly -meanders, with a thick wood of aged trees at the left, a snug hamlet in -the middle distance, some shrubbery on the right, and a clumsy ox-cart -with peasants, in the foreground. All these details are sufficiently -commonplace; but they appeal strongly to our human yearning for a life -of perfect peace--a sanctuary the world cannot enter. Turner knew that -he must paint a mountain with its head in the clouds, and its feet -plunged in unfathomable abysses. Imagination would do the rest, and -imagination governs the universe. - -Photography cannot reproduce the true relation of distant mountains to -the landscape. The highest summits look like hills. For want of color, -too, it is always twilight. Even running water has a frozen look, -and rocks emit a dead, sepulchral glare. But for details--every leaf -of the tree, or shadow of the leaf--it is faultless; it is the thing -itself. True, under the magnifying-glass the foliage looks crisped, as -is noticed after a first frost. In short, the photograph of mountain -scenery is like that of a friend taken in his coffin. We say with a -shiver that is he, but, alas, how changed! A body without a soul. Again, -photography cannot suggest movement. Perfect immobility is a condition -indispensable to a successful picture. A successful picture! A petrified -landscape! - -"In the morning to the mountain," says the proverb, as emblematic of -high hopes. For two stations embodying the best features the vicinity -of Jackson can offer, the crest of Thorn Mountain and the ledges above -Fernald's Farm are strongly commended to every sojourner. Both are -easily reached. On the first, you are a child lifted above the crowd -on the shoulders of a giant; the mountains have come to you. On the -second, you have taken the best possible position to study the form and -structure of Mount Washington. You see all the ravines, and can count -all the gigantic feelers the immense mountain throws down into the -gorge of the Ellis. In this way, step by step, we continue to master the -topography of the region visited as we take our chocolate, one sip at a -time. - -I prepared to continue my journey to the Glen House by the valley of -the Wildcat and the Carter Notch, which is a sort of side entrance to -the Peabody Valley. Two passes thus lie on alternate sides of the same -mountain chain. Before doing so, however, two words are necessary. - - - - -III. - -_THE CARTER NOTCH._ - - Stranger, if thou hast learned a truth which needs - No school of long experience, that the world - Is full of guilt and misery, and hast seen - Enough of all its sorrows, crimes, and cares, - To tire thee of it, enter this wild wood - And view the haunts of nature. - --BRYANT. - - -What traveller can pass beyond the crest of Thorn Hill without paying -his tribute of silent admiration to the splendid pageant of mountains -visible from this charmed spot! Before him the great rampart, bristling -with its countless towers, is breached as cleanly as if a cannon-ball -had just crashed through it. It is an immense hole; it is the cavity -from which, apparently, one of those great iron teeth has just been -extracted. Only it does not disfigure the landscape. Far from it. It -really exalts the surrounding peaks. They are enormously aggrandized by -it. You look around for a mountain of proper size and shape to fill it. -That gives the true idea. It is a mountainous hole. - -The little river, tumbling step by step down its broken ledges into -Jackson, comes direct from the Notch, and its stream is the thread -which conducts through the labyrinth of thick woods. I dearly love the -companionship of these mountain streams. They are the voices of the -wilderness, singing high or low, softly humming a melodious refrain to -your thoughts, or, joining innumerable cascades in one grand chorus, -they salute the ear with a gush of sound that strips the forest of its -loneliness and awe. This same madcap Wildcat runs shouting and hallooing -through the woods like a stream possessed. - -By half-past seven of a bright and crisp morning I was climbing the -steep hill-side over which Jackson Falls pour down. Here was a genuine -surprise. On arriving at the top, instead of entering a difficult and -confined gorge, I found a charming and tolerably wide vale, dotted with -farms, extending far up into the midst of the mountains. You hardly -realize that the stream flowing so demurely along the bottom of the -valley is the same making its entry into the village with such noise -and tumult. Half a mile above the falls the snowy cupola of Washington -showed itself over Eagle Mountain for a few moments. Then, farther on, -Adams was seen, also white with snow. For five miles the road skirts the -western slopes of the valley, which grows continually deeper, narrower, -and higher. Spruce Mountain is now on our left, the broad flanks of -Black Mountain occupy the right side of the valley. Beyond Black -Mountain Carter Dome lifts its ponderous mass, and between them the dip -of the Perkins Notch, dividing the two ranges, gives admittance to the -Wild River Valley, and to the Androscoggin, in Shelburne. Before me the -grand, downward curves of Carter Notch opened wider and wider. - -I picked up, _en route_, the guide of this locality, who lives on the -side of the mountain near where the road is left for the woods. Our -business was transacted in two words. While he was strapping on his -knapsack I had leisure to observe the manner of man he was. - -The guide, whose Christian name is Jonathan, is known in all the country -round as "Jock" Davis. He was a medium-sized, muscular man, whiskered to -his eyes, with a pair of bare arms the color of unglazed earthen-ware, -and a step like a panther. As he strode silently on before, with his dog -at his heels, I was reminded of the Jibenainosay and his inseparable -Little Peter. He was steady as a clock, careful, and a capital forester, -but a trifle taciturn. From time to time, as he drew my attention to the -things noticeable or interesting by the way, his face grew animated, and -his eyes sparkled. By the same token I believed I detected that dormant -perception of beauty and grandeur which is inborn, and which travellers -are in general too much disposed to deny any existence among the natives -of these mountains. It is true, one cannot express his feelings with -the vivacity of the other; but if there is such a thing as speech in -silence, the honest guide's looks spoke volumes. - -He told me that he was accustomed to get his own living in the woods, -like an old bear. He had trapped and gummed all through the region we -were in; the slopes of the great range, and the Wild River wilderness, -which he declared, with a shake of the head, to be "a horrid hole." Now -and then, without halting, he took a step to the right or left to look -into his fox and sable traps, set near the foot-path. When he spoke of -"gumming" on Wildcat Mountain, I was near making an awkward mistake; I -understood him to say "gunning." So I very innocently asked what he had -bagged. He opened his eyes widely and replied, "Gum."[17] - -[Illustration: THE CARTER NOTCH.] - -Seeing me ready, Davis whistled to his dog, and we entered the -logging-road in Indian file. We at once took a brisk pace, which in a -short time brought us to the edge of a clearing, now badly overgrown -with bramble and coppice, and showing how easily nature obliterates -the mark of civilization when left alone. In this clearing an old -cellar told its sad story but too plainly. Those pioneers who first -struck the axe into the noble pines here are all gone. They abandoned -in consternation the effort to wring a scanty subsistence from this -inhospitable and unfruitful region. Even the poor farms I had seen -encroaching upon the skirts of this wilderness seemed fighting in -retreat. - -We quickly came to a second opening, where the axe of God had smote -the forest still more ruthlessly than that of man. The ground was -encumbered with half-burnt trees, among which the gaudy fire-weed grew -rank and tall. Divining my thought, the guide explained in his quaint, -sententious way, "Fire went through it; then the wind harricaned it -down." A comprehensive sweep of his staff indicated the area traversed -by the whirlwind of fire and the tornado. This opening disclosed at our -left the gray cliffs and yawning aperture of the Notch--by far the most -satisfactory view yet obtained, and the nearest. - -Burying ourselves in deeper solitudes, broken only by the hound in full -cry after a fox or a rabbit, we descended to the banks of the Wildcat at -a point one and a half miles from the road we had left. We then crossed -the rude bridge of logs, keeping company with the gradually diminishing -river, now upon one bank, now on the other, making a gradual ascent -along with it, frequently pausing in mid-stream to glance up and down -through the beautiful vistas it has cut through the trees. Halt at the -third crossing, traveller, and take in the long course through the -avenue of black, moss-draped firs! one so sombre and austere, the other -gliding so bright and blithesome out of its shadow and gloom. Just above -this spot a succession of tiny water-falls comes like a procession of -nymphs out of an enchanted wood. - -We were now in a colder region. The sparseness of the timber led me to -look right and left for the stumps of felled trees, but I saw nothing of -the kind. To the rigorous climate and extreme leanness of the soil they -attribute the scanty, undersized growth. I did not see fifty good timber -trees along the whole route. Where a large tree had been prostrated by -the wind, its upturned and matted roots showed a pitiful quantity of -earth adhering. Finding it impossible to grow downward more than a few -poor inches, they spread themselves laterally out to a great distance. -But the fir, with its flame-shaped point, is a symbol of indomitable -pluck. You see it standing erect on the top of some huge bowlder, which -its strong, thick roots clutch like a vulture's talons. How came it -there? Look at those rotting trunks, so beautifully covered with the -lycopodium and partridge-plum! The seed of a fir has taken root in the -bark. A tiny tree is already springing from the rich mould. As it grows, -its roots grasp whatever offers a support; and if the decaying tree has -fallen across a bowlder, they strike downward into the soil beneath -it, and the rock is a prisoner during the lifetime of the tree. Its -resin protects it from the icy blasts of winter, and from the alternate -freezing and thawing of early spring. It is emphatically the tree of the -mountains. - -An hour and a half of pretty rapid walking brought us to the bottom of a -steep rise. We were at length come to close quarters with the formidable -outworks of Wildcat Mountain. The brook has for some distance poured a -stream of the purest water over moss of the richest green, but now it -most mysteriously vanishes from sight. From this point the singular rock -called the Pulpit is seen overhanging the upper crags of the Dome.[18] - -We drank a cup of delicious water from a spring by the side of the path, -and, finding direct access forbidden by the towering and misshapen mass -before us, turned sharply to the left, and attacked the side of Wildcat -Mountain. We had now attained an altitude of nearly three thousand feet -above the sea, or two thousand two hundred and fifty above the village -of Jackson; we were more than a thousand higher than the renowned -Crawford Notch. - -On every side the ground was loaded down with huge gray bowlders, so -ponderous that it seemed as if the solid earth must give way under them. -Some looked as if the merest touch would send them crashing down the -mountain. Undermined by the slow action of time, these fragments have -fallen one by one from the high cliffs, and accumulated at the base. -Among these the path serpentined for half a mile more, bringing us at -last to the summit of the spur we had been climbing, and to the broad -entrance of the Notch. We passed quickly over the level ground we were -upon, stopped by the side of a well-built cabin of bark, threw off our -loads, and then, fascinated by the exceeding strangeness of everything -around me, I advanced to the edge of the scrubby growth in front of the -camp, in order to command an unobstructed view. - -Shall I live long enough to forget this sublime tragedy of nature, -enacted Heaven knows when or how? How still it was! I seemed to have -arrived at the instant a death-like silence succeeds the catastrophe. -I saw only the bare walls of a temple, of which some Samson had just -overthrown the columns--walls overgrown with a forest, ruins overspread -with one struggling for existence. - -Imagine the light of a mid-day sun brightening the tops of the -mountains, while within a sepulchral gloom rendered all objects--rocks, -trees, cliffs--all the more weird and fantastic. I was between two high -mountains, whose walls enclose the pass. Overhanging it, fifteen hundred -feet at least, the sunburnt crags of the Dome towered above the highest -precipices of the mountain behind me. These stately barriers, at once -so noble and imposing, seemed absolutely indestructible. Impossible to -conceive anything more enduring than this imperishable rock. So long -as the world stands, those mountains will stand. And nothing can shake -this conviction. They look so strong, so confident in their strength, so -incapable of change. - -But what, then, is this dusky gray mass, stretching huge and irregular -across the chasm from mountain to mountain, completely filling the -space between, and so effectually blockading the entrance that we were -compelled to pick our way up the steep side of the mountain in order to -turn it? - -Picture to yourself acres upon acres of naked granite, split and -splintered in every conceivable form, of enormous size and weight, yet -pitched, piled, and tumbled about like playthings, tilted, or so poised -and balanced as to open numberless caves, which sprinkled the whole area -with a thousand shadows--figure this, I repeat, to yourself--and the -mind will then grasp but faintly the idea of this colossal barricade, -seemingly built by the giants of old to guard their last stronghold from -all intrusion. At some distance in front of me a rock of prodigious -size, very closely resembling the gable of a house, thrusting itself -half out, conveyed its horrible suggestion of an avalanche in the act of -ingulfing a hamlet. And all this one beholds in a kind of stupefaction. - -Whence came this colossal dbris? I had at first the idea that the -great arch, springing from peak to peak, supported on the Atlantean -shoulders of the two mountains, had fallen in ruins. I even tried to -imagine the terrific crash with which heaven and earth came together in -the fall. Easy to realize here Schiller's graphic description of the -Jungfrau: - -"One walks there between life and death. Two threatening peaks shut in -the solitary way. Pass over this place of terror without noise; dread -lest you awaken the sleeping avalanche." - -It is evident, however, as soon as the eye attaches itself to the side -of the Dome, that one of its loftiest precipices, originally measuring -an altitude as great as any yet remaining, has precipitated itself in a -crushed and broken mass into the abyss. Nothing is left of the primitive -edifice except these ruins. It is easily conceived that, previous to -the convulsion, the interior aspect of the Notch was quite different -from what is seen to-day. It was doubtless narrower, gloomier, and -deeper before the cliff became dislodged. The track of the convulsion is -easily traced. From top to bottom the side of the mountain is hollowed -out, exposing a shallow ravine, in which nothing but dwarf spruces will -grow, and in which the erratic rocks, arrested here and there in their -fall, seem endeavoring to regain their ancient position on the summit. -There is no trace whatever of the rubbish ordinarily accompanying a -slide--only these rocks. - -Seeing that all this happened long ago, I asked the guide why the larger -growth we saw on both sides of the hollow had not succeeded in covering -the old scar, as is the case with the Willey Slide; but he was unable to -advance even a conjecture. The spruce, however, loves ruins, spreading -itself out over them with avidity. - -We felt our way cautiously and slowly out over the bowlders; for the -moment one quits the usual track he risks falling headlong upon the -sharp rocks beneath. In the midst of these grisly blocks stunted firs -are born, and die for want of sustenance, making the dreary waste -bristle with hard and horny skeletons. The spruce, dwarfed and deformed, -has established itself solidly in the interstices; a few bushes spring -up in the crannies. With this exception, the entire area is denuded -of vegetation. The obstruction is heaped in two principal ridges, -traversing its greatest breadth, and opening a broad way between. -This is one of the most curious features I remarked. From a flat rock -on the summit of the first we obtained the best idea of the general -configuration of the Notch; and from this point, also, we saw the two -little lakes beneath us which are the sources of the Wildcat. Beyond, -and above the hollow they occupy, the two mountains meet in the low -ridge constituting the true summit of Carter Notch. Far down, under -the bowlders, the Wildcat gropes its way out; but, notwithstanding one -or the other was continually dropping out of sight into the caverns -with which they are filled, we could neither hear nor see anything to -indicate its route. It is buried out of sight and sound. - -No incident of the whole excursion is more curiously inexplicable than -the total disappearance of the brook at the mountain's foot. Notice that -it was last seen gushing from the side we ascended, half a mile below -the camp. Whence does it come? When we were on top of the bowlders, -looking down on the water of the two little lakes, we wonderingly ask, -"Where does it go? How does it get out?" The mystery is, however, solved -by the certainty that their waters flow out underneath the barrier, so -that this mammoth pile of dbris, which could destroy a city, was unable -to arrest the flow of a rivulet. - -But all this wreck and ruin exerts a saddening influence; it seems -to prefigure the Death of the Mountain. So one gladly turns to the -landscape--a very noble though not extensive one--enclosing all the -mountains and valleys to the south of us lying between Kearsarge and -Moat. - -After this tour of the rocks, we returned to the hut and ate our -luncheon. Here the Pulpit Rock, which is sure to catch the eye whenever -it wanders to the cliffs opposite, looks very much like the broken -handle of a jug. Davis explained that, by advancing fifteen or twenty -paces upon it, it would be possible to hang suspended over the thousand -feet of space beneath. While thus occupied, the dog received his share -of the bread and meat; nor was the little tame hawk that came and hopped -so fearlessly at our feet forgotten. This bird and a cross-bill were the -only living things I saw.[19] - -Being fully rested and refreshed, we started on a second exploration of -the upper part of the Notch. Thus far our examination had been confined -to the lower portion only. Descending the spur upon which the hut is -situated, we were, in a few moments, at the bottom of the deep cavity -lying between the Giants' Barricade and the little mountain forming the -northern portal. This area is undoubtedly the original floor of the -pass. We had now reached a position between the lakes. Looking backward, -the barricade lifted a black and frowning wall a hundred and fifty feet -above our heads. Looking down, the water of the lakes seemed "an image -of the Dead Sea sleeping at the foot of Jerusalem destroyed." While I -stood looking into them, a passing cloud, pausing in astonishment at -seeing itself reflected from these shadowy depths, darkened the whole -interior. Deprived all at once of sunlight, the scene became one of -great and magnificent solemnity. The pass assumed the appearance of a -vast cavern. The ponds lay still and cold below. The air grew chill, -the water black as ink. The ruddy color faded from the cliffs. They -became livid. I saw the thousands upon thousands of fir-trees, rigid and -sombre, ranged tier on tier like spectators in an immense circus, who -are awaiting the signal for some terrible spectacle to begin. When the -cloud tranquilly resumed its journey, a load seemed lifted off. It was -Nature repeating to herself, - - "Put out the light, and then put out the light." - -We had reached the camp at half-past ten. At half-past twelve we began -the ascent of the Dome. It is not so much the height as the steepness of -this mountain that wins our respect. The path goes straight up to the -first summit, deflects a little to reach the Pulpit, and then, turning -more northerly, ascends for a mile and a half more by a much easier rise -to the highest peak. There are no open ledges on the route. The path is -cut through a wood from base to summit; and, with the exception of a -few trees felled to open an outlook in the direction of the main range, -was covered on the summit itself with a dense growth of fir-trees from -twelve to fifteen feet high. To obtain a view of the whole horizon, it -was necessary, at the time of my visit, to climb one of these trees. - -I will not fatigue the reader with any detailed account of the ascent. -Suffice it to say that it was a slow and toilsome lifting of one heavy -foot after another for three-quarters of an hour. Sometimes the slope -was so near the vertical that we could ascend only a few rods at a -time. I improved these halts by leaning against a tree, and panting like -a doe pursued by the hunter. Davis threw himself upon the ground and -watched me attentively, but without speaking. If he expected me to give -out, I disappointed him by giving the signal to move on. I had already -served my apprenticeship on Carrigain. It was difficult to maintain -an upright position. Once, indeed, on looking up, I perceived that -the guide had abandoned in disgust the idea of walking erect, and was -creeping on all-fours, like his dog. This breathless scramble continued -for three-quarters of an hour, at the end of which we turned into the -short by-path conducting to the Pulpit. - -Near the Pulpit is a cleared space large enough to afford standing room -for fifteen or twenty persons. This Pulpit is a huge, rectangular rock, -jutting out from the face of the cliff on which we stood, and is not at -all unworthy of the name given to it by the guide. It is a fine station -from which to survey the deep rent in the side of the mountain, as well -as the mammoth stone-heap, which it overlooks. The black side of Mount -Wildcat, ploughed from top to bottom with four deep gashes, - - "The least a death to nature," - -is also seen to excellent advantage across the airy space between the -mountains. The fluttering of a handkerchief at the door of the little -cabin greatly enlivened the solitary scene, and drew from us the same -signal in return. - -At first sight the ascent by the chasm seems feasible; but Davis, who -has twice performed this difficult feat, declared with a shrug that -nothing would tempt him to do it again. Those who have ever come to -close quarters with the shrubby growth of these ruins will know how to -leave it in undisputed possession of its own chosen ground. The dwarf -spruce is the Cossack of the woods. - -What a beautiful landscape is that from the Pulpit! The southern horizon -is now widely opened. The mountains around Jackson have dwindled -to hills. Especially curious are the flattened top and distorted -contour-lines of Iron Mountain. Another singular feature is the way we -look through the cloven summit of Doublehead to Kearsarge's stately -pyramid. Here are strips of the Ellis and Saco Valleys, and all of the -Wildcat. The lakes in Ossipee are dazzling to look upon. Old Chocorua -lifts his brilliant spire; then Moat his iron bulwarks. Crawford, -Resolution, and the Giants' Stairs extend on the right, behind Iron. -The view is then cut off by the burly form of Wildcat. Far back in the -picture are the notched walls of the Franconia and Sandwich chains, -topped by pale blue peaks. - -Continuing the ascent for about three-fourths of a mile, we came to a -point only a rod or two distant from the head of the great slide of -1869, and from the top of a tree here was the most thrilling prospect of -Washington and the great northern peaks I ever beheld. All the summits -as far south as Monroe are included in the view. - -Over the right shoulder of Wildcat appeared the dazzling summit of -Washington, having at his left the noble cone of Jefferson, the -matchless shaft of Adams, and the massive pyramid of Madison. Each gray -head was profusely powdered with snow. Dark clouds, heavily charged with -frost, partially intercepted the sun's rays, and, enveloping the great -mountains in their shadows, cast over them a mantle of the deepest blue; -but enough light escaped to gild the arid slopes of the great ravines a -rich brown gold, and to pierce through, and beautifully expose, against -the dark bulk of Adams, a thin veil of slowly falling snow. Imagine an -Ethiopian wrapped from head to foot in lace! - -A chapter could not give the thousand details of this grand picture. -One devours it with avidity. He sees to the greatest possible advantage -the magnificent proportions of Washington, with his massive slopes -rolling up and up, like petrified storm-clouds, to the final summit. -He sees the miles of carriage-road, from where it leaves the woods, -as far as the great northern plateau. He looks deep down into the -depths of Tuckerman's and Huntington's ravines, and between them sees -Raymond's Cataract crusting the bare cliffs with a vein of quicksilver. -The massive head-wall of Tuckerman's was freely spattered with fresh -snow; the Lion's Head rose stark and forbidding; the upper cliffs of -Huntington's, - - "With twenty trenched gashes in his head," - -the great billows of land rushing downward into the dark gulfs, -resembled the vortex of a frozen whirlpool. - -But for refinement of form, delicacy of outline, and a predominant, -inexplicable grace, Adams stands forth here without a rival. -Washington is the undisputed monarch, but Adams is the highest type of -mountain beauty here. That splendid, slightly concave, antique shaft, -rising in unconscious symmetry from the shoulders of two supporting -mountain-peaks, which seem prostrating themselves at its feet, changes -the emotion of awe and respect to one of admiration and pleasure. Our -elevation presented all the great summits in an unrivalled attitude for -observation or study; and whoever has once beheld them--banded together -with bonds of adamant, their heads in the snow, and their feet in the -impenetrable shades of the Great Gulf; with every one of their thousands -of feet under his eye--every line as firm and strong, and every contour -true as the Great Architect drew it--without loss or abatement; vigorous -in old age as in youth; monuments of one race, and silent spectators -of the passing of another; victors in the battle with Time; chronicles -and retrospect of ages; types of the Everlasting and Unchangeable--will -often try to summon up the picture of the great peaks, and once more -marshal their towering battlements before the memory. - -The descent occupied less than half an hour, so rapidly is it made. -We had nothing whatever to do with regulating our speed, but were -fully occupied in so placing our feet as to avoid pitching headlong, -or sitting suddenly down in a miry place. We simply tumbled down the -mountain, like two rocks detached from its peak. - -After a last survey of the basin of the Notch, from the clearing above -the upper lake, we crossed the little mountain at its head, taking the -path leading to the Glen House. We descended the reverse side together, -to the point where the great slide referred to came thundering down from -the Dome into the gorge of Nineteen Mile Brook. This landslip, which -happened October 4th, 1869, was one of the results of the disastrous -autumnal storms, which deluged the mountains with rain, and set in -motion here an enormous quantity of wreck and dbris. It was at this -time that Mr. Thompson, the proprietor of the Glen House, lost his life -in the Peabody River, in a desperate effort to avert the destruction of -his mill. - -Here I parted from my guide; and, after threading the woods for two -hours more, following the valley of Nineteen Mile Brook, came out of -their shadowy embrace into the stony pastures above the Glen House. - - - - -IV. - -_THE PINKHAM NOTCH._ - - Levons les yeux vers les saintes montagnes. - --RACINE. - - -The Glen House is one of the last strongholds of the old ways of travel. -Jackson is twelve, Randolph seven, and Gorham eight miles distant. These -are the nearest villages. The nearest farm-houses are Copp's, three -miles on the road to Randolph, and Emery's, six on the road to Jackson. -The nearest railway-station is eight miles off, at Gorham. The nearest -steam-whistle is there. So much for its seclusion. - -Being thus isolated, the Glen House is naturally the point of direction -for the region adjacent. Situated at the base of Carter Mountain, on a -terrace rising above the Peabody River, which it overlooks, it has only -the valley of this stream--a half mile of level meadow here--between -it and the base of Mount Washington. The carriage-road to the summit, -which, in 1861, superseded the old bridle-path, is seen crossing this -meadow. This road occupied six years in building, is eight miles long, -and is as well and solidly built as any similar piece of highway in New -England. - -When it is a question of this gigantic mass, which here offers such an -easy mode of ascent, the interest is assured. Respecting the appearance -of Mount Washington from the Glen House itself, it is a received -truth that neither the height nor the proportions of a high mountain -are properly appreciated when the spectator is placed exactly at the -base. The same is true here of Mount Washington, which is too much -foreshortened for a favorable estimate of its grandeur or its elevation. -The Dome looks flat, elongated, obese. But it is only a step from the -hotel to more eligible posts of observation, say the clearings on Mount -Carter, or, better still, the slopes of Wildcat, which are easily -reached over a good path. - -Still, Mount Washington is surveyed with more astonishment, perhaps, -from this point, than from any other. Its lower section is covered -with a dense forest, out of which rise the successive and stupendous -undulations culminating at last in the absolutely barren summit, which -the nearer swells almost conceal. The true peak stands well to the left, -indicated by a white building when the sun is shining, and a dark one -when it is not. As seen from this spot, the peculiar formation of the -mountain gives the impression of a semi-fluid mass, first cooled to -hardness, then receiving successive additions, which, although eternally -united with its bulk, have left the point of contact forever visible. -When the first mass cooled, it received a second, a third, and a fourth. -One believes, so to speak, certain intervals to have elapsed in the -process of solidifying these masses, which seem, to me at least, not -risen above the earth, but poured down upon it. - -It is related that an Englishman, seated on the balcony of his hotel at -Chamouni, after having conscientiously followed the peripatetics of a -sunset, remarked, "Very fine, very fine indeed! but it is a pity Mont -Blanc hides the view." In this sense, Mount Washington "hides the view" -to the west. No peak dares show its head in this direction. - -From the vicinity of the hotel, Wildcat Mountain allows the eye to -embrace, at the left, Mount Washington as far as Tuckerman's Ravine. -Only a few miles of the valley can be traced on this side; but at the -right it is open for nearly its whole length, fully exposing that -magnificent sweep of the great northern peaks, here bending majestically -to the north-east, and exhibiting their titanic props, deep hollows, -soaring peaks, to the admiring scrutiny of every wayfarer. It is -impossible to appreciate this view all at once. No one can pretend -to analyze the sensations produced by looking at mountains. The bare -thought of them causes a flutter of enthusiasm wherever we may be. At -such moments one lays down the pen to revel in the recollection. - -Among these grandees, Adams looks highest. It is indispensable that this -mountain should be seen from some higher point. It is only half seen -from the Glen, although the view here is by far the best to be had in -any valley enclosing the great chain. Ascend, therefore, even at the -risk of some toil, one of the adjacent heights, and this superb monument -will deign to show the true symmetrical relation of summit to base. - -I have already said that most travellers approach this charming mountain -nook by the Pinkham defile, instead of making their dbut by the -Carter Notch. It will be well worth our while to retrace at least so -much of this route, through the first-named pass, as will enable us to -gain a knowledge, not so much of what it shows as of what it hides. By -referring to the chapter on Jackson, we shall then have seen all that -can be seen on the travelled highway. - -The four miles back through the Pinkham forest deserve to be called the -Avenue of Cascades. Not less than four drop from the mountain tops, or -leap down the confined gorges. Let us first walk in this direction. - -Two miles from the hotel we meet a sprightly and vigorous brook coming -down from Wildcat Mountain to swell the Peabody. A short walk up this -stream brings us to Thompson's Falls, which are several pretty cascades -slipping down a bed of granite. The ledges over which they glide offer -a practicable road to the top of the falls, from which is a most -interesting view into Tuckerman's Ravine, and of the summit of Mount -Washington. - -Some overpowering, some unexplained fascination about these dark and -mysterious chambers of the mountain arouses in us a desire strangely -like to that intense craving for a knowledge of futurity itself. We -think of the Purgatory of the ancients into which we would willingly -descend if, like Dante holding the hand of Virgil, we might hope to -return unscathed to earth. "This is nothing but an enormous breach -in the mountain," you say, weakly attempting to throw off the spell -by ridiculing the imagination. Be it so. But it has all the terrible -suggestiveness of a descent into the world of the dead. When we walk in -the dark we say that we are afraid of falling. It is a falsehood. We are -afraid of a _Presence_. - -That dark curling lip of the south wall, looking as if the eternal -adamant of the hills had been scorched and shrivelled by consuming -flame, marks the highest curve of the massive granite spur rooted deep -in the Pinkham defile. It is named Boott's Spur. The sky-line of the -ravine's head-wall is five thousand feet above the sea, on the great -plateau over which the Crawford trail passes. That enormous crag, rising -like another Tower of Famine, on the north and east divides the ravine -proper from the collateral chamber, known as Huntington's, out of which -the source of the Peabody gushes a swift torrent, and near which the -carriage-road winds its devious way up to the summit. In the depression -of this craggy ridge, between the two ravines, sufficient water is -collected to form the beautiful cataract known as Raymond's, which is -seen from all those elevations commanding the ravine itself. - -[Illustration: THE EMERALD POOL.] - -The ravine also furnishes a route to the summit of Mount Washington in -so far that the ascent may be continued from the head of the chasm to -the high plateau, and so up the pinnacle, by the old Crawford trail, or -over the crag on the right to the carriage-road; but it is not to be -highly recommended on that account, except to strong climbers. It should -be visited for itself, and for what is to be seen going or returning by -the different paths. I have also descended from the Summit House to the -ravine and returned by the same route; an excursion growing in favor -with those tourists having a day or two on their hands, and who approach -the mountain from the west or opposite side. In that case a return to -the summit saves a long dtour. - -Before we come to Thompson's Falls a well-trod path leads to the Emerald -Pool, which Bierstadt's painting has rendered famous. At first one sees -only a deep hollow, with a dark and glassy pool at the bottom, and a -cool light coming down through the high tree-tops. Two large rocks -tightly compress the stream which fills it, so that the water gushes -out with sufficient force to whiten a little, without disturbing the -placid repose of the pool. This gives the effect of milk poured upon -ink. Above these rocks we look up the stony bed of the frantic river -and meet the blue mass of a distant mountain. Rocks are picturesquely -dropped about the margin. Upon one side a birch leans far out over the -basin, whose polished surface brilliantly reflects the white light of -its bark. One sees the print of foliage on the black water, like that of -ferns and grasses upon coal; or, rather, like the most beautiful Italian -mosaics--black marble inlaid with arabesques of color. The illusion -is more perfect still when the yellow and scarlet of the maples is -reflected, as in autumn. - -The contrast between the absolutely quiet pool and the feverish -excitement of the river is singular. It is that of a life: one, serene -and unmoved, receives the other in its bosom and calms its excitement. -It then runs out over the pebbles at a steadier pace, soothed, -tranquillized, and strengthened, to meet its destiny by this one moment -of peace and rest. - -Doubtless many turn languidly into this charming sylvan retreat with -only a dim perception of its beauty. Few go away except to sing its -praises with heart and tongue. Solitude is here. Repose is here. Peace -is omnipresent. And, freed from the excitements of city life, "Peace -at any price" is the cry of him whom care pursues as with a knotted -scourge. If he find not rest here, 'tis his soul "is poor." For him -the smell of the earth, the fragrance of the pines, the very stones, -have healing or strength. He grows drowsy with the lullaby of the -brook. A delicious languor steals over him. A thousand dreamy fancies -float through his imagination. He is a child again; or, rather, he is -born again. The artificial man drops off. Stocks and bonds are clean -forgotten. His step is more elastic, his eye more alert, his heart -lighter. He departs believing he has read, "Let all who enter here leave -care behind." And all this comes of seeing a little shaded mountain pool -consecrated by Nature. He has only experienced her religion and received -her baptism. - -Burying ourselves deeper in the pass, the trees, stirred by the breeze, -shake out their foliage like a maiden her long tresses. And the glory -of one is the glory of the other. We look up to the greater mountains, -still wrapped in shadows, saying to those whom its beams caress, "Out of -my sun!" - -At the third mile a guide-board at the right announces the Crystal -Cascade. We turn aside here, and, entering the wood, soon reach the -banks of a stream. The last courtesy this white-robed maid makes on -crossing the threshold of her mountain home is called the Crystal -Cascade. It is an adieu full of grace and feeling. - -[Illustration: THE CRYSTAL CASCADE.] - -The Crystal Cascade divides with Glen Ellis the honor of being the most -beautiful water-fall of the White Mountains. And well may it claim this -distinction. These two charming and radiant sisters have each their -especial admirers, who come in multitudes every year, like pilgrims -to the shrine of a goddess. In fact, they are as unlike as two human -countenances. Every one is astonished at the changes effected by simple -combinations of rocks, trees, and water. One shrinks from a critical -analysis of what appeals so strangely to his human sympathies. Indeed, -he should possess the language of a Dumas or a Ruskin, the poetry of -a Longfellow or a Whittier, the pencil of a Turner or a Church, to do -justice to this pre-eminently beautiful of cascades. - -Look around. On the right bank of the stream, where a tall birch leans -its forked branches out over the pool below, a jutting rock embraces -in one glance the greater part of the fall. The cliffs, rising on both -sides, make a most wild and impressive setting. The trees, which shade -or partly screen it, exclude the light. The ferns and shrubbery trace -their arabesques of foliage upon the cold, damp rocks. The sides of -the mountain, receding into black shadows, seem set with innumerable -columns, supporting a roof of dusky leafage. All this combines to -produce the effect of standing under the vault of some old dimly-lighted -cathedral--a subdued, a softened feeling. A voice seems whispering, "God -is here!" - -Through these sombre shades the cascade comes like a gleam of light: -it redeems the solitude. High up, hundreds of feet up the mountain, it -boils and foams; it hardly seems to run. How it turns and tosses, and -writhes on its hard bed! The green leaves quiver at its struggles. Birds -fly silently by. Down, down, and still down over its shattered stairs -falls the doomed flood, until, lashed and broken into a mere feathery -cloud, it reaches a narrow gorge between abrupt cliffs of granite. A -little pellucid basin, half white, half black water, receives it in -full career. It then flows out by a pretty water-fall of twenty feet -more. But here, again, the sharp, wedge-shaped cliff, advancing from -the opposite bank, compresses its whole volume within a deep and narrow -trough, through which it flies with the rapidity of light, makes a -right angle, and goes down the mountain, uttering loud complaints. From -below, the jagged, sharp-edged cliff forms a kind of vestibule, behind -which the cascade conceals itself. Behind this, farther back, is a rock, -perfectly black, and smooth as polished ebony, over which the surplus -water of the fall spreads a tangled web of antique lace. Some very -curious work has been going on here since the stream first made its way -through the countless obstacles it meets in the long miles to its secret -fountains on Mount Washington. One carries away a delightful impression -of the Crystal Cascade. To the natural beauty of falling water it brings -the charm of lawless unrestraint. It scorns the straight and narrow -path; has stolen interviews with secret nooks on this side or that; is -forever coquettishly adjusting its beautiful dishabille. What power has -taken one of those dazzling clouds, floating over the great summit, and -pinned it to the mountain side, from which it strives to rise and soar -away? - -We are now in the wildest depths of the Pinkham defile. The road is -gloomy enough, edging its way always through a dense wood around a -spur of Mount Washington, which it closely hugs. Upon reaching the -summit, thirteen hundred and fifty feet above the Saco, at Bartlett, a -sign-board showed where to leave the highway, but now the noise of the -fall coming clearer and clearer was an even surer guide. - -The sense of seclusion is perfect. Stately pines, funereal cedars, -sombre hemlocks, throng the banks, as if come to refresh their -parched foliage with the fine spray ascending from the cataract. This -spray sparkles in the sun like diamond-dust. Through the thick-set, -clean-limbed tree-trunks jets of foam can be seen in mad riot along -the rocky gorge. They leap, toss their heads, and tumble over each -other like young lambs at play. Backward up the stream, downward beyond -the fall, we see the same tumult of waters in the midst of statuesque -immobility; we hear the roar of the fall echoing in the tops of the -pines; we feel the dull earth throb with the superabundant energy of the -wild river. - -Making my way to the rocks above the cataract, I saw the torrent swiftly -descending in two long, arching billows, flecked with foam, and tossing -myriad diamonds to the sun. Two large masses of rock, loosened from the -cliffs that hang over it, have dropped into the stream, turning it a -little from its ancient course, but only to make it more picturesque and -more tumultuous. On the left of the gorge the rocks are richly striped -with black, yellow, and purple. The water is crystal clear, and cold as -ice, having come, in less time than it takes to write, from the snows of -Tuckerman's Ravine. The variegated hues of the rocks, glistening with -spray, of the water itself seizing and imprisoning, like flies in amber, -every shadow these rocks let fall, the roar of the cataract, make a deep -and abiding impression of savage force and beauty. - -But I had not yet seen the fall. Descending by slippery stairs to the -pool beneath it, I saw, eighty feet above me, the whole stream force its -way through a narrow cleft, and stand in one unbroken column, superbly -erect, upon the level surface of the pool. The sheet was as white as -marble, the pool as green as malachite. As if stunned by the fall, it -turns slowly round; then, recovering, precipitates itself down the rocky -gorge with greater passion than ever. - -On its upper edge the curling sheet of the fall was shot with sunlight, -and shone with enchanting brilliancy. All below was one white, feathery -mass, gliding down with the swift and noiseless movement of an avalanche -of fresh snow. No sound until the moment of contact with the submerged -rocks beneath; then it finds a voice that shakes the hoary forest to -its centre. How this exquisite white thing fascinates! One has almost -to tear himself away from the spot. Undine seems beckoning us to -descend with her into the crystal grottoes of the pool. From the tender -dalliance of a sunbeam with the glittering mists constantly ascending -was born a pale Iris. Exquisitely its evanescent hues decorated the -virgin drapery of the fall. Within these mists two airy forms sometimes -discover themselves, hand-in-hand. - -The story runs that the daughter of a sagamore inhabiting the little -vale, now Jackson, was secretly wooed and won by a young brave of -another and neighboring tribe. But the haughty old chief destined her -for a renowned warrior of his own band. Mustering his friends, the -preferred lover presented himself in the village, and, according to -Indian usage, laying - - "--at her father's feet that night - His softest furs and wampum white." - -demanded his bride. The alliance was too honorable to permit an abrupt -refusal. Smothering his wrath, the father assembled his braves. The -matter was debated in solemn council. It was determined that the rivals -should settle their dispute by a trial of skill, the winner to carry off -the beautiful prize. A mark was set up, the ground carefully measured, -and the two warriors took their respective places in the midst of the -assembled tribe. The heart of the Indian maiden beat with hope when -her lover sent his arrow quivering in the edge of the target; but it -sunk when his rival, stepping scornfully to his place, shot within the -very centre. A shout of triumph rewarded the skill of the victor; but -before it died away the defeated warrior strode to the spot where his -mistress was seated and spoke a few hurried words, intended for her -ear alone. The girl sprung to her feet and grasped her lover's hand. -In another moment they were running swiftly for the woods. They were -hotly pursued. It became a matter of life and death. Perceiving escape -impossible, rendered desperate by the near approach of their pursuers, -the fugitives, still holding fast each other's hand, rushed to the verge -of the cataract and flung themselves headlong into its deadly embrace. - -Over the pool the gray and gloomy wall of Wildcat Mountain seems -stretching up to an incredible height. The astonishing wildness of the -surroundings affects one very deeply. You look up. You see the firs -surmounting those tall cliffs sway to and fro, as if growing dizzy with -the sight of the abyss beneath them. - -The Ellis Cascade is not so light as those mountain sylphs in the great -Notch, which a zephyr lifts from their feet, and scatters far and -wide; it is a vestal hotly pursued by impish goblins to the brink of -the precipice, transformed into a water-fall. For an instant the iron -grip of the cliff seems clutching its snowy throat, but with a mocking -courtesy the fair stream eludes the grasp, and so escapes. - -While returning from Glen Ellis, I saw, not more than a quarter of -a mile from this fall, a beautiful cascade come streaming down a -long trough of granite from a great height, and disappear behind the -tree-tops that skirt the narrow gorge. I had never before seen this -cascade, it being usually dry in summer. The sight of glancing water -among the shaggy upper forests of the mountain--for you hear nothing--is -a real pleasure to the eye. The rock down which this cascade flows is -New River Cliff. - -Before leaving the Ellis, which I did regretfully, it is proper to -recall an incident which gave rise to one of its affluents. In 1775, -says Sullivan, in his "History of Maine," the Saco was found to -swell suddenly, and in a singular manner. As there had not been rain -sufficient to account for this increase of volume, people were at a -loss how to explain the phenomenon, until it was finally discovered to -be occasioned by a new river having broken out of the side of the White -Mountains. - -When this river issued from the mountains, in October, 1775, a mixture -of iron-ore gave the water a deep red color, and this singular, and to -them most startling, appearance led the people inhabiting the upper -banks of the Saco to declare that the river ran blood--a circumstance -which these simple-minded folk regarded as of evil omen for the success -of their arms in the struggle then going on between the Colonies and -Great Britain. Except for illustrating a marked characteristic the -incident would possess little importance. Considerable doubt exists as -to the precise course of this New River, by which it is conjectured that -the ascents of Cutler, Boott, Bigelow, and perhaps others, early in -this century, were made to the summit of Mount Washington. But this is -merely conjecture.[20] - -After Glen Ellis one has had enough, for the day at least, of waterfalls -and cascade. Its excitement is strangely infectious and exhilarating. At -the same time, it casts a sweet and gentle spell over the spirits. If he -be wise, the visitor will not exhaust in a single tour of the sun the -pleasures yet in store, but, after a fall, try a ravine or a mountain -ascent, thus introducing that variety which is the spice of all our -pleasures. - - - - -V. - -_A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S._ - - The crag leaps down, and over it the flood: - Know'st thou it, then? - 'Tis there! 'tis there - Our way runs.... Wilt thou go?--GOETHE. - - -At the mountains the first look of every one is directed to the heavens, -not in silent adoration or holy meditation, but in earnest scrutiny -of the weather. For here the weather governs with absolute sway; and -nowhere is it more capricious. Morning and evening skies are, therefore, -consulted with an interest the varied destinies of the day may be -supposed to suggest. From being a merely conventional topic, the weather -becomes one of the first importance, and such salutations as "A fine -day," or "A nice morning," are in less danger of being coupled with a -wet day or a scowling forenoon. To sum up the whole question, where life -in the open air is the common aim of all, a rainy day is a day lost, and -everybody knows that a lost day can never be recovered. Sun worship is, -therefore, universal. - -The prospect being duly weighed and pronounced good, or fair, or fairly -good, _presto!_ the hotel presents a scene of active preparation. -Anglers, with rod and basket, betake themselves to the neighboring trout -brooks, artists to the woods or the open. Mountain wagons clatter up -to the door with an exhilarating spirit and dash. Amid much laughter -and cracking of jokes, these strong, yet slight-looking vehicles are -speedily filled with parties for the summit, the Crystal Cascade, or -Glen Ellis; knots of pedestrians, picturesquely dressed, move off with -elastic tread for some long-meditated climb among the hills or in the -ravines; while the regular stages for Gorham or Glen Station depart amid -hurried and hearty leave-takings, the flutter of handkerchiefs, and the -sharp crack of the driver's whip. Now they are off, and quiet settles -once more upon the long veranda. - -My own plans included a trip in and out of Tuckerman's Ravine; in by -the old Thompson path, out by the Crystal Cascade. It is necessary to -depart a little from the order of time, as my first essay (during the -first week of May) was frustrated by the deep snows then effectually -blockading the way above Hermit Lake. The following July found me more -fortunate, and it is this excursion that I shall now lay before the -reader for his approval. - -I chose a companion to whom I unfolded the scheme, while reconnoitring -the ravine through my glass. He eagerly embraced my proposal, declaring -his readiness to start on the instant. Upon a hint I let fall touching -his ability to make this then fatiguing march, he observed, rather -stiffly, "I went through one Wilderness with Grant; guess I can through -this." - -"Pack your knapsack, then, comrade, and you shall inscribe 'Tuckerman's' -along with Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg." - -"Bless me! is it so very tough as all that? No matter, give me five -minutes to settle my affairs, and I'm with you." - -Let us improve these minutes by again directing the glass toward the -ravine. - -The upper section of this remarkable ravine--that portion lifted above -the forest line--is finely observed from the neighborhood of the -Crystal Cascade, but from the Glen House the curiously distorted rim -and vertical wall of its south and west sides, the astonishing crag -standing sentinel over its entrance, may be viewed at full leisure. -It constitutes quite too important a feature of the landscape to -escape notice. Dominated by the towering mass of the Dome, infolded by -undulating slopes descending from opposite braces of Mount Washington, -and resembling gigantic draperies, we see an enormous, funnel-shaped, -hollow sunk in the very heart of the mountain. We see, also, that access -is feasible only from the north-east, where the entrance is defended by -the high crag spoken of. Behind these barriers, graven with a thousand -lines and filled with a thousand shadows, the amphitheatre lifts its -formidable walls into view. - -For two miles our plain way led up the summit-road, but at this -distance, where it suddenly changes direction to the right, we plunged -into the forest. Our course now lay onward and upward over what had at -some time been a path--now an untrodden one--encumbered at every few -rods with fallen trees, soaked with rain, and grown up with moose-wood. -Time and again we found the way barred by these exasperating windfalls, -and their thick _abatis_ of branches, forcing us alternately to go -down on all-fours and creep underneath, or to mount and dismount, like -recruits, on the wooden horse of a cavalry school. - -But to any one loving the woods--and this day I loved not wisely, but -too well--this walk is something to be taken, but not repeated, for fear -of impairing the first and most abiding impressions. One cannot have -such a revelation twice. - -[Illustration: THE PATH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE.] - -I recall no mountain-path that is so richly diversified with all -the wildest forms of mountain beauty. At first our progress through -primitive groves of pine, hemlock, and birch was impeded by nothing more -remarkable than the giant trees stretching interminably, rank upon rank, -tier upon tier. But these woods, these countless gray and black and -white trunks, and outspread framework of branches, supported a canopy -of thick foliage, filled with voices innumerable. Something stirred in -the top of a lofty pine; and then, like an alguazil on a watch-tower, a -crow, apparent sentinel of all the feathered colony, rose clumsily on -his talons, flapped two sable wings, and thrice hoarsely challenged, -"Caw! caw! caw!" What clamor, what a liliputian Babel ensued! Our ears -fairly tingled with the calls, outcries, and objurgations apparently -flung down at us by the multitudinous population overhead. Hark to the -woodpecker's rat-tat-tat, the partridge's muffled drum! List to the -bugle of the wood-thrush, sweet and clear! Now sounds the cat-bird's -shrill alarm, the owl's hoot of indignant surprise. Then the squirrels, -those little monkeys of our northern woods, grated their teeth sharply -at us, and let fall nuts on our heads as we passed underneath. Never -were visitors more unwelcome. - -Before long we came to a brook, then to another. Their foaming waters -shot past like a herd of wild horses. These we crossed. We now began to -thread a region where the forest was more open. The moss we trampled -underfoot, and which here replaces the grass of the valleys, was beating -the tallest trees in the race for the mountain-top. It was the old story -of the tortoise and the hare over again. But this moss: have you ever -looked at it before your heel bruised the perfumed flowers springing -from its velvet? Here are tufts exquisitely decorated with coral -lichens; here the violet and anemone nestle lovingly together; here it -creeps up the gray trunks, or hides the bare roots of old trees. Tread -softly! This is the abode of elves and fairies. Step lightly! you expect -to hear the crushed flowers cry out with pain. - -These enchanting spots, where stones are couches and trees canopies, -tempted us to sit down on a cushioned bowlder, or throw ourselves -upon the thick carpet into which we sunk ankle-deep at every step. -Even the bald, gray rocks were tapestried with mosses, lichens, and -vines. All around, under the thick shade, hundreds of enormous trees -lay rotting; yet exquisitely the prostrate trunks were overspread with -robes of softest green, effectually concealing the repulsiveness, the -suggestions of decay. Now and then the dead tree rose into new life -through the sturdy roots of a young fir, or luxuriant, plumed ferns -growing in its bark. This inexpressible fecundity, in the midst of -inexpressible wastefulness, declared that for Nature there is no such -thing as death. And they tell us the day of miracles has passed! Upon -this dream of elf-land the cool morning light fell in oblique streams -through the tree-trunks, as through grated windows, filling all the wood -with a subdued twilight glimmer, leaving a portion of its own gleams -on the moss-grown rocks, while the trees stretched their black shadows -luxuriously along the thick-piled sward, like weary soldiers in a -bivouac. - -We proceeded thus from chamber to chamber, and from cloister to -cloister, at times descending some spur of the mountain into a -deep-shaded dell, and again climbing a swift and miry slope to better -ground, until we crossed the stream coming from the high spur spoken of. -From here the ground rapidly rose for half a mile more, when we suddenly -came out of the low firs full upon the Lion's Head crag, rising above -Hermit Lake, and visible from the vicinity of the Glen House. To be thus -unexpectedly confronted by this wall of imperishable rock stirs one very -deeply. For the moment it dominates _us_, even as it does the little -tarn so unconsciously slumbering at its feet. It is horribly mutilated -and defaced. Its sides are thickly sowed with stunted trees, that bury -their roots in its cracks and rents with a gripe of iron. In effect it -is the barbican of the great ravine. Crouched underneath, by the shore -of the lake, is a matted forest of firs and spruces, dwindled to half -their usual size, grizzled with long lichens, and occupying, as if by -stealth, the debatable ground between life and death. It is, in fact, -more dead than alive. Deeply sunk beneath is the lake. - -Hermit Lake--a little pool nestling underneath a precipice--demands a -word. Its solitary state, its waters green and profound, and the thick -shades by which it was covered, seemed strangely at variance with the -intense activity of the foaming torrents we had seen, and could still -hear rushing down the mountain. It was too small for a lake, or else it -was dwarfed by the immense mass of overshadowing rock towering above it, -whose reflected light streamed across its still and glossy surface. Here -we bid farewell to the forest. - -We had now gained a commanding post of observation, though there was -yet rough work to do. We saw the whole magnificent sweep of the ravine, -to where it terminates in a semicircle of stupendous cliffs that seem -hewn perpendicularly a thousand feet down. Lying against the western -wall we distinguished patches of snow; but they appeared of trifling -extent. Great wooded mountain slopes stretched away from the depths -of the gorge on either side, making the iron lineaments of the giant -cliffs seem harder by their own softness and delicacy. Here and there -these exquisite draperies were torn in long rents by land-slips. In the -west arose the shattered peak of Monroe--a mass of splintered granite, -conspicuous at every point for its irreclaimable deformity. It seemed -as if the huge open maw of the ravine might swallow up this peak with -ease. There was a Dantesque grandeur and solemnity everywhere. With our -backs against the trees, we watched the bellying sails of a stray cloud -which intercepted in its aerial voyage our view of the great summit; -but it soon floated away, discovering the whitish-gray ledges to the -very capstone of the dome itself. Looking down and over the thick woods -beyond, we met again the burly Carter Mountains, pushed backward from -the Pinkham Notch, and kept back by an invisible yet colossal strength. - -[Illustration: HERMIT LAKE.] - -From Hermit Lake the only practicable way was by clambering up the bed -of the mountain brook that falls through the ravine. The whole expanse -that stretched on either side was a chaos of shattered granite, pitched -about in awful confusion. Path there was none. No matter what way we -turned, "no thoroughfare" was carved in stolid stone. We tried to force -a passage through the stunted cedars that are mistaken at a mile for -greensward, but were beaten back, torn and bleeding, to the brook. We -then turned to the great bowlders, to be equally buffeted and abused, -and finally repulsed upon the brook, which seemed all the while mocking -our efforts. Once, while forcing a route, inch by inch, through the -scrub, I was held suspended over a deep crevice, by my belt, until -extricated by my comrade. At another time he disappeared to the armpits -in a hole, from which I drew him like a blade from a scabbard. At this -moment we found ourselves unable either to advance or retreat. The dwarf -trees squeezed us like a vise. Who would have thought there was so much -life in them? At our wits' end, we looked at our bleeding hands, then at -each other. The brook was the only clew to such a labyrinth, and to it, -as from Scylla to Charybdis, we turned as soon as we recovered breath. -But to reach it was no easy matter; we had literally to cut our way out -of the jungle. - -When we were there, and had rested awhile from the previous severe -exertions, my companion, alternately mopping his forehead and feeling -his bruises, looked up with a quizzical expression, and ejaculated, -"Faith, I am almost as glad to get out of this wilderness as the other! -In any case," he gayly added, "I have lost the most blood here; while in -Virginia I did not receive a scratch." - -After this rude initiation into the mysteries of the ravine, we advanced -directly up the bed of the brook. But the brook is for half a mile -nothing but a succession of leaps and plunges, its course choked with -bowlders. We however toiled on, from rock to rock, first boosting, then -hoisting each other up; one moment splashing in a pool, the next halting -in dismay under a cascade, which we must either mount like a chamois or -ascend like a trout. The climber here tastes the full enjoyment of an -encounter with untamed nature, which calls every thew and sinew into -action. At length the stream grew narrower, suddenly divided, and we -stood at the mouth of the Snow Arch, confronted by the vertical upper -wall of the ravine. - -We stood in an arena "more majestic than the circus of a Titus or a -Vespasian." The scene was one of awful desolation. A little way below -us the gorge was heaped with the ruins of some unrecorded convulsion, -by which the precipice had been cloven from base to summit, and the -enormous fragments heaved into the chasm with a force the imagination -is powerless to conceive. In the interstices among these blocks -rose thickets of dwarf cedars, as stiff and unyielding as the livid -rock itself. It was truly an arena which might have witnessed the -gladiatorial combats of immortals. - -We did not at first look at the Snow Arch. The eye was irresistibly -fascinated by the tremendous mass of the precipice above. From top to -bottom its tawny front was covered with countless little streams, that -clung to its polished wall without once quitting their hold. They twined -and twisted in their downward course, like a brood of young serpents -escaping from their lair; nor could I banish the idea of the ghastly -head of a Gorgon clothed with tresses of serpents. A poetic imagination -has named this tangled knot of mountain rills, "The fall of a thousand -streams." At the foot of the cliff the scattered waters unite, before -entering the Snow Arch, in a single stream. Turning now to the right, -the narrowing gorge, ascending by a steep slope as high as the upper -edge of the precipice, points out the only practicable way to the summit -of Mount Washington in this direction. But we have had enough of such -climbing, for one day, at least. - -Partial recovery from the stupefaction which seizes and holds one fast -is doubtless signalized in every case by an effort to account for the -overwhelming disaster of which these ruins are the mute yet speaking -evidence. We need go no farther in the search than the innocent-looking -little rills, first dripping from the Alpine mosses, then percolating -through the rocks of the high plateau, and falling over its edge in a -thousand streams. Puny as they look, before their inroads the plateau -line has doubtless receded, like the great wall of rock over which -Niagara pours the waters of four seas. With their combined forces--how -long ago cannot be guessed; and what, indeed, does it signify?--knitted -together by frost into Herculean strength, they assailed the granite -cliffs that were older than the sun, older than the moon or the stars, -mined and countermined year by year, inch by inch, drop by drop, -until--honey-combed, riddled, and pierced to its centre, and all was -ready for its final overthrow--winter gave the signal. In a twinkling, -yielding to the stroke, and shattered into a thousand fragments, -the cliffs laid their haughty heads low in the dust. Afterward the -accumulated waters tranquilly continued the process of demolition, and -of removing the soil from the deep excavation they had made, until -the floor of the ravine had sunk to its present level. In California -a man with a hose washes away mountains to get at the gold deposits. -This principle of hydraulic force is borrowed, pure and simple, from a -mountain cataract. - -[Illustration: SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE.] - -Osgood, the experienced guide, who had visited the ravine oftener -than anybody else, assured me that never within his remembrance had -this forgotten forgement of winter, the Snow Arch, been seen to such -advantage. We estimated its width at above two hundred feet, where it -threw a solid bridge of ice over the stream, and not far from three -hundred in its greatest length, where it lay along the slope of the -gorge. Summer and winter met on this neutral ground. Entering the Arch -was joining January and July with a step. Flowers blossomed at the -threshold. We caught water, as it dripped ice-cold from the roof, and -pledged Old Winter in his own cellarage. The brook foamed at our feet. -Looking up, there was a pretty picture of a tiny water-fall pouring in -at the upper end and out at the ragged portal of the grotto. But I think -we were most charmed with the remarkable sculpture of the roof, which -was a groined arch fashioned as featly as was ever done by human hands. -What the stream had begun in secret the warm vapors had chiselled with -a bolder hand, but not altered. As it was formed, so it remained--a -veritable chapel of the hills, the brook droning its low, monotonous -chant, and the dripping roof tinkling its refrain unceasingly. If the -interior of the great ravine impressed us as the hidden receptacle of -all waste matter, this lustrous heap of snow, so insignificant in its -relation to the immensity of the chasm that we scarcely looked at it at -first, now chased away the feeling of mingled terror and aversion--of -having stolen unawares into the one forbidden chamber--and possessed us -with a sense of the beautiful, which remained long after its glittering -particles had melted into the stream that flowed beneath. So under a -cold exterior is nourished the principle of undying love, which the aged -mountain gives that earth may forever renew her fairest youth. - -The presence of this miniature glacier is a very simple matter. The -fierce winds of winter which sweep over the plateau whirl the snows -before them, over its crest, into the ravine, where they are lodged at -the foot of the precipice, and accumulate to a great depth. As soon as -released by spring, the little streams, falling down this wall, seek -their old channels, and, being warmer, succeed in forcing a passage -through the ice. By the end of August the ice usually disappears, though -it sometimes remains even later. - -After picking up some fine specimens of quartz, sparkling with mica, and -uttering a parting malediction on the black flies that tormented us, we -took our way down and out of the ravine, following the general course of -the stream along its steep valley, and, after an uneventful march of two -hours, reached the upper waters of the Crystal Cascade. - - - - -VI. - -_IN AND ABOUT GORHAM._ - - That lonely dwelling stood among the hills - By a gray mountain stream. - --SOUTHEY. - - -After the events described in the last chapter, I continued, like the -navigator of unknown coasts, my tour of the great range. Half a mile -below the Glen House, the Great Gulf discharges from its black throat -the little river rising on the plateau at its head. The head of this -stupendous abyss is a mountain, and mountains wall it in. Its depths -remain unexplored except by an occasional angler or trapper. - -Two and a half miles farther on a road diverges to the left, crosses the -Peabody by a bridge, and stretches on over a depression of the range -to Randolph, where it intersects the great route from Lancaster and -Jefferson to Gorham. Over the river, snugly ensconced at the foot of -Mount Madison, is the old Copp place. Commanding, as it does, a noble -prospect up and down the valley, and of all the great peaks except -Washington, its situation is most inviting; more than this, the picture -of the weather-stained farm-house nestling among these sleeping giants -revives in fullest vigor our preconceived idea of life in the mountains, -already shaken by the balls, routs, and grand toilets of the hotels. -The house, as we see by Mistress Dolly Copp's register, has been known -to many generations of tourists. The Copps have lived here about half a -century. - -Travellers going up or down, between the Glen House and Gorham, usually -make a dtour as far as Copp's, in order to view the Imp to better -advantage than can be done from the road. Among these travellers some -have now and then knocked at the door and demanded to see the Imp. The -hired girl invariably requests them to wait until she can call the -mistress. - -[Illustration: THE IMP.] - -Directly opposite the farm-house the inclined ridge of Imp Mountain -is broken down perpendicularly some two hundred feet, leaving a -jagged cliff, resembling an immense step, facing up the valley. This -is a mountain of the Carter chain, sloping gradually toward the Glen -House. Upon this cliff, or this step, is the distorted human profile -which gives the mountain its name. A strong, clear light behind it -is necessary to bring out all the features, the mouth especially, in -bold relief against the sky, when the expression is certainly almost -diabolical. One imagines that some goblin, imprisoned for ages within -the mountain, and suddenly liberated by an earthquake, exhibits its -hideous countenance, still wearing the same look it wore at the moment -it was entombed in its mask of granite. The forenoon is the best time, -and the road, a few rods back from the house, the best point from which -to see it. The coal-black face is then in shadow. - -The Copp farm-house has a tale of its own, illustrating in a remarkable -manner the amount of physical hardship that long training, and -familiarity with rough out-of-door life, will occasionally enable -men to endure. Seeing two men in the door-yard, I sat down on the -chopping-block, and entered into conversation with them. - -By the time I had taken out my note-book I had all the members of the -household and all the inmates of the barn-yard around me. I might -add that all were talking at once. The matron stood in the door-way, -which her ample figure quite filled, trifling with the beads of a gold -necklace. A younger face stared out over her shoulder; while an old man, -whose countenance had hardened into a vacant smile, and one of forty -or thereabouts, alternately passed my glass one to the other, with an -astonishment similar to that displayed by Friday when he first looked -through Crusoe's telescope. - -"Which of you is named Nathaniel Copp?" I asked, after they had -satisfied their curiosity. - -"That is my name," the younger very deliberately responded. "Really," -thought I, "there is little enough of the conventional hero in that -face;" therefore I again asked, "Are you the same Nathaniel Copp who was -lost while hunting in the mountains, let me see, about twenty-five years -ago?" - -"Yes; but I wasn't lost after I got down to Wild River," he hastily -rejoined, like a man who has a reputation to defend. - -"Tell me about it, will you?" - -I take from my note-book the following relation of the exploit of this -mountain Nimrod, as I received it on the spot. But I had literally to -draw it out of him, a syllable at a time. - -On the last day of January, 1855, Nathaniel Copp, son of Hayes D. Copp, -of Pinkham's Grant, near the Glen House, set out from home on a deer -hunt, and was out four successive days. On the fifth day he again left -to look for a deer killed the previous day, about eight miles from home. -Having found it, he dragged the carcass (weighing two hundred and thirty -pounds) home through the snow, and at one o'clock P.M. started -for another he had tracked near the place where the former was killed, -which he followed until he lost the track, at dark. He then found that -he had lost his own way, and should, in all probability, be obliged to -spend the night in the woods, with the temperature ranging from 32 to -35 below zero. - -Knowing that to remain quiet was certain death, and having nothing with -which to light a fire, the hunter began walking for his life. The moon -shone out bright and clear, making the cold seem even more intense. -While revolving in his mind his unpleasant predicament he heard a deer -bleat. He gave chase, and easily overtook it. The snow was too deep for -the animal to escape from a hunter on snow-shoes. Copp leaped upon his -back, and despatched him with his hunting-knife. He then dressed him, -and, taking out the heart, put it in his pocket, not for a trophy, but, -as he told me, to keep starvation at arm's-length. The excitement of the -chase made him forget cold until he perceived himself growing benumbed. -Rousing himself, he again pushed on, whither he knew not, but spurred -by the instinct of self-preservation. Daylight found him still striding -on, with no clew to a way out of the thick woods, which imprisoned him -on every side. At length, at ten in the morning, he came out at or near -Wild River, in Gilead, forty miles from home, having walked twenty one -consecutive hours without rest or food, the greater part of the time -through a tangled growth of underbrush. - -His friends at home becoming alarmed at his prolonged absence during -such freezing weather, three of them, Hayes D. Copp, his father, John -Goulding, and Thomas Culhane, started in search of him. They followed -his track until it was lost in the darkness, and, by the aid of their -dog, found the deer which young Copp had killed and dressed. They again -started on the trail, but with the faintest hope of ever finding the -lost man alive, and, after being out twenty-six hours in the extreme -cold, found the object of their search. - -No words can do justice to the heroic self-denial and fortitude with -which these men continued an almost hopeless search, when every moment -expecting to find the stiffened corpse of their friend. Goulding froze -both feet; the others their ears. - -When found, young Copp did not seem to realize in the least the great -danger through which he had passed, and talked with perfect unconcern -of hunts that he had planned for the next week. One of his feet was so -badly frozen, from the effect of too tightly lacing his snow-shoe, that -the toes had to be amputated. - -Until reaching the bridge, within two miles of Gorham, I saw no one, -heard nothing except the strokes of an axe, borne on the still air from -some logging-camp, twittering birds, or chattering river. Ascending the -hill above the bridge, I took my last look back at Mount Washington, -over whose head rose-tinted clouds hung in graceful folds. The summit -was beautifully distinct. The bases of all the mountains were floating -in that delicious blue haze, enrapturing to the artist, exasperating -to the climber. Turning to my route, I had before me the village of -Gorham, with the long slopes of Mount Hayes meeting in a regular pyramid -behind it. Against the dusky wall of the mountain one white spire stood -out clean and sharp. At my right, along the river, was a cluster of -saw-mills, sheds, and shanties; beyond, an irregular line of forest -concealing the town--all except the steeple; beyond that the mountain. -As I entered the village, the shrill scream of a locomotive pierced the -still air, and, like the horn of Ernani, broke my dream of forgetfulness -with its fatal blast. Adieu, dreams of delusion! we are once more -manacled with the city. - -I loitered along the river road, hoping, as the sky was clear, to see -the sun go down on the great summits. Nor was I disappointed. As I -walked on, Madison, the superb, gradually drew out of the Peabody Glen, -and soon Washington came into line over the ridge of Moriah, whose -highest precipices were kindled with a ruddy glow, while a wonderful -white light rested, like a halo, on the brow of the monarch. Of a -sudden, the crest of Moriah paled, then grew dark; night rose from the -black glen, twilight descended from the dusky heavens. For an instant -the humps of Clay reddened in the afterglow. Then the light went out, -and I saw only the towering forms of the giant mountains dimly traced -upon the sky. A star fell. At this signal the great dome sparkled with -myriad lights. Night had ascended her mountain throne. - -Gorham is situated on the Grand Trunk Railway, between Paris and Berlin, -with Milan just beyond--names a trifle ambitious for villages with -the bark on, but conferring distinction upon half a hundred otherwise -obscure villages scattered from Maine to California. - -Gorham is also situated in one of those natural parks, called -intervales, in an amphitheatre of hills, through which the Androscoggin -flows with a strong, steady tide. The left bank is appropriated by Mount -Hayes, the right by the village--a suspension bridge giving access from -one to the other. This mountain rises abruptly from the river to a broad -summit-plateau, from which a wide and brilliant prospect rewards the -climber. The central portion of Gorham is getting to be much too busy -for that rest and quietude which is so greatly desired by a large class -of travellers to the mountains, but, on the other hand, its position -with respect to the highest summits is more advantageous than that of -any other town lying on the skirts of the mountains, and accessible by -railway. In one hour the tourist can be at the Glen House, in three -on the summit of Mount Washington. Being at the very end of the great -chain, in the angle where its last elevation abuts on the Androscoggin, -the valley conducting around the northerly side of the great eminences, -through the settlements of Randolph and Jefferson, furnishes another and -a charming avenue of travel into the region watered by the Connecticut. -As the great tide of travel flows in from the west and south, Gorham -has profited little by the extension of railways furnishing more direct -communication with the heart of the mountains. - -Mount Hayes is the guardian of the village, erecting its rocky rampart -over it, like the precipices of Cape Diamond over Quebec. The hill in -front is called Pine Mountain, though it is only a mountain by brevet. -The tip of the peak of Madison peers down into the village over this -hill. I plainly saw the snow up there from my window. To the left, and -over the low slope of Pine Mountain, rise the Carter summits, which here -make a remarkably imposing background to the picture, and in conjunction -with the great range form the basin of the Peabody. I saw this stream, -making its final exit from the mountains, throw itself exhausted with -its rapid course into the Androscoggin, half a mile below the hotel. -North-west of the village street, drawn up in line across the valley, -extend the Pilot peaks. - -The Carter group is said to have been named after a hunter. According -to Farmer, the Pilot Mountains were so called from a dog. Willard, a -hunter, had been lost two or three days on these mountains, on the east -side of which his camp was situated. Every day he observed that Pilot, -his dog, regularly left him, as he supposed in search of game; but -toward nightfall would as regularly return to his master. This at length -excited the attention of the hunter, who, when nearly exhausted with -fatigue and hunger, decided to commit himself to the guidance of Pilot, -and in a short time was conducted by the intelligent animal in safety to -his camp. - -My first morning at Gorham was a beautiful one, and I prepared to -improve it to the utmost by a walk around the northern base of Madison, -neither knowing nor caring whither it might lead me. Spring was in -her most enchanting mood. A few steps, and I was amid the marvels of -a new creation, the tasselled birches, the downy willows, the oaks in -gosling-gray. Even the gnarled and withered apple-trees gave promise of -blossoming, and the young ferns, pushing aside the dead leaves, came -forth with their tiny fists doubled for the battle of life. Why did not -Nature so order it that mankind might rest like the trees, or shall we, -like them, come forth at last strong, vigorous, beautiful, from that -long refreshing slumber? - -Leaving the village, at the end of a mile and a half I took the road -turning to the left, where Moose River falls into the Androscoggin, at -the point where the latter, making a remarkable bend, turns sharply away -to the north. Moose River is a true mountain stream, clear and limpid, -foaming along a bed of sand and pebbles. - -From this spot the whole extent of the Pilot range was unrolled at my -right, while at the left, majestic among the lower hills, Madison and -Adams were massed in one grand pyramid. The snows glistening on the -summits seemed trophies torn from winter. - -About a mile from the turning, at Lary's, I found the best station for -viewing the statuesque proportions of Madison. The foreground a swift -mountain stream, white as the snows where it takes its rise. Beyond, -a strip of meadow land, covered with young birches and poplars, just -showing their tender, trembling foliage. Among these are scattered -large, dead trees, relics of the primeval forest; the middle ground -a young forest, showing in its dainty wicker-work of branchlets that -beady appearance which belongs to spring alone, and is so exquisitely -beautiful. Above this ascends, mile upon mile, the enormous bulk of -the mountain, ashen-gray at the summit, dusky olive-green below. Stark -precipices, hedged about with blasted pines, and seamed with snow, -capped the great pile. Over this a pale azure, deepening in intensity -toward the zenith, unrolled its magnificent drapery. - -After the ascent of Mount Hayes, which Mr. King has fittingly described -as "the chair set by the Creator at the proper distance and angle to -appreciate and enjoy" the kingly prominence of Mount Washington, the -two things best worth seeing in the neighborhood are the falls of the -Androscoggin at Berlin, and the beautiful view of the loftiest of the -White Mountain peaks from what is called here the Lead Mine Bridge. To -get to the falls you must ascend the river, and to obtain the view you -must descend a few miles. I consecrated a day to this excursion. - -With a head already filled with the noise of half a hundred mountain -torrents, water-falls, or cascades, I set out after breakfast for -Berlin Falls, feeling that the passage of a body of water such as the -Androscoggin is at Gorham, through a narrow gorge, must be something -different from the common. - -A word about Berlin. Its situation is far more picturesque than that of -Gorham. There is the same environment of mountains, and, in addition to -the falls, a magnificent view of Madison, Adams, Jefferson, and of the -Carter range. The precipices of Mount Forist, which overhang railway and -village, are noticeable among a thousand. Here Dead River falls into the -Androscoggin, and here the Grand Trunk Railway, taking leave of this -river, turns to the north-west, crosses over to the Upper Ammonoosuc, -twists and twines along: with it among the northern mountains, and at -last emerges upon the level meadows of the Connecticut. - -Berlin has another aspect. Lumber is its business; lumber its staple of -conversation; people go to bed to dream of lumber. In a word, lumber is -everywhere. The lumberman admires a tree in his way quite as much as you -or I. No eye like his to estimate its height, its girth, its thickness. -But as ships to Shylock, so trees to him are naught but boards--so many -feet. So that there is something almost ferocious in the lumberman's or -mill-owner's admiration for the forest; something almost startling in -the idea that this out-of-the-way corner is devouring the forests at the -rate of twenty car-loads a day. In plain language, this village cuts up -a good-sized grove every day, and rejoices over it with a new house or a -new barn. - -At the risk of being classed with the sentimental and the unpractical, -every one who is alive to the consequences of converting our forests -into deserts, or worse than deserts, should raise a voice of warning -against this wholesale destruction. The consequences may be remote, -but they are certain. For the most part, the travelled routes have -long since been stripped of their valuable timber trees. Now the mills -are fast eating their way into the hitherto inaccessible regions, -leaving a track of desolation behind wherever they go, like that of a -destroying army. What cannot be carried away is burnt. Fires are seen -blazing by the side of every saw-mill, in which all the waste material -is carefully consumed. A trifle? Enough is consumed every year in this -way to furnish the great city of New York with its fuel. I speak with -moderation. Not a village but has its saw-mills; while at Whitefield, -Bethlehem, Livermore, Low, and Burbank's Grant, and many other -localities, the havoc is frightful. Forest fires, originating chiefly in -the logging-camps, annually desolate leagues of forest land. How long is -this to continue? - -The mountain labors incessantly to re-create, but what can it do against -such fearful odds? and what shall we do when it can no longer furnish -pine to build our homes, or wood to warm them? Delve deeper and deeper -under the Alleghanies? In about two hundred and fifty years the noble -forests, which set the early discoverers wild with enthusiasm, have -been steadily driven farther and farther back into the interior, until -"the forest primeval" exists not nearer than a hundred miles inland. -Then the great northern wilderness began at the sea-coast. It is now -in the vicinity of Lake Umbagog. Still the warfare goes on. I do not -call occasional bunches of wood forests. All this means less and less -moisture; consequently, more and more drought. The tree draws the -cloud from heaven, and bestows it on the earth. The summer of 1880 was -one of almost unexampled dryness. Large rivers dwindled to pitiful -rivulets, brooks were dried up, and the beautiful cascades in many -instances wholly disappeared. The State is powerless to interfere. Not -so individuals, or combinations of individuals for the preservation of -such tracts of woodland as the noble Cathedral woods of North Conway. In -the West a man who plants a tree is a public benefactor; is he who saves -the life of one in the East less so? America, says Berthold Auerbach, is -no longer "the Promised Land for the Old World;" if she does not protect -her woods, she will become "waste and dry," like the Promised Land of -the ancients--Palestine itself. Look on this picture of Michelet: - -"On the shores of the Caspian, for three or four hundred leagues, -one sees nothing, one encounters nothing, but midway an isolated and -solitary tree. It is the love and worship of every passing wayfarer. -Each one offers it something; and the very Tartar, in default of every -other gift, will snatch a hair from his beard or his horse's mane." - -The season when the great movement of lumber from the northern -wilderness to the sea begins is one of great activity. The logs are -floated down the Androscoggin from Lake Umbagog with the spring -freshets, when those destined to go farther are "driven," as the -lumbermen's phrase is, over the falls and through the rapids here, to -be picked up below. It may well be believed that the passage of the -falls by a "drive" is a sight worth witnessing. Sometimes the logs -get so tightly jammed in the narrow gorge of the river that it seems -impossible to extricate them; but the dam they form causes the river -to rise behind it, when the accumulated and pent-up waters force their -way through the obstruction, tossing huge logs in the air as if they -were straws. A squad of lumbermen--tough, muscular, handy fellows they -are--accompanies each drive, just as _vaqueros_ do a Texan herd; and -the herd of logs, like the herd of cattle, is branded with the owner's -mark. After making the drive of the falls, the men move down below them, -where they find active and, so far as appearance goes, dangerous work in -disentangling the snarls of logs caught among the rocks of the rapids. -Against a current no ordinary boat could stem for a moment; they dart -hither and thither in their light bateaux, as the herdsman does on his -active little mustang. If a log grounds in the midst of the rapids, the -bateaux dashes toward it. One river-driver jumps upon it, and holds the -boat fast, while another grapples it with a powerful lever called a -cant-dog. In a moment the log rolls off the rocks with a loud splash, -and is hurried away by the rapid tide. - -During the drive the lumberman is almost always wet to the skin, day -in and day out. When a raft of logs is first started in the spring the -men suffer from the exposure; but after a little time the work seems -to toughen and harden them, so that they do not in the least mind the -amphibious life they are forced to lead. Rain or shine, they get to -their work at five in the morning, leaving it only when it is too dark -to see longer. Each squad--for the whole force is divided into what may -be called skirmishers, advanced-guards, main body, and rear-guard, each -having its appointed work to perform--then repairs to its camp, which is -generally a tent pitched near the river, where the cook is waiting for -their arrival with a hot supper of fried doughnuts and baked beans--the -lumberman's diet of preference. They pass the evening playing euchre, -telling stories, or relating the experiences of the day, and are as -simple, hearty, happy-go-lucky fellows as can be found in the wide world. - -To say that the Berlin Falls begin two miles below the village is no -more than the truth, since at this distance the river was sheeted in -foam from shore to shore. For these two miles its bed is so thickly sown -with rocks that it is like a river stretched on the rack. The whole -river, every drop of it, is hemmed in by enormous masses of granite, -forming a long, narrow, and rocky gorge, down which it bursts in one mad -plunge, tossing and roaring like the Maelstrom. What fury! What force! -The solid earth shakes, and the very air trembles. It is a saturnalia. A -whirlwind of passion, swift, uncontrollable, and terrible. - -The best situation I could find was upon a jutting ledge below the -little foot-bridge thrown from rock to rock. Several turns in the long -course of the cataract prevent its whole extent being seen all at once; -but it starts up hither and thither among the rocks, boiling with rage -at being so continually hindered in its free course, until, at last, -madness seizes it, and, flying straight at the throat of the gorge, -it goes down in one long white wave, overwhelming everything in its -way. It reaches the foot of the rocks in fleeces, darts wildly hither -and thither, shakes off the grasp of concealed rocks, and, racing on, -stretches itself on its wide and shallow bed, uttering a tremulous wail. - -From the village at the falls, and from Berlin Mills, are elevations -from which the great White Mountains are grandly conspicuous. The view -is similar to that much extolled one from Milan, the town next to -Berlin. Here the three great mountains, closed in mass, display a triple -crown of peaks, Washington being thrown back to the left, and behind -Madison, with Adams on his right. Best of all is the blended effect of -early morning, or of the afterglow, when a few light clouds sail along -the crimson sky, and their shadows play hide-and-seek on the mountain -sides. - -In the afternoon, while walking down the road to Shelburne, I met an -apparently honest farmer, with whom I held some discourse. He was -curious about the great city he had known half a century before, when -it was in swaddling clothes; I about the mountains above and around us, -that had never known change since the world began. An amiable contest -ensued, in which each tried to lead the other to talk of the topic most -interesting to himself. The husbandman grew eloquent upon his native -State and its great man. "But what," I insisted, "do you think of your -greatest mountain there?" pointing to the splendid peak. - -"Oh, drat the mountains! I never look at 'em. Ask the old woman." - -Some enticing views may be had from the Shelburne intervales, embracing -Madison on the right, and Washington on the left. It is, therefore, -permitted to steal an occasional look back until we reach the Lead Mine -Bridge, and stand over the middle of the flashing Androscoggin. - -The dimpled river, broad here, and showing tufts of foliage on its satin -surface, recedes between wooded banks to the middle distance, where it -disappears. Swaying to and fro, without noise, the lithe and slender -willows on the margin continually dipped their budding twigs in the -stream, as if to show its clear transparency, while letting fall, drop -by drop, its crystal globules. They gently nodded their green heads, -keeping time to the low music of the river. - -[Illustration: THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE.] - -Beyond the river, over gently meeting slopes of the valley, two -magnificent shapes, Washington and Madison, rose grandly. Those truly -regal summits still wore their winter ermine. They were drawn so widely -apart as to show the familiar peaks of Mount Clay protruding between -them. It is hardly possible to imagine a more beautiful picture of -mountain scenery. Noble river, hoary summits, blanched precipices, over -whose haggard visages a little color was beginning to steal, eloquently -appealed to every perception of the beautiful and the sublime. Much as -the view from this point is extolled, it can hardly be over-praised. -True, it exhibits the same objects that we see from Berlin and Milan; -but the order of arrangement is not only reversed, but so altered as to -render any comparison impossible. In this connection it may be remarked -that a short removal usually changes the whole character of a mountain -landscape. No two are precisely alike. - -The annals of Shelburne, which originally included Gorham within its -limits, are sufficiently meagre; but they furnish the same story -of struggle with hardship--often with danger--common to the early -settlements in this region. Shelburne was settled, just before the -breaking out of the Revolution, by a handful of adventurous pioneers, -who were attacked in 1781 by a prowling band of hostile Indians. This -incursion is memorable as one of the last recorded in the long series -going back into the first decade of the New England colonies. It was -one of the boldest. The histories place the number of Indians at only -six. After visiting Bethel, where they captured three white men, and -Gilead, where they killed another, they entered Shelburne. Here they -killed and scalped Peter Poor, and took a negro prisoner. Such was the -terror inspired by this audacious onset, that the inhabitants, making no -defence, fled, panic-struck, to Hark Hill, where they passed the night, -leaving the savages to plunder the village at their leisure. The next -day the refugees continued their flight, stopping only when they reached -Fryeburg, fifty-nine miles from the scene of disaster. - -Before taking leave of the Androscoggin Valley, which is an opulent -picture-gallery, and where at every step one finds himself arrested -before some masterpiece of Nature, the traveller is strongly advised to -continue his journey to Bethel, the town next below Shelburne. Bethel -is one of the loveliest and dreamiest of mountain nooks. Its expanses -of rich verdure, its little steeple, emerging from groves of elm-trees, -its rustic bridge spanning the tireless river, its air of lethargy and -indolence, captivate eye and mind; and to eyes tired with the hardness -and glare of near mountains, the distant peaks become points of welcome -repose. - - - - -VII. - -_ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD._ - - Where the huge mountain rears his brow sublime, - On which no neighboring height its shadow flings, - Led by desire intense the steep I climb. - PETRARCH. - - -The first days of May, 1877, found me again at the Glen House, prepared -to put in immediate execution the long-deferred purpose of ascending -Mount Washington in the balmy days of spring. Before separating for the -night, my young Jehu, who drove me from Gorham in an hour, said, with a -grin, - -"So you are going where they cut their butter with a chisel, and their -meat with a hand-saw?" - -"What do you mean?" - -"Oh, you will learn to-morrow." - -"Till to-morrow, then." - -"Good-night." - -"Good-night." - -At six in the morning, while the stars were yet twinkling, I stood in -the road in front of the Glen House. Everything announced a beautiful -day. The rising sun crimsoned, first, the dun wall of Tuckerman's -Ravine, then the high summits, and then flowed down their brawny -flanks--his first salutation being to the monarch. In ten minutes I was -alone in the forest with the squirrels, the partridges, the woodpeckers, -and my own thoughts. - -As bears are not unfrequently seen at this season of the year, I kept my -eyes about me. One of the old drivers related to me that one morning, -while going up this road with a heavy load of passengers, his horses -suddenly stopped, showing most unmistakable signs of terror. The place -was a dangerous one, where the road had been wholly excavated from -the steep side of the mountain, so, keeping one eye upon his fractious -team, he threw quick glances right and left with the other; while the -passengers, alarmed by the sudden stop, the driver's shouts to his -animals, and the still more alarming backward movement of the coach, -thrust their heads out of the windows, and with white faces demanded -what was the matter. - -"By thunder!" ejaculated Jehu, "there was my leaders all in a lather, -an' backin' almost atop of the fill-horses, and them passengers -a-shoutin' like lunatics let out on a picnic. 'Look! darn it all,' -sez I, a-pintin' with my whip. My hosses was all in a heap, I tell -ye, rarin' and charging, when a little Harvard student, with his head -sand-papered, sung out, 'All right, Cap, I've chucked your hind wheels;' -and then he made for the leaders' heads. Them college chaps ain't such -darned fools arter all, they ain't." - -"What was it?" - -"A big black bear, all huddled up in a bunch, a-takin' his morning -observation on the scenery from the top of a dead sycamore. You see the -side of the hill was so slantin' steep that he wa'n't more'n tew rod -from the road." - -"What did you do?" - -"Dew?" echoed the driver, laughing--"dew?" he repeated, "why, them crazy -passengers, when they found the bear couldn't get at _them_, just picked -up rocks and hove them at the old cuss. When one hit him a crack, Lord, -how he'd shake his head and growl! But, you see, he couldn't get at 'em, -so they banged away, until Mr. Bruin couldn't stan' it any longer, an' -slid right down the tree as slick as grease, and as mad as Old Nick. It -tickled me most to death to see him a-makin' tooth-picks fly from that -tree." - -"Was that your only encounter with bears?" I asked, willing to draw him -out. - -"Waal, no, not exactly," he replied, chuckling to himself, gleefully, at -some recollection the question revived. "There used to be a tame bear -over to the Alpine House. One night the critter got loose, and we all -cal'lated he'd took to the woods. Anyhow we hunted high and low; but -no bear. Waal, you see, one forenoon our hostler Mike--his real name -was Pat, but there was another Pat came afore him, so we called t'other -Mike--went up in the barn-chamber to pitch some hay down to the hosses." -Here he stopped and began to choke. - -"Well, go on; what has that to do with the bear?" - -"Just you hold your hosses a minnit, stranger. Mike hadn't no sooner -jabbed his pitchfork down, so as to git a big bunch, when it struck -something soft-like, and then, before he knew what ailed him, the -hay-mow riz rite up afore him, with the almightiest growl comin' out -on't was ever heerd in any maynagery this side of Noah's Ark." - -Here the driver broke down utterly, gasping, "Oho! aha! oh Lord! ah! -ha! ha! ha! ha! ho! ho! Mike!" until his breath was quite gone, and the -big tears rolled down his cheeks. Then he heaved a deep sigh, attempted -to go on, but immediately went off in a second hysterical explosion. I -waited for his recovery. - -"Waal," he at length resumed, "the long and short of it was this: that -air bear had buried himself under the hay-mow, and was a-snoozin' it -comfortable and innocent as you please, when Mike prodded him in the -ribs with the pitchfork. The fust any of us knew we saw Mike come -a-flyin' out of the barn-chamber window and the bear arter him. Mike led -him a length. Maybe that Irishman didn't streak it for the house! Bless -you, he never teched the ground arter he struck it! The boys couldn't -do anything for laughing, and Mick was so scart he forgot to yell. That -bear was so hoppin' wild we had to kill him; and if you wanted to make -Mike fightin' mad any time, all you had to do was to ask him to go up in -the barn-chamber and pitch down a bear." - -The first four miles are merely toilsome. It is only when emerging upon -the bare crags above the woods that the wonders of the ascent begin, and -the succession of views, dimly seen through my eyes in this chapter, -challenges the attention at every step. There is one exception. About -a mile up, the road issues upon a jutting spur of the mountain, from -which the summit, with the house on the highest point, is seen in clear -weather. - -Suddenly I came out of the low firs, the scrubby growth of birches, upon -the fear-inspiring desolation of the bared and wintry summit. The high -sun poured down with dazzling brightness upon the white ledges, which, -rising like a wall above the solitary cabin before me, thrust their -jagged edges in the way, as if to forbid farther progress. Out of this -glittering precipice dead trees thrust huge antlers. This formless mass -overhanging the Half-Way House, known as The Ledge, is one of the most -terrific sights of the journey. - -Until clear of the woods, my uneasiness, inspired by the recollection -of the ascent from Crawford's, was extreme; but I now stood, in the -full blaze of an unclouded sun, upon a treeless wilderness of rock, a -gratified spectator of one of the most extraordinary scenes it has ever -fallen to man's lot to witness. But what a frightful silence! Not a -murmur; not a rustling leaf; but all still as death. I was half-afraid. - -At my feet yawned the measureless void of the Great Gulf, torn from the -entrails of the mountain by Titanic hands. Above my head leaped up the -endless pile of granite constituting the dome of Washington. It had now -exchanged its gray cassock for pale green. All around was unutterable -desolation. Crevassed with wide splits, encompassed round by lofty -mountain walls, the gorge was at once fascinating and forbidding, grand -yet terrible. The high-encircling steeps of Clay and Jefferson, Adams -and Madison, enclosing it with one mighty sweep, ascended out of its -depths and stretched along the sky, which seemed receding before their -daring advance. Peering down into the abyss, where the tallest pines -were shrubs and their trunks needles, the earth seemed split to its -centre, and the feet of these mountains rooted in the midst. To confront -such a spectacle unmoved one should be more, or less than human. - -Looking backward over the forest through which I had come, the eye -caught a blur of white and a gleam of blue in the Peabody Glen. The -white was the hotel, the blue the river. Following the vale out to -its entrance upon the Androscoggin meadows, the same swift messenger -ascended Moriah, and, traversing the confederate peaks to the summit of -Mount Carter, stopped short at its journey's end. - -As I slowly mounted the Ledge the same unnatural appearance was -everywhere--the same wreck, same desolation, same discord. The dead -cedars, bleaching all around, looked like an army of gigantic crabs -crawling up the mountain side, which universal ruin overspread, and -which even the soft sunshine rendered more ghastly and more solemn. I -looked eagerly along the road; listened. Not a human being; not a sound. -I was alone upon the mountain. - -[Illustration: MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF.] - -From here I no longer walked upon earth but on air. Respiration became -more and more difficult. Not even a zephyr stirred, while the glare -was painful to eyes already overtaxed in the endeavor to grasp the -full meaning of this most unaccustomed scene. The road, steadily -ascending, showed its zigzags far up the mountain. Now and then a rude -receptacle had been dug, or rather built up, by the road-side, in which -earth to mend the road was stored; and this soil, wholly composed of -disintegrated rock, must be scraped from underneath the ledges, from -crevices, from hollows, and husbanded with care. "As cheap as dirt," -was a saying without significance here. As I neared the summit the -melting snows had, in many places, swept it bare, exposing the naked -ledge; and here earth must be brought up from lower down the mountain. -But the pains bestowed upon it equals the incessant demand for its -preservation, and had I not seen with my own eyes I could scarcely have -believed so excellent a specimen of road-making existed in this desert. - -But how long will the mountain resist the denuding process constantly -going on, and what repair the gradual but certain disintegration of the -peak? It is a monument of human inability to act upon it in any way. -Be it so. The snows, the frosts, the rains, pursue their work none the -less surely. You see in the deep gullies, the avalanches of stones, the -sands of the sea-shore--so many evidences of the forces which, sooner or -later, will accomplish the miracle and remove the mountain. - -From my next halting-place I perceived that I had been traversing a -promontory of the mountain jutting boldly out into the Great Gulf, above -the Half-Way House; and, looking down over the parapet-wall, a mile or -more of the road uncoiled its huge folds, turning hither and thither, -doubling upon itself like a bewildered serpent, and, like the serpent, -always gaining a little on the mountain. This is one of the strangest -sights of this strange journey; but, in order to appreciate it at its -full value, one should be descending by the stage-coach, when the -danger, more apparent than real, is intensified by the swift descent of -the mountain into the gulf below, over which the traveller sees himself -suspended with feelings more poignant than agreeable. The fact that -there has never been a fatal accident upon the carriage-road speaks -volumes for the caution and skill of the drivers; but, as one of the -oldest and most experienced said to me, "There should be no fooling, no -chaffing, and no drinking on that road."[21] - -Continuing to ascend, the road once more took a different direction, -curving around that side of the mountain rising above the Pinkham -forest. This dtour brought the Carter chain upon my left, instead of on -my right. - -Thus far I had encountered little snow, though the rocks were everywhere -crusted with ice; but now a sudden turning brought me full upon an -enormous bank, completely blocking the road, which here skirted the -edge of a high precipice. Had a sentinel suddenly barred my way with -his bayonet, I could not have been more astonished. I was brought to a -dead stand. I looked over the parapet, then at the snow-bank, then at -the mountain. The first look made me shudder, the second thoughtful, the -third gave me a headache. - -At this spot the side of the mountain was only a continuation of the -precipice, bent slightly backward from the perpendicular, and ascending -several hundred feet higher. The snow, extending a hundred feet or more -above, and conforming nearly with the slope of the mountain, filled the -road for thrice that distance. I saw that it was only prevented from -sliding into the valley by the low wall of loose stones at the edge of -the road; but how long would that resist the great pressure upon it? The -snow-bank had already melted at its edges, so that I could crawl some -distance underneath, and hear the drip of water above and below, showing -that it was being steadily undermined. In fact, the whole mass seemed on -the point of precipitating itself over the precipice. I could neither go -around it nor under it; so much was certain. - -What to do? I had only a strong umbrella, the inseparable companion -of my mountain jaunts, and the glacier was as steep as a roof. What -assurance was there that if I ventured upon it the whole sheet, -dislodged by my weight, might not be shot off the mountain side, -carrying me with it to the bottom of the abyss? But while I felt no -desire to add mine to the catalogue of victims already claimed by the -mountain, the idea of being turned back was inadmissible. Native -caution put the question, "Will you?" and native persistency answered, -"I will." - -When a thing is to be done, the best way is to do it. I therefore tried -the snow, and, finding a solid foothold, resolved to venture; had it -been soft, I should not have dared. Using my umbrella as an alpenstock, -I crossed on the parapet, where the declivity was the least, and without -accident, but slowly and breathlessly, until near the opposite side, -when I passed the intervening space in two bounds, alighting in the road -with the blood tingling to my fingers' ends. - -A sharp turn around a ledge, and the south-east wall of Tuckerman's -Ravine rose up, like a wraith, out of the forest. Nearer at hand was the -head of Huntington's, while to the right the cone of Washington loomed -grandly more than a thousand feet higher. A little to the left you look -down into the gloomy depths of the Pinkham defile, the valley of Ellis -River, the Saco Valley to North Conway, where the familiar figure of -Kearsarge is the presiding genius. The blue course of the Ellis, which -is nothing but a long cascade, the rich green of the Conway intervales, -the blanched peak of Chocorua, the sapphire summits of the Ossipee -Mountains, were presented in conjunction with the black and humid walls -of the ravine, and the iron-gray mass of the great dome. The crag on -which I stood leans out over the mountain like a bastion, from which -the spectator sees the deep-intrenched valleys, the rivers which wash -the feet of the monarch, and the long line of summits which partake his -grandeur while making it all the more impressive.[22] - -Turning now my back upon the Glen, the way led in the opposite -direction, and began to look over the depression between Clay and -Jefferson into the world of blue peaks beyond. From here the striking -spectacle of the four great northern peaks, their naked summits, their -sides seamed with old and new slides, and flecked with snow, constantly -enlarged. There were some terrible rents in the side of Clay, red as -half-closed wounds; in one place the mountain seemed cloven to its -centre. It was of this gulf that the first climber said it was such -a precipice he could scarce discern to the bottom. The rifts in the -walls of the ravine, the blasted fir-trees leaning over the abyss, -and clutching the rocks with a death-gripe, the rocks themselves, -tormented, formidable, impending, astound by their vivid portrayal of -the formless, their suggestions of the agony in which these mountains -were brought forth. - -I was now fairly upon the broad, grass-grown terrace at the base of the -pinnacle, sometimes called the Cow Pasture. The low peak rising upon its -limits is a monument to the fatal temerity of a traveller who, having -climbed, as he supposed, to the top of the mountain, died from hunger -or exposure, or from both, at this inhospitable spot.[23] A skeleton in -rags was found, at the end of a year, huddled under some rocks. Farther -down the mountain a heap of stones indicates the place where Doctor -Ball, of Boston, was found by the party sent in search of him, famished, -exhausted, and almost delirious. When rescued, he had passed two nights -upon the mountain, without food, fire, or shelter, after as many days -of fruitless wandering up and down, always led astray by his want of -knowledge, and mocked by occasional glimpses of snowy peaks above, or -the distant Glen below. More dead than alive, he was supported down the -mountain as far as the camp at The Ledge, whence he was able to ride to -the Glen House. His reappearance had the effect of one risen from the -dead. In reality, the rescuing party took up with them materials for a -rude bier, expecting to find a dead body stiffening in the snow.[24] - -Besides this almost unheard of resistance to hunger, cold, and -exhaustion combined, and notwithstanding the fortitude which enabled the -lost man to continue his desperate struggle for life until rescued, all -would doubtless have been to no purpose without the aid of an umbrella, -which, by a lucky chance, he took at setting out. This umbrella was -his only protection during the two terrible vigils he made upon the -mountain. How, is related in the chapter on the ascent from Crawford's. - -Crossing the terrace, where even the road seems glad to rest after its -laborious climb of seven miles, and where the traveller may also relax -his efforts, preparatory to his arduous advance up the pinnacle, I came -upon the railway, still solidly embedded in snow and ice. - -[Illustration: WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT.] - -Still making a route for itself among massy blocks, tilted at every -conceivable angle, but forming, nevertheless, a symmetrical cone, the -carriage-road winds up the steep ascent, to which the railway is nailed. -While traversing the plateau, with the Summit House now in full view, -my eye caught, far above me, the figure of a man pacing up and down -before the building, like a sentinel on his post. I swung my hat in the -air; again; but he did not see me. Nevertheless, I experienced a thrill -of pleasure at seeing him, so acutely had the sense of loneliness come -over me in these awful solitudes. It put such vigor into my steps that -in half an hour I crossed the last rise, when the solitary pedestrian, -making an about-face at the end of his beat, suddenly discovered -a strange form and figure emerging from the rocks before him. He -stopped short, took the pipe from his teeth, looking with open-mouthed -astonishment, then, as I continued to approach, he hastened toward me, -met me half-way, and, between rapid questions and answers, led the way -into the signal station. - -Behold me installed in the cupola of New England! While I was resting, -my host, a tall, bronzed, bearded man, bustled about the two or three -apartments constituting this swallow's nest. He put the kettle on the -stove, gave the fire a stir, spread a cloth upon the table, and took -some plates, cups, and saucers from a locker, some canned meats and -fruit from a cupboard, I, meanwhile, following all these movements with -an interest easily imagined. His preparations completed, my host first -ran his eye over them approvingly, then, presenting a pen, requested me -to inscribe my name in the visitors' book. I did so, noticing that the -last entry was in October--that is, five months had elapsed since the -last climber wended his solitary way down the mountain. My hospitable -entertainer then, with perfect politeness, begged me to draw my chair to -the table and fall to. I did not refuse. While he poured out the tea, I -asked, - -"Whom have I the pleasure of addressing?" and he modestly replied, - -"Private Doyle, sir, of the United States Signal Service. Have another -bit of devilled ham? No? Try these peaches." - -"Thank you. At least Uncle Sam renders your exile tolerable. Is this -your ordinary fare?" - -"Oh, as to that, you should see us in the dead of winter, chopping our -frozen meat with a hatchet, and our lard with a chisel." - -This, then, was what my young Jehu had meant. Where was I? I glanced -out of the window. Nothing but sky, nothing but rocks; immensity and -desolation. I disposed my ideas to hear my companion ask, "What is the -news from the other world?" - - - - -VIII. - -_MOUNT WASHINGTON._ - - The soldiers from the mountain Theches ran from rear to front, - breaking their ranks, crowding tumultuously upon each other, - laughing and shouting, "The sea! the sea!"--XENOPHON'S - _Anabasis_. - - -After the repast we walked out, Private Doyle and I, upon the narrow -platform behind the house. According to every appearance I had reached -_Ultima Thule_. - -For some moments--moments not to be forgotten--we stood there silent. -Neither stirred. The scene was too tremendous to be grasped in an -instant. A moment was needed to recover one's moral equipoise, as well -as for the unpractised eye to adjust itself to the vastness of the -landscape, and to the multitude of objects, strange objects, everywhere -confronting it. My own sensations were at first too vague for analysis, -too tumultuous for expression. The flood choked itself. - -All seemed chaos. On every side the great mountains fell away like -mists of the morning, dispersing, receding to an endless distance, -diminishing, growing more and more vague, and finally vanishing on -a limitless horizon neither earth nor sky. Never before had such a -spectacle offered itself to my gaze. The first idea was of standing on -the threshold of another planet, and of looking down upon this world of -ours outspread beneath; the second, of being face to face with eternity -itself. No one ever felt exhilaration at first. The scene is too -solemnizing. - -But by degrees order came out of this chaos. The bewildering throng of -mountains arranged itself in chains, clusters, or families. Hills drew -apart, valleys opened, streams twinkled in the sun, towns and villages -clung to the skirts of the mountains or dotted the rich meadows; but all -was mysterious, all as yet unreal. - -Comprehending at last that all New England was under my feet, I began -to search out certain landmarks. But this investigation is fatiguing: -besides, it conducts to nothing--absolutely nothing. Pointing to -a scrap of blue haze in the west, my companion observed, "That is -Mount Mansfield;" and I, mechanically, repeated, "Ah! that is Mount -Mansfield." It was nothing. Distance and Infinity have no more relation -than Time and Eternity. It sufficed for me, God knows, to be admitted -near the person of the great autocrat of New England, while under skies -so fair and radiant he gave audience to his imposing and splendid -retinue of mountains. - -But still, independent of the will, the eye flitted from peak to -peak, from summit to summit, making the slow circuit of this immense -horizon, hovering at last over a band of white gleaming far away in the -south-east like a luminous cloud, on whose surface objects like birds -reposed. It was the sea, and the specks ships sailing on the main. -With the aid of a telescope we could even tell what sails the vessels -carried. In these few seconds the eye had put a girdle of six hundred -miles about.[25] - -I consider this first introduction to what the peak of Mount Washington -looks down upon an epoch in any man's life. I saw the whole noble -company of mountains from highest to lowest. I saw the deep depressions -through which the Connecticut, the Merrimac, the Saco, the Androscoggin, -wind toward the lowlands. I saw the lakes which nurse the infant -tributaries of those streams. I saw the great northern forests, the -notched wall of the Green Mountains, the wide expanse of level land, -flat and heavy like the ocean, and finally the ocean itself. And all -this was mingled in one mighty scene. - -The utmost that I can say of this view is that it is a marvel. You -receive an impression of the illimitable such as no other natural -spectacle--no, not even the sea--can give. Astonishment can go no -farther. Nevertheless, the truth is that you are on too high a -view-point for the most effective grasp of mountain scenery. This -immense height renders near objects indistinct, obscures the more -distant. Seldom, indeed, is the land seen, even under favoring -conditions, except through a soft haze, which, you are surprised to -notice, becomes more and more transparent as you descend. The eye -explores this _clair-obscur_, and gradually discerns this or that -object. It is true that you see to a great distance, but you do not -distinguish anything clearly. This is the rule, derived from many -observations, to which the crystal air of autumn and winter makes the -rare and fortunate exception. - -There is a more cogent reason why the view from Mount Washington is -inferior to that from other and lower summits. Everything is below -you, and, naturally, therefore, any picture of these mountains not -showing the cloud-capped dome of the monarch, attended by his cortge -of grand peaks--the central, dominating, perfecting group--must be -essentially incomplete. Imagine Rome without St. Peter's, or, to come -nearer home, Boston without her State House! One word more: from this -lofty height you lose the symmetrical relation of the lesser summits to -the grand whole. Even these signal embodiments of heroic strength--the -peaks of Jefferson, Adams, and Madison--so vigorously self-asserting -that what they lose in stature they gain by a powerful individuality, -even these suffer a partial eclipse; but the summits stretching to -the southward are so dwarfed as to be divested of any character as -typical mountain structures. What fascinates us is the "sublime chaos -of trenchant crests, of peaks shooting upward;" and the charm of the -view--such at least is the writer's conviction--resides rather in the -immediate surroundings than in the extent of the panorama, great as that -unquestionably is. - -One thing struck me with great force--the enormous mass of the mountain. -The more you realize that the dependent peaks, stretching eight miles -north, and as many south, are nothing but buttresses, the more this -prodigious weight amazes. Two long spurs, divided by the valley of the -Rocky Branch, also descend into the Saco Valley as far as Bartlett; and -another, shorter, but of the same indestructible masonry, is traced -between the valleys of the Ammonoosuc and of Israel's River. In a word, -as the valleys lie and the roads run, we must travel sixty or seventy -miles around in order to make the circuit of Mount Washington at its -base. - -Even here one is not satisfied if he sees a stone ever so little above -him.[26] The best posts for an outlook, after the signal station, are -upon a point of rocks behind the old Tip-Top House, and from the end -of the hotel platform, where the railway begins its terrifying descent. -From all these situations the view was large and satisfying. From the -first station one overlooks the southern summits; from the second, the -northern. A movement of the head discloses, in turn, the ocean, the -lakes and lowlands of Maine and New Hampshire, the broad highlands -of Massachusetts, the fading forms of Monadnock and Wachusett, the -highest peaks of Vermont and New York, and, finally, the great Canadian -wilderness. - -After all this, the eye dwells upon the hideous waste of rock -blackened by ages of exposure, corroded with a green incrustation, -like _verd-antique_, constituting the dome. It is at once mournful and -appalling. Time has dealt the mountain some crushing blows, as we see by -these ghastly ruins, bearing silent testimony to their own great age. It -is necessary to step with care, for the rocks are sharp-edged. The green -appearance is due to lichens which bespatter them. Greedy little spiders -inhabit them. Truly this is a spot disinherited by Nature. - -Noticing many boards scattered helter-skelter about the top and sides of -the mountain, I drew my companion's attention to them, and he explained -that what I saw was the result of the great January gale, which had -blown down the shed used as an engine-house, demolished every vestige of -the walk leading from the hotel to the signal station, and distributed -the fragments as if they had been straws far and wide, as I saw them. - -The same gale had swept the coast from Hatteras to Canso with -destructive fury. I begged Private Doyle to give me his recollections of -it. We returned to the station, and he began as follows: - -"At the time of the tornado I was sick, and my comrade, Sergeant M----, -who is now absent on leave, had to do my turn as well as his own. 'Uncle -Sam,' you know, keeps two of us here, for fear of accidents."[27] - -"It surprised me to find you here alone," I assented. - -"This is the third day." Then, resuming his narrative, "During the -forenoon preceding the gale we observed nothing very unusual; but the -clouds kept sinking and sinking, until, in the afternoon, the summit -alone was above them. For miles around nothing could be seen but one -vast ocean of frozen vapor, with peaks sticking out here and there, -like icebergs floating in this ocean--all being cased in snow and ice. -I cannot tell you how curious this was. Later in the day the density of -the clouds became such that they reflected the colors of the spectrum: -and that too was beautiful beyond description. It was about this time -Sergeant M---- came to where I was lying, and said, 'There is going to -be the devil to pay; so I guess I'll make everything snug.' - -"By nine in the evening the wind had increased to one hundred miles an -hour, with heavy sleet, so that no observation could be safely made -from without. At midnight the velocity of the storm was one hundred and -twenty miles, and the exposed thermometer recorded 24 below zero. We -could hardly get it above freezing inside the house. With the stove red, -water froze within three feet of the fire; in fact, where you are now -sitting. - -"At this time the uproar outside was deafening. About one o'clock -the wind rose to one hundred and fifty miles. It was now blowing a -hurricane. That carpet (indicating the one in the room where we were) -stood up a foot from the floor, like a sail. The wind, gathering up all -the loose ice on top of the mountain, dashed it against the house in -one continuous volley. I lay wondering how long we should stand this -terrific pounding, when all at once there came a crash. M---- shouted to -me to get up; but I had tumbled out in a hurry on hearing the glass go. -You see I was ready-dressed, to keep myself warm in bed. - -"Our united efforts were hardly equal to closing the storm-shutters from -the inside; but we succeeded, finally, though the lights were out, and -we worked in the dark." He rose in order to show me how the shutters, -made of thick oak planks, were secured by a bar, and by strong wooden -buttons screwed in the window-frame. - -"We had scarcely done this," resumed Doyle, "and were shivering over the -fire, when a heavy gust of wind again burst open the shutters as easy -as if they had never been fastened at all. We sprang to our feet. After -a hard tussle we again secured the windows by nailing a cleat to the -floor, against which we fixed one end of a board, using the other end as -a lever. You understand?" I nodded. "Well, even then it was all we could -do to force the shutters back into place. But we did it. We _had_ to do -it. - -"The rest of the night was passed in momentary expectation that the -building would be blown over into Tuckerman's Ravine, and we with it. -At four in the morning the wind registered one hundred and eighty-six -miles. It had shifted then from east to north-east. From this time it -steadily fell to ten miles at nine o'clock--as calm as a daisy. This was -the heaviest blow ever experienced on the mountain." - -"Suppose this house had gone, and the hotel stood fast, could you have -effected an entrance into the hotel?" I asked. - -"No, indeed. We could not have faced the wind." - -"Not for a hundred feet, and in a matter of life and death?" - -"In that gale? We should have been lifted clean off our feet and smashed -upon the rocks like this bottle," flinging one out at the door. - -"So then for all those hours you expected from one moment to another to -be swept into eternity?" - -[Illustration: THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE.] - -"We did what we could. Each of us wrapped himself up in blankets and -quilts, tying these tightly around him with ropes, to which were -attached bars of iron, so that if the house went by the board we might -stand a chance--a slim one--of anchoring, somehow, somewhere." - -I tried to make him admit that he was afraid; but he would not. Only he -forgot, he said, in the excitement of that terrible night, that he was -ill, until the danger was over. - -"We are going to have a blow," observed Doyle, glancing at the -barometer--"barometer falling, wind rising. Besides, that blue haze, -creeping over the valley, is a pretty sure sign of a change of weather." -His prognostic was completely verified in the course of a few hours. - -"Now," said Doyle, rising, "I must go and feed my chick." - -We retraced our steps to the point of rocks overhanging the southern -slope, where he stopped and began to scatter crumbs, I watching him -curiously meanwhile. Pretty soon he went down on his hands and knees and -peered underneath the rocks. "Ah!" he exclaimed, with vivacity, "there -you are!" - -"What is it?" I asked; "what is there?" - -"My mouse. He is rather shy, and knows I am not alone," he replied, -chirruping to the animal with affectionate concern. - -Brought to the mountain top in some barrel or box, the little stowaway -had become domesticated, and would come at the call of his human -playmate. The incident was trifling enough of itself, yet there was -something touching in this companionship, something that sharply -recalled the sense of loneliness I had myself experienced. In reality, -the disparity between the man and the mouse seemed not greater than that -between the mountain and the man. - -While we were standing among the rocks the sun touched the western -horizon. The heavens became obscured. All at once I saw an immense -shadow striding across the valley below us. Slowly and majestically it -ascended the Carter chain until it reached the highest summit. I could -not repress an exclamation of surprise; but what was my astonishment -to see this immense phantom, without pausing in its advance, lift -itself into the upper air to an incredible height, and stand fixed and -motionless high above all the surrounding mountains. It was the shadow -of Mount Washington projected upon the dusky curtain of the sky. All the -other peaks seemed to bow their heads by a sentiment of respect, while -the actual and the spectre mountain exchanged majestic salutations. Then -the vast gray pyramid retreated step by step into the thick shades. -Night fell. - -The expected storm which the observer had predicted did not fail to put -in an appearance. By the time we reached the house the wind had risen to -forty miles an hour, driving the clouds in an unbroken flight against -the summit, from which they rebounded with rage equal to that displayed -in their vindictive onset. The Great Gulf was like the crater of some -mighty volcano on the eve of an eruption, vomiting forth volumes of -thickening cloud and mist. It seemed the mustering-place of all the -storm-legions of the Atlantic, steadily pouring forth from its black -jaws, unfurling their ghostly standards as they advanced to storm -the battlements of the mountain. Occasionally a break in the column -disclosed the opposite peaks looming vast and black as midnight. Then -the effect was indescribable. At one moment everything seemed resolving -into its original elements; the next I was reminded of a gigantic -mould, not from mortal hands, in which all these vast forms were slowly -cooling. The moon shed a pale, wan light over this unearthly scene, -in which creation and annihilation seemed confusedly struggling. The -sublime drama of the Fourth Day, when light was striving with darkness -for its allotted place in the universe, seemed enacting under my eyes. - -The evening passed in comparative quiet, although the gale was now -moving from east to west at the rate of sixty miles an hour. Rain -rattled on the roof like shot. Now and then the building shuddered -and creaked, like a good ship breasting the fury of the gale. Vivid -flashes of lightning made the well-lighted room momentarily dark, -and checked conversation as suddenly as if we had felt the electric -shock. Under such novel conditions, with strange noises all about him, -one does not feel quite at ease. Nevertheless the kettle sung on the -stove, the telegraph instrument ticked on the table. We had Fabyan's, -Littleton, and White River Junction within call. We had plenty of -books, the station being well furnished from voluntary gifts of the -considerate-benevolent. At nine Doyle went out, but immediately returned -and said he had something to show me. I followed him out to the platform -behind the house. A forest fire had been seen all day in the direction -of Fabyan's, but at night it looked like a burning lake sunk in depths -of infernal blackness. I had never seen anything so nearly realizing my -idea of hell. No other object was visible--only this red glare as of -a sun in partial eclipse shining at the bottom of an immense hole. We -watched it a few minutes and then went in. I attempted to be cheerful, -but how was one to rise above such surroundings? Alternately the storm -roared and whined for admittance. Worn out with the tension, physical -and moral, of this day, I crept into bed and tried to shut the storm -out. The poor exile in the next room murmured to himself, "Ah, this -horrible solitude!" - -The next morning, while looking down from this eagle's nest upon the -southern peaks to where the bridle path could be distinctly traced -across the plateau, and still winding on around the peaked crest of -Monroe, I was seized with a longing to explore the route which on a -former occasion proved so difficult, but to-day presenting apparently -nothing more serious than a fatiguing scramble up and down the cone. -Accordingly, taking leave of my companion, I began to feel my way down -that cataract of granite, fallen, it would seem, from the skies.[28] - -In proportion as I descended, the mountain ridge below regained, little -by little, its actual character. Except where patches of snow mottled -it with white, it displayed one uniform and universal tinge of faded -orange where the soft sunshine fell full upon it, toned into rusty brown -when overshadowed, gradually deepening to an intense blue-black in the -ravines. But so insignificant did the summits look, when far below, -that I hardly recognized them for the same I had seen from Fabyan's and -had traversed from Crawford's. Monroe, the nearest, has, however, a -most striking resemblance to an enormous petrified wave on the eve of -dashing itself down into the valley. The lower you descend the stronger -this impression becomes; but from the summit of Mount Washington this -peak is so belittled that the mountains seemed saying to each other, -"Good-morning, Mole-hill!" "Good-morning, Big Bully!" - -When I reached the stone-corral, the ground, if ground it can be -called, descended less abruptly, over successive stony terraces, to a -comparative level, haired over with a coarse, wiry, and tangled grass, -strewed with bowlders, and inundated along its upper margin by torrents -of stones. Upon closer inspection these stones arranged themselves -in irregular semicircular ridges. In the eyes of the botanist and -entomologist this seemingly arid region is more attractive than the most -beautiful gardens of the valley. Among these grasses and these stones -lie hid the beautiful Alpine flowers of which no species exist in the -lowlands. Only the arbutus, which puts forth its pink-and-white flowers -earliest of all, and is warmed into life by the snows, at all resembles -them in its habits. Over this grassy plain the wind swept continually -and roughly; but on putting the grass aside with the hand, the tiny -blossoms greet you with a smile of bewitching sweetness. - -These areas, extending between and sometimes surrounding the high peaks, -or even approaching their summits, are the "lawns" of the botanist, and -his most interesting field of research. Within its scope about fifty -species of strictly Alpine plants vegetate. As we ascend the mountain, -after the dwarf trees come the Lapland rhododendron, Labrador tea, dwarf -birch, and Alpine willows, which, in turn, give place to the Greenland -sandwort, diapensia, cassiope, and other plants, with arctic rushes, -sedges, and lichens, which flourish on the very summit. - -To the left, this plain, on which the grass mournfully rustled, sloped -gently for, I should guess, half a mile, and then rolled heavily off, -over a grass-grown rim, into Tuckerman's Ravine. In this direction the -Carter Mountains appeared. Beyond, stretching away out of the plain, -extended the long Boott's Spur, over which the Davis path formerly -ascended from the valley of the Saco, but which is now, from long -disuse, traced with difficulty. Between this headland and Monroe opened -the valley of Mount Washington River, the old Dry River of the carbuncle -hunters, which the eye followed to its junction with the Saco, beyond -which the precipices of Frankenstein glistened in the sun, like a -corselet of steel. Oakes's Gulf cuts deeply into the head of the gorge. -The plain, the ravine, the spur, and the gulf transmit the names of -those indefatigable botanists, Bigelow, Tuckerman, Boott, and Oakes. - -On the other side of the ridge--for of course this plain has its -ridge--the ground was more broken in its rapid descent toward the -Ammonoosuc Valley, into which I looked over the right shoulder of Monroe. - -But what a sight for the rock-wearied eye was the little Lake of the -Clouds, cuddled close to the hairy breast of this mountain! On the -instant the prevailing gloom was lighted as if by magic by this dainty -nursling of the clouds, which seemed innocently smiling in the face of -the hideous mountain. And the stooping monster seemed to regard the -little waif, lying there in its rocky cradle, with astonishment, and to -forego his first impulse to strangle it where it lay. Lion and lamb were -lying down together. - -Casting an eye upward, and finding the houses on the summit were hidden -by the retreating curvature of the cone, I saw, with chagrin, light -mists scudding over my head. It was a notice to hasten my movements idle -to disregard here. Crossing as rapidly as possible Bigelow's Lawn--the -half-mile of grass ground referred to, where I sunk ankle-deep in moss, -or stumbled twenty times in as many rods over concealed stones--I -skirted the head of the chasm for some distance. But from above the -ravine does not make a startling impression. I, however, discovered, -lodged underneath its walls, a bank of snow. All around I heard water -gurgling under my feet in rock-worn channels while making its way -tranquilly to the brow of the ravine. These little underground runlets -are the same that glide over the head-wall, and are the head tributaries -of the Ellis.[29] - -Retracing my way to the ridge and to the path, which I followed for some -distance, startling the silence with an occasional halloo, I descended -into the hollow, where the Lake of the Clouds seems to have checked -itself, white and still, on the very edge of the tremendous gully, cut -deep into the western slopes. The lake is the fountain-head of the -Ammonoosuc. Its waters are too cold to nourish any species of fishes; -they are too elevated for any of the feathered tribe to pay it a visit. - -[Illustration: LAKE OF THE CLOUDS.] - -Strange spectacle! A fairy haunt, rock-rimmed and fringed about with -Alpine shrubs, half-disclosing, half-concealing its bare bosom, coyly -reposed on this wind-swept ridge, like "a good deed in a naughty -world." From its crystal basin a tiny rill trickled through soft moss -to the dizzy verge beyond, where, like some airy sprite, clothed with -the rainbow and tossing its white tresses to the sport of the breeze, -it tripped gayly over the grisly precipice and fell in a silvery -shower from height to height. Where it passed, flowers, ferns, and -rich herbage sprung forth upon the hard face of the granite. Tapering -fir-trees exhaled a dewy freshness; aspens quivered with the delight -of its coming, and aged trees, tottering, decrepit, piteous to see, -stretched their withered limbs toward heaven. On it went, and still on, -leaving its white robe clinging to the mountain side. All the forest -seemed crowding forward to catch it; but, now reverently kissing the -feet of the old trees, now saucily flinging a handful of crystal in the -faces of scowling cliffs, it eluded the embrace of the forest, which -thrilled with its musical laughter from lowest deeps to the summit of -high-rocking pines. When it was no longer visible a sonorous murmur -heralded its triumphal progress. No wonder the bewildered eye roved from -bleak summit to voluptuous vale; from the handful of drops above to the -brimming river below. The miracle of Horeb was being repeated hour by -hour, like an affair of every-day life. - -This hand-mirror of Venus has two tiny companion pools close by. The -weary explorer may sip a draught of sweetest savor while admiring -their exceeding beauty--a beauty heightened by its unexpectedness, and -teaching that not all is barren even here. A benison on those little -lakes! - -Stone houses of refuge are much needed on the mountains over which -the Crawford trail reaches the summit. They should always be provided -with fagots for a fire, clean straw or boughs for a bed, and printed -directions for the inexperienced traveller to follow. A fireplace, -furnished with a crane and a kettle for heating water, would be absolute -luxuries. Being done, this glorious promenade--the equal of which does -not exist in New England--would be taken with confidence by numbers, -instead of, as now, by the few. It is the appropriate pendant of the -ascent from the Glen by the carriage-road, or from Fabyan's by the -railway. One can hardly pretend to have seen the mountains in their -grandest aspects until he has threaded this wondrous picture-gallery, -this marvellous hall of statues.[30] - -While recrossing the plateau, from which Washington has the appearance -of one mountain piled upon another, I suddenly came upon a dead sparrow -in my path. Poor little fellow! he was too adventurous, and sunk on -stiffening pinions beneath the frozen wind. Ten steps farther on a large -brown butterfly flew up and fluttered cheerily along the path. Why, -then, did the bird die and the butterfly live? - -This mountain butterfly, which endured cold that the bird could not, has -excited the attention of naturalists, it is said. The mountain is 6293 -feet high, and the butterflies never descend below an elevation of about -5600 feet. Here they "disport during the month of July of every year," -thriving upon the scanty deposits of honey found in the flowers of the -few species of hardy plants that grow in the crevices of the rocks at -this great altitude, and upon other available liquid substances. The -insect measures, from tip to tip of the expanded fore-wings, about -one and eight-tenths inches. It is colored in shades of brown, with -various bands and marblings diversifying the surface of the wings. The -butterfly is known to naturalists as the _OEneis semidea_, and was -first described, in 1828, by Thomas Say. An allied species occurs on -Long's Peak and other elevated heights in Colorado; and another is found -at Hopedale, Labrador; but they are confined to these widely separated -localities. It is surmised that the butterfly, like the Alpine flora, -beautifully illustrates the presence, or rather the advance and retreat, -of the glacier. - -I took up the little winged chorister of the vale who was not able to -make spring come to the mountain for all his warbling. Truly, was not -the little bird's fate typical of those ambitious climbers for fame -who, chilled to death by neglect or indifference, die singing on the -heights? So the sparrow's fall gave me food for reflection, during which -I reached the little circular enclosure at the foot of the cone. - -Once more I climbed the rambling and rocky stairs leading to the summit; -but long before reaching it clouds were drifting above and below me. -The day was to end like so many others. The crabbed old mountain had -exhausted his store of benevolence. I hurried on down the Glen road. -After descending a mile I heard a rumbling sound, deep and prolonged, -like distant thunder. The thought of being overtaken on the mountain by -a thunder-storm made me quicken my pace almost to a run. On turning the -corner where the snow-bank had lain, like a lion in the path, devoutly -wishing myself well and safely over, I felt something rise in my throat. -The bank was no longer there. Every vestige of it had disappeared, and, -in all probability, its sudden plunge down the mountain was what I had -taken for thunder. Ten minutes sooner and I should have been upon its -treacherous bridge. - -I passed the Half-Way House, entered the dusk forest, where the -tree-tops were swaying wildly to and fro, the birds flitting silently, -and the tall pines discordantly humming, as if getting the pitch of the -storm. Suddenly it grew dark. A stream of fire blinded me with its -glare. Then a deafening peal shook the solid earth. Another and another -succeeded: Olympian salvos greeted the arrival of the storm king. - -The rain was pattering among the leaves when I emerged into the open -vale, guided by the lights of the Glen House shining through the -darkness. My heavy feet almost refused to carry me farther, and I walked -like the statue in "Don Juan." - - - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - - - PAGE -I. _THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE_ 209 - -II. _THE FRANCONIA PASS_ 224 - -III. _THE KING OF FRANCONIA_ 237 - -IV. _FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD_ 248 - -V. _THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW_ 256 - -VI. _THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES_ 259 - -VII. _MOOSEHILLOCK_ 267 - -VIII._BETHLEHEM_ 276 - -IX. _JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER_ 291 - -X. _THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS_ 304 - -[Illustration: WHITE MOUNTAINS - -(WEST SIDE) - -1881.] - - - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - - - - -I. - -_THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE._ - - O child of that white-crested mountain whose springs - Gush forth in the shade of the cliff-eagle's wings, - Down whose slopes to the lowlands thy wild waters shine, - Leaping gray walls of rock, flashing through the dwarf-pine! - WHITTIER. - - -Plymouth lies at the entrance to the Pemigewasset Valley, like an -encampment pitched to dispute its passage. At present its design is to -facilitate the ingress of tourists. - -I am sitting at the window this morning looking down the Pemigewasset -Valley. It is a gray, sad morning. Wet clouds hang and droop heavily -over. In the distance the frayed and tattered edges are rolled up, -half-disclosing the humid outlines of the hills on the other side of -the valley. The trees are budded with rain-drops. Through a lattice -of bordering foliage I look down upon the river, shrunken by drought -to half its usual breadth, and exposing its parched bed of sand and -pebbles. It gives an expiring gurgle in its stony throat. It is one of -those mornings that, in spite of our philosophy, strangely affect the -spirits, and are like a presentiment of evil. The clouds are funereal -draperies; the river chants a dirge. - -In this world of ours, where events push each other aside with such -appalling rapidity, perhaps it is scarcely remembered that Hawthorne -breathed his last in this house on the night of May 18th, 1864. He who -was born in sight of these mountains had come among them to die. - -In company with his old college mate and loving friend, General Pierce, -he came from Centre Harbor to Plymouth the day previous to the sad -event. Devoted friends--and few men have known more devoted--had for -some time seen that his days were numbered. The fire had all but gone -out from his eye, which seemed interrogating the world of which he was -already more than half an inhabitant. A presentiment of his approaching -end seemed foreshadowed in the changed look and faltering step of -Hawthorne himself: he walked like a man consciously going to his grave. -Still, much was hoped--it could hardly be that much was expected--from -this journey, and from the companionship of two men grown gray with -care, each standing on the pinnacle of his ambition, each disappointed, -but united, one to the other, by the ties of life-long friendship; -turning their backs upon the gay world, and walking hand-in-hand among -the sweet groves and pleasant streams like boys again. It was like a -dream of their lost youth: the reality was no more. - -On this journey General Pierce was the watchful, tender, and sympathetic -nurse. Without doubt either of these men would have died for the other. - -But these hopes, these cares, alas! proved delusive. The angel of death -came unbidden into the sacred companionship; the shadow of his wings -hovered over them unseen. In the night, without a sigh or a struggle, as -he himself wished it might be, the hand of death was gently and kindly -laid on the fevered brain and fluttering heart. In the morning his -friend entered the chamber to find only the lifeless form of Nathaniel -Hawthorne plunged in the slumber that knows no awakening. Great heart -and mighty brain were stilled forever. - -While the weather gives such inhospitable welcome let us employ the -time by turning over a leaf from history. According to Farmer, the -intervales here were formerly resorted to by the Indians for hunting -and fishing. At the mouth of Baker's River, which here joins the -Pemigewasset, they had a settlement. Graves, bones, gun-barrels, besides -many implements of their rude husbandry, have been discovered. Here, it -is said, the Indians were attacked by a party of English from Haverhill, -Massachusetts, led by Captain Baker, who defeated them, killed many, and -destroyed a large quantity of fur. From him Baker's River receives its -name. - -Before the French and Indian war broke out this region was debatable -ground, into which only the most celebrated and intrepid white hunters -ventured. Among these was a young man of twenty-three, named Stark, who -lived near the Amoskeag Falls, in what is now Manchester. In April, -1752, Stark was hunting here with three companions, one of whom was -his brother William. They had pitched their camp on Baker's River, -in the present limits of Rumney, and were prosecuting their hunt with -good success, when they suddenly discovered the presence of Indians in -their vicinity. Though it was a time of peace, they were not the less -apprehensive on that account, and determined to change their position. -But the Indians had also discovered the white hunters, and prepared to -entrap them. When Stark went out very early the next morning to collect -the traps he was intercepted and made prisoner. The Indians then took a -position on the bank of the river to ambush his companions as they came -down. Eastman, who was on the shore, next fell into their hands; but -the two others were in a canoe floating quietly down the stream out of -reach. Stark was ordered to hail and decoy them to the shore. He obeyed; -but, instead of lending himself to the treachery, shouted to his friends -that he was taken, and to save themselves. They instantly steered for -the opposite shore, receiving a volley as they did so. Stinson, one of -those in the boat, was shot dead; but William Stark escaped through the -heroism of his brother, who knocked up the guns of the savages as they -covered him with fatal aim. - -Stark and his fellow-prisoner were taken to St. Francis by Acton and -his prowling band, with whom they had had the misfortune to fall in. At -St. Francis the Indians set Stark hoeing their corn. At first he cut up -the corn and spared the weeds; but this expedient not serving to relieve -him of the drudgery, he threw his hoe into the river, telling his -captors that hoeing corn was the business of squaws, not of warriors. -This answer procured him recognition among them as a spirit worthy of -themselves. He was adopted into the tribe, and called the "Young Chief." -The promise of youth was fulfilled. The young hunter of the White -Mountains and the conqueror of Bennington are the same. - -The choice is open to leave the railway here and enter the mountains by -the Pemigewasset Valley, or to continue by it the route which conducts -to the summit of Mount Washington, by Bethlehem and Fabyan's. To journey -on by rail to the Profile House is seventy-five miles, while by the -common road, following the Pemigewasset, the distance is only thirty -miles. A daily stage passes over this route, which I risk nothing in -saying is always one of the delightful reminiscences of the whole -journey. Deciding in favor of the last excursion, my first care was to -procure a conveyance. - -At three in the afternoon I set out for Campton, seven miles up the -valley, which the carriage-road soon enters upon, and which by a few -unregarded turnings is presently as fast shut up as if its mountain -gates had in reality swung noiselessly together behind you. Hardly had I -recovered from the effect of the deception produced by seeing the same -mountain first in front, next on my right hand, and then shifted over to -the other side of the valley, when I saw, spanned by a high bridge, the -river in violent commotion far down below me. - -The Pemigewasset, confined here between narrow banks, has cut for -itself two deep channels through its craggy and cavernous bed; but -one of these being dammed for the purpose of deepening the other, the -general picturesqueness of the fall is greatly diminished. Still, it is -a pretty and engaging sight, this cataract, especially if the river be -full, although you think of a mettled Arabian harnessed in a tread-mill -when you look at it. Livermore Fall, as it is called, is but two miles -from Plymouth, the white houses of which look hot in the same brilliant -sunlight that falls so gently upon the luxuriant green of the valley. -The feature of this fall is the deep water-worn chasm through which it -plunges. - -By crossing the bridge here the left bank of the stream may be followed, -the valley towns of Campton, Thornton, and Woodstock being divided by it -into numerous villages or hamlets, frequently puzzling the uninitiated -traveller, who has set out in all confidence, but who is seized by -the most cruel perplexity, upon hearing that there are four villages -in Campton, each several miles distant from the other. One would have -pleased him far better. - -[Illustration: ON THE PROFILE ROAD.] - -Crossing this bridge, and descending to the level meadow below the -falls, I made a brief inspection of the establishment for breeding and -stocking with trout and salmon the depleted mountain streams of New -Hampshire. The breeding-house and basins are situated just below the -falls, on the banks of the river. This is a work undertaken by the -State, with the expectation of repeopling its rivers, brooks, and ponds -with their finny inhabitants. All those streams immediately accessible -from the villages are so persistently fished by the inhabitants as to -afford little sport to the angler from a distance, who is compelled -to go farther and fare worse; but the State is certainly entitled to -much credit for its endeavor to make two trout grow where only one grew -before. It is feared, however, that the experiment of stocking the -Pemigewasset with salmon will not prove successful. The farmers who live -along the banks say that one of these fish is rarely seen, although the -fishery is protected by the most rigid regulations. No one who has not -visited the mountains between May 1st--the earliest date when fishing -is permitted--and the middle of June, can have an idea of the number -of sportsmen every year resorting to the trout streams, or of the -unheard-of drain upon those streams. Not the least of many ludicrous -sights I have witnessed was that of a man, weighing two hundred pounds, -excitedly swinging aloft a trout weighing less than two ounces, and this -trophy he exhibited to me with unfeigned triumph--the butcher! This is -mere slaughter, and ought not to be tolerated. A pretty sight is to see -the breeding-trout follow you in your walk around the margin of their -little basin to be fed from your hand. They are tame as pigeons and -ravenous as sharks. - -Mount Prospect, in Holderness, is the first landmark of note. It is -seen, soon after leaving Plymouth, rising from the opposite side of the -valley, its green crest commanding a superb view of the lake region -below, and of the lofty Franconia Mountains above. It is worth ascending -this mountain were it only to see again the beautiful islet-spotted -Squam Lake and far-reaching Winnipiseogee quivering in noonday splendor. - -The beautiful valley is now open throughout its whole extent. Of -course I refer only to that portion lying above Plymouth. But it is an -anomaly of mountain valleys. Its length is about twenty-five miles, and -its greatest width, I should judge, not more than three or four. For -twenty miles it is almost as straight as an arrow. There is nothing to -hinder a perfectly free and open view up or down. Contrast this with -the wilful and tortuous windings of the Ammonoosuc, or the Saco, which -seem to grope and feel their way foot by foot along their cramped and -crooked channels. The angle of ascent, too, is here so gradual as to be -scarcely noticed until the foot of the mountain wall, at its head, is -reached. True, this valley is not clothed with a feeling of overpowering -grandeur, but it is beautiful. It is not terrible, but bewitching. - -The vista of mountains on the east side of the valley becomes every -moment more and more extended, and more and more interesting. A long -array of summits trending away to the north, with detached mountains -heaved above the lower clusters, like great whales sporting in a frozen -sea, is gradually uncovered. Green as a carpet, level as a floor, the -valley, adorned with clumps of elms, groves of maples, and strips of -tilled land of a rich chocolate brown, makes altogether a picture which -sets the eye fairly dancing. Even the daisies, the clover, and the -buttercups which so plentifully spangle the meadows seem far brighter -and sweeter in this atmosphere, nodding a playful welcome as you pass -them by. We are in the country of flowers. - -Since passing Blair's and the bridge over the river to Campton Hollow I -was on the alert for that first and most engaging view of the Franconia -Mountains which has been so highly extolled. Perhaps I should say -that one poetic nature has revealed it to a thousand others. Without -doubt this landscape is the more striking because it is the first, and -consequently deepest, impression of grand mountain scenery obtained -by those upon whom at a turn of the road, and without premonition, it -flashes like the realization of some ecstatic vision. - -Half a mile below the little hamlet of West Campton the road crosses -the point of a hill pushed well out into the valley. It is here that -the circlet of mountains is seen enclosing the valley on all sides -like a gigantic palisade. In one place, far away in the north, this -wall is shattered to its centre, like the famous Breach of Roland; -and through this enormous loop-hole we see golden mists rising above -the undiscovered country beyond. We are looking through the far-famed -Franconia Notch. On one side the clustered peaks of Lafayette lift -themselves serenely into the sky. On the left a silvery light is -playing on the ledges of Mount Cannon, softening all the asperities of -this stern-visaged mountain. The two great groups now stand fully and -finely exposed; though the lower and nearer summits are blended with -the higher by distance. Remark the difference of outline. A series of -humps marks the crest-line of the group, which culminates in the oblique -wall of Mount Cannon. On the contrary, that on the right, culminating -in Lafayette, presents two beautiful and regular pyramids, older than -Cheops, which sometimes in early morning exactly resemble two stately -monuments, springing alert and vigorous as the day which gilds them. At -a distance of twenty miles it demands good eyes and a clear atmosphere -to detect the supporting lines of these pyramidal structures, which in -reality are two separate mountains, Liberty and Flume. This exquisite -landscape seldom fails of producing a rapturous outburst from those who -are making the journey for the first time. - -There are many points of resemblance between this view and that of the -White Mountains from Conway Corner. Both unfold at once, and in a single -glance, the principal systems about which all the subordinate chains -seem manoeuvring under the commanding gaze of Washington or Lafayette. - -Soon after starting it was evident that my driver's loquaciousness was -due to his having "crooked his elbow" too often while loitering about -Plymouth. The frequent plunge of the wheels into the ditches by the -roadside, accompanied with a shower of mud, was little conducive to the -calm and free enjoyment of the beauties of the landscape. The driver -alone was unconcerned, and as often as good fortune enabled him to steer -clear of upsetting his passengers would articulate, thickly, "Don't be -alarmed, Cap': no one was ever hurt on this road." - -Silently committing myself to that Providence which is said to watch -over the destinies of tipplers, I breathed freely only when we drew up -at the hospitable door of the village inn, bespattered with mud, but -with no broken bones. - -Sanborn's, at West Campton, is the old road-side inn that long ago swung -the stag-and-hounds as its distinctive emblem. A row of superb maples -shades the road. Here we have fairly entered the renowned intervales, -that gleam among the darker forests or groves like patches of blue in -a storm-clouded sky. Looking southward, across the level meadows, the -hills of Rumney flinging up smooth, firm curves, and the more distant, -downward-plunging outline of Mount Prospect, in Holderness, close the -valley. Upon the left, where the clearings extend quite to the summits -of the near hills, the maple groves interspersed among them resemble -soldiers advancing up the green slopes in columns of attack. Following -this line a little, the valley of Mad River is distinguished by the deep -trough through which it descends from the mountains of Waterville. And -here, peering over the nearer elevations, the huge blue-black mass of -Black Mountain flings two splendid peaks aloft. - -For a more intimate acquaintance with these surroundings the hillside -pasture above the school-house gives a perspective of greater breadth; -while that from the Ellsworth road is in some respects finer still. -About two miles up this road the valley of the East Branch, showing the -massive Mount Hancock, cicatriced with one long, narrow scar, is lifted -into view. The other features of the landscape remain the same, except -that Mount Cannon is now cut off by the hill rising to the north of us. -As often as one of these hidden valleys is thus revealed we are seized -with a longing to explore it. - -[Illustration: WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER.] - -One need not push inquiry into the antecedents of Campton or the -neighboring villages very far. The township was originally granted to -General Jabez Spencer, of East Haddam, Connecticut, in 1761. In 1768 a -few families had come into Campton, Plymouth, Hebron, Sandwich, Rumney, -Holderness, and Bridgewater. No opening had been made for civilized men -on this side of Canada except for three families, who had gone fifty -miles into the wilderness to begin a settlement where Lancaster now -is. The name is derived simply from the circumstance that the first -proprietors built a camp when they visited their grant. The different -villages are much frequented by artists, who have spread the fame of -Campton from one end of the Union to the other. But a serpent has -entered even this Eden--the villagers are sighing for the advent of the -railway. - -Having dedicated one day to an exploration of the Mad River Valley, I -can pronounce it well worth any tourist's while to tarry long enough -in the vicinity for the purpose. It is certainly one of the finest -exhibitions of mountain scenery far or near. Here is a valley twelve -miles long, at the bottom of which a rapid river bruises itself on a bed -of broken rock, while above it are heaped mountains to be picked out -of a thousand for peculiarity of form or structure. The Pemigewasset -is passed by a ford just deep enough at times to invest the journey -with a little healthy excitement at the very beginning. The ford has, -however, been carefully marked by large stones placed at the edge of the -submerged road. - -Fording the river and climbing the hill which lies across the entrance -to this land-locked valley, I was at once ushered upon a scene of -great and varied charm. Right before me, sunning his three peaks four -thousand feet above, was the prodigious mass of Black Mountain. Far up -the valley it stretched, forming an unbroken wall nearly ten miles long, -and apparently sealing all access from the Sandwich side. A nipple, -a pyramid, and a flattened mound protruding from the summit ridge -constitute these eminences, easily recognized from the Franconia highway -among a host of lesser peaks. At the southern end of this mountain -the range is broken through, giving passage to a rough and straggling -road--fourteen hundred feet above the sea-level--to Sandwich Centre, and -to the lake towns south of it. This pass is known as Sandwich Notch. - -Campton Village lies along the hill-slope opposite to Black Mountain. -Completely does it fill the artistic sense. Its situation leaves nothing -to be desired in an ideal mountain village. So completely is it secluded -from the rest of the world by its environment of mountains, that you -might pass and repass the Pemigewasset Valley a hundred times without -once surprising the secret of its existence. All those houses, half hid -beneath groves of maples, bespeak luxurious repose. Opposite to Black -Mountain, whose dark forest drapery hides the mass of the mountain, is -the immense whitish-yellow rock called Welch Mountain. Only a scanty -vegetation is suffered to creep among the crevices. It is really -nothing but a big excrescent rock, having a principal summit shaped -somewhat like a Martello tower; and, indeed, resembling one in ruins. -The bright ledges brilliantly reflect the sun, causing the eye to turn -gratefully to the sombre gloom of the evergreens crowding the sides of -the neighboring mountains. Welch Mountain reminded me, I hardly know -why, of Chocorua; but the resemblance can scarcely extend farther than -to the meagreness, mutually characteristic, and to the blistered, almost -calcined ledges, which in each case catch the earliest and latest beams -of day. In fact, I could think only of a leper sunning his scars, and in -rags. - -At the head of the vale, alternately coming into and retreating from -view--for we are still progressing--is the mysterious triple-crowned -mountain known on the maps as Tripyramid. When first seen it seems -standing solitary and alone, and to have wrapped itself in a veil of -thinnest gauze. As we advance it displays the white streak of an immense -slide, which occurred in 1869. This mountain is visible from the shore -of the lake at Laconia. It is one of the first to greet us from the -elevated summits, though from no point is its singularly admirable and -well-proportioned architecture so advantageously exhibited as when -approaching by this valley. Its northern peak stands farthest from the -others, yet not so far as to mar the general grace and harmony of form. -Hail to thee, mountain of the high, heroic crest, for thy fortunate name -and the gracious, kingly mien with which thou wearest thy triple crown! -Prince thou art and potentate. None approach thy forest courts but do -thee homage. - -The end of the valley was reached in two hours of very leisurely -driving. The road abruptly terminated among a handful of houses -scattered about the bottom of a deep and narrow vale. This is, beyond -question, the most remarkable mountain glen into which civilization has -thus far penetrated. On looking up at the big mountains one experiences -a half-stifled feeling; and, on looking around the scattered hamlet, its -dozen houses seem undergoing perpetual banishment. - -This diminutive settlement, in which signs of progress and decay stand -side by side--progress evidenced by new and showy cottages; decay by -abandoned and dilapidated ones--is at the edge of a region as shaggy and -wild as any in the famed Adirondack wilderness. It fairly jostles the -wilderness. It braves it. It is really insolent. Yet are its natural -resources so slender that the struggle to keep the breath in it must -have been long and obstinate. A wheezy saw-mill indicates at once its -origin and its means of livelihood; but it is evident that it might -have remained obscure and unknown until doomsday, had not a few anglers -stumbled upon it while in pursuit of brooks and waters new. - -[Illustration: BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS.] - -The glen is surrounded by peaks that for boldness, savage freedom, -and power challenge any that we can remember. They threaten while -maintaining an attitude of lofty scorn for the saucy intruder. The -curious Noon Peak--we have at length got to the end of the almost -endless Black Mountain--nods familiarly from the south. It long stood -for a sun-dial for the settlement; hence its name. Tecumseh, a noble -mountain, and Osceola, its worthy companion, rise to the north. A -short walk in this direction brings Kancamagus[31] and the gap between -this mountain and Osceola into view. All these mountains stand in the -magnificent order in which they were first placed by Nature; but never -does the idea of inertia, of helpless immobility, cross the mind of the -beholder for a single moment. - -The unvisited region between Greeley's, in Waterville, and the Saco is -destined to be one of the favorite haunts of the sportsman, the angler, -and the lover of the grand old woods. It is crossed and recrossed by -swift streams, sown with lakes, glades, and glens, and thickly set -with mountains, among which the timid deer browses, and the bear and -wildcat roam unmolested. Fish and game, untamed and untrodden mountains -and woods, welcome the sportsman here. With Greeley's for a base, -encampments may be pitched in the forest, and exploration carried into -the most out-of-the-way corners. The full zest of such a life can -only be understood by those to whom its freedom and unrestraint, its -healthful and vigorous existence, have already proved their charm. The -time may come when the mountains shall be covered with a thousand tents, -and the summer-dwellers will resemble the tribes of Israel encamped by -the sweet waters of Sion. - -Waterville maintains unfrequent communication with Livermore and the -Saco by a path twelve miles long--constructed by the Appalachian -Mountain Club--over which a few pedestrians pass every year. I have -explored this path for several miles beyond Beckytown while visiting -the great slide which sloughed off from the side of Tripyramid, and -the cascades on the way to it. Osceola, Hancock, and Carrigain, three -remarkably fine mountains, offer inviting excursions to expert climbers. -I was reluctantly compelled to renounce the intention of passing over -the whole route, which should occupy, at least, two days or parts of -days, one night being spent in camp. - -The Mad River drive is a delightful episode. In the way of mountain -valley there is nothing like it. Bold crag, furious torrent, lonely -cabin, blue peak, deep hollow, choked up with the densest foliage, -constitute its varied and ever-changing features. The overhanging -woods looked as if it had been raining sunshine; the road like an -endless grotto of illuminated leaves, musical with birds, and exhaling a -thousand perfumes. - -[Illustration: FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON.] - -The remainder of the route up the Pemigewasset is more and more a -revelation of the august summits that have so constantly met us -since entering this lovely valley. Boldly emerging from the mass of -mountains, they present themselves at every mile in new combinations. -Through Thornton and Woodstock the spectacle continues almost without -intermission. Gradually, the finely-pointed peaks of the Lafayette group -deploy and advance toward us. Now they pitch sharply down into the -valley of the East Branch. Now the great shafts of stone are crusted -with silvery light, or sprayed with the cataract. Now the sun gilds the -slides that furrow, but do not deface them. Stay a moment at this rapid -brook that comes hastening from the west! It is an envoy from yonder -great, billowy mountain that lords it so proudly over - - "many a nameless slide-scarred crest - And pine-dark gorge between." - -That is Moosehillock. Facing again the north, the road is soon swallowed -up by the forest, and the forest by the mountains. A few poor cottages -skirt the route. Still ascending, the miles grow longer and less -interesting, until the white house, first seen from far below, suddenly -stands uncovered at the left. We are at the Flume House, and before the -gates of the Franconia Notch. - - - - -II. - -THE FRANCONIA PASS. - - Beyond them, like a sun-rimmed cloud, - The great Notch Mountains shone, - Watched over by the solemn-browed - And awful face of stone!--WHITTIER. - - -When Boswell exclaimed in ecstasy, "An immense mountain!" Dr. Johnson -sneered, "An immense protuberance!" but he, the sublime cynic, became -respectful before leaving the Hebrides. Charles Lamb, too, at one time -pretended something approaching contempt for mountains; but, after a -visit to Coleridge, he made the _amende honorable_ in these terms: - -"I feel I shall remember your mountains to the last day of my life. -They haunt me perpetually. I am like a man who has been falling in love -unknown to himself; which he finds out when he leaves the lady." - -Notwithstanding their prepossessions against nature, and their -undisguised preference for the smoke and dirt of London, the mountains -awoke something in these two men which was apparently a revelation of -themselves unto themselves. I have felt a higher respect for both since -I knew that they loved mountains, as I pity those who have only seen -heaven through the smoke of the city. It is not easy to explain two -ideas so essentially opposite as are presented in the earlier and later -declarations of these widely famous authors, unless we agree, keeping -"Elia's" odd simile in mind, that in the first case they should, like -woman, be taken, not at what she says, but what she means. - -The Flume House is the proper tarrying-place for an investigation of the -mountain gorge from which it derives both its custom and its name. It -is also placed opposite to the Pool, another of those natural wonders -with which the pass is crowded, and which tempt us at every step to turn -aside from the travelled road. - -Fronting the hotel is a belt of woods, with two massive mountains -rising behind. In the concealment of these woods the Pemigewasset, -contracted to a modest stream, runs along the foot of the mountains. -A rough, zigzag path leads through the woods to the river and to the -Pool. Now raise the eyes to the summit-ridge of yonder mountain. The -peak finely reproduces the features of a gigantic human face, while -the undulations of the ridge fairly suggest a recumbent human figure -wrapped in a shroud. The outlines of the forehead and nose are curiously -like the profile of Washington; hence the colossal figure is called -Washington Lying in State. This immortal sculpture gave rise to the idea -that the tomb of Washington, like that of Desaix, on the St. Bernard, -should be on the great summit that bears his name. - -[Illustration: A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL.] - -From the Flume House I looked up through the deep cleft of the Notch--an -impressive vista. To the left is Cannon, or Profile Mountain; to the -right the beetling crags of Eagle Cliff; then the pointed, shapely peaks -of Lafayette; and so the range continues breaking off and off, bending -away into lesser mountains that finally melt into pale-blue shadows. -Now a stray cloud atop a peak gives it a volcanic character. Now a puff -scatters it like thistle-down. It is a sultry summer's morning, and -banks of film hang like huge spider's-webs in the tree-tops. Soon they -detach themselves, and, floating lazily upward, are seized by a truant -breeze, spun mischievously round, and then settle quietly down on the -highest peaks like young eaglets on their nest. - -Let us first walk down to the Pool. This Pool is a caprice of the river. -Imagine a cistern, deeply sunk in granite, receiving at one end a weary -cascade, which seems to crave a moment's rest before hurrying on down -the rocky pass. In the mystery and seclusion of ages, and with only the -rude implements picked up by the way, the river has hollowed a basin -a hundred feet wide and forty deep out of the stubborn rock. Without -doubt Nature thus first taught us to cut the hardest marble with sand -and water. Cliffs traversed by cracks rise a hundred feet higher. -The water is a glossy and lustrous sea-green, and of such marvellous -transparency that you see the brilliant pebbles sparkling at the bottom, -shifting with the waves of light like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. -Overtopping trees lean timidly over and peer down into the Pool, which -coldly repulses their shadows. Only the colorless hue of the rocks -is reflected; and the stranger, seeing an old man with a gray beard -standing erect in a boat, has no other idea than that he has arrived on -the borders and is to be accosted by the ferryman of Hades. - -The Flume is reached by going down the road a short distance, and then -diverging to the left and crossing the river to the Flume Brook. A -carriage-way conducts almost to the entrance of the gorge. Then begins -an easy and interesting promenade up the bed of the brook. - -This is a remarkable rock-gallery, driven several hundred feet into -the heart of the mountain, through which an ice-cold brook rushes. The -miracle of Moses seems repeated here sublimely. Some unknown power smote -the rock, and the prisoned stream gushed forth free and lightsome as -air. You approach it over broad ledges of freckled granite, polished -by the constant flow of a thin, pellucid sheet of water to slippery -smoothness. Proceeding a short distance up this natural esplanade, you -enter a damp and gloomy fissure between perpendicular walls, rising -seventy feet above the stream, and, on lifting your eyes suddenly, -espy an enormous bowlder tightly wedged between the cliffs. Now try to -imagine a force capable of grasping the solid rock and dividing it in -halves as easily as you would an apple with your two hands. - -[Illustration: THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH.] - -At sight of the suspended bowlder, which seems, like Paul Pry, to have -"just dropped in," I believe every visitor has his moment of hesitation, -which he usually ends by passing underneath, paying as he goes with a -tremor of the nerves, more or less, for his temerity. But there is no -danger. It is seen that the deep crevice, into which the rock seems -jammed with the especial purpose of holding it asunder, also hugs the -intruder like a vise; so closely, indeed, that, according to every -appearance, it must stay where it is until doomsday, unless released by -some passing earthquake from its imprisonment. Sentimental tourists do -not omit to find a moral in this curiosity, which really looks to be on -the eve of dropping, with a loud splash, into the torrent beneath. On -top of the cliffs I picked up a visiting-card, on which some one with -a poetic turn had written, "Does not this bowlder remind you of the -sword of Damocles?" To a civil question, civil reply: No; to me it looks -like a nut in a cracker. - -Over the gorge bends an arcade of interlaced foliage shot through and -through with sunshine; and wherever cleft or cranny can be found young -birches, sword-ferns, trailing vines, insinuating their long roots in -the damp mould, garland the cold granite with tenderest green. The -exquisite white anemone blooms in the mossy wall wet with tiny streams -that do not run but glide unperceived down. What could be more cunning -than the persistency with which these hardy waifs, clinging or drooping -along the craggy way, draw their sustenance from the rock, which seems -to nourish them in spite of itself? Underneath your feet the swollen -torrent storms along the gorge, dashing itself recklessly against -intruding bowlders, or else passing them with a curl of disdain. How -gallantly it surmounts every obstacle in its way! How crystal-clear are -its waters! On it speeds, scattering pearls and diamonds right and left, -like the prodigal it is; unpolluted, as yet, by the filth of cities, or -turned into a languid, broken-spirited drudge by dams or mill-wheels. -"Stop me?" it seems exclaiming. "Why, I am offspring of the clouds, -their messenger to the parched earth, the mountain maid-of-all-work! -Stay; step aside here in the sun and I will show you my rainbow-signet! -When I rest, do you not behold the mother imaged in the features of the -child? Stop me! Put your hand in my bosom and see how strong and full -of life are my pulse-beats. To-morrow I shall be vapor. Thought is not -freer. I do not belong to earth any more than the eagle sailing above -yonder mountain-top." - -Overhead a fallen tree-trunk makes a crazy bridge from cliff to cliff. -The sight of the gorge, with the flood foaming far below, the glitter -of falling waters through the trees, the splendid light in the midst of -deepest gloom, the solemn pines--the odorous forest, the wildness and -the coolness--impart an indescribable charm to the spot that makes us -reluctant to leave it. Many ladies ascend to the head of the gorge and, -crossing on the rude bridge, leave their visiting-cards on the other -side; one had left her pocket-handkerchief, with the scent fresh upon -it. I picked it up, and out hopped a toad. - -After the Pool and the Flume, an ascent of the mountain behind the hotel -will be found conducive to enjoyment of another kind. This mountain -commands delicious views of the valley of the Pemigewasset. A short hour -is usually sufficient for the climb. It was a very raw, windy morning -on which I climbed it, but the uncommon purity of the air and the -exceeding beauty of the landscape were most rarely combined with cloud -effects seen only in conjunction with a brisk north-west wind. I had -taken a station similar to that occupied by Mount Willard with respect -to the Saco Valley, now opening a vista essentially different from -that most memorable one in my mountain experience. The valley is not -the same. You see the undulating course of the river for many leagues, -and but for an intercepting hill, which hides them, might distinguish -the houses of Plymouth. The vales of Woodstock, Thornton, and Campton, -spotted with white houses, lie outspread in the sun, between enclosing -mountains; and the windings of the Pemigewasset are now seen dark and -glossy, now white with foam, appearing, disappearing, and finally lost -to view in the blended distance. The sky was packed with clouds. Over -the vivid green of the intervales their black shadows drifted swiftly -and noiselessly, first turning the light on, then off again, with -magical effect. To look up and see these clouds all in motion, and then, -looking down, see those weird draperies darkly trailing over the land, -was a reminiscence of - - "The dim and shadowy armies of our unquiet dreams-- - Their footsteps brush the dewy fern and paint the shaded streams." - -The mountain ridges flowed southward with marvellous smoothness to the -vanishing-point, on one side of the valley bright green, on the other -indigo blue. This picture was not startling, like that from the Crawford -Notch, but, in its own way, was incomparable. The sunsets are said to be -beautiful beyond description. - -One looks up the Notch upon the great central peaks composing -the water-shed--Cannon, Lafayette, Lincoln, and the rest--to see -crags, ridges, black forests, rising before him in all their gloomy -magnificence. - -[Illustration: THE BASIN.] - -On one side all is beauty, harmony, and grace; on the other, a packed -mass of bristling, steep-sided mountains seem storming the sky with -their gray turrets. Could we but look over the brawny shoulders of the -mountains opposite to us, the eye would take in the vast, untrodden -solitudes of the Pemigewasset forests cut by the East Branch and -presided over by Mount Carrigain--a region as yet reserved for those -restless and adventurous spirits whom the beaten paths of travel have -ceased to charm or attract. But an excursion into this "forest primeval" -is to be no holiday promenade. It is an arduous and difficult march -over slippery rocks, through tangled thickets, or up the beds of -mountain torrents. Hard fare and a harder bed of boughs finish the day, -every hour of which has been a continued combat with fresh obstacles. -At this price one may venture to encounter the virgin wilderness or, as -the cant phrase is, "try roughing it." It is a curious feeling to turn -your back upon the last cart-path, then upon the last foot-path; to hear -the distant baying of a hound grow fainter and fainter--in a word, to -exchange at a single step the sights and sounds of civilized life, the -movement, the bustle, for a silence broken only by the hum of bees and -the murmur of invisible waters. - -I left the Flume House in company with a young-old man, whom I met -there, and in whom I hoped to find another and a surer pair of eyes, -for, were he to have as many as Argus, the sight-seer would find -employment for them all. - -While gayly threading the green-wood, we came upon a miniature edition -of the Pool, situated close to the highway, called the Basin. A basin -in fact it is, and a bath fit for the gods. It is plain to see that -the stream once poured over the smooth ledges here, instead of making -its exit by the present channel. A cascade falls into it with hollow -roar. This cistern has been worn by the rotary motion of large pebbles -which the little cascade, pouring down into it from above, set and -kept actively whirling and grinding at its own mad caprice. But this -was not the work of a day. Long and constant attrition only could have -scooped this cavity out of the granite, which is here so clean, smooth, -and white, and filled to the brim with a grayish-emerald water, light, -limpid, and incessantly replenished by the effervescent cascade. In the -beginning this was doubtless an insignificant crevice, into which a few -pebbles and a handful of sand were dropped by the stream, but which, -having no way of escape, were kept in a perpetual tread-mill, until what -was at first a mere hole became as we now see it. The really curious -feature of the stone basin is a strip of granite projecting into it -which closely resembles a human leg and foot, luxuriously cooling itself -in the stream. Such queer freaks of nature are not merely curious, -but they while away the hours so agreeably that time and distance are -forgotten. - -As we walked on, the hills were constantly hemming us in closer and -closer. Suddenly we entered a sort of crater, with high mountains all -around. One impulse caused us to halt and look about us. In full view -at our left the inaccessible precipices of Mount Cannon rose above a -mountain of shattered stones, which ages upon ages of battering have -torn piecemeal from it. Its base was heaped high with these ruins. -Seldom has it fallen to my lot to see anything so grandly typical -of the indomitable as this sorely battered and disfigured mountain -citadel, which nevertheless lifts and will still lift its unconquerable -battlements so long as one stone remains upon another. Hewed and -hacked, riven and torn, gashed and defaced in countless battles, one -can hardly repress an emotion of pity as well as of admiration. I do -not recollect, in all these mountains, another such striking example -of the denuding forces with which they are perpetually at war. When we -see mountains crumbling before our very eyes, may we not begin to doubt -the stability of things that we are pleased to call eternal? Still, -although it seems erected solely for the pastime of all the powers of -destruction, this one, so glorious in its unconquerable resolve to die -at its post--this one, exposing its naked breast to the fury of its -deadliest foes--so stern and terrific of aspect, so high and haughty, -so dauntlessly throwing down the gauntlet to Fate itself--assures us -that the combat will be long and obstinate, and that the mountain will -fall at last, if fall it must, with the grace and heroism of a gladiator -in the Roman arena. The gale flies at it with a shriek of impotent -rage. Winter strips off its broidered tunic and flings white dust in -its aged face. Rust corrodes, rains drench, fires scorch it; lightning -and frost are forever searching out the weak spots in its harness; but, -still uplifting its adamantine crest, it receives unshaken the stroke -or the blast, spurns the lightning, mocks the thunder, and stands fast. -Underneath is a little lake, which at sunset resembles a pool of blood -that has trickled drop by drop from the deep wounds in the side of the -mountain. - -We are still advancing in this region of wonders. In our front soars an -insuperable mass of forest-shagged rock. Behind it rises the absolutely -regal Lafayette. Our footsteps are stayed by the glimmer of water -through trees by the road-side. We have reached the summit of the pass. - -Six miles of continued ascent from the Flume House have brought us to -Profile Lake, which the road skirts. Although a pretty enough piece of -water, it is not for itself this lake is resorted to by its thousands, -or for being the source of the Pemigewasset, or for its trout--which -you take for the reflection of birds on its burnished surface--but for -the mountain rising high above, whose wooded slopes it so faithfully -mirrors. Now lift the eyes to the bare summit! It is difficult to -believe the evidence of the senses! Upon the high cliffs of this -mountain is the remarkable and celebrated natural rock sculpture of a -human head, which, from a height twelve hundred feet above the lake, -has for uncounted ages looked with the same stony stare down the pass -upon the windings of the river through its incomparable valley. The -profile itself measures about forty feet from the tip of the chin to -the flattened crown which imparts to it such a peculiarly antique -appearance. All is perfect, except that the forehead is concealed by -something like the visor of a helmet. And all this illusion is produced -by several projecting crags. It might be said to have been begotten by a -thunder-bolt. - -Taking a seat within a rustic arbor on the high shore of the lake, -one is at liberty to peruse at leisure what, I dare say, is the most -extraordinary sight of a lifetime. A change of position varies more or -less the character of the expression, which is, after all, the marked -peculiarity of this monstrous _alto relievo_; for let the spectator -turn his gaze vacantly upon the more familiar objects at hand--as he -inevitably will, to assure himself that he is not the victim of some -strange hallucination--a fascination born neither of admiration nor -horror, but strongly partaking of both emotions, draws him irresistibly -back to the Dantesque head stuck, like a felon's, on the highest -battlements of the pass. The more you may have seen, the more your -feelings are disciplined, the greater the confusion of ideas. The moment -is come to acknowledge yourself vanquished. This is not merely a face, -it is a portrait. That is not the work of some cunning chisel, but a -cast from a living head. You feel and will always maintain that those -features have had a living and breathing counterpart. Nothing more, -nothing less. - -But where and what was the original prototype? Not man; since, ages -before he was created, the chisel of the Almighty wrought this sculpture -upon the rock above us. No, not man; the face is too majestic, too -nobly grand, for anything of mortal mould. One of the antique gods may, -perhaps, have sat for this archetype of the coming man. And yet not man, -we think, for the head will surely hold the same strange converse with -futurity when man shall have vanished from the face of the earth. - -This gigantic silhouette, which has been dubbed the Old Man of the -Mountain, is unquestionably the greatest curiosity of this or any other -mountain region. It is unique. But it is not merely curious; nor is -it more marvellous for the wonderful accuracy of outline than for the -almost superhuman expression of frozen terror it eternally fixes on the -vague and shadowy distance--a far-away look; an intense and speechless -amazement, such as sometimes settles on the faces of the dying at the -moment the soul leaves the body forever--untranslatable into words, but -seeming to declare the presence of some unutterable vision, too bright -and dazzling for mortal eyes to behold. The face puts the whole world -behind it. It does everything but speak--nay, you are ready to swear -that it is going to speak! And so this chance jumbling together of a few -stones has produced a sculpture before which Art hangs her head. - -I renounce in dismay the idea of reproducing the effect on the reader's -mind which this prodigy produced on my own. Impressions more pronounced, -yet at the same time more inexplicable, have never so effectually -overcome that habitual self-command derived from many experiences of -travel among strange and unaccustomed scenes. From the moment the -startled eye catches it one is aware of a _Presence_ which dominates the -spirit, first with strange fear, then by that natural revulsion which -at such moments makes the imagination supreme, conducts straight to -the supernatural, there to leave it helplessly struggling in a maze of -impotent conjecture. But, even upon this debatable ground, between two -worlds, one is not able to surprise the secret of those lips of marble. -The Sphinx overcomes us by his stony, his disdainful silence. Let the -visitor be ever so unimpassioned, surely he must be more than mortal to -resist the impression of mingled awe, wonder, and admiration which a -first sight of this weird object forces upon him. He is, indeed, less -than human if the feeling does not continually grow and deepen while -he looks. The face is so amazing, that I have often tried to imagine -the sensations of him who first discovered it peering from the top of -the mountain with such absorbed, open-mouthed wonder. Again I see the -tired Indian hunter, pausing to slake his thirst by the lake-side, -start as his gaze suddenly encounters this terrific apparition. I -fancy the half-uttered exclamation sticking in his throat. I behold -him standing there with bated breath, not daring to stir hand or foot, -his white lips parted, his scared eyes dilated, until his own swarthy -features exactly reflect that unearthly, that intense amazement stamped -large and vivid upon the livid rock. There he remains, rooted to the -spot, unable to reason, trembling in every limb. For him there are no -accidents of nature; for him everything has its design. His moment of -terrible suspense is hardly difficult to understand, seeing how careless -thousands that come and go are thrilled, and awed, and silenced, -notwithstanding you tell them the face is nothing but rocks. - -[Illustration: THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.] - -If the effect upon minds of the common order be so pronounced, a first -sight of the Great Stone Face may easily be supposed to act powerfully -upon the imaginative and impressible. The novelist, Hawthorne, makes -it the interpreter of a noble life. For him the Titanic countenance is -radiant with majestic benignity. He endows it with a soul, surrounds the -colossal brow with the halo of a spiritual grandeur, and, marshalling -his train of phantoms, proceeds to pass inexorable judgment upon them. -Another legend--like its predecessor, too long for our pages--runs to -the effect that a painter who had resolved to paint Christ sitting in -judgment, and who was filled with the grandeur of his subject, wandered -up and down the great art palaces, the cathedrals of the Old World, -seeking in vain a model which should in all things be the embodiment of -his ideal. In despair at the futility of his search he hears a strange -report, brought by some pious missionaries from the New World, of a -wonderful image of the human face which the Indians looked upon with -sacred veneration. The painter immediately crossed the sea, and caused -himself to be guided to the spot, where he beheld, in the profile of the -great White Mountains, the object of his search and fulfilment of his -dream. The legend is entitled _Christus Judex._ - -Had Byron visited this place of awe and mystery, his "Manfred," the -scene of which is laid among the mountains of the Bernese Alps, would -doubtless have had a deeper and perhaps gloomier impulse; but even among -the eternal realms of ice the poet never beheld an object that could -so arouse the gloomy exaltation he has breathed into that tragedy. His -line-- - - "Bound to earth, he lifts his eye to heaven"-- - -becomes descriptive here. - -Again and again we turn to the face. We go away to wonder if it is still -there. We come back to wonder still more. An emotion of pity mingles -with the rest. Time seems to have passed it by. It seems undergoing some -terrible sentence. It is a greater riddle than the gigantic stone face -on the banks of the Nile. - -All effects of light and shadow are so many changes of countenance or of -expression. I have seen the face cut sharp and clear as an antique cameo -upon the morning sky. I have seen it suffused, nay, almost transfigured, -in the sunset glow. Often and often does a cloud rest upon its brow. I -have seen it start fitfully out of the flying scud to be the next moment -smothered in clouds. I have heard the thunder roll from its lips of -stone. I recall the sunken cheeks, wet with the damps of its night-long -vigil, glistening in the morning sunshine--smiling through tears. I -remember its emaciated visage streaked and crossed with wrinkles that -the snow had put there in a night; but never have I seen it insipid or -commonplace. On the contrary, the overhanging brow, the antique nose, -the protruding under-lip, the massive chin, might belong to another -Prometheus chained to the rock, but whom no punishment could make lower -his haughty head. - -I lingered by the margin of the lake watching the play of the clouds -upon the water, until a loud and resonant peal, followed by large, warm -drops, admonished me to seek the nearest shelter. And what thunder! -The hills rocked. What echoes! The mountains seemed knocking their -stony heads together. What lightning! The very heavens cracked with the -flashes. - - "Far along - From peak to peak the rattling crags among - Leaps the live thunder! not from one lone cloud, - But every mountain now hath found a tongue, - And Jura answers, through her misty shroud, - Back to the joyous Alps, who call to her aloud!" - - - - -III. - -_THE KING OF FRANCONIA._ - - Hills draw like heaven - And stronger, sometimes, holding out their hands - To pull you from the vile flats up to them. - E. B. BROWNING. - - -At noon we reached the spacious and inviting Profile House, which is -hid away in a deep and narrow glen, nearly two thousand feet above -the sea. No situation could be more sequestered or more charming. The -place seems stolen from the unkempt wilderness that shuts it in. An -oval, grassy plain, not extensive, but bright and smiling, spreads its -green between a grisly precipice and a shaggy mountain. And there, if -you-will believe me, in front of the long, white-columned hotel, like a -Turkish rug on a carpet, was a pretty flower-garden. Like those flowers -on the lawn were beauties sauntering up and down in exquisite morning -toilets, coquetting with their bright-colored parasols, and now and then -glancing up at the grim old mountains with that air of elegant disdain -which is so redoubtable a weapon--even in the mountains. Little children -fluttered about the grass like beautiful butterflies, and as unmindful -of the terrors that hovered over them so threateningly. Nurses in their -stiff grenadier caps and white aprons, lackeys in livery, cadets in -uniform, elegant equipages, blooded horses, dainty shapes on horseback, -cavaliers, and last, but not least, the resolute pedestrian, or the -gentlemen strollers up and down the shaded avenues, made up a scene as -animated as attractive. There is tonic in the air: there is healing in -the balm of these groves. Even the horses step out more briskly. Peals -of laughter startle the solemn old woods. You hear them high up the -mountain side. There go a pair of lovers, the gentleman with his book, -whose most telling passages he has carefully conned, the lady with her -embroidery, over which she bends lower as he reads on. Ah, happy days! -What is this youth, which, having it, we are so eager to escape, and, -when it is gone, we look back upon with such longing? - -[Illustration: EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE.] - -The lofty crag opposite the hotel is Eagle Cliff, a name at once -legitimate and satisfying, although it is now untenanted by the eagles -which formerly made their home in the security of its precipitous -rocks. The cliff is also seen to great advantage from Echo Lake, half a -mile farther on, of which it constitutes a striking feature. In simple -parlance it is an advanced spur of Mount Lafayette. The high and curving -wall of this cliff encloses on one side the Profile Glen, while Mount -Cannon forms the other. The precipices tower so far above the glen that -large trees look like shrubs. Behind Eagle Cliff, almost isolating it -from the mountain, of which it is the barbacan, a hideous ravine yawns -upon the pass. Here and there, among the thick-set evergreen trees, -beech and birch and maple, spread masses of rich green, and mottle it -with softness. The purple rock bulges daringly out, forming a parapet of -adamant. - -The turf underneath the cliff was most beautifully and profusely -spangled with the delicate pink anemone, the _fleur des fes_, that -pale darling of our New England woods, to which the arbutus resigns the -sceptre of spring. It is a moving sight to see these little drooping -flowers, so shy and modest, yet so meek and trustful, growing at the -foot of a bare and sterile rock. The face hardened looking up; grew -soft looking down. "Don't tread on us!" "May not a flower look up at a -mountain?" they seem to plead. Lightly fall the dews upon your upturned -faces, dear little flowers! Soft be the sunshine and gentle the winds -that kiss those sky-tinted cheeks! In thy sweet purity and innocence -I see faces that are beneath the sod, flowers that have blossomed in -Paradise. - -We see also, from the hotel, the singular rock that occasioned the -change of name from Profile to Cannon Mountain. It nearly resembles a -piece of heavy ordnance protruding, threateningly, from the parapet of a -fortress. - -Taking one of the well-worn paths conducting to the water-side, a few -minutes' walk brings us to the shore of Echo Lake, with Eagle Cliff now -rising grandly on our right. Nowhere among the White Hills is there a -fuller realization of a mountain lake than this. Light flaws frost it -with silver. Sharp keels cut it as diamonds cut glass. The water is so -transparent that you see fishes swimming or floating indolently about. - -[Illustration: ECHO LAKE.] - -Echo Lake is somewhat larger than Profile Lake, and is only a step -from the road. Its sources are in the hundred streams that descend the -surrounding mountains, and its waters are discharged by the valley, -lying between us and the heights of Bethlehem, into the Ammonoosuc. -Therefore, in coming from one lake to the other we have crossed the -summit of the pass. On one side the waters flow to the Merrimac, on the -other to the Connecticut. An idle fancy tempted me to bring a cup of -water from Profile and cast it into Echo Lake, forgetting that, although -divided in their lives, the twin lakes had yet a common destiny in the -abyss of the ocean. I found the outlook from the boat-house on the whole -the most satisfying, because one looks back directly through the deep -chasm of the Notch. - -In this beautiful little mountain-tarn the true artist finds his ideal. -The snowy peak of Lafayette looked down into it with a freezing stare. -Cannon Mountain now showed his retreating wall on the right. The huge, -castellated rampart of Eagle Cliff lifted on its borders precipices -dripping with moisture, and glistening in the sun like casements. -Except for the lake, the whole aspect would be irredeemably savage -and forbidding--a blind landscape; but when the sun sinks behind the -long ridge of Mount Cannon, purpling all these grisly crags, and the -cloaked shadows, groping their way foot by foot up the ravines, seem -spectres risen from the depths of the lake, you see, underneath the -cliffs, long and slender spears of golden light thrust deep into its -black and glossy tide, crimsoning it as with its own life-blood. Then, -too, is the proper moment for surprising these vain old mountains -viewing themselves in their mountain mirror, in which the bald, the -wrinkled, and the decrepit appear young, vigorous, and gloriously fair; -to see them gloating over their swarthy features like the bandit in -"Fra Diavolo." Their ragged mantles are changed to gaudy cashmeres, -picturesquely twisted about their brawny shoulders, their snows to -laces. Oh the pomp, the majesty of these sunsets, which so glorify -the upturned faces of the haggard cliffs; which transmute, as in the -miracle, water into wine; which instantly transform these rugged -mountain walls into gates of jasper, and ruby, and onyx--glowing, -effulgent, enrapturing! And then, after the sun drops wearily down the -west, that gauze-like vapor, spun from the breath of evening, rising -like incense from the surface of the lake, which the mountains put on -for the masque of night; and, finally, the inquisitive stars piercing -the lake with ice-cold gleams, or the full-moon breaking in one great -burst of splendor on its level surface! - -The echo adds its feats of ventriloquism. The marvel of the phonograph -is but a mimicry of Nature, the universal teacher. Now the man blows -a strong, clear blast upon a long Alpine horn, and, like a bugle-call -flying from camp to camp, the martial signal is repeated, not once, but -again and again, in waves of bewitching sweetness and with the exquisite -modulations of the wood-thrush's note. From covert to covert, now here, -now there, it chants its rapturous melody. Once again it glides upon -the entranced ear, and still we lean in breathless eagerness to catch -the last faint cadence sighing itself away upon the palpitating air. A -cannon was then fired. The report and echo came with the flash. In a -moment more a deep and hollow rumbling sound, as if the mountains were -splitting their huge sides with suppressed laughter, startled us. - -The ascent of Mount Lafayette fittingly crowns the series of excursions -through which we have passed since leaving Plymouth. This mountain -dominates the valleys north and south with undisputed sway. It is the -King of Franconia. - -At seven in the morning I crossed the little clearing, and, turning into -the path leading to the summit, found myself at the beginning of a steep -ascent. It was one of the last and fairest days of that bright season -which made the poet exclaim, - - "And what is so fair as a day in June?" - -The thunder-storm of the previous afternoon, which continued its furious -cannonade at intervals throughout the night, had purified the air and -given promise of a day favorable for the ascension. No clouds were upon -the mountains. Everything betokened a pacific disposition. - -[Illustration: MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, LAFAYETTE.] - -The path at once attacks the south side of Eagle Cliff. A short way up, -openings afford fine views of Mount Cannon and its weird profile, of the -valley below, and of the glen we have just left. The stupendous mass of -Eagle Cliff, suspended a thousand feet over your head, accelerates the -pace. - -After an hour of steady, but not rapid, climbing, the path turned -abruptly under the shattered, but still formidable, precipices of the -cliff, which rose some distance higher, skirted it awhile, and then -began to zigzag among huge rocks along the narrow ridge uniting the -cliff with the mass of the mountain. Two deep ravines fall away on -either side. For two or three hundred yards, from the time the shoulder -of the cliff is turned until the mountain itself is reached, the walk -is as romantic an episode of mountain climbing as any I can recall, -except the narrow gully of Chocorua. But this passage presents no such -difficulties as must be overcome there. Although heaped with rocks, the -way is easy, and is quite level. In one place, where it glides between -two prodigious masses of rock dislodged from the cliff, it is so narrow -as to admit only a single person at a time. When I turned to look back -down the black ravine, cutting into the south side of the mountain, my -eye met nothing but immense rocks stopped in their descent on the very -edge of the gulf. It is among these that a way has been found for the -path, which was to me a reminiscence of the high defiles of the Isthmus -of Darien; to complete the illusion, nothing was now wanting except the -tinkling bells of the mules and the song of the muleteer. I climbed upon -one of the high rocks, and gazed to my full content upon the granite -parapet of Mount Cannon. - -In a few rods more the path encountered the great ravine opening into -the valley of Gale River. Through its wide trough brilliant strips of -this valley gleamed out far below. The village of Franconia and the -heights of Lisbon and Bethlehem now appeared on this side. - -I think that the perception of a distance climbed is greater to one who -is looking down from a great height than to one looking up. Doubtless -the imagination, which associates the plunging lines of a deep gorge -with the horror of a fall, has much to do with this impression. Upon -crossing a bridge of logs, the peak of Lafayette leaped up; yet so -distant as to promise no easy conquest. Somewhere down the gorge I heard -the roar of a brook; then the report of the cannon at Echo Lake; but up -here there was no echo. - -The usual indications now assured me that I was nearing the top. In -three-quarters of an hour from the time of leaving the natural bridge, -joining Eagle Cliff with the mountain, I stood upon the first of the -great billows which, rolling in to a common centre, appear to have -forced the true summit a thousand feet higher. - -The first, perhaps the most curious, thing that I noticed--for one -hardly suspects the existence of considerable bodies of water in these -high regions, and, therefore, never comes upon them except unawares--was -two little lakelets, nestling in the hollow between me and the main -peak. Reposing amid the sterility of the high peaks, these lakes -surround themselves with such plants as have survived the ascent from -below, or, nourished by the snows of the summit, those that never do -descend into temperate climates. Thus an appearance of fertility--one -of those deceptions that we welcome, knowing it to be such--greets us -unexpectedly. But its appearance is weird and forbidding. Here the -extremes of arctic and temperate vegetation meet and embrace; here the -flowers of the valley annually visit their pale sisters, banished by -Nature to these Siberian solitudes; and here the rough, strong Alpine -grass, striking its roots deep among the atoms of sand, granite, or -flint, lives almost in defiance of Nature herself; and when the snows -come and the freezing north winds blow, and it can no longer stand -erect, throws itself upon the tender plants, like a brave soldier -expiring on the body of his helpless comrade, saved by his own devotion. - -But these Alpine lakes always provoke a smile. When some distance -beyond the Eagle Lakes, as they are called, and higher, I caught, -underneath a wooded ridge of Cannon, the sparkle of one hidden among -the summits on the opposite side of the Notch. The immense, solitary -Kinsman Mountain overtops Cannon as easily as Cannon does Eagle Cliff. -In its dark setting of the thickest and blackest forests this lake -blazed like one of the enormous diamonds which our forefathers so firmly -believed existed among these mountains. They call this water--only to -be discovered by getting above it--Lonesome Lake, and in summer it is -the chosen retreat of one well known to American literature, whom the -mountains know, and who knows them. - -I descended the slope to the plateau on which the lakes lie, soon -gaining the rush-grown shore of the nearest. Its water was hardly -drinkable, but your thirsty climber is not apt to be too fastidious. -These lakes are prettier from a distance; the spongy and yielding moss, -the sickly yellow sedge surrounding them, and the rusty brown of the -brackish water, do not invite us to tarry long. - -[Illustration: CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE.] - -The ascent of the pinnacle now began. It is too much a repetition, -though by no means as toilsome, of the Mount Washington climb to merit -particular description. This peak, too, seems disinherited by Nature. -The last trees encountered are the stunted firs with distorted little -trunks, which it may have required half a century to grow as thick as -the wrist. I left the region of Alpine trees to enter that of gray -rocks, constantly increasing in size toward the summit, where they were -confusedly piled in ragged ridges, one upon another, looming large and -threateningly in the distance. But as often as I stopped to breathe -I scanned "the landscape o'er" with all the delight of a wholly new -experience. The fascination of being on a mountain-top has yet to be -explained. Perhaps, after all, it is not susceptible of analysis. - -After gaining the highest visible point, to find the real summit -still beyond, I stopped to drink at a delicious spring trickling from -underneath a large rock, around which the track wound. I was now among -the ruin and demolition of the summit, standing in the midst of a vast -atmospheric ocean. - -Had I staked all my hopes upon the distant view, no choice but -disappointment was mine to accept. Steeped in the softest, dreamiest -azure that ever dull earth borrowed from bright heaven, a hundred peaks -lifted their airy turrets on high. These castles of the air--for I will -maintain that they were nothing else--loomed with enchanting grace, -the nearest like battlements of turquoise and amethyst, or, receding -through infinite gradations to the merest shadows, seemed but the dusky -reflection of those less remote. The air was full of illusions. There -was bright sunshine, yet only a deluge of semi-opaque golden vapor. -There were forms without substance. See those iron-ribbed, deep-chested -mountains! I declare it seemed as if a swallow might fly through them -with ease! Over the great Twin chain were traced, apparently on the air -itself, some humid outlines of surpassing grace which I recognized for -the great White Mountains. It was a dream of the great poetic past: of -the golden age of Milton and of Dante. The mountains seemed dissolving -and floating away before my eyes. - -Stretched beneath the huge land-billows, the valleys--north, south, or -west--reflected the fervid sunshine with softened brilliance, and all -those white farms and hamlets spotting them looked like flakes of foam -in the hollows of an immense ocean. - -Heaven forbid that I should profane such a scene with the dry recital -of this view or that! I did not even think of it. A study of one of -Nature's most capricious moods interested me far more than a study of -topography. How should I know that what I saw were mountains, when the -earth itself was not clearly distinguishable? Alone, surrounded by all -these delusions, I had, indeed, a support for my feet, but none whatever -for the bewildered senses. - -I found the mountain-top untenanted except by horse-flies, black gnats, -and active little black spiders. These swarmed upon the rocks. I also -found buttercups, the mountain-cranberry, and a heath, bearing a little -white flower, blossoming near the summit. There were the four walls of a -ruined building, a cairn, and a signal-staff to show that some one had -been before me. This staff is 5259 feet above the ocean, or 3245 feet -above the summit of the Franconia Pass. - -The ascent required about three, and the descent about two hours. The -distance is not much less than four miles; but, these miles being a -nearly uninterrupted climb from the base to the summit of the mountain, -haste is out of the question, if going up, and imprudent, if coming -down. There are no breakneck or dangerous places on the route; nor any -where the traveller is liable to lose his way, even in a fog, except -on the first summit, where the new and old paths meet, and where a -guide-board should be erected. - - - - -IV. - -_FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD._ - - Believe if thou wilt that mountains change their places, but - believe not that men change their dispositions.--_Oriental Proverb_. - - -Although one may make the journey from the Profile House to Bethlehem -with greater ease and rapidity by the railway recently constructed along -the side of the Franconia range, preference will unquestionably be given -to the old way by all who would not lose some of the most striking views -the neighborhood affords. Beginning near the hotel, the railway skirts -the shore of Echo Lake, and then plunges into a forest it was the first -to invade. By a descent of one hundred feet to the mile, for nine and -a half miles, it reaches the Ammonoosuc at Bethlehem station. I have -nothing to say against the locomotive, but then I should not like to go -through the gallery of the Louvre behind one. - -[Illustration: FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH.] - -From Echo Lake the high-road to Franconia, Littleton, and Bethlehem -winds down the steep mountain side into the valley of Gale River. To -the left, in the middle distance, appear the little church-tower and -white buildings constituting the village of Franconia Iron Works. This -village is charmingly placed for effectively commanding a survey of the -amphitheatre of mountains which isolates it from the neighboring towns -and settlements. - -As we come down the three-mile descent, from the summit of the pass -to the level of the deep valley, and to the northern base of the -notch-mountains, an eminence rises to the left. Half-way up, occupying -a well-chosen site, there is a hotel, and on the high ridge another -commands not only this valley, but also those lying to the west of it. -On the opposite side to us rise the green heights of Bethlehem, Mount -Agassiz being conspicuous by the observatory on its summit. Those -farm-houses dotting the hill-side show how the road crooks and turns to -get to the top. Following these heights westward, a deep rift indicates -the course of the stream dividing the valley, and of the highway to -Littleton. Between these walls the long ellipse of fertile land beckons -us to descend. - -I am always most partial to those grassy lanes and by-ways going no one -knows where, especially if they have well-sweeps and elm-trees in them; -but here also is the old red farm-house, with its antiquated sweep, -its colony of arching elms, its wild-rose clustering above the porch, -its embodiment of those magical words, "Home, sweet home." It fits the -rugged landscape as no other habitation can. It fits it to a T, as -we say in New England. More than this, it unites us with another and -different generation. What a story of toil, privation, endurance these -old walls could tell! How genuine the surprise with which they look down -upon the more modern houses of the village! Here, too, is the Virginia -fence, on which the king of the barn-yard defiantly perches. There is -the field behind it, and the men scattering seed in the fallow earth. -Yonder, in the mowing-ground, a laborer is sharpening his scythe, the -steel ringing musically under the quick strokes of his "rifle." - -Over there, to the left, is the rustic bridge, and hard by a clump of -peeled birches throw their grateful shade over the hot road. Many stop -here, for the white-columned trunks are carved with initials, some -freshly cut, some mere scars. But why mutilate the tree? What signify -those letters, that every idler should gratify his little vanity by -giving it a stab? Do you know that the birch does not renew its bark, -and that the tree thus stripped of its natural protection is doomed? -Cease, then, I pray you, this senseless mutilation; nor call down the -just malediction of the future traveller for destroying his shade. -Unable to escape its fate, the poor tree, like a victim at the stake, -stoically receives your barbarous strokes and gashes. Refrain, then, -traveller, for pity's sake! Have a little mercy! Know that the ancients -believed the tree possessed of a soul. Remember the touching story -of Adonis, barbarously wounded, surviving in a pine, where he weeps -eternally. Consider how often is the figure of "The Tree" used in the -Scriptures as emblematic of the life eternal! Who would wish to inhabit -a treeless heaven? - -The stream--which does not allow us to forget that it is here--is a -vociferous mountain brook. Hardly less forward is the roadside fountain -gushing into a water-trough its refreshing abundance for the tired and -dusty wayfarer. It makes no difference in the world whether he goes -on two legs or on four. "Drink and be filled" is the invitation thus -generously held out to all alike. With what a sigh of pleasure your -steaming beast lifts his reluctant and dripping muzzle from the cool -wave, and after satisfying again and again his thirst, luxuriously -immersing his nose for the third and fourth time, still pretends to -drink! How deliciously light and limpid and sparkling is the water, and -how sweet! How it cools the hot blood! You quaff nectar. You sip it as -you would champagne. It tastes far better, you think, pouring from this -half-decayed, moss-crusted spout than from iron, or bronze, or marble. -Come, fellow-traveller, a bumper! Fill high! God bless the man who -first invented the roadside fountain! He was a true benefactor of his -fellow-man. - -[Illustration: THE ROADSIDE SPRING.] - -Turn once more to the house. A little girl tosses corn, kernel by -kernel, to her pet chickens. There go a flight of pigeons: they curvet -and wheel, and settle on the ridge-pole, where they begin to flirt, and -strut, and coo. The men in the field look up at the top of the mountain, -to see if it is not yet noon. And now a woman, with plump bare arms, -coming briskly to the open door, puts the dinner-horn to her lips with -one hand while placing the other lightly upon her hip. She does not know -that act and attitude are alike inviting. How should she? - -Let us follow the pretty stream that is our guide. Franconia has the -reputation of being the hottest in summer and in winter the coldest of -the mountain villages. It _is_ hot. The houses are strung along the road -for a mile. People may or may not live in them: you see nobody. One -modest church-tower catches the eye for a moment, and then, as we enter -the heart of the village, a square barrack of a building, just across -the stream, is pointed out as the old furnace, which in times past gave -importance to this out-of-the-way corner. But the old furnace is now -deserted except by cows from the neighboring pastures, who come and go -through its open doors in search of shade. At present the river, which -brings its music and its freshness to the very doors of the villagers, -is the only busy thing in the place. - -During the Rebellion the furnace was kept busy night and day, turning -out iron to be cast into cannon. The very hills were melted down for -the defence of the imperilled Union. In the adjoining town of Lisbon -the discovery of gold-bearing quartz turned the heads of the usually -steady-going population. The precious deposits were first found on the -Bailey farm, in 1865, and similar specimens were soon detected on the -farms adjoining. It is said the old people could scarcely be made to -credit these reports until they had seen and handled the precious metal; -for the country had been settled nearly a century, and the presence of -any but the baser ores was wholly unsuspected and disbelieved. - -There is one peculiarity, common to all these mountain villages, -to which I must allude. A stranger is not known by any personal -peculiarity, but by his horse. If you ask for such or such a person, -the chances are ten to one you will immediately be asked in return if -he drove a bay horse, or a black colt, or a brown mare with one white -ear; so quick are these lazy-looking men, that loll on the door-steps or -spread themselves out over the shop-counters, to observe what interests -them most. The girls here know the points of a horse better than most -men, and are far more reckless drivers than men. To a man who, like -myself, has lived in a horse-stealing country, it does look queerly to -see the barn-doors standing open at night. But then every country has -its own customs. - -One seeks in vain for any scraps of history or tradition that might -shed even a momentary lustre upon this village out of the past. Yet its -situation invites the belief that it is full of both. Disappointed in -this, we at least have an inexhaustible theme in the dark and tranquil -mountains bending over us. - -Mount Lafayette presents toward Franconia two enormous green billows, -rolled apart, the deep hollow between being the great ravine dividing -the mountain from base to summit. Over this deep incision, which, -from the irregularity of one of its ridges, looks widest at the top, -presides, with matchless dignity, the bared and craggy peak whose dusky -brown gradually mingles with the scant verdure checked hundreds of feet -down. With what hauteur it seems to regard this effort of Nature to -place a garland on its bronzed and knotted forehead! One can never get -over his admiration for the savage grace with which the mountain, which -at first sight seems literally thrown together, develops a beauty, a -harmony, and an intelligence giving such absolute superiority to works -of Nature over those of man. - -The side of Mount Cannon turned toward the village now elevates two -almost regular triangular masses, one rising behind the other, and -both surmounted by the rounded summit, which, except in its mass, has -little resemblance to a mountain. It is seen that on two-thirds of these -elevations a new forest has replaced the original growth. Twenty-five -years ago a destructive fire raged on this mountain, destroying all the -vegetation, as well as the thin soil down to the hard rock. Even that -was cracked and peeled like old parchment. This burning mountain was a -scene of startling magnificence during several nights, when the village -was as light as day, the sky overspread an angry glow, and the river -ran blood-red. The hump-backed ridges, connecting Cannon with Kinsman, -present nearly the same appearance from this as from the other side of -the Notch--or as remarked when approaching from Campton. - -The superb picture seen from the upper end of the valley, combining, as -it does, the two great chains in a single glance of the eye, is extended -and improved by going a mile out of the village to the school-house on -the Sugar Hill road. It is a peerless landscape. I have gazed at it for -hours with that ineffable delight which baffles all power of expression. -It will have no partakers. One must go there alone and see the setting -sun paint those vast shapes with colors the heavens alone are capable of -producing. - -Distinguished by the beautiful groves of maple that adorn its crest, -Sugar Hill is destined to grow more and more in the popular esteem. No -traveller should pass it by. It is so admirably placed as to command -in one magnificent sweep of the eye all the highest mountains; it is -also lifted into sun and air by an elevation sufficiently high to -reach the cooler upper currents. The days are not so breathless or -so stifling as they are down in the valley. You look deep into the -Franconia Notch, and watch the evening shadows creep up the great east -wall. Extending beyond these nearer mountains, the scarcely inferior -Twin summits pose themselves like gigantic athletes. Passing to the -other side of the valley, we see as far as the pale peaks of Vermont, -and those rising above the valley of Israel's River. But better than -all, grander than all, is that kingly coronet of great mountains set on -the lustrous green cushion of the valley. Nowhere, I venture to affirm, -will the felicity of the title, "Crown of New England,"[32] receive -more unanimous acceptance than from this favored spot. Especially when -a canopy of clouds overspreading permits the pointed peaks to reflect -the illuminated fires of sunset does the crown seem blazing with jewels -and precious stones. All the great summits are visible here, and all the -ravines, except those in Madison, are as clearly distinguished as if not -more than ten instead of twenty miles separated us. - -The high crest of Sugar Hill unfolds an unrivalled panorama. This is but -faint praise. Yet I find myself instinctively preferring the landscape -from Goodenow's; for those great horizons, uncovered all at once, like -a magnificent banquet, are too much for one pair of eyes, however good, -or however unwearied with continued sight-seeing. As we cannot look -at all the pictures of a gallery at once, we naturally single out the -masterpieces. The effort to digest too much natural scenery is a species -of intellectual gluttony the overtaxed brain will be quick to revenge, -by an attack of indigestion or a loss of appetite. - -I was very fond of walking, in the cool of the evening, either in this -direction or to the upper end of the village, on the Bethlehem road. -There is one point on this road, before it begins in earnest its ascent -of the heights, that became a favorite haunt of mine. Emerging from the -concealment of thick woods upon a sandy plain, covered here with a thick -carpet of verdure, and skirted by a regiment of pines seemingly awaiting -only the word of command to advance into the valley, a landscape second -to none that I have seen is before you. At the same time he would be -an audacious mortal who attempted to transfer it to page or canvas. -Nothing disturbs the exquisite harmony of the scene. To the left of -you are all the White Mountains, from Adams to Pleasant; in front, the -Franconia range, from Kinsman to the Great Haystack. Here is the deep -rent of the Notch from which we have but lately descended. Here, too, -overtopped and subjugated by the superb spire of Lafayette, the long -and curiously-distorted outline of Eagle Cliff pitches headlong down -into the half-open aperture of the pass. Nothing but an earthquake could -have made such a breach. How that tremendous, earth-swooping ridge seems -battered down by the blows of a huge mace! Unspeakably wild and stern, -the fractured mountains are to the valley what a raging tempest is to -the serenest of skies: one part of the heavens convulsed by the storm, -another all peace and calm. Thus from behind his impregnable outworks -Lafayette, stern and defiant, keeps eternal watch and ward over the -valley cowering at his feet. - -From this spot, too, sacred as yet from all intrusion, the profound -ravine, descending nearly from the summit of Lafayette, is fully -exposed. It is a thing of cracks, crevices, and rents; of upward -curves in brilliant light; of black, mysterious hollows, which the eye -investigates inch by inch, to where the gorge is swallowed up by the -thick forests underneath. The whole side of the principal peak seems -torn away. Up there, among the snows, is the source of a flashing stream -which comes roaring down through the gorge. Storms swell it into an -ungovernable and raging torrent. Thus under the folds of his mantle the -lordly peak carries peace or war for the vale. - -After the half-stifled feeling experienced among the great mountains, -it is indeed a rare pleasure to once more come forth into full -breathing-space, and to inspect at leisure from some friendly shade -the grandeur magnified by distance, yet divested of excitements that -set the brain whirling by the rapidity of their succession. If the -wayfarer chances to see, as I did, the whole noble array of high -summits presenting a long, snowy line of unsullied brilliance against -a background of pale azure, he will account it one of the crowning -enjoyments of his journey. - -The Bridal Veil Falls, lying on the northern slope of Mount Kinsman, -will, when a good path shall enable tourists to visit them, prove one -of the most attractive features of Franconia. Truth compels me to say -that I did not once hear them spoken of during the fortnight passed in -the village, although fishermen were continually bringing in trout from -the Copper-mine Brook, on which these falls are situated. The height of -the fall is given at seventy-six feet, and its surroundings are said -to be of the most romantic and picturesque character. Its marvellous -transparency, which permits the ledges to be seen through the gauze-like -sheet falling over them, has given to it its name. - -From Franconia I took the daily stage to Littleton, which lies on both -banks of the Ammonoosuc, and, turning my back upon the high mountains, -ran down the rail to Wells River, having the intention of cultivating a -more intimate acquaintance with that most noble and interesting entrance -formed by the meeting of the Ammonoosuc with the Connecticut. - - - - -V. - -_THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW._ - - Say, have the solid rocks - Into streams of silver been melted, - Flowing over the plains, - Spreading to lakes in the fields? - LONGFELLOW. - - -The Connecticut is justly named "the beautiful river," and its valley -"the garden of New England." Issuing from the heart of the northern -wilderness, it spreads boundless fertility throughout its stately march -to the sea. It is not a rapid river, but flows with an even and majestic -tide through its long avenue of mountains. Radiant envoy of the skies, -its mission is peace on earth and good-will toward men. As it advances -the confluent streams flock to it from their mountain homes. On one side -the Green Mountains of Vermont send their hundred tributaries to swell -its flood; on the other side the White Hills of New Hampshire pour their -impetuous torrents into its broad and placid bosom. Two States thus vie -with each other in contributing the wealth it lavishes with absolutely -impartial hand along the shores of each. - -Unlike the storied Rhine, no crumbling ruins crown the lofty heights -of this beautiful river. Its verdant hill-sides everywhere display the -evidences of thrift and happiness; its only fortresses are the watchful -and everlasting peaks that catch the earliest beams of the New England -sun and flash the welcome signal from tower to tower. From time to time -the mountains, which seem crowding its banks to see it pass, draw back, -as if to give the noble river room. It rewards this benevolence with -a garden-spot. Sometimes the mountains press too closely upon it, and -the offended stream repays this temerity with a barrenness equal to the -beneficence it has just bestowed. Where it is permitted to expand the -amphitheatres thus created are the highest types of decorative nature. -Graciously touching first one shore and then the other, making the -loveliest windings imaginable, the river actually seems on the point of -retracing its steps; but, yielding to destiny, it again resumes its -slow march, loitering meanwhile in the cool shadows of the mountains, or -indolently stretching itself at full length upon the green carpet of the -level meadows. Every traveller who has passed here has seen the Happy -Valley of Rasselas.[33] - -Such is the renowned Ox-Bow of Lower Cos. Tell me, you who have seen -it, if the sight has not caused a ripple of pleasurable excitement? - -Here the Connecticut receives the waters of the Ammonoosuc, flowing from -the very summit of the White Hills, and, in its turn, made to guide -the railway to its own birthplace among the snows of Mount Washington. -Here the valley, graven in long lines by the ploughshare, heaped with -fruitful orchards and groves, extends for many miles up and down its -checkered and variegated floor. But it is most beautiful between the -villages of Newbury and Haverhill, or at the Great and Little Ox-Bow, -where the fat and fecund meadows, extending for two miles from side -to side of the valley, resemble an Eden upon earth, and the villages, -prettily arranged on terraces above them, half-hid in a thick fringe of -foliage, the mantel-ornaments of their own best rooms. Only moderate -elevations rise on the Vermont side; but the New Hampshire shore is -upheaved into the finely accentuated Benton peaks, behind which, -like a citadel within its outworks, is uplifted the gigantic bulk of -Moosehillock--the greatest mountain of all this valley, and its natural -landmark--keeping strict watch over it as far as the Canadian frontiers. - -The traveller approaching by the Connecticut Valley holds this exquisite -landscape in view from the Vermont side of the river. The tourist -who approaches by the valley of the Merrimac enjoys it from the New -Hampshire shore. - -The large village of Newbury, usually known as the "Street," is built -along a plateau, rising well above the intervale, and joined to the -foothills of the Green Mountains. The Passumpsic Railway coasts the -intervale, just touching the northern skirt of the village. The -village of Haverhill is similarly situated with respect to the skirt -of the White Mountains; but its surface is much more uneven, and it -is elevated higher above the valley than its opposite neighbor. The -Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railway, having crossed the divide between -the waters of the Merrimac and the Connecticut, now follows the high -level, after a swift descent from Warren Summit. These plateaus, or -terraces, forming broken shelves, first upon one side of the valley, -then upon the other, strongly resemble the remains of the ancient bed of -a river of tenfold the magnitude of the stream as we see it to-day. They -give rise at once to all those interesting conjectures, or theories, -which are considered the special field of the geologist, but are also -equally attractive to every intelligent observer of Nature and her -wondrous works. - -Of these two villages, which are really subdivided into half a dozen, -and which so beautifully decorate the mountain walls of this valley, -it is no treason to the Granite State to say that Newbury enjoys a -preference few will be found to dispute. It has the grandest mountain -landscape. Moosehillock is lifted high above the Benton range, which -occupies the foreground. The whole background is filled with high -summits--Lafayette feeling his way up among the clouds, Moosehillock -roughly pushing his out of the throng. Meadows of emerald, river -of burnished steel, hill-sides in green and buff, and etched with -glittering hamlets, gray mountains, bending darkly over, cloud-detaining -peaks, vanishing in the far east--surely fairer landscape never brought -a glow of pleasure to the cheek, or kindled the eye of a traveller, -already sated with a panorama reaching from these mountains to the Sound. - -We are now, I imagine, sufficiently instructed in the general -characteristics of the famed Ox-Bow to pass from its picturesque and -topographical features into the domain of history, and to summon from -the past the details of a tragedy in war, which, had it occurred in -the days of Homer, would have been embalmed in an epic. Our history -begins at a period before any white settlement existed in the region -immediately about us. No wonder the red man relinquished it only at the -point of the bayonet. It was a country worth fighting for to the bitter -end. - - - - -VI. - -_THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES._ - - "L'histoire sa vrit; la legende a la sienne." - - -In the month of September, 1759, the army of Sir Jeffrey Amherst -was in cantonments at Crown Point. A picked corps of American -rangers, commanded by Robert Rogers, was attached to this army. One -day an aide-de-camp brought Rogers an order to repair forthwith to -head-quarters, and in a few moments the ranger entered the general's -marquee. - -"At your orders, general," said the ranger, making his salute. - -"About that accursed hornet's-nest of St. Francis?" said the general, -frowning. - -"When I was a lad, your excellency, we used to burn a hornet's-nest, if -it became troublesome," observed Rogers, significantly. - -"And how many do you imagine, major, this one has stung to death in the -last six years?" inquired General Amherst, fumbling among his papers. - -"I don't know; a great many, your excellency." - -"Six hundred men, women, and children." - -The two men looked at each other a moment without speaking. - -"At this rate," continued the general, "his Majesty's New England -provinces will soon be depopulated." - -"For God's sake, general, put a stop to this butchery!" ejaculated the -exasperated ranger. - -"That's exactly what I have sent for you to do. Here are your orders. -You are commanded, and I expect you to destroy that nest of vipers, -root and branch. Remember the atrocities committed by these Indian -scoundrels, and take your revenge; but remember, also, that I forbid the -killing of women and children. Exterminate the fighting-men, but spare -the non-combatants. That is war. Now make an end of St. Francis once and -for all." - -[Illustration: ROBERT ROGERS.] - -Nearly a hundred leagues separated the Abenaqui village from the -English; and we should add that once there, in the heart of the enemy's -country, all idea of help from the army must be abandoned, and the -rangers, depending wholly upon themselves, be deprived of every resource -except to cut their way through all obstacles. But this was exactly the -kind of service for which this distinctive body of American soldiers was -formed. - -Sir Jeffrey Amherst had said to Rogers, "Go and wipe out St. Francis for -me," precisely as he would have said to his orderly, "Go and saddle my -horse." - -But this illustrates the high degree of confidence which the army -reposed in the chief of the rangers. The general knew that this -expedition demanded, at every stage, the highest qualities in a leader. -Rogers had already proved himself possessed of these qualities in a -hundred perilous encounters. - -That night, without noise or display, the two hundred men detailed for -the expedition left their encampment, which was habitually in the van of -the army. On the evening of the twenty-second day since leaving Crown -Point a halt was ordered. The rangers were near their destination. From -the top of a tree the doomed village was discovered three miles distant. -Not the least sign that the presence of an enemy was suspected could -be seen or heard. The village wore its ordinary aspect of profound -security. Rogers therefore commanded his men to rest, and prepare -themselves for the work in hand. - -At eight in the evening, having first disguised himself, Rogers took -Lieutenant Turner and Ensign Avery, and with them reconnoitred the -Indian town. He found it the scene of high festivity, and for an -hour watched unseen the unsuspecting inhabitants celebrating with -dancing and barbaric music the nuptials of one of the tribe. All this -marvellously favored his plans. Not dreaming of an enemy, the savages -abandoned themselves to unrestrained enjoyment and hilarity. The fte -was protracted until a late hour under the very eyes of the spies, who, -finding themselves unnoticed, crept boldly into the village, where they -examined the ground and concerted the plan of attack. - -At length all was hushed. The last notes of revelry faded on the still -night air. One by one the drowsy merry-makers retired to their lodges, -and soon the village was wrapped in profound slumber--the slumber of -death. This was the moment so anxiously awaited by Rogers. Time was -precious. He quickly made his way back to the spot where the rangers -were lying on their arms. One by one the men were aroused and fell into -their places. It was two in the morning when he left the village. At -three the whole body moved stealthily up to within five hundred yards -of the village, where the men halted, threw off their packs, and were -formed for the assault in three divisions. The village continued silent -as the grave. - -St. Francis was a village of about forty or fifty wigwams, thrown -together in a disorderly clump. In the midst was a chapel, to which the -inhabitants were daily summoned by matin and vesper bell to hear the -holy father, whose spiritual charge they were, celebrate the mass. The -place was enriched with the spoil torn from the English and the ransom -of many miserable captives. We have said that these Indians had slain -and taken, in six years, six hundred English: that is equivalent to one -hundred every year. - -The knowledge of numberless atrocities nerved the arms and steeled the -hearts of the avengers. When the sun began to brighten the east the -three bands of rangers, waiting eagerly for the signal, rushed upon the -village. - -A deplorable and sickening scene of carnage ensued. The surprise was -complete. The first and only warning the amazed savages had were the -volleys that mowed them down by scores and fifties. Eyes heavy with the -carousal of the previous night opened to encounter an appalling carnival -of butchery and horror. Two of the stoutest of the rangers--Farrington -and Bradley--led one of the attacking columns to the door where the -wedding had taken place. Finding it barred, they threw themselves so -violently against it that the fastenings gave way, precipitating Bradley -headlong among the Indians who were asleep on their mats. All these were -slain before they could make the least resistance. - -On all sides the axe and the rifle were soon reaping their deadly -harvest. Those panic-stricken, half-dazed wretches who rushed pell-mell -into the streets either ran stupidly upon the uplifted weapons of the -rangers or were shot down by squads advantageously posted to receive -them. A few who ran this terrible gauntlet plunged into the river -flowing before the village, and struck boldly out for the opposite -shore; but the avengers had closed every avenue of escape, and the -fugitives were picked off from the banks. The same fate overtook those -who tumbled into their canoes and pushed out into the stream. The frail -barks were riddled with shot, leaving their occupants an easy target for -a score of rifles. The incessant flashes, the explosions of musketry, -the shouts of the assailants, and the yells of their victims were all -mingled in one horrible uproar. For two hours this massacre continued. -Combat it cannot be called. Rendered furious by the sight of hundreds of -scalps waving mournfully in the night-wind in front of the lodges, the -pitiless assailants hunted the doomed savages down like blood-hounds. -Every shot was followed by a death-whoop, every stroke by a howl of -agony. For two horrible hours the village shook with explosions and -echoed with frantic outcries. It was then given up to pillage, and then -to the torch, and all those who from fear had hid themselves perished -miserably in the flames. At seven o'clock in the morning all was over. -Silence once more enveloped the hideous scene of conflagration and -slaughter. The village of St. Francis was the funeral pyre of two -hundred warriors. Rogers had indeed taken the fullest revenge enjoined -by Sir Jeffrey Amherst's orders. - -From this point our true history passes into the legendary. - -While the sack of St. Francis was going on a number of the Abenaquis -took refuge in the little chapel. Their retreat was discovered. A few -of their assailants having collected in the neighborhood precipitated -themselves toward it, with loud cries. Others ran up. Two or three blows -with the butt of a musket forced open the door, when the building was -instantly filled with armed men. - -An unforeseen reception awaited them. Lighted candles burnt on the high -altar, shedding a mild radiance throughout the interior, and casting -a dull glow upon the holy vessels of gold and silver upon the altar. -At the altar's foot, clad in the sacred vestments of his office, stood -the missionary, a middle-aged, vigorous-looking man, his arms crossed -upon his breast, his face lighted up with the exaltation of a martyr. -Face and figure denoted the high resolve to meet fate half-way. Behind -him crouched the knot of half-crazed savages, who had fled to the -sanctuary for its protection, and who, on seeing their mortal enemies, -instinctively took a posture of defence. The priest, at two or three -paces in advance of them, seemed to offer his body as their rampart. The -scene was worthy the pencil of a Rembrandt. - -At this sight the intruders halted, the foremost even falling back a -step, but the vessels of gold and silver inflamed their cupidity to -the highest pitch; while the hostile attitude of the warriors was a -menace men already steeped in bloodshed regarded a moment in still more -threatening silence, and then by a common impulse recognized by covering -the forlorn group with their rifles. - -Believing the critical moment come, the priest threw up his hands in -an attitude of supplication, arresting the fatal volley as much by -the dignity of the gesture itself, as by the resonant voice which -exclaimed, in French, "Madmen, for pity's sake, for the sake of Him on -the Cross, stay your hands! This violence! What is your will? What seek -ye in the house of God?" - -A gunshot outside, followed by a mournful howl, was his sole response. - -The priest shuddered, and his crisped lips murmured an _ave_. He -comprehended that another soul had been sent, unshriven, to its final -account. - -"Hear him!" said a ranger, in a mocking undertone; "his gabble minds me -of a flock of wild geese." - -A burst of derisive laughter followed this coarse sally. - -In fact, they had not too much respect for the Church of Rome, these -wild woodsmen, but were filled with ineradicable hatred for its -missionaries, domesticated among their enemies, in whom they believed -they saw the real heads of the tribes, and the legitimate objects, -therefore, of their vengeance. - -"Yield, Papist! Come, you shall have good quarter; on the word of a -ranger you shall," cried an authoritative voice, the speaker at the same -time advancing a step, and dropping his rifle the length of his sinewy -arms. - -"Never!" answered the ecclesiastic, crossing himself. - -A suppressed voice from behind hurriedly murmured in his ear, "_coutez: -rendez-vous, mon pre: je vous en supplie!_" - -"_Jamais! mieux vaut la mort que la misricorde de brigands et -meurtriers!_" ejaculated the missionary, rejecting the counsel also, -with a vehement shake of the head. - -"_Grand Dieu! tout, donc, est fini_," sighed the voice, despairingly. - -The rangers understood the gesture better than the words. An officer, -the same who had just spoken, again impatiently demanded, this time in a -higher and more threatening key, - -"A last time! Do you yield or no? Answer, friar!" - -The priest turned quickly, took the consecrated Host from the altar, -elevated it above his head, and, in a voice that was long remembered by -those who heard it, exclaimed, - -"To your knees, monsters! to your knees!" - -What the ranger understood of this pantomime and this command was that -they conveyed a scornful and a final refusal. Muttering under his -breath, "Your blood be upon your own head, then," he levelled his -gun and pulled the trigger. A general discharge from both sides shook -the building, filling it with thick and stifling smoke, and instantly -extinguishing the lights. The few dim rays penetrating the windows, and -which seemed recoiling from the frightful spectacle within, enabled the -combatants vaguely to distinguish each other in the obscurity. Not a cry -was heard; nothing but quick reports or blows signaled the progress of -this lugubrious combat. - -This butchery continued ten minutes, at the end of which the rangers, -with the exception of one of their number killed outright, issued from -the chapel, after having first stripped the altar, despoiled the shrine -of its silver image of the Virgin, and flung the Host upon the ground. -While this profanation was enacting a voice rose from the heap of dead -at the altar's foot, which made the boldest heart among the rangers stop -beating. It said, - -"The Great Spirit of the Abenaquis will scatter darkness in the path of -the accursed Pale-faces! Hunger walks before and Death strikes their -trail! Their wives weep for the warriors that do not return! Manitou is -angry when the dead speak. The dead have spoken!" - -The torch was then applied to the chapel, and, like the rest of the -village, it was fast being reduced to a heap of cinders. But now -something singular transpired. As the rangers filed out from the -shambles the bell of the little chapel began to toll. In wonder and -dread they listened to its slow and measured strokes until, the flames -having mounted to the belfry, it fell with a loud clang among the ruins. -The rangers hastened onward. This unexpected sound already filled them -with gloomy forebodings. - -After the stern necessities of their situation rendered a separation -the sole hope of successful retreat, the party which carried along -with it the silver image was so hard pressed by the Indians, and by a -still more relentless enemy, famine, that it reached the banks of the -Connecticut reduced to four half-starved, emaciated men. More than once -had they been on the point of flinging their burden into some one of the -torrents every hour obstructing their way; but as one after another fell -exhausted or lifeless, the unlucky image passed from hand to hand, and -was thus preserved up to the moment so eagerly and so confidently looked -for, during that long and dreadful march, to end all their privations. - -But the chastisement of heaven, prefigured in the words of the expiring -Abenaqui, had already overtaken them. Half-crazed by their sufferings, -they mistook the place of rendezvous appointed by their chief, and, -having no tidings of their comrades, believed themselves to be the sole -survivors of all that gallant but ill-fated band. In this conviction, to -which a mournful destiny conducted, they took the fatal determination -to cross the mountains under the guidance of one of their number who -had, or professed, a knowledge of the way through the Great Notch of the -White Hills. - -For four days they dragged themselves onward through thickets, through -deep snows and swollen streams, without sustenance of any kind, when -three of them, in consequence of their complicated miseries, aggravated -by finding no way through the wall of mountains, lost their senses. -What leather covered their cartouch-boxes they had already scorched -to a cinder and greedily devoured. At length, on the last days of -October, as they were crossing a small river dammed by logs, they -discovered some human bodies, not only scalped, but horribly mangled, -which were supposed to be some of their own band. But this was no -time for distinctions. On them they accordingly fell like cannibals, -their impatience being too great to await the kindling of a fire to -dress their horrid food by. When they had thus abated somewhat the -excruciating pangs they before endured, the fragments were carefully -collected for a future store. - -My pen refuses to record the dreadful extremities to which starvation -reduced these miserable wretches. At length, after some days of -fruitless wandering up and down, finding the mountains inexorably -closing in upon them, even this last dreadful resource failed, and, -crawling under some rocks, they perished miserably in the delirium -produced by hunger and despair, blaspheming, and hurling horrible -imprecations at the silver image, to which, in their insanity, they -attributed all their sufferings. One of them, seizing the statue, -tottered to the edge of a precipice, and, exerting all his remaining -strength, dashed it down into the gulf at his feet. - -Tradition affirms that the first settlers who ascended Israel's River -found relics of the lost detachment near the foot of the mountains; but, -notwithstanding the most diligent search, the silver image has thus far -eluded every effort made for its recovery. - - - - -VII. - -MOOSEHILLOCK. - - And so, when restless and adrift, I keep - Great comfort in a quietness like this, - An awful strength that lies in fearless sleep, - On this great shoulder lay my head, nor miss - The things I longed for but an hour ago. - SARAH O. JEWETT. - - -Moosehillock, or Moosilauke,[34] is one of four or five summits from -which the best idea of the whole area of the White Mountains may be -obtained. It is not so remarkable for its form as for its mass. It is an -immense mountain. - -Lifted in solitary grandeur upon the extreme borders of the army of -peaks to which it belongs, and which it seems defending, haughtily -over-bearing those lesser summits of the Green Mountains confronting -it from the opposite shores of the Connecticut, which here separates -the two grand systems, like two hostile armies, the one from the other, -Moosehillock resembles a crouching lion, magnificent in repose, but -terrible in its awakening. - -This immense strength, paralyzed and helpless though it seems, is -nevertheless capable of arousing in us a sentiment of respectful -fear--respect for the creative power, fear for the suspended life we -believe is there. The mountain really seems lying extended under the sky -listening for the awful command, "Arise and walk!" - -This mountain received a name before Mount Washington, and is in -some respects, as I hope to point out, the most interesting of the -whole group. In the first place, it commands a hundred miles of the -Connecticut Valley, including, of course, all the great peaks of the -Green Mountain and Adirondack chains. Again, its position confers -decided advantages for studying the configuration of the Franconia -group, to which, in a certain sense, it is allied, and of the ranges -enclosing the Pemigewasset Valley, which it overlooks. Moosehillock -stands in the broad angle formed by the meeting waters of the -Connecticut and the Ammonoosuc. In a word, it is an advanced bastion -of the whole cluster of castellated summits, constituting the White -Mountains in a larger meaning. - -Therefore no summit better repays a visit than Moosehillock; yet it is -astonishing, considering the ease of access, how few make the ascent. -The traveller can hardly do better than begin here his experiences of -mountain adventure, should chance conduct him this way; or, if making -his exit from the mountain region by the Connecticut Valley, he may, -taking it in his way out, make this the appropriate pendant of his -tours, romantic and picturesque. - -Having been so long known to and frequented by the Indian as well as -white hunters, the mountain is naturally the subject of considerable -legend,[35] which the historian of Warren has scrupulously gathered -together. One of these tales, founded on the disaster of Rogers, -recounts the sufferings of two of his men, hopelessly snared in the -great Jobildunk ravine. But that tale of horror needs no embellishment -from romance. This enormous rent, equally hideous in fact as in name, -cut into the vitals of the mountain so deeply that a dark stream gushes -from the gaping wound, conceals within its mazes several fine cascades. -Owing to long-continued drought, the streams were so puny and so languid -when I visited the mountain that I explored only the upper portion of -the gorge, which bristles with an untamed forest, levelling its myriad -spears at the breast of the climber. - -The greater part of the mountain lies in the town of Benton, or, -perhaps, it would be nearer the truth to say that fully half the -township is appropriated by its prodigious earthwork. But, to reach it -without undergoing the fatigues of a long march through the woods, -it is necessary to proceed to the village of Warren, which is twenty -miles north of Plymouth, and about fourteen south of Haverhill. Behind -the village rises Mount Carr. Still farther to the north the summits -of Mounts Kineo, Cushman, and Waternomee, continuing this range now -separating us from the Pemigewasset Valley, form also the eastern wall -of the valley of Baker's River, which has its principal source in the -ravines of Moosehillock. There is a bridle-path opening communication -with the mountain from the Benton side, on the north; and so with Lisbon -and Franconia. A carriage-road is also contemplated on that side, which -will render access still more feasible for a large summer population; -while a bridle-path, lately opened between two peaks of the Carr range, -facilitates ingress from the Pemigewasset side. - -I set out from the village of Warren on one of the hottest afternoons -of an intensely hot and dry summer. The five miles between the village -and the base of the mountain need not detain the sight-seer. At the -crossing of Baker's River I remarked again the granite-bed honey-combed -with those curious pot-holes sunk by whirling stones, first set in -motion and then spun around by the stream, which here, breaking up into -several wild pitches, pours through a rocky gorge. But how gratefully -cool and refreshing was even the sound of rushing water in that still, -stifling atmosphere, coming, one would think, from a furnace! Then for -two miles more the horse crept along the road, constantly ascending the -side of the valley, until the last house was reached. Here we passed a -turnpike-gate, rolled over the crisped turf of a stony pasture through a -second gate, and were at the foot of Moosehillock. - -In a trice we exchanged the sultriness, the dryness, the dust, parching -or suffocating us, of a shadeless road, for the cool, moist air of the -mountain-forest and the delectable sound of running water. A brook shot -past; then another; then the horse, who stopped when he liked, and as -often as he liked, like a man forced to undertake a task which he is -determined shall cost his task-masters dearly, began a languid progress -up the increasing declivity before us. His sighs and groans, as he -plodded wearily along, were enough to melt a heart of stone. I therefore -dismounted and walked on, leaving the driver to follow as he could. The -question was, not how the horse should get us up the mountain, but how -we should get the horse up. - -They call it four and a half miles from the bottom to the top. The -distances indicated by the sign-boards, nailed to trees, did not appear -to me exact. They are not exact; and the reason why they are not is -sufficiently original to merit a word of explanation. Having long -observed the effect of imagination, especially in computing distances, -the builder of the road, as he himself informed me, adopted a truly -ingenious method of his own. He lengthened or shortened his miles -according as the travelling was good or bad. For example: the first -mile, being an easy one, was stretched to a mile and a quarter. The -last mile is also very good travelling. That, too, he lengthened to a -mile and a half. In this way he reduced the intervening two and a half -miles of the worst road to one and three-fourth miles. This absolutely -harmless piece of deception, he averred, considerably shortened the most -difficult part of the journey. No one complained that the good miles -were too long, while the bad ones were now passed over with far less -grumbling than before they were abbreviated by this simple expedient, -which very few, I am convinced, would have thought of. In fact, the sum -of the whole distance being scrupulously adhered to, it is the most -civil piece of engineering of which I have any knowledge. - -The road up is rough, tedious, and, until the ridge at the foot of the -south peak is reached, uninteresting. It crooks and turns with absolute -lawlessness while climbing the flanks of the southern peak, skirting -also the side of the profound ravine eating its way into the mountain -from the south. Nearing this summit we obtained through an opening a -glimpse of Mount Washington, veiled in the clouds. The trees now visibly -dwindled. Just before reaching the ridge, where it joins this peak, a -fine spring, deliciously cold, gushed from the mountain side. A few -rods more of ascent brought us quite out upon the long, narrow, curving -backbone of the mountain, uplifting its sharp edge between two profound -gorges, connecting the peaks set at its two extremes, between which -Nature has decreed a perpetual divorce. The sun was just setting as we -emerged upon this natural way conducting from peak to peak along the -airy crest of the mountain. - -Although this, it will be remembered, is one of the longest miles, -according to the scale of computation in vogue here, the unexpected -speed which the horse now put forth, the sight of the squat, little -Tip-Top House, clinging to the summit beyond, the upper and nether -worlds floating or fading in splendor, while the night-breezes sweeping -over cooled our foreheads, and rudely jostled the withered trees, drawn -a little apart to the right and left to let us pass, quickly replaced -that weariness of mind and body which the mountain exacts of all who -pass over it on a sultry midsummer's day. - -At the extremity of the ridge, which is only wide enough for the road, -a gradual ascent led to the high summit and to a level plateau of a -few acres at its top. This was treeless, but covered with something -like soil, smooth, and, being singularly free from the large stones -found everywhere else, affords good walking in any direction. The -house is built of rough stone, and, though of primitive construction, -is comfortable, and even inviting. Furthermore, its materials being -collected on the spot, one accepts it as still constituting a part of -the mountain, which, indeed, at a little distance it really seems to -be. In the evening I went out, to find the mountain blindfolded with -clouds. Soon rain began to drive against the window-panes in volleys. -At a late hour we heard wheels grinding on the rocks outside, and then -a party of tourists drove up to the door, dripping and crestfallen at -having undertaken the ascent with a storm staring them in the face. But -they had only this one day, they said, and were "bound" to go up the -mountain. So up they toiled through pitch darkness, through rain and -cloud, passed the night in a building said to be on the summit, and -returned down the mountain in the morning, to catch their train, through -as dense a fog as ever exasperated a hurried tourist. But they had been -to the top! Are there anywhere else in the world people who travel two -hundred miles for a single day's recreation? - -It is very curious, this being domesticated on the top of a mountain. We -go to bed wondering if the scene will not all vanish in our dreams. It -was very odd, too, to see the tourists silently mount their buck-board -in the morning, and disappear, within a stone's throw, in clouds. -Detaching themselves to all intents from earth, they began a flight in -air. Walking a short distance, perhaps a gunshot, from the house, I -groped my way back with difficulty. The case seemed desperate. - -But grandest scene of all was the breaking up of the storm. Shortly -after noon the high sun began to exert a sensible influence upon the -clouds. A perceptible warmth, replacing the chill and clammy mists, -began to pervade the mountain-top. Presently a dim sun-ray shot through. -Then, as if a noiseless explosion had suddenly rent them, the whole -mass of clouds was torn in ten thousand tatters flying through space. -All nature seemed seized with sudden frenzy. Here a summit and there a -peak was seen, struggling fiercely in the grasp of the storm. Coming up -with rushing noise, the west wind charged home the routed storm-clouds -with fresh squadrons. What indescribable yet noiseless tumult raged in -the heavens! Even the mountains seemed scarcely able to stem the tide -of fugitives. A panic seized them. Fear gave them wings. They rushed -pell-mell into the ravines and clung to the tree-tops; they dashed -themselves blindly against the adamant of Lafayette, only to fall -back broken into the deep fosse beneath. Bolts of dazzling sunshine -continually tore through them. The gorges themselves seemed heaped with -the wounded and the dying. But the rushing wind, trampling the fugitives -down, dispersed and cut them mercilessly to pieces. One was irresistibly -carried away by this rage of battle. In ten minutes I looked around upon -a clear sky. One cloud, impaled on the gleaming spear of Lafayette, -hung limp and lifeless; another floated like a scarf from the polished -casque of Chocorua; a third, taken prisoner _en route_, humbly held the -train of Washington. All the rest of the phantom host, using its power -to render itself invisible, vanished from sight as if the mountains had -swallowed it up. - -The landscape being now fully uncovered, I enjoyed all its rare -perfection. It is a superb and fascinating one, invested with a -powerful individuality, surrounded by a charm of its own. You wish to -see the two great chains? There they are, the greater rising over the -lesser, in the order fixed by Nature. That sunny space in the softened -coloring of old tapestry, more to the right, is the Pemigewasset Valley, -and the spot from where not long ago we looked up at this mountain -looming large in the distance. We raise our eyes to glance up the East -Branch upon Mount Hancock and the peaks of Carrigain peeping over. -We touch with magic wand the faint cone of Kearsarge, so dim that it -seems as if it must rise and float away; then, continuing to call the -roll of mountains, Moat, Tripyramid, Chocorua, and all our earlier -acquaintances rise or nod among the Sandwich peaks. Some draw their -cloud-draperies over their bare shoulders, some sun their naked and -hairy breasts in savage luxury. We alight like a bird upon the glassy -bosom of Winnepiseogee the incomparable, and, like the bird, again rise, -refreshed, for flights still more remote. We sweep over the Uncanoonucs -into Massachusetts, steadying the eye upon far Wachusett as we pass from -the Merrimac Valley. Now come thronging in upon us the mountains of the -Connecticut Valley. We rest awhile upon the transcendently beautiful -expanse of the Ox-Bow, and its playthings of villages, strung along -the glittering necklace of the river. Across this valley, lifting our -eyes, we wander among the loftiest peaks of the Green Mountains--those -colossal _verd-antiques_--exchanging frozen glances across the placid -expanse of Champlain with the haughtiest summits of the Adirondacks. -We grow tired of this. One last look, this time up the valley, reveals -to us the wide and curious gap between two distant mountains, and far -beyond Memphremagog, where these mountains rise, we scan all the route -travelled by Rogers, the perils of which are fresh in our memory. We -pass on unchallenged into the dominions of Victoria. - -Is not this a landscape worth coming ten miles out of one's way to see? -And yet the half is not told. I have merely indicated its dimensions. -Now let the reader, drawing an imaginary line from peak to peak, go -over at leisure all that lies between. I merely prick the chart for -him. Moosehillock, not quite five thousand feet high, overlooks all -New Hampshire, pushes investigation into Maine and Massachusetts, is -familiar with Vermont, distant with New York, and has an eye upon -Canada. It is said the ocean has been seen, but I did not see it. - -Circumstances compelled me to drive the old horse, who has made more -ascensions of the mountain than any living thing, back to Warren. No -other was to be had for love or money. Had there been time I would have -preferred walking, but there was not. This horse measured sixteen hands. -His thin body and long legs resembled a horse upon stilts. He looked -dejected, but resigned. I argued that he would be able to get down the -mountain somehow; and, once out of the woods, I could count on his -eagerness to get home, to some extent, perhaps. I was not deceived in -either expectation. - -The road, as I have said, is for most of the way a rough, steep, and -stony one. In order to check the havoc made by sudden showers, and -to hold the thin soil in place, hemlock-boughs were spread over it, -artfully concealing those protruding stones which the scanty soil -refused to cover. He who intrusted himself to it did not find it a -bed of roses. The buck-board was the longest, clumsiest, and most -ill-favored it has ever been my lot to see. This vehicle, being peculiar -to the mountains, demands, at least, a word. It is a very primitive and -ingenious affair, and cheaply constructed. Naturally, therefore, it -originated where the farmers were poor and the roads bad. But what is -the buck-board? Every one has seen the spring-board of a gymnasium or of -a circus. A smooth plank, ten feet long, resting upon trestles placed -at either end, assists the acrobat to vault high in the air. Each time -he falls the rebound sends him up again. This is the principle of the -buck-board. Remove the trestles, put a pair of wheels in the place of -each, and you have the vehicle itself, _minus_ shafts or pole, according -as one or two horses are to draw it. Increased weight bends the board or -the spring more and more until it is in danger of touching the ground. -The passengers sit in the hollow of this spring, the natural tendency of -which is to shoot them into the air. - -[Illustration: THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON.] - -I am justified in speaking thus of the road and the vehicle. But -who shall describe the horse? That animal was possessed of a devil, -and, like the swine of the miracle, ran violently all the way down -the mountain, without stopping for water or breath. Fortunate indeed -for me was it that the sea was not at the bottom. In three-quarters -of an hour, half of which was spent in the air, I was at the foot -of the mountain which had required two tedious hours to ascend. How -the quadruped managed to avoid falling headlong fifty times over -the concealed stones I have no idea. How I contrived to alight, -when a wheel, coming violently against one of these stones, put the -spring-board in play--how I contrived to alight, I remark, during this -game of battledoor and shuttlecock, never twice in the same place, is to -this day an enigma. - -The houses of ancient Rome frequently bore the inscription for the -benefit of strangers, "_Cave canem._" This could be advantageously -replaced here, upon the first turnpike-gate, at the mountain's foot, -with the warning, "Beware of the horse!" - - - - -VIII. - -_BETHLEHEM._ - - _Ros._ O Jupiter! how weary are my spirits! - _Touch._ I care not for my spirits, if my legs were not weary. - _As You Like It._ - - -Having finished with the western approach to the White Mountains, I -was now at liberty to retrace my route up the Ammonoosuc Valley, which -so abounds in picturesque details--farms, hamlets, herds, groups of -pines, maples, torrents, roads feeling their way up the heights--to -that anomaly of mountain towns, Bethlehem. Thanks to the locomotive, -the journey is short. The villages of Bath, Lisbon, Littleton, are -successively entered; the same flurry gives a momentary activity to each -station, the same faces crowd the platforms, and the same curiosity is -exhibited by the passengers, whose excitement receives an increase with -every halt of the laboring train. - -Bethlehem is ranged high up, along the side of a mountain, like the -best china in a cupboard. The crest of Mount Agassiz[36] rises behind -it. Beneath the village the ground descends, rather abruptly, to the -Ammonoosuc, which winds, through matted woods, its way out of the -mountains. There are none of those eye-catching gleams of water which so -agreeably diversify these interminable miles of forest and mountain land. - -It is only by ascending the slopes of Mount Agassiz that we can secure -a stand-point fairly showing the commanding position of Bethlehem, or -where its immediate surroundings may be viewed all at once. It is so -situated, with respect to the curvature of this mountain, that at one -end of the village they do not know what is going on at the other. -One end revels in the wide panorama of the west, the other holds the -unsurpassed view of the great peaks to the east. - -Bethlehem has risen, almost by magic, at the point where the old highway -up the Ammonoosuc is intersected by that coming from Plymouth, the -Pemigewasset Valley, and the Profile House. In time a small roadside -hamlet naturally clustered about this spot. Dr. Timothy Dwight, the -pioneer traveller for health and pleasure among these mountains, -passed through here in 1803. Speaking of the appearance of Bethlehem, -he says: "There is nothing which merits notice, except the patience, -enterprise, and hardihood of the settlers which have induced them to -stay upon so forbidding a spot; a magnificent prospect of the White -Mountains; and a splendid collection of other mountains in their -neighborhood, particularly on the south-west." It was then reached by -only one wretched road, which passed the Ammonoosuc by a dangerous ford. -The few scattered habitations were mere log-cabins, rough and rude. -The few planting-fields were still covered with dead trees, stark and -forbidding, which the settlers, unable to fell with the axe, killed by -girdling, as the Indians did. - -From this historical picture of Bethlehem in the past, we turn to -the Bethlehem of to-day. It is turning from the post-rider to the -locomotive. Not a single feature is recognizable except the splendid -prospect of the White Mountains, and the magnificent collection of -other mountains, which call forth the same admiration to-day. Fortunate -geographical position, salubrity, fine scenery--these, and these alone, -are the legitimate cause of what may be termed the rise and progress -of Bethlehem. All that the original settlers seem to have accomplished -is to clear away the forests which intercepted, and to make the road -conducting to the view. - -It is the position of Bethlehem with respect to the recognized points -or objects of interest that gives to it a certain strategic advantage. -For example, it is admirably situated for excursions north, south, -east, or west. It is ten miles to the Profile, twelve to the Fabyan, -seventeen to the Crawford, fifteen to the Waumbek, and eighteen to the -base of Mount Washington. One can breakfast at Bethlehem, dine on Mount -Washington, and be back for tea; and he can repeat the experience with -respect to the other points named as often as inclination may prompt. -Moreover, the great elevation exempts Bethlehem from the malaria and -heat of the valleys. The air is dry, pure, and invigorating, rendering -it the paradise of those invalids who suffer from periodical attacks of -hay-fever. Lastly, it is new, or comparatively new, and possesses the -charm of novelty--not the least consideration to the thousands who are -in pursuit of that and that only. - -Bethlehem Street is the legitimate successor of the old road. This is -a name _sui generis_ which seems hardly appropriate here, although it -is so commonly applied to the principal thoroughfares of our inland New -England villages. It has a spick-and-span look, as if sprung up like -a bed of mushrooms in a night. And so, in fact, it has; for Bethlehem -as a summer resort dates only a few years back its sudden rise from -comparative obscurity into the full blaze of popular fame and favor. -The guide-book of fifteen years ago speaks of the _one_ small but -comfortable hotel, kept by the Hon. J. G. Sinclair. In fact, very little -account was made of it by travellers, except to remark the magnificent -view of the White Mountains on the east, or of the Franconia Mountains -on the south, as they passed over the then prescribed tour from North -Conway to Plymouth, or _vice versa_. - -But this newness, which you at first resent, besides introducing here -and there some few attempts at architectural adornment, contrasts -very agreeably with the ill-built, rambling, and slip-shod appearance -of the older village-centres. They are invariably most picturesque -from a distance. But here there is an evident effort to render the -place itself attractive by making it beautiful. Good taste generally -prevails. I suspect, however, that the era of good taste, beginning with -the incoming of a more refined and intelligent class of travellers, -communicated its spirit to two or three enterprising and sagacious -men,[37] who saw in what Nature had done an incentive for their own -efforts. We walk here in a broad, well-built thoroughfare, skirted on -both sides with hotels, boarding-houses, and modern cottages, in which -three or four thousand sojourners annually take refuge. All this has -grown from the "one small hotel" of a dozen years ago. Shade-trees and -grass-plots beautify the way-side. An immense horizon is visible from -these houses, and even the hottest summer days are rendered endurable -by the light airs produced and set in motion by the oppressive heats of -the valley. The sultriest season is, therefore, no bar to out-of-door -exercise for persons of average health, rendering walks, rambles, or -drives subject only to the will or caprice of the pleasure-seeker. -But in the evening all these houses are emptied of their occupants. -The whole village is out-of-doors, enjoying the coolness or the -panorama with all the zest unconstrained gratification always brings. -The multitudes of well-dressed promenaders surprise every new-comer, -who immediately thinks of Saratoga or Newport, and their social -characteristics. Bethlehem, he thinks, must be the ideal of those who -would carry city or, at least, suburban life among the mountains; who do -not care a fig for solitude, but prefer to find their pleasures still -connected with their home life. They are seeing life and seeing nature -at the same time. - -Sauntering along the street from the Sinclair House, a strikingly large -and beautiful prospect opens as we come to the Belleview. Here the -road, making its exit from the village, descends to the Ammonoosuc. The -valley broadens and deepens, exposing to view all the town of Littleton, -picturesquely scattered about the distant hill-sides. Its white houses -resemble a bank of daisies. The hills take an easy attitude of rest. -Six hundred feet below us the bottom of the valley exhibits its rich -savannas, interspersed with cottages and groves. Above its deep hollow -the Green Mountains glimmer in the far west. "Ah!" you say, "we will -stop here." - -Let us now again, leaving the Sinclair House behind, ascend the -road to the Profile. It is not so much travelled as it was before -the locomotive, in his coat-of-mail, sounded his loud trumpet at -the gates of Franconia. A mile takes us to the brow of the hill. We -hardly know which way to look first. Two noble and comprehensive views -present themselves. To the left Mount Agassiz rears his commanding -peak. In front of us, across a valley, is the great, deeply-cloven -Franconia Notch. Lafayette is superb here. Now the large, compact -mass of Moosehillock looms on the extreme right, together with all -those striking objects lately studied or observed from the village of -Franconia, which so quietly reposes beneath us. But this landscape -properly belongs to the environs of Bethlehem, and never is it so -incomparably grand as when the summits are fitfully revealed, battling -fiercely with storm-clouds. Every phase of the conflict is watched with -eager attention. Seeing all this passion above, it calls up a smile to -look down at the unbroken and unconscious tranquillity of the valley. - -[Illustration: MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM.] - -Facing now in the direction of Bethlehem, the eye roves over the -broad basin of the Ammonoosuc for many miles up and down. The hills of -Littleton, Whitefield, Dalton, Carroll, and Jefferson bend away from -the opposite side; and over the last the toothed Percy Peaks[38] rise -blue and clear at the point where the waters of the Connecticut and the -Androscoggin, approaching each other, conduct the Grand Trunk Railway -out of the mountains. The west is packed with the high summits of the -Green Mountain chain. The great White Mountains are concealed, as yet, -by the swell of the mountain down whose side the road conducts to the -village. "This," you exclaim, "this is the spot where we will pitch -our tents!" But there is no public-house here, and we are reluctantly -forced to descend. In proportion as we go down, this seemingly limitless -panorama suffers a partial eclipse. The landscape changes from the -high-wrought epic to the grand pastoral, if such a distinction may -be applied to differing forms of mountain scenery. This approach is, -without doubt, the most striking introduction to Bethlehem. It is -curiously instructive, too, as regards the relative merits of successive -elevations, each higher than the other, as proper view-points. - -A third ramble is altogether indispensable before we can say that we -know Bethlehem of the Hills. The direction is now to the east, by the -road to the Crawford House, or Fabyan's, or the Twin. We continue along -the high plateau, in the shade of sugar-maples or Lombardy poplars, -to the eastern skirt of the village, the houses getting more and more -unfrequent, until we come upon the edge of the slope to the Ammonoosuc, -where the road to Whitefield, Lancaster, and Jefferson, leaving the main -thoroughfare, drops quietly down into Bethlehem Hollow. No envious hill -now obstructs the truly "magnificent view." Through the open valley the -lordly mountains again inthrall us with the might of an overpowering -majesty. - -This locality has taken the name of the great hotel erected here -by Isaac Cruft, whose hand is visible everywhere in Bethlehem. The -Maplewood, as it is called, easily maintains at its own end the prestige -of Bethlehem for rapid growth. When I first visited the place, in -1875, I found a modest roadside hostelry accommodating sixty guests; -five years later a mammoth structure, in which six hundred could be -accommodated, had risen, like Aladdin's palace, on the same spot. -Instead of our little musical entertainment, our mock-trial, our quiet -rubber of whist, of an evening, there were readings, lectures, balls, -masquerades, theatricals, _musicales_, for every day of the week. - -But Bethlehem is emphatically the place of sunsets. In this respect no -other mountain resort can pretend to equal it. From no other village -are so many mountains visible at once; at no other has the landscape -such length and breadth for giving full effect to these truly wonderful -displays. More because the sublimity of the scene deserves a permanent -chronicle than from any confidence in my own ability to reproduce it, I -attempt in black and white to describe one of unparalleled intensity of -color, one that may never be repeated, certainly never excelled, while -the sun, the heavens, and the mountains shall last. - -A cold drizzle having set in on the day of my arrival, the mountains -were invisible when I rose in the morning. I looked, but they were no -longer there. I was much vexed at the prospect of being storm-bound, -or of making under compulsion a sojourn I had beforehand resolved -to make at my own good will and pleasure. So strongly is the spirit -of resistance developed in us. After a critical investigation of -the weather, it crossed my mind like an intuition that something -extraordinary was preparing behind the enormous masses of clouds -clinging like wet draperies to the skirts of the mountains, forming -an impenetrable curtain, now and then slowly lifted by the fresh -north wind, now suddenly distended or collapsing like huge sails, but -noiselessly and mysteriously as the ghostly canvas of the _Flying -Dutchman._ - -Toward the middle of the afternoon, the wind having freshened, the -lower clouds broke apart here and there--just enough to reveal to us -that ever-new picture of the White Mountains, beautifully robed in -fresh snow, above the darker line of forest; but so thoroughly were -the high summits blended with the dull silver-gray of upper sky that -the true line of separation defied the keenest scrutiny to detect it. -This produced a curious optical illusion. Extended sumptuously along -the crest-line, rivalling the snow itself, a bank of white clouds -rendered the deception perfect, since just above them began that heavy -and dull expanse which overspread and darkened the whole heavens, -thus imperfectly delineating a second line of summits mounting to a -prodigious height. They seemed miles upon miles high. - -Up stretched this gigantic and shadowy phantasm of towers, domes, -and peaks, illimitably, as if mountains and heavens were indeed come -together in eternal alliance. At the same time the finger dipped in -water could trace a more conclusive outline on glass than the eye could -find here. The summits, a little luminous, emitted a cold, spectral -glare. It gave you a chill to look at them. No sky, no earth, no deep -gorges, no stark precipices--no anything except that dead wall, so -sepulchral in its gray gloom that equally mind and imagination failed to -find one familiar outline or contour. The true peaks seemed clouds, and -the clouds peaks. But this phantasm was only the prologue. - -At the hour of sunset all the lower clouds had disappeared. The -upper heavens now wore that deep grape-purple impervious to light -or warmth, and producing the effect of a vast dome hung with black. -The storm replaced the azure tint of the sky with the most sombre -color in its laboratory. The light visibly waned. The icy peaks still -reflected a boreal glitter. But in the west these funereal draperies -fell a little short of touching the edge of the horizon--a bare -hand's-breadth--leaving a crevice filled with golden light, pure and -limpid as water, clear and vivid as winnowed sunshine. The sun's eye -would soon be applied to this peep-hole. A feverish impatience seized -us. We could see the people at their doors and in the street standing -silent and expectant, with their faces turned to the heavens. From a -station near Cruft's Ledge we watched intently for the moment when this -splendid light, concentrated in one level sheet, should fall upon the -great mountains. - -In a few seconds a yellow spot of piercing brilliancy appeared in this -narrow band of light. One look at it was blinding; a second would have -paralyzed the optic nerve. Mechanically we put up our hands to shut -it out. Imagine a stream of molten iron--hissing-hot and throwing off -fiery spray--gushing from the side of a furnace! Even that can give -but a feeble idea of the unspeakable intensity of this last sun-ray. -It blazed. It flooded us with a suffocating effulgence. Suppose now -this cataract of liquid flame suddenly illuminating the pitchy darkness -of a cavern in the bowels of the earth. The effect was electrifying. -Confined between the upper and nether expanse--dull earth and brooding -sky--rendered tenfold more dazzling by the blackness above, beneath, the -sun poured upon the great mountains one magnificent torrent of radiance. -In an instant the broad land was deluged with the supreme glories of -that morning when the awful voice of God uttered the sublime command, - - "Let there be light, and there was light." - -An electric shock awoke the torpid earth, transfigured the mountains. On -swept the mighty wave, shedding light, and warmth, and splendor where a -moment before all was dark, cold, and spiritless. Like Ajax before Troy, -the giant hills braced on their dazzling armor. Like Achilles's shield, -they threw back the brightness of the sun. Every tree stood sharply out. -Every cavern disclosed its inmost secrets. Twigs glittered diamonds, -leaves emitted golden rays. All was ravishingly beautiful. - -This superb exhibition continued while one might count a hundred. Then -all the lower mountains took on that ineffable purple that baffles -description. Starr King, Cherry Mountain, were resplendent. As if the -livid and thick-clustered clouds above had been trodden by invisible -feet, these peaks seemed drenched with the juice of the wine-press. -The high summits, buried in snow and cloud, were yet coldly impassive, -but presently, little by little, the light crept up and up. Now it -seized the topmost pinnacles. Heavens, what a sight! Ineffable glory -seemed quenched in the sublime terrors of that moment. On our right the -Twin and Franconia mountains glowed, from base to summit, like coals -of fire. The lower forests were wrapped in flame. Then all the snowy -line of peaks, from Adams to Clinton, turned blood-red. No pale rose -or carnation tints, as in those enrapturing summer sunsets so often -witnessed here. The stupendous and flaming mountains of hell seemed -risen before us, clothed with immortal terrors. We stood rooted to -the spot, like men who saw the judgment-day dawning, the solid earth -consuming, before their doubting eyes. Everlasting, unquenchable fires -seemed encompassing us about. Nothing more weird, more unearthly, -or more infernal was ever seen. Even the country-people, stolid and -indifferent as they usually are, regarded it with mingled stupefaction -and dismay. - -The drama approached its climax. Before we were aware, the valley grew -dark. But still, the granite peaks of Lafayette, and of that admirable -pyramid, Mount Garfield, which even the greater mountain cannot reduce -to impotence, glowed like iron drawn from the fire. Their incandescent -points, thrust upward into the black gulf of the heavens, towered -above the blacker gulfs below unspeakably. By degrees the scorching -heat cooled. The great Franconia spires successively paled. But long -after they seemed reduced to ashes, the red flame still lingered upon -the snows of Mount Washington. At last that, too, faded out. Life was -extinct. The great summit took on a wan and livid hue. Night kindly -spread her mantle over the lifeless form of the mountain, which still -disclosed its larger outlines rigid, majestic, even in death. - -Twilight succeeded--twilight steeped in silence and coolness, in the -thousand odors exhaled by the teeming earth. One by one the birds hushed -their noisy twitter. Overcome by their own perfumes, flowers shut their -dewy petals and drooped their tender little heads. The river seemed a -drowsy voice rising from the depths of the forest, complaining that -it alone should toil on while all else reposed. With night comes the -feeling of immensity. With sleep the conviction that we are nothing, -and that the order of nature disturbs itself in nothing for us. If we -awake, well; if not, well again. What if we should never wake? One such -splendid pageant as I have attempted to describe instinctively quenches -human pride. It is true, a sunset is in itself nothing, but it compels -you to admit that the world moves for itself, not for you. Believe it -not a gorgeous display in which you, the critical spectator, assist, but -the signal that the day ends and the night cometh. A spectacle that can -arouse the emotions of joy, fear, hope, suspense--nothing? Perhaps. God -knows. - -There are very pleasant walks, affording fine views of all the highest -mountains, around the eastern slope or to the summit of the mountain -rising at the back of the hotel. The bare but grassy crest of this -mountain, one of my favorite haunts, enabled me to reconnoitre my route -in advance up the valley, and to look over into the yet unvisited -region of Jefferson, or back again, at the environs of Franconia. The -glory that pours down upon these hills, the vales they infold, the wild -streams, the craggy mountain spurs, the soft, velvety clearings that -turn their dimpled cheeks to be kissed by the sunshine, may all be seen -and fully enjoyed from this spot. - -The heights behind us are well-wooded on the summits, but below this -belt of woodland extends a broad band of sunny clearings checkered with -fields of waving grain. These fields are among the highest cultivated -lands in New England. Long tillage was necessary to reduce this -refractory soil to subjection. Farther down, toward the railway-station, -the pastures are so encumbered with stones that a sheep would turn from -them in dismay. To mow among these stones a man would have to go down on -his knees. - -There is a beautiful orchard of sugar-maples down the road to the -Hollow; but it always makes me sad to see these trees standing with -their naked sides pierced and bleeding from gaping wounds. - -At the corner of this road my attention was arrested by a sign-board -planted in front of an unpainted cottage, behind which rose a clump -of magnificent birches. I walked over to see what it could mean. The -sign-board bore the name "Sir Isaac Newton Gay," in large black letters. -Here was a spur to curiosity! A knight, or at least a baronet, living -in humble seclusion, yet parading his quality thus in the face of the -world! Going to the gate, my perplexity increased upon seeing the -grass-plot in front of the dwelling literally covered with broken glass, -lamp-chimneys, bits of colored china, bottles of every imaginable shape -and size stuck upright upon sticks, interspersed with lumps of white -quartz. Some cabalistic meaning, doubtless, attached to the display. -This brilliant rubbish sparkled in the sun, filling the enclosure with -the cheap glitter of a pawnbroker's shop-window. The thing so far -announced a little eccentricity, at least, so I made bold to push my -investigation still farther, and was rewarded by finding, piled against -the trunk of a tree, at the back of the house, a heap of skulls of -animals as high as my head. The recluse's intent was now plain. Here -was a lesson that he who ran might read. The rubbish in the front yard -illustrated the pomp, glitter, and emptiness of life; the monument of -skulls its true estate, divested of all false show or pretence. Without -doubt this was a philosopher worthy of his name. - -I was admitted by a singular-looking being, with dry, straight, lank -hair, weak features, watery eyes, and a shuffling gait. Some accident -having partially closed one eye, gave him a look of preternatural -wisdom. He was ready to give an opinion on any subject under the sun, -no matter how difficult or abstruse, as soon as broached, and stroked -his scanty beard while doing so with evident self-complacency. I had a -moment to see that the walls were papered with old handbills of county -fairs, travelling shows, and the like, the floor covered with patches of -carpet as various as Joseph's coat, when my man began a formula similar -to what the Bearded Lady drawls out or the Tattooed Man recites through -his nose to gaping rustics at a country muster, at ten cents a head. -He told where he was born, how old he was, and how long he had lived -in Bethlehem. At the proper moment I put my hand in my pocket and took -out a dime, which he thankfully accepted, and dropped inside a broken -coffee-pot. - -"Sir," I observed, "seeing you are American-born, I infer your title -must have been conferred by some foreign potentate?" - -"No; that is my name." - -"But," I pursued, "has it not an unrepublican sound in a country where -titles are regarded with distrust, not to say aversion?" - -"I tell you it is my name," with some heat; "I was named for the great -_Sir_ Isaac Newton." - -"Your pardon, Sir Isaac. May I ask if you inherit the genius of your -distinguished namesake?" - -"Well, yes, to some extent I do; I philoserphize a good deal. I read a -good many books folks leaves here, besides what newspapers I can pick -up; but you see it costs a lifetime to get knowledge." - -Jaques, the misanthrope, wandering in the Forest of Arden, was not more -astonished at Touchstone's philosophy than I at this answer. "Very -true," I assented. "What is your philosophy of life?" - -He tapped his forehead with his forefinger, but it was only too evident -the apartment was untenanted. He remained a moment or two as if in deep -thought, and then began, - -"Well, I'm eighty-six years of age, come next July." - -My flesh began to creep: he was beginning, for the third time, his -eternal formula. The hermit, fumbling a red handkerchief, resumed, - -"I can say I've never wanted for necessaries, and don't propose to give -myself any trouble about it." And then he expatiated on the folly of -fretfulness. - -The Hermit of Bethlehem, as he is called, but who opens his door wide -for the world to enter, is a very ordinary sort of hermit indeed. -Still, his very feebleness of intellect, his vanity even, should be a -shield instead of a target for those who, like myself, are lured by the -unmeaning trumpery at his door, which has no other significance in the -world than a childish passion for objects that glitter in the sun. - -The constituents of hotel life do not belong to any locality: they -are universal. It is curious to see here people who have spent half -their lives in India, or China, or Australia moving about among the -untravelled with the well-bred ease and adaptation to circumstances that -newly-fledged tourists can neither understand nor imitate. It is very -droll, too, that people who have lived ten years in the same street, at -home, without knowing each other, meet here for the first time. - -I beg to introduce another acquaintance picked up by the roadside while -walking from the Twin Mountain House to Bethlehem. Had I been driving, -the incident would still have waited for a narrator. - -Climbing the hill-side at a snail's pace was a peddler's cart, drawn by -a scrubby little white horse, and bearing a new broom for an ensign, -which seemed to symbolize that this petty trader meant to sweep the road -clean of its loose cash. The sides of the cart were gayly decorated -with pans, basins, dippers by the dozen, and bristled with knickknacks -for barter or ready money, from a gridiron to a door-mat. The movement -of the vehicle over the stony road kept up a lively clatter, which -announced its coming from afar. There being for the moment, no house in -sight, the proprietor was engaged in picking raspberries by the roadside. - -The peddler--well, he was little, and stubby too, like his horse, -for whom he had dismounted to lighten the pull up-hill. The animal -seemed to know his business, for he stopped short as often as he came -to a water-bar, blew a cloud from his nostrils, champed his bit, and -distended his sides so alarmingly with a long, deep respiration, that -the patched-up harness seemed in danger of bursting. He then glanced -over his shoulder toward his master, shook his head deprecatingly, and, -with a deep sigh, moved on. - -The little merchant of small wares and great had on a rusty felt hat, -rakishly set on one side of his bullet head, and a faded olive-green -coat, rather short in the skirts, to conceal two patches in his -trousers. The latter were tucked into a pair of dusty boots very much -turned up at the toes. His face was a good deal sunburnt, and his -hair, eyebrows, and mustache were the color of the road--sandy. Except -a pair of scissors, the points of which protruded from his left-hand -vest-pocket, I perceived no weapon offensive or defensive about him. He -was a very innocent-looking peddler indeed. - -As I was passing him he held out a handful of ripe fruit. The hand was -disfigured with an ugly cicatrice: it was rather dirty. He accompanied -the offer with an invitation to "hop on" his cart and ride. This double -civility emanated from a gentleman and a peddler. - -The walk from Crawford's to Bethlehem _is_ rather fatiguing; but I said, -as in duty bound, "No" (I said it because the thought of riding through -Bethlehem Street on the top of a peddler's cart appeared ridiculous in -my eyes--with shame I confess it), "thank you; your horse already has -all he can pull, and I have only a mile or two farther to go." - -The peddler then fell into step with me, taking a long, even stride that -brought back old recollections. I said, - -"You have been a soldier." - -"How know you dat?" - -"By your gait--you do not walk, you march: by that sabre-cut on your -right hand." - -"Ha! you goot eyes haf; but it a payonet vas." - -Believing I saw a veteran of our great civil war, I asked, with -undisguised interest, - -"Where did you serve? Where were you wounded?" - -"Von year und half in war mit Danemark, von year und half mit Oustria, -und two mit Vrance." - -I looked at him again. What! That undersized, insignificant appearing -little chap, whom I could easily have pitched into the ditch, he a -soldier of Sadowa, of Metz, of Paris. Bah! - -"So, the wars over, you emigrated to America?" - -"Right avay. Ven I get home from Baris I tell Linda, my vife, 'Look -here, Linda: I been soldier six year. Now I plenty fighting got. Dere's -two hunder thaler in the knapsack. Shut your mouth tight, open your eye -close, and we get out of dis double-quig.' She say 'Where I go?' und I -tell her the _U_-nited States, by hell, befor anoder var come. She begin -to cry, I begin to schwear, und we settle it right avay." - -I asked if he minded telling how he came by the wound in his hand. This -is what he told me in his broken English: - -When Marshal Bazaine made his last desperate effort to shake off the -deadly gripe the Prussians had fastened upon Metz, a battalion of -_tirailleurs_ suddenly surrounded an advanced post established by -the Germans in the suburbs. The morning was foggy, and the surprise -complete. The picket had hardly the time to run to their arms before -they were driven back pell-mell on the reserve, amid a shower of balls. -The reserve took refuge in a stone building surrounded by a thick hedge, -maintaining an irregular fire from the windows. One of the last to cross -the court-yard, with the French at his heels, was our German. Before -he could gain the friendly shelter of the house he stumbled and fell -headlong, his gun flying through the air as he came to the ground, so -that he was not only prostrate but disarmed. - -Half-stunned, he scrambled to his knees just as his nearest pursuer -made a savage lunge with his sabre-bayonet. The Prussian instinctively -grasped it. While trying thus to parry the deadly thrust, the keen -weapon pierced his hand, and he was a second time borne to the earth, -or, rather, pinned to it by his adversary's bayonet. - -"_Rendez-vous Allemand, cochon!_" screamed the Frenchman, bestriding the -little Prussian with a look of mortal hatred. - -"_Je ne fous combrends,_" replied the wounded man, drawing a revolver -with his free hand and shooting his enemy dead. "I couldn't helb it, -I vas so mad," finished the ex-soldier, running to serve two of his -customers, who stood waiting for him at a gate by the roadside. I left -him exhibiting ribbons, edgings, confectionery--heaven knows what!--with -all the volubility of an experienced shopman. - - - - -IX. - -_JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER._ - - Through the valley runs a river, bright and rocky, cool and swift, - Where the wave with many a quiver plays around the pine-tree's drift. - _Good Words._ - - -It remains to introduce the reader into the valley watered by Israel's -River, and for this purpose we take the rail from Bethlehem to -Whitefield, and from Whitefield to Jefferson. - -Like Bethlehem, Jefferson lies reposing in mid-ascent of a mountain. -Here the resemblance ends. The mountain above it is higher, the valley -beneath more open, permitting an unimpeded view up and down. The -hill-side upon which the clump of hotels is situated makes no steep -plunge into the valley, but inclines gently down to the banks of the -river. Instead of crowding upon and jostling each other, the mountains -forming opposite sides of this valley remain tranquilly in the alignment -they were commanded not to overstep. The confusion there is reduced to -admirable order here; the smooth slopes, the clean lines, the ample -views, the roominess, so to speak, of the landscape, indicate that -everything has been done without haste, with precision, and without -deviation from the original plan, which contemplated a paradise upon -earth. - -Issuing from the wasted sides of Mount Jefferson and Mount Adams, -Israel's River runs a short north-westerly course of fifteen miles into -the Connecticut at Lancaster. This beautiful stream received its name -from Israel Glines, a hunter, who frequented these regions long before -the settlement of the country. The road from Lancaster to Gorham follows -the northern highlands of its valley to its head, then crossing the -dividing ridge which separates its waters from those of Moose River, -descends this stream to the Androscoggin at Gorham. - -On the north side Starr King Mountain rises 2400 feet above the valley -and 3800 feet above the sea. On the south side Cherry Mountain lifts -itself 3670 feet higher than the tide-level. These two mountains form -the broad basin through which Israel's River flows for more than half -its course. The village of Jefferson Hill lies on the southern slope -of Starr King, and, of course, on the north side of the valley. Cherry -Mountain, the most prominent object in the foreground, is itself a -fine mountain study. It looks down through the great Notch, greeting -Chocorua. It is conspicuous from any elevated point north of the -Franconia group--from Fabyan's, Bethlehem, Whitefield, Lancaster, etc. -Owl's Head is a conspicuous protuberance of this mountain. Over the -right shoulder of Cherry Mountain stand the great Franconia Peaks, and -to the right of these, its buildings visible, is Bethlehem. Now look up -the valley. - -[Illustration: THE NORTHERN PEAKS FROM JEFFERSON.] - -We see that we have taken one step nearer the northern wing of the -great central edifice whose snowy dome dominates New England. We are -advancing as if to turn this magnificent battle-line of Titans, on -whose right Madison stands in an attitude to repel assault. Adams next -erects his sharp lance, Jefferson his shining crescent, Washington his -broad buckler, and Monroe his twin crags against the sky. Jefferson, -as the nearest, stands boldly forward, showing its tremendous ravines, -and long, supporting ridges, with great distinctness. Washington loses -something of its grandeur here; at least it is not the most striking -object; that must be sought for among the sable-sided giants standing at -his right hand. The southern peaks, being foreshortened, show only an -irregular and flattened outline which we do not look at a second time. -From Madison to Lafayette, our two rallying points, the distance can -hardly be less than forty miles as the eye travels: the entire circuit -it is able to trace cannot fall short of seventy or eighty miles. As -at Bethlehem, the view out of the valley is chiefly remarkable for its -contrast with every other feature. - -I took a peculiar satisfaction in these views, they were so ample, -so extensive, so impressive. Here you really feel as if the whole -noble company of mountains were marshalled solely for your delighted -inspection. At no other point is there such unmeasured gratification -in seeing, because the eye roves without hinderance over the grandest -summits, placed like the Capitol at the head of its magnificent avenue. -It alights first on one pinnacle, then flits to another. It interrogates -these immortal structures with a calm scrutiny. It dives into the cool -ravines; it seeks to penetrate, like the birds, the profound silence -of the forests. It toils slowly up the broken crags, or loiters by -the cascades, hanging like athletes from dizzy brinks. It shrinks, it -admires, it questions; it is grave, gay, or thoughtful by turns. I do -not believe the man lives who, looking up to those mountains as in the -face of the Deity, can deliberately utter a falsehood: the lie would -choke him. - -Furthermore, you get the best idea of height here, because the long -amphitheatre of mountains is seen steadily growing in stature toward -the great central group; and comparison is, by all odds, the best of -teachers for the eye. - -If for no other reason than the respect due to age, Jefferson deserves a -moment to itself. It was granted, October 3d, 1765, to John Goffe, under -the name of Dartmouth. The road diverging here, and crossing Cherry -Mountain to Fabyan's, is the oldest, as it long was the only highway -through the White Mountains. In those early times the travelled way -was by the Connecticut River and Lancaster through this valley to the -White Mountain Notch. The divergent road is the old turnpike between -Vermont and Portland. Gradually, as settlements were pushed farther and -farther up the Ammonoosuc, a way was made by Bath, Lisbon, Littleton, -and Dalton, to Lancaster; but to pass beyond it was still necessary to -follow the old route; nor was it until after the settlement of Bethlehem -cleared the way that an execrable horse-path was made over the present -great highway up the Ammonoosuc. In 1803 President Dwight passed over -this new road on his second excursion to the great Notch. Few travellers -would now be willing to undergo what he did to see the mountains. -There were then only three or four houses in the sixteen miles between -Bethlehem and the Notch. - -One of the first settlers of Jefferson was Colonel Joseph Whipple, -mentioned in the narrative of Nancy, the ill-starred mountain-maid, who -died while following her faithless lover in his flight from Jefferson -out of the mountains. Colonel Whipple lived on the road to Cherry -Mountain, near the mill. In 1797 his was the only house on the road. -During the Revolution a party of Indians, led by a white man, surrounded -the house, and made Whipple their prisoner. Inventing some pretext, the -colonel obtained leave to go into another room, from which he made his -escape by a window and fled to the woods, where he successfully eluded -pursuit. - -Finding myself already well advanced toward the summit of Starr King, -I finished the ascent of this mountain during an afternoon's stroll. -Nothing worthy of remark, except the exquisite view from the summit, -presented itself. Here I met again a throng of old acquaintances, and -encountered a crowd of new ones. Here I saw something like a shadow -darken the side of Mount Washington, and watched it creep steadily up -and up to the summit. The shadow was the smoke of the locomotive making -its last ascent for the day, under the eyes of thousands of spectators, -who look at it to turn away with a smile, a shrug, or a shake of the -head. - -The name of Starr King has become a household word with all travellers -in the White Mountains. It was most fitting that he who interpreted -Nature so well and so truly should receive his monument at her hands. To -him the mountains were emblematic of her highest perfection. He loved -them. His tone when speaking of them is always tender and caressing. -They appealed to his rare and exquisite perception of the beautiful, -to his fine and sensitive nature, capable of detecting intuitively -what was hid from common eyes. He felt their presence to be ennobling -and uplifting. He opened for us the charmed portal. We accompanied him -through an earthly paradise then first revealed to us by the fervor -and wealth of his description. He led us to the shadiest retreats, the -coolest groves, the most secluded glens. He guided our footsteps up the -steep mountain-side to the bleak summit. Thrice fitting was it that a -mountain should perpetuate the name of Thomas Starr King. As was said at -the grave of Gautier, he too dated "from the creation of the beautiful." - - * * * * * - -I have now rested four days at Ethan Crawford's, who lives on the side -of Boy Mountain, five miles east of Jefferson Hill, on the road to -Gorham. This Ethan is a son of the celebrated guide and host so well -known to former travellers by the _sobriquet_ of Keeper of the Mountains. - -I go to the window, and facing toward the setting sun look down the -broadening valley of Israel's River, over the glistening house-tops -of Whitefield, into and beyond the Connecticut Valley. I have Mitten -Mountain and Cherry Mountain, both heavily wooded, just over the way, -although the view of these elevations is in part intercepted by a nearer -mountain, also covered with a vigorous forest. At this moment I hear the -rush of the stream far down in the Hollow; and, following the serpentine -line its dark course makes among the press of hills, am confronted by -the massive slopes of Madison and Adams, the sombre ravine and castled -crags of Jefferson, and the hoary crest of Washington. I am really in -the heart of the mountains. - -Swiftly from these mountains descend, with exquisite grace, enormous -billows of deep sea-green, which do not subside but lift themselves -proudly at the foot of those great overhanging walls of olive and -malachite. Here rolling together, their foliage, bright or dark, repeats -the effect of flaws sweeping over a sunny sea. Their deep hollows, -arching sides, and limpid crests perfect the resemblance to the moment -when, having exerted its utmost energy, the panting ocean stands -exhausted and motionless in the grasp of the north wind. - -These lower mountains, interposing a barrier between the two valleys -of the Ammonoosuc and of Israel's River, seem, you think, pushed up -from the yielding earth simply by the enormous weight of the higher -and neighboring mountains whose keen summit-lines cut New England in -halves. At this hour these lines are edged with dull gold. All along -the wavering heights I can detect with the naked eye isolated black -crags, and can plainly see the deep dents in the broken cornices and -capitals of the grand old mountains--those vestiges of their primordial -architecture. Here the inclined ridge of the plateau, connecting the -pinnacle of Washington with the peaks of Monroe, is traced along its -whole extent. At this distance its craggy outline breaks in light -ripples, announcing nothing of that wilderness of stones assailing the -climber. All the asperities are softened into capricious harmonies. -Below yawn the ravines. - -The tracks of old slides and torrents in the side of Monroe remind -you of the branches of a gigantic fossil tree, exposed by a fracture -dividing the mountain in two. Such is, in fact, the impression received -by looking at this mountain; but the object which most excites my -attention is the broad and deep rent in the side of Jefferson, over -which hang on one side the crumbling counterfeits of towers and -battlements, while on the other cataracts, like necklaces, are suspended -over its unfathomed abysses. Cloud-shadows drift noiselessly along the -warm steeps. Cataracts glisten brightly in the sun. The grave peaks look -down unmoved on the play of the one and the sport of the other. - -The picture of life in East Jefferson would not be complete without the -old hound dozing in the sun, the turkey-cocks strutting consequentially -up and down, the barn-swallows darting swiftly in and out, the ring of -young Ethan's anvil, and the bleating of sheep far up the mountain-side. -I see them nibbling the fresh herbage, and watch the gambols of the -lambs like a child--only the child laughs aloud, and I do not laugh. -Voices come down the hillside, and I see the slow movement of a hammock -and the flutter of a dress in the maple-grove. Poetry and perfume mingle -with the scent of wild-flowers and songs of golden-mouthed birds. - -Evening does not drive us within doors, the nights are so enchanting. -Day fades imperceptibly out. Even the stars seem disconcerted. One by -one they peep, and then flit from view. We watch the slow mustering of -the celestial host in silence. A meteor leaps from heaven to earth. -The fire-flies resemble a shower of sparks, or, as darkness deepens, -a phosphorescent sea. Dorbeetles hurtle the still air, and frogs sing -barcarolles in the misty fens. Now the mountains put on their sable -armor that is to render them invisible. Here the poet must assist us: - - "It is the hush of night; and all between - Thy margin and the mountains, dusk, yet clear, - Mellowed and mingling, yet distinctly seen-- - Save darkened Jura, whose capped heights appear - Precipitously steep." - -Light seems reluctant to leave the summits. It does not wholly fade -out of the west until a late hour. In a clear and starry night all the -surrounding mountains can be distinguished long after the valley is -steeped in darkness. At half-past nine I could easily tell the time by -my watch; and even at this hour a pale, nebulous light still lingered -where the sun had gone down. So at near two thousand feet above the full -sea one peers over into that deeper horizon where twilight and dawn meet -and embrace on the dusky threshold of midnight. - -While in the neighborhood, I devoted a day to an exploration of the -Ravine of the Cascades. This ravine is entered from a point on the -Gorham road about three miles distant from the Mount Adams House. A -cart-way crosses the meadow here to an abandoned mill which is on the -stream coming from the ravine, and by which you must ascend. A more -beautiful example of a mountain brook it has never been my lot to see. -The ascent is, however, tedious and toilsome in the extreme over the -smooth and slippery rocks in its bed. Four hours of this brought me to -the region of low trees, and to the foot of the first fall, which, I -judged, descended about thirty feet. This way to the summit is open only -to the most vigorous climbers. Even then it is better to descend into -the ravine from the gap between Adams and Jefferson in order to visit -these cascades. - -The two most profitable excursions to be made here are undoubtedly the -ascent of Mount Adams and the drive to the top of Randolph Hill. I have -found on the first summit irrefragable evidence that, next to Washington -and Lafayette, Adams is the peak which summer tourists are most desirous -of ascending. A good path, on which there is a camp, leads to the -summit. Having other views in regard to this mountain, which I had so -often admired from a distance, I made a third reconnoisance of its -outworks and its remarkable ravine, while _en route_ for Randolph Hill. - -Unquestionably fine as the views are along this road, on which you are -at one time rolling smoothly over meadow or upland, with the great -northern peak rising to its full height, or again toiling up a stony -hill-side to obtain a much better idea of its real character and -prodigious dimensions, the climax is reserved until, turning from the -highway, you begin a slow advance up the long hill-side that makes an -almost uninterrupted descent for five miles to the Androscoggin. Here -I saw from a balcony what I had before seen from the ground-floor. -The view is large and expansive. You look down the surging land into -the Androscoggin. You look over among the mountains circling its -head, huddled together like a frightened herd. You look down into the -valley of the Moose, and through the gap in the great chain you again -see the valley of the Peabody and the Carter Notch. Now you hold the -great northern peaks admiringly at arm's-length, as you would an old -friend. Putting an imaginary hand on each broad shoulder, you scan them -from head to foot. They submit calmly and with condescension to your -lengthened scrutiny. Presently the low sun floods them with royal purple -and gilds the topmost crags with refined gold. You glance up the valley. -The little river comes like a stream of fire which the huge mountains -seem crowding forward to trample out. Now look down. The same mountains -seem spurning the glittering serpent away from their feet. - -King's Ravine is as well seen from this point, perhaps, as any. It -is a huge natural niche excavated high up the mountain. You see -everything--grizzled spruces, blackened shafts of stone, rifted walls, -tawny crags--all in one glance. It is formidable and forbidding, though -a way has been made through it by which to ascend Mount Adams. Now that -there is a good path skirting the ravine and avoiding it, that look will -usually suffice to deter sensible people from attempting to reach the -summit by it. It is far better to descend into it and grope one's way -down through and underneath the bowlders. The same, and even greater, -obstacles are encountered as in Tuckerman's. In early spring the walls -of the ravine are streaked with slowly-melting snows. These gulches, all -converging toward the bottom, send a torrent roaring down with noise -equal to surf on a hard sea-beach. This torrent is the principal source -of the Moose. - -Well do I remember my first venture here. I had walked from Gorham. -Seeing a man chopping wood by the side of the road, I entered into -conversation with him; but at the first suggestion I let fall of an -intention to climb to the ravine he gaped open-mouthed. To ascend -the brook to the ravine, the escarpment of the ravine to the high -precipices, the precipices to the gate-way, was an exploit in those -days. But this was long ago. A good climber now puts King's Ravine down -in his list of excursions with the same nonchalance that a belle of the -ball-room enters an additional waltz on her card of engagements.[39] - -One day I had fished along the Moose without success. Nothing could -give a better idea of a mountain stream than this one, fed by snows and -gushing from the breached side of Mount Adams. But either the water was -too cold or the trout too wary. They persistently refused my fly. I -tried red and brown hackle, then a white moth-miller; all to no purpose. -Feeling downright hungry, I determined to seek a dinner elsewhere. -Unjointing my rod, I returned, rather crestfallen, down the mountain -into the road. - -I knocked at the first house. Pretty soon the curtain of the first -window at my left hand was partly drawn aside. I felt that I was under -the fire of a pair of very black eyes. An instant after the door was -half-opened by a woman past middle life, who examined me with a scared -look while wiping her hands on a corner of her apron. Two or three white -heads peeped out from the folds of her dress like young chickens from -the old hen's wing, and as many pairs of widely-opened eyes surveyed me -with innocent surprise. - -Perceiving her confusion, I was on the point of asking some indifferent -question, about the distance, the road--I knew not what--but my stomach -gave me a twinge of disdain, and I stood my ground. Hunger has no -conscience: honor was at stake. In two words I made known my wants, I -confess with confidence oozing away at my fingers' ends. - -Her confusion became still greater--so evident, indeed, that I took a -backward step and stammered, quite humbly, "A hunch of bread-and-cheese -or a cup of milk--" when the good-wife nailed me to the threshold. - -Quoth she, "The men folks have all _et_ their dinners, and there hain't -no more meat; but if you could put up with a few trout?" - -Put up with trout! Did I hear aright? The word made my mouth water. -I softly repeated it to myself--"Trout!"--would I put up with trout? -Not to lower myself in this woman's estimation, I replied that, seeing -there was nothing else in the house, I would put up with trout. Let it -suffice that I made a repast fit for a prince, and, like a prince, being -served by a bashful maiden with cheeks like the arbutus, which everybody -knows shows its most delicate pink only in the seclusion of its native -woods. - -My hours of leisure in Jefferson being numbered, having now made the -circuit of the great range by all the avenues penetrating or environing -it, the reader's further indulgence is craved while his faithful guide -points his well-worn alpenstock to the last stage of our mountain -journeys. - -Behold us at last, after many capricious wanderings, after calculated -avoidance, approaching the inevitable end. We are _en route_ for -Fabyan's by the road over Cherry Mountain. This road is twelve miles -long. As we mount with it the side of Cherry Mountain the beautiful -vistas continually detain us. We are now climbing the eastern wall of -the valley, so long the prominent figure from the heights of Jefferson. -We now look back upon the finely-traced slopes of Starr King, with the -village luxuriously extended in the sun. For some time we are like two -travellers going in opposite directions, but who turn again and again -for a last adieu. Now the forest closes over us and we see each other no -more. - -Noonday found me descending that side of the mountain overlooking the -Ammonoosuc Valley. Where the Cherry Mountain road joins the valley -highway the White Mountain House, an old-time tavern, stands. The -railway passes close to its door. A mile more over the level brings us -to Fabyan's, so called from one of the old mountain landlords, whose -immortality is thus assured. Now that mammoth caravansary, which seems -all eyes, is reached just as the doors opening upon the great hall -disclose a long array of tables, while permitting a delicious odor to -assail our nostrils. - -To speak to the purpose, the Fabyan House really commands a superb front -view of Mount Washington, from which it is not six miles in a bee-line. -All the southern peaks, among which Mount Pleasant is undoubtedly the -most conspicuous for its form and its mass, and for being thrown so -boldly out from the rest, are before the admiring spectator; but the -northern peaks, with the exception of Clay and Jefferson, are cut off -partly by the slopes of Mount Deception, which rises directly before the -hotel, partly by the trend of the great range itself to the north-east. -The view is superior from the neighborhood of the Mount Pleasant House, -half a mile beyond Fabyan's, where Mount Jefferson is fully and finely -brought into the picture. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN'S.] - -The railway is seen mounting a foot-hill, crossing a second and -higher elevation, then dimly carved upon the massive flanks of Mount -Washington itself, as far as the long ridge which ascends from the -north in one unbroken slope. It is then lost. We see the houses upon -the summit, and from the Mount Pleasant House the little cluster of -roofs at the base. A long and well-defined gully, exactly dividing the -mountain, is frequently taken to be the railway, which is really much -farther to the left. The smoke of a train ascending or descending still -further indicates the line of iron, which we admit to the category of -established facts only under protest. - -Sylvester Marsh, of Littleton, New Hampshire, was the man who dreamed -of setting aside the laws of gravitation with a puff of steam. Like -all really great inventions, his had to run the gauntlet of ridicule. -When the charter for a railway to the summit of Mount Washington was -before the Legislature a member moved that Mr. Marsh also have leave -to build one to the moon. Had the motion prevailed, I am persuaded Mr. -Marsh would have built it. Really, the project seemed only a little -more audacious. But in three years from the time work was begun (April, -1866) the track was laid and the mountain in irons.[40] The summit which -the superstitious Indian dared not approach, nor the most intrepid -white hunter ascend, is now annually visited by thousands, without more -fatigue than would follow any other excursion occupying the same time. -The excitement of a first passage, the strain upon the nerves, is quite -another thing. - -In a little grass-grown enclosure, on the other side of the Ammonoosuc, -is a headstone bearing the following inscription: - - IN MEMORY OF - CAP ELIEZER ROSBROOK - WHO DIED SEP. 25 - 1817 - In the 70 Year - Of His Age. - - When I lie buried deep in dust, - My flesh shall be thy care - These withering limbs to thee I trust - To raise them strong and fair. - - WIDOW - HANNAH ROSEBROOK - Died May 4, 1829 - Aged 84 - -Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. For they rest from their labors - And their works do follow them. - -So far as is known Rosebrook was the first white settler on this spot. -One account[41] says he came here in 1788, another fixes his settlement -in 1792.[42] His military title appears to have been derived from -services rendered on the Canadian frontier during the Revolutionary -War. Rosebrook was a true pioneer, restless, adventurous, and fearless. -He was a man of large and athletic frame. From his home in Massachusetts -he had first removed to what is now Colebrook, then to Guildhall, Vt., -and lastly here, to Nash and Sawyer's Location, exchanging the comforts -which years of toil had surrounded him with, abandoning the rich and -fertile meadow-lands of the Connecticut, for a log-cabin far from any -human habitation, and with no other neighbors than the bears and wolves -that prowled unharmed the shaggy wilderness at his door. With his axe -this sturdy yeoman attacked the forest closely investing his lonely -cabin. Year by year, foot by foot, he wrested from it a little land -for tillage. With his gun he kept the beast of prey from his little -enclosure, or provided venison or bear's meat for the wife and little -ones who anxiously awaited his return from the hunt. Hunger and they -were no strangers. For years the strokes of Rosebrook's axe, or the -crack of his rifle, were the only sounds that disturbed the silences -of ages. Little by little the circle was enlarged. One after another -the giants of the forest fell beneath his blows. But years of resolute -conflict with nature and with privation found him at last in the -enjoyment of a dearly-earned prosperity. Travellers began to pass his -doors. The Great White Mountain Notch soon became a thoroughfare, which -could never have been safely travelled but for Rosebrook's intrepidity -and Rosebrook's hospitality. In this way began the feeble tide of travel -through these wilds. In this way the splendidly equipped hotel, with its -thousands of guests the locomotive every hour brings to its door, traces -its descent from the rude and humble cabin of Eleazer Rosebrook. - - - - -X. - -_THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS._ - - Cradled and rocked by wind and cloud, - Safe pillowed on the summit proud, - Steadied by that encircling arm - Which holds the Universe from harm, - I knew the Lord my soul would keep, - Upon His mountain-tops asleep! - LUCY LARCOM. - - -Thus I found myself again at the base of Mount Washington, but on the -reverse, opposed to the Glen. Before the completion of the railway from -Fabyan's to the foot of the mountain I had passed over the intervening -six miles by stage--a delightful experience; but one now steps on -board an open car, which in less than half the time formerly occupied -leaves him at the point where the mountain car and engine wait for him. -The route lies along the foaming Ammonoosuc, and its justly admired -falls, cut deep through solid granite, into the uncouth and bristling -wilderness which surrounds the base of the mountain. The peculiarity -of these falls does not consist in long, abrupt descents of perturbed -water, but in the neatly excavated caves, rock-niches, and smoothly -rounded cliffs and basins through which for some distance the impatient -stream rears and plunges like a courser feeling the curb. Imperfect -glimpses hardly give an idea of the curious and interesting processes -of rock-cutting to one who merely looks down from the high banks above -while the train is in rapid motion. It is better, therefore, to visit -these falls by way of the old turnpike. - -The advance up the valley which has first given us an outlook through -the great Notch, on our right, presents for some time the huge green -hemisphere of Mount Pleasant as the conspicuous object. The track then -swerves to the left, bringing Mount Washington into view, and in a few -minutes more we are at the ill-favored clump of houses and sheds at its -base. - -[Illustration: MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING TIMES.] - -The mechanism of the road-way is very simple. The track is formed of -three iron rails, firmly clamped to stout timbers, laid lengthwise upon -transverse pieces, or sleepers. These are securely embedded, where the -surface will allow, or raised upon trestles, where its inequalities -would compel a serious deflection from a smooth or regular inclination. -One of these, about half-way up the mountain, is called Jacob's Ladder. -Here the train achieves the most difficult part of the ascent. After -traversing the whole line on foot, and inspecting it minutely and -thoroughly, I can candidly pronounce it not only a marvel of mechanical -skill, but bear witness to the scrupulous care taken to keep every -timber and every bolt in its place. In two words, the structure is -nothing but a ladder of wood and iron laid upon the side of the -mountain.[43] - -The propelling force employed is equally simple. The engine and car -merely rest upon and are kept in place by the two outer rails, while -the power is applied to the middle one, which we have just called a -rail, but is, more properly speaking, a little ladder of steel cogs, -into which the corresponding teeth of the locomotive's driving-wheel -play--a firm hold being thus secured. The question now merely is, how -much power is necessary to overcome gravity and lift the weight of the -machine into the air? This cogged-rail is the fulcrum, and steam the -lever. Mr. Sylvester Marsh has not precisely lifted the mountain, but he -has, nevertheless, with the aid of Mr. Walter Aiken, reduced it, to all -intents, to a level. - -The boiler of the locomotive, inclined forward so as to preserve a -horizontal position when the engine is ascending, the smoke-stack -also pitched forward, give the idea of a machine that has been in a -collision. Everything seems knocked out of place. But this queer-looking -thing, that with bull-dog tenacity literally hangs on to the mountain -with its teeth, is capable of performing a feat such as Watt never -dreamed of, or Stephenson imagined. It goes up the mountain as easily as -a bear climbs a tree, and like a bear. - -I had often watched the last ascension of the train, which usually -reaches the summit at sunset, and I had as often pleased myself with -considering whether it then most resembled a big, shining beetle -crawling up the mountain side, or some fiery dragon of the fabulous -times, dragging his prey after him to his den, after ravaging the -valley. My own turn was now come to make the trial. It was a cold -afternoon in September when I entered the little carriage, not much -larger than a street-car, and felt the premonitory jerk with which the -ascent begins. The first hill is so steep that you look up to see the -track always mounting high above your head; but one soon gets used to -the novelty, and to the clatter which accompanies the incessant dropping -of a pawl into the indentures of the cogged-rail, and in which he -recognizes an element of safety. The train did not move faster than one -could walk, but it moved steadily, except when it now and then stopped -at a water-tank, standing solitary and alone upon the waste of rocks. - -By the time we emerged above the forest into the chill and wind-swept -desolation above it--a first sight of which is so amazing--the sun -had set behind the Green Mountain summits, showing a long, serrated -line of crimson peaks, above which clouds of lake floated in a sea -of amber. It grew very cold. Great-coats and shawls were quickly -put on. Thick darkness enveloped the mountain as we approached the -head of the profound gulf separating us from Mount Clay, which is the -most remarkable object seen at any time either during the ascent or -descent. Into this pitchy ravine, into its midnight blackness, a long -and brilliant train of sparks trailed downward from the locomotive, so -that we seemed being transported heavenward in a chariot of fire. This -flaming torch, lighting us on, now disclosed snow and ice on all sides. -We had successfully attained the last slope which conceals the railway -from the valley. Up this the locomotive toiled and panted, while we -watched the stars come out and emit cold gleams around, above, beneath. -The light of the Summit House twinkled small, then grew large, as, -surmounting the last and steepest pitch of the pinnacle, we were pushed -before a long row of lighted windows crusted thick with hoar-frost. -Stiffened with cold, the passengers rushed for the open door without -ceremony. In an instant the car was empty; while the locomotive, -dripping with its unheard-of efforts, seemed to regard this desertion -with reproachful glances. - -Reader, have you ever sat beside Mrs. Dodge's fire after such a passive -ascension as that just described? After a two hours' combat with the -instinct of self-preservation, did you dream of such comforts, luxuries -even, awaiting you on the bleak mountain-top, where nothing grows, and -where water even congeals and refuses to run? Could you, in the highest -flights of fancy, imagine that you would one day sit in the courts of -heaven, or feast sumptuously amid the stars? All this you either have -done or may do. And now, while the smartly-dressed waiter-girl, who -seems to have donned her white apron as a personal favor, brings you the -best the larder affords, pinch yourself to see if you are awake. - -In several ascensions by the railway I have always remarked the same -symptoms of uneasiness among the passengers, betrayed by pale faces, -compressed lips, hands tightening their grasp of the chairs, or subdued -and startled exclamations, quickly repressed. To escape the influence of -such weird surroundings one should be absolutely stolid--a stock or a -stone. So for all it is an experience more or less acute, according to -his sensibility, strength of nerve, and power of self-control. However -well it may be disguised, the strong equally with the weak, and more -deeply than the weak, feel the strain which ninety minutes' combat with -gravitation, attraction, ponderosity, engenders. The mind does not for a -single instant quit its hold of this defiance of Nature's laws. As long -as iron and steel hold fast, there is no danger; but you think iron and -steel are iron and steel, and no more. An anecdote will illustrate this -feeling. - -After pointing out to a lady-passenger the skilful devices for stopping -the engine--the pawl, the steam, and the atmospheric brakes--and after -patiently explaining their mechanism and uses, the listener asked the -conductor, with much interest, - -"Then, if the pawl breaks while we are going up?" - -"The engine will be stopped by means of these powerful brakes, applied -directly to the axles, which will, of course, render the train -motionless. As the locomotive has two driving-wheels, the engineer can -bring a double power to bear, as you see. Each is independent of the -other, so that if one gives way the other is still more than sufficient -to keep the engine stationary." - -"Thank you; but the car?" - -"Oh, the car is not attached to the engine at all; and should the -engineer lose the control of his machine, which is not at all likely, -the car can be brought to a stand-still by independent brakes of its -own. You see the engine goes up behind, and in front, down; and the car -is simply pushed forward, or follows it." - -"So that you consider it--." - -"Perfectly safe, madam, perfectly safe." - -"Thank you. One question more. Suppose all these things break at once. -What then? Where would we go?" - -"That, madam, would depend on what sort of a life you had led." - -I have still a consolation for the timid. Ten years' trial has confirmed -the declaration of its projectors, that they would make the road as safe -or safer than the ordinary railway. No life has been lost by an injury -to a passenger during that time. Besides, what is the difference? After -its day, the railway will pass like the stage-coach--that is, unless you -believe, as you do not, that the world and all progress are to stop with -ourselves. - -[Illustration: ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY.] - -The affable lady hostess told me that she paid an annual rental of ten -thousand dollars for her palace of ice; nominally for a year, but really -for a term of only seventy-six days, this being the limit of the season -upon the summit. During the remaining two hundred and eighty-nine -days the house is closed. During four or five months it is buried, or -half-buried, in a snow-drift. Of this large sum, three thousand dollars -go to the Pingree heirs. These facts may tend to modify the views of -those who think the charges exorbitant, if such there are. - -Raising my eyes to look out of the window, the light from within -fell upon a bank of snow. A man was stooping over it as if in search -of something. Going out, I found him feeling it with his hands, and -examining it with childish wonder and curiosity. I approached this -eccentric person very softly; but he, seeing my shadow on the snow -beside him, looked up. - -"Can I assist you in recovering what you have lost?" I inquired. - -"Thank you; no. I have lost nothing. Ah! I see," he continued, laughing -quietly, "you think I have lost my wits. But it is not so. I am a native -of the East Indies, and I assure you this is the first time in my life I -have ever seen snow near enough to handle it. Imagine what an experience -the ascent of Mount Washington is for me!" - -We took a turn down the hard-frozen Glen road together in order to see -the moon come up. The telegraph-poles, fantastically crusted with ice to -the thickness of a foot, stretched a line of white-hooded phantoms down -the dark side of the mountain. From successive coatings of frozen mist -the wires were as thick as cables. Couches of snow lay along the rocks, -and fresh snow had apparently been rubbed into all the inequalties of -the cliffs rising out of the Great Gulf. The scene was supremely weird, -supremely desolate. - -From here we crossed over to the railway, and, ascending by it, shortly -came upon the heap of stones, surmounted by its tablet, erected on -the spot where Miss Bourne perished while ascending the mountain, in -September, 1855. The party, of which she was one, setting out in high -spirits in the afternoon from the Glen House, was overtaken near the -summit by clouds, which hid the house from view, and among which they -became bewildered. It was here Miss Bourne declared she could go no -farther. Overcome by her exertions, she sunk exhausted and fainting -upon the rocks. Her friends were scarcely awakened to her true -condition when, amid the surrounding darkness and gloom, this young -and lovely maiden of only twenty expired in the arms of her uncle. The -mourners wrapped the body in their own cloaks, and, ignorant that a -few rods only separated them from the summit, kept a vigil throughout -the long and weary night. We hasten over this night of dread. In the -morning, discovering their destination a few rods above them, they bore -the lifeless form of their companion to it with feelings not to be -described. A rude bier was made, and she who had started up the mountain -full of life now descended it a corpse. - -The evening treated us to a magnificent spectacle. The moon, in -full-orbed splendor, moved majestically up the heavens, attended by her -glittering retinue of stars. Frozen peaks, reflecting the mild radiance, -shone like beaten silver. But the immense hollows between, the deep -valleys that had been open to view, were now inundated with a white and -luminous vapor, from which the multitude of icy summits emerged like a -vast archipelago--a sea of islands. This spectral ocean seemed on the -point of ingulfing the mountains. This motionless sea, these austere -peaks, uprising, were inconceivably weird and solemnizing. An awful hush -pervaded the inanimate but threatening host of cloud-girt mountains. -Upon them, upon the sea of frozen vapor, absorbing its light, the clear -moon poured its radiance. The stars seemed nearer and brighter than -ever before. The planets shone with piercing brilliancy; they emitted -a sensible light. The Milky Way, erecting its glittering nebula to the -zenith, to which it was pinned by a dazzling star, floated, a glorious, -star-spangled veil, amid this vast sea of gems. One could vaguely catch -the idea of an unpeopled desolation rising from the fathomless void of -a primeval ocean. The peaks, incased in snow and ice, seemed stamped -with the traces of its subsidence. Pale and haggard, they lifted their -antique heads in silent adoration. - -Going to my room and extinguishing the light, I stood for some time -at the window, unable to reconcile the unwonted appearance of the -stars shining far below, with the fixed idea that they ought not to be -there. Yet there they were. To tell the truth, my head was filled with -the surpassing pomp I had just witnessed, of which I had not before -the faintest conception. I felt as if I was silently conversing with -all those stars, looking at me and my petty aspirations with such -inflexible, disdainful immobility. When one feels that he is nothing, -self-assurance is no great thing. The conceit is taken out of him. On a -mountain the man stands naked before his Maker. He is nothing. That is -why I leave him there. - -That night I did not sleep a wink. Twenty times I jumped out of bed and -ran to the window to convince myself that it was not all a dream. No; -moon and stars were still bright. Over the Great Gulf, all ghastly in -the moonlight, stood Mount Jefferson in his winding-sheet. I dressed -myself, and from the embrasure of my window kept a vigil. - -Sunrise did not produce the startling effect I had anticipated. The -morning was fine and cloudless. A gong summoned the inmates of the -hotel to the spectacle. Without dressing themselves, they ran to their -windows, where, wrapped in bed-blankets, they stood eagerly watching the -east. To the pale emerald of early dawn a ruddy glow succeeded. Before -we were aware, the rocky waste around us grew dusky red. The crimsoned -air glided swiftly over the neighboring summits. Now the brightness -was upon Adams and Jefferson and Clay, and now it rolled its purpled -flood into the Great Gulf, to mingle with the intense blackness at the -bottom. For some moments the mountain-tops held the color, then it was -transfused into the clear sunshine of open day; while the vapors, heavy -and compact, stretched along the valleys, still smothering the land, -retained their leaden hue. - -It was still early when I descended the carriage-road on my way to Mount -Adams. The usual way is to keep the railway as far as the old Gulf Tank, -near which is a house of refuge, provided with a cooking-stove, fuel, -and beds. I continued, however, to coast the upper crags of the Great -Gulf, until compelled to make directly for the southern peak of Mount -Clay. The view from this _col_ is imposing, embracing at once, and -without turning the head, all the southern summits of the chain. Here I -was joined by two travellers fresh from Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. - -Each choosing a route for himself, we pushed on to the high summit of -Clay, from which we looked down into the deep gap dividing this mountain -from Jefferson. Arrived there, we resolutely attacked the eastern slopes -of this fine peak, whose notched summit rose more than seven hundred and -fifty feet above our heads. Patches of Alpine grasses, of reindeer-moss, -interspersed with irregular ridges of stones, extended quite up to the -summit, which was a mere elongated stone-heap crowning the apex of its -cone. Those undulating masses encircling its bulk, half hid among the -grass, were like an immense python crushing the mountain in its deadly -folds. We picked our way carefully among this chaotic dbris, which the -Swiss aptly call "cemeteries of the devil," tripping now and then in the -long, wiry grass, or burying our feet among the hummocks of dry moss, -which were so many impediments to rapid progress. This appearance and -this experience were common to the whole route. - -At each summit we threw ourselves upon the ground, to feast upon the -landscape while regaining breath. Each halt developed more and more -the grand and stupendous mass of Washington receding from the depths -of the Great Gulf, along whose edge the carriage-road serpentined -and finally disappeared. We saw, a little softened by distance, the -horribly mutilated crags of the head wall stripped bare of all verdure, -presenting on its knobbed agglomerates of tempest-gnawed granite a -thousand eye-catching points and detaining as many shadows. Nothing--not -even the glittering leagues of mountains and valleys shooting or -slumbering above, beneath--so riveted the attention as this apparently -bottomless pit of the five mountains. It was a continued wonder. It drew -us by a strange magnetism to its dizzy brink, chained us there, and -then abandoned us to a physical and moral vertigo, in which the power -of critical investigation was lost. An invisible force seemed always -dragging us toward it. Whence comes this horrible, this uncontrollable -desire to throw ourselves in? - -Out of the death-like torpor which eternally shrouds the ravine -the smiling valley seems escaping. The crystal air of the heights -grows thick in its depths. Beasts and birds of prey haunt its gloomy -solitudes. An immense grave seems yawning to receive the mountains. The -aged mountains seem standing with one foot in the grave. - -This gulf makes an impression altogether different from the others. -It is an immense ravine. Each of the five mountains pushes down into -it massive buttresses of granite, forming lesser ravines between of -considerable extent. Through these streams trickle down from invisible -sources. But these buttresses, which fall lightly and gracefully as -folds of velvet from summit to base of the highest mountains, these -ravines, are hardly noticed. The insatiable maw of the gulf swallows -them as easily as an anaconda a rabbit. In immensity, which you do not -easily grasp, in grandeur, which you do not know how to measure, this -has no partakers here. Even the great Carter Mountain, rising from the -Peabody Valley, seems no more than a stone rolled away from the entrance -of this enormous sepulchre. - -Our first difficulties were encountered upon the reverse of Mount -Jefferson, from whose side rocky spurs detached themselves, and, jutting -out from the side of the mountain, formed an irregular line of cliffs -of varying height, in the way we had selected for the descent. But -these were no great affair. We now had the Ravine of the Castles upon -our left, the stately pyramid of Adams in front, and, beneath, the deep -hollow between this mountain and the one we were descending. We had the -little hamlet of East Jefferson at the mouth of the ravine, and that -crowd of peaks, tightly wedged between the waters of the Connecticut and -the Androscoggin, looming above it. - -A deviation to the left enabled us to approach the Castellated Ridge, -which is, beyond dispute, the most extraordinary rock-formation the -whole extent of the range can show. As it is then fully before you, it -is seen to much better advantage when approached from Mount Adams. I -do not know who gave it this name, but none could be more felicitous -or expressive. It is a sloping ridge of red-brown granite, broken at -its summit into a long line of picturesque towers and battlements, -rising threateningly over an escarpment of dbris. Such an illusion is -too rarely encountered to be easily forgotten. It is hardly possible -to doubt you are really looking at an antique ruin. One would like to -wander among these pre-Adamite fortifications, which curiously remind -him of the old Spanish fortresses among the Pyrenees. From the opposite -side of the ravine--for I had not the time requisite for a closer -examination--the rock composing the most elevated portion of the ridge -appears to have been split perpendicularly down, probably by frost, -allowing these broken columns and shafts to stand erect upon the verge -of the abyss. In the warm afternoon light, when the shadows fall, it is -hardly possible to conceive a finer picture of a crumbling but still -formidable mountain fortress. Bastions and turrets stand boldly out. -Each broken shaft sends a long shadow streaming down into the ravine, -whose high and deeply-furrowed sides are thus beautifully striped with -dusk-purple, while the sunlit parts retain a greenish-gray. - -At the foot of Jefferson we found, concealed among rushes, a spring, -which refreshed us like wells of the desert the parched and fainting -Arab. From here two routes offered themselves. One was by keeping the -curved ridge, rising gradually to a subordinate peak (Samuel Adams),[44] -and to the foot of the summit itself; a second was by crossing the -ground sloping downward from this ridge into the Great Gulf. We chose -the latter, notwithstanding the dwarf-spruce, advancing well up to the -foot of the ridge, promised a warm reception. - -[Illustration: THE CASTELLATED RIDGE.] - -At last, after sustaining a vigorous tussle with the scrub-firs, and -stopping to unearth a brook whose waters purred underneath stones, -I stood at the foot of the pointed shaft I had so often seen wedged -into the sky. Five hundred feet or more of the apex of this pyramid -is apparently formed of broken rocks, dropped one by one into place. -Nothing like a ledge or a cliff is to be seen: only these ponderous, -sharp-edged masses of cold gray stone, lifted one above another to the -tapering point. Up this mutilated pyramid we began a slow advance. It -was necessary to carefully choose one step before taking another, in -order to avoid plunging into the deep crevasses traversing the peak in -every direction. At last I placed my foot upon the topmost crag. - -No one can help regarding this peak with the open admiration which is -its due. You conceive that every mountain ought to have a pinnacle. -Well, here it is. We could easily have stood astride the culminating -point. But how came these rocks here? and what was the primitive -structure, if these fragments we see are its relics? One hardly believes -that an ice-raft could have first transported and then deposited such -misshapen masses in their present symmetrical form. Still less does -he admit that the original shaft, crushed in a thousand pieces by -the glacier itself, fell with such grace as to rise again, as he now -sees it, from its own ruins. If, again, it proceeds from the eternal -hammering of King Frost, what was the antique edifice that first rose so -proudly above the frozen seas of the great primeval void? But to science -the things which belong to science. We have a book describing heaven, -but not one that resolves the problems of earth. The "_Veni, vidi, -vici,_" of the Book of Genesis leaves us at the beginning. We are still -staring, still questioning, still vacillating between this theory and -that hypothesis.[45] - -We had from the summit an inspiring though not an extensive view. A -bank of dun-colored smoke smirched the fair western sky as high as the -summits of the Green Mountains. At fifty miles mountains and valleys -melted confusedly into each other. Water emitted only a dull glimmer. -Here a peak and there a summit surveyed us from afar. All else was -intangible; almost imaginary. At twenty-five miles the land, resuming -its ordinary appearance, was bathed in the soft brilliance caused by the -sun shining through an atmosphere only half transparent. - -Upon this obscure mass we traced once more the well-known objects -environing the great mountain. To the south Mount Washington divided -the landscape in two. For some time we stood admiring its magnificent -_torso_, its amplitude of rock-land, its easy preponderance over every -other summit. Again we followed the road down the great north-east -spur. Once more we caught the white specks which denote the line of -the railway. We plunged our eyes down into the Great Gulf, and lifted -them to the shattered protuberances of Clay, which seemed to mark the -route where the glacier crushed and ground its way through the very -centre of the chain. A second time we descended Jefferson to the deep -dip, opening like a trough between two enormous sea-waves, where we -first saw the little Storm Lake glistening. Following now the long, -rocky ridge, rolling downward toward the hamlets of Jefferson and -Randolph, the mountains yawned wide at our feet. We were looking over -into King's Ravine--to its very bottom. We peered curiously into its -remotest depths, traced the difficult and breathless ascent through -the remarkable natural gateway at its head out upon a second ridge, -on which a little pond (Star Lake) lies hid. We then crossed the gap -communicating with Mount Madison, whose summit, last and lowest of the -great northern peaks, dominates the Androscoggin Valley with undisputed -sway. To-day it made on us scarcely an impression. Its peak, which from -the valley holds a rough similitude with that of Adams, is dwarfed here. -You look down upon it. - -More applicable to Adams than to any other, for our eyes grow dazzled -with the glitter and sparkle of countless mica-flakes incrusting the -hard granite with clear brilliancy as from the facets of a diamond; more -applicable, again, from the stern, unconquerable attitude of the great -gray shaft itself, lifted in such conscious pride beyond the confines -of the vast ethereal vault of blue--a tower of darkness invading the -bright realms of light; a defiance flung by earth in the face of high -heaven--is the magnificent description of the Matterhorn from the pen of -Ruskin: - -"If one of these little flakes of mica-sand, hurried in tremulous -spangling along the bottom of the ancient river, too light to sink, -too faint to float, almost too small for sight, could have had a mind -given to it as it was at last borne down with its kindred dust into -the abysses of the stream, and laid (would it not have thought?) for a -hopeless eternity in the dark ooze, the most despised, forgotten, and -feeble of all earth's atoms; incapable of any use or change; not fit, -down there in the diluvial darkness, so much as to help an earth-wasp -to build its nest, or feed the first fibre of a lichen--what would it -have thought had it been told that one day, knitted into a strength as -of imperishable iron, rustless by the air, infusible by the flame, out -of the substance of it, with its fellows, the axe of God should hew that -Alpine tower;--that against _it_--poor, helpless mica-flake!--the snowy -hills should lie bowed like flocks of sheep, and the kingdoms of the -earth fade away in unregarded blue; and around it--weak, wave-drifted -mica-flake!--the great war of the firmament should burst in thunder, and -yet stir it not; and the fiery arrows and angry meteors of the night -fall blunted back from it into the air; and all the stars in the clear -heaven should light, one by one, as they rose, new cressets upon the -points of snow that fringed its abiding-place on the imperishable spire!" - -Myself and my companions set out on our return to the Summit House early -in the afternoon, choosing this time the ridge in preference to the -scrubby slope. From this we turned away, at the end of half an hour, -by an obscure path leading to a boggy pool, sunk in a mossy hollow -underneath it, crossed the area of scattered bowlders, strewn all around -like the relics of a petrified tempest, and, filling our cups at the -spring, drank to Mount Adams, the paragon of mountain peaks. - -As we again approached the brow of Mount Washington the sun resembled -a red-hot globe of iron flying through the west and spreading a -conflagration through the heavens. Again the colossal shadow of the -mountain began its stately ascension in the east. One moment the burning -eye of the great luminary interrogated this phantom, sprung from the -loins of the hoary peak. Then it dropped heavily down behind the Green -Mountains, as it has done for thousands of years, the landscape fading, -fading into one vast, shadowy abyss, out of which arose the star-lit -dome of the august summit. - - - - -TOURIST'S APPENDIX. - -PREPARED FOR "THE HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS." - - -GEOGRAPHY.--The White Mountains are in the northern central part of the -State of New Hampshire. They occupy the whole area of the State between -Maine and Vermont, and between Lake Winnipiseogee and the head-streams -of the Connecticut and Androscoggin rivers. - -Two principal chains, having a general direction from south-west to -north-east, constitute this great water-shed of New England. These are -the Franconia and the White Mountains proper, sometimes called the -"Presidential Range." - -Grouped on all sides of the higher summits are a great number of -inferior ridges, among which, as in the Sandwich Range, rise some very -fine peaks, widely extending the mountainous area, and diversifying it -with numerous valleys, lakes, and streams. - -Two principal rivers, the Saco and Merrimack, flowing from these two -chief clusters, form the two great valleys of the White Mountain system; -and by these valleys the railways enter the mountains from the seaboard. -Lake Winnipiseogee, which washes the southern foot of the mountains, -is also a thoroughfare, as are the valleys of the Connecticut and -Androscoggin rivers. - -DISTANCES.--It is 430 miles from Philadelphia to Fabyan's; 340 from New -York, _via_ Springfield; 190 from Montreal, _via_ Newport; 208 _via_ -Groveton; 169 from Boston, _via_ North Conway (Eastern R.R.); 208 _via_ -Concord (B., C., & M. R.R.); 91 from Portland, _via_ North Conway (P. -& O. R.R.); 91 from Portland to Gorham (G. T. R.); 199 from Boston to -Gorham, _via_ Eastern and Grand Trunk roads; and 206 _via_ Boston and -Maine and Grand Trunk roads. - -ROUTES.--Procure, before starting, the official time-tables of the -railroads running to the mountains or making direct connection with -them, by application to local agents, by writing to the ticket-agents of -the roads, or by consulting a railway guide-book. The roads reaching the -mountains are-- - -From Washington: The Pennsylvania, and New York & New England. - -From Philadelphia: The Pennsylvania, and New York & New England. - -From Montreal: The Grand Trunk, and The South-eastern. - -From Quebec: The Grand Trunk Railway. - -From Saratoga: The Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. - -From New York: New York, New Haven, & Hartford (all rail _via_ -Springfield, White River Junction, and Wells River to Fabyan's; or all -rail _via_ Springfield, Worcester, Nashua, and Concord, N. H.; or all -rail _via_ "Shore Line," Boston & Albany, or New York & New England -roads to Boston); or by Fall River, Norwich, or Stonington "Sound Lines" -to Boston; thence by either of the following railroads: - -[Illustration: JACOBS LADDER, MOUNT WASHINGTON RAILWAY.] - -From Boston: Eastern R.R., _via_ Beverly (18 miles, branch to Cape Ann); -Hampton (46 miles, Boar's Head and Rye Beaches); Portsmouth (56 miles, -Newcastle and Isles of Shoals and York Beach); Kittery (57 miles); -Wolfborough Junction (98 miles, branch to Lake Winnipiseogee); North -Conway (138 miles; connects with Portland and Ogdensburg); Intervale -(139 miles); Glen Station (144 miles, for Jackson and Glen House); -Crawford's (165 miles); Fabyan's (169 miles; connects with B., C., & M. -for Summit of Mount Washington, Bethlehem, Profile House, and Jefferson; -or by same route to Portland, thence by P. & O. R.R. to North Conway, or -Grand Trunk Railway to Gorham). - -Boston, Lowell & Concord, and Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroads, -_via_ Lowell (26 miles); Nashua, Manchester, Concord (75 miles); -Plymouth (123 miles); Woodsville (166 miles, Wells River); Littleton -(185 miles, for Sugar Hill); Wing Road (192 miles, branch to Jefferson); -Bethlehem (196 miles, branch road to Profile House, also to "Maplewood," -and Bethlehem Street); Twin Mountain House, Fabyan's (208 miles, branch -to Summit of Mount Washington, 217 miles); connects at Fabyan's with P. -& O. and Eastern roads for North Conway, Portland, and Boston. - -Boston & Maine R.R. _via_ Lawrence (26 miles); Haverhill, Exeter (50 -miles); Dover (68 miles); Rochester (78 miles); Alton Bay (96 miles), -connecting with steamer for Wolfborough and Centre Harbor, on Lake -Winnipiseogee; or by the same road to Portland, thence by P. & O. to -North Conway and Fabyan's, or Grand Trunk to Gorham and Glen House. - -From Portland: Portland & Ogdensburg R.R. via Sebago Lake (17 miles); -Fryeburg (49 miles); Conway Centre, North Conway (60 miles); Glen -Station (66 miles, Jackson and Glen House); Bartlett (72 miles); -Crawford's (87 miles); Fabyan's (91 miles; connects with B., C., & M. -R.R. for Summit of Mount Washington, Bethlehem, Profile House, Sugar -Hill, Jefferson, etc.). - -Grand Trunk Railway: Danville Junction (27 miles); Bethel (70 miles); -Shelburne (86 miles); Gorham (91 miles, for Glen House). - -A good way to do the mountains by rail is to buy an excursion-ticket -over the route entering on the west, and, passing through, leave them -by the roads on the east side via Boston or Portland, or _vice versa_. -At Fabyan's, where the two great routes meet, the traveller coming from -either direction may pursue his journey without delay. From _Boston to -Boston_, _Portland to Portland_, there is continuous rail without going -twice over the same line. - -_Lake Winnipiseogee._--At Alton Bay, Wolfborough, and Weirs steamer is -taken for Centre Harbor, at the head of the lake. Here the traveller may -either take the daily stages for West Ossipee (E. R.R.) or steamer to -Weirs (B., C., & M.), and thus be again on the direct rail routes. - -HOW TO CHOOSE A LOCATION.--Do you wish a quiet retreat, off the -travelled routes, where you may have rest and seclusion, or do you -desire to fix yourself in a position favorable to exploring the whole -mountain region? - -In either case consult (1) some friend who has visited the mountains; -(2), consult the maps in this volume; (3), consult the landlord in any -place you may fancy for a limited or a lengthened residence; (4), apply -to the agents of the Eastern, Portland, & Ogdensburg, Boston, Concord, & -Montreal, Boston & Maine, or Grand Trunk Railways, for books or folders -containing a list of the mountain hotels reached by their lines, and the -charge for board by the day and week. (The Eastern, and B., C., & M. -print revised lists every year, for gratuitous distribution.) - -Wolfborough, Weirs, Centre Harbor, and Sandwich (all on or near -Lake Winnipiseogee); Blair's, Sanborn's, Campton Village, Thornton, -and Woodstock, in the Pemigewasset Valley; Tamworth, Conway Corner, -Fryeburg, the Intervale (North Conway), Jackson, the Glen House, Bethel -(Me.), Shelburne, Randolph, East Jefferson, Jefferson Hill, Lancaster, -Littleton, Franconia, Sugar Hill, Haverhill, and Newbury (Vt.)--all come -within the category first named; while the second want will be supplied -at such points as North Conway, Crawford's, Fabyan's, Twin Mountain -House, Bethlehem, and the Profile House. North Conway and Bethlehem are -the keys to the whole mountain region. Fabyan's and the Glen House are -the proper points from which to ascend Mount Washington. - -To aid in locating these places on the map, refer constantly to the -Index at the end of the volume. - -Leaving Boston or Portland in the morning, any of the points named may -be reached in from four to eight hours. - -HINTS FOR TOURISTS.--Select your destination, if possible, in advance; -and if you require apartments, telegraph to the hotel where you mean -to stop, giving the number of persons in your party, thus avoiding -the disappointment of arriving, at the end of a long journey, at an -over-crowded hotel. - -[Illustration: U. S. METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN -SUMMER.] - -Should you fix upon a particular locality for a long or short stay, -write to one (or more) of the landlords for terms, etc.; and if his -house is off the line of railway, inform him of the day and train you -mean to take, so that he may meet you with a carriage at the nearest -station. But if you do not go upon the day named, remember to notify the -landlord. - -Always take some warm woollen clothing (inside and outside) for mountain -ascensions. It is unsafe to be without it in any season, as the nights -are usually cool even in midsummer. - -From the middle of June to the middle of October is the season of -mountain travel. The best views are obtained in June, September, and -October. From the middle of September to the middle of October the air -is pure and invigorating, the mountain forests are then in a blaze of -autumnal splendor, the cascades are finer, and out-of-door jaunts are -less fatiguing than in July and August. - -Should you wish merely to make a rapid tour of the mountain region, it -will be best so to arrange your route before starting that the first day -will bring you where there is something to be seen, to a comfortable -hotel, and from which your journey may be continued with an economy of -time and money. - -The three journeys described in this volume will enable you to see all -that is most desirable to be seen; but the excellent facilities for -traversing the mountains render it immaterial whether these routes -are precisely followed, taken in their reverse order, or adopted as -a general plan, with such modifications as the tourist's time or -inclination may suggest. - -Upon arriving at his destination the traveller naturally desires to -use his time to the best advantage possible. But he is ignorant how to -do this. "What shall I do?" "Where shall I go?" are the two questions -that confront him. Let us suppose him arrived, first, at NORTH -CONWAY. - -As he stands gazing up the Saco Valley, Moat Mountain is on his left, -Kearsarge at his right, and Mount Washington in front. (Refer to the -Chapter and Index articles on North Conway.) The high cliffs on the side -of Moat are called the Ledges. This glorious view may be improved by -going a mile up the railroad, or highway, to the Intervale. The Ledges -contain the local celebrities. Taking a carriage, or walking, one may -visit them in an afternoon, seeing in turn Echo Lake, the Devil's Den, -the Cathedral, and Diana's Baths. The picturesque bits of river, meadow, -and mountain seen going and returning will make the way seem short, and -are certain to detain the artistic traveller. Artists' Falls, on the -opposite side of the valley, will repay a visit, if the stream is in -good condition. Artists' Brook, on which these falls are, runs from the -hills east of the village. A carriage-road leads to the Artists' Falls -House, from which a short walk brings one to the falls. This excursion -will require not more than two hours. Then there are the drives to -Kearsarge village, under the mountain, and back by the Intervale; to -Jackson, over Thorn Hill, and back by Goodrich Falls (three to four -hours each); to Bartlett Bowlder, by the west, and back by the east side -of the valley; to Fryeburg and Mount Chocorua--the last two requiring -each half a day at least. The ascent of Kearsarge (from Kearsarge -village) or of the Moats (from Diana's Baths) each demands a day to -itself. But by starting early in the morning a good climber may ascend -and descend Kearsarge, getting back to the village by two o'clock in the -afternoon. - -_At the Intervale_ he can easily repeat all these experiences, as this -is a suburb of North Conway. Let him take his first stroll over the -meadows to the river, or among the grand old pines in the forest near -the railway station, while preparing for more extended excursions. - -_At Glen Station._--While waiting for the luggage to be put on, if the -day is perfectly clear, the traveller, by going up the track a few -rods, to the bridge over the Ellis, may get a glimpse of the summit of -Mount Washington, with the hotel upon the apex; also of Carter Notch. -On the way to Jackson he will pass over Goodrich Falls by a bridge. He -should not fail to remark the fine cliffs of Iron Mountain, at his left -hand, before entering the village. Should he be _en route_ for the Glen -House, let him be on the lookout for the Giant's Stairs, on the left, -after leaving Jackson, and then for the grand view of Pinkham Notch, -with Mount Washington at the left, about four miles beyond Jackson. The -summit of Spruce Hill--the scene of the highway robbery in 1881--is the -top of the long rise beyond the bridge over Ellis River. - -_At Jackson_ we have moved eight miles nearer Mount Washington, in -the direction of the Glen House (12 miles) and Gorham (20 miles), and -also toward the Carter Notch, distant from the village 9 miles. The -excursions back to North Conway are similar to those described from -that place. The first thing to do here is to stroll up the Wildcat, and -pass an hour or two among the falls on this stream, which begin at the -village. A walk or drive up this valley to Fernald's Farm, and back -by the opposite side, or over Thorn Hill, are two tempting half-day -excursions. In an hour one may walk to Goodrich Falls (road to Glen -Station) and back to the village. He may start after breakfast, and -drive to Glen Ellis Falls (road to Glen House), eight miles, returning -to the hotel for dinner; or, lunching at Glen Ellis, go on one mile -farther to the Crystal Cascade; then, dining at the Glen House (3 -miles), return at leisure. But it is a mistake to take two such pieces -of water in one day. The pedestrian whose base is Jackson, and who -makes this trip, should pass the night at the Glen House and return by -the Carter Notch, the distance being about the same as by the highway. -But he should never try this alone, for fear of a disabling accident. -Or he may take the Glen House stage at Jackson early in the afternoon, -and, letting it drop him at Glen Ellis, make his own way to the hotel -(4 miles) on foot, after a visit to the falls. Apply to Mr. Osgood, the -veteran guide, at the Glen House, for services, or directions how to -enter the Carter Notch from the Glen House side; and to Jock Davis, who -lives at the head of the Wildcat Valley, if going in from the Jackson -side. - -Ladies who are accustomed to walking can reach Carter Notch with a -little help now and then from the gentlemen. But the fatigue of going -and returning on the same day would be too great. A party could enter -the Notch in the afternoon, pass the night in Davis's comfortable cabin, -and return the next morning. The path in is much easier and plainer from -the Jackson than from the Glen House side; but there is no difficulty -about keeping either. Davis will take up everything necessary for -camping out, except food, which may be procured at your hotel before -starting. There is plenty of water in the Notch. - -_At the Glen House_ one may finish the afternoon by walking back a mile -on the Jackson road to the Emerald Pool; or, if he is in the vein, go -one mile farther on to Thompson's Falls, and, ascending to the top, look -over the forest into Tuckerman's Ravine. The Crystal Cascade (3 miles) -and Glen Ellis (4 miles) from the hotel, ought to occupy half a day, but -three hours (driving) will suffice, if one is in a hurry. The drive to -Jackson, or march into the Notch, are just noted under Jackson. To go -into Tuckerman's Ravine by the Crystal Cascade, or by Thompson's Path -(Mount Washington carriage-road), will take a whole day. Ladies have -been into Tuckerman's; but the trial cannot be recommended except for -the most vigorous and courageous. The Appalachian Club has a camp near -Hermit Lake, where a party going into the ravine in the afternoon may -pass a comfortable night, ascend to the Snow Arch in the morning, and -return to the hotel for dinner. - -A three-mile walk on the Gorham road, crossing the Peabody River to the -Copp Farmhouse, gives a view of the celebrated "Imp" profile, on the -top of the opposite mountain. This walk is an affair of two hours and -a half. (See art. "Imp" in Index.) The Garnet Pool (one mile from the -hotel) may be taken on the way. Or, for a short and interesting stroll, -go down this road a half-mile to where the Great Gulf opens wide before -you its immense wall of mountains. The carriage-road to the summit -requires four hours for the ascent by stage; a good climber can do it -on foot in about the same time. Should a storm overtake him above the -woods, he can find shelter in the Half-way House, just at the edge of -the forest. - -[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON.] - -_At Crawford's_ one can saunter into the woods at the left of the -hotel, and enjoy himself in the sylvan retreat, "Idlewild;" or, going -down the road, ascend the Elephant's Head by a path turning in at the -left (sign-board), obtaining the view down the Notch; or, continuing -on a short distance, enter and examine the Gate of the Notch. All -these objects are in full view from the hotel. Other rambles of an -hour are to Gibbs' Falls, entering the woods at the left of the hotel -(guide-board), or, crossing the bridge over the railroad track on the -right, to Beecher's Cascades. The ascent of Mount Willard (3 miles) -should on no account be omitted. Good carriage-road all the way, and -vehicles from the hotel. The celebrated Crawford Trail to the Summit -of Mount Washington, the scene of many exploits, begins in the grove -at the left of this hotel. The distance is fully nine miles, and six -or seven hours will be none too many for the jaunt. Four intervening -mountains, Clinton, Pleasant, Franklin, and Monroe, are crossed. There -is a shelter-hut in the woods near the summit of Clinton. - -[Illustration: METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN WINTER.] - -_At Fabyan's._--Three or four hours may be profitably spent on Mount -Deception, opposite the hotel. The first summit is as much as one would -care to undertake in an afternoon, to get the extended and magnificent -view of the great range at sunset. Opposite the hotel is a cosy little -cottage, kept open by the railroads for the use of travellers, and to -give them information respecting routes, hotels, distances, fares, etc. -The Upper Ammonoosuc Falls (3-1/2 miles) are well worth a visit. They -are on the Old Turnpike to the base of Mount Washington. The traveller -has now at command all the important points in the mountains. - -He is 9 miles from the Summit, 4 from Crawford's, 29 from North Conway, -13 from Bethlehem, 22 from the Profile, and 18 from Jefferson--all -reached by rail in one or two hours. - -_At Bethlehem._--If the tourist locates himself at the "Maplewood," the -walk up the mountain to the Observatory, or to Cruft's Ledge, at sunset, -or to the village (1-1/2 miles), or down the Whitefield road to The -Hollow, is a good introduction. At "The Street" he will find the busiest -thoroughfare in the mountains, leading him on to a beautiful panorama -of the Ammonoosuc Valley, with Littleton in its lap; or, ascending the -old Profile House road above the Sinclair House for a mile, will see the -great Franconia mountains from the best view-point. Bethlehem is 9 miles -from the Profile House, 13 from Fabyan's, 17 from Crawford's, 42 from -North Conway, 15 from Jefferson, and 22 from the Summit. - -_At Profile House._--If you arrive by rail via Bethlehem, you have -crossed the broad flank and great ravine of Mount Lafayette to the -shores of Echo Lake, a mile from the hotel. But the opposite side -of this lake is a more eligible site for views of the surrounding -mountains; and the summit of Bald Mountain, at its north end, is still -better. From the long piazza of the Profile House the great Notch -mountains close in toward the south. Cannon Mountain is on your right, -with the peculiar rocks giving it this name thrust out from the highest -ridge in full view. The woods at the foot of this mountain, filling -the pass in front of you, conceal the beautiful Profile Lake, the -twin-sister of Echo Lake. The enormous rock at your left is Eagle Cliff, -a spur of Mount Lafayette, the mountain being ascended on the south side -of this cliff. Improve the first hour of leisure by walking directly -down the road to Profile Lake. In a few minutes you will reach the shore -near a rustic arbor (guide-board), furnished with seats, and here you -command the best view of the renowned "Old Man of the Mountain." Boats -may be had here for a sail upon the lake. Return to the hotel by the -path through the woods. Walk next up the pass one mile to Echo Lake -(boats and fishing-gear at the boat-house); or, extending your jaunt -as far as Bald Mountain, obtain, by following the old path through the -woods at the right, the best observation of the pass from the north. The -trip to the Flume House (including the Basin, Pool, and Flume) is next -in order, and will occupy a half day, although the distance is only six -miles, and the road excellent. If the forenoon is taken, a party can -either return to the hotel for dinner or dine well at the Flume House. -The Pool is reached by a path half a mile long, entering the woods -opposite the Flume House. It will take an hour to drive to the Flume; -and an hour to go into the chasm itself and return is little enough; -allowing another hour for the Pool makes four hours for the excursion. - -The ascent of Mount Lafayette (3-3/4 miles) demands three to four hours. -Saddle-horses can be procured at the hotel. Those unwilling to undertake -the whole climb may, by ascending Eagle Cliff (1 mile on same path), -secure a grand view of the Notch and lakes, the Profile, the ravines, -and the Pemigewasset Valley. A stage leaves the Profile House every -morning for Plymouth, connecting with trains for Boston and New York, -and permitting the tourist to enjoy the beauties of the Pemigewasset -Valley. But it is better to ascend this valley. - -_At the Flume House_ (refer to the preceding article).--It is a -comparatively easy climb of an hour and a half to the top of Mount -Pemigewasset, behind the hotel. See, from the hotel, the outline of the -mountain ridge opposite, called Washington Lying in State. - -_At Jefferson._--The branch railway from Whitefield (B., C., & M. R.R.) -leaves its passengers about three miles from the cluster of hotels and -boarding-houses called Jefferson Hill, or five from East Jefferson -(E. A. Crawford's, Highland, or Mount Adams House); but carriages -are usually in waiting for all these houses. The walks and drives up -and down this valley are numerous and interesting, especially so in -the direction of Mount Adams and Randolph Hill, Cherry Mountain and -Lancaster. The trip over Cherry Mountain, reaching Fabyan's (13 miles) -by sunset, or from Fabyan's, reaching Jefferson at this hour, is a -memorable experience of mountain beauty. Excursions to Mount Washington, -Profile House, Glen House, or Gorham, demand a day. The ascent of Starr -King, Owl's Head, Ravine of the Cascades, King's Ravine, or Mount Adams -are the _pices de rsistance_ for this locality. - -ITINERARY OF A WALKING TOUR.--Two weeks of fine weather will enable -a good pedestrian to traverse the mountains from Plymouth to North -Conway, or _vice versa_, following the great highways throughout the -whole journey, and giving time to see what is on the route. Good hotel -accommodation will be found at the end of each day. Should bad weather -unsettle his plans, he will nearly always be able to avail himself of -regular stage or railway conveyance for a less or greater distance. -Thus: First day, Plymouth to Woodstock (dine at Sanborn's, West -Campton), 16 miles; second day, Flume House (visiting Flume and Pool), -8 miles; third day, Profile House (visiting Basin and "Old Man"), 5-1/2 -miles; fourth day, Bethlehem (_via_ Echo Lake and Franconia), 9 miles; -fifth day, Whitefield, 8 miles; sixth day, East Jefferson, 13 miles; -seventh day, Glen House, 14 miles; eighth day, for vicinity of Glen -House; ninth day, Summit of Mount Washington by carriage-road, 8 miles; -tenth day, descent by mountain railway to Crawford's, 13 miles; eleventh -day, through the Notch to Bartlett, 13 miles; twelfth day, Jackson and -vicinity, 9 miles; thirteenth day, North Conway, 8 miles. Total, 124 -miles. - -_Advice for Climbers._--Don't hurry when on a level road--keep your -strength for the ascent. Always take the long route up a mountain, if it -be the easier one. Be careful where you plant the foot in gullied trails -or on icy ledges--a sprain is a serious matter if you are alone. Carry -in your pocket a flask, fitted with a tumbler or cup; matches that will -ignite in the wind, half a dozen cakes of pitch-kindling, a good glass, -and a luncheon; in your hand a stout walking-stick; and upon your feet -shoes that can be trusted--none of your gimcracks--but broad-soled ones, -shod with steel nails. On a long march a rubber overcoat, a haversack, -and an umbrella will be needed. Cold tea slakes thirst more effectually -than water; but when you are exposed to wet and cold something stronger -will be found useful. Should you have a palpitation of the heart, or an -inclination to vertigo, do not climb at all. Take quiet rambles instead. -My word for it, they are better for you than scaling breathless ascents -or looking down over dizzy precipices. If you feel nausea, stop at once -until you recover from it. If caught on the Crawford trail between -Mounts Clinton and Washington, go back to the hut on the first-named -mountain. - -_Newspapers for Tourists_, at Bethlehem (_The Echo_) and on the Summit -(_Among the Clouds_) are published during the season of travel, -giving hotel arrivals, information concerning rail and stage routes, -excursions, and whatever may be of interest to the summer population in -general. - -Telegraphic and telephone communication may be had at all the principal -hotels and railway-stations. - -The Appalachian Mountain Club prints every year a periodical made up of -scientific and literary contributions from its members. Address the club -at Boston. - -_Trout_, _pickerel_, and _black bass_ are found in all the mountain -waters. The State stocks the ponds and streams with trout, bass, and -salmon from its breeding-houses at Plymouth. Fishing legally begins May -1. There is good trout-fishing on Swift River (Albany), with Conway for -head-quarters. From Jackson, or Glen House, the Wildcat and Ellis are -both good trout streams; so are Nineteen-Mile Brook and the West Branch -of Peabody; but the Wild River region (from Shelburne, Glen House, or -Jackson) affords better sport, because less visited. To go in from -Jackson or Glen House a guide will be necessary, and Davis, of Jackson, -is a good one. From Jefferson and Randolph the upper waters of the -Moose, and Israel's River (especially in the Mount Jefferson ravine), -are fished with good success. E. A. Crawford, of East Jefferson, knows -the best spots. From Bartlett there should be good fishing on Sawyer's -River, above the Livermore mills. Consult Frank George, the veteran -landlord of the Bartlett House. From Crawford's the best fishing-ground -is Ethan's Pond, behind Mount Willey. At Franconia the writer has -seen some fine strings brought from the Copper-mine Brook (back of -Mount Kinsman). Fair fishing may also be had on Lafayette Brook--ask -Charles Edson, of the Edson House. Profile Lake is stocked with trout -for the benefit of guests of the hotel. The upper streams of the -Pemigewasset are all good fishing-ground. Apply to Mr. D. P. Pollard, -North Woodstock, or Merrill Greeley, Waterville. The houses of both are -resorted to by experienced fishermen who track the East Branch or Mad -River tributaries. Pickerel and bass are caught in Lakes Winnipiseogee, -Squam, Chocorua, Ossipee, and Silver, besides scores of ponds lying -chiefly in the lake region. - -N.B.--Those going exclusively to fish should go early in the season for -the best sport. - -_Guides._--The landlords will either accompany you or procure a suitable -person. - -_Camping Out._--A wall tent is preferable, but two persons get along -comfortably in one of the "A" pattern. Get one with the fly, which -can be spread behind the tent, thus giving an additional room, in -which the cooking and eating may be done under cover. Set up your tent -where there is natural drainage--where the surface water will run off -during wet weather. Dig a shallow trench around it, on the outside, -for this purpose, and if you can obtain them, lay boards for a floor. -A kerosene-oil stove, with its utensils, folding cot-bed, camp-chairs, -and mess-chest, containing dishes (tin is best), constitute a complete -outfit, to be reduced according to convenience or pleasure. To make a -woods-man's camp, first set up two crotched posts five feet high, and -six or eight apart (according to number). On these lay a pole. From this -pole three or four others extend to the ground. Then cut brush or bark -for the roof and sides, and build your fire in front. For a camp of this -sort a hatchet and packet of matches only are necessary. But always -pitch your encampment in the vicinity of wood and water. - -_Mount Washington Railway._--Length, from base to summit, 3 miles. Rise -in the three miles, 3,625 feet. Steepest grade, 13-1/2 inches in three -feet, or 1980 feet to the mile. Begun in 1866; completed in 1869. - -_Mount Washington Carriage-road._--Length, 8 miles. Average grade, one -foot in eight. Steepest grade, one foot in six. Begun in 1855; finished -in 1861. - -_Mount Washington Signal Station._--The Summit was first occupied for -scientific purposes in the winter of 1870-'71. Since then it has been -attached to the Weather Bureau at Washington, and occupied by men -detailed from the United States Signal Corps, the men volunteering for -the service. - -ALTITUDES.--The following list of altitudes of the more important -and well-known points has been compiled from the publications of the -Geological Survey of New Hampshire and of the Appalachian Mountain Club. -The figures in =heavy-face= type are the results either of actual -levelling or of trigonometrical survey, while the remainder depend upon -barometrical measurement. Where the mean of two not widely-differing -authorities is given, the fact is denoted by the letter "_m_" preceding -the figures: - - MOUNTAIN SUMMITS. - - Adams-----_m_ 5785 - Ascutney (Vermont)-----3186 - Black (Sandwich Dome)-----=3999= - Boott's Spur-----5524 - Cannon-----3850 - Carrigain-----_m_ 4651 - Carter Dome-----_m_ 4827 - Chocorua-----3540 - Clay-----5553 - Clinton-----_m_ 4315 - Crawford-----3134 - Giant's Stairs-----3500 - Gunstock-----=2394= - Iron-----_about_ 2000 - Jefferson-----5714 - Kearsarge, S. (Merrimack County)-----=2943= - Kearsarge, N. (Carroll County)-----=3251= - Lafayette-----=5259= - Madison-----_m_ 5350 - Moat (North peak)-----3200 - Monadnock-----_m_ 3177 - Monroe-----_m_ 5375 - Moosilauke-----=4811= - Moriah-----4653 - Osceola-----_m_ 4408 - Passaconnaway-----4200 - Percy (North peak)-----3336 - Pleasant (Great range)-----_m_ 4768 - Pleasant (Maine)-----=2021= - Starr King-----_m_ 3872 - Twin-----_about_ 5000 - Washington-----=6293= - Webster-----4000 - Whiteface-----=4007= - Willey-----4300 - - VILLAGES AND HOTELS. - - Bartlett (Upper)-----=660= - Bethlehem (Sinclair House)-----_m_ 1454 - Franconia-----921 - Crawford House-----=1899= - Fabyan "-----1571 - Flume "-----1431 - Glen "-----=1632= - Gorham-----=812= - Jackson-----759 - Jefferson Hill-----1440 - Jefferson Highlands (Mt. Adams House)-----1648 - Lancaster-----=870= - North Conway-----=521= - Plymouth-----=473= - Profile House-----1974 - Sugar Hill (Post Office)-----1351 - Waterville (Greeley's Hotel)-----_m_ 1544 - Willey House-----=1323= - - NOTCHES. - - Carter Notch-----3240 - Cherry Mt. Road (summit)-----_m_ 2180 - Crawford or White Mt. Notch-----=1914= - Dixville Notch-----1831 - Franconia Notch-----_m_ 2015 - Pinkham Notch (south of Glen House)-----2018 - Carrigain Notch-----2465 - - MISCELLANEOUS. - - Ammonoosuc Sta. (base of Mt. Washington)-----=2668= - Camp of Appalachian Mountain Club, on the - -----Mt. Adams path-----3307 - Echo Lake (Franconia)-----_m_ 1928 - Lake of the Clouds-----5053 - Lake Winnipiseogee-----=500= - -_Distant Points Visible from Mount Washington_ (taken from -"Appalachia").--Mount Megantic (Canada), 86 miles, seen between -Jefferson and Adams; Mount Carmel, 65 miles, just over Mount Adams; -Saddleback, 60 miles, head of Rangely Lakes; Mount Abraham, 68 -miles, N., 47 E.; Ebene Mountain, 135 miles, vicinity of Moosehead -Lake (rarely seen, even with a telescope); Mount Blue, 57 miles, -near Farmington, Me.; Sebago Lake, 43 miles, over Mount Doublehead; -Portland, 67 miles, over Lake Sebago; Mount Agamenticus, 79 miles, -between Kearsarge and Moat Mountains; Isles of Shoals, 96 miles, to -the right of Agamenticus (rarely seen); Mount Monadnock, 104 miles, -between Carrigain and Sandwich Dome; Mount Ascutney (Vt.), 81 miles, -S., 45 W.; Killington Peaks (near Rutland, Vt.), 88 miles, on the -horizon between Moosilauk and Lincoln; Camel's Hump (Vt), 78 miles, over -Bethlehem Street; Mount Whiteface (Adirondack chain, N.Y.), 130 miles, -over the right slope of Camel's Hump; Mount Mansfield (highest of Green -Mountains), 77 miles, between Twin Mountain House and Mount Deception; -Mount Wachusett (Mass.), 126 miles, is also visible under favorable -conditions, just to the right of Whiteface (N. H.). - -MOUNTAIN PATHS. [Those with an asterisk (*) were built by the -Appalachian Mountain Club.] _Chocorua._--There are three or four paths. -The best leads from the Hammond Farm, 2-1/2 miles from the Chocorua Lake -House, and 14 miles from North Conway. The ascent, as far as the foot of -the final peak, is feasible for ladies. From this point the easiest way -is to flank the peak to the left until an old watercourse is reached, -which may be followed nearly to the summit. - -*_Moat._--An old path leads from the Swift River road to the summit of -the South Peak. Another, from the clearings on an old road which extends -along the base of the South Peak, leads to the top of the middle ridge; -but the best path for tourists is the one from Diana's Baths, on Cedar -Brook, following the stream to the foot of the ridge, thence over the -ridge to the summit of the North Peak. Path well made, and plainly -marked with signs and cairns; about 3-1/2 miles in length. - -*_Middle Mountain, North Conway._--Beginning at the ice-ponds near -Artists' Falls House, the path extends around the base of Peaked -Mountain, thence to the bare ledges which reach to the summit. Distance, -1-5/8 miles. Path well marked, and the view very beautiful. - -_Kearsarge, North Conway._--A bridle-path starts from a farm-house near -Kearsarge Village, and extends to the summit. Distance, nearly 3 miles. -Route plain, and not difficult. - -*_Mount Bartlett._--The path starts near the Pequawket House, Lower -Bartlett, follows old logging roads for some distance, runs thence -directly to the summit. From the summit the path extends along the ridge -until it joins the bridle-path to Kearsarge. - -*_Carrigain._--The route leads from the mills at Livermore, which are -reached by a road leaving the P. & O. R.R. at Livermore Station. From -the mills, logging roads are followed--crossing Duck Pond and Carrigain -Brooks--to the base; thence by a plain path through a fine forest to -"Burnt Hat Ridge," from which it is only a short distance to the summit. - -From mills to summit is about 5 miles. Station to mills, 2 miles. - -*_Livermore-Waterville Path._--This is intended for a bridle-path. -Starting from the mills at Livermore, a logging-road is followed nearly -two miles on the southerly side of Sawyer's River. Here the path begins -and runs along the north-west base of Green's Cliff, crosses Swift River -at a beautiful fall, thence through the Notch south of Mount Kancamagus -to Greeley's, in Waterville. The path is well marked by painted signs. -Distance from Livermore to Swift River, 5 miles; to Greeley's, 12 miles. - -*_Mount Willey._--Path leaves the P. & O. R.R. a little south of Willey -Station. The rise is rapid until the Brook Kedron is reached; this -brook is then followed to its source, thence the path leads direct to -the summit. Distance, 1-1/2 miles. The climb is steep; but the view -unsurpassed. - -_Crawford Bridle-path_ leads from the Crawford House to the summit of -Washington. Path is plain, and the travelling along the ridge is easy; -but it is not in condition for horses. See pp. 325, 326. - -*_Carter Notch._--Path begins near the end of the Wildcat Valley road, -about 5-1/2 miles from Jackson; thence it follows the valley of the -brook to the ponds in the Notch. From the ponds it follows Nineteen Mile -Brook to the clearing back of the Glen House. The travelling is easy; -the view in the Notch grand. - -Distance from the road to the ponds, about 4 miles; from the ponds to -the Glen House, about the same. - -*_Carter Dome._--The path starts from the larger pond in the Notch, and -is well marked to the summit. It is very steep, and about 1-1/2 miles in -length. - -_Great Gulf._--A path beginning near the Glen House goes through this -gorge. From the end of the path the carriage-road or railroad on Mount -Washington may be reached by a severe climb up the side of the ravine. - -_Tuckerman's Ravine._--The Glen House path leaves the Mount Washington -carriage-road about 2 miles up, then crosses through the forest to -Hermit Lake. - -*_Via Crystal Cascade._--The Mountain Club path begins about 3 miles -from the Glen House, on the Jackson road, ascending the stream until it -joins the Glen House path near Hermit Lake. Here the Club has a good -camp for the use of travellers. Beyond, a single path extends to the -Snow-field; and a feasible route has been marked with white paint on the -rocks--up the head wall of the ravine, and thence to the summit. - -*_Mount Adams._--This path starts opposite the residence of Charles -E. Lowe, on the road from Jefferson Hill to Gorham, about 8-1/2 miles -from either town, and climbs the steep spur forming one wall of King's -Ravine, following over the ledges to the westerly peak, thence to the -summit. Distance, about 4 miles. Nearly half way up the spur a good -camp has been built for the use of climbers. The way over the ledges is -marked by cairns. Mount Jefferson may be reached by turning to the right -before reaching the summit of the westerly peak; Madison by turning to -the left. - -*_King's Ravine._--The path branches from the Mount Adams path about -1-1/2 miles from Lowe's. The bowlders in the Ravine are reached without -great difficulty. From the bowlders up the head-wall, and through the -gate-way, the climb is arduous; and the way is not very distinctly -marked. From the gate-way, Madison and the several peaks of Adams may be -reached. - -_Mount Madison._--There are several routes up Madison, but the best -is probably that leading up the ridge from "Dolly" Copp's, on the Old -Pinkham Road. The climb is tedious, and the path somewhat overgrown. The -Mountain Club will probably clear and keep this path in good condition. - -*_Bridal Veil Falls._--Path starts from Horace Brooks's, on the road -from Franconia to Easton--2 to 3 miles from Sugar Hill and Franconia -Village. It follows an old road across the clearings to Copper-mine -Brook, thence by the brook to the foot of the Falls. Distance, 2-1/2 -miles from Brooks's. Walking easy. - -The path to the Flume on Mount Kinsman leads from the same highway about -a mile beyond Brooks's. - -_Mount Lafayette._--The bridle-path begins near the Profile House, -turning Eagle Cliff, and crossing over to the main ridge. It leads -nearly to the summit of the ridge, thence across the col by the lakes, -and up the main peak. Distance, 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 miles. - -_Mount Cannon._--The path enters the forest near the cottages in front -of the Profile House. The summit is reached by a steep climb of 1-1/2 -miles. The Cannon Rock is a short distance down the mountain-side, to -the left of the path as it emerges from the forest; the forehead rock of -the Profile can be reached by bearing down the mountain diagonally to -the right from Cannon Rock until the edge of the cliff is reached. It is -a hard scramble to the latter. - -_Black Mountain, Waterville._--The new path leaves the highway 2 miles -below Greeley's, near Drake's Brook. It runs near the edge of the ravine -of Drake's Brook, crosses the ridge between Noon and Jennings' Peaks--to -each of which a branch path leads--thence up the northerly slope of the -main summit. Distance from the road to the summit is 3-1/4 miles. The -views are very fine, and the climb easy for ordinary walkers. - -_Osceola._--Path leaves the Greeley-pond path beyond the saw-mill above -Greeley's, bearing to the left. Ascent easy. Distance, about 4 miles. - -_Tecumseh._--Path branches from the Osceola path at the crossing of -the west branch of Mad River, 7/8 of a mile from Greeley's. The grade -is easy, except for a short distance near the summit. Distance from -Greeley's, 3 miles. - -_Tri-Pyramid._--The great slide on Tri-Pyramid may be reached from -Greeley's by a path across the pasture to the right from the rear of the -house, thence about 1-1/2 miles through fine old woods to a deserted -clearing known as Beckytown. From here the stream may be followed by -clambering over the _dbris_ of the slide nearly 2 miles to the base of -the South Peak. The summit is reached by climbing to the apex of the -slide, thence bearing up to the right a short distance through low woods. - -*_Thornton-Warren Path._--This path was built to enable visitors in the -Upper Pemigewasset Valley or in Warren to cross from one locality to -the other, avoiding the long dtour _via_ Plymouth. It starts from the -Profile House stage-road at the junction of the Tannery road, in West -Thornton, crosses Hubbard Brook at this point, and passes over a long -stretch of pasture until the woods are reached. At this point, and at -all doubtful points, signs have been placed. For much of the distance -the path follows Hubbard Brook, and passes out through the Notch between -Mounts Kineo and Cushman to an old road-way leading to clearings on -Baker's River, near the mountain-houses at the foot of Mount Moosilauke. - -Distance from the stage-road to the road-way in Warren, 8 miles. A -permanent camp has been built half-way on Hubbard Brook. - -A trail has been spotted from a point in the path about 1 mile north of -the camp to the summit of Kineo. - - - - -INDEX. - - Refer to a mountain, lake, or river, under its proper name, - thus: Washington (Mount); Squam (Lake); Saco (River). - - The abbreviations in parentheses show that the town or village - is on the line of a railway: (E. R.R.) stands for Eastern; (P. & - O.), Portland and Ogdensburg; (B., C., & M.), Boston, Concord, and - Montreal; (G. T. R.), Grand Trunk; (Pass.), Passumpsic. - - -ADAMS, Mount, from North Conway, 55; - from Thorn Hill, 122; - from Wildcat Valley, 133; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from the Glen House, 145; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181; - ascent by King's Ravine, 298; - ascent from Mount Washington, 312-315; - the apex, 315; - view from, 316. - -Adirondacks, from Moosehillock, 273. - -Agassiz, Mount, from Profile House Road, 249, 276. - -Agiochook, or Agiockochook (Indian name for the White Mountains), 120. - -Amherst, Sir Jeffrey (Gen.), in the French War, 259. - -Ammonoosuc, Falls of, 304. - -Ammonoosuc River, source of, 179. - -Ammonoosuc Valley, from Mount Clinton, 98; - at Bethlehem, 277; - at Fabyan's, 300. - -Androscoggin River, at Gorham, 170; - at Berlin, 174; - at Shelburne, 176; - at Bethel, 177. - -Appalachian Mountain Club, 62, 221. - -Artists' Falls (North Conway), 46, 47. - -Autumn foliage, 66, 67. - - -BAKER'S RIVER (branch of Pemigewasset, branch of the Merrimack), 210; - falls on, 269. - -Bald Mountain, an inferior summit of Chocorua, 26. - -Ball, B. L., lost on Mount Washington, 186. - -Bartlett Bowlder, 58. - -Bartlett (P. & O. R.R.), mountains surrounding, 61, 62; - ascent of Mount Carrigain from, 62-65. - -Basin (Franconia Pass), 231. - -Beecher's Cascade (near Crawford House), 89. - -Belknap, Jeremy, D.D. (historian of New Hampshire), quoted, 69. - -Belknap, Mount (Lake Winnipiseogee), 8. - -Bemis, Dr. Samuel A., home of, 69, 70. - -Berlin (G. T. R.), 172; - the Falls, 174, 175. - -Bethel, Maine (G. T. R.), 177. - -Bethlehem (B., C., & M. R.R.), 276; - admirable position of as a centre, 277; - Bethlehem Street, 278, 279; - fine views from, 280, 281; - a sunset from the "Maplewood," 282-284; - White Mountains from, 284; - the Hermit, 286; - the peddler, 288. - -Bigelow's Lawn (Mount Washington), 198. - -Black Mountain (Sandwich Dome), from West Campton, 216; - Noon Peak, 220; - from Waterville (Greeley's), 221. - -Boott's Spur (Mount Washington), 146; - from the plateau, 198. - -Bourne, Lizzie, death of, on Mount Washington, 310. - -Bridal Veil Falls (Mount Kinsman), 255. - -Brown, George L. (painter), referred to, 253. - -Buck-board wagon described, 273. - - -CAMPTON, 211; - Campton Hollow, 214; - West Campton, and view from, 215; - Sanborn's, 216; - annals of Campton, 216. - -Campton Village (Pemigewasset Valley), 218. - -Cannon (or Profile) Mountain, from West Campton, 215; - from the clearing below the Profile, 231; - remarkable profile on, 232; - from Franconia, 252. - -Carrigain, Mount, from Chocorua, 30; - from Bartlett, 62; - ascent from Bartlett, 62-64; - view from summit, 64, 65. - -Carrigain Notch, from Mount Chocorua, 30; - from Mount Carrigain, 64. - -Carter Dome, 133; - the Pulpit, 136; - ascent of, and view from, 140, 141. - -Carter Mountains, from Gorham, 170. - -Carter Notch, from Chocorua, 31; - from North Conway, 40; - from Thorn Hill, 122, 132; - way into, from Jackson, 132; - impressive desolation of the interior, 137; - the Giants' Barricade, 137, 138; - the lakes, 139; - way out to Glen House, 143. - -Castellated Ridge (Mount Jefferson), 314. - -Cathedral (North Conway), 46. - -Cathedral Ledge (North Conway), 41, 42. - -Cathedral Woods (North Conway), 55. - -Centre Harbor, approach to, by Lake Winnipiseogee, 8-10; - settled, 10; - route by stage to West Ossipee _via_ Sandwich and Tamworth, 18-21. - -Chandler, Benjamin, lost on Mount Washington, 186. - -Cherry Mountain (Valley of Israel's River), 291; - Owl's Head, 292; - road to Fabyan's, 300. - -Chocorua, Lake, from the mountain, 29, 31, 32. - -Chocorua (Sho'kor'ua), Mount, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 9; - from Red Hill, 16; - legend of, 21; - ascent from Tamworth, 25-28; - landscapes from, 29-31; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Clay, Mount (next north of Washington), 169; - ascent of, 312. - -Clinton, Mount (near Crawford House), 97; - view from summit, 100. (First mountain ascended by Crawford Path.) - -Connecticut Ox-Bow, 256-258. - -Conway, or Conway Corner (E. R.R.), superb view of the great chain from, 33. - -Copp Farm (view-point for seeing "The Imp"), 165. - -Copp, Nathaniel, his adventurous deer-hunt, 167. - -Copper-mine Brook (branch of Gale River), 255. - -Crawford, Abel, described, 70-72. - -Crawford, Ethan Allen, 71, 72; - his burial-place, 302. - -Crawford bridle-path, opened, 89; - march to the summit (_see_ Chapter X.); - Mount Clinton first, 117; - the crystal forests, 98; - Liliputian wood, 99; - fine view from summit, 100; - frost-work, 100; - Mount Pleasant next, 102; - in a snow-storm, 102; - crossing the ridge, 103; - Oakes's Gulf, 103; - Mount Franklin next, 103; - (_water here_) weird objects by the way, 104; - Mount Monroe next (two peaks, with shallow ponds near the path); - the plateau, 105; - base of the cone reached, 105; - ascent of the cone, 107; - the stone corral, 107; - the summit, 108. - -Crawford Glen (Saco Valley), 69. - -Crawford House (summit of Crawford Notch), its surroundings, 87-94. - -Crawford, Mount (Saco Valley, east side), 69; - Davis Path to Mount Washington, 73; - view of from Frankenstein Bridge, 74. - -Crawford Notch (_see_ Great Notch of the White Mountains). - -Crawford, T. J., opens a bridle-path to the summit, 89. - -Crystal Cascade (Pinkham Notch), 149, 150. - - -DARTMOUTH, _see_ Jefferson. - -Davis Path (to Mount Washington), 73; - junction with Crawford Path, 198. - -Deception, Mount (near Fabyan's), 300. - -Destruction of mountain forests, 172. - -Devil's Den (North Conway), 45, 46. - -Diana's Baths (North Conway ), 46. - -Douglass, William, M.D., quoted, on the origin - of the name White Mountains, 121, _note_. - -Dwight, Timothy, L.L.D., 71 (_see_ his "Travels in New England," - and journeys through the mountains). - - -EAGLE CLIFF (Franconia Pass), from Flume House, 225; - from Profile House, 238, 239; - ascent by the bridle-path, 243; - from Franconia, 254. - -Eagle Lakes (Mount Lafayette), 244. (Also called Cloud Lakes.) - -Eagle Mountain (Eagle Mountain House), Wildcat Valley, Jackson, 133. - -Early settlements by white people, 216, 217, 293. - -Echo Lake (Franconia Pass), 239. - -Echo Lake (North Conway), 45. - -Elephant's Head (Crawford Notch), 87. - -Ellis River (branch of the Saco; rises in Pinkham Notch), - _see_ Goodrich Falls, 125; - Glen Ellis Falls, 151; - incident connected with, 153. - -Emerald Pool (near Glen House, Pinkham Notch), 147, 148. - -Endicott Rock, a surveyor's monument at the outlet of Lake Winnipiseogee, 10. - - -FABYAN'S (B., C., & M. and P. & O. R.R.), view at, 300; - Mount Washington Railway, 301; - Eleazer Rosebrook and E. A. Crawford, 302, 303. - -Fall of a Thousand Streams, 162. - -Farmer, John (historian), quoted, 210. - -Field, Darby, makes the first ascent of Mount Washington, 116-119; - second ascent, 119, _see note_. - -Flume (Franconia Pass), way to and description of, 226-228. - -Flume Cascade, _see_ description by Dr. T. Dwight, in his - "Travels in New England." - -Flume House (Franconia Pass), 224. - -Franconia Mountains, from West Campton, 215; - from Bethlehem, 280; - from Jefferson, 292. - -Franconia Pass (Chapters II. and III., Third Journey), Flume House, 224; - the Pool, 225; - the Flume, 226; - the Basin, 231; - Mounts Cannon and Lafayette, 231, 232; - the "Old Man," 232; - Profile Lake, 232; - Profile House, 237; - Eagle Cliff, 238; - Echo Lake, 239; - sunset in the pass, 240; - from Bethlehem heights, 279. - -Franconia village (Iron Works), from Mount Lafayette, 243; - general view of, 251; - fine views in, 253, 254. - -Frankenstein Cliff (Saco Valley), named, 73; - appearance of, from the valley, 73, 74; - the bridge, 74. - -Fryeburg, Maine (P. & O. R.R.), 33-38. - - -GALE RIVER (branch of the Ammonoosuc, branch of the Connecticut), 243. - -Garfield, Mount (_see_ Haystack), 284. - -Giant's Stairs (Saco Valley, east side), 73; - from Jackson, 123, 129. - -Gibbs's Falls (near Crawford House), 97. - -Glen Ellis Falls, 151, 152; legend of, 152. - -Glen House, way to, by Jackson and Carter Notch, 131; - its surroundings, 144; - carriage-road to the summit, 144; - Mount Washington from, 144, 145; - Emerald Pool, 147, 148; - Thompson's Falls, 146; - Crystal Cascade, 149; - Glen Ellis Falls, 151; - Tuckerman's Ravine, 155; - The Imp, 165; - to or from Gorham, 165, 170; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181. - -Goodenow's, _see_ Sugar Hill. - -Goodrich Falls (Ellis River), 125. - -Gorham (G. T. R.), its situation, 169. - -Grand Monadnock, from Red Hill, 17; - from Mount Washington, 192. - -Great Gulf, from Glen House, 165; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181, 185; - from Mount Clay, 313. - -Great Notch of the White Mountains (Crawford Notch), from Mount Chocorua, 31; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - approach to, by the Saco Valley, 76; - the mountains forming it, 77; - Willey, or Notch House, 77; - landslip of 1826, 79, 80; - the Cascades, 84, 85, 89, 97; - Gate of the Notch, 86; - summit of the Notch (Crawford House), 86; - Elephant's Head, 87; - discovery of the Pass, 88, 89; - the Notch from Mount Willard, 91; - from Mount Clinton, 100. - -Greeley's, _see_ Waterville. - -Green Mountains, from Mount Washington, 190; - from Moosehillock, 273. - -Gyles, John (Capt.), quoted on the Indian name for the White Mountains, 120. - - -Hancock, Mount, from the Ellsworth road (Campton), 216; - from Moosehillock, 272. - -Hart's Ledge (Saco Valley, east side, near Bartlett), 62. - -Haverhill (B., C., & M. R.R.), 257. - -Hawthorne, Nathaniel, origin of his story of "The Great Carbuncle," 119; - death of, 209; - legend of "The Great Stone Face," 235. - -Hayes, Mount (Gorham, New Hampshire), 169-171. - -Haystack, Mount (now Mount Garfield), 254. - -Hermit Lake (Tuckerman's Ravine, Mount Washington), 159. - -Hitchcock, C. H. (geologist), 197. - -Humphrey's Ledge (near Glen Station), 41. - -Hunter, Harry W., lost on Mount Washington, 199, _note_. - -Huntington's Ravine, from Carter Dome, 142. - - -Idlewild (near Crawford House), 89. - -Imp, The (rock profile near Glen House), 166. - -Indians, customs of mountain tribes, 10; - Sokokis, or Pigwackets, or _Pequawkets_, destruction of - by Love-well, 34-38; - Indian names, 24, 25, _note_; - superstitions regarding the high summits, traditions, etc. - (_see_ Chapter I., Second Journey); - attack Shelburne, 177; - at Plymouth, 210; - attack Dartmouth (Jefferson), 294. - -Intervale (North Conway, E. R.R. and P. & O. R.R.), superb - panorama from, 55-57; - _see_ art. North Conway. - -Israel's River (branch of the Connecticut), 291. - - -Jackson (_see_ Chapters II. and III., Second Journey), 122-143; - how to get there from North Conway, 122; - its topography, 123; - Jackson Falls (on Wildcat River), 124; - Fernald's Farm, 130; - Wildcat Valley, 133; - to Carter Notch, 133-140. - -Jackson, C. T. (geologist), quoted, 197, _note_. - -Jackson Falls (Wildcat River), 124. - -Jefferson, Mount, from Jefferson Hill, 293; - Ravine of the Cascades, 297; - ascent from Mount Washington, 312; - Ravine of the Castles, 313; - Castellated Ridge, 314. - -Jefferson (branch R.R. from Whitefield), 291; - Jefferson Hill, 292; - antecedents of, 293; - Indian attack on, 294; - East Jefferson, 295; - to Randolph Hill, 297; - to Fabyan's, 300. - -Jockey Cap (Fryeburg, Maine), 34. - -Josselyn, John (author of "New England's Rarities"), - ascends Mount Washington, 119. - - -Kearsarge, Mount, from North Conway, 39, 40, 41; - winter ascent of, 47-54; - view from summit, 51, 52; - from Bartlett, 62; - from Carter Dome, 141. - -King, Thomas Starr, tribute to, 294, 295. - -King's Ravine (Mount Adams), from Randolph Hill, 298; - from Mount Adams, 317. - -Kinsman, Mount (next south of Cannon, Franconia group), 244, 252. - - -Lafayette, Mount, from West Campton, 215; - _see_ Chapter III., Third Journey; - Eagle Cliff, 238, 239; - from Echo Lake, 240; - ascent from the Profile House, 243-247; - the Notch, 243; - the ravines, 243-254; - Eagle Lakes, 244; - summit and view, 246, 247; - from Franconia Iron Works, 252; - from Newbury, Vermont, 258; - from Bethlehem heights, 279. - -Lake of the Clouds (Mount Washington), 198. - -Lary's (Gorham, New Hampshire), 171. - -Lead Mine Bridge (Shelburne, G. T. R.), grand view from, 175, 176. - -Legends of General Hampton and the Devil, 11-14; - of Mount Chocorua, 21-24; - of Passaconnaway, 24, 25, _note_; - Indian tradition of the Deluge, 114; - the Indian's heaven, 115; - the Great Carbuncle, 115; - the war party and its prisoners, 127, 128; - the youthful lovers, 128; - of Glen Ellis Falls, 152; - of the Silver Image, 263. - -Lion's Head (Tuckerman's Ravine), 142, 146, 159. - -Lisbon (B., C., & M. R.R.), discovery of gold ores in, 251. - -Littleton (B., C., & M. R.R.), from Bethlehem, 279. - -Livermore (P. & O. R.R.), Saco Valley, logging hamlet of, 63; - way to the Pemigewasset, 221. - -Livermore Falls (Pemigewasset River), 212. - -Logging on the Androscoggin, 173, 174. - -Lonesome Lake (Mount Kinsman), 244. - -Long Island, Lake Winnipiseogee, east shore, 9. - -Lovewell, John (captain of colonial rangers), battle with the Sokokis, 34-38. - -Lovewell's Pond (scene of Lovewell's fight), 34. - -Lowell, Mount (Saco Valley), slide on, 64. - - -MAD RIVER and Valley (branch of Pemigewasset), 218. - -Madison, Mount (next north of Adams), 165. - -Marsh, Sylvester, projector of Mount Washington railway, 301. - -Merrimack River, source of, 65. - -Moat Range, position of, 39; - cliffs of, 40, 41, 44; - the ascent, 47; - from Jackson Falls, 124. - -Monroe, Mount, from Tuckerman's Ravine, 160. - -Moose River (branch of Androscoggin), 171. - -Moosehillock, or Moosilauke, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 10; - from Chocorua, 30; - from Pemigewasset Valley, 223; - from Newbury, Vermont, 258; - _see_ Chapter VII., Third Journey, 269-275; - how to reach the mountain, 269; - the mountain's top, 271; - view from, 273; - from Bethlehem, 279. - -Moriah, Mount (Carter Chain, near Gorham), 169. - -Mountain Butterfly, 202. - - -NANCY'S BROOK (Saco Valley), story of, 67-69. - -Newbury, Vermont (Pass. R.R.), 257. - -Nineteen Mile Brook (branch of the Peabody River, a branch - of the Androscoggin; rises in Carter Notch), 143. - -North Conway (E. R.R. and P. & O. R.R.), topographical features of, 39-41; - excursions from, 57; - _see_ Intervale, White Horse Ledge, Cathedral Ledge, Humphrey's - Ledge, Echo Lake, Diana's Baths, Artists' Falls, - Kearsarge and Moat Mountains, etc. - - -OAKE'S GULF (in great range), 103. - -Old Man of the Mountain (Franconia Pass), 231-236; - legends of, 235. - -Ossipee Mountains, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 8. - -Owl's Head (Lake Memphremagog), from Moosehillock, 273; - Cherry Mountain, 292. - - -PEABODY RIVER (branch of the Androscoggin; rises in Pinkham - Notch), 144, 154, _note_. - -Pemigewasset River, branch of Merrimack, 210; - Livermore Falls, 211; - East Branch, 223. - -Pemigewasset, Mount (near Flume House), ascent and view, 229. - -Pemigewasset Valley (Chapter I., Third Journey), 210-223; - villages of, 212. - -Pemigewasset Wilderness, way through, 221, 229. - -Percy Peaks, 280, note. - -Perkins Notch, position of, 133. - -Pilot Mountains from Gorham, 170; - origin of name, 170, 171. - -Pine Mountain (Gorham, New Hampshire), 170. - -Pinkham Notch from Thorn Hill, 122; - from the road between Jackson and Glen House, 129; - from Glen House, 144; - _see_ Thompson's Falls, Emerald Pool, Crystal Cascade, - Tuckerman's Ravine, Glen Ellis Falls, etc., 144-164. - -Pleasant, Mount, from Fabyan's, 300. - -Plymouth (B., C., & M. R.R.), 209; - routes through the mountains, 211. - -Pool, The (Franconia Pass), 225. - -Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, passage of the White Mountains Notch, 93. - -Prime, W. C., referred to, 244. - -Profile House (Franconia Pass), its attractions, 237-240; - _see_ Old Man, Profile Lake, Mounts Cannon and Lafayette, - Eagle Cliff, Echo Lake, etc.; - to Bethlehem by the old highway via Franconia, 248; - by rail, 248. - -Profile Lake (Franconia Pass), 232. - -Prospect, Mount (Holderness), 214. - - -RANDOLPH HILL, drive to, and view from, 297, 298. - -Ravine of the Castles (Mount Jefferson), 313. - -Raymond's Cataract, from Carter Dome, 142; - from Pinkham Notch, 147; - see Tuckerman's Ravine. - -Red Hill from Lake Winnipiseogee, 10; - ascent of, from Centre Harbor, and view from summit, 14-17. - -Ripley Falls (on Cow Brook, Saco Valley), 89. - -Rogers's, Robert (Major), account of the White Mountains, 119, 121, note; - destroys St. Francis, 259; - _see_ Chapter VI., Third Journey. - -Rosebrook, Eleazer, sketch of, 302, 303. - - -SACO VALLEY (Chapters IV. to IX., inclusive), from Mount Chocorua, 31; - at Fryeburg (Maine), 33; - at North Conway, 39; - at Bartlett, 61-65; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - source of the Saco, 88; - historical incident, 153. - -Sandwich Mountains from Lake Winnipiseogee, 8; - from Sandwich Centre, 19; - from Tamworth (Nickerson's), 24. - -Sandwich (town of), mountains near, 19. - -Sandwich Notch, position of, 218. - -Sawyer's River (branch of the Saco), valley of, 62, 63. - -Sawyer's Rock (Saco Valley, west side, near Bartlett), 62. - -Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe, quoted on the Indian name for the - White Mountains, 120. - -Silver Cascade (Crawford Notch), 85. - -Snow Arch (Tuckerman's Ravine), 161, 162. - -Spencer, Jabez (General), settles Campton, 216. - -Squam Lake from Red Hill, 16. - -St. Francis de Sales, sacked by Rogers, 259; - _see_ Chapter VI., Third Journey. - -Star Lake (Mount Adams), 317. - -Stark, John (General), captured by Indians, 210, 211. - -Stark, William, 210, 211. - -Starr King Mountain, 291. - -Storm Lake (between Madison and Adams), 317. - -Sugar Hill, from Profile House road, 249; - view from, 252, 253. - -Sullivan, James (Governor of Massachusetts), his authority for - the story of "The Great Carbuncle," 116; - quoted, 153. - -Swift River (branch of the Saco), from Mount Chocorua, 30. - - -TAMWORTH IRON WORKS (point from which Chocorua is usually ascended), 21, 25. - -Thompson's Falls (near Glen House), 146. - -Thorn Mountain, from North Conway, 40; - walk over Thorn Hill (lower spur of Thorn Mountain) to Jackson, 122, 132. - -Tripyramid Mountain, from Mad River Valley, 219; - slide on, 221. - -Trout-breeding, State establishment at Plymouth, 212. - -Trout-fishing begins in New Hampshire May 1, 213. - -Trumbull, J. Hammond, LL.D., quoted on the Indian names - for the White Mountains, 120, _note_. - -Tuckerman's Ravine from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from Thompson's Falls, 146; - way into from Glen House, 156; - appearance from Glen House, 156; - Hermit Lake and Lion's Head Crag, 159; - Snow Arch, 161; - head wall, 162; - out by the path to Crystal Cascade, 164. - - -VIEWS, from Red Hill, 14-17; - from Chocorua, 29-31; - from Jockey Cap, 34; - from Conway Corner, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from the Intervale (North Conway), 55-57; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - from above Bemis's, 74; - from Mount Willard, 91; - from Mount Clinton, 100; - from Carter Dome, 141; - from Glen House, 145; - from Gorham, 169; - from Berlin, 172, 175; - from Shelburne (Lead Mine Bridge), 176; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181, 185; - from the summit, 189-192; - from West Campton, 215; - from the Ellsworth road (Pemigewasset valley), 216; - from Mount Pemigewasset (Flume House), 229; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - from Sugar Hill, 252; - from the foot of Bethlehem heights (Gale River valley), 254; - from Moosehillock, 272; - from Bethlehem, 280, 281; - from Jefferson Hill, 292; - from East Jefferson, 295; - from Randolph Hill, 297; - from Mount Adams, 316. - - -WARREN (B., C., & M. R.R.), point from which to ascend Moosehillock, 269. - -Washington, Mount, River (formerly Dry River), grand - view of the high summits up this valley from P. & O. R.R., 74; - the valley from Mount Clinton, 100. - -Washington, Mount, carriage-road, 178; - Half-way House and the Ledge, 180; - Great Gulf, 181; - accident on, 183; - Willis's Seat, and the view 185; - Cow Pasture, 186; - Dr. Ball's adventure, 186; - fate of a climber, 186; - up the pinnacle, 186; - United States Meteorological Station, 187; - the summit, 188. - -Washington, Mount, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 9; - from Mount Chocorua, 31; - from Conway, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from Mount Carrigain, 65; - first path to, 71; - Davis path, 73; - view near Bemis's (P. & O. R.R.), 74; - Crawford bridle-path opened, 89; - from Mount Willard, 93; - from Mount Clinton, 100; - first ascension, 116-119; - Indian traditions of, _see_ Chapter I., Second Journey; - from Thorn Hill, 122; - from the Wildcat Valley, 133; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from Glen House, 144; - from the Glen House and Gorham road, 168; - carriage-road, _see_ Chapter VII., Second Journey; - the Signal Station, 187, 196; - a winter tornado on the summit, 192-194; - shadow of the mountain, 195; - the plateau--its floral and entomological treasures, 197, 198; - transported bowlders on, 197; - Lake of the Clouds, 198; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - travellers lost on, 186, 199, 310; - from Moosehillock, 270; - from Bethlehem, 281, 282; - from Fabyan's, 300; - railway to summit, 301-306; - moonlight on the summit, 311; - sunrise, 312; - sunset, 318. - -Washington, Mount, Railway, from Fabyan's, 301; - to the base, 304; - its mechanism, 305; - Jacob's Ladder, 305; - up the mountain, 306, 307; - the Summit Hotel, 307. - -Waterville (Mad River valley), the neighborhood, 219; - path to Livermore, 221. - -Webster, Daniel, at Fryeburg, Maine, 33. - -Webster, Mount, approach to, 75; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Weirs (B., C., & M. R.R.), Lake Winnipiseogee, west shore, 10, _see note_. - -Welch Mountain (Pemigewasset valley), 218. - -Whipple, Joseph (Colonel), settles at Jefferson, 294. - -White Horse Ledge (North Conway), 41. - -White Mountains, general view of, from Conway, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Carrigain (in mass), 65; - legends of, _see_ Chapter 1., Second Journey; - first ascensions, 116-119; - how named, 119, 120; - appearance from the coast, 120, 121; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - from Bethlehem, 281; - from Fabyan's, 300. - -Wildcat River (branch of the Ellis, a branch of the Saco; - rises in Carter Notch), Jackson Falls on, 124; - disappearance of, 136. - -Wildcat Mountain (one of Carter Notch and Pinkham - Notch Mountains), position of, 123; - avalanche of bowlders, 136; - appearance from Carter Notch, 141; - from Glen House, 145. - -Wildcat Valley (Jackson to Carter Notch), 133-140. - -Willard, Mount, 77; - ascent of, from Crawford House, 91. - -Willey family, burial-place of, 55; - destruction of, by a landslip, 77-80. - -Willey, Mount, from Carrigain, 65; - approach to by the valley, 75; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Winnipiseogee, Lake, sail up, from Wolfborough to Centre Harbor, 8-10; - Indian occupation and customs, 10; - sunset view of, from Red Hill. 16, 17. - -Winnipiseogee River (outlet of the lake), Indian remains on, 10; - Endicott Rock in, 10, _note_. - -Wolfborough ( E. R.R. branch ), Lake Winnipiseogee, 8. - - -NEW YORK & NEW ENGLAND RAILROAD. - -THIS IS THE MOST CONVENIENT LINE BETWEEN - -Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, - -AS IT IS THE ONLY LINE RUNNING - -THROUGH PULLMAN CARS WITHOUT CHANGE. - - The train leaving Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia in - the afternoon, arrives in Boston the following morning in season - to connect with trains on the Eastern, Boston & Maine, and Boston - & Lowell Railroads, for points in the White Mountains and shore - resorts. The morning trains from the White Mountains and shore - resorts arrive in Boston in sufficient time to cross the city and - take the 7 P.M. train for the South. - - Berths in Pullman Sleepers can be secured in advance on - application to the Company's Office, - -322 Washington St., Boston, and Depot, foot of Summer St.; and at -Pennsylvania Railroad Ticket Offices in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and -Washington. - -==>Ask for Tickets via New England and Str. Maryland Lines. - -S. M. FELTON, Jr., General Manager. A. C. KENDALL, General Passenger Agent. - - -WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO. - -90 & 92 Tremont Street, - -(Opposite Tremont House), BOSTON, MASS. - -DEALERS IN - -Ribbons, Laces, Flowers, Montures, Velvets, Nets, - -FEATHERS, SPRAYS, &c. - - HATS, for Ladies and Misses; CORSETS--the Best Fitting and - Most Sensible: KID GLOVES A SPECIALTY--Latest Styles, Lowest - Prices; BUTTONS, TRIMMINGS, &c., in endless variety; HOSIERY and - UNDERWEAR, for Ladies and Misses--an admirable assortment at low - rates. - -FANCY GOODS, PERFUMERY, TOILET ARTICLES, &c. - -AND MANY OTHER NOVELTIES. - - Ladies visiting Boston, or gentlemen wishing to make purchases - for absent wives, sisters, or lady friends, will do well to inspect - the admirably selected stock of Gloves, Laces, Velvets, Ribbons, - Flowers, Millinery Goods, Hats, Hosiery, Small Wares, and Fancy - Goods generally, offered by WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO., at - 90 and 92 Tremont Street (opposite the Tremont House). This firm - has won an enviable reputation for the excellence of its goods, its - courteous attendance, and the moderation of its prices; while its - location renders it most convenient of access by horse cars, either - from the hotels or from any of the railroad depots. - -==>Orders by mail or express will receive prompt attention. - -WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO.,--90 and 92 Tremont Street, Boston. - -SHORE LINE ROUTE. - -NEW YORK AND BOSTON. - - Trains leave GRAND CENTRAL DEPOT, New York, for Boston, at - =8.05 A.M.=, =1= and =10 P.M.=; arriving in Boston - at =6= and =8.05 P.M.=, and =6.20 A.M.= - -Sundays for Boston at 10 P.M. - -WAGNER DRAWING-ROOM CARS - - On 1 P.M. trains from Boston and New York. - -WAGNER SLEEPING CARS - - On night trains from Boston and New York. - - Leave BOSTON and PROVIDENCE STATION, Boston, at =8 A.M.=, - =1= and =10.30 P.M.=; arriving in the Grand Central - Depot, New York, at =4.22= and =7.40 P.M.=, and =6.38 - A.M.= - -Sundays for New York at 10.30 P.M. - - For further information, apply to - -J. W. RICHARDSON, Agent, State Street, Corner Washington; - -Or at Providence Railroad Station, Columbus Avenue, near Boston Common. - -A. A. FOLSOM, Superintendent. - -HARPER'S CYCLOPEDIA - -OF - -BRITISH AND AMERICAN POETRY. - -EDITED BY - -EPES SARGENT. - -Large 8vo, nearly 1000 pages, Illuminated Cloth, with Colored Edges, -$4.50; Half Leather, $5.00. - - Mr. Sargent was eminently fitted for the preparation of a work - of this kind. Few men possessed a wider or more profound knowledge - of English literature; and his judgment was clear, acute, and - discriminating. * * * The beautiful typography and other exterior - charms broadly hint at the rich feast of instruction and enjoyment - which the superb volume is eminently fitted to furnish.--_N.Y. - Times._ - - We commend it highly. It contains so many of the notable poems - of our language, and so much that is sound poetry, if not notable, - that it will make itself a pleasure wherever it is found.--_N.Y. - Herald._ - - The selections are made with a good deal of taste - and judgment, and without prejudice against any school or - individual. An index of first lines adds to the usefulness of the - volume.--_N.Y. Sun._ - - The collection is remarkably complete. * * * Mr. Sargent's - work deserves special commendation for the exquisite justice it - does to living writers but little known. It is a volume of rare and - precious flowers culled because of their intrinsic value, without - regard to the writer's fame. The selections are prefaced by a brief - biographical notice of the author, with a critical estimate of the - poetry. * * * A valuable acquisition to the literary treasures of - American households.--_N.Y. Evening Express._ - - He seems to have culled the choicest and the best from the - broad field. * * * Mr. Sargent had the fine ear to detect the pure, - true music of the heart and imagination wherever it was voiced. * * - * The elegant volume is a household treasure which will be highly - prized.--_Evangelist, N.Y._ - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>_Sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on -receipt of the price._ - -DRAKE'S NEW ENGLAND COAST. - - NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST. By SAMUEL - ADAMS DRAKE. With numerous Illustrations. Square 8vo, Cloth, - $3 50; Half Calf, $5 75. - - MY DEAR SIR,--I laid out your new and beautiful - book to take with me to-day to my summer home, but before I go I - wish to thank you for preparing a volume which is every way so - delightful. All summer I shall have it at hand, and many a pleasant - hour I anticipate in the enjoyment of it. I have _read_ far enough - in it already to feel how admirably you have done your part of it, - and I have _seen_, in turning over the delectable pages, what a - panorama of lovely nooks and rocky coast your artist has prepared - for the pleasure of your readers. May they be a good many thousand - this year, and continue to increase time onward. If I am not - greatly out in my judgment, edition after edition will be called - for. Truly yours, - -JAMES T. FIELDS. - -Thy "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast" is a delightful book, -and one of most frequent reference in my library. Thy friend, - -JOHN G. WHITTIER. - -I take this opportunity of acknowledging the pleasure I have received -from your interesting book on our New England coast. It was my companion -last summer on the coast of Maine. Yours truly, - -F. PARKMAN. - -Mr. Samuel Adams Drake does for the New England coast such service as -Mr. Nordhoff has done for the Pacific. His "Nooks and Corners of the -New England Coast"--a volume of 459 pages--is an admirable guide both -to the lover of the picturesque and the searcher for historic lore, as -well as to stay-at-home travellers. The "Preface" tells the story of the -book; it is a sketch-map of the coast, with the motto, "On this line, if -it takes all summer." "Summer" began with Mr. Drake one Christmas-day -at Mount Desert, whence he went South, touching at Castine, Pemaquid, -and Monhegan; Wells and "Agamenticus, the ancient city" of York; -Kittery Point; "The Shoals;" Newcastle; Salem and Marblehead; Plymouth -and Duxbury; Nantucket; Newport; Mount Hope; New London, Norwich, and -Saybrook. What nature has to show and history to tell at each of these -places, who were the heroes and worthies--all this Mr. Drake gives in -pleasant talk--_N.Y Tribune._ - -MY DEAR MR. DRAKE,--I have given your beautiful book, "Nooks -and Corners of the New England Coast," a pretty general perusal. It is -one "after my own heart," and I thank you very much for it. Your Preface -is an admirable "hit" in more ways than one. Like Grant, whom you have -quoted, it took you, I imagine, _all winter_ as well as _all summer_ -to accomplish your victory, for you speak of experiences with snow and -sleet. - -You have gathered into your volume, in the most attractive form, a vast -amount of historical and descriptive matter that is exceedingly useful. -I hope your pen will not be stayed. Your friend and brother of the pen, - -BENSON J. LOSSING. - -To-morrow I leave home for a week or two in Maine, and shall take your -beautiful volume, "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast," with -me to read and enjoy at leisure. I am sure it cannot fail to be very -interesting. - -Yours faithfully, -HENRY W. LONGFELLOW. - -I need not tell you with how much interest both my husband and -myself--lovers of the valley--look forward to your work, nor how much -pleasure your "Nooks and Corners" has already afforded us. - -With most cordial regards, -HARRIET P. SPOFFORD. - -His style is at once simple and graphic, and his work as conscientious -and faithful to fact as if he were the dullest of annalists instead of -one of the liveliest of essayists and historians. The legitimate charm -of variety--characteristic of a work of this kind--makes the book more -entertaining than any volume of similar size devoted exclusively to -chronology, biography, essays, or anecdotes.--JOHN G. SAXE, in -the _Brooklyn Argus_. - -Mr. Drake's "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast" ought to be in -the hands of every one who visits our sea-side resorts. The artistic -features serve to embellish a very interesting description of our New -England watering-places, enlivened with anecdotes, bits of history -connected with the various places, and pleasant gossip about people and -things in general.--_Saturday Evening Gazette_, Boston. - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>HARPER & BROTHERS _will send the above work by mail, postage -prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price_. - -GLOWING TRIBUTES TO AMERICAN ART. - -WHAT LEADING ENGLISH PAPERS - -SAY OF - -"PASTORAL DAYS; - -OR, - -MEMORIES OF A NEW ENGLAND YEAR." - -BY W. HAMILTON GIBSON. - -4to, Illuminated Cloth, Gilt Edges, $7 50. - -FROM "THE TIMES," LONDON. - - The title of this very beautifully illustrated book conveys - but a very faint idea of its merits, which lie, not in the - descriptions of the varied beauties of the fields and fens of New - England, but in the admirable wood-engravings, which on every - page picture far more than could be given in words. The author - has the rare gift of feeling for the exquisitely graceful forms - of plant life and the fine touch of an expert draughtsman, which - enables him both to select and to draw with a refinement which few - artists in this direction have ever shown. Besides these essential - qualities in a painter from nature, Mr. Gibson has a fine sense - of the poetic and picturesque in landscape, of which there are - many charming pieces in this volume, interesting in themselves as - pictures, and singularly so in their resemblance to the scenery - of Old England. Most of the little vignette-like views might be - mistaken for Birket Foster's thoroughly English pictures, and some - are like Old Crome's vigorous idyls. One of the most striking--a - wild forest scene with a storm passing, called "The Line Storm"--is - quite remarkable in the excellent drawing of the trees swept by the - gale and in the general composition of the picture, which is full - of the true poetic conception of grandeur in landscape beauty. But - all Mr. Gibsons's good drawing would have been nothing unless he - had been so ably aided by the artist engravers, who have throughout - worked with such sympathy with his taste, and so much regard for - the native grace of wild flowers, grasses, ferns, insects, and - all the infinite beauties of the fields, down to the mysterious - spider and his silky net spread over the brambles. These cuts are - exceptional examples of beautiful work. Nothing in the whole round - of wood-engraving can surpass, if it has even equalled, these - in delicacy as well as breadth of effect. Much as our English - cutters pride themselves on belonging to the school which Bewick - and Jackson founded, they must certainly come to these American - artists to learn the something more which is to be found in their - works. In point of printing, too, there is much to be learned in - the extremely fine ink and paper, which, although subjected to - "hot-pressing," are evidently adapted in some special condition for - wood-printing. The printing is obviously by hand-press,[46] and in - the arrangement of the type with the cuts on each page the greatest - ingenuity and invention are displayed. This, too, has been designed - with a sort of a Japanesque fancy; here is a tangled mass of - grasses and weeds, with a party of ants stealing out of the shade, - and there the dragon-flies flit across among the blossoms of the - reeds, or the feathery seeds of the dandelion float on the page. - Each section of the seasons has its suggestive picture: Springtime, - with a flight of birds under a may-flower branch that hangs across - the brook: Summer, a host of butterflies sporting round the wild - rose: Autumn, with the swallows flying south and falling leaves - that strew the page; while for Winter the chrysalis hangs in the - leafless bough, and the snow-clad graves in the village church-yard - tell the same story of sleep and awakening. As many as thirty - different artists, besides the author and designer, have assisted - in producing this very tastefully illustrated volume, which - commends itself by its genuine artistic merits to all lovers of the - picturesque and the natural. - -FROM "THE SATURDAY REVIEW," LONDON. - - This pleasant American book has brought to our remembrance, - though without any sense of imitation, two old-fashioned favorites. - In the first place, its descriptions of rural humanity, its rustic - sweetness and humor, have a certain analogy with the delicately - pencilled studies of life in Miss Mitford's "Our Village;" but the - relation it bears to the second book is much closer. It is more - than forty years since Mr. P. H. Gosse published the first of those - delightful sketches of animal life at home which have led so many - of us with a wholesome purpose into the woods and lanes. It was in - the _Canadian Naturalist_ that he broke this new ground; and though - we do not think this has ever been one of his best-known books, we - cannot but believe that there are still many readers who will be - reminded of it as they glance down Mr. Gibson's pages. - - People must be strangely constituted who do not enjoy such - pages as Mr. Gibson has presented to us here. It is not merely that - he writes well, but the subject itself is irresistibly fascinating. - We plunge with him into the silence of a New England village in a - clearing of the woods. The spring is awakening in a flush of tender - green, in a fever of warm days and shivering nights, and we hasten - with our companion through all the bustle and stir of the few busy - hours of light so swiftly that the darkness is on us before we are - aware. Then falls on the ear a pathetic, an intolerable silence; - a deep mist covers the ground, a few lights twinkle in scattered - farms and cottages, and all seems brooding, melting, in the deep - and throbbing hush of the darkness. * * * The wailing of the great - owl upon the maple-tree takes our author back in memory to the - scenes of his youth, where the owl was looked upon as a creature of - most sinister omen, and his own partiality to it, as a proof that - there was something uncanny or even "fey" about him. All this is - described with great sympathy and delicacy; but perhaps Mr. Gibson - is most felicitous in his little touches of floral painting. He - has a few words about the earthy, spicy fragrance of the arbutus - that might have been said in verse by the late Mr. Bryant; his - description of the effect of biting the bulbs of the Indian turnip, - or "Jack-in-the-pulpit," is inimitable in its quiet way; while the - phrase about the fading dandelions--"the golden stars upon the - lawn are nearly all burned out; we see their downy ashes in the - grass"--is perhaps the best thing ever said about a humble flower, - whose vulgarity, in the literal sense, blinds us to the beauty of - its evolution and decay. - - In his studies of life and country manners Mr. Gibson is a - very agreeable and amusing, if not quite so novel, a companion. - Not seldom he reminds us not merely of Miss Mitford, but sometimes - of Thoreau and of Hawthorne. The story of Aunt Huldy, the village - crone who sustained herself upon simples to the age of a hundred - and three, is one of those little vignettes, half humorous, half - pathetic, and altogether picturesque, in which the Americans excel. - Aunt Huldy was an old witch in a scarlet hood, whose long white - hair flowing behind her was wont to frighten the village children - who came upon her in the woods; but she was absolutely harmless, a - crazy old valetudinarian, who was always searching for the elixir - of life in strange herbs and decoctions. At last she thought - she had found it in sweet-fern, and she spent her last years in - grubbing up every specimen she could find, smoking it, chewing it, - drinking it, and sleeping with a little bag of it tied round her - neck. - - But although Mr. Gibson writes so well, he modestly disclaims - all pretension as a writer, and lets us know that he is an artist - by profession. His book is illustrated by more than seventy designs - from his pencil, engraved in that beautiful American manner to - which we have often called attention. The scenes designed are - closely analogous to those described in the text. We have an - apple-orchard in full blossom, with a group of idlers lounging - underneath the boughs; scenes in the fields so full of mystery and - stillness that we are reminded of Millet, or of our own Mason; - clusters of flowers drawn with all the knowledge of a botanist and - the sympathy of a poet. It is hard to define the peculiar pleasure - that such illustrations give to the eye. It is something that - includes and yet transcends the mere enjoyment of whatever artistic - excellence the designs may possess. We are directly reminded by - them of such similar scenes as have been either the rule or the - still more fascinating exception of every childish life, and at - their suggestion the past comes back; in the familiar Wordsworthian - phrase, "a river flows on through the vale of Cheapside." - - We know so little over here of the best American art that - it may chance that Mr. Gibson is very well known in New York. - We confess, however, that we never heard of him before; but his - drawings are so full of delicate fancy and feeling, and his writing - so skilful and graceful, that, in calling attention to his book, we - cannot but express the hope that we soon may hear of him again, in - either function, or in both. - -"PASTORAL DAYS" is published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York, -who will send the work, postage prepaid, to any part of the United -States, on receipt of $7 50. - -HARPER'S GUIDE TO EUROPE. - -HARPER'S HAND-BOOK FOR TRAVELLERS IN EUROPE AND THE EAST: being a Guide -through Great Britain and Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, -Italy, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Tyrol, Spain, Russia, -Denmark, Norway, Sweden, United States, and Canada. By W. Pembroke -Fetridge. With Maps and Plans of Cities. In Three Volumes. 12mo, -Leather, Pocket-Book Form, $3 00 per vol. _The volumes sold separately_. - -VOL. I. GREAT BRITAIN, IRELAND, FRANCE, BELGIUM, -HOLLAND. - -VOL. II. GERMANY, AUSTRIA, ITALY, SICILY AND MALTA, EGYPT, -THE DESERT, SYRIA AND PALESTINE, TURKEY, GREECE. - -VOL. III. SWITZERLAND, TYROL, DENMARK, NORWAY, SWEDEN, -RUSSIA, SPAIN, UNITED STATES AND CANADA. - -It has stood the test of trying experience, and has proved the -traveller's friend in all emergencies. Each year has added to its -attractions and value, until it is about as near perfect as it is -possible to make it.--_Boston Post_. - - Personal use of this Guide during several visits to - various portions of Europe enables us to attest its merits. No - American is fully equipped for travel in Europe without this - Hand-Book.--_Philadelphia North American_. - - Take "Harper's Hand-Book," and read it carefully through; - then return to the parts relating to the places you have resolved - to visit; follow the route on the maps, and particularly study the - plans of cities. So you will start with sound pre-knowledge, which - will smoothen the entire course of travel.--_Philadelphia Press_. - - The book is not only unrivalled as a guide-book, for which - it is primarily intended, but it is a complete cyclopdia of - all that relates to the countries, towns, and cities which are - described in it--their curiosities, most notable scenes, their - most celebrated historical, commercial, literary, and artistic - centres. Besides general descriptions of great value, there are - minute and detailed accounts of everything that is worth seeing - or knowing relative to the countries of the Old World. The great - value of the book consists in the fact that it covers all the - ground that any traveller may pass through--being exhaustive not - only of one country or two, but comprising in its ample pages exact - and full information respecting every country in Europe and the - East.--_Christian Intelligencer_, N. Y. - - It is a marvellous compendium of information, and the author - has labored hard to make his book keep pace with the progress of - events. * * * It forms a really valuable work of reference on all - the topics which it treats, and in that way is as useful to the - reader who stays at home as to the traveller who carries it with - him abroad.--_N. Y. Times_. - - I have received and examined with lively interest the new - and extended edition of your extremely valuable "Hand-Book for - Travellers in Europe and the East." You have evidently spared no - time or pains in consolidating the results of your wide travel, - your great experience. You succeed in presenting to the traveller - the most valuable guide and friend with which I have the good - fortune to be acquainted. With the warmest thanks, I beg you to - receive the most cordial congratulations of yours, very faithfully, - JOHN MEREDITH READ. Jr., _United States Minister of - Greece._ - - From having travelled somewhat extensively in former years - in Europe and the East. I can say with entire truth that you have - succeeded in combining more that is instructive and valuable for - the traveller than is contained in any one or series of hand-books - that I have ever met with.--T. BIGELOW LAWRENCE. - - To make a tour abroad without a guide-book is impossible. - The object should be to secure that which is most complete and - comprehensive in the least compass. The scope, plan, and execution - of Harper's makes it, on the whole, the most satisfactory that can - be found.--_Albany Journal_. - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -HARPER & BROTHERS _will send the above work by mail, postage -prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price._ - -ENGLISH MEN OF LETTERS. - -EDITED BY JOHN MORLEY. - -The following volumes are now ready: - -JOHNSON, LESLIE STEPHEN. - -GIBBON, J. C. MORISON. - -SCOTT, R. H. HUTTON. - -SHELLEY, J. A. SYMONDS. - -HUME, Professor HUXLEY. - -GOLDSMITH, WILLIAM BLACK. - -DEFOE, WILLIAM MINTO. - -BURNS, Principal SHAIRP. - -SPENSER, The DEAN OF ST. PAUL'S. - -THACKERAY, ANTHONY TROLLOPE. - -BURKE, JOHN MORLEY. - -MILTON, MARK PATTISON. - -SOUTHEY, Professor DOWDEN. - -CHAUCER, Professor A. W. WARD. - -BUNYAN, J. A. FROUDE. - -COWPER, GOLDWIN SMITH. - -POPE, LESLIE STEPHEN. - -BYRON, JOHN NICHOL. - -LOCKE, THOMAS FOWLER. - -WORDSWORTH, F. W. H. MYERS. - -DRYDEN, G. SAINTSBURY. - -LANDOR, Professor SIDNEY COLVIN. - -DE QUINCEY, Professor D. MASSON. - -LAMB, The Rev. ALFRED AINGER. - -BENTLEY, Professor JEBB. - -12mo, Cloth, 75 cents per volume. - -HAWTHORNE. By HENRY JAMES, JR.............12mo, Cloth, $1 00. - -VOLUMES IN PREPARATION: - -SWIFT, JOHN MORLEY. - -GRAY, E. W. GOSSE. - -ADAM SMITH, LEONARD H. COURTNEY. - -DICKENS, Professor A. W. WARD. - -_Others will be announced._ - -Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>HARPER & BROTHERS _will send any of the above works by mail, -postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the -price_. */ - -ENGLISH CLASSICS. - -EDITED, WITH NOTES, - -BY WM. J. ROLFE, A.M. - -SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS. - - The Merchant of Venice. - The Tempest. - Julius Csar. - Hamlet. - As You Like It. - Henry the Fifth. - Macbeth. - Henry the Eighth. - Midsummer-Night's Dream. - Richard III. - Richard the Second. - Much Ado About Nothing. - Antony and Cleopatra. - Romeo and Juliet. - Othello. - Twelfth Night. - The Winter's Tale. - King John. - Henry IV. Part I. - Henry IV. Part II. - King Lear. - Taming of the Shrew. - All's Well that Ends Well. - Coriolanus. - Comedy of Errors. - Cymbeline. - Merry Wives of Windsor. - Measure for Measure. - Two Gentlemen of Verona. - Love's Labour's Lost. - Timon of Athens. - -SELECT POEMS OF OLIVER GOLDSMITH. - -SELECT POEMS OF THOMAS GRAY. - -_ILLUSTRATED._ - -16MO, CLOTH, 50 CENTS PER VOLUME; PAPER, 40 CENTS PER VOLUME. - -In the preparation of this edition of the English Classics it has been -the aim to adapt them for school and home reading, in essentially -the same way as Greek and Latin Classics are edited for educational -purposes. The chief requisites are a pure text (expurgated, if -necessary), and the notes needed for its thorough explanation and -illustration. - -Each of Shakespeare's plays is complete in one volume, and is preceded -by an introduction containing the "History of the Play," the "Sources of -the Plot," and "Critical Comments on the Play." - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -HARPER & BROTHERS _will send any of the above work by mail, -postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the -price_. - -[Illustration: Map of White Mountains, New Hampshire] - -[Illustration: Map of Vermont and New Hampshire] - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -griping his arm=> gripping his arm {pg 103} - -more and more drouth=> more and more drought {pg 173} - -turned to looked back=> turned to look back {pg 243} - -Moosilauk 4881=> Moosilauke 4881 {pg 330} - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] So called from the fishing-weirs of the Indians. The Indian name was -Aquedahtan. Here is the Endicott Rock, with an inscription made by -Massachusetts surveyors in 1652. - -[2] No tradition attaches to the last three peaks. Passaconnaway was a -great chieftain and conjurer of the Pennacooks. It is of him the poet -Whittier writes: - - Burned for him the drifted snow, - Bade through ice fresh lilies blow, - And the leaves of summer glow - Over winter's wood. - -This noted patriarch and necromancer, in whose arts not only the Indians -but the English seemed to have put entire faith, after living to a great -age, was, according to the tradition, translated to heaven from the -summit of Mount Washington, after the manner of Elias, in a chariot of -fire, surrounded by a tempest of flame. Wonnalancet was the son and -successor of Passaconnaway. Paugus, an under chief of the Pigwackets, or -Sokokis, killed in the battle with Lovewell, related in the next -chapter. - -[3] Something has since been done by the Appalachian Club to render this -part of the ascent less hazardous than it formerly was. - -[4] The Saco has since been bridged, and is traversed with all ease. - -[5] The sequel to this strange but true story is in keeping with the -rest of its horrible details. Perpetually haunted by the ghost of his -victim, the murderer became a prey to remorse. Life became -insupportable. He felt that he was both shunned and abhorred. Gradually -he fell into a decline, and within a few years from the time the deed -was committed he died. - -[6] Dr. Jeremy Belknap relates that, on his journey through this region -in 1784, he was besought by the superstitious villagers to lay the -spirits which were still believed to haunt the fastnesses of the -mountains. - -[7] This house stood just within the entrance to the Notch, from the -north, or Fabyan side. It was for some time kept by Thomas J., one of -the famous Crawfords. Travellers who are a good deal puzzled by the -frequent recurrence of the name "Crawford's" will recollect that the -present hotel is now the only one in this valley bearing the name. - -[8] A portion of the slide touching the house, even moved it a little -from its foundations before being stopped by the resistance it opposed -to the progress of the dbris. - -[9] I have since passed over the same route without finding those -sensations to which our inexperience, and the tempest which surrounded -us, rendered us peculiarly liable. In reality, the ridge connecting -Mount Pleasant with Mount Franklin is passed without hesitation, in good -weather, by the most timid; but when a rod of the way cannot be seen the -case is different, and caution necessary. The view of this natural -bridge from the summit of Mount Franklin is one of the imposing sights -of the day's march. - -[10] The remains of this ill-fated climber have since been found at the -foot of the pinnacle. See chapter on Mount Washington. - -[11] This analogy of belief may be carried farther still, to the -populations of Asia, which surround the great "Abode of Snow"--the -Himalayas. It would be interesting to see in this similarity of -religious worship a link between the Asiatic, the primitive man, and the -American--the most recent, and the most unfortunate. Our province is -simply to recount a fact to which the brothers Schlaginweit -("Exploration de la Haute Asie") bear witness: - -"It is in spite of himself, under the enticement of a great reward, that -the superstitious Hindoo decides to accompany the traveller into the -mountains, which he dreads less for the unknown dangers of the ascent -than for the sacrilege he believes he is committing in approaching the -holy asylum, the inviolable sanctuary of the gods he reveres; his -trouble becomes extreme when he sees in the peak to be climbed not the -mountain, but the god whose name it bears. Henceforth it is by sacrifice -and prayer alone that he may appease the profoundly offended deity." - -[12] Sullivan: "History of Maine." - -[13] Field's second ascension (July, 1642) was followed in the same year -by that of Vines and Gorges, two magistrates of Sir F. Gorges's province -of Maine, within which the mountains were believed to lie. Their visit -contributed little to the knowledge of the region, as they erroneously -reported the high plateau of the great chain to be the source of the -Kennebec, as well as of the Androscoggin and Connecticut rivers. - -[14] It also occurs, reduced to Agiochook, in the ballad, of unknown -origin, on the death of Captain Lovewell. One of these was, doubtless, -the authority of Belknap. Touching the signification of Agiochook, it is -the opinion of Dr. J. Hammond Trumbull that the word which Captain Gyles -imperfectly translated from sound into English syllables is Algonquin -for "at the mountains on that side," or "over yonder." "As to the -generally received interpretations of Agiockochook, such as 'the abode -of the Great Spirit,' 'the place of the Spirit of the Great Forest,' or, -as one writer prefers, 'the place of the Storm Spirit,'" says Dr. -Trumbull, "it is enough to say that no element of any Algonkin word -meaning 'great,' 'spirit,' 'forest,' 'storm,' or 'abode,' or combining -the meaning of any two of these words, occurs in 'Agiockochook.' The -only Indian name for the White Hills that bears internal evidence of -genuineness is one given on the authority of President Alden, as used -'by one of the eastern tribes,' that is, Waumbekketmethna, which easily -resolves itself into the Kennebec-Abnaki waubeghiket-amadinar, 'white -greatest mountain.' It is very probable, however, that this synthesis is -a mere translation, by an Indian, of the English 'White Mountains.' I -have never, myself, succeeded in obtaining this name from the modern -Abnakis." - -[15] Here is what Douglass says in his "Summary" (1748-'53): "The White -Hills, or rather mountains, inland about seventy miles north from the -mouth of Piscataqua Harbor, about seven miles west by north from the -head of the Pigwoket branch of Saco River; they are called white not -from their being continually covered with snow, but because they are -bald atop, producing no trees or brush, and covered with a whitish stone -or shingle: these hills may be observed at a great distance, and are a -considerable guide or direction to the Indians in travelling that -country." - -And Robert Rogers ("Account of America," London, 1765) remarks that the -White Mountains were "so called from that appearance which is like snow, -consisting, as is generally supposed, of a white flint, from which the -reflection is very brilliant and dazzling." - -[16] Captivity of Elizabeth Hanson, taken at Dover, New Hampshire, 1724. - -[17] No Yankee girl need be told for what purpose spruce gum is -procured; but it will doubtless be news to many that the best quality is -worth a dollar the pound. Davis told me he had gathered enough in a -single season to fetch ninety dollars. - -[18] I use the name, as usually applied, to the whole mountain. In point -of fact, the Dome is not visible from the Notch. - -[19] The guide knew no other name for the larger bird than meat-hawk; -but its size, plumage, and utter fearlessness are characteristic of the -Canada jay, occasionally encountered in these high latitudes. I cannot -refrain from reminding the reader that the cross-bill is the subject of -a beautiful German legend, translated by Longfellow. The dying and -forsaken Saviour sees a little bird striving to draw the nail from his -bleeding palm with his beak: - - "And the Saviour spoke in mildness: - 'Blest be thou of all the good! - Bear, as token of this moment, - Marks of blood and holy rood!" - - "And the bird is called the cross-bill; - Covered all with blood so clear. - In the groves of pine it singeth - Songs like legends, strange to hear." - -[20] Peabody River is said to have originated in the same manner, and in -a single night. It is probable, however, that as long as there has been -a valley there has also been a stream. - -[21] Since the above was written, a deplorable accident has given -melancholy emphasis to these words of warning. I leave them as they are, -because they were employed by the very person to whom the disaster was -due: "The first accident by which any passengers were ever injured on -the carriage-road, from the Glen House to the summit of Mount -Washington, occurred July 3d, 1880, about a mile below the Half-Way -House. One of the six-horse mountain wagons, containing a party of nine -persons--the last load of the excursionists from Michigan to make the -descent of the mountain--was tipped over, and one lady was killed and -five others injured. Soon after starting from the summit the passengers -discovered that the driver had been drinking while waiting for the party -to descend. They left this wagon a short distance from the summit and -walked to the Half-Way House, four miles below, where one of the -employs of the Carriage-road Company assured them that there was no bad -place below that, and that he thought it would be safe for them to -resume their seats with the driver, who was with them. Soon after -passing the Half-Way House, in driving around a curve too rapidly, the -carriage was overset, throwing the occupants into the woods and on the -rocks. Mrs. Ira Chichester, of Allegan, Michigan, was instantly killed, -her husband, who was sitting at her side, being only slightly bruised. -Of the other occupants, several were more or less injured. The injured -were brought at once to the Glen House, and received every possible care -and attention. Lindsey, the driver, was taken up insensible. He had been -on the road ten years, and was considered one of the safest and most -reliable drivers in the mountains." - -[22] A stone bench, known as Willis's Seat, has been fixed in the -parapet wall at the extreme southern angle of the road, between the -sixth and seventh miles. It is a fine lookout, but will need to be -carefully searched for. - -[23] Benjamin Chandler, of Delaware, in August, 1856. - -[24] Dr. B. L. Ball's "Three Days on the White Mountains," in October, -1855. - -[25] Considering the pinnacle of Mount Washington as the centre of a -circle of vision, the greatest distance I have been able to see with the -naked eye, in nine ascensions, did not probably much exceed one hundred -miles. This being half the diameter, the circumference would surpass six -hundred miles. It is now considered settled that Katahdin, one hundred -and sixty miles distant, is not visible from Mount Washington. - -[26] The highest point, formerly indicated by a cairn and a beacon, is -now occupied by an observatory, built of planks, and, of course, -commanding the whole horizon. It is desirable to examine this vast -landscape in detail, or so much of it as the eye embraces at once, and -no more. - -[27] One poor fellow (Private Stevens) did die here in 1872. His comrade -remained one day and two nights alone with the dead body before help -could be summoned from below. - -[28] It was for a long time believed that the summit of Mount Washington -bore no marks of the great Glacial Period, which the lamented Agassiz -was the first to present in his great work on the glaciers of the Alps. -Such was the opinion of Dr. C. T. Jackson, State Geologist of New -Hampshire. It is now announced that Professor C. H. Hitchcock has -detected the presence of transported bowlders not identical with the -rocks in place. - -[29] In going to and returning from the ravine, I must have walked over -the very spot which has since derived a tragical interest from the -discovery, in July, 1880, of a human skeleton among the rocks. Three -students, who had climbed up through the ravine on the way to the -summit, stumbled upon the remains. Some fragments of clothing remained, -and in a pocket were articles identifying the lost man as Harry W. -Hunter, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. This was the same person whom I had -seen placarded as missing, in 1875, and who is referred to in the -chapter on the ascent from Crawford's. A cairn and tablet, similar to -those erected on the spot where Miss Bourne perished, had already been -placed here when I last visited the locality, where the remains had so -long lain undiscovered in their solitary tomb. An inscription upon the -tablet gives the following details: "Henry W. Hunter, aged twenty-two -years, perished in a storm, September 3d, 1874, while walking from the -Willey House to the summit. Remains found July 14th, 1880, by a party of -Amherst students." The place is conspicuous from the plain, and is -between the Crawford Path and Tuckerman's. By going a few rods to the -left, the Summit House, one mile distant, is in full view. This makes -the third person known to have perished on or near the summit of Mount -Washington. Young Hunter died without a witness to the agony of his last -moments. No search was made until nearly a year had elapsed. It proved -ineffectual, and was abandoned. Thus, strangely and by chance, was -brought to light the fact that he sunk exhausted and lifeless at the -foot of the cone itself. I can fully appreciate the nature of the -situation in which this too adventurous but truly unfortunate climber -was placed. - -[30] A log-hut has been built near the summit of Mount Clinton since -this was written. It is a good deed. But the long miles over the summits -remain as yet neglected. Had one existed at the base of Monroe, it is -probable that one life, at least, might have been saved. It is on the -plain that danger and difficulties thicken. - -[31] Kancamagus, the Pennacook sachem, led the Indian assault on Dover, -in 1689. - -[32] This name was given to his picture of the great range, in -possession of the Prince of Wales, by Mr. George L. Brown, the eminent -landscape-painter. The canvas represents the summits in the sumptuous -garb of autumn. - -[33] The true source of the Connecticut remained so long in doubt that -it passed into a by-word. Cotton Mather, speaking of an ecclesiastical -quarrel in Hartford, says that it was almost as obscure as the rise of -the Connecticut River. - -[34] This orthography is of recent adoption. By recent I mean within -thirty years. Before that time it was always Moosehillock. Nothing is -easier than to unsettle a name. So far as known, I believe there is not -a single summit of the White Mountain group having a name given to it by -the Indians. On the contrary, the Indian names have all come from the -white people. That these are sometimes far-fetched is seen in Osceola -and Tecumseh; that they are often puerile, it is needless to point out. -Moosehillock is probably no exception. It is not unlikely to be an -English nickname. The result of these changes is that the people -inhabiting the region contiguous to the mountain do not know how to -spell the name on their guide-boards. - -[35] Speaking of legends, that of Rubenzal, of the Silesian mountains, -is not unlike Irving's legend of Rip Van Winkle and the Catskills. Both -were Dutch legends. The Indian legends of Moosehillock are very like to -those of high mountains, everywhere. - -[36] In the valley of the Aar, at the head of the Aar glacier, in -Switzerland, is a peak named for Agassiz, who thus has two enduring -monuments, one in his native, the other in his adopted land. The eminent -Swiss scientist spent much time among the White Mountains. - -[37] Such, for example, as the Hon. J. G. Sinclair, Isaac Cruft, Esq., -and ex-Governor Howard of Rhode Island. - -[38] The twin Percy Peaks, which we saw in the north, rise in the -south-east corner of Stratford. Their name was probably derived from the -township now called Stark, and formerly Percy. The township was named by -Governor Wentworth in honor of Hugh, Earl of Northumberland, who figured -in the early days of the American Revolution. The adjoining township of -Northumberland is also commemorative of the same princely house. - -[39] The greater part of the ascent so nearly coincides, in its main -features, with that into Tuckerman's, that a description would be, in -effect, a repetition. To my mind Tuckerman's is the grander of the two; -it is only when the upper section of King's is reached that it begins to -be either grand or interesting by comparison. - -[40] The road up the Rigi, in Switzerland, was modelled upon the plans -of Mr. Marsh. - -[41] Dr. Timothy Dwight. - -[42] Rev. Benjamin G. Willey. - -[43] The greatest angle of inclination is twelve feet in one hundred. - -[44] Samuel Adams at the feet of John Adams is not the exact order that -we have been accustomed to seeing these men. Better leave Samuel Adams -where he stands in history--alone. - -[45] It is only forty years since Agassiz advanced his now generally -adopted theory of the Glacial Period. The Indians believed that the -world was originally covered with water, and that their god created the -dry land from a grain of sand. - -[46] The English reviewer is in error here. The letterpress and -illustrations were printed together on an Adams press. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, -Their Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - -***** This file should be named 42447-8.txt or 42447-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/4/4/42447/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at -http://gutenberg.org/license). - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at -809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official -page at http://pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit http://pglaf.org - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/42447-8.zip b/old/42447-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4abfb93..0000000 --- a/old/42447-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h.zip b/old/42447-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index bc6a7cd..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/42447-h.htm b/old/42447-h/42447-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index bf6af48..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/42447-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14801 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" -"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> - -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en" xml:lang="en"> - <head> <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> -<title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Heart of The White Mountains, by Samuel Adams Drake. -</title> -<style type="text/css"> - p {margin-top:.2em;text-align:justify;margin-bottom:.2em;text-indent:4%;} - -.c {text-align:center;text-indent:0%;} - -.cb {text-align:center;text-indent:0%;font-weight:bold;} - -.eng {font-family: "Old English Text MT",fantasy,sans-serif;font-size:125%;} - -.errata {color:red;text-decoration:underline;} - -.letra {font-size:250%;float:left;margin-top:-.95%;} - -.nind {text-indent:0%;} - -.r {text-align:right;margin-right: 5%;} - -.redd {color:#E64121;} - -.sans {font-family:sans-serif, serif;font-weight:bold;font-size: 80%;} - -small {font-size: 70%;} - - h1 {margin-top:5%;text-align:center;clear:both;} - - h2 {margin-top:5%;margin-bottom:2%;text-align:center;clear:both; - font-size:120%;} - - h3 {margin:8% auto 2% auto;text-align:center;clear:both;} - - hr {width:25%;margin:1em auto 1em auto;clear:both;color:black;} - - hr.full {width: 50%;margin:5% auto 5% auto;border:4px double gray;} - - table {margin-top:2%;margin-bottom:2%;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;border:none;text-align:left;} - - body{margin-left:2%;margin-right:2%;background:#fdfdfd;color:black;font-family:"Times New Roman", serif;font-size:medium;} - - ul {list-style-type:none;text-indent:-1em;} - -a:link {background-color:#ffffff;color:blue;text-decoration:none;} - - link {background-color:#ffffff;color:blue;text-decoration:none;} - -a:visited {background-color:#ffffff;color:purple;text-decoration:none;} - -a:hover {background-color:#ffffff;color:#FF0000;text-decoration:underline;} - -.smcap {font-variant:small-caps;font-size:95%;} - - img {border:none;} - -.blockquot {margin-top:2%;margin-bottom:2%;font-size:90%;} - -.caption {font-weight:bold;font-size:75%;} - -.figcenter {margin-top:3%;margin-bottom:3%; -margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;text-align:center;text-indent:0%;} - -.figleft {float:left;clear:left;margin-left:0;margin-bottom:1em;margin-top:1em;margin-right:1em;padding:0;text-align:center;} - -.figright {float:right;clear:right;margin-left:1em;margin-bottom:1em;margin-top:1em;margin-right:0;padding:0;text-align:center;} - -.footnotes {border:dotted 3px gray;margin-top:15%;clear:both;} - -.footnote {width:95%;margin:auto 3% 1% auto;font-size:0.9em;position:relative;} - -.label {position:relative;left:-.5em;top:0;text-align:left;font-size:.8em;} - -.fnanchor {vertical-align:30%;font-size:.8em;} - -.poem {margin-left:25%;text-indent:0%;} - -.poem .stanza {margin-top: 1em;margin-bottom:1em;} -.poem span.i0 {display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i1 {display: block; margin-left: .55em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i2 {display: block; margin-left: 2em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i3 {display: block; margin-left: 3em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i4 {display: block; margin-left: 4em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i11 {display: block; margin-left: 11em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i13 {display: block; margin-left: 13em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i14 {display: block; margin-left: 14em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i18 {display: block; margin-left: 18em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i19 {display: block; margin-left: 19em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i6 {display: block; margin-left: 6em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i9 {display: block; margin-left: 9em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -</style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, Their -Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery - Tourist's Edition - -Author: Samuel Adams Drake - -Release Date: March 31, 2013 [EBook #42447] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/cover_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="482" height="677" alt="bookcover" title="bookcover" /></a> -</p> - -<p><a name="frontispiece" id="frontispiece"></a></p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/frontispiece_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/frontispiece_sml.jpg" width="347" height="534" alt="TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON." -title="TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON.</span> -</p> - -<p class="cb"><span class="eng">Tourist’s Edition</span></p> - -<p class="cb">———</p> - -<h1><span class="redd">THE HEART</span><br /> -<small><small>OF THE</small></small><br /> -<big><span class="redd">WHITE MOUNTAINS</span></big><br /> -<br /> -<small>THEIR LEGEND AND SCENERY</small></h1> - -<p class="cb"> <br /> <br />BY<br /> -<span class="redd">SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE</span><br /> -<small>AUTHOR OF “NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST” -“CAPTAIN NELSON” ETC.</small></p> - -<p class="cb"> <br /> <br /><small>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY</small><br /> -<span class="redd">W. HAMILTON GIBSON</span><br /><br /> -“<i>Eyes loose: thoughts close</i>”<br /><br /> -NEW YORK<br /> -<span class="redd">HARPER & BROTHERS. FRANKLIN SQUARE</span><br /> -1882</p> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<p class="c"> -Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881, by<br /> -<br /> -HARPER & BROTHERS,<br /> -<br /> -In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.<br /> -<br /> -<i>All rights reserved.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<p class="nind">To JOHN G. WHITTIER:</p> - -<p><i>An illustrious and venerated bard, who shares with you the love and -honor of his countrymen, tells us that the poets are the best travelling -companions. Like Orlando in the forest of Arden, they “hang odes on -hawthorns and elegies on thistles.”</i></p> - -<p><i>In the spirit of that delightful companionship, so graciously announced, -it is to you, who have kindled on our aged summits</i></p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The light that never was on sea or land,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The consecration and the poet’s dream.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><i>that this volume is affectionately dedicated by</i></p> - -<p class="r"> -THE AUTHOR.<br /> -</p> - -<h3><a name="PREFACE" id="PREFACE"></a>PREFACE.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>HE very flattering reception which the sumptuous holiday edition -of “The Heart of the White Mountains” received on its <i>début</i> has -decided the Messrs. Harper to re-issue it in a more convenient and less -expensive form, with the addition of a Tourist’s Appendix, and an Index -farther adapting it for the use of actual travellers. While all the -original features remain intact, these additions serve to render the -references in the text intelligible to the uninstructed reader, and at -the same time help to make a practical working manual. One or two new -maps contribute to the same end.</p> - -<p>I take the opportunity thus afforded me to say that, when “The Heart of -the White Mountains” was originally prepared, I hoped it might go into -the hands of those who, making the journey for the first time, feel the -need of something different from the conventional guide-book of the day, -and for whom it would also be, during the hours of travel or of leisure -among the mountains, to some extent an entertaining as well as a useful -companion. So far as author and publisher are concerned, that purpose is -now realized.</p> - -<p>Finally, I wrote the book because I could not help it.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Samuel Adams Drake.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Melrose</span>, <i>January, 1882</i>.</p> - -<h3><a name="GENERAL_CONTENTS" id="GENERAL_CONTENTS"></a>GENERAL CONTENTS.</h3> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="margin:auto auto auto auto;max-width:75%;"> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="3"><a href="#FIRST_JOURNEY">FIRST JOURNEY.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" colspan="3"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_I-1">I.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">My Travelling Companions</span></i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_001">1</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_II-1">II.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Incomparable Winnipiseogee</span></i>: Voyage from Wolfborough to Centre Harbor.—The -Indians.—Centre Harbor.—Legendary.—Ascent of Red Hill.—Sunset -on the Lake</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_008">8</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_III-1">III.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Chocorua</span></i>: Stage Journey to Tamworth.—Scramble for Places.—Valley of the -Bear Camp.—Legend of Chocorua.—Sandwich Mountains.—Chocorua Lake.—Ascent -of Mount Chocorua</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_018">18</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV-1">IV.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Lovewell</span></i>: Fryeburg.—Lovewell’s Fight.—Desperate Encounter with the Pigwackets.—Death -of Paugus</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_033">33</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_V-1">V.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">North Conway</span></i>: The Antechamber of the Mountains.—White Horse Ledge.—Fording -the Saco.—Indian Custom.—Echo Lake.—The Cathedral.—Diana’s -Baths.—Artists’ Falls.—The Moats.—Winter Ascent of Mount Kearsarge</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_039">39</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI-1">VI.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">From Kearsarge to Carrigain</span></i>: Conway Intervales.—Bartlett Bowlder.—Singular -Homicide.—Bartlett.—A Lost Village.—Ascent of Mount Carrigain.—A -Shaggy Wilderness</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_055">55</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII-1">VII.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Valley of the Saco</span></i>: Autumnal Foliage.—The Story of Nancy.—Doctor -Bemis.—Abel Crawford, the Veteran Guide.—Ethan A. Crawford.—The -Mount Crawford Glen.—Giant’s Stairs.—Frankenstein Cliff.—Superb View -of Mount Washington.—Mount Willey</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_066">66</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII-1">VIII.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Through the Notch</span></i>: Great Notch of the White Mountains.—The Willey -House, and Slide of 1826.—“Colonizing” Voters.—Mount Willard.—Mount -Webster, and its Cascades.—Gate of the Notch.—Summit of the Pass</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_076">76</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX-1">IX.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Crawford’s</span></i>: The Elephant’s Head.—Crawford House, and Glen.—Discovery -of The Notch.—Ascent of Mount Willard.—Magnificent <i>coup d’œil</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_087">87</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_X-1">X.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">The Ascent from Crawford’s</span></i>: The Bridle-path.—Wreck of the Forest.—A -Forest of Ice.—Dwarf Trees.—Summit of Mount Clinton.—Caught in a -Snow-storm.—The Colonel’s Hat.—Oakes’s Gulf.—The Plateau.—Climbing -the Dome.—The Summit at Last</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_095">95</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="3"><a href="#SECOND_JOURNEY">SECOND JOURNEY.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_I-2">I.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Legends of the Crystal Hills</span></i>: Indian Tradition and Legend.—Ascent -of Mount Washington by Darby Field.—Indian Name of the White Mountains</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_113">113</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_II-2">II.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Jackson and the Ellis Valley</span></i>: Thorn Hill.—Jackson.—Jackson Falls.—Goodrich -Falls.—The Ellis.—A Captive Maiden’s Song.—Pretty Indian -Legend.—Pinkham Notch, from the Ellis.—A Mountain Homestead.—Artist -Life</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_122">122</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_III-2">III.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">The Carter Notch</span></i>: Valley of the Wildcat.—The Guide.—The Way In.—Summit -of The Notch.—Awful Desolation.—The Giant’s Barricade.—Carter -Dome.—The Way Out</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_132">132</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV-2">IV.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">The Pinkham Notch</span></i>: The Glen House.—Thompson’s Falls.—Emerald -Pool.—Crystal Cascade.—Glen Ellis and its Legend</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_144">144</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_V-2">V.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">A Scramble in Tuckerman’s</span></i>: Tuckerman’s Ravine.—The Path.—Hermit -Lake.—“No Thoroughfare.”—Interior of the Ravine.—The Snow Arch</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_155">155</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI-2">VI.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">In and About Gorham</span></i>: The Peabody Valley.—Copp’s Farm.—The Imp.—Nathaniel -Copp’s Adventure.—Gorham and the Androscoggin.—Mount -Hayes.—Mount Madison.—Wholesale Destruction of the Forests.—Logging -in the Mountains.—Berlin Falls.—Shelburne and Bethel</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_165">165</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII-2">VII.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Ascent by the Carriage-road</span></i>: Bruin and the Travellers.—The Ledge.—The -Great Gulf.—Fatal Accident.—Lost Travellers.—Arrival at the Signal-station.—A -Night on the Summit</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_178">178</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII-2">VIII.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Mount Washington</span></i>: View from the Summit.—The Great Gale.—Life on -the Summit.—Shadow of Mount Washington.—Bigelow’s Lawn.—The -Hunter Monument.—Lake of the Clouds.—The Mountain Butterfly</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_189">189</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="3"><a href="#THIRD_JOURNEY">THIRD JOURNEY.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_I-3">I.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">The Pemigewasset in June</span></i>: Plymouth.—Death of Hawthorne.—John -Stark, the Hunter.—Livermore Fall.—Trout and Salmon Breeding.—Franconia -Mountains from West Campton.—Settlement of Campton.—Valley of -Mad River.—Tripyramid Mountain.—Waterville and its Surroundings</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_209">209</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_II-3">II.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">The Franconia Pass</span></i>: The Flume House.—The Pool.—The Flume.—Ascent -of Mount Pemigewasset.—The Basin.—Mount Cannon.—Profile -Lake.—Old Man of the Mountain.—Summit of the Pass</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_224">224</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_III-3">III.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">The King of Franconia</span></i>: Profile House and Glen.—Eagle Cliff.—Echo -Lake.—Ascent of Mount Lafayette.—The Lakes.—Singular Atmospheric -Effects</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_237">237</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV-3">IV.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Franconia, and the Neighborhood</span></i>: The Roadside Spring.—Franconia -Iron Works and Vicinity.—Sugar Hill</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_248">248</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_V-3">V.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">The Connecticut Ox-Bow</span></i>: Newbury and Haverhill</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_256">256</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI-3">VI.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">The Sack of St. Francis De Sales</span></i>: Robert Rogers, the Ranger.—Destruction -of the Abenaqui Village.—Retreat and Pursuit of the Rangers.—Legend -of the Silver Image</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_259">259</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII-3">VII.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Moosehillock</span></i>: Ascent of the Mountain from Warren.—View from the -Summit</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_267">267</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII-3">VIII.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Bethlehem</span></i>: Bethlehem Street.—Sudden Rise of a Mountain Resort.—The -Environs.—Maplewood and the Great Range.—The Place of Sunsets.—The -“Hermit.”—The Soldier turned Peddler</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_276">276</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX-3">IX.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">Jefferson, and the Valley of Israel’s River</span></i>: Jefferson Hill.—Starr -King and Cherry Mountains.—The Great Chain Again.—Thomas Starr -King.—Ethan Crawford’s.—Ravine of the Cascades.—Randolph Hill and -King’s Ravine.—The Cherry Mountain Road.—Fabyan’s.—Captain Rosebrook</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_291">291</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_X-3">X.</a></td><td><i><span class="smcap">The Great Northern Peaks</span></i>: The Mountain Railway.—An Evening Ascension.—Moonlight -on the Summit.—Sunrise.—A March to Mount Adams.—The -Great Gulf of the Five Mountains.—The Castellated Ridge.—Peak -of Mount Adams.—Conclusion</td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_304">304</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td> </td><td><a href="#TOURISTS_APPENDIX">TOURIST’S APPENDIX.</a></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_318">318</a></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td><td><a href="#INDEX">INDEX</a></td><td align="right"><a href="#page_335">335</a></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td><td><a href="#FOOTNOTES">FOOTNOTES</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<h3><a name="Illustrations" id="Illustrations"></a>Illustrations.</h3> - -<p class="c">These Illustrations, excepting those marked *, were designed by <span class="smcap">W. -Hamilton Gibson.</span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="center"><small>SUBJECT</small>. </td> <td align="center"><small>ENGRAVER</small>. </td> <td align="right"><small>PAGE</small>.</td></tr> -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Travellers in a Storm, Mount Washington</span></td><td><i>R. Hoskin</i></td><td align="right"><a href="#frontispiece">Frontispiece</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Winnipiseogee, From Red Hill</span></td><td><i>J. Tinkey</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_015">15</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*“<span class="smcap">Alone With All Those Men!</span>”</td><td><i>V. Bernstrom</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_020">20</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="3"> <i>Designed by W. A. Rogers.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Passaconnaway, From the Bear-camp River</span></td><td><i>Smithwick and French</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_024">24</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Chocorua</span></td><td><i>R. Hoskin</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_026">26</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lovewell’s Pond</span></td><td><i>J. P. Davis</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_034">34</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Mount Washington, From the Saco</span></td><td><i>F. S. King</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_040">40</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Ledges, North Conway</span></td><td><i>E. Held</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_041">41</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Echo Lake, North Conway</span></td><td><i>G. J. Buechner</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_045">45</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Kearsarge in Winter</span></td><td><i>R. Hoskin</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_048">48</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*<span class="smcap">Sliding Down Kearsarge</span></td><td><i>H. Deis</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_053">53</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="3"> <i>Designed by W. A. Rogers.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Conway Meadows</span></td><td><i>W. H. Morse</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_056">56</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Bartlett Bowlder</span></td><td><i>E. Held</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_058">58</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*<span class="smcap">Nancy in the Snow</span></td><td><i>J. P. Davis</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_068">68</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="3"> <i>Designed by Sol Eytinge.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*<span class="smcap">Abel Crawford</span> (<span class="smcap">Portrait</span>)</td><td><i>Thos. Johnson</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_070">70</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Storm on Mount Willey</span></td><td><i>J. Linton</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_075">75</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Mount Willard, From Willey Brook</span></td><td><i>G. Smith</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_078">78</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Cascades, Mount Webster</span></td><td><i>F. S. King</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_085">85</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Elephant’s Head, Winter</span></td><td><i>H. Wolf</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_088">88</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Looking Down the Notch</span></td><td><i>C. Mayer</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_091">91</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Giant’s Stairs, From Thorn Mountain</span></td><td><i>J. Hellawell</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_124">124</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Moat Mountain, From Jackson Falls</span></td><td><i>F. Pettit</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_126">126</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Carter Notch</span></td><td><i>Smithwick and French</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_134">134</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Emerald Pool</span></td><td><i>W. H. Morse</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_147">147</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Crystal Cascade</span></td><td><i>H. Wolf</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_149">149</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Path, Tuckerman’s Ravine</span></td><td><i>R. Hoskin</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_157">157</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Hermit Lake</span></td><td><i>W. J. Dana</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_160">160</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Snow Arch, Tuckerman’s Ravine</span></td><td><i>N. Orr</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_163">163</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Imp</span></td><td><i>J. Tinkey</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_166">166</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Androscoggin at Shelburne</span></td><td><i>G. Smith</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_176">176</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Mount Adams and the Great Gulf</span></td><td><i>W. H. Morse</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_182">182</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Winter Storm on the Summit</span></td><td><i>R. Schelling</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_187">187</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*<span class="smcap">The Tornado Forcing an Entrance</span></td><td><i>J. Tinkey</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_194">194</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="3"> <i>Designed by Thure de Thulstrup</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lake of the Clouds</span></td><td><i>J. P. Davis</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_200">200</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">On the Profile Road</span></td><td><i>Smithwick and French</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_213">213</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Welch Mountain, From Mad River</span></td><td><i>J. Hellawell</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_217">217</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Black and Tripyramid Mountains</span></td><td><i>J. S. Harley</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_220">220</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Franconia Notch, From Thornton</span></td><td><i>F. S. King</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_222">222</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">A Glimpse of the Pool</span></td><td><i>C. Mayer</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_225">225</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Flume, Franconia Notch</span></td><td><i>J. P. Davis</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_227">227</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Basin</span></td><td><i>G. J. Buechner</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_230">230</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*<span class="smcap">The Old Man of the Mountain</span></td><td><i>A. Measom</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_234">234</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="3"> <i>Designed by Granville Perkins.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*<span class="smcap">Eagle Cliff and the Echo House</span></td><td><i>P. Annin</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_238">238</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="3"> <i>Designed by Granville Perkins.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Echo Lake, Franconia</span></td><td><i>G. J. Buechner</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_240">240</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Mount Cannon, From The Bridle-path, Lafayette</span></td><td><i>R. Schelling</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_242">242</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Cloud Effects On Mount Lafayette</span></td><td><i>R. Hoskin</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_245">245</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*<span class="smcap">Franconia Iron Works And Notch</span></td><td><i>C. Mayer</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_248">248</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="3"> <i>Designed by Granville Perkins.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*<span class="smcap">The Roadside Spring</span></td><td> </td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_250">250</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="3"> <i>Designed by W. A . Rogers.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*<span class="smcap">Robert Rogers</span> (<span class="smcap">PORTRAIT</span>)</td><td><i>C. Mayer</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_260">260</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*<span class="smcap">The Buck-board Wagon</span></td><td> </td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_274">274</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="3"> <i>Designed by W. A. Rogers.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Mount Lafayette, From Bethlehem</span></td><td><i>J. Tinkey</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_280">280</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Northern Peaks, From Jefferson</span></td><td><i>Smithwick and French</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_292">292</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Mount Washington, From Fabyan’s</span></td><td><i>E. Held</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_301">301</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>*<span class="smcap">Mountain Railway-station in Staging Times</span></td><td><i>T. Johnson</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_305">305</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="3"> <i>Designed by Granville Perkins.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Ascent by the Railway</span></td><td><i>J. Hellawell</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_309">309</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Castellated Ridge, Mount Jefferson</span></td><td><i>J. Tinkey</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_315">315</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Map of the White Mountains</span> (<i>East Side</i>)</td><td> </td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_xv">xv</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span style="margin-left: 1em;">“</span> “ “ (<i>Central and Northern Section</i>)</td><td> </td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_111">111</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><span style="margin-left: 1em;">“</span> “ “ (<i>West Side</i>)</td><td> </td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_207">207</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="FIRST_JOURNEY" id="FIRST_JOURNEY"></a>FIRST JOURNEY.</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> - -<tr><td align="right" colspan="3"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_I-1">I.</a></td><td><i>MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS</i> </td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_001">1</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_II-1">II.</a></td><td><i>INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_008">8</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_III-1">III.</a></td><td><i>CHOCORUA</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_018">18</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV-1">IV.</a></td><td><i>LOVEWELL</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_033">33</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_V-1">V.</a></td><td><i>NORTH CONWAY</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_039">39</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI-1">VI.</a></td><td><i>KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_055">55</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII-1">VII.</a></td><td><i>VALLEY OF THE SACO</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_066">66</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII-1">VIII.</a></td><td><i>THROUGH THE NOTCH</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_076">76</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX-1">IX.</a></td><td><i>CRAWFORD’S</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_087">87</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_X-1">X.</a></td><td><i>ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD’S</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_095">95</a></td></tr> - -</table> - -<p><a name="page_xv" id="page_xv"></a></p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_xv_sml.jpg" width="340" height="460" alt="Map of the White Mountains" title="Map of the White Mountains" /><br /> -<span class="caption">[<a href="images/ill_pg_xv_med.jpg">larger view</a>]<br /> -[<a href="images/ill_pg_xv_lg.jpg">largest view</a>]</span> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_001" id="page_001"></a></p> - -<h3>THE<br /><br /> -<small>HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS.</small></h3> - -<h2>FIRST JOURNEY.</h2> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_I-1" id="CHAPTER_I-1"></a>I.<br /><br /> -<i>MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS.</i></h3> - -<p class="c">“Si jeunesse savait! si viellesse pouvait!”</p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">O</span>NE morning in September I was sauntering up and down the -railway-station waiting for the slow hands of the clock to reach the -hour fixed for the departure of the train. The fact that these hands -never move backward did not in the least seem to restrain the impatience -of the travellers thronging into the station, some with happy, some with -anxious faces, some without trace of either emotion, yet all betraying -the same eagerness and haste of manner. All at once I heard my name -pronounced, and felt a heavy hand upon my shoulder.</p> - -<p>“What!” I exclaimed, in genuine surprise, “is it you, colonel?”</p> - -<p>“Myself,” affirmed the speaker, offering his cigar-case.</p> - -<p>“And where did you drop from”—accepting an Havana; “the Blue Grass?”</p> - -<p>“I reckon.”</p> - -<p>“But what are you doing in New England, when you should be in Kentucky?”</p> - -<p>“Doing, I? oh, well,” said my friend, with a shade of constraint; then -with a quizzical smile, “You are a Yankee; guess.”</p> - -<p>“Take care.”</p> - -<p>“Guess.”</p> - -<p>“Running away from your creditors?<a name="page_002" id="page_002"></a>”</p> - -<p>The colonel’s chin cut the air contemptuously.</p> - -<p>“Running after a woman, perhaps?”</p> - -<p>My companion quickly took the cigar from his lips, looked at me with -mouth half opened, then stammered, “What in blue brimstone put that into -your head?”</p> - -<p>“Evidently you are going on a journey, but are dressed for an evening -party,” I replied, comprising with a glance the colonel’s black suit, -lavender gloves, and white cravat.</p> - -<p>“Why,” said the colonel, glancing rather complacently at himself—“why -we Kentuckians always travel so at home. But it’s now your turn; where -are you going yourself?”</p> - -<p>“To the mountains.”</p> - -<p>“Good; so am I: White Mountains, Green Mountains, Rocky Mountains, or -Mountains of the Moon, I care not.”</p> - -<p>“What is your route?”</p> - -<p>“I’m not at all familiar with the topography of your mountains. What is -yours?”</p> - -<p>“By the Eastern to Lake Winnipiseogee, thence to Centre Harbor, thence -by stage and rail to North Conway and the White Mountain Notch.”</p> - -<p>My friend purchased his ticket by the indicated route, and the train -was soon rumbling over the bridges which span the Charles and Mystic. -Farewell, Boston, city where, like thy railways, all extremes meet, but -where I would still rather live on a crust moistened with east wind than -cast my lot elsewhere.</p> - -<p>When we had fairly emerged into the light and sunshine of the open -country, I recognized my old acquaintance George Brentwood. At a gesture -from me he came and sat opposite to us.</p> - -<p>George Brentwood was a blond young man of thirty-four or thirty-five, -with brown hair, full reddish beard, shrewdish blue eyes, a robust -frame, and a general air of negligent repose. In a word, he was the -antipodes of my companion, whose hair, eyebrows, and mustache were -coal-black, eyes dark and sparkling, manner nervous, and his attitudes -careless and unconstrained, though not destitute of a certain natural -grace. Both were men to be remarked in a crowd.</p> - -<p>“George,” said I, “permit me to introduce my friend Colonel Swords.”</p> - -<p>After a few civil questions and answers, George declared his -destination<a name="page_003" id="page_003"></a> to be ours, and was cordially welcomed to join us. By way -of breaking the ice, he observed,</p> - -<p>“Apropos of your title, colonel, I presume you served in the Rebellion?”</p> - -<p>The colonel hitched a little on his seat before replying. Knowing him -to be a very modest man, I came to his assistance. “Yes,” said I, “the -colonel fought hard and bled freely. Let me see, where were you wounded?”</p> - -<p>“Through the chest.”</p> - -<p>“No, I mean in what battle?”</p> - -<p>“Spottsylvania.”</p> - -<p>“Left on the field for dead, and taken prisoner,” I finished.</p> - -<p>George is a fellow of very generous impulses. “My dear sir,” said he, -effusively, grasping the colonel’s hand, “after what you have suffered -for the old flag, you can need no other passport to the gratitude and -friendship of a New-Englander. Count me as one of your debtors. During -the war it was my fortune—my misfortune, I should say—to be in a -distant country; otherwise we should have been found fighting shoulder -to shoulder under Grant, or Sherman, or Sheridan, or Thomas.</p> - -<p>The colonel’s color rose. He drew himself proudly up, cleared his -throat, and said, laconically, “Hardly, stranger, seeing that I had the -honor to fight under the Confederate flag.”</p> - -<p>You have seen a tortoise suddenly draw back into his shell. Well, George -as suddenly retreated into his. For an instant he looked at the Southron -as one might at a confessed murderer; then stammered out a few random -and unmeaning words about mistaken sense of duty—gallant but useless -struggle, you know—drew a newspaper from his pocket, and hid his -confusion behind it.</p> - -<p>Fearing my fiery Kentuckian might let fall some unlucky word that would -act like a live coal dropped on the tortoise’s back, I hastened to -interpose. “But really, colonel,” I urged, returning to the charge, -“with the Blue Ridge always at your back, I wager you did not come a -thousand miles merely to see our mountains. Come, what takes you from -Lexington?”</p> - -<p>“A truant disposition.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing else?”</p> - -<p><a name="page_004" id="page_004"></a>His dark face grew swarthy, then pale. He looked at me doubtfully a -moment, and then leaned close to my ear. “You guessed it,” he whispered.</p> - -<p>“A woman?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; you know that I was taken prisoner and sent North. Through the -influence of a friend who had known my family before the war, I was -allowed to pass my first days of convalescence in a beautiful little -village in Berkshire. There I was cured of the bullet, but received a -more mortal wound.”</p> - -<p>“What a misfortune!”</p> - -<p>“Yes; no; confound you, let me finish.”</p> - -<p>“Helen, the daughter of the gentleman who procured my transfer from the -hospital to his pleasant home” (the proud Southerner would not say his -benefactor), “was a beautiful creature. Let me describe her to you.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” I hastened to say, “I know her.” Like all lovers, that subject -might have a beginning but no ending.</p> - -<p>“You?”</p> - -<p>“Of course. Listen. Yellow hair, rippling ravishingly from an alabaster -forehead, pink cheeks, pouting lips, dimpled chin, snowy throat—”</p> - -<p>The colonel made a gesture of impatience. “Pshaw, that’s a type, not a -portrait. Well, the upshot of it was that I was exchanged, and ordered -to report at Baltimore for transportation to our lines. Imagine my -dismay. No, you can’t, for I was beginning to think she cared for me, -and I was every day getting deeper and deeper in love. But to tell her! -That posed me. When alone with her, my cowardly tongue clove to the roof -of my mouth. Once or twice I came very near bawling out, ‘I love you!’ -just as I would have given an order to a squadron to charge a battery.”</p> - -<p>“Well; but you did propose at last?”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes.”</p> - -<p>“And was accepted.”</p> - -<p>The colonel lowered his head, and his face grew pinched.</p> - -<p>“Refused gently, but positively refused.”</p> - -<p>“Come,” I hazarded, thinking the story ended, “I do not like your Helen.”</p> - -<p>“Why?”</p> - -<p>“Because either you are mistaken, or she seems just a little of a -coquette.<a name="page_005" id="page_005"></a>”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you don’t know her,” said the colonel, warmly; “when we parted she -betrayed unusual agitation—for her; but I was cut to the quick by her -refusal, and determined not to let her see how deeply I felt it. After -the Deluge—you know what I mean—after the tragedy at Appomattox, I -went back to the old home. Couldn’t stay there. I tried New Orleans, -Cuba. No use.”</p> - -<p>Something rose in the colonel’s throat, but he gulped it down and went -on:</p> - -<p>“The image of that girl pursues me. Did you ever try running away from -yourself? Well, after fighting it out with myself until I could endure -it no longer, I put pride in my pocket, came straight to Berkshire, only -to find Helen gone.”</p> - -<p>“That was unlucky; where?”</p> - -<p>“To the mountains, of course. Everybody seems to be going there; but I -shall find her.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be too sanguine. It will be like looking for a needle in a -hay-stack. The mountains are a perfect Dædalian labyrinth,” I could not -help saying, in my vexation. Instead of an ardent lover of nature, I had -picked up the “baby of a girl.” But there was George Brentwood. I went -over and sat by George.</p> - -<p>It was generally understood that George was deeply enamored of a young -and beautiful widow who had long ceased to count her love affairs, -who all the world, except George, knew loved only herself, and who -had therefore nothing left worth mentioning to bestow upon another. -By nature a coquette, passionately fond of admiration, her self-love -was flattered by the attentions of such a man as George, and he, poor -fellow, driven one day to the verge of despair, the next intoxicated -with the crumbs she threw him, was the victim of a species of slavery -which was fast undermining his buoyant and generous disposition. The -colonel was in hot pursuit of his adored Helen. Two words sufficed to -acquaint me that George was escaping from his beautiful tormentor. At -all events, I was sure of him.</p> - -<p>“How charming the country is! What a delightful sense of freedom!” -George drew a deep breath, and stretched his limbs luxuriously. “Shall -we have an old-fashioned tramp together?” He continued, with assumed -vivacity, “The deuce take me if I go back to town for a twelve-month. -How we creep along! I feel exultation in putting the long miles between -me and the accursed city,” said George, at last.<a name="page_006" id="page_006"></a></p> - -<p>“You experience no regret, then, at leaving the city?”</p> - -<p>George merely looked at me; but he could not have spoken more eloquently.</p> - -<p>The train had just left Portsmouth, when the conductor entered the car -holding aloft a yellow envelope. Every eye was instantly riveted upon -it. Conversation ceased. For whom of the fifty or sixty occupants of -the car had this flash overtaken the express train? In that moment the -criminal realized the futility of flight, the merchant the uncertainty -of his investments, the man of leisure all the ordinary contingencies of -life. The conductor put an end to the suspense by demanding,</p> - -<p>“Is Mr. George Brentwood in this car?”</p> - -<p>In spite of an heroic effort at self-control, George’s hand trembled as -he tore open the envelope; but as he read his face became radiant. Had -he been alone I believe he would have kissed the paper.</p> - -<p>“Your news is not bad?” I ventured to ask, seeing him relapse into a -fit of musing, and noting the smile that came and went like a ripple on -still water.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, quite the contrary; but it is important that I should -immediately return to Boston.”</p> - -<p>“How unfortunate!”</p> - -<p>George turned on me a fixed and questioning look, but made no reply.</p> - -<p>“And the mountains?” I persisted.</p> - -<p>“Oh, sink the mountains!”</p> - -<p>I last saw George striding impatiently up and down the platform of the -Rochester station, watch in hand. Without doubt he had received his -recall. However, there was still the lovelorn colonel.</p> - -<p>Never have I seen a man more thoroughly enraptured with the growing -beauty of the scenery. I promised myself much enjoyment in his society, -for his comments were both original and picturesque; so that by the time -we arrived at Wolfborough I had already forgotten George and his widow.</p> - -<p>There was the usual throng of idlers lounging about the pier with -their noses in the air, and their hands in their pockets; perhaps more -than the usual confusion, for the steamer merely touched to take and -leave passengers. We went on board. As the bell tolled the colonel -uttered an exclamation. He became all on a sudden transformed from<a name="page_007" id="page_007"></a> a -passive spectator into an excited and prominent actor in the scene. -He gesticulated wildly, swung his hat, and shouted in a frantic way, -apparently to attract the attention of some one in the crowd; failing in -which he seized his luggage, took the stairs in two steps, and darting -like a rocket among the astonished spectators, who divided to the right -and left before his impetuous onset, was in the act of vigorously -shaking hands with a hale old gentleman of fifty odd when the boat swung -clear. He waved his unoccupied hand, and I saw his face wreathed in -smiles. I could not fail to interpret the gesture as an adieu.</p> - -<p>“Halloo!” I shouted, “what of the mountains?”</p> - -<p>“Burn the mountains!” was his reply. The steamer glided swiftly down the -little bay, and I was left to continue my journey alone.<a name="page_008" id="page_008"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_II-1" id="CHAPTER_II-1"></a>II.<br /><br /> -<small><i>INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i11">First a lake<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Tinted with sunset, next the wavy lines<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Of far receding hills.—<span class="smcap">Whittier</span>.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">W</span>HEN the steamer glides out of the land-locked inlet at the bottom -of which Wolfborough is situated, one of those pictures, forever -ineffaceable, presents itself. In effect, all the conditions of a -picture are realized. Here is the shining expanse of the lake stretching -away in the distance, and finally lost among tufted inlets and -foliage-rounded promontories. To the right are the Ossipee mountains, -dark, vigorously outlined, and wooded to their summits. To the left, -more distant, rise the twin domes of the Belknap peaks. In front, and -closing the view, the imposing Sandwich summits dominate the scene.</p> - -<p>All these mountains seem advancing into the lake. They possess a -special character of color, outline, or physiognomy which fixes them -in the memory, not confusedly, but in the place appropriate to this -beautiful picture, to its fine proportions, exquisite harmony, and -general effectiveness. Even M. Chateaubriand, who maintains that -mountains should only be seen from a distance—even he would have found -in Winnipiseogee the perfection of his ideal <i>mise en scène</i>; for here -they stand well back from the lake, so as to give the best effect of -perspective.</p> - -<p>Lovely as the lake is, the eye will rove among the mountains that we -have come to see. They, and they alone, are the objects which have -enticed us—entice us even now with a charm and mystery that we cannot -pretend to explain. We do not wish it explained. We know that we are -as free, as light of heart, as the birds that skim the placid surface -of the lake, and coquet with their own shadows. The memory of those -mountains is like snatches of music that come unbidden and haunt you -perpetually.<a name="page_009" id="page_009"></a></p> - -<p>Having taken in the grander features, the eye is occupied with its -details. We see the lake quivering in sunshine. From bold summit to -beautiful water the shores are clothed in most vivid green. The islands, -which we believe to be floating gardens, are almost tropical in the -luxuriance and richness of their vegetation. The deep shadows they fling -down image each islet so faithfully that it seems, like Narcissus, -gloating over its own beauty. Here and there a glimmer of water through -the trees denotes secluded little havens. Boats float idly on the calm -surface. Water-fowl rise and beat the glossy, dark water with startled -wings. White tents appear, and handkerchiefs flutter from jutting points -or headlands. Over all tower the mountains.</p> - -<p>The steamer glided swiftly and noiselessly on, attended by the echo -of her paddles from the shores. Dimpled waves, parting from her prow, -rolled indolently in, and broke on the foam-fretted rocks. There was a -warmth of color about these rocks, a pure transparency to the water, a -brightness to the foliage, an invigorating strength in the mountains -that exerted a cheerful influence upon our spirits.</p> - -<p>As we advanced up the lake new and rare vistas rapidly succeeded. -After leaving Long Island behind, the near ranges drew apart, holding -us admiring and absorbed spectators of a moving panorama of distant -summits. An opening appeared, through which Mount Washington burst upon -us blue as lapis-lazuli, a chaplet of clouds crowning his imperial -front. Slowly, majestically, he marches by, and now Chocorua scowls upon -us. A murmur of admiration ran from group to group as these monumental -figures were successively unveiled. Men kept silence, but women could -not repress the exclamation, “How beautiful!” The two grandest types -which these mountains enclose were thus displayed in the full splendor -of noonday.</p> - -<p>I should add that those who now saw Mount Washington for the first -time, and whose curiosity was whetted by the knowledge that it was the -highest peak of the whole family of mountains, openly manifested their -disappointment. That Mount Washington! It was in vain to remind them -that the eye traversed forty miles in its flight from lake to summit. -Fault of perspective or not, the mountain was not nearly so high as -they imagined. Chocorua, on the contrary, with its ashen spire and -olive-green flanks, realized more fully their idea of a high mountain. -One was near, the other far. Imagination fails to make a mountain higher -than it looks. The mind takes its measure after the eye.<a name="page_010" id="page_010"></a></p> - -<p>Our boat was now rapidly nearing Centre Harbor. On the right its -progress gradually unmasking the western slopes of the Ossipee range, -more fully opened the view of Chocorua and his dependent peaks. We -were looking in the direction of Tamworth. Ossipee, and Conway. Red -Hill, a detached mountain at the head of the lake, now moved into the -gap, excluding further views of distant summits. Moosehillock, lofty -but unimpressive, has for some time showed its flattened heights over -the Sandwich Mountains, but is now sinking behind them. To the west, -thronged with islands, is the long reach of water toward the outlet of -the lake at Weirs.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>This lake was the highway over which Indian war-parties advanced or -retreated during their predatory incursions from Canada. Many captives -must have crossed it whom its mountain walls seemed forever destined to -separate from friends and kindred. The Indians who inhabited villages at -Winnipiseogee (Weirs), Ossipee, and Pigwacket (Fryeburg), were hostile; -and from time to time during the old wars troops were marched from -the English settlements to subdue them. These scouting-parties found -the woods well stocked with bear, moose, and deer, and the lake with -salmon-trout, some of which, according to the narrative before me, were -three feet long, and weighed twelve pounds each.</p> - -<p>Traces of Indian occupation remained up to the present century. -Fishing-weirs and woodland paths were frequently discovered by the -whites; but a greater curiosity than either is mentioned by Dr. Belknap, -in his “History of New Hampshire,” who there tells of a pine-tree, -standing on the shore of Winnipiseogee River, on which was carved a -canoe with two men in it, supposed to have been a mark of direction to -those who were expected to follow. Another was a tree in Moultonborough, -standing near a carrying-place between two ponds. On this tree was a -representation of one of their expeditions. The number of killed and -the prisoners were shown by rude drawings of human beings, the former -being distinguished by the mark of a knife across the throat. Even the -distinction of sex was preserved in the drawing.</p> - -<p>Centre Harbor is advantageously situated for a sojourn more or less -prolonged. Although settled as early as 1755, it is, in common with the -other lake towns, barren of history or tradition. Its greatest impulse -is,<a name="page_011" id="page_011"></a> beyond question, the tide of tourists which annually ebbs and flows -among the most sequestered nooks, enriching this charming region like an -inundation of the Nile. An anecdote will, however, serve to illustrate -the character of the men who first subdued this wilderness. Our anecdote -represents its hero a man of resources. His career proves him a man of -courage. Although a veritable personage, let us call him General Hampton.</p> - -<p>The fact that General Hampton lived in that only half-cleared atmosphere -following the age of credulity and superstition, naturally accounts -for the extraordinary legend concerning him which, for the rest, had -its origin among his own friends and neighbors, who merely shared the -general belief in the practice of diabolic arts, through compacts with -the arch-enemy of mankind himself, universally prevailing in that -day—yes, prevailing all over Christendom. By a mere legend, we are thus -able to lay hold of the thread which conducts us back through the dark -era of superstition and delusion, and which is now so amazing.</p> - -<p>The general, says the legend, encountered a far more notable adversary -than Abenaki warriors or conjurers, among whom he had lived, and whom it -was the passion of his life to exterminate.</p> - -<p>In an evil hour his yearning to amass wealth suddenly led him to declare -that he would sell his soul for the possession of unbounded riches. -Think of the devil, and he is at your elbow. The fatal declaration was -no sooner made—the general was sitting alone by his fireside—than -a shower of sparks came down the chimney, out of which stepped a man -dressed from top to toe in black velvet. The astonished Hampton noticed -that the stranger’s ruffles were not even smutted.</p> - -<p>“Your servant, general,” quoth the stranger, suavely, “but let us make -haste, if you please, for I am expected at the governor’s in a quarter -of an hour,” he added, picking up a live coal with his thumb and -forefinger and consulting his watch with it.</p> - -<p>The general’s wits began to desert him. Portsmouth was five leagues, -long ones at that, from Hampton House, and his strange visitor talked, -with the utmost unconcern, of getting there in fifteen minutes. His -astonishment caused him to stammer out,</p> - -<p>“Then you must be the—”</p> - -<p>“Tush! what signifies a name?” interrupted the stranger, with a -deprecating wave of the hand. “Come, do we understand each other? is it -a bargain or not?<a name="page_012" id="page_012"></a>”</p> - -<p>At the talismanic word “bargain” the general pricked up his ears. He had -often been heard to say that neither man nor devil could get the better -of him in a trade. He took out his jack-knife and began to whittle. The -devil took out his, and began to pare his nails.</p> - -<p>“But what proof have I that you can perform what you promise?” demanded -Hampton, pursing up his mouth, and contracting his bushy eyebrows.</p> - -<p>The fiend ran his fingers carelessly through his peruke; a shower of -golden guineas fell to the floor, and rolled to the four corners of the -room. The general quickly stooped to pick up one; but no sooner had his -fingers closed upon it than he uttered a yell. It was red-hot.</p> - -<p>The devil chuckled. “Try again,” he said.</p> - -<p>But Hampton shook his head, and retreated a step.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be afraid.”</p> - -<p>Hampton cautiously touched a coin. It was cool. He weighed it in his -hand, and rung it on the table. It was full weight and true ring. Then -he went down on his hands and knees, and began to gather up the guineas -with feverish haste.</p> - -<p>“Are you satisfied?” demanded Satan.</p> - -<p>“Completely, your majesty.”</p> - -<p>“Then to business. By-the-way, have you anything to drink in the house?”</p> - -<p>“There is some Old Jamaica in the cupboard.”</p> - -<p>“Excellent. I am as thirsty as a Puritan on election-day,” said the -devil, seating himself at the table and negligently flinging his mantle -back over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>Hampton brought a decanter and a couple of glasses from the cupboard, -filled one and passed it to his infernal guest, who tasted it, and -smacked his lips with the air of a connoisseur. Hampton watched every -gesture. “Does your excellency not find it to his taste?” he ventured to -ask.</p> - -<p>“H’m, I have drunk worse; but let me show you how to make a salamander,” -replied Satan, touching the lighted end of the taper to the liquor, -which instantly burst into a spectral blue flame. The fiend then -raised the tankard, glanced approvingly at the blaze—which to -Hampton’s disordered intellect resembled an adder’s forked and agile -tongue—nodded, and said, patronizingly, “To our better acquaintance.” -He then quaffed the contents at a single gulp.<a name="page_013" id="page_013"></a></p> - -<p>Hampton shuddered. This was not the way he had been used to seeing -healths drunk. He pretended, however, to drink, for fear of giving -offence, but somehow the liquor choked him. The demon set down the -tankard, and observed, in a matter-of-fact way that put his listener in -a cold sweat,</p> - -<p>“Now that you are convinced I am able to make you the richest man in all -the province, listen. In consideration of your agreement, duly signed -and sealed, to deliver your soul”—here he drew a parchment from his -breast—“I engage, on my part, on the first day of every month, to fill -your boots with golden elephants like these before you. But mark me -well,” said Satan, holding up a forefinger glittering with diamonds; “if -you try to play me any trick you will repent it. I know you, Jonathan -Hampton, and shall keep my eye upon you. So beware!”</p> - -<p>Hampton flinched a little at this plain speech; but a thought seemed to -strike him, and he brightened up. Satan opened the scroll, smoothed out -the creases, dipped a pen in the inkhorn at his girdle, and pointing to -a blank space said, laconically, “Sign!”</p> - -<p>Hampton hesitated.</p> - -<p>“If you are afraid,” sneered Satan, “why put me to all this trouble?” -And he began to put the gold in his pocket.</p> - -<p>His victim seized the pen, but his hand shook so he could not write. He -gulped down a swallow of rum, stole a look at his infernal guest, who -nodded his head by way of encouragement, and a second time approached -his pen to the paper. The struggle was soon over. The unhappy Hampton -wrote his name at the bottom of the fatal list, which he was astonished -to see numbered some of the highest personages in the province. “I shall -at least be in good company,” he muttered.</p> - -<p>“Good!” said Satan, rising and putting the scroll carefully within his -breast. “Rely on me, general, and be sure you keep faith. Remember!” -So saying, the demon waved his hand, wrapped his mantle about him, and -vanished up the chimney.</p> - -<p>Satan performed his part of the contract to the letter. On the first day -of every month the boots, which were hung on the crane in the fireplace -the night before, were found in the morning stuffed full of guineas. It -is true that Hampton had ransacked the village for the largest pair to -be found, and had finally secured a brace of trooper’s boots, which came -up to the wearer’s thigh; but the contract merely expressed boots, and -the devil does not stand upon trifles.<a name="page_014" id="page_014"></a></p> - -<p>Hampton rolled in wealth. Everything prospered. His neighbors regarded -him first with envy, then with aversion, at last with fear. Not a few -affirmed he had entered into a league with the Evil One. Others shook -their heads, saying, “What does it signify? that man would outwit the -devil himself.”</p> - -<p>But one morning, when the fiend came as usual to fill the boots, what -was his astonishment to find that he could not fill them. He poured in -the guineas, but it was like pouring water into a rat-hole. The more he -put in, the more the quantity seemed to diminish. In vain he persisted: -the boots could not be filled.</p> - -<p>The devil scratched his ear. “I must look into this,” he reflected. -No sooner said than he attempted to descend, but found his progress -suddenly arrested. The chimney was choked up with guineas. Foaming with -rage, the demon tore the boots from the crane. The crafty general had -cut off the soles, leaving only the legs for the devil to fill. The -chamber was knee-deep with gold.</p> - -<p>The devil gave a horrible grin, and disappeared. The same night Hampton -House was burnt to the ground, the general only escaping in his shirt. -He had been dreaming he was dead and in hell. His precious guineas were -secreted in the wainscot, the ceiling, and other hiding-places known -only to himself. He blasphemed, wept, and tore his hair. Suddenly he -grew calm. After all, the loss was not irreparable, he reflected. Gold -would melt, it is true; but he would find it all, of course he would, -at daybreak, run into a solid lump in the cellar—every guinea. That is -true of ordinary gold.</p> - -<p>The general worked with the energy of despair clearing away the rubbish. -He refused all offers of assistance: he dared not accept them. But the -gold had vanished. Whether it was really consumed, or had passed again -into the massy entrails of the earth, will never be known. It is certain -that every vestige of it had disappeared.</p> - -<p>When the general died and was buried, strange rumors began to circulate. -To quiet them, the grave was opened; but when the lid was removed from -the coffin, it was found to be empty.</p> - -<p>Having reached Centre Harbor at two in the afternoon, there was still -time to ascend Red Hill before sunset. This eminence would be called -a mountain anywhere else. Its altitude is inconsiderable, but its -situation at the head of the lake, on its very borders, is highly -favorable to a commanding prospect of the surrounding lake region. -There<a name="page_015" id="page_015"></a> are two summits, the northern and highest being only a little -more than two thousand feet.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_015_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_015_sml.jpg" width="340" height="512" alt="WINNIPISEOGEE FROM RED HILL." -title="WINNIPISEOGEE FROM RED HILL." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">WINNIPISEOGEE FROM RED HILL.</span> -</p> - -<p>For such an excursion little preparation is necessary. In fact a -carriage-road ascends within a mile of the superior summit; and from -this point the path is one of the easiest I have ever traversed. The -value of a pure atmosphere is so well understood by every mountain -tourist that he will neglect no opportunity<a name="page_016" id="page_016"></a> which this thrice-fickle -element offers him. This was a day of days.</p> - -<p>After a little promenade of two hours, or two hours and a half, I -reached the cairn on the summit, from which a tattered signal flag -fluttered in the breeze. Without extravagance, the view is one of the -most engaging that the eye ever looked upon. I had before me that -beautiful valley extending between the Sandwich chain on the left and -the Ossipee range on the right, the distance filled by a background of -mountains. It was across this valley that we saw Mount Washington, while -coming up the lake. But that noble peak was now hid.</p> - -<p>The first chain trending to the west threw one gigantic arm around the -beautiful little Squam Lake, which like a magnificent gem sparkled at my -feet. The second stretched its huge rampart along the eastern shores of -Winnipiseogee.</p> - -<p>The surface of this valley is tumbled about in most charming disorder. -Three villages crowned as many eminences in the foreground; three little -lakes, half hid in the middle distance, blue as turquoise, lighted the -fading hues of field and forest. Hamlets and farms, groves and forests -innumerable, were scattered broadcast over this inviting landscape. The -harvests were gathered, and the mellowed tints of green, orange, and -gold resembled rich old tapestry. Men and animals looked like insects -creeping along the roads.</p> - -<p>From this point of view the Sandwich Mountains took far greater interest -and character, and I remarked that no two summits were precisely alike -in form or outline. Higher and more distant peaks peered curiously -over their brawny shoulders from their lairs in the valley of the -Pemigewasset; but more remarkable, more weird than all, was the gigantic -monolith which tops the rock-ribbed pile of Chocorua. The more I looked, -the more this monstrous freak of nature fascinated. As the sun glided -down the west, a ruddy glow tinged its pinnacle; while the shadows -lurking in the ravines stole up the mountain side and crouched for a -final spring upon the summit. Little by little, twilight flowed over the -valley, and a thin haze rose from its surface.</p> - -<p>I had waited for this moment, and now turned to the lakes. Winnipiseogee -was visible throughout its whole length, the multitude of islands -peeping above it giving the idea of an inundation rather than an inland -sea. On the farthest shores mere specks of white denoted houses; and -traced in faint relief on the southern sky, so unsubstantial,<a name="page_017" id="page_017"></a> indeed, -as to render it doubtful if it were sky or mountain, was the Grand -Monadnock, the fixed sentinel of all this august assemblage of mountains.</p> - -<p>Glowing in sunset splendor, streaked with all the hues of the rainbow, -the lake was indeed magnificent.</p> - -<p>In vain the eve roved hither and thither seeking some foil to this -peerless beauty. Everywhere the same unrivalled picture led it captive -over thirty miles of gleaming water, up the graceful curves of the -mountains, to rest at last among crimson clouds floating in rosy vapor -over their notched summits.</p> - -<p>Imagination must assist the reader to reproduce this ravishing -spectacle. To attempt to describe it is like a profanation. Paradise -seemed to have opened wide its gates to my enraptured gaze; or had -I surprised the secrets of the unknown world? I stood silent and -spellbound, with a strange, exquisite feeling at the heart. I felt a -thrill of pain when a voice from the forest broke the solemn stillness -which alone befitted this almost supernatural vision. Now I understood -the pagan’s adoration of the sun. My mind ran over the most striking or -touching incidents of Scripture, where the sublimity of the scene is -always in harmony with the grandeur of the event—the Temptation, the -Sermon on the Mount, the Transfiguration—and memory brought to my aid -these words, so simple, so tender, yet so expressive, “And he went up -into the mountain to pray, himself, alone.<a name="page_018" id="page_018"></a>”</p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_III-1" id="CHAPTER_III-1"></a>III.<br /><br /> -<small><i>CHOCORUA.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“There I saw above me mountains,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And I asked of them what century<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Met them in their youth.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>FTER a stay at Centre Harbor long enough to gain a knowledge of its -charming environs, but which seemed all too brief, I took the stage at -two o’clock one sunny afternoon for Tamworth. I had resolved, if the -following morning should be clear, to ascend Chocorua, which from the -summit of Red Hill seemed to fling his defiance from afar.</p> - -<p>Following my custom, I took an outside seat with the driver. There being -only three or four passengers, what is frequently a bone of contention -was settled without that display of impudent selfishness which is seen -when a dozen or more travellers are all struggling for precedence. But -at the steamboat landing the case was different. I remained a quiet -looker-on of the scene that ensued. It was sufficiently ridiculous.</p> - -<p>At the moment the steamboat touched her pier the passengers prepared to -spring to the shore, and force had to be used to keep them back until -she could be secured. An instant after the crowd rushed pell-mell up -the wharf, surrounded the stage, and began, women as well as men, a -promiscuous scramble for the two or three unoccupied seats at the top.</p> - -<p>Two men and one woman succeeded in obtaining the prizes. The woman -interested me by the intense triumph that sparkled in her black eyes -and glowed on her cheeks at having distanced several competitors of her -own sex, to say nothing of the men. She beamed! As I made room for her, -she said, with a toss of the head, “I guess I haven’t been through Lake -George for nothing.”</p> - -<p>Crack! We were jolting along the road, around the base of Red<a name="page_019" id="page_019"></a> Hill, the -horses stepping briskly out at the driver’s chirrup, the coach pitching -and lurching like a gondola in a sea. What a sense of exhilaration, -of lightness! The air so pure and elastic, the odor of the pines so -fragrant, so invigorating, which we breathe with all the avidity of -a convalescent who for the first time crosses the threshold of his -chamber. Each moment I felt my body growing lighter. A delicious -sense of self-ownership breaks the chain binding us to the toiling, -struggling, worrying life we have left behind. We carry our world with -us. Life begins anew, or rather it has only just begun.</p> - -<p>The view of the ranges which on either side elevate two immense walls of -green is kept for nearly the whole distance. As we climb the hill into -Sandwich, Mount Israel is the prominent object; then brawny Whiteface, -Passaconnaway’s pyramid, Chocorua’s mutilated spire advance, in their -turn, into line. Sometimes we were in a thick forest, sometimes on a -broad, sunny glade; now threading our way through groves of pitch-pine, -now winding along the banks of the Bear-Camp River.</p> - -<p>The views of the mountains, as the afternoon wore away, grew more -and more interesting. The ravines darkened, the summits brightened. -Cloud-shadows chased each other up and down the steeps, or, flitting -slowly across the valley, spread thick mantles of black that seemed to -deaden the sound of our wheels as we passed over them. On one side all -was light, on the other all gloom. But the landscape is not all that may -be seen to advantage from the top of a stage-coach.</p> - -<p>From time to time, as something provoked an exclamation of surprise or -pleasure, certain of the inside occupants manifested open discontent. -They were losing something where they had expected to see everything.</p> - -<p>While the horses were being changed, one of the insides, I need not say -it was a woman, thrust her head out of the window, and addressed the -young person perched like a bird upon the highest seat. Her voice was -soft and persuasive:</p> - -<p>“Miss!”</p> - -<p>“Madam!”</p> - -<p>“I’m so afraid you find it too cold up there. Sha’n’t I change places -with you?”</p> - -<p>The little one gave her voice a droll inflection as she briskly replied, -“Oh dear no, thank you; I’m very comfortable indeed.<a name="page_020" id="page_020"></a>”</p> - -<p>“But,” urged the other, “you don’t look strong; indeed, dear, you don’t. -Aren’t you very, very tired, sitting so long without any support to your -back?”</p> - -<p>“Thanks, no; my spine is the strongest part of me.”</p> - -<p>“But,” still persisted the inside, changing her voice to a loud whisper, -“to be sitting alone with all those men!”</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_020_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_020_sml.jpg" width="266" height="331" alt="“ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!”" -title="“ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!”" /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">“ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!”</span> -</p> - -<p>“They mind their business, and I mind mine,” said the little one, -reddening; “besides,” she quickly added, “you proposed changing places, -I believe!”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” returned the other, with an accent impossible to convey in words, -“if you like it.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you what, ma’am,” snapped the one in possession, “I’ve<a name="page_021" id="page_021"></a> been all -over Europe alone, and was never once insulted except by persons of my -own sex.”</p> - -<p>This home-thrust ended the colloquy. The first speaker quickly drew in -her head, and I remarked a general twitching of muscles on the faces -around me. The driver shook his head in silent glee. The little woman’s -eyes emitted sparks.</p> - -<p>From West Ossipee I drove over to Tamworth Iron Works, where I passed -the night, and where I had, so to speak, Chocorua under my thumb.</p> - -<p>This mountain being the most proper for a legend, it accordingly has -one. Here it is in all its purity:</p> - -<p>After the terrible battle in which the Sokokis were nearly destroyed, -a remnant of the tribe, with their chief, Chocorua, fled into the -fastnesses of these mountains, where the foot of a white man had never -intruded. Here they trapped the beaver, speared the salmon, and hunted -the moose.</p> - -<p>The survivors of Lovewell’s band brought the first news of their -disaster to the settlements. More like spectres than living men, their -haggard looks, bloodshot eyes, and shaking limbs, their clothing hanging -about them in shreds, announced the hardships of that long and terrible -march but too plainly.</p> - -<p>Among those who had set out with the expedition were three brothers—one -a mere stripling, the others famous hunters. The eldest of the three, -having fallen lame on the second day, was left behind. His brethren -would have conducted him back to the nearest village, but he promptly -refused their proffered aid, saying,</p> - -<p>“’ Tis enough to lose one man; three are too many. Go; do my part as well -as your own.”</p> - -<p>The two had gone but a few steps when the disabled ranger called the -second brother back.</p> - -<p>“Tom,” said the elder, “take care of our brother.”</p> - -<p>“Surely,” replied the other, in some surprise. “Surely,” he repeated.</p> - -<p>“I charge you,” continued the first speaker, “watch over the boy as I -would myself.”</p> - -<p>“Never fear, Lance; whatever befalls Hugh happens to me.”</p> - -<p>“Not so,” said the other, with energy; “you must die for him, if need -be.”</p> - -<p>“They shall chop me as fine as sausage-meat before a hair of the lad’s -head is harmed.<a name="page_022" id="page_022"></a>”</p> - -<p>“God bless you, Tom!” The brothers then embraced and separated.</p> - -<p>“What was our brother saying to you?” demanded the younger, when Tom -rejoined him.</p> - -<p>“He begged me, seeing he could not go with us, to shoot two or three -redskins for him; and I promised.” The two then quickened their pace in -order to overtake their comrades.</p> - -<p>Among those who succeeded in regaining the settlements was a man who had -been wounded in twenty places. He was at once a ghastly and a pitiful -object. Faint with hunger, fatigue, and loss of blood, he reeled, fell, -slowly rose to his feet, and sunk lifeless at the entrance to the -village. This time he did not rise again.</p> - -<p>A crowd ran up. When they had wiped the blood and dirt from the dead -man’s face, a by-stander threw himself upon the body with the cry, “My -God, it is Tom!”</p> - -<p>The following day the surviving brother joined a strong party despatched -by the colonial authorities to the scene of Lovewell’s encounter, where -they arrived after a forced march. Here, among the trampled thickets, -they found the festering corpses of the slain. Among them was Hugh, the -younger brother. He was riddled with bullets and shockingly mangled. -Up to this moment, Lance had hoped against hope; now the dread reality -stared him in the face. The stout ranger grew white, his fingers -convulsively clutched the barrel of his gun, and something like a curse -escaped through his clinched teeth; then, kneeling beside the body, he -buried his face in his hands. Hugh’s blood cried aloud for vengeance.</p> - -<p>Thorough but unavailing search was made for the savages. They had -disappeared, after applying the torch to their village. Silently and -sadly the rangers performed the last service for their fallen comrades, -and then, turning their backs upon the mountains, commenced their march -homeward.</p> - -<p>The next day the absence of Lance was remarked; but, as he was their -best hunter, the rangers made no doubt he would rejoin them at the next -halt.</p> - -<p>Chocorua was not ignorant that the English were near. Like the vulture, -he scented danger from afar. From the summit of the mountain he had -watched the smoke of the hostile camp-fires stealing above the forest. -The remainder of the tribe had buried themselves still deeper in the -wilderness. They were too few for attack, too weak for defence.<a name="page_023" id="page_023"></a></p> - -<p>One morning the chief ascended the pinnacle, and swept the horizon -with his piercing eye. Far in the south a faint smoke told where the -foe had pitched his last encampment. Chocorua’s dark eye lighted with -exultation. The accursed pale-faces were gone.</p> - -<p>He turned to descend the mountain, but had not taken ten steps when a -white hunter, armed to the teeth, started from behind the crags and -barred his passage. The chief recoiled, but not with fear, as the muzzle -of his adversary’s weapon touched his naked breast. The white man’s -eyes shone with deadly purpose, as he forced the chieftain, step by -step, back to the highest point of the mountain. Chocorua could not pass -except over the hunter’s dead body.</p> - -<p>Glaring into each other’s eyes with mortal hate, the two men reached the -summit.</p> - -<p>“Chocorua will go no farther,” said the chief, haughtily.</p> - -<p>The white man trembled with excitement. For a moment he could not speak. -Then, in a voice husky with suppressed emotion, he exclaimed,</p> - -<p>“Die, then, like a dog, thou destroyer of my family, thou incarnate -devil! The white man has been in Chocorua’s wigwam; has counted their -scalps—father, mother, sister, brother. He has tracked him to the -mountain-top. Now, demon or devil, Chocorua dies by my hand.”</p> - -<p>The chief saw no escape. He comprehended that his last moment was come. -As if all the savage heroism of his race had come to his aid, he drew -himself up to his full height, and stood erect and motionless as a -statue of bronze upon the enormous pedestal of the mountain. His dark -eye blazed, his nostrils dilated, the muscles of his bronzed forehead -stood out like whip-cord. The black eagle’s feather in his scalplock -fluttered proudly in the cool morning breeze. He stood thus for a moment -looking death sternly in the face, then, raising his bared arm with a -gesture of superb disdain, he spoke with energy:</p> - -<p>“Chocorua is unarmed; Chocorua will die. His heart is big and strong -with the blood of the accursed pale-face. He laughs at death. He spits -in the white man’s face. Go; tell your warriors Chocorua died like a -chief!”</p> - -<p>With this defiance on his lips the chief sprung from the brink into -the unfathomable abyss below. An appalling crash was followed by -a death-like silence. As soon as he recovered from his stupor the -hunter ran to the verge of the precipice and looked over. A horrible -fascination<a name="page_024" id="page_024"></a> held him an instant. Then, shouldering his gun, he retraced -his steps down the mountain, and the next day rejoined his comrades.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_024_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_024_sml.jpg" width="332" height="295" alt="PASSACONNAWAY FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER." -title="PASSACONNAWAY FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">PASSACONNAWAY FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER.</span> -</p> - -<p>The general and front views of the Sandwich group, which may be had in -perfection from the hill behind the Chocorua House, or from the opposite -elevation, are very striking, embracing as they do the principal summits -from Chocorua to the heavy mass of Black Mountain. There are more -distinct traits, perhaps, embodied in this range than in any other among -the White Hills, except that incomparable band of peaks constituting the -northern half of the great chain itself. There seems, too, a special -fitness in designating these mountains by their Indian titles—Chocorua, -Paugus, Passaconnaway, Wonnalancet—a group of great sagamores, wild, -grand, picturesque.<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a><a name="page_025" id="page_025"></a></p> - -<p>The highway now skirted the margin of Chocorua Lake, a lovely little -sheet of water voluptuously reposing at the foot of its overshadowing -mountain. I cannot call Chocorua beautiful, yet of all the White -Mountain peaks is it the most individual, the most aggressively -suggestive. But the lake, fast locked in the embrace of encircling -hills, bathed in all the affluence of the blessed sunlight, its bosom -decorated with white lilies, its shores glassed in water which looks -like a sheet of satin—ah, this was beautiful indeed! Its charming -seclusion, its rare combination of laughing water and impassive old -mountains; above all, the striking contrast between its chaste beauty -and the huge-ribbed thing rising above, awakens a variety of sensations. -It is passing strange. The mountain attracts, and at the same time -repels you. Two sentiments struggle here for mastery—open admiration, -energetic repulsion. For the first time, perhaps, in his life, the -beholder feels an antipathy for a creation of inanimate nature. Chocorua -suggests some fabled prodigy of the old mythology—a headless Centaur, -sprung from the foul womb of earth. The lake seems another Andromeda -exposed to a monster.</p> - -<p>A beautiful Indian legend ran to the effect that the stillness of the -lake was sacred to the Great Spirit, and that if a human voice was heard -upon its waters the offender’s canoe would instantly sink to the bottom.</p> - -<p>Chocorua, as seen from Tamworth, shows a long, undulating ridge of white -rising over one of green, both extending toward the east, and opening -between a deep ravine, through which a path ascends to the summit. But -this way affords no view until the summit is close at hand. Beyond the -hump-backed ridge of Chocorua the tip of the southern peak of Moat -Mountain peers over, like a mountain standing on tiptoe.</p> - -<p>The mountain, with its formidable outworks, is constantly in view until -the highway is left for a wood-road winding around its base into an -interval where there is a farm-house. Here the road ends and the ascent -begins.</p> - -<p>Taking a guide here, who was strong, nimble, and sure-footed, but who -proved to be lamentably ignorant of the topography of the country, we -were in a few moments rapidly threading the path up the mountain.<a name="page_026" id="page_026"></a> It -ought to be said here that, with rare exceptions, the men who serve you -in these ascensions should be regarded rather as porters than as guides.</p> - -<p>In about an hour we reached the summit of the first mountain; for there -are four subordinate ridges to cross before you stand under the single -block of granite forming the pinnacle.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_026_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_026_sml.jpg" width="330" height="264" alt="CHOCORUA." -title="CHOCORUA." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">CHOCORUA.</span> -</p> - -<p>When reconnoitring this pinnacle through your glass, at a distance of -five miles, you will say to scale it would be difficult; when you have -climbed close underneath you will say it is impossible. After surveying -it from the bare ledges of Bald Mountain, where we stood letting the -cool breeze blow upon us, I asked my guide where we could ascend. He -pointed out a long crack, or crevice, toward the left, in which a few -bushes were growing. It is narrow, almost perpendicular, and seemingly -impracticable. I could not help exclaiming, “What, up there! nothing but -birds of the air can mount that sheer wall!” It is, however, there or -nowhere you must ascend.</p> - -<p>The whole upper zone of the mountain seems smitten with palsy.<a name="page_027" id="page_027"></a> Except -in the ravines between the inferior summits, nothing grew, nothing -relieved the wide-spread desolation. Beyond us rose the enormous conical -crag, scarred and riven by lightning, which gives to Chocorua its highly -distinctive character. It is no longer ashen, but black with lichens. -There was little of symmetry, nothing of grace; only the grandeur of -power. You might as well pelt it with snow-balls as batter it with the -mightiest artillery. For ages it has brushed the tempest aside, has seen -the thunder-bolt shivered against its imperial battlements; for ages to -come it will continue to defy the utmost power that can assail it. And -what enemies it has withstood, overthrown, or put to rout! Not far from -the base of the pinnacle evidence that the mountain was once densely -wooded is on all sides. The rotted stumps of large trees still cling -with a death-grip to the ledges, the shrivelled trunks lie bleaching -where they were hurled by the hurricane. Many years ago this region -was desolated by fire. In the night Old Chocorua, lighting his fiery -torch, stood in the midst of his own funeral pyre. The burning mountain -illuminated the sky and put out the stars. A brilliant circle of light, -twenty miles in extent, surrounded the flaming peak like a halo; while -underneath an immense tongue of forked flame licked the sides of the -summit with devouring haste. The lakes, those bright jewels lying in the -lap of the valleys, glowed like enormous carbuncles. Superstitious folk -regarded the conflagration as a portent of war or pestilence. In the -morning a few charred trunks, standing erect, were all that remained of -the original forest. The rocks themselves bear witness to the intense -heat which has either cracked them wide open, crumbled them in pieces, -or divested them, like oysters, of their outer shell, all along the path -of the conflagration.</p> - -<p>The walk over the lower summits to the base of the peak occupied -another hour, and is a most profitable feature of the ascent. On each -side a superb panorama of mountains and lakes, of towns, villages, and -hamlets, is being slowly unrolled; while every forward step develops the -inaccessible character of the high summit more and more.</p> - -<p>Having strayed from the path to gather blueberries, my companion set me -again on the march by pointing out where a bear had been feeding not -long before. Yet, while assuring me that Bruin was perfectly harmless -at this season, I did not fail to remark that my guide made the most -rapid strides of the day after this discovery. While feeling our way -around the base of the pinnacle, in order to gain the ravine by<a name="page_028" id="page_028"></a> which -it is attacked, the path suddenly stopped. At the right, projecting -rocks, affording a hold for neither hand nor foot, rose like a wall; -before us, joined to the perpendicular rock, an unbroken ledge of -bare granite, smoothly polished by ice, swept down by a sharp incline -hundreds of feet, and then broke off abruptly into profounder depths. To -advance upon this ledge, as steep as a roof, and where one false step -would inevitably send the climber rolling to the bottom of the ravine, -demands steady nerves. It invests the whole jaunt with just enough of -the perilous to excite the apprehensions, or provoke the enthusiasm of -the individual who stands there for the first time, looking askance at -his guide, and revolving the chances of crossing it in safety. While -debating with myself whether to take off my boots, or go down on my -hands and knees and creep, the guide crossed this place with a steady -step; and, upon reaching the opposite side, grasped a fragment of rock -with one hand while extending his staff to me with the other. Rather -than accept his assistance, I passed over with an assurance I was far -from feeling; but when we came down the mountain I walked across with -far more ease in my stockings.<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></p> - -<p>When he saw me safely over, my conductor moved on, with the remark,</p> - -<p>“A skittish place.”</p> - -<p>“Skittish,” indeed! We proceeded to drag ourselves up the ravine by the -aid of bushes, or such protruding rocks as offered a hold. From the -valley below we must have looked like flies creeping up a wall. After a -breathless scramble, which put me in mind of the escalade of the Iron -Castle of Porto Bello, where the English, having no scaling-ladders, -mounted over each other’s shoulders, we came to a sort of plateau, on -which was a ruined hut. The view here is varied and extensive; but after -regaining our breath we hastened to complete the ascent, in order to -enjoy, in all its perfection, the prospect awaiting us on the summit.</p> - -<p>Like Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister, it is among mountains that my knowledge -of them has been obtained. I have little hesitation, then, in -pronouncing the view from Chocorua one of the noblest that can reward -the adventurous climber; for, notwithstanding it is not a high peak, and -cannot, therefore, unfold the whole mountain system at a glance, it yet<a name="page_029" id="page_029"></a> -affords an unsurpassed view-point, from which one sees the surrounding -mountains rising on all sides in all their majesty, and clothed in all -their terrors.</p> - -<p>Let me try to explain why Chocorua is such a remarkable and eligible -post of observation.</p> - -<p>One comprehends perfectly that the last high building on the skirts of a -city embraces the largest unobstructed view of the surrounding country. -This mountain is placed at the extremity of a range that abuts upon -the lower Saco valley, and therefore overlooks all the hill-country -on the east and south-east as far as the sea-coast. The arc of this -circle of vision extends from the Camden Hills to Agamenticus, or from -the Penobscot to the Piscataqua. The day being one of a thousand, I -distinctly saw the ocean with the naked eye; not merely as a white -blur on the horizon’s edge, but actual blue water, over which smoke -was curling. This magnificent <i>coup-d’œil</i> embraces the scattered -villages of Conway, Fryeburg, Madison, Eaton, Ossipee, with their -numerous lakes and streams. I counted seventeen of the former flashing -in the sun.</p> - -<p>In the second place, Chocorua stands at the entrance to the valley -opening between the Sandwich and Ossipee chains, and commands, -therefore, to the south-west, between these natural walls, the northern -limb of Winnipiseogee and of Squam, which are seen glittering on each -side of Red Hill. In the foreground, at the foot of the mountain, -Chocorua Lake is beyond question the most enticing object in a landscape -wonderfully lighted and enriched by its profusion of brilliant waters, -which resemble so many highly burnished reflectors multiplying the rays -of the sun. I was now looking back to my first station on Red Hill, -only the range of vision was much more extensive. It is unnecessary -to recapitulate the names of the villages and summits seen in this -direction. Over the lakes, Winnipiseogee and Squam, the humid peaks of -Mount Belknap and of Mount Kearsarge, in Warner, last caught the eye. -These two sections of the landscape first meet the eye of the climber -while advancing toward the peak, whose rugged head and brawny shoulders -intercept the view to the north, only to be enjoyed when the mountain is -fully conquered.</p> - -<p>Upon the cap-stone crowning the pinnacle, supporting myself by grasping -the signal-staff planted on the highest point of this rock, from which -the wind threatened to sweep us like chaff, I enjoyed the third and -final act of this sublime tableau, in which the whole company of<a name="page_030" id="page_030"></a> -mountains is crowded upon the stage. Hundreds of dark and bristling -shapes confronted us. Like a horde of barbarians, they seemed silently -awaiting the signal to march upon the lowlands. As the wind swept -through their ranks, an impatient murmur rose from the midst. Each -mountain shook its myriad spears, and gave its voice to swell the -sublime chorus. At first all was confusion; then I began to seek out -the chiefs, whose rock-helmed heads, lifted high above their grisly -battalions, invested each with a distinction and a sovereignty which -yielded nothing except to that imperial peak over which attendant clouds -hovered or floated swiftly away, as if bearing a message to those -distant encampments pitched on the farthest verge of the horizon.</p> - -<p>At my left hand extended all the summits, forming at their western -extremity the valley of Mad River, and terminating in the immovable -mass of Black Mountain. The peaks of Tripyramid, Tecumseh, and -Osceola stretched along the northern course of this stream, and over -them gleamed afar the massive plateau-ridge of Moosehillock. From my -stand-point the great wall of the Sandwich chain, which from Tamworth -presents an unbroken front to the south, now divided into ridges running -north and south, separated by profound ravines. Paugus crouched at my -feet; Passaconnaway elevated his fine crest next; Whiteface, his lowered -and brilliant front; and then Black Mountain, the giant landmark of half -a score of towns and villages.</p> - -<p>Directly at my feet, to the north-west, the great intervale of Swift -River gleamed from the depths of this valley, like sunshine from -a storm-cloud. Following the course of this little oasis, the eye -wandered over the inaccessible and untrodden peaks of the Pemigewasset -wilderness, resting last on the blue ridge of the Franconia Mountains. -About midway of this line one sees the bristling slopes of Mounts -Carrigain and Hancock, and the Carrigain Notch, through which a hardy -pedestrian may pass from the Pemigewasset to the Saco by following -the course of the streams flowing out of it. Besides its solitary, -picturesque grandeur, Carrigain has the distinction of being the -geographical centre of the White Mountain group. Taking its peak for an -axis, a radius thirty miles long will describe a circle, including in -its sweep nearly the whole mountain system. In this sense Carrigain is, -therefore, the hub of the White Mountains.</p> - -<p>Having explored the horizon thus far, I now turned more to the north, -where, by a fortunate chance, Chocorua dominates a portion of<a name="page_031" id="page_031"></a> the chain -intervening between itself and the Saco Valley. I was looking straight -up this valley through the great White Mountain Notch. There was the -dark spire of Mount Willey, and the scarred side of Webster. There was -the arched rock of Mount Willard, and over it the liquid profile of -Cherry Mountain. It was superb; it was idyllic. Such was the perfect -transparency of the air, that I clearly distinguished the red color of -the slides on Mount Webster without the aid of my glass.</p> - -<p>From this centre, outlined with a bold, free hand against the azure, the -undulations of the great White Mountains ascended grandly to the dome -of Mount Washington, and then plunged into the defiles of the Pinkham -Notch. Following this line eastward, the eye traversed the mountains of -Jackson to the half-closed aperture of the Carter Notch, finally resting -on the pinnacle of Kearsarge. Without stirring a single step, we have -taken a journey of three hundred miles.</p> - -<p>Down in the valley the day was one of the sultriest; up here it was so -cold that our teeth chattered. We were forced to descend into the hollow -lying between the northerly foot of the peak and the first of the bald -knobs constituting the great white ridge of the mountain. Here is a fine -spring, and here, on either side of this singular rock-gallery, is a -landscape of rare beauty enclosed by its walls. Here, too, the mutilated -pyramid of the peak rises before you like an antique ruin. One finds, -without effort, striking resemblances to winding galleries, bastions, -and battlements. He could pass days and weeks here without a single wish -to return to earth. Here we ate our luncheon, and perused the landscape -at leisure. Before us stretched the long course of the Saco, from its -source in the Notch to where, with one grand sweep to the east, it takes -leave of the mountains, flows awhile demurely through the lowlands, and -in two or three infuriated plunges reaches the sea.</p> - -<p>I do not remember when I have more fully enjoyed the serene calm of a -Sabbath evening than while wandering among the fragrant and stately -pines that skirt the shores of Lake Chocorua. Indeed, except for the -occasional sound of hoofs along the cool and shady road, or of voices -coming from the bosom of the lake itself, one might say a perpetual -Sabbath reigned here. Yonder tall, athletic pines, those palms of the -north, through which the glimmer of water is seen, hum their monotonous -lullaby to the drowsy lake. The mountains seem so many statues to -Silence. There is no use for speech here. The mute and<a name="page_032" id="page_032"></a> expressive -language of two lovers, accustomed to read each others’ secret thoughts, -is the divine medium. Truant breezes ruffle the foliage in playful -wantonness, but the trees only shake their green heads and murmur “Hush! -hush!” A consecration is upon the mere, a hallowed light within the -wood. Here is the place to linger over the pages of “Hyperion,” or dream -away the idle hours with the poets; and here, stretched along the turf, -one gets closer to Nature, studying her with ever-increasing wonder and -delight, or musing upon the thousand forms of mysterious life swarming -in the clod under his hand.</p> - -<p>Charming, too, are the walks by the lake-side in the effulgence of -the harvest-moon; and enchanting the white splendor quivering on its -dark waters. A boat steals by; see! its oars dip up molten silver. The -voyagers troll a love-ditty. Dangerous ground this colonnade of woods -and yonder sparkling water for self-conscious lovers! Love and the ocean -have the same subtle sympathy with moonlight. The stronger its beams the -higher rises the flood.</p> - -<p>Very little of the world—but that little the best part—gets in here. -It is out of the beaten path of mountain-travel, so that those only who -have in a manner served their apprenticeship are sojourners. One small -hotel and a few boarding-houses easily accommodate all comers. For -people who like to refine their pleasures, as well as their society, -or who have wearied of life at the great hotels, such a place offers -a most tempting retreat. Display makes no part of the social regime. -Mrs. P—— is not jealous of Mrs. Q——’s diamonds. Ladies stroll -about unattended, gather water-lilies, cardinal-flowers, and rare -ferns by brook or way-side. Gentlemen row, drive, climb the mountains, -or make little pedestrian tours of discovery. Quiet people are -irresistibly attracted to this kind of life, which, with a good degree -of probability, they assert to be the true and only rational way of -enjoying the mountains.<a name="page_033" id="page_033"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IV-1" id="CHAPTER_IV-1"></a>IV.<br /><br /> -<small><i>LOVEWELL.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Of worthy Captain Lovewell I purpose now to sing.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">How valiantly he served his country and his king.<br /></span> -<span class="i14"><i>Old Ballad.</i><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">L</span>ET us make a détour to historic Fryeburg, leaving the cars at Conway, -which in former times enjoyed a happy pre-eminence as the centre upon -which the old stage-routes converged, and where travellers, going or -returning from the mountains, always passed the night. But those old -travellers have mostly gone where the name of Chatigee, by which both -drivers and tourists liked to designate Conway, is going; only there is -for the name, fortunately, no resurrection. No one knows its origin; -none will mourn its decease.</p> - -<p>It is here, at Conway, or Conway Corner, that first enrapturing view of -the White Mountains bursts upon the traveller like a splendid vision. -But we shall see it again on our return from Fryeburg. Moreover, -I enjoyed this constant espionage from a distance before a nearer -approach, this exchange of preliminary civilities before coming closer -to the heart of the mountains.</p> - -<p>Fryeburg stands on a dry and sandy plain, elevated above the Saco River. -It lies behind the mountain range, which, terminating in Conway, compels -the river to make a right angle. Turning these mountains, the river -seems now to be in no hurry, but coils about the meadows in a manner -that instantly recalls the famous Connecticut Ox-Bow. Chocorua and -Kearsarge are the two prominent figures in the landscape.</p> - -<p>The village street is most beautifully shaded by elms of great size, -which, giving to each other an outstretched hand over the way, spring an -arch of green high above, through which we look up and down. At one end -justice is dispensed at the Oxford House—an inn with a pedigree; at the -other learning is diffused in the academy where Webster<a name="page_034" id="page_034"></a> once taught and -disciplined the rising generation. A scroll over the inn door bears the -date of 1763. The first school-house and the first framed house built -in Fryeburg are still standing, a little way out of the village. On our -way to the remarkable rock, emerging from the plain like a walrus from -the sea, we linger a moment in the village graveyard to read the long -inscription on the monument of General Joseph Frye, a veteran of the old -wars, and founder of the town which bears his name. Ascending now the -rock to which we just referred, called the Jockey Cap, we are lifted -high above the plain, having the river meadows, the graceful loops of -the river itself, the fine pyramid of Kearsarge on one side, and on the -other the dark sheet of Lovewell’s Pond stretched at our feet.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_034_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_034_sml.jpg" width="333" height="170" alt="LOVEWELL’S POND" -title="LOVEWELL’S POND" /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">LOVEWELL’S POND</span> -</p> - -<p>It was here, under the shadow of Mount Kearsarge, was fought one of the -bloodiest and most obstinately contested battles that can be found in -the annals of war; so terrible, indeed, that the story was repeated from -fireside to fireside, and from generation to generation, as worthy a -niche beside that of Leonidas and his band of heroes. Familiar as is the -tale—and who does not know it by heart?—it can still send the blood -throbbing to the temples, or coursing back to the heart. Unfortunately, -the details are sufficiently meagre, but, in truth, they need no -embellishment. Their very simplicity presents the tragedy in all its -grandeur. It is an epic.</p> - -<p>In April, 1725, John Lovewell, a hardy and experienced ranger of -Dunstable, whose exploits had already noised his fame abroad, marched -with forty-six men for the Indian villages at Pigwacket, now Fryeburg, -Maine. At Ossipee he built a small fort, designed as a refuge in case of -disaster. This precaution undoubtedly saved the lives of some of his<a name="page_035" id="page_035"></a> -men. He was now within two short marches of the enemy’s village. The -scouts having found Indian tracks in the neighborhood, Lovewell resumed -his route, leaving one of his men who had fallen sick, his surgeon, and -eight men, to guard the fort. His command was now reduced to thirty-four -officers and men.</p> - -<p>The rangers reached the shores of the beautiful lake which bears -Lovewell’s name, and bivouacked for the night.</p> - -<p>The night passed without an alarm; but the sentinels who watched the -encampment reported hearing strange noises in the woods. Lovewell -scented the presence of his enemy.</p> - -<p>In fact, on the morning of the 8th of May, while his band were on their -knees seeking Divine favor in the approaching conflict, the report of a -gun brought every man to his feet. Upon reconnoitring, a solitary Indian -was discovered on a point of land about a mile from the camp.</p> - -<p>The leader immediately called his men about him, and told them that -they must now quickly decide whether to fight or retreat. The men, with -one accord, replied that they had not come so far in search of the -enemy to beat a shameful retreat the moment he was found. Seeing his -band possessed with this spirit, Lovewell then prepared for battle. -The rangers threw off their knapsacks and blankets, looked to their -primings, and loosened their knives and axes. The order was then given, -and they moved cautiously out of their camp. Believing the enemy was in -his front, Lovewell neglected to place a guard over his baggage.</p> - -<p>Instead of plunging into the woods, the Indian who had alarmed the camp -stood where he was first seen until the scouts fired upon him, when he -returned the fire, wounding Lovewell and one other. Ensign Wyman then -levelled his musket and shot him dead. The day began thus unfortunately -for the English. Lovewell was mortally wounded in the abdomen, but -continued to give his orders.</p> - -<p>After clearing the woods in their front without finding any more -Indians, the rangers fell back toward the spot where they had deposited -their packs. This was a sandy plain, thinly covered with pines, at the -north-east end of the lake.</p> - -<p>During their absence, the Indians, led by the old chief, Paugus, whose -name was a terror throughout the length and breadth of the English -frontiers, stumbled upon the deserted encampment. Paugus counted the -packs, and, finding his warriors outnumbered the rangers,<a name="page_036" id="page_036"></a> the wily -chief placed them in ambush; he divined that the English would return -from their unsuccessful scout sooner or later, and he prepared to -repeat the tactics used with such fatal effect at Bloody Brook, and at -the defeat of Wadsworth. This consisted in arranging his savages in a -semicircle, the two wings of which, enveloping the rangers, would expose -them to a murderous cross-fire at short musket-range.</p> - -<p>Without suspecting their danger, Lovewell’s men fell into the fatal -snare which the crafty Paugus had thus spread for them. Hardly had they -entered it when the grove blazed with a deadly volley, and resounded -with the yells of the Indians. As if confident of their prey, they even -left their coverts, and flung themselves upon the English with a fury -nothing could withstand.</p> - -<p>In this onset Lovewell, who, notwithstanding his wound, bravely -encouraged his men with voice and example, received a second wound, and -fell. Two of his lieutenants were killed at his side; but with desperate -valor the rangers charged up to the muzzles of the enemy’s guns, killing -nine, and sweeping the others before them. This gallant charge cost them -eight killed, besides their captain; two more were badly wounded.</p> - -<p>Twenty-three men had now to maintain the conflict with the whole Sokokis -tribe. Their situation was indeed desperate. Relief was impossible; -for they were fifty miles from the nearest English settlements. Their -packs and provisions were in the enemy’s hands, and the woods swarmed -with foes. To conquer or die was the only alternative. These devoted -Englishmen despaired of conquering, but they prepared to die bravely.</p> - -<p>Ensign Wyman, on whom the command devolved after the death of Lovewell, -was his worthy successor. Seeing the enemy stealing upon his flanks as -if to surround him, he ordered his men to fall back to the shore of the -lake, where their right was protected by a brook, and their left by a -rocky point extending into the lake. A few large pines stood on the -beach between.</p> - -<p>This manœuvre was executed under a hot fire, which still further -thinned the ranks of the English. The Indians closed in upon them, -filling the air with demoniac yells whenever a victim fell. Assailing -the whites with taunts, and shaking ropes in their faces, they cried -out to them to yield. But to the repeated demands to surrender, the -rangers replied only with bullets. They thought of the fort and its ten -defenders, and hoped, or rather prayed, for night. This hope, forlorn as -it<a name="page_037" id="page_037"></a> seemed, encouraged them to fight on, and they delivered their fire -with fatal precision whenever an Indian showed himself. The English were -in a trap, but the Indians dared not approach within reach of the lion’s -claws.</p> - -<p>While this long combat was proceeding, one of the English went to the -lake to wash his gun, and, on emerging at the shore, descried an Indian -in the act of cleansing his own. This Indian was Paugus.</p> - -<p>The ranger went to work like a man who comprehends that his life depends -upon a second. The chief followed him in every movement. Both charged -their guns at the same instant. The Englishman threw his ramrod on the -sand; the Indian dropped his.</p> - -<p>“Me kill you,” said Paugus, priming his weapon from his powder-horn.</p> - -<p>“The chief lies,” retorted the undaunted ranger, striking the breech of -his firelock upon the ground with such force that it primed itself. An -instant later Paugus fell, shot through the heart.</p> - -<p>“I said I should kill you,” muttered the victor, spurning the dead body -of his enemy, and plunging into the thickest of the fight.</p> - -<p>Darkness closed the conflict, which had continued without cessation -since ten in the morning. Little by little the shouts of the enemy grew -feebler, and finally ceased. The English stood to their arms until -midnight, when, convinced that the savages had abandoned the sanguinary -field of battle, they began their retreat toward the fort. Only nine -were unhurt. Eleven were badly wounded, but were resolved to march with -their comrades, though they died by the way. Three more were alive, but -had received their death-wounds. One of these was Lieutenant Robbins, of -Chelmsford. Knowing that he must be left behind, he begged his comrades -to load his gun, in order that he might sell his life as dearly as -possible when the savages returned to wreak their vengeance upon the -wounded.</p> - -<p>I have said that twenty-three men continued the fight after the bloody -repulse in which Lovewell was killed. There were only twenty-two. The -other, whose name the reader will excuse me from mentioning, fled from -the field and gained the fort, where he spread the report that Lovewell -was cut to pieces, himself being the sole survivor. This intelligence, -striking terror, decided the little garrison to abandon the fort, which -was immediately done, and in haste.</p> - -<p><a name="page_038" id="page_038"></a>This was the crowning misfortune of the expedition. The rangers now -became a band of panic-stricken fugitives. After incredible hardships, -less than twenty starving, emaciated, and footsore men, half of them -badly wounded, straggled into the nearest English settlements.</p> - -<p>The loss of the Indians could only be guessed; but the battle led to the -immediate abandonment of their village, from which so many war-parties -had formerly harassed the English. Paugus, the savage wolf, the -implacable foe of the whites, was dead. His tribe forsook the graves of -their fathers, nor rested until they had put many long leagues between -them and their pursuers. For them the advance of the English was the -Juggernaut under whose wheels their race was doomed to perish from the -face of the earth.<a name="page_039" id="page_039"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_V-1" id="CHAPTER_V-1"></a>V.<br /><br /> -<small><i>NORTH CONWAY.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Tall spire from which the sound of cheerful bells<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Just undulates upon the listening ear,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Groves, heaths, and smoking villages remote.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>HE entrance to North Conway is, without doubt, the most beautiful and -imposing introduction to the high mountains.</p> - -<p>Although the traveller has for fifty miles skirted the outlying ranges, -catching quick-shifting glimpses of the great summits, yet, when at last -the train swings round the foot of the Moat range into the Saco Valley, -so complete is the transition, so charming the picture, that not even -the most apathetic can repress a movement of surprise and admiration. -This is the moment when every one feels the inadequacy of his own -conceptions.</p> - -<p>Nature has formed here a vast antechamber, into which you are ushered -through a gate-way of mountains upon the numerous inner courts, -galleries, and cloisters of her most secluded retreats. Here the -mountains fall back before the impetuous flood of the Saco, which comes -pouring down from the summit of the great Notch, white, and panting with -the haste of its flight. Here the river gives rendezvous to several of -its larger affluents—the East Branch, the Ellis, the Swift—and, like -an army taking the field, their united streams, sweeping grandly around -the foot of the last mountain range, emerge into the open country. Here -the valley, contracted at its extremity between the gentle slope of -Kearsarge and the abrupt declivities of Moat, encloses an ellipse of -verdant and fertile land ravishing to behold, skirted on one side by -thick woods, behind which precipices a thousand feet high rise black and -threatening, overlooked on the other by a high terrace, along which the -village is built. It is the inferior summit of Kearsarge, which descends -by a long, regular slope to the intervale at its upper end, while a<a name="page_040" id="page_040"></a> -secondary ridge of the Moats, advancing on the opposite side, drops -into it by a precipice. The superb silver-gray crest of Kearsarge is -seen rising in a regular pyramid behind the right shoulder of its lower -summit. Ordinarily the house perched on the top is seen as distinctly as -those in the village. It is the last in the village.</p> - -<p>Looking up through this verdant mountain park, at a distance of twenty -miles, the imposing masses of the great summits seem scaling the skies. -Then, heavily massed on the right, comes the Carter range, divided by -the cup-shaped dip of the Carter Notch; then the truncated cone of -Double-Head; and then, with outworks firmly planted in the valley, the -glittering pinnacle of Kearsarge. The mountain in front of you, looking -up the village street, is Thorn Mountain, on the other side of which is -Jackson, and the way up the Ellis Valley to the Pinkham Notch, the Glen -House, Gorham, and the Androscoggin.</p> - -<p>The traveller, who is ushered upon this splendid scene with the rapidity -of steam, perceives that he is at last among real mountains, and quickly -yields to the indefinable charm which from this moment surrounds and -holds him a willing captive.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_040_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_040_sml.jpg" width="334" height="154" alt="MOUNT WASHINGTON FROM THE SACO." -title="MOUNT WASHINGTON FROM THE SACO." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">MOUNT WASHINGTON FROM THE SACO.</span> -</p> - -<p>Looking across the meadow from the village street, the eye is stopped -by an isolated ridge of bare, overhanging precipices. It is thrust out -into the valley from Moat Mountain, of which it forms a part, presenting -two singular, regularly arched cliffs, seven hundred to nine hundred and -fifty feet in height toward the village. The green forest underneath -contrasts vividly with the lustrous black of these precipitous walls,<a name="page_041" id="page_041"></a> -which glisten brightly in the sunshine, where they are wet by tiny -streams flowing down. On the nearest of these is a very curious -resemblance to the head and shoulders of a horse in the act of rearing, -occasioned by a white incrustation on the face of the cliff. This -accident gives to it the name of White Horse Ledge. All marriageable -ladies, maiden or widow, run out to look at it, in consequence of the -belief current in New England that if, after seeing a white horse, -you count a hundred, the first gentleman you meet will be your future -husband! Underneath this cliff a charming little lake lies hid.</p> - -<p>Next beyond is the Cathedral Ledge, so called from the curious rock -cavity it contains; and still farther up the valley is Humphrey’s Ledge, -one of the finest rock-studies of them all when we stand underneath -it. But the reader now has a general acquaintance with North Conway, -and with its topography. He begins his study of mountain beauty in a -spirit of loving enthusiasm, which leads him on and on to the ripeness -of an education achieved by simply throwing himself upon the bosom of -indulgent Nature, putting the world as far as possible behind him.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_041_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_041_sml.jpg" width="337" height="165" alt="THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY." -title="THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY.</span> -</p> - -<p>But now from these masses of hard rock let us turn once more to the -valley, where the rich intervales spread an exhaustless feast for the -eye. If autumn be the season, the vase-like elms, the stacks of yellow -corn, the golden pumpkins looking like enormous oranges, the floor-cloth -of green and gold damasked with purple gorse and coppice, give the idea -of an immense table groaning beneath its luxurious weight of fruit and -flowers.<a name="page_042" id="page_042"></a></p> - -<p>Turn now to the mountain presiding with such matchless grace and dignity -over the village. Kearsarge, in the twilight, deserves, like Lorenzo di -Medicis, to be called “the magnificent.” The yellow and orange foliage -looks, for all the world, like a golden shower fallen upon it. The -gray ledges at the apex, which the clear, yellow light renders almost -incandescent, are far more in harmony with the rest of the mountain than -in the vernal season.</p> - -<p>Are we yet in sympathy with that free-masonry of art through which our -eminent landscape-painters recognized here the true picturesque point -of view of the great mountains, the effective contrasts and harmonious -ensemble of the near scenery—the grandest allied with the humblest -objects of nature? One cannot turn in any direction without recognizing -a picture he has seen in the studios, or in the saloons of the clubs.</p> - -<p>The first persons I saw on the platform of the railway-station were my -quondam companions, the colonel and George. We met like friends who had -parted only half an hour before. During dinner it was agreed that we -should pass our afternoon among the cliffs. This arrangement appeared -very judicious; the distance is short, and the attractions many.</p> - -<p>We accordingly set out for the ledges at three in the afternoon. -The weather did not look promising, to be sure, but we decided it -sufficiently so for this promenade of three or four hours.</p> - -<p>While en route, let me mention a discovery. One morning, while sitting -on the piazza of the Kearsarge House enjoying the dreamy influence -of the warm atmosphere, which spun its soft, gossamer web about the -mountains, I observed a peculiar shadow thrown by a jutting mass of the -Cathedral Ledge upon a smooth surface, which exactly resembled a human -figure standing upright. I looked away, then back again, to see if I -was not the victim of an illusion. No, it was still there. Now it is -always there. The head and upper part of the body were inclined slightly -forward, the legs perfectly formed. At ten every forenoon, punctual -to the hour, this phantom, emerging from the rock, stands, fixed and -motionless as a statue, in its niche. At every turn of the sun, this -shade silently interrogates the feverish activity that has replaced the -silence of ages. One day or another I shall demand of my phantom what it -has witnessed.</p> - -<p>The road we followed soon turned sharply away from the main street<a name="page_043" id="page_043"></a> of -the village, to the left, and in a few rods more plunged into the Saco, -leaving us standing on the bank, looking askance at a wide expanse of -water, choked with bowlders, around which the swift current whirled and -foamed with rage. We decided it too shallow to swim, but doubted if it -was not too deep to ford. We had reached our Rubicon.</p> - -<p>“We must wade,” said the colonel, with decision.</p> - -<p>“Precisely my idea,” assented George, beginning to unlace his shoes.</p> - -<p>I put my hand in the river. Ugh! it was as cold as ice.</p> - -<p>Having assured ourselves no one saw us, we divested ourselves of shoes, -stockings, pantaloons, and drawers. We put our stockings in our pockets, -disposed our clothing in a roll over the shoulder, as soldiers do on the -march, tied our shoes together, and hung them around our necks. Then, -placing our hands upon each others’ shoulders, as I have seen gymnasts -do in a circus, we entered the river, like candidates for baptism, -feeling our way, and catching our breath.</p> - -<p>“<i>Sans-culottes</i>,” suggested the colonel, who knew a little French.</p> - -<p>“Kit-kats,” added George, who knows something of art, as the water rose -steadily above our knees.</p> - -<p>The treacherous bowlders tripped us up at every step, so that one or -the other was constantly floundering, like a stranded porpoise in a -frog-pond. But, thanks to our device, we reached the middle of the river -without anything worse than a few bruises. Here we were fairly stopped. -The water was waist-deep, and the current every moment threatened to -lift us from our feet. How foolish we looked!</p> - -<p>Advance or retreat? That was the question. One pointed up stream, -another down; while, to aggravate the situation, rain began to patter -around us. In two minutes the river was steaming. George, who is a great -infant, suggested putting our hands in our pockets, to keep them warm, -and our clothes in the river, to keep them dry.</p> - -<p>“By Jove!” ejaculated the colonel, “the river is smoking.”</p> - -<p>“Let us join the river,” said George, producing his cigar-case.</p> - -<p>Putting our heads together over the colonel’s last match, thus forming -an antique tripod of our bodies, we succeeded in getting a light; and -for the first time, I venture to affirm, since its waters gushed from -the mountains, incense ascended from the bosom of the Saco.</p> - -<p>“I’m freezing!” stuttered George.</p> - -<p>I was pushing forward, to cut the dilemma short, when the colonel -interposed with,<a name="page_044" id="page_044"></a></p> - -<p>“Stop; I want to tell you a story.”</p> - -<p>“A story? here—in the middle of the river?” we shouted.</p> - -<p>“In the middle of the river; here—a story!” he echoed.</p> - -<p>“I would like to sit down while I listen,” observed George.</p> - -<p>Evidently the coldness of the water had forced the blood into our -friend’s head. He was ill, but obstinate. We therefore resigned -ourselves to hear him.</p> - -<p>“This river and this situation remind me of the Potawatamies,” he began.</p> - -<p>“Potawatamies!” we echoed, with chattering teeth. “Go on; go on.”</p> - -<p>“When I was on the Plains,” continued the colonel, “I passed some time -among those Indians. During my stay, the chief invited me to accompany -him on a buffalo-hunt. I accepted on the spot; for of all things a -buffalo-hunt was the one I was most desirous of seeing. We set out at -daybreak the next morning. After a few hours’ march, we came to a stream -between deep banks, and flowing with a rapid current, like this one—”</p> - -<p>“Go on; go on!” we shiveringly articulated.</p> - -<p>“At a gesture from the chief, a young squaw dismounted from her pony, -advanced to the edge of the stream, and began, timidly, to wade it. When -she hesitated, as she did two or three times, the chief said something -which encouraged her to proceed. All at once she stopped, threw up her -arms, and screamed something in the Indian dialect; at which all the -braves burst into a loud laugh, the squaws joining in.</p> - -<p>“‘What does she say?’ I asked of the chief.</p> - -<p>“‘Up to the middle,’ he replied, pushing his pony into the stream.”</p> - -<p>The stream grew shallower, so that we soon emerged from the water upon -the opposite bank. Here we poured the water from our shoes, and resumed -our wet clothing. Everything was cooled, except our ardor.</p> - -<p>As we approached nearer, the ledges were full of grim recesses, rude -rock-niches, and traversed by perpendicular cracks from brow to base. -“Take care!” I shouted; “there is a huge piece of the cliff just ready -to fall.”</p> - -<p>In some places the rock is sheer and smooth, in others it is broken -regularly down, for half its whole height, to where it is joined by rude -buttresses of massive granite. The lithe maples climb up the steepest -ravines, but cannot pass the waste of sheer rock stretching between -them<a name="page_045" id="page_045"></a> and the firs, which look down over the brink of the precipice. -Rusted purple is the prevailing color, blotched here and there with -white, like the drip oozing from limestone. We soon emerged on the shore -of Echo Lake.</p> - -<p>Hovering under the great precipices, which lie heavily shadowed on its -glossy surface, are gathered the waters flowing from the airy heights -above—the little rills, the rivulets, the cascades. The tremendous -shadow the cliff flings down seems lying deep in the bosom of the lake, -as if perpetually imprinted there. Slender birches, brilliant foliage, -were daintily etched upon the surface, like arabesques on polished -steel. The water is perfectly transparent, and without a ripple. Indeed, -the breezes playing around the summit, or humming in the tree-tops, seem -forbidden to enter this haunt of Dryads. The lake laps the yellow strand -with a light, fluttering movement. The place seems dedicated to silence -itself.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_045_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_045_sml.jpg" width="307" height="153" alt="ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY." -title="ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY.</span> -</p> - -<p>To destroy this illusion, a man came out of a booth and touched off a -small cannon. The effect was like knocking at half a dozen doors at -once. And the silence which followed seemed all the deeper. Then the -aged rock was pelted with questions, and made to jeer, laugh, menace, -or curse by turns, or all at once. How grandly it bore all these petty -insolences! How presumptuous in us thus to cover its hoary front with -obloquy! We could never get the last word. We did not even come off in -triumph. How ironically the mountain repeated, “Who are you?” and “What -am I!” With what energy it at last vociferated, “Go to the devil!” To -the Devil’s Den we accordingly go.</p> - -<p><a name="page_046" id="page_046"></a>Following a woodland path skirting the base of the cliffs, we were -very soon before the entrance of the Devil’s Den, formed by a huge -piece of the cliff falling upon other detached fragments in such a way -as to leave an aperture large enough to admit fifty persons at once. A -ponderous mass divides the cavern into two chambers, one of which is -light, airy, and spacious, the other dark, gloomy, and contracted—a -mere hole. This might well have been the lair of the bears and panthers -formerly roaming, unmolested, these woods.</p> - -<p>The Cathedral is a recess higher up in the same cliff, hollowed out -by the cleaving off of the lower rock, leaving the upper portion of -the precipice overhanging. The top of the roof is as high as a tall -tree. Some maples that have grown here since the outer portion of the -rock fell, assist, with their straight-limbed, columnar trunks, the -resemblance to a chancel. A little way off this cavity has really the -appearance of a gigantic shell, like those fossils seen imbedded in -subterranean rocks. We did not miss here the delicious glimpses of -Kearsarge, and of the mountains across the valley which, now that the -sun came out, were all in brilliant light, while the cool afternoon -shadows already wrapped the woods about us in twilight gloom.</p> - -<p>Still farther on we came upon a fine cascade falling down a long, -irregular staircase of broken rock. One of these steps extends, a solid -mass of granite, more than a hundred feet across the bed of the stream, -and is twenty feet high. Unless the brook is full, it is not a single -sheet we see, but twenty, fifty crystal streams gushing or spirting -from the grooves they have channelled in the hard granite, and falling -into basins they have hollowed out. It is these curious, circular stone -cavities, out of which the freshest and cleanest water constantly pours, -that give to the cascade the name of Diana’s Baths. The water never -dashes itself noisily down, but slips, like oil, from the rocks, with a -pleasant, purling sound no single word of our language will correctly -describe. From here we returned to the village in the same way that we -came.<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a></p> - -<p>The wild and bristling little mountain range on the east side of North -Conway embodies a good deal of picturesque character. It is there our -way lies to Artists’ Falls, which are on a brook issuing from these -Green Hills. I found the walk, following its windings, more remunerative -than the falls themselves. The brook, flowing first over a smooth -granite ledge, collects in a little pool below, out of which the<a name="page_047" id="page_047"></a> pure -water filters through bowlders and among glittering pebbles to a gorge -between two rocks, down which it plunges. The beauty of this cascade -consists in its waywardness. Now it is a thin sheet, flowing demurely -along; now it breaks out in uncontrollable antics; and at length, as if -tired of this sport, darts like an arrow down the rocky fissure, and is -a mountain brook again.</p> - -<p>The ascent of Kearsarge and of the Moats fittingly crowns the series of -excursions which are the most attractive feature of out-of-door life -at North Conway. The northern peak of Moat is the one most frequently -climbed, but the southern affords almost equally admirable views of the -Saco, the Ellis, and the Swift River valleys, with the mountain chains -enclosing them. The prospect here is, however, much the same as that -obtained from Chocorua, which is seen rising beyond the Swift River -valley. To that description I must, therefore, refer the reader, who is -already acquainted with its principal features.</p> - -<p>The high ridge is an arid and desolate heap of summits stripped bare -of vegetation by fire. When this fire occurred, twenty odd years -ago, it drove the bears and rattlesnakes from their forest homes in -great numbers, so that they fell an easy prey to their destroyers. A -depression near its centre divides the ridge in two, constituting, in -effect, two mountains. We crossed the range in its whole length, and, -after newly refreshing ourselves with the admirable views had from -its greater elevation, descended the northern peak to Diana’s Baths. -Probably the most striking view of the Moats is from Conway. Here the -summits, thrown into a mass of lawless curves and blunted, prong-like -protuberances, rear a blackened and weird-looking cluster on high. But -for a wide region they divide with Chocorua the honors of the landscape, -constituting, at Jackson especially, a large and imposing background, -massively based and buttressed, and cutting through space with their -trenchant edge.</p> - -<p>In the winter of 1876, finding myself at North Conway, I determined to -make the attempt to ascend Mount Kearsarge, notwithstanding two-thirds -of the mountain were shrouded in snow, and the bare shaft constituting -the spire sheathed in glittering ice. The mountain had definitively gone -into winter-quarters.</p> - -<p>I was up early enough to surprise, all at once, the unwonted and -curiously-blended effect of moonlight, starlight, and the twilight of -dawn. The new moon, with the old in her arms, balanced her shining<a name="page_048" id="page_048"></a> -crescent on the curved peak of Moat Mountain. All these high, -surrounding peaks, carved in marble and flooded with effulgence, -impressed the spirit with that mingled awe and devotion felt among -the antique monuments of some vast cemetery. The sight thrilled and -solemnized by its chaste magnificence. Glittering stars, snow-draped -summits, black mountains casting sable draperies upon the dead white -of the valley, constituted a scene of sepulchral pomp into which the -supernatural entered unchallenged. One by one the stars went out. The -moon grew pale. A clear emerald, overspreading the east, was reflected -from lofty peak and tapering spire.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_048_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_048_sml.jpg" width="340" height="376" alt="KEARSARGE IN WINTER." -title="KEARSARGE IN WINTER." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">KEARSARGE IN WINTER.</span> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_049" id="page_049"></a></p> - -<p>Day broke bright, clear, and crisp. There, again, was the same matchless -array of high and noble summits, sitting on thrones of alabaster -whiteness. While the moon still lingered in the west, the broad red -disk of the sun rose over the wooded ridges in the east. So sun and -moon, monarch and queen, saluted each other. One gave the watchword, -and descended behind the moated mountain; the other ascended the vacant -throne. Thus night and day met and exchanged majestic salutation in the -courts of the morning.</p> - -<p>The mercury stood at three degrees below zero in the village, when I -set out on foot for the mountain. A light fall of snow had renewed -the Christmas decorations. The trees had newly-leaved and blossomed. -Beautiful it was to see the dark old pines thick-flaked with new snow, -and the same feathery substance lodged on every twig and branchlet, -tangle of vines, or tuft of tawny yellow grass. Fir-trees looked like -gigantic azaleas; thickets like coral groves. Nothing too slender or too -fragile for the white flight to alight upon. Talk of decorative art! -Even the telegraph-wires hung in broad, graceful festoons of white, -and the poor washer-woman’s clothes-line was changed into the same -immaterial thing of beauty.</p> - -<p>The ascent proved more toilsome than I had anticipated, as my feet -broke through the frozen crust at every step. But if the climb had been -difficult when in the woods, it certainly presented few attractions when -I emerged from them half a mile below the summit. I found the surface of -the bare ledges, which now continue to the top of the mountain, sheeted -in ice, smooth and slippery as glass.</p> - -<p>Many a time have I laughed heartily at the feverish indecision of a dog -when he runs along the margin of a pond into which he has been urged -to plunge. He turns this way and that, whines, barks, crouches for the -leap, laps the water, but hesitates. Imagine, now, the same animal -chasing some object upon slippery ice, his feet spread widely apart; -his frantic efforts to stop; the circles described in the air by his -tail. Well, I experienced the same perplexity, and made nearly the same -ridiculous evolutions.</p> - -<p>After several futile attempts to advance over it, and as often finding -myself sliding backward with entire loss of control of my own movements, -I tried the rugged ravine, traversing the summit, with some success, -steadying my steps on the iced bowlders by grasping the bushes which -grew there among clefts of the rock. But this way, besides being<a name="page_050" id="page_050"></a> -extremely fatiguing, was decidedly the more dangerous of the two; and -I was glad, after a brief trial, to abandon it for the ice, in which, -here and there, detached stones, solidly embedded, furnished points of -support, if they could be reached. By pursuing a zigzag course from -stone to stone, sometimes—like a pious Moslem approaching the tomb of -the Prophet—upon my hands and knees, and shedding tears from the force -of the wind, I succeeded in getting over the ledges after an hour’s -obstinate battle to maintain an upright position, and after several -mishaps had taught me a degree of caution closely approaching timidity. -By far the most treacherous ground was where fresh snow, covering the -smooth ice, spread its pitfalls in the path, causing me several times -to measure my length; but at last these obstacles were one by one -surmounted; I groped my way, foot by foot, up the sharp rise of the -pinnacle, finding myself at the front door of the house which is so -conspicuous an object from the valley.</p> - -<p>Never was air more pure, more crisp, or more transparent. Besides, -what air can rival that of winter? I felt myself rather floating than -walking. Certainly there is a lightness, a clearness, and a depth that -belongs to no other season. At no other season do we behold our native -skies so blue, so firm, or so brilliant as when the limpid ether, -winnowed by the fierce north wind to absolute purity, presents objects -with such marvellous clearness, precision, and fidelity, that we hardly -persuade ourselves they are forty, fifty, or a hundred miles distant. To -realize this rare condition was all the object of the ascent—an object -attained in a measure far beyond any anticipations I had formed.</p> - -<p>As may easily be imagined, the immediate effect was bewildering in the -extreme. In the first place, the direct rays of the noonday sun covered -the mountain-top with dazzling brilliancy. The eye fairly ached with -looking at it. In the second, the intensity of the blue was such as to -give the idea that the grand expanse of sky was hard frozen. Nothing -more coldly brilliant than this immense azure dome can be conceived. -There was not the faintest trace of a cloud anywhere; nothing but this -splendid void. Under this high-vaulted dome, imagine now a vast expanse -of white etched with brown—a landscape in sepia. Such was the general -effect.</p> - -<p>But the inexpressible delight of having all this admirable scene to -one’s self! Taine asks, “Can anything be sweeter than the certainty -of being alone? In any widely known spot, you are in constant dread -of<a name="page_051" id="page_051"></a> an incursion of tourists; the hallooing of guides, the loud-voiced -admiration, the bustle, whether of unfastening horses, or of unpacking -provisions, or of airing opinions, all disturb the budding sensation; -civilization recovers its hold upon you. But here, what security and -what silence! nothing that recalls man; the landscape is just what it -has been these six thousand years.”</p> - -<p>The view from this mountain is justly admired. Stripped of life and -color, I found it sad, pathetic even. Dead white and steel blue rudely -repulsed the sensitive eye. The north wind, cold and cutting, drove me -to take shelter under glaring rocks. The cracking of ice first on one -side, then on the other, diverted the attention from the landscape, -as if the mountain was continually snapping its fingers in disdain. -I had constantly the feeling that some <i>one</i> or some <i>thing</i> was at -my elbow. What childishness! But where now was the lavish summer, the -barbaric splendors of autumn—its arabesques of foliage, its velvet -shadows, its dappled skies, its glow, mantling like that of health and -beauty? All-pervading gloom and defoliation were rendered ten times more -melancholy by the splendid glare. Winter flung her white shroud over the -land to hide the repulsiveness of death.</p> - -<p>I looked across the valley where Moat Mountain reared its magnificent -dark wave. Passing to the north side, the eye wandered over the wooded -summits to the silvery heap of Washington, to which frozen, rose-colored -mists were clinging. A great ice-cataract rolled down over the edge -of Tuckerman’s Ravine, its wave of glittering emerald. It shone with -enchanting brilliancy, cheating the imagination with the idea that -it moved; that the thin, spectral vapor rose from the depths of the -ice-cold gorge below. There gaped, wide open, the enormous hole of -Carter Notch; there the pale-blue Saco wound in and out of the hills, -with hamlets and villages strung along its serpentine course; and, as -the river grows, villages increase to towns, towns to cities. There -was the sea sparkling like a plain of quicksilver, with ponds and -lakes innumerable between. There, in the south-west, as far as the eye -could reach, was Monadnock demanding recognition; and in the west, -Moosehillock, Lafayette, Carrigain peaks, lifted with calm superiority -above the chaos of mountains, like higher waves of a frozen sea. -Finally, there were the snow-capped summits of the great range seen -throughout their whole extent, sunning their satin sides in indolent -enjoyment.</p> - -<p>This view has no peer in these mountains. Indeed, the mountain<a name="page_052" id="page_052"></a> seems -expressly placed to command in one comprehensive sweep of the eye the -most impressive features of any mountain landscape. Being a peak of the -second order—that is to say, one not dominating all the chains—while -it does not unfold the topography of the region in its whole extent, -it is sufficiently elevated to permit the spectator to enjoy that -increasing grandeur with which the distant ranges rise, tier upon tier, -to their great central spires, without lessening materially their -loftiness, or the peculiar and varied expression of their contours. The -peak of Kearsarge peeps down over one shoulder into New Hampshire, over -the other into Maine. It looks straight up through the open door of the -Carter Notch, and boldly stares Washington in the face. It sees the -sun rise from the ocean, and set behind Mount Lafayette. It patronizes -Moat, measures itself proudly with Chocorua, and maintains a distant -acquaintance with Monadnock. It is a handsome mountain, and, as such, -is a general favorite with the ladies and the artists. Like a careful -shepherd, it every morning scans the valleys to see that none of its -flock of villages has wandered. For these villagers it is a sun-dial, a -weather-vane, an almanac; for the wayfarer, a sure guide; and for the -poet, a mountain with a soul.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_053_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_053_sml.jpg" width="251" height="362" alt="SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE." -title="SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE.</span> -</p> - -<p>The cold was intense, the wind piercing. On its north side the house -was deeply incrusted with ice-spars—windows and all. I feel that only -scant justice can be done to their wondrous beauty. All the scrubby -bushes growing out of interstices of the crumbling summit—wee twig -and slender filament—were stemmed with ice; while the rocks bristled -with countless frost feathers. With my pitch-cakes and a few twigs -I lighted a fire, which might be seen from the half-dozen villages -clustered about the foot of the mountain, and pleased myself with -imagining the astonishment with which a smoke curling upward from -this peak would be greeted for fifty miles around. I then prepared to -descend—I say prepared to descend, for the thing at once so easy to -say and so difficult of performance suddenly revived the recollection -of the hazardous scramble up the ledges, and made it seem child’s play -by comparison. For a brief hour I had forgotten all this. However, go -down I must. But how? The first step on the ice threatened a descent -more rapid than flesh and blood could calmly contemplate. I had no -hatchet to cut steps in the ice; no rope to attach to the rocks, and -thus lower myself, as is practised in crossing the glaciers of the -Alps; and there was no foothold. For a moment I seriously thought of -forcing an entrance<a name="page_053" id="page_053"></a> into the house, and, making a signal of distress, -resign myself to the possibility of help from below. But while sitting -on a rock looking blankly at the glassy declivity stretching down from -the summit, a bright idea came to my aid. I remembered having read in -Bourrienne’s “Memoirs” that Bonaparte—the great Bonaparte—was forced -to slide down the summit of the Great St. Bernard <i>seated</i>, while -making his famous passage of the Alps. Yes, the great Corsican really -advanced to the conquest of Italy in this undignified posture. But never -did great example find more unworthy imitator. Seating myself, as the -Little Corporal had done, using my staff as a rudder, and steering for -protruding stones in order to check the force of the descent from time -to time, I slid down with a celerity the very remembrance of which makes -my<a name="page_054" id="page_054"></a> head swim, arriving safe, but breathless and much astonished, at -the first irregular patch of snow. The pleasure of standing erect on -something the feet could grasp was one not to be translated into words.</p> - -<p>Upon reaching the hotel, I procured another pair of pantaloons of my -host, and some court-plaster from the village apothecary. If any of my -readers think my dignity compromised, I beg him to remember the example -of the great Napoleon, and his famous expedient for circumventing the -Great St. Bernard.<a name="page_055" id="page_055"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VI-1" id="CHAPTER_VI-1"></a>VI.<br /><br /> -<small><i>FROM KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0"><i>Raleigh.</i>—“Fain would I climb, but that I fear to fall.”<br /></span> -<span class="i0"><i>Queen Elizabeth.</i>—“If thy heart fail thee, climb thou not at all.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>FTER the storm, we had a fine lunar bow. The corona in the centre was a -clear silver, the outer circle composed of pale green and orange fires. -Over the moon’s disk clouds swept a continuous stormy flight. The great -planet resembled a splendid decoration hung high in the heavens.</p> - -<p>Having now progressed to terms of easy familiarity with the village, it -was decided to pay our respects to the Intervale, which unites it with -the neighboring town of Bartlett.</p> - -<p>The road up the valley first skirts a wood, and through this wood are -delicious glimpses of Mount Adams. During the heat of the day or cool -of the evening this extensive and beautiful forest has always been a -favorite haunt. Tall, athletic pines, that bend in the breeze like -whalebone, lift their immense clusters of impenetrable foliage on high. -The sighs of lovers are softly echoed in their green tops; voices and -laughter issue from it. We, too, will swing our hammock here, and -breathe the healing fragrance that is so grateful.</p> - -<p>In a little enclosure of rough stone, on the Bigelow place, lie the -remains of the ill-fated Willey family, who were destroyed by the -memorable slide of 1826. The inscription closes with this not too lucid -figure:</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“We gaze around, we read their monument;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">We sigh, and when we sigh we sink.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>Where the high terrace, making one grand sweep to the right, again -unveils the same superb view of the great summits, now wholly -unobstructed by houses or groves, we halt before that picture, -unrivalled in these mountains, not surpassed, perhaps, upon earth, and -which we never<a name="page_056" id="page_056"></a> tire of gazing upon. Its most salient features have -already been described; but here in their very midst, from their very -heart, nature seems to have snatched a garden-spot from the haggard -mountains arrested in their advance by the command, “Thus far, and no -farther!” The elms, all grace, all refinement of form, bend before -the fierce blasts of winter, but stir not. The frozen east wind flies -shrieking through, as if to tear them limb from limb. The ground is -littered with their branches. They bow meekly before its rage, but stir -not. Really, they seem so many sentinels jealously guarding that repose -of which the vale is so eloquently the expression. The vale regards the -stormy summits around with the unconcern of perfect security. It is rest -to look at it.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_056_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_056_sml.jpg" width="367" height="426" alt="CONWAY MEADOWS." -title="CONWAY MEADOWS." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">CONWAY MEADOWS.</span> -</p> - -<p>Again we scan the great peaks which in clear days come boldly<a name="page_057" id="page_057"></a> down and -stand at our very doors, but on hazy ones remove to a vast distance, -keeping vaguely aloof day in and day out. Sometimes they are in the -sulks, sometimes bold and forward. By turns they are graciously -condescending, or tantalizingly incomprehensible. One time they muffle -themselves in clouds from head to foot, so we cannot detect a suggestive -line or a contour; another, throwing off all disguise, they expose their -most secret beauties to the free gaze of the multitude. This is to set -the beholder’s blood on fire with the passion to climb as high as those -gray shafts of everlasting rock that so proudly survey the creeping -leagues beneath them.</p> - -<p>Nowhere is the unapproachable grandeur of Mount Washington more fully -manifested than here. This large and impressive view is at once -suggestive of that glorious pre-eminence always associated with high -mountains. There are mountains, respectable ones too, in the middle -distance; but over these the great peak lords it with undisputed sway. -The bold and firm, though gradual, lines of ascent culminating at the -apex, extend over leagues of sky. After a clear sunset, Mount Washington -takes the same dull lead-color of the clouds hovering like enormous -night-birds over its head.</p> - -<p>North Conway permits, to the tourist, a choice of two very agreeable -excursions, either of which may be made in a day, although they could -profitably occupy a week. One is to follow the course of the Saco, -through the great Notch, to Fabyans, where you are on the westward -side of the great range, and where you take the rail to the summit -of Mount Washington. The other excursion is to diverge from the Saco -Valley three or four miles from North Conway, ascending the valley of -Ellis River—one of the lame affluents of the Saco—through the Pinkham -Notch to the Glen House, where you are exactly under the eastern foot -of Mount Washington, and may ascend it, by the carriage-road, in a -coach-and-four. We had already chosen the first route, and as soon as -the roads were a little settled we began our march.</p> - -<p>The storm was over. The keen north wind drove the mists in utter rout -before it. Peak after peak started out of the clouds, glowered on us a -moment, and then muffled his enormous head in fleecy vapor. The clouds -seemed thronged with monstrous apparitions, struggling fiercely with -the gale, which in pure wantonness tore aside the magic drapery that -rendered them invisible, scattering its tattered rags far and wide over -the valley.<a name="page_058" id="page_058"></a></p> - -<p>Now the sun entered upon the work begun by the wind. Quicker than -thought, a ray of liquid flame transfixed the vapors, flashed upon the -vale, and, flying from summit to summit, kindled them with newborn -splendor. One would have said a flaming javelin, hurled from high -heaven, had just cleft its dazzling way to earth. The mists slunk away -and hid themselves. The valley was inundated with golden light. Even the -dark faces of the cliffs brightened and beamed upon the vale, where the -bronzed foliage fluttered, and the river leaped for joy. In a little -time nothing was left but scattered clouds winging their way toward the -lowlands.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_058_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_058_sml.jpg" width="338" height="271" alt="BARTLETT BOWLDER." -title="BARTLETT BOWLDER." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">BARTLETT BOWLDER.</span> -</p> - -<p>Near Glen Station is one of those curiosities—a transported -boulder—which was undoubtedly left while on its travels through the -mountains, poised upon four smaller ones, in the position seen in the -engraving.</p> - -<p>Three miles below the village of Bartlett we stopped before a -farm-house, with the gable-end toward the road, to inquire the distance -to the next tavern, where we meant to pass the night. A gruff voice from -the inside growled something by way of reply; but as its owner, whoever -he might be, did not take the trouble to open his door, the answer was -unintelligible.<a name="page_059" id="page_059"></a></p> - -<p>“The churl!” muttered the colonel. “I have a great mind to teach him to -open when a gentleman knocks.”</p> - -<p>“And I advise you not to try it,” said the voice from the inside.</p> - -<p>The one thing a Kentuckian never shrinks from is a challenge. He only -said, “Wait a minute,” while putting his broad shoulder against the -door; but now George and I interfered. Neither of us had any desire to -signalize our entry into the village by a brawl, and after some trouble -we succeeded in pacifying our fire-eater with the promise to stop at -this house on our way back.</p> - -<p>“I shall know it again,” said the colonel, looking back, and nibbling -his long mustache with suppressed wrath; “something has been spilled on -the threshold—something like blood.”</p> - -<p>We laughed heartily. The blood, we concluded, was in the colonel’s eyes.</p> - -<p>Some time after nightfall we arrived in the village, having put thirteen -miles of road behind us without fatigue. Our host received us with a -blazing fire—what fires they do have in the mountains, to be sure!—a -pitcher of cider, and the remark, “Don’t be afraid of it, gentlemen.”</p> - -<p>All three hastened to reassure him on this point. The colonel began with -a loud smack, and George finished the jug with a deep sigh.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be afraid of it,” repeated the landlord, returning presently with -a fresh pitcher. “There are five barrels more like it in the cellar.”</p> - -<p>“Landlord,” quoth George, “let one of your boys take a mattress, two -blankets, and a pillow to the cellar. I intend to pass the night there.”</p> - -<p>“I only wish your well was full of it,” said the colonel, taking a -second pull at the jug, and making a second explosion with his lips.</p> - -<p>“Gentlemen,” said I, “we have surely entered a land of milk and honey.”</p> - -<p>“You shall have as much of both as you desire,” said our host, very -affably. “Supper is ready, gentlemen.”</p> - -<p>After supper a man came in for whom I felt, upon the instant, one of -those secret antipathies which are natural to me. The man was an utter -stranger. No matter: the repugnance seized me all the same.</p> - -<p>After a tour of the tap-room, and some words with our landlord in an -undertone, the stranger went out with the look of a man who had asked -for something and had been refused.<a name="page_060" id="page_060"></a></p> - -<p>“Where have I heard that man’s voice?” said the colonel, thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>Our landlord is one of the most genial to be found among the mountains. -While sitting over the fire during the evening, the conversation turned -upon the primitive simplicity of manners remarked among mountaineers in -general; and our host illustrated it with this incident:</p> - -<p>“You noticed, perhaps, a man who left here a few moments ago?” he began.</p> - -<p>We replied affirmatively. It was my antipathy.</p> - -<p>“Well, that man killed a traveller a few years back.”</p> - -<p>We instinctively recoiled. The air seemed tainted with the murderer’s -presence.</p> - -<p>“Yes; dead as a mutton,” continued the landlord, punching the logs -reflectively, and filling the chimney with sparks. “The man came to -his house one dark and stormy night, and asked to be admitted. The man -of the house flatly refused. The stranger pleaded hard, but the fellow -ordered him away with threats. Finding entreaties useless, the traveller -began to grow angry, and attempted to push open the door, which was -only fastened by a button, as the custom is. The man of the house said -nothing, but took his gun from a corner, and when the intruder crossed -the threshold he put three slugs through him. The wounded man expired on -the threshold, covering it with his blood.”</p> - -<p>“Murdered him, and for that? Come, come, you are joking!” ejaculated -George, with a half smile of incredulity.</p> - -<p>“Blowed him right through, just as I tell you,” reiterated the narrator, -without heeding the doubt George’s question implied.</p> - -<p>“That sounds a little like Old Kentuck,” observed the colonel, coolly.</p> - -<p>“Yes; but listen to the sequel, gentlemen,” resumed the landlord. “The -murderer took the dead body in his arms, finding, to his horror, that -it was an acquaintance with whom he had been drinking the day before; -he took up the body, as I was saying, laid it out upon a table, and -then went quietly to bed. In the morning he very honestly exhibited the -corpse to all who passed his door, and told his story as I tell it to -you. I had it from his own lips.”</p> - -<p>“That beats Kentucky,” asseverated the colonel. For my own part, I -believed the landlord was amusing himself at our expense.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know about Kentucky,” observed the landlord; “I was never there -in my life; but I do know that, when the dead man was buried,<a name="page_061" id="page_061"></a> the man -who killed him went to the funeral like any curious or indifferent -spectator.”</p> - -<p>This was too much. George rose from his chair, and began to be -interested in a placard on the wall. “And you say this happened near -here?” he slowly inquired; “perhaps, now, you could show us the very -house?” he finished, dryly.</p> - -<p>“Nothing easier. It’s only three miles back on the road you came. The -blood-stain is plain, or was, on the threshold.”</p> - -<p>We exchanged glances. This was the house where we halted to inquire our -way. The colonel’s eyes dilated, but he said nothing.</p> - -<p>“But was there no trial?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“Trial? oh yes. After several days had run by, somebody thought of -that; so one morning the slayer saddled his horse and rode over to the -county-seat to inquire about it. He was tried at the next sessions, and -acquitted. The judge charged justifiable homicide; that a man’s house is -his fort; the jury did not leave their benches. By-the-bye, gentlemen, -that is some of the man’s cider you are drinking.”</p> - -<p>I felt decided symptoms of revolt in my stomach; George made a grimace, -and the colonel threw his unfinished glass in the fire. During the -remainder of the evening he rallied us a good deal on the subject of New -England hospitality, but said no more about going back to chastise the -man of the red house.<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></p> - -<p>The sun rose clear over the right shoulder of Kearsarge. After breakfast -the landlord took us out and introduced us to his neighbors, the -mountains. While he was making the presentation in due form, I jotted -down the following, which has, at least, the merit of conciseness:</p> - -<p><i>Upper Bartlett</i>: an ellipse of fertile land; three Lombardy poplars; a -river murmuring unseen; a wall of mountains, with Kearsarge looking up, -and Carrigain looking down the intervale. <i>Item</i>: the cider is excellent.</p> - -<p>We had before us the range extending between Swift River and the Saco, -over which I looked from the summit of Chocorua straight to Mount -Washington. To the east this range is joined with the out-works<a name="page_062" id="page_062"></a> of -Moat. Then come Table, Bear, Silver Spring (Bartlett Haystack), and -Tremont, in the order named. Then comes the valley of Sawyer’s River, -with Carrigain rising between its walls; then, crossing to the north -side of the Saco, the most conspicuous object is the bold Hart’s Ledge, -between which and Sawyer’s Rock, on the opposite bank, the river is -crowded into a narrow channel. The mountain behind the hotel is Mount -Langdon, with Crawford more distant. Observe closely the curious -configuration of this peak. Whether we go up or down, it nods familiarly -to us from every point of approach.</p> - -<p>But Kearsarge and Carrigain are the grand features here. One gives -his adieu, the other his welcome. One is the perfection of symmetry, -of grace; the other simply demands our homage. His snowy crown, -dazzling white against the pure blue, was the badge of an incontestable -superiority. These two mountains are the presiding genii of this -charming intervale. You look first at the massive lineaments of one, -then at the flowing lines of the other, as at celebrated men, whose -features you would strongly impress upon the memory.</p> - -<p>From the village street we saw the sun go down behind Mount Carrigain, -and touch with his glittering sceptre the crest of Hancock. We looked up -the valley dominated by the giant of the Pemigewasset wilderness with -feelings of high respect for this illustrious hermit, who only deigns to -show himself from this single point, and whose peak long yielded only to -the most persevering and determined climbers.</p> - -<p>Two days were formerly required for the ascent of this mountain, but -a long day will now suffice, thanks to the path constructed under the -direction of the Appalachian Club. The mountain is four thousand six -hundred and twenty-five feet above the sea, and is wooded to its summit. -The valley of Sawyer’s River drains the deep basin between Carrigain and -Hancock, entering the Saco near the railroad station called Livermore. -The lumbermen have now penetrated this valley to the foot of the -mountain, with their rude logging roads, offering a way soon, it is -hoped, to be made plainer for future climbers than it was our lot to -find it.</p> - -<p>Thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the mountains, we now regarded -distances with disdain, and fatigue with indifference. We had learned -to make our toilets in the stream, and our beds in the fragrant groves. -Truly, the bronzed faces that peered at us as we bent over some solemn, -pine-shaded pool were not those we had been accustomed<a name="page_063" id="page_063"></a> to seeing at -home; but having solved the problem of man’s true existence, we only -laughed at each other’s tawny countenances while shouldering our packs -and tightening our belts for the day’s march.</p> - -<p>Leaving Bartlett at an early hour, we turned aside from the highway -a little beyond the bridge which spans Sawyer’s River, and were soon -following a rough and stony cart-way ascending the banks of this -stream, which thundered along its rocky bed, making the woods echo with -its roar. The road grew rapidly worse, the river wilder, the forest -gloomier, until, at the end of two miles, coming suddenly out into the -sun, we entered a rude street of unpainted cabins, terminating at some -saw-mills. This hamlet, which to the artistic eye so disadvantageously -replaces the original forest, is the only settlement in the large -township of Livermore. Its mission is to ravage and lay waste the -adjacent mountains. Notwithstanding the occupation is legitimate, one -instinctively rebels at the waste around him, where the splendid natural -forest, literally hewed and hacked in pieces, exposes rudely all the -deformities of the mountains. But this lost hamlet is the first in which -a genuine emotion of any kind awaits the traveller. Ten to one it is -like nothing he ever dreamed of; his surprise is, therefore, extreme. -The men were rough, hardy-looking fellows; the women appeared contented, -but as if hard work had destroyed their good looks prematurely. Both -announced, by their looks and their manner, that the life they led was -no child’s play; the men spoke only when addressed; the women stole -furtive glances at us; the half-dressed children stopped their play -to stare at the strangers. Here was neither spire nor bell. One cow -furnished all the milk for the commonalty. The mills being shut, there -was no sound except the river plashing over the rocks far down in the -gorge below; and had I encountered such a place on the sea-coast or the -frontier, I should at once have said I had stumbled upon the secret -hold of outlaws and smugglers, into which signs, grips, and passwords -were necessary to procure admission. To me, therefore, the hamlet of -Livermore was a wholly new experience.</p> - -<p>From this hamlet to the foot of the mountain is a long and uninteresting -tramp of five miles through the woods. We found the walking good, and -strode rapidly on, coming first to a wood-cutter’s camp pitched on the -banks of Carrigain Brook, and next to the clearing they had made at the -mountain’s foot. Here the actual work of the ascent began in earnest.<a name="page_064" id="page_064"></a></p> - -<p>Carrigain is solid, compact, massive. It is covered from head to foot -with forest. No incident of the way diverts the attention for a single -moment from the severe exertion required to overcome its steeply -inclined side; no breathing levels, no restful outlooks, no gorges, no -precipices, no cascades break the monotony of the escalade. We conquer, -as Napoleon’s grenadiers did, by our legs. It is the most inexorable of -mountains, and the most exasperating. From base to summit you cannot -obtain a cup of water to slake your thirst.</p> - -<p>Two hours of this brought us out upon the bare summit of the great -northern spur, beyond which the true peak rose a few hundred feet -higher. Carrigain, at once the desire and the bugbear of climbers, was -beneath our feet.</p> - -<p>We have already examined, from the rocks of Chocorua, the situation -of this peak. We then entitled it the Hub of the White Mountains. -It reveals all the magnitude, unfolds the topography of the woody -wilderness stretching between the Saco and the Pemigewasset valleys. As -nearly as possible, it exhibits the same amazing profusion of unbroken -forest, here and there darkly streaked by hidden watercourses, as when -the daring foot of the first climber pressed the unviolated crest of the -august peak of Washington. In all its length and breadth there is not -one object that suggests, even remotely, the presence of man. We saw not -even the smoke of a hunter’s camp. All was just as created; an absolute, -savage, unkempt wilderness.</p> - -<p>Heavens, what a bristling array of dark and shaggy mountains! Now and -then, where water gleamed out of their hideous depths, a great brilliant -eye seemed watching us from afar. We knew that we had only to look up to -see a dazzling circlet of lofty peaks drawn around the horizon, chains -set with glittering stones, clusters sparkling with antique crests; -still we could not withdraw our eyes from the profound abysses sunk deep -in the bowels of the land, typical of the uncovered bed of the primeval -ocean, sad and terrible, from which that ocean seemed only to have just -receded.</p> - -<p>But who shall describe all this solitary, this oppressive grandeur? -and what language portray the awfulness of these untrodden mountains? -Now and then, high up their bleak summits, a patch of forest had been -plucked up by the roots, or shaken from its hold in the throes of the -mountain, laid bare a long and glittering scar, red as a half-closed -wound. Such is the appearance of Mount Lowell, on the other side of the -gap<a name="page_065" id="page_065"></a> dividing Carrigain from the Notch mountains. We saw where the dark -slope of Mount Willey gives birth to the infant Merrimack. We saw the -confluent waters of this stream, so light of foot, speeding through the -gloomy defiles, as if fear had given them wings. We saw the huge mass of -Mount Hancock force itself slowly upward out of the press. Unutterable -lawlessness stamped the whole region as its own.</p> - -<p>That I have thus dwelt upon its most extraordinary feature, instead of -examining the landscape in detail, must suffice for the intelligent -reader. I have not the temerity to coolly put the dissecting-knife into -its heart. To science the things which belong to science. Besides, to -the man of feeling all this is but secondary. We are not here to make a -chart.</p> - -<p>After a visit to the high summit, where some work was done in the -interest of future climbers, we set out at four in the afternoon, on -our return down the mountain. A second time we halted on the spur to -glance upward at the heap of summits over which Mount Washington lifts a -regular dome. The long line of peaks, ascending from Crawford’s, seems -approaching it by a succession of huge steps. It was after dark when we -saw the lights of the village before us, and were again warmly welcomed -by the rousing fire and smoking viands of mine host.<a name="page_066" id="page_066"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VII-1" id="CHAPTER_VII-1"></a>VII.<br /><br /> -<small><i>VALLEY OF THE SACO.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">With our faint heart the mountain strives;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Its arms outstretched, the Druid wood<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Waits with its benedicte. <i>Sir Launfal.</i><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>T eight o’clock in the morning we resumed our march, with the intention -of reaching Crawford’s the same evening. The day was cold, raw, and -windy, so we walked briskly—sharp air and cutting wind acting like whip -and spur.</p> - -<p>I retain a vivid recollection of this morning. Autumn had passed her -cool hand over the fevered earth. Soft as three-piled velvet, the green -turf left no trace of our tread. The sky was of a dazzling blue, and -frescoed with light clouds, transparent as gauze, pure as the snow -glistening on the high summits. On both sides of us audacious mountains -braced their feet in the valley; while others mounted over their brawny -shoulders, as if to scale the heavens.</p> - -<p>But what shall I say of the grand harlequinade of nature which the -valley presented to our view? I cannot employ Victor Hugo’s odd simile -of a peacock’s tail; that is more of a witticism than a description. -The death of the year seemed to prefigure the glorious and surprising -changes of color in a dying dolphin—putting on unparalleled beauty at -the moment of dissolution, and so going out in a blaze of glory.</p> - -<p>From the meagre summits enfiladed by the north wind, and where a -solitary pine or cedar intensified the desolation, to the upper forests, -the mountains bristled with a scanty growth of dead or dying trees. -Those scattered birches, high up the mountain side, looked like quills -on a porcupine’s back; that group, glistening in the morning sun, -like the pipes of an immense organ. From this line of death, which -vegetation crossed at its peril, the eye dropped down over a limitless -forest of dark evergreen spotted with bright yellow. The effect of the -sunlight<a name="page_067" id="page_067"></a> on this foliage was magical. Myriad flambeaux illuminated the -deep gloom, doubling the intensity of the sun, emitting rays, glowing, -resplendent. This splendid light, which the heavy masses of orange -seemed to absorb, gave a velvety softness to the lower ridges and spurs, -covering their hard, angular lines with a magnificent drapery. The lower -forests, the valley, were one vast sea of color. Here the bewildering -melange of green and gold, orange and crimson, purple and russet, -produced the effect of an immense Turkish rug—the colors being soft -and rich, rather than vivid or brilliant. This quality, the blending -of a thousand tints, the dreamy grace, the sumptuous profusion, the -inexpressible tenderness, intoxicated the senses. Earth seemed no longer -earth. We had entered a garden of the gods.</p> - -<p>From time to time a scarlet maple flamed up in the midst of the forest, -and its red foliage, scattered at our feet by the wind, glowed like -flakes of fire beaten from an anvil. A tangled maze of color changed the -road into an avenue bordered with rare and variegated plants. Autumn’s -bright sceptre, the golden-rod, pointed the way. Blue and white daisies -strewed the greensward.</p> - -<p>After passing Sawyer’s River, the road turned abruptly to the north, -skirting the base of the Nancy range. We were at the door of the second -chamber in this remarkable gallery of nature.</p> - -<p>Before crossing the threshold it is expedient to allude to the incident -which has given a name not only to the mountain, but to the torrent we -see tearing its impetuous way down from the upper forests. The story of -Nancy’s Brook is as follows:</p> - -<p>In the latter part of the last century, a maiden, whose Christian name -of Nancy is all that comes down to us, was living in the little hamlet -of Jefferson. She loved, and was betrothed to a young man of the farm. -The wedding-day was fixed, and the young couple were on the eve of -setting out for Portsmouth, where their happiness was to be consummated -at the altar. In the trustfulness of love, the young girl confided the -small sum which constituted all her marriage-portion to her lover. This -man repaid her simple faith with the basest treachery. Seizing his -opportunity, he left the hamlet without a word of explanation or of -adieu. The deserted maiden was one of those natures which cannot quietly -sit down under calamity. Urged on by the intensity of her feelings, she -resolved to pursue her recreant lover. He could not resist her prayers, -her entreaties, her tears! She was young, vigorous, intrepid.<a name="page_068" id="page_068"></a> With her -to decide and to act were the same thing. In vain the family attempted -to dissuade her from her purpose. At nightfall she set out.</p> - -<p>A hundred years ago the route taken by this brave girl was not, as -to-day, a thoroughfare which one may follow with his eyes shut. It was -only an obscure path, little travelled by day, deserted by night. For -thirty miles, from Colonel Whipple’s, in Jefferson, to Bartlett, there -was not a human habitation. The forests were filled with wild beasts. -The rigor of the season—it was December—added its own perils. But -nothing could daunt the heroic spirit of Nancy; she had found man more -cruel than all besides.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_068_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_068_sml.jpg" width="342" height="235" alt="NANCY IN THE SNOW." -title="NANCY IN THE SNOW." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">NANCY IN THE SNOW.</span> -</p> - -<p>The girl’s hope was to overtake her lover before dawn at the place where -she expected he would have camped for the night. She found the camp -deserted, and the embers extinguished. Spurred on by hope or despair, -she pushed on down the tremendous defile of the Notch, fording the -turbulent and frozen Saco, and toiling through deep snows and over rocks -and fallen trees, until, feeling her strength fail, she sunk exhausted -on the margin of the brook which seems perpetually bemoaning her sad -fate. Here, cold and rigid as marble, under a canopy of evergreen which -the snow tenderly drooped above, they found her. She<a name="page_069" id="page_069"></a> was wrapped in her -cloak, and in the same attitude of repose as when she fell asleep on her -nuptial couch of snow-crusted moss.</p> - -<p>The story goes that the faithless lover became a hopeless maniac on -learning the fate of his victim, dying in horrible paroxysms not long -after. Tradition adds that for many years, on every anniversary of her -death, the mountains resounded with ravings, shrieks, and agonized -cries, which the superstitious attributed to the unhappy ghost of the -maniac lover.<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a></p> - -<p>It was not quite noon when we entered the beautiful and romantic glen -under the shadow of Mount Crawford. Upon our left, a little in advance, -a solidly-built English country-house, with gables, stood on a terrace -well above the valley. At our right, and below, was the old Mount -Crawford tavern, one of the most ancient of mountain hostelries. Upon -the opposite side of the vale rose the enormous mass of Mount Crawford; -and near where we stood, a humble mound, overgrown with bushes, enclosed -the mortal remains of the hardy pioneer whose monument is the mountain.</p> - -<p>We had an excusable curiosity to see a man who, in the prime of life, -had forsaken the city, its pleasures, its opportunities, and had come -to pass the rest of his life among these mountains; one, too, whose -enormous possessions procured for him the title of Lord of the Valley. -We heard with astonishment that our day’s journey, of which we had -completed the half only, was wholly over his tract—I ought to say his -dominions—that is, over thirteen miles of field, forest, and mountain. -This being equal to a small principality, it seemed quite natural and -proper to approach the proprietor with some degree of ceremony.</p> - -<p>A servant took our cards at the door, and returned with an invitation to -enter. The apartment into which we were conducted was the most singular -I have ever seen; certainly it has no counterpart in this world, unless -the famous hut of Robinson Crusoe has escaped the ravages of time. -It was literally crammed with antique furniture, among which was a -high-backed chair used in dentistry; squat little bottles, containing -chemicals; and a bench, on which was a spirit-lamp; a turning-lathe, a -small portable furnace, and a variety of instruments or tools of<a name="page_070" id="page_070"></a> which -we did not know the use. A few prints and oil-paintings adorned the -walls. A cheerful fire burnt on the hearth.</p> - -<p>“Were we in the sixteenth century,” said George, “I should say this was -the laboratory of some famous alchemist.”</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_070_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_070_sml.jpg" width="224" height="280" alt="ABEL CRAWFORD." -title="ABEL CRAWFORD." /></a> -<span class="caption">ABEL CRAWFORD.</span> -</p> - -<p>Further investigation was cut short by the entrance of our host, who was -a venerable-looking man, turned of eighty, with a silver beard falling -upon his breast, and a general expression of benignity. He stooped a -little, but seemed hale and hearty, notwithstanding the weight of his -fourscore years.</p> - -<p>Doctor Bemis received us graciously. For an hour he entertained us with -the story of his life among the mountains, “to which,” said he, “I -credit the last forty-five years—for I at first came here in pursuit of -health.” After he had satisfied our curiosity concerning himself, which -he did with perfect <i>bonhomie</i>, I asked him to describe Abel Crawford, -the veteran guide of the White Hills.</p> - -<p>“Abel,” said the doctor, “was six feet four; Erastus, the eldest son,<a name="page_071" id="page_071"></a> -was six feet six, or taller than Washington; and Ethan was still -taller, being nearly seven feet. In fact, not one of the sons was less -than six feet; so you may imagine what sort of family group it was -when ‘his boys,’ as Abel loved to call them, were all at home. Ah, -well!” continued the doctor, with a sigh, “that kind of timber does -not flourish in the mountains now. Why, the very sight of one of those -giants inspired the timid with confidence. Ethan, called in his day -the Giant of the Hills, was a man of iron frame and will. Fear and he -were strangers. He would take up an exhausted traveller in his sinewy -arms and carry him as you would a baby, until his strength or courage -returned. The first bridle-path up the mountain was opened by him -in—let me see—ah! I have it, it was in 1821. Ethan, with the help of -his father, also built the Notch House above.<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p> - -<p>“Abel was long-armed, lean, and sinewy. Doctor Dwight, whose ‘Travels -in New England’ you have doubtless read, stopped with Crawford, on his -way down the Notch, in 1797. His nearest neighbor then, on the north, -was Captain Rosebrook, who lived on or near the site of the present -Fabyan House. Crawford’s life of hardship had made little impression on -a constitution of iron. At seventy-five he rode the first horse that -reached the summit of Mount Washington. At eighty he often walked to -his son’s (Thomas J. Crawford), at the entrance of the Notch, before -breakfast. I recollect him perfectly at this time, and his appearance -was peculiarly impressive. He was erect and vigorous as one of those -pines on yonder mountain. His long white hair fell down upon his -shoulders, and his fresh, ruddy face was always expressive of good-humor.</p> - -<p>“The destructive freshet of 1826,” continued the doctor, “swept -everything before it, flooding the intervale, and threatening the old -house down there with instant demolition. During that terrible night, -when the Willey family perished, Mrs. Crawford was alone with her young -children in the house. The water rose with such rapidity that she was -driven to the upper story for safety. While here, the thud of floating -trees, driven by the current against the house, awakened new terrors. At -every concussion the house trembled. Wooden walls could not long<a name="page_072" id="page_072"></a> stand -that terrible pounding. The heroic woman, alive to the danger, seized a -stout pole, and, going to the nearest window, kept the side of the house -exposed to the flood free from the mass of wreck-stuff collected against -it. She held her post thus throughout the night, until the danger had -passed. When the flood subsided, Crawford found several fine trout alive -in his cellar.”</p> - -<p>“When do the great freshets usually occur?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“In the autumn,” replied our host. “It is not the melting snows, but the -sudden rainfalls that we fear.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” resumed he, reflectively, “the Crawfords were a family of -athletes. With them the race of guides became extinct. Soon after -settling here, Abel went with his wife to Bartlett on some occasion, -leaving their two boys in the care of a hired man. When they had gone, -this man took what he could find of value and decamped. When Abel -returned, which he did on the following day, he immediately set out -in pursuit of the thief, overtook him thirty miles from here, in the -Franconia forests, flogged him within an inch of his life, and let him -go.”</p> - -<p>“Sixty miles on foot, and alone, to recover a few stolen goods, and -punish a thief!” cried the astonished colonel; “that beats Daniel Boone.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; and what is more, the boys were brought up to face hunger, cold, -fatigue, with Indian stoicism, and even to encounter bears, lynxes, and -wolves with no other weapons than those provided by nature. There, now, -was Ethan, for example,” said the doctor, smiling at the recollection. -“One day he took it into his head to have a tame bear for the diversion -of his guests. Well, he caught a young one, half grown, and remarkably -vicious, in a trap. But how to get him home! At length Ethan tied his -fore and hind paws together so he couldn’t scratch, and put a muzzle of -withes over his nose so he couldn’t bite. Then, shouldering his prize -as he would a bag of meal, the guide started for home, in great glee -at the success of his clever expedient. He had not gone far, however, -before Bruin managed to get one paw wholly and his muzzle partly free, -and began to scratch and struggle and snap at his captor savagely. Ethan -wanted to get the bear home terribly; but, after having his clothing -nearly torn off his back, he grew angry, and threw the beast upon the -ground with such force as to kill him instantly.”</p> - -<p>“Report,” said I, “credits you with naming most of the mountains which -overlook the intervale.<a name="page_073" id="page_073"></a>”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied the doctor, “Resolution, over there”—indicating the -mountain allied to Crawford, and to the ridge which forms one of -the buttresses of Mount Washington—“I named in recognition of the -perseverance of Mr. Davis, who became discouraged while making a path to -Mount Washington in 1845.”</p> - -<p>“Is the route practicable?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“Practicable, yes; but nearly obliterated, and seldom ascended. Have you -seen Frankenstein?” demanded the doctor, in his turn.</p> - -<p>We replied in the negative.</p> - -<p>“It will repay a visit. I named it for a young German artist who passed -some time with me, and who was fascinated by its rugged picturesqueness. -Here is some of his work,” pointing to the paintings which, apparently, -formed the foundation of the collection on the walls.</p> - -<p>Our host accompanied us to the door with a second injunction not to -forget Frankenstein.</p> - -<p>“You have something there good for the eyes,” I observed, indicating the -green carpet of the vale beneath us.</p> - -<p>“True; but you should have seen it when the deer boldly came down the -mountain and browsed quietly among the cattle. That was a pretty sight, -and one of frequent occurrence when I first knew the place. At that -time,” he continued, “the stage passed up every other day. Sometimes -there were one or two, but seldom three passengers.”</p> - -<p>Proceeding on our way, we now had a fine view of the Giant’s Stairs, -which we had already seen from Mount Carrigain, but less boldly outlined -than they appear from the valley, where they really look like two -enormous steps cut on the very summit of the opposite ridge. No name -could be more appropriate, though each of the degrees of this colossal -staircase demands a giant not of our days; for they are respectively -three hundred and fifty, and four hundred and fifty feet in height. It -was over those steps that the Davis path ascended.</p> - -<p>A mile or a mile and a half above the Crawford Glen, we emerged from -behind a projecting spur of the mountain which hid the upper valley, -when, by a common impulse, we stopped, fairly stupefied with admiration -and surprise.</p> - -<p>Thrust out before us, athwart the pass, a black and castellated pile -of precipices shot upward to a dizzy height, and broke off abruptly -against the sky. Its bulging sides and regular outlines resembled the -clustered towers and frowning battlements of some antique fortress -built to command<a name="page_074" id="page_074"></a> the pass. Gashed, splintered, defaced, it seemed to -have withstood for ages the artillery of heaven and the assaults of -time. With what solitary grandeur it lifted its mailed front above the -forest, and seemed even to regard the mountains with disdain! Silent, -gloomy, impregnable, it wanted nothing to recall those dark abodes of -the Thousand and One Nights, in which malignant genii are imprisoned for -thousands of years.</p> - -<p>This was Frankenstein. We at once accord it a place as the most -suggestive of cliffs. From the other side of the valley the resemblance -to a mediæval castle is still more striking. It has a black gorge for a -moat, so deep that the head swims when crossing it; and to-day, as we -crept over the cat’s-cradle of a bridge thrown across for the passage -of the railway, and listened to the growling of the torrent far down -beneath, the whole frail structure seemed trembling under us.</p> - -<p>But what a contrast! what a singular freak of nature! At the foot of -this grisly precipice, clothing it with almost superhuman beauty, was a -plantation of maples and birches, all resplendent in crimson and gold. -Never have I seen such masses of color laid on such a background. Below -all was light and splendor; above, all darkness and gloom. Here the eye -fairly revelled in beauty, there it recoiled in terror. The cliff was -like a naked and swarthy Ethiopian up to his knees in roses.</p> - -<p>We walked slowly, with our eyes fixed on these cliffs, until another -turn of the road—we were now on the railway embankment—opened a vista -deserving to be remembered as one of the marvels of this glorious -picture-gallery.</p> - -<p>The perfection and magnificence of this truly regal picture, the -gigantic scale on which it is presented, without the least blemish to -mar its harmony or disturb the impression of one grand, unique whole, is -a revelation to the least susceptible nature in the world.</p> - -<p>Frankenstein was now a little withdrawn, on our left. Upon the right, -fluttering its golden foliage as if to attract our attention, a -plantation of tall, satin-stemmed birches stretched for some distance -along the railway. Between the long buttress of the cliff and this -forest lay open the valley of Mount Washington River, which is driven -deep into the heart of the great range. There, through this valley, -cutting the sapphire sky with their silver silhouette, were the giant -mountains, surmounted by the splendid dome of Washington himself.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_075_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_075_sml.jpg" width="346" height="529" alt="STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY." -title="STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY." /></a> -<span class="caption">STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY.</span> -</p> - -<p>Passing beyond, we had a fine retrospect of Crawford, with his curved -horn; and upon the dizzy iron bridge thrown across the gorge beneath<a name="page_075" id="page_075"></a> -Frankenstein, striking views are obtained of the mountains below. They -seemed loftier and grander, and more imposing than ever.</p> - -<p>Turning our faces toward the north, we now beheld the immense bulk and -superb crest of Willey. On the other side of the valley was the long -battlement of Mount Webster. We were at the entrance of the great Notch.<a name="page_076" id="page_076"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VIII-1" id="CHAPTER_VIII-1"></a>VIII.<br /><br /> -<small><i>THROUGH THE NOTCH.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Around his waist are forests braced,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The avalanche in his hand.—<span class="smcap">Byron.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>HE valley, which had continually contracted since leaving Bartlett, -now appeared fast shut between these two mountains; but on turning the -tremendous support which Mount Willey flings down, we were in presence -of the amazing defile cloven through the midst, and giving entrance to -the heart of the White Hills.</p> - -<p>These gigantic mountains divided to the right and left, like the Red -Sea before the Israelites. Through the immense trough, over which their -crests hung suspended in mid-air, the highway creeps and the river -steals away. The road is only seen at intervals through the forest; a -low murmur, like the hum of bees, announces the river.</p> - -<p>I have no conception of the man who can approach this stupendous chasm -without a sensation of fear. The idea of imminent annihilation is -everywhere overwhelming. The mind refuses to reason, or rather to fix -itself, except on a single point. What if the same power that commanded -these awful mountains to remove should hurl them back to ever-during -fixedness? Should, do I say? The gulf seemed contracting under our very -eyes—the great mountains toppling to their fall. With an eagerness -excited by high expectation, we had pressed forward; but now we -hesitated.</p> - -<p>This emotion, which many of my readers have doubtless partaken, was our -tribute to the dumb but eloquent expression of power too vast for our -feeble intellects to measure. It was the triumph of matter over mind; of -the finite over the infinite.</p> - -<p>Below, it was all admiration and surprise; here, all amazement and fear. -The more the mountains exalted themselves, the more we were<a name="page_077" id="page_077"></a> abased. -Trusting, nevertheless, in our insignificance, we moved on, looking with -all our eyes, absorbed, silent, and almost worshipping.</p> - -<p>The wide split of the Notch, which we had now entered, had on one side -Mount Willey, drawn up to his full height; and on the other Mount -Webster, striped with dull red on clingy yellow, like an old tiger’s -skin. Willey is the highest; Webster the most remarkable. Willey has -a conical spire; Webster a long, irregular battlement. Willey is a -mountain; Webster a huge block of granite.</p> - -<p>For two miles the gorge winds between these mountains to where it is -apparently sealed up by a sheer mass of purple precipices lodged full -in its throat. This is Mount Willard. The vast chasm glowed with the -gorgeous colors of the foliage, even when a passing cloud obscured the -sun. These general observations made, we cast our eyes down into the -vale reposing at our feet. We had chosen for our point of view that to -which Abel Crawford conducted Sir Charles Lyell in 1845. The scientist -has made the avalanche bear witness to the glacier, precisely as one -criminal is made to convict another under our laws.</p> - -<p>Five hundred feet below us was a little clearing, containing a hamlet -of two or three houses. From this hamlet to the storm-crushed crags -glistening on the summit of Mount Willey the track of an old avalanche -was still distinguishable, though the birches and alders rooted among -the débris threatened to obliterate it at no distant day.</p> - -<p>We descended by this still plain path to the houses at the foot of the -mountain. One and the other are associated with the most tragic event -connected with the history of the great Notch.</p> - -<p>We found two houses, a larger and smaller, fronting the road, neither -of which merits a description; although evidence that it was visited by -multitudes of curious pilgrims abounded on the walls of the unoccupied -building.</p> - -<p>Since quite early in the century, this house was kept as an inn; and -for a long time it was the only stopping-place between Abel Crawford’s -below and Captain Rosebrook’s above—a distance of thirteen miles. Its -situation, at the entrance of the great Notch, was advantageous to the -public and to the landlord, but attended with a danger which seems not -to have been sufficiently regarded, if indeed it caused successive -inmates particular concern. This fatal security had a lamentable sequel.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_078_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_078_sml.jpg" width="345" height="537" alt="MOUNT WILLARD FROM WILLEY BROOK." -title="MOUNT WILLARD FROM WILLEY BROOK." /></a> - -<span class="caption">MOUNT WILLARD FROM WILLEY BROOK.</span> -</p> - -<p>In 1826 this house was occupied by Samuel Willey, his wife, five -children, and two hired men. During the summer a drought of unusual<a name="page_078" id="page_078"></a> -severity dried the streams, and parched the thin soil of the neighboring -mountains. On the evening of the 26th of June, the family heard a heavy, -rumbling noise, apparently proceeding from the mountain behind them. In -terror and amazement they ran out of the house. They saw the mountain -in motion. They saw an immense<a name="page_079" id="page_079"></a> mass of earth and rock detach itself -and move toward the valley, at first slowly, then with gathered and -irresistible momentum. Rocks, trees, earth, were swooping down upon -them from the heights in three destroying streams. The spectators stood -rooted to the spot. Before they could recover their presence of mind the -avalanche was upon them. One torrent crossed the road only ten rods from -the house; another a little distance beyond; while the third and largest -portion took a different direction. With great labor a way was made over -the mass of rubbish for the road. The avalanche had shivered the largest -trees, and borne rocks weighing many tons almost to the door of the -lonely habitation.</p> - -<p>This awful warning passed unheeded. On the 28th of August, at dusk, -a storm burst upon the mountains, and raged with indescribable fury -throughout the night. The rain fell in sheets. Innumerable torrents -suddenly broke forth on all sides, deluging the narrow valley, and -bearing with them forests that had covered the mountains for ages. The -swollen and turbid Saco rose over its banks, flooding the Intervales, -and spreading destruction in its course.</p> - -<p>Two days afterward a traveller succeeded in forcing his way through the -Notch. He found the Willey House standing uninjured in the midst of -woful desolation. A second avalanche, descended from Mount Willey during -the storm, had buried the little vale beneath its ruins. The traveller, -affrighted by the scene around him, pushed open the door. As he did so, -a half-famished dog, sole inmate of the house, disputed his entrance -with a mournful howl. He entered. The interior was silent and deserted. -A candle burnt to the socket, the clothing of the inmates lying by their -bedsides, testified to the haste with which this devoted family had -fled. The death-like hush pervading the lonely cabin—these evidences -of the horrible and untimely fate of the family—the appalling scene of -wreck all around, froze the solitary intruder’s blood. In terror he, -too, fled from the doomed dwelling.</p> - -<p>On arriving at Bartlett, the traveller reported what he had seen. -Assistance was despatched to the scene of disaster. The rescuers came -too late to render aid to the living, but they found, and buried on the -spot, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Willey, and the two hired men. The -remaining children were never found.</p> - -<p>It was easily conjectured that the terrified family, alive at last to -the appalling danger that menaced them, and feeling the solid earth -tremble<a name="page_080" id="page_080"></a> in the throes of the mountain, sought safety in flight. They -only rushed to their doom. The discovery of the bodies showed but too -plainly the manner of their death. They had been instantly swallowed up -by the avalanche, which, in the inexplicable order of things visible in -great calamities, divided behind the house, leaving the frail structure -unharmed, while its inmates were hurried into eternity.<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></p> - -<p>For some time after the disaster a curse seemed to rest upon the -old Notch House. No one would occupy it. Travellers shunned it. It -remained untenanted, though open to all who might be driven to seek its -inhospitable shelter, until the deep impression of horror which the fate -of the Willey family inspired had, in a measure, effaced itself.</p> - -<p>The effects of the cataclysm were everywhere. For twenty-one miles, -almost its entire length, the turnpike was demolished. Twenty-one of -the twenty-three bridges were swept away. In some places the meadows -were buried to the depth of several feet beneath sand, earth, and -rocks; in others, heaps of great trees, which the torrent had torn -up by the roots, barricaded the route. The mountains presented a -ghastly spectacle. One single night sufficed to obliterate the work of -centuries, to strip their summits bare of verdure, and to leave them -with shreds of forest and patches of shrubbery hanging to their stark -and naked sides. Thus their whole aspect was altered to an extent hardly -to be realized to-day, though remarked with mingled wonder and dread -long after the period of the convulsion.</p> - -<p>From the house our eyes naturally wandered to the mountain, where -quarrymen were pecking at its side like yellow-hammers at a dead -sycamore. All at once a tremendous explosion was heard, and a stream -of loosened earth and bowlders came rattling down the mountain. So -unexpected was the sound, so startling its multiplied echo, it seemed as -if the mountain had uttered a roar of rage and pain, which was taken up -and repeated by the other mountains until the uproar became deafening. -When the reverberation died away in the distance, we again heard the -metallic click of the miners’ hammers chipping away at the gaunt ribs of -Mount Willey.</p> - -<p>How does it happen that this catastrophe is still able to awaken the -liveliest interest for the fate of the Willey family? Why is it that -the<a name="page_081" id="page_081"></a> oft-repeated tale seems ever new in the ears of sympathetic -listeners? Our age is crowded with horrors, to which this seems trifling -indeed. May we not attribute it to the influence which the actual scene -exerts on the imagination? One must stand on the spot to comprehend; -must feel the mysterious terror to which all who come within the -influence of the gorge submit. Here the annihilation of a family is but -the legitimate expression of that feeling. It seems altogether natural -to the place. The ravine might well be the sepulchre of a million human -beings, instead of the grave of a single obscure family.</p> - -<p>We reached the public-house, at the side of the Willey house, with -appetites whetted by our long walk. The mercury had only risen to -thirty-eight degrees by the thermometer nailed to the door-post. We went -in.</p> - -<p>In general, the mountain publicans are not only very obliging, but equal -to even the most unexpected demands. The colonel, who never brags, had -boasted for the last half-hour what he was going to do at this repast. -In point of fact, we were famishing.</p> - -<p>A man was standing with his back to the fire, his hands thrust -underneath his coat-tails, and a pipe in his mouth. Either the pipe -illuminated his nose, or his nose the pipe. He also had a nervous -contraction of the muscles of his face, causing an involuntary twitching -of the eyebrows, and at the same time of his ears, up and down. This -habit, taken in connection with the perfect immobility of the figure, -made on us the impression of a statue winking. We therefore hesitated to -address it—I mean <i>him</i>—until a moment’s puzzled scrutiny satisfied us -that it—I mean the strange object—was alive. He merely turned his head -when we entered the room, wagged his ears playfully, winked furiously, -and then resumed his first attitude. In all probability he was some -stranger like ourselves.</p> - -<p>I accosted him. “Sir,” said I, “can you tell us if it is possible to -procure a dinner here?”</p> - -<p>The man took the pipe from his mouth, shook out the ashes very -deliberately, and, without looking at me, tranquilly observed,</p> - -<p>“You would like dinner, then?”</p> - -<p>“Would we like dinner? We breakfasted at Bartlett, and have passed six -hours fasting.”</p> - -<p>“And eleven miles. You see, a long way between meals,” interjected -George, with decision.<a name="page_082" id="page_082"></a></p> - -<p>“It’s after the regular dinner,” drawled the apathetic smoker, using his -thumb for a stopper, and stooping for a brand with which to relight his -pipe.</p> - -<p>“In that case we are willing to pay for any additional trouble,” I -hastened to say.</p> - -<p>The man seemed reflecting. We <i>were</i> hungry; that was incontestable; -but we were also shivering, and he maintained his position astride the -hearth-stone, like the fabled Colossus of old.</p> - -<p>“A cold day,” said the colonel, threshing himself.</p> - -<p>“I did not notice it,” returned the stranger, indifferently.</p> - -<p>“Only thirty-eight at the door,” said George, stamping his feet with -unnecessary vehemence.</p> - -<p>“Indeed!” observed our man, with more interest.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” George asserted; “and if the fireplace were only larger, or the -screen smaller.”</p> - -<p>The man hastily stepped aside, knocking over, as he did so, a blazing -brand, which he kicked viciously back into the fire.</p> - -<p>Having carried the outworks, we approached the citadel. “Perhaps, sir,” -I ventured, “you can inform us where the landlord may be found?”</p> - -<p>“You wanted dinner, I believe?” The tone in which this question was put -gave me goose-flesh. I could not speak, George dropped into a chair. -The colonel propped himself against the chimney-piece. I shrugged my -shoulders, and nodded expressively to my companions, who returned two -glances of eloquent dismay. Evidently nothing was to be got out of this -fellow.</p> - -<p>“Dinner for one?” continued the eternal smoker.</p> - -<p>“For three!” I exclaimed, out of all patience.</p> - -<p>“For four; I shall eat double,” added the colonel.</p> - -<p>“Six!” shouted George, seizing the dinner-bell on the mantel-piece.</p> - -<p>“Stop,” said the man, betraying a little excitement; “don’t ring that -bell.”</p> - -<p>“Why not?” demanded George; “we want to see the landlord; and, by Jove,” -brandishing the bell aloft, “see him we will!”</p> - -<p>“He stands before you, gentlemen; and if you will have a little patience -I will see what can be done.” So saying, he put his pipe on the -chimney-piece, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and went out, -muttering, as he did so. “The world was not made in a day.”</p> - -<p>In three-quarters of an hour we sat down to a funereal repast, the<a name="page_083" id="page_083"></a> -bare recollection of which makes me ill, but which was enlivened by the -following conversation:</p> - -<p>“How many inhabitants are in your tract?” I asked of the man who waited -on us.</p> - -<p>“Do you mean inhabitants?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly, I mean inhabitants.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s not an easy one.”</p> - -<p>“How so?”</p> - -<p>“Because the same question not only puzzled the State Legislature, but -made the attorney-general sick.”</p> - -<p>We became attentive.</p> - -<p>“Explain that, if you please,” said I.</p> - -<p>“Why, just look at it: with only eight legal voters in the tract” (he -called it track), “we cast five hundred ballots at the State election.”</p> - -<p>“Five hundred ballots! then your voters must have sprung from the ground -or from the rocks.”</p> - -<p>“Pretty nearly so.”</p> - -<p>“Actual men?”</p> - -<p>“Actual men.”</p> - -<p>“You are jesting.”</p> - -<p>My man looked at me as if I had offered him an affront. The supposition -was plainly inadmissible. He was completely innocent of the charge.</p> - -<p>“You hear those men pounding away up the hill?” he demanded, jerking his -thumb in the direction indicated.</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, those are the five hundred voters. On election morning they came -to the polling-place with a ballot in one hand, and a pick, a sledge, -or a drill in the other. Our supervisor is a very honest, blunt sort of -man: he refused their ballots on the spot.”</p> - -<p>“Well?”</p> - -<p>“Well, one of them had a can of nitro-glycerine and a coil of wire. He -deposited his can in a corner, hitched on the wire, and was going out -with his comrades, when the supervisor, feeling nervous, said,</p> - -<p>“‘The polls are open, gentlemen.’”</p> - -<p>“Ingenious,” remarked George.</p> - -<p>The man looked astounded.</p> - -<p>“He means dangerous,” said I; “but go on.<a name="page_084" id="page_084"></a>”</p> - -<p>“I will. When the votes were counted, at sundown, it was found that our -precinct had elected two representatives to the General Court. But when -the successful candidates presented their certificates at Concord, some -meddlesome city fellow questioned the validity of the election. The -upshot of it was that the two nitro-glycerites came back with a flea in -each ear.”</p> - -<p>“And the five hundred were disfranchised,” said George.</p> - -<p>“Why, as to that, half were French Canadians, half Irish, and the devil -knows what the rest were; I don’t.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind the rest. You see,” said George, rising, “how, with the -railway, the blessings of civilization penetrate into the dark corners -of the earth.”</p> - -<p>The colonel began his sacramental, “That beats—” when he was -interrupted by a second explosion, which shook the building. We paid our -reckoning, George saying, as he threw his money on the table, “A heavy -charge.”</p> - -<p>“No more than the regular price,” said the landlord, stiffly.</p> - -<p>“I referred, my dear sir, to the explosion,” replied George, with the -sardonic grin habitual to him on certain occasions.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said the host, resuming his pipe and his fireplace.</p> - -<p>We spent the remaining hours of this memorable afternoon sauntering -through the Notch, which is dripping with cascades, and noisy with -mountain torrents. The Saco, here nothing but a brook, crawls languidly -along its bed of broken rock. From dizzy summit to where they meet the -river, the old wasted mountains sit warming their scarred sides in the -sun. Looking up at the passage of the railway around Mount Willey, it -impressed us as a single fractured stone might have done on the Great -Pyramid, or a pin’s scratch on the face of a giant. The locomotive, -which groped its way along its broken shell, stopped, and stealthily -moving again, seemed a mouse that the laboring mountain had brought -forth. But when its infernal clamor broke the silence, what demoniacal -yells shook the forests! Farewell to our dream of inviolable nature. The -demon of progress had forced his way into the very sanctuary. There were -no longer any White Mountains.</p> - -<p>We passed by the beautiful brook Kedron, flung down from the utmost -heights of Willey, between banks mottled with colors. Then, high up on -our right, two airy water-falls seemed to hang suspended from the summit -of Webster. These, called respectively the Silver<a name="page_085" id="page_085"></a> Cascade, and the -Flume withdrew the attention from every other object, until a sharp turn -to the right brought the overhanging precipice of Mount Willard full -upon us. This enormous mass of granite, rising seven hundred feet above -the road, stands in the very jaws of the gorge, which it commands from -end to end.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_085_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_085_sml.jpg" width="348" height="539" alt="THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER." -title="THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER." /></a> - -<span class="caption">THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER.</span> -</p> - -<p>Here the railway seems fairly stopped; but with a graceful<a name="page_086" id="page_086"></a> sweep it -eludes the mountain, and glides around its massive shoulder, giving, as -it does so, a hand to the high-road, which comes straggling up the sharp -ascent. The river, now shrunken to a rivulet, is finally lost to view -beneath heaped-up blocks of granite, which the infuriated old mountain -has hurled down upon it. It is heard painfully gurgling under the ruins, -like a victim crushed, and dying by inches.</p> - -<p>Now and here we entered a close, dark defile hewn down between cliffs, -ascending on the right in regular terraces, on the left in ruptured -masses. These terraces were fringed at the top with tapering evergreens, -and displayed gaudy tufts of maple and mountain-ash on their cool gray. -Those on the right are furthermore decorated with natural sculptures, -indicated by sign-boards, which the curious investigate profitably or -unprofitably, according to their fertility of imagination.</p> - -<p>For a few rods this narrow cleft continues; then, on a sudden, the rocks -which lift themselves on either side shut together. An enormous mass -has tumbled from its ancient location on the left side, and, taking a -position within twenty feet of the opposite precipice, forms the natural -gate of the Notch, through which a way was made for the common road -with great labor, through which the river frays a passage, but where -no one would imagine there was room for either. The railway has made a -breach for itself through the solid rock, greatly diminishing the native -grandeur of the place. All three emerge from the shadow and gloom of the -pass into the cheerful sunshine of a little prairie, at the extremity of -which are seen the white walls of a hotel.</p> - -<p>The whole route we had traversed is full of contrasts, full of -surprises; but this sudden transition was the most picturesque, the most -startling of all. We seemed to have reached the end of the world.<a name="page_087" id="page_087"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IX-1" id="CHAPTER_IX-1"></a>IX.<br /><br /> -<small><i>CRAWFORD’S.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rose.<br /></span> -<span class="i11"><span class="smcap">Shakspeare.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>LL who have passed much time at the mountains have seen the -elephant—near the gate of the Notch.</p> - -<p>Though it is only from Nature’s chisel, the elephant is an honest one, -and readily admitted into the category of things curious or marvellous -constantly displayed for our inspection. Standing on the piazza of the -hotel, the enormous forehead and trunk seem just emerging from the -shaggy woods near the entrance to the pass. And the gray of the granite -strengthens the illusion still more. From the Elephant’s Head, a title -suggestive of the near vicinity of a public-house, there is a fine view -down the Notch for those who cannot ascend Mount Willard.</p> - -<p>The Crawford House, being built at the highest point of the pass, -nearly two thousand feet above the sea, is not merely a hotel—it is a -water-shed. The roof divides the rain falling upon it into two streams, -flowing on one side into the Saco, on the other into the Ammonoosuc. -Here the sun rises over the Willey range, and sets behind Mount Clinton. -The north side of the piazza enables you to look over the forests into -the valley of the Ammonoosuc, where the view is closed by the chain -dividing this basin from that of Israel’s River. But we are not yet -ready to conduct the reader into this Promised Land.</p> - -<p>My window overlooked a grassy plain of perhaps half a mile, the view -being closed by the Gate of the Notch, now disfigured by snow-sheds -built for the protection of the railway. The massive, full-rounded bulk -of Webster rose above, the forests of Willard tumbled down into the -ragged fissure. Half-way between the hotel and the Gate, over-borne by -the big shadow of Mount Clinton, extends the pretty lakelet<a name="page_088" id="page_088"></a> which is -the fountain-head of the Saco. Beyond the lake, and at the left, is -where the old Notch House stood. This lake was once a beaver-pond, and -this plain a boggy meadow, through which a road of corduroy and sods -conducted the early traveller. The highway and railway run amicably side -by side, dividing the little vale in two.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_088_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_088_sml.jpg" width="333" height="328" alt="ELEPHANT’S HEAD, WINTER." -title="ELEPHANT’S HEAD, WINTER." /></a> - -<span class="caption">ELEPHANT’S HEAD, WINTER.</span> -</p> - -<p>This pass, which was certainly known to the Indians, was, in 1771, -rediscovered by Timothy Nash, a hunter, who was persuaded by Benjamin -Sawyer, another hunter, to admit him to an equal share in the discovery. -In 1773 Nash and Sawyer received a grant of 2184 acres, skirting the -mountains on the west, as a reward. With the prodigality characteristic -of their class, the hunters squandered their large acquisition in<a name="page_089" id="page_089"></a> a -little time after it was granted. Both the Crawford and Fabyan hotels -stand upon their tract.</p> - -<p>Of many excursions which this secluded retreat offers, that to the -summit of Mount Washington, by the bridle-path opened in 1840 by Thomas -J. Crawford, and that to the top of Mount Willard, are the principal. -The route to the first begins opposite to the hotel, at the left; the -latter turns from the glen a quarter of a mile below, on the right. -Supposing Mount Washington a cathedral set on an eminence, you are here -on the summit of the eminence, with one foot on the immense staircase of -the cathedral.</p> - -<p>Our resolve to ascend by the bridle-path was already formed, and we -regarded the climb up Mount Willard as indispensable. As for the -cascades, which lulled us to sleep, who shall describe them? We could -not lift our eyes to the heights above without seeing one or more -fluttering in the play of the breeze, and making rainbows in pure -diversion. President Dwight, in his “Travels,” has no more eloquent -passage than that describing the Flume Cascade. How many since have -thrown down pen or pencil in sheer despair of reproducing, by words -or pigments, the aerial lightness, the joyous freedom; above all, the -exuberant, unquenchable vitality that characterize mountain water-falls! -Down the Notch is a masterpiece, hidden from the eye of the passer-by, -called Ripley Falls, which fairly revels in its charming seclusion. -Only a short walk from the hotel, by a woodland path, there is another, -Beecher’s Cascade, whose capricious leaps and playful somersaults, all -the while volubly chattering to itself, like a child alone with its -playthings, fascinates us, as sky, water, and fire charm the eyes of an -infant. It is always tumbling down, and as often leaping to its feet to -resume its frolicsome gambols, with no loss of sprightliness or sign of -weariness that we can detect. Only a lover may sing the praises of these -mountain cascades falling from the skies:</p> - -<p>“The torrent is the soul of the valley. Not only is it the Providence or -the scourge, often both at once, but it gives to it a physiognomy; it -gladdens or saddens it; it lends it a voice; it communicates life to it. -A valley without its torrent is only a hole.”</p> - -<p>They give the name of Idlewild to the romantic sylvan retreat, reached -by a winding path, diverging near the hotel, on the left. I visited -it in company with Mr. Atwater, whose taste and enthusiasm for the -work have converted the natural disorder of the mountain side into<a name="page_090" id="page_090"></a> -a trysting-place fit for elves and fairies; but where one encounters -ladies in elegant toilets, enjoying a quiet stroll among the fern-draped -rocks. Some fine vistas of the valley mountains have been opened through -the woods—beautiful little bits of blue, framed in illuminated foliage. -One notes approvingly the revival of an olden taste in the cutting and -shaping of trees into rustic chairs, stairways, and arbors.</p> - -<p>After a day like ours, the great fires and admirable order of the -hotel were grateful indeed. If it is true that the way to man’s heart -lies through his stomach, the cherry-lipped waiter-girl, who whispered -her seductive tale in my too-willing ear at supper, made a veritable -conquest. My compliments to her, notwithstanding the penalty paid for -lingering too long over the griddle-cakes.</p> - -<p>The autumn nights being cool, it was something curious to see the parlor -doors every now and then thrown wide open, to admit a man who came -trundling in on a wheelbarrow a monster log fit for the celebration of -Yule-tide. The city guest, accustomed to the economy of wood at home, -because it is dear, looks on this prodigality first with consternation, -and finally with admiration. When the big log is deposited on the -blazing hearth amid fusees of sparks, the easy-chairs again close around -the fireplace a charmed circle; and while the buzz of conversation goes -on, and the faces are illuminated by the ruddy glow, the wood snaps, -and hisses, and spits as if it had life and sense of feeling. The men -talk in drowsy undertones; the ladies, watching the chimney-soot catch -fire and redden, point out to each other the old grandame’s pictures -of “folks coming home from meeting.” This scene is the counterpart of -a warm summer evening on the piazza—both typical of unrestrained, -luxurious indolence. How many pictures have appeared in that old -fireplace! and what experiences its embers revived! Water shows us only -our own faces in their proper mask—nothing more, nothing less; but -fire, the element of the supernatural, is able, so at least we believe, -to unfold the future as easily as it turns our eyes into the past. If -only we could read!</p> - -<p>When we arose in the morning, what was our astonishment to see the -surrounding mountains white with snow. Like one smitten with sudden -terror, they had grown gray in a night. Striking, indeed, was the -transformation from yesterday’s pomp; beautiful the contrast between -the dark green below and the dead white of the upper zones. Thickly -incrusted with hoar-frost, the stiffened foliage of the pines and<a name="page_091" id="page_091"></a> firs -gave those trees the unwonted appearance of bursting into blossom. Over -all a dull and brooding sky shed its cold, wan light upon the glen, -forbidding all thought of attacking the high summits, at least for this -day.</p> - -<p>Dismissing this, therefore, as impracticable, we nevertheless determined -on ascending Mount Willard—an easy thing to do, considering you have -only to follow a good carriage-road for two miles and a half to reach -the precipices overlooking the Saco Valley.</p> - -<p>Startling, indeed, by its sublimity was the spectacle that rewarded our -trouble a thousand-fold. Still, the sensations partook more of wonder -than admiration—much more. The unpractised eye is so utterly confounded -by the immensity of this awful chasm of the Notch, yawning in all its -extent and all its grandeur far down beneath, that, powerless to grasp -the fulness and the vastness thus suddenly encountered, it stupidly -stares into those far-retreating depths. The scene really seems too -tremendous for flesh and blood to comprehend. For an instant, while -standing on the brink of the sheer precipice, which here suddenly drops -seven or eight hundred feet, my head swam and my knees trembled.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 279px;"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_091_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_091_sml.jpg" width="279" height="321" alt="LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH." -title="LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH." /></a> - -<span class="caption">LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH.</span> -</div> - -<p>First came the idea that I was looking down into the dry bed of some -primeval cataract, whose mighty rush and roar the imagination<a name="page_092" id="page_092"></a> summoned -again from the tomb of ages, and whose echo was in the cascades, hung -like two white arms on the black and hairy breast of the adjacent -mountain. This idea carries us luck to the Deluge, of which science -pretends to have found proofs in the basin of the Notch. What am I -saying? to the Deluge! it transports us to the Beginning itself, when -“<i>Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved -upon the face of the waters.</i>”</p> - -<p>You see the immense walls of Mount Willey on one side, and of Webster -on the other, rushing downward thousands of feet, and meeting in one -magnificently imposing sweep at their bases. This vast natural inverted -archway has the heavens for a roof. The eye roves from the shaggy head -of one mountain to the shattered cornices of the other. One is terrible, -the other forbidding. The naked precipices of Willey, furrowed by -avalanches, still show where the fatal slide of 1826 crushed its way -down into the valley, traversing a mile in only a few moments. Far down -in the distance you see the Willey hamlet and its bright clearing. You -see the Saco’s silver.</p> - -<p>Such, imperfectly, are the more salient features of this immense cavity -of the Notch, three miles long, two thousand feet deep, rounded as if -by art, and as full of suggestions as a ripe melon of seeds. I recall -few natural wonders so difficult to get away from, or that haunt you so -perpetually.</p> - -<p>Like ivy on storied and crumbling towers, so high up the cadaverous -cliffs of Willey the hardy fir-tree feels its way, insinuating its long -roots in every fissure where a little mould has crept, but mounting -always like the most intrepid of climbers. Upon the other side, the -massed and plumed forest advances boldly up the sharp declivity of -Webster; but in mid-ascent is met and ploughed in long, thin lines by -cataracts of stones, poured down upon it from the summit. Only a few -straggling bushes succeed in mounting higher; and far up, upon the very -edge of the crumbling parapet, one solitary cedar tottered. The thought -of imminent destruction prevailed over every other. Indeed, it seemed -as if one touch would precipitate the whole mass of earth, stones, and -trees into the vale beneath.</p> - -<p>Between these high, receding walls, which draw widely apart at the -outlet of the pass, mountains rise, range upon range. Over the flattened -Nancy summits, Chocorua lifts his crested head once more into view. We -pass in review the summits massed between, which on this morning<a name="page_093" id="page_093"></a> were -of a deep blue-black, and stood vigorously forth from a sad and boding -sky.</p> - -<p>From the ledges of Mount Willard, Washington and the peaks between are -visible in a clear day. This morning they were muffled in clouds, which -a strong upper current of air began slowly to disperse. We, therefore, -secured a good position, and waited patiently for the unveiling.</p> - -<p>Little by little the clouds shook themselves free from the mountain, and -began a slow, measured movement toward the Ammonoosuc Valley. As they -were drawn out thinner and thinner, like fleeces, by invisible hands, -we began to be conscious of some luminous object behind them, and all -at once, through a rift, there burst upon the sight the grand mass of -Washington, all resplendent in silvery whiteness. From moment to moment -the trooping clouds, as if pausing to pay homage to the illustrious -recluse, encompassed it about. Then moving on, the endless procession -again and again disclosed the snowy crest, shining out in unshrouded -effulgence. To look was to be wonder-struck—to be dumb.</p> - -<p>As the clouds unrolled more and more their snowy billows, other and -lower summits rose above, as on that memorable morn after the Deluge, -where they appeared like islands of crystal floating in a sea of -silvery vapor. We gazed for an hour upon this unearthly display, which -derived unique splendor from fitful sun-rays shot through the folds of -surrounding clouds, then drawing off, and again darting unawares upon -the stainless white of the summits. It was a dream of the celestial -spheres to see the great dome, one moment glittering like beaten silver, -another shining with the dull lustre of a gigantic opal.</p> - -<p>I have since made several journeys through the Notch by the railway. -The effect of the scenery, joined with some sense of peril in the minds -of the timid, is very marked. Old travellers find a new and veritable -sensation of excitement; while new ones forget fatigue, drop the novels -they have been reading, maintaining a state of breathless suspense and -admiration until the train vanishes out at the rocky portal, after an -ascent of nearly six hundred feet in two miles.</p> - -<p>In effect, the road is a most striking expression of the maxim, -“<i>L’audace, et toujours de l’audace</i>,” as applied to modern engineering -skill. From Bemis’s to Crawford’s its way is literally carved out of -the side of the mountain. But if the engineers have stolen a march upon -it, the<a name="page_094" id="page_094"></a> thought, how easily the mountain could shake off this puny, -clinging thing, prevailing over every other, announces that the mountain -is still the master.</p> - -<p>There are no two experiences which the traveller retains so long or so -vividly as this journey through the great Notch, and this survey from -the ledges of Mount Willard, which is so admirably placed to command it. -To my mind, the position of this mountain suggests the doubt whether -nature did not make a mistake here. Was not the splitting of the -mountains an after-thought?<a name="page_095" id="page_095"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_X-1" id="CHAPTER_X-1"></a>X.<br /><br /> -<small><i>THE ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD’S.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">With a diadem of snow.—<i>Manfred.</i><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>T five in the morning I was aroused by a loud rap at the door. In an -instant I had jumped out of bed, ran to the window, and peered out. It -was still dark; but the heavens were bright with stars, so bright that -there was light in the room. Now or never was our opportunity. Not a -moment was to be lost.</p> - -<p>I began a vigorous reveille upon the window-pane. George half opened one -sleepy eye, and asked if the house was on fire. The colonel pretended -not to have heard.</p> - -<p>“Up, sluggards!” I exclaimed; “the mountain is ours!”</p> - -<p>“Do you know who first tempted man to go up into a high mountain?” -growled George.</p> - -<p>“Satan!” whined a smothered voice from beneath the bedclothes.</p> - -<p>The case evidently was one which demanded heroic treatment. In an -instant I whipped off the bedclothes; in another I received two violent -blows full in the chest, which compelled me to give ground. The pillows -were followed by the bolster, which I parried with a chair, the bolster -by a sortie of the garrison <i>in puris naturalibus</i>. For a few seconds -the mélée was furious, the air thick with flying missiles. By a common -instinct we drew apart, with the intention of renewing the combat, when -we heard quick blows upon the partition at the left, and scared voices -from the chamber at the right demanding what was the matter. George -dropped his pillow, and articulated in a broken voice, “Malediction! I -am awake.”</p> - -<p>“Come, gentlemen,” I urged, “if you are sufficiently diverted, dress -yourselves, and let us be off. At the present moment you remind me of -the half-armed warriors on the pediment of the Parthenon.<a name="page_096" id="page_096"></a>”</p> - -<p>“I take it you mean the frieze,” said George, with chattering teeth.</p> - -<p>The colonel was on all-fours, picking up the different articles of his -wardrobe from the four corners of the chamber. “My stocking,” said he, -groping among the furniture.</p> - -<p>“What do you call this?” inquired George, fishing the dripping article -from the water-pitcher.</p> - -<p>“Eh! where the deuce is my watch?” redemanded the colonel, still seeking.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps this is yours?” George again suggested, drawing it, with mock -dexterity, as he had seen Hermann do, from a boot-leg.</p> - -<p>We quickly threw on our clothes, but at the moment of starting George -put his hand into his breast and made a frightful grimace.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” we both asked in one breath. “What is the matter?”</p> - -<p>“My pocket-book is gone.”</p> - -<p>After five minutes’ ransacking in every hole and corner of the room, -and after shaking the bedclothes carefully, all to no purpose, it was -discovered that George and myself had exchanged coats. We then went -down-stairs into the great hall, where a solitary jet of gas burnt -blue, and a sleepy watchman dozed on a settee. The morning air was -more than chilly: it was “a nipping and an eager air.” There were two -or three futile attempts at pleasantry, but hunger, darkness, and the -cold quickly silenced them. A man is never himself when roused at five -in the morning. No matter how desirable the excursion may have looked -the night before, turning out of a warm bed to hurry on your clothes by -candle-light, and to take the road fasting, strips it of all glamour.</p> - -<p>Day broke disclosing a clear sky, up which the rosy tints of sunrise -were streaming. The last star trembled in the zone of dusky blue above -the grand old hills, like a tear-drop on the eyelids of the night. The -warm color flowed over the frosted heads of the pines, mantling their -ghastly white with the warm glow of reviving life. Then the eye fell -upon the lower forests, still wrapped in deep shadows, the tiny lake, -the boats, and, lastly, the oval plain, or vestibule of the Notch, above -which ascended the shaggy sides of Mount Willard, and the retreating -outline of Mount Webster. The little plain was white with hoar-frost; -the frozen fountain dripped slowly into its basin, like a penitent -telling its beads.</p> - -<p>After a hasty breakfast, despatched with mountain appetites, behold us -at half-past six entering the forest in Indian file! My companions<a name="page_097" id="page_097"></a> -again found their accustomed gayety, and soon the solemn old woods -echoed with mirth. Our hopes were as high as the mountain itself.</p> - -<p>A détour as far as Gibbs’s Falls cost a good half-hour in recovering -the bridle-path; but we were at length <i>en route</i>, myself at the head, -George behind. The colonel carried the flask, and marched in the -middle. He was considered the most incorruptible of the three; but this -precaution was deemed an indispensable safeguard, should he, in a moment -of forgetfulness, carry the flask to his lips.</p> - -<p>The side of Mount Clinton, which we were now climbing, is very steep. -The name of bridle-path, which they give the long gully we had entered, -is a snare for pedestrians, but a greater delusion for cavaliers. The -rains, the melting snows, have so channelled it as to leave little -besides interlaced roots of old trees and loose bowlders in its bed. -Higher up it is nothing but the bare course of a mountain torrent.</p> - -<p>The long rain had thoroughly soaked the earth, rendering it miry and -slippery to the feet; the heavy air, compounded of a thousand odors, -hindered, rather than assisted, the free play of the lungs. Our progress -was slow, our breathing quick and labored. Every leaf trembled with -rain-drops, so that the flight of a startled bird overhead sprinkled us -with fine spray. Finches chattered in the tree-tops, squirrels scolded -us sharply from fallen logs.</p> - -<p>Looking up was like looking through some glorious, illuminated -window—the changed foliage seemed to have fixed the gorgeous hues of -the sunset. Through its crimson and gold, violet and green, patches of -blue sky greeted us with fair promise for the day. Looking ahead, the -path zigzagged among ascending trees, plunged into the sombre depths -above our heads, and was lost. One impression that I received may be, -yet I doubt, common to others. On either side of me the forest seemed -all in motion; the dusky trunks striding silently and stealthily by, -moving when we moved, halting when we halted. The greenwood was as full -of illusions as the human heart. I can never repress a certain fear in a -forest, and to-day this seemed peopled with sprites, gnomes, and fauns. -Once or twice a crow rose lazily from the top of a dead pine, and flew -croaking away; but we thought not of omens or auguries, and pushed gayly -on up the sharp ascent.</p> - -<p>It was a wild woodland walk, with few glimpses out of the forest. -For about a mile we steered toward the sun, climbing one of the long -braces of the mountain. Stopping near here, at a spring deliciously<a name="page_098" id="page_098"></a> -pure and cold, we soon turned toward the north. As we advanced up the -mountain the sun began to gild the tree-tops, and stray beams to play -at hide-and-seek among the black trunks. We saw dells of Arcadian -loveliness, and we heard the noise of rivulets, trickling in their -depths, that we did not see.</p> - -<p>Wh-r-r-r! rose a startled partridge, directly in our path, bringing us -to a full stop. Another and another took flight.</p> - -<p>“Gad!” muttered the colonel, wiping his forehead, “I was dreaming of -old times; I declare I thought the mountain had got our range, and was -shelling us.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Salmis</i> of partridge; <i>sauce aux champignons</i>,” said George, licking -his lips, and looking wistfully after the birds. You see, one spoke from -the head, the other from the stomach.</p> - -<p>Half an hour’s steady tramp brought us to an abandoned camp, where -travellers formerly passed the night. A long stretch of corduroy road, -and we were in the region of resinous trees. Here it was like going up -rickety stairs, the mossed and sodden logs affording only a treacherous -foothold. Evidence that we were nearing the summit was on all sides. -Patches of snow covered the ground and were lodged among the branches. -From these little runlets made their way into the path, as the most -convenient channel. There were many dead pines, having their curiously -distorted limbs hung with the long gray lichen called “old man’s beard.” -Multitudes of great trees, prostrated by the wind, lay rotting along -the ground, or had lodged in falling, constituting a woful picture of -wreck and ruin. Here was not only the confusion and havoc of a primitive -forest, untouched by the axe, but the battle-ground of ages, where -frost, fire, and flood had steadily and pitilessly beaten the forest -back in every desperate effort made to scale the summit. Prone upon the -earth, stripped naked, or bursting their bark, the dead trees looked -like fallen giants despoiled of their armor, and left festering upon the -field. But we advanced to a scene still more weird.</p> - -<p>The last mile gives occasional glimpses into the Ammonoosuc Valley, of -Fabyan’s, of the hamlet at the base of Washington, and of the mountains -between Fabyan’s and Jefferson. The last half-mile is a steady planting -of one foot before another up the ledges. We left the forest for a -scanty growth of firs, rooted among enormous rocks, and having their -branches pinned down to their sides by snow and ice. The whole forest -had been seized, pinioned, and cast into a death-like stupor.<a name="page_099" id="page_099"></a> Each -tree seemed to keep the attitude in which it was first overtaken; each -silvered head to have dropped on its breast at the moment the spell -overcame it. Perpetual imprisonment rewarded the temerity of the forest -for thus invading the dominion of the Ice King. There it stood, all -glittering in its crystal chains!</p> - -<p>But as we threaded our way among these trees, still as statues, the -sun came valiantly to the rescue. A warm breath fanned our cheeks and -traversed the ice-locked forest. Instantly a thrill ran along the -mountain. Quick, snapping noises filled the air. The trees burst their -fetters in a trice. Myriad crystals fluttered overhead, or fell tinkling -on the rocks at our feet. Another breath, and tree after tree lifted its -bowed head gracefully erect. The forest was free.</p> - -<p>George, who began by asking every few rods how much farther it was, now -repeated the question for the fiftieth time; but we paid no attention.</p> - -<p>We now entered a sort of liliputian forest, not higher than the knee, -but which must have presented an almost insuperable barrier to early -explorers of the mountain. In fact, as they could neither go through it -nor around it, they must have walked over it, the thick-matted foliage -rendering this the only alternative. No one could tell how long these -trees had been growing, when a winter of unheard-of severity destroyed -them all, leaving only their skeletons bleaching in the sun and -weather. Wrenched, twisted, and made to grow the wrong way by the wind, -the branches resembled the cast-off antlers of some extinct race of -quadrupeds which had long ago resorted to the top of the mountain. The -girdle of blasted trees below was piteous, but this was truly a strange -spectacle. Indeed, the pallid forehead of the mountain seemed wearing a -crown of thorns.</p> - -<p>Getting clear of the dwarf-trees, or knee-wood, as it is called in the -Alps, we ran quickly up the bare summit ledge. The transition from the -gloom and desolation below into clear sunshine and free air was almost -as great as from darkness to light. We lost all sense of fatigue; we -felt only exultation and supreme content.</p> - -<p>Here we were, we three, more than four thousand feet above the sea, -confronted by an expanse so vast that no eye but an eagle’s might grasp -it, so thronged with upstarting peaks as to confound and bewilder us -out of all power of expression. One feeling was uppermost—our own -insignificance. We were like flies on the gigantic forehead of an -elephant.<a name="page_100" id="page_100"></a></p> - -<p>However, we had climbed and were astride the ridge-pole of New England. -The rains which beat upon it descend on one side to the Atlantic, on -the other to Long Island Sound. The golden sands which are the glory of -the New England coast have been borne, atom by atom, grain by grain, -from this grand laboratory of Nature; and if you would know the source -of her great industries, her wealth, her prosperity, seek it along the -rivers which are born of these skies, cradled in these ravines, and -nourished amid the tangled mazes of these impenetrable forests. How, -like beautiful serpents, their sources lie knotted and coiled in the -heart of these mountains! How lovingly they twine about the feet of the -grand old hills! Too proud to bear its burdens, they create commerce, -building cities, scattering wealth as they run on. No barriers can stay, -no chains fetter their free course. They laugh and run on.</p> - -<p>We stood facing the south. Far down beneath us, at our left, was the -valley of Mount Washington River. A dark, serpentine rift in the -unbroken forest indicated the course of the stream. Mechanically we -turned to follow it up the long gorge through which it flows, to where -it issues, in secret, from the side of Mount Washington itself. In front -of us arose the great Notch Mountains; beyond, mountains were piled on -mountains; higher still, like grander edifices of some imperial city, -towered the pinnacles of Lafayette, Carrigain, Chocorua, Kearsarge, and -the rest. Yes, there they were, pricking the keen air with their blunted -spears, fretting the blue vault with the everlasting menace of a power -to mount higher if it so willed, filling us with the daring aspiration -to rise as high as they pointed. Here and there something flashed -brightly upon the eye; but it was no easy thing to realize that those -little pools we saw glistening among the mountains were some of the -largest lakes in New England.</p> - -<p>Leaving the massive Franconia group, the eye swept over the Ammonoosuc -basin, over the green heights of Bethlehem and Littleton, overtopped by -the distant Green Mountains; then along the range dividing the waters -flowing from the western slopes of the great summits into separate -streams; then Whitefield, Lancaster, Jefferson; and, lastly, rested upon -the amazing apparition of Washington, rising two thousand feet above -the crags on which we stood. Perched upon the cap-stone of this massive -pile, like a dove-cot on the cupola of St. Peter’s, we distinctly saw -the Summit House. Between us and our goal rose the brown heads of -Pleasant, Franklin, and Monroe, over which our path<a name="page_101" id="page_101"></a> lay. All these -peaks and their connecting ridges were freely spattered with snow.</p> - -<p>“By Jove!” ejaculated the colonel at last; “this beats Kentucky!”</p> - -<p>It is necessary to say two words concerning a spectacle equally novel -and startling to dwellers in more temperate regions, and which now held -us in mingled astonishment and admiration. We could hardly believe -our eyes. This bleak and desolate ridge, where only scattered tufts -of coarse grass, stinted shrubs, or spongy moss gave evidence of -life, which seemed never to have known the warmth of a sunbeam, was -transformed into a garden of exquisite beauty by the frozen north wind.</p> - -<p>We remarked the iced branches of dwarf firs inhabiting the upper zone -of the mountain as we passed them; but here, on this summit, the -surfaces of the rocks actually bristled with spikes, spear-heads, and -lance-points, all of ice, all shooting in the direction of the north -wind. The forms were as various as beautiful, but most commonly took -that of a single spray, though sometimes they were moulded into perfect -clusters of berries, branching coral, or pendulous crystals. Common -shrubs were transformed to diamond aigrettes, coarse grasses into -bird-of-paradise plumes, by the simple adhesion of frost-dust. The iron -rocks attracted the flying particles as the loadstone attracts steel. -Cellini never fashioned anything half so marvellous as this exquisite -workmanship of a frozen mist. Yet, though it was all surpassingly -beautiful, it was strangely suggestive of death. There was no life—no, -not even the chirrup of an insect. No wonder our eyes sought the valley.</p> - -<p>Hardly had we time to take in these unaccustomed sights, when, to our -unspeakable dismay, ominous streakings of gray appeared in the southern -and eastern horizons. The sun was already overclouded, and emitted -only a dull glare. For a moment a premonition of defeat came over me; -but another look at the summit removed all indecision, and, without -mentioning my fears to my companions, we all three plunged into the -bushy ravine that leads to Mount Pleasant.</p> - -<p>Suddenly I felt the wind in my face, and the air was filled with -whirling snow-flakes. We had not got over half the distance to the -second mountain, before the ill-omened vapors had expanded into a -storm-cloud that boded no good to any that might be abroad on the -mountain. My idea was that we could gain the summit before it overtook -us. I accordingly lengthened my steps, and we moved on at a pace which<a name="page_102" id="page_102"></a> -brought us quickly to the second mountain. But, rapidly as we had -marched, the storm was before us.</p> - -<p>Here began our first experience of the nature of the task in hand. The -burly side of Mount Pleasant was safely turned, but beyond this snow had -obliterated the path, which was only here and there indicated by little -heaps of loose stones. It became difficult, and we frequently lost it -altogether among the deep drifts. We called a halt, passed the flask, -and attempted to derive some encouragement from the prospect.</p> - -<p>The storm-cloud was now upon us in downright earnest. Already the flying -scud drifted in our faces, and poured, like another Niagara, over the -ridge one long, unbroken billow. The sun retreated farther and farther, -until it looked like a farthing dip shining behind a blanket. Another -furious blast, and it disappeared altogether. And now, to render our -discomfiture complete, the gigantic dome of Washington, that had lured -us on, disappeared, swallowed up in a vortex of whirling vapor; and -presently we were all at once assailed by a blinding snow-squall. -Henceforth there was neither luminary nor landmark to guide us. None of -us had any knowledge of the route, and not one had thought of a guide. -To render our situation more serious still, George now declared that he -had sprained an ankle.</p> - -<p>If I had never before realized how the most vigorous travellers had -perished within a few paces of the summit, I understood it this day.</p> - -<p>Bathed in perspiration, warned by the fresh snow that the path would -soon be lost beyond recovery, we held a brief council upon the situation -before and behind us. It was more than aggravating either way.</p> - -<p>All three secretly favored a retreat. Without doubt it was not only the -safest, but the wisest course to pursue; yet to turn back was to give in -beaten, and defeat was not easy to accept. Even George, notwithstanding -his ankle, was pluckily inclined to go on. There was no time to lose, -so we emerged from the friendly shelter of a jutting ledge upon the -trackless waste before us.</p> - -<p>From this point, at the northern foot of Pleasant, progress was -necessarily slow. We could not distinguish objects twenty paces through -the flying scud and snow, and we knew vaguely that somewhere here the -mountain ridge suddenly broke off, on both sides, into precipices -thousands of feet down. George, being lame, kept the middle, while the -colonel and I searched for stone-heaps at the right and left.<a name="page_103" id="page_103"></a></p> - -<p>We were marching along thus, when I heard an exclamation, and saw the -colonel’s hat driven past me through the air. The owner ran rapidly over -to my side.</p> - -<p>“Take care!” I shouted, throwing myself in his path; “take care!”</p> - -<p>“But my hat!” cried he, pushing on past me. The wind almost drowned our -voices.</p> - -<p>“Are you mad?” I screamed, gripping his arm, and forcing him backward by -main strength.</p> - -<p>He gave me a dazed look, but seemed to comprehend nothing of my -excitement. George halted, looking first at one, then at the other.</p> - -<p>“Wait,” said I, loosening a piece of ice with my boot. On both sides of -us rose a whirlpool of boiling clouds. I tossed the piece of ice in the -direction the hat had taken—not a sound; a second after the first—the -same silence; a third in the opposite direction. We listened intently, -painfully, but could hear nothing except the loud beating of our own -hearts. A dozen steps more would have precipitated our companion from -the top to the bottom of the mountain.</p> - -<p>I looked at the man whose arm I still tightly grasped. He was as pale as -a corpse.</p> - -<p>“This must be Oakes’s Gulf,” I ventured, in order to break the silence, -after we had all taken a pull at the flask.</p> - -<p>“This is Oakes’s Gulf—agreed; but where in perdition is my hat?” -demanded the colonel, wiping the big drops from his forehead.</p> - -<p>After he had tied a handkerchief around his head, we crossed this -Devil’s Bridge, with the caution of men fully alive to the consequences -of a false step, and with that tension of the nerves which announces the -terrible or the unknown.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a></p> - -<p>We had not gone far when a tremendous gust sent us reeling toward the -abyss. I dropped on my hands and knees, and my companions followed -suit. We arose, shook off the snow, and slowly mounted the long, steep, -and rocky side of Franklin. Upon gaining the summit, the walking was -better. We were also protected by the slope of the mountain.<a name="page_104" id="page_104"></a> The worst -seemed over. But what fantastic objects were the big rocks, scattered, -or rather lying in wait, along our route! What grotesque appearances -continually started out of the clouds! Now it was an enormous bear -squatted on his haunches; now a dark-browed sphinx; and more than once -we could have sworn we saw human beings stealthily watching us from -a distance. How easy to imagine these weird objects lost travellers, -suddenly turned to stone for their presumptuous invasion of the domain -of terrors! It really seemed as if we had but to stamp our feet to see a -legion of demons start into life and bar our way.</p> - -<p>Say what you will, we could not shake off the dread which these -unearthly objects inspired; nor could we forbear, were it at the risk of -being turned to stone, looking back, or peering furtively from side to -side when some new apparition thrust its hideous suggestions before us. -What would you have? Are we not all children who shrink from entering -a haunted chamber, and shudder in the presence of death? Well, the -mountain was haunted, and death seemed near. We forgot fatigue, forgot -cold, to yield to this mysterious terror, which daunted us as no peril -could do, and froze us with vague presentiment of the unknown.</p> - -<p>Covered from head to foot with snow, bearded with icicles, tracking -this solitude, which refused the echo of a foot-fall, like spectres, we -seemed to have entered the debatable ground forever dedicated to spirits -having neither home on earth nor hope in heaven, but doomed to wander -up and down these livid crags for an eternity of woe. The mountain had -already taken possession of our physical, now it seized upon our moral -nature. Neither the one nor the other could resist the impressions which -naked rock, furious tempest, and hidden danger stamped on every foot of -the way.</p> - -<p>In this way we reached Mount Monroe, last of the peaks in our route -to the summit, where we were forced to pick our way among the rocks, -struggling forward through drifts frequently waist deep.</p> - -<p>It was here that, finding myself some distance in advance of the -others—for poor George was lagging painfully—I halted for them to come -up. I was choking with thirst, aggravated by eating the damp snow. As -soon as the colonel was near enough—the wind only could be heard—I -made a gesture of a man drinking. He did not seem to understand, though -I impatiently repeated the pantomime. He came to where I stood.</p> - -<p>“The flask!” I exclaimed.<a name="page_105" id="page_105"></a></p> - -<p>He drew it slowly from his pocket, and handed it to me with a hang-dog -look that I failed for the moment to interpret. I put it to my lips, -shook it, turned it bottom up. Not a drop!</p> - -<p>And, nevertheless, this was the man in whom I had trusted. Cæsar only -succumbed to the dagger of Brutus; but I had not the courage to fall -with dignity under this new misfortune, and so stood staring at the -flask and the culprit alternately.</p> - -<p>“Say that our cup is now full,” suggested the incorrigible George. “The -paradox strikes me as ingenious and appropriate.”</p> - -<p>It really was too bad. Snow and sleet had wet us to the skin, and clung -to our frozen garments. Our hands and faces were swollen and inflamed; -our eyes half closed and blood-shot. Even this short minute’s halt set -our teeth chattering. George could only limp along, and it was evident -could not hold out much longer. Just now my uneasiness was greater than -my sympathy. He was an accessory before the fact; for, while I was -diligently looking out the path, he had helped the colonel to finish the -flask.</p> - -<p>We were nearing the goal: so much was certain. But the violence of the -gale, increasing with the greater altitude, warned us against delay. -We therefore pushed on across the stony terraces extending beyond, and -were at length rewarded by seeing before us the heaped-up pile of broken -granite constituting the peak of Washington, and which we knew still -rose a thousand feet above our heads. The sight of this towering mass, -which seems formed of the débris of the Creation, is well calculated -to stagger more adventurous spirits than the three weary and foot-sore -men who stood watching the cloud-billows, silently rolling up, dash -themselves unceasingly against its foundations. We looked first at the -mountain, then in each other’s faces, then began the ascent.</p> - -<p>For near an hour we toiled upward, sometimes up to the middle in snow, -always carefully feeling our way among the treacherous pitfalls it -concealed. Compelled to halt every few rods to recover breath, the -distance traversed could not be great. Still, with dogged perseverance, -we kept on, occasionally lending each other a helping hand out of a -drift, or from rock to rock; but no words were exchanged, for the stock -of gayety with which we set out was now exhausted. The gravity of the -situation began to create uneasiness in the minds of my companions. All -at once I heard my name called out. I turned. It was the colonel, whose -halloo in midst of this stony silence startled me.<a name="page_106" id="page_106"></a></p> - -<p>“You pretend,” he began, “that it’s only a thousand feet from the -plateau to the top of this accursed mountain?”</p> - -<p>“No more, no less. Professor Guyot assures us of the fact.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, here we have been zigzagging about for a good hour, haven’t -we?”</p> - -<p>“An hour and twenty minutes,” said I, consulting my watch.</p> - -<p>“And not a sign of the houses or the railway, or any other creeping -thing. Do you want my opinion?”</p> - -<p>“Charmed.”</p> - -<p>“We have passed the houses without seeing them in the storm, and are now -on the side of the mountain opposite from where we started.”</p> - -<p>“So that you conclude—?”</p> - -<p>“We are lost.”</p> - -<p>This was, of course, mere guesswork; but we had no compass, and might -be travelling in the wrong direction, after all. A moment’s reflection, -however, reassured me. “Is that your opinion, too, George?” I asked.</p> - -<p>George had taken off his boot, and was chafing his swollen ankle. He -looked up.</p> - -<p>“My opinion is that I don’t know anything about it; but as you got us -into this scrape, you had better get us out of it, and be spry about it -too, for the deuce take me if I can go much farther.”</p> - -<p>“Why,” croaked the colonel, “I recollect hearing of a traveller who, -like us, actually walked by the Summit House without seeing it, when he -was hailed by a man who, by mere accident, chanced to be outside, and -who imagined he saw something moving in the fog. In five minutes the -stranger would inevitably have walked over a precipice with his eyes -open.”</p> - -<p>“And I remember seeing on the wall of the tavern where we stopped, at -Bartlett, a placard offering a reward for a man who, like us, set out -from Crawford’s, and was never heard of,” George put in.<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></p> - -<p>“And I read of one who, like us, almost reached the summit, but -mistaking a lower peak for the pinnacle, losing his head, crawled, -exhausted, under a rock to die there,” I finished, firing the last shot.</p> - -<p>Without another word both my comrades grappled vigorously with<a name="page_107" id="page_107"></a> the -mountain, and for ten minutes nothing was heard but our labored -breathing. On whatever side we might be, so long as we continued to -ascend I had little fear of being in the wrong road. Our affair was to -get to the top.</p> - -<p>At the end of ten minutes we came suddenly upon a walled enclosure, -which we conjectured to be the corral at the end of the bridle-path. We -hailed it like an oasis in the midst of this desert. We entered, brushed -the snow from a stone, and sat down.</p> - -<p>Up to this time my umbrella had afforded a good deal of merriment to my -companions, who could not understand why I encumbered myself with it on -a day which began as this one did, perfectly clear and cloudless. Since -the storm came on, the force of the wind would at any time have lifted -off his feet the man who attempted to spread it, and even if it had -not, as well might one have walked blindfolded in that treacherous road -as with an open umbrella before him. Now it was my turn, or, rather, -the turn of the abused umbrella. A few moments of rest were absolutely -necessary; but the wind cut like a cimeter, and we felt ourselves -freezing. I opened the umbrella, and, protected by it from the wind, -we crouched under its friendly shelter, and lighted our cigars. Never -before did I know the luxury of a smoke like that.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said I, complacently glancing up at our tent, “ever since I -read how an umbrella saved a man’s life, I determined never to go on a -mountain without one.”</p> - -<p>“An umbrella! How do you make that out?” demanded both my auditors.</p> - -<p>“It is very simple. He was lost on this very mountain, under conditions -similar to those we are now experiencing, except that his carrying an -umbrella was an accident, and that he was alone. He passed two nights -under it. But the story will keep.”</p> - -<p>It may well be imagined that we had not the least disposition to be -merry; yet for all that there was something irresistibly comical in -three men sitting with their feet in the snow, and putting their heads -together under a single umbrella. Various were the conjectures. We could -hear nothing but the rushing wind, see nothing but driving sleet. George -believed we were still half a mile from the summit; the colonel was not -able to precisely fix his opinion, but thought us still a long way off. -After diligent search, in which we all joined, I succeeded in finding<a name="page_108" id="page_108"></a> -something like a path turning to the right, and we again resumed our -slow clambering over the rocks.</p> - -<p>Perhaps ten minutes passed thus, when we again halted and peered -anxiously into the whirling vapor—nothing, neither monument nor -stone, to indicate where we were. A new danger confronted us; one I -had hitherto repulsed because I dared not think of it. The light was -failing, and darkness would soon be here. God help any that this night -surprised on the mountain! While we eagerly sought on all sides some -evidence that human feet had ever passed that way, a terrific blast, -that seemed to concentrate the fury of the tempest in one mighty effort, -dashed us helpless upon the rocks. For some seconds we were blinded, and -could only crouch low until its violence subsided. But as the monstrous -wave recoiled from the mountain, a piercing cry brought us quickly to -our feet.</p> - -<p>“Look!” shouted George, waving his hat like a madman—“look there!” he -repeated.</p> - -<p>Vaguely, through the tattered clouds, like a wreck driving miserably -before the tempest, we distinguished a building propped up by timbers -crusted with thick ice. The gale shook and beat upon it with demoniacal -glee, but never did weary eyes rest on a more welcome object. For ten -seconds, perhaps, we held it in view; then, in a twinkling, the clouds -rolled over it, shut together, and it was gone—swallowed up in the -vortex.</p> - -<p>A moment of bewilderment succeeded, after which we made a simultaneous -rush in the direction of the building. In five minutes more we were -within the hotel, thawing our frozen clothing before a rousing fire.</p> - -<p>It provokes a smile when I think of it. Here, in this frail structure, -perched like another Noah’s Ark on its mountain, and which every gust -threatened to scatter to the winds of heaven, a grand piano was going -in the parlor, a telegraphic instrument clicked in a corner, and we sat -down to a <i>ménu</i> that made the colonel forget the loss of his hat.</p> - -<p>“By the bones of Daniel Boone! I can say as Napoleon did on the Great -St. Bernard, ‘I have spoiled a hat among your mountains; well, I shall -find a new one on the other side,’” observed the colonel, uncorking a -second bottle of champagne.<a name="page_109" id="page_109"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="SECOND_JOURNEY" id="SECOND_JOURNEY"></a>SECOND JOURNEY.</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> - -<tr><td align="right" colspan="3"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_I-2">I.</a></td><td> <i>LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_113">113</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_II-2">II.</a></td><td> <i>JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_122">122</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_III-2">III.</a></td><td> <i>THE CARTER NOTCH</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_132">132</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV-2">IV.</a></td><td> <i>THE PINKHAM NOTCH</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_144">144</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_V-2">V.</a></td><td> <i>A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN’S</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_155">155</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI-2">VI.</a></td><td><i>IN AND ABOUT GORHAM</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_165">165</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII-2">VII.</a></td><td><i>ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_178">178</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII-2">VIII.</a></td><td> <i>MOUNT WASHINGTON</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_189">189</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><a name="page_110" id="page_110"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_111" id="page_111"></a></p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_111_sml.jpg" width="565" height="348" alt="WHITE MOUNTAINS - -(CENTRAL AND NORTHERN SECTION.) - -FROM -Walling’s Map of -NEW HAMPSHIRE, -With corrections by -Members of the -APPALACHIAN CLUB. -1881." title="" /><br /> -<span class="caption">[<a href="images/ill_pg_111_med.jpg">larger view</a>]<br /> -[<a href="images/ill_pg_111_lg.jpg">largest view</a>]</span></p> - -<p><a name="page_112" id="page_112"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_113" id="page_113"></a></p> - -<h2>SECOND JOURNEY</h2> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_I-2" id="CHAPTER_I-2"></a>I.<br /><br /> -<small><i>LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">My lord, I will hoist saile; and all the wind<br /></span> -<span class="i0">My bark can beare shall hasten me to find<br /></span> -<span class="i0">A great new world.—<span class="smcap">Sir W. Davenant.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">W</span>HEN Cabot, in the <i>Mathew</i>, of Bristol, was sailing by the New England -coast, and the amazed savage beheld a pyramid of white sails rising, -like a cloud, out of the sea, the navigator saw from the deck of his -ship, rising out of the land, a cluster of lofty summits cut like a -cameo on the northern sky.</p> - -<p>The Indian left his tradition of the marvellous apparition, which he at -first believed to be a mass of trees wrapped in faded foliage, drifting -slowly at the caprice of the waves; but, as he gazed, fire streamed -from the strange object, a cloud shut it from his view, and a peal like -distant thunder was wafted on the breeze to his startled ears. That peal -announced the doom of his race. He was looking at the first ship.</p> - -<p>Succeeding navigators, Italians, Portuguese, French, English—a roll of -famous names—sailed these seas, and, in their turn, hailed the distant -summits. They became the great distinguishing landmarks of this corner -of the New World. They are found on all the maps traced by the early -geographers from the relations of the discoverers themselves. Having -thus found form and substance, they also found a name—the Mountains of -St. John.</p> - -<p>Ships multiplied. Men of strange garb, speech, complexion, erected their -habitations along the coast, the unresisting Indian never dreaming -that the thin line which the sea had cast up would speedily rise to an -inundation destined to sweep him from the face of the earth. Then began -that steady advance, slow at first, gathering momentum with the years, -before which he recoiled step by step, and finally disappeared forever.<a name="page_114" id="page_114"></a> -His destiny was accomplished. To-day only mountains and streams transmit -to us the certainty that he ever did exist. They are his monument, his -lament, his eternal accusation.</p> - -<p>The White Mountains stood for the Indian not only as an image, but as -the actual dwelling-place of Omnipotence. His dreaded Manitou, whose -voice was the thunder, whose anger the lightning, and on whose face -no mortal could look and live, was the counterpart of the terrible -Thor, the Icelandic god, throned in a palace of ice among frozen and -inaccessible mountain peaks, over which he could be heard urging his -loud chariot amid the rage of the tempest. Frost and fire, plague and -famine were the terrific natural agents common to the Indian and to the -Norse mythology; and to his god of terrors the Indian conjurer addressed -his prayers, his incantations, and his propitiatory offerings, when -some calamity had befallen or threatened his tribe. But to cross the -boundary which separated him from the abiding-place of the Manitou! -plant his audacious foot within the region from which Nature shrunk back -affrighted! Not all the wealth he believed the mountain hoarded would -have tempted him to brave the swift and terrible vengeance of the justly -offended, all-powerful Manitou. So far, then, as he was concerned, the -mountain remained inviolate, inviolable, as a kind of hell, filled with -the despairing shrieks of those who in an evil hour transgressed the -limits sacred to immortals.<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></p> - -<p>As a pendant to this superstition, in which their deity is with simple -grandeur throned on the highest mountain peak, it is curious to remember -the Indian tradition of the Deluge; for, like so many peoples, they had -their tradition, coming from a remote time, and having strong family -resemblance with that of more enlightened nations. According to it, all<a name="page_115" id="page_115"></a> -the inhabitants of the earth were drowned, except one Powaw and his -wife, who were preserved by climbing to the top of the White Mountains, -and who were the progenitors of the subsequent races of man. The Powaw -took with him a hare, which, upon the subsiding of the waters, he freed, -as Noah did the dove, seeing in its prolonged absence the assurance that -he and his companion might safely descend to earth. The likeness of this -tradition with the story of Deucalion, and Pyrrha, his wife, as related -by Ovid, is very striking. One does not easily consent to refer it to -accident alone.</p> - -<p>There is one thing more. When asked by the whites to point out the -Indian’s heaven, the savage stretched his arm in the direction of the -White Hills, and replied that heaven was just beyond. Such being his -religion, and such the influence of the mountain upon this highly -imaginative, poetic, natural man, one finds himself drawn legitimately -in the train of those marvels which our ancestors considered the most -credible things in the world, and which the sceptical cannot explain by -a sneer.</p> - -<p>According to the Indians, on the highest mountain, suspended from a -crag overlooking a dismal lake, was an enormous carbuncle, which many -declared they had seen blazing in the night like a live coal. Some even -asserted that its ruddy glare lighted the livid rocks around like the -fire of a midnight encampment, while by day it emitted rays, like the -sun, dazzling to look upon. And this extraordinary sight they declared -they had not only seen, but seen again and again.</p> - -<p>It is true that the Indians did not hesitate to declare that no mortal -hand could hope to grasp the great fire-stone. It was, said they, in the -special guardianship of the genius of the mountain, who, on the approach -of human footsteps, troubled the waters of the lake, causing a dark mist -to rise, in which the venturesome mortal became bewildered, and then -hopelessly lost. Several noted conjurers of the Pigwackets, rendered -foolhardy by their success in exorcising evil spirits, so far conquered -their fears as to ascend the mountain; but they never returned, and had, -no doubt, expiated their folly by being transformed into stone, or flung -headlong down some stark and terrible precipice.</p> - -<p>This tale of the great carbuncle fired the imagination of the simple -settlers to the highest pitch. We believe what we wish to believe, and, -notwithstanding their religion refused to admit the existence of the -Indian demon, its guardian, they seem to have had little difficulty in -crediting the reality of the jewel itself. At any rate, the belief that -the<a name="page_116" id="page_116"></a> mountain shut up precious mines has come down to our own day; we -are assured by a learned historian of fifty years ago that the story of -the great carbuncle still found full credence in his.<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> We are now -acquainted with the spirit of the time when the first attempt to scale -the mountain, known to us, was rewarded with complete success. But the -record is of exasperating brevity.</p> - -<p>Among the earliest settlers of Exeter, New Hampshire, was a man by the -name of Darby Field. The antecedents of this obscure personage are -securely hidden behind the mists of more than two centuries.</p> - -<p>A hundred and twenty-five years before the ascent of Mont Blanc by -Jacques Balmat, Darby Field successfully ascended to the summit of the -“White Hill,” to-day known as Mount Washington; but the exploit of the -adventurous Irishman is far more remarkable in its way than that of the -brave Swiss, since he had to make his way for eighty miles through a -wilderness inhabited only by beasts of prey, or by human beings scarcely -less savage, before he reached the foot of the great range; while Balmat -lived under the very shadow of the monarch of the Alps, so that its -spectre was forever crossing his path. Furthermore, the greater part of -the ascent of Mont Blanc was already familiar ground to the guides and -chamois-hunters of the Swiss Alps. On the contrary, according to every -probability, Field was the first human being whose daring foot invaded -the hitherto inviolable seclusion of the illustrious hermit of New -England.</p> - -<p>For such an adventure one instinctively seeks a motive. I did not long -amuse myself with the idea that this explorer climbed merely for the -sake of climbing; and I have little notion that he dreamed of posthumous -renown. It is far more probable that the reports brought by the Indians -of the fabulous treasures of the mountains led to Field’s long, arduous, -and really perilous journey. It is certain that he was possessed of -rare intrepidity, as well as the true craving for adventure. That goes -without saying; still, the whole undertaking—its inception, its pursuit -to the end in the face of extraordinary obstacles, which he had no means -of measuring or anticipating—announces a very different sort of man -from the ordinary, a purpose before which all dangers disappear.</p> - -<p>In June, 1642, that is to say, only twelve years after the Puritan -settlements<a name="page_117" id="page_117"></a> in Massachusetts Bay, Field set out from the sea-coast for -the White Hills.</p> - -<p>So far as known, he prosecuted his journey to the Indian village -of Pigwacket, the existence of which is thus established, without -noteworthy accident or adventure. Here he was joined by some Indians, -who conducted him within eight miles of the summit, when, declaring that -to go farther would expose them to the wrath of their great Evil Spirit, -they halted, and refused to proceed. The brave Irishman was equal to the -emergency. To turn back, baffled, within sight of his goal was evidently -not an admitted contingency. Leaving the Indians, therefore, squatted -upon the rocks, and no doubt regarding him as a man rushing upon a -fool’s fate, Field again resolutely faced the mountain, when, seeing him -equally unmoved by their warnings as unshaken in his determination to -reach the summit, two of the boldest warriors ran after him, while the -others stoically made their preparations to await a return which they -never expected to take place. They watched the retreating figures until -lost among the rocks.</p> - -<p>In the language of the original narration, the rest of the ascent was -effected by “a ridge between two valleys filled with snow, out of which -came two branches of the Saco River, which met at the foot of the hill, -where was an Indian town of two hundred people.” ... “By-the-way, among -the rocks, there were two ponds, one a blackish water, and the other -reddish.”.... “Within twelve miles of the top was neither tree nor -grass, but low savins, which they went upon the top of sometimes.”</p> - -<p>The adventurous climber pushed on. Soon he was assailed by thick clouds, -through which he and his companions resolutely toiled upward. This slow -and labored progress through entangling mists continued until within -four miles of the summit, when Field emerged above them into a region -of intense cold. Surmounting the immense pile of shattered rocks which -constitute the spire, he at last stood upon the unclouded summit, -with its vast landscape outspread beneath him, and the air so clear -that the sea seemed not more than twenty miles distant. No doubt the -daring explorer experienced all the triumph natural to his successful -achievement. It is not difficult to imagine the exultation with which he -planted his audacious foot upon the topmost crag, for, like Columbus, -Cabot, Balboa, he, too, was a real discoverer. The Indians must have -regarded him, who thus scornfully braved the vengeance of their god of -terrors, as something more than man. I have often pictured<a name="page_118" id="page_118"></a> him standing -there, proudly erect, while the wonder-struck savages crouched humbly at -his feet. Both, in their way, felt the presence of their God; but the -white man would confront his as an equal, while the savage adored with -his face in the dust.</p> - -<p>The three men, after their first emotion of ecstasy, amazement, or fear, -looked about them. For the moment the great carbuncle was forgotten. -Field had chosen the best month of the twelve for his attempt, and now -saw a vast and unknown region stretching away on the north and east to -the shores of what he took for seas, but what were really only seas of -vapor, heaped against the farthest horizons. He fancied he saw a great -water to the north, which he judged to be a hundred miles broad, for -no land was beyond it. He thought he descried the great Gulf of Canada -to the east, and in the west the great lake out of which the river of -Canada came. All these illusions are sufficiently familiar to mountain -explorers; and it must not be forgotten that in Field’s day geographical -knowledge of the interior of the country was indeed limited. In fact, he -must have brought back with him the first accurate knowledge respecting -the sources of those rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the -mountains. The great gulf on the north side of Mount Washington is -truly declared to be such a precipice that they could scarce discern to -the bottom; the great northern wilderness as “daunting terrible,” and -clothed with “infinite thick woods.” Such is its aspect to-day.</p> - -<p>The day must have been so far spent that Field had but little time in -which to prosecute his search. He, however, found “store of Muscovy -glass” and some crystals, which, supposing them to be diamonds, he -carefully secured and brought away. These glittering masses, congealed, -according to popular belief, like ice on the frozen regions of the -mountains, gave them the name of the Crystal Hills—a name the most -poetic, the most suggestive, and the most fitting that has been applied -to the highest summits since the day they were first discovered by -Englishmen.</p> - -<p>Descending the mountain, Field rejoined his Indians, who were doubtless -much astonished to see him return to them safe and sound; for, while he -had been making the ascent, a furious tempest, sent, as these savages -believed, to destroy the rash pale-face and his equally reckless -companions, burst upon the mountain. He found them drying themselves by -a fire of pine-knots; and, after a short halt, the party took their way -down the mountain to the Indian village.<a name="page_119" id="page_119"></a></p> - -<p>Before a month elapsed, Field, with five or six companions, made a -second ascent; but the gem of inestimable value, by whose light one -might read at night, continued to elude his pursuit. The search was not, -however, abandoned. Others continued it. The marvellous story, as firmly -believed as ever by the credulous, survived, in all its purity, to our -own century, to be finally transmitted to immortality by Hawthorne’s -tale of “The Great Carbuncle.” It may be said here that great influence -was formerly attributed to this stone, which the learned in alchemy -believed prevailed against the dangers of infection, and was a sure -talisman to preserve its owner from peril by sea or by land.</p> - -<p>A tradition is ten times a tradition when it has a fixed locality. -Without this it is a myth, a mere vagabond of a tradition. Knowing this, -I searched diligently for the spot where the great carbuncle, like the -eye of a Cyclop, shed its red lustre far down the valley of the Saco; -and if the little mountain tarn to-day known as Hermit Lake, over which -the gaunt crags rise in austere grandeur, be not the place, then I am -persuaded that further seeking would be unavailing. I cannot go so far -as to say that it never existed.</p> - -<p>What seems passing strange is that the feat performed by Field,<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> the -fame of which spread throughout the colony, should have been nearly, -if not wholly, forgotten before the lapse of a century. Robert Rogers, -one of the most celebrated hunters of the White Mountains, subsequently -a renowned partisan leader in the French and Indian wars, uses the -following language concerning them:</p> - -<p>“I cannot learn that any person was ever on the top of these mountains. -I have been told by the Indians that they have often attempted it in -vain, by reason of the change of air they met with, which I am inclined -to believe, having ascended them myself ‘til the alteration of air was -very perceptible; and even then I had not advanced half way up; the -valleys below were then concealed from view by clouds.”</p> - -<p>It is not precisely known when or how these granite peaks took the name -of the White Mountains. We find them so designated in 1672 by Josselyn, -who himself performed the feat of ascending the highest<a name="page_120" id="page_120"></a> summit, of -which a brief record is found in his “New England’s Rarities.” One -cannot help saying of this book that either the author was a liar of the -first magnitude, or else we have to regret the degeneracy of Nature, -exhausted by her long travail; for this narrator gravely tells us of -frogs which were as big as a child of a year old, and of poisonous -serpents which the Indians caught with their bare hands, and ate alive -with great gusto. These are rarities indeed.</p> - -<p>The first mention I have met with of an Indian name for the White -Mountains is in the narrative of John Gyles’s captivity, printed in -Boston in 1736, saying:</p> - -<p>“These White Hills, at the head of Penobscot River, are by the Indians -said to be much higher than those called Agiockochook,<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> above Saco.”</p> - -<p>The similitude between the names White Mountains and Mont Blanc suggests -the same idea, that color, rather than character, makes the first and -strongest impression upon the beholder. Thus we have White Mountains and -Green Mountains, Red Mountains and Black Mountains, the world over. The -eye seizes a color before the mind fixes upon a distinctive feature, -or the imagination a resemblance. It is stated, on the authority of -Schoolcraft, that the Algonquins called these summits “White Rocks.” -Mariners, approaching from the open sea, descried what seemed a -cloud-bank, rising from the landward horizon, when twenty leagues from -the nearest coast, and before any other land was visible from the -mast-head. Thirty leagues distant in a direct line, in a clear midsummer -day, the distant summits appeared of a pearly<a name="page_121" id="page_121"></a> whiteness; observed -again from a church steeple on the sea-coast, with the sky partially -overcast, they were whitish-gray, showing that the change from blue to -white, or to cool tones approximating with white, is due to atmospheric -conditions. The early writers succeed only imperfectly in accounting -for this phenomenon, which for six months of the year at least has no -connection whatever with the snows that cover the highest peaks only -from the middle of October to the middle of April, a period during which -few navigators of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries visited our -shores, or, indeed, ventured to put to sea at all.<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a><a name="page_122" id="page_122"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_II-2" id="CHAPTER_II-2"></a>II.<br /><br /> -<small><i>JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Once more, O mountains of the North, unveil<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Your brows, and lay your cloudy mantles by!—<span class="smcap">WHITTIER.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">I</span>T is Petrarch who says, “A journey on foot hath most pleasant -commodities; a man may go at his pleasure; none shall stay him, none -shall carry him beyond his wish, none shall trouble him; he hath but -one labor, the labor of nature, to go.” Every true pedestrian ought to -render full faith to the poet’s assertion; and should he chance to have -his Laura, he will see her somewhere, or, rather, everywhere, I promise -him. But that is his affair.</p> - -<p>There are two ways of reaching Jackson from North Conway. One route -leaves the travelled highway a short distance beyond the East Branch of -the Saco, and ascends Thorn Hill; another diverges from it near Glen -Station, in Bartlett. The Thorn Hill way is the longer; but, as the -views are unsurpassed, I unhesitatingly chose it in preference to the -easier and shorter road.</p> - -<p>The walk from the Intervale over Thorn Hill gives ravishing backward -glimpses, opening to a full and broad panorama of the Saco meadows and -of the surrounding mountains. Needless to call them by name. One might -forget names, but the image never. Then, advancing to the summit, full -upon the charmed eye comes that glorious vision of the great mountains, -elevated to an immense height, and seeming, in their benevolence, to -say, “Approach, mortals!” Underneath is the village.</p> - -<p>We have left the grand vestibule of the Saco to enter an amphitheatre. -Washington, in his snowy toga, occupies the place of high honor. Adams -flaunts his dainty spire over the Pinkham Notch, at the monarch’s left -hand. Then comes an embattled wall, pierced through its centre by the -immense hollow of the Carter Notch.<a name="page_123" id="page_123"></a></p> - -<p>Jackson is the ideal mountain village. From Thorn Hill it looked a -little elysium, with its handful of white houses huddled around its -one little church spire, like a congregation sitting at the feet of -their pastor. You perceive neither entrance nor exit, so completely is -the deep vale shut in by mountains. The streams, that make two veins -of silver in the green floor, seem vainly seeking a way out. One would -think Nature had locked the door and thrown away the key. The first -stream is the Wildcat, coming from the Carter Notch; the second, the -Ellis, from the Pinkham Notch. They unite just below the village, and, -like a forlorn-hope, together cut their way out of the mountains.</p> - -<p>Getting down into the village, the high mountains now sink out of -sight, and I saw only the nearer and less elevated ones immediately -surrounding—on the north, Eagle and Wildcat; on the east, Tin and -Thorn; on the west, Iron Mountain. The latter has fine, bold cliffs. -Over its smooth slope I again saw the two great steps of the Giant’s -Stairs, mounting the long ridge which conducts to the great plateau of -Mount Washington.</p> - -<p>The village has a bright, pleasant look, but is not otherwise remarkable -in itself. Three hotels, the church, and a score or so of houses, -constitute the central portion. But if the village is small, the -township is large; and what is the visitor’s astonishment, on opening -his eyes some fine morning, to see farms and farm-houses scattered along -the very summit of Thorn Mountain, whence they appear to regard the -little world below with a lofty disdain. How came they there? is the -question one feels inclined to ask; for in this enchanted air he loses -the desire, almost the faculty, of thinking for himself. The inhabitants -of this little colony seem to prize their seclusion, and only descend to -earth at the call of necessity. Their neighbors are the eagles. Surely -this is <i>Ultima Thule</i>. Alas! no; the tax-gatherer mounts even here.</p> - -<p>The people of Jackson are above all anxious for the development of -the mineral resources of the place. They have iron and tin, and claim -also the existence of copper and even of gold ores. Yet it is probable -that the vein most profitable for them, the one most likely to yield -satisfactory returns, is that on which the summer hotels have been -located and opened. So far, the mountains refuse to give up the wealth -they hoard.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_124_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_124_sml.jpg" width="336" height="234" alt="GIANT’S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN." -title="GIANT’S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN." /></a> -<span class="caption">GIANT’S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN.</span> -</p> - -<p>The Wildcat cuts the village in two. It is a perfect highwayman of a -stream. The very air is tremulous with its rush and roar. I halted<a name="page_124" id="page_124"></a> -awhile on the little bridge that spans it, from which, looking down -the long pathway it makes, I enjoyed a fine retrospect of the Moats, -and, looking up, saw the torrent come bounding toward me. Here it makes -a swift descent over granite ledges, clean and fresh from constant -scrubbing, as the face of a country urchin, and as freckled. See how -hard every rod of its course is beset by huge hump-backed bowlders! A -river in fetters!</p> - -<p>Just above the bridge the stream plunges, two white streaks of water, -twenty to thirty feet obliquely down. Now it is dark, now light; -sometimes tinged a pale emerald, sometimes a rich amber, where it falls -down in thin sheets. For half a mile the ledges look as if an earthquake -had ripped them up to make a channel for this tempest of water. It is -from these ledges, looking down the course of the stream, that Moat -Mountain is so incomparably fine. It stretches itself luxuriously along -the rich meadows, like a Sybarite upon his couch of velvet, lifting -its head high enough to embrace the landscape, of which itself is the -most attractive feature. And the tall pines rise above the framework of -forest, as if to look at the beautiful mountain, clothed with the light -of the morning, and reclining with such infinite grace.</p> - -<p>Sprays of trembling foliage droop or stretch themselves out over the -stream in search of the fine dew it sends up. They seem endeavoring to -hide the broad scar made through the forest. The clear sun illuminates<a name="page_125" id="page_125"></a> -their green leaves, and makes the cool rocks emit a sensible warmth. It -also illuminates the little fountains of water. Ferns and young willows -shoot from crevices, delicate mosses attach themselves to the grim -bowlders. I found the perfect print of a human foot sunk in the hardest -rock; also cavities as cleverly rounded as if pebbles had been taken -from the granite. On the banks, under the thick shade of the pines, I -gathered a handful of the showy pappoose flower, the green leaves of -which are edible. Little mauve butterflies fluttered at our knees like -violets blown about by the wind.</p> - -<p>The crest of the fall is split, and broken up in huge fragments. The -main stream gains an outlet by a deep channel it has cut in the rock; -then turns a mill; then shoots down the face of the ledge. Above the -high ledge the bed of the river widens to about two hundred feet. Higher -up, where it is broken in long regular steps over which fifty cascades -tumble, I thought it most beautiful.</p> - -<p>Besides Jackson Falls, so called, there is a fine cataract on the Ellis, -known as Goodrich Falls. This is a mile and a half out of the village, -where the Conway road passes the Ellis by a bridge; and, being directly -upon the high-road, is one of the best known. The river here suddenly -pours its whole volume over a precipice eighty feet high, making the -earth tremble with the shock. I made my way down the steep bank to the -bed of the river below the fall, from which I saw, first, the curling -wave, large, regular, and glassy, of the dam, then three wild and -foaming pitches of broken water, with detached cascades gushing out from -the rocks at the right—all falling heavily into the eddying pool below. -Where the water was not white, or filliped into fine spray, it was the -color of pale sherry, and opaque, gradually changing to amber gold -as the light penetrated it and the descending sheet of the fall grew -thinner. The full tide of the river showed the fall to the best possible -advantage. But spring is the season of cascades—the only season when -one is sure of seeing them at all.</p> - -<p>One gets strongly attached to such a stream as the Ellis. If it has -been his only comrade for weeks, as it has been mine, the liking grows -stronger every day—the sense of companionship is full and complete: -the river is so voluble, so vivacious, so full of noisy chatter. If you -are dull, it rouses and lifts you out of yourself; if gay, it is as gay -as you. Besides, there is the paradox that, notwithstanding you may be -going in different directions, it never leaves you for a single moment. -One<a name="page_126" id="page_126"></a> talks as it runs, one listens as he walks. A secret, an indefinable -sympathy springs up. You are no longer alone.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_126_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_126_sml.jpg" width="327" height="408" alt="MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS." -title="MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS." /></a> -<span class="caption">MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS.</span> -</p> - -<p>Among other stories that the river told me was the following:</p> - -<p>Once, while on their way to Canada through these mountains, a war-party -of Indians, fresh from a successful forray on the sea-coast, halted with -their prisoners on the banks of a stream whose waters stopped their way. -For weeks these miserable captives had toiled through trackless forests, -through swollen and angry torrents, sometimes climbing<a name="page_127" id="page_127"></a> mountains on -their hands and knees—they were so steep—and at night stretching their -aching limbs on the cold ground, with no other roof than the heavens.<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a></p> - -<p>The captives were a mother, with her new-born babe, scarcely fourteen -days old, her boy of six, her two daughters of fourteen and sixteen -years, and her maid. Two of her little flock were missing. One little -prattler was playing at her knee, and another in the orchard, when -thirteen red devils burst in the door of their happy home. Two cruel -strokes of the axe stretched them lifeless in their blood before her -frenzied eyes. One was killed to intimidate, the other was despatched -because he was afraid, and cried out to his mother. There was no time -for tears—none even for a parting kiss. Think of that, mothers of the -nineteenth century! The tragedy finished, the hapless survivors were -hurried from the house into the woods. There was no resistance. The blow -fell like a stroke of lightning from a clear sky.</p> - -<p>This mother, whose eyes never left the embroidered belt of the chief, -where the reeking scalps of her murdered babes hung; this mother, -who had tasted the agony of death from hour to hour, and whose -incomparable courage not only supported her own weak frame, but had -so far miraculously preserved the lives of her little ones, now stood -shivering on the shores of the swollen torrent with her babe in her -arms, and holding her little boy by the hand. In rags, bleeding, and -almost famished, her misery should have melted a heart of stone. But she -well knew the mercy of her masters. When fainting, they had goaded her -on with blows, or, making a gesture as if to snatch her little one from -her arms, significantly grasped their tomahawks. Hope was gone; but the -mother’s instinct was not yet extinguished in that heroic breast.</p> - -<p>But at this moment of sorrow and despair, what was her amazement to hear -the Indians accost her daughter Sarah, and command her to sing them a -song. What mysterious chord had the wild, flowing river touched in those -savage breasts? The girl prepared to obey, and the Indians to listen. In -the heart of these vast solitudes, which never before echoed to a human -voice, the heroic English maiden chanted to the plaintive refrain of the -river the sublime words of the Psalmist:</p> - -<p>“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we -remembered Zion.<a name="page_128" id="page_128"></a></p> - -<p>“We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.</p> - -<p>“For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and -they that wasted us required of us mirth.”</p> - -<p>As she sung, the poor girl’s voice trembled and her eyes filled, but she -never once looked toward her mother.</p> - -<p>When the last notes of the singer’s voice died away, the bloodiest -devil, he who murdered the children, took the babe gently from the -mother, without a word; another lifted her burden to his own shoulder; -another, the little boy; when the whole company entered the river.</p> - -<p>Gentlemen, metaphysicians, explain that scene, if you please: it is no -romance.</p> - -<p>As this tale plunged me in a train of sombre reflection, the river -recounted one of those marvellous legends which contain more poetry than -superstition, and which here seem so appropriate.</p> - -<p>According to the legend, a family living at the foot of a lofty peak -had a daughter more beautiful than any maiden of the tribe, possessing -a mind elevated far above the common order, and as accomplished as -beautiful. When she reached a proper age, her parents looked around -them for a suitable match, but in vain. None of the young men of the -tribe were worthy of so peerless a creature. Suddenly this lovely -wildflower of the mountains disappeared. Diligent was the search, and -loud the lamentations when no trace of her light moccasin could be -found in forest or glade. The tribe mourned her as lost. But one day -some hunters, who had penetrated into the fastnesses of the mountain, -discovered the lost maiden disporting herself in the limpid waters -of a stream with a beautiful youth, whose hair, like her own, flowed -down below his waist. On the approach of the intruders, the youthful -bathers vanished from sight. The relatives of the maiden recognized her -companion as one of the kind spirits of the mountain, and henceforth -looked upon him as their son. They called upon him for moose, bear, or -whatever creature they desired, and had only to go to the water-side -and signify their desire, when, behold! the animal came swimming toward -them. This legend strongly reminded me of one of those marvellous fables -of the Hartz, in which a princess of exceeding beauty, destroyed by the -arts of a wicked fairy, was often seen bathing in the river Ilse. If she -met a traveller, she conducted him into the interior of the mountain and -loaded him with riches. Each legend dimly conveys its idea of the wealth -believed to reside in the mountain itself.<a name="page_129" id="page_129"></a></p> - -<p>The Ellis continues to guide us farther and farther into the mountains. -If we turn in the direction of the Glen House, a mile out of the -village the Giant’s Stairs come finely into view, and are held for -some distance. Then bewitching vistas of Mount Washington, with snow -decorating his huge sides, rise and sink, appear and disappear, until -we reach an open vale, where the stream is spanned by a rude bridge. -The route offers nothing more striking in its way than the view of the -Pinkham Notch, which lies open at this point.</p> - -<p>One of my walks extending as far as the last house on this road, -permitted me to gratify a strong desire to see something of the in-door -life of the poorer class of farmers. That desire was fully satisfied. -There was nothing remarkable about the house itself; but the room in -which I rested would have furnished Meyer von Bremen a capital subject -for one of his characteristic interiors—it carried me back a century -at least. In one corner a woman upward of seventy, I should say, sat -at a spinning-wheel. She rose, got my bread-and-milk, and then resumed -her spinning. A young mother, with a babe in her lap and two tow-headed -urchins at her knee, occupied a high-backed rocking-chair. To judge -from appearances, the river which flowed by the door was completely -forgotten. Her efforts to hush the babe being interrupted by the peevish -whining of one of the brats, she dealt him a sound box on the ear, upon -which the whole pack howled in unison, while the mother, very red with -the effect of her own anger, dragged the culprit from the room. There -was still another occupant, a young girl, so silently plying her needle -that I did not at first notice her. The floor was bare. A rickety chair -or two and a cradle finished the meagre inventory of the apartment. -The general appearance of things was untidy and unthrifty, rather than -squalid; but I could not help recalling Sir William Davenant’s remark, -“that those tenants never get much furniture who begin with a cradle.”</p> - -<p>In such rambles, romantic and picturesque, in such dreams, the time -runs away. The weeks are long days, the days moments. Every one asks -himself why he finds Jackson so enticing, but no one is able to answer -the question. <i>Cui bono?</i> When I am happy, shall I make myself miserable -searching for the reason? Not if I know it.</p> - -<p>Like bees to the sweetest flowers, the artists alight on the choicest -bits of scenery by instinct. One runs across their umbrellas almost -everywhere, spread like gigantic mushrooms; but some of them seem only -to live and have their true artistic being here. In general, they -are<a name="page_130" id="page_130"></a> gentle, unobtrusive, and rather subdued in the presence of their -beloved mountains. Some among them, however, develop actual rapacity -in the search for new subjects, as, with a pencil between their teeth, -they creep in ambush to surprise and carry off some mountain beauty -which you or I are to ransom. Does a traveller contemplate some arduous -exploration in an unvisited region? the artist knocks him over by -quietly remarking, “I camped there several days last year.”</p> - -<p>In France they maintain that high mountains cannot be painted. -Consequently, the modern French landscape is almost always a dead -level; an illimitable plain, through which a placid stream quietly -meanders, with a thick wood of aged trees at the left, a snug hamlet in -the middle distance, some shrubbery on the right, and a clumsy ox-cart -with peasants, in the foreground. All these details are sufficiently -commonplace; but they appeal strongly to our human yearning for a life -of perfect peace—a sanctuary the world cannot enter. Turner knew that -he must paint a mountain with its head in the clouds, and its feet -plunged in unfathomable abysses. Imagination would do the rest, and -imagination governs the universe.</p> - -<p>Photography cannot reproduce the true relation of distant mountains to -the landscape. The highest summits look like hills. For want of color, -too, it is always twilight. Even running water has a frozen look, -and rocks emit a dead, sepulchral glare. But for details—every leaf -of the tree, or shadow of the leaf—it is faultless; it is the thing -itself. True, under the magnifying-glass the foliage looks crisped, as -is noticed after a first frost. In short, the photograph of mountain -scenery is like that of a friend taken in his coffin. We say with a -shiver that is he, but, alas, how changed! A body without a soul. Again, -photography cannot suggest movement. Perfect immobility is a condition -indispensable to a successful picture. A successful picture! A petrified -landscape!</p> - -<p>“In the morning to the mountain,” says the proverb, as emblematic of -high hopes. For two stations embodying the best features the vicinity -of Jackson can offer, the crest of Thorn Mountain and the ledges above -Fernald’s Farm are strongly commended to every sojourner. Both are -easily reached. On the first, you are a child lifted above the crowd -on the shoulders of a giant; the mountains have come to you. On the -second, you have taken the best possible position to study the form and -structure of Mount Washington. You see all the ravines, and can count -all the gigantic feelers the immense mountain throws down<a name="page_131" id="page_131"></a> into the -gorge of the Ellis. In this way, step by step, we continue to master the -topography of the region visited as we take our chocolate, one sip at a -time.</p> - -<p>I prepared to continue my journey to the Glen House by the valley of -the Wildcat and the Carter Notch, which is a sort of side entrance to -the Peabody Valley. Two passes thus lie on alternate sides of the same -mountain chain. Before doing so, however, two words are necessary.<a name="page_132" id="page_132"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_III-2" id="CHAPTER_III-2"></a>III.<br /><br /> -<small><i>THE CARTER NOTCH.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Stranger, if thou hast learned a truth which needs<br /></span> -<span class="i0">No school of long experience, that the world<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Is full of guilt and misery, and hast seen<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Enough of all its sorrows, crimes, and cares,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To tire thee of it, enter this wild wood<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And view the haunts of nature.—<span class="smcap">Bryant.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">W</span>HAT traveller can pass beyond the crest of Thorn Hill without paying -his tribute of silent admiration to the splendid pageant of mountains -visible from this charmed spot! Before him the great rampart, bristling -with its countless towers, is breached as cleanly as if a cannon-ball -had just crashed through it. It is an immense hole; it is the cavity -from which, apparently, one of those great iron teeth has just been -extracted. Only it does not disfigure the landscape. Far from it. It -really exalts the surrounding peaks. They are enormously aggrandized by -it. You look around for a mountain of proper size and shape to fill it. -That gives the true idea. It is a mountainous hole.</p> - -<p>The little river, tumbling step by step down its broken ledges into -Jackson, comes direct from the Notch, and its stream is the thread -which conducts through the labyrinth of thick woods. I dearly love the -companionship of these mountain streams. They are the voices of the -wilderness, singing high or low, softly humming a melodious refrain to -your thoughts, or, joining innumerable cascades in one grand chorus, -they salute the ear with a gush of sound that strips the forest of its -loneliness and awe. This same madcap Wildcat runs shouting and hallooing -through the woods like a stream possessed.</p> - -<p>By half-past seven of a bright and crisp morning I was climbing the -steep hill-side over which Jackson Falls pour down. Here was a genuine -surprise. On arriving at the top, instead of entering a difficult and<a name="page_133" id="page_133"></a> -confined gorge, I found a charming and tolerably wide vale, dotted with -farms, extending far up into the midst of the mountains. You hardly -realize that the stream flowing so demurely along the bottom of the -valley is the same making its entry into the village with such noise -and tumult. Half a mile above the falls the snowy cupola of Washington -showed itself over Eagle Mountain for a few moments. Then, farther on, -Adams was seen, also white with snow. For five miles the road skirts the -western slopes of the valley, which grows continually deeper, narrower, -and higher. Spruce Mountain is now on our left, the broad flanks of -Black Mountain occupy the right side of the valley. Beyond Black -Mountain Carter Dome lifts its ponderous mass, and between them the dip -of the Perkins Notch, dividing the two ranges, gives admittance to the -Wild River Valley, and to the Androscoggin, in Shelburne. Before me the -grand, downward curves of Carter Notch opened wider and wider.</p> - -<p>I picked up, <i>en route</i>, the guide of this locality, who lives on the -side of the mountain near where the road is left for the woods. Our -business was transacted in two words. While he was strapping on his -knapsack I had leisure to observe the manner of man he was.</p> - -<p>The guide, whose Christian name is Jonathan, is known in all the country -round as “Jock” Davis. He was a medium-sized, muscular man, whiskered to -his eyes, with a pair of bare arms the color of unglazed earthen-ware, -and a step like a panther. As he strode silently on before, with his dog -at his heels, I was reminded of the Jibenainosay and his inseparable -Little Peter. He was steady as a clock, careful, and a capital forester, -but a trifle taciturn. From time to time, as he drew my attention to the -things noticeable or interesting by the way, his face grew animated, and -his eyes sparkled. By the same token I believed I detected that dormant -perception of beauty and grandeur which is inborn, and which travellers -are in general too much disposed to deny any existence among the natives -of these mountains. It is true, one cannot express his feelings with -the vivacity of the other; but if there is such a thing as speech in -silence, the honest guide’s looks spoke volumes.</p> - -<p>He told me that he was accustomed to get his own living in the woods, -like an old bear. He had trapped and gummed all through the region we -were in; the slopes of the great range, and the Wild River wilderness, -which he declared, with a shake of the head, to be “a horrid<a name="page_134" id="page_134"></a> hole.” Now -and then, without halting, he took a step to the right or left to look -into his fox and sable traps, set near the foot-path. When he spoke of -“gumming” on Wildcat Mountain, I was near making an awkward mistake; I -understood him to say “gunning.” So I very innocently asked what he had -bagged. He opened his eyes widely and replied, “Gum.”<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a></p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_134_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_134_sml.jpg" width="341" height="411" alt="THE CARTER NOTCH." -title="THE CARTER NOTCH." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE CARTER NOTCH.</span> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_135" id="page_135"></a></p> - -<p>Seeing me ready, Davis whistled to his dog, and we entered the -logging-road in Indian file. We at once took a brisk pace, which in a -short time brought us to the edge of a clearing, now badly overgrown -with bramble and coppice, and showing how easily nature obliterates -the mark of civilization when left alone. In this clearing an old -cellar told its sad story but too plainly. Those pioneers who first -struck the axe into the noble pines here are all gone. They abandoned -in consternation the effort to wring a scanty subsistence from this -inhospitable and unfruitful region. Even the poor farms I had seen -encroaching upon the skirts of this wilderness seemed fighting in -retreat.</p> - -<p>We quickly came to a second opening, where the axe of God had smote -the forest still more ruthlessly than that of man. The ground was -encumbered with half-burnt trees, among which the gaudy fire-weed grew -rank and tall. Divining my thought, the guide explained in his quaint, -sententious way, “Fire went through it; then the wind harricaned it -down.” A comprehensive sweep of his staff indicated the area traversed -by the whirlwind of fire and the tornado. This opening disclosed at our -left the gray cliffs and yawning aperture of the Notch—by far the most -satisfactory view yet obtained, and the nearest.</p> - -<p>Burying ourselves in deeper solitudes, broken only by the hound in full -cry after a fox or a rabbit, we descended to the banks of the Wildcat at -a point one and a half miles from the road we had left. We then crossed -the rude bridge of logs, keeping company with the gradually diminishing -river, now upon one bank, now on the other, making a gradual ascent -along with it, frequently pausing in mid-stream to glance up and down -through the beautiful vistas it has cut through the trees. Halt at the -third crossing, traveller, and take in the long course through the -avenue of black, moss-draped firs! one so sombre and austere, the other -gliding so bright and blithesome out of its shadow and gloom. Just above -this spot a succession of tiny water-falls comes like a procession of -nymphs out of an enchanted wood.</p> - -<p>We were now in a colder region. The sparseness of the timber led me to -look right and left for the stumps of felled trees, but I saw nothing of -the kind. To the rigorous climate and extreme leanness of the soil they -attribute the scanty, undersized growth. I did not see fifty good timber -trees along the whole route. Where a large tree had been prostrated by -the wind, its upturned and matted roots showed a pitiful quantity of -earth adhering. Finding it impossible to grow downward<a name="page_136" id="page_136"></a> more than a few -poor inches, they spread themselves laterally out to a great distance. -But the fir, with its flame-shaped point, is a symbol of indomitable -pluck. You see it standing erect on the top of some huge bowlder, which -its strong, thick roots clutch like a vulture’s talons. How came it -there? Look at those rotting trunks, so beautifully covered with the -lycopodium and partridge-plum! The seed of a fir has taken root in the -bark. A tiny tree is already springing from the rich mould. As it grows, -its roots grasp whatever offers a support; and if the decaying tree has -fallen across a bowlder, they strike downward into the soil beneath -it, and the rock is a prisoner during the lifetime of the tree. Its -resin protects it from the icy blasts of winter, and from the alternate -freezing and thawing of early spring. It is emphatically the tree of the -mountains.</p> - -<p>An hour and a half of pretty rapid walking brought us to the bottom of a -steep rise. We were at length come to close quarters with the formidable -outworks of Wildcat Mountain. The brook has for some distance poured a -stream of the purest water over moss of the richest green, but now it -most mysteriously vanishes from sight. From this point the singular rock -called the Pulpit is seen overhanging the upper crags of the Dome.<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a></p> - -<p>We drank a cup of delicious water from a spring by the side of the path, -and, finding direct access forbidden by the towering and misshapen mass -before us, turned sharply to the left, and attacked the side of Wildcat -Mountain. We had now attained an altitude of nearly three thousand feet -above the sea, or two thousand two hundred and fifty above the village -of Jackson; we were more than a thousand higher than the renowned -Crawford Notch.</p> - -<p>On every side the ground was loaded down with huge gray bowlders, so -ponderous that it seemed as if the solid earth must give way under them. -Some looked as if the merest touch would send them crashing down the -mountain. Undermined by the slow action of time, these fragments have -fallen one by one from the high cliffs, and accumulated at the base. -Among these the path serpentined for half a mile more, bringing us at -last to the summit of the spur we had been climbing, and to the broad -entrance of the Notch. We passed quickly over the level<a name="page_137" id="page_137"></a> ground we were -upon, stopped by the side of a well-built cabin of bark, threw off our -loads, and then, fascinated by the exceeding strangeness of everything -around me, I advanced to the edge of the scrubby growth in front of the -camp, in order to command an unobstructed view.</p> - -<p>Shall I live long enough to forget this sublime tragedy of nature, -enacted Heaven knows when or how? How still it was! I seemed to have -arrived at the instant a death-like silence succeeds the catastrophe. -I saw only the bare walls of a temple, of which some Samson had just -overthrown the columns—walls overgrown with a forest, ruins overspread -with one struggling for existence.</p> - -<p>Imagine the light of a mid-day sun brightening the tops of the -mountains, while within a sepulchral gloom rendered all objects—rocks, -trees, cliffs—all the more weird and fantastic. I was between two high -mountains, whose walls enclose the pass. Overhanging it, fifteen hundred -feet at least, the sunburnt crags of the Dome towered above the highest -precipices of the mountain behind me. These stately barriers, at once -so noble and imposing, seemed absolutely indestructible. Impossible to -conceive anything more enduring than this imperishable rock. So long -as the world stands, those mountains will stand. And nothing can shake -this conviction. They look so strong, so confident in their strength, so -incapable of change.</p> - -<p>But what, then, is this dusky gray mass, stretching huge and irregular -across the chasm from mountain to mountain, completely filling the -space between, and so effectually blockading the entrance that we were -compelled to pick our way up the steep side of the mountain in order to -turn it?</p> - -<p>Picture to yourself acres upon acres of naked granite, split and -splintered in every conceivable form, of enormous size and weight, yet -pitched, piled, and tumbled about like playthings, tilted, or so poised -and balanced as to open numberless caves, which sprinkled the whole area -with a thousand shadows—figure this, I repeat, to yourself—and the -mind will then grasp but faintly the idea of this colossal barricade, -seemingly built by the giants of old to guard their last stronghold from -all intrusion. At some distance in front of me a rock of prodigious -size, very closely resembling the gable of a house, thrusting itself -half out, conveyed its horrible suggestion of an avalanche in the act of -ingulfing a hamlet. And all this one beholds in a kind of stupefaction.</p> - -<p>Whence came this colossal débris? I had at first the idea that the<a name="page_138" id="page_138"></a> -great arch, springing from peak to peak, supported on the Atlantean -shoulders of the two mountains, had fallen in ruins. I even tried to -imagine the terrific crash with which heaven and earth came together in -the fall. Easy to realize here Schiller’s graphic description of the -Jungfrau:</p> - -<p>“One walks there between life and death. Two threatening peaks shut in -the solitary way. Pass over this place of terror without noise; dread -lest you awaken the sleeping avalanche.”</p> - -<p>It is evident, however, as soon as the eye attaches itself to the side -of the Dome, that one of its loftiest precipices, originally measuring -an altitude as great as any yet remaining, has precipitated itself in a -crushed and broken mass into the abyss. Nothing is left of the primitive -edifice except these ruins. It is easily conceived that, previous to -the convulsion, the interior aspect of the Notch was quite different -from what is seen to-day. It was doubtless narrower, gloomier, and -deeper before the cliff became dislodged. The track of the convulsion is -easily traced. From top to bottom the side of the mountain is hollowed -out, exposing a shallow ravine, in which nothing but dwarf spruces will -grow, and in which the erratic rocks, arrested here and there in their -fall, seem endeavoring to regain their ancient position on the summit. -There is no trace whatever of the rubbish ordinarily accompanying a -slide—only these rocks.</p> - -<p>Seeing that all this happened long ago, I asked the guide why the larger -growth we saw on both sides of the hollow had not succeeded in covering -the old scar, as is the case with the Willey Slide; but he was unable to -advance even a conjecture. The spruce, however, loves ruins, spreading -itself out over them with avidity.</p> - -<p>We felt our way cautiously and slowly out over the bowlders; for the -moment one quits the usual track he risks falling headlong upon the -sharp rocks beneath. In the midst of these grisly blocks stunted firs -are born, and die for want of sustenance, making the dreary waste -bristle with hard and horny skeletons. The spruce, dwarfed and deformed, -has established itself solidly in the interstices; a few bushes spring -up in the crannies. With this exception, the entire area is denuded -of vegetation. The obstruction is heaped in two principal ridges, -traversing its greatest breadth, and opening a broad way between. -This is one of the most curious features I remarked. From a flat rock -on the summit of the first we obtained the best idea of the general -configuration of the<a name="page_139" id="page_139"></a> Notch; and from this point, also, we saw the two -little lakes beneath us which are the sources of the Wildcat. Beyond, -and above the hollow they occupy, the two mountains meet in the low -ridge constituting the true summit of Carter Notch. Far down, under -the bowlders, the Wildcat gropes its way out; but, notwithstanding one -or the other was continually dropping out of sight into the caverns -with which they are filled, we could neither hear nor see anything to -indicate its route. It is buried out of sight and sound.</p> - -<p>No incident of the whole excursion is more curiously inexplicable than -the total disappearance of the brook at the mountain’s foot. Notice that -it was last seen gushing from the side we ascended, half a mile below -the camp. Whence does it come? When we were on top of the bowlders, -looking down on the water of the two little lakes, we wonderingly ask, -“Where does it go? How does it get out?” The mystery is, however, solved -by the certainty that their waters flow out underneath the barrier, so -that this mammoth pile of débris, which could destroy a city, was unable -to arrest the flow of a rivulet.</p> - -<p>But all this wreck and ruin exerts a saddening influence; it seems -to prefigure the Death of the Mountain. So one gladly turns to the -landscape—a very noble though not extensive one—enclosing all the -mountains and valleys to the south of us lying between Kearsarge and -Moat.</p> - -<p>After this tour of the rocks, we returned to the hut and ate our -luncheon. Here the Pulpit Rock, which is sure to catch the eye whenever -it wanders to the cliffs opposite, looks very much like the broken -handle of a jug. Davis explained that, by advancing fifteen or twenty -paces upon it, it would be possible to hang suspended over the thousand -feet of space beneath. While thus occupied, the dog received his share -of the bread and meat; nor was the little tame hawk that came and hopped -so fearlessly at our feet forgotten. This bird and a cross-bill were the -only living things I saw.<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a><a name="page_140" id="page_140"></a></p> - -<p>Being fully rested and refreshed, we started on a second exploration of -the upper part of the Notch. Thus far our examination had been confined -to the lower portion only. Descending the spur upon which the hut is -situated, we were, in a few moments, at the bottom of the deep cavity -lying between the Giants’ Barricade and the little mountain forming the -northern portal. This area is undoubtedly the original floor of the -pass. We had now reached a position between the lakes. Looking backward, -the barricade lifted a black and frowning wall a hundred and fifty feet -above our heads. Looking down, the water of the lakes seemed “an image -of the Dead Sea sleeping at the foot of Jerusalem destroyed.” While I -stood looking into them, a passing cloud, pausing in astonishment at -seeing itself reflected from these shadowy depths, darkened the whole -interior. Deprived all at once of sunlight, the scene became one of -great and magnificent solemnity. The pass assumed the appearance of a -vast cavern. The ponds lay still and cold below. The air grew chill, -the water black as ink. The ruddy color faded from the cliffs. They -became livid. I saw the thousands upon thousands of fir-trees, rigid and -sombre, ranged tier on tier like spectators in an immense circus, who -are awaiting the signal for some terrible spectacle to begin. When the -cloud tranquilly resumed its journey, a load seemed lifted off. It was -Nature repeating to herself,</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Put out the light, and then put out the light.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>We had reached the camp at half-past ten. At half-past twelve we began -the ascent of the Dome. It is not so much the height as the steepness of -this mountain that wins our respect. The path goes straight up to the -first summit, deflects a little to reach the Pulpit, and then, turning -more northerly, ascends for a mile and a half more by a much easier rise -to the highest peak. There are no open ledges on the route. The path is -cut through a wood from base to summit; and, with the exception of a -few trees felled to open an outlook in the direction of the main range, -was covered on the summit itself with a dense growth of fir-trees from -twelve to fifteen feet high. To obtain a view of the whole horizon, it -was necessary, at the time of my visit, to climb one of these trees.</p> - -<p>I will not fatigue the reader with any detailed account of the ascent. -Suffice it to say that it was a slow and toilsome lifting of one heavy -foot after another for three-quarters of an hour. Sometimes the slope -was so<a name="page_141" id="page_141"></a> near the vertical that we could ascend only a few rods at a -time. I improved these halts by leaning against a tree, and panting like -a doe pursued by the hunter. Davis threw himself upon the ground and -watched me attentively, but without speaking. If he expected me to give -out, I disappointed him by giving the signal to move on. I had already -served my apprenticeship on Carrigain. It was difficult to maintain -an upright position. Once, indeed, on looking up, I perceived that -the guide had abandoned in disgust the idea of walking erect, and was -creeping on all-fours, like his dog. This breathless scramble continued -for three-quarters of an hour, at the end of which we turned into the -short by-path conducting to the Pulpit.</p> - -<p>Near the Pulpit is a cleared space large enough to afford standing room -for fifteen or twenty persons. This Pulpit is a huge, rectangular rock, -jutting out from the face of the cliff on which we stood, and is not at -all unworthy of the name given to it by the guide. It is a fine station -from which to survey the deep rent in the side of the mountain, as well -as the mammoth stone-heap, which it overlooks. The black side of Mount -Wildcat, ploughed from top to bottom with four deep gashes,</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The least a death to nature,”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind">is also seen to excellent advantage across the airy space between the -mountains. The fluttering of a handkerchief at the door of the little -cabin greatly enlivened the solitary scene, and drew from us the same -signal in return.</p> - -<p>At first sight the ascent by the chasm seems feasible; but Davis, who -has twice performed this difficult feat, declared with a shrug that -nothing would tempt him to do it again. Those who have ever come to -close quarters with the shrubby growth of these ruins will know how to -leave it in undisputed possession of its own chosen ground. The dwarf -spruce is the Cossack of the woods.</p> - -<p>What a beautiful landscape is that from the Pulpit! The southern horizon -is now widely opened. The mountains around Jackson have dwindled -to hills. Especially curious are the flattened top and distorted -contour-lines of Iron Mountain. Another singular feature is the way we -look through the cloven summit of Doublehead to Kearsarge’s stately -pyramid. Here are strips of the Ellis and Saco Valleys, and all of the -Wildcat. The lakes in Ossipee are dazzling to look upon. Old Chocorua -lifts his brilliant spire; then Moat his iron bulwarks. Crawford,<a name="page_142" id="page_142"></a> -Resolution, and the Giants’ Stairs extend on the right, behind Iron. -The view is then cut off by the burly form of Wildcat. Far back in the -picture are the notched walls of the Franconia and Sandwich chains, -topped by pale blue peaks.</p> - -<p>Continuing the ascent for about three-fourths of a mile, we came to a -point only a rod or two distant from the head of the great slide of -1869, and from the top of a tree here was the most thrilling prospect of -Washington and the great northern peaks I ever beheld. All the summits -as far south as Monroe are included in the view.</p> - -<p>Over the right shoulder of Wildcat appeared the dazzling summit of -Washington, having at his left the noble cone of Jefferson, the -matchless shaft of Adams, and the massive pyramid of Madison. Each gray -head was profusely powdered with snow. Dark clouds, heavily charged with -frost, partially intercepted the sun’s rays, and, enveloping the great -mountains in their shadows, cast over them a mantle of the deepest blue; -but enough light escaped to gild the arid slopes of the great ravines a -rich brown gold, and to pierce through, and beautifully expose, against -the dark bulk of Adams, a thin veil of slowly falling snow. Imagine an -Ethiopian wrapped from head to foot in lace!</p> - -<p>A chapter could not give the thousand details of this grand picture. -One devours it with avidity. He sees to the greatest possible advantage -the magnificent proportions of Washington, with his massive slopes -rolling up and up, like petrified storm-clouds, to the final summit. -He sees the miles of carriage-road, from where it leaves the woods, -as far as the great northern plateau. He looks deep down into the -depths of Tuckerman’s and Huntington’s ravines, and between them sees -Raymond’s Cataract crusting the bare cliffs with a vein of quicksilver. -The massive head-wall of Tuckerman’s was freely spattered with fresh -snow; the Lion’s Head rose stark and forbidding; the upper cliffs of -Huntington’s,</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“With twenty trenched gashes in his head,”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind">the great billows of land rushing downward into the dark gulfs, -resembled the vortex of a frozen whirlpool.</p> - -<p>But for refinement of form, delicacy of outline, and a predominant, -inexplicable grace, Adams stands forth here without a rival. -Washington is the undisputed monarch, but Adams is the highest type of -mountain beauty here. That splendid, slightly concave, antique shaft, -rising in unconscious symmetry from the shoulders of two supporting -<a name="page_143" id="page_143"></a>mountain-peaks, which seem prostrating themselves at its feet, changes -the emotion of awe and respect to one of admiration and pleasure. Our -elevation presented all the great summits in an unrivalled attitude for -observation or study; and whoever has once beheld them—banded together -with bonds of adamant, their heads in the snow, and their feet in the -impenetrable shades of the Great Gulf; with every one of their thousands -of feet under his eye—every line as firm and strong, and every contour -true as the Great Architect drew it—without loss or abatement; vigorous -in old age as in youth; monuments of one race, and silent spectators -of the passing of another; victors in the battle with Time; chronicles -and retrospect of ages; types of the Everlasting and Unchangeable—will -often try to summon up the picture of the great peaks, and once more -marshal their towering battlements before the memory.</p> - -<p>The descent occupied less than half an hour, so rapidly is it made. -We had nothing whatever to do with regulating our speed, but were -fully occupied in so placing our feet as to avoid pitching headlong, -or sitting suddenly down in a miry place. We simply tumbled down the -mountain, like two rocks detached from its peak.</p> - -<p>After a last survey of the basin of the Notch, from the clearing above -the upper lake, we crossed the little mountain at its head, taking the -path leading to the Glen House. We descended the reverse side together, -to the point where the great slide referred to came thundering down from -the Dome into the gorge of Nineteen Mile Brook. This landslip, which -happened October 4th, 1869, was one of the results of the disastrous -autumnal storms, which deluged the mountains with rain, and set in -motion here an enormous quantity of wreck and débris. It was at this -time that Mr. Thompson, the proprietor of the Glen House, lost his life -in the Peabody River, in a desperate effort to avert the destruction of -his mill.</p> - -<p>Here I parted from my guide; and, after threading the woods for two -hours more, following the valley of Nineteen Mile Brook, came out of -their shadowy embrace into the stony pastures above the Glen House.<a name="page_144" id="page_144"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IV-2" id="CHAPTER_IV-2"></a>IV.<br /><br /> -<small><i>THE PINKHAM NOTCH.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Levons les yeux vers les saintes montagnes.—<span class="smcap">Racine.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>HE Glen House is one of the last strongholds of the old ways of travel. -Jackson is twelve, Randolph seven, and Gorham eight miles distant. These -are the nearest villages. The nearest farm-houses are Copp’s, three -miles on the road to Randolph, and Emery’s, six on the road to Jackson. -The nearest railway-station is eight miles off, at Gorham. The nearest -steam-whistle is there. So much for its seclusion.</p> - -<p>Being thus isolated, the Glen House is naturally the point of direction -for the region adjacent. Situated at the base of Carter Mountain, on a -terrace rising above the Peabody River, which it overlooks, it has only -the valley of this stream—a half mile of level meadow here—between -it and the base of Mount Washington. The carriage-road to the summit, -which, in 1861, superseded the old bridle-path, is seen crossing this -meadow. This road occupied six years in building, is eight miles long, -and is as well and solidly built as any similar piece of highway in New -England.</p> - -<p>When it is a question of this gigantic mass, which here offers such an -easy mode of ascent, the interest is assured. Respecting the appearance -of Mount Washington from the Glen House itself, it is a received -truth that neither the height nor the proportions of a high mountain -are properly appreciated when the spectator is placed exactly at the -base. The same is true here of Mount Washington, which is too much -foreshortened for a favorable estimate of its grandeur or its elevation. -The Dome looks flat, elongated, obese. But it is only a step from the -hotel to more eligible posts of observation, say the clearings on Mount -Carter, or, better still, the slopes of Wildcat, which are easily -reached over a good path.<a name="page_145" id="page_145"></a></p> - -<p>Still, Mount Washington is surveyed with more astonishment, perhaps, -from this point, than from any other. Its lower section is covered -with a dense forest, out of which rise the successive and stupendous -undulations culminating at last in the absolutely barren summit, which -the nearer swells almost conceal. The true peak stands well to the left, -indicated by a white building when the sun is shining, and a dark one -when it is not. As seen from this spot, the peculiar formation of the -mountain gives the impression of a semi-fluid mass, first cooled to -hardness, then receiving successive additions, which, although eternally -united with its bulk, have left the point of contact forever visible. -When the first mass cooled, it received a second, a third, and a fourth. -One believes, so to speak, certain intervals to have elapsed in the -process of solidifying these masses, which seem, to me at least, not -risen above the earth, but poured down upon it.</p> - -<p>It is related that an Englishman, seated on the balcony of his hotel at -Chamouni, after having conscientiously followed the peripatetics of a -sunset, remarked, “Very fine, very fine indeed! but it is a pity Mont -Blanc hides the view.” In this sense, Mount Washington “hides the view” -to the west. No peak dares show its head in this direction.</p> - -<p>From the vicinity of the hotel, Wildcat Mountain allows the eye to -embrace, at the left, Mount Washington as far as Tuckerman’s Ravine. -Only a few miles of the valley can be traced on this side; but at the -right it is open for nearly its whole length, fully exposing that -magnificent sweep of the great northern peaks, here bending majestically -to the north-east, and exhibiting their titanic props, deep hollows, -soaring peaks, to the admiring scrutiny of every wayfarer. It is -impossible to appreciate this view all at once. No one can pretend -to analyze the sensations produced by looking at mountains. The bare -thought of them causes a flutter of enthusiasm wherever we may be. At -such moments one lays down the pen to revel in the recollection.</p> - -<p>Among these grandees, Adams looks highest. It is indispensable that this -mountain should be seen from some higher point. It is only half seen -from the Glen, although the view here is by far the best to be had in -any valley enclosing the great chain. Ascend, therefore, even at the -risk of some toil, one of the adjacent heights, and this superb monument -will deign to show the true symmetrical relation of summit to base.</p> - -<p>I have already said that most travellers approach this charming mountain -nook by the Pinkham defile, instead of making their début by<a name="page_146" id="page_146"></a> the -Carter Notch. It will be well worth our while to retrace at least so -much of this route, through the first-named pass, as will enable us to -gain a knowledge, not so much of what it shows as of what it hides. By -referring to the chapter on Jackson, we shall then have seen all that -can be seen on the travelled highway.</p> - -<p>The four miles back through the Pinkham forest deserve to be called the -Avenue of Cascades. Not less than four drop from the mountain tops, or -leap down the confined gorges. Let us first walk in this direction.</p> - -<p>Two miles from the hotel we meet a sprightly and vigorous brook coming -down from Wildcat Mountain to swell the Peabody. A short walk up this -stream brings us to Thompson’s Falls, which are several pretty cascades -slipping down a bed of granite. The ledges over which they glide offer -a practicable road to the top of the falls, from which is a most -interesting view into Tuckerman’s Ravine, and of the summit of Mount -Washington.</p> - -<p>Some overpowering, some unexplained fascination about these dark and -mysterious chambers of the mountain arouses in us a desire strangely -like to that intense craving for a knowledge of futurity itself. We -think of the Purgatory of the ancients into which we would willingly -descend if, like Dante holding the hand of Virgil, we might hope to -return unscathed to earth. “This is nothing but an enormous breach -in the mountain,” you say, weakly attempting to throw off the spell -by ridiculing the imagination. Be it so. But it has all the terrible -suggestiveness of a descent into the world of the dead. When we walk in -the dark we say that we are afraid of falling. It is a falsehood. We are -afraid of a <i>Presence</i>.</p> - -<p>That dark curling lip of the south wall, looking as if the eternal -adamant of the hills had been scorched and shrivelled by consuming -flame, marks the highest curve of the massive granite spur rooted deep -in the Pinkham defile. It is named Boott’s Spur. The sky-line of the -ravine’s head-wall is five thousand feet above the sea, on the great -plateau over which the Crawford trail passes. That enormous crag, rising -like another Tower of Famine, on the north and east divides the ravine -proper from the collateral chamber, known as Huntington’s, out of which -the source of the Peabody gushes a swift torrent, and near which the -carriage-road winds its devious way up to the summit. In the depression -of this craggy ridge, between the two ravines, sufficient water is -collected<a name="page_147" id="page_147"></a> to form the beautiful cataract known as Raymond’s, which is -seen from all those elevations commanding the ravine itself.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_147_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_147_sml.jpg" width="336" height="267" alt="THE EMERALD POOL." -title="THE EMERALD POOL." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE EMERALD POOL.</span> -</p> - -<p>The ravine also furnishes a route to the summit of Mount Washington in -so far that the ascent may be continued from the head of the chasm to -the high plateau, and so up the pinnacle, by the old Crawford trail, or -over the crag on the right to the carriage-road; but it is not to be -highly recommended on that account, except to strong climbers. It should -be visited for itself, and for what is to be seen going or returning by -the different paths. I have also descended from the Summit House to the -ravine and returned by the same route; an excursion growing in favor -with those tourists having a day or two on their hands, and who approach -the mountain from the west or opposite side. In that case a return to -the summit saves a long détour.</p> - -<p>Before we come to Thompson’s Falls a well-trod path leads to the Emerald -Pool, which Bierstadt’s painting has rendered famous. At first one sees -only a deep hollow, with a dark and glassy pool at the bottom, and a -cool light coming down through the high tree-tops. Two large<a name="page_148" id="page_148"></a> rocks -tightly compress the stream which fills it, so that the water gushes -out with sufficient force to whiten a little, without disturbing the -placid repose of the pool. This gives the effect of milk poured upon -ink. Above these rocks we look up the stony bed of the frantic river -and meet the blue mass of a distant mountain. Rocks are picturesquely -dropped about the margin. Upon one side a birch leans far out over the -basin, whose polished surface brilliantly reflects the white light of -its bark. One sees the print of foliage on the black water, like that of -ferns and grasses upon coal; or, rather, like the most beautiful Italian -mosaics—black marble inlaid with arabesques of color. The illusion -is more perfect still when the yellow and scarlet of the maples is -reflected, as in autumn.</p> - -<p>The contrast between the absolutely quiet pool and the feverish -excitement of the river is singular. It is that of a life: one, serene -and unmoved, receives the other in its bosom and calms its excitement. -It then runs out over the pebbles at a steadier pace, soothed, -tranquillized, and strengthened, to meet its destiny by this one moment -of peace and rest.</p> - -<p>Doubtless many turn languidly into this charming sylvan retreat with -only a dim perception of its beauty. Few go away except to sing its -praises with heart and tongue. Solitude is here. Repose is here. Peace -is omnipresent. And, freed from the excitements of city life, “Peace -at any price” is the cry of him whom care pursues as with a knotted -scourge. If he find not rest here, ‘tis his soul “is poor.” For him -the smell of the earth, the fragrance of the pines, the very stones, -have healing or strength. He grows drowsy with the lullaby of the -brook. A delicious languor steals over him. A thousand dreamy fancies -float through his imagination. He is a child again; or, rather, he is -born again. The artificial man drops off. Stocks and bonds are clean -forgotten. His step is more elastic, his eye more alert, his heart -lighter. He departs believing he has read, “Let all who enter here leave -care behind.” And all this comes of seeing a little shaded mountain pool -consecrated by Nature. He has only experienced her religion and received -her baptism.</p> - -<p>Burying ourselves deeper in the pass, the trees, stirred by the breeze, -shake out their foliage like a maiden her long tresses. And the glory -of one is the glory of the other. We look up to the greater mountains, -still wrapped in shadows, saying to those whom its beams caress, “Out of -my sun!<a name="page_149" id="page_149"></a>”</p> - -<p>At the third mile a guide-board at the right announces the Crystal -Cascade. We turn aside here, and, entering the wood, soon reach the -banks of a stream. The last courtesy this white-robed maid makes on -crossing the threshold of her mountain home is called the Crystal -Cascade. It is an adieu full of grace and feeling.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 245px;"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_149_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_149_sml.jpg" width="245" height="535" alt="THE CRYSTAL CASCADE." -title="THE CRYSTAL CASCADE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE CRYSTAL CASCADE.</span> -</div> - -<p>The Crystal Cascade divides with Glen Ellis the honor of being the most -beautiful water-fall of the White Mountains. And well may it claim this -distinction. These two charming and radiant sisters have each their -especial admirers, who come in multitudes every year, like pilgrims -to the shrine of a goddess. In fact, they are as unlike as two human -countenances. Every one is astonished at the changes effected by simple -combinations of rocks, trees, and water. One shrinks from<a name="page_150" id="page_150"></a> a critical -analysis of what appeals so strangely to his human sympathies. Indeed, -he should possess the language of a Dumas or a Ruskin, the poetry of -a Longfellow or a Whittier, the pencil of a Turner or a Church, to do -justice to this pre-eminently beautiful of cascades.</p> - -<p>Look around. On the right bank of the stream, where a tall birch leans -its forked branches out over the pool below, a jutting rock embraces -in one glance the greater part of the fall. The cliffs, rising on both -sides, make a most wild and impressive setting. The trees, which shade -or partly screen it, exclude the light. The ferns and shrubbery trace -their arabesques of foliage upon the cold, damp rocks. The sides of -the mountain, receding into black shadows, seem set with innumerable -columns, supporting a roof of dusky leafage. All this combines to -produce the effect of standing under the vault of some old dimly-lighted -cathedral—a subdued, a softened feeling. A voice seems whispering, “God -is here!”</p> - -<p>Through these sombre shades the cascade comes like a gleam of light: -it redeems the solitude. High up, hundreds of feet up the mountain, it -boils and foams; it hardly seems to run. How it turns and tosses, and -writhes on its hard bed! The green leaves quiver at its struggles. Birds -fly silently by. Down, down, and still down over its shattered stairs -falls the doomed flood, until, lashed and broken into a mere feathery -cloud, it reaches a narrow gorge between abrupt cliffs of granite. A -little pellucid basin, half white, half black water, receives it in -full career. It then flows out by a pretty water-fall of twenty feet -more. But here, again, the sharp, wedge-shaped cliff, advancing from -the opposite bank, compresses its whole volume within a deep and narrow -trough, through which it flies with the rapidity of light, makes a -right angle, and goes down the mountain, uttering loud complaints. From -below, the jagged, sharp-edged cliff forms a kind of vestibule, behind -which the cascade conceals itself. Behind this, farther back, is a rock, -perfectly black, and smooth as polished ebony, over which the surplus -water of the fall spreads a tangled web of antique lace. Some very -curious work has been going on here since the stream first made its way -through the countless obstacles it meets in the long miles to its secret -fountains on Mount Washington. One carries away a delightful impression -of the Crystal Cascade. To the natural beauty of falling water it brings -the charm of lawless unrestraint. It scorns the straight and narrow -path; has stolen interviews with secret nooks on this side or that;<a name="page_151" id="page_151"></a> is -forever coquettishly adjusting its beautiful dishabille. What power has -taken one of those dazzling clouds, floating over the great summit, and -pinned it to the mountain side, from which it strives to rise and soar -away?</p> - -<p>We are now in the wildest depths of the Pinkham defile. The road is -gloomy enough, edging its way always through a dense wood around a -spur of Mount Washington, which it closely hugs. Upon reaching the -summit, thirteen hundred and fifty feet above the Saco, at Bartlett, a -sign-board showed where to leave the highway, but now the noise of the -fall coming clearer and clearer was an even surer guide.</p> - -<p>The sense of seclusion is perfect. Stately pines, funereal cedars, -sombre hemlocks, throng the banks, as if come to refresh their -parched foliage with the fine spray ascending from the cataract. This -spray sparkles in the sun like diamond-dust. Through the thick-set, -clean-limbed tree-trunks jets of foam can be seen in mad riot along -the rocky gorge. They leap, toss their heads, and tumble over each -other like young lambs at play. Backward up the stream, downward beyond -the fall, we see the same tumult of waters in the midst of statuesque -immobility; we hear the roar of the fall echoing in the tops of the -pines; we feel the dull earth throb with the superabundant energy of the -wild river.</p> - -<p>Making my way to the rocks above the cataract, I saw the torrent swiftly -descending in two long, arching billows, flecked with foam, and tossing -myriad diamonds to the sun. Two large masses of rock, loosened from the -cliffs that hang over it, have dropped into the stream, turning it a -little from its ancient course, but only to make it more picturesque and -more tumultuous. On the left of the gorge the rocks are richly striped -with black, yellow, and purple. The water is crystal clear, and cold as -ice, having come, in less time than it takes to write, from the snows of -Tuckerman’s Ravine. The variegated hues of the rocks, glistening with -spray, of the water itself seizing and imprisoning, like flies in amber, -every shadow these rocks let fall, the roar of the cataract, make a deep -and abiding impression of savage force and beauty.</p> - -<p>But I had not yet seen the fall. Descending by slippery stairs to the -pool beneath it, I saw, eighty feet above me, the whole stream force its -way through a narrow cleft, and stand in one unbroken column, superbly -erect, upon the level surface of the pool. The sheet was as white as -marble, the pool as green as malachite. As if stunned by the fall, it<a name="page_152" id="page_152"></a> -turns slowly round; then, recovering, precipitates itself down the rocky -gorge with greater passion than ever.</p> - -<p>On its upper edge the curling sheet of the fall was shot with sunlight, -and shone with enchanting brilliancy. All below was one white, feathery -mass, gliding down with the swift and noiseless movement of an avalanche -of fresh snow. No sound until the moment of contact with the submerged -rocks beneath; then it finds a voice that shakes the hoary forest to -its centre. How this exquisite white thing fascinates! One has almost -to tear himself away from the spot. Undine seems beckoning us to -descend with her into the crystal grottoes of the pool. From the tender -dalliance of a sunbeam with the glittering mists constantly ascending -was born a pale Iris. Exquisitely its evanescent hues decorated the -virgin drapery of the fall. Within these mists two airy forms sometimes -discover themselves, hand-in-hand.</p> - -<p>The story runs that the daughter of a sagamore inhabiting the little -vale, now Jackson, was secretly wooed and won by a young brave of -another and neighboring tribe. But the haughty old chief destined her -for a renowned warrior of his own band. Mustering his friends, the -preferred lover presented himself in the village, and, according to -Indian usage, laying</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4">“—at her father’s feet that night<br /></span> -<span class="i0">His softest furs and wampum white.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind">demanded his bride. The alliance was too honorable to permit an abrupt -refusal. Smothering his wrath, the father assembled his braves. The -matter was debated in solemn council. It was determined that the rivals -should settle their dispute by a trial of skill, the winner to carry off -the beautiful prize. A mark was set up, the ground carefully measured, -and the two warriors took their respective places in the midst of the -assembled tribe. The heart of the Indian maiden beat with hope when -her lover sent his arrow quivering in the edge of the target; but it -sunk when his rival, stepping scornfully to his place, shot within the -very centre. A shout of triumph rewarded the skill of the victor; but -before it died away the defeated warrior strode to the spot where his -mistress was seated and spoke a few hurried words, intended for her -ear alone. The girl sprung to her feet and grasped her lover’s hand. -In another moment they were running swiftly for the woods. They were -hotly pursued. It became a matter of life and death. Perceiving escape -impossible, rendered desperate by the near approach of their pursuers,<a name="page_153" id="page_153"></a> -the fugitives, still holding fast each other’s hand, rushed to the verge -of the cataract and flung themselves headlong into its deadly embrace.</p> - -<p>Over the pool the gray and gloomy wall of Wildcat Mountain seems -stretching up to an incredible height. The astonishing wildness of the -surroundings affects one very deeply. You look up. You see the firs -surmounting those tall cliffs sway to and fro, as if growing dizzy with -the sight of the abyss beneath them.</p> - -<p>The Ellis Cascade is not so light as those mountain sylphs in the great -Notch, which a zephyr lifts from their feet, and scatters far and -wide; it is a vestal hotly pursued by impish goblins to the brink of -the precipice, transformed into a water-fall. For an instant the iron -grip of the cliff seems clutching its snowy throat, but with a mocking -courtesy the fair stream eludes the grasp, and so escapes.</p> - -<p>While returning from Glen Ellis, I saw, not more than a quarter of -a mile from this fall, a beautiful cascade come streaming down a -long trough of granite from a great height, and disappear behind the -tree-tops that skirt the narrow gorge. I had never before seen this -cascade, it being usually dry in summer. The sight of glancing water -among the shaggy upper forests of the mountain—for you hear nothing—is -a real pleasure to the eye. The rock down which this cascade flows is -New River Cliff.</p> - -<p>Before leaving the Ellis, which I did regretfully, it is proper to -recall an incident which gave rise to one of its affluents. In 1775, -says Sullivan, in his “History of Maine,” the Saco was found to -swell suddenly, and in a singular manner. As there had not been rain -sufficient to account for this increase of volume, people were at a -loss how to explain the phenomenon, until it was finally discovered to -be occasioned by a new river having broken out of the side of the White -Mountains.</p> - -<p>When this river issued from the mountains, in October, 1775, a mixture -of iron-ore gave the water a deep red color, and this singular, and to -them most startling, appearance led the people inhabiting the upper -banks of the Saco to declare that the river ran blood—a circumstance -which these simple-minded folk regarded as of evil omen for the success -of their arms in the struggle then going on between the Colonies and -Great Britain. Except for illustrating a marked characteristic the -incident would possess little importance. Considerable doubt exists as -to the precise course of this New River, by which it is conjectured that -the ascents of Cutler, Boott, Bigelow, and perhaps others, early in -this century,<a name="page_154" id="page_154"></a> were made to the summit of Mount Washington. But this is -merely conjecture.<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a></p> - -<p>After Glen Ellis one has had enough, for the day at least, of waterfalls -and cascade. Its excitement is strangely infectious and exhilarating. At -the same time, it casts a sweet and gentle spell over the spirits. If he -be wise, the visitor will not exhaust in a single tour of the sun the -pleasures yet in store, but, after a fall, try a ravine or a mountain -ascent, thus introducing that variety which is the spice of all our -pleasures.<a name="page_155" id="page_155"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_V-2" id="CHAPTER_V-2"></a>V.<br /><br /> -<small><i>A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN’S.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">The crag leaps down, and over it the flood:<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Know’st thou it, then?<br /></span> -<span class="i9">‘Tis there! ‘tis there<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Our way runs.... Wilt thou go?—<span class="smcap">Goethe</span>.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>T the mountains the first look of every one is directed to the heavens, -not in silent adoration or holy meditation, but in earnest scrutiny -of the weather. For here the weather governs with absolute sway; and -nowhere is it more capricious. Morning and evening skies are, therefore, -consulted with an interest the varied destinies of the day may be -supposed to suggest. From being a merely conventional topic, the weather -becomes one of the first importance, and such salutations as “A fine -day,” or “A nice morning,” are in less danger of being coupled with a -wet day or a scowling forenoon. To sum up the whole question, where life -in the open air is the common aim of all, a rainy day is a day lost, and -everybody knows that a lost day can never be recovered. Sun worship is, -therefore, universal.</p> - -<p>The prospect being duly weighed and pronounced good, or fair, or fairly -good, <i>presto!</i> the hotel presents a scene of active preparation. -Anglers, with rod and basket, betake themselves to the neighboring trout -brooks, artists to the woods or the open. Mountain wagons clatter up -to the door with an exhilarating spirit and dash. Amid much laughter -and cracking of jokes, these strong, yet slight-looking vehicles are -speedily filled with parties for the summit, the Crystal Cascade, or -Glen Ellis; knots of pedestrians, picturesquely dressed, move off with -elastic tread for some long-meditated climb among the hills or in the -ravines; while the regular stages for Gorham or Glen Station depart amid -hurried and hearty leave-takings, the flutter of handkerchiefs, and the -sharp crack of the driver’s whip. Now they are off, and quiet settles -once more upon the long veranda.<a name="page_156" id="page_156"></a></p> - -<p>My own plans included a trip in and out of Tuckerman’s Ravine; in by -the old Thompson path, out by the Crystal Cascade. It is necessary to -depart a little from the order of time, as my first essay (during the -first week of May) was frustrated by the deep snows then effectually -blockading the way above Hermit Lake. The following July found me more -fortunate, and it is this excursion that I shall now lay before the -reader for his approval.</p> - -<p>I chose a companion to whom I unfolded the scheme, while reconnoitring -the ravine through my glass. He eagerly embraced my proposal, declaring -his readiness to start on the instant. Upon a hint I let fall touching -his ability to make this then fatiguing march, he observed, rather -stiffly, “I went through one Wilderness with Grant; guess I can through -this.”</p> - -<p>“Pack your knapsack, then, comrade, and you shall inscribe ‘Tuckerman’s’ -along with Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg.”</p> - -<p>“Bless me! is it so very tough as all that? No matter, give me five -minutes to settle my affairs, and I’m with you.”</p> - -<p>Let us improve these minutes by again directing the glass toward the -ravine.</p> - -<p>The upper section of this remarkable ravine—that portion lifted above -the forest line—is finely observed from the neighborhood of the -Crystal Cascade, but from the Glen House the curiously distorted rim -and vertical wall of its south and west sides, the astonishing crag -standing sentinel over its entrance, may be viewed at full leisure. -It constitutes quite too important a feature of the landscape to -escape notice. Dominated by the towering mass of the Dome, infolded by -undulating slopes descending from opposite braces of Mount Washington, -and resembling gigantic draperies, we see an enormous, funnel-shaped, -hollow sunk in the very heart of the mountain. We see, also, that access -is feasible only from the north-east, where the entrance is defended by -the high crag spoken of. Behind these barriers, graven with a thousand -lines and filled with a thousand shadows, the amphitheatre lifts its -formidable walls into view.</p> - -<p>For two miles our plain way led up the summit-road, but at this -distance, where it suddenly changes direction to the right, we plunged -into the forest. Our course now lay onward and upward over what had at -some time been a path—now an untrodden one—encumbered at every few -rods with fallen trees, soaked with rain, and grown up with moose-wood.<a name="page_157" id="page_157"></a> -Time and again we found the way barred by these exasperating windfalls, -and their thick <i>abatis</i> of branches, forcing us alternately to go -down on all-fours and creep underneath, or to mount and dismount, like -recruits, on the wooden horse of a cavalry school.</p> - -<p>But to any one loving the woods—and this day I loved not wisely, but -too well—this walk is something to be taken, but not repeated, for fear -of impairing the first and most abiding impressions. One cannot have -such a revelation twice.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_157_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_157_sml.jpg" width="335" height="541" alt="THE PATH, TUCKERMAN’S RAVINE." -title="THE PATH, TUCKERMAN’S RAVINE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE PATH, TUCKERMAN’S RAVINE.</span> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_158" id="page_158"></a></p> - -<p>I recall no mountain-path that is so richly diversified with all -the wildest forms of mountain beauty. At first our progress through -primitive groves of pine, hemlock, and birch was impeded by nothing more -remarkable than the giant trees stretching interminably, rank upon rank, -tier upon tier. But these woods, these countless gray and black and -white trunks, and outspread framework of branches, supported a canopy -of thick foliage, filled with voices innumerable. Something stirred in -the top of a lofty pine; and then, like an alguazil on a watch-tower, a -crow, apparent sentinel of all the feathered colony, rose clumsily on -his talons, flapped two sable wings, and thrice hoarsely challenged, -“Caw! caw! caw!” What clamor, what a liliputian Babel ensued! Our ears -fairly tingled with the calls, outcries, and objurgations apparently -flung down at us by the multitudinous population overhead. Hark to the -woodpecker’s rat-tat-tat, the partridge’s muffled drum! List to the -bugle of the wood-thrush, sweet and clear! Now sounds the cat-bird’s -shrill alarm, the owl’s hoot of indignant surprise. Then the squirrels, -those little monkeys of our northern woods, grated their teeth sharply -at us, and let fall nuts on our heads as we passed underneath. Never -were visitors more unwelcome.</p> - -<p>Before long we came to a brook, then to another. Their foaming waters -shot past like a herd of wild horses. These we crossed. We now began to -thread a region where the forest was more open. The moss we trampled -underfoot, and which here replaces the grass of the valleys, was beating -the tallest trees in the race for the mountain-top. It was the old story -of the tortoise and the hare over again. But this moss: have you ever -looked at it before your heel bruised the perfumed flowers springing -from its velvet? Here are tufts exquisitely decorated with coral -lichens; here the violet and anemone nestle lovingly together; here it -creeps up the gray trunks, or hides the bare roots of old trees. Tread -softly! This is the abode of elves and fairies. Step lightly! you expect -to hear the crushed flowers cry out with pain.</p> - -<p>These enchanting spots, where stones are couches and trees canopies, -tempted us to sit down on a cushioned bowlder, or throw ourselves -upon the thick carpet into which we sunk ankle-deep at every step. -Even the bald, gray rocks were tapestried with mosses, lichens, and -vines. All around, under the thick shade, hundreds of enormous trees -lay rotting; yet exquisitely the prostrate trunks were overspread with -robes of softest green, effectually concealing the repulsiveness, the -suggestions<a name="page_159" id="page_159"></a> of decay. Now and then the dead tree rose into new life -through the sturdy roots of a young fir, or luxuriant, plumed ferns -growing in its bark. This inexpressible fecundity, in the midst of -inexpressible wastefulness, declared that for Nature there is no such -thing as death. And they tell us the day of miracles has passed! Upon -this dream of elf-land the cool morning light fell in oblique streams -through the tree-trunks, as through grated windows, filling all the wood -with a subdued twilight glimmer, leaving a portion of its own gleams -on the moss-grown rocks, while the trees stretched their black shadows -luxuriously along the thick-piled sward, like weary soldiers in a -bivouac.</p> - -<p>We proceeded thus from chamber to chamber, and from cloister to -cloister, at times descending some spur of the mountain into a -deep-shaded dell, and again climbing a swift and miry slope to better -ground, until we crossed the stream coming from the high spur spoken of. -From here the ground rapidly rose for half a mile more, when we suddenly -came out of the low firs full upon the Lion’s Head crag, rising above -Hermit Lake, and visible from the vicinity of the Glen House. To be thus -unexpectedly confronted by this wall of imperishable rock stirs one very -deeply. For the moment it dominates <i>us</i>, even as it does the little -tarn so unconsciously slumbering at its feet. It is horribly mutilated -and defaced. Its sides are thickly sowed with stunted trees, that bury -their roots in its cracks and rents with a gripe of iron. In effect it -is the barbican of the great ravine. Crouched underneath, by the shore -of the lake, is a matted forest of firs and spruces, dwindled to half -their usual size, grizzled with long lichens, and occupying, as if by -stealth, the debatable ground between life and death. It is, in fact, -more dead than alive. Deeply sunk beneath is the lake.</p> - -<p>Hermit Lake—a little pool nestling underneath a precipice—demands a -word. Its solitary state, its waters green and profound, and the thick -shades by which it was covered, seemed strangely at variance with the -intense activity of the foaming torrents we had seen, and could still -hear rushing down the mountain. It was too small for a lake, or else it -was dwarfed by the immense mass of overshadowing rock towering above it, -whose reflected light streamed across its still and glossy surface. Here -we bid farewell to the forest.</p> - -<p>We had now gained a commanding post of observation, though there was -yet rough work to do. We saw the whole magnificent sweep of the ravine, -to where it terminates in a semicircle of stupendous cliffs that<a name="page_160" id="page_160"></a> seem -hewn perpendicularly a thousand feet down. Lying against the western -wall we distinguished patches of snow; but they appeared of trifling -extent. Great wooded mountain slopes stretched away from the depths -of the gorge on either side, making the iron lineaments of the giant -cliffs seem harder by their own softness and delicacy. Here and there -these exquisite draperies were torn in long rents by land-slips. In the -west arose the shattered peak of Monroe—a mass of splintered granite, -conspicuous at every point for its irreclaimable deformity. It seemed -as if the huge open maw of the ravine might swallow up this peak with -ease. There was a Dantesque grandeur and solemnity everywhere. With our -backs against the trees, we watched the bellying sails of a stray cloud -which intercepted in its aerial voyage our view of the great summit; -but it soon floated away, discovering the whitish-gray ledges to the -very capstone of the dome itself. Looking down and over the thick woods -beyond, we met again the burly Carter Mountains, pushed backward from -the Pinkham Notch, and kept back by an invisible yet colossal strength.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_160_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_160_sml.jpg" width="342" height="266" alt="HERMIT LAKE." -title="HERMIT LAKE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">HERMIT LAKE.</span> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_161" id="page_161"></a></p> - -<p>From Hermit Lake the only practicable way was by clambering up the bed -of the mountain brook that falls through the ravine. The whole expanse -that stretched on either side was a chaos of shattered granite, pitched -about in awful confusion. Path there was none. No matter what way we -turned, “no thoroughfare” was carved in stolid stone. We tried to force -a passage through the stunted cedars that are mistaken at a mile for -greensward, but were beaten back, torn and bleeding, to the brook. We -then turned to the great bowlders, to be equally buffeted and abused, -and finally repulsed upon the brook, which seemed all the while mocking -our efforts. Once, while forcing a route, inch by inch, through the -scrub, I was held suspended over a deep crevice, by my belt, until -extricated by my comrade. At another time he disappeared to the armpits -in a hole, from which I drew him like a blade from a scabbard. At this -moment we found ourselves unable either to advance or retreat. The dwarf -trees squeezed us like a vise. Who would have thought there was so much -life in them? At our wits’ end, we looked at our bleeding hands, then at -each other. The brook was the only clew to such a labyrinth, and to it, -as from Scylla to Charybdis, we turned as soon as we recovered breath. -But to reach it was no easy matter; we had literally to cut our way out -of the jungle.</p> - -<p>When we were there, and had rested awhile from the previous severe -exertions, my companion, alternately mopping his forehead and feeling -his bruises, looked up with a quizzical expression, and ejaculated, -“Faith, I am almost as glad to get out of this wilderness as the other! -In any case,” he gayly added, “I have lost the most blood here; while in -Virginia I did not receive a scratch.”</p> - -<p>After this rude initiation into the mysteries of the ravine, we advanced -directly up the bed of the brook. But the brook is for half a mile -nothing but a succession of leaps and plunges, its course choked with -bowlders. We however toiled on, from rock to rock, first boosting, then -hoisting each other up; one moment splashing in a pool, the next halting -in dismay under a cascade, which we must either mount like a chamois or -ascend like a trout. The climber here tastes the full enjoyment of an -encounter with untamed nature, which calls every thew and sinew into -action. At length the stream grew narrower, suddenly divided, and we -stood at the mouth of the Snow Arch, confronted by the vertical upper -wall of the ravine.</p> - -<p>We stood in an arena “more majestic than the circus of a Titus or<a name="page_162" id="page_162"></a> a -Vespasian.” The scene was one of awful desolation. A little way below -us the gorge was heaped with the ruins of some unrecorded convulsion, -by which the precipice had been cloven from base to summit, and the -enormous fragments heaved into the chasm with a force the imagination -is powerless to conceive. In the interstices among these blocks -rose thickets of dwarf cedars, as stiff and unyielding as the livid -rock itself. It was truly an arena which might have witnessed the -gladiatorial combats of immortals.</p> - -<p>We did not at first look at the Snow Arch. The eye was irresistibly -fascinated by the tremendous mass of the precipice above. From top to -bottom its tawny front was covered with countless little streams, that -clung to its polished wall without once quitting their hold. They twined -and twisted in their downward course, like a brood of young serpents -escaping from their lair; nor could I banish the idea of the ghastly -head of a Gorgon clothed with tresses of serpents. A poetic imagination -has named this tangled knot of mountain rills, “The fall of a thousand -streams.” At the foot of the cliff the scattered waters unite, before -entering the Snow Arch, in a single stream. Turning now to the right, -the narrowing gorge, ascending by a steep slope as high as the upper -edge of the precipice, points out the only practicable way to the summit -of Mount Washington in this direction. But we have had enough of such -climbing, for one day, at least.</p> - -<p>Partial recovery from the stupefaction which seizes and holds one fast -is doubtless signalized in every case by an effort to account for the -overwhelming disaster of which these ruins are the mute yet speaking -evidence. We need go no farther in the search than the innocent-looking -little rills, first dripping from the Alpine mosses, then percolating -through the rocks of the high plateau, and falling over its edge in a -thousand streams. Puny as they look, before their inroads the plateau -line has doubtless receded, like the great wall of rock over which -Niagara pours the waters of four seas. With their combined forces—how -long ago cannot be guessed; and what, indeed, does it signify?—knitted -together by frost into Herculean strength, they assailed the granite -cliffs that were older than the sun, older than the moon or the stars, -mined and countermined year by year, inch by inch, drop by drop, -until—honey-combed, riddled, and pierced to its centre, and all was -ready for its final overthrow—winter gave the signal. In a twinkling, -yielding to the stroke, and shattered into a thousand fragments, -the cliffs laid<a name="page_163" id="page_163"></a> their haughty heads low in the dust. Afterward the -accumulated waters tranquilly continued the process of demolition, and -of removing the soil from the deep excavation they had made, until -the floor of the ravine had sunk to its present level. In California -a man with a hose washes away mountains to get at the gold deposits. -This principle of hydraulic force is borrowed, pure and simple, from a -mountain cataract.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_163_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_163_sml.jpg" width="338" height="464" alt="SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN’S RAVINE." -title="SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN’S RAVINE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN’S RAVINE.</span> -</p> - -<p>Osgood, the experienced guide, who had visited the ravine oftener -than anybody else, assured me that never within his remembrance had<a name="page_164" id="page_164"></a> -this forgotten forgement of winter, the Snow Arch, been seen to such -advantage. We estimated its width at above two hundred feet, where it -threw a solid bridge of ice over the stream, and not far from three -hundred in its greatest length, where it lay along the slope of the -gorge. Summer and winter met on this neutral ground. Entering the Arch -was joining January and July with a step. Flowers blossomed at the -threshold. We caught water, as it dripped ice-cold from the roof, and -pledged Old Winter in his own cellarage. The brook foamed at our feet. -Looking up, there was a pretty picture of a tiny water-fall pouring in -at the upper end and out at the ragged portal of the grotto. But I think -we were most charmed with the remarkable sculpture of the roof, which -was a groined arch fashioned as featly as was ever done by human hands. -What the stream had begun in secret the warm vapors had chiselled with -a bolder hand, but not altered. As it was formed, so it remained—a -veritable chapel of the hills, the brook droning its low, monotonous -chant, and the dripping roof tinkling its refrain unceasingly. If the -interior of the great ravine impressed us as the hidden receptacle of -all waste matter, this lustrous heap of snow, so insignificant in its -relation to the immensity of the chasm that we scarcely looked at it at -first, now chased away the feeling of mingled terror and aversion—of -having stolen unawares into the one forbidden chamber—and possessed us -with a sense of the beautiful, which remained long after its glittering -particles had melted into the stream that flowed beneath. So under a -cold exterior is nourished the principle of undying love, which the aged -mountain gives that earth may forever renew her fairest youth.</p> - -<p>The presence of this miniature glacier is a very simple matter. The -fierce winds of winter which sweep over the plateau whirl the snows -before them, over its crest, into the ravine, where they are lodged at -the foot of the precipice, and accumulate to a great depth. As soon as -released by spring, the little streams, falling down this wall, seek -their old channels, and, being warmer, succeed in forcing a passage -through the ice. By the end of August the ice usually disappears, though -it sometimes remains even later.</p> - -<p>After picking up some fine specimens of quartz, sparkling with mica, and -uttering a parting malediction on the black flies that tormented us, we -took our way down and out of the ravine, following the general course of -the stream along its steep valley, and, after an uneventful march of two -hours, reached the upper waters of the Crystal Cascade.<a name="page_165" id="page_165"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VI-2" id="CHAPTER_VI-2"></a>VI.<br /><br /> -<small><i>IN AND ABOUT GORHAM.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">That lonely dwelling stood among the hills<br /></span> -<span class="i0">By a gray mountain stream.—<span class="smcap">Southey.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>FTER the events described in the last chapter, I continued, like the -navigator of unknown coasts, my tour of the great range. Half a mile -below the Glen House, the Great Gulf discharges from its black throat -the little river rising on the plateau at its head. The head of this -stupendous abyss is a mountain, and mountains wall it in. Its depths -remain unexplored except by an occasional angler or trapper.</p> - -<p>Two and a half miles farther on a road diverges to the left, crosses the -Peabody by a bridge, and stretches on over a depression of the range -to Randolph, where it intersects the great route from Lancaster and -Jefferson to Gorham. Over the river, snugly ensconced at the foot of -Mount Madison, is the old Copp place. Commanding, as it does, a noble -prospect up and down the valley, and of all the great peaks except -Washington, its situation is most inviting; more than this, the picture -of the weather-stained farm-house nestling among these sleeping giants -revives in fullest vigor our preconceived idea of life in the mountains, -already shaken by the balls, routs, and grand toilets of the hotels. -The house, as we see by Mistress Dolly Copp’s register, has been known -to many generations of tourists. The Copps have lived here about half a -century.</p> - -<p>Travellers going up or down, between the Glen House and Gorham, usually -make a détour as far as Copp’s, in order to view the Imp to better -advantage than can be done from the road. Among these travellers some -have now and then knocked at the door and demanded to see the Imp. The -hired girl invariably requests them to wait until she can call the -mistress.<a name="page_166" id="page_166"></a></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 253px;"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_166_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_166_sml.jpg" width="253" height="527" alt="THE IMP." -title="THE IMP." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE IMP.</span> -</div> - -<p>Directly opposite the farm-house the inclined ridge of Imp Mountain -is broken down perpendicularly some two hundred feet, leaving a -jagged cliff, resembling an immense step, facing up the valley. This -is a mountain of the Carter chain, sloping gradually toward the Glen -House. Upon this cliff, or this step, is the distorted human profile -which gives the mountain its name. A strong, clear light behind it -is necessary to bring out all the features, the mouth especially, in -bold relief against the sky, when the expression is certainly almost -diabolical. One imagines that some goblin, imprisoned for ages within -the mountain, and suddenly liberated by an earthquake, exhibits its -hideous countenance, still wearing the same look it wore at the moment -it was entombed in its mask of granite. The forenoon is the best time, -and the road, a few rods back from the house, the best point from which -to see it. The coal-black face is then in shadow.</p> - -<p>The Copp farm-house has a tale of its own, illustrating in a remarkable -manner the amount of physical hardship that long training, and -familiarity with rough out-of-door life, will occasionally enable -men to endure. Seeing two men in<a name="page_167" id="page_167"></a> the door-yard, I sat down on the -chopping-block, and entered into conversation with them.</p> - -<p>By the time I had taken out my note-book I had all the members of the -household and all the inmates of the barn-yard around me. I might -add that all were talking at once. The matron stood in the door-way, -which her ample figure quite filled, trifling with the beads of a gold -necklace. A younger face stared out over her shoulder; while an old man, -whose countenance had hardened into a vacant smile, and one of forty -or thereabouts, alternately passed my glass one to the other, with an -astonishment similar to that displayed by Friday when he first looked -through Crusoe’s telescope.</p> - -<p>“Which of you is named Nathaniel Copp?” I asked, after they had -satisfied their curiosity.</p> - -<p>“That is my name,” the younger very deliberately responded. “Really,” -thought I, “there is little enough of the conventional hero in that -face;” therefore I again asked, “Are you the same Nathaniel Copp who was -lost while hunting in the mountains, let me see, about twenty-five years -ago?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; but I wasn’t lost after I got down to Wild River,” he hastily -rejoined, like a man who has a reputation to defend.</p> - -<p>“Tell me about it, will you?”</p> - -<p>I take from my note-book the following relation of the exploit of this -mountain Nimrod, as I received it on the spot. But I had literally to -draw it out of him, a syllable at a time.</p> - -<p>On the last day of January, 1855, Nathaniel Copp, son of Hayes D. Copp, -of Pinkham’s Grant, near the Glen House, set out from home on a deer -hunt, and was out four successive days. On the fifth day he again left -to look for a deer killed the previous day, about eight miles from home. -Having found it, he dragged the carcass (weighing two hundred and thirty -pounds) home through the snow, and at one o’clock <span class="smcap">P.M.</span> started -for another he had tracked near the place where the former was killed, -which he followed until he lost the track, at dark. He then found that -he had lost his own way, and should, in all probability, be obliged to -spend the night in the woods, with the temperature ranging from 32° to -35° below zero.</p> - -<p>Knowing that to remain quiet was certain death, and having nothing with -which to light a fire, the hunter began walking for his life. The moon -shone out bright and clear, making the cold seem even more intense.<a name="page_168" id="page_168"></a> -While revolving in his mind his unpleasant predicament he heard a deer -bleat. He gave chase, and easily overtook it. The snow was too deep for -the animal to escape from a hunter on snow-shoes. Copp leaped upon his -back, and despatched him with his hunting-knife. He then dressed him, -and, taking out the heart, put it in his pocket, not for a trophy, but, -as he told me, to keep starvation at arm’s-length. The excitement of the -chase made him forget cold until he perceived himself growing benumbed. -Rousing himself, he again pushed on, whither he knew not, but spurred -by the instinct of self-preservation. Daylight found him still striding -on, with no clew to a way out of the thick woods, which imprisoned him -on every side. At length, at ten in the morning, he came out at or near -Wild River, in Gilead, forty miles from home, having walked twenty one -consecutive hours without rest or food, the greater part of the time -through a tangled growth of underbrush.</p> - -<p>His friends at home becoming alarmed at his prolonged absence during -such freezing weather, three of them, Hayes D. Copp, his father, John -Goulding, and Thomas Culhane, started in search of him. They followed -his track until it was lost in the darkness, and, by the aid of their -dog, found the deer which young Copp had killed and dressed. They again -started on the trail, but with the faintest hope of ever finding the -lost man alive, and, after being out twenty-six hours in the extreme -cold, found the object of their search.</p> - -<p>No words can do justice to the heroic self-denial and fortitude with -which these men continued an almost hopeless search, when every moment -expecting to find the stiffened corpse of their friend. Goulding froze -both feet; the others their ears.</p> - -<p>When found, young Copp did not seem to realize in the least the great -danger through which he had passed, and talked with perfect unconcern -of hunts that he had planned for the next week. One of his feet was so -badly frozen, from the effect of too tightly lacing his snow-shoe, that -the toes had to be amputated.</p> - -<p>Until reaching the bridge, within two miles of Gorham, I saw no one, -heard nothing except the strokes of an axe, borne on the still air from -some logging-camp, twittering birds, or chattering river. Ascending the -hill above the bridge, I took my last look back at Mount Washington, -over whose head rose-tinted clouds hung in graceful folds. The summit -was beautifully distinct. The bases of all the mountains were floating -in that delicious blue haze, enrapturing to the artist, exasperating<a name="page_169" id="page_169"></a> -to the climber. Turning to my route, I had before me the village of -Gorham, with the long slopes of Mount Hayes meeting in a regular pyramid -behind it. Against the dusky wall of the mountain one white spire stood -out clean and sharp. At my right, along the river, was a cluster of -saw-mills, sheds, and shanties; beyond, an irregular line of forest -concealing the town—all except the steeple; beyond that the mountain. -As I entered the village, the shrill scream of a locomotive pierced the -still air, and, like the horn of Ernani, broke my dream of forgetfulness -with its fatal blast. Adieu, dreams of delusion! we are once more -manacled with the city.</p> - -<p>I loitered along the river road, hoping, as the sky was clear, to see -the sun go down on the great summits. Nor was I disappointed. As I -walked on, Madison, the superb, gradually drew out of the Peabody Glen, -and soon Washington came into line over the ridge of Moriah, whose -highest precipices were kindled with a ruddy glow, while a wonderful -white light rested, like a halo, on the brow of the monarch. Of a -sudden, the crest of Moriah paled, then grew dark; night rose from the -black glen, twilight descended from the dusky heavens. For an instant -the humps of Clay reddened in the afterglow. Then the light went out, -and I saw only the towering forms of the giant mountains dimly traced -upon the sky. A star fell. At this signal the great dome sparkled with -myriad lights. Night had ascended her mountain throne.</p> - -<p>Gorham is situated on the Grand Trunk Railway, between Paris and Berlin, -with Milan just beyond—names a trifle ambitious for villages with -the bark on, but conferring distinction upon half a hundred otherwise -obscure villages scattered from Maine to California.</p> - -<p>Gorham is also situated in one of those natural parks, called -intervales, in an amphitheatre of hills, through which the Androscoggin -flows with a strong, steady tide. The left bank is appropriated by Mount -Hayes, the right by the village—a suspension bridge giving access from -one to the other. This mountain rises abruptly from the river to a broad -summit-plateau, from which a wide and brilliant prospect rewards the -climber. The central portion of Gorham is getting to be much too busy -for that rest and quietude which is so greatly desired by a large class -of travellers to the mountains, but, on the other hand, its position -with respect to the highest summits is more advantageous than that of -any other town lying on the skirts of the mountains, and accessible by -railway. In one hour the tourist can be at the Glen<a name="page_170" id="page_170"></a> House, in three -on the summit of Mount Washington. Being at the very end of the great -chain, in the angle where its last elevation abuts on the Androscoggin, -the valley conducting around the northerly side of the great eminences, -through the settlements of Randolph and Jefferson, furnishes another and -a charming avenue of travel into the region watered by the Connecticut. -As the great tide of travel flows in from the west and south, Gorham -has profited little by the extension of railways furnishing more direct -communication with the heart of the mountains.</p> - -<p>Mount Hayes is the guardian of the village, erecting its rocky rampart -over it, like the precipices of Cape Diamond over Quebec. The hill in -front is called Pine Mountain, though it is only a mountain by brevet. -The tip of the peak of Madison peers down into the village over this -hill. I plainly saw the snow up there from my window. To the left, and -over the low slope of Pine Mountain, rise the Carter summits, which here -make a remarkably imposing background to the picture, and in conjunction -with the great range form the basin of the Peabody. I saw this stream, -making its final exit from the mountains, throw itself exhausted with -its rapid course into the Androscoggin, half a mile below the hotel. -North-west of the village street, drawn up in line across the valley, -extend the Pilot peaks.</p> - -<p>The Carter group is said to have been named after a hunter. According -to Farmer, the Pilot Mountains were so called from a dog. Willard, a -hunter, had been lost two or three days on these mountains, on the east -side of which his camp was situated. Every day he observed that Pilot, -his dog, regularly left him, as he supposed in search of game; but -toward nightfall would as regularly return to his master. This at length -excited the attention of the hunter, who, when nearly exhausted with -fatigue and hunger, decided to commit himself to the guidance of Pilot, -and in a short time was conducted by the intelligent animal in safety to -his camp.</p> - -<p>My first morning at Gorham was a beautiful one, and I prepared to -improve it to the utmost by a walk around the northern base of Madison, -neither knowing nor caring whither it might lead me. Spring was in -her most enchanting mood. A few steps, and I was amid the marvels of -a new creation, the tasselled birches, the downy willows, the oaks in -gosling-gray. Even the gnarled and withered apple-trees gave promise of -blossoming, and the young ferns, pushing aside the dead leaves, came<a name="page_171" id="page_171"></a> -forth with their tiny fists doubled for the battle of life. Why did not -Nature so order it that mankind might rest like the trees, or shall we, -like them, come forth at last strong, vigorous, beautiful, from that -long refreshing slumber?</p> - -<p>Leaving the village, at the end of a mile and a half I took the road -turning to the left, where Moose River falls into the Androscoggin, at -the point where the latter, making a remarkable bend, turns sharply away -to the north. Moose River is a true mountain stream, clear and limpid, -foaming along a bed of sand and pebbles.</p> - -<p>From this spot the whole extent of the Pilot range was unrolled at my -right, while at the left, majestic among the lower hills, Madison and -Adams were massed in one grand pyramid. The snows glistening on the -summits seemed trophies torn from winter.</p> - -<p>About a mile from the turning, at Lary’s, I found the best station for -viewing the statuesque proportions of Madison. The foreground a swift -mountain stream, white as the snows where it takes its rise. Beyond, -a strip of meadow land, covered with young birches and poplars, just -showing their tender, trembling foliage. Among these are scattered -large, dead trees, relics of the primeval forest; the middle ground -a young forest, showing in its dainty wicker-work of branchlets that -beady appearance which belongs to spring alone, and is so exquisitely -beautiful. Above this ascends, mile upon mile, the enormous bulk of -the mountain, ashen-gray at the summit, dusky olive-green below. Stark -precipices, hedged about with blasted pines, and seamed with snow, -capped the great pile. Over this a pale azure, deepening in intensity -toward the zenith, unrolled its magnificent drapery.</p> - -<p>After the ascent of Mount Hayes, which Mr. King has fittingly described -as “the chair set by the Creator at the proper distance and angle to -appreciate and enjoy” the kingly prominence of Mount Washington, the -two things best worth seeing in the neighborhood are the falls of the -Androscoggin at Berlin, and the beautiful view of the loftiest of the -White Mountain peaks from what is called here the Lead Mine Bridge. To -get to the falls you must ascend the river, and to obtain the view you -must descend a few miles. I consecrated a day to this excursion.</p> - -<p>With a head already filled with the noise of half a hundred mountain -torrents, water-falls, or cascades, I set out after breakfast for -Berlin Falls, feeling that the passage of a body of water such as the -Androscoggin<a name="page_172" id="page_172"></a> is at Gorham, through a narrow gorge, must be something -different from the common.</p> - -<p>A word about Berlin. Its situation is far more picturesque than that of -Gorham. There is the same environment of mountains, and, in addition to -the falls, a magnificent view of Madison, Adams, Jefferson, and of the -Carter range. The precipices of Mount Forist, which overhang railway and -village, are noticeable among a thousand. Here Dead River falls into the -Androscoggin, and here the Grand Trunk Railway, taking leave of this -river, turns to the north-west, crosses over to the Upper Ammonoosuc, -twists and twines along: with it among the northern mountains, and at -last emerges upon the level meadows of the Connecticut.</p> - -<p>Berlin has another aspect. Lumber is its business; lumber its staple of -conversation; people go to bed to dream of lumber. In a word, lumber is -everywhere. The lumberman admires a tree in his way quite as much as you -or I. No eye like his to estimate its height, its girth, its thickness. -But as ships to Shylock, so trees to him are naught but boards—so many -feet. So that there is something almost ferocious in the lumberman’s or -mill-owner’s admiration for the forest; something almost startling in -the idea that this out-of-the-way corner is devouring the forests at the -rate of twenty car-loads a day. In plain language, this village cuts up -a good-sized grove every day, and rejoices over it with a new house or a -new barn.</p> - -<p>At the risk of being classed with the sentimental and the unpractical, -every one who is alive to the consequences of converting our forests -into deserts, or worse than deserts, should raise a voice of warning -against this wholesale destruction. The consequences may be remote, -but they are certain. For the most part, the travelled routes have -long since been stripped of their valuable timber trees. Now the mills -are fast eating their way into the hitherto inaccessible regions, -leaving a track of desolation behind wherever they go, like that of a -destroying army. What cannot be carried away is burnt. Fires are seen -blazing by the side of every saw-mill, in which all the waste material -is carefully consumed. A trifle? Enough is consumed every year in this -way to furnish the great city of New York with its fuel. I speak with -moderation. Not a village but has its saw-mills; while at Whitefield, -Bethlehem, Livermore, Low, and Burbank’s Grant, and many other -localities, the havoc is frightful. Forest fires, originating chiefly in -the logging-camps, annually desolate leagues of forest land. How long is -this to continue?<a name="page_173" id="page_173"></a></p> - -<p>The mountain labors incessantly to re-create, but what can it do against -such fearful odds? and what shall we do when it can no longer furnish -pine to build our homes, or wood to warm them? Delve deeper and deeper -under the Alleghanies? In about two hundred and fifty years the noble -forests, which set the early discoverers wild with enthusiasm, have -been steadily driven farther and farther back into the interior, until -“the forest primeval” exists not nearer than a hundred miles inland. -Then the great northern wilderness began at the sea-coast. It is now -in the vicinity of Lake Umbagog. Still the warfare goes on. I do not -call occasional bunches of wood forests. All this means less and less -moisture; consequently, more and more drought. The tree draws the -cloud from heaven, and bestows it on the earth. The summer of 1880 was -one of almost unexampled dryness. Large rivers dwindled to pitiful -rivulets, brooks were dried up, and the beautiful cascades in many -instances wholly disappeared. The State is powerless to interfere. Not -so individuals, or combinations of individuals for the preservation of -such tracts of woodland as the noble Cathedral woods of North Conway. In -the West a man who plants a tree is a public benefactor; is he who saves -the life of one in the East less so? America, says Berthold Auerbach, is -no longer “the Promised Land for the Old World;” if she does not protect -her woods, she will become “waste and dry,” like the Promised Land of -the ancients—Palestine itself. Look on this picture of Michelet:</p> - -<p>“On the shores of the Caspian, for three or four hundred leagues, -one sees nothing, one encounters nothing, but midway an isolated and -solitary tree. It is the love and worship of every passing wayfarer. -Each one offers it something; and the very Tartar, in default of every -other gift, will snatch a hair from his beard or his horse’s mane.”</p> - -<p>The season when the great movement of lumber from the northern -wilderness to the sea begins is one of great activity. The logs are -floated down the Androscoggin from Lake Umbagog with the spring -freshets, when those destined to go farther are “driven,” as the -lumbermen’s phrase is, over the falls and through the rapids here, to -be picked up below. It may well be believed that the passage of the -falls by a “drive” is a sight worth witnessing. Sometimes the logs -get so tightly jammed in the narrow gorge of the river that it seems -impossible to extricate them; but the dam they form causes the river -to rise behind it, when the accumulated and pent-up waters force their -way through the<a name="page_174" id="page_174"></a> obstruction, tossing huge logs in the air as if they -were straws. A squad of lumbermen—tough, muscular, handy fellows they -are—accompanies each drive, just as <i>vaqueros</i> do a Texan herd; and -the herd of logs, like the herd of cattle, is branded with the owner’s -mark. After making the drive of the falls, the men move down below them, -where they find active and, so far as appearance goes, dangerous work in -disentangling the snarls of logs caught among the rocks of the rapids. -Against a current no ordinary boat could stem for a moment; they dart -hither and thither in their light bateaux, as the herdsman does on his -active little mustang. If a log grounds in the midst of the rapids, the -bateaux dashes toward it. One river-driver jumps upon it, and holds the -boat fast, while another grapples it with a powerful lever called a -cant-dog. In a moment the log rolls off the rocks with a loud splash, -and is hurried away by the rapid tide.</p> - -<p>During the drive the lumberman is almost always wet to the skin, day -in and day out. When a raft of logs is first started in the spring the -men suffer from the exposure; but after a little time the work seems -to toughen and harden them, so that they do not in the least mind the -amphibious life they are forced to lead. Rain or shine, they get to -their work at five in the morning, leaving it only when it is too dark -to see longer. Each squad—for the whole force is divided into what may -be called skirmishers, advanced-guards, main body, and rear-guard, each -having its appointed work to perform—then repairs to its camp, which is -generally a tent pitched near the river, where the cook is waiting for -their arrival with a hot supper of fried doughnuts and baked beans—the -lumberman’s diet of preference. They pass the evening playing euchre, -telling stories, or relating the experiences of the day, and are as -simple, hearty, happy-go-lucky fellows as can be found in the wide world.</p> - -<p>To say that the Berlin Falls begin two miles below the village is no -more than the truth, since at this distance the river was sheeted in -foam from shore to shore. For these two miles its bed is so thickly sown -with rocks that it is like a river stretched on the rack. The whole -river, every drop of it, is hemmed in by enormous masses of granite, -forming a long, narrow, and rocky gorge, down which it bursts in one mad -plunge, tossing and roaring like the Maelstrom. What fury! What force! -The solid earth shakes, and the very air trembles. It is a saturnalia. A -whirlwind of passion, swift, uncontrollable, and terrible.<a name="page_175" id="page_175"></a></p> - -<p>The best situation I could find was upon a jutting ledge below the -little foot-bridge thrown from rock to rock. Several turns in the long -course of the cataract prevent its whole extent being seen all at once; -but it starts up hither and thither among the rocks, boiling with rage -at being so continually hindered in its free course, until, at last, -madness seizes it, and, flying straight at the throat of the gorge, -it goes down in one long white wave, overwhelming everything in its -way. It reaches the foot of the rocks in fleeces, darts wildly hither -and thither, shakes off the grasp of concealed rocks, and, racing on, -stretches itself on its wide and shallow bed, uttering a tremulous wail.</p> - -<p>From the village at the falls, and from Berlin Mills, are elevations -from which the great White Mountains are grandly conspicuous. The view -is similar to that much extolled one from Milan, the town next to -Berlin. Here the three great mountains, closed in mass, display a triple -crown of peaks, Washington being thrown back to the left, and behind -Madison, with Adams on his right. Best of all is the blended effect of -early morning, or of the afterglow, when a few light clouds sail along -the crimson sky, and their shadows play hide-and-seek on the mountain -sides.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon, while walking down the road to Shelburne, I met an -apparently honest farmer, with whom I held some discourse. He was -curious about the great city he had known half a century before, when -it was in swaddling clothes; I about the mountains above and around us, -that had never known change since the world began. An amiable contest -ensued, in which each tried to lead the other to talk of the topic most -interesting to himself. The husbandman grew eloquent upon his native -State and its great man. “But what,” I insisted, “do you think of your -greatest mountain there?” pointing to the splendid peak.</p> - -<p>“Oh, drat the mountains! I never look at ‘em. Ask the old woman.”</p> - -<p>Some enticing views may be had from the Shelburne intervales, embracing -Madison on the right, and Washington on the left. It is, therefore, -permitted to steal an occasional look back until we reach the Lead Mine -Bridge, and stand over the middle of the flashing Androscoggin.</p> - -<p>The dimpled river, broad here, and showing tufts of foliage on its satin -surface, recedes between wooded banks to the middle distance,<a name="page_176" id="page_176"></a> where it -disappears. Swaying to and fro, without noise, the lithe and slender -willows on the margin continually dipped their budding twigs in the -stream, as if to show its clear transparency, while letting fall, drop -by drop, its crystal globules. They gently nodded their green heads, -keeping time to the low music of the river.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_176_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_176_sml.jpg" width="339" height="210" alt="THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE." -title="THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE.</span> -</p> - -<p>Beyond the river, over gently meeting slopes of the valley, two -magnificent shapes, Washington and Madison, rose grandly. Those truly -regal summits still wore their winter ermine. They were drawn so widely -apart as to show the familiar peaks of Mount Clay protruding between -them. It is hardly possible to imagine a more beautiful picture of -mountain scenery. Noble river, hoary summits, blanched precipices, over -whose haggard visages a little color was beginning to steal, eloquently -appealed to every perception of the beautiful and the sublime. Much as -the view from this point is extolled, it can hardly be over-praised. -True, it exhibits the same objects that we see from Berlin and Milan; -but the order of arrangement is not only reversed, but so altered as to -render any comparison impossible. In this connection it may be remarked -that a short removal usually changes the whole character of a mountain -landscape. No two are precisely alike.</p> - -<p>The annals of Shelburne, which originally included Gorham within its -limits, are sufficiently meagre; but they furnish the same story -of struggle<a name="page_177" id="page_177"></a> with hardship—often with danger—common to the early -settlements in this region. Shelburne was settled, just before the -breaking out of the Revolution, by a handful of adventurous pioneers, -who were attacked in 1781 by a prowling band of hostile Indians. This -incursion is memorable as one of the last recorded in the long series -going back into the first decade of the New England colonies. It was -one of the boldest. The histories place the number of Indians at only -six. After visiting Bethel, where they captured three white men, and -Gilead, where they killed another, they entered Shelburne. Here they -killed and scalped Peter Poor, and took a negro prisoner. Such was the -terror inspired by this audacious onset, that the inhabitants, making no -defence, fled, panic-struck, to Hark Hill, where they passed the night, -leaving the savages to plunder the village at their leisure. The next -day the refugees continued their flight, stopping only when they reached -Fryeburg, fifty-nine miles from the scene of disaster.</p> - -<p>Before taking leave of the Androscoggin Valley, which is an opulent -picture-gallery, and where at every step one finds himself arrested -before some masterpiece of Nature, the traveller is strongly advised to -continue his journey to Bethel, the town next below Shelburne. Bethel -is one of the loveliest and dreamiest of mountain nooks. Its expanses -of rich verdure, its little steeple, emerging from groves of elm-trees, -its rustic bridge spanning the tireless river, its air of lethargy and -indolence, captivate eye and mind; and to eyes tired with the hardness -and glare of near mountains, the distant peaks become points of welcome -repose.<a name="page_178" id="page_178"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VII-2" id="CHAPTER_VII-2"></a>VII.<br /><br /> -<small><i>ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Where the huge mountain rears his brow sublime,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">On which no neighboring height its shadow flings,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Led by desire intense the steep I climb.<br /></span> -<span class="i13"><span class="smcap">Petrarch.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>HE first days of May, 1877, found me again at the Glen House, prepared -to put in immediate execution the long-deferred purpose of ascending -Mount Washington in the balmy days of spring. Before separating for the -night, my young Jehu, who drove me from Gorham in an hour, said, with a -grin,</p> - -<p>“So you are going where they cut their butter with a chisel, and their -meat with a hand-saw?”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you will learn to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Till to-morrow, then.”</p> - -<p>“Good-night.”</p> - -<p>“Good-night.”</p> - -<p>At six in the morning, while the stars were yet twinkling, I stood in -the road in front of the Glen House. Everything announced a beautiful -day. The rising sun crimsoned, first, the dun wall of Tuckerman’s -Ravine, then the high summits, and then flowed down their brawny -flanks—his first salutation being to the monarch. In ten minutes I was -alone in the forest with the squirrels, the partridges, the woodpeckers, -and my own thoughts.</p> - -<p>As bears are not unfrequently seen at this season of the year, I kept my -eyes about me. One of the old drivers related to me that one morning, -while going up this road with a heavy load of passengers, his horses -suddenly stopped, showing most unmistakable signs of terror. The place -was a dangerous one, where the road had been wholly excavated<a name="page_179" id="page_179"></a> from -the steep side of the mountain, so, keeping one eye upon his fractious -team, he threw quick glances right and left with the other; while the -passengers, alarmed by the sudden stop, the driver’s shouts to his -animals, and the still more alarming backward movement of the coach, -thrust their heads out of the windows, and with white faces demanded -what was the matter.</p> - -<p>“By thunder!” ejaculated Jehu, “there was my leaders all in a lather, -an’ backin’ almost atop of the fill-horses, and them passengers -a-shoutin’ like lunatics let out on a picnic. ‘Look! darn it all,’ -sez I, a-pintin’ with my whip. My hosses was all in a heap, I tell -ye, rarin’ and charging, when a little Harvard student, with his head -sand-papered, sung out, ‘All right, Cap, I’ve chucked your hind wheels;’ -and then he made for the leaders’ heads. Them college chaps ain’t such -darned fools arter all, they ain’t.”</p> - -<p>“What was it?”</p> - -<p>“A big black bear, all huddled up in a bunch, a-takin’ his morning -observation on the scenery from the top of a dead sycamore. You see the -side of the hill was so slantin’ steep that he wa’n’t more’n tew rod -from the road.”</p> - -<p>“What did you do?”</p> - -<p>“Dew?” echoed the driver, laughing—“dew?” he repeated, “why, them crazy -passengers, when they found the bear couldn’t get at <i>them</i>, just picked -up rocks and hove them at the old cuss. When one hit him a crack, Lord, -how he’d shake his head and growl! But, you see, he couldn’t get at ‘em, -so they banged away, until Mr. Bruin couldn’t stan’ it any longer, an’ -slid right down the tree as slick as grease, and as mad as Old Nick. It -tickled me most to death to see him a-makin’ tooth-picks fly from that -tree.”</p> - -<p>“Was that your only encounter with bears?” I asked, willing to draw him -out.</p> - -<p>“Waal, no, not exactly,” he replied, chuckling to himself, gleefully, at -some recollection the question revived. “There used to be a tame bear -over to the Alpine House. One night the critter got loose, and we all -cal’lated he’d took to the woods. Anyhow we hunted high and low; but -no bear. Waal, you see, one forenoon our hostler Mike—his real name -was Pat, but there was another Pat came afore him, so we called t’other -Mike—went up in the barn-chamber to pitch some hay down to the hosses.” -Here he stopped and began to choke.<a name="page_180" id="page_180"></a></p> - -<p>“Well, go on; what has that to do with the bear?”</p> - -<p>“Just you hold your hosses a minnit, stranger. Mike hadn’t no sooner -jabbed his pitchfork down, so as to git a big bunch, when it struck -something soft-like, and then, before he knew what ailed him, the -hay-mow riz rite up afore him, with the almightiest growl comin’ out -on’t was ever heerd in any maynagery this side of Noah’s Ark.”</p> - -<p>Here the driver broke down utterly, gasping, “Oho! aha! oh Lord! ah! -ha! ha! ha! ha! ho! ho! Mike!” until his breath was quite gone, and the -big tears rolled down his cheeks. Then he heaved a deep sigh, attempted -to go on, but immediately went off in a second hysterical explosion. I -waited for his recovery.</p> - -<p>“Waal,” he at length resumed, “the long and short of it was this: that -air bear had buried himself under the hay-mow, and was a-snoozin’ it -comfortable and innocent as you please, when Mike prodded him in the -ribs with the pitchfork. The fust any of us knew we saw Mike come -a-flyin’ out of the barn-chamber window and the bear arter him. Mike led -him a length. Maybe that Irishman didn’t streak it for the house! Bless -you, he never teched the ground arter he struck it! The boys couldn’t -do anything for laughing, and Mick was so scart he forgot to yell. That -bear was so hoppin’ wild we had to kill him; and if you wanted to make -Mike fightin’ mad any time, all you had to do was to ask him to go up in -the barn-chamber and pitch down a bear.”</p> - -<p>The first four miles are merely toilsome. It is only when emerging upon -the bare crags above the woods that the wonders of the ascent begin, and -the succession of views, dimly seen through my eyes in this chapter, -challenges the attention at every step. There is one exception. About -a mile up, the road issues upon a jutting spur of the mountain, from -which the summit, with the house on the highest point, is seen in clear -weather.</p> - -<p>Suddenly I came out of the low firs, the scrubby growth of birches, upon -the fear-inspiring desolation of the bared and wintry summit. The high -sun poured down with dazzling brightness upon the white ledges, which, -rising like a wall above the solitary cabin before me, thrust their -jagged edges in the way, as if to forbid farther progress. Out of this -glittering precipice dead trees thrust huge antlers. This formless mass -overhanging the Half-Way House, known as The Ledge, is one of the most -terrific sights of the journey.</p> - -<p>Until clear of the woods, my uneasiness, inspired by the recollection<a name="page_181" id="page_181"></a> -of the ascent from Crawford’s, was extreme; but I now stood, in the -full blaze of an unclouded sun, upon a treeless wilderness of rock, a -gratified spectator of one of the most extraordinary scenes it has ever -fallen to man’s lot to witness. But what a frightful silence! Not a -murmur; not a rustling leaf; but all still as death. I was half-afraid.</p> - -<p>At my feet yawned the measureless void of the Great Gulf, torn from the -entrails of the mountain by Titanic hands. Above my head leaped up the -endless pile of granite constituting the dome of Washington. It had now -exchanged its gray cassock for pale green. All around was unutterable -desolation. Crevassed with wide splits, encompassed round by lofty -mountain walls, the gorge was at once fascinating and forbidding, grand -yet terrible. The high-encircling steeps of Clay and Jefferson, Adams -and Madison, enclosing it with one mighty sweep, ascended out of its -depths and stretched along the sky, which seemed receding before their -daring advance. Peering down into the abyss, where the tallest pines -were shrubs and their trunks needles, the earth seemed split to its -centre, and the feet of these mountains rooted in the midst. To confront -such a spectacle unmoved one should be more, or less than human.</p> - -<p>Looking backward over the forest through which I had come, the eye -caught a blur of white and a gleam of blue in the Peabody Glen. The -white was the hotel, the blue the river. Following the vale out to -its entrance upon the Androscoggin meadows, the same swift messenger -ascended Moriah, and, traversing the confederate peaks to the summit of -Mount Carter, stopped short at its journey’s end.</p> - -<p>As I slowly mounted the Ledge the same unnatural appearance was -everywhere—the same wreck, same desolation, same discord. The dead -cedars, bleaching all around, looked like an army of gigantic crabs -crawling up the mountain side, which universal ruin overspread, and -which even the soft sunshine rendered more ghastly and more solemn. I -looked eagerly along the road; listened. Not a human being; not a sound. -I was alone upon the mountain.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_182_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_182_sml.jpg" width="333" height="524" alt="MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF." -title="MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF.</span> -</p> - -<p>From here I no longer walked upon earth but on air. Respiration became -more and more difficult. Not even a zephyr stirred, while the glare -was painful to eyes already overtaxed in the endeavor to grasp the -full meaning of this most unaccustomed scene. The road, steadily -ascending, showed its zigzags far up the mountain. Now and then a rude -receptacle had been dug, or rather built up, by the road-side, in<a name="page_182" id="page_182"></a> which -earth to mend the road was stored; and this soil, wholly composed of -disintegrated rock, must be scraped from underneath the ledges, from -crevices, from<a name="page_183" id="page_183"></a> hollows, and husbanded with care. “As cheap as dirt,” -was a saying without significance here. As I neared the summit the -melting snows had, in many places, swept it bare, exposing the naked -ledge; and here earth must be brought up from lower down the mountain. -But the pains bestowed upon it equals the incessant demand for its -preservation, and had I not seen with my own eyes I could scarcely have -believed so excellent a specimen of road-making existed in this desert.</p> - -<p>But how long will the mountain resist the denuding process constantly -going on, and what repair the gradual but certain disintegration of the -peak? It is a monument of human inability to act upon it in any way. -Be it so. The snows, the frosts, the rains, pursue their work none the -less surely. You see in the deep gullies, the avalanches of stones, the -sands of the sea-shore—so many evidences of the forces which, sooner or -later, will accomplish the miracle and remove the mountain.</p> - -<p>From my next halting-place I perceived that I had been traversing a -promontory of the mountain jutting boldly out into the Great Gulf, above -the Half-Way House; and, looking down over the parapet-wall, a mile or -more of the road uncoiled its huge folds, turning hither and thither, -doubling upon itself like a bewildered serpent, and, like the serpent, -always gaining a little on the mountain. This is one of the strangest -sights of this strange journey; but, in order to appreciate it at its -full value, one should be descending by the stage-coach, when the -danger, more apparent than real, is intensified by the swift descent of -the mountain into the gulf below, over which the traveller sees himself -suspended with feelings more poignant than agreeable. The fact that -there has never been a fatal accident upon the carriage-road speaks -volumes for the caution and skill of the drivers; but, as one of the -oldest and most experienced said to me, “There should be no fooling, no -chaffing, and no drinking on that road.”<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a><a name="page_184" id="page_184"></a></p> - -<p>Continuing to ascend, the road once more took a different direction, -curving around that side of the mountain rising above the Pinkham -forest. This détour brought the Carter chain upon my left, instead of on -my right.</p> - -<p>Thus far I had encountered little snow, though the rocks were everywhere -crusted with ice; but now a sudden turning brought me full upon an -enormous bank, completely blocking the road, which here skirted the -edge of a high precipice. Had a sentinel suddenly barred my way with -his bayonet, I could not have been more astonished. I was brought to a -dead stand. I looked over the parapet, then at the snow-bank, then at -the mountain. The first look made me shudder, the second thoughtful, the -third gave me a headache.</p> - -<p>At this spot the side of the mountain was only a continuation of the -precipice, bent slightly backward from the perpendicular, and ascending -several hundred feet higher. The snow, extending a hundred feet or more -above, and conforming nearly with the slope of the mountain, filled the -road for thrice that distance. I saw that it was only prevented from -sliding into the valley by the low wall of loose stones at the edge of -the road; but how long would that resist the great pressure upon it? The -snow-bank had already melted at its edges, so that I could crawl some -distance underneath, and hear the drip of water above and below, showing -that it was being steadily undermined. In fact, the whole mass seemed on -the point of precipitating itself over the precipice. I could neither go -around it nor under it; so much was certain.</p> - -<p>What to do? I had only a strong umbrella, the inseparable companion -of my mountain jaunts, and the glacier was as steep as a roof. What -assurance was there that if I ventured upon it the whole sheet, -dislodged by my weight, might not be shot off the mountain side, -carrying me with it to the bottom of the abyss? But while I felt no -desire to add mine to the catalogue of victims already claimed by the -mountain,<a name="page_185" id="page_185"></a> the idea of being turned back was inadmissible. Native -caution put the question, “Will you?” and native persistency answered, -“I will.”</p> - -<p>When a thing is to be done, the best way is to do it. I therefore tried -the snow, and, finding a solid foothold, resolved to venture; had it -been soft, I should not have dared. Using my umbrella as an alpenstock, -I crossed on the parapet, where the declivity was the least, and without -accident, but slowly and breathlessly, until near the opposite side, -when I passed the intervening space in two bounds, alighting in the road -with the blood tingling to my fingers’ ends.</p> - -<p>A sharp turn around a ledge, and the south-east wall of Tuckerman’s -Ravine rose up, like a wraith, out of the forest. Nearer at hand was the -head of Huntington’s, while to the right the cone of Washington loomed -grandly more than a thousand feet higher. A little to the left you look -down into the gloomy depths of the Pinkham defile, the valley of Ellis -River, the Saco Valley to North Conway, where the familiar figure of -Kearsarge is the presiding genius. The blue course of the Ellis, which -is nothing but a long cascade, the rich green of the Conway intervales, -the blanched peak of Chocorua, the sapphire summits of the Ossipee -Mountains, were presented in conjunction with the black and humid walls -of the ravine, and the iron-gray mass of the great dome. The crag on -which I stood leans out over the mountain like a bastion, from which -the spectator sees the deep-intrenched valleys, the rivers which wash -the feet of the monarch, and the long line of summits which partake his -grandeur while making it all the more impressive.<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a></p> - -<p>Turning now my back upon the Glen, the way led in the opposite -direction, and began to look over the depression between Clay and -Jefferson into the world of blue peaks beyond. From here the striking -spectacle of the four great northern peaks, their naked summits, their -sides seamed with old and new slides, and flecked with snow, constantly -enlarged. There were some terrible rents in the side of Clay, red as -half-closed wounds; in one place the mountain seemed cloven to its -centre. It was of this gulf that the first climber said it was such -a precipice he could scarce discern to the bottom. The rifts in the -walls of the ravine, the blasted fir-trees leaning over the abyss, -and clutching<a name="page_186" id="page_186"></a> the rocks with a death-gripe, the rocks themselves, -tormented, formidable, impending, astound by their vivid portrayal of -the formless, their suggestions of the agony in which these mountains -were brought forth.</p> - -<p>I was now fairly upon the broad, grass-grown terrace at the base of the -pinnacle, sometimes called the Cow Pasture. The low peak rising upon its -limits is a monument to the fatal temerity of a traveller who, having -climbed, as he supposed, to the top of the mountain, died from hunger -or exposure, or from both, at this inhospitable spot.<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> A skeleton in -rags was found, at the end of a year, huddled under some rocks. Farther -down the mountain a heap of stones indicates the place where Doctor -Ball, of Boston, was found by the party sent in search of him, famished, -exhausted, and almost delirious. When rescued, he had passed two nights -upon the mountain, without food, fire, or shelter, after as many days -of fruitless wandering up and down, always led astray by his want of -knowledge, and mocked by occasional glimpses of snowy peaks above, or -the distant Glen below. More dead than alive, he was supported down the -mountain as far as the camp at The Ledge, whence he was able to ride to -the Glen House. His reappearance had the effect of one risen from the -dead. In reality, the rescuing party took up with them materials for a -rude bier, expecting to find a dead body stiffening in the snow.<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a></p> - -<p>Besides this almost unheard of resistance to hunger, cold, and -exhaustion combined, and notwithstanding the fortitude which enabled the -lost man to continue his desperate struggle for life until rescued, all -would doubtless have been to no purpose without the aid of an umbrella, -which, by a lucky chance, he took at setting out. This umbrella was -his only protection during the two terrible vigils he made upon the -mountain. How, is related in the chapter on the ascent from Crawford’s.</p> - -<p>Crossing the terrace, where even the road seems glad to rest after its -laborious climb of seven miles, and where the traveller may also relax -his efforts, preparatory to his arduous advance up the pinnacle, I came -upon the railway, still solidly embedded in snow and ice.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_187_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_187_sml.jpg" width="338" height="379" alt="WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT." -title="WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT.</span> -</p> - -<p>Still making a route for itself among massy blocks, tilted at every -conceivable angle, but forming, nevertheless, a symmetrical cone,<a name="page_187" id="page_187"></a> the -carriage-road winds up the steep ascent, to which the railway is nailed. -While traversing the plateau, with the Summit House now in full view, -my eye caught, far above me, the figure of a man pacing up and down -before the building, like a sentinel on his post. I swung my hat in the -air; again; but he did not see me. Nevertheless, I experienced a thrill -of pleasure at seeing him, so acutely had the sense of loneliness come -over me in these awful solitudes. It put such vigor into my steps that -in half an hour I crossed the last rise, when the solitary pedestrian, -making an about-face at the end of his beat, suddenly<a name="page_188" id="page_188"></a> discovered -a strange form and figure emerging from the rocks before him. He -stopped short, took the pipe from his teeth, looking with open-mouthed -astonishment, then, as I continued to approach, he hastened toward me, -met me half-way, and, between rapid questions and answers, led the way -into the signal station.</p> - -<p>Behold me installed in the cupola of New England! While I was resting, -my host, a tall, bronzed, bearded man, bustled about the two or three -apartments constituting this swallow’s nest. He put the kettle on the -stove, gave the fire a stir, spread a cloth upon the table, and took -some plates, cups, and saucers from a locker, some canned meats and -fruit from a cupboard, I, meanwhile, following all these movements with -an interest easily imagined. His preparations completed, my host first -ran his eye over them approvingly, then, presenting a pen, requested me -to inscribe my name in the visitors’ book. I did so, noticing that the -last entry was in October—that is, five months had elapsed since the -last climber wended his solitary way down the mountain. My hospitable -entertainer then, with perfect politeness, begged me to draw my chair to -the table and fall to. I did not refuse. While he poured out the tea, I -asked,</p> - -<p>“Whom have I the pleasure of addressing?” and he modestly replied,</p> - -<p>“Private Doyle, sir, of the United States Signal Service. Have another -bit of devilled ham? No? Try these peaches.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you. At least Uncle Sam renders your exile tolerable. Is this -your ordinary fare?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, as to that, you should see us in the dead of winter, chopping our -frozen meat with a hatchet, and our lard with a chisel.”</p> - -<p>This, then, was what my young Jehu had meant. Where was I? I glanced -out of the window. Nothing but sky, nothing but rocks; immensity and -desolation. I disposed my ideas to hear my companion ask, “What is the -news from the other world?<a name="page_189" id="page_189"></a>”</p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VIII-2" id="CHAPTER_VIII-2"></a>VIII.<br /><br /> -<small><i>MOUNT WASHINGTON.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>The soldiers from the mountain Theches ran from rear to front, -breaking their ranks, crowding tumultuously upon each other, -laughing and shouting, “The sea! the sea!”—<span class="smcap">Xenophon’s</span> -<i>Anabasis</i>.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>FTER the repast we walked out, Private Doyle and I, upon the narrow -platform behind the house. According to every appearance I had reached -<i>Ultima Thule</i>.</p> - -<p>For some moments—moments not to be forgotten—we stood there silent. -Neither stirred. The scene was too tremendous to be grasped in an -instant. A moment was needed to recover one’s moral equipoise, as well -as for the unpractised eye to adjust itself to the vastness of the -landscape, and to the multitude of objects, strange objects, everywhere -confronting it. My own sensations were at first too vague for analysis, -too tumultuous for expression. The flood choked itself.</p> - -<p>All seemed chaos. On every side the great mountains fell away like -mists of the morning, dispersing, receding to an endless distance, -diminishing, growing more and more vague, and finally vanishing on -a limitless horizon neither earth nor sky. Never before had such a -spectacle offered itself to my gaze. The first idea was of standing on -the threshold of another planet, and of looking down upon this world of -ours outspread beneath; the second, of being face to face with eternity -itself. No one ever felt exhilaration at first. The scene is too -solemnizing.</p> - -<p>But by degrees order came out of this chaos. The bewildering throng of -mountains arranged itself in chains, clusters, or families. Hills drew -apart, valleys opened, streams twinkled in the sun, towns and villages -clung to the skirts of the mountains or dotted the rich meadows; but all -was mysterious, all as yet unreal.</p> - -<p>Comprehending at last that all New England was under my feet, I began -to search out certain landmarks. But this investigation is fatiguing:<a name="page_190" id="page_190"></a> -besides, it conducts to nothing—absolutely nothing. Pointing to -a scrap of blue haze in the west, my companion observed, “That is -Mount Mansfield;” and I, mechanically, repeated, “Ah! that is Mount -Mansfield.” It was nothing. Distance and Infinity have no more relation -than Time and Eternity. It sufficed for me, God knows, to be admitted -near the person of the great autocrat of New England, while under skies -so fair and radiant he gave audience to his imposing and splendid -retinue of mountains.</p> - -<p>But still, independent of the will, the eye flitted from peak to -peak, from summit to summit, making the slow circuit of this immense -horizon, hovering at last over a band of white gleaming far away in the -south-east like a luminous cloud, on whose surface objects like birds -reposed. It was the sea, and the specks ships sailing on the main. -With the aid of a telescope we could even tell what sails the vessels -carried. In these few seconds the eye had put a girdle of six hundred -miles about.<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a></p> - -<p>I consider this first introduction to what the peak of Mount Washington -looks down upon an epoch in any man’s life. I saw the whole noble -company of mountains from highest to lowest. I saw the deep depressions -through which the Connecticut, the Merrimac, the Saco, the Androscoggin, -wind toward the lowlands. I saw the lakes which nurse the infant -tributaries of those streams. I saw the great northern forests, the -notched wall of the Green Mountains, the wide expanse of level land, -flat and heavy like the ocean, and finally the ocean itself. And all -this was mingled in one mighty scene.</p> - -<p>The utmost that I can say of this view is that it is a marvel. You -receive an impression of the illimitable such as no other natural -spectacle—no, not even the sea—can give. Astonishment can go no -farther. Nevertheless, the truth is that you are on too high a -view-point for the most effective grasp of mountain scenery. This -immense height renders near objects indistinct, obscures the more -distant. Seldom, indeed, is the land seen, even under favoring -conditions, except through a soft haze, which, you are surprised to -notice, becomes more and more transparent as you descend. The eye -explores this <i>clair-obscur</i>, and gradually discerns<a name="page_191" id="page_191"></a> this or that -object. It is true that you see to a great distance, but you do not -distinguish anything clearly. This is the rule, derived from many -observations, to which the crystal air of autumn and winter makes the -rare and fortunate exception.</p> - -<p>There is a more cogent reason why the view from Mount Washington is -inferior to that from other and lower summits. Everything is below -you, and, naturally, therefore, any picture of these mountains not -showing the cloud-capped dome of the monarch, attended by his cortége -of grand peaks—the central, dominating, perfecting group—must be -essentially incomplete. Imagine Rome without St. Peter’s, or, to come -nearer home, Boston without her State House! One word more: from this -lofty height you lose the symmetrical relation of the lesser summits to -the grand whole. Even these signal embodiments of heroic strength—the -peaks of Jefferson, Adams, and Madison—so vigorously self-asserting -that what they lose in stature they gain by a powerful individuality, -even these suffer a partial eclipse; but the summits stretching to -the southward are so dwarfed as to be divested of any character as -typical mountain structures. What fascinates us is the “sublime chaos -of trenchant crests, of peaks shooting upward;” and the charm of the -view—such at least is the writer’s conviction—resides rather in the -immediate surroundings than in the extent of the panorama, great as that -unquestionably is.</p> - -<p>One thing struck me with great force—the enormous mass of the mountain. -The more you realize that the dependent peaks, stretching eight miles -north, and as many south, are nothing but buttresses, the more this -prodigious weight amazes. Two long spurs, divided by the valley of the -Rocky Branch, also descend into the Saco Valley as far as Bartlett; and -another, shorter, but of the same indestructible masonry, is traced -between the valleys of the Ammonoosuc and of Israel’s River. In a word, -as the valleys lie and the roads run, we must travel sixty or seventy -miles around in order to make the circuit of Mount Washington at its -base.</p> - -<p>Even here one is not satisfied if he sees a stone ever so little above -him.<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> The best posts for an outlook, after the signal station, are -upon a<a name="page_192" id="page_192"></a> point of rocks behind the old Tip-Top House, and from the end -of the hotel platform, where the railway begins its terrifying descent. -From all these situations the view was large and satisfying. From the -first station one overlooks the southern summits; from the second, the -northern. A movement of the head discloses, in turn, the ocean, the -lakes and lowlands of Maine and New Hampshire, the broad highlands -of Massachusetts, the fading forms of Monadnock and Wachusett, the -highest peaks of Vermont and New York, and, finally, the great Canadian -wilderness.</p> - -<p>After all this, the eye dwells upon the hideous waste of rock -blackened by ages of exposure, corroded with a green incrustation, -like <i>verd-antique</i>, constituting the dome. It is at once mournful and -appalling. Time has dealt the mountain some crushing blows, as we see by -these ghastly ruins, bearing silent testimony to their own great age. It -is necessary to step with care, for the rocks are sharp-edged. The green -appearance is due to lichens which bespatter them. Greedy little spiders -inhabit them. Truly this is a spot disinherited by Nature.</p> - -<p>Noticing many boards scattered helter-skelter about the top and sides of -the mountain, I drew my companion’s attention to them, and he explained -that what I saw was the result of the great January gale, which had -blown down the shed used as an engine-house, demolished every vestige of -the walk leading from the hotel to the signal station, and distributed -the fragments as if they had been straws far and wide, as I saw them.</p> - -<p>The same gale had swept the coast from Hatteras to Canso with -destructive fury. I begged Private Doyle to give me his recollections of -it. We returned to the station, and he began as follows:</p> - -<p>“At the time of the tornado I was sick, and my comrade, Sergeant M——, -who is now absent on leave, had to do my turn as well as his own. ‘Uncle -Sam,’ you know, keeps two of us here, for fear of accidents.”<a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a></p> - -<p>“It surprised me to find you here alone,” I assented.</p> - -<p>“This is the third day.” Then, resuming his narrative, “During the -forenoon preceding the gale we observed nothing very unusual; but the -clouds kept sinking and sinking, until, in the afternoon, the summit -alone<a name="page_193" id="page_193"></a> was above them. For miles around nothing could be seen but one -vast ocean of frozen vapor, with peaks sticking out here and there, -like icebergs floating in this ocean—all being cased in snow and ice. -I cannot tell you how curious this was. Later in the day the density of -the clouds became such that they reflected the colors of the spectrum: -and that too was beautiful beyond description. It was about this time -Sergeant M—— came to where I was lying, and said, ‘There is going to -be the devil to pay; so I guess I’ll make everything snug.’</p> - -<p>“By nine in the evening the wind had increased to one hundred miles an -hour, with heavy sleet, so that no observation could be safely made -from without. At midnight the velocity of the storm was one hundred and -twenty miles, and the exposed thermometer recorded 24° below zero. We -could hardly get it above freezing inside the house. With the stove red, -water froze within three feet of the fire; in fact, where you are now -sitting.</p> - -<p>“At this time the uproar outside was deafening. About one o’clock -the wind rose to one hundred and fifty miles. It was now blowing a -hurricane. That carpet (indicating the one in the room where we were) -stood up a foot from the floor, like a sail. The wind, gathering up all -the loose ice on top of the mountain, dashed it against the house in -one continuous volley. I lay wondering how long we should stand this -terrific pounding, when all at once there came a crash. M—— shouted to -me to get up; but I had tumbled out in a hurry on hearing the glass go. -You see I was ready-dressed, to keep myself warm in bed.</p> - -<p>“Our united efforts were hardly equal to closing the storm-shutters from -the inside; but we succeeded, finally, though the lights were out, and -we worked in the dark.” He rose in order to show me how the shutters, -made of thick oak planks, were secured by a bar, and by strong wooden -buttons screwed in the window-frame.</p> - -<p>“We had scarcely done this,” resumed Doyle, “and were shivering over the -fire, when a heavy gust of wind again burst open the shutters as easy -as if they had never been fastened at all. We sprang to our feet. After -a hard tussle we again secured the windows by nailing a cleat to the -floor, against which we fixed one end of a board, using the other end as -a lever. You understand?” I nodded. “Well, even then it was all we could -do to force the shutters back into place. But we did it. We <i>had</i> to do -it.</p> - -<p>“The rest of the night was passed in momentary expectation that<a name="page_194" id="page_194"></a> the -building would be blown over into Tuckerman’s Ravine, and we with it. -At four in the morning the wind registered one hundred and eighty-six -miles. It had shifted then from east to north-east. From this time it -steadily fell to ten miles at nine o’clock—as calm as a daisy. This was -the heaviest blow ever experienced on the mountain.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose this house had gone, and the hotel stood fast, could you have -effected an entrance into the hotel?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“No, indeed. We could not have faced the wind.”</p> - -<p>“Not for a hundred feet, and in a matter of life and death?”</p> - -<p>“In that gale? We should have been lifted clean off our feet and smashed -upon the rocks like this bottle,” flinging one out at the door.</p> - -<p>“So then for all those hours you expected from one moment to another to -be swept into eternity?”</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 273px;"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_194_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_194_sml.jpg" width="273" height="391" alt="THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE." -title="THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE.</span> -</div> - -<p>“We did what we could. Each of us wrapped himself up in blankets and -quilts, tying these tightly around him with ropes, to which were -attached bars of iron, so that if the house went by the board we might -stand a chance—a slim one—of anchoring, somehow, somewhere.”</p> - -<p>I tried to make him admit that he was afraid; but he would not.<a name="page_195" id="page_195"></a> Only he -forgot, he said, in the excitement of that terrible night, that he was -ill, until the danger was over.</p> - -<p>“We are going to have a blow,” observed Doyle, glancing at the -barometer—“barometer falling, wind rising. Besides, that blue haze, -creeping over the valley, is a pretty sure sign of a change of weather.” -His prognostic was completely verified in the course of a few hours.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Doyle, rising, “I must go and feed my chick.”</p> - -<p>We retraced our steps to the point of rocks overhanging the southern -slope, where he stopped and began to scatter crumbs, I watching him -curiously meanwhile. Pretty soon he went down on his hands and knees and -peered underneath the rocks. “Ah!” he exclaimed, with vivacity, “there -you are!”</p> - -<p>“What is it?” I asked; “what is there?”</p> - -<p>“My mouse. He is rather shy, and knows I am not alone,” he replied, -chirruping to the animal with affectionate concern.</p> - -<p>Brought to the mountain top in some barrel or box, the little stowaway -had become domesticated, and would come at the call of his human -playmate. The incident was trifling enough of itself, yet there was -something touching in this companionship, something that sharply -recalled the sense of loneliness I had myself experienced. In reality, -the disparity between the man and the mouse seemed not greater than that -between the mountain and the man.</p> - -<p>While we were standing among the rocks the sun touched the western -horizon. The heavens became obscured. All at once I saw an immense -shadow striding across the valley below us. Slowly and majestically it -ascended the Carter chain until it reached the highest summit. I could -not repress an exclamation of surprise; but what was my astonishment -to see this immense phantom, without pausing in its advance, lift -itself into the upper air to an incredible height, and stand fixed and -motionless high above all the surrounding mountains. It was the shadow -of Mount Washington projected upon the dusky curtain of the sky. All the -other peaks seemed to bow their heads by a sentiment of respect, while -the actual and the spectre mountain exchanged majestic salutations. Then -the vast gray pyramid retreated step by step into the thick shades. -Night fell.</p> - -<p>The expected storm which the observer had predicted did not fail to put -in an appearance. By the time we reached the house the wind had risen to -forty miles an hour, driving the clouds in an unbroken flight<a name="page_196" id="page_196"></a> against -the summit, from which they rebounded with rage equal to that displayed -in their vindictive onset. The Great Gulf was like the crater of some -mighty volcano on the eve of an eruption, vomiting forth volumes of -thickening cloud and mist. It seemed the mustering-place of all the -storm-legions of the Atlantic, steadily pouring forth from its black -jaws, unfurling their ghostly standards as they advanced to storm -the battlements of the mountain. Occasionally a break in the column -disclosed the opposite peaks looming vast and black as midnight. Then -the effect was indescribable. At one moment everything seemed resolving -into its original elements; the next I was reminded of a gigantic -mould, not from mortal hands, in which all these vast forms were slowly -cooling. The moon shed a pale, wan light over this unearthly scene, -in which creation and annihilation seemed confusedly struggling. The -sublime drama of the Fourth Day, when light was striving with darkness -for its allotted place in the universe, seemed enacting under my eyes.</p> - -<p>The evening passed in comparative quiet, although the gale was now -moving from east to west at the rate of sixty miles an hour. Rain -rattled on the roof like shot. Now and then the building shuddered -and creaked, like a good ship breasting the fury of the gale. Vivid -flashes of lightning made the well-lighted room momentarily dark, -and checked conversation as suddenly as if we had felt the electric -shock. Under such novel conditions, with strange noises all about him, -one does not feel quite at ease. Nevertheless the kettle sung on the -stove, the telegraph instrument ticked on the table. We had Fabyan’s, -Littleton, and White River Junction within call. We had plenty of -books, the station being well furnished from voluntary gifts of the -considerate-benevolent. At nine Doyle went out, but immediately returned -and said he had something to show me. I followed him out to the platform -behind the house. A forest fire had been seen all day in the direction -of Fabyan’s, but at night it looked like a burning lake sunk in depths -of infernal blackness. I had never seen anything so nearly realizing my -idea of hell. No other object was visible—only this red glare as of -a sun in partial eclipse shining at the bottom of an immense hole. We -watched it a few minutes and then went in. I attempted to be cheerful, -but how was one to rise above such surroundings? Alternately the storm -roared and whined for admittance. Worn out with the tension, physical -and moral, of this day, I crept into bed and tried to shut the storm -out. The poor exile in the next room murmured to himself, “Ah, this -horrible solitude!<a name="page_197" id="page_197"></a>”</p> - -<p>The next morning, while looking down from this eagle’s nest upon the -southern peaks to where the bridle path could be distinctly traced -across the plateau, and still winding on around the peaked crest of -Monroe, I was seized with a longing to explore the route which on a -former occasion proved so difficult, but to-day presenting apparently -nothing more serious than a fatiguing scramble up and down the cone. -Accordingly, taking leave of my companion, I began to feel my way down -that cataract of granite, fallen, it would seem, from the skies.<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a></p> - -<p>In proportion as I descended, the mountain ridge below regained, little -by little, its actual character. Except where patches of snow mottled -it with white, it displayed one uniform and universal tinge of faded -orange where the soft sunshine fell full upon it, toned into rusty brown -when overshadowed, gradually deepening to an intense blue-black in the -ravines. But so insignificant did the summits look, when far below, -that I hardly recognized them for the same I had seen from Fabyan’s and -had traversed from Crawford’s. Monroe, the nearest, has, however, a -most striking resemblance to an enormous petrified wave on the eve of -dashing itself down into the valley. The lower you descend the stronger -this impression becomes; but from the summit of Mount Washington this -peak is so belittled that the mountains seemed saying to each other, -“Good-morning, Mole-hill!” “Good-morning, Big Bully!”</p> - -<p>When I reached the stone-corral, the ground, if ground it can be -called, descended less abruptly, over successive stony terraces, to a -comparative level, haired over with a coarse, wiry, and tangled grass, -strewed with bowlders, and inundated along its upper margin by torrents -of stones. Upon closer inspection these stones arranged themselves -in irregular semicircular ridges. In the eyes of the botanist and -entomologist this seemingly arid region is more attractive than the most -beautiful gardens of the valley. Among these grasses and these stones -lie hid the beautiful Alpine flowers of which no species exist in the -lowlands. Only the arbutus, which puts forth its pink-and-white flowers -earliest of all, and is warmed into life by the snows, at all resembles -them in its habits. Over this grassy plain the wind swept continually -and roughly; but on<a name="page_198" id="page_198"></a> putting the grass aside with the hand, the tiny -blossoms greet you with a smile of bewitching sweetness.</p> - -<p>These areas, extending between and sometimes surrounding the high peaks, -or even approaching their summits, are the “lawns” of the botanist, and -his most interesting field of research. Within its scope about fifty -species of strictly Alpine plants vegetate. As we ascend the mountain, -after the dwarf trees come the Lapland rhododendron, Labrador tea, dwarf -birch, and Alpine willows, which, in turn, give place to the Greenland -sandwort, diapensia, cassiope, and other plants, with arctic rushes, -sedges, and lichens, which flourish on the very summit.</p> - -<p>To the left, this plain, on which the grass mournfully rustled, sloped -gently for, I should guess, half a mile, and then rolled heavily off, -over a grass-grown rim, into Tuckerman’s Ravine. In this direction the -Carter Mountains appeared. Beyond, stretching away out of the plain, -extended the long Boott’s Spur, over which the Davis path formerly -ascended from the valley of the Saco, but which is now, from long -disuse, traced with difficulty. Between this headland and Monroe opened -the valley of Mount Washington River, the old Dry River of the carbuncle -hunters, which the eye followed to its junction with the Saco, beyond -which the precipices of Frankenstein glistened in the sun, like a -corselet of steel. Oakes’s Gulf cuts deeply into the head of the gorge. -The plain, the ravine, the spur, and the gulf transmit the names of -those indefatigable botanists, Bigelow, Tuckerman, Boott, and Oakes.</p> - -<p>On the other side of the ridge—for of course this plain has its -ridge—the ground was more broken in its rapid descent toward the -Ammonoosuc Valley, into which I looked over the right shoulder of Monroe.</p> - -<p>But what a sight for the rock-wearied eye was the little Lake of the -Clouds, cuddled close to the hairy breast of this mountain! On the -instant the prevailing gloom was lighted as if by magic by this dainty -nursling of the clouds, which seemed innocently smiling in the face of -the hideous mountain. And the stooping monster seemed to regard the -little waif, lying there in its rocky cradle, with astonishment, and to -forego his first impulse to strangle it where it lay. Lion and lamb were -lying down together.</p> - -<p>Casting an eye upward, and finding the houses on the summit were hidden -by the retreating curvature of the cone, I saw, with chagrin, light -mists scudding over my head. It was a notice to hasten my movements idle -to disregard here. Crossing as rapidly as possible Bigelow’s Lawn<a name="page_199" id="page_199"></a>—the -half-mile of grass ground referred to, where I sunk ankle-deep in moss, -or stumbled twenty times in as many rods over concealed stones—I -skirted the head of the chasm for some distance. But from above the -ravine does not make a startling impression. I, however, discovered, -lodged underneath its walls, a bank of snow. All around I heard water -gurgling under my feet in rock-worn channels while making its way -tranquilly to the brow of the ravine. These little underground runlets -are the same that glide over the head-wall, and are the head tributaries -of the Ellis.<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a></p> - -<p>Retracing my way to the ridge and to the path, which I followed for some -distance, startling the silence with an occasional halloo, I descended -into the hollow, where the Lake of the Clouds seems to have checked -itself, white and still, on the very edge of the tremendous gully, cut -deep into the western slopes. The lake is the fountain-head of the -Ammonoosuc. Its waters are too cold to nourish any species of fishes; -they are too elevated for any of the feathered tribe to pay it a visit.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_200_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_200_sml.jpg" width="339" height="452" alt="LAKE OF THE CLOUDS." -title="LAKE OF THE CLOUDS." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">LAKE OF THE CLOUDS.</span> -</p> - -<p>Strange spectacle! A fairy haunt, rock-rimmed and fringed about with -Alpine shrubs, half-disclosing, half-concealing its bare bosom, coyly -reposed on this wind-swept ridge, like “a good deed in a naughty -world.” From its crystal basin a tiny rill trickled through soft moss -to the dizzy verge beyond, where, like some airy sprite, clothed with -the rainbow and<a name="page_200" id="page_200"></a> tossing its white tresses to the sport of the breeze, -it tripped gayly over the grisly precipice and fell in a silvery -shower from height to height. Where it passed, flowers, ferns, and -rich herbage sprung forth upon the hard face of the granite. Tapering -fir-trees exhaled a dewy freshness; aspens quivered with the delight -of its coming, and aged trees, tottering,<a name="page_201" id="page_201"></a> decrepit, piteous to see, -stretched their withered limbs toward heaven. On it went, and still on, -leaving its white robe clinging to the mountain side. All the forest -seemed crowding forward to catch it; but, now reverently kissing the -feet of the old trees, now saucily flinging a handful of crystal in the -faces of scowling cliffs, it eluded the embrace of the forest, which -thrilled with its musical laughter from lowest deeps to the summit of -high-rocking pines. When it was no longer visible a sonorous murmur -heralded its triumphal progress. No wonder the bewildered eye roved from -bleak summit to voluptuous vale; from the handful of drops above to the -brimming river below. The miracle of Horeb was being repeated hour by -hour, like an affair of every-day life.</p> - -<p>This hand-mirror of Venus has two tiny companion pools close by. The -weary explorer may sip a draught of sweetest savor while admiring -their exceeding beauty—a beauty heightened by its unexpectedness, and -teaching that not all is barren even here. A benison on those little -lakes!</p> - -<p>Stone houses of refuge are much needed on the mountains over which -the Crawford trail reaches the summit. They should always be provided -with fagots for a fire, clean straw or boughs for a bed, and printed -directions for the inexperienced traveller to follow. A fireplace, -furnished with a crane and a kettle for heating water, would be absolute -luxuries. Being done, this glorious promenade—the equal of which does -not exist in New England—would be taken with confidence by numbers, -instead of, as now, by the few. It is the appropriate pendant of the -ascent from the Glen by the carriage-road, or from Fabyan’s by the -railway. One can hardly pretend to have seen the mountains in their -grandest aspects until he has threaded this wondrous picture-gallery, -this marvellous hall of statues.<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a></p> - -<p>While recrossing the plateau, from which Washington has the appearance -of one mountain piled upon another, I suddenly came upon a dead sparrow -in my path. Poor little fellow! he was too adventurous, and sunk on -stiffening pinions beneath the frozen wind. Ten steps farther on a large -brown butterfly flew up and fluttered cheerily along the path. Why, -then, did the bird die and the butterfly live?<a name="page_202" id="page_202"></a></p> - -<p>This mountain butterfly, which endured cold that the bird could not, has -excited the attention of naturalists, it is said. The mountain is 6293 -feet high, and the butterflies never descend below an elevation of about -5600 feet. Here they “disport during the month of July of every year,” -thriving upon the scanty deposits of honey found in the flowers of the -few species of hardy plants that grow in the crevices of the rocks at -this great altitude, and upon other available liquid substances. The -insect measures, from tip to tip of the expanded fore-wings, about -one and eight-tenths inches. It is colored in shades of brown, with -various bands and marblings diversifying the surface of the wings. The -butterfly is known to naturalists as the <i>Œneis semidea</i>, and was -first described, in 1828, by Thomas Say. An allied species occurs on -Long’s Peak and other elevated heights in Colorado; and another is found -at Hopedale, Labrador; but they are confined to these widely separated -localities. It is surmised that the butterfly, like the Alpine flora, -beautifully illustrates the presence, or rather the advance and retreat, -of the glacier.</p> - -<p>I took up the little winged chorister of the vale who was not able to -make spring come to the mountain for all his warbling. Truly, was not -the little bird’s fate typical of those ambitious climbers for fame -who, chilled to death by neglect or indifference, die singing on the -heights? So the sparrow’s fall gave me food for reflection, during which -I reached the little circular enclosure at the foot of the cone.</p> - -<p>Once more I climbed the rambling and rocky stairs leading to the summit; -but long before reaching it clouds were drifting above and below me. -The day was to end like so many others. The crabbed old mountain had -exhausted his store of benevolence. I hurried on down the Glen road. -After descending a mile I heard a rumbling sound, deep and prolonged, -like distant thunder. The thought of being overtaken on the mountain by -a thunder-storm made me quicken my pace almost to a run. On turning the -corner where the snow-bank had lain, like a lion in the path, devoutly -wishing myself well and safely over, I felt something rise in my throat. -The bank was no longer there. Every vestige of it had disappeared, and, -in all probability, its sudden plunge down the mountain was what I had -taken for thunder. Ten minutes sooner and I should have been upon its -treacherous bridge.</p> - -<p>I passed the Half-Way House, entered the dusk forest, where the -tree-tops were swaying wildly to and fro, the birds flitting silently, -and the tall pines discordantly humming, as if getting the pitch of the -storm.<a name="page_203" id="page_203"></a> Suddenly it grew dark. A stream of fire blinded me with its -glare. Then a deafening peal shook the solid earth. Another and another -succeeded: Olympian salvos greeted the arrival of the storm king.</p> - -<p>The rain was pattering among the leaves when I emerged into the open -vale, guided by the lights of the Glen House shining through the -darkness. My heavy feet almost refused to carry me farther, and I walked -like the statue in “Don Juan.”</p> - -<p><a name="page_204" id="page_204"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_205" id="page_205"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="THIRD_JOURNEY" id="THIRD_JOURNEY"></a>THIRD JOURNEY.</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> - -<tr><td align="right" colspan="3"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_I-3">I.</a></td><td><i>THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_209">209</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_II-3">II.</a></td><td><i>THE FRANCONIA PASS</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_224">224</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_III-3">III.</a></td><td><i>THE KING OF FRANCONIA</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_237">237</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV-3">IV.</a></td><td><i>FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_248">248</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_V-3">V.</a></td><td><i>THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_256">256</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI-3">VI.</a></td><td><i>THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_259">259</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII-3">VII.</a></td><td><i>MOOSEHILLOCK</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_267">267</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII-3">VIII.</a></td><td><i>BETHLEHEM</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_276">276</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX-3">IX.</a></td><td><i>JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL’S RIVER</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_291">291</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_X-3">X.</a></td><td><i>THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS</i></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_304">304</a></td></tr> - -</table> - -<p><a name="page_206" id="page_206"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_207" id="page_207"></a></p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_207_sml.jpg" width="368" height="507" -alt="White Mountains (W4est Side) 1881" -title="White Mountains (W4est Side) 1881" /><br /> -<span class="caption">[<a href="images/ill_pg_207_med.jpg">larger view</a>]<br /> -[<a href="images/ill_pg_207_lg.jpg">largest view</a>]</span> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_208" id="page_208"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_209" id="page_209"></a></p> - -<h2>THIRD JOURNEY.</h2> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_I-3" id="CHAPTER_I-3"></a>I.<br /><br /> -<i>THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE.</i></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">O child of that white-crested mountain whose springs<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Gush forth in the shade of the cliff-eagle's wings,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Down whose slopes to the lowlands thy wild waters shine,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Leaping gray walls of rock, flashing through the dwarf-pine!<br /></span> -<span class="i13"><span class="smcap">Whittier.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">P</span>LYMOUTH lies at the entrance to the Pemigewasset Valley, like an -encampment pitched to dispute its passage. At present its design is to -facilitate the ingress of tourists.</p> - -<p>I am sitting at the window this morning looking down the Pemigewasset -Valley. It is a gray, sad morning. Wet clouds hang and droop heavily -over. In the distance the frayed and tattered edges are rolled up, -half-disclosing the humid outlines of the hills on the other side of -the valley. The trees are budded with rain-drops. Through a lattice -of bordering foliage I look down upon the river, shrunken by drought -to half its usual breadth, and exposing its parched bed of sand and -pebbles. It gives an expiring gurgle in its stony throat. It is one of -those mornings that, in spite of our philosophy, strangely affect the -spirits, and are like a presentiment of evil. The clouds are funereal -draperies; the river chants a dirge.</p> - -<p>In this world of ours, where events push each other aside with such -appalling rapidity, perhaps it is scarcely remembered that Hawthorne -breathed his last in this house on the night of May 18th, 1864. He who -was born in sight of these mountains had come among them to die.</p> - -<p>In company with his old college mate and loving friend, General Pierce, -he came from Centre Harbor to Plymouth the day previous to the sad -event. Devoted friends--and few men have known more devoted--had for -some time seen that his days were numbered. The fire had all but gone -out from his eye, which seemed interrogating the world of which he was -already more than half an inhabitant. A presentiment of his approaching -end seemed foreshadowed in the changed look and faltering step of -Hawthorne himself: he walked like a man consciously going to his grave. -Still, much was hoped--it could hardly be that much was expected--from -this journey, and from the companionship of two men grown gray with -care, each standing on the pinnacle of his ambition, each disappointed, -but united, one to the other, by the ties of life-long friendship; -turning their backs upon the gay world, and walking hand-in-hand among -the sweet groves and pleasant streams like boys again. It was like a -dream of their lost youth: the reality was no more.</p> - -<p><a name="page_210" id="page_210"></a></p> - -<p>On this journey General Pierce was the watchful, tender, and sympathetic -nurse. Without doubt either of these men would have died for the other.</p> - -<p>But these hopes, these cares, alas! proved delusive. The angel of death -came unbidden into the sacred companionship; the shadow of his wings -hovered over them unseen. In the night, without a sigh or a struggle, as -he himself wished it might be, the hand of death was gently and kindly -laid on the fevered brain and fluttering heart. In the morning his -friend entered the chamber to find only the lifeless form of Nathaniel -Hawthorne plunged in the slumber that knows no awakening. Great heart -and mighty brain were stilled forever.</p> - -<p>While the weather gives such inhospitable welcome let us employ the -time by turning over a leaf from history. According to Farmer, the -intervales here were formerly resorted to by the Indians for hunting -and fishing. At the mouth of Baker's River, which here joins the -Pemigewasset, they had a settlement. Graves, bones, gun-barrels, besides -many implements of their rude husbandry, have been discovered. Here, it -is said, the Indians were attacked by a party of English from Haverhill, -Massachusetts, led by Captain Baker, who defeated them, killed many, and -destroyed a large quantity of fur. From him Baker's River receives its -name.</p> - -<p>Before the French and Indian war broke out this region was debatable -ground, into which only the most celebrated and intrepid white hunters -ventured. Among these was a young man of twenty-three, named Stark, who -lived near the Amoskeag Falls, in what is now Manchester. In April, -1752, Stark was hunting here with three companions, one of whom was -his brother William. They had pitched their camp on Baker's River, -in the present limits of Rumney, and were prosecuting their hunt with -good success, when they suddenly discovered the presence of Indians in -their vicinity. Though it was a time of peace, they were not the less -apprehensive on that account, and determined to change their position. -But the Indians had also discovered the white hunters, and prepared to -entrap them. When Stark went out very early the next morning to collect -the traps he was intercepted and made prisoner. The Indians then took a -position on the bank of the river to ambush his companions as they came -down. Eastman, who was on the shore, next fell into their hands; but -the two others were in a canoe floating quietly down the stream out of -reach. Stark was ordered to hail and decoy them to the shore. He obeyed; -but, instead of lending himself to the treachery, shouted to his friends -that he was taken, and to save themselves. They instantly steered for -the opposite shore, receiving a volley as they did so. Stinson, one of -those in the boat, was shot dead; but William Stark escaped through the -heroism of his brother, who knocked up the guns of the savages as they -covered him with fatal aim.</p> - -<p><a name="page_211" id="page_211"></a></p> - -<p>Stark and his fellow-prisoner were taken to St. Francis by Actæon and -his prowling band, with whom they had had the misfortune to fall in. At -St. Francis the Indians set Stark hoeing their corn. At first he cut up -the corn and spared the weeds; but this expedient not serving to relieve -him of the drudgery, he threw his hoe into the river, telling his -captors that hoeing corn was the business of squaws, not of warriors. -This answer procured him recognition among them as a spirit worthy of -themselves. He was adopted into the tribe, and called the "Young Chief." -The promise of youth was fulfilled. The young hunter of the White -Mountains and the conqueror of Bennington are the same.</p> - -<p>The choice is open to leave the railway here and enter the mountains by -the Pemigewasset Valley, or to continue by it the route which conducts -to the summit of Mount Washington, by Bethlehem and Fabyan's. To journey -on by rail to the Profile House is seventy-five miles, while by the -common road, following the Pemigewasset, the distance is only thirty -miles. A daily stage passes over this route, which I risk nothing in -saying is always one of the delightful reminiscences of the whole -journey. Deciding in favor of the last excursion, my first care was to -procure a conveyance. -</p> -<p>At three in the afternoon I set out for Campton, seven miles up the -valley, which the carriage-road soon enters upon, and which by a few -unregarded turnings is presently as fast shut up as if its mountain -gates had in reality swung noiselessly together behind you. Hardly had I -recovered from the effect of the deception produced by seeing the same -mountain first in front, next on my right hand, and then shifted over to -the other side of the valley, when I saw, spanned by a high bridge, the -river in violent commotion far down below me.</p> - -<p><a name="page_212" id="page_212"></a></p> - -<p>The Pemigewasset, confined here between narrow banks, has cut for -itself two deep channels through its craggy and cavernous bed; but -one of these being dammed for the purpose of deepening the other, the -general picturesqueness of the fall is greatly diminished. Still, it is -a pretty and engaging sight, this cataract, especially if the river be -full, although you think of a mettled Arabian harnessed in a tread-mill -when you look at it. Livermore Fall, as it is called, is but two miles -from Plymouth, the white houses of which look hot in the same brilliant -sunlight that falls so gently upon the luxuriant green of the valley. -The feature of this fall is the deep water-worn chasm through which it -plunges.</p> - -<p>By crossing the bridge here the left bank of the stream may be followed, -the valley towns of Campton, Thornton, and Woodstock being divided by it -into numerous villages or hamlets, frequently puzzling the uninitiated -traveller, who has set out in all confidence, but who is seized by -the most cruel perplexity, upon hearing that there are four villages -in Campton, each several miles distant from the other. One would have -pleased him far better.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_213_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_213_sml.jpg" width="348" height="542" alt="ON THE PROFILE ROAD." -title="ON THE PROFILE ROAD." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">ON THE PROFILE ROAD.</span> -</p> - -<p>Crossing this bridge, and descending to the level meadow below the -falls, I made a brief inspection of the establishment for breeding and -stocking with trout and salmon the depleted mountain streams of New -Hampshire. The breeding-house and basins are situated just below the -falls, on the banks of the river. This is a work undertaken by the -State, with the expectation of repeopling its rivers, brooks, and ponds -with their finny inhabitants. All those streams immediately accessible -from the villages are so persistently fished by the inhabitants as to -afford little sport to the angler from a distance, who is compelled -to go farther and fare worse; but the State is certainly entitled to -much credit for its endeavor to make two trout grow where only one grew -before. It is feared, however, that the experiment of stocking the -Pemigewasset with salmon will not prove successful. The farmers who live -along the banks say that one of these fish is rarely seen, although the -fishery is protected by the most rigid regulations. No one who has not -visited the mountains between<a name="page_213" id="page_213"></a> May 1st—the earliest date when fishing -is permitted—and the middle of June, can have an idea of the number -of sportsmen every year resorting to the trout streams, or of the -unheard-of drain upon those streams. Not<a name="page_214" id="page_214"></a> the least of many ludicrous -sights I have witnessed was that of a man, weighing two hundred pounds, -excitedly swinging aloft a trout weighing less than two ounces, and this -trophy he exhibited to me with unfeigned triumph—the butcher! This is -mere slaughter, and ought not to be tolerated. A pretty sight is to see -the breeding-trout follow you in your walk around the margin of their -little basin to be fed from your hand. They are tame as pigeons and -ravenous as sharks.</p> - -<p>Mount Prospect, in Holderness, is the first landmark of note. It is -seen, soon after leaving Plymouth, rising from the opposite side of the -valley, its green crest commanding a superb view of the lake region -below, and of the lofty Franconia Mountains above. It is worth ascending -this mountain were it only to see again the beautiful islet-spotted -Squam Lake and far-reaching Winnipiseogee quivering in noonday splendor.</p> - -<p>The beautiful valley is now open throughout its whole extent. Of -course I refer only to that portion lying above Plymouth. But it is an -anomaly of mountain valleys. Its length is about twenty-five miles, and -its greatest width, I should judge, not more than three or four. For -twenty miles it is almost as straight as an arrow. There is nothing to -hinder a perfectly free and open view up or down. Contrast this with -the wilful and tortuous windings of the Ammonoosuc, or the Saco, which -seem to grope and feel their way foot by foot along their cramped and -crooked channels. The angle of ascent, too, is here so gradual as to be -scarcely noticed until the foot of the mountain wall, at its head, is -reached. True, this valley is not clothed with a feeling of overpowering -grandeur, but it is beautiful. It is not terrible, but bewitching.</p> - -<p>The vista of mountains on the east side of the valley becomes every -moment more and more extended, and more and more interesting. A long -array of summits trending away to the north, with detached mountains -heaved above the lower clusters, like great whales sporting in a frozen -sea, is gradually uncovered. Green as a carpet, level as a floor, the -valley, adorned with clumps of elms, groves of maples, and strips of -tilled land of a rich chocolate brown, makes altogether a picture which -sets the eye fairly dancing. Even the daisies, the clover, and the -buttercups which so plentifully spangle the meadows seem far brighter -and sweeter in this atmosphere, nodding a playful welcome as you pass -them by. We are in the country of flowers.</p> - -<p>Since passing Blair’s and the bridge over the river to Campton Hollow<a name="page_215" id="page_215"></a> I -was on the alert for that first and most engaging view of the Franconia -Mountains which has been so highly extolled. Perhaps I should say -that one poetic nature has revealed it to a thousand others. Without -doubt this landscape is the more striking because it is the first, and -consequently deepest, impression of grand mountain scenery obtained -by those upon whom at a turn of the road, and without premonition, it -flashes like the realization of some ecstatic vision.</p> - -<p>Half a mile below the little hamlet of West Campton the road crosses -the point of a hill pushed well out into the valley. It is here that -the circlet of mountains is seen enclosing the valley on all sides -like a gigantic palisade. In one place, far away in the north, this -wall is shattered to its centre, like the famous Breach of Roland; -and through this enormous loop-hole we see golden mists rising above -the undiscovered country beyond. We are looking through the far-famed -Franconia Notch. On one side the clustered peaks of Lafayette lift -themselves serenely into the sky. On the left a silvery light is -playing on the ledges of Mount Cannon, softening all the asperities of -this stern-visaged mountain. The two great groups now stand fully and -finely exposed; though the lower and nearer summits are blended with -the higher by distance. Remark the difference of outline. A series of -humps marks the crest-line of the group, which culminates in the oblique -wall of Mount Cannon. On the contrary, that on the right, culminating -in Lafayette, presents two beautiful and regular pyramids, older than -Cheops, which sometimes in early morning exactly resemble two stately -monuments, springing alert and vigorous as the day which gilds them. At -a distance of twenty miles it demands good eyes and a clear atmosphere -to detect the supporting lines of these pyramidal structures, which in -reality are two separate mountains, Liberty and Flume. This exquisite -landscape seldom fails of producing a rapturous outburst from those who -are making the journey for the first time.</p> - -<p>There are many points of resemblance between this view and that of the -White Mountains from Conway Corner. Both unfold at once, and in a single -glance, the principal systems about which all the subordinate chains -seem manœuvring under the commanding gaze of Washington or Lafayette.</p> - -<p>Soon after starting it was evident that my driver’s loquaciousness was -due to his having “crooked his elbow” too often while loitering about -Plymouth. The frequent plunge of the wheels into the ditches<a name="page_216" id="page_216"></a> by the -roadside, accompanied with a shower of mud, was little conducive to the -calm and free enjoyment of the beauties of the landscape. The driver -alone was unconcerned, and as often as good fortune enabled him to steer -clear of upsetting his passengers would articulate, thickly, “Don’t be -alarmed, Cap’: no one was ever hurt on this road.”</p> - -<p>Silently committing myself to that Providence which is said to watch -over the destinies of tipplers, I breathed freely only when we drew up -at the hospitable door of the village inn, bespattered with mud, but -with no broken bones.</p> - -<p>Sanborn’s, at West Campton, is the old road-side inn that long ago swung -the stag-and-hounds as its distinctive emblem. A row of superb maples -shades the road. Here we have fairly entered the renowned intervales, -that gleam among the darker forests or groves like patches of blue in -a storm-clouded sky. Looking southward, across the level meadows, the -hills of Rumney flinging up smooth, firm curves, and the more distant, -downward-plunging outline of Mount Prospect, in Holderness, close the -valley. Upon the left, where the clearings extend quite to the summits -of the near hills, the maple groves interspersed among them resemble -soldiers advancing up the green slopes in columns of attack. Following -this line a little, the valley of Mad River is distinguished by the deep -trough through which it descends from the mountains of Waterville. And -here, peering over the nearer elevations, the huge blue-black mass of -Black Mountain flings two splendid peaks aloft.</p> - -<p>For a more intimate acquaintance with these surroundings the hillside -pasture above the school-house gives a perspective of greater breadth; -while that from the Ellsworth road is in some respects finer still. -About two miles up this road the valley of the East Branch, showing the -massive Mount Hancock, cicatriced with one long, narrow scar, is lifted -into view. The other features of the landscape remain the same, except -that Mount Cannon is now cut off by the hill rising to the north of us. -As often as one of these hidden valleys is thus revealed we are seized -with a longing to explore it.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_217_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_217_sml.jpg" width="341" height="525" alt="WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER." -title="WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER.</span> -</p> - -<p>One need not push inquiry into the antecedents of Campton or the -neighboring villages very far. The township was originally granted to -General Jabez Spencer, of East Haddam, Connecticut, in 1761. In 1768 a -few families had come into Campton, Plymouth, Hebron, Sandwich, Rumney, -Holderness, and Bridgewater. No opening had been made for civilized men -on this side of Canada except for three families, who<a name="page_217" id="page_217"></a> had gone fifty -miles into the wilderness to begin a settlement where Lancaster now -is. The name is derived simply from the circumstance that the first -proprietors built a camp when they visited their grant. The<a name="page_218" id="page_218"></a> different -villages are much frequented by artists, who have spread the fame of -Campton from one end of the Union to the other. But a serpent has -entered even this Eden—the villagers are sighing for the advent of the -railway.</p> - -<p>Having dedicated one day to an exploration of the Mad River Valley, I -can pronounce it well worth any tourist’s while to tarry long enough -in the vicinity for the purpose. It is certainly one of the finest -exhibitions of mountain scenery far or near. Here is a valley twelve -miles long, at the bottom of which a rapid river bruises itself on a bed -of broken rock, while above it are heaped mountains to be picked out -of a thousand for peculiarity of form or structure. The Pemigewasset -is passed by a ford just deep enough at times to invest the journey -with a little healthy excitement at the very beginning. The ford has, -however, been carefully marked by large stones placed at the edge of the -submerged road.</p> - -<p>Fording the river and climbing the hill which lies across the entrance -to this land-locked valley, I was at once ushered upon a scene of -great and varied charm. Right before me, sunning his three peaks four -thousand feet above, was the prodigious mass of Black Mountain. Far up -the valley it stretched, forming an unbroken wall nearly ten miles long, -and apparently sealing all access from the Sandwich side. A nipple, -a pyramid, and a flattened mound protruding from the summit ridge -constitute these eminences, easily recognized from the Franconia highway -among a host of lesser peaks. At the southern end of this mountain -the range is broken through, giving passage to a rough and straggling -road—fourteen hundred feet above the sea-level—to Sandwich Centre, and -to the lake towns south of it. This pass is known as Sandwich Notch.</p> - -<p>Campton Village lies along the hill-slope opposite to Black Mountain. -Completely does it fill the artistic sense. Its situation leaves nothing -to be desired in an ideal mountain village. So completely is it secluded -from the rest of the world by its environment of mountains, that you -might pass and repass the Pemigewasset Valley a hundred times without -once surprising the secret of its existence. All those houses, half hid -beneath groves of maples, bespeak luxurious repose. Opposite to Black -Mountain, whose dark forest drapery hides the mass of the mountain, is -the immense whitish-yellow rock called Welch Mountain. Only a scanty -vegetation is suffered to creep among the crevices. It is really -nothing but a big excrescent rock, having a principal summit shaped<a name="page_219" id="page_219"></a> -somewhat like a Martello tower; and, indeed, resembling one in ruins. -The bright ledges brilliantly reflect the sun, causing the eye to turn -gratefully to the sombre gloom of the evergreens crowding the sides of -the neighboring mountains. Welch Mountain reminded me, I hardly know -why, of Chocorua; but the resemblance can scarcely extend farther than -to the meagreness, mutually characteristic, and to the blistered, almost -calcined ledges, which in each case catch the earliest and latest beams -of day. In fact, I could think only of a leper sunning his scars, and in -rags.</p> - -<p>At the head of the vale, alternately coming into and retreating from -view—for we are still progressing—is the mysterious triple-crowned -mountain known on the maps as Tripyramid. When first seen it seems -standing solitary and alone, and to have wrapped itself in a veil of -thinnest gauze. As we advance it displays the white streak of an immense -slide, which occurred in 1869. This mountain is visible from the shore -of the lake at Laconia. It is one of the first to greet us from the -elevated summits, though from no point is its singularly admirable and -well-proportioned architecture so advantageously exhibited as when -approaching by this valley. Its northern peak stands farthest from the -others, yet not so far as to mar the general grace and harmony of form. -Hail to thee, mountain of the high, heroic crest, for thy fortunate name -and the gracious, kingly mien with which thou wearest thy triple crown! -Prince thou art and potentate. None approach thy forest courts but do -thee homage.</p> - -<p>The end of the valley was reached in two hours of very leisurely -driving. The road abruptly terminated among a handful of houses -scattered about the bottom of a deep and narrow vale. This is, beyond -question, the most remarkable mountain glen into which civilization has -thus far penetrated. On looking up at the big mountains one experiences -a half-stifled feeling; and, on looking around the scattered hamlet, its -dozen houses seem undergoing perpetual banishment.</p> - -<p>This diminutive settlement, in which signs of progress and decay stand -side by side—progress evidenced by new and showy cottages; decay by -abandoned and dilapidated ones—is at the edge of a region as shaggy and -wild as any in the famed Adirondack wilderness. It fairly jostles the -wilderness. It braves it. It is really insolent. Yet are its natural -resources so slender that the struggle to keep the breath in it must -have been long and obstinate. A wheezy saw-mill indicates<a name="page_220" id="page_220"></a> at once its -origin and its means of livelihood; but it is evident that it might -have remained obscure and unknown until doomsday, had not a few anglers -stumbled upon it while in pursuit of brooks and waters new.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_220_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_220_sml.jpg" width="348" height="519" alt="BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS." -title="BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS.</span> -</p> - -<p>The glen is surrounded by peaks that for boldness, savage freedom, -and power challenge any that we can remember. They threaten while -maintaining an attitude of lofty scorn for the saucy intruder. The -curious Noon Peak—we have at length got to the end of the almost -endless Black<a name="page_221" id="page_221"></a> Mountain—nods familiarly from the south. It long stood -for a sun-dial for the settlement; hence its name. Tecumseh, a noble -mountain, and Osceola, its worthy companion, rise to the north. A -short walk in this direction brings Kancamagus<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a> and the gap between -this mountain and Osceola into view. All these mountains stand in the -magnificent order in which they were first placed by Nature; but never -does the idea of inertia, of helpless immobility, cross the mind of the -beholder for a single moment.</p> - -<p>The unvisited region between Greeley’s, in Waterville, and the Saco is -destined to be one of the favorite haunts of the sportsman, the angler, -and the lover of the grand old woods. It is crossed and recrossed by -swift streams, sown with lakes, glades, and glens, and thickly set -with mountains, among which the timid deer browses, and the bear and -wildcat roam unmolested. Fish and game, untamed and untrodden mountains -and woods, welcome the sportsman here. With Greeley’s for a base, -encampments may be pitched in the forest, and exploration carried into -the most out-of-the-way corners. The full zest of such a life can -only be understood by those to whom its freedom and unrestraint, its -healthful and vigorous existence, have already proved their charm. The -time may come when the mountains shall be covered with a thousand tents, -and the summer-dwellers will resemble the tribes of Israel encamped by -the sweet waters of Sion.</p> - -<p>Waterville maintains unfrequent communication with Livermore and the -Saco by a path twelve miles long—constructed by the Appalachian -Mountain Club—over which a few pedestrians pass every year. I have -explored this path for several miles beyond Beckytown while visiting -the great slide which sloughed off from the side of Tripyramid, and -the cascades on the way to it. Osceola, Hancock, and Carrigain, three -remarkably fine mountains, offer inviting excursions to expert climbers. -I was reluctantly compelled to renounce the intention of passing over -the whole route, which should occupy, at least, two days or parts of -days, one night being spent in camp.</p> - -<p>The Mad River drive is a delightful episode. In the way of mountain -valley there is nothing like it. Bold crag, furious torrent, lonely -cabin, blue peak, deep hollow, choked up with the densest foliage, -constitute its varied and ever-changing features. The overhanging -woods<a name="page_222" id="page_222"></a> looked as if it had been raining sunshine; the road like an -endless grotto of illuminated leaves, musical with birds, and exhaling a -thousand perfumes.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_222_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_222_sml.jpg" width="343" height="544" alt="FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON." -title="FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON.</span> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_223" id="page_223"></a></p> - -<p>The remainder of the route up the Pemigewasset is more and more a -revelation of the august summits that have so constantly met us -since entering this lovely valley. Boldly emerging from the mass of -mountains, they present themselves at every mile in new combinations. -Through Thornton and Woodstock the spectacle continues almost without -intermission. Gradually, the finely-pointed peaks of the Lafayette group -deploy and advance toward us. Now they pitch sharply down into the -valley of the East Branch. Now the great shafts of stone are crusted -with silvery light, or sprayed with the cataract. Now the sun gilds the -slides that furrow, but do not deface them. Stay a moment at this rapid -brook that comes hastening from the west! It is an envoy from yonder -great, billowy mountain that lords it so proudly over</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i3">“many a nameless slide-scarred crest<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And pine-dark gorge between.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind">That is Moosehillock. Facing again the north, the road is soon swallowed -up by the forest, and the forest by the mountains. A few poor cottages -skirt the route. Still ascending, the miles grow longer and less -interesting, until the white house, first seen from far below, suddenly -stands uncovered at the left. We are at the Flume House, and before the -gates of the Franconia Notch.<a name="page_224" id="page_224"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_II-3" id="CHAPTER_II-3"></a>II.<br /><br /> -<small>THE FRANCONIA PASS.</small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Beyond them, like a sun-rimmed cloud,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">The great Notch Mountains shone,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Watched over by the solemn-browed<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And awful face of stone!—<span class="smcap">Whittier</span>.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">W</span>HEN Boswell exclaimed in ecstasy, “An immense mountain!” Dr. Johnson -sneered, “An immense protuberance!” but he, the sublime cynic, became -respectful before leaving the Hebrides. Charles Lamb, too, at one time -pretended something approaching contempt for mountains; but, after a -visit to Coleridge, he made the <i>amende honorable</i> in these terms:</p> - -<p>“I feel I shall remember your mountains to the last day of my life. -They haunt me perpetually. I am like a man who has been falling in love -unknown to himself; which he finds out when he leaves the lady.”</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding their prepossessions against nature, and their -undisguised preference for the smoke and dirt of London, the mountains -awoke something in these two men which was apparently a revelation of -themselves unto themselves. I have felt a higher respect for both since -I knew that they loved mountains, as I pity those who have only seen -heaven through the smoke of the city. It is not easy to explain two -ideas so essentially opposite as are presented in the earlier and later -declarations of these widely famous authors, unless we agree, keeping -“Elia’s” odd simile in mind, that in the first case they should, like -woman, be taken, not at what she says, but what she means.</p> - -<p>The Flume House is the proper tarrying-place for an investigation of the -mountain gorge from which it derives both its custom and its name. It -is also placed opposite to the Pool, another of those natural wonders -with which the pass is crowded, and which tempt us at every step to turn -aside from the travelled road.</p> - -<p>Fronting the hotel is a belt of woods, with two massive mountains<a name="page_225" id="page_225"></a> -rising behind. In the concealment of these woods the Pemigewasset, -contracted to a modest stream, runs along the foot of the mountains. -A rough, zigzag path leads through the woods to the river and to the -Pool. Now raise the eyes to the summit-ridge of yonder mountain. The -peak finely reproduces the features of a gigantic human face, while -the undulations of the ridge fairly suggest a recumbent human figure -wrapped in a shroud. The outlines of the forehead and nose are curiously -like the profile of Washington; hence the colossal figure is called -Washington Lying in State. This immortal sculpture gave rise to the idea -that the tomb of Washington, like that of Desaix, on the St. Bernard, -should be on the great summit that bears his name.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 161px;"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_225_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_225_sml.jpg" width="161" height="241" alt="A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL." -title="A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL.</span> -</div> - -<p>From the Flume House I looked up through the deep cleft of the Notch—an -impressive vista. To the left is Cannon, or Profile Mountain; to the -right the beetling crags of Eagle Cliff; then the pointed, shapely peaks -of Lafayette; and so the range continues breaking off and off, bending -away into lesser mountains that finally melt into pale-blue shadows. -Now a stray cloud atop a peak gives it a volcanic character. Now a puff -scatters it like thistle-down. It is a sultry summer’s morning, and -banks of film hang like huge spider’s-webs in the tree-tops. Soon they -detach themselves, and, floating lazily upward, are seized by a truant -breeze, spun mischievously round, and then settle quietly down on the -highest peaks like young eaglets on their nest.</p> - -<p>Let us first walk down to the Pool. This Pool is a caprice of the river. -Imagine a cistern, deeply sunk in granite, receiving at one end a weary -cascade, which seems to crave a moment’s rest before hurrying on down -the rocky pass. In the mystery and seclusion of ages, and with only the -rude implements picked up by the way, the river has hollowed a basin -a hundred feet wide and forty deep out of the stubborn rock. Without -doubt Nature thus first taught us to cut the hardest<a name="page_226" id="page_226"></a> marble with sand -and water. Cliffs traversed by cracks rise a hundred feet higher. -The water is a glossy and lustrous sea-green, and of such marvellous -transparency that you see the brilliant pebbles sparkling at the bottom, -shifting with the waves of light like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. -Overtopping trees lean timidly over and peer down into the Pool, which -coldly repulses their shadows. Only the colorless hue of the rocks -is reflected; and the stranger, seeing an old man with a gray beard -standing erect in a boat, has no other idea than that he has arrived on -the borders and is to be accosted by the ferryman of Hades.</p> - -<p>The Flume is reached by going down the road a short distance, and then -diverging to the left and crossing the river to the Flume Brook. A -carriage-way conducts almost to the entrance of the gorge. Then begins -an easy and interesting promenade up the bed of the brook.</p> - -<p>This is a remarkable rock-gallery, driven several hundred feet into -the heart of the mountain, through which an ice-cold brook rushes. The -miracle of Moses seems repeated here sublimely. Some unknown power smote -the rock, and the prisoned stream gushed forth free and lightsome as -air. You approach it over broad ledges of freckled granite, polished -by the constant flow of a thin, pellucid sheet of water to slippery -smoothness. Proceeding a short distance up this natural esplanade, you -enter a damp and gloomy fissure between perpendicular walls, rising -seventy feet above the stream, and, on lifting your eyes suddenly, -espy an enormous bowlder tightly wedged between the cliffs. Now try to -imagine a force capable of grasping the solid rock and dividing it in -halves as easily as you would an apple with your two hands.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_227_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_227_sml.jpg" width="339" height="536" alt="THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH." -title="THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH.</span> -</p> - -<p>At sight of the suspended bowlder, which seems, like Paul Pry, to have -“just dropped in,” I believe every visitor has his moment of hesitation, -which he usually ends by passing underneath, paying as he goes with a -tremor of the nerves, more or less, for his temerity. But there is no -danger. It is seen that the deep crevice, into which the rock seems -jammed with the especial purpose of holding it asunder, also hugs the -intruder like a vise; so closely, indeed, that, according to every -appearance, it must stay where it is until doomsday, unless released by -some passing earthquake from its imprisonment. Sentimental tourists do -not omit to find a moral in this curiosity, which really looks to be on -the eve of dropping, with a loud splash, into the torrent beneath. On -top of the cliffs I picked up a visiting-card, on which some one with -a poetic turn had written, “Does not this bowlder remind you of<a name="page_227" id="page_227"></a><a name="page_228" id="page_228"></a> the -sword of Damocles?” To a civil question, civil reply: No; to me it looks -like a nut in a cracker.</p> - -<p>Over the gorge bends an arcade of interlaced foliage shot through and -through with sunshine; and wherever cleft or cranny can be found young -birches, sword-ferns, trailing vines, insinuating their long roots in -the damp mould, garland the cold granite with tenderest green. The -exquisite white anemone blooms in the mossy wall wet with tiny streams -that do not run but glide unperceived down. What could be more cunning -than the persistency with which these hardy waifs, clinging or drooping -along the craggy way, draw their sustenance from the rock, which seems -to nourish them in spite of itself? Underneath your feet the swollen -torrent storms along the gorge, dashing itself recklessly against -intruding bowlders, or else passing them with a curl of disdain. How -gallantly it surmounts every obstacle in its way! How crystal-clear are -its waters! On it speeds, scattering pearls and diamonds right and left, -like the prodigal it is; unpolluted, as yet, by the filth of cities, or -turned into a languid, broken-spirited drudge by dams or mill-wheels. -“Stop me?” it seems exclaiming. “Why, I am offspring of the clouds, -their messenger to the parched earth, the mountain maid-of-all-work! -Stay; step aside here in the sun and I will show you my rainbow-signet! -When I rest, do you not behold the mother imaged in the features of the -child? Stop me! Put your hand in my bosom and see how strong and full -of life are my pulse-beats. To-morrow I shall be vapor. Thought is not -freer. I do not belong to earth any more than the eagle sailing above -yonder mountain-top.”</p> - -<p>Overhead a fallen tree-trunk makes a crazy bridge from cliff to cliff. -The sight of the gorge, with the flood foaming far below, the glitter -of falling waters through the trees, the splendid light in the midst of -deepest gloom, the solemn pines—the odorous forest, the wildness and -the coolness—impart an indescribable charm to the spot that makes us -reluctant to leave it. Many ladies ascend to the head of the gorge and, -crossing on the rude bridge, leave their visiting-cards on the other -side; one had left her pocket-handkerchief, with the scent fresh upon -it. I picked it up, and out hopped a toad.</p> - -<p>After the Pool and the Flume, an ascent of the mountain behind the hotel -will be found conducive to enjoyment of another kind. This mountain -commands delicious views of the valley of the Pemigewasset. A short hour -is usually sufficient for the climb. It was a very raw, windy<a name="page_229" id="page_229"></a> morning -on which I climbed it, but the uncommon purity of the air and the -exceeding beauty of the landscape were most rarely combined with cloud -effects seen only in conjunction with a brisk north-west wind. I had -taken a station similar to that occupied by Mount Willard with respect -to the Saco Valley, now opening a vista essentially different from -that most memorable one in my mountain experience. The valley is not -the same. You see the undulating course of the river for many leagues, -and but for an intercepting hill, which hides them, might distinguish -the houses of Plymouth. The vales of Woodstock, Thornton, and Campton, -spotted with white houses, lie outspread in the sun, between enclosing -mountains; and the windings of the Pemigewasset are now seen dark and -glossy, now white with foam, appearing, disappearing, and finally lost -to view in the blended distance. The sky was packed with clouds. Over -the vivid green of the intervales their black shadows drifted swiftly -and noiselessly, first turning the light on, then off again, with -magical effect. To look up and see these clouds all in motion, and then, -looking down, see those weird draperies darkly trailing over the land, -was a reminiscence of</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The dim and shadowy armies of our unquiet dreams—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Their footsteps brush the dewy fern and paint the shaded streams.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind">The mountain ridges flowed southward with marvellous smoothness to the -vanishing-point, on one side of the valley bright green, on the other -indigo blue. This picture was not startling, like that from the Crawford -Notch, but, in its own way, was incomparable. The sunsets are said to be -beautiful beyond description.</p> - -<p>One looks up the Notch upon the great central peaks composing -the water-shed—Cannon, Lafayette, Lincoln, and the rest—to see -crags, ridges, black forests, rising before him in all their gloomy -magnificence.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_230_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_230_sml.jpg" width="336" height="321" alt="THE BASIN." -title="THE BASIN." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE BASIN.</span> -</p> - -<p>On one side all is beauty, harmony, and grace; on the other, a packed -mass of bristling, steep-sided mountains seem storming the sky with -their gray turrets. Could we but look over the brawny shoulders of the -mountains opposite to us, the eye would take in the vast, untrodden -solitudes of the Pemigewasset forests cut by the East Branch and -presided over by Mount Carrigain—a region as yet reserved for those -restless and adventurous spirits whom the beaten paths of travel have -ceased to charm or attract. But an excursion into this “forest primeval” -is to be no holiday promenade. It is an arduous and difficult march<a name="page_230" id="page_230"></a> -over slippery rocks, through tangled thickets, or up the beds of -mountain torrents. Hard fare and a harder bed of boughs finish the day, -every hour of which has been a continued combat with fresh obstacles. -At this price one may venture to encounter the virgin wilderness or, as -the cant phrase is, “try roughing it.” It is a curious feeling to turn -your back upon the last cart-path, then upon the last foot-path; to hear -the distant baying of a hound grow fainter and fainter—in a word, to -exchange at a single step the sights and sounds of civilized life, the -movement, the bustle, for a silence broken only by the hum of bees and -the murmur of invisible waters.</p> - -<p>I left the Flume House in company with a young-old man, whom I met -there, and in whom I hoped to find another and a surer pair of eyes, -for, were he to have as many as Argus, the sight-seer would find -employment for them all.</p> - -<p>While gayly threading the green-wood, we came upon a miniature edition -of the Pool, situated close to the highway, called the Basin. A<a name="page_231" id="page_231"></a> basin -in fact it is, and a bath fit for the gods. It is plain to see that -the stream once poured over the smooth ledges here, instead of making -its exit by the present channel. A cascade falls into it with hollow -roar. This cistern has been worn by the rotary motion of large pebbles -which the little cascade, pouring down into it from above, set and -kept actively whirling and grinding at its own mad caprice. But this -was not the work of a day. Long and constant attrition only could have -scooped this cavity out of the granite, which is here so clean, smooth, -and white, and filled to the brim with a grayish-emerald water, light, -limpid, and incessantly replenished by the effervescent cascade. In the -beginning this was doubtless an insignificant crevice, into which a few -pebbles and a handful of sand were dropped by the stream, but which, -having no way of escape, were kept in a perpetual tread-mill, until what -was at first a mere hole became as we now see it. The really curious -feature of the stone basin is a strip of granite projecting into it -which closely resembles a human leg and foot, luxuriously cooling itself -in the stream. Such queer freaks of nature are not merely curious, -but they while away the hours so agreeably that time and distance are -forgotten.</p> - -<p>As we walked on, the hills were constantly hemming us in closer and -closer. Suddenly we entered a sort of crater, with high mountains all -around. One impulse caused us to halt and look about us. In full view -at our left the inaccessible precipices of Mount Cannon rose above a -mountain of shattered stones, which ages upon ages of battering have -torn piecemeal from it. Its base was heaped high with these ruins. -Seldom has it fallen to my lot to see anything so grandly typical -of the indomitable as this sorely battered and disfigured mountain -citadel, which nevertheless lifts and will still lift its unconquerable -battlements so long as one stone remains upon another. Hewed and -hacked, riven and torn, gashed and defaced in countless battles, one -can hardly repress an emotion of pity as well as of admiration. I do -not recollect, in all these mountains, another such striking example -of the denuding forces with which they are perpetually at war. When we -see mountains crumbling before our very eyes, may we not begin to doubt -the stability of things that we are pleased to call eternal? Still, -although it seems erected solely for the pastime of all the powers of -destruction, this one, so glorious in its unconquerable resolve to die -at its post—this one, exposing its naked breast to the fury of its -deadliest foes—so stern and terrific of aspect, so high and haughty, -so dauntlessly throwing down<a name="page_232" id="page_232"></a> the gauntlet to Fate itself—assures us -that the combat will be long and obstinate, and that the mountain will -fall at last, if fall it must, with the grace and heroism of a gladiator -in the Roman arena. The gale flies at it with a shriek of impotent -rage. Winter strips off its broidered tunic and flings white dust in -its aged face. Rust corrodes, rains drench, fires scorch it; lightning -and frost are forever searching out the weak spots in its harness; but, -still uplifting its adamantine crest, it receives unshaken the stroke -or the blast, spurns the lightning, mocks the thunder, and stands fast. -Underneath is a little lake, which at sunset resembles a pool of blood -that has trickled drop by drop from the deep wounds in the side of the -mountain.</p> - -<p>We are still advancing in this region of wonders. In our front soars an -insuperable mass of forest-shagged rock. Behind it rises the absolutely -regal Lafayette. Our footsteps are stayed by the glimmer of water -through trees by the road-side. We have reached the summit of the pass.</p> - -<p>Six miles of continued ascent from the Flume House have brought us to -Profile Lake, which the road skirts. Although a pretty enough piece of -water, it is not for itself this lake is resorted to by its thousands, -or for being the source of the Pemigewasset, or for its trout—which -you take for the reflection of birds on its burnished surface—but for -the mountain rising high above, whose wooded slopes it so faithfully -mirrors. Now lift the eyes to the bare summit! It is difficult to -believe the evidence of the senses! Upon the high cliffs of this -mountain is the remarkable and celebrated natural rock sculpture of a -human head, which, from a height twelve hundred feet above the lake, -has for uncounted ages looked with the same stony stare down the pass -upon the windings of the river through its incomparable valley. The -profile itself measures about forty feet from the tip of the chin to -the flattened crown which imparts to it such a peculiarly antique -appearance. All is perfect, except that the forehead is concealed by -something like the visor of a helmet. And all this illusion is produced -by several projecting crags. It might be said to have been begotten by a -thunder-bolt.</p> - -<p>Taking a seat within a rustic arbor on the high shore of the lake, -one is at liberty to peruse at leisure what, I dare say, is the most -extraordinary sight of a lifetime. A change of position varies more or -less the character of the expression, which is, after all, the marked -peculiarity of this monstrous <i>alto relievo</i>; for let the spectator -turn his gaze vacantly<a name="page_233" id="page_233"></a> upon the more familiar objects at hand—as he -inevitably will, to assure himself that he is not the victim of some -strange hallucination—a fascination born neither of admiration nor -horror, but strongly partaking of both emotions, draws him irresistibly -back to the Dantesque head stuck, like a felon’s, on the highest -battlements of the pass. The more you may have seen, the more your -feelings are disciplined, the greater the confusion of ideas. The moment -is come to acknowledge yourself vanquished. This is not merely a face, -it is a portrait. That is not the work of some cunning chisel, but a -cast from a living head. You feel and will always maintain that those -features have had a living and breathing counterpart. Nothing more, -nothing less.</p> - -<p>But where and what was the original prototype? Not man; since, ages -before he was created, the chisel of the Almighty wrought this sculpture -upon the rock above us. No, not man; the face is too majestic, too -nobly grand, for anything of mortal mould. One of the antique gods may, -perhaps, have sat for this archetype of the coming man. And yet not man, -we think, for the head will surely hold the same strange converse with -futurity when man shall have vanished from the face of the earth.</p> - -<p>This gigantic silhouette, which has been dubbed the Old Man of the -Mountain, is unquestionably the greatest curiosity of this or any other -mountain region. It is unique. But it is not merely curious; nor is -it more marvellous for the wonderful accuracy of outline than for the -almost superhuman expression of frozen terror it eternally fixes on the -vague and shadowy distance—a far-away look; an intense and speechless -amazement, such as sometimes settles on the faces of the dying at the -moment the soul leaves the body forever—untranslatable into words, but -seeming to declare the presence of some unutterable vision, too bright -and dazzling for mortal eyes to behold. The face puts the whole world -behind it. It does everything but speak—nay, you are ready to swear -that it is going to speak! And so this chance jumbling together of a few -stones has produced a sculpture before which Art hangs her head.</p> - -<p>I renounce in dismay the idea of reproducing the effect on the reader’s -mind which this prodigy produced on my own. Impressions more pronounced, -yet at the same time more inexplicable, have never so effectually -overcome that habitual self-command derived from many experiences of -travel among strange and unaccustomed scenes. From<a name="page_234" id="page_234"></a> the moment the -startled eye catches it one is aware of a <i>Presence</i> which dominates the -spirit, first with strange fear, then by that natural revulsion which -at such moments makes the imagination supreme, conducts straight to -the supernatural, there to leave it helplessly struggling in a maze of -impotent conjecture. But, even upon this debatable ground, between two -worlds, one is not able to surprise the secret of those lips of marble. -The Sphinx overcomes us by his stony, his disdainful silence. Let the -visitor be ever so unimpassioned, surely he must be more than mortal to -resist the impression of mingled awe, wonder, and admiration which a -first sight of this weird object forces upon him. He is, indeed, less -than human if the feeling does not continually grow and deepen while -he looks. The face is so amazing, that I have often tried to imagine -the sensations of him who first discovered it peering from the top of -the mountain with such absorbed, open-mouthed wonder. Again I see the -tired Indian hunter, pausing to slake his thirst by the lake-side, -start as his gaze suddenly encounters this terrific apparition. I -fancy the half-uttered exclamation sticking in his<a name="page_235" id="page_235"></a> throat. I behold -him standing there with bated breath, not daring to stir hand or foot, -his white lips parted, his scared eyes dilated, until his own swarthy -features exactly reflect that unearthly, that intense amazement stamped -large and vivid upon the livid rock. There he remains, rooted to the -spot, unable to reason, trembling in every limb. For him there are no -accidents of nature; for him everything has its design. His moment of -terrible suspense is hardly difficult to understand, seeing how careless -thousands that come and go are thrilled, and awed, and silenced, -notwithstanding you tell them the face is nothing but rocks.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_234_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_234_sml.jpg" width="270" height="264" alt="THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN." -title="THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.</span> -</p> - -<p>If the effect upon minds of the common order be so pronounced, a first -sight of the Great Stone Face may easily be supposed to act powerfully -upon the imaginative and impressible. The novelist, Hawthorne, makes -it the interpreter of a noble life. For him the Titanic countenance is -radiant with majestic benignity. He endows it with a soul, surrounds the -colossal brow with the halo of a spiritual grandeur, and, marshalling -his train of phantoms, proceeds to pass inexorable judgment upon them. -Another legend—like its predecessor, too long for our pages—runs to -the effect that a painter who had resolved to paint Christ sitting in -judgment, and who was filled with the grandeur of his subject, wandered -up and down the great art palaces, the cathedrals of the Old World, -seeking in vain a model which should in all things be the embodiment of -his ideal. In despair at the futility of his search he hears a strange -report, brought by some pious missionaries from the New World, of a -wonderful image of the human face which the Indians looked upon with -sacred veneration. The painter immediately crossed the sea, and caused -himself to be guided to the spot, where he beheld, in the profile of the -great White Mountains, the object of his search and fulfilment of his -dream. The legend is entitled <i>Christus Judex.</i></p> - -<p>Had Byron visited this place of awe and mystery, his “Manfred,” the -scene of which is laid among the mountains of the Bernese Alps, would -doubtless have had a deeper and perhaps gloomier impulse; but even among -the eternal realms of ice the poet never beheld an object that could -so arouse the gloomy exaltation he has breathed into that tragedy. His -line—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -“Bound to earth, he lifts his eye to heaven”—</div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">becomes descriptive here.</p> - -<p>Again and again we turn to the face. We go away to wonder if it is still -there. We come back to wonder still more. An emotion of<a name="page_236" id="page_236"></a> pity mingles -with the rest. Time seems to have passed it by. It seems undergoing some -terrible sentence. It is a greater riddle than the gigantic stone face -on the banks of the Nile.</p> - -<p>All effects of light and shadow are so many changes of countenance or of -expression. I have seen the face cut sharp and clear as an antique cameo -upon the morning sky. I have seen it suffused, nay, almost transfigured, -in the sunset glow. Often and often does a cloud rest upon its brow. I -have seen it start fitfully out of the flying scud to be the next moment -smothered in clouds. I have heard the thunder roll from its lips of -stone. I recall the sunken cheeks, wet with the damps of its night-long -vigil, glistening in the morning sunshine—smiling through tears. I -remember its emaciated visage streaked and crossed with wrinkles that -the snow had put there in a night; but never have I seen it insipid or -commonplace. On the contrary, the overhanging brow, the antique nose, -the protruding under-lip, the massive chin, might belong to another -Prometheus chained to the rock, but whom no punishment could make lower -his haughty head.</p> - -<p>I lingered by the margin of the lake watching the play of the clouds -upon the water, until a loud and resonant peal, followed by large, warm -drops, admonished me to seek the nearest shelter. And what thunder! -The hills rocked. What echoes! The mountains seemed knocking their -stony heads together. What lightning! The very heavens cracked with the -flashes.</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i11">“Far along<br /></span> -<span class="i0">From peak to peak the rattling crags among<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Leaps the live thunder! not from one lone cloud,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But every mountain now hath found a tongue,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And Jura answers, through her misty shroud,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Back to the joyous Alps, who call to her aloud!”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p><a name="page_237" id="page_237"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_III-3" id="CHAPTER_III-3"></a>III.<br /><br /> -<small><i>THE KING OF FRANCONIA.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i9">Hills draw like heaven<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And stronger, sometimes, holding out their hands<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To pull you from the vile flats up to them.<br /></span> -<span class="i18"><span class="smcap">E. B. Browning.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>T noon we reached the spacious and inviting Profile House, which is -hid away in a deep and narrow glen, nearly two thousand feet above -the sea. No situation could be more sequestered or more charming. The -place seems stolen from the unkempt wilderness that shuts it in. An -oval, grassy plain, not extensive, but bright and smiling, spreads its -green between a grisly precipice and a shaggy mountain. And there, if -you-will believe me, in front of the long, white-columned hotel, like a -Turkish rug on a carpet, was a pretty flower-garden. Like those flowers -on the lawn were beauties sauntering up and down in exquisite morning -toilets, coquetting with their bright-colored parasols, and now and then -glancing up at the grim old mountains with that air of elegant disdain -which is so redoubtable a weapon—even in the mountains. Little children -fluttered about the grass like beautiful butterflies, and as unmindful -of the terrors that hovered over them so threateningly. Nurses in their -stiff grenadier caps and white aprons, lackeys in livery, cadets in -uniform, elegant equipages, blooded horses, dainty shapes on horseback, -cavaliers, and last, but not least, the resolute pedestrian, or the -gentlemen strollers up and down the shaded avenues, made up a scene as -animated as attractive. There is tonic in the air: there is healing in -the balm of these groves. Even the horses step out more briskly. Peals -of laughter startle the solemn old woods. You hear them high up the -mountain side. There go a pair of lovers, the gentleman with his book, -whose most telling passages he has carefully conned, the lady with her -embroidery, over which she bends lower as he reads on. Ah,<a name="page_238" id="page_238"></a> happy days! -What is this youth, which, having it, we are so eager to escape, and, -when it is gone, we look back upon with such longing?</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_238_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_238_sml.jpg" width="331" height="424" alt="EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE." -title="EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE.</span> -</p> - -<p>The lofty crag opposite the hotel is Eagle Cliff, a name at once -legitimate and satisfying, although it is now untenanted by the eagles -which formerly made their home in the security of its precipitous -rocks. The cliff is also seen to great advantage from Echo Lake, half a -mile<a name="page_239" id="page_239"></a> farther on, of which it constitutes a striking feature. In simple -parlance it is an advanced spur of Mount Lafayette. The high and curving -wall of this cliff encloses on one side the Profile Glen, while Mount -Cannon forms the other. The precipices tower so far above the glen that -large trees look like shrubs. Behind Eagle Cliff, almost isolating it -from the mountain, of which it is the barbacan, a hideous ravine yawns -upon the pass. Here and there, among the thick-set evergreen trees, -beech and birch and maple, spread masses of rich green, and mottle it -with softness. The purple rock bulges daringly out, forming a parapet of -adamant.</p> - -<p>The turf underneath the cliff was most beautifully and profusely -spangled with the delicate pink anemone, the <i>fleur des fées</i>, that -pale darling of our New England woods, to which the arbutus resigns the -sceptre of spring. It is a moving sight to see these little drooping -flowers, so shy and modest, yet so meek and trustful, growing at the -foot of a bare and sterile rock. The face hardened looking up; grew -soft looking down. “Don’t tread on us!” “May not a flower look up at a -mountain?” they seem to plead. Lightly fall the dews upon your upturned -faces, dear little flowers! Soft be the sunshine and gentle the winds -that kiss those sky-tinted cheeks! In thy sweet purity and innocence -I see faces that are beneath the sod, flowers that have blossomed in -Paradise.</p> - -<p>We see also, from the hotel, the singular rock that occasioned the -change of name from Profile to Cannon Mountain. It nearly resembles a -piece of heavy ordnance protruding, threateningly, from the parapet of a -fortress.</p> - -<p>Taking one of the well-worn paths conducting to the water-side, a few -minutes’ walk brings us to the shore of Echo Lake, with Eagle Cliff now -rising grandly on our right. Nowhere among the White Hills is there a -fuller realization of a mountain lake than this. Light flaws frost it -with silver. Sharp keels cut it as diamonds cut glass. The water is so -transparent that you see fishes swimming or floating indolently about.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_240_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_240_sml.jpg" width="335" height="264" alt="ECHO LAKE." -title="ECHO LAKE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">ECHO LAKE.</span> -</p> - -<p>Echo Lake is somewhat larger than Profile Lake, and is only a step -from the road. Its sources are in the hundred streams that descend the -surrounding mountains, and its waters are discharged by the valley, -lying between us and the heights of Bethlehem, into the Ammonoosuc. -Therefore, in coming from one lake to the other we have<a name="page_240" id="page_240"></a> crossed the -summit of the pass. On one side the waters flow to the Merrimac, on the -other to the Connecticut. An idle fancy tempted me to bring a cup of -water from Profile and cast it into Echo Lake, forgetting that, although -divided in their lives, the twin lakes had yet a common destiny in the -abyss of the ocean. I found the outlook from the boat-house on the whole -the most satisfying, because one looks back directly through the deep -chasm of the Notch.</p> - -<p>In this beautiful little mountain-tarn the true artist finds his ideal. -The snowy peak of Lafayette looked down into it with a freezing stare. -Cannon Mountain now showed his retreating wall on the right. The huge, -castellated rampart of Eagle Cliff lifted on its borders precipices -dripping with moisture, and glistening in the sun like casements. -Except for the lake, the whole aspect would be irredeemably savage -and forbidding—a blind landscape; but when the sun sinks behind the -long ridge of Mount Cannon, purpling all these grisly crags, and the -cloaked shadows, groping their way foot by foot up the ravines, seem -spectres risen from the depths of the lake, you see, underneath the -cliffs, long and slender spears of golden light thrust deep into its -black and glossy<a name="page_241" id="page_241"></a> tide, crimsoning it as with its own life-blood. Then, -too, is the proper moment for surprising these vain old mountains -viewing themselves in their mountain mirror, in which the bald, the -wrinkled, and the decrepit appear young, vigorous, and gloriously fair; -to see them gloating over their swarthy features like the bandit in -“Fra Diavolo.” Their ragged mantles are changed to gaudy cashmeres, -picturesquely twisted about their brawny shoulders, their snows to -laces. Oh the pomp, the majesty of these sunsets, which so glorify -the upturned faces of the haggard cliffs; which transmute, as in the -miracle, water into wine; which instantly transform these rugged -mountain walls into gates of jasper, and ruby, and onyx—glowing, -effulgent, enrapturing! And then, after the sun drops wearily down the -west, that gauze-like vapor, spun from the breath of evening, rising -like incense from the surface of the lake, which the mountains put on -for the masque of night; and, finally, the inquisitive stars piercing -the lake with ice-cold gleams, or the full-moon breaking in one great -burst of splendor on its level surface!</p> - -<p>The echo adds its feats of ventriloquism. The marvel of the phonograph -is but a mimicry of Nature, the universal teacher. Now the man blows -a strong, clear blast upon a long Alpine horn, and, like a bugle-call -flying from camp to camp, the martial signal is repeated, not once, but -again and again, in waves of bewitching sweetness and with the exquisite -modulations of the wood-thrush’s note. From covert to covert, now here, -now there, it chants its rapturous melody. Once again it glides upon -the entranced ear, and still we lean in breathless eagerness to catch -the last faint cadence sighing itself away upon the palpitating air. A -cannon was then fired. The report and echo came with the flash. In a -moment more a deep and hollow rumbling sound, as if the mountains were -splitting their huge sides with suppressed laughter, startled us.</p> - -<p>The ascent of Mount Lafayette fittingly crowns the series of excursions -through which we have passed since leaving Plymouth. This mountain -dominates the valleys north and south with undisputed sway. It is the -King of Franconia.</p> - -<p>At seven in the morning I crossed the little clearing, and, turning into -the path leading to the summit, found myself at the beginning of a steep -ascent. It was one of the last and fairest days of that bright season -which made the poet exclaim,</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“And what is so fair as a day in June?”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p><a name="page_242" id="page_242"></a></p> - -<p>The thunder-storm of the previous afternoon, which continued its furious -cannonade at intervals throughout the night, had purified the air and -given promise of a day favorable for the ascension. No clouds were upon -the mountains. Everything betokened a pacific disposition.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_242_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_242_sml.jpg" width="333" height="534" alt="MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, LAFAYETTE." -title="MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, LAFAYETTE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, LAFAYETTE.</span> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_243" id="page_243"></a></p> - -<p>The path at once attacks the south side of Eagle Cliff. A short way up, -openings afford fine views of Mount Cannon and its weird profile, of the -valley below, and of the glen we have just left. The stupendous mass of -Eagle Cliff, suspended a thousand feet over your head, accelerates the -pace.</p> - -<p>After an hour of steady, but not rapid, climbing, the path turned -abruptly under the shattered, but still formidable, precipices of the -cliff, which rose some distance higher, skirted it awhile, and then -began to zigzag among huge rocks along the narrow ridge uniting the -cliff with the mass of the mountain. Two deep ravines fall away on -either side. For two or three hundred yards, from the time the shoulder -of the cliff is turned until the mountain itself is reached, the walk -is as romantic an episode of mountain climbing as any I can recall, -except the narrow gully of Chocorua. But this passage presents no such -difficulties as must be overcome there. Although heaped with rocks, the -way is easy, and is quite level. In one place, where it glides between -two prodigious masses of rock dislodged from the cliff, it is so narrow -as to admit only a single person at a time. When I turned to look back -down the black ravine, cutting into the south side of the mountain, my -eye met nothing but immense rocks stopped in their descent on the very -edge of the gulf. It is among these that a way has been found for the -path, which was to me a reminiscence of the high defiles of the Isthmus -of Darien; to complete the illusion, nothing was now wanting except the -tinkling bells of the mules and the song of the muleteer. I climbed upon -one of the high rocks, and gazed to my full content upon the granite -parapet of Mount Cannon.</p> - -<p>In a few rods more the path encountered the great ravine opening into -the valley of Gale River. Through its wide trough brilliant strips of -this valley gleamed out far below. The village of Franconia and the -heights of Lisbon and Bethlehem now appeared on this side.</p> - -<p>I think that the perception of a distance climbed is greater to one who -is looking down from a great height than to one looking up. Doubtless -the imagination, which associates the plunging lines of a deep gorge -with the horror of a fall, has much to do with this impression. Upon -crossing a bridge of logs, the peak of Lafayette leaped up; yet so -distant as to promise no easy conquest. Somewhere down the gorge I heard -the roar of a brook; then the report of the cannon at Echo Lake; but up -here there was no echo.<a name="page_244" id="page_244"></a></p> - -<p>The usual indications now assured me that I was nearing the top. In -three-quarters of an hour from the time of leaving the natural bridge, -joining Eagle Cliff with the mountain, I stood upon the first of the -great billows which, rolling in to a common centre, appear to have -forced the true summit a thousand feet higher.</p> - -<p>The first, perhaps the most curious, thing that I noticed—for one -hardly suspects the existence of considerable bodies of water in these -high regions, and, therefore, never comes upon them except unawares—was -two little lakelets, nestling in the hollow between me and the main -peak. Reposing amid the sterility of the high peaks, these lakes -surround themselves with such plants as have survived the ascent from -below, or, nourished by the snows of the summit, those that never do -descend into temperate climates. Thus an appearance of fertility—one -of those deceptions that we welcome, knowing it to be such—greets us -unexpectedly. But its appearance is weird and forbidding. Here the -extremes of arctic and temperate vegetation meet and embrace; here the -flowers of the valley annually visit their pale sisters, banished by -Nature to these Siberian solitudes; and here the rough, strong Alpine -grass, striking its roots deep among the atoms of sand, granite, or -flint, lives almost in defiance of Nature herself; and when the snows -come and the freezing north winds blow, and it can no longer stand -erect, throws itself upon the tender plants, like a brave soldier -expiring on the body of his helpless comrade, saved by his own devotion.</p> - -<p>But these Alpine lakes always provoke a smile. When some distance -beyond the Eagle Lakes, as they are called, and higher, I caught, -underneath a wooded ridge of Cannon, the sparkle of one hidden among -the summits on the opposite side of the Notch. The immense, solitary -Kinsman Mountain overtops Cannon as easily as Cannon does Eagle Cliff. -In its dark setting of the thickest and blackest forests this lake -blazed like one of the enormous diamonds which our forefathers so firmly -believed existed among these mountains. They call this water—only to -be discovered by getting above it—Lonesome Lake, and in summer it is -the chosen retreat of one well known to American literature, whom the -mountains know, and who knows them.</p> - -<p>I descended the slope to the plateau on which the lakes lie, soon -gaining the rush-grown shore of the nearest. Its water was hardly -drinkable, but your thirsty climber is not apt to be too fastidious. -These lakes are prettier from a distance; the spongy and yielding moss,<a name="page_245" id="page_245"></a> -the sickly yellow sedge surrounding them, and the rusty brown of the -brackish water, do not invite us to tarry long.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_245_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_245_sml.jpg" width="342" height="489" alt="CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE." -title="CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE.</span> -</p> - -<p>The ascent of the pinnacle now began. It is too much a repetition,<a name="page_246" id="page_246"></a> -though by no means as toilsome, of the Mount Washington climb to merit -particular description. This peak, too, seems disinherited by Nature. -The last trees encountered are the stunted firs with distorted little -trunks, which it may have required half a century to grow as thick as -the wrist. I left the region of Alpine trees to enter that of gray -rocks, constantly increasing in size toward the summit, where they were -confusedly piled in ragged ridges, one upon another, looming large and -threateningly in the distance. But as often as I stopped to breathe -I scanned “the landscape o’er” with all the delight of a wholly new -experience. The fascination of being on a mountain-top has yet to be -explained. Perhaps, after all, it is not susceptible of analysis.</p> - -<p>After gaining the highest visible point, to find the real summit -still beyond, I stopped to drink at a delicious spring trickling from -underneath a large rock, around which the track wound. I was now among -the ruin and demolition of the summit, standing in the midst of a vast -atmospheric ocean.</p> - -<p>Had I staked all my hopes upon the distant view, no choice but -disappointment was mine to accept. Steeped in the softest, dreamiest -azure that ever dull earth borrowed from bright heaven, a hundred peaks -lifted their airy turrets on high. These castles of the air—for I will -maintain that they were nothing else—loomed with enchanting grace, -the nearest like battlements of turquoise and amethyst, or, receding -through infinite gradations to the merest shadows, seemed but the dusky -reflection of those less remote. The air was full of illusions. There -was bright sunshine, yet only a deluge of semi-opaque golden vapor. -There were forms without substance. See those iron-ribbed, deep-chested -mountains! I declare it seemed as if a swallow might fly through them -with ease! Over the great Twin chain were traced, apparently on the air -itself, some humid outlines of surpassing grace which I recognized for -the great White Mountains. It was a dream of the great poetic past: of -the golden age of Milton and of Dante. The mountains seemed dissolving -and floating away before my eyes.</p> - -<p>Stretched beneath the huge land-billows, the valleys—north, south, or -west—reflected the fervid sunshine with softened brilliance, and all -those white farms and hamlets spotting them looked like flakes of foam -in the hollows of an immense ocean.</p> - -<p>Heaven forbid that I should profane such a scene with the dry recital -of this view or that! I did not even think of it. A study of<a name="page_247" id="page_247"></a> one of -Nature’s most capricious moods interested me far more than a study of -topography. How should I know that what I saw were mountains, when the -earth itself was not clearly distinguishable? Alone, surrounded by all -these delusions, I had, indeed, a support for my feet, but none whatever -for the bewildered senses.</p> - -<p>I found the mountain-top untenanted except by horse-flies, black gnats, -and active little black spiders. These swarmed upon the rocks. I also -found buttercups, the mountain-cranberry, and a heath, bearing a little -white flower, blossoming near the summit. There were the four walls of a -ruined building, a cairn, and a signal-staff to show that some one had -been before me. This staff is 5259 feet above the ocean, or 3245 feet -above the summit of the Franconia Pass.</p> - -<p>The ascent required about three, and the descent about two hours. The -distance is not much less than four miles; but, these miles being a -nearly uninterrupted climb from the base to the summit of the mountain, -haste is out of the question, if going up, and imprudent, if coming -down. There are no breakneck or dangerous places on the route; nor any -where the traveller is liable to lose his way, even in a fog, except -on the first summit, where the new and old paths meet, and where a -guide-board should be erected.<a name="page_248" id="page_248"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IV-3" id="CHAPTER_IV-3"></a>IV.<br /><br /> -<small><i>FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Believe if thou wilt that mountains change their places, but -believe not that men change their dispositions.—<i>Oriental Proverb</i>.</p></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>LTHOUGH one may make the journey from the Profile House to Bethlehem -with greater ease and rapidity by the railway recently constructed along -the side of the Franconia range, preference will unquestionably be given -to the old way by all who would not lose some of the most striking views -the neighborhood affords. Beginning near the hotel, the railway skirts -the shore of Echo Lake, and then plunges into a forest it was the first -to invade. By a descent of one hundred feet to the mile, for nine and -a half miles, it reaches the Ammonoosuc at Bethlehem station. I have -nothing to say against the locomotive, but then I should not like to go -through the gallery of the Louvre behind one.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_248_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_248_sml.jpg" width="312" height="162" alt="FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH." -title="FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH.</span> -</p> - -<p>From Echo Lake the high-road to Franconia, Littleton, and Bethlehem -winds down the steep mountain side into the valley of Gale River.<a name="page_249" id="page_249"></a> To -the left, in the middle distance, appear the little church-tower and -white buildings constituting the village of Franconia Iron Works. This -village is charmingly placed for effectively commanding a survey of the -amphitheatre of mountains which isolates it from the neighboring towns -and settlements.</p> - -<p>As we come down the three-mile descent, from the summit of the pass -to the level of the deep valley, and to the northern base of the -notch-mountains, an eminence rises to the left. Half-way up, occupying -a well-chosen site, there is a hotel, and on the high ridge another -commands not only this valley, but also those lying to the west of it. -On the opposite side to us rise the green heights of Bethlehem, Mount -Agassiz being conspicuous by the observatory on its summit. Those -farm-houses dotting the hill-side show how the road crooks and turns to -get to the top. Following these heights westward, a deep rift indicates -the course of the stream dividing the valley, and of the highway to -Littleton. Between these walls the long ellipse of fertile land beckons -us to descend.</p> - -<p>I am always most partial to those grassy lanes and by-ways going no one -knows where, especially if they have well-sweeps and elm-trees in them; -but here also is the old red farm-house, with its antiquated sweep, -its colony of arching elms, its wild-rose clustering above the porch, -its embodiment of those magical words, “Home, sweet home.” It fits the -rugged landscape as no other habitation can. It fits it to a T, as -we say in New England. More than this, it unites us with another and -different generation. What a story of toil, privation, endurance these -old walls could tell! How genuine the surprise with which they look down -upon the more modern houses of the village! Here, too, is the Virginia -fence, on which the king of the barn-yard defiantly perches. There is -the field behind it, and the men scattering seed in the fallow earth. -Yonder, in the mowing-ground, a laborer is sharpening his scythe, the -steel ringing musically under the quick strokes of his “rifle.”</p> - -<p>Over there, to the left, is the rustic bridge, and hard by a clump of -peeled birches throw their grateful shade over the hot road. Many stop -here, for the white-columned trunks are carved with initials, some -freshly cut, some mere scars. But why mutilate the tree? What signify -those letters, that every idler should gratify his little vanity by -giving it a stab? Do you know that the birch does not renew its bark, -and that the tree thus stripped of its natural protection is doomed? -Cease, then,<a name="page_250" id="page_250"></a> I pray you, this senseless mutilation; nor call down the -just malediction of the future traveller for destroying his shade. -Unable to escape its fate, the poor tree, like a victim at the stake, -stoically receives your barbarous strokes and gashes. Refrain, then, -traveller, for pity’s sake! Have a little mercy! Know that the ancients -believed the tree possessed of a soul. Remember the touching story -of Adonis, barbarously wounded, surviving in a pine, where he weeps -eternally. Consider how often is the figure of “The Tree” used in the -Scriptures as emblematic of the life eternal! Who would wish to inhabit -a treeless heaven?</p> - -<p>The stream—which does not allow us to forget that it is here—is a -vociferous mountain brook. Hardly less forward is the roadside fountain -gushing into a water-trough its refreshing abundance for the tired and -dusty wayfarer. It makes no difference in the world whether he goes -on two legs or on four. “Drink and be filled” is the invitation thus -generously held out to all alike. With what a sigh of pleasure your -steaming beast lifts his reluctant and dripping muzzle from the cool -wave, and after satisfying again and again his thirst, luxuriously -immersing his nose for the third and fourth time, still pretends to -drink! How deliciously light and limpid and sparkling is the water, and -how sweet! How it cools the hot blood! You quaff nectar. You sip it as -you would champagne. It tastes far better, you think, pouring from this -half-decayed, moss-crusted spout than from iron, or bronze, or marble. -Come, fellow-traveller, a bumper! Fill high! God bless the man who -first invented the roadside fountain! He was a true benefactor of his -fellow-man.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 219px;"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_250_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_250_sml.jpg" width="219" height="220" alt="THE ROADSIDE SPRING." -title="THE ROADSIDE SPRING." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE ROADSIDE SPRING.</span> -</div> - -<p>Turn once more to the house. A little girl tosses corn, kernel by -kernel, to her pet chickens. There go a flight of pigeons: they curvet<a name="page_251" id="page_251"></a> -and wheel, and settle on the ridge-pole, where they begin to flirt, and -strut, and coo. The men in the field look up at the top of the mountain, -to see if it is not yet noon. And now a woman, with plump bare arms, -coming briskly to the open door, puts the dinner-horn to her lips with -one hand while placing the other lightly upon her hip. She does not know -that act and attitude are alike inviting. How should she?</p> - -<p>Let us follow the pretty stream that is our guide. Franconia has the -reputation of being the hottest in summer and in winter the coldest of -the mountain villages. It <i>is</i> hot. The houses are strung along the road -for a mile. People may or may not live in them: you see nobody. One -modest church-tower catches the eye for a moment, and then, as we enter -the heart of the village, a square barrack of a building, just across -the stream, is pointed out as the old furnace, which in times past gave -importance to this out-of-the-way corner. But the old furnace is now -deserted except by cows from the neighboring pastures, who come and go -through its open doors in search of shade. At present the river, which -brings its music and its freshness to the very doors of the villagers, -is the only busy thing in the place.</p> - -<p>During the Rebellion the furnace was kept busy night and day, turning -out iron to be cast into cannon. The very hills were melted down for -the defence of the imperilled Union. In the adjoining town of Lisbon -the discovery of gold-bearing quartz turned the heads of the usually -steady-going population. The precious deposits were first found on the -Bailey farm, in 1865, and similar specimens were soon detected on the -farms adjoining. It is said the old people could scarcely be made to -credit these reports until they had seen and handled the precious metal; -for the country had been settled nearly a century, and the presence of -any but the baser ores was wholly unsuspected and disbelieved.</p> - -<p>There is one peculiarity, common to all these mountain villages, -to which I must allude. A stranger is not known by any personal -peculiarity, but by his horse. If you ask for such or such a person, -the chances are ten to one you will immediately be asked in return if -he drove a bay horse, or a black colt, or a brown mare with one white -ear; so quick are these lazy-looking men, that loll on the door-steps or -spread themselves out over the shop-counters, to observe what interests -them most. The girls here know the points of a horse better than most -men, and are far more reckless drivers than men. To a man who, like -myself, has lived in a horse-stealing country, it does look queerly to -see the<a name="page_252" id="page_252"></a> barn-doors standing open at night. But then every country has -its own customs.</p> - -<p>One seeks in vain for any scraps of history or tradition that might -shed even a momentary lustre upon this village out of the past. Yet its -situation invites the belief that it is full of both. Disappointed in -this, we at least have an inexhaustible theme in the dark and tranquil -mountains bending over us.</p> - -<p>Mount Lafayette presents toward Franconia two enormous green billows, -rolled apart, the deep hollow between being the great ravine dividing -the mountain from base to summit. Over this deep incision, which, -from the irregularity of one of its ridges, looks widest at the top, -presides, with matchless dignity, the bared and craggy peak whose dusky -brown gradually mingles with the scant verdure checked hundreds of feet -down. With what hauteur it seems to regard this effort of Nature to -place a garland on its bronzed and knotted forehead! One can never get -over his admiration for the savage grace with which the mountain, which -at first sight seems literally thrown together, develops a beauty, a -harmony, and an intelligence giving such absolute superiority to works -of Nature over those of man.</p> - -<p>The side of Mount Cannon turned toward the village now elevates two -almost regular triangular masses, one rising behind the other, and -both surmounted by the rounded summit, which, except in its mass, has -little resemblance to a mountain. It is seen that on two-thirds of these -elevations a new forest has replaced the original growth. Twenty-five -years ago a destructive fire raged on this mountain, destroying all the -vegetation, as well as the thin soil down to the hard rock. Even that -was cracked and peeled like old parchment. This burning mountain was a -scene of startling magnificence during several nights, when the village -was as light as day, the sky overspread an angry glow, and the river -ran blood-red. The hump-backed ridges, connecting Cannon with Kinsman, -present nearly the same appearance from this as from the other side of -the Notch—or as remarked when approaching from Campton.</p> - -<p>The superb picture seen from the upper end of the valley, combining, as -it does, the two great chains in a single glance of the eye, is extended -and improved by going a mile out of the village to the school-house on -the Sugar Hill road. It is a peerless landscape. I have gazed at it for -hours with that ineffable delight which baffles all power of expression. -It will have no partakers. One must go there alone and see<a name="page_253" id="page_253"></a> the setting -sun paint those vast shapes with colors the heavens alone are capable of -producing.</p> - -<p>Distinguished by the beautiful groves of maple that adorn its crest, -Sugar Hill is destined to grow more and more in the popular esteem. No -traveller should pass it by. It is so admirably placed as to command -in one magnificent sweep of the eye all the highest mountains; it is -also lifted into sun and air by an elevation sufficiently high to -reach the cooler upper currents. The days are not so breathless or -so stifling as they are down in the valley. You look deep into the -Franconia Notch, and watch the evening shadows creep up the great east -wall. Extending beyond these nearer mountains, the scarcely inferior -Twin summits pose themselves like gigantic athletes. Passing to the -other side of the valley, we see as far as the pale peaks of Vermont, -and those rising above the valley of Israel’s River. But better than -all, grander than all, is that kingly coronet of great mountains set on -the lustrous green cushion of the valley. Nowhere, I venture to affirm, -will the felicity of the title, “Crown of New England,”<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a> receive -more unanimous acceptance than from this favored spot. Especially when -a canopy of clouds overspreading permits the pointed peaks to reflect -the illuminated fires of sunset does the crown seem blazing with jewels -and precious stones. All the great summits are visible here, and all the -ravines, except those in Madison, are as clearly distinguished as if not -more than ten instead of twenty miles separated us.</p> - -<p>The high crest of Sugar Hill unfolds an unrivalled panorama. This is but -faint praise. Yet I find myself instinctively preferring the landscape -from Goodenow’s; for those great horizons, uncovered all at once, like -a magnificent banquet, are too much for one pair of eyes, however good, -or however unwearied with continued sight-seeing. As we cannot look -at all the pictures of a gallery at once, we naturally single out the -masterpieces. The effort to digest too much natural scenery is a species -of intellectual gluttony the overtaxed brain will be quick to revenge, -by an attack of indigestion or a loss of appetite.</p> - -<p>I was very fond of walking, in the cool of the evening, either in this -direction or to the upper end of the village, on the Bethlehem road.<a name="page_254" id="page_254"></a> -There is one point on this road, before it begins in earnest its ascent -of the heights, that became a favorite haunt of mine. Emerging from the -concealment of thick woods upon a sandy plain, covered here with a thick -carpet of verdure, and skirted by a regiment of pines seemingly awaiting -only the word of command to advance into the valley, a landscape second -to none that I have seen is before you. At the same time he would be -an audacious mortal who attempted to transfer it to page or canvas. -Nothing disturbs the exquisite harmony of the scene. To the left of -you are all the White Mountains, from Adams to Pleasant; in front, the -Franconia range, from Kinsman to the Great Haystack. Here is the deep -rent of the Notch from which we have but lately descended. Here, too, -overtopped and subjugated by the superb spire of Lafayette, the long -and curiously-distorted outline of Eagle Cliff pitches headlong down -into the half-open aperture of the pass. Nothing but an earthquake could -have made such a breach. How that tremendous, earth-swooping ridge seems -battered down by the blows of a huge mace! Unspeakably wild and stern, -the fractured mountains are to the valley what a raging tempest is to -the serenest of skies: one part of the heavens convulsed by the storm, -another all peace and calm. Thus from behind his impregnable outworks -Lafayette, stern and defiant, keeps eternal watch and ward over the -valley cowering at his feet.</p> - -<p>From this spot, too, sacred as yet from all intrusion, the profound -ravine, descending nearly from the summit of Lafayette, is fully -exposed. It is a thing of cracks, crevices, and rents; of upward -curves in brilliant light; of black, mysterious hollows, which the eye -investigates inch by inch, to where the gorge is swallowed up by the -thick forests underneath. The whole side of the principal peak seems -torn away. Up there, among the snows, is the source of a flashing stream -which comes roaring down through the gorge. Storms swell it into an -ungovernable and raging torrent. Thus under the folds of his mantle the -lordly peak carries peace or war for the vale.</p> - -<p>After the half-stifled feeling experienced among the great mountains, -it is indeed a rare pleasure to once more come forth into full -breathing-space, and to inspect at leisure from some friendly shade -the grandeur magnified by distance, yet divested of excitements that -set the brain whirling by the rapidity of their succession. If the -wayfarer chances to see, as I did, the whole noble array of high -summits presenting a long, snowy line of unsullied brilliance against -a background<a name="page_255" id="page_255"></a> of pale azure, he will account it one of the crowning -enjoyments of his journey.</p> - -<p>The Bridal Veil Falls, lying on the northern slope of Mount Kinsman, -will, when a good path shall enable tourists to visit them, prove one -of the most attractive features of Franconia. Truth compels me to say -that I did not once hear them spoken of during the fortnight passed in -the village, although fishermen were continually bringing in trout from -the Copper-mine Brook, on which these falls are situated. The height of -the fall is given at seventy-six feet, and its surroundings are said -to be of the most romantic and picturesque character. Its marvellous -transparency, which permits the ledges to be seen through the gauze-like -sheet falling over them, has given to it its name.</p> - -<p>From Franconia I took the daily stage to Littleton, which lies on both -banks of the Ammonoosuc, and, turning my back upon the high mountains, -ran down the rail to Wells River, having the intention of cultivating a -more intimate acquaintance with that most noble and interesting entrance -formed by the meeting of the Ammonoosuc with the Connecticut.<a name="page_256" id="page_256"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_V-3" id="CHAPTER_V-3"></a>V.<br /><br /> -<small><i>THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Say, have the solid rocks<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Into streams of silver been melted,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Flowing over the plains,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Spreading to lakes in the fields?<br /></span> -<span class="i11"><span class="smcap">Longfellow</span>.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>HE Connecticut is justly named “the beautiful river,” and its valley -“the garden of New England.” Issuing from the heart of the northern -wilderness, it spreads boundless fertility throughout its stately march -to the sea. It is not a rapid river, but flows with an even and majestic -tide through its long avenue of mountains. Radiant envoy of the skies, -its mission is peace on earth and good-will toward men. As it advances -the confluent streams flock to it from their mountain homes. On one side -the Green Mountains of Vermont send their hundred tributaries to swell -its flood; on the other side the White Hills of New Hampshire pour their -impetuous torrents into its broad and placid bosom. Two States thus vie -with each other in contributing the wealth it lavishes with absolutely -impartial hand along the shores of each.</p> - -<p>Unlike the storied Rhine, no crumbling ruins crown the lofty heights -of this beautiful river. Its verdant hill-sides everywhere display the -evidences of thrift and happiness; its only fortresses are the watchful -and everlasting peaks that catch the earliest beams of the New England -sun and flash the welcome signal from tower to tower. From time to time -the mountains, which seem crowding its banks to see it pass, draw back, -as if to give the noble river room. It rewards this benevolence with -a garden-spot. Sometimes the mountains press too closely upon it, and -the offended stream repays this temerity with a barrenness equal to the -beneficence it has just bestowed. Where it is permitted to expand the -amphitheatres thus created are the highest types of decorative nature. -Graciously touching first one shore and then the other, making the -loveliest windings imaginable, the river actually seems on the point of -retracing<a name="page_257" id="page_257"></a> its steps; but, yielding to destiny, it again resumes its -slow march, loitering meanwhile in the cool shadows of the mountains, or -indolently stretching itself at full length upon the green carpet of the -level meadows. Every traveller who has passed here has seen the Happy -Valley of Rasselas.<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a></p> - -<p>Such is the renowned Ox-Bow of Lower Coös. Tell me, you who have seen -it, if the sight has not caused a ripple of pleasurable excitement?</p> - -<p>Here the Connecticut receives the waters of the Ammonoosuc, flowing from -the very summit of the White Hills, and, in its turn, made to guide -the railway to its own birthplace among the snows of Mount Washington. -Here the valley, graven in long lines by the ploughshare, heaped with -fruitful orchards and groves, extends for many miles up and down its -checkered and variegated floor. But it is most beautiful between the -villages of Newbury and Haverhill, or at the Great and Little Ox-Bow, -where the fat and fecund meadows, extending for two miles from side -to side of the valley, resemble an Eden upon earth, and the villages, -prettily arranged on terraces above them, half-hid in a thick fringe of -foliage, the mantel-ornaments of their own best rooms. Only moderate -elevations rise on the Vermont side; but the New Hampshire shore is -upheaved into the finely accentuated Benton peaks, behind which, -like a citadel within its outworks, is uplifted the gigantic bulk of -Moosehillock—the greatest mountain of all this valley, and its natural -landmark—keeping strict watch over it as far as the Canadian frontiers.</p> - -<p>The traveller approaching by the Connecticut Valley holds this exquisite -landscape in view from the Vermont side of the river. The tourist -who approaches by the valley of the Merrimac enjoys it from the New -Hampshire shore.</p> - -<p>The large village of Newbury, usually known as the “Street,” is built -along a plateau, rising well above the intervale, and joined to the -foothills of the Green Mountains. The Passumpsic Railway coasts the -intervale, just touching the northern skirt of the village. The -village of Haverhill is similarly situated with respect to the skirt -of the White Mountains; but its surface is much more uneven, and it -is elevated<a name="page_258" id="page_258"></a> higher above the valley than its opposite neighbor. The -Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railway, having crossed the divide between -the waters of the Merrimac and the Connecticut, now follows the high -level, after a swift descent from Warren Summit. These plateaus, or -terraces, forming broken shelves, first upon one side of the valley, -then upon the other, strongly resemble the remains of the ancient bed of -a river of tenfold the magnitude of the stream as we see it to-day. They -give rise at once to all those interesting conjectures, or theories, -which are considered the special field of the geologist, but are also -equally attractive to every intelligent observer of Nature and her -wondrous works.</p> - -<p>Of these two villages, which are really subdivided into half a dozen, -and which so beautifully decorate the mountain walls of this valley, -it is no treason to the Granite State to say that Newbury enjoys a -preference few will be found to dispute. It has the grandest mountain -landscape. Moosehillock is lifted high above the Benton range, which -occupies the foreground. The whole background is filled with high -summits—Lafayette feeling his way up among the clouds, Moosehillock -roughly pushing his out of the throng. Meadows of emerald, river -of burnished steel, hill-sides in green and buff, and etched with -glittering hamlets, gray mountains, bending darkly over, cloud-detaining -peaks, vanishing in the far east—surely fairer landscape never brought -a glow of pleasure to the cheek, or kindled the eye of a traveller, -already sated with a panorama reaching from these mountains to the Sound.</p> - -<p>We are now, I imagine, sufficiently instructed in the general -characteristics of the famed Ox-Bow to pass from its picturesque and -topographical features into the domain of history, and to summon from -the past the details of a tragedy in war, which, had it occurred in -the days of Homer, would have been embalmed in an epic. Our history -begins at a period before any white settlement existed in the region -immediately about us. No wonder the red man relinquished it only at the -point of the bayonet. It was a country worth fighting for to the bitter -end.<a name="page_259" id="page_259"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VI-3" id="CHAPTER_VI-3"></a>VI.<br /><br /> -<small><i>THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.</i></small></h3> - -<p class="c">“L’histoire à sa vérité; la legende a la sienne.”</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">I</span>N the month of September, 1759, the army of Sir Jeffrey Amherst -was in cantonments at Crown Point. A picked corps of American -rangers, commanded by Robert Rogers, was attached to this army. One -day an aide-de-camp brought Rogers an order to repair forthwith to -head-quarters, and in a few moments the ranger entered the general’s -marquee.</p> - -<p>“At your orders, general,” said the ranger, making his salute.</p> - -<p>“About that accursed hornet’s-nest of St. Francis?” said the general, -frowning.</p> - -<p>“When I was a lad, your excellency, we used to burn a hornet’s-nest, if -it became troublesome,” observed Rogers, significantly.</p> - -<p>“And how many do you imagine, major, this one has stung to death in the -last six years?” inquired General Amherst, fumbling among his papers.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know; a great many, your excellency.”</p> - -<p>“Six hundred men, women, and children.”</p> - -<p>The two men looked at each other a moment without speaking.</p> - -<p>“At this rate,” continued the general, “his Majesty’s New England -provinces will soon be depopulated.”</p> - -<p>“For God’s sake, general, put a stop to this butchery!” ejaculated the -exasperated ranger.</p> - -<p>“That’s exactly what I have sent for you to do. Here are your orders. -You are commanded, and I expect you to destroy that nest of vipers, -root and branch. Remember the atrocities committed by these Indian -scoundrels, and take your revenge; but remember, also, that I forbid the -killing of women and children. Exterminate the fighting-men,<a name="page_260" id="page_260"></a> but spare -the non-combatants. That is war. Now make an end of St. Francis once and -for all.”</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_260_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_260_sml.jpg" width="306" height="386" alt="ROBERT ROGERS." -title="ROBERT ROGERS." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">ROBERT ROGERS.</span> -</p> - -<p>Nearly a hundred leagues separated the Abenaqui village from the -English; and we should add that once there, in the heart of the enemy’s -country, all idea of help from the army must be abandoned, and the -rangers, depending wholly upon themselves, be deprived of every resource -except to cut their way through all obstacles. But this was exactly the -kind of service for which this distinctive body of American soldiers was -formed.<a name="page_261" id="page_261"></a></p> - -<p>Sir Jeffrey Amherst had said to Rogers, “Go and wipe out St. Francis for -me,” precisely as he would have said to his orderly, “Go and saddle my -horse.”</p> - -<p>But this illustrates the high degree of confidence which the army -reposed in the chief of the rangers. The general knew that this -expedition demanded, at every stage, the highest qualities in a leader. -Rogers had already proved himself possessed of these qualities in a -hundred perilous encounters.</p> - -<p>That night, without noise or display, the two hundred men detailed for -the expedition left their encampment, which was habitually in the van of -the army. On the evening of the twenty-second day since leaving Crown -Point a halt was ordered. The rangers were near their destination. From -the top of a tree the doomed village was discovered three miles distant. -Not the least sign that the presence of an enemy was suspected could -be seen or heard. The village wore its ordinary aspect of profound -security. Rogers therefore commanded his men to rest, and prepare -themselves for the work in hand.</p> - -<p>At eight in the evening, having first disguised himself, Rogers took -Lieutenant Turner and Ensign Avery, and with them reconnoitred the -Indian town. He found it the scene of high festivity, and for an -hour watched unseen the unsuspecting inhabitants celebrating with -dancing and barbaric music the nuptials of one of the tribe. All this -marvellously favored his plans. Not dreaming of an enemy, the savages -abandoned themselves to unrestrained enjoyment and hilarity. The fête -was protracted until a late hour under the very eyes of the spies, who, -finding themselves unnoticed, crept boldly into the village, where they -examined the ground and concerted the plan of attack.</p> - -<p>At length all was hushed. The last notes of revelry faded on the still -night air. One by one the drowsy merry-makers retired to their lodges, -and soon the village was wrapped in profound slumber—the slumber of -death. This was the moment so anxiously awaited by Rogers. Time was -precious. He quickly made his way back to the spot where the rangers -were lying on their arms. One by one the men were aroused and fell into -their places. It was two in the morning when he left the village. At -three the whole body moved stealthily up to within five hundred yards -of the village, where the men halted, threw off their packs, and were -formed for the assault in three divisions. The village continued silent -as the grave.<a name="page_262" id="page_262"></a></p> - -<p>St. Francis was a village of about forty or fifty wigwams, thrown -together in a disorderly clump. In the midst was a chapel, to which the -inhabitants were daily summoned by matin and vesper bell to hear the -holy father, whose spiritual charge they were, celebrate the mass. The -place was enriched with the spoil torn from the English and the ransom -of many miserable captives. We have said that these Indians had slain -and taken, in six years, six hundred English: that is equivalent to one -hundred every year.</p> - -<p>The knowledge of numberless atrocities nerved the arms and steeled the -hearts of the avengers. When the sun began to brighten the east the -three bands of rangers, waiting eagerly for the signal, rushed upon the -village.</p> - -<p>A deplorable and sickening scene of carnage ensued. The surprise was -complete. The first and only warning the amazed savages had were the -volleys that mowed them down by scores and fifties. Eyes heavy with the -carousal of the previous night opened to encounter an appalling carnival -of butchery and horror. Two of the stoutest of the rangers—Farrington -and Bradley—led one of the attacking columns to the door where the -wedding had taken place. Finding it barred, they threw themselves so -violently against it that the fastenings gave way, precipitating Bradley -headlong among the Indians who were asleep on their mats. All these were -slain before they could make the least resistance.</p> - -<p>On all sides the axe and the rifle were soon reaping their deadly -harvest. Those panic-stricken, half-dazed wretches who rushed pell-mell -into the streets either ran stupidly upon the uplifted weapons of the -rangers or were shot down by squads advantageously posted to receive -them. A few who ran this terrible gauntlet plunged into the river -flowing before the village, and struck boldly out for the opposite -shore; but the avengers had closed every avenue of escape, and the -fugitives were picked off from the banks. The same fate overtook those -who tumbled into their canoes and pushed out into the stream. The frail -barks were riddled with shot, leaving their occupants an easy target for -a score of rifles. The incessant flashes, the explosions of musketry, -the shouts of the assailants, and the yells of their victims were all -mingled in one horrible uproar. For two hours this massacre continued. -Combat it cannot be called. Rendered furious by the sight of hundreds of -scalps waving mournfully in the night-wind in front of the lodges, the<a name="page_263" id="page_263"></a> -pitiless assailants hunted the doomed savages down like blood-hounds. -Every shot was followed by a death-whoop, every stroke by a howl of -agony. For two horrible hours the village shook with explosions and -echoed with frantic outcries. It was then given up to pillage, and then -to the torch, and all those who from fear had hid themselves perished -miserably in the flames. At seven o’clock in the morning all was over. -Silence once more enveloped the hideous scene of conflagration and -slaughter. The village of St. Francis was the funeral pyre of two -hundred warriors. Rogers had indeed taken the fullest revenge enjoined -by Sir Jeffrey Amherst’s orders.</p> - -<p>From this point our true history passes into the legendary.</p> - -<p>While the sack of St. Francis was going on a number of the Abenaquis -took refuge in the little chapel. Their retreat was discovered. A few -of their assailants having collected in the neighborhood precipitated -themselves toward it, with loud cries. Others ran up. Two or three blows -with the butt of a musket forced open the door, when the building was -instantly filled with armed men.</p> - -<p>An unforeseen reception awaited them. Lighted candles burnt on the high -altar, shedding a mild radiance throughout the interior, and casting -a dull glow upon the holy vessels of gold and silver upon the altar. -At the altar’s foot, clad in the sacred vestments of his office, stood -the missionary, a middle-aged, vigorous-looking man, his arms crossed -upon his breast, his face lighted up with the exaltation of a martyr. -Face and figure denoted the high resolve to meet fate half-way. Behind -him crouched the knot of half-crazed savages, who had fled to the -sanctuary for its protection, and who, on seeing their mortal enemies, -instinctively took a posture of defence. The priest, at two or three -paces in advance of them, seemed to offer his body as their rampart. The -scene was worthy the pencil of a Rembrandt.</p> - -<p>At this sight the intruders halted, the foremost even falling back a -step, but the vessels of gold and silver inflamed their cupidity to -the highest pitch; while the hostile attitude of the warriors was a -menace men already steeped in bloodshed regarded a moment in still more -threatening silence, and then by a common impulse recognized by covering -the forlorn group with their rifles.</p> - -<p>Believing the critical moment come, the priest threw up his hands in -an attitude of supplication, arresting the fatal volley as much by -the dignity of the gesture itself, as by the resonant voice which -exclaimed,<a name="page_264" id="page_264"></a> in French, “Madmen, for pity’s sake, for the sake of Him on -the Cross, stay your hands! This violence! What is your will? What seek -ye in the house of God?”</p> - -<p>A gunshot outside, followed by a mournful howl, was his sole response.</p> - -<p>The priest shuddered, and his crisped lips murmured an <i>ave</i>. He -comprehended that another soul had been sent, unshriven, to its final -account.</p> - -<p>“Hear him!” said a ranger, in a mocking undertone; “his gabble minds me -of a flock of wild geese.”</p> - -<p>A burst of derisive laughter followed this coarse sally.</p> - -<p>In fact, they had not too much respect for the Church of Rome, these -wild woodsmen, but were filled with ineradicable hatred for its -missionaries, domesticated among their enemies, in whom they believed -they saw the real heads of the tribes, and the legitimate objects, -therefore, of their vengeance.</p> - -<p>“Yield, Papist! Come, you shall have good quarter; on the word of a -ranger you shall,” cried an authoritative voice, the speaker at the same -time advancing a step, and dropping his rifle the length of his sinewy -arms.</p> - -<p>“Never!” answered the ecclesiastic, crossing himself.</p> - -<p>A suppressed voice from behind hurriedly murmured in his ear, “<i>Écoutez: -rendez-vous, mon père: je vous en supplie!</i>”</p> - -<p>“<i>Jamais! mieux vaut la mort que la miséricorde de brigands et -meurtriers!</i>” ejaculated the missionary, rejecting the counsel also, -with a vehement shake of the head.</p> - -<p>“<i>Grand Dieu! tout, donc, est fini</i>,” sighed the voice, despairingly.</p> - -<p>The rangers understood the gesture better than the words. An officer, -the same who had just spoken, again impatiently demanded, this time in a -higher and more threatening key,</p> - -<p>“A last time! Do you yield or no? Answer, friar!”</p> - -<p>The priest turned quickly, took the consecrated Host from the altar, -elevated it above his head, and, in a voice that was long remembered by -those who heard it, exclaimed,</p> - -<p>“To your knees, monsters! to your knees!”</p> - -<p>What the ranger understood of this pantomime and this command was that -they conveyed a scornful and a final refusal. Muttering under his -breath, “Your blood be upon your own head, then,” he levelled his<a name="page_265" id="page_265"></a> -gun and pulled the trigger. A general discharge from both sides shook -the building, filling it with thick and stifling smoke, and instantly -extinguishing the lights. The few dim rays penetrating the windows, and -which seemed recoiling from the frightful spectacle within, enabled the -combatants vaguely to distinguish each other in the obscurity. Not a cry -was heard; nothing but quick reports or blows signaled the progress of -this lugubrious combat.</p> - -<p>This butchery continued ten minutes, at the end of which the rangers, -with the exception of one of their number killed outright, issued from -the chapel, after having first stripped the altar, despoiled the shrine -of its silver image of the Virgin, and flung the Host upon the ground. -While this profanation was enacting a voice rose from the heap of dead -at the altar’s foot, which made the boldest heart among the rangers stop -beating. It said,</p> - -<p>“The Great Spirit of the Abenaquis will scatter darkness in the path of -the accursed Pale-faces! Hunger walks before and Death strikes their -trail! Their wives weep for the warriors that do not return! Manitou is -angry when the dead speak. The dead have spoken!”</p> - -<p>The torch was then applied to the chapel, and, like the rest of the -village, it was fast being reduced to a heap of cinders. But now -something singular transpired. As the rangers filed out from the -shambles the bell of the little chapel began to toll. In wonder and -dread they listened to its slow and measured strokes until, the flames -having mounted to the belfry, it fell with a loud clang among the ruins. -The rangers hastened onward. This unexpected sound already filled them -with gloomy forebodings.</p> - -<p>After the stern necessities of their situation rendered a separation -the sole hope of successful retreat, the party which carried along -with it the silver image was so hard pressed by the Indians, and by a -still more relentless enemy, famine, that it reached the banks of the -Connecticut reduced to four half-starved, emaciated men. More than once -had they been on the point of flinging their burden into some one of the -torrents every hour obstructing their way; but as one after another fell -exhausted or lifeless, the unlucky image passed from hand to hand, and -was thus preserved up to the moment so eagerly and so confidently looked -for, during that long and dreadful march, to end all their privations.</p> - -<p>But the chastisement of heaven, prefigured in the words of the expiring -Abenaqui, had already overtaken them. Half-crazed by their sufferings,<a name="page_266" id="page_266"></a> -they mistook the place of rendezvous appointed by their chief, and, -having no tidings of their comrades, believed themselves to be the sole -survivors of all that gallant but ill-fated band. In this conviction, to -which a mournful destiny conducted, they took the fatal determination -to cross the mountains under the guidance of one of their number who -had, or professed, a knowledge of the way through the Great Notch of the -White Hills.</p> - -<p>For four days they dragged themselves onward through thickets, through -deep snows and swollen streams, without sustenance of any kind, when -three of them, in consequence of their complicated miseries, aggravated -by finding no way through the wall of mountains, lost their senses. -What leather covered their cartouch-boxes they had already scorched -to a cinder and greedily devoured. At length, on the last days of -October, as they were crossing a small river dammed by logs, they -discovered some human bodies, not only scalped, but horribly mangled, -which were supposed to be some of their own band. But this was no -time for distinctions. On them they accordingly fell like cannibals, -their impatience being too great to await the kindling of a fire to -dress their horrid food by. When they had thus abated somewhat the -excruciating pangs they before endured, the fragments were carefully -collected for a future store.</p> - -<p>My pen refuses to record the dreadful extremities to which starvation -reduced these miserable wretches. At length, after some days of -fruitless wandering up and down, finding the mountains inexorably -closing in upon them, even this last dreadful resource failed, and, -crawling under some rocks, they perished miserably in the delirium -produced by hunger and despair, blaspheming, and hurling horrible -imprecations at the silver image, to which, in their insanity, they -attributed all their sufferings. One of them, seizing the statue, -tottered to the edge of a precipice, and, exerting all his remaining -strength, dashed it down into the gulf at his feet.</p> - -<p>Tradition affirms that the first settlers who ascended Israel’s River -found relics of the lost detachment near the foot of the mountains; but, -notwithstanding the most diligent search, the silver image has thus far -eluded every effort made for its recovery.<a name="page_267" id="page_267"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VII-3" id="CHAPTER_VII-3"></a>VII.<br /><br /> -<small>MOOSEHILLOCK.</small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">And so, when restless and adrift, I keep<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Great comfort in a quietness like this,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">An awful strength that lies in fearless sleep,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">On this great shoulder lay my head, nor miss<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The things I longed for but an hour ago.<br /></span> -<span class="i11"><span class="smcap">Sarah O. Jewett.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">M</span>OOSEHILLOCK, or Moosilauke,<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a> is one of four or five summits from -which the best idea of the whole area of the White Mountains may be -obtained. It is not so remarkable for its form as for its mass. It is an -immense mountain.</p> - -<p>Lifted in solitary grandeur upon the extreme borders of the army of -peaks to which it belongs, and which it seems defending, haughtily -over-bearing those lesser summits of the Green Mountains confronting -it from the opposite shores of the Connecticut, which here separates -the two grand systems, like two hostile armies, the one from the other, -Moosehillock resembles a crouching lion, magnificent in repose, but -terrible in its awakening.</p> - -<p>This immense strength, paralyzed and helpless though it seems, is -nevertheless capable of arousing in us a sentiment of respectful -fear—respect for the creative power, fear for the suspended life we -believe is there. The mountain really seems lying extended under the sky -listening for the awful command, “Arise and walk!<a name="page_268" id="page_268"></a>”</p> - -<p>This mountain received a name before Mount Washington, and is in -some respects, as I hope to point out, the most interesting of the -whole group. In the first place, it commands a hundred miles of the -Connecticut Valley, including, of course, all the great peaks of the -Green Mountain and Adirondack chains. Again, its position confers -decided advantages for studying the configuration of the Franconia -group, to which, in a certain sense, it is allied, and of the ranges -enclosing the Pemigewasset Valley, which it overlooks. Moosehillock -stands in the broad angle formed by the meeting waters of the -Connecticut and the Ammonoosuc. In a word, it is an advanced bastion -of the whole cluster of castellated summits, constituting the White -Mountains in a larger meaning.</p> - -<p>Therefore no summit better repays a visit than Moosehillock; yet it is -astonishing, considering the ease of access, how few make the ascent. -The traveller can hardly do better than begin here his experiences of -mountain adventure, should chance conduct him this way; or, if making -his exit from the mountain region by the Connecticut Valley, he may, -taking it in his way out, make this the appropriate pendant of his -tours, romantic and picturesque.</p> - -<p>Having been so long known to and frequented by the Indian as well as -white hunters, the mountain is naturally the subject of considerable -legend,<a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a> which the historian of Warren has scrupulously gathered -together. One of these tales, founded on the disaster of Rogers, -recounts the sufferings of two of his men, hopelessly snared in the -great Jobildunk ravine. But that tale of horror needs no embellishment -from romance. This enormous rent, equally hideous in fact as in name, -cut into the vitals of the mountain so deeply that a dark stream gushes -from the gaping wound, conceals within its mazes several fine cascades. -Owing to long-continued drought, the streams were so puny and so languid -when I visited the mountain that I explored only the upper portion of -the gorge, which bristles with an untamed forest, levelling its myriad -spears at the breast of the climber.</p> - -<p>The greater part of the mountain lies in the town of Benton, or, -perhaps, it would be nearer the truth to say that fully half the -township is appropriated by its prodigious earthwork. But, to reach it -without undergoing<a name="page_269" id="page_269"></a> the fatigues of a long march through the woods, -it is necessary to proceed to the village of Warren, which is twenty -miles north of Plymouth, and about fourteen south of Haverhill. Behind -the village rises Mount Carr. Still farther to the north the summits -of Mounts Kineo, Cushman, and Waternomee, continuing this range now -separating us from the Pemigewasset Valley, form also the eastern wall -of the valley of Baker’s River, which has its principal source in the -ravines of Moosehillock. There is a bridle-path opening communication -with the mountain from the Benton side, on the north; and so with Lisbon -and Franconia. A carriage-road is also contemplated on that side, which -will render access still more feasible for a large summer population; -while a bridle-path, lately opened between two peaks of the Carr range, -facilitates ingress from the Pemigewasset side.</p> - -<p>I set out from the village of Warren on one of the hottest afternoons -of an intensely hot and dry summer. The five miles between the village -and the base of the mountain need not detain the sight-seer. At the -crossing of Baker’s River I remarked again the granite-bed honey-combed -with those curious pot-holes sunk by whirling stones, first set in -motion and then spun around by the stream, which here, breaking up into -several wild pitches, pours through a rocky gorge. But how gratefully -cool and refreshing was even the sound of rushing water in that still, -stifling atmosphere, coming, one would think, from a furnace! Then for -two miles more the horse crept along the road, constantly ascending the -side of the valley, until the last house was reached. Here we passed a -turnpike-gate, rolled over the crisped turf of a stony pasture through a -second gate, and were at the foot of Moosehillock.</p> - -<p>In a trice we exchanged the sultriness, the dryness, the dust, parching -or suffocating us, of a shadeless road, for the cool, moist air of the -mountain-forest and the delectable sound of running water. A brook shot -past; then another; then the horse, who stopped when he liked, and as -often as he liked, like a man forced to undertake a task which he is -determined shall cost his task-masters dearly, began a languid progress -up the increasing declivity before us. His sighs and groans, as he -plodded wearily along, were enough to melt a heart of stone. I therefore -dismounted and walked on, leaving the driver to follow as he could. The -question was, not how the horse should get us up the mountain, but how -we should get the horse up.</p> - -<p>They call it four and a half miles from the bottom to the top. The<a name="page_270" id="page_270"></a> -distances indicated by the sign-boards, nailed to trees, did not appear -to me exact. They are not exact; and the reason why they are not is -sufficiently original to merit a word of explanation. Having long -observed the effect of imagination, especially in computing distances, -the builder of the road, as he himself informed me, adopted a truly -ingenious method of his own. He lengthened or shortened his miles -according as the travelling was good or bad. For example: the first -mile, being an easy one, was stretched to a mile and a quarter. The -last mile is also very good travelling. That, too, he lengthened to a -mile and a half. In this way he reduced the intervening two and a half -miles of the worst road to one and three-fourth miles. This absolutely -harmless piece of deception, he averred, considerably shortened the most -difficult part of the journey. No one complained that the good miles -were too long, while the bad ones were now passed over with far less -grumbling than before they were abbreviated by this simple expedient, -which very few, I am convinced, would have thought of. In fact, the sum -of the whole distance being scrupulously adhered to, it is the most -civil piece of engineering of which I have any knowledge.</p> - -<p>The road up is rough, tedious, and, until the ridge at the foot of the -south peak is reached, uninteresting. It crooks and turns with absolute -lawlessness while climbing the flanks of the southern peak, skirting -also the side of the profound ravine eating its way into the mountain -from the south. Nearing this summit we obtained through an opening a -glimpse of Mount Washington, veiled in the clouds. The trees now visibly -dwindled. Just before reaching the ridge, where it joins this peak, a -fine spring, deliciously cold, gushed from the mountain side. A few -rods more of ascent brought us quite out upon the long, narrow, curving -backbone of the mountain, uplifting its sharp edge between two profound -gorges, connecting the peaks set at its two extremes, between which -Nature has decreed a perpetual divorce. The sun was just setting as we -emerged upon this natural way conducting from peak to peak along the -airy crest of the mountain.</p> - -<p>Although this, it will be remembered, is one of the longest miles, -according to the scale of computation in vogue here, the unexpected -speed which the horse now put forth, the sight of the squat, little -Tip-Top House, clinging to the summit beyond, the upper and nether -worlds floating or fading in splendor, while the night-breezes sweeping -over cooled our foreheads, and rudely jostled the withered trees, drawn -a little<a name="page_271" id="page_271"></a> apart to the right and left to let us pass, quickly replaced -that weariness of mind and body which the mountain exacts of all who -pass over it on a sultry midsummer’s day.</p> - -<p>At the extremity of the ridge, which is only wide enough for the road, -a gradual ascent led to the high summit and to a level plateau of a -few acres at its top. This was treeless, but covered with something -like soil, smooth, and, being singularly free from the large stones -found everywhere else, affords good walking in any direction. The -house is built of rough stone, and, though of primitive construction, -is comfortable, and even inviting. Furthermore, its materials being -collected on the spot, one accepts it as still constituting a part of -the mountain, which, indeed, at a little distance it really seems to -be. In the evening I went out, to find the mountain blindfolded with -clouds. Soon rain began to drive against the window-panes in volleys. -At a late hour we heard wheels grinding on the rocks outside, and then -a party of tourists drove up to the door, dripping and crestfallen at -having undertaken the ascent with a storm staring them in the face. But -they had only this one day, they said, and were “bound” to go up the -mountain. So up they toiled through pitch darkness, through rain and -cloud, passed the night in a building said to be on the summit, and -returned down the mountain in the morning, to catch their train, through -as dense a fog as ever exasperated a hurried tourist. But they had been -to the top! Are there anywhere else in the world people who travel two -hundred miles for a single day’s recreation?</p> - -<p>It is very curious, this being domesticated on the top of a mountain. We -go to bed wondering if the scene will not all vanish in our dreams. It -was very odd, too, to see the tourists silently mount their buck-board -in the morning, and disappear, within a stone’s throw, in clouds. -Detaching themselves to all intents from earth, they began a flight in -air. Walking a short distance, perhaps a gunshot, from the house, I -groped my way back with difficulty. The case seemed desperate.</p> - -<p>But grandest scene of all was the breaking up of the storm. Shortly -after noon the high sun began to exert a sensible influence upon the -clouds. A perceptible warmth, replacing the chill and clammy mists, -began to pervade the mountain-top. Presently a dim sun-ray shot through. -Then, as if a noiseless explosion had suddenly rent them, the whole -mass of clouds was torn in ten thousand tatters flying through space. -All nature seemed seized with sudden frenzy. Here a summit<a name="page_272" id="page_272"></a> and there a -peak was seen, struggling fiercely in the grasp of the storm. Coming up -with rushing noise, the west wind charged home the routed storm-clouds -with fresh squadrons. What indescribable yet noiseless tumult raged in -the heavens! Even the mountains seemed scarcely able to stem the tide -of fugitives. A panic seized them. Fear gave them wings. They rushed -pell-mell into the ravines and clung to the tree-tops; they dashed -themselves blindly against the adamant of Lafayette, only to fall -back broken into the deep fosse beneath. Bolts of dazzling sunshine -continually tore through them. The gorges themselves seemed heaped with -the wounded and the dying. But the rushing wind, trampling the fugitives -down, dispersed and cut them mercilessly to pieces. One was irresistibly -carried away by this rage of battle. In ten minutes I looked around upon -a clear sky. One cloud, impaled on the gleaming spear of Lafayette, -hung limp and lifeless; another floated like a scarf from the polished -casque of Chocorua; a third, taken prisoner <i>en route</i>, humbly held the -train of Washington. All the rest of the phantom host, using its power -to render itself invisible, vanished from sight as if the mountains had -swallowed it up.</p> - -<p>The landscape being now fully uncovered, I enjoyed all its rare -perfection. It is a superb and fascinating one, invested with a -powerful individuality, surrounded by a charm of its own. You wish to -see the two great chains? There they are, the greater rising over the -lesser, in the order fixed by Nature. That sunny space in the softened -coloring of old tapestry, more to the right, is the Pemigewasset Valley, -and the spot from where not long ago we looked up at this mountain -looming large in the distance. We raise our eyes to glance up the East -Branch upon Mount Hancock and the peaks of Carrigain peeping over. -We touch with magic wand the faint cone of Kearsarge, so dim that it -seems as if it must rise and float away; then, continuing to call the -roll of mountains, Moat, Tripyramid, Chocorua, and all our earlier -acquaintances rise or nod among the Sandwich peaks. Some draw their -cloud-draperies over their bare shoulders, some sun their naked and -hairy breasts in savage luxury. We alight like a bird upon the glassy -bosom of Winnepiseogee the incomparable, and, like the bird, again rise, -refreshed, for flights still more remote. We sweep over the Uncanoonucs -into Massachusetts, steadying the eye upon far Wachusett as we pass from -the Merrimac Valley. Now come thronging in upon us the mountains of the -Connecticut Valley. We rest awhile upon the transcendently beautiful<a name="page_273" id="page_273"></a> -expanse of the Ox-Bow, and its playthings of villages, strung along -the glittering necklace of the river. Across this valley, lifting our -eyes, we wander among the loftiest peaks of the Green Mountains—those -colossal <i>verd-antiques</i>—exchanging frozen glances across the placid -expanse of Champlain with the haughtiest summits of the Adirondacks. -We grow tired of this. One last look, this time up the valley, reveals -to us the wide and curious gap between two distant mountains, and far -beyond Memphremagog, where these mountains rise, we scan all the route -travelled by Rogers, the perils of which are fresh in our memory. We -pass on unchallenged into the dominions of Victoria.</p> - -<p>Is not this a landscape worth coming ten miles out of one’s way to see? -And yet the half is not told. I have merely indicated its dimensions. -Now let the reader, drawing an imaginary line from peak to peak, go -over at leisure all that lies between. I merely prick the chart for -him. Moosehillock, not quite five thousand feet high, overlooks all -New Hampshire, pushes investigation into Maine and Massachusetts, is -familiar with Vermont, distant with New York, and has an eye upon -Canada. It is said the ocean has been seen, but I did not see it.</p> - -<p>Circumstances compelled me to drive the old horse, who has made more -ascensions of the mountain than any living thing, back to Warren. No -other was to be had for love or money. Had there been time I would have -preferred walking, but there was not. This horse measured sixteen hands. -His thin body and long legs resembled a horse upon stilts. He looked -dejected, but resigned. I argued that he would be able to get down the -mountain somehow; and, once out of the woods, I could count on his -eagerness to get home, to some extent, perhaps. I was not deceived in -either expectation.</p> - -<p>The road, as I have said, is for most of the way a rough, steep, and -stony one. In order to check the havoc made by sudden showers, and -to hold the thin soil in place, hemlock-boughs were spread over it, -artfully concealing those protruding stones which the scanty soil -refused to cover. He who intrusted himself to it did not find it a -bed of roses. The buck-board was the longest, clumsiest, and most -ill-favored it has ever been my lot to see. This vehicle, being peculiar -to the mountains, demands, at least, a word. It is a very primitive and -ingenious affair, and cheaply constructed. Naturally, therefore, it -originated where the farmers were poor and the roads bad. But what is -the buck-board? Every one has seen the spring-board of a gymnasium or of -a circus. A smooth<a name="page_274" id="page_274"></a> plank, ten feet long, resting upon trestles placed -at either end, assists the acrobat to vault high in the air. Each time -he falls the rebound sends him up again. This is the principle of the -buck-board. Remove the trestles, put a pair of wheels in the place of -each, and you have the vehicle itself, <i>minus</i> shafts or pole, according -as one or two horses are to draw it. Increased weight bends the board or -the spring more and more until it is in danger of touching the ground. -The passengers sit in the hollow of this spring, the natural tendency of -which is to shoot them into the air.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_274_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_274_sml.jpg" width="255" height="310" alt="THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON." -title="THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON.</span> -</p> - -<p>I am justified in speaking thus of the road and the vehicle. But -who shall describe the horse? That animal was possessed of a devil, -and, like the swine of the miracle, ran violently all the way down -the mountain, without stopping for water or breath. Fortunate indeed -for me was it that the sea was not at the bottom. In three-quarters -of an<a name="page_275" id="page_275"></a> hour, half of which was spent in the air, I was at the foot -of the mountain which had required two tedious hours to ascend. How -the quadruped managed to avoid falling headlong fifty times over -the concealed stones I have no idea. How I contrived to alight, -when a wheel, coming violently against one of these stones, put the -spring-board in play—how I contrived to alight, I remark, during this -game of battledoor and shuttlecock, never twice in the same place, is to -this day an enigma.</p> - -<p>The houses of ancient Rome frequently bore the inscription for the -benefit of strangers, “<i>Cave canem.</i>” This could be advantageously -replaced here, upon the first turnpike-gate, at the mountain’s foot, -with the warning, “Beware of the horse!<a name="page_276" id="page_276"></a>”</p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VIII-3" id="CHAPTER_VIII-3"></a>VIII.<br /><br /> -<small><i>BETHLEHEM.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0"><i>Ros.</i> O Jupiter! how weary are my spirits!<br /></span> -<span class="i0"><i>Touch.</i> I care not for my spirits, if my legs were not weary.<br /></span> -<span class="i18"><i>As You Like It.</i><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">H</span>AVING finished with the western approach to the White Mountains, I -was now at liberty to retrace my route up the Ammonoosuc Valley, which -so abounds in picturesque details—farms, hamlets, herds, groups of -pines, maples, torrents, roads feeling their way up the heights—to -that anomaly of mountain towns, Bethlehem. Thanks to the locomotive, -the journey is short. The villages of Bath, Lisbon, Littleton, are -successively entered; the same flurry gives a momentary activity to each -station, the same faces crowd the platforms, and the same curiosity is -exhibited by the passengers, whose excitement receives an increase with -every halt of the laboring train.</p> - -<p>Bethlehem is ranged high up, along the side of a mountain, like the -best china in a cupboard. The crest of Mount Agassiz<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> rises behind -it. Beneath the village the ground descends, rather abruptly, to the -Ammonoosuc, which winds, through matted woods, its way out of the -mountains. There are none of those eye-catching gleams of water which so -agreeably diversify these interminable miles of forest and mountain land.</p> - -<p>It is only by ascending the slopes of Mount Agassiz that we can secure -a stand-point fairly showing the commanding position of Bethlehem, or -where its immediate surroundings may be viewed all at once. It is so -situated, with respect to the curvature of this mountain, that at one -end of the village they do not know what is going on at the other. -One<a name="page_277" id="page_277"></a> end revels in the wide panorama of the west, the other holds the -unsurpassed view of the great peaks to the east.</p> - -<p>Bethlehem has risen, almost by magic, at the point where the old highway -up the Ammonoosuc is intersected by that coming from Plymouth, the -Pemigewasset Valley, and the Profile House. In time a small roadside -hamlet naturally clustered about this spot. Dr. Timothy Dwight, the -pioneer traveller for health and pleasure among these mountains, -passed through here in 1803. Speaking of the appearance of Bethlehem, -he says: “There is nothing which merits notice, except the patience, -enterprise, and hardihood of the settlers which have induced them to -stay upon so forbidding a spot; a magnificent prospect of the White -Mountains; and a splendid collection of other mountains in their -neighborhood, particularly on the south-west.” It was then reached by -only one wretched road, which passed the Ammonoosuc by a dangerous ford. -The few scattered habitations were mere log-cabins, rough and rude. -The few planting-fields were still covered with dead trees, stark and -forbidding, which the settlers, unable to fell with the axe, killed by -girdling, as the Indians did.</p> - -<p>From this historical picture of Bethlehem in the past, we turn to -the Bethlehem of to-day. It is turning from the post-rider to the -locomotive. Not a single feature is recognizable except the splendid -prospect of the White Mountains, and the magnificent collection of -other mountains, which call forth the same admiration to-day. Fortunate -geographical position, salubrity, fine scenery—these, and these alone, -are the legitimate cause of what may be termed the rise and progress -of Bethlehem. All that the original settlers seem to have accomplished -is to clear away the forests which intercepted, and to make the road -conducting to the view.</p> - -<p>It is the position of Bethlehem with respect to the recognized points -or objects of interest that gives to it a certain strategic advantage. -For example, it is admirably situated for excursions north, south, -east, or west. It is ten miles to the Profile, twelve to the Fabyan, -seventeen to the Crawford, fifteen to the Waumbek, and eighteen to the -base of Mount Washington. One can breakfast at Bethlehem, dine on Mount -Washington, and be back for tea; and he can repeat the experience with -respect to the other points named as often as inclination may prompt. -Moreover, the great elevation exempts Bethlehem from the malaria and -heat of the valleys. The air is dry, pure, and invigorating, rendering<a name="page_278" id="page_278"></a> -it the paradise of those invalids who suffer from periodical attacks of -hay-fever. Lastly, it is new, or comparatively new, and possesses the -charm of novelty—not the least consideration to the thousands who are -in pursuit of that and that only.</p> - -<p>Bethlehem Street is the legitimate successor of the old road. This is -a name <i>sui generis</i> which seems hardly appropriate here, although it -is so commonly applied to the principal thoroughfares of our inland New -England villages. It has a spick-and-span look, as if sprung up like -a bed of mushrooms in a night. And so, in fact, it has; for Bethlehem -as a summer resort dates only a few years back its sudden rise from -comparative obscurity into the full blaze of popular fame and favor. -The guide-book of fifteen years ago speaks of the <i>one</i> small but -comfortable hotel, kept by the Hon. J. G. Sinclair. In fact, very little -account was made of it by travellers, except to remark the magnificent -view of the White Mountains on the east, or of the Franconia Mountains -on the south, as they passed over the then prescribed tour from North -Conway to Plymouth, or <i>vice versa</i>.</p> - -<p>But this newness, which you at first resent, besides introducing here -and there some few attempts at architectural adornment, contrasts -very agreeably with the ill-built, rambling, and slip-shod appearance -of the older village-centres. They are invariably most picturesque -from a distance. But here there is an evident effort to render the -place itself attractive by making it beautiful. Good taste generally -prevails. I suspect, however, that the era of good taste, beginning with -the incoming of a more refined and intelligent class of travellers, -communicated its spirit to two or three enterprising and sagacious -men,<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a> who saw in what Nature had done an incentive for their own -efforts. We walk here in a broad, well-built thoroughfare, skirted on -both sides with hotels, boarding-houses, and modern cottages, in which -three or four thousand sojourners annually take refuge. All this has -grown from the “one small hotel” of a dozen years ago. Shade-trees and -grass-plots beautify the way-side. An immense horizon is visible from -these houses, and even the hottest summer days are rendered endurable -by the light airs produced and set in motion by the oppressive heats of -the valley. The sultriest season is, therefore, no bar to out-of-door -exercise for persons of average health,<a name="page_279" id="page_279"></a> rendering walks, rambles, or -drives subject only to the will or caprice of the pleasure-seeker. -But in the evening all these houses are emptied of their occupants. -The whole village is out-of-doors, enjoying the coolness or the -panorama with all the zest unconstrained gratification always brings. -The multitudes of well-dressed promenaders surprise every new-comer, -who immediately thinks of Saratoga or Newport, and their social -characteristics. Bethlehem, he thinks, must be the ideal of those who -would carry city or, at least, suburban life among the mountains; who do -not care a fig for solitude, but prefer to find their pleasures still -connected with their home life. They are seeing life and seeing nature -at the same time.</p> - -<p>Sauntering along the street from the Sinclair House, a strikingly large -and beautiful prospect opens as we come to the Belleview. Here the -road, making its exit from the village, descends to the Ammonoosuc. The -valley broadens and deepens, exposing to view all the town of Littleton, -picturesquely scattered about the distant hill-sides. Its white houses -resemble a bank of daisies. The hills take an easy attitude of rest. -Six hundred feet below us the bottom of the valley exhibits its rich -savannas, interspersed with cottages and groves. Above its deep hollow -the Green Mountains glimmer in the far west. “Ah!” you say, “we will -stop here.”</p> - -<p>Let us now again, leaving the Sinclair House behind, ascend the -road to the Profile. It is not so much travelled as it was before -the locomotive, in his coat-of-mail, sounded his loud trumpet at -the gates of Franconia. A mile takes us to the brow of the hill. We -hardly know which way to look first. Two noble and comprehensive views -present themselves. To the left Mount Agassiz rears his commanding -peak. In front of us, across a valley, is the great, deeply-cloven -Franconia Notch. Lafayette is superb here. Now the large, compact -mass of Moosehillock looms on the extreme right, together with all -those striking objects lately studied or observed from the village of -Franconia, which so quietly reposes beneath us. But this landscape -properly belongs to the environs of Bethlehem, and never is it so -incomparably grand as when the summits are fitfully revealed, battling -fiercely with storm-clouds. Every phase of the conflict is watched with -eager attention. Seeing all this passion above, it calls up a smile to -look down at the unbroken and unconscious tranquillity of the valley.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_280_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_280_sml.jpg" width="339" height="450" alt="MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM." -title="MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM.</span> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_280" id="page_280"></a>Facing now in the direction of Bethlehem, the eye roves over the -broad basin of the Ammonoosuc for many miles up and down. The hills of -Littleton, Whitefield, Dalton, Carroll, and Jefferson bend away from -the opposite side; and over the last the toothed Percy Peaks<a name="FNanchor_38_38" id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a> rise -blue and clear<a name="page_281" id="page_281"></a> at the point where the waters of the Connecticut and the -Androscoggin, approaching each other, conduct the Grand Trunk Railway -out of the mountains. The west is packed with the high summits of the -Green Mountain chain. The great White Mountains are concealed, as yet, -by the swell of the mountain down whose side the road conducts to the -village. “This,” you exclaim, “this is the spot where we will pitch -our tents!” But there is no public-house here, and we are reluctantly -forced to descend. In proportion as we go down, this seemingly limitless -panorama suffers a partial eclipse. The landscape changes from the -high-wrought epic to the grand pastoral, if such a distinction may -be applied to differing forms of mountain scenery. This approach is, -without doubt, the most striking introduction to Bethlehem. It is -curiously instructive, too, as regards the relative merits of successive -elevations, each higher than the other, as proper view-points.</p> - -<p>A third ramble is altogether indispensable before we can say that we -know Bethlehem of the Hills. The direction is now to the east, by the -road to the Crawford House, or Fabyan’s, or the Twin. We continue along -the high plateau, in the shade of sugar-maples or Lombardy poplars, -to the eastern skirt of the village, the houses getting more and more -unfrequent, until we come upon the edge of the slope to the Ammonoosuc, -where the road to Whitefield, Lancaster, and Jefferson, leaving the main -thoroughfare, drops quietly down into Bethlehem Hollow. No envious hill -now obstructs the truly “magnificent view.” Through the open valley the -lordly mountains again inthrall us with the might of an overpowering -majesty.</p> - -<p>This locality has taken the name of the great hotel erected here -by Isaac Cruft, whose hand is visible everywhere in Bethlehem. The -Maplewood, as it is called, easily maintains at its own end the prestige -of Bethlehem for rapid growth. When I first visited the place, in -1875, I found a modest roadside hostelry accommodating sixty guests; -five years later a mammoth structure, in which six hundred could be -accommodated, had risen, like Aladdin’s palace, on the same spot. -Instead of our little musical entertainment, our mock-trial, our quiet -rubber of whist, of an evening, there were readings, lectures, balls, -masquerades, theatricals, <i>musicales</i>, for every day of the week.<a name="page_282" id="page_282"></a></p> - -<p>But Bethlehem is emphatically the place of sunsets. In this respect no -other mountain resort can pretend to equal it. From no other village -are so many mountains visible at once; at no other has the landscape -such length and breadth for giving full effect to these truly wonderful -displays. More because the sublimity of the scene deserves a permanent -chronicle than from any confidence in my own ability to reproduce it, I -attempt in black and white to describe one of unparalleled intensity of -color, one that may never be repeated, certainly never excelled, while -the sun, the heavens, and the mountains shall last.</p> - -<p>A cold drizzle having set in on the day of my arrival, the mountains -were invisible when I rose in the morning. I looked, but they were no -longer there. I was much vexed at the prospect of being storm-bound, -or of making under compulsion a sojourn I had beforehand resolved -to make at my own good will and pleasure. So strongly is the spirit -of resistance developed in us. After a critical investigation of -the weather, it crossed my mind like an intuition that something -extraordinary was preparing behind the enormous masses of clouds -clinging like wet draperies to the skirts of the mountains, forming -an impenetrable curtain, now and then slowly lifted by the fresh -north wind, now suddenly distended or collapsing like huge sails, but -noiselessly and mysteriously as the ghostly canvas of the <i>Flying -Dutchman.</i></p> - -<p>Toward the middle of the afternoon, the wind having freshened, the -lower clouds broke apart here and there—just enough to reveal to us -that ever-new picture of the White Mountains, beautifully robed in -fresh snow, above the darker line of forest; but so thoroughly were -the high summits blended with the dull silver-gray of upper sky that -the true line of separation defied the keenest scrutiny to detect it. -This produced a curious optical illusion. Extended sumptuously along -the crest-line, rivalling the snow itself, a bank of white clouds -rendered the deception perfect, since just above them began that heavy -and dull expanse which overspread and darkened the whole heavens, -thus imperfectly delineating a second line of summits mounting to a -prodigious height. They seemed miles upon miles high.</p> - -<p>Up stretched this gigantic and shadowy phantasm of towers, domes, -and peaks, illimitably, as if mountains and heavens were indeed come -together in eternal alliance. At the same time the finger dipped in -water could trace a more conclusive outline on glass than the eye could -find here. The summits, a little luminous, emitted a cold, spectral -glare. It<a name="page_283" id="page_283"></a> gave you a chill to look at them. No sky, no earth, no deep -gorges, no stark precipices—no anything except that dead wall, so -sepulchral in its gray gloom that equally mind and imagination failed to -find one familiar outline or contour. The true peaks seemed clouds, and -the clouds peaks. But this phantasm was only the prologue.</p> - -<p>At the hour of sunset all the lower clouds had disappeared. The -upper heavens now wore that deep grape-purple impervious to light -or warmth, and producing the effect of a vast dome hung with black. -The storm replaced the azure tint of the sky with the most sombre -color in its laboratory. The light visibly waned. The icy peaks still -reflected a boreal glitter. But in the west these funereal draperies -fell a little short of touching the edge of the horizon—a bare -hand’s-breadth—leaving a crevice filled with golden light, pure and -limpid as water, clear and vivid as winnowed sunshine. The sun’s eye -would soon be applied to this peep-hole. A feverish impatience seized -us. We could see the people at their doors and in the street standing -silent and expectant, with their faces turned to the heavens. From a -station near Cruft’s Ledge we watched intently for the moment when this -splendid light, concentrated in one level sheet, should fall upon the -great mountains.</p> - -<p>In a few seconds a yellow spot of piercing brilliancy appeared in this -narrow band of light. One look at it was blinding; a second would have -paralyzed the optic nerve. Mechanically we put up our hands to shut -it out. Imagine a stream of molten iron—hissing-hot and throwing off -fiery spray—gushing from the side of a furnace! Even that can give -but a feeble idea of the unspeakable intensity of this last sun-ray. -It blazed. It flooded us with a suffocating effulgence. Suppose now -this cataract of liquid flame suddenly illuminating the pitchy darkness -of a cavern in the bowels of the earth. The effect was electrifying. -Confined between the upper and nether expanse—dull earth and brooding -sky—rendered tenfold more dazzling by the blackness above, beneath, the -sun poured upon the great mountains one magnificent torrent of radiance. -In an instant the broad land was deluged with the supreme glories of -that morning when the awful voice of God uttered the sublime command,</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Let there be light, and there was light.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>An electric shock awoke the torpid earth, transfigured the mountains. On -swept the mighty wave, shedding light, and warmth, and splendor<a name="page_284" id="page_284"></a> where a -moment before all was dark, cold, and spiritless. Like Ajax before Troy, -the giant hills braced on their dazzling armor. Like Achilles’s shield, -they threw back the brightness of the sun. Every tree stood sharply out. -Every cavern disclosed its inmost secrets. Twigs glittered diamonds, -leaves emitted golden rays. All was ravishingly beautiful.</p> - -<p>This superb exhibition continued while one might count a hundred. Then -all the lower mountains took on that ineffable purple that baffles -description. Starr King, Cherry Mountain, were resplendent. As if the -livid and thick-clustered clouds above had been trodden by invisible -feet, these peaks seemed drenched with the juice of the wine-press. -The high summits, buried in snow and cloud, were yet coldly impassive, -but presently, little by little, the light crept up and up. Now it -seized the topmost pinnacles. Heavens, what a sight! Ineffable glory -seemed quenched in the sublime terrors of that moment. On our right the -Twin and Franconia mountains glowed, from base to summit, like coals -of fire. The lower forests were wrapped in flame. Then all the snowy -line of peaks, from Adams to Clinton, turned blood-red. No pale rose -or carnation tints, as in those enrapturing summer sunsets so often -witnessed here. The stupendous and flaming mountains of hell seemed -risen before us, clothed with immortal terrors. We stood rooted to -the spot, like men who saw the judgment-day dawning, the solid earth -consuming, before their doubting eyes. Everlasting, unquenchable fires -seemed encompassing us about. Nothing more weird, more unearthly, -or more infernal was ever seen. Even the country-people, stolid and -indifferent as they usually are, regarded it with mingled stupefaction -and dismay.</p> - -<p>The drama approached its climax. Before we were aware, the valley grew -dark. But still, the granite peaks of Lafayette, and of that admirable -pyramid, Mount Garfield, which even the greater mountain cannot reduce -to impotence, glowed like iron drawn from the fire. Their incandescent -points, thrust upward into the black gulf of the heavens, towered -above the blacker gulfs below unspeakably. By degrees the scorching -heat cooled. The great Franconia spires successively paled. But long -after they seemed reduced to ashes, the red flame still lingered upon -the snows of Mount Washington. At last that, too, faded out. Life was -extinct. The great summit took on a wan and livid hue. Night kindly -spread her mantle over the lifeless form of the mountain, which still -disclosed its larger outlines rigid, majestic, even in death.<a name="page_285" id="page_285"></a></p> - -<p>Twilight succeeded—twilight steeped in silence and coolness, in the -thousand odors exhaled by the teeming earth. One by one the birds hushed -their noisy twitter. Overcome by their own perfumes, flowers shut their -dewy petals and drooped their tender little heads. The river seemed a -drowsy voice rising from the depths of the forest, complaining that -it alone should toil on while all else reposed. With night comes the -feeling of immensity. With sleep the conviction that we are nothing, -and that the order of nature disturbs itself in nothing for us. If we -awake, well; if not, well again. What if we should never wake? One such -splendid pageant as I have attempted to describe instinctively quenches -human pride. It is true, a sunset is in itself nothing, but it compels -you to admit that the world moves for itself, not for you. Believe it -not a gorgeous display in which you, the critical spectator, assist, but -the signal that the day ends and the night cometh. A spectacle that can -arouse the emotions of joy, fear, hope, suspense—nothing? Perhaps. God -knows.</p> - -<p>There are very pleasant walks, affording fine views of all the highest -mountains, around the eastern slope or to the summit of the mountain -rising at the back of the hotel. The bare but grassy crest of this -mountain, one of my favorite haunts, enabled me to reconnoitre my route -in advance up the valley, and to look over into the yet unvisited -region of Jefferson, or back again, at the environs of Franconia. The -glory that pours down upon these hills, the vales they infold, the wild -streams, the craggy mountain spurs, the soft, velvety clearings that -turn their dimpled cheeks to be kissed by the sunshine, may all be seen -and fully enjoyed from this spot.</p> - -<p>The heights behind us are well-wooded on the summits, but below this -belt of woodland extends a broad band of sunny clearings checkered with -fields of waving grain. These fields are among the highest cultivated -lands in New England. Long tillage was necessary to reduce this -refractory soil to subjection. Farther down, toward the railway-station, -the pastures are so encumbered with stones that a sheep would turn from -them in dismay. To mow among these stones a man would have to go down on -his knees.</p> - -<p>There is a beautiful orchard of sugar-maples down the road to the -Hollow; but it always makes me sad to see these trees standing with -their naked sides pierced and bleeding from gaping wounds.</p> - -<p>At the corner of this road my attention was arrested by a sign-board<a name="page_286" id="page_286"></a> -planted in front of an unpainted cottage, behind which rose a clump -of magnificent birches. I walked over to see what it could mean. The -sign-board bore the name “Sir Isaac Newton Gay,” in large black letters. -Here was a spur to curiosity! A knight, or at least a baronet, living -in humble seclusion, yet parading his quality thus in the face of the -world! Going to the gate, my perplexity increased upon seeing the -grass-plot in front of the dwelling literally covered with broken glass, -lamp-chimneys, bits of colored china, bottles of every imaginable shape -and size stuck upright upon sticks, interspersed with lumps of white -quartz. Some cabalistic meaning, doubtless, attached to the display. -This brilliant rubbish sparkled in the sun, filling the enclosure with -the cheap glitter of a pawnbroker’s shop-window. The thing so far -announced a little eccentricity, at least, so I made bold to push my -investigation still farther, and was rewarded by finding, piled against -the trunk of a tree, at the back of the house, a heap of skulls of -animals as high as my head. The recluse’s intent was now plain. Here -was a lesson that he who ran might read. The rubbish in the front yard -illustrated the pomp, glitter, and emptiness of life; the monument of -skulls its true estate, divested of all false show or pretence. Without -doubt this was a philosopher worthy of his name.</p> - -<p>I was admitted by a singular-looking being, with dry, straight, lank -hair, weak features, watery eyes, and a shuffling gait. Some accident -having partially closed one eye, gave him a look of preternatural -wisdom. He was ready to give an opinion on any subject under the sun, -no matter how difficult or abstruse, as soon as broached, and stroked -his scanty beard while doing so with evident self-complacency. I had a -moment to see that the walls were papered with old handbills of county -fairs, travelling shows, and the like, the floor covered with patches of -carpet as various as Joseph’s coat, when my man began a formula similar -to what the Bearded Lady drawls out or the Tattooed Man recites through -his nose to gaping rustics at a country muster, at ten cents a head. -He told where he was born, how old he was, and how long he had lived -in Bethlehem. At the proper moment I put my hand in my pocket and took -out a dime, which he thankfully accepted, and dropped inside a broken -coffee-pot.</p> - -<p>“Sir,” I observed, “seeing you are American-born, I infer your title -must have been conferred by some foreign potentate?”</p> - -<p>“No; that is my name.<a name="page_287" id="page_287"></a>”</p> - -<p>“But,” I pursued, “has it not an unrepublican sound in a country where -titles are regarded with distrust, not to say aversion?”</p> - -<p>“I tell you it is my name,” with some heat; “I was named for the great -<i>Sir</i> Isaac Newton.”</p> - -<p>“Your pardon, Sir Isaac. May I ask if you inherit the genius of your -distinguished namesake?”</p> - -<p>“Well, yes, to some extent I do; I philoserphize a good deal. I read a -good many books folks leaves here, besides what newspapers I can pick -up; but you see it costs a lifetime to get knowledge.”</p> - -<p>Jaques, the misanthrope, wandering in the Forest of Arden, was not more -astonished at Touchstone’s philosophy than I at this answer. “Very -true,” I assented. “What is your philosophy of life?”</p> - -<p>He tapped his forehead with his forefinger, but it was only too evident -the apartment was untenanted. He remained a moment or two as if in deep -thought, and then began,</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m eighty-six years of age, come next July.”</p> - -<p>My flesh began to creep: he was beginning, for the third time, his -eternal formula. The hermit, fumbling a red handkerchief, resumed,</p> - -<p>“I can say I’ve never wanted for necessaries, and don’t propose to give -myself any trouble about it.” And then he expatiated on the folly of -fretfulness.</p> - -<p>The Hermit of Bethlehem, as he is called, but who opens his door wide -for the world to enter, is a very ordinary sort of hermit indeed. -Still, his very feebleness of intellect, his vanity even, should be a -shield instead of a target for those who, like myself, are lured by the -unmeaning trumpery at his door, which has no other significance in the -world than a childish passion for objects that glitter in the sun.</p> - -<p>The constituents of hotel life do not belong to any locality: they -are universal. It is curious to see here people who have spent half -their lives in India, or China, or Australia moving about among the -untravelled with the well-bred ease and adaptation to circumstances that -newly-fledged tourists can neither understand nor imitate. It is very -droll, too, that people who have lived ten years in the same street, at -home, without knowing each other, meet here for the first time.</p> - -<p>I beg to introduce another acquaintance picked up by the roadside while -walking from the Twin Mountain House to Bethlehem. Had I been driving, -the incident would still have waited for a narrator.</p> - -<p>Climbing the hill-side at a snail’s pace was a peddler’s cart, drawn by<a name="page_288" id="page_288"></a> -a scrubby little white horse, and bearing a new broom for an ensign, -which seemed to symbolize that this petty trader meant to sweep the road -clean of its loose cash. The sides of the cart were gayly decorated -with pans, basins, dippers by the dozen, and bristled with knickknacks -for barter or ready money, from a gridiron to a door-mat. The movement -of the vehicle over the stony road kept up a lively clatter, which -announced its coming from afar. There being for the moment, no house in -sight, the proprietor was engaged in picking raspberries by the roadside.</p> - -<p>The peddler—well, he was little, and stubby too, like his horse, -for whom he had dismounted to lighten the pull up-hill. The animal -seemed to know his business, for he stopped short as often as he came -to a water-bar, blew a cloud from his nostrils, champed his bit, and -distended his sides so alarmingly with a long, deep respiration, that -the patched-up harness seemed in danger of bursting. He then glanced -over his shoulder toward his master, shook his head deprecatingly, and, -with a deep sigh, moved on.</p> - -<p>The little merchant of small wares and great had on a rusty felt hat, -rakishly set on one side of his bullet head, and a faded olive-green -coat, rather short in the skirts, to conceal two patches in his -trousers. The latter were tucked into a pair of dusty boots very much -turned up at the toes. His face was a good deal sunburnt, and his -hair, eyebrows, and mustache were the color of the road—sandy. Except -a pair of scissors, the points of which protruded from his left-hand -vest-pocket, I perceived no weapon offensive or defensive about him. He -was a very innocent-looking peddler indeed.</p> - -<p>As I was passing him he held out a handful of ripe fruit. The hand was -disfigured with an ugly cicatrice: it was rather dirty. He accompanied -the offer with an invitation to “hop on” his cart and ride. This double -civility emanated from a gentleman and a peddler.</p> - -<p>The walk from Crawford’s to Bethlehem <i>is</i> rather fatiguing; but I said, -as in duty bound, “No” (I said it because the thought of riding through -Bethlehem Street on the top of a peddler’s cart appeared ridiculous in -my eyes—with shame I confess it), “thank you; your horse already has -all he can pull, and I have only a mile or two farther to go.”</p> - -<p>The peddler then fell into step with me, taking a long, even stride that -brought back old recollections. I said,<a name="page_289" id="page_289"></a></p> - -<p>“You have been a soldier.”</p> - -<p>“How know you dat?”</p> - -<p>“By your gait—you do not walk, you march: by that sabre-cut on your -right hand.”</p> - -<p>“Ha! you goot eyes haf; but it a payonet vas.”</p> - -<p>Believing I saw a veteran of our great civil war, I asked, with -undisguised interest,</p> - -<p>“Where did you serve? Where were you wounded?”</p> - -<p>“Von year und half in war mit Danemark, von year und half mit Oustria, -und two mit Vrance.”</p> - -<p>I looked at him again. What! That undersized, insignificant appearing -little chap, whom I could easily have pitched into the ditch, he a -soldier of Sadowa, of Metz, of Paris. Bah!</p> - -<p>“So, the wars over, you emigrated to America?”</p> - -<p>“Right avay. Ven I get home from Baris I tell Linda, my vife, ‘Look -here, Linda: I been soldier six year. Now I plenty fighting got. Dere’s -two hunder thaler in the knapsack. Shut your mouth tight, open your eye -close, and we get out of dis double-quig.’ She say ‘Where I go?’ und I -tell her the <i>U</i>-nited States, by hell, befor anoder var come. She begin -to cry, I begin to schwear, und we settle it right avay.”</p> - -<p>I asked if he minded telling how he came by the wound in his hand. This -is what he told me in his broken English:</p> - -<p>When Marshal Bazaine made his last desperate effort to shake off the -deadly gripe the Prussians had fastened upon Metz, a battalion of -<i>tirailleurs</i> suddenly surrounded an advanced post established by -the Germans in the suburbs. The morning was foggy, and the surprise -complete. The picket had hardly the time to run to their arms before -they were driven back pell-mell on the reserve, amid a shower of balls. -The reserve took refuge in a stone building surrounded by a thick hedge, -maintaining an irregular fire from the windows. One of the last to cross -the court-yard, with the French at his heels, was our German. Before -he could gain the friendly shelter of the house he stumbled and fell -headlong, his gun flying through the air as he came to the ground, so -that he was not only prostrate but disarmed.</p> - -<p>Half-stunned, he scrambled to his knees just as his nearest pursuer -made a savage lunge with his sabre-bayonet. The Prussian instinctively -grasped it. While trying thus to parry the deadly thrust, the keen<a name="page_290" id="page_290"></a> -weapon pierced his hand, and he was a second time borne to the earth, -or, rather, pinned to it by his adversary’s bayonet.</p> - -<p>“<i>Rendez-vous Allemand, cochon!</i>” screamed the Frenchman, bestriding the -little Prussian with a look of mortal hatred.</p> - -<p>“<i>Je ne fous combrends,</i>” replied the wounded man, drawing a revolver -with his free hand and shooting his enemy dead. “I couldn’t helb it, -I vas so mad,” finished the ex-soldier, running to serve two of his -customers, who stood waiting for him at a gate by the roadside. I left -him exhibiting ribbons, edgings, confectionery—heaven knows what!—with -all the volubility of an experienced shopman.<a name="page_291" id="page_291"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IX-3" id="CHAPTER_IX-3"></a>IX.<br /><br /> -<small><i>JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL’S RIVER.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Through the valley runs a river, bright and rocky, cool and swift,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Where the wave with many a quiver plays around the pine-tree’s drift.<br /></span> -<span class="i19"><i>Good Words.</i><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">I</span>T remains to introduce the reader into the valley watered by Israel’s -River, and for this purpose we take the rail from Bethlehem to -Whitefield, and from Whitefield to Jefferson.</p> - -<p>Like Bethlehem, Jefferson lies reposing in mid-ascent of a mountain. -Here the resemblance ends. The mountain above it is higher, the valley -beneath more open, permitting an unimpeded view up and down. The -hill-side upon which the clump of hotels is situated makes no steep -plunge into the valley, but inclines gently down to the banks of the -river. Instead of crowding upon and jostling each other, the mountains -forming opposite sides of this valley remain tranquilly in the alignment -they were commanded not to overstep. The confusion there is reduced to -admirable order here; the smooth slopes, the clean lines, the ample -views, the roominess, so to speak, of the landscape, indicate that -everything has been done without haste, with precision, and without -deviation from the original plan, which contemplated a paradise upon -earth.</p> - -<p>Issuing from the wasted sides of Mount Jefferson and Mount Adams, -Israel’s River runs a short north-westerly course of fifteen miles into -the Connecticut at Lancaster. This beautiful stream received its name -from Israel Glines, a hunter, who frequented these regions long before -the settlement of the country. The road from Lancaster to Gorham follows -the northern highlands of its valley to its head, then crossing the -dividing ridge which separates its waters from those of Moose River, -descends this stream to the Androscoggin at Gorham.</p> - -<p>On the north side Starr King Mountain rises 2400 feet above the valley -and 3800 feet above the sea. On the south side Cherry Mountain<a name="page_292" id="page_292"></a> lifts -itself 3670 feet higher than the tide-level. These two mountains form -the broad basin through which Israel’s River flows for more than half -its course. The village of Jefferson Hill lies on the southern slope -of Starr King, and, of course, on the north side of the valley. Cherry -Mountain, the most prominent object in the foreground, is itself a -fine mountain study. It looks down through the great Notch, greeting -Chocorua. It is conspicuous from any elevated point north of the -Franconia group—from Fabyan’s, Bethlehem, Whitefield, Lancaster, etc. -Owl’s Head is a conspicuous protuberance of this mountain. Over the -right shoulder of Cherry Mountain stand the great Franconia Peaks, and -to the right of these, its buildings visible, is Bethlehem. Now look up -the valley.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_292_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_292_sml.jpg" width="333" height="280" alt="THE NORTHERN PEAKS FROM JEFFERSON." -title="THE NORTHERN PEAKS FROM JEFFERSON." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE NORTHERN PEAKS FROM JEFFERSON.</span> -</p> - -<p>We see that we have taken one step nearer the northern wing of the -great central edifice whose snowy dome dominates New England. We are -advancing as if to turn this magnificent battle-line of Titans, on -whose right Madison stands in an attitude to repel assault. Adams<a name="page_293" id="page_293"></a> next -erects his sharp lance, Jefferson his shining crescent, Washington his -broad buckler, and Monroe his twin crags against the sky. Jefferson, -as the nearest, stands boldly forward, showing its tremendous ravines, -and long, supporting ridges, with great distinctness. Washington loses -something of its grandeur here; at least it is not the most striking -object; that must be sought for among the sable-sided giants standing at -his right hand. The southern peaks, being foreshortened, show only an -irregular and flattened outline which we do not look at a second time. -From Madison to Lafayette, our two rallying points, the distance can -hardly be less than forty miles as the eye travels: the entire circuit -it is able to trace cannot fall short of seventy or eighty miles. As -at Bethlehem, the view out of the valley is chiefly remarkable for its -contrast with every other feature.</p> - -<p>I took a peculiar satisfaction in these views, they were so ample, -so extensive, so impressive. Here you really feel as if the whole -noble company of mountains were marshalled solely for your delighted -inspection. At no other point is there such unmeasured gratification -in seeing, because the eye roves without hinderance over the grandest -summits, placed like the Capitol at the head of its magnificent avenue. -It alights first on one pinnacle, then flits to another. It interrogates -these immortal structures with a calm scrutiny. It dives into the cool -ravines; it seeks to penetrate, like the birds, the profound silence -of the forests. It toils slowly up the broken crags, or loiters by -the cascades, hanging like athletes from dizzy brinks. It shrinks, it -admires, it questions; it is grave, gay, or thoughtful by turns. I do -not believe the man lives who, looking up to those mountains as in the -face of the Deity, can deliberately utter a falsehood: the lie would -choke him.</p> - -<p>Furthermore, you get the best idea of height here, because the long -amphitheatre of mountains is seen steadily growing in stature toward -the great central group; and comparison is, by all odds, the best of -teachers for the eye.</p> - -<p>If for no other reason than the respect due to age, Jefferson deserves a -moment to itself. It was granted, October 3d, 1765, to John Goffe, under -the name of Dartmouth. The road diverging here, and crossing Cherry -Mountain to Fabyan’s, is the oldest, as it long was the only highway -through the White Mountains. In those early times the travelled way -was by the Connecticut River and Lancaster through this valley to the -White Mountain Notch. The divergent road is the old turnpike<a name="page_294" id="page_294"></a> between -Vermont and Portland. Gradually, as settlements were pushed farther and -farther up the Ammonoosuc, a way was made by Bath, Lisbon, Littleton, -and Dalton, to Lancaster; but to pass beyond it was still necessary to -follow the old route; nor was it until after the settlement of Bethlehem -cleared the way that an execrable horse-path was made over the present -great highway up the Ammonoosuc. In 1803 President Dwight passed over -this new road on his second excursion to the great Notch. Few travellers -would now be willing to undergo what he did to see the mountains. -There were then only three or four houses in the sixteen miles between -Bethlehem and the Notch.</p> - -<p>One of the first settlers of Jefferson was Colonel Joseph Whipple, -mentioned in the narrative of Nancy, the ill-starred mountain-maid, who -died while following her faithless lover in his flight from Jefferson -out of the mountains. Colonel Whipple lived on the road to Cherry -Mountain, near the mill. In 1797 his was the only house on the road. -During the Revolution a party of Indians, led by a white man, surrounded -the house, and made Whipple their prisoner. Inventing some pretext, the -colonel obtained leave to go into another room, from which he made his -escape by a window and fled to the woods, where he successfully eluded -pursuit.</p> - -<p>Finding myself already well advanced toward the summit of Starr King, -I finished the ascent of this mountain during an afternoon’s stroll. -Nothing worthy of remark, except the exquisite view from the summit, -presented itself. Here I met again a throng of old acquaintances, and -encountered a crowd of new ones. Here I saw something like a shadow -darken the side of Mount Washington, and watched it creep steadily up -and up to the summit. The shadow was the smoke of the locomotive making -its last ascent for the day, under the eyes of thousands of spectators, -who look at it to turn away with a smile, a shrug, or a shake of the -head.</p> - -<p>The name of Starr King has become a household word with all travellers -in the White Mountains. It was most fitting that he who interpreted -Nature so well and so truly should receive his monument at her hands. To -him the mountains were emblematic of her highest perfection. He loved -them. His tone when speaking of them is always tender and caressing. -They appealed to his rare and exquisite perception of the beautiful, -to his fine and sensitive nature, capable of detecting intuitively -what was hid from common eyes. He felt their presence to<a name="page_295" id="page_295"></a> be ennobling -and uplifting. He opened for us the charmed portal. We accompanied him -through an earthly paradise then first revealed to us by the fervor -and wealth of his description. He led us to the shadiest retreats, the -coolest groves, the most secluded glens. He guided our footsteps up the -steep mountain-side to the bleak summit. Thrice fitting was it that a -mountain should perpetuate the name of Thomas Starr King. As was said at -the grave of Gautier, he too dated “from the creation of the beautiful.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p>I have now rested four days at Ethan Crawford’s, who lives on the side -of Boy Mountain, five miles east of Jefferson Hill, on the road to -Gorham. This Ethan is a son of the celebrated guide and host so well -known to former travellers by the <i>sobriquet</i> of Keeper of the Mountains.</p> - -<p>I go to the window, and facing toward the setting sun look down the -broadening valley of Israel’s River, over the glistening house-tops -of Whitefield, into and beyond the Connecticut Valley. I have Mitten -Mountain and Cherry Mountain, both heavily wooded, just over the way, -although the view of these elevations is in part intercepted by a nearer -mountain, also covered with a vigorous forest. At this moment I hear the -rush of the stream far down in the Hollow; and, following the serpentine -line its dark course makes among the press of hills, am confronted by -the massive slopes of Madison and Adams, the sombre ravine and castled -crags of Jefferson, and the hoary crest of Washington. I am really in -the heart of the mountains.</p> - -<p>Swiftly from these mountains descend, with exquisite grace, enormous -billows of deep sea-green, which do not subside but lift themselves -proudly at the foot of those great overhanging walls of olive and -malachite. Here rolling together, their foliage, bright or dark, repeats -the effect of flaws sweeping over a sunny sea. Their deep hollows, -arching sides, and limpid crests perfect the resemblance to the moment -when, having exerted its utmost energy, the panting ocean stands -exhausted and motionless in the grasp of the north wind.</p> - -<p>These lower mountains, interposing a barrier between the two valleys -of the Ammonoosuc and of Israel’s River, seem, you think, pushed up -from the yielding earth simply by the enormous weight of the higher -and neighboring mountains whose keen summit-lines cut New England<a name="page_296" id="page_296"></a> in -halves. At this hour these lines are edged with dull gold. All along -the wavering heights I can detect with the naked eye isolated black -crags, and can plainly see the deep dents in the broken cornices and -capitals of the grand old mountains—those vestiges of their primordial -architecture. Here the inclined ridge of the plateau, connecting the -pinnacle of Washington with the peaks of Monroe, is traced along its -whole extent. At this distance its craggy outline breaks in light -ripples, announcing nothing of that wilderness of stones assailing the -climber. All the asperities are softened into capricious harmonies. -Below yawn the ravines.</p> - -<p>The tracks of old slides and torrents in the side of Monroe remind -you of the branches of a gigantic fossil tree, exposed by a fracture -dividing the mountain in two. Such is, in fact, the impression received -by looking at this mountain; but the object which most excites my -attention is the broad and deep rent in the side of Jefferson, over -which hang on one side the crumbling counterfeits of towers and -battlements, while on the other cataracts, like necklaces, are suspended -over its unfathomed abysses. Cloud-shadows drift noiselessly along the -warm steeps. Cataracts glisten brightly in the sun. The grave peaks look -down unmoved on the play of the one and the sport of the other.</p> - -<p>The picture of life in East Jefferson would not be complete without the -old hound dozing in the sun, the turkey-cocks strutting consequentially -up and down, the barn-swallows darting swiftly in and out, the ring of -young Ethan’s anvil, and the bleating of sheep far up the mountain-side. -I see them nibbling the fresh herbage, and watch the gambols of the -lambs like a child—only the child laughs aloud, and I do not laugh. -Voices come down the hillside, and I see the slow movement of a hammock -and the flutter of a dress in the maple-grove. Poetry and perfume mingle -with the scent of wild-flowers and songs of golden-mouthed birds.</p> - -<p>Evening does not drive us within doors, the nights are so enchanting. -Day fades imperceptibly out. Even the stars seem disconcerted. One by -one they peep, and then flit from view. We watch the slow mustering of -the celestial host in silence. A meteor leaps from heaven to earth. -The fire-flies resemble a shower of sparks, or, as darkness deepens, -a phosphorescent sea. Dorbeetles hurtle the still air, and frogs sing -barcarolles in the misty fens. Now the mountains put on their sable -armor that is to render them invisible. Here the poet must assist us:<a name="page_297" id="page_297"></a></p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“It is the hush of night; and all between<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Thy margin and the mountains, dusk, yet clear,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Mellowed and mingling, yet distinctly seen—<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Save darkened Jura, whose capped heights appear<br /></span> -<span class="i6">Precipitously steep.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>Light seems reluctant to leave the summits. It does not wholly fade -out of the west until a late hour. In a clear and starry night all the -surrounding mountains can be distinguished long after the valley is -steeped in darkness. At half-past nine I could easily tell the time by -my watch; and even at this hour a pale, nebulous light still lingered -where the sun had gone down. So at near two thousand feet above the full -sea one peers over into that deeper horizon where twilight and dawn meet -and embrace on the dusky threshold of midnight.</p> - -<p>While in the neighborhood, I devoted a day to an exploration of the -Ravine of the Cascades. This ravine is entered from a point on the -Gorham road about three miles distant from the Mount Adams House. A -cart-way crosses the meadow here to an abandoned mill which is on the -stream coming from the ravine, and by which you must ascend. A more -beautiful example of a mountain brook it has never been my lot to see. -The ascent is, however, tedious and toilsome in the extreme over the -smooth and slippery rocks in its bed. Four hours of this brought me to -the region of low trees, and to the foot of the first fall, which, I -judged, descended about thirty feet. This way to the summit is open only -to the most vigorous climbers. Even then it is better to descend into -the ravine from the gap between Adams and Jefferson in order to visit -these cascades.</p> - -<p>The two most profitable excursions to be made here are undoubtedly the -ascent of Mount Adams and the drive to the top of Randolph Hill. I have -found on the first summit irrefragable evidence that, next to Washington -and Lafayette, Adams is the peak which summer tourists are most desirous -of ascending. A good path, on which there is a camp, leads to the -summit. Having other views in regard to this mountain, which I had so -often admired from a distance, I made a third reconnoisance of its -outworks and its remarkable ravine, while <i>en route</i> for Randolph Hill.</p> - -<p>Unquestionably fine as the views are along this road, on which you are -at one time rolling smoothly over meadow or upland, with the great -northern peak rising to its full height, or again toiling up a stony -hill-side to obtain a much better idea of its real character and -prodigious<a name="page_298" id="page_298"></a> dimensions, the climax is reserved until, turning from the -highway, you begin a slow advance up the long hill-side that makes an -almost uninterrupted descent for five miles to the Androscoggin. Here -I saw from a balcony what I had before seen from the ground-floor. -The view is large and expansive. You look down the surging land into -the Androscoggin. You look over among the mountains circling its -head, huddled together like a frightened herd. You look down into the -valley of the Moose, and through the gap in the great chain you again -see the valley of the Peabody and the Carter Notch. Now you hold the -great northern peaks admiringly at arm’s-length, as you would an old -friend. Putting an imaginary hand on each broad shoulder, you scan them -from head to foot. They submit calmly and with condescension to your -lengthened scrutiny. Presently the low sun floods them with royal purple -and gilds the topmost crags with refined gold. You glance up the valley. -The little river comes like a stream of fire which the huge mountains -seem crowding forward to trample out. Now look down. The same mountains -seem spurning the glittering serpent away from their feet.</p> - -<p>King’s Ravine is as well seen from this point, perhaps, as any. It -is a huge natural niche excavated high up the mountain. You see -everything—grizzled spruces, blackened shafts of stone, rifted walls, -tawny crags—all in one glance. It is formidable and forbidding, though -a way has been made through it by which to ascend Mount Adams. Now that -there is a good path skirting the ravine and avoiding it, that look will -usually suffice to deter sensible people from attempting to reach the -summit by it. It is far better to descend into it and grope one’s way -down through and underneath the bowlders. The same, and even greater, -obstacles are encountered as in Tuckerman’s. In early spring the walls -of the ravine are streaked with slowly-melting snows. These gulches, all -converging toward the bottom, send a torrent roaring down with noise -equal to surf on a hard sea-beach. This torrent is the principal source -of the Moose.</p> - -<p>Well do I remember my first venture here. I had walked from Gorham. -Seeing a man chopping wood by the side of the road, I entered into -conversation with him; but at the first suggestion I let fall of an -intention to climb to the ravine he gaped open-mouthed. To ascend -the brook to the ravine, the escarpment of the ravine to the high -precipices, the precipices to the gate-way, was an exploit in those -days.<a name="page_299" id="page_299"></a> But this was long ago. A good climber now puts King’s Ravine down -in his list of excursions with the same nonchalance that a belle of the -ball-room enters an additional waltz on her card of engagements.<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a></p> - -<p>One day I had fished along the Moose without success. Nothing could -give a better idea of a mountain stream than this one, fed by snows and -gushing from the breached side of Mount Adams. But either the water was -too cold or the trout too wary. They persistently refused my fly. I -tried red and brown hackle, then a white moth-miller; all to no purpose. -Feeling downright hungry, I determined to seek a dinner elsewhere. -Unjointing my rod, I returned, rather crestfallen, down the mountain -into the road.</p> - -<p>I knocked at the first house. Pretty soon the curtain of the first -window at my left hand was partly drawn aside. I felt that I was under -the fire of a pair of very black eyes. An instant after the door was -half-opened by a woman past middle life, who examined me with a scared -look while wiping her hands on a corner of her apron. Two or three white -heads peeped out from the folds of her dress like young chickens from -the old hen’s wing, and as many pairs of widely-opened eyes surveyed me -with innocent surprise.</p> - -<p>Perceiving her confusion, I was on the point of asking some indifferent -question, about the distance, the road—I knew not what—but my stomach -gave me a twinge of disdain, and I stood my ground. Hunger has no -conscience: honor was at stake. In two words I made known my wants, I -confess with confidence oozing away at my fingers’ ends.</p> - -<p>Her confusion became still greater—so evident, indeed, that I took a -backward step and stammered, quite humbly, “A hunch of bread-and-cheese -or a cup of milk—” when the good-wife nailed me to the threshold.</p> - -<p>Quoth she, “The men folks have all <i>et</i> their dinners, and there hain’t -no more meat; but if you could put up with a few trout?”</p> - -<p>Put up with trout! Did I hear aright? The word made my mouth water. -I softly repeated it to myself—“Trout!”—would I put up with trout? -Not to lower myself in this woman’s estimation, I replied that, seeing -there was nothing else in the house, I would put<a name="page_300" id="page_300"></a> up with trout. Let it -suffice that I made a repast fit for a prince, and, like a prince, being -served by a bashful maiden with cheeks like the arbutus, which everybody -knows shows its most delicate pink only in the seclusion of its native -woods.</p> - -<p>My hours of leisure in Jefferson being numbered, having now made the -circuit of the great range by all the avenues penetrating or environing -it, the reader’s further indulgence is craved while his faithful guide -points his well-worn alpenstock to the last stage of our mountain -journeys.</p> - -<p>Behold us at last, after many capricious wanderings, after calculated -avoidance, approaching the inevitable end. We are <i>en route</i> for -Fabyan’s by the road over Cherry Mountain. This road is twelve miles -long. As we mount with it the side of Cherry Mountain the beautiful -vistas continually detain us. We are now climbing the eastern wall of -the valley, so long the prominent figure from the heights of Jefferson. -We now look back upon the finely-traced slopes of Starr King, with the -village luxuriously extended in the sun. For some time we are like two -travellers going in opposite directions, but who turn again and again -for a last adieu. Now the forest closes over us and we see each other no -more.</p> - -<p>Noonday found me descending that side of the mountain overlooking the -Ammonoosuc Valley. Where the Cherry Mountain road joins the valley -highway the White Mountain House, an old-time tavern, stands. The -railway passes close to its door. A mile more over the level brings us -to Fabyan’s, so called from one of the old mountain landlords, whose -immortality is thus assured. Now that mammoth caravansary, which seems -all eyes, is reached just as the doors opening upon the great hall -disclose a long array of tables, while permitting a delicious odor to -assail our nostrils.</p> - -<p>To speak to the purpose, the Fabyan House really commands a superb front -view of Mount Washington, from which it is not six miles in a bee-line. -All the southern peaks, among which Mount Pleasant is undoubtedly the -most conspicuous for its form and its mass, and for being thrown so -boldly out from the rest, are before the admiring spectator; but the -northern peaks, with the exception of Clay and Jefferson, are cut off -partly by the slopes of Mount Deception, which rises directly before the -hotel, partly by the trend of the great range itself to the north-east. -The view is superior from the neighborhood of the Mount<a name="page_301" id="page_301"></a> Pleasant House, -half a mile beyond Fabyan’s, where Mount Jefferson is fully and finely -brought into the picture.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_301_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_301_sml.jpg" width="340" height="278" alt="MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN’S." -title="MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN’S." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN’S.</span> -</p> - -<p>The railway is seen mounting a foot-hill, crossing a second and -higher elevation, then dimly carved upon the massive flanks of Mount -Washington itself, as far as the long ridge which ascends from the -north in one unbroken slope. It is then lost. We see the houses upon -the summit, and from the Mount Pleasant House the little cluster of -roofs at the base. A long and well-defined gully, exactly dividing the -mountain, is frequently taken to be the railway, which is really much -farther to the left. The smoke of a train ascending or descending still -further indicates the line of iron, which we admit to the category of -established facts only under protest.</p> - -<p>Sylvester Marsh, of Littleton, New Hampshire, was the man who dreamed -of setting aside the laws of gravitation with a puff of steam. Like -all really great inventions, his had to run the gauntlet of ridicule. -When the charter for a railway to the summit of Mount Washington<a name="page_302" id="page_302"></a> was -before the Legislature a member moved that Mr. Marsh also have leave -to build one to the moon. Had the motion prevailed, I am persuaded Mr. -Marsh would have built it. Really, the project seemed only a little -more audacious. But in three years from the time work was begun (April, -1866) the track was laid and the mountain in irons.<a name="FNanchor_40_40" id="FNanchor_40_40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a> The summit which -the superstitious Indian dared not approach, nor the most intrepid -white hunter ascend, is now annually visited by thousands, without more -fatigue than would follow any other excursion occupying the same time. -The excitement of a first passage, the strain upon the nerves, is quite -another thing.</p> - -<p>In a little grass-grown enclosure, on the other side of the Ammonoosuc, -is a headstone bearing the following inscription:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="c"> -<span class="sans">IN MEMORY OF</span><br /> -CAP ELIEZER ROSBROOK<br /> -WHO DIED SEP. 25<br /> -1817<br /> -In the 70 Year<br /> -Of His Age.<br /> -<br /> -When I lie buried deep in dust,<br /> - My flesh shall be thy care<br /> -These withering limbs to thee I trust<br /> - To raise them strong and fair.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="sans">WIDOW</span><br /> -HANNAH ROSEBROOK<br /> -Died May 4, 1829<br /> -Aged 84<br /> -<br /> -Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. For they rest from their labors<br /> -And their works do follow them.<br /> -</p> -</div> - -<p>So far as is known Rosebrook was the first white settler on this spot. -One account<a name="FNanchor_41_41" id="FNanchor_41_41"></a><a href="#Footnote_41_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a> says he came here in 1788, another fixes his settlement -in 1792.<a name="FNanchor_42_42" id="FNanchor_42_42"></a><a href="#Footnote_42_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a> His military title appears to have been derived from -services rendered<a name="page_303" id="page_303"></a> on the Canadian frontier during the Revolutionary -War. Rosebrook was a true pioneer, restless, adventurous, and fearless. -He was a man of large and athletic frame. From his home in Massachusetts -he had first removed to what is now Colebrook, then to Guildhall, Vt., -and lastly here, to Nash and Sawyer’s Location, exchanging the comforts -which years of toil had surrounded him with, abandoning the rich and -fertile meadow-lands of the Connecticut, for a log-cabin far from any -human habitation, and with no other neighbors than the bears and wolves -that prowled unharmed the shaggy wilderness at his door. With his axe -this sturdy yeoman attacked the forest closely investing his lonely -cabin. Year by year, foot by foot, he wrested from it a little land -for tillage. With his gun he kept the beast of prey from his little -enclosure, or provided venison or bear’s meat for the wife and little -ones who anxiously awaited his return from the hunt. Hunger and they -were no strangers. For years the strokes of Rosebrook’s axe, or the -crack of his rifle, were the only sounds that disturbed the silences -of ages. Little by little the circle was enlarged. One after another -the giants of the forest fell beneath his blows. But years of resolute -conflict with nature and with privation found him at last in the -enjoyment of a dearly-earned prosperity. Travellers began to pass his -doors. The Great White Mountain Notch soon became a thoroughfare, which -could never have been safely travelled but for Rosebrook’s intrepidity -and Rosebrook’s hospitality. In this way began the feeble tide of travel -through these wilds. In this way the splendidly equipped hotel, with its -thousands of guests the locomotive every hour brings to its door, traces -its descent from the rude and humble cabin of Eleazer Rosebrook.<a name="page_304" id="page_304"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_X-3" id="CHAPTER_X-3"></a>X.<br /><br /> -<small><i>THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS.</i></small></h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Cradled and rocked by wind and cloud,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Safe pillowed on the summit proud,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Steadied by that encircling arm<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Which holds the Universe from harm,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">I knew the Lord my soul would keep,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Upon His mountain-tops asleep!<br /></span> -<span class="i9"><span class="smcap">Lucy Larcom.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>HUS I found myself again at the base of Mount Washington, but on the -reverse, opposed to the Glen. Before the completion of the railway from -Fabyan’s to the foot of the mountain I had passed over the intervening -six miles by stage—a delightful experience; but one now steps on -board an open car, which in less than half the time formerly occupied -leaves him at the point where the mountain car and engine wait for him. -The route lies along the foaming Ammonoosuc, and its justly admired -falls, cut deep through solid granite, into the uncouth and bristling -wilderness which surrounds the base of the mountain. The peculiarity -of these falls does not consist in long, abrupt descents of perturbed -water, but in the neatly excavated caves, rock-niches, and smoothly -rounded cliffs and basins through which for some distance the impatient -stream rears and plunges like a courser feeling the curb. Imperfect -glimpses hardly give an idea of the curious and interesting processes -of rock-cutting to one who merely looks down from the high banks above -while the train is in rapid motion. It is better, therefore, to visit -these falls by way of the old turnpike.</p> - -<p>The advance up the valley which has first given us an outlook through -the great Notch, on our right, presents for some time the huge green -hemisphere of Mount Pleasant as the conspicuous object. The track then -swerves to the left, bringing Mount Washington into view, and in a few -minutes more we are at the ill-favored clump of houses and sheds at its -base.<a name="page_305" id="page_305"></a></p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_305_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_305_sml.jpg" width="248" height="311" alt="MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING TIMES." -title="MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING TIMES." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING TIMES.</span> -</p> - -<p>The mechanism of the road-way is very simple. The track is formed of -three iron rails, firmly clamped to stout timbers, laid lengthwise upon -transverse pieces, or sleepers. These are securely embedded, where the -surface will allow, or raised upon trestles, where its inequalities -would compel a serious deflection from a smooth or regular inclination. -One of these, about half-way up the mountain, is called Jacob’s Ladder. -Here the train achieves the most difficult part of the ascent. After -traversing the whole line on foot, and inspecting it minutely and -thoroughly, I can candidly pronounce it not only a marvel of mechanical -skill, but bear witness to the scrupulous care taken to keep every -timber and every bolt in its place. In two words, the structure is -nothing but a ladder of wood and iron laid upon the side of the -mountain.<a name="FNanchor_43_43" id="FNanchor_43_43"></a><a href="#Footnote_43_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a><a name="page_306" id="page_306"></a></p> - -<p>The propelling force employed is equally simple. The engine and car -merely rest upon and are kept in place by the two outer rails, while -the power is applied to the middle one, which we have just called a -rail, but is, more properly speaking, a little ladder of steel cogs, -into which the corresponding teeth of the locomotive’s driving-wheel -play—a firm hold being thus secured. The question now merely is, how -much power is necessary to overcome gravity and lift the weight of the -machine into the air? This cogged-rail is the fulcrum, and steam the -lever. Mr. Sylvester Marsh has not precisely lifted the mountain, but he -has, nevertheless, with the aid of Mr. Walter Aiken, reduced it, to all -intents, to a level.</p> - -<p>The boiler of the locomotive, inclined forward so as to preserve a -horizontal position when the engine is ascending, the smoke-stack -also pitched forward, give the idea of a machine that has been in a -collision. Everything seems knocked out of place. But this queer-looking -thing, that with bull-dog tenacity literally hangs on to the mountain -with its teeth, is capable of performing a feat such as Watt never -dreamed of, or Stephenson imagined. It goes up the mountain as easily as -a bear climbs a tree, and like a bear.</p> - -<p>I had often watched the last ascension of the train, which usually -reaches the summit at sunset, and I had as often pleased myself with -considering whether it then most resembled a big, shining beetle -crawling up the mountain side, or some fiery dragon of the fabulous -times, dragging his prey after him to his den, after ravaging the -valley. My own turn was now come to make the trial. It was a cold -afternoon in September when I entered the little carriage, not much -larger than a street-car, and felt the premonitory jerk with which the -ascent begins. The first hill is so steep that you look up to see the -track always mounting high above your head; but one soon gets used to -the novelty, and to the clatter which accompanies the incessant dropping -of a pawl into the indentures of the cogged-rail, and in which he -recognizes an element of safety. The train did not move faster than one -could walk, but it moved steadily, except when it now and then stopped -at a water-tank, standing solitary and alone upon the waste of rocks.</p> - -<p>By the time we emerged above the forest into the chill and wind-swept -desolation above it—a first sight of which is so amazing—the sun -had set behind the Green Mountain summits, showing a long, serrated -line of crimson peaks, above which clouds of lake floated in a sea -of amber.<a name="page_307" id="page_307"></a> It grew very cold. Great-coats and shawls were quickly -put on. Thick darkness enveloped the mountain as we approached the -head of the profound gulf separating us from Mount Clay, which is the -most remarkable object seen at any time either during the ascent or -descent. Into this pitchy ravine, into its midnight blackness, a long -and brilliant train of sparks trailed downward from the locomotive, so -that we seemed being transported heavenward in a chariot of fire. This -flaming torch, lighting us on, now disclosed snow and ice on all sides. -We had successfully attained the last slope which conceals the railway -from the valley. Up this the locomotive toiled and panted, while we -watched the stars come out and emit cold gleams around, above, beneath. -The light of the Summit House twinkled small, then grew large, as, -surmounting the last and steepest pitch of the pinnacle, we were pushed -before a long row of lighted windows crusted thick with hoar-frost. -Stiffened with cold, the passengers rushed for the open door without -ceremony. In an instant the car was empty; while the locomotive, -dripping with its unheard-of efforts, seemed to regard this desertion -with reproachful glances.</p> - -<p>Reader, have you ever sat beside Mrs. Dodge’s fire after such a passive -ascension as that just described? After a two hours’ combat with the -instinct of self-preservation, did you dream of such comforts, luxuries -even, awaiting you on the bleak mountain-top, where nothing grows, and -where water even congeals and refuses to run? Could you, in the highest -flights of fancy, imagine that you would one day sit in the courts of -heaven, or feast sumptuously amid the stars? All this you either have -done or may do. And now, while the smartly-dressed waiter-girl, who -seems to have donned her white apron as a personal favor, brings you the -best the larder affords, pinch yourself to see if you are awake.</p> - -<p>In several ascensions by the railway I have always remarked the same -symptoms of uneasiness among the passengers, betrayed by pale faces, -compressed lips, hands tightening their grasp of the chairs, or subdued -and startled exclamations, quickly repressed. To escape the influence of -such weird surroundings one should be absolutely stolid—a stock or a -stone. So for all it is an experience more or less acute, according to -his sensibility, strength of nerve, and power of self-control. However -well it may be disguised, the strong equally with the weak, and more -deeply than the weak, feel the strain which ninety minutes’ combat<a name="page_308" id="page_308"></a> with -gravitation, attraction, ponderosity, engenders. The mind does not for a -single instant quit its hold of this defiance of Nature’s laws. As long -as iron and steel hold fast, there is no danger; but you think iron and -steel are iron and steel, and no more. An anecdote will illustrate this -feeling.</p> - -<p>After pointing out to a lady-passenger the skilful devices for stopping -the engine—the pawl, the steam, and the atmospheric brakes—and after -patiently explaining their mechanism and uses, the listener asked the -conductor, with much interest,</p> - -<p>“Then, if the pawl breaks while we are going up?”</p> - -<p>“The engine will be stopped by means of these powerful brakes, applied -directly to the axles, which will, of course, render the train -motionless. As the locomotive has two driving-wheels, the engineer can -bring a double power to bear, as you see. Each is independent of the -other, so that if one gives way the other is still more than sufficient -to keep the engine stationary.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you; but the car?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, the car is not attached to the engine at all; and should the -engineer lose the control of his machine, which is not at all likely, -the car can be brought to a stand-still by independent brakes of its -own. You see the engine goes up behind, and in front, down; and the car -is simply pushed forward, or follows it.”</p> - -<p>“So that you consider it—.”</p> - -<p>“Perfectly safe, madam, perfectly safe.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you. One question more. Suppose all these things break at once. -What then? Where would we go?”</p> - -<p>“That, madam, would depend on what sort of a life you had led.”</p> - -<p>I have still a consolation for the timid. Ten years’ trial has confirmed -the declaration of its projectors, that they would make the road as safe -or safer than the ordinary railway. No life has been lost by an injury -to a passenger during that time. Besides, what is the difference? After -its day, the railway will pass like the stage-coach—that is, unless you -believe, as you do not, that the world and all progress are to stop with -ourselves.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_309_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_309_sml.jpg" width="345" height="529" alt="ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY." -title="ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY.</span> -</p> - -<p>The affable lady hostess told me that she paid an annual rental of ten -thousand dollars for her palace of ice; nominally for a year, but really -for a term of only seventy-six days, this being the limit of the season -upon the summit. During the remaining two hundred and<a name="page_309" id="page_309"></a> eighty-nine -days the house is closed. During four or five months it is buried, or -half-buried, in a snow-drift. Of this large sum, three thousand dollars -go to the Pingree heirs. These facts may tend to modify the views of -those who think the charges exorbitant, if such there are.<a name="page_310" id="page_310"></a></p> - -<p>Raising my eyes to look out of the window, the light from within -fell upon a bank of snow. A man was stooping over it as if in search -of something. Going out, I found him feeling it with his hands, and -examining it with childish wonder and curiosity. I approached this -eccentric person very softly; but he, seeing my shadow on the snow -beside him, looked up.</p> - -<p>“Can I assist you in recovering what you have lost?” I inquired.</p> - -<p>“Thank you; no. I have lost nothing. Ah! I see,” he continued, laughing -quietly, “you think I have lost my wits. But it is not so. I am a native -of the East Indies, and I assure you this is the first time in my life I -have ever seen snow near enough to handle it. Imagine what an experience -the ascent of Mount Washington is for me!”</p> - -<p>We took a turn down the hard-frozen Glen road together in order to see -the moon come up. The telegraph-poles, fantastically crusted with ice to -the thickness of a foot, stretched a line of white-hooded phantoms down -the dark side of the mountain. From successive coatings of frozen mist -the wires were as thick as cables. Couches of snow lay along the rocks, -and fresh snow had apparently been rubbed into all the inequalties of -the cliffs rising out of the Great Gulf. The scene was supremely weird, -supremely desolate.</p> - -<p>From here we crossed over to the railway, and, ascending by it, shortly -came upon the heap of stones, surmounted by its tablet, erected on -the spot where Miss Bourne perished while ascending the mountain, in -September, 1855. The party, of which she was one, setting out in high -spirits in the afternoon from the Glen House, was overtaken near the -summit by clouds, which hid the house from view, and among which they -became bewildered. It was here Miss Bourne declared she could go no -farther. Overcome by her exertions, she sunk exhausted and fainting -upon the rocks. Her friends were scarcely awakened to her true -condition when, amid the surrounding darkness and gloom, this young -and lovely maiden of only twenty expired in the arms of her uncle. The -mourners wrapped the body in their own cloaks, and, ignorant that a -few rods only separated them from the summit, kept a vigil throughout -the long and weary night. We hasten over this night of dread. In the -morning, discovering their destination a few rods above them, they bore -the lifeless form of their companion to it with feelings not to be -described. A rude bier was made, and she who had started up the mountain -full of life now descended it a corpse.<a name="page_311" id="page_311"></a></p> - -<p>The evening treated us to a magnificent spectacle. The moon, in -full-orbed splendor, moved majestically up the heavens, attended by her -glittering retinue of stars. Frozen peaks, reflecting the mild radiance, -shone like beaten silver. But the immense hollows between, the deep -valleys that had been open to view, were now inundated with a white and -luminous vapor, from which the multitude of icy summits emerged like a -vast archipelago—a sea of islands. This spectral ocean seemed on the -point of ingulfing the mountains. This motionless sea, these austere -peaks, uprising, were inconceivably weird and solemnizing. An awful hush -pervaded the inanimate but threatening host of cloud-girt mountains. -Upon them, upon the sea of frozen vapor, absorbing its light, the clear -moon poured its radiance. The stars seemed nearer and brighter than -ever before. The planets shone with piercing brilliancy; they emitted -a sensible light. The Milky Way, erecting its glittering nebula to the -zenith, to which it was pinned by a dazzling star, floated, a glorious, -star-spangled veil, amid this vast sea of gems. One could vaguely catch -the idea of an unpeopled desolation rising from the fathomless void of -a primeval ocean. The peaks, incased in snow and ice, seemed stamped -with the traces of its subsidence. Pale and haggard, they lifted their -antique heads in silent adoration.</p> - -<p>Going to my room and extinguishing the light, I stood for some time -at the window, unable to reconcile the unwonted appearance of the -stars shining far below, with the fixed idea that they ought not to be -there. Yet there they were. To tell the truth, my head was filled with -the surpassing pomp I had just witnessed, of which I had not before -the faintest conception. I felt as if I was silently conversing with -all those stars, looking at me and my petty aspirations with such -inflexible, disdainful immobility. When one feels that he is nothing, -self-assurance is no great thing. The conceit is taken out of him. On a -mountain the man stands naked before his Maker. He is nothing. That is -why I leave him there.</p> - -<p>That night I did not sleep a wink. Twenty times I jumped out of bed and -ran to the window to convince myself that it was not all a dream. No; -moon and stars were still bright. Over the Great Gulf, all ghastly in -the moonlight, stood Mount Jefferson in his winding-sheet. I dressed -myself, and from the embrasure of my window kept a vigil.</p> - -<p>Sunrise did not produce the startling effect I had anticipated. The -morning was fine and cloudless. A gong summoned the inmates of the<a name="page_312" id="page_312"></a> -hotel to the spectacle. Without dressing themselves, they ran to their -windows, where, wrapped in bed-blankets, they stood eagerly watching the -east. To the pale emerald of early dawn a ruddy glow succeeded. Before -we were aware, the rocky waste around us grew dusky red. The crimsoned -air glided swiftly over the neighboring summits. Now the brightness -was upon Adams and Jefferson and Clay, and now it rolled its purpled -flood into the Great Gulf, to mingle with the intense blackness at the -bottom. For some moments the mountain-tops held the color, then it was -transfused into the clear sunshine of open day; while the vapors, heavy -and compact, stretched along the valleys, still smothering the land, -retained their leaden hue.</p> - -<p>It was still early when I descended the carriage-road on my way to Mount -Adams. The usual way is to keep the railway as far as the old Gulf Tank, -near which is a house of refuge, provided with a cooking-stove, fuel, -and beds. I continued, however, to coast the upper crags of the Great -Gulf, until compelled to make directly for the southern peak of Mount -Clay. The view from this <i>col</i> is imposing, embracing at once, and -without turning the head, all the southern summits of the chain. Here I -was joined by two travellers fresh from Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.</p> - -<p>Each choosing a route for himself, we pushed on to the high summit of -Clay, from which we looked down into the deep gap dividing this mountain -from Jefferson. Arrived there, we resolutely attacked the eastern slopes -of this fine peak, whose notched summit rose more than seven hundred and -fifty feet above our heads. Patches of Alpine grasses, of reindeer-moss, -interspersed with irregular ridges of stones, extended quite up to the -summit, which was a mere elongated stone-heap crowning the apex of its -cone. Those undulating masses encircling its bulk, half hid among the -grass, were like an immense python crushing the mountain in its deadly -folds. We picked our way carefully among this chaotic débris, which the -Swiss aptly call “cemeteries of the devil,” tripping now and then in the -long, wiry grass, or burying our feet among the hummocks of dry moss, -which were so many impediments to rapid progress. This appearance and -this experience were common to the whole route.</p> - -<p>At each summit we threw ourselves upon the ground, to feast upon the -landscape while regaining breath. Each halt developed more and more -the grand and stupendous mass of Washington receding from the<a name="page_313" id="page_313"></a> depths -of the Great Gulf, along whose edge the carriage-road serpentined -and finally disappeared. We saw, a little softened by distance, the -horribly mutilated crags of the head wall stripped bare of all verdure, -presenting on its knobbed agglomerates of tempest-gnawed granite a -thousand eye-catching points and detaining as many shadows. Nothing—not -even the glittering leagues of mountains and valleys shooting or -slumbering above, beneath—so riveted the attention as this apparently -bottomless pit of the five mountains. It was a continued wonder. It drew -us by a strange magnetism to its dizzy brink, chained us there, and -then abandoned us to a physical and moral vertigo, in which the power -of critical investigation was lost. An invisible force seemed always -dragging us toward it. Whence comes this horrible, this uncontrollable -desire to throw ourselves in?</p> - -<p>Out of the death-like torpor which eternally shrouds the ravine -the smiling valley seems escaping. The crystal air of the heights -grows thick in its depths. Beasts and birds of prey haunt its gloomy -solitudes. An immense grave seems yawning to receive the mountains. The -aged mountains seem standing with one foot in the grave.</p> - -<p>This gulf makes an impression altogether different from the others. -It is an immense ravine. Each of the five mountains pushes down into -it massive buttresses of granite, forming lesser ravines between of -considerable extent. Through these streams trickle down from invisible -sources. But these buttresses, which fall lightly and gracefully as -folds of velvet from summit to base of the highest mountains, these -ravines, are hardly noticed. The insatiable maw of the gulf swallows -them as easily as an anaconda a rabbit. In immensity, which you do not -easily grasp, in grandeur, which you do not know how to measure, this -has no partakers here. Even the great Carter Mountain, rising from the -Peabody Valley, seems no more than a stone rolled away from the entrance -of this enormous sepulchre.</p> - -<p>Our first difficulties were encountered upon the reverse of Mount -Jefferson, from whose side rocky spurs detached themselves, and, jutting -out from the side of the mountain, formed an irregular line of cliffs -of varying height, in the way we had selected for the descent. But -these were no great affair. We now had the Ravine of the Castles upon -our left, the stately pyramid of Adams in front, and, beneath, the deep -hollow between this mountain and the one we were descending. We had the -little hamlet of East Jefferson at the mouth of the ravine,<a name="page_314" id="page_314"></a> and that -crowd of peaks, tightly wedged between the waters of the Connecticut and -the Androscoggin, looming above it.</p> - -<p>A deviation to the left enabled us to approach the Castellated Ridge, -which is, beyond dispute, the most extraordinary rock-formation the -whole extent of the range can show. As it is then fully before you, it -is seen to much better advantage when approached from Mount Adams. I -do not know who gave it this name, but none could be more felicitous -or expressive. It is a sloping ridge of red-brown granite, broken at -its summit into a long line of picturesque towers and battlements, -rising threateningly over an escarpment of débris. Such an illusion is -too rarely encountered to be easily forgotten. It is hardly possible -to doubt you are really looking at an antique ruin. One would like to -wander among these pre-Adamite fortifications, which curiously remind -him of the old Spanish fortresses among the Pyrenees. From the opposite -side of the ravine—for I had not the time requisite for a closer -examination—the rock composing the most elevated portion of the ridge -appears to have been split perpendicularly down, probably by frost, -allowing these broken columns and shafts to stand erect upon the verge -of the abyss. In the warm afternoon light, when the shadows fall, it is -hardly possible to conceive a finer picture of a crumbling but still -formidable mountain fortress. Bastions and turrets stand boldly out. -Each broken shaft sends a long shadow streaming down into the ravine, -whose high and deeply-furrowed sides are thus beautifully striped with -dusk-purple, while the sunlit parts retain a greenish-gray.</p> - -<p>At the foot of Jefferson we found, concealed among rushes, a spring, -which refreshed us like wells of the desert the parched and fainting -Arab. From here two routes offered themselves. One was by keeping the -curved ridge, rising gradually to a subordinate peak (Samuel Adams),<a name="FNanchor_44_44" id="FNanchor_44_44"></a><a href="#Footnote_44_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a> -and to the foot of the summit itself; a second was by crossing the -ground sloping downward from this ridge into the Great Gulf. We chose -the latter, notwithstanding the dwarf-spruce, advancing well up to the -foot of the ridge, promised a warm reception.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_315_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_315_sml.jpg" width="339" height="488" alt="THE CASTELLATED RIDGE." -title="THE CASTELLATED RIDGE." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE CASTELLATED RIDGE.</span> -</p> - -<p>At last, after sustaining a vigorous tussle with the scrub-firs, and -stopping to unearth a brook whose waters purred underneath stones, -I<a name="page_315" id="page_315"></a> stood at the foot of the pointed shaft I had so often seen wedged -into the sky. Five hundred feet or more of the apex of this pyramid -is apparently formed of broken rocks, dropped one by one into place. -Nothing like a ledge or a cliff is to be seen: only these ponderous, -sharp-edged masses of cold gray stone, lifted one above another to the -tapering point. Up this mutilated pyramid we began a slow advance. It -was necessary to carefully choose one step before taking another, in -order to avoid plunging into the deep crevasses<a name="page_316" id="page_316"></a> traversing the peak in -every direction. At last I placed my foot upon the topmost crag.</p> - -<p>No one can help regarding this peak with the open admiration which is -its due. You conceive that every mountain ought to have a pinnacle. -Well, here it is. We could easily have stood astride the culminating -point. But how came these rocks here? and what was the primitive -structure, if these fragments we see are its relics? One hardly believes -that an ice-raft could have first transported and then deposited such -misshapen masses in their present symmetrical form. Still less does -he admit that the original shaft, crushed in a thousand pieces by -the glacier itself, fell with such grace as to rise again, as he now -sees it, from its own ruins. If, again, it proceeds from the eternal -hammering of King Frost, what was the antique edifice that first rose so -proudly above the frozen seas of the great primeval void? But to science -the things which belong to science. We have a book describing heaven, -but not one that resolves the problems of earth. The “<i>Veni, vidi, -vici,</i>” of the Book of Genesis leaves us at the beginning. We are still -staring, still questioning, still vacillating between this theory and -that hypothesis.<a name="FNanchor_45_45" id="FNanchor_45_45"></a><a href="#Footnote_45_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a></p> - -<p>We had from the summit an inspiring though not an extensive view. A -bank of dun-colored smoke smirched the fair western sky as high as the -summits of the Green Mountains. At fifty miles mountains and valleys -melted confusedly into each other. Water emitted only a dull glimmer. -Here a peak and there a summit surveyed us from afar. All else was -intangible; almost imaginary. At twenty-five miles the land, resuming -its ordinary appearance, was bathed in the soft brilliance caused by the -sun shining through an atmosphere only half transparent.</p> - -<p>Upon this obscure mass we traced once more the well-known objects -environing the great mountain. To the south Mount Washington divided -the landscape in two. For some time we stood admiring its magnificent -<i>torso</i>, its amplitude of rock-land, its easy preponderance over every -other summit. Again we followed the road down the great north-east -spur. Once more we caught the white specks which denote the line of -the railway. We plunged our eyes down into the Great Gulf,<a name="page_317" id="page_317"></a> and lifted -them to the shattered protuberances of Clay, which seemed to mark the -route where the glacier crushed and ground its way through the very -centre of the chain. A second time we descended Jefferson to the deep -dip, opening like a trough between two enormous sea-waves, where we -first saw the little Storm Lake glistening. Following now the long, -rocky ridge, rolling downward toward the hamlets of Jefferson and -Randolph, the mountains yawned wide at our feet. We were looking over -into King’s Ravine—to its very bottom. We peered curiously into its -remotest depths, traced the difficult and breathless ascent through -the remarkable natural gateway at its head out upon a second ridge, -on which a little pond (Star Lake) lies hid. We then crossed the gap -communicating with Mount Madison, whose summit, last and lowest of the -great northern peaks, dominates the Androscoggin Valley with undisputed -sway. To-day it made on us scarcely an impression. Its peak, which from -the valley holds a rough similitude with that of Adams, is dwarfed here. -You look down upon it.</p> - -<p>More applicable to Adams than to any other, for our eyes grow dazzled -with the glitter and sparkle of countless mica-flakes incrusting the -hard granite with clear brilliancy as from the facets of a diamond; more -applicable, again, from the stern, unconquerable attitude of the great -gray shaft itself, lifted in such conscious pride beyond the confines -of the vast ethereal vault of blue—a tower of darkness invading the -bright realms of light; a defiance flung by earth in the face of high -heaven—is the magnificent description of the Matterhorn from the pen of -Ruskin:</p> - -<p>“If one of these little flakes of mica-sand, hurried in tremulous -spangling along the bottom of the ancient river, too light to sink, -too faint to float, almost too small for sight, could have had a mind -given to it as it was at last borne down with its kindred dust into -the abysses of the stream, and laid (would it not have thought?) for a -hopeless eternity in the dark ooze, the most despised, forgotten, and -feeble of all earth’s atoms; incapable of any use or change; not fit, -down there in the diluvial darkness, so much as to help an earth-wasp -to build its nest, or feed the first fibre of a lichen—what would it -have thought had it been told that one day, knitted into a strength as -of imperishable iron, rustless by the air, infusible by the flame, out -of the substance of it, with its fellows, the axe of God should hew that -Alpine tower;—that against <i>it</i>—poor, helpless mica-flake!—the snowy -hills should lie bowed like flocks of sheep, and the kingdoms of the -earth fade away in unregarded<a name="page_318" id="page_318"></a> blue; and around it—weak, wave-drifted -mica-flake!—the great war of the firmament should burst in thunder, and -yet stir it not; and the fiery arrows and angry meteors of the night -fall blunted back from it into the air; and all the stars in the clear -heaven should light, one by one, as they rose, new cressets upon the -points of snow that fringed its abiding-place on the imperishable spire!”</p> - -<p>Myself and my companions set out on our return to the Summit House early -in the afternoon, choosing this time the ridge in preference to the -scrubby slope. From this we turned away, at the end of half an hour, -by an obscure path leading to a boggy pool, sunk in a mossy hollow -underneath it, crossed the area of scattered bowlders, strewn all around -like the relics of a petrified tempest, and, filling our cups at the -spring, drank to Mount Adams, the paragon of mountain peaks.</p> - -<p>As we again approached the brow of Mount Washington the sun resembled -a red-hot globe of iron flying through the west and spreading a -conflagration through the heavens. Again the colossal shadow of the -mountain began its stately ascension in the east. One moment the burning -eye of the great luminary interrogated this phantom, sprung from the -loins of the hoary peak. Then it dropped heavily down behind the Green -Mountains, as it has done for thousands of years, the landscape fading, -fading into one vast, shadowy abyss, out of which arose the star-lit -dome of the august summit.<a name="page_319" id="page_319"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="TOURISTS_APPENDIX" id="TOURISTS_APPENDIX"></a>TOURIST’S APPENDIX.<br /><br /> -<small>PREPARED FOR “THE HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS.”</small></h3> - -<p>GEOGRAPHY.—The White Mountains are in the northern central part of the -State of New Hampshire. They occupy the whole area of the State between -Maine and Vermont, and between Lake Winnipiseogee and the head-streams -of the Connecticut and Androscoggin rivers.</p> - -<p>Two principal chains, having a general direction from south-west to -north-east, constitute this great water-shed of New England. These are -the Franconia and the White Mountains proper, sometimes called the -“Presidential Range.”</p> - -<p>Grouped on all sides of the higher summits are a great number of -inferior ridges, among which, as in the Sandwich Range, rise some very -fine peaks, widely extending the mountainous area, and diversifying it -with numerous valleys, lakes, and streams.</p> - -<p>Two principal rivers, the Saco and Merrimack, flowing from these two -chief clusters, form the two great valleys of the White Mountain system; -and by these valleys the railways enter the mountains from the seaboard. -Lake Winnipiseogee, which washes the southern foot of the mountains, -is also a thoroughfare, as are the valleys of the Connecticut and -Androscoggin rivers.</p> - -<p>DISTANCES.—It is 430 miles from Philadelphia to Fabyan’s; 340 from New -York, <i>via</i> Springfield; 190 from Montreal, <i>via</i> Newport; 208 <i>via</i> -Groveton; 169 from Boston, <i>via</i> North Conway (Eastern R.R.); 208 <i>via</i> -Concord (B., C., & M. R.R.); 91 from Portland, <i>via</i> North Conway (P. -& O. R.R.); 91 from Portland to Gorham (G. T. R.); 199 from Boston to -Gorham, <i>via</i> Eastern and Grand Trunk roads; and 206 <i>via</i> Boston and -Maine and Grand Trunk roads.</p> - -<p>ROUTES.—Procure, before starting, the official time-tables of the -railroads running to the mountains or making direct connection with -them, by application to local agents, by writing to the ticket-agents of -the roads, or by consulting a railway guide-book. The roads reaching the -mountains are—</p> - -<p>From Washington: The Pennsylvania, and New York & New England.</p> - -<p>From Philadelphia: The Pennsylvania, and New York & New England.</p> - -<p>From Montreal: The Grand Trunk, and The South-eastern.</p> - -<p>From Quebec: The Grand Trunk Railway.</p> - -<p>From Saratoga: The Delaware & Hudson Canal Co.</p> - -<p>From New York: New York, New Haven, & Hartford (all rail <i>via</i> -Springfield, White River Junction, and Wells River to Fabyan’s; or all -rail <i>via</i> Springfield, Worcester, Nashua, and Concord, N. H.; or all -rail <i>via</i> “Shore Line,” Boston & Albany, or New York & New<a name="page_320" id="page_320"></a> England -roads to Boston); or by Fall River, Norwich, or Stonington “Sound Lines” -to Boston; thence by either of the following railroads:</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_320_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_320_sml.jpg" width="316" height="314" alt="JACOBS LADDER, MOUNT WASHINGTON RAILWAY." -title="JACOBS LADDER, MOUNT WASHINGTON RAILWAY." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">JACOBS LADDER, MOUNT WASHINGTON RAILWAY.</span> -</p> - -<p>From Boston: Eastern R.R., <i>via</i> Beverly (18 miles, branch to Cape Ann); -Hampton (46 miles, Boar’s Head and Rye Beaches); Portsmouth (56 miles, -Newcastle and Isles of Shoals and York Beach); Kittery (57 miles); -Wolfborough Junction (98 miles, branch to Lake Winnipiseogee); North -Conway (138 miles; connects with Portland and Ogdensburg); Intervale -(139 miles); Glen Station (144 miles, for Jackson and Glen House); -Crawford’s (165 miles); Fabyan’s (169 miles; connects with B., C., & M. -for Summit of Mount Washington, Bethlehem, Profile House, and Jefferson; -or by same route to Portland, thence by P. & O. R.R. to North Conway, or -Grand Trunk Railway to Gorham).</p> - -<p>Boston, Lowell & Concord, and Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroads, -<i>via</i> Lowell (26 miles); Nashua, Manchester, Concord (75 miles); -Plymouth (123 miles); Woodsville (166 miles, Wells River); Littleton -(185 miles, for Sugar Hill); Wing Road (192 miles, branch to Jefferson); -Bethlehem (196 miles, branch road to Profile House, also to “Maplewood,” -and Bethlehem Street); Twin Mountain House, Fabyan’s (208 miles, branch -to<a name="page_321" id="page_321"></a> Summit of Mount Washington, 217 miles); connects at Fabyan’s with P. -& O. and Eastern roads for North Conway, Portland, and Boston.</p> - -<p>Boston & Maine R.R. <i>via</i> Lawrence (26 miles); Haverhill, Exeter (50 -miles); Dover (68 miles); Rochester (78 miles); Alton Bay (96 miles), -connecting with steamer for Wolfborough and Centre Harbor, on Lake -Winnipiseogee; or by the same road to Portland, thence by P. & O. to -North Conway and Fabyan’s, or Grand Trunk to Gorham and Glen House.</p> - -<p>From Portland: Portland & Ogdensburg R.R. via Sebago Lake (17 miles); -Fryeburg (49 miles); Conway Centre, North Conway (60 miles); Glen -Station (66 miles, Jackson and Glen House); Bartlett (72 miles); -Crawford’s (87 miles); Fabyan’s (91 miles; connects with B., C., & M. -R.R. for Summit of Mount Washington, Bethlehem, Profile House, Sugar -Hill, Jefferson, etc.).</p> - -<p>Grand Trunk Railway: Danville Junction (27 miles); Bethel (70 miles); -Shelburne (86 miles); Gorham (91 miles, for Glen House).</p> - -<p>A good way to do the mountains by rail is to buy an excursion-ticket -over the route entering on the west, and, passing through, leave them -by the roads on the east side via Boston or Portland, or <i>vice versa</i>. -At Fabyan’s, where the two great routes meet, the traveller coming from -either direction may pursue his journey without delay. From <i>Boston to -Boston</i>, <i>Portland to Portland</i>, there is continuous rail without going -twice over the same line.</p> - -<p><i>Lake Winnipiseogee.</i>—At Alton Bay, Wolfborough, and Weirs steamer is -taken for Centre Harbor, at the head of the lake. Here the traveller may -either take the daily stages for West Ossipee (E. R.R.) or steamer to -Weirs (B., C., & M.), and thus be again on the direct rail routes.</p> - -<p>HOW TO CHOOSE A LOCATION.—Do you wish a quiet retreat, off the -travelled routes, where you may have rest and seclusion, or do you -desire to fix yourself in a position favorable to exploring the whole -mountain region?</p> - -<p>In either case consult (1) some friend who has visited the mountains; -(2), consult the maps in this volume; (3), consult the landlord in any -place you may fancy for a limited or a lengthened residence; (4), apply -to the agents of the Eastern, Portland, & Ogdensburg, Boston, Concord, & -Montreal, Boston & Maine, or Grand Trunk Railways, for books or folders -containing a list of the mountain hotels reached by their lines, and the -charge for board by the day and week. (The Eastern, and B., C., & M. -print revised lists every year, for gratuitous distribution.)</p> - -<p>Wolfborough, Weirs, Centre Harbor, and Sandwich (all on or near -Lake Winnipiseogee); Blair’s, Sanborn’s, Campton Village, Thornton, -and Woodstock, in the Pemigewasset Valley; Tamworth, Conway Corner, -Fryeburg, the Intervale (North Conway), Jackson, the Glen House, Bethel -(Me.), Shelburne, Randolph, East Jefferson, Jefferson Hill, Lancaster, -Littleton, Franconia, Sugar Hill, Haverhill, and Newbury (Vt.)—all come -within the category first named; while the second want will be supplied -at such points as North Conway, Crawford’s, Fabyan’s, Twin Mountain -House, Bethlehem, and the Profile House. North Conway and Bethlehem are -the keys to the whole mountain region. Fabyan’s and the Glen House are -the proper points from which to ascend Mount Washington.</p> - -<p>To aid in locating these places on the map, refer constantly to the -Index at the end of the volume.<a name="page_322" id="page_322"></a></p> - -<p>Leaving Boston or Portland in the morning, any of the points named may -be reached in from four to eight hours.</p> - -<p>HINTS FOR TOURISTS.—Select your destination, if possible, in advance; -and if you require apartments, telegraph to the hotel where you mean -to stop, giving the number of persons in your party, thus avoiding -the disappointment of arriving, at the end of a long journey, at an -over-crowded hotel.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_322_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_322_sml.jpg" width="326" height="323" alt="U. S. METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN SUMMER." -title="U. S. METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN SUMMER." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">U. S. METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN -SUMMER.</span> -</p> - -<p>Should you fix upon a particular locality for a long or short stay, -write to one (or more) of the landlords for terms, etc.; and if his -house is off the line of railway, inform him of the day and train you -mean to take, so that he may meet you with a carriage at the nearest -station. But if you do not go upon the day named, remember to notify the -landlord.</p> - -<p>Always take some warm woollen clothing (inside and outside) for mountain -ascensions. It is unsafe to be without it in any season, as the nights -are usually cool even in midsummer.</p> - -<p>From the middle of June to the middle of October is the season of -mountain travel. The best views are obtained in June, September, and -October. From the middle of September<a name="page_323" id="page_323"></a> to the middle of October the air -is pure and invigorating, the mountain forests are then in a blaze of -autumnal splendor, the cascades are finer, and out-of-door jaunts are -less fatiguing than in July and August.</p> - -<p>Should you wish merely to make a rapid tour of the mountain region, it -will be best so to arrange your route before starting that the first day -will bring you where there is something to be seen, to a comfortable -hotel, and from which your journey may be continued with an economy of -time and money.</p> - -<p>The three journeys described in this volume will enable you to see all -that is most desirable to be seen; but the excellent facilities for -traversing the mountains render it immaterial whether these routes -are precisely followed, taken in their reverse order, or adopted as -a general plan, with such modifications as the tourist’s time or -inclination may suggest.</p> - -<p>Upon arriving at his destination the traveller naturally desires to -use his time to the best advantage possible. But he is ignorant how to -do this. “What shall I do?” “Where shall I go?” are the two questions -that confront him. Let us suppose him arrived, first, at <span class="smcap">North -Conway</span>.</p> - -<p>As he stands gazing up the Saco Valley, Moat Mountain is on his left, -Kearsarge at his right, and Mount Washington in front. (Refer to the -Chapter and Index articles on North Conway.) The high cliffs on the side -of Moat are called the Ledges. This glorious view may be improved by -going a mile up the railroad, or highway, to the Intervale. The Ledges -contain the local celebrities. Taking a carriage, or walking, one may -visit them in an afternoon, seeing in turn Echo Lake, the Devil’s Den, -the Cathedral, and Diana’s Baths. The picturesque bits of river, meadow, -and mountain seen going and returning will make the way seem short, and -are certain to detain the artistic traveller. Artists’ Falls, on the -opposite side of the valley, will repay a visit, if the stream is in -good condition. Artists’ Brook, on which these falls are, runs from the -hills east of the village. A carriage-road leads to the Artists’ Falls -House, from which a short walk brings one to the falls. This excursion -will require not more than two hours. Then there are the drives to -Kearsarge village, under the mountain, and back by the Intervale; to -Jackson, over Thorn Hill, and back by Goodrich Falls (three to four -hours each); to Bartlett Bowlder, by the west, and back by the east side -of the valley; to Fryeburg and Mount Chocorua—the last two requiring -each half a day at least. The ascent of Kearsarge (from Kearsarge -village) or of the Moats (from Diana’s Baths) each demands a day to -itself. But by starting early in the morning a good climber may ascend -and descend Kearsarge, getting back to the village by two o’clock in the -afternoon.</p> - -<p><i>At the Intervale</i> he can easily repeat all these experiences, as this -is a suburb of North Conway. Let him take his first stroll over the -meadows to the river, or among the grand old pines in the forest near -the railway station, while preparing for more extended excursions.</p> - -<p><i>At Glen Station.</i>—While waiting for the luggage to be put on, if the -day is perfectly clear, the traveller, by going up the track a few -rods, to the bridge over the Ellis, may get a glimpse of the summit of -Mount Washington, with the hotel upon the apex; also of Carter Notch. -On the way to Jackson he will pass over Goodrich Falls by a bridge. He -should not fail to remark the fine cliffs of Iron Mountain, at his left -hand, before entering the village. Should he be <i>en route</i> for the Glen -House, let him be on the lookout for the Giant<a name="page_324" id="page_324"></a>’s Stairs, on the left, -after leaving Jackson, and then for the grand view of Pinkham Notch, -with Mount Washington at the left, about four miles beyond Jackson. The -summit of Spruce Hill—the scene of the highway robbery in 1881—is the -top of the long rise beyond the bridge over Ellis River.</p> - -<p><i>At Jackson</i> we have moved eight miles nearer Mount Washington, in -the direction of the Glen House (12 miles) and Gorham (20 miles), and -also toward the Carter Notch, distant from the village 9 miles. The -excursions back to North Conway are similar to those described from -that place. The first thing to do here is to stroll up the Wildcat, and -pass an hour or two among the falls on this stream, which begin at the -village. A walk or drive up this valley to Fernald’s Farm, and back -by the opposite side, or over Thorn Hill, are two tempting half-day -excursions. In an hour one may walk to Goodrich Falls (road to Glen -Station) and back to the village. He may start after breakfast, and -drive to Glen Ellis Falls (road to Glen House), eight miles, returning -to the hotel for dinner; or, lunching at Glen Ellis, go on one mile -farther to the Crystal Cascade; then, dining at the Glen House (3 -miles), return at leisure. But it is a mistake to take two such pieces -of water in one day. The pedestrian whose base is Jackson, and who -makes this trip, should pass the night at the Glen House and return by -the Carter Notch, the distance being about the same as by the highway. -But he should never try this alone, for fear of a disabling accident. -Or he may take the Glen House stage at Jackson early in the afternoon, -and, letting it drop him at Glen Ellis, make his own way to the hotel -(4 miles) on foot, after a visit to the falls. Apply to Mr. Osgood, the -veteran guide, at the Glen House, for services, or directions how to -enter the Carter Notch from the Glen House side; and to Jock Davis, who -lives at the head of the Wildcat Valley, if going in from the Jackson -side.</p> - -<p>Ladies who are accustomed to walking can reach Carter Notch with a -little help now and then from the gentlemen. But the fatigue of going -and returning on the same day would be too great. A party could enter -the Notch in the afternoon, pass the night in Davis’s comfortable cabin, -and return the next morning. The path in is much easier and plainer from -the Jackson than from the Glen House side; but there is no difficulty -about keeping either. Davis will take up everything necessary for -camping out, except food, which may be procured at your hotel before -starting. There is plenty of water in the Notch.</p> - -<p><i>At the Glen House</i> one may finish the afternoon by walking back a mile -on the Jackson road to the Emerald Pool; or, if he is in the vein, go -one mile farther on to Thompson’s Falls, and, ascending to the top, look -over the forest into Tuckerman’s Ravine. The Crystal Cascade (3 miles) -and Glen Ellis (4 miles) from the hotel, ought to occupy half a day, but -three hours (driving) will suffice, if one is in a hurry. The drive to -Jackson, or march into the Notch, are just noted under Jackson. To go -into Tuckerman’s Ravine by the Crystal Cascade, or by Thompson’s Path -(Mount Washington carriage-road), will take a whole day. Ladies have -been into Tuckerman’s; but the trial cannot be recommended except for -the most vigorous and courageous. The Appalachian Club has a camp near -Hermit Lake, where a party going into the ravine in the afternoon may -pass a comfortable night, ascend to the Snow Arch in the morning, and -return to the hotel for dinner.</p> - -<p>A three-mile walk on the Gorham road, crossing the Peabody River to the -Copp Farmhouse, gives a view of the celebrated “Imp” profile, on the -top of the opposite mountain. This walk is an affair of two hours and -a half. (See art. “Imp” in Index.) The Garnet<a name="page_325" id="page_325"></a> Pool (one mile from the -hotel) may be taken on the way. Or, for a short and interesting stroll, -go down this road a half-mile to where the Great Gulf opens wide before -you its immense wall of mountains. The carriage-road to the summit -requires four hours for the ascent by stage; a good climber can do it -on foot in about the same time. Should a storm overtake him above the -woods, he can find shelter in the Half-way House, just at the edge of -the forest.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_325_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_325_sml.jpg" width="318" height="319" alt="INTERIOR OF THE METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON." -title="INTERIOR OF THE METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">INTERIOR OF THE METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON.</span> -</p> - -<p><i>At Crawford’s</i> one can saunter into the woods at the left of the -hotel, and enjoy himself in the sylvan retreat, “Idlewild;” or, going -down the road, ascend the Elephant’s Head by a path turning in at the -left (sign-board), obtaining the view down the Notch; or, continuing -on a short distance, enter and examine the Gate of the Notch. All -these objects are in full view from the hotel. Other rambles of an -hour are to Gibbs’ Falls, entering the woods at the left of the hotel -(guide-board), or, crossing the bridge over the railroad track on the -right, to Beecher’s Cascades. The ascent of Mount Willard (3 miles) -should on no account be omitted. Good carriage-road all the way, and -vehicles from the hotel. The celebrated Crawford Trail to the Summit -of Mount Washington, the scene of many exploits, begins in the grove -at the left of this hotel. The distance is fully nine miles, and six -or<a name="page_326" id="page_326"></a> seven hours will be none too many for the jaunt. Four intervening -mountains, Clinton, Pleasant, Franklin, and Monroe, are crossed. There -is a shelter-hut in the woods near the summit of Clinton.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_pg_326_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_pg_326_sml.jpg" width="319" height="318" alt="METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN WINTER." -title="METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN WINTER." /></a> -<br /> -<span class="caption">METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN WINTER.</span> -</p> - -<p><i>At Fabyan’s.</i>—Three or four hours may be profitably spent on Mount -Deception, opposite the hotel. The first summit is as much as one would -care to undertake in an afternoon, to get the extended and magnificent -view of the great range at sunset. Opposite the hotel is a cosy little -cottage, kept open by the railroads for the use of travellers, and to -give them information respecting routes, hotels, distances, fares, etc. -The Upper Ammonoosuc Falls (3½ miles) are well worth a visit. They -are on the Old Turnpike to the base of Mount Washington. The traveller -has now at command all the important points in the mountains.</p> - -<p>He is 9 miles from the Summit, 4 from Crawford’s, 29 from North Conway, -13 from Bethlehem, 22 from the Profile, and 18 from Jefferson—all -reached by rail in one or two hours.</p> - -<p><i>At Bethlehem.</i>—If the tourist locates himself at the “Maplewood,” the -walk up the mountain to the Observatory, or to Cruft’s Ledge, at sunset, -or to the village (1½ miles), or<a name="page_327" id="page_327"></a> down the Whitefield road to The -Hollow, is a good introduction. At “The Street” he will find the busiest -thoroughfare in the mountains, leading him on to a beautiful panorama -of the Ammonoosuc Valley, with Littleton in its lap; or, ascending the -old Profile House road above the Sinclair House for a mile, will see the -great Franconia mountains from the best view-point. Bethlehem is 9 miles -from the Profile House, 13 from Fabyan’s, 17 from Crawford’s, 42 from -North Conway, 15 from Jefferson, and 22 from the Summit.</p> - -<p><i>At Profile House.</i>—If you arrive by rail via Bethlehem, you have -crossed the broad flank and great ravine of Mount Lafayette to the -shores of Echo Lake, a mile from the hotel. But the opposite side -of this lake is a more eligible site for views of the surrounding -mountains; and the summit of Bald Mountain, at its north end, is still -better. From the long piazza of the Profile House the great Notch -mountains close in toward the south. Cannon Mountain is on your right, -with the peculiar rocks giving it this name thrust out from the highest -ridge in full view. The woods at the foot of this mountain, filling -the pass in front of you, conceal the beautiful Profile Lake, the -twin-sister of Echo Lake. The enormous rock at your left is Eagle Cliff, -a spur of Mount Lafayette, the mountain being ascended on the south side -of this cliff. Improve the first hour of leisure by walking directly -down the road to Profile Lake. In a few minutes you will reach the shore -near a rustic arbor (guide-board), furnished with seats, and here you -command the best view of the renowned “Old Man of the Mountain.” Boats -may be had here for a sail upon the lake. Return to the hotel by the -path through the woods. Walk next up the pass one mile to Echo Lake -(boats and fishing-gear at the boat-house); or, extending your jaunt -as far as Bald Mountain, obtain, by following the old path through the -woods at the right, the best observation of the pass from the north. The -trip to the Flume House (including the Basin, Pool, and Flume) is next -in order, and will occupy a half day, although the distance is only six -miles, and the road excellent. If the forenoon is taken, a party can -either return to the hotel for dinner or dine well at the Flume House. -The Pool is reached by a path half a mile long, entering the woods -opposite the Flume House. It will take an hour to drive to the Flume; -and an hour to go into the chasm itself and return is little enough; -allowing another hour for the Pool makes four hours for the excursion.</p> - -<p>The ascent of Mount Lafayette (3¾ miles) demands three to four hours. -Saddle-horses can be procured at the hotel. Those unwilling to undertake -the whole climb may, by ascending Eagle Cliff (1 mile on same path), -secure a grand view of the Notch and lakes, the Profile, the ravines, -and the Pemigewasset Valley. A stage leaves the Profile House every -morning for Plymouth, connecting with trains for Boston and New York, -and permitting the tourist to enjoy the beauties of the Pemigewasset -Valley. But it is better to ascend this valley.</p> - -<p><i>At the Flume House</i> (refer to the preceding article).—It is a -comparatively easy climb of an hour and a half to the top of Mount -Pemigewasset, behind the hotel. See, from the hotel, the outline of the -mountain ridge opposite, called Washington Lying in State.</p> - -<p><i>At Jefferson.</i>—The branch railway from Whitefield (B., C., & M. R.R.) -leaves its passengers about three miles from the cluster of hotels and -boarding-houses called Jefferson Hill, or five from East Jefferson -(E. A. Crawford’s, Highland, or Mount Adams House); but carriages -are usually in waiting for all these houses. The walks and drives up -and down this valley are numerous and interesting, especially so in -the direction of Mount Adams and Randolph Hill, Cherry Mountain and -Lancaster. The trip over Cherry Mountain,<a name="page_328" id="page_328"></a> reaching Fabyan’s (13 miles) -by sunset, or from Fabyan’s, reaching Jefferson at this hour, is a -memorable experience of mountain beauty. Excursions to Mount Washington, -Profile House, Glen House, or Gorham, demand a day. The ascent of Starr -King, Owl’s Head, Ravine of the Cascades, King’s Ravine, or Mount Adams -are the <i>pièces de résistance</i> for this locality.</p> - -<p>ITINERARY OF A WALKING TOUR.—Two weeks of fine weather will enable -a good pedestrian to traverse the mountains from Plymouth to North -Conway, or <i>vice versa</i>, following the great highways throughout the -whole journey, and giving time to see what is on the route. Good hotel -accommodation will be found at the end of each day. Should bad weather -unsettle his plans, he will nearly always be able to avail himself of -regular stage or railway conveyance for a less or greater distance. -Thus: First day, Plymouth to Woodstock (dine at Sanborn’s, West -Campton), 16 miles; second day, Flume House (visiting Flume and Pool), -8 miles; third day, Profile House (visiting Basin and “Old Man”), 5½ -miles; fourth day, Bethlehem (<i>via</i> Echo Lake and Franconia), 9 miles; -fifth day, Whitefield, 8 miles; sixth day, East Jefferson, 13 miles; -seventh day, Glen House, 14 miles; eighth day, for vicinity of Glen -House; ninth day, Summit of Mount Washington by carriage-road, 8 miles; -tenth day, descent by mountain railway to Crawford’s, 13 miles; eleventh -day, through the Notch to Bartlett, 13 miles; twelfth day, Jackson and -vicinity, 9 miles; thirteenth day, North Conway, 8 miles. Total, 124 -miles.</p> - -<p><i>Advice for Climbers.</i>—Don’t hurry when on a level road—keep your -strength for the ascent. Always take the long route up a mountain, if it -be the easier one. Be careful where you plant the foot in gullied trails -or on icy ledges—a sprain is a serious matter if you are alone. Carry -in your pocket a flask, fitted with a tumbler or cup; matches that will -ignite in the wind, half a dozen cakes of pitch-kindling, a good glass, -and a luncheon; in your hand a stout walking-stick; and upon your feet -shoes that can be trusted—none of your gimcracks—but broad-soled ones, -shod with steel nails. On a long march a rubber overcoat, a haversack, -and an umbrella will be needed. Cold tea slakes thirst more effectually -than water; but when you are exposed to wet and cold something stronger -will be found useful. Should you have a palpitation of the heart, or an -inclination to vertigo, do not climb at all. Take quiet rambles instead. -My word for it, they are better for you than scaling breathless ascents -or looking down over dizzy precipices. If you feel nausea, stop at once -until you recover from it. If caught on the Crawford trail between -Mounts Clinton and Washington, go back to the hut on the first-named -mountain.</p> - -<p><i>Newspapers for Tourists</i>, at Bethlehem (<i>The Echo</i>) and on the Summit -(<i>Among the Clouds</i>) are published during the season of travel, -giving hotel arrivals, information concerning rail and stage routes, -excursions, and whatever may be of interest to the summer population in -general.</p> - -<p>Telegraphic and telephone communication may be had at all the principal -hotels and railway-stations.</p> - -<p>The Appalachian Mountain Club prints every year a periodical made up of -scientific and literary contributions from its members. Address the club -at Boston.</p> - -<p><i>Trout</i>, <i>pickerel</i>, and <i>black bass</i> are found in all the mountain -waters. The State stocks the ponds and streams with trout, bass, and -salmon from its breeding-houses at Plymouth. Fishing legally begins May -1. There is good trout-fishing on Swift River (Albany), with Conway for -head-quarters. From Jackson, or Glen House, the Wildcat and Ellis are -both<a name="page_329" id="page_329"></a> good trout streams; so are Nineteen-Mile Brook and the West Branch -of Peabody; but the Wild River region (from Shelburne, Glen House, or -Jackson) affords better sport, because less visited. To go in from -Jackson or Glen House a guide will be necessary, and Davis, of Jackson, -is a good one. From Jefferson and Randolph the upper waters of the -Moose, and Israel’s River (especially in the Mount Jefferson ravine), -are fished with good success. E. A. Crawford, of East Jefferson, knows -the best spots. From Bartlett there should be good fishing on Sawyer’s -River, above the Livermore mills. Consult Frank George, the veteran -landlord of the Bartlett House. From Crawford’s the best fishing-ground -is Ethan’s Pond, behind Mount Willey. At Franconia the writer has -seen some fine strings brought from the Copper-mine Brook (back of -Mount Kinsman). Fair fishing may also be had on Lafayette Brook—ask -Charles Edson, of the Edson House. Profile Lake is stocked with trout -for the benefit of guests of the hotel. The upper streams of the -Pemigewasset are all good fishing-ground. Apply to Mr. D. P. Pollard, -North Woodstock, or Merrill Greeley, Waterville. The houses of both are -resorted to by experienced fishermen who track the East Branch or Mad -River tributaries. Pickerel and bass are caught in Lakes Winnipiseogee, -Squam, Chocorua, Ossipee, and Silver, besides scores of ponds lying -chiefly in the lake region.</p> - -<p>N.B.—Those going exclusively to fish should go early in the season for -the best sport.</p> - -<p><i>Guides.</i>—The landlords will either accompany you or procure a suitable -person.</p> - -<p><i>Camping Out.</i>—A wall tent is preferable, but two persons get along -comfortably in one of the “A” pattern. Get one with the fly, which -can be spread behind the tent, thus giving an additional room, in -which the cooking and eating may be done under cover. Set up your tent -where there is natural drainage—where the surface water will run off -during wet weather. Dig a shallow trench around it, on the outside, -for this purpose, and if you can obtain them, lay boards for a floor. -A kerosene-oil stove, with its utensils, folding cot-bed, camp-chairs, -and mess-chest, containing dishes (tin is best), constitute a complete -outfit, to be reduced according to convenience or pleasure. To make a -woods-man’s camp, first set up two crotched posts five feet high, and -six or eight apart (according to number). On these lay a pole. From this -pole three or four others extend to the ground. Then cut brush or bark -for the roof and sides, and build your fire in front. For a camp of this -sort a hatchet and packet of matches only are necessary. But always -pitch your encampment in the vicinity of wood and water.</p> - -<p><i>Mount Washington Railway.</i>—Length, from base to summit, 3 miles. Rise -in the three miles, 3,625 feet. Steepest grade, 13½ inches in three -feet, or 1980 feet to the mile. Begun in 1866; completed in 1869.</p> - -<p><i>Mount Washington Carriage-road.</i>—Length, 8 miles. Average grade, one -foot in eight. Steepest grade, one foot in six. Begun in 1855; finished -in 1861.</p> - -<p><i>Mount Washington Signal Station.</i>—The Summit was first occupied for -scientific purposes in the winter of 1870-’71. Since then it has been -attached to the Weather Bureau at Washington, and occupied by men -detailed from the United States Signal Corps, the men volunteering for -the service.</p> - -<p>ALTITUDES.—The following list of altitudes of the more important -and well-known points has been compiled from the publications of the -Geological Survey of New Hampshire and of the Appalachian Mountain Club. -The figures in <b>heavy-face</b> type are the results either of actual -levelling or of trigonometrical survey, while the remainder depend<a name="page_330" id="page_330"></a> upon -barometrical measurement. Where the mean of two not widely-differing -authorities is given, the fact is denoted by the letter “<i>m</i>” preceding -the figures:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">MOUNTAIN SUMMITS.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Adams</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 5785</td></tr> -<tr><td>Ascutney (Vermont)</td><td align="right">3186</td></tr> -<tr><td>Black (Sandwich Dome)</td><td align="right">3999</td></tr> -<tr><td>Boott’s Spur</td><td align="right">5524</td></tr> -<tr><td>Cannon</td><td align="right">3850</td></tr> -<tr><td>Carrigain</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 4651</td></tr> -<tr><td>Carter Dome</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 4827</td></tr> -<tr><td>Chocorua</td><td align="right">3540</td></tr> -<tr><td>Clay</td><td align="right">5553</td></tr> -<tr><td>Clinton</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 4315</td></tr> -<tr><td>Crawford</td><td align="right">3134</td></tr> -<tr><td>Giant’s Stairs</td><td align="right">3500</td></tr> -<tr><td>Gunstock</td><td align="right">2394</td></tr> -<tr><td>Iron</td><td align="right"><i>about</i> 2000</td></tr> -<tr><td>Jefferson</td><td align="right">5714</td></tr> -<tr><td>Kearsarge, S. (Merrimack County)</td><td align="right">2943</td></tr> -<tr><td>Kearsarge, N. (Carroll County)</td><td align="right">3251</td></tr> -<tr><td>Lafayette</td><td align="right">5259</td></tr> -<tr><td>Madison</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 5350</td></tr> -<tr><td>Moat (North peak)</td><td align="right">3200</td></tr> -<tr><td>Monadnock</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 3177</td></tr> -<tr><td>Monroe</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 5375</td></tr> -<tr><td>Moosilauke</td><td align="right">4811</td></tr> -<tr><td>Moriah</td><td align="right">4653</td></tr> -<tr><td>Osceola</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 4408</td></tr> -<tr><td>Passaconnaway</td><td align="right">4200</td></tr> -<tr><td>Percy (North peak)</td><td align="right">3336</td></tr> -<tr><td>Pleasant (Great range)</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 4768</td></tr> -<tr><td>Pleasant (Maine)</td><td align="right">2021</td></tr> -<tr><td>Starr King</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 3872</td></tr> -<tr><td>Twin</td><td align="right"><i>about</i> 5000</td></tr> -<tr><td>Washington</td><td align="right">6293</td></tr> -<tr><td>Webster</td><td align="right">4000</td></tr> -<tr><td>Whiteface</td><td align="right">4007</td></tr> -<tr><td>Willey</td><td align="right">4300</td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">VILLAGES AND HOTELS.</td></tr> -<tr><td>Bartlett (Upper)</td><td align="right">660</td></tr> -<tr><td>Bethlehem (Sinclair House)</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 1454</td></tr> -<tr><td>Franconia</td><td align="right">921</td></tr> -<tr><td>Crawford House</td><td align="right">1899</td></tr> -<tr><td>Fabyan “</td><td align="right">1571</td></tr> -<tr><td>Flume “</td><td align="right">1431</td></tr> -<tr><td>Glen “</td><td align="right">1632</td></tr> -<tr><td>Gorham</td><td align="right">812</td></tr> -<tr><td>Jackson</td><td align="right">759</td></tr> -<tr><td>Jefferson Hill</td><td align="right">1440</td></tr> -<tr><td>Jefferson Highlands (Mt. Adams House)</td><td align="right">1648</td></tr> -<tr><td>Lancaster</td><td align="right">870</td></tr> -<tr><td>North Conway</td><td align="right">521</td></tr> -<tr><td>Plymouth</td><td align="right">473</td></tr> -<tr><td>Profile House</td><td align="right">1974</td></tr> -<tr><td>Sugar Hill (Post Office)</td><td align="right">1351</td></tr> -<tr><td>Waterville (Greeley’s Hotel)</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 1544</td></tr> -<tr><td>Willey House</td><td align="right">1323</td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">NOTCHES.</td></tr> -<tr><td>Carter Notch</td><td align="right">3240</td></tr> -<tr><td>Cherry Mt. Road (summit)</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 2180</td></tr> -<tr><td>Crawford or White Mt. Notch</td><td align="right">1914</td></tr> -<tr><td>Dixville Notch</td><td align="right">1831</td></tr> -<tr><td>Franconia Notch</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 2015</td></tr> -<tr><td>Pinkham Notch (south of Glen House)</td><td align="right">2018</td></tr> -<tr><td>Carrigain Notch</td><td align="right">2465</td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">MISCELLANEOUS.</td></tr> -<tr><td>Ammonoosuc Sta. (base of Mt. Washington)</td><td align="right">2668</td></tr> -<tr><td>Camp of Appalachian Mountain Club, on the Mt. Adams path</td><td align="right">3307</td></tr> -<tr><td>Echo Lake (Franconia)</td><td align="right"><i>m</i> 1928</td></tr> -<tr><td>Lake of the Clouds</td><td align="right">5053</td></tr> -<tr><td>Lake Winnipiseogee</td><td align="right">500</td></tr> - -</table> - -<p><i>Distant Points Visible from Mount Washington</i> (taken from -“Appalachia”).—Mount Megantic (Canada), 86 miles, seen between -Jefferson and Adams; Mount Carmel, 65 miles, just over Mount Adams; -Saddleback, 60 miles, head of Rangely Lakes; Mount Abraham, 68 -miles, N., 47° E.; Ebene Mountain, 135 miles, vicinity of Moosehead -Lake (rarely seen, even with a telescope); Mount Blue, 57 miles, -near Farmington, Me.; Sebago Lake, 43 miles, over Mount Doublehead; -Portland, 67 miles, over Lake Sebago; Mount Agamenticus, 79 miles, -between Kearsarge and Moat Mountains; Isles of Shoals, 96 miles, to -the right of Agamenticus (rarely seen); Mount Monadnock, 104 miles, -between Carrigain and Sandwich Dome; Mount Ascutney (Vt.), 81 miles, -S., 45° W.; Killington Peaks (near Rutland, Vt.), 88 miles, on the -horizon between Moosilauk and Lincoln; Camel’s Hump (Vt), 78 miles, over -Bethlehem Street; Mount Whiteface (Adirondack chain, N.Y.), 130 miles, -over the right slope of Camel’s Hump; Mount Mansfield (highest of Green -Mountains), 77<a name="page_331" id="page_331"></a> miles, between Twin Mountain House and Mount Deception; -Mount Wachusett (Mass.), 126 miles, is also visible under favorable -conditions, just to the right of Whiteface (N. H.).</p> - -<p>MOUNTAIN PATHS. [Those with an asterisk (*) were built by the -Appalachian Mountain Club.] <i>Chocorua.</i>—There are three or four paths. -The best leads from the Hammond Farm, 2½ miles from the Chocorua Lake -House, and 14 miles from North Conway. The ascent, as far as the foot of -the final peak, is feasible for ladies. From this point the easiest way -is to flank the peak to the left until an old watercourse is reached, -which may be followed nearly to the summit.</p> - -<p>*<i>Moat.</i>—An old path leads from the Swift River road to the summit of -the South Peak. Another, from the clearings on an old road which extends -along the base of the South Peak, leads to the top of the middle ridge; -but the best path for tourists is the one from Diana’s Baths, on Cedar -Brook, following the stream to the foot of the ridge, thence over the -ridge to the summit of the North Peak. Path well made, and plainly -marked with signs and cairns; about 3½ miles in length.</p> - -<p>*<i>Middle Mountain, North Conway.</i>—Beginning at the ice-ponds near -Artists’ Falls House, the path extends around the base of Peaked -Mountain, thence to the bare ledges which reach to the summit. Distance, -1⅝ miles. Path well marked, and the view very beautiful.</p> - -<p><i>Kearsarge, North Conway.</i>—A bridle-path starts from a farm-house near -Kearsarge Village, and extends to the summit. Distance, nearly 3 miles. -Route plain, and not difficult.</p> - -<p>*<i>Mount Bartlett.</i>—The path starts near the Pequawket House, Lower -Bartlett, follows old logging roads for some distance, runs thence -directly to the summit. From the summit the path extends along the ridge -until it joins the bridle-path to Kearsarge.</p> - -<p>*<i>Carrigain.</i>—The route leads from the mills at Livermore, which are -reached by a road leaving the P. & O. R.R. at Livermore Station. From -the mills, logging roads are followed—crossing Duck Pond and Carrigain -Brooks—to the base; thence by a plain path through a fine forest to -“Burnt Hat Ridge,” from which it is only a short distance to the summit.</p> - -<p>From mills to summit is about 5 miles. Station to mills, 2 miles.</p> - -<p>*<i>Livermore-Waterville Path.</i>—This is intended for a bridle-path. -Starting from the mills at Livermore, a logging-road is followed nearly -two miles on the southerly side of Sawyer’s River. Here the path begins -and runs along the north-west base of Green’s Cliff, crosses Swift River -at a beautiful fall, thence through the Notch south of Mount Kancamagus -to Greeley’s, in Waterville. The path is well marked by painted signs. -Distance from Livermore to Swift River, 5 miles; to Greeley’s, 12 miles.</p> - -<p>*<i>Mount Willey.</i>—Path leaves the P. & O. R.R. a little south of Willey -Station. The rise is rapid until the Brook Kedron is reached; this -brook is then followed to its source, thence the path leads direct to -the summit. Distance, 1½ miles. The climb is steep; but the view -unsurpassed.</p> - -<p><i>Crawford Bridle-path</i> leads from the Crawford House to the summit of -Washington. Path is plain, and the travelling along the ridge is easy; -but it is not in condition for horses. See pp. 325, 326.</p> - -<p>*<i>Carter Notch.</i>—Path begins near the end of the Wildcat Valley road, -about 5½ miles from Jackson; thence it follows the valley of the -brook to the ponds in the Notch. From the ponds it follows Nineteen Mile -Brook to the clearing back of the Glen House. The travelling is easy; -the view in the Notch grand.<a name="page_332" id="page_332"></a></p> - -<p>Distance from the road to the ponds, about 4 miles; from the ponds to -the Glen House, about the same.</p> - -<p>*<i>Carter Dome.</i>—The path starts from the larger pond in the Notch, and -is well marked to the summit. It is very steep, and about 1½ miles in -length.</p> - -<p><i>Great Gulf.</i>—A path beginning near the Glen House goes through this -gorge. From the end of the path the carriage-road or railroad on Mount -Washington may be reached by a severe climb up the side of the ravine.</p> - -<p><i>Tuckerman’s Ravine.</i>—The Glen House path leaves the Mount Washington -carriage-road about 2 miles up, then crosses through the forest to -Hermit Lake.</p> - -<p>*<i>Via Crystal Cascade.</i>—The Mountain Club path begins about 3 miles -from the Glen House, on the Jackson road, ascending the stream until it -joins the Glen House path near Hermit Lake. Here the Club has a good -camp for the use of travellers. Beyond, a single path extends to the -Snow-field; and a feasible route has been marked with white paint on the -rocks—up the head wall of the ravine, and thence to the summit.</p> - -<p>*<i>Mount Adams.</i>—This path starts opposite the residence of Charles -E. Lowe, on the road from Jefferson Hill to Gorham, about 8½ miles -from either town, and climbs the steep spur forming one wall of King’s -Ravine, following over the ledges to the westerly peak, thence to the -summit. Distance, about 4 miles. Nearly half way up the spur a good -camp has been built for the use of climbers. The way over the ledges is -marked by cairns. Mount Jefferson may be reached by turning to the right -before reaching the summit of the westerly peak; Madison by turning to -the left.</p> - -<p>*<i>King’s Ravine.</i>—The path branches from the Mount Adams path about -1½ miles from Lowe’s. The bowlders in the Ravine are reached without -great difficulty. From the bowlders up the head-wall, and through the -gate-way, the climb is arduous; and the way is not very distinctly -marked. From the gate-way, Madison and the several peaks of Adams may be -reached.</p> - -<p><i>Mount Madison.</i>—There are several routes up Madison, but the best -is probably that leading up the ridge from “Dolly” Copp’s, on the Old -Pinkham Road. The climb is tedious, and the path somewhat overgrown. The -Mountain Club will probably clear and keep this path in good condition.</p> - -<p>*<i>Bridal Veil Falls.</i>—Path starts from Horace Brooks’s, on the road -from Franconia to Easton—2 to 3 miles from Sugar Hill and Franconia -Village. It follows an old road across the clearings to Copper-mine -Brook, thence by the brook to the foot of the Falls. Distance, 2½ -miles from Brooks’s. Walking easy.</p> - -<p>The path to the Flume on Mount Kinsman leads from the same highway about -a mile beyond Brooks’s.</p> - -<p><i>Mount Lafayette.</i>—The bridle-path begins near the Profile House, -turning Eagle Cliff, and crossing over to the main ridge. It leads -nearly to the summit of the ridge, thence across the col by the lakes, -and up the main peak. Distance, 3½ to 3¾ miles.</p> - -<p><i>Mount Cannon.</i>—The path enters the forest near the cottages in front -of the Profile House. The summit is reached by a steep climb of 1½ -miles. The Cannon Rock is a short distance down the mountain-side, to -the left of the path as it emerges from the forest; the forehead rock of -the Profile can be reached by bearing down the mountain diagonally to -the right from Cannon Rock until the edge of the cliff is reached. It is -a hard scramble to the latter.<a name="page_333" id="page_333"></a></p> - -<p><i>Black Mountain, Waterville.</i>—The new path leaves the highway 2 miles -below Greeley’s, near Drake’s Brook. It runs near the edge of the ravine -of Drake’s Brook, crosses the ridge between Noon and Jennings’ Peaks—to -each of which a branch path leads—thence up the northerly slope of the -main summit. Distance from the road to the summit is 3¼ miles. The -views are very fine, and the climb easy for ordinary walkers.</p> - -<p><i>Osceola.</i>—Path leaves the Greeley-pond path beyond the saw-mill above -Greeley’s, bearing to the left. Ascent easy. Distance, about 4 miles.</p> - -<p><i>Tecumseh.</i>—Path branches from the Osceola path at the crossing of -the west branch of Mad River, ⅞ of a mile from Greeley’s. The grade -is easy, except for a short distance near the summit. Distance from -Greeley’s, 3 miles.</p> - -<p><i>Tri-Pyramid.</i>—The great slide on Tri-Pyramid may be reached from -Greeley’s by a path across the pasture to the right from the rear of the -house, thence about 1½ miles through fine old woods to a deserted -clearing known as Beckytown. From here the stream may be followed by -clambering over the <i>débris</i> of the slide nearly 2 miles to the base of -the South Peak. The summit is reached by climbing to the apex of the -slide, thence bearing up to the right a short distance through low woods.</p> - -<p>*<i>Thornton-Warren Path.</i>—This path was built to enable visitors in the -Upper Pemigewasset Valley or in Warren to cross from one locality to -the other, avoiding the long détour <i>via</i> Plymouth. It starts from the -Profile House stage-road at the junction of the Tannery road, in West -Thornton, crosses Hubbard Brook at this point, and passes over a long -stretch of pasture until the woods are reached. At this point, and at -all doubtful points, signs have been placed. For much of the distance -the path follows Hubbard Brook, and passes out through the Notch between -Mounts Kineo and Cushman to an old road-way leading to clearings on -Baker’s River, near the mountain-houses at the foot of Mount Moosilauke.</p> - -<p>Distance from the stage-road to the road-way in Warren, 8 miles. A -permanent camp has been built half-way on Hubbard Brook.</p> - -<p>A trail has been spotted from a point in the path about 1 mile north of -the camp to the summit of Kineo.</p> - -<p><a name="page_334" id="page_334"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_335" id="page_335"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="INDEX" id="INDEX"></a>INDEX.</h3> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Refer to a mountain, lake, or river, under its proper name, -thus: Washington (Mount); Squam (Lake); Saco (River).</p> - -<p>The abbreviations in parentheses show that the town or village -is on the line of a railway: (E. R.R.) stands for Eastern; (P. & -O.), Portland and Ogdensburg; (B., C., & M.), Boston, Concord, and -Montreal; (G. T. R.), Grand Trunk; (Pass.), Passumpsic.</p></div> - -<p class="cb"><a href="#A">A</a>, -<a href="#B">B</a>, -<a href="#C">C</a>, -<a href="#D">D</a>, -<a href="#E">E</a>, -<a href="#F">F</a>, -<a href="#G">G</a>, -<a href="#H">H</a>, -<a href="#I">I</a>, -<a href="#J">J</a>, -<a href="#K">K</a>, -<a href="#L">L</a>, -<a href="#M">M</a>, -<a href="#N">N</a>, -<a href="#O">O</a>, -<a href="#P">P</a>, -<a href="#R">R</a>, -<a href="#S">S</a>, -<a href="#T">T</a>, -<a href="#V">V</a>, -<a href="#W">W</a>.</p> - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="smcap"><a id="A"></a>Adams</span>, Mount, from North Conway, <a href="#page_055">55</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Thorn Hill, <a href="#page_122">122</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Wildcat Valley, <a href="#page_133">133</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Carter Dome, <a href="#page_142">142</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from the Glen House, <a href="#page_145">145</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Washington carriage-road, <a href="#page_181">181</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">ascent by King’s Ravine, <a href="#page_298">298</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">ascent from Mount Washington, <a href="#page_312">312-315</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the apex, <a href="#page_315">315</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">view from, <a href="#page_316">316</a>.</span><br /> -Adirondacks, from Moosehillock, <a href="#page_273">273</a>.<br /> -Agassiz, Mount, from Profile House Road, <a href="#page_249">249</a>, <a href="#page_276">276</a>.<br /> -Agiochook, or Agiockochook (Indian name for the White Mountains), <a href="#page_120">120</a>.<br /> -Amherst, Sir Jeffrey (Gen.), in the French War, <a href="#page_259">259</a>.<br /> - -Ammonoosuc, Falls of, <a href="#page_304">304</a>.<br /> -Ammonoosuc River, source of, <a href="#page_179">179</a>.<br /> -Ammonoosuc Valley, from Mount Clinton, <a href="#page_098">98</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at Bethlehem, <a href="#page_277">277</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at Fabyan’s, <a href="#page_300">300</a>.</span><br /> -Androscoggin River, at Gorham, <a href="#page_170">170</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at Berlin, <a href="#page_174">174</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at Shelburne, <a href="#page_176">176</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at Bethel, <a href="#page_177">177</a>.</span><br /> -Appalachian Mountain Club, <a href="#page_062">62</a>, <a href="#page_221">221</a>.<br /> -Artists’ Falls (North Conway), <a href="#page_046">46</a>, <a href="#page_047">47</a>.<br /> -Autumn foliage, <a href="#page_066">66</a>, <a href="#page_067">67</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="B" id="B">B</a>aker’s River</span> (branch of Pemigewasset, branch of the Merrimack), <a href="#page_210">210</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">falls on, <a href="#page_269">269</a>.</span><br /> -Bald Mountain, an inferior summit of Chocorua, <a href="#page_026">26</a>.<br /> -Ball, B. L., lost on Mount Washington, <a href="#page_186">186</a>.<br /> -Bartlett Bowlder, <a href="#page_058">58</a>.<br /> -Bartlett (P. & O. R.R.), mountains surrounding, <a href="#page_061">61</a>, <a href="#page_062">62</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">ascent of Mount Carrigain from, <a href="#page_062">62-65</a>.</span><br /> -Basin (Franconia Pass), <a href="#page_231">231</a>.<br /> -Beecher’s Cascade (near Crawford House), <a href="#page_089">89</a>.<br /> -Belknap, Jeremy, D.D. (historian of New Hampshire), quoted, <a href="#page_069">69</a>.<br /> -Belknap, Mount (Lake Winnipiseogee), <a href="#page_008">8</a>.<br /> -Bemis, Dr. Samuel A., home of, <a href="#page_069">69</a>, <a href="#page_070">70</a>.<br /> -Berlin (G. T. R.), <a href="#page_172">172</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Falls, <a href="#page_174">174</a>, <a href="#page_175">175</a>.</span><br /> -Bethel, Maine (G. T. R.), <a href="#page_177">177</a>.<br /> -Bethlehem (B., C., & M. R.R.), <a href="#page_276">276</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">admirable position of as a centre, <a href="#page_277">277</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Bethlehem Street, <a href="#page_278">278</a>, <a href="#page_279">279</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">fine views from, <a href="#page_280">280</a>, <a href="#page_281">281</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">a sunset from the “Maplewood,” <a href="#page_282">282-284</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">White Mountains from, <a href="#page_284">284</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Hermit, <a href="#page_286">286</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the peddler, <a href="#page_288">288</a>.</span><br /> -Bigelow’s Lawn (Mount Washington), <a href="#page_198">198</a>.<br /> -Black Mountain (Sandwich Dome), from West Campton, <a href="#page_216">216</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Noon Peak, <a href="#page_220">220</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Waterville (Greeley’s), <a href="#page_221">221</a>.</span><br /> -Boott’s Spur (Mount Washington), <a href="#page_146">146</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from the plateau, <a href="#page_198">198</a>.</span><br /> -Bourne, Lizzie, death of, on Mount Washington, <a href="#page_310">310</a>.<br /> -Bridal Veil Falls (Mount Kinsman), <a href="#page_255">255</a>.<br /> -Brown, George L. (painter), referred to, <a href="#page_253">253</a>.<br /> -Buck-board wagon described, <a href="#page_273">273</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="C" id="C">C</a>ampton</span>, <a href="#page_211">211</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Campton Hollow, <a href="#page_214">214</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">West Campton, and view from, <a href="#page_215">215</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Sanborn’s, <a href="#page_216">216</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">annals of Campton, <a href="#page_216">216</a>.</span><br /> -Campton Village (Pemigewasset Valley), <a href="#page_218">218</a>.<br /> -Cannon (or Profile) Mountain, from West Campton, <a href="#page_215">215</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from the clearing below the Profile, <a href="#page_231">231</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">remarkable profile on, <a href="#page_232">232</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Franconia, <a href="#page_252">252</a>.</span><br /> -Carrigain, Mount, from Chocorua, <a href="#page_030">30</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Bartlett, <a href="#page_062">62</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">ascent from Bartlett, <a href="#page_062">62-64</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">view from summit, <a href="#page_064">64</a>, <a href="#page_065">65</a>.</span><br /> -Carrigain Notch, from Mount Chocorua, <a href="#page_030">30</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Carrigain, <a href="#page_064">64</a>.</span><br /> -Carter Dome, <a href="#page_133">133</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Pulpit, <a href="#page_136">136</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">ascent of, and view from, <a href="#page_140">140</a>, <a href="#page_141">141</a>.</span><br /> -Carter Mountains, from Gorham, <a href="#page_170">170</a>.<br /> -Carter Notch, from Chocorua, <a href="#page_031">31</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from North Conway, <a href="#page_040">40</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Thorn Hill, <a href="#page_122">122</a>, <a href="#page_132">132</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">way into, from Jackson, <a href="#page_132">132</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">impressive desolation of the interior, <a href="#page_137">137</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Giants’ Barricade, <a href="#page_137">137</a>, <a href="#page_138">138</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the lakes, <a href="#page_139">139</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">way out to Glen House, <a href="#page_143">143</a>.</span><br /> -Castellated Ridge (Mount Jefferson), <a href="#page_314">314</a>.<br /> -Cathedral (North Conway), <a href="#page_046">46</a>.<br /> -Cathedral Ledge (North Conway), <a href="#page_041">41</a>, <a href="#page_042">42</a>.<br /> -Cathedral Woods (North Conway), <a href="#page_055">55</a>.<a name="page_336" id="page_336"></a><br /> -Centre Harbor, approach to, by Lake Winnipiseogee, <a href="#page_008">8-10</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">settled, <a href="#page_010">10</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">route by stage to West Ossipee <i>via</i> Sandwich and Tamworth, <a href="#page_018">18-21</a>.</span><br /> -Chandler, Benjamin, lost on Mount Washington, <a href="#page_186">186</a>.<br /> -Cherry Mountain (Valley of Israel’s River), <a href="#page_291">291</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Owl’s Head, <a href="#page_292">292</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">road to Fabyan’s, <a href="#page_300">300</a>.</span><br /> -Chocorua, Lake, from the mountain, <a href="#page_029">29</a>, <a href="#page_031">31</a>, <a href="#page_032">32</a>.<br /> -Chocorua (Sho’kor’ua), Mount, from Lake Winnipiseogee, <a href="#page_009">9</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Red Hill, <a href="#page_016">16</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">legend of, <a href="#page_021">21</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">ascent from Tamworth, <a href="#page_025">25-28</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">landscapes from, <a href="#page_029">29-31</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Mount Willard, <a href="#page_092">92</a>.</span><br /> -Clay, Mount (next north of Washington), <a href="#page_169">169</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">ascent of, <a href="#page_312">312</a>.</span><br /> -Clinton, Mount (near Crawford House), <a href="#page_097">97</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">view from summit, <a href="#page_100">100</a>. (First mountain ascended by Crawford Path.)</span><br /> -Connecticut Ox-Bow, <a href="#page_256">256-258</a>.<br /> -Conway, or Conway Corner (E. R.R.), superb view of the great chain from, <a href="#page_033">33</a>.<br /> -Copp Farm (view-point for seeing “The Imp”), <a href="#page_165">165</a>.<br /> -Copp, Nathaniel, his adventurous deer-hunt, <a href="#page_167">167</a>.<br /> -Copper-mine Brook (branch of Gale River), <a href="#page_255">255</a>.<br /> -Crawford, Abel, described, <a href="#page_070">70-72</a>.<br /> -Crawford, Ethan Allen, <a href="#page_071">71</a>, <a href="#page_072">72</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">his burial-place, <a href="#page_302">302</a>.</span><br /> -Crawford bridle-path, opened, <a href="#page_089">89</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">march to the summit (<i>see</i> Chapter X.);</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Mount Clinton first, <a href="#page_117">117</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">the crystal forests, <a href="#page_098">98</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Liliputian wood, <a href="#page_099">99</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">fine view from summit, <a href="#page_100">100</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">frost-work, <a href="#page_100">100</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Mount Pleasant next, <a href="#page_102">102</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">in a snow-storm, <a href="#page_102">102</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">crossing the ridge, <a href="#page_103">103</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Oakes’s Gulf, <a href="#page_103">103</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Mount Franklin next, <a href="#page_103">103</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">(<i>water here</i>) weird objects by the way, <a href="#page_104">104</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Mount Monroe next (two peaks, with shallow ponds near the path);</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">the plateau, <a href="#page_105">105</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">base of the cone reached, <a href="#page_105">105</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">ascent of the cone, <a href="#page_107">107</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">the stone corral, <a href="#page_107">107</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">the summit, <a href="#page_108">108</a>.</span><br /> -Crawford Glen (Saco Valley), <a href="#page_069">69</a>.<br /> -Crawford House (summit of Crawford Notch), its surroundings, <a href="#page_087">87-94</a>.<br /> -Crawford, Mount (Saco Valley, east side), <a href="#page_069">69</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Davis Path to Mount Washington, <a href="#page_073">73</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">view of from Frankenstein Bridge, <a href="#page_074">74</a>.</span><br /> -Crawford Notch (<i>see</i> Great Notch of the White Mountains).<br /> -Crawford, T. J., opens a bridle-path to the summit, <a href="#page_089">89</a>.<br /> -Crystal Cascade (Pinkham Notch), <a href="#page_149">149</a>, <a href="#page_150">150</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="D" id="D">D</a>artmouth</span>, <i>see</i> Jefferson.<br /> -Davis Path (to Mount Washington), <a href="#page_073">73</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">junction with Crawford Path, <a href="#page_198">198</a>.</span><br /> -Deception, Mount (near Fabyan’s), <a href="#page_300">300</a>.<br /> -Destruction of mountain forests, <a href="#page_172">172</a>.<br /> -Devil’s Den (North Conway), <a href="#page_045">45</a>, <a href="#page_046">46</a>.<br /> -Diana’s Baths (North Conway ), <a href="#page_046">46</a>.<br /> -Douglass, William, M.D., quoted, on the origin of the name White Mountains, <a href="#page_121">121</a>, <i>note</i>.<br /> -Dwight, Timothy, L.L.D., 71 (<i>see</i> his “Travels in New England,” and journeys through the mountains).<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="E" id="E">E</a>agle Cliff</span> (Franconia Pass), from Flume House, <a href="#page_225">225</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Profile House, <a href="#page_238">238</a>, <a href="#page_239">239</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">ascent by the bridle-path, <a href="#page_243">243</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Franconia, <a href="#page_254">254</a>.</span><br /> -Eagle Lakes (Mount Lafayette), <a href="#page_244">244</a>. (Also called Cloud Lakes.)<br /> -Eagle Mountain (Eagle Mountain House), Wildcat Valley, Jackson, <a href="#page_133">133</a>.<br /> -Early settlements by white people, <a href="#page_216">216</a>, <a href="#page_217">217</a>, <a href="#page_293">293</a>.<br /> -Echo Lake (Franconia Pass), <a href="#page_239">239</a>.<br /> -Echo Lake (North Conway), <a href="#page_045">45</a>.<br /> -Elephant’s Head (Crawford Notch), <a href="#page_087">87</a>.<br /> -Ellis River (branch of the Saco; rises in Pinkham Notch), <i>see</i> Goodrich Falls, <a href="#page_125">125</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Glen Ellis Falls, <a href="#page_151">151</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">incident connected with, <a href="#page_153">153</a>.</span><br /> -Emerald Pool (near Glen House, Pinkham Notch), <a href="#page_147">147</a>, <a href="#page_148">148</a>.<br /> -Endicott Rock, a surveyor’s monument at the outlet of Lake Winnipiseogee, <a href="#page_010">10</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="F" id="F">F</a>abyan’s</span> (B., C., & M. and P. & O. R.R.), view at, <a href="#page_300">300</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Mount Washington Railway, <a href="#page_301">301</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Eleazer Rosebrook and E. A. Crawford, <a href="#page_302">302</a>, <a href="#page_303">303</a>.</span><br /> -Fall of a Thousand Streams, <a href="#page_162">162</a>.<br /> -Farmer, John (historian), quoted, <a href="#page_210">210</a>.<br /> -Field, Darby, makes the first ascent of Mount Washington, <a href="#page_116">116-119</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">second ascent, <a href="#page_119">119</a>, <i>see note</i>.</span><br /> -Flume (Franconia Pass), way to and description of, <a href="#page_226">226-228</a>.<br /> -Flume Cascade, <i>see</i> description by Dr. T. Dwight, in his “Travels in New England.”<br /> -Flume House (Franconia Pass), <a href="#page_224">224</a>.<br /> -Franconia Mountains, from West Campton, <a href="#page_215">215</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Bethlehem, <a href="#page_280">280</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Jefferson, <a href="#page_292">292</a>.</span><br /> -Franconia Pass (Chapters II. and III., Third Journey), Flume House, <a href="#page_224">224</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">the Pool, <a href="#page_225">225</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">the Flume, <a href="#page_226">226</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">the Basin, <a href="#page_231">231</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Mounts Cannon and Lafayette, <a href="#page_231">231</a>, <a href="#page_232">232</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">the “Old Man,” <a href="#page_232">232</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Profile Lake, <a href="#page_232">232</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Profile House, <a href="#page_237">237</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Eagle Cliff, <a href="#page_238">238</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Echo Lake, <a href="#page_239">239</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">sunset in the pass, <a href="#page_240">240</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Bethlehem heights, <a href="#page_279">279</a>.</span><br /> -Franconia village (Iron Works), from Mount Lafayette, <a href="#page_243">243</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">general view of, <a href="#page_251">251</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">fine views in, <a href="#page_253">253</a>, <a href="#page_254">254</a>.</span><br /> -Frankenstein Cliff (Saco Valley), named, <a href="#page_073">73</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">appearance of, from the valley, <a href="#page_073">73</a>, <a href="#page_074">74</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">the bridge, <a href="#page_074">74</a>.</span><br /> -Fryeburg, Maine (P. & O. R.R.), <a href="#page_033">33-38</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="G" id="G">G</a>ale River</span> (branch of the Ammonoosuc, branch of the Connecticut), <a href="#page_243">243</a>.<br /> -Garfield, Mount (<i>see</i> Haystack), <a href="#page_284">284</a>.<br /> -Giant’s Stairs (Saco Valley, east side), <a href="#page_073">73</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Jackson, <a href="#page_123">123</a>, <a href="#page_129">129</a>.<a name="page_337" id="page_337"></a></span><br /> -Gibbs’s Falls (near Crawford House), <a href="#page_097">97</a>.<br /> -Glen Ellis Falls, <a href="#page_151">151</a>, <a href="#page_152">152</a>; legend of, <a href="#page_152">152</a>.<br /> -Glen House, way to, by Jackson and Carter Notch, <a href="#page_131">131</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">its surroundings, <a href="#page_144">144</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">carriage-road to the summit, <a href="#page_144">144</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Mount Washington from, <a href="#page_144">144</a>, <a href="#page_145">145</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Emerald Pool, <a href="#page_147">147</a>, <a href="#page_148">148</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thompson’s Falls, <a href="#page_146">146</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Crystal Cascade, <a href="#page_149">149</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Glen Ellis Falls, <a href="#page_151">151</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Tuckerman’s Ravine, <a href="#page_155">155</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The Imp, <a href="#page_165">165</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">to or from Gorham, <a href="#page_165">165</a>, <a href="#page_170">170</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Washington carriage-road, <a href="#page_181">181</a>.</span><br /> -Goodenow’s, <i>see</i> Sugar Hill.<br /> -Goodrich Falls (Ellis River), <a href="#page_125">125</a>.<br /> -Gorham (G. T. R.), its situation, <a href="#page_169">169</a>.<br /> -Grand Monadnock, from Red Hill, <a href="#page_017">17</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Washington, <a href="#page_192">192</a>.</span><br /> -Great Gulf, from Glen House, <a href="#page_165">165</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Washington carriage-road, <a href="#page_181">181</a>, <a href="#page_185">185</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Clay, <a href="#page_313">313</a>.</span><br /> -Great Notch of the White Mountains (Crawford Notch), from Mount Chocorua, <a href="#page_031">31</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Carrigain, <a href="#page_064">64</a>, <a href="#page_065">65</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">approach to, by the Saco Valley, <a href="#page_076">76</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the mountains forming it, <a href="#page_077">77</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Willey, or Notch House, <a href="#page_077">77</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">landslip of 1826, <a href="#page_079">79</a>, <a href="#page_080">80</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Cascades, <a href="#page_084">84</a>, <a href="#page_085">85</a>, <a href="#page_089">89</a>, <a href="#page_097">97</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Gate of the Notch, <a href="#page_086">86</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">summit of the Notch (Crawford House), <a href="#page_086">86</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Elephant’s Head, <a href="#page_087">87</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">discovery of the Pass, <a href="#page_088">88</a>, <a href="#page_089">89</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Notch from Mount Willard, <a href="#page_091">91</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Clinton, <a href="#page_100">100</a>.</span><br /> -Greeley’s, <i>see</i> Waterville.<br /> -Green Mountains, from Mount Washington, <a href="#page_190">190</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Moosehillock, <a href="#page_273">273</a>.</span><br /> -Gyles, John (Capt.), quoted on the Indian name for the White Mountains, <a href="#page_120">120</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<a name="H" id="H"></a>Hancock, Mount, from the Ellsworth road (Campton), <a href="#page_216">216</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Moosehillock, <a href="#page_272">272</a>.</span><br /> -Hart’s Ledge (Saco Valley, east side, near Bartlett), <a href="#page_062">62</a>.<br /> -Haverhill (B., C., & M. R.R.), <a href="#page_257">257</a>.<br /> -Hawthorne, Nathaniel, origin of his story of “The Great Carbuncle,” <a href="#page_119">119</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">death of, <a href="#page_209">209</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">legend of “The Great Stone Face,” <a href="#page_235">235</a>.</span><br /> -Hayes, Mount (Gorham, New Hampshire), <a href="#page_169">169-171</a>.<br /> -Haystack, Mount (now Mount Garfield), <a href="#page_254">254</a>.<br /> -Hermit Lake (Tuckerman’s Ravine, Mount Washington), <a href="#page_159">159</a>.<br /> -Hitchcock, C. H. (geologist), <a href="#page_197">197</a>.<br /> -Humphrey’s Ledge (near Glen Station), <a href="#page_041">41</a>.<br /> -Hunter, Harry W., lost on Mount Washington, <a href="#page_199">199</a>, <i>note</i>.<br /> -Huntington’s Ravine, from Carter Dome, <a href="#page_142">142</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<a name="I" id="I"></a>Idlewild (near Crawford House), <a href="#page_089">89</a>.<br /> -Imp, The (rock profile near Glen House), <a href="#page_166">166</a>.<br /> -Indians, customs of mountain tribes, <a href="#page_010">10</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Sokokis, or Pigwackets, or <i>Pequawkets</i>, destruction of by Love-well, <a href="#page_034">34-38</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Indian names, <a href="#page_024">24</a>, <a href="#page_025">25</a>, <i>note</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">superstitions regarding the high summits, traditions, etc. (<i>see</i> Chapter I., Second Journey);</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">attack Shelburne, <a href="#page_177">177</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at Plymouth, <a href="#page_210">210</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">attack Dartmouth (Jefferson), <a href="#page_294">294</a>.</span><br /> -Intervale (North Conway, E. R.R. and P. & O. R.R.), superb panorama from, <a href="#page_055">55-57</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>see</i> art. North Conway.</span><br /> -Israel’s River (branch of the Connecticut), <a href="#page_291">291</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<a name="J" id="J"></a>Jackson (<i>see</i> Chapters II. and III., Second Journey), <a href="#page_122">122-143</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">how to get there from North Conway, <a href="#page_122">122</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">its topography, <a href="#page_123">123</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Jackson Falls (on Wildcat River), <a href="#page_124">124</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Fernald’s Farm, <a href="#page_130">130</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Wildcat Valley, <a href="#page_133">133</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">to Carter Notch, <a href="#page_133">133-140</a>.</span><br /> -Jackson, C. T. (geologist), quoted, <a href="#page_197">197</a>, <i>note</i>.<br /> -Jackson Falls (Wildcat River), <a href="#page_124">124</a>.<br /> -Jefferson, Mount, from Jefferson Hill, <a href="#page_293">293</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ravine of the Cascades, <a href="#page_297">297</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">ascent from Mount Washington, <a href="#page_312">312</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ravine of the Castles, <a href="#page_313">313</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Castellated Ridge, <a href="#page_314">314</a>.</span><br /> -Jefferson (branch R.R. from Whitefield), <a href="#page_291">291</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Jefferson Hill, <a href="#page_292">292</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">antecedents of, <a href="#page_293">293</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Indian attack on, <a href="#page_294">294</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">East Jefferson, <a href="#page_295">295</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">to Randolph Hill, <a href="#page_297">297</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">to Fabyan’s, <a href="#page_300">300</a>.</span><br /> -Jockey Cap (Fryeburg, Maine), <a href="#page_034">34</a>.<br /> -Josselyn, John (author of “New England’s Rarities”), ascends Mount Washington, <a href="#page_119">119</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<a name="K" id="K"></a>Kearsarge, Mount, from North Conway, <a href="#page_039">39</a>, <a href="#page_040">40</a>, <a href="#page_041">41</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">winter ascent of, <a href="#page_047">47-54</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">view from summit, <a href="#page_051">51</a>, <a href="#page_052">52</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Bartlett, <a href="#page_062">62</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Carter Dome, <a href="#page_141">141</a>.</span><br /> -King, Thomas Starr, tribute to, <a href="#page_294">294</a>, <a href="#page_295">295</a>.<br /> -King’s Ravine (Mount Adams), from Randolph Hill, <a href="#page_298">298</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Adams, <a href="#page_317">317</a>.</span><br /> -Kinsman, Mount (next south of Cannon, Franconia group), <a href="#page_244">244</a>, <a href="#page_252">252</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<a name="L" id="L"></a>Lafayette, Mount, from West Campton, <a href="#page_215">215</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>see</i> Chapter III., Third Journey;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Eagle Cliff, <a href="#page_238">238</a>, <a href="#page_239">239</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Echo Lake, <a href="#page_240">240</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">ascent from the Profile House, <a href="#page_243">243-247</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Notch, <a href="#page_243">243</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the ravines, <a href="#page_243">243-254</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Eagle Lakes, <a href="#page_244">244</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">summit and view, <a href="#page_246">246</a>, <a href="#page_247">247</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Franconia Iron Works, <a href="#page_252">252</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Newbury, Vermont, <a href="#page_258">258</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Bethlehem heights, <a href="#page_279">279</a>.</span><br /> -Lake of the Clouds (Mount Washington), <a href="#page_198">198</a>.<br /> -Lary’s (Gorham, New Hampshire), <a href="#page_171">171</a>.<br /> -Lead Mine Bridge (Shelburne, G. T. R.), grand view from, <a href="#page_175">175</a>, <a href="#page_176">176</a>.<br /> -Legends of General Hampton and the Devil, <a href="#page_011">11-14</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">of Mount Chocorua, <a href="#page_021">21-24</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">of Passaconnaway, <a href="#page_024">24</a>, <a href="#page_025">25</a>, <i>note</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Indian tradition of the Deluge, <a href="#page_114">114</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Indian’s heaven, <a href="#page_115">115</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Great Carbuncle, <a href="#page_115">115</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the war party and its prisoners, <a href="#page_127">127</a>, <a href="#page_128">128</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the youthful lovers, <a href="#page_128">128</a>;<a name="page_338" id="page_338"></a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">of Glen Ellis Falls, <a href="#page_152">152</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">of the Silver Image, <a href="#page_263">263</a>.</span><br /> -Lion’s Head (Tuckerman’s Ravine), <a href="#page_142">142</a>, <a href="#page_146">146</a>, <a href="#page_159">159</a>.<br /> -Lisbon (B., C., & M. R.R.), discovery of gold ores in, <a href="#page_251">251</a>.<br /> -Littleton (B., C., & M. R.R.), from Bethlehem, <a href="#page_279">279</a>.<br /> -Livermore (P. & O. R.R.), Saco Valley, logging hamlet of, <a href="#page_063">63</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">way to the Pemigewasset, <a href="#page_221">221</a>.</span><br /> -Livermore Falls (Pemigewasset River), <a href="#page_212">212</a>.<br /> -Logging on the Androscoggin, <a href="#page_173">173</a>, <a href="#page_174">174</a>.<br /> -Lonesome Lake (Mount Kinsman), <a href="#page_244">244</a>.<br /> -Long Island, Lake Winnipiseogee, east shore, <a href="#page_009">9</a>.<br /> -Lovewell, John (captain of colonial rangers), battle with the Sokokis, <a href="#page_034">34-38</a>.<br /> -Lovewell’s Pond (scene of Lovewell’s fight), <a href="#page_034">34</a>.<br /> -Lowell, Mount (Saco Valley), slide on, <a href="#page_064">64</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="M" id="M">M</a>ad River</span> and Valley (branch of Pemigewasset), <a href="#page_218">218</a>.<br /> -Madison, Mount (next north of Adams), <a href="#page_165">165</a>.<br /> -Marsh, Sylvester, projector of Mount Washington railway, <a href="#page_301">301</a>.<br /> -Merrimack River, source of, <a href="#page_065">65</a>.<br /> -Moat Range, position of, <a href="#page_039">39</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">cliffs of, <a href="#page_040">40</a>, <a href="#page_041">41</a>, <a href="#page_044">44</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">the ascent, <a href="#page_047">47</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Jackson Falls, <a href="#page_124">124</a>.</span><br /> -Monroe, Mount, from Tuckerman’s Ravine, <a href="#page_160">160</a>.<br /> -Moose River (branch of Androscoggin), <a href="#page_171">171</a>.<br /> -Moosehillock, or Moosilauke, from Lake Winnipiseogee, <a href="#page_010">10</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Chocorua, <a href="#page_030">30</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Pemigewasset Valley, <a href="#page_223">223</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Newbury, Vermont, <a href="#page_258">258</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;"><i>see</i> Chapter VII., Third Journey, <a href="#page_269">269-275</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">how to reach the mountain, <a href="#page_269">269</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">the mountain’s top, <a href="#page_271">271</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">view from, <a href="#page_273">273</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Bethlehem, <a href="#page_279">279</a>.</span><br /> -Moriah, Mount (Carter Chain, near Gorham), <a href="#page_169">169</a>.<br /> -Mountain Butterfly, <a href="#page_202">202</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="N" id="N">N</a>ancy’s Brook</span> (Saco Valley), story of, <a href="#page_067">67-69</a>.<br /> -Newbury, Vermont (Pass. R.R.), <a href="#page_257">257</a>.<br /> -Nineteen Mile Brook (branch of the Peabody River, a branch of the Androscoggin; rises in Carter Notch), <a href="#page_143">143</a>.<br /> -North Conway (E. R.R. and P. & O. R.R.), topographical features of, <a href="#page_039">39-41</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">excursions from, <a href="#page_057">57</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;"><i>see</i> Intervale, White Horse Ledge, Cathedral Ledge, Humphrey’s Ledge, Echo Lake, Diana’s Baths, Artists’ Falls, Kearsarge and Moat Mountains, etc.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="O" id="O">O</a>ake’s Gulf</span> (in great range), <a href="#page_103">103</a>.<br /> -Old Man of the Mountain (Franconia Pass), <a href="#page_231">231-236</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">legends of, <a href="#page_235">235</a>.</span><br /> -Ossipee Mountains, from Lake Winnipiseogee, <a href="#page_008">8</a>.<br /> -Owl’s Head (Lake Memphremagog), from Moosehillock, <a href="#page_273">273</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Cherry Mountain, <a href="#page_292">292</a>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="P" id="P">P</a>eabody River</span> (branch of the Androscoggin; rises in Pinkham Notch), <a href="#page_144">144</a>, <a href="#page_154">154</a>, <i>note</i>.<br /> -Pemigewasset River, branch of Merrimack, <a href="#page_210">210</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">Livermore Falls, <a href="#page_211">211</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">East Branch, <a href="#page_223">223</a>.</span><br /> -Pemigewasset, Mount (near Flume House), ascent and view, <a href="#page_229">229</a>.<br /> -Pemigewasset Valley (Chapter I., Third Journey), <a href="#page_210">210-223</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">villages of, <a href="#page_212">212</a>.</span><br /> -Pemigewasset Wilderness, way through, <a href="#page_221">221</a>, <a href="#page_229">229</a>.<br /> -Percy Peaks, <a href="#page_280">280</a>, note.<br /> -Perkins Notch, position of, <a href="#page_133">133</a>.<br /> -Pilot Mountains from Gorham, <a href="#page_170">170</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">origin of name, <a href="#page_170">170</a>, <a href="#page_171">171</a>.</span><br /> -Pine Mountain (Gorham, New Hampshire), <a href="#page_170">170</a>.<br /> -Pinkham Notch from Thorn Hill, <a href="#page_122">122</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from the road between Jackson and Glen House, <a href="#page_129">129</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Glen House, <a href="#page_144">144</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;"><i>see</i> Thompson’s Falls, Emerald Pool, Crystal Cascade, Tuckerman’s Ravine, Glen Ellis Falls, etc., <a href="#page_144">144-164</a>.</span><br /> -Pleasant, Mount, from Fabyan’s, <a href="#page_300">300</a>.<br /> -Plymouth (B., C., & M. R.R.), <a href="#page_209">209</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">routes through the mountains, <a href="#page_211">211</a>.</span><br /> -Pool, The (Franconia Pass), <a href="#page_225">225</a>.<br /> -Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, passage of the White Mountains Notch, <a href="#page_093">93</a>.<br /> -Prime, W. C., referred to, <a href="#page_244">244</a>.<br /> -Profile House (Franconia Pass), its attractions, <a href="#page_237">237-240</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;"><i>see</i> Old Man, Profile Lake, Mounts Cannon and Lafayette, Eagle Cliff, Echo Lake, etc.;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">to Bethlehem by the old highway via Franconia, <a href="#page_248">248</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">by rail, <a href="#page_248">248</a>.</span><br /> -Profile Lake (Franconia Pass), <a href="#page_232">232</a>.<br /> -Prospect, Mount (Holderness), <a href="#page_214">214</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="R" id="R">R</a>andolph Hill</span>, drive to, and view from, <a href="#page_297">297</a>, <a href="#page_298">298</a>.<br /> -Ravine of the Castles (Mount Jefferson), <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> -Raymond’s Cataract, from Carter Dome, <a href="#page_142">142</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Pinkham Notch, <a href="#page_147">147</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">see Tuckerman’s Ravine.</span><br /> -Red Hill from Lake Winnipiseogee, <a href="#page_010">10</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">ascent of, from Centre Harbor, and view from summit, <a href="#page_014">14-17</a>.</span><br /> -Ripley Falls (on Cow Brook, Saco Valley), <a href="#page_089">89</a>.<br /> -Rogers’s, Robert (Major), account of the White Mountains, <a href="#page_119">119</a>, <a href="#page_121">121</a>, note;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">destroys St. Francis, <a href="#page_259">259</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;"><i>see</i> Chapter VI., Third Journey.</span><br /> -Rosebrook, Eleazer, sketch of, <a href="#page_302">302</a>, <a href="#page_303">303</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="S" id="S">S</a>aco Valley</span> (Chapters IV. to IX., inclusive), from Mount Chocorua, <a href="#page_031">31</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">at Fryeburg (Maine), <a href="#page_033">33</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">at North Conway, <a href="#page_039">39</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">at Bartlett, <a href="#page_061">61-65</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Mount Carrigain, <a href="#page_064">64</a>, <a href="#page_065">65</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">source of the Saco, <a href="#page_088">88</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">historical incident, <a href="#page_153">153</a>.</span><br /> -Sandwich Mountains from Lake Winnipiseogee, <a href="#page_008">8</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Sandwich Centre, <a href="#page_019">19</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left:.5em;">from Tamworth (Nickerson’s), <a href="#page_024">24</a>.</span><br /> -Sandwich (town of), mountains near, <a href="#page_019">19</a>.<br /> -Sandwich Notch, position of, <a href="#page_218">218</a>.<br /> -Sawyer’s River (branch of the Saco), valley of, <a href="#page_062">62</a>, <a href="#page_063">63</a>.<a name="page_339" id="page_339"></a><br /> -Sawyer’s Rock (Saco Valley, west side, near Bartlett), <a href="#page_062">62</a>.<br /> -Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe, quoted on the Indian name for the White Mountains, <a href="#page_120">120</a>.<br /> -Silver Cascade (Crawford Notch), <a href="#page_085">85</a>.<br /> -Snow Arch (Tuckerman’s Ravine), <a href="#page_161">161</a>, <a href="#page_162">162</a>.<br /> -Spencer, Jabez (General), settles Campton, <a href="#page_216">216</a>.<br /> -Squam Lake from Red Hill, <a href="#page_016">16</a>.<br /> -St. Francis de Sales, sacked by Rogers, <a href="#page_259">259</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>see</i> Chapter VI., Third Journey.</span><br /> -Star Lake (Mount Adams), <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> -Stark, John (General), captured by Indians, <a href="#page_210">210</a>, <a href="#page_211">211</a>.<br /> -Stark, William, <a href="#page_210">210</a>, <a href="#page_211">211</a>.<br /> -Starr King Mountain, <a href="#page_291">291</a>.<br /> -Storm Lake (between Madison and Adams), <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> -Sugar Hill, from Profile House road, <a href="#page_249">249</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">view from, <a href="#page_252">252</a>, <a href="#page_253">253</a>.</span><br /> -Sullivan, James (Governor of Massachusetts), his authority for the story of “The Great Carbuncle,” <a href="#page_116">116</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">quoted, <a href="#page_153">153</a>.</span><br /> -Swift River (branch of the Saco), from Mount Chocorua, <a href="#page_030">30</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="T" id="T">T</a>amworth Iron Works</span> (point from which Chocorua is usually ascended), <a href="#page_021">21</a>, <a href="#page_025">25</a>.<br /> -Thompson’s Falls (near Glen House), <a href="#page_146">146</a>.<br /> -Thorn Mountain, from North Conway, <a href="#page_040">40</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">walk over Thorn Hill (lower spur of Thorn Mountain) to Jackson, <a href="#page_122">122</a>, <a href="#page_132">132</a>.</span><br /> -Tripyramid Mountain, from Mad River Valley, <a href="#page_219">219</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">slide on, <a href="#page_221">221</a>.</span><br /> -Trout-breeding, State establishment at Plymouth, <a href="#page_212">212</a>.<br /> -Trout-fishing begins in New Hampshire May <a href="#page_001">1</a>, <a href="#page_213">213</a>.<br /> -Trumbull, J. Hammond, LL.D., quoted on the Indian names for the White Mountains, <a href="#page_120">120</a>, <i>note</i>.<br /> -Tuckerman’s Ravine from Mount Kearsarge, <a href="#page_051">51</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Carter Dome, <a href="#page_142">142</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Thompson’s Falls, <a href="#page_146">146</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">way into from Glen House, <a href="#page_156">156</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">appearance from Glen House, <a href="#page_156">156</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Hermit Lake and Lion’s Head Crag, <a href="#page_159">159</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Snow Arch, <a href="#page_161">161</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">head wall, <a href="#page_162">162</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">out by the path to Crystal Cascade, <a href="#page_164">164</a>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="V" id="V">V</a>iews</span>, from Red Hill, <a href="#page_014">14-17</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Chocorua, <a href="#page_029">29-31</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Jockey Cap, <a href="#page_034">34</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Conway Corner, <a href="#page_033">33</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from North Conway, <a href="#page_040">40</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Kearsarge, <a href="#page_051">51</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from the Intervale (North Conway), <a href="#page_055">55-57</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Carrigain, <a href="#page_064">64</a>, <a href="#page_065">65</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from above Bemis’s, <a href="#page_074">74</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Willard, <a href="#page_091">91</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Clinton, <a href="#page_100">100</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Carter Dome, <a href="#page_141">141</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Glen House, <a href="#page_145">145</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Gorham, <a href="#page_169">169</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Berlin, <a href="#page_172">172</a>, <a href="#page_175">175</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Shelburne (Lead Mine Bridge), <a href="#page_176">176</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Washington carriage-road, <a href="#page_181">181</a>, <a href="#page_185">185</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from the summit, <a href="#page_189">189-192</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from West Campton, <a href="#page_215">215</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from the Ellsworth road (Pemigewasset valley), <a href="#page_216">216</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Pemigewasset (Flume House), <a href="#page_229">229</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Lafayette, <a href="#page_246">246</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Sugar Hill, <a href="#page_252">252</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from the foot of Bethlehem heights (Gale River valley), <a href="#page_254">254</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Moosehillock, <a href="#page_272">272</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Bethlehem, <a href="#page_280">280</a>, <a href="#page_281">281</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Jefferson Hill, <a href="#page_292">292</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from East Jefferson, <a href="#page_295">295</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Randolph Hill, <a href="#page_297">297</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Adams, <a href="#page_316">316</a>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><a name="W" id="W">W</a>arren</span> (B., C., & M. R.R.), point from which to ascend Moosehillock, <a href="#page_269">269</a>.<br /> -Washington, Mount, River (formerly Dry River), grand view of the high summits up this valley from P. & O. R.R., <a href="#page_074">74</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the valley from Mount Clinton, <a href="#page_100">100</a>.</span><br /> -Washington, Mount, carriage-road, <a href="#page_178">178</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Half-way House and the Ledge, <a href="#page_180">180</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Great Gulf, <a href="#page_181">181</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">accident on, <a href="#page_183">183</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Willis’s Seat, and the view <a href="#page_185">185</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Cow Pasture, <a href="#page_186">186</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Dr. Ball’s adventure, <a href="#page_186">186</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">fate of a climber, <a href="#page_186">186</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">up the pinnacle, <a href="#page_186">186</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">United States Meteorological Station, <a href="#page_187">187</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the summit, <a href="#page_188">188</a>.</span><br /> -Washington, Mount, from Lake Winnipiseogee, <a href="#page_009">9</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Chocorua, <a href="#page_031">31</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Conway, <a href="#page_033">33</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from North Conway, <a href="#page_040">40</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Kearsarge, <a href="#page_051">51</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Carrigain, <a href="#page_065">65</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first path to, <a href="#page_071">71</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Davis path, <a href="#page_073">73</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">view near Bemis’s (P. & O. R.R.), <a href="#page_074">74</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Crawford bridle-path opened, <a href="#page_089">89</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Willard, <a href="#page_093">93</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Clinton, <a href="#page_100">100</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first ascension, <a href="#page_116">116-119</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Indian traditions of, <i>see</i> Chapter I., Second Journey;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Thorn Hill, <a href="#page_122">122</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from the Wildcat Valley, <a href="#page_133">133</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Carter Dome, <a href="#page_142">142</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Glen House, <a href="#page_144">144</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from the Glen House and Gorham road, <a href="#page_168">168</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">carriage-road, <i>see</i> Chapter VII., Second Journey;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Signal Station, <a href="#page_187">187</a>, <a href="#page_196">196</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">a winter tornado on the summit, <a href="#page_192">192-194</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">shadow of the mountain, <a href="#page_195">195</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the plateau—its floral and entomological treasures, <a href="#page_197">197</a>, <a href="#page_198">198</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">transported bowlders on, <a href="#page_197">197</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Lake of the Clouds, <a href="#page_198">198</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Lafayette, <a href="#page_246">246</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">travellers lost on, <a href="#page_186">186</a>, <a href="#page_199">199</a>, <a href="#page_310">310</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Moosehillock, <a href="#page_270">270</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Bethlehem, <a href="#page_281">281</a>, <a href="#page_282">282</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Fabyan’s, <a href="#page_300">300</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">railway to summit, <a href="#page_301">301-306</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">moonlight on the summit, <a href="#page_311">311</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">sunrise, <a href="#page_312">312</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">sunset, <a href="#page_318">318</a>.</span><br /> -Washington, Mount, Railway, from Fabyan’s, <a href="#page_301">301</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">to the base, <a href="#page_304">304</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">its mechanism, <a href="#page_305">305</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Jacob’s Ladder, <a href="#page_305">305</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">up the mountain, <a href="#page_306">306</a>, <a href="#page_307">307</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Summit Hotel, <a href="#page_307">307</a>.</span><br /> -Waterville (Mad River valley), the neighborhood, <a href="#page_219">219</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">path to Livermore, <a href="#page_221">221</a>.</span><br /> -Webster, Daniel, at Fryeburg, Maine, <a href="#page_033">33</a>.<br /> -Webster, Mount, approach to, <a href="#page_075">75</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Willard, <a href="#page_092">92</a>.</span><br /> -Weirs (B., C., & M. R.R.), Lake Winnipiseogee, west shore, <a href="#page_010">10</a>, <i>see note</i>.<br /> -Welch Mountain (Pemigewasset valley), <a href="#page_218">218</a>.<br /> -Whipple, Joseph (Colonel), settles at Jefferson, <a href="#page_294">294</a>.<br /> -White Horse Ledge (North Conway), <a href="#page_041">41</a>.<a name="page_340" id="page_340"></a><br /> -White Mountains, general view of, from Conway, <a href="#page_033">33</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from North Conway, <a href="#page_040">40</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Carrigain (in mass), <a href="#page_065">65</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">legends of, <i>see</i> Chapter <a href="#page_001">1</a>., Second Journey;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first ascensions, <a href="#page_116">116-119</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">how named, <a href="#page_119">119</a>, <a href="#page_120">120</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">appearance from the coast, <a href="#page_120">120</a>, <a href="#page_121">121</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Lafayette, <a href="#page_246">246</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Bethlehem, <a href="#page_281">281</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Fabyan’s, <a href="#page_300">300</a>.</span><br /> -Wildcat River (branch of the Ellis, a branch of the Saco; rises in Carter Notch), Jackson Falls on, <a href="#page_124">124</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">disappearance of, <a href="#page_136">136</a>.</span><br /> -Wildcat Mountain (one of Carter Notch and Pinkham Notch Mountains), position of, <a href="#page_123">123</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">avalanche of bowlders, <a href="#page_136">136</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">appearance from Carter Notch, <a href="#page_141">141</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Glen House, <a href="#page_145">145</a>.</span><br /> -Wildcat Valley (Jackson to Carter Notch), <a href="#page_133">133-140</a>.<br /> -Willard, Mount, <a href="#page_077">77</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">ascent of, from Crawford House, <a href="#page_091">91</a>.</span><br /> -Willey family, burial-place of, <a href="#page_055">55</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">destruction of, by a landslip, <a href="#page_077">77-80</a>.</span><br /> -Willey, Mount, from Carrigain, <a href="#page_065">65</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">approach to by the valley, <a href="#page_075">75</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from Mount Willard, <a href="#page_092">92</a>.</span><br /> -Winnipiseogee, Lake, sail up, from Wolfborough to Centre Harbor, <a href="#page_008">8-10</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Indian occupation and customs, <a href="#page_010">10</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">sunset view of, from Red Hill. <a href="#page_016">16</a>, <a href="#page_017">17</a>.</span><br /> -Winnipiseogee River (outlet of the lake), Indian remains on, <a href="#page_010">10</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Endicott Rock in, <a href="#page_010">10</a>, <i>note</i>.</span><br /> -Wolfborough ( E. R.R. branch ), Lake Winnipiseogee, <a href="#page_008">8</a>.<br /> -</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p class="c">THE END</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p><a name="page_341" id="page_341"></a></p> - -<p class="c">NEW YORK & NEW ENGLAND RAILROAD.</p> - -<p class="c">THIS IS THE MOST CONVENIENT LINE BETWEEN</p> - -<p class="c">Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington,</p> - -<p class="c">AS IT IS THE ONLY LINE RUNNING</p> - -<p class="c">THROUGH PULLMAN CARS WITHOUT CHANGE.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>The train leaving Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia in -the afternoon, arrives in Boston the following morning in season -to connect with trains on the Eastern, Boston & Maine, and Boston -& Lowell Railroads, for points in the White Mountains and shore -resorts. The morning trains from the White Mountains and shore -resorts arrive in Boston in sufficient time to cross the city and -take the 7 P.M. train for the South.</p> - -<p>Berths in Pullman Sleepers can be secured in advance on -application to the Company’s Office,</p></div> - -<p>322 Washington St., Boston, and Depot, foot of Summer St.; and at -Pennsylvania Railroad Ticket Offices in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and -Washington.</p> - -<p>==>Ask for Tickets via New England and Str. Maryland Lines.</p> - -<p class="c"> -S. M. FELTON, Jr., General Manager. A. C. KENDALL, General Passenger Agent.<br /> -</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c">WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO.</p> - -<p class="c">90 & 92 Tremont Street,</p> - -<p class="c"> -(Opposite Tremont House), BOSTON, MASS.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="c">DEALERS IN</p> - -<p class="c">Ribbons, Laces, Flowers, Montures, Velvets, Nets,</p> - -<p class="c">FEATHERS, SPRAYS, &c.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>HATS, for Ladies and Misses; CORSETS—the Best Fitting and -Most Sensible: KID GLOVES A SPECIALTY—Latest Styles, Lowest -Prices; BUTTONS, TRIMMINGS, &c., in endless variety; HOSIERY and -UNDERWEAR, for Ladies and Misses—an admirable assortment at low -rates.</p></div> - -<p class="c">FANCY GOODS, PERFUMERY, TOILET ARTICLES, &c.</p> - -<p class="c">AND MANY OTHER NOVELTIES.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Ladies visiting Boston, or gentlemen wishing to make purchases -for absent wives, sisters, or lady friends, will do well to inspect -the admirably selected stock of Gloves, Laces, Velvets, Ribbons, -Flowers, Millinery Goods, Hats, Hosiery, Small Wares, and Fancy -Goods generally, offered by <span class="smcap">William S. Butler & Co.</span>, at -90 and 92 Tremont Street (opposite the Tremont House). This firm -has won an enviable reputation for the excellence of its goods, its -courteous attendance, and the moderation of its prices; while its -location renders it most convenient of access by horse cars, either -from the hotels or from any of the railroad depots.</p></div> - -<p>==>Orders by mail or express will receive prompt attention.</p> - -<p class="c"><a name="page_342" id="page_342"></a>WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO.,—90 and 92 Tremont Street, Boston.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c">SHORE LINE ROUTE.</p> - -<p class="c">NEW YORK AND BOSTON.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Trains leave GRAND CENTRAL DEPOT, New York, for Boston, at -<b>8.05 A.M.</b>, <b>1</b> and <b>10 P.M.</b>; arriving in Boston -at <b>6</b> and <b>8.05 P.M.</b>, and <b>6.20 A.M.</b></p></div> - -<p class="c">Sundays for Boston at 10 P.M.</p> - -<p class="c">WAGNER DRAWING-ROOM CARS</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>On 1 P.M. trains from Boston and New York.</p></div> - -<p class="c">WAGNER SLEEPING CARS</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>On night trains from Boston and New York.</p> - -<p>Leave BOSTON and PROVIDENCE STATION, Boston, at <b>8 A.M.</b>, -<b>1</b> and <b>10.30 P.M.</b>; arriving in the Grand Central -Depot, New York, at <b>4.22</b> and <b>7.40 P.M.</b>, and <b>6.38 -A.M.</b></p></div> - -<p class="c">Sundays for New York at 10.30 P.M.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>For further information, apply to</p></div> - -<p class="c">J. W. RICHARDSON, Agent, State Street, Corner Washington;</p> - -<p class="c">Or at Providence Railroad Station, Columbus Avenue, near Boston Common.</p> - -<p class="c">A. A. FOLSOM, Superintendent.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c">HARPER’S CYCLOPEDIA</p> - -<p class="c">OF</p> - -<p class="c">BRITISH AND AMERICAN POETRY.</p> - -<p class="c">EDITED BY</p> - -<p class="c">EPES SARGENT.</p> - -<p class="c">Large 8vo, nearly 1000 pages, Illuminated Cloth, with Colored Edges, -$4.50; Half Leather, $5.00.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Mr. Sargent was eminently fitted for the preparation of a work -of this kind. Few men possessed a wider or more profound knowledge -of English literature; and his judgment was clear, acute, and -discriminating. * * * The beautiful typography and other exterior -charms broadly hint at the rich feast of instruction and enjoyment -which the superb volume is eminently fitted to furnish.—<i>N.Y. -Times.</i></p> - -<p>We commend it highly. It contains so many of the notable poems -of our language, and so much that is sound poetry, if not notable, -that it will make itself a pleasure wherever it is found.—<i>N.Y. -Herald.</i></p> - -<p>The selections are made with a good deal of taste -and judgment, and without prejudice against any school or -individual. An index of first lines adds to the usefulness of the -volume.—<i>N.Y. Sun.</i></p> - -<p>The collection is remarkably complete. * * * Mr. Sargent’s -work deserves special commendation for the exquisite justice it -does to living writers but little known. It is a volume of rare and -precious flowers culled because of their intrinsic value, without -regard to the writer’s fame. The selections are prefaced by a brief -biographical notice of the author, with a critical estimate of the -poetry. * * * A valuable acquisition to the literary treasures of -American households.—<i>N.Y. Evening Express.</i></p> - -<p>He seems to have culled the choicest and the best from the -broad field. * * * Mr. Sargent had the fine ear to detect the pure, -true music of the heart and imagination wherever it was voiced. * * -* The elegant volume is a household treasure which will be highly -prized.—<i>Evangelist, N.Y.</i></p></div> - -<p class="c"><span class="smcap">Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York.</span></p> - -<p class="c">==><i>Sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on -receipt of the price.</i><a name="page_343" id="page_343"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c">DRAKE’S NEW ENGLAND COAST.</p> - -<p>NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST. By <span class="smcap">Samuel -Adams Drake</span>. With numerous Illustrations. Square 8vo, Cloth, -$3 50; Half Calf, $5 75.</p> - -<p>#/ <span class="smcap">My dear Sir</span>,—I laid out your new and beautiful -book to take with me to-day to my summer home, but before I go I -wish to thank you for preparing a volume which is every way so -delightful. All summer I shall have it at hand, and many a pleasant -hour I anticipate in the enjoyment of it. I have <i>read</i> far enough -in it already to feel how admirably you have done your part of it, -and I have <i>seen</i>, in turning over the delectable pages, what a -panorama of lovely nooks and rocky coast your artist has prepared -for the pleasure of your readers. May they be a good many thousand -this year, and continue to increase time onward. If I am not -greatly out in my judgment, edition after edition will be called -for. Truly yours,</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">James T. Fields</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>Thy “Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast” is a delightful book, -and one of most frequent reference in my library. Thy friend,</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">John G. Whittier</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>I take this opportunity of acknowledging the pleasure I have received -from your interesting book on our New England coast. It was my companion -last summer on the coast of Maine. Yours truly,</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">F. Parkman</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>Mr. Samuel Adams Drake does for the New England coast such service as -Mr. Nordhoff has done for the Pacific. His “Nooks and Corners of the -New England Coast”—a volume of 459 pages—is an admirable guide both -to the lover of the picturesque and the searcher for historic lore, as -well as to stay-at-home travellers. The “Preface” tells the story of the -book; it is a sketch-map of the coast, with the motto, “On this line, if -it takes all summer.” “Summer” began with Mr. Drake one Christmas-day -at Mount Desert, whence he went South, touching at Castine, Pemaquid, -and Monhegan; Wells and “Agamenticus, the ancient city” of York; -Kittery Point; “The Shoals;” Newcastle; Salem and Marblehead; Plymouth -and Duxbury; Nantucket; Newport; Mount Hope; New London, Norwich, and -Saybrook. What nature has to show and history to tell at each of these -places, who were the heroes and worthies—all this Mr. Drake gives in -pleasant talk—<i>N.Y Tribune.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Mr. Drake</span>,—I have given your beautiful book, “Nooks -and Corners of the New England Coast,” a pretty general perusal. It is -one “after my own heart,” and I thank you very much for it. Your Preface -is an admirable “hit” in more ways than one. Like Grant, whom you have -quoted, it took you, I imagine, <i>all winter</i> as well as <i>all summer</i> -to accomplish your victory, for you speak of experiences with snow and -sleet.</p> - -<p>You have gathered into your volume, in the most attractive form, a vast -amount of historical and descriptive matter that is exceedingly useful. -I hope your pen will not be stayed. Your friend and brother of the pen,</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Benson J. Lossing</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>To-morrow I leave home for a week or two in Maine, and shall take your -beautiful volume, “Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast,” with -me to read and enjoy at leisure. I am sure it cannot fail to be very -interesting.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours faithfully,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Henry W. Longfellow</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>I need not tell you with how much interest both my husband and -myself—lovers of the valley—look forward to your work, nor how much -pleasure your “Nooks and Corners” has already afforded us.</p> - -<p class="r"> -With most cordial regards,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Harriet P. Spofford</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>His style is at once simple and graphic, and his work as conscientious -and faithful to fact as if he were the dullest of annalists instead of -one of the liveliest of essayists and historians. The legitimate charm -of variety—characteristic of a work of this kind—makes the book more -entertaining than any volume of similar size devoted exclusively to -chronology, biography, essays, or anecdotes.—<span class="smcap">John G. Saxe</span>, in -the <i>Brooklyn Argus</i>.</p> - -<p>Mr. Drake’s “Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast” ought to be in -the hands of every one who visits our sea-side resorts. The artistic -features serve to embellish a very interesting description of our New -England watering-places, enlivened with anecdotes, bits of history -connected with the various places, and pleasant gossip about people and -things in general.—<i>Saturday Evening Gazette</i>, Boston.</p> - -<p class="c"><span class="smcap">Published By HARPER & BROTHERS, New York.</span></p> - -<p class="c">==><span class="smcap">Harper & Brothers</span> <i>will send the above work by mail, postage -prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price</i>.<a name="page_344" id="page_344"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c">GLOWING TRIBUTES TO AMERICAN ART.</p> - -<p class="c">WHAT LEADING ENGLISH PAPERS</p> - -<p class="c">SAY OF</p> - -<p class="c">“PASTORAL DAYS;</p> - -<p class="c">OR,</p> - -<p class="c">MEMORIES OF A NEW ENGLAND YEAR.”</p> - -<p class="c"><span class="smcap">By</span> W. HAMILTON GIBSON.</p> - -<p class="c">4to, Illuminated Cloth, Gilt Edges, $7 50.</p> - -<p class="c">FROM “THE TIMES,” LONDON.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>The title of this very beautifully illustrated book conveys -but a very faint idea of its merits, which lie, not in the -descriptions of the varied beauties of the fields and fens of New -England, but in the admirable wood-engravings, which on every -page picture far more than could be given in words. The author -has the rare gift of feeling for the exquisitely graceful forms -of plant life and the fine touch of an expert draughtsman, which -enables him both to select and to draw with a refinement which few -artists in this direction have ever shown. Besides these essential -qualities in a painter from nature, Mr. Gibson has a fine sense -of the poetic and picturesque in landscape, of which there are -many charming pieces in this volume, interesting in themselves as -pictures, and singularly so in their resemblance to the scenery -of Old England. Most of the little vignette-like views might be -mistaken for Birket Foster’s thoroughly English pictures, and some -are like Old Crome’s vigorous idyls. One of the most striking—a -wild forest scene with a storm passing, called “The Line Storm”—is -quite remarkable in the excellent drawing of the trees swept by the -gale and in the general composition of the picture, which is full -of the true poetic conception of grandeur in landscape beauty. But -all Mr. Gibsons’s good drawing would have been nothing unless he -had been so ably aided by the artist engravers, who have throughout -worked with such sympathy with his taste, and so much regard for -the native grace of wild flowers, grasses, ferns, insects, and -all the infinite beauties of the fields, down to the mysterious -spider and his silky net spread over the brambles. These cuts are -exceptional examples of beautiful work. Nothing in the whole round -of wood-engraving can surpass, if it has even equalled, these -in delicacy as well as breadth of effect. Much as our English -cutters pride themselves on belonging to the school which Bewick -and Jackson founded, they must certainly come to these American -artists to learn the something more which is to be found in their -works. In point of printing, too, there is much to be learned in -the extremely fine ink and paper, which, although subjected to -“hot-pressing,” are evidently adapted in some special condition for -wood-printing. The printing is obviously by hand-press,<a name="FNanchor_46_46" id="FNanchor_46_46"></a><a href="#Footnote_46_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a> and in -the arrangement of the type with the cuts on each page the greatest -ingenuity and invention are displayed. This, too, has been designed -with a sort of a Japanesque fancy; here is a tangled mass of -grasses and weeds, with a party of ants stealing out of the shade, -and there the dragon-flies flit across among the blossoms of the -reeds, or the feathery seeds of the dandelion float on the page. -Each section of the seasons has its suggestive picture: Springtime, -with a flight of birds under a may-flower branch that hangs across -the brook: Summer, a host of butterflies sporting round the wild -rose: Autumn, with the swallows flying south and falling leaves -that strew the page; while for Winter the chrysalis hangs in the -leafless bough, and the snow-clad graves in the village church-yard -tell the same story of sleep and awakening. As many as thirty -different artists, besides the author and designer, have assisted -in producing this very tastefully illustrated volume, which -commends itself by its genuine artistic merits to all lovers of the -picturesque and the natural.</p></div> - -<p><a name="page_345" id="page_345"></a></p> - -<p class="c">FROM “THE SATURDAY REVIEW,” LONDON.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>This pleasant American book has brought to our remembrance, -though without any sense of imitation, two old-fashioned favorites. -In the first place, its descriptions of rural humanity, its rustic -sweetness and humor, have a certain analogy with the delicately -pencilled studies of life in Miss Mitford’s “Our Village;” but the -relation it bears to the second book is much closer. It is more -than forty years since Mr. P. H. Gosse published the first of those -delightful sketches of animal life at home which have led so many -of us with a wholesome purpose into the woods and lanes. It was in -the <i>Canadian Naturalist</i> that he broke this new ground; and though -we do not think this has ever been one of his best-known books, we -cannot but believe that there are still many readers who will be -reminded of it as they glance down Mr. Gibson’s pages.</p> - -<p>People must be strangely constituted who do not enjoy such -pages as Mr. Gibson has presented to us here. It is not merely that -he writes well, but the subject itself is irresistibly fascinating. -We plunge with him into the silence of a New England village in a -clearing of the woods. The spring is awakening in a flush of tender -green, in a fever of warm days and shivering nights, and we hasten -with our companion through all the bustle and stir of the few busy -hours of light so swiftly that the darkness is on us before we are -aware. Then falls on the ear a pathetic, an intolerable silence; -a deep mist covers the ground, a few lights twinkle in scattered -farms and cottages, and all seems brooding, melting, in the deep -and throbbing hush of the darkness. * * * The wailing of the great -owl upon the maple-tree takes our author back in memory to the -scenes of his youth, where the owl was looked upon as a creature of -most sinister omen, and his own partiality to it, as a proof that -there was something uncanny or even “fey” about him. All this is -described with great sympathy and delicacy; but perhaps Mr. Gibson -is most felicitous in his little touches of floral painting. He -has a few words about the earthy, spicy fragrance of the arbutus -that might have been said in verse by the late Mr. Bryant; his -description of the effect of biting the bulbs of the Indian turnip, -or “Jack-in-the-pulpit,” is inimitable in its quiet way; while the -phrase about the fading dandelions—“the golden stars upon the -lawn are nearly all burned out; we see their downy ashes in the -grass”—is perhaps the best thing ever said about a humble flower, -whose vulgarity, in the literal sense, blinds us to the beauty of -its evolution and decay.</p> - -<p>In his studies of life and country manners Mr. Gibson is a -very agreeable and amusing, if not quite so novel, a companion. -Not seldom he reminds us not merely of Miss Mitford, but sometimes -of Thoreau and of Hawthorne. The story of Aunt Huldy, the village -crone who sustained herself upon simples to the age of a hundred -and three, is one of those little vignettes, half humorous, half -pathetic, and altogether picturesque, in which the Americans excel. -Aunt Huldy was an old witch in a scarlet hood, whose long white -hair flowing behind her was wont to frighten the village children -who came upon her in the woods; but she was absolutely harmless, a -crazy old valetudinarian, who was always searching for the elixir -of life in strange herbs and decoctions. At last she thought -she had found it in sweet-fern, and she spent her last years in -grubbing up every specimen she could find, smoking it, chewing it, -drinking it, and sleeping with a little bag of it tied round her -neck.</p> - -<p>But although Mr. Gibson writes so well, he modestly disclaims -all pretension as a writer, and lets us know that he is an artist -by profession. His book is illustrated by more than seventy designs -from his pencil, engraved in that beautiful American manner to -which we have often called attention. The scenes designed are -closely analogous to those described in the text. We have an -apple-orchard in full blossom, with a group of idlers lounging -underneath the boughs; scenes in the fields so full of mystery and -stillness that we are reminded of Millet, or of our own Mason; -clusters of flowers drawn with all the knowledge of a botanist and -the sympathy of a poet. It is hard to define the peculiar pleasure -that such illustrations give to the eye. It is something that -includes and yet transcends the mere enjoyment of whatever artistic -excellence the designs may possess. We are directly reminded by -them of such similar scenes as have been either the rule or the -still more fascinating exception of every childish life, and at -their suggestion the past comes back; in the familiar Wordsworthian -phrase, “a river flows on through the vale of Cheapside.”</p> - -<p>We know so little over here of the best American art that -it may chance that Mr. Gibson is very well known in New York. -We confess, however, that we never heard of him before; but his -drawings are so full of delicate fancy and feeling, and his writing -so skilful and graceful, that, in calling attention to his book, we -cannot but express the hope that we soon may hear of him again, in -either function, or in both.</p></div> - -<p>==>“PASTORAL DAYS” is published by <span class="smcap">Harper & Brothers</span>, New York, -who will send the work, postage prepaid, to any part of the United -States, on receipt of $7 50.<a name="page_346" id="page_346"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c">HARPER’S GUIDE TO EUROPE.</p> - -<p>HARPER’S HAND-BOOK FOR TRAVELLERS IN EUROPE AND THE EAST: being a Guide -through Great Britain and Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, -Italy, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Tyrol, Spain, Russia, -Denmark, Norway, Sweden, United States, and Canada. By W. Pembroke -Fetridge. With Maps and Plans of Cities. In Three Volumes. 12mo, -Leather, Pocket-Book Form, $3 00 per vol. <i>The volumes sold separately</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Vol</span>. I. <span class="smcap">Great Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, -Holland</span>.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Vol</span>. II. <span class="smcap">Germany, Austria, Italy, Sicily and Malta, Egypt, -The Desert, Syria and Palestine, Turkey, Greece.</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Vol</span>. III. <span class="smcap">Switzerland, Tyrol, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, -Russia, Spain, United States and Canada.</span></p> - -<p>It has stood the test of trying experience, and has proved the -traveller’s friend in all emergencies. Each year has added to its -attractions and value, until it is about as near perfect as it is -possible to make it.—<i>Boston Post</i>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Personal use of this Guide during several visits to -various portions of Europe enables us to attest its merits. No -American is fully equipped for travel in Europe without this -Hand-Book.—<i>Philadelphia North American</i>.</p> - -<p>Take “Harper’s Hand-Book,” and read it carefully through; -then return to the parts relating to the places you have resolved -to visit; follow the route on the maps, and particularly study the -plans of cities. So you will start with sound pre-knowledge, which -will smoothen the entire course of travel.—<i>Philadelphia Press</i>.</p> - -<p>The book is not only unrivalled as a guide-book, for which -it is primarily intended, but it is a complete cyclopædia of -all that relates to the countries, towns, and cities which are -described in it—their curiosities, most notable scenes, their -most celebrated historical, commercial, literary, and artistic -centres. Besides general descriptions of great value, there are -minute and detailed accounts of everything that is worth seeing -or knowing relative to the countries of the Old World. The great -value of the book consists in the fact that it covers all the -ground that any traveller may pass through—being exhaustive not -only of one country or two, but comprising in its ample pages exact -and full information respecting every country in Europe and the -East.—<i>Christian Intelligencer</i>, N. Y.</p> - -<p>It is a marvellous compendium of information, and the author -has labored hard to make his book keep pace with the progress of -events. * * * It forms a really valuable work of reference on all -the topics which it treats, and in that way is as useful to the -reader who stays at home as to the traveller who carries it with -him abroad.—<i>N. Y. Times</i>.</p> - -<p>I have received and examined with lively interest the new -and extended edition of your extremely valuable “Hand-Book for -Travellers in Europe and the East.” You have evidently spared no -time or pains in consolidating the results of your wide travel, -your great experience. You succeed in presenting to the traveller -the most valuable guide and friend with which I have the good -fortune to be acquainted. With the warmest thanks, I beg you to -receive the most cordial congratulations of yours, very faithfully, -<span class="smcap">John Meredith Read</span>. Jr., <i>United States Minister of -Greece.</i></p> - -<p>From having travelled somewhat extensively in former years -in Europe and the East. I can say with entire truth that you have -succeeded in combining more that is instructive and valuable for -the traveller than is contained in any one or series of hand-books -that I have ever met with.—<span class="smcap">T. Bigelow Lawrence.</span></p> - -<p>To make a tour abroad without a guide-book is impossible. -The object should be to secure that which is most complete and -comprehensive in the least compass. The scope, plan, and execution -of Harper’s makes it, on the whole, the most satisfactory that can -be found.—<i>Albany Journal</i>.</p></div> - -<p class="c"><span class="smcap">Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York</span>.</p> - -<p class="c"><span class="smcap">==>Harper & Brothers</span> <i>will send the above work by mail, postage -prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price.</i><a name="page_347" id="page_347"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c">ENGLISH MEN OF LETTERS.</p> - -<p class="c">EDITED BY JOHN MORLEY.</p> - -<p class="c">The following volumes are now ready:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td>JOHNSON,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Leslie Stephen</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>GIBBON,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">J. C. Morison</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>SCOTT,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">R. H. Hutton</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>SHELLEY,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">J. A. Symonds</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>HUME, Professor</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Huxley</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>GOLDSMITH,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">William Black</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>DEFOE,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">William Minto</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>BURNS, Principal</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Shairp</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>SPENSER, The</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Dean of St. Paul’s</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>THACKERAY,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Anthony Trollope</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>BURKE,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">John Morley</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>MILTON,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Mark Pattison</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>SOUTHEY, Professor</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Dowden</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>CHAUCER, Professor</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">A. W. Ward</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>BUNYAN,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">J. A. Froude</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>COWPER,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Goldwin Smith</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>POPE,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Leslie Stephen</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>BYRON,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">John Nichol</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>LOCKE,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Thomas Fowler</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>WORDSWORTH,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">F. W. H. Myers</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>DRYDEN,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">G. Saintsbury</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>LANDOR, Professor</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Sidney Colvin</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>DE QUINCEY, Professor</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">D. Masson</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>LAMB, The Rev.</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Alfred Ainger</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>BENTLEY, Professor</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Jebb</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>12mo, Cloth, 75 cents per volume.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>HAWTHORNE. By</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Henry James, Jr</span> 12mo, Cloth, $1 00.</td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">VOLUMES IN PREPARATION:</td></tr> - -<tr><td>SWIFT,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">John Morley</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>GRAY,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">E. W. Gosse</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>ADAM SMITH,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Leonard H. Courtney</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>DICKENS, Professor</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">A. W. Ward</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><i>Others will be announced.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="1">Published by HARPER & BROTHERS,</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">New York</span>.</td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">==><span class="smcap">Harper & Brothers</span> <i>will send any of the above works by mail,<br /> -postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the<br /> -price</i>.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><a name="page_348" id="page_348"></a></p> - -<p class="c">ENGLISH CLASSICS.</p> - -<p class="c">EDITED, WITH NOTES,</p> - -<p class="c"><span class="smcap">By</span> WM. J. ROLFE, A.M.</p> - -<p class="c">SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS.</p> - -<ul><li>The Merchant of Venice.</li> -<li>The Tempest.</li> -<li>Julius Cæsar.</li> -<li>Hamlet.</li> -<li>As You Like It.</li> -<li>Henry the Fifth.</li> -<li>Macbeth.</li> -<li>Henry the Eighth.</li> -<li>Midsummer-Night’s Dream.</li> -<li>Richard III.</li> -<li>Richard the Second.</li> -<li>Much Ado About Nothing.</li> -<li>Antony and Cleopatra.</li> -<li>Romeo and Juliet.</li> -<li>Othello.</li> -<li>Twelfth Night.</li> -<li>The Winter’s Tale.</li> -<li>King John.</li> -<li>Henry IV. Part I.</li> -<li>Henry IV. Part II.</li> -<li>King Lear.</li> -<li>Taming of the Shrew.</li> -<li>All’s Well that Ends Well.</li> -<li>Coriolanus.</li> -<li>Comedy of Errors.</li> -<li>Cymbeline.</li> -<li>Merry Wives of Windsor.</li> -<li>Measure for Measure.</li> -<li>Two Gentlemen of Verona.</li> -<li>Love’s Labour’s Lost.</li> -<li>Timon of Athens.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="c">SELECT POEMS OF OLIVER GOLDSMITH.</p> - -<p class="c">SELECT POEMS OF THOMAS GRAY.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>ILLUSTRATED.</i></p> - -<p class="c"><span class="smcap">16mo, Cloth, 50 Cents per Volume; Paper, 40 Cents per Volume.</span></p> - -<p>In the preparation of this edition of the English Classics it has been -the aim to adapt them for school and home reading, in essentially -the same way as Greek and Latin Classics are edited for educational -purposes. The chief requisites are a pure text (expurgated, if -necessary), and the notes needed for its thorough explanation and -illustration.</p> - -<p>Each of Shakespeare’s plays is complete in one volume, and is preceded -by an introduction containing the “History of the Play,” the “Sources of -the Plot,” and “Critical Comments on the Play.”</p> - -<p class="c"><span class="smcap">Published by</span> HARPER & BROTHERS, <span class="smcap">New York</span>.</p> - -<p class="c">==><span class="smcap">Harper & Brothers</span> <i>will send any of the above work by mail, -postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the -price</i>.</p> - -<p><a name="page_349" id="page_349"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_350" id="page_350"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_351" id="page_351"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_352" id="page_352"></a></p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/after-1_sml.jpg" width="569" height="635" alt="Map of White Mountains, New Hampshire" title="" /><br /> -<span class="caption">[<a href="images/after-1_med.jpg">larger view</a>]<br /> -[<a href="images/after-1_lg.jpg">largest view</a>]</span> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_353" id="page_353"></a></p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/after-2_sml.jpg" width="502" height="636" alt="Map of Vermont and New Hampshire" title="" /><br /> -<span class="caption">[<a href="images/after-2_med.jpg">larger view</a>]<br /> -[<a href="images/after-2_lg.jpg">largest view</a>]</span> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_354" id="page_354"></a></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="padding:2%;border:3px dotted gray;"> -<tr><th align="center">Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:</th></tr> -<tr><td align="center"><span class="errata">griping</span> his arm=> gripping his arm {pg 103}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">more and more <span class="errata">drouth</span>=> more and more drought {pg 173}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">turned to <span class="errata">looked</span> back=> turned to look back {pg 243}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center"><span class="errata">Moosilauk</span> 4881=> Moosilauke 4881 {pg 330}</td></tr> -</table> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3><a name="FOOTNOTES" id="FOOTNOTES"></a>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> So called from the fishing-weirs of the Indians. The Indian -name was Aquedahtan. Here is the Endicott Rock, with an inscription made -by Massachusetts surveyors in 1652.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> No tradition attaches to the last three peaks. -Passaconnaway was a great chieftain and conjurer of the Pennacooks. It -is of him the poet Whittier writes: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Burned for him the drifted snow,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Bade through ice fresh lilies blow,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And the leaves of summer glow<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Over winter’s wood.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -This noted patriarch and necromancer, in whose arts not only the Indians -but the English seemed to have put entire faith, after living to a -great age, was, according to the tradition, translated to heaven from -the summit of Mount Washington, after the manner of Elias, in a chariot -of fire, surrounded by a tempest of flame. Wonnalancet was the son and -successor of Passaconnaway. Paugus, an under chief of the Pigwackets, -or Sokokis, killed in the battle with Lovewell, related in the next -chapter.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> Something has since been done by the Appalachian Club to -render this part of the ascent less hazardous than it formerly was.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> The Saco has since been bridged, and is traversed with all -ease.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> The sequel to this strange but true story is in keeping -with the rest of its horrible details. Perpetually haunted by the ghost -of his victim, the murderer became a prey to remorse. Life became -insupportable. He felt that he was both shunned and abhorred. Gradually -he fell into a decline, and within a few years from the time the deed -was committed he died.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> Dr. Jeremy Belknap relates that, on his journey through -this region in 1784, he was besought by the superstitious villagers to -lay the spirits which were still believed to haunt the fastnesses of the -mountains.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> This house stood just within the entrance to the Notch, -from the north, or Fabyan side. It was for some time kept by Thomas J., -one of the famous Crawfords. Travellers who are a good deal puzzled by -the frequent recurrence of the name “Crawford’s” will recollect that the -present hotel is now the only one in this valley bearing the name.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> A portion of the slide touching the house, even moved it a -little from its foundations before being stopped by the resistance it -opposed to the progress of the débris.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> I have since passed over the same route without finding -those sensations to which our inexperience, and the tempest which -surrounded us, rendered us peculiarly liable. In reality, the ridge -connecting Mount Pleasant with Mount Franklin is passed without -hesitation, in good weather, by the most timid; but when a rod of the -way cannot be seen the case is different, and caution necessary. The -view of this natural bridge from the summit of Mount Franklin is one of -the imposing sights of the day’s march.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> The remains of this ill-fated climber have since been -found at the foot of the pinnacle. See chapter on Mount Washington.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> This analogy of belief may be carried farther still, to -the populations of Asia, which surround the great “Abode of Snow”—the -Himalayas. It would be interesting to see in this similarity of -religious worship a link between the Asiatic, the primitive man, and -the American—the most recent, and the most unfortunate. Our province -is simply to recount a fact to which the brothers Schlaginweit -(“Exploration de la Haute Asie”) bear witness: -</p><p> -“It is in spite of himself, under the enticement of a great reward, that -the superstitious Hindoo decides to accompany the traveller into the -mountains, which he dreads less for the unknown dangers of the ascent -than for the sacrilege he believes he is committing in approaching -the holy asylum, the inviolable sanctuary of the gods he reveres; his -trouble becomes extreme when he sees in the peak to be climbed not the -mountain, but the god whose name it bears. Henceforth it is by sacrifice -and prayer alone that he may appease the profoundly offended deity.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> Sullivan: “History of Maine.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> Field’s second ascension (July, 1642) was followed in -the same year by that of Vines and Gorges, two magistrates of Sir F. -Gorges’s province of Maine, within which the mountains were believed to -lie. Their visit contributed little to the knowledge of the region, as -they erroneously reported the high plateau of the great chain to be the -source of the Kennebec, as well as of the Androscoggin and Connecticut -rivers.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> It also occurs, reduced to Agiochook, in the ballad, of -unknown origin, on the death of Captain Lovewell. One of these was, -doubtless, the authority of Belknap. Touching the signification of -Agiochook, it is the opinion of Dr. J. Hammond Trumbull that the word -which Captain Gyles imperfectly translated from sound into English -syllables is Algonquin for “at the mountains on that side,” or “over -yonder.” “As to the generally received interpretations of Agiockochook, -such as ‘the abode of the Great Spirit,’ ‘the place of the Spirit of -the Great Forest,’ or, as one writer prefers, ‘the place of the Storm -Spirit,’” says Dr. Trumbull, “it is enough to say that no element of -any Algonkin word meaning ‘great,’ ‘spirit,’ ‘forest,’ ‘storm,’ or -‘abode,’ or combining the meaning of any two of these words, occurs -in ‘Agiockochook.’ The only Indian name for the White Hills that -bears internal evidence of genuineness is one given on the authority -of President Alden, as used ‘by one of the eastern tribes,’ that is, -Waumbekketmethna, which easily resolves itself into the Kennebec-Abnaki -waubeghiket-amadinar, ‘white greatest mountain.’ It is very probable, -however, that this synthesis is a mere translation, by an Indian, of the -English ‘White Mountains.’ I have never, myself, succeeded in obtaining -this name from the modern Abnakis.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> Here is what Douglass says in his “Summary” (1748-’53): -“The White Hills, or rather mountains, inland about seventy miles -north from the mouth of Piscataqua Harbor, about seven miles west by -north from the head of the Pigwoket branch of Saco River; they are -called white not from their being continually covered with snow, but -because they are bald atop, producing no trees or brush, and covered -with a whitish stone or shingle: these hills may be observed at a great -distance, and are a considerable guide or direction to the Indians in -travelling that country.” -</p><p> -And Robert Rogers (“Account of America,” London, 1765) remarks that the -White Mountains were “so called from that appearance which is like snow, -consisting, as is generally supposed, of a white flint, from which the -reflection is very brilliant and dazzling.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> Captivity of Elizabeth Hanson, taken at Dover, New -Hampshire, 1724.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> No Yankee girl need be told for what purpose spruce gum is -procured; but it will doubtless be news to many that the best quality -is worth a dollar the pound. Davis told me he had gathered enough in a -single season to fetch ninety dollars.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> I use the name, as usually applied, to the whole mountain. -In point of fact, the Dome is not visible from the Notch.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> The guide knew no other name for the larger bird -than meat-hawk; but its size, plumage, and utter fearlessness are -characteristic of the Canada jay, occasionally encountered in these -high latitudes. I cannot refrain from reminding the reader that the -cross-bill is the subject of a beautiful German legend, translated by -Longfellow. The dying and forsaken Saviour sees a little bird striving -to draw the nail from his bleeding palm with his beak: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“And the Saviour spoke in mildness:<br /></span> -<span class="i2">‘Blest be thou of all the good!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Bear, as token of this moment,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Marks of blood and holy rood!”<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“And the bird is called the cross-bill;<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Covered all with blood so clear.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">In the groves of pine it singeth<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Songs like legends, strange to hear.”<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> Peabody River is said to have originated in the same -manner, and in a single night. It is probable, however, that as long as -there has been a valley there has also been a stream.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> Since the above was written, a deplorable accident has -given melancholy emphasis to these words of warning. I leave them as -they are, because they were employed by the very person to whom the -disaster was due: “The first accident by which any passengers were ever -injured on the carriage-road, from the Glen House to the summit of Mount -Washington, occurred July 3d, 1880, about a mile below the Half-Way -House. One of the six-horse mountain wagons, containing a party of nine -persons—the last load of the excursionists from Michigan to make the -descent of the mountain—was tipped over, and one lady was killed and -five others injured. Soon after starting from the summit the passengers -discovered that the driver had been drinking while waiting for the -party to descend. They left this wagon a short distance from the summit -and walked to the Half-Way House, four miles below, where one of the -employés of the Carriage-road Company assured them that there was no -bad place below that, and that he thought it would be safe for them -to resume their seats with the driver, who was with them. Soon after -passing the Half-Way House, in driving around a curve too rapidly, the -carriage was overset, throwing the occupants into the woods and on the -rocks. Mrs. Ira Chichester, of Allegan, Michigan, was instantly killed, -her husband, who was sitting at her side, being only slightly bruised. -Of the other occupants, several were more or less injured. The injured -were brought at once to the Glen House, and received every possible care -and attention. Lindsey, the driver, was taken up insensible. He had been -on the road ten years, and was considered one of the safest and most -reliable drivers in the mountains.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> A stone bench, known as Willis’s Seat, has been fixed in -the parapet wall at the extreme southern angle of the road, between -the sixth and seventh miles. It is a fine lookout, but will need to be -carefully searched for.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> Benjamin Chandler, of Delaware, in August, 1856.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> Dr. B. L. Ball’s “Three Days on the White Mountains,” in -October, 1855.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> Considering the pinnacle of Mount Washington as the centre -of a circle of vision, the greatest distance I have been able to see -with the naked eye, in nine ascensions, did not probably much exceed -one hundred miles. This being half the diameter, the circumference -would surpass six hundred miles. It is now considered settled that -Katahdin, one hundred and sixty miles distant, is not visible from Mount -Washington.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> The highest point, formerly indicated by a cairn and a -beacon, is now occupied by an observatory, built of planks, and, of -course, commanding the whole horizon. It is desirable to examine this -vast landscape in detail, or so much of it as the eye embraces at once, -and no more.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> One poor fellow (Private Stevens) did die here in 1872. -His comrade remained one day and two nights alone with the dead body -before help could be summoned from below.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> It was for a long time believed that the summit of Mount -Washington bore no marks of the great Glacial Period, which the lamented -Agassiz was the first to present in his great work on the glaciers of -the Alps. Such was the opinion of Dr. C. T. Jackson, State Geologist of -New Hampshire. It is now announced that Professor C. H. Hitchcock has -detected the presence of transported bowlders not identical with the -rocks in place.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> In going to and returning from the ravine, I must have -walked over the very spot which has since derived a tragical interest -from the discovery, in July, 1880, of a human skeleton among the rocks. -Three students, who had climbed up through the ravine on the way to the -summit, stumbled upon the remains. Some fragments of clothing remained, -and in a pocket were articles identifying the lost man as Harry W. -Hunter, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. This was the same person whom I -had seen placarded as missing, in 1875, and who is referred to in the -chapter on the ascent from Crawford’s. A cairn and tablet, similar to -those erected on the spot where Miss Bourne perished, had already been -placed here when I last visited the locality, where the remains had so -long lain undiscovered in their solitary tomb. An inscription upon the -tablet gives the following details: “Henry W. Hunter, aged twenty-two -years, perished in a storm, September 3d, 1874, while walking from the -Willey House to the summit. Remains found July 14th, 1880, by a party -of Amherst students.” The place is conspicuous from the plain, and is -between the Crawford Path and Tuckerman’s. By going a few rods to the -left, the Summit House, one mile distant, is in full view. This makes -the third person known to have perished on or near the summit of Mount -Washington. Young Hunter died without a witness to the agony of his -last moments. No search was made until nearly a year had elapsed. It -proved ineffectual, and was abandoned. Thus, strangely and by chance, -was brought to light the fact that he sunk exhausted and lifeless at -the foot of the cone itself. I can fully appreciate the nature of the -situation in which this too adventurous but truly unfortunate climber -was placed.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> A log-hut has been built near the summit of Mount Clinton -since this was written. It is a good deed. But the long miles over the -summits remain as yet neglected. Had one existed at the base of Monroe, -it is probable that one life, at least, might have been saved. It is on -the plain that danger and difficulties thicken.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> Kancamagus, the Pennacook sachem, led the Indian assault -on Dover, in 1689.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> This name was given to his picture of the great range, in -possession of the Prince of Wales, by Mr. George L. Brown, the eminent -landscape-painter. The canvas represents the summits in the sumptuous -garb of autumn.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> The true source of the Connecticut remained so long in -doubt that it passed into a by-word. Cotton Mather, speaking of an -ecclesiastical quarrel in Hartford, says that it was almost as obscure -as the rise of the Connecticut River.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> This orthography is of recent adoption. By recent I mean -within thirty years. Before that time it was always Moosehillock. -Nothing is easier than to unsettle a name. So far as known, I believe -there is not a single summit of the White Mountain group having a name -given to it by the Indians. On the contrary, the Indian names have all -come from the white people. That these are sometimes far-fetched is seen -in Osceola and Tecumseh; that they are often puerile, it is needless to -point out. Moosehillock is probably no exception. It is not unlikely to -be an English nickname. The result of these changes is that the people -inhabiting the region contiguous to the mountain do not know how to -spell the name on their guide-boards.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> Speaking of legends, that of Rubenzal, of the Silesian -mountains, is not unlike Irving’s legend of Rip Van Winkle and the -Catskills. Both were Dutch legends. The Indian legends of Moosehillock -are very like to those of high mountains, everywhere.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> In the valley of the Aar, at the head of the Aar glacier, -in Switzerland, is a peak named for Agassiz, who thus has two enduring -monuments, one in his native, the other in his adopted land. The eminent -Swiss scientist spent much time among the White Mountains.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> Such, for example, as the Hon. J. G. Sinclair, Isaac -Cruft, Esq., and ex-Governor Howard of Rhode Island.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span class="label">[38]</span></a> The twin Percy Peaks, which we saw in the north, rise in -the south-east corner of Stratford. Their name was probably derived from -the township now called Stark, and formerly Percy. The township was -named by Governor Wentworth in honor of Hugh, Earl of Northumberland, -who figured in the early days of the American Revolution. The adjoining -township of Northumberland is also commemorative of the same princely -house.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span class="label">[39]</span></a> The greater part of the ascent so nearly coincides, in -its main features, with that into Tuckerman’s, that a description would -be, in effect, a repetition. To my mind Tuckerman’s is the grander of -the two; it is only when the upper section of King’s is reached that it -begins to be either grand or interesting by comparison.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_40_40" id="Footnote_40_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor_40_40"><span class="label">[40]</span></a> The road up the Rigi, in Switzerland, was modelled upon -the plans of Mr. Marsh.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_41_41" id="Footnote_41_41"></a><a href="#FNanchor_41_41"><span class="label">[41]</span></a> Dr. Timothy Dwight.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_42_42" id="Footnote_42_42"></a><a href="#FNanchor_42_42"><span class="label">[42]</span></a> Rev. Benjamin G. Willey.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_43_43" id="Footnote_43_43"></a><a href="#FNanchor_43_43"><span class="label">[43]</span></a> The greatest angle of inclination is twelve feet in one -hundred.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_44_44" id="Footnote_44_44"></a><a href="#FNanchor_44_44"><span class="label">[44]</span></a> Samuel Adams at the feet of John Adams is not the exact -order that we have been accustomed to seeing these men. Better leave -Samuel Adams where he stands in history—alone.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_45_45" id="Footnote_45_45"></a><a href="#FNanchor_45_45"><span class="label">[45]</span></a> It is only forty years since Agassiz advanced his now -generally adopted theory of the Glacial Period. The Indians believed -that the world was originally covered with water, and that their god -created the dry land from a grain of sand.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_46_46" id="Footnote_46_46"></a><a href="#FNanchor_46_46"><span class="label">[46]</span></a> The English reviewer is in error here. The letterpress and -illustrations were printed together on an Adams press.</p></div> - -</div> -</div> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/back_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/back_sml.jpg" width="472" height="674" alt="book backcover" -title="book backcover" /></a> -</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, -Their Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - -***** This file should be named 42447-h.htm or 42447-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/4/4/42447/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at -http://gutenberg.org/license). - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at -809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official -page at http://pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit http://pglaf.org - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - -</pre> - -</body> - -</html> diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/after-1_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/after-1_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 310f64b..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/after-1_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/after-1_med.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/after-1_med.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ffc31db..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/after-1_med.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/after-1_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/after-1_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b5f8632..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/after-1_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/after-2_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/after-2_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f337f34..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/after-2_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/after-2_med.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/after-2_med.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 20d695a..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/after-2_med.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/after-2_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/after-2_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0615f8e..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/after-2_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/back_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/back_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 99b5548..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/back_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/back_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/back_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0b484c9..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/back_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e8f9f74..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/cover_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/cover_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7f4d5ef..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/cover_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/frontispiece_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/frontispiece_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 846ab80..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/frontispiece_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/frontispiece_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/frontispiece_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1719838..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/frontispiece_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_015_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_015_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 8e9ee1c..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_015_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_015_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_015_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0f2b327..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_015_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_020_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_020_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5d97c7f..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_020_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_020_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_020_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4f6a2fb..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_020_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_024_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_024_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6521731..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_024_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_024_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_024_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3c83167..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_024_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_026_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_026_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c180440..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_026_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_026_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_026_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9bdbac7..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_026_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_034_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_034_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f983409..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_034_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_034_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_034_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4590bea..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_034_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_040_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_040_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 32e331f..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_040_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_040_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_040_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index fa7899a..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_040_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_041_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_041_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 88ad72b..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_041_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_041_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_041_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5da6319..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_041_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_045_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_045_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3f38a3f..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_045_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_045_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_045_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 58df051..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_045_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_048_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_048_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f6e39a7..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_048_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_048_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_048_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1fc483d..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_048_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_053_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_053_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 51674a2..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_053_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_053_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_053_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f3e25ca..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_053_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_056_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_056_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index fd6ab17..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_056_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_056_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_056_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b76d8f1..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_056_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_058_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_058_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ce52d34..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_058_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_058_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_058_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 52e1f98..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_058_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_068_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_068_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ad0b5a3..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_068_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_068_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_068_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 417a5fb..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_068_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_070_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_070_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index faacc9d..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_070_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_070_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_070_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9106593..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_070_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_075_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_075_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d772e5c..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_075_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_075_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_075_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 56b8967..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_075_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_078_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_078_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 692fa7f..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_078_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_078_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_078_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9597856..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_078_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_085_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_085_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 15da42e..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_085_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_085_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_085_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c0cac34..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_085_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_088_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_088_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b48389e..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_088_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_088_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_088_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 02321ae..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_088_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_091_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_091_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index fcfdb88..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_091_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_091_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_091_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f16dcc5..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_091_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_111_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_111_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9f77fbd..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_111_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_111_med.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_111_med.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 166a82e..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_111_med.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_111_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_111_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2c4957a..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_111_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_124_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_124_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 10538a4..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_124_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_124_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_124_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0d4ad26..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_124_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_126_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_126_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 469322f..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_126_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_126_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_126_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d792b44..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_126_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_134_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_134_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d053b40..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_134_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_134_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_134_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index dc2429f..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_134_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_147_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_147_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7d1eb27..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_147_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_147_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_147_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e108259..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_147_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_149_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_149_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 31fc87f..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_149_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_149_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_149_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1af2105..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_149_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_157_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_157_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7876c8b..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_157_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_157_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_157_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 8639203..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_157_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_160_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_160_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 29cc0f1..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_160_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_160_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_160_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b65c076..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_160_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_163_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_163_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ea7148e..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_163_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_163_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_163_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a8d71dd..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_163_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_166_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_166_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ae172d1..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_166_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_166_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_166_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a40c2e8..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_166_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_176_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_176_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9d014bb..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_176_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_176_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_176_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 617ca5e..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_176_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_182_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_182_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7e392b8..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_182_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_182_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_182_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e381a79..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_182_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_187_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_187_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d9eeb2c..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_187_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_187_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_187_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1bb6438..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_187_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_194_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_194_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9186bc4..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_194_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_194_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_194_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index cad74d7..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_194_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_200_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_200_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 44724c0..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_200_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_200_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_200_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 484fb68..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_200_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_207_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_207_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 83eeb72..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_207_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_207_med.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_207_med.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1c8deaf..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_207_med.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_207_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_207_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6b5e0fe..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_207_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_213_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_213_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9435ab3..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_213_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_213_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_213_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 52f77a3..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_213_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_217_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_217_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e784ed8..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_217_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_217_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_217_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e665f09..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_217_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_220_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_220_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0e7e524..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_220_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_220_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_220_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2fa8a8a..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_220_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_222_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_222_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3318d1d..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_222_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_222_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_222_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a8ec711..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_222_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_225_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_225_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9be8b18..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_225_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_225_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_225_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 47032e5..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_225_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_227_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_227_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1ecc8ec..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_227_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_227_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_227_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 855bfc6..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_227_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_230_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_230_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3f46b79..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_230_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_230_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_230_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d23fe12..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_230_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_234_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_234_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5fd3dcf..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_234_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_234_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_234_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e545074..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_234_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_238_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_238_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a726c8b..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_238_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_238_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_238_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ace53c1..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_238_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_240_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_240_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f7cb66f..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_240_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_240_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_240_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 51abbe3..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_240_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_242_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_242_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 29ff464..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_242_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_242_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_242_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2683409..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_242_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_245_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_245_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0ab94ab..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_245_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_245_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_245_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 424d8ad..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_245_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_248_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_248_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c6d209e..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_248_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_248_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_248_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 55b86f7..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_248_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_250_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_250_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index cf2e61c..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_250_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_250_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_250_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0352412..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_250_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_260_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_260_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c356d26..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_260_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_260_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_260_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b455c3d..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_260_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_274_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_274_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6a72532..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_274_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_274_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_274_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 339e3aa..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_274_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_280_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_280_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 8ceda0d..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_280_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_280_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_280_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9a87130..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_280_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_292_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_292_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index fc86f0c..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_292_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_292_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_292_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f395289..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_292_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_301_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_301_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 72f3933..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_301_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_301_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_301_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e806ecd..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_301_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_305_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_305_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a2a4c70..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_305_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_305_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_305_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d7d22fe..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_305_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_309_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_309_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 90e4d4e..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_309_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_309_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_309_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index cc90792..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_309_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_315_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_315_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0aa23cf..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_315_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_315_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_315_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1bb3642..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_315_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_320_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_320_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 31e938f..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_320_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_320_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_320_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c1e9328..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_320_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_322_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_322_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1b5233e..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_322_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_322_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_322_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 81bf31d..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_322_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_325_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_325_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f9637fb..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_325_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_325_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_325_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b65b327..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_325_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_326_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_326_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7101d39..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_326_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_326_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_326_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9b62023..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_326_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_xv_lg.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_xv_lg.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1e528a9..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_xv_lg.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_xv_med.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_xv_med.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 75bd287..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_xv_med.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_xv_sml.jpg b/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_xv_sml.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 82553b5..0000000 --- a/old/42447-h/images/ill_pg_xv_sml.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42447.txt b/old/42447.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9d273af..0000000 --- a/old/42447.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14512 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, Their -Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery - Tourist's Edition - -Author: Samuel Adams Drake - -Release Date: March 31, 2013 [EBook #42447] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON.] - - - - -Tourist's Edition - -THE HEART -OF THE -WHITE MOUNTAINS - -THEIR LEGEND AND SCENERY - -BY - -SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE - -AUTHOR OF "NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST" -"CAPTAIN NELSON" ETC. - -WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY - -W. HAMILTON GIBSON - -"_Eyes loose: thoughts close_" - -NEW YORK -HARPER & BROTHERS. FRANKLIN SQUARE -1882 - - - - -Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881, by - -HARPER & BROTHERS, - -In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - -_All rights reserved._ - - -To JOHN G. WHITTIER: - -_An illustrious and venerated bard, who shares with you the love and -honor of his countrymen, tells us that the poets are the best travelling -companions. Like Orlando in the forest of Arden, they "hang odes on -hawthorns and elegies on thistles." - -In the spirit of that delightful companionship, so graciously announced, -it is to you, who have kindled on our aged summits - - "The light that never was on sea or land, - The consecration and the poet's dream." - -that this volume is affectionately dedicated by_ - -THE AUTHOR. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The very flattering reception which the sumptuous holiday edition -of "The Heart of the White Mountains" received on its _debut_ has -decided the Messrs. Harper to re-issue it in a more convenient and less -expensive form, with the addition of a Tourist's Appendix, and an Index -farther adapting it for the use of actual travellers. While all the -original features remain intact, these additions serve to render the -references in the text intelligible to the uninstructed reader, and at -the same time help to make a practical working manual. One or two new -maps contribute to the same end. - -I take the opportunity thus afforded me to say that, when "The Heart of -the White Mountains" was originally prepared, I hoped it might go into -the hands of those who, making the journey for the first time, feel the -need of something different from the conventional guide-book of the day, -and for whom it would also be, during the hours of travel or of leisure -among the mountains, to some extent an entertaining as well as a useful -companion. So far as author and publisher are concerned, that purpose is -now realized. - -Finally, I wrote the book because I could not help it. - -SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE. - -MELROSE, _January, 1882_. - - - - -GENERAL CONTENTS. - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - - PAGE - -I. _MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS_.....1 - -II. _INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE_: Voyage from Wolfborough to Centre -Harbor.--The Indians.--Centre Harbor.--Legendary.--Ascent of Red -Hill.--Sunset on the Lake.....8 - -III. _CHOCORUA_: Stage Journey to Tamworth.--Scramble for -Places.--Valley of the Bear Camp.--Legend of Chocorua.--Sandwich -Mountains.--Chocorua Lake.--Ascent of Mount Chocorua.....18 - -IV. _LOVEWELL_: Fryeburg.--Lovewell's Fight.--Desperate Encounter with -the Pigwackets.--Death of Paugus.....33 - -V. _NORTH CONWAY_: The Antechamber of the Mountains.--White -Horse Ledge.--Fording the Saco.--Indian Custom.--Echo Lake.--The -Cathedral.--Diana's Baths.--Artists' Falls.--The Moats.--Winter Ascent -of Mount Kearsarge.....39 - -VI. _FROM KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN_: Conway Intervales.--Bartlett -Bowlder.--Singular Homicide.--Bartlett.--A Lost Village.--Ascent of -Mount Carrigain.--A Shaggy Wilderness.....55 - -VII. _VALLEY OF THE SACO_: Autumnal Foliage.--The Story of -Nancy.--Doctor Bemis.--Abel Crawford, the Veteran Guide.--Ethan A. -Crawford.--The Mount Crawford Glen.--Giant's Stairs.--Frankenstein -Cliff.--Superb View of Mount Washington.--Mount Willey.....66 - -VIII. _THROUGH THE NOTCH_: Great Notch of the White Mountains.--The -Willey House, and Slide of 1826.--"Colonizing" Voters.--Mount -Willard.--Mount Webster, and its Cascades.--Gate of the Notch.--Summit -of the Pass.....76 - -IX. _CRAWFORD'S_: The Elephant's Head.--Crawford House, and -Glen.--Discovery of The Notch.--Ascent of Mount Willard.--Magnificent -_coup d'oeil_.....87 - -X. _THE ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S_: The Bridle-path.--Wreck of -the Forest.--A Forest of Ice.--Dwarf Trees.--Summit of Mount -Clinton.--Caught in a Snow-storm.--The Colonel's Hat.--Oakes's -Gulf.--The Plateau.--Climbing the Dome.--The Summit at Last.....95 - - -SECOND JOURNEY. - -I. _LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS_: Indian Tradition and Legend.--Ascent -of Mount Washington by Darby Field.--Indian Name of the White Mountains -.....113 - -II. _JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY_: Thorn Hill.--Jackson.--Jackson -Falls.--Goodrich Falls.--The Ellis.--A Captive Maiden's Song.--Pretty -Indian Legend.--Pinkham Notch, from the Ellis.--A Mountain -Homestead.--Artist Life.....122 - -III. _THE CARTER NOTCH_: Valley of the Wildcat.--The Guide.--The -Way In.--Summit of The Notch.--Awful Desolation.--The Giant's -Barricade.--Carter Dome.--The Way Out.....132 - -IV. _THE PINKHAM NOTCH_: The Glen House.--Thompson's Falls.--Emerald -Pool.--Crystal Cascade.--Glen Ellis and its Legend.....144 - -V. _A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S_: Tuckerman's Ravine.--The Path.--Hermit -Lake.--"No Thoroughfare."--Interior of the Ravine.--The Snow -Arch.....155 - -VI. _IN AND ABOUT GORHAM_: The Peabody Valley.--Copp's Farm.--The -Imp.--Nathaniel Copp's Adventure.--Gorham and the Androscoggin.--Mount -Hayes.--Mount Madison.--Wholesale Destruction of the Forests.--Logging -in the Mountains.--Berlin Falls.--Shelburne and Bethel.....165 - -VII. _ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD_: Bruin and the Travellers.--The -Ledge.--The Great Gulf.--Fatal Accident.--Lost Travellers.--Arrival at -the Signal-station.--A Night on the Summit.....178 - -VIII. _MOUNT WASHINGTON_: View from the Summit.--The Great Gale.--Life -on the Summit.--Shadow of Mount Washington.--Bigelow's Lawn.--The Hunter -Monument.--Lake of the Clouds.--The Mountain Butterfly.....189 - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - -I. _THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE_: Plymouth.--Death of Hawthorne.--John -Stark, the Hunter.--Livermore Fall.--Trout and Salmon -Breeding.--Franconia Mountains from West Campton.--Settlement of -Campton.--Valley of Mad River.--Tripyramid Mountain.--Waterville and its -Surroundings.....209 - -II. _THE FRANCONIA PASS_: The Flume House.--The Pool.--The -Flume.--Ascent of Mount Pemigewasset.--The Basin.--Mount -Cannon.--Profile Lake.--Old Man of the Mountain.--Summit of the -Pass.....224 - -III. _THE KING OF FRANCONIA_: Profile House and Glen.--Eagle -Cliff.--Echo Lake.--Ascent of Mount Lafayette.--The Lakes.--Singular -Atmospheric Effects.....237 - -IV. _FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD_: The Roadside Spring.--Franconia -Iron Works and Vicinity.--Sugar Hill.....248 - -V. _THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW_: Newbury and Haverhill.....256 - -VI. _THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES_: Robert Rogers, the -Ranger.--Destruction of the Abenaqui Village.--Retreat and Pursuit of -the Rangers.--Legend of the Silver Image.....259 - -VII. _MOOSEHILLOCK_: Ascent of the Mountain from Warren.--View from the -Summit.....267 - -VIII. _BETHLEHEM_: Bethlehem Street.--Sudden Rise of a Mountain -Resort.--The Environs.--Maplewood and the Great Range.--The Place of -Sunsets.--The "Hermit."--The Soldier turned Peddler.....276 - -IX. _JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER_: Jefferson -Hill.--Starr King and Cherry Mountains.--The Great Chain Again.--Thomas -Starr King.--Ethan Crawford's.--Ravine of the Cascades.--Randolph Hill -and King's Ravine.--The Cherry Mountain Road.--Fabyan's.--Captain -Rosebrook .....291 - -X. _THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS_: The Mountain Railway.--An Evening -Ascension.--Moonlight on the Summit.--Sunrise.--A March to Mount -Adams.--The Great Gulf of the Five Mountains.--The Castellated -Ridge.--Peak of Mount Adams.--Conclusion.....304 - - - - - -Illustrations. - - -These Illustrations, excepting those marked *, were designed by W. -HAMILTON GIBSON. - -SUBJECT. ENGRAVER. PAGE. -TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON _R. Hoskin_ Frontispiece - -WINNIPISEOGEE, FROM RED HILL _J. Tinkey_ 15 - -*"ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!" _V. Bernstrom_ 20 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -PASSACONNAWAY, FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER _Smithwick and French_ 24 - -CHOCORUA _R. Hoskin_ 26 - -LOVEWELL'S POND _J. P. Davis_ 34 - -MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM THE SACO _F. S. King_ 40 - -THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY _E. Held_ 41 - -ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY _G. J. Buechner_ 45 - -KEARSARGE IN WINTER _R. Hoskin_ 48 - -*SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE _H. Deis_ 53 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -CONWAY MEADOWS _W. H. Morse_ 56 - -BARTLETT BOWLDER _E. Held_ 58 - -*NANCY IN THE SNOW _J. P. Davis_ 68 - _Designed by Sol Eytinge._ - -*ABEL CRAWFORD (PORTRAIT) _Thos. Johnson_ 70 - -STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY _J. Linton_ 75 - -MOUNT WILLARD, FROM WILLEY BROOK _G. Smith_ 78 - -THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER _F. S. King_ 85 - -ELEPHANT'S HEAD, WINTER _H. Wolf_ 88 - -LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH _C. Mayer_ 91 - -GIANT'S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN _J. Hellawell_ 124 - -MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS _F. Pettit_ 126 - -THE CARTER NOTCH _Smithwick and French_ 134 - -THE EMERALD POOL _W. H. Morse_ 147 - -THE CRYSTAL CASCADE _H. Wolf_ 149 - -THE PATH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE _R. Hoskin_ 157 - -HERMIT LAKE _W. J. Dana_ 160 - -SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE _N. Orr_ 163 - -THE IMP _J. Tinkey_ 166 - -THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE _G. Smith_ 176 - -MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF _W. H. Morse_ 182 - -WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT _R. Schelling_ 187 - -*THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE _J. Tinkey_ 194 - _Designed by Thure de Thulstrup_ - -LAKE OF THE CLOUDS _J. P. Davis_ 200 - -ON THE PROFILE ROAD _Smithwick and French_ 213 - -WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER _J. Hellawell_ 217 - -BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS _J. S. Harley_ 220 - -FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON _F. S. King_ 222 - -A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL _C. Mayer_ 225 - -THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH _J. P. Davis_ 227 - -THE BASIN _G. J. Buechner_ 230 - -*THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN _A. Measom_ 234 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -*EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE _P. Annin_ 238 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -ECHO LAKE, FRANCONIA _G. J. Buechner_ 240 - -MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, -LAFAYETTE _R. Schelling_ 242 - -CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE _R. Hoskin_ 245 - -*FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH _C. Mayer_ 248 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -*THE ROADSIDE SPRING 250 - _Designed by W. A . Rogers._ - -*ROBERT ROGERS (PORTRAIT) _C. Mayer_ 260 - -*THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON 274 - _Designed by W. A. Rogers._ - -MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM _J. Tinkey_ 280 - -THE NORTHERN PEAKS, FROM JEFFERSON _Smithwick and French_ 292 - -MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN'S _E. Held_ 301 - -*MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING -TIMES _T. Johnson_ 305 - _Designed by Granville Perkins._ - -ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY _J. Hellawell_ 309 - -THE CASTELLATED RIDGE, MOUNT JEFFERSON _J. Tinkey_ 315 - -MAP OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS (_East Side_) xv - - " " " (_Central and Northern Section_) 111 - - " " " (_West Side_) 207 - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - - - PAGE - -I. _MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS_ 1 - -II. _INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE_ 8 - -III. _CHOCORUA_ 18 - -IV. _LOVEWELL_ 33 - -V. _NORTH CONWAY_ 39 - -VI. _KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN_ 55 - -VII. _VALLEY OF THE SACO_ 66 - -VIII. _THROUGH THE NOTCH_ 76 - -IX. _CRAWFORD'S_ 87 - -X. _ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S_ 95 - -[Illustration: [Map]] - - - - -THE - -HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. - - - - -FIRST JOURNEY. - -I. - -_MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS._ - - "Si jeunesse savait! si viellesse pouvait!" - - -One morning in September I was sauntering up and down the -railway-station waiting for the slow hands of the clock to reach the -hour fixed for the departure of the train. The fact that these hands -never move backward did not in the least seem to restrain the impatience -of the travellers thronging into the station, some with happy, some with -anxious faces, some without trace of either emotion, yet all betraying -the same eagerness and haste of manner. All at once I heard my name -pronounced, and felt a heavy hand upon my shoulder. - -"What!" I exclaimed, in genuine surprise, "is it you, colonel?" - -"Myself," affirmed the speaker, offering his cigar-case. - -"And where did you drop from"--accepting an Havana; "the Blue Grass?" - -"I reckon." - -"But what are you doing in New England, when you should be in Kentucky?" - -"Doing, I? oh, well," said my friend, with a shade of constraint; then -with a quizzical smile, "You are a Yankee; guess." - -"Take care." - -"Guess." - -"Running away from your creditors?" - -The colonel's chin cut the air contemptuously. - -"Running after a woman, perhaps?" - -My companion quickly took the cigar from his lips, looked at me with -mouth half opened, then stammered, "What in blue brimstone put that into -your head?" - -"Evidently you are going on a journey, but are dressed for an evening -party," I replied, comprising with a glance the colonel's black suit, -lavender gloves, and white cravat. - -"Why," said the colonel, glancing rather complacently at himself--"why -we Kentuckians always travel so at home. But it's now your turn; where -are you going yourself?" - -"To the mountains." - -"Good; so am I: White Mountains, Green Mountains, Rocky Mountains, or -Mountains of the Moon, I care not." - -"What is your route?" - -"I'm not at all familiar with the topography of your mountains. What is -yours?" - -"By the Eastern to Lake Winnipiseogee, thence to Centre Harbor, thence -by stage and rail to North Conway and the White Mountain Notch." - -My friend purchased his ticket by the indicated route, and the train -was soon rumbling over the bridges which span the Charles and Mystic. -Farewell, Boston, city where, like thy railways, all extremes meet, but -where I would still rather live on a crust moistened with east wind than -cast my lot elsewhere. - -When we had fairly emerged into the light and sunshine of the open -country, I recognized my old acquaintance George Brentwood. At a gesture -from me he came and sat opposite to us. - -George Brentwood was a blond young man of thirty-four or thirty-five, -with brown hair, full reddish beard, shrewdish blue eyes, a robust -frame, and a general air of negligent repose. In a word, he was the -antipodes of my companion, whose hair, eyebrows, and mustache were -coal-black, eyes dark and sparkling, manner nervous, and his attitudes -careless and unconstrained, though not destitute of a certain natural -grace. Both were men to be remarked in a crowd. - -"George," said I, "permit me to introduce my friend Colonel Swords." - -After a few civil questions and answers, George declared his -destination to be ours, and was cordially welcomed to join us. By way -of breaking the ice, he observed, - -"Apropos of your title, colonel, I presume you served in the Rebellion?" - -The colonel hitched a little on his seat before replying. Knowing him -to be a very modest man, I came to his assistance. "Yes," said I, "the -colonel fought hard and bled freely. Let me see, where were you wounded?" - -"Through the chest." - -"No, I mean in what battle?" - -"Spottsylvania." - -"Left on the field for dead, and taken prisoner," I finished. - -George is a fellow of very generous impulses. "My dear sir," said he, -effusively, grasping the colonel's hand, "after what you have suffered -for the old flag, you can need no other passport to the gratitude and -friendship of a New-Englander. Count me as one of your debtors. During -the war it was my fortune--my misfortune, I should say--to be in a -distant country; otherwise we should have been found fighting shoulder -to shoulder under Grant, or Sherman, or Sheridan, or Thomas. - -The colonel's color rose. He drew himself proudly up, cleared his -throat, and said, laconically, "Hardly, stranger, seeing that I had the -honor to fight under the Confederate flag." - -You have seen a tortoise suddenly draw back into his shell. Well, George -as suddenly retreated into his. For an instant he looked at the Southron -as one might at a confessed murderer; then stammered out a few random -and unmeaning words about mistaken sense of duty--gallant but useless -struggle, you know--drew a newspaper from his pocket, and hid his -confusion behind it. - -Fearing my fiery Kentuckian might let fall some unlucky word that would -act like a live coal dropped on the tortoise's back, I hastened to -interpose. "But really, colonel," I urged, returning to the charge, -"with the Blue Ridge always at your back, I wager you did not come a -thousand miles merely to see our mountains. Come, what takes you from -Lexington?" - -"A truant disposition." - -"Nothing else?" - -His dark face grew swarthy, then pale. He looked at me doubtfully a -moment, and then leaned close to my ear. "You guessed it," he whispered. - -"A woman?" - -"Yes; you know that I was taken prisoner and sent North. Through the -influence of a friend who had known my family before the war, I was -allowed to pass my first days of convalescence in a beautiful little -village in Berkshire. There I was cured of the bullet, but received a -more mortal wound." - -"What a misfortune!" - -"Yes; no; confound you, let me finish." - -"Helen, the daughter of the gentleman who procured my transfer from the -hospital to his pleasant home" (the proud Southerner would not say his -benefactor), "was a beautiful creature. Let me describe her to you." - -"Oh," I hastened to say, "I know her." Like all lovers, that subject -might have a beginning but no ending. - -"You?" - -"Of course. Listen. Yellow hair, rippling ravishingly from an alabaster -forehead, pink cheeks, pouting lips, dimpled chin, snowy throat--" - -The colonel made a gesture of impatience. "Pshaw, that's a type, not a -portrait. Well, the upshot of it was that I was exchanged, and ordered -to report at Baltimore for transportation to our lines. Imagine my -dismay. No, you can't, for I was beginning to think she cared for me, -and I was every day getting deeper and deeper in love. But to tell her! -That posed me. When alone with her, my cowardly tongue clove to the roof -of my mouth. Once or twice I came very near bawling out, 'I love you!' -just as I would have given an order to a squadron to charge a battery." - -"Well; but you did propose at last?" - -"Oh yes." - -"And was accepted." - -The colonel lowered his head, and his face grew pinched. - -"Refused gently, but positively refused." - -"Come," I hazarded, thinking the story ended, "I do not like your Helen." - -"Why?" - -"Because either you are mistaken, or she seems just a little of a -coquette." - -"Oh, you don't know her," said the colonel, warmly; "when we parted she -betrayed unusual agitation--for her; but I was cut to the quick by her -refusal, and determined not to let her see how deeply I felt it. After -the Deluge--you know what I mean--after the tragedy at Appomattox, I -went back to the old home. Couldn't stay there. I tried New Orleans, -Cuba. No use." - -Something rose in the colonel's throat, but he gulped it down and went -on: - -"The image of that girl pursues me. Did you ever try running away from -yourself? Well, after fighting it out with myself until I could endure -it no longer, I put pride in my pocket, came straight to Berkshire, only -to find Helen gone." - -"That was unlucky; where?" - -"To the mountains, of course. Everybody seems to be going there; but I -shall find her." - -"Don't be too sanguine. It will be like looking for a needle in a -hay-stack. The mountains are a perfect Daedalian labyrinth," I could not -help saying, in my vexation. Instead of an ardent lover of nature, I had -picked up the "baby of a girl." But there was George Brentwood. I went -over and sat by George. - -It was generally understood that George was deeply enamored of a young -and beautiful widow who had long ceased to count her love affairs, -who all the world, except George, knew loved only herself, and who -had therefore nothing left worth mentioning to bestow upon another. -By nature a coquette, passionately fond of admiration, her self-love -was flattered by the attentions of such a man as George, and he, poor -fellow, driven one day to the verge of despair, the next intoxicated -with the crumbs she threw him, was the victim of a species of slavery -which was fast undermining his buoyant and generous disposition. The -colonel was in hot pursuit of his adored Helen. Two words sufficed to -acquaint me that George was escaping from his beautiful tormentor. At -all events, I was sure of him. - -"How charming the country is! What a delightful sense of freedom!" -George drew a deep breath, and stretched his limbs luxuriously. "Shall -we have an old-fashioned tramp together?" He continued, with assumed -vivacity, "The deuce take me if I go back to town for a twelve-month. -How we creep along! I feel exultation in putting the long miles between -me and the accursed city," said George, at last. - -"You experience no regret, then, at leaving the city?" - -George merely looked at me; but he could not have spoken more eloquently. - -The train had just left Portsmouth, when the conductor entered the car -holding aloft a yellow envelope. Every eye was instantly riveted upon -it. Conversation ceased. For whom of the fifty or sixty occupants of -the car had this flash overtaken the express train? In that moment the -criminal realized the futility of flight, the merchant the uncertainty -of his investments, the man of leisure all the ordinary contingencies of -life. The conductor put an end to the suspense by demanding, - -"Is Mr. George Brentwood in this car?" - -In spite of an heroic effort at self-control, George's hand trembled as -he tore open the envelope; but as he read his face became radiant. Had -he been alone I believe he would have kissed the paper. - -"Your news is not bad?" I ventured to ask, seeing him relapse into a -fit of musing, and noting the smile that came and went like a ripple on -still water. - -"Thank you, quite the contrary; but it is important that I should -immediately return to Boston." - -"How unfortunate!" - -George turned on me a fixed and questioning look, but made no reply. - -"And the mountains?" I persisted. - -"Oh, sink the mountains!" - -I last saw George striding impatiently up and down the platform of the -Rochester station, watch in hand. Without doubt he had received his -recall. However, there was still the lovelorn colonel. - -Never have I seen a man more thoroughly enraptured with the growing -beauty of the scenery. I promised myself much enjoyment in his society, -for his comments were both original and picturesque; so that by the time -we arrived at Wolfborough I had already forgotten George and his widow. - -There was the usual throng of idlers lounging about the pier with -their noses in the air, and their hands in their pockets; perhaps more -than the usual confusion, for the steamer merely touched to take and -leave passengers. We went on board. As the bell tolled the colonel -uttered an exclamation. He became all on a sudden transformed from a -passive spectator into an excited and prominent actor in the scene. -He gesticulated wildly, swung his hat, and shouted in a frantic way, -apparently to attract the attention of some one in the crowd; failing in -which he seized his luggage, took the stairs in two steps, and darting -like a rocket among the astonished spectators, who divided to the right -and left before his impetuous onset, was in the act of vigorously -shaking hands with a hale old gentleman of fifty odd when the boat swung -clear. He waved his unoccupied hand, and I saw his face wreathed in -smiles. I could not fail to interpret the gesture as an adieu. - -"Halloo!" I shouted, "what of the mountains?" - -"Burn the mountains!" was his reply. The steamer glided swiftly down the -little bay, and I was left to continue my journey alone. - - - - -II. - -_INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE._ - - First a lake - Tinted with sunset, next the wavy lines - Of far receding hills.--WHITTIER. - - -When the steamer glides out of the land-locked inlet at the bottom -of which Wolfborough is situated, one of those pictures, forever -ineffaceable, presents itself. In effect, all the conditions of a -picture are realized. Here is the shining expanse of the lake stretching -away in the distance, and finally lost among tufted inlets and -foliage-rounded promontories. To the right are the Ossipee mountains, -dark, vigorously outlined, and wooded to their summits. To the left, -more distant, rise the twin domes of the Belknap peaks. In front, and -closing the view, the imposing Sandwich summits dominate the scene. - -All these mountains seem advancing into the lake. They possess a -special character of color, outline, or physiognomy which fixes them -in the memory, not confusedly, but in the place appropriate to this -beautiful picture, to its fine proportions, exquisite harmony, and -general effectiveness. Even M. Chateaubriand, who maintains that -mountains should only be seen from a distance--even he would have found -in Winnipiseogee the perfection of his ideal _mise en scene_; for here -they stand well back from the lake, so as to give the best effect of -perspective. - -Lovely as the lake is, the eye will rove among the mountains that we -have come to see. They, and they alone, are the objects which have -enticed us--entice us even now with a charm and mystery that we cannot -pretend to explain. We do not wish it explained. We know that we are -as free, as light of heart, as the birds that skim the placid surface -of the lake, and coquet with their own shadows. The memory of those -mountains is like snatches of music that come unbidden and haunt you -perpetually. - -Having taken in the grander features, the eye is occupied with its -details. We see the lake quivering in sunshine. From bold summit to -beautiful water the shores are clothed in most vivid green. The islands, -which we believe to be floating gardens, are almost tropical in the -luxuriance and richness of their vegetation. The deep shadows they fling -down image each islet so faithfully that it seems, like Narcissus, -gloating over its own beauty. Here and there a glimmer of water through -the trees denotes secluded little havens. Boats float idly on the calm -surface. Water-fowl rise and beat the glossy, dark water with startled -wings. White tents appear, and handkerchiefs flutter from jutting points -or headlands. Over all tower the mountains. - -The steamer glided swiftly and noiselessly on, attended by the echo -of her paddles from the shores. Dimpled waves, parting from her prow, -rolled indolently in, and broke on the foam-fretted rocks. There was a -warmth of color about these rocks, a pure transparency to the water, a -brightness to the foliage, an invigorating strength in the mountains -that exerted a cheerful influence upon our spirits. - -As we advanced up the lake new and rare vistas rapidly succeeded. -After leaving Long Island behind, the near ranges drew apart, holding -us admiring and absorbed spectators of a moving panorama of distant -summits. An opening appeared, through which Mount Washington burst upon -us blue as lapis-lazuli, a chaplet of clouds crowning his imperial -front. Slowly, majestically, he marches by, and now Chocorua scowls upon -us. A murmur of admiration ran from group to group as these monumental -figures were successively unveiled. Men kept silence, but women could -not repress the exclamation, "How beautiful!" The two grandest types -which these mountains enclose were thus displayed in the full splendor -of noonday. - -I should add that those who now saw Mount Washington for the first -time, and whose curiosity was whetted by the knowledge that it was the -highest peak of the whole family of mountains, openly manifested their -disappointment. That Mount Washington! It was in vain to remind them -that the eye traversed forty miles in its flight from lake to summit. -Fault of perspective or not, the mountain was not nearly so high as -they imagined. Chocorua, on the contrary, with its ashen spire and -olive-green flanks, realized more fully their idea of a high mountain. -One was near, the other far. Imagination fails to make a mountain higher -than it looks. The mind takes its measure after the eye. - -Our boat was now rapidly nearing Centre Harbor. On the right its -progress gradually unmasking the western slopes of the Ossipee range, -more fully opened the view of Chocorua and his dependent peaks. We -were looking in the direction of Tamworth. Ossipee, and Conway. Red -Hill, a detached mountain at the head of the lake, now moved into the -gap, excluding further views of distant summits. Moosehillock, lofty -but unimpressive, has for some time showed its flattened heights over -the Sandwich Mountains, but is now sinking behind them. To the west, -thronged with islands, is the long reach of water toward the outlet of -the lake at Weirs.[1] - -This lake was the highway over which Indian war-parties advanced or -retreated during their predatory incursions from Canada. Many captives -must have crossed it whom its mountain walls seemed forever destined to -separate from friends and kindred. The Indians who inhabited villages at -Winnipiseogee (Weirs), Ossipee, and Pigwacket (Fryeburg), were hostile; -and from time to time during the old wars troops were marched from -the English settlements to subdue them. These scouting-parties found -the woods well stocked with bear, moose, and deer, and the lake with -salmon-trout, some of which, according to the narrative before me, were -three feet long, and weighed twelve pounds each. - -Traces of Indian occupation remained up to the present century. -Fishing-weirs and woodland paths were frequently discovered by the -whites; but a greater curiosity than either is mentioned by Dr. Belknap, -in his "History of New Hampshire," who there tells of a pine-tree, -standing on the shore of Winnipiseogee River, on which was carved a -canoe with two men in it, supposed to have been a mark of direction to -those who were expected to follow. Another was a tree in Moultonborough, -standing near a carrying-place between two ponds. On this tree was a -representation of one of their expeditions. The number of killed and -the prisoners were shown by rude drawings of human beings, the former -being distinguished by the mark of a knife across the throat. Even the -distinction of sex was preserved in the drawing. - -Centre Harbor is advantageously situated for a sojourn more or less -prolonged. Although settled as early as 1755, it is, in common with the -other lake towns, barren of history or tradition. Its greatest impulse -is, beyond question, the tide of tourists which annually ebbs and flows -among the most sequestered nooks, enriching this charming region like an -inundation of the Nile. An anecdote will, however, serve to illustrate -the character of the men who first subdued this wilderness. Our anecdote -represents its hero a man of resources. His career proves him a man of -courage. Although a veritable personage, let us call him General Hampton. - -The fact that General Hampton lived in that only half-cleared atmosphere -following the age of credulity and superstition, naturally accounts -for the extraordinary legend concerning him which, for the rest, had -its origin among his own friends and neighbors, who merely shared the -general belief in the practice of diabolic arts, through compacts with -the arch-enemy of mankind himself, universally prevailing in that -day--yes, prevailing all over Christendom. By a mere legend, we are thus -able to lay hold of the thread which conducts us back through the dark -era of superstition and delusion, and which is now so amazing. - -The general, says the legend, encountered a far more notable adversary -than Abenaki warriors or conjurers, among whom he had lived, and whom it -was the passion of his life to exterminate. - -In an evil hour his yearning to amass wealth suddenly led him to declare -that he would sell his soul for the possession of unbounded riches. -Think of the devil, and he is at your elbow. The fatal declaration was -no sooner made--the general was sitting alone by his fireside--than -a shower of sparks came down the chimney, out of which stepped a man -dressed from top to toe in black velvet. The astonished Hampton noticed -that the stranger's ruffles were not even smutted. - -"Your servant, general," quoth the stranger, suavely, "but let us make -haste, if you please, for I am expected at the governor's in a quarter -of an hour," he added, picking up a live coal with his thumb and -forefinger and consulting his watch with it. - -The general's wits began to desert him. Portsmouth was five leagues, -long ones at that, from Hampton House, and his strange visitor talked, -with the utmost unconcern, of getting there in fifteen minutes. His -astonishment caused him to stammer out, - -"Then you must be the--" - -"Tush! what signifies a name?" interrupted the stranger, with a -deprecating wave of the hand. "Come, do we understand each other? is it -a bargain or not?" - -At the talismanic word "bargain" the general pricked up his ears. He had -often been heard to say that neither man nor devil could get the better -of him in a trade. He took out his jack-knife and began to whittle. The -devil took out his, and began to pare his nails. - -"But what proof have I that you can perform what you promise?" demanded -Hampton, pursing up his mouth, and contracting his bushy eyebrows. - -The fiend ran his fingers carelessly through his peruke; a shower of -golden guineas fell to the floor, and rolled to the four corners of the -room. The general quickly stooped to pick up one; but no sooner had his -fingers closed upon it than he uttered a yell. It was red-hot. - -The devil chuckled. "Try again," he said. - -But Hampton shook his head, and retreated a step. - -"Don't be afraid." - -Hampton cautiously touched a coin. It was cool. He weighed it in his -hand, and rung it on the table. It was full weight and true ring. Then -he went down on his hands and knees, and began to gather up the guineas -with feverish haste. - -"Are you satisfied?" demanded Satan. - -"Completely, your majesty." - -"Then to business. By-the-way, have you anything to drink in the house?" - -"There is some Old Jamaica in the cupboard." - -"Excellent. I am as thirsty as a Puritan on election-day," said the -devil, seating himself at the table and negligently flinging his mantle -back over his shoulder. - -Hampton brought a decanter and a couple of glasses from the cupboard, -filled one and passed it to his infernal guest, who tasted it, and -smacked his lips with the air of a connoisseur. Hampton watched every -gesture. "Does your excellency not find it to his taste?" he ventured to -ask. - -"H'm, I have drunk worse; but let me show you how to make a salamander," -replied Satan, touching the lighted end of the taper to the liquor, -which instantly burst into a spectral blue flame. The fiend then -raised the tankard, glanced approvingly at the blaze--which to -Hampton's disordered intellect resembled an adder's forked and agile -tongue--nodded, and said, patronizingly, "To our better acquaintance." -He then quaffed the contents at a single gulp. - -Hampton shuddered. This was not the way he had been used to seeing -healths drunk. He pretended, however, to drink, for fear of giving -offence, but somehow the liquor choked him. The demon set down the -tankard, and observed, in a matter-of-fact way that put his listener in -a cold sweat, - -"Now that you are convinced I am able to make you the richest man in all -the province, listen. In consideration of your agreement, duly signed -and sealed, to deliver your soul"--here he drew a parchment from his -breast--"I engage, on my part, on the first day of every month, to fill -your boots with golden elephants like these before you. But mark me -well," said Satan, holding up a forefinger glittering with diamonds; "if -you try to play me any trick you will repent it. I know you, Jonathan -Hampton, and shall keep my eye upon you. So beware!" - -Hampton flinched a little at this plain speech; but a thought seemed to -strike him, and he brightened up. Satan opened the scroll, smoothed out -the creases, dipped a pen in the inkhorn at his girdle, and pointing to -a blank space said, laconically, "Sign!" - -Hampton hesitated. - -"If you are afraid," sneered Satan, "why put me to all this trouble?" -And he began to put the gold in his pocket. - -His victim seized the pen, but his hand shook so he could not write. He -gulped down a swallow of rum, stole a look at his infernal guest, who -nodded his head by way of encouragement, and a second time approached -his pen to the paper. The struggle was soon over. The unhappy Hampton -wrote his name at the bottom of the fatal list, which he was astonished -to see numbered some of the highest personages in the province. "I shall -at least be in good company," he muttered. - -"Good!" said Satan, rising and putting the scroll carefully within his -breast. "Rely on me, general, and be sure you keep faith. Remember!" -So saying, the demon waved his hand, wrapped his mantle about him, and -vanished up the chimney. - -Satan performed his part of the contract to the letter. On the first day -of every month the boots, which were hung on the crane in the fireplace -the night before, were found in the morning stuffed full of guineas. It -is true that Hampton had ransacked the village for the largest pair to -be found, and had finally secured a brace of trooper's boots, which came -up to the wearer's thigh; but the contract merely expressed boots, and -the devil does not stand upon trifles. - -Hampton rolled in wealth. Everything prospered. His neighbors regarded -him first with envy, then with aversion, at last with fear. Not a few -affirmed he had entered into a league with the Evil One. Others shook -their heads, saying, "What does it signify? that man would outwit the -devil himself." - -But one morning, when the fiend came as usual to fill the boots, what -was his astonishment to find that he could not fill them. He poured in -the guineas, but it was like pouring water into a rat-hole. The more he -put in, the more the quantity seemed to diminish. In vain he persisted: -the boots could not be filled. - -The devil scratched his ear. "I must look into this," he reflected. -No sooner said than he attempted to descend, but found his progress -suddenly arrested. The chimney was choked up with guineas. Foaming with -rage, the demon tore the boots from the crane. The crafty general had -cut off the soles, leaving only the legs for the devil to fill. The -chamber was knee-deep with gold. - -The devil gave a horrible grin, and disappeared. The same night Hampton -House was burnt to the ground, the general only escaping in his shirt. -He had been dreaming he was dead and in hell. His precious guineas were -secreted in the wainscot, the ceiling, and other hiding-places known -only to himself. He blasphemed, wept, and tore his hair. Suddenly he -grew calm. After all, the loss was not irreparable, he reflected. Gold -would melt, it is true; but he would find it all, of course he would, -at daybreak, run into a solid lump in the cellar--every guinea. That is -true of ordinary gold. - -The general worked with the energy of despair clearing away the rubbish. -He refused all offers of assistance: he dared not accept them. But the -gold had vanished. Whether it was really consumed, or had passed again -into the massy entrails of the earth, will never be known. It is certain -that every vestige of it had disappeared. - -When the general died and was buried, strange rumors began to circulate. -To quiet them, the grave was opened; but when the lid was removed from -the coffin, it was found to be empty. - -Having reached Centre Harbor at two in the afternoon, there was still -time to ascend Red Hill before sunset. This eminence would be called -a mountain anywhere else. Its altitude is inconsiderable, but its -situation at the head of the lake, on its very borders, is highly -favorable to a commanding prospect of the surrounding lake region. -There are two summits, the northern and highest being only a little -more than two thousand feet. - -[Illustration: WINNIPISEOGEE FROM RED HILL.] - -For such an excursion little preparation is necessary. In fact a -carriage-road ascends within a mile of the superior summit; and from -this point the path is one of the easiest I have ever traversed. The -value of a pure atmosphere is so well understood by every mountain -tourist that he will neglect no opportunity which this thrice-fickle -element offers him. This was a day of days. - -After a little promenade of two hours, or two hours and a half, I -reached the cairn on the summit, from which a tattered signal flag -fluttered in the breeze. Without extravagance, the view is one of the -most engaging that the eye ever looked upon. I had before me that -beautiful valley extending between the Sandwich chain on the left and -the Ossipee range on the right, the distance filled by a background of -mountains. It was across this valley that we saw Mount Washington, while -coming up the lake. But that noble peak was now hid. - -The first chain trending to the west threw one gigantic arm around the -beautiful little Squam Lake, which like a magnificent gem sparkled at my -feet. The second stretched its huge rampart along the eastern shores of -Winnipiseogee. - -The surface of this valley is tumbled about in most charming disorder. -Three villages crowned as many eminences in the foreground; three little -lakes, half hid in the middle distance, blue as turquoise, lighted the -fading hues of field and forest. Hamlets and farms, groves and forests -innumerable, were scattered broadcast over this inviting landscape. The -harvests were gathered, and the mellowed tints of green, orange, and -gold resembled rich old tapestry. Men and animals looked like insects -creeping along the roads. - -From this point of view the Sandwich Mountains took far greater interest -and character, and I remarked that no two summits were precisely alike -in form or outline. Higher and more distant peaks peered curiously -over their brawny shoulders from their lairs in the valley of the -Pemigewasset; but more remarkable, more weird than all, was the gigantic -monolith which tops the rock-ribbed pile of Chocorua. The more I looked, -the more this monstrous freak of nature fascinated. As the sun glided -down the west, a ruddy glow tinged its pinnacle; while the shadows -lurking in the ravines stole up the mountain side and crouched for a -final spring upon the summit. Little by little, twilight flowed over the -valley, and a thin haze rose from its surface. - -I had waited for this moment, and now turned to the lakes. Winnipiseogee -was visible throughout its whole length, the multitude of islands -peeping above it giving the idea of an inundation rather than an inland -sea. On the farthest shores mere specks of white denoted houses; and -traced in faint relief on the southern sky, so unsubstantial, indeed, -as to render it doubtful if it were sky or mountain, was the Grand -Monadnock, the fixed sentinel of all this august assemblage of mountains. - -Glowing in sunset splendor, streaked with all the hues of the rainbow, -the lake was indeed magnificent. - -In vain the eve roved hither and thither seeking some foil to this -peerless beauty. Everywhere the same unrivalled picture led it captive -over thirty miles of gleaming water, up the graceful curves of the -mountains, to rest at last among crimson clouds floating in rosy vapor -over their notched summits. - -Imagination must assist the reader to reproduce this ravishing -spectacle. To attempt to describe it is like a profanation. Paradise -seemed to have opened wide its gates to my enraptured gaze; or had -I surprised the secrets of the unknown world? I stood silent and -spellbound, with a strange, exquisite feeling at the heart. I felt a -thrill of pain when a voice from the forest broke the solemn stillness -which alone befitted this almost supernatural vision. Now I understood -the pagan's adoration of the sun. My mind ran over the most striking or -touching incidents of Scripture, where the sublimity of the scene is -always in harmony with the grandeur of the event--the Temptation, the -Sermon on the Mount, the Transfiguration--and memory brought to my aid -these words, so simple, so tender, yet so expressive, "And he went up -into the mountain to pray, himself, alone." - - - - -III. - -_CHOCORUA._ - - "There I saw above me mountains, - And I asked of them what century - Met them in their youth." - - -After a stay at Centre Harbor long enough to gain a knowledge of its -charming environs, but which seemed all too brief, I took the stage at -two o'clock one sunny afternoon for Tamworth. I had resolved, if the -following morning should be clear, to ascend Chocorua, which from the -summit of Red Hill seemed to fling his defiance from afar. - -Following my custom, I took an outside seat with the driver. There being -only three or four passengers, what is frequently a bone of contention -was settled without that display of impudent selfishness which is seen -when a dozen or more travellers are all struggling for precedence. But -at the steamboat landing the case was different. I remained a quiet -looker-on of the scene that ensued. It was sufficiently ridiculous. - -At the moment the steamboat touched her pier the passengers prepared to -spring to the shore, and force had to be used to keep them back until -she could be secured. An instant after the crowd rushed pell-mell up -the wharf, surrounded the stage, and began, women as well as men, a -promiscuous scramble for the two or three unoccupied seats at the top. - -Two men and one woman succeeded in obtaining the prizes. The woman -interested me by the intense triumph that sparkled in her black eyes -and glowed on her cheeks at having distanced several competitors of her -own sex, to say nothing of the men. She beamed! As I made room for her, -she said, with a toss of the head, "I guess I haven't been through Lake -George for nothing." - -Crack! We were jolting along the road, around the base of Red Hill, the -horses stepping briskly out at the driver's chirrup, the coach pitching -and lurching like a gondola in a sea. What a sense of exhilaration, -of lightness! The air so pure and elastic, the odor of the pines so -fragrant, so invigorating, which we breathe with all the avidity of -a convalescent who for the first time crosses the threshold of his -chamber. Each moment I felt my body growing lighter. A delicious -sense of self-ownership breaks the chain binding us to the toiling, -struggling, worrying life we have left behind. We carry our world with -us. Life begins anew, or rather it has only just begun. - -The view of the ranges which on either side elevate two immense walls of -green is kept for nearly the whole distance. As we climb the hill into -Sandwich, Mount Israel is the prominent object; then brawny Whiteface, -Passaconnaway's pyramid, Chocorua's mutilated spire advance, in their -turn, into line. Sometimes we were in a thick forest, sometimes on a -broad, sunny glade; now threading our way through groves of pitch-pine, -now winding along the banks of the Bear-Camp River. - -The views of the mountains, as the afternoon wore away, grew more -and more interesting. The ravines darkened, the summits brightened. -Cloud-shadows chased each other up and down the steeps, or, flitting -slowly across the valley, spread thick mantles of black that seemed to -deaden the sound of our wheels as we passed over them. On one side all -was light, on the other all gloom. But the landscape is not all that may -be seen to advantage from the top of a stage-coach. - -From time to time, as something provoked an exclamation of surprise or -pleasure, certain of the inside occupants manifested open discontent. -They were losing something where they had expected to see everything. - -While the horses were being changed, one of the insides, I need not say -it was a woman, thrust her head out of the window, and addressed the -young person perched like a bird upon the highest seat. Her voice was -soft and persuasive: - -"Miss!" - -"Madam!" - -"I'm so afraid you find it too cold up there. Sha'n't I change places -with you?" - -The little one gave her voice a droll inflection as she briskly replied, -"Oh dear no, thank you; I'm very comfortable indeed." - -"But," urged the other, "you don't look strong; indeed, dear, you don't. -Aren't you very, very tired, sitting so long without any support to your -back?" - -"Thanks, no; my spine is the strongest part of me." - -"But," still persisted the inside, changing her voice to a loud whisper, -"to be sitting alone with all those men!" - -[Illustration: "ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!"] - -"They mind their business, and I mind mine," said the little one, -reddening; "besides," she quickly added, "you proposed changing places, -I believe!" - -"Oh!" returned the other, with an accent impossible to convey in words, -"if you like it." - -"I tell you what, ma'am," snapped the one in possession, "I've been all -over Europe alone, and was never once insulted except by persons of my -own sex." - -This home-thrust ended the colloquy. The first speaker quickly drew in -her head, and I remarked a general twitching of muscles on the faces -around me. The driver shook his head in silent glee. The little woman's -eyes emitted sparks. - -From West Ossipee I drove over to Tamworth Iron Works, where I passed -the night, and where I had, so to speak, Chocorua under my thumb. - -This mountain being the most proper for a legend, it accordingly has -one. Here it is in all its purity: - -After the terrible battle in which the Sokokis were nearly destroyed, -a remnant of the tribe, with their chief, Chocorua, fled into the -fastnesses of these mountains, where the foot of a white man had never -intruded. Here they trapped the beaver, speared the salmon, and hunted -the moose. - -The survivors of Lovewell's band brought the first news of their -disaster to the settlements. More like spectres than living men, their -haggard looks, bloodshot eyes, and shaking limbs, their clothing hanging -about them in shreds, announced the hardships of that long and terrible -march but too plainly. - -Among those who had set out with the expedition were three brothers--one -a mere stripling, the others famous hunters. The eldest of the three, -having fallen lame on the second day, was left behind. His brethren -would have conducted him back to the nearest village, but he promptly -refused their proffered aid, saying, - -"'Tis enough to lose one man; three are too many. Go; do my part as well -as your own." - -The two had gone but a few steps when the disabled ranger called the -second brother back. - -"Tom," said the elder, "take care of our brother." - -"Surely," replied the other, in some surprise. "Surely," he repeated. - -"I charge you," continued the first speaker, "watch over the boy as I -would myself." - -"Never fear, Lance; whatever befalls Hugh happens to me." - -"Not so," said the other, with energy; "you must die for him, if need -be." - -"They shall chop me as fine as sausage-meat before a hair of the lad's -head is harmed." - -"God bless you, Tom!" The brothers then embraced and separated. - -"What was our brother saying to you?" demanded the younger, when Tom -rejoined him. - -"He begged me, seeing he could not go with us, to shoot two or three -redskins for him; and I promised." The two then quickened their pace in -order to overtake their comrades. - -Among those who succeeded in regaining the settlements was a man who had -been wounded in twenty places. He was at once a ghastly and a pitiful -object. Faint with hunger, fatigue, and loss of blood, he reeled, fell, -slowly rose to his feet, and sunk lifeless at the entrance to the -village. This time he did not rise again. - -A crowd ran up. When they had wiped the blood and dirt from the dead -man's face, a by-stander threw himself upon the body with the cry, "My -God, it is Tom!" - -The following day the surviving brother joined a strong party despatched -by the colonial authorities to the scene of Lovewell's encounter, where -they arrived after a forced march. Here, among the trampled thickets, -they found the festering corpses of the slain. Among them was Hugh, the -younger brother. He was riddled with bullets and shockingly mangled. -Up to this moment, Lance had hoped against hope; now the dread reality -stared him in the face. The stout ranger grew white, his fingers -convulsively clutched the barrel of his gun, and something like a curse -escaped through his clinched teeth; then, kneeling beside the body, he -buried his face in his hands. Hugh's blood cried aloud for vengeance. - -Thorough but unavailing search was made for the savages. They had -disappeared, after applying the torch to their village. Silently and -sadly the rangers performed the last service for their fallen comrades, -and then, turning their backs upon the mountains, commenced their march -homeward. - -The next day the absence of Lance was remarked; but, as he was their -best hunter, the rangers made no doubt he would rejoin them at the next -halt. - -Chocorua was not ignorant that the English were near. Like the vulture, -he scented danger from afar. From the summit of the mountain he had -watched the smoke of the hostile camp-fires stealing above the forest. -The remainder of the tribe had buried themselves still deeper in the -wilderness. They were too few for attack, too weak for defence. - -One morning the chief ascended the pinnacle, and swept the horizon -with his piercing eye. Far in the south a faint smoke told where the -foe had pitched his last encampment. Chocorua's dark eye lighted with -exultation. The accursed pale-faces were gone. - -He turned to descend the mountain, but had not taken ten steps when a -white hunter, armed to the teeth, started from behind the crags and -barred his passage. The chief recoiled, but not with fear, as the muzzle -of his adversary's weapon touched his naked breast. The white man's -eyes shone with deadly purpose, as he forced the chieftain, step by -step, back to the highest point of the mountain. Chocorua could not pass -except over the hunter's dead body. - -Glaring into each other's eyes with mortal hate, the two men reached the -summit. - -"Chocorua will go no farther," said the chief, haughtily. - -The white man trembled with excitement. For a moment he could not speak. -Then, in a voice husky with suppressed emotion, he exclaimed, - -"Die, then, like a dog, thou destroyer of my family, thou incarnate -devil! The white man has been in Chocorua's wigwam; has counted their -scalps--father, mother, sister, brother. He has tracked him to the -mountain-top. Now, demon or devil, Chocorua dies by my hand." - -The chief saw no escape. He comprehended that his last moment was come. -As if all the savage heroism of his race had come to his aid, he drew -himself up to his full height, and stood erect and motionless as a -statue of bronze upon the enormous pedestal of the mountain. His dark -eye blazed, his nostrils dilated, the muscles of his bronzed forehead -stood out like whip-cord. The black eagle's feather in his scalplock -fluttered proudly in the cool morning breeze. He stood thus for a moment -looking death sternly in the face, then, raising his bared arm with a -gesture of superb disdain, he spoke with energy: - -"Chocorua is unarmed; Chocorua will die. His heart is big and strong -with the blood of the accursed pale-face. He laughs at death. He spits -in the white man's face. Go; tell your warriors Chocorua died like a -chief!" - -With this defiance on his lips the chief sprung from the brink into -the unfathomable abyss below. An appalling crash was followed by -a death-like silence. As soon as he recovered from his stupor the -hunter ran to the verge of the precipice and looked over. A horrible -fascination held him an instant. Then, shouldering his gun, he retraced -his steps down the mountain, and the next day rejoined his comrades. - -[Illustration: PASSACONNAWAY FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER.] - -The general and front views of the Sandwich group, which may be had in -perfection from the hill behind the Chocorua House, or from the opposite -elevation, are very striking, embracing as they do the principal summits -from Chocorua to the heavy mass of Black Mountain. There are more -distinct traits, perhaps, embodied in this range than in any other among -the White Hills, except that incomparable band of peaks constituting the -northern half of the great chain itself. There seems, too, a special -fitness in designating these mountains by their Indian titles--Chocorua, -Paugus, Passaconnaway, Wonnalancet--a group of great sagamores, wild, -grand, picturesque.[2] - -The highway now skirted the margin of Chocorua Lake, a lovely little -sheet of water voluptuously reposing at the foot of its overshadowing -mountain. I cannot call Chocorua beautiful, yet of all the White -Mountain peaks is it the most individual, the most aggressively -suggestive. But the lake, fast locked in the embrace of encircling -hills, bathed in all the affluence of the blessed sunlight, its bosom -decorated with white lilies, its shores glassed in water which looks -like a sheet of satin--ah, this was beautiful indeed! Its charming -seclusion, its rare combination of laughing water and impassive old -mountains; above all, the striking contrast between its chaste beauty -and the huge-ribbed thing rising above, awakens a variety of sensations. -It is passing strange. The mountain attracts, and at the same time -repels you. Two sentiments struggle here for mastery--open admiration, -energetic repulsion. For the first time, perhaps, in his life, the -beholder feels an antipathy for a creation of inanimate nature. Chocorua -suggests some fabled prodigy of the old mythology--a headless Centaur, -sprung from the foul womb of earth. The lake seems another Andromeda -exposed to a monster. - -A beautiful Indian legend ran to the effect that the stillness of the -lake was sacred to the Great Spirit, and that if a human voice was heard -upon its waters the offender's canoe would instantly sink to the bottom. - -Chocorua, as seen from Tamworth, shows a long, undulating ridge of white -rising over one of green, both extending toward the east, and opening -between a deep ravine, through which a path ascends to the summit. But -this way affords no view until the summit is close at hand. Beyond the -hump-backed ridge of Chocorua the tip of the southern peak of Moat -Mountain peers over, like a mountain standing on tiptoe. - -The mountain, with its formidable outworks, is constantly in view until -the highway is left for a wood-road winding around its base into an -interval where there is a farm-house. Here the road ends and the ascent -begins. - -Taking a guide here, who was strong, nimble, and sure-footed, but who -proved to be lamentably ignorant of the topography of the country, we -were in a few moments rapidly threading the path up the mountain. It -ought to be said here that, with rare exceptions, the men who serve you -in these ascensions should be regarded rather as porters than as guides. - -In about an hour we reached the summit of the first mountain; for there -are four subordinate ridges to cross before you stand under the single -block of granite forming the pinnacle. - -[Illustration: CHOCORUA.] - -When reconnoitring this pinnacle through your glass, at a distance of -five miles, you will say to scale it would be difficult; when you have -climbed close underneath you will say it is impossible. After surveying -it from the bare ledges of Bald Mountain, where we stood letting the -cool breeze blow upon us, I asked my guide where we could ascend. He -pointed out a long crack, or crevice, toward the left, in which a few -bushes were growing. It is narrow, almost perpendicular, and seemingly -impracticable. I could not help exclaiming, "What, up there! nothing but -birds of the air can mount that sheer wall!" It is, however, there or -nowhere you must ascend. - -The whole upper zone of the mountain seems smitten with palsy. Except -in the ravines between the inferior summits, nothing grew, nothing -relieved the wide-spread desolation. Beyond us rose the enormous conical -crag, scarred and riven by lightning, which gives to Chocorua its highly -distinctive character. It is no longer ashen, but black with lichens. -There was little of symmetry, nothing of grace; only the grandeur of -power. You might as well pelt it with snow-balls as batter it with the -mightiest artillery. For ages it has brushed the tempest aside, has seen -the thunder-bolt shivered against its imperial battlements; for ages to -come it will continue to defy the utmost power that can assail it. And -what enemies it has withstood, overthrown, or put to rout! Not far from -the base of the pinnacle evidence that the mountain was once densely -wooded is on all sides. The rotted stumps of large trees still cling -with a death-grip to the ledges, the shrivelled trunks lie bleaching -where they were hurled by the hurricane. Many years ago this region -was desolated by fire. In the night Old Chocorua, lighting his fiery -torch, stood in the midst of his own funeral pyre. The burning mountain -illuminated the sky and put out the stars. A brilliant circle of light, -twenty miles in extent, surrounded the flaming peak like a halo; while -underneath an immense tongue of forked flame licked the sides of the -summit with devouring haste. The lakes, those bright jewels lying in the -lap of the valleys, glowed like enormous carbuncles. Superstitious folk -regarded the conflagration as a portent of war or pestilence. In the -morning a few charred trunks, standing erect, were all that remained of -the original forest. The rocks themselves bear witness to the intense -heat which has either cracked them wide open, crumbled them in pieces, -or divested them, like oysters, of their outer shell, all along the path -of the conflagration. - -The walk over the lower summits to the base of the peak occupied -another hour, and is a most profitable feature of the ascent. On each -side a superb panorama of mountains and lakes, of towns, villages, and -hamlets, is being slowly unrolled; while every forward step develops the -inaccessible character of the high summit more and more. - -Having strayed from the path to gather blueberries, my companion set me -again on the march by pointing out where a bear had been feeding not -long before. Yet, while assuring me that Bruin was perfectly harmless -at this season, I did not fail to remark that my guide made the most -rapid strides of the day after this discovery. While feeling our way -around the base of the pinnacle, in order to gain the ravine by which -it is attacked, the path suddenly stopped. At the right, projecting -rocks, affording a hold for neither hand nor foot, rose like a wall; -before us, joined to the perpendicular rock, an unbroken ledge of -bare granite, smoothly polished by ice, swept down by a sharp incline -hundreds of feet, and then broke off abruptly into profounder depths. To -advance upon this ledge, as steep as a roof, and where one false step -would inevitably send the climber rolling to the bottom of the ravine, -demands steady nerves. It invests the whole jaunt with just enough of -the perilous to excite the apprehensions, or provoke the enthusiasm of -the individual who stands there for the first time, looking askance at -his guide, and revolving the chances of crossing it in safety. While -debating with myself whether to take off my boots, or go down on my -hands and knees and creep, the guide crossed this place with a steady -step; and, upon reaching the opposite side, grasped a fragment of rock -with one hand while extending his staff to me with the other. Rather -than accept his assistance, I passed over with an assurance I was far -from feeling; but when we came down the mountain I walked across with -far more ease in my stockings.[3] - -When he saw me safely over, my conductor moved on, with the remark, - -"A skittish place." - -"Skittish," indeed! We proceeded to drag ourselves up the ravine by the -aid of bushes, or such protruding rocks as offered a hold. From the -valley below we must have looked like flies creeping up a wall. After a -breathless scramble, which put me in mind of the escalade of the Iron -Castle of Porto Bello, where the English, having no scaling-ladders, -mounted over each other's shoulders, we came to a sort of plateau, on -which was a ruined hut. The view here is varied and extensive; but after -regaining our breath we hastened to complete the ascent, in order to -enjoy, in all its perfection, the prospect awaiting us on the summit. - -Like Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, it is among mountains that my knowledge -of them has been obtained. I have little hesitation, then, in -pronouncing the view from Chocorua one of the noblest that can reward -the adventurous climber; for, notwithstanding it is not a high peak, and -cannot, therefore, unfold the whole mountain system at a glance, it yet -affords an unsurpassed view-point, from which one sees the surrounding -mountains rising on all sides in all their majesty, and clothed in all -their terrors. - -Let me try to explain why Chocorua is such a remarkable and eligible -post of observation. - -One comprehends perfectly that the last high building on the skirts of a -city embraces the largest unobstructed view of the surrounding country. -This mountain is placed at the extremity of a range that abuts upon -the lower Saco valley, and therefore overlooks all the hill-country -on the east and south-east as far as the sea-coast. The arc of this -circle of vision extends from the Camden Hills to Agamenticus, or from -the Penobscot to the Piscataqua. The day being one of a thousand, I -distinctly saw the ocean with the naked eye; not merely as a white -blur on the horizon's edge, but actual blue water, over which smoke -was curling. This magnificent _coup-d'oeil_ embraces the scattered -villages of Conway, Fryeburg, Madison, Eaton, Ossipee, with their -numerous lakes and streams. I counted seventeen of the former flashing -in the sun. - -In the second place, Chocorua stands at the entrance to the valley -opening between the Sandwich and Ossipee chains, and commands, -therefore, to the south-west, between these natural walls, the northern -limb of Winnipiseogee and of Squam, which are seen glittering on each -side of Red Hill. In the foreground, at the foot of the mountain, -Chocorua Lake is beyond question the most enticing object in a landscape -wonderfully lighted and enriched by its profusion of brilliant waters, -which resemble so many highly burnished reflectors multiplying the rays -of the sun. I was now looking back to my first station on Red Hill, -only the range of vision was much more extensive. It is unnecessary -to recapitulate the names of the villages and summits seen in this -direction. Over the lakes, Winnipiseogee and Squam, the humid peaks of -Mount Belknap and of Mount Kearsarge, in Warner, last caught the eye. -These two sections of the landscape first meet the eye of the climber -while advancing toward the peak, whose rugged head and brawny shoulders -intercept the view to the north, only to be enjoyed when the mountain is -fully conquered. - -Upon the cap-stone crowning the pinnacle, supporting myself by grasping -the signal-staff planted on the highest point of this rock, from which -the wind threatened to sweep us like chaff, I enjoyed the third and -final act of this sublime tableau, in which the whole company of -mountains is crowded upon the stage. Hundreds of dark and bristling -shapes confronted us. Like a horde of barbarians, they seemed silently -awaiting the signal to march upon the lowlands. As the wind swept -through their ranks, an impatient murmur rose from the midst. Each -mountain shook its myriad spears, and gave its voice to swell the -sublime chorus. At first all was confusion; then I began to seek out -the chiefs, whose rock-helmed heads, lifted high above their grisly -battalions, invested each with a distinction and a sovereignty which -yielded nothing except to that imperial peak over which attendant clouds -hovered or floated swiftly away, as if bearing a message to those -distant encampments pitched on the farthest verge of the horizon. - -At my left hand extended all the summits, forming at their western -extremity the valley of Mad River, and terminating in the immovable -mass of Black Mountain. The peaks of Tripyramid, Tecumseh, and -Osceola stretched along the northern course of this stream, and over -them gleamed afar the massive plateau-ridge of Moosehillock. From my -stand-point the great wall of the Sandwich chain, which from Tamworth -presents an unbroken front to the south, now divided into ridges running -north and south, separated by profound ravines. Paugus crouched at my -feet; Passaconnaway elevated his fine crest next; Whiteface, his lowered -and brilliant front; and then Black Mountain, the giant landmark of half -a score of towns and villages. - -Directly at my feet, to the north-west, the great intervale of Swift -River gleamed from the depths of this valley, like sunshine from -a storm-cloud. Following the course of this little oasis, the eye -wandered over the inaccessible and untrodden peaks of the Pemigewasset -wilderness, resting last on the blue ridge of the Franconia Mountains. -About midway of this line one sees the bristling slopes of Mounts -Carrigain and Hancock, and the Carrigain Notch, through which a hardy -pedestrian may pass from the Pemigewasset to the Saco by following -the course of the streams flowing out of it. Besides its solitary, -picturesque grandeur, Carrigain has the distinction of being the -geographical centre of the White Mountain group. Taking its peak for an -axis, a radius thirty miles long will describe a circle, including in -its sweep nearly the whole mountain system. In this sense Carrigain is, -therefore, the hub of the White Mountains. - -Having explored the horizon thus far, I now turned more to the north, -where, by a fortunate chance, Chocorua dominates a portion of the chain -intervening between itself and the Saco Valley. I was looking straight -up this valley through the great White Mountain Notch. There was the -dark spire of Mount Willey, and the scarred side of Webster. There was -the arched rock of Mount Willard, and over it the liquid profile of -Cherry Mountain. It was superb; it was idyllic. Such was the perfect -transparency of the air, that I clearly distinguished the red color of -the slides on Mount Webster without the aid of my glass. - -From this centre, outlined with a bold, free hand against the azure, the -undulations of the great White Mountains ascended grandly to the dome -of Mount Washington, and then plunged into the defiles of the Pinkham -Notch. Following this line eastward, the eye traversed the mountains of -Jackson to the half-closed aperture of the Carter Notch, finally resting -on the pinnacle of Kearsarge. Without stirring a single step, we have -taken a journey of three hundred miles. - -Down in the valley the day was one of the sultriest; up here it was so -cold that our teeth chattered. We were forced to descend into the hollow -lying between the northerly foot of the peak and the first of the bald -knobs constituting the great white ridge of the mountain. Here is a fine -spring, and here, on either side of this singular rock-gallery, is a -landscape of rare beauty enclosed by its walls. Here, too, the mutilated -pyramid of the peak rises before you like an antique ruin. One finds, -without effort, striking resemblances to winding galleries, bastions, -and battlements. He could pass days and weeks here without a single wish -to return to earth. Here we ate our luncheon, and perused the landscape -at leisure. Before us stretched the long course of the Saco, from its -source in the Notch to where, with one grand sweep to the east, it takes -leave of the mountains, flows awhile demurely through the lowlands, and -in two or three infuriated plunges reaches the sea. - -I do not remember when I have more fully enjoyed the serene calm of a -Sabbath evening than while wandering among the fragrant and stately -pines that skirt the shores of Lake Chocorua. Indeed, except for the -occasional sound of hoofs along the cool and shady road, or of voices -coming from the bosom of the lake itself, one might say a perpetual -Sabbath reigned here. Yonder tall, athletic pines, those palms of the -north, through which the glimmer of water is seen, hum their monotonous -lullaby to the drowsy lake. The mountains seem so many statues to -Silence. There is no use for speech here. The mute and expressive -language of two lovers, accustomed to read each others' secret thoughts, -is the divine medium. Truant breezes ruffle the foliage in playful -wantonness, but the trees only shake their green heads and murmur "Hush! -hush!" A consecration is upon the mere, a hallowed light within the -wood. Here is the place to linger over the pages of "Hyperion," or dream -away the idle hours with the poets; and here, stretched along the turf, -one gets closer to Nature, studying her with ever-increasing wonder and -delight, or musing upon the thousand forms of mysterious life swarming -in the clod under his hand. - -Charming, too, are the walks by the lake-side in the effulgence of -the harvest-moon; and enchanting the white splendor quivering on its -dark waters. A boat steals by; see! its oars dip up molten silver. The -voyagers troll a love-ditty. Dangerous ground this colonnade of woods -and yonder sparkling water for self-conscious lovers! Love and the ocean -have the same subtle sympathy with moonlight. The stronger its beams the -higher rises the flood. - -Very little of the world--but that little the best part--gets in here. -It is out of the beaten path of mountain-travel, so that those only who -have in a manner served their apprenticeship are sojourners. One small -hotel and a few boarding-houses easily accommodate all comers. For -people who like to refine their pleasures, as well as their society, -or who have wearied of life at the great hotels, such a place offers -a most tempting retreat. Display makes no part of the social regime. -Mrs. P---- is not jealous of Mrs. Q----'s diamonds. Ladies stroll -about unattended, gather water-lilies, cardinal-flowers, and rare -ferns by brook or way-side. Gentlemen row, drive, climb the mountains, -or make little pedestrian tours of discovery. Quiet people are -irresistibly attracted to this kind of life, which, with a good degree -of probability, they assert to be the true and only rational way of -enjoying the mountains. - - - - -IV. - -_LOVEWELL._ - - Of worthy Captain Lovewell I purpose now to sing. - How valiantly he served his country and his king. - _Old Ballad._ - - -LET us make a detour to historic Fryeburg, leaving the cars at Conway, -which in former times enjoyed a happy pre-eminence as the centre upon -which the old stage-routes converged, and where travellers, going or -returning from the mountains, always passed the night. But those old -travellers have mostly gone where the name of Chatigee, by which both -drivers and tourists liked to designate Conway, is going; only there is -for the name, fortunately, no resurrection. No one knows its origin; -none will mourn its decease. - -It is here, at Conway, or Conway Corner, that first enrapturing view of -the White Mountains bursts upon the traveller like a splendid vision. -But we shall see it again on our return from Fryeburg. Moreover, -I enjoyed this constant espionage from a distance before a nearer -approach, this exchange of preliminary civilities before coming closer -to the heart of the mountains. - -Fryeburg stands on a dry and sandy plain, elevated above the Saco River. -It lies behind the mountain range, which, terminating in Conway, compels -the river to make a right angle. Turning these mountains, the river -seems now to be in no hurry, but coils about the meadows in a manner -that instantly recalls the famous Connecticut Ox-Bow. Chocorua and -Kearsarge are the two prominent figures in the landscape. - -The village street is most beautifully shaded by elms of great size, -which, giving to each other an outstretched hand over the way, spring an -arch of green high above, through which we look up and down. At one end -justice is dispensed at the Oxford House--an inn with a pedigree; at the -other learning is diffused in the academy where Webster once taught and -disciplined the rising generation. A scroll over the inn door bears the -date of 1763. The first school-house and the first framed house built -in Fryeburg are still standing, a little way out of the village. On our -way to the remarkable rock, emerging from the plain like a walrus from -the sea, we linger a moment in the village graveyard to read the long -inscription on the monument of General Joseph Frye, a veteran of the old -wars, and founder of the town which bears his name. Ascending now the -rock to which we just referred, called the Jockey Cap, we are lifted -high above the plain, having the river meadows, the graceful loops of -the river itself, the fine pyramid of Kearsarge on one side, and on the -other the dark sheet of Lovewell's Pond stretched at our feet. - -[Illustration: LOVEWELL'S POND] - -It was here, under the shadow of Mount Kearsarge, was fought one of the -bloodiest and most obstinately contested battles that can be found in -the annals of war; so terrible, indeed, that the story was repeated from -fireside to fireside, and from generation to generation, as worthy a -niche beside that of Leonidas and his band of heroes. Familiar as is the -tale--and who does not know it by heart?--it can still send the blood -throbbing to the temples, or coursing back to the heart. Unfortunately, -the details are sufficiently meagre, but, in truth, they need no -embellishment. Their very simplicity presents the tragedy in all its -grandeur. It is an epic. - -In April, 1725, John Lovewell, a hardy and experienced ranger of -Dunstable, whose exploits had already noised his fame abroad, marched -with forty-six men for the Indian villages at Pigwacket, now Fryeburg, -Maine. At Ossipee he built a small fort, designed as a refuge in case of -disaster. This precaution undoubtedly saved the lives of some of his -men. He was now within two short marches of the enemy's village. The -scouts having found Indian tracks in the neighborhood, Lovewell resumed -his route, leaving one of his men who had fallen sick, his surgeon, and -eight men, to guard the fort. His command was now reduced to thirty-four -officers and men. - -The rangers reached the shores of the beautiful lake which bears -Lovewell's name, and bivouacked for the night. - -The night passed without an alarm; but the sentinels who watched the -encampment reported hearing strange noises in the woods. Lovewell -scented the presence of his enemy. - -In fact, on the morning of the 8th of May, while his band were on their -knees seeking Divine favor in the approaching conflict, the report of a -gun brought every man to his feet. Upon reconnoitring, a solitary Indian -was discovered on a point of land about a mile from the camp. - -The leader immediately called his men about him, and told them that -they must now quickly decide whether to fight or retreat. The men, with -one accord, replied that they had not come so far in search of the -enemy to beat a shameful retreat the moment he was found. Seeing his -band possessed with this spirit, Lovewell then prepared for battle. -The rangers threw off their knapsacks and blankets, looked to their -primings, and loosened their knives and axes. The order was then given, -and they moved cautiously out of their camp. Believing the enemy was in -his front, Lovewell neglected to place a guard over his baggage. - -Instead of plunging into the woods, the Indian who had alarmed the camp -stood where he was first seen until the scouts fired upon him, when he -returned the fire, wounding Lovewell and one other. Ensign Wyman then -levelled his musket and shot him dead. The day began thus unfortunately -for the English. Lovewell was mortally wounded in the abdomen, but -continued to give his orders. - -After clearing the woods in their front without finding any more -Indians, the rangers fell back toward the spot where they had deposited -their packs. This was a sandy plain, thinly covered with pines, at the -north-east end of the lake. - -During their absence, the Indians, led by the old chief, Paugus, whose -name was a terror throughout the length and breadth of the English -frontiers, stumbled upon the deserted encampment. Paugus counted the -packs, and, finding his warriors outnumbered the rangers, the wily -chief placed them in ambush; he divined that the English would return -from their unsuccessful scout sooner or later, and he prepared to -repeat the tactics used with such fatal effect at Bloody Brook, and at -the defeat of Wadsworth. This consisted in arranging his savages in a -semicircle, the two wings of which, enveloping the rangers, would expose -them to a murderous cross-fire at short musket-range. - -Without suspecting their danger, Lovewell's men fell into the fatal -snare which the crafty Paugus had thus spread for them. Hardly had they -entered it when the grove blazed with a deadly volley, and resounded -with the yells of the Indians. As if confident of their prey, they even -left their coverts, and flung themselves upon the English with a fury -nothing could withstand. - -In this onset Lovewell, who, notwithstanding his wound, bravely -encouraged his men with voice and example, received a second wound, and -fell. Two of his lieutenants were killed at his side; but with desperate -valor the rangers charged up to the muzzles of the enemy's guns, killing -nine, and sweeping the others before them. This gallant charge cost them -eight killed, besides their captain; two more were badly wounded. - -Twenty-three men had now to maintain the conflict with the whole Sokokis -tribe. Their situation was indeed desperate. Relief was impossible; -for they were fifty miles from the nearest English settlements. Their -packs and provisions were in the enemy's hands, and the woods swarmed -with foes. To conquer or die was the only alternative. These devoted -Englishmen despaired of conquering, but they prepared to die bravely. - -Ensign Wyman, on whom the command devolved after the death of Lovewell, -was his worthy successor. Seeing the enemy stealing upon his flanks as -if to surround him, he ordered his men to fall back to the shore of the -lake, where their right was protected by a brook, and their left by a -rocky point extending into the lake. A few large pines stood on the -beach between. - -This manoeuvre was executed under a hot fire, which still further -thinned the ranks of the English. The Indians closed in upon them, -filling the air with demoniac yells whenever a victim fell. Assailing -the whites with taunts, and shaking ropes in their faces, they cried -out to them to yield. But to the repeated demands to surrender, the -rangers replied only with bullets. They thought of the fort and its ten -defenders, and hoped, or rather prayed, for night. This hope, forlorn as -it seemed, encouraged them to fight on, and they delivered their fire -with fatal precision whenever an Indian showed himself. The English were -in a trap, but the Indians dared not approach within reach of the lion's -claws. - -While this long combat was proceeding, one of the English went to the -lake to wash his gun, and, on emerging at the shore, descried an Indian -in the act of cleansing his own. This Indian was Paugus. - -The ranger went to work like a man who comprehends that his life depends -upon a second. The chief followed him in every movement. Both charged -their guns at the same instant. The Englishman threw his ramrod on the -sand; the Indian dropped his. - -"Me kill you," said Paugus, priming his weapon from his powder-horn. - -"The chief lies," retorted the undaunted ranger, striking the breech of -his firelock upon the ground with such force that it primed itself. An -instant later Paugus fell, shot through the heart. - -"I said I should kill you," muttered the victor, spurning the dead body -of his enemy, and plunging into the thickest of the fight. - -Darkness closed the conflict, which had continued without cessation -since ten in the morning. Little by little the shouts of the enemy grew -feebler, and finally ceased. The English stood to their arms until -midnight, when, convinced that the savages had abandoned the sanguinary -field of battle, they began their retreat toward the fort. Only nine -were unhurt. Eleven were badly wounded, but were resolved to march with -their comrades, though they died by the way. Three more were alive, but -had received their death-wounds. One of these was Lieutenant Robbins, of -Chelmsford. Knowing that he must be left behind, he begged his comrades -to load his gun, in order that he might sell his life as dearly as -possible when the savages returned to wreak their vengeance upon the -wounded. - -I have said that twenty-three men continued the fight after the bloody -repulse in which Lovewell was killed. There were only twenty-two. The -other, whose name the reader will excuse me from mentioning, fled from -the field and gained the fort, where he spread the report that Lovewell -was cut to pieces, himself being the sole survivor. This intelligence, -striking terror, decided the little garrison to abandon the fort, which -was immediately done, and in haste. - -This was the crowning misfortune of the expedition. The rangers now -became a band of panic-stricken fugitives. After incredible hardships, -less than twenty starving, emaciated, and footsore men, half of them -badly wounded, straggled into the nearest English settlements. - -The loss of the Indians could only be guessed; but the battle led to the -immediate abandonment of their village, from which so many war-parties -had formerly harassed the English. Paugus, the savage wolf, the -implacable foe of the whites, was dead. His tribe forsook the graves of -their fathers, nor rested until they had put many long leagues between -them and their pursuers. For them the advance of the English was the -Juggernaut under whose wheels their race was doomed to perish from the -face of the earth. - - - - -V. - -_NORTH CONWAY._ - - "Tall spire from which the sound of cheerful bells - Just undulates upon the listening ear, - Groves, heaths, and smoking villages remote." - - -The entrance to North Conway is, without doubt, the most beautiful and -imposing introduction to the high mountains. - -Although the traveller has for fifty miles skirted the outlying ranges, -catching quick-shifting glimpses of the great summits, yet, when at last -the train swings round the foot of the Moat range into the Saco Valley, -so complete is the transition, so charming the picture, that not even -the most apathetic can repress a movement of surprise and admiration. -This is the moment when every one feels the inadequacy of his own -conceptions. - -Nature has formed here a vast antechamber, into which you are ushered -through a gate-way of mountains upon the numerous inner courts, -galleries, and cloisters of her most secluded retreats. Here the -mountains fall back before the impetuous flood of the Saco, which comes -pouring down from the summit of the great Notch, white, and panting with -the haste of its flight. Here the river gives rendezvous to several of -its larger affluents--the East Branch, the Ellis, the Swift--and, like -an army taking the field, their united streams, sweeping grandly around -the foot of the last mountain range, emerge into the open country. Here -the valley, contracted at its extremity between the gentle slope of -Kearsarge and the abrupt declivities of Moat, encloses an ellipse of -verdant and fertile land ravishing to behold, skirted on one side by -thick woods, behind which precipices a thousand feet high rise black and -threatening, overlooked on the other by a high terrace, along which the -village is built. It is the inferior summit of Kearsarge, which descends -by a long, regular slope to the intervale at its upper end, while a -secondary ridge of the Moats, advancing on the opposite side, drops -into it by a precipice. The superb silver-gray crest of Kearsarge is -seen rising in a regular pyramid behind the right shoulder of its lower -summit. Ordinarily the house perched on the top is seen as distinctly as -those in the village. It is the last in the village. - -Looking up through this verdant mountain park, at a distance of twenty -miles, the imposing masses of the great summits seem scaling the skies. -Then, heavily massed on the right, comes the Carter range, divided by -the cup-shaped dip of the Carter Notch; then the truncated cone of -Double-Head; and then, with outworks firmly planted in the valley, the -glittering pinnacle of Kearsarge. The mountain in front of you, looking -up the village street, is Thorn Mountain, on the other side of which is -Jackson, and the way up the Ellis Valley to the Pinkham Notch, the Glen -House, Gorham, and the Androscoggin. - -The traveller, who is ushered upon this splendid scene with the rapidity -of steam, perceives that he is at last among real mountains, and quickly -yields to the indefinable charm which from this moment surrounds and -holds him a willing captive. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WASHINGTON FROM THE SACO.] - -Looking across the meadow from the village street, the eye is stopped -by an isolated ridge of bare, overhanging precipices. It is thrust out -into the valley from Moat Mountain, of which it forms a part, presenting -two singular, regularly arched cliffs, seven hundred to nine hundred and -fifty feet in height toward the village. The green forest underneath -contrasts vividly with the lustrous black of these precipitous walls, -which glisten brightly in the sunshine, where they are wet by tiny -streams flowing down. On the nearest of these is a very curious -resemblance to the head and shoulders of a horse in the act of rearing, -occasioned by a white incrustation on the face of the cliff. This -accident gives to it the name of White Horse Ledge. All marriageable -ladies, maiden or widow, run out to look at it, in consequence of the -belief current in New England that if, after seeing a white horse, -you count a hundred, the first gentleman you meet will be your future -husband! Underneath this cliff a charming little lake lies hid. - -Next beyond is the Cathedral Ledge, so called from the curious rock -cavity it contains; and still farther up the valley is Humphrey's Ledge, -one of the finest rock-studies of them all when we stand underneath -it. But the reader now has a general acquaintance with North Conway, -and with its topography. He begins his study of mountain beauty in a -spirit of loving enthusiasm, which leads him on and on to the ripeness -of an education achieved by simply throwing himself upon the bosom of -indulgent Nature, putting the world as far as possible behind him. - -[Illustration: THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY.] - -But now from these masses of hard rock let us turn once more to the -valley, where the rich intervales spread an exhaustless feast for the -eye. If autumn be the season, the vase-like elms, the stacks of yellow -corn, the golden pumpkins looking like enormous oranges, the floor-cloth -of green and gold damasked with purple gorse and coppice, give the idea -of an immense table groaning beneath its luxurious weight of fruit and -flowers. - -Turn now to the mountain presiding with such matchless grace and dignity -over the village. Kearsarge, in the twilight, deserves, like Lorenzo di -Medicis, to be called "the magnificent." The yellow and orange foliage -looks, for all the world, like a golden shower fallen upon it. The -gray ledges at the apex, which the clear, yellow light renders almost -incandescent, are far more in harmony with the rest of the mountain than -in the vernal season. - -Are we yet in sympathy with that free-masonry of art through which our -eminent landscape-painters recognized here the true picturesque point -of view of the great mountains, the effective contrasts and harmonious -ensemble of the near scenery--the grandest allied with the humblest -objects of nature? One cannot turn in any direction without recognizing -a picture he has seen in the studios, or in the saloons of the clubs. - -The first persons I saw on the platform of the railway-station were my -quondam companions, the colonel and George. We met like friends who had -parted only half an hour before. During dinner it was agreed that we -should pass our afternoon among the cliffs. This arrangement appeared -very judicious; the distance is short, and the attractions many. - -We accordingly set out for the ledges at three in the afternoon. -The weather did not look promising, to be sure, but we decided it -sufficiently so for this promenade of three or four hours. - -While en route, let me mention a discovery. One morning, while sitting -on the piazza of the Kearsarge House enjoying the dreamy influence -of the warm atmosphere, which spun its soft, gossamer web about the -mountains, I observed a peculiar shadow thrown by a jutting mass of the -Cathedral Ledge upon a smooth surface, which exactly resembled a human -figure standing upright. I looked away, then back again, to see if I -was not the victim of an illusion. No, it was still there. Now it is -always there. The head and upper part of the body were inclined slightly -forward, the legs perfectly formed. At ten every forenoon, punctual -to the hour, this phantom, emerging from the rock, stands, fixed and -motionless as a statue, in its niche. At every turn of the sun, this -shade silently interrogates the feverish activity that has replaced the -silence of ages. One day or another I shall demand of my phantom what it -has witnessed. - -The road we followed soon turned sharply away from the main street of -the village, to the left, and in a few rods more plunged into the Saco, -leaving us standing on the bank, looking askance at a wide expanse of -water, choked with bowlders, around which the swift current whirled and -foamed with rage. We decided it too shallow to swim, but doubted if it -was not too deep to ford. We had reached our Rubicon. - -"We must wade," said the colonel, with decision. - -"Precisely my idea," assented George, beginning to unlace his shoes. - -I put my hand in the river. Ugh! it was as cold as ice. - -Having assured ourselves no one saw us, we divested ourselves of shoes, -stockings, pantaloons, and drawers. We put our stockings in our pockets, -disposed our clothing in a roll over the shoulder, as soldiers do on the -march, tied our shoes together, and hung them around our necks. Then, -placing our hands upon each others' shoulders, as I have seen gymnasts -do in a circus, we entered the river, like candidates for baptism, -feeling our way, and catching our breath. - -"_Sans-culottes_," suggested the colonel, who knew a little French. - -"Kit-kats," added George, who knows something of art, as the water rose -steadily above our knees. - -The treacherous bowlders tripped us up at every step, so that one or -the other was constantly floundering, like a stranded porpoise in a -frog-pond. But, thanks to our device, we reached the middle of the river -without anything worse than a few bruises. Here we were fairly stopped. -The water was waist-deep, and the current every moment threatened to -lift us from our feet. How foolish we looked! - -Advance or retreat? That was the question. One pointed up stream, -another down; while, to aggravate the situation, rain began to patter -around us. In two minutes the river was steaming. George, who is a great -infant, suggested putting our hands in our pockets, to keep them warm, -and our clothes in the river, to keep them dry. - -"By Jove!" ejaculated the colonel, "the river is smoking." - -"Let us join the river," said George, producing his cigar-case. - -Putting our heads together over the colonel's last match, thus forming -an antique tripod of our bodies, we succeeded in getting a light; and -for the first time, I venture to affirm, since its waters gushed from -the mountains, incense ascended from the bosom of the Saco. - -"I'm freezing!" stuttered George. - -I was pushing forward, to cut the dilemma short, when the colonel -interposed with, - -"Stop; I want to tell you a story." - -"A story? here--in the middle of the river?" we shouted. - -"In the middle of the river; here--a story!" he echoed. - -"I would like to sit down while I listen," observed George. - -Evidently the coldness of the water had forced the blood into our -friend's head. He was ill, but obstinate. We therefore resigned -ourselves to hear him. - -"This river and this situation remind me of the Potawatamies," he began. - -"Potawatamies!" we echoed, with chattering teeth. "Go on; go on." - -"When I was on the Plains," continued the colonel, "I passed some time -among those Indians. During my stay, the chief invited me to accompany -him on a buffalo-hunt. I accepted on the spot; for of all things a -buffalo-hunt was the one I was most desirous of seeing. We set out at -daybreak the next morning. After a few hours' march, we came to a stream -between deep banks, and flowing with a rapid current, like this one--" - -"Go on; go on!" we shiveringly articulated. - -"At a gesture from the chief, a young squaw dismounted from her pony, -advanced to the edge of the stream, and began, timidly, to wade it. When -she hesitated, as she did two or three times, the chief said something -which encouraged her to proceed. All at once she stopped, threw up her -arms, and screamed something in the Indian dialect; at which all the -braves burst into a loud laugh, the squaws joining in. - -"'What does she say?' I asked of the chief. - -"'Up to the middle,' he replied, pushing his pony into the stream." - -The stream grew shallower, so that we soon emerged from the water upon -the opposite bank. Here we poured the water from our shoes, and resumed -our wet clothing. Everything was cooled, except our ardor. - -As we approached nearer, the ledges were full of grim recesses, rude -rock-niches, and traversed by perpendicular cracks from brow to base. -"Take care!" I shouted; "there is a huge piece of the cliff just ready -to fall." - -In some places the rock is sheer and smooth, in others it is broken -regularly down, for half its whole height, to where it is joined by rude -buttresses of massive granite. The lithe maples climb up the steepest -ravines, but cannot pass the waste of sheer rock stretching between -them and the firs, which look down over the brink of the precipice. -Rusted purple is the prevailing color, blotched here and there with -white, like the drip oozing from limestone. We soon emerged on the shore -of Echo Lake. - -Hovering under the great precipices, which lie heavily shadowed on its -glossy surface, are gathered the waters flowing from the airy heights -above--the little rills, the rivulets, the cascades. The tremendous -shadow the cliff flings down seems lying deep in the bosom of the lake, -as if perpetually imprinted there. Slender birches, brilliant foliage, -were daintily etched upon the surface, like arabesques on polished -steel. The water is perfectly transparent, and without a ripple. Indeed, -the breezes playing around the summit, or humming in the tree-tops, seem -forbidden to enter this haunt of Dryads. The lake laps the yellow strand -with a light, fluttering movement. The place seems dedicated to silence -itself. - -[Illustration: ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY.] - -To destroy this illusion, a man came out of a booth and touched off a -small cannon. The effect was like knocking at half a dozen doors at -once. And the silence which followed seemed all the deeper. Then the -aged rock was pelted with questions, and made to jeer, laugh, menace, -or curse by turns, or all at once. How grandly it bore all these petty -insolences! How presumptuous in us thus to cover its hoary front with -obloquy! We could never get the last word. We did not even come off in -triumph. How ironically the mountain repeated, "Who are you?" and "What -am I!" With what energy it at last vociferated, "Go to the devil!" To -the Devil's Den we accordingly go. - -Following a woodland path skirting the base of the cliffs, we were -very soon before the entrance of the Devil's Den, formed by a huge -piece of the cliff falling upon other detached fragments in such a way -as to leave an aperture large enough to admit fifty persons at once. A -ponderous mass divides the cavern into two chambers, one of which is -light, airy, and spacious, the other dark, gloomy, and contracted--a -mere hole. This might well have been the lair of the bears and panthers -formerly roaming, unmolested, these woods. - -The Cathedral is a recess higher up in the same cliff, hollowed out -by the cleaving off of the lower rock, leaving the upper portion of -the precipice overhanging. The top of the roof is as high as a tall -tree. Some maples that have grown here since the outer portion of the -rock fell, assist, with their straight-limbed, columnar trunks, the -resemblance to a chancel. A little way off this cavity has really the -appearance of a gigantic shell, like those fossils seen imbedded in -subterranean rocks. We did not miss here the delicious glimpses of -Kearsarge, and of the mountains across the valley which, now that the -sun came out, were all in brilliant light, while the cool afternoon -shadows already wrapped the woods about us in twilight gloom. - -Still farther on we came upon a fine cascade falling down a long, -irregular staircase of broken rock. One of these steps extends, a solid -mass of granite, more than a hundred feet across the bed of the stream, -and is twenty feet high. Unless the brook is full, it is not a single -sheet we see, but twenty, fifty crystal streams gushing or spirting -from the grooves they have channelled in the hard granite, and falling -into basins they have hollowed out. It is these curious, circular stone -cavities, out of which the freshest and cleanest water constantly pours, -that give to the cascade the name of Diana's Baths. The water never -dashes itself noisily down, but slips, like oil, from the rocks, with a -pleasant, purling sound no single word of our language will correctly -describe. From here we returned to the village in the same way that we -came.[4] - -The wild and bristling little mountain range on the east side of North -Conway embodies a good deal of picturesque character. It is there our -way lies to Artists' Falls, which are on a brook issuing from these -Green Hills. I found the walk, following its windings, more remunerative -than the falls themselves. The brook, flowing first over a smooth -granite ledge, collects in a little pool below, out of which the pure -water filters through bowlders and among glittering pebbles to a gorge -between two rocks, down which it plunges. The beauty of this cascade -consists in its waywardness. Now it is a thin sheet, flowing demurely -along; now it breaks out in uncontrollable antics; and at length, as if -tired of this sport, darts like an arrow down the rocky fissure, and is -a mountain brook again. - -The ascent of Kearsarge and of the Moats fittingly crowns the series of -excursions which are the most attractive feature of out-of-door life -at North Conway. The northern peak of Moat is the one most frequently -climbed, but the southern affords almost equally admirable views of the -Saco, the Ellis, and the Swift River valleys, with the mountain chains -enclosing them. The prospect here is, however, much the same as that -obtained from Chocorua, which is seen rising beyond the Swift River -valley. To that description I must, therefore, refer the reader, who is -already acquainted with its principal features. - -The high ridge is an arid and desolate heap of summits stripped bare -of vegetation by fire. When this fire occurred, twenty odd years -ago, it drove the bears and rattlesnakes from their forest homes in -great numbers, so that they fell an easy prey to their destroyers. A -depression near its centre divides the ridge in two, constituting, in -effect, two mountains. We crossed the range in its whole length, and, -after newly refreshing ourselves with the admirable views had from -its greater elevation, descended the northern peak to Diana's Baths. -Probably the most striking view of the Moats is from Conway. Here the -summits, thrown into a mass of lawless curves and blunted, prong-like -protuberances, rear a blackened and weird-looking cluster on high. But -for a wide region they divide with Chocorua the honors of the landscape, -constituting, at Jackson especially, a large and imposing background, -massively based and buttressed, and cutting through space with their -trenchant edge. - -In the winter of 1876, finding myself at North Conway, I determined to -make the attempt to ascend Mount Kearsarge, notwithstanding two-thirds -of the mountain were shrouded in snow, and the bare shaft constituting -the spire sheathed in glittering ice. The mountain had definitively gone -into winter-quarters. - -I was up early enough to surprise, all at once, the unwonted and -curiously-blended effect of moonlight, starlight, and the twilight of -dawn. The new moon, with the old in her arms, balanced her shining -crescent on the curved peak of Moat Mountain. All these high, -surrounding peaks, carved in marble and flooded with effulgence, -impressed the spirit with that mingled awe and devotion felt among -the antique monuments of some vast cemetery. The sight thrilled and -solemnized by its chaste magnificence. Glittering stars, snow-draped -summits, black mountains casting sable draperies upon the dead white -of the valley, constituted a scene of sepulchral pomp into which the -supernatural entered unchallenged. One by one the stars went out. The -moon grew pale. A clear emerald, overspreading the east, was reflected -from lofty peak and tapering spire. - -[Illustration: KEARSARGE IN WINTER.] - -Day broke bright, clear, and crisp. There, again, was the same matchless -array of high and noble summits, sitting on thrones of alabaster -whiteness. While the moon still lingered in the west, the broad red -disk of the sun rose over the wooded ridges in the east. So sun and -moon, monarch and queen, saluted each other. One gave the watchword, -and descended behind the moated mountain; the other ascended the vacant -throne. Thus night and day met and exchanged majestic salutation in the -courts of the morning. - -The mercury stood at three degrees below zero in the village, when I -set out on foot for the mountain. A light fall of snow had renewed -the Christmas decorations. The trees had newly-leaved and blossomed. -Beautiful it was to see the dark old pines thick-flaked with new snow, -and the same feathery substance lodged on every twig and branchlet, -tangle of vines, or tuft of tawny yellow grass. Fir-trees looked like -gigantic azaleas; thickets like coral groves. Nothing too slender or too -fragile for the white flight to alight upon. Talk of decorative art! -Even the telegraph-wires hung in broad, graceful festoons of white, -and the poor washer-woman's clothes-line was changed into the same -immaterial thing of beauty. - -The ascent proved more toilsome than I had anticipated, as my feet -broke through the frozen crust at every step. But if the climb had been -difficult when in the woods, it certainly presented few attractions when -I emerged from them half a mile below the summit. I found the surface of -the bare ledges, which now continue to the top of the mountain, sheeted -in ice, smooth and slippery as glass. - -Many a time have I laughed heartily at the feverish indecision of a dog -when he runs along the margin of a pond into which he has been urged -to plunge. He turns this way and that, whines, barks, crouches for the -leap, laps the water, but hesitates. Imagine, now, the same animal -chasing some object upon slippery ice, his feet spread widely apart; -his frantic efforts to stop; the circles described in the air by his -tail. Well, I experienced the same perplexity, and made nearly the same -ridiculous evolutions. - -After several futile attempts to advance over it, and as often finding -myself sliding backward with entire loss of control of my own movements, -I tried the rugged ravine, traversing the summit, with some success, -steadying my steps on the iced bowlders by grasping the bushes which -grew there among clefts of the rock. But this way, besides being -extremely fatiguing, was decidedly the more dangerous of the two; and -I was glad, after a brief trial, to abandon it for the ice, in which, -here and there, detached stones, solidly embedded, furnished points of -support, if they could be reached. By pursuing a zigzag course from -stone to stone, sometimes--like a pious Moslem approaching the tomb of -the Prophet--upon my hands and knees, and shedding tears from the force -of the wind, I succeeded in getting over the ledges after an hour's -obstinate battle to maintain an upright position, and after several -mishaps had taught me a degree of caution closely approaching timidity. -By far the most treacherous ground was where fresh snow, covering the -smooth ice, spread its pitfalls in the path, causing me several times -to measure my length; but at last these obstacles were one by one -surmounted; I groped my way, foot by foot, up the sharp rise of the -pinnacle, finding myself at the front door of the house which is so -conspicuous an object from the valley. - -Never was air more pure, more crisp, or more transparent. Besides, -what air can rival that of winter? I felt myself rather floating than -walking. Certainly there is a lightness, a clearness, and a depth that -belongs to no other season. At no other season do we behold our native -skies so blue, so firm, or so brilliant as when the limpid ether, -winnowed by the fierce north wind to absolute purity, presents objects -with such marvellous clearness, precision, and fidelity, that we hardly -persuade ourselves they are forty, fifty, or a hundred miles distant. To -realize this rare condition was all the object of the ascent--an object -attained in a measure far beyond any anticipations I had formed. - -As may easily be imagined, the immediate effect was bewildering in the -extreme. In the first place, the direct rays of the noonday sun covered -the mountain-top with dazzling brilliancy. The eye fairly ached with -looking at it. In the second, the intensity of the blue was such as to -give the idea that the grand expanse of sky was hard frozen. Nothing -more coldly brilliant than this immense azure dome can be conceived. -There was not the faintest trace of a cloud anywhere; nothing but this -splendid void. Under this high-vaulted dome, imagine now a vast expanse -of white etched with brown--a landscape in sepia. Such was the general -effect. - -But the inexpressible delight of having all this admirable scene to -one's self! Taine asks, "Can anything be sweeter than the certainty -of being alone? In any widely known spot, you are in constant dread -of an incursion of tourists; the hallooing of guides, the loud-voiced -admiration, the bustle, whether of unfastening horses, or of unpacking -provisions, or of airing opinions, all disturb the budding sensation; -civilization recovers its hold upon you. But here, what security and -what silence! nothing that recalls man; the landscape is just what it -has been these six thousand years." - -The view from this mountain is justly admired. Stripped of life and -color, I found it sad, pathetic even. Dead white and steel blue rudely -repulsed the sensitive eye. The north wind, cold and cutting, drove me -to take shelter under glaring rocks. The cracking of ice first on one -side, then on the other, diverted the attention from the landscape, -as if the mountain was continually snapping its fingers in disdain. -I had constantly the feeling that some _one_ or some _thing_ was at -my elbow. What childishness! But where now was the lavish summer, the -barbaric splendors of autumn--its arabesques of foliage, its velvet -shadows, its dappled skies, its glow, mantling like that of health and -beauty? All-pervading gloom and defoliation were rendered ten times more -melancholy by the splendid glare. Winter flung her white shroud over the -land to hide the repulsiveness of death. - -I looked across the valley where Moat Mountain reared its magnificent -dark wave. Passing to the north side, the eye wandered over the wooded -summits to the silvery heap of Washington, to which frozen, rose-colored -mists were clinging. A great ice-cataract rolled down over the edge -of Tuckerman's Ravine, its wave of glittering emerald. It shone with -enchanting brilliancy, cheating the imagination with the idea that -it moved; that the thin, spectral vapor rose from the depths of the -ice-cold gorge below. There gaped, wide open, the enormous hole of -Carter Notch; there the pale-blue Saco wound in and out of the hills, -with hamlets and villages strung along its serpentine course; and, as -the river grows, villages increase to towns, towns to cities. There -was the sea sparkling like a plain of quicksilver, with ponds and -lakes innumerable between. There, in the south-west, as far as the eye -could reach, was Monadnock demanding recognition; and in the west, -Moosehillock, Lafayette, Carrigain peaks, lifted with calm superiority -above the chaos of mountains, like higher waves of a frozen sea. -Finally, there were the snow-capped summits of the great range seen -throughout their whole extent, sunning their satin sides in indolent -enjoyment. - -This view has no peer in these mountains. Indeed, the mountain seems -expressly placed to command in one comprehensive sweep of the eye the -most impressive features of any mountain landscape. Being a peak of the -second order--that is to say, one not dominating all the chains--while -it does not unfold the topography of the region in its whole extent, -it is sufficiently elevated to permit the spectator to enjoy that -increasing grandeur with which the distant ranges rise, tier upon tier, -to their great central spires, without lessening materially their -loftiness, or the peculiar and varied expression of their contours. The -peak of Kearsarge peeps down over one shoulder into New Hampshire, over -the other into Maine. It looks straight up through the open door of the -Carter Notch, and boldly stares Washington in the face. It sees the -sun rise from the ocean, and set behind Mount Lafayette. It patronizes -Moat, measures itself proudly with Chocorua, and maintains a distant -acquaintance with Monadnock. It is a handsome mountain, and, as such, -is a general favorite with the ladies and the artists. Like a careful -shepherd, it every morning scans the valleys to see that none of its -flock of villages has wandered. For these villagers it is a sun-dial, a -weather-vane, an almanac; for the wayfarer, a sure guide; and for the -poet, a mountain with a soul. - -[Illustration: SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE.] - -The cold was intense, the wind piercing. On its north side the house -was deeply incrusted with ice-spars--windows and all. I feel that only -scant justice can be done to their wondrous beauty. All the scrubby -bushes growing out of interstices of the crumbling summit--wee twig -and slender filament--were stemmed with ice; while the rocks bristled -with countless frost feathers. With my pitch-cakes and a few twigs -I lighted a fire, which might be seen from the half-dozen villages -clustered about the foot of the mountain, and pleased myself with -imagining the astonishment with which a smoke curling upward from -this peak would be greeted for fifty miles around. I then prepared to -descend--I say prepared to descend, for the thing at once so easy to -say and so difficult of performance suddenly revived the recollection -of the hazardous scramble up the ledges, and made it seem child's play -by comparison. For a brief hour I had forgotten all this. However, go -down I must. But how? The first step on the ice threatened a descent -more rapid than flesh and blood could calmly contemplate. I had no -hatchet to cut steps in the ice; no rope to attach to the rocks, and -thus lower myself, as is practised in crossing the glaciers of the -Alps; and there was no foothold. For a moment I seriously thought of -forcing an entrance into the house, and, making a signal of distress, -resign myself to the possibility of help from below. But while sitting -on a rock looking blankly at the glassy declivity stretching down from -the summit, a bright idea came to my aid. I remembered having read in -Bourrienne's "Memoirs" that Bonaparte--the great Bonaparte--was forced -to slide down the summit of the Great St. Bernard _seated_, while -making his famous passage of the Alps. Yes, the great Corsican really -advanced to the conquest of Italy in this undignified posture. But never -did great example find more unworthy imitator. Seating myself, as the -Little Corporal had done, using my staff as a rudder, and steering for -protruding stones in order to check the force of the descent from time -to time, I slid down with a celerity the very remembrance of which makes -my head swim, arriving safe, but breathless and much astonished, at -the first irregular patch of snow. The pleasure of standing erect on -something the feet could grasp was one not to be translated into words. - -Upon reaching the hotel, I procured another pair of pantaloons of my -host, and some court-plaster from the village apothecary. If any of my -readers think my dignity compromised, I beg him to remember the example -of the great Napoleon, and his famous expedient for circumventing the -Great St. Bernard. - - - - -VI. - -_FROM KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN._ - - _Raleigh._--"Fain would I climb, but that I fear to fall." - _Queen Elizabeth._--"If thy heart fail thee, climb thou not at all." - - -After the storm, we had a fine lunar bow. The corona in the centre was a -clear silver, the outer circle composed of pale green and orange fires. -Over the moon's disk clouds swept a continuous stormy flight. The great -planet resembled a splendid decoration hung high in the heavens. - -Having now progressed to terms of easy familiarity with the village, it -was decided to pay our respects to the Intervale, which unites it with -the neighboring town of Bartlett. - -The road up the valley first skirts a wood, and through this wood are -delicious glimpses of Mount Adams. During the heat of the day or cool -of the evening this extensive and beautiful forest has always been a -favorite haunt. Tall, athletic pines, that bend in the breeze like -whalebone, lift their immense clusters of impenetrable foliage on high. -The sighs of lovers are softly echoed in their green tops; voices and -laughter issue from it. We, too, will swing our hammock here, and -breathe the healing fragrance that is so grateful. - -In a little enclosure of rough stone, on the Bigelow place, lie the -remains of the ill-fated Willey family, who were destroyed by the -memorable slide of 1826. The inscription closes with this not too lucid -figure: - - "We gaze around, we read their monument; - We sigh, and when we sigh we sink." - -Where the high terrace, making one grand sweep to the right, again -unveils the same superb view of the great summits, now wholly -unobstructed by houses or groves, we halt before that picture, -unrivalled in these mountains, not surpassed, perhaps, upon earth, and -which we never tire of gazing upon. Its most salient features have -already been described; but here in their very midst, from their very -heart, nature seems to have snatched a garden-spot from the haggard -mountains arrested in their advance by the command, "Thus far, and no -farther!" The elms, all grace, all refinement of form, bend before -the fierce blasts of winter, but stir not. The frozen east wind flies -shrieking through, as if to tear them limb from limb. The ground is -littered with their branches. They bow meekly before its rage, but stir -not. Really, they seem so many sentinels jealously guarding that repose -of which the vale is so eloquently the expression. The vale regards the -stormy summits around with the unconcern of perfect security. It is rest -to look at it. - -[Illustration: CONWAY MEADOWS.] - -Again we scan the great peaks which in clear days come boldly down and -stand at our very doors, but on hazy ones remove to a vast distance, -keeping vaguely aloof day in and day out. Sometimes they are in the -sulks, sometimes bold and forward. By turns they are graciously -condescending, or tantalizingly incomprehensible. One time they muffle -themselves in clouds from head to foot, so we cannot detect a suggestive -line or a contour; another, throwing off all disguise, they expose their -most secret beauties to the free gaze of the multitude. This is to set -the beholder's blood on fire with the passion to climb as high as those -gray shafts of everlasting rock that so proudly survey the creeping -leagues beneath them. - -Nowhere is the unapproachable grandeur of Mount Washington more fully -manifested than here. This large and impressive view is at once -suggestive of that glorious pre-eminence always associated with high -mountains. There are mountains, respectable ones too, in the middle -distance; but over these the great peak lords it with undisputed sway. -The bold and firm, though gradual, lines of ascent culminating at the -apex, extend over leagues of sky. After a clear sunset, Mount Washington -takes the same dull lead-color of the clouds hovering like enormous -night-birds over its head. - -North Conway permits, to the tourist, a choice of two very agreeable -excursions, either of which may be made in a day, although they could -profitably occupy a week. One is to follow the course of the Saco, -through the great Notch, to Fabyans, where you are on the westward -side of the great range, and where you take the rail to the summit -of Mount Washington. The other excursion is to diverge from the Saco -Valley three or four miles from North Conway, ascending the valley of -Ellis River--one of the lame affluents of the Saco--through the Pinkham -Notch to the Glen House, where you are exactly under the eastern foot -of Mount Washington, and may ascend it, by the carriage-road, in a -coach-and-four. We had already chosen the first route, and as soon as -the roads were a little settled we began our march. - -The storm was over. The keen north wind drove the mists in utter rout -before it. Peak after peak started out of the clouds, glowered on us a -moment, and then muffled his enormous head in fleecy vapor. The clouds -seemed thronged with monstrous apparitions, struggling fiercely with -the gale, which in pure wantonness tore aside the magic drapery that -rendered them invisible, scattering its tattered rags far and wide over -the valley. - -Now the sun entered upon the work begun by the wind. Quicker than -thought, a ray of liquid flame transfixed the vapors, flashed upon the -vale, and, flying from summit to summit, kindled them with newborn -splendor. One would have said a flaming javelin, hurled from high -heaven, had just cleft its dazzling way to earth. The mists slunk away -and hid themselves. The valley was inundated with golden light. Even the -dark faces of the cliffs brightened and beamed upon the vale, where the -bronzed foliage fluttered, and the river leaped for joy. In a little -time nothing was left but scattered clouds winging their way toward the -lowlands. - -[Illustration: BARTLETT BOWLDER.] - -Near Glen Station is one of those curiosities--a transported -boulder--which was undoubtedly left while on its travels through the -mountains, poised upon four smaller ones, in the position seen in the -engraving. - -Three miles below the village of Bartlett we stopped before a -farm-house, with the gable-end toward the road, to inquire the distance -to the next tavern, where we meant to pass the night. A gruff voice from -the inside growled something by way of reply; but as its owner, whoever -he might be, did not take the trouble to open his door, the answer was -unintelligible. - -"The churl!" muttered the colonel. "I have a great mind to teach him to -open when a gentleman knocks." - -"And I advise you not to try it," said the voice from the inside. - -The one thing a Kentuckian never shrinks from is a challenge. He only -said, "Wait a minute," while putting his broad shoulder against the -door; but now George and I interfered. Neither of us had any desire to -signalize our entry into the village by a brawl, and after some trouble -we succeeded in pacifying our fire-eater with the promise to stop at -this house on our way back. - -"I shall know it again," said the colonel, looking back, and nibbling -his long mustache with suppressed wrath; "something has been spilled on -the threshold--something like blood." - -We laughed heartily. The blood, we concluded, was in the colonel's eyes. - -Some time after nightfall we arrived in the village, having put thirteen -miles of road behind us without fatigue. Our host received us with a -blazing fire--what fires they do have in the mountains, to be sure!--a -pitcher of cider, and the remark, "Don't be afraid of it, gentlemen." - -All three hastened to reassure him on this point. The colonel began with -a loud smack, and George finished the jug with a deep sigh. - -"Don't be afraid of it," repeated the landlord, returning presently with -a fresh pitcher. "There are five barrels more like it in the cellar." - -"Landlord," quoth George, "let one of your boys take a mattress, two -blankets, and a pillow to the cellar. I intend to pass the night there." - -"I only wish your well was full of it," said the colonel, taking a -second pull at the jug, and making a second explosion with his lips. - -"Gentlemen," said I, "we have surely entered a land of milk and honey." - -"You shall have as much of both as you desire," said our host, very -affably. "Supper is ready, gentlemen." - -After supper a man came in for whom I felt, upon the instant, one of -those secret antipathies which are natural to me. The man was an utter -stranger. No matter: the repugnance seized me all the same. - -After a tour of the tap-room, and some words with our landlord in an -undertone, the stranger went out with the look of a man who had asked -for something and had been refused. - -"Where have I heard that man's voice?" said the colonel, thoughtfully. - -Our landlord is one of the most genial to be found among the mountains. -While sitting over the fire during the evening, the conversation turned -upon the primitive simplicity of manners remarked among mountaineers in -general; and our host illustrated it with this incident: - -"You noticed, perhaps, a man who left here a few moments ago?" he began. - -We replied affirmatively. It was my antipathy. - -"Well, that man killed a traveller a few years back." - -We instinctively recoiled. The air seemed tainted with the murderer's -presence. - -"Yes; dead as a mutton," continued the landlord, punching the logs -reflectively, and filling the chimney with sparks. "The man came to -his house one dark and stormy night, and asked to be admitted. The man -of the house flatly refused. The stranger pleaded hard, but the fellow -ordered him away with threats. Finding entreaties useless, the traveller -began to grow angry, and attempted to push open the door, which was -only fastened by a button, as the custom is. The man of the house said -nothing, but took his gun from a corner, and when the intruder crossed -the threshold he put three slugs through him. The wounded man expired on -the threshold, covering it with his blood." - -"Murdered him, and for that? Come, come, you are joking!" ejaculated -George, with a half smile of incredulity. - -"Blowed him right through, just as I tell you," reiterated the narrator, -without heeding the doubt George's question implied. - -"That sounds a little like Old Kentuck," observed the colonel, coolly. - -"Yes; but listen to the sequel, gentlemen," resumed the landlord. "The -murderer took the dead body in his arms, finding, to his horror, that -it was an acquaintance with whom he had been drinking the day before; -he took up the body, as I was saying, laid it out upon a table, and -then went quietly to bed. In the morning he very honestly exhibited the -corpse to all who passed his door, and told his story as I tell it to -you. I had it from his own lips." - -"That beats Kentucky," asseverated the colonel. For my own part, I -believed the landlord was amusing himself at our expense. - -"I don't know about Kentucky," observed the landlord; "I was never there -in my life; but I do know that, when the dead man was buried, the man -who killed him went to the funeral like any curious or indifferent -spectator." - -This was too much. George rose from his chair, and began to be -interested in a placard on the wall. "And you say this happened near -here?" he slowly inquired; "perhaps, now, you could show us the very -house?" he finished, dryly. - -"Nothing easier. It's only three miles back on the road you came. The -blood-stain is plain, or was, on the threshold." - -We exchanged glances. This was the house where we halted to inquire our -way. The colonel's eyes dilated, but he said nothing. - -"But was there no trial?" I asked. - -"Trial? oh yes. After several days had run by, somebody thought of -that; so one morning the slayer saddled his horse and rode over to the -county-seat to inquire about it. He was tried at the next sessions, and -acquitted. The judge charged justifiable homicide; that a man's house is -his fort; the jury did not leave their benches. By-the-bye, gentlemen, -that is some of the man's cider you are drinking." - -I felt decided symptoms of revolt in my stomach; George made a grimace, -and the colonel threw his unfinished glass in the fire. During the -remainder of the evening he rallied us a good deal on the subject of New -England hospitality, but said no more about going back to chastise the -man of the red house.[5] - -The sun rose clear over the right shoulder of Kearsarge. After breakfast -the landlord took us out and introduced us to his neighbors, the -mountains. While he was making the presentation in due form, I jotted -down the following, which has, at least, the merit of conciseness: - -_Upper Bartlett_: an ellipse of fertile land; three Lombardy poplars; a -river murmuring unseen; a wall of mountains, with Kearsarge looking up, -and Carrigain looking down the intervale. _Item_: the cider is excellent. - -We had before us the range extending between Swift River and the Saco, -over which I looked from the summit of Chocorua straight to Mount -Washington. To the east this range is joined with the out-works of -Moat. Then come Table, Bear, Silver Spring (Bartlett Haystack), and -Tremont, in the order named. Then comes the valley of Sawyer's River, -with Carrigain rising between its walls; then, crossing to the north -side of the Saco, the most conspicuous object is the bold Hart's Ledge, -between which and Sawyer's Rock, on the opposite bank, the river is -crowded into a narrow channel. The mountain behind the hotel is Mount -Langdon, with Crawford more distant. Observe closely the curious -configuration of this peak. Whether we go up or down, it nods familiarly -to us from every point of approach. - -But Kearsarge and Carrigain are the grand features here. One gives -his adieu, the other his welcome. One is the perfection of symmetry, -of grace; the other simply demands our homage. His snowy crown, -dazzling white against the pure blue, was the badge of an incontestable -superiority. These two mountains are the presiding genii of this -charming intervale. You look first at the massive lineaments of one, -then at the flowing lines of the other, as at celebrated men, whose -features you would strongly impress upon the memory. - -From the village street we saw the sun go down behind Mount Carrigain, -and touch with his glittering sceptre the crest of Hancock. We looked up -the valley dominated by the giant of the Pemigewasset wilderness with -feelings of high respect for this illustrious hermit, who only deigns to -show himself from this single point, and whose peak long yielded only to -the most persevering and determined climbers. - -Two days were formerly required for the ascent of this mountain, but -a long day will now suffice, thanks to the path constructed under the -direction of the Appalachian Club. The mountain is four thousand six -hundred and twenty-five feet above the sea, and is wooded to its summit. -The valley of Sawyer's River drains the deep basin between Carrigain and -Hancock, entering the Saco near the railroad station called Livermore. -The lumbermen have now penetrated this valley to the foot of the -mountain, with their rude logging roads, offering a way soon, it is -hoped, to be made plainer for future climbers than it was our lot to -find it. - -Thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the mountains, we now regarded -distances with disdain, and fatigue with indifference. We had learned -to make our toilets in the stream, and our beds in the fragrant groves. -Truly, the bronzed faces that peered at us as we bent over some solemn, -pine-shaded pool were not those we had been accustomed to seeing at -home; but having solved the problem of man's true existence, we only -laughed at each other's tawny countenances while shouldering our packs -and tightening our belts for the day's march. - -Leaving Bartlett at an early hour, we turned aside from the highway -a little beyond the bridge which spans Sawyer's River, and were soon -following a rough and stony cart-way ascending the banks of this -stream, which thundered along its rocky bed, making the woods echo with -its roar. The road grew rapidly worse, the river wilder, the forest -gloomier, until, at the end of two miles, coming suddenly out into the -sun, we entered a rude street of unpainted cabins, terminating at some -saw-mills. This hamlet, which to the artistic eye so disadvantageously -replaces the original forest, is the only settlement in the large -township of Livermore. Its mission is to ravage and lay waste the -adjacent mountains. Notwithstanding the occupation is legitimate, one -instinctively rebels at the waste around him, where the splendid natural -forest, literally hewed and hacked in pieces, exposes rudely all the -deformities of the mountains. But this lost hamlet is the first in which -a genuine emotion of any kind awaits the traveller. Ten to one it is -like nothing he ever dreamed of; his surprise is, therefore, extreme. -The men were rough, hardy-looking fellows; the women appeared contented, -but as if hard work had destroyed their good looks prematurely. Both -announced, by their looks and their manner, that the life they led was -no child's play; the men spoke only when addressed; the women stole -furtive glances at us; the half-dressed children stopped their play -to stare at the strangers. Here was neither spire nor bell. One cow -furnished all the milk for the commonalty. The mills being shut, there -was no sound except the river plashing over the rocks far down in the -gorge below; and had I encountered such a place on the sea-coast or the -frontier, I should at once have said I had stumbled upon the secret -hold of outlaws and smugglers, into which signs, grips, and passwords -were necessary to procure admission. To me, therefore, the hamlet of -Livermore was a wholly new experience. - -From this hamlet to the foot of the mountain is a long and uninteresting -tramp of five miles through the woods. We found the walking good, and -strode rapidly on, coming first to a wood-cutter's camp pitched on the -banks of Carrigain Brook, and next to the clearing they had made at the -mountain's foot. Here the actual work of the ascent began in earnest. - -Carrigain is solid, compact, massive. It is covered from head to foot -with forest. No incident of the way diverts the attention for a single -moment from the severe exertion required to overcome its steeply -inclined side; no breathing levels, no restful outlooks, no gorges, no -precipices, no cascades break the monotony of the escalade. We conquer, -as Napoleon's grenadiers did, by our legs. It is the most inexorable of -mountains, and the most exasperating. From base to summit you cannot -obtain a cup of water to slake your thirst. - -Two hours of this brought us out upon the bare summit of the great -northern spur, beyond which the true peak rose a few hundred feet -higher. Carrigain, at once the desire and the bugbear of climbers, was -beneath our feet. - -We have already examined, from the rocks of Chocorua, the situation -of this peak. We then entitled it the Hub of the White Mountains. -It reveals all the magnitude, unfolds the topography of the woody -wilderness stretching between the Saco and the Pemigewasset valleys. As -nearly as possible, it exhibits the same amazing profusion of unbroken -forest, here and there darkly streaked by hidden watercourses, as when -the daring foot of the first climber pressed the unviolated crest of the -august peak of Washington. In all its length and breadth there is not -one object that suggests, even remotely, the presence of man. We saw not -even the smoke of a hunter's camp. All was just as created; an absolute, -savage, unkempt wilderness. - -Heavens, what a bristling array of dark and shaggy mountains! Now and -then, where water gleamed out of their hideous depths, a great brilliant -eye seemed watching us from afar. We knew that we had only to look up to -see a dazzling circlet of lofty peaks drawn around the horizon, chains -set with glittering stones, clusters sparkling with antique crests; -still we could not withdraw our eyes from the profound abysses sunk deep -in the bowels of the land, typical of the uncovered bed of the primeval -ocean, sad and terrible, from which that ocean seemed only to have just -receded. - -But who shall describe all this solitary, this oppressive grandeur? -and what language portray the awfulness of these untrodden mountains? -Now and then, high up their bleak summits, a patch of forest had been -plucked up by the roots, or shaken from its hold in the throes of the -mountain, laid bare a long and glittering scar, red as a half-closed -wound. Such is the appearance of Mount Lowell, on the other side of the -gap dividing Carrigain from the Notch mountains. We saw where the dark -slope of Mount Willey gives birth to the infant Merrimack. We saw the -confluent waters of this stream, so light of foot, speeding through the -gloomy defiles, as if fear had given them wings. We saw the huge mass of -Mount Hancock force itself slowly upward out of the press. Unutterable -lawlessness stamped the whole region as its own. - -That I have thus dwelt upon its most extraordinary feature, instead of -examining the landscape in detail, must suffice for the intelligent -reader. I have not the temerity to coolly put the dissecting-knife into -its heart. To science the things which belong to science. Besides, to -the man of feeling all this is but secondary. We are not here to make a -chart. - -After a visit to the high summit, where some work was done in the -interest of future climbers, we set out at four in the afternoon, on -our return down the mountain. A second time we halted on the spur to -glance upward at the heap of summits over which Mount Washington lifts a -regular dome. The long line of peaks, ascending from Crawford's, seems -approaching it by a succession of huge steps. It was after dark when we -saw the lights of the village before us, and were again warmly welcomed -by the rousing fire and smoking viands of mine host. - - - - -VII. - -_VALLEY OF THE SACO._ - - With our faint heart the mountain strives; - Its arms outstretched, the Druid wood - Waits with its benedicte. - _Sir Launfal._ - - -At eight o'clock in the morning we resumed our march, with the intention -of reaching Crawford's the same evening. The day was cold, raw, and -windy, so we walked briskly--sharp air and cutting wind acting like whip -and spur. - -I retain a vivid recollection of this morning. Autumn had passed her -cool hand over the fevered earth. Soft as three-piled velvet, the green -turf left no trace of our tread. The sky was of a dazzling blue, and -frescoed with light clouds, transparent as gauze, pure as the snow -glistening on the high summits. On both sides of us audacious mountains -braced their feet in the valley; while others mounted over their brawny -shoulders, as if to scale the heavens. - -But what shall I say of the grand harlequinade of nature which the -valley presented to our view? I cannot employ Victor Hugo's odd simile -of a peacock's tail; that is more of a witticism than a description. -The death of the year seemed to prefigure the glorious and surprising -changes of color in a dying dolphin--putting on unparalleled beauty at -the moment of dissolution, and so going out in a blaze of glory. - -From the meagre summits enfiladed by the north wind, and where a -solitary pine or cedar intensified the desolation, to the upper forests, -the mountains bristled with a scanty growth of dead or dying trees. -Those scattered birches, high up the mountain side, looked like quills -on a porcupine's back; that group, glistening in the morning sun, -like the pipes of an immense organ. From this line of death, which -vegetation crossed at its peril, the eye dropped down over a limitless -forest of dark evergreen spotted with bright yellow. The effect of the -sunlight on this foliage was magical. Myriad flambeaux illuminated the -deep gloom, doubling the intensity of the sun, emitting rays, glowing, -resplendent. This splendid light, which the heavy masses of orange -seemed to absorb, gave a velvety softness to the lower ridges and spurs, -covering their hard, angular lines with a magnificent drapery. The lower -forests, the valley, were one vast sea of color. Here the bewildering -melange of green and gold, orange and crimson, purple and russet, -produced the effect of an immense Turkish rug--the colors being soft -and rich, rather than vivid or brilliant. This quality, the blending -of a thousand tints, the dreamy grace, the sumptuous profusion, the -inexpressible tenderness, intoxicated the senses. Earth seemed no longer -earth. We had entered a garden of the gods. - -From time to time a scarlet maple flamed up in the midst of the forest, -and its red foliage, scattered at our feet by the wind, glowed like -flakes of fire beaten from an anvil. A tangled maze of color changed the -road into an avenue bordered with rare and variegated plants. Autumn's -bright sceptre, the golden-rod, pointed the way. Blue and white daisies -strewed the greensward. - -After passing Sawyer's River, the road turned abruptly to the north, -skirting the base of the Nancy range. We were at the door of the second -chamber in this remarkable gallery of nature. - -Before crossing the threshold it is expedient to allude to the incident -which has given a name not only to the mountain, but to the torrent we -see tearing its impetuous way down from the upper forests. The story of -Nancy's Brook is as follows: - -In the latter part of the last century, a maiden, whose Christian name -of Nancy is all that comes down to us, was living in the little hamlet -of Jefferson. She loved, and was betrothed to a young man of the farm. -The wedding-day was fixed, and the young couple were on the eve of -setting out for Portsmouth, where their happiness was to be consummated -at the altar. In the trustfulness of love, the young girl confided the -small sum which constituted all her marriage-portion to her lover. This -man repaid her simple faith with the basest treachery. Seizing his -opportunity, he left the hamlet without a word of explanation or of -adieu. The deserted maiden was one of those natures which cannot quietly -sit down under calamity. Urged on by the intensity of her feelings, she -resolved to pursue her recreant lover. He could not resist her prayers, -her entreaties, her tears! She was young, vigorous, intrepid. With her -to decide and to act were the same thing. In vain the family attempted -to dissuade her from her purpose. At nightfall she set out. - -A hundred years ago the route taken by this brave girl was not, as -to-day, a thoroughfare which one may follow with his eyes shut. It was -only an obscure path, little travelled by day, deserted by night. For -thirty miles, from Colonel Whipple's, in Jefferson, to Bartlett, there -was not a human habitation. The forests were filled with wild beasts. -The rigor of the season--it was December--added its own perils. But -nothing could daunt the heroic spirit of Nancy; she had found man more -cruel than all besides. - -[Illustration: NANCY IN THE SNOW.] - -The girl's hope was to overtake her lover before dawn at the place where -she expected he would have camped for the night. She found the camp -deserted, and the embers extinguished. Spurred on by hope or despair, -she pushed on down the tremendous defile of the Notch, fording the -turbulent and frozen Saco, and toiling through deep snows and over rocks -and fallen trees, until, feeling her strength fail, she sunk exhausted -on the margin of the brook which seems perpetually bemoaning her sad -fate. Here, cold and rigid as marble, under a canopy of evergreen which -the snow tenderly drooped above, they found her. She was wrapped in her -cloak, and in the same attitude of repose as when she fell asleep on her -nuptial couch of snow-crusted moss. - -The story goes that the faithless lover became a hopeless maniac on -learning the fate of his victim, dying in horrible paroxysms not long -after. Tradition adds that for many years, on every anniversary of her -death, the mountains resounded with ravings, shrieks, and agonized -cries, which the superstitious attributed to the unhappy ghost of the -maniac lover.[6] - -It was not quite noon when we entered the beautiful and romantic glen -under the shadow of Mount Crawford. Upon our left, a little in advance, -a solidly-built English country-house, with gables, stood on a terrace -well above the valley. At our right, and below, was the old Mount -Crawford tavern, one of the most ancient of mountain hostelries. Upon -the opposite side of the vale rose the enormous mass of Mount Crawford; -and near where we stood, a humble mound, overgrown with bushes, enclosed -the mortal remains of the hardy pioneer whose monument is the mountain. - -We had an excusable curiosity to see a man who, in the prime of life, -had forsaken the city, its pleasures, its opportunities, and had come -to pass the rest of his life among these mountains; one, too, whose -enormous possessions procured for him the title of Lord of the Valley. -We heard with astonishment that our day's journey, of which we had -completed the half only, was wholly over his tract--I ought to say his -dominions--that is, over thirteen miles of field, forest, and mountain. -This being equal to a small principality, it seemed quite natural and -proper to approach the proprietor with some degree of ceremony. - -A servant took our cards at the door, and returned with an invitation to -enter. The apartment into which we were conducted was the most singular -I have ever seen; certainly it has no counterpart in this world, unless -the famous hut of Robinson Crusoe has escaped the ravages of time. -It was literally crammed with antique furniture, among which was a -high-backed chair used in dentistry; squat little bottles, containing -chemicals; and a bench, on which was a spirit-lamp; a turning-lathe, a -small portable furnace, and a variety of instruments or tools of which -we did not know the use. A few prints and oil-paintings adorned the -walls. A cheerful fire burnt on the hearth. - -"Were we in the sixteenth century," said George, "I should say this was -the laboratory of some famous alchemist." - -[Illustration: ABEL CRAWFORD.] - -Further investigation was cut short by the entrance of our host, who was -a venerable-looking man, turned of eighty, with a silver beard falling -upon his breast, and a general expression of benignity. He stooped a -little, but seemed hale and hearty, notwithstanding the weight of his -fourscore years. - -Doctor Bemis received us graciously. For an hour he entertained us with -the story of his life among the mountains, "to which," said he, "I -credit the last forty-five years--for I at first came here in pursuit of -health." After he had satisfied our curiosity concerning himself, which -he did with perfect _bonhomie_, I asked him to describe Abel Crawford, -the veteran guide of the White Hills. - -"Abel," said the doctor, "was six feet four; Erastus, the eldest son, -was six feet six, or taller than Washington; and Ethan was still -taller, being nearly seven feet. In fact, not one of the sons was less -than six feet; so you may imagine what sort of family group it was -when 'his boys,' as Abel loved to call them, were all at home. Ah, -well!" continued the doctor, with a sigh, "that kind of timber does -not flourish in the mountains now. Why, the very sight of one of those -giants inspired the timid with confidence. Ethan, called in his day -the Giant of the Hills, was a man of iron frame and will. Fear and he -were strangers. He would take up an exhausted traveller in his sinewy -arms and carry him as you would a baby, until his strength or courage -returned. The first bridle-path up the mountain was opened by him -in--let me see--ah! I have it, it was in 1821. Ethan, with the help of -his father, also built the Notch House above.[7] - -"Abel was long-armed, lean, and sinewy. Doctor Dwight, whose 'Travels -in New England' you have doubtless read, stopped with Crawford, on his -way down the Notch, in 1797. His nearest neighbor then, on the north, -was Captain Rosebrook, who lived on or near the site of the present -Fabyan House. Crawford's life of hardship had made little impression on -a constitution of iron. At seventy-five he rode the first horse that -reached the summit of Mount Washington. At eighty he often walked to -his son's (Thomas J. Crawford), at the entrance of the Notch, before -breakfast. I recollect him perfectly at this time, and his appearance -was peculiarly impressive. He was erect and vigorous as one of those -pines on yonder mountain. His long white hair fell down upon his -shoulders, and his fresh, ruddy face was always expressive of good-humor. - -"The destructive freshet of 1826," continued the doctor, "swept -everything before it, flooding the intervale, and threatening the old -house down there with instant demolition. During that terrible night, -when the Willey family perished, Mrs. Crawford was alone with her young -children in the house. The water rose with such rapidity that she was -driven to the upper story for safety. While here, the thud of floating -trees, driven by the current against the house, awakened new terrors. At -every concussion the house trembled. Wooden walls could not long stand -that terrible pounding. The heroic woman, alive to the danger, seized a -stout pole, and, going to the nearest window, kept the side of the house -exposed to the flood free from the mass of wreck-stuff collected against -it. She held her post thus throughout the night, until the danger had -passed. When the flood subsided, Crawford found several fine trout alive -in his cellar." - -"When do the great freshets usually occur?" I asked. - -"In the autumn," replied our host. "It is not the melting snows, but the -sudden rainfalls that we fear." - -"Yes," resumed he, reflectively, "the Crawfords were a family of -athletes. With them the race of guides became extinct. Soon after -settling here, Abel went with his wife to Bartlett on some occasion, -leaving their two boys in the care of a hired man. When they had gone, -this man took what he could find of value and decamped. When Abel -returned, which he did on the following day, he immediately set out -in pursuit of the thief, overtook him thirty miles from here, in the -Franconia forests, flogged him within an inch of his life, and let him -go." - -"Sixty miles on foot, and alone, to recover a few stolen goods, and -punish a thief!" cried the astonished colonel; "that beats Daniel Boone." - -"Yes; and what is more, the boys were brought up to face hunger, cold, -fatigue, with Indian stoicism, and even to encounter bears, lynxes, and -wolves with no other weapons than those provided by nature. There, now, -was Ethan, for example," said the doctor, smiling at the recollection. -"One day he took it into his head to have a tame bear for the diversion -of his guests. Well, he caught a young one, half grown, and remarkably -vicious, in a trap. But how to get him home! At length Ethan tied his -fore and hind paws together so he couldn't scratch, and put a muzzle of -withes over his nose so he couldn't bite. Then, shouldering his prize -as he would a bag of meal, the guide started for home, in great glee -at the success of his clever expedient. He had not gone far, however, -before Bruin managed to get one paw wholly and his muzzle partly free, -and began to scratch and struggle and snap at his captor savagely. Ethan -wanted to get the bear home terribly; but, after having his clothing -nearly torn off his back, he grew angry, and threw the beast upon the -ground with such force as to kill him instantly." - -"Report," said I, "credits you with naming most of the mountains which -overlook the intervale." - -"Yes," replied the doctor, "Resolution, over there"--indicating the -mountain allied to Crawford, and to the ridge which forms one of -the buttresses of Mount Washington--"I named in recognition of the -perseverance of Mr. Davis, who became discouraged while making a path to -Mount Washington in 1845." - -"Is the route practicable?" I asked. - -"Practicable, yes; but nearly obliterated, and seldom ascended. Have you -seen Frankenstein?" demanded the doctor, in his turn. - -We replied in the negative. - -"It will repay a visit. I named it for a young German artist who passed -some time with me, and who was fascinated by its rugged picturesqueness. -Here is some of his work," pointing to the paintings which, apparently, -formed the foundation of the collection on the walls. - -Our host accompanied us to the door with a second injunction not to -forget Frankenstein. - -"You have something there good for the eyes," I observed, indicating the -green carpet of the vale beneath us. - -"True; but you should have seen it when the deer boldly came down the -mountain and browsed quietly among the cattle. That was a pretty sight, -and one of frequent occurrence when I first knew the place. At that -time," he continued, "the stage passed up every other day. Sometimes -there were one or two, but seldom three passengers." - -Proceeding on our way, we now had a fine view of the Giant's Stairs, -which we had already seen from Mount Carrigain, but less boldly outlined -than they appear from the valley, where they really look like two -enormous steps cut on the very summit of the opposite ridge. No name -could be more appropriate, though each of the degrees of this colossal -staircase demands a giant not of our days; for they are respectively -three hundred and fifty, and four hundred and fifty feet in height. It -was over those steps that the Davis path ascended. - -A mile or a mile and a half above the Crawford Glen, we emerged from -behind a projecting spur of the mountain which hid the upper valley, -when, by a common impulse, we stopped, fairly stupefied with admiration -and surprise. - -Thrust out before us, athwart the pass, a black and castellated pile -of precipices shot upward to a dizzy height, and broke off abruptly -against the sky. Its bulging sides and regular outlines resembled the -clustered towers and frowning battlements of some antique fortress -built to command the pass. Gashed, splintered, defaced, it seemed to -have withstood for ages the artillery of heaven and the assaults of -time. With what solitary grandeur it lifted its mailed front above the -forest, and seemed even to regard the mountains with disdain! Silent, -gloomy, impregnable, it wanted nothing to recall those dark abodes of -the Thousand and One Nights, in which malignant genii are imprisoned for -thousands of years. - -This was Frankenstein. We at once accord it a place as the most -suggestive of cliffs. From the other side of the valley the resemblance -to a mediaeval castle is still more striking. It has a black gorge for a -moat, so deep that the head swims when crossing it; and to-day, as we -crept over the cat's-cradle of a bridge thrown across for the passage -of the railway, and listened to the growling of the torrent far down -beneath, the whole frail structure seemed trembling under us. - -But what a contrast! what a singular freak of nature! At the foot of -this grisly precipice, clothing it with almost superhuman beauty, was a -plantation of maples and birches, all resplendent in crimson and gold. -Never have I seen such masses of color laid on such a background. Below -all was light and splendor; above, all darkness and gloom. Here the eye -fairly revelled in beauty, there it recoiled in terror. The cliff was -like a naked and swarthy Ethiopian up to his knees in roses. - -We walked slowly, with our eyes fixed on these cliffs, until another -turn of the road--we were now on the railway embankment--opened a vista -deserving to be remembered as one of the marvels of this glorious -picture-gallery. - -The perfection and magnificence of this truly regal picture, the -gigantic scale on which it is presented, without the least blemish to -mar its harmony or disturb the impression of one grand, unique whole, is -a revelation to the least susceptible nature in the world. - -Frankenstein was now a little withdrawn, on our left. Upon the right, -fluttering its golden foliage as if to attract our attention, a -plantation of tall, satin-stemmed birches stretched for some distance -along the railway. Between the long buttress of the cliff and this -forest lay open the valley of Mount Washington River, which is driven -deep into the heart of the great range. There, through this valley, -cutting the sapphire sky with their silver silhouette, were the giant -mountains, surmounted by the splendid dome of Washington himself. - -[Illustration: STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY.] - -Passing beyond, we had a fine retrospect of Crawford, with his curved -horn; and upon the dizzy iron bridge thrown across the gorge beneath -Frankenstein, striking views are obtained of the mountains below. They -seemed loftier and grander, and more imposing than ever. - -Turning our faces toward the north, we now beheld the immense bulk and -superb crest of Willey. On the other side of the valley was the long -battlement of Mount Webster. We were at the entrance of the great Notch. - - - - -VIII. - -_THROUGH THE NOTCH._ - - Around his waist are forests braced, - The avalanche in his hand.--BYRON. - - -The valley, which had continually contracted since leaving Bartlett, -now appeared fast shut between these two mountains; but on turning the -tremendous support which Mount Willey flings down, we were in presence -of the amazing defile cloven through the midst, and giving entrance to -the heart of the White Hills. - -These gigantic mountains divided to the right and left, like the Red -Sea before the Israelites. Through the immense trough, over which their -crests hung suspended in mid-air, the highway creeps and the river -steals away. The road is only seen at intervals through the forest; a -low murmur, like the hum of bees, announces the river. - -I have no conception of the man who can approach this stupendous chasm -without a sensation of fear. The idea of imminent annihilation is -everywhere overwhelming. The mind refuses to reason, or rather to fix -itself, except on a single point. What if the same power that commanded -these awful mountains to remove should hurl them back to ever-during -fixedness? Should, do I say? The gulf seemed contracting under our very -eyes--the great mountains toppling to their fall. With an eagerness -excited by high expectation, we had pressed forward; but now we -hesitated. - -This emotion, which many of my readers have doubtless partaken, was our -tribute to the dumb but eloquent expression of power too vast for our -feeble intellects to measure. It was the triumph of matter over mind; of -the finite over the infinite. - -Below, it was all admiration and surprise; here, all amazement and fear. -The more the mountains exalted themselves, the more we were abased. -Trusting, nevertheless, in our insignificance, we moved on, looking with -all our eyes, absorbed, silent, and almost worshipping. - -The wide split of the Notch, which we had now entered, had on one side -Mount Willey, drawn up to his full height; and on the other Mount -Webster, striped with dull red on clingy yellow, like an old tiger's -skin. Willey is the highest; Webster the most remarkable. Willey has -a conical spire; Webster a long, irregular battlement. Willey is a -mountain; Webster a huge block of granite. - -For two miles the gorge winds between these mountains to where it is -apparently sealed up by a sheer mass of purple precipices lodged full -in its throat. This is Mount Willard. The vast chasm glowed with the -gorgeous colors of the foliage, even when a passing cloud obscured the -sun. These general observations made, we cast our eyes down into the -vale reposing at our feet. We had chosen for our point of view that to -which Abel Crawford conducted Sir Charles Lyell in 1845. The scientist -has made the avalanche bear witness to the glacier, precisely as one -criminal is made to convict another under our laws. - -Five hundred feet below us was a little clearing, containing a hamlet -of two or three houses. From this hamlet to the storm-crushed crags -glistening on the summit of Mount Willey the track of an old avalanche -was still distinguishable, though the birches and alders rooted among -the debris threatened to obliterate it at no distant day. - -We descended by this still plain path to the houses at the foot of the -mountain. One and the other are associated with the most tragic event -connected with the history of the great Notch. - -We found two houses, a larger and smaller, fronting the road, neither -of which merits a description; although evidence that it was visited by -multitudes of curious pilgrims abounded on the walls of the unoccupied -building. - -Since quite early in the century, this house was kept as an inn; and -for a long time it was the only stopping-place between Abel Crawford's -below and Captain Rosebrook's above--a distance of thirteen miles. Its -situation, at the entrance of the great Notch, was advantageous to the -public and to the landlord, but attended with a danger which seems not -to have been sufficiently regarded, if indeed it caused successive -inmates particular concern. This fatal security had a lamentable sequel. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WILLARD FROM WILLEY BROOK.] - -In 1826 this house was occupied by Samuel Willey, his wife, five -children, and two hired men. During the summer a drought of unusual -severity dried the streams, and parched the thin soil of the neighboring -mountains. On the evening of the 26th of June, the family heard a heavy, -rumbling noise, apparently proceeding from the mountain behind them. In -terror and amazement they ran out of the house. They saw the mountain -in motion. They saw an immense mass of earth and rock detach itself -and move toward the valley, at first slowly, then with gathered and -irresistible momentum. Rocks, trees, earth, were swooping down upon -them from the heights in three destroying streams. The spectators stood -rooted to the spot. Before they could recover their presence of mind the -avalanche was upon them. One torrent crossed the road only ten rods from -the house; another a little distance beyond; while the third and largest -portion took a different direction. With great labor a way was made over -the mass of rubbish for the road. The avalanche had shivered the largest -trees, and borne rocks weighing many tons almost to the door of the -lonely habitation. - -This awful warning passed unheeded. On the 28th of August, at dusk, -a storm burst upon the mountains, and raged with indescribable fury -throughout the night. The rain fell in sheets. Innumerable torrents -suddenly broke forth on all sides, deluging the narrow valley, and -bearing with them forests that had covered the mountains for ages. The -swollen and turbid Saco rose over its banks, flooding the Intervales, -and spreading destruction in its course. - -Two days afterward a traveller succeeded in forcing his way through the -Notch. He found the Willey House standing uninjured in the midst of -woful desolation. A second avalanche, descended from Mount Willey during -the storm, had buried the little vale beneath its ruins. The traveller, -affrighted by the scene around him, pushed open the door. As he did so, -a half-famished dog, sole inmate of the house, disputed his entrance -with a mournful howl. He entered. The interior was silent and deserted. -A candle burnt to the socket, the clothing of the inmates lying by their -bedsides, testified to the haste with which this devoted family had -fled. The death-like hush pervading the lonely cabin--these evidences -of the horrible and untimely fate of the family--the appalling scene of -wreck all around, froze the solitary intruder's blood. In terror he, -too, fled from the doomed dwelling. - -On arriving at Bartlett, the traveller reported what he had seen. -Assistance was despatched to the scene of disaster. The rescuers came -too late to render aid to the living, but they found, and buried on the -spot, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Willey, and the two hired men. The -remaining children were never found. - -It was easily conjectured that the terrified family, alive at last to -the appalling danger that menaced them, and feeling the solid earth -tremble in the throes of the mountain, sought safety in flight. They -only rushed to their doom. The discovery of the bodies showed but too -plainly the manner of their death. They had been instantly swallowed up -by the avalanche, which, in the inexplicable order of things visible in -great calamities, divided behind the house, leaving the frail structure -unharmed, while its inmates were hurried into eternity.[8] - -For some time after the disaster a curse seemed to rest upon the -old Notch House. No one would occupy it. Travellers shunned it. It -remained untenanted, though open to all who might be driven to seek its -inhospitable shelter, until the deep impression of horror which the fate -of the Willey family inspired had, in a measure, effaced itself. - -The effects of the cataclysm were everywhere. For twenty-one miles, -almost its entire length, the turnpike was demolished. Twenty-one of -the twenty-three bridges were swept away. In some places the meadows -were buried to the depth of several feet beneath sand, earth, and -rocks; in others, heaps of great trees, which the torrent had torn -up by the roots, barricaded the route. The mountains presented a -ghastly spectacle. One single night sufficed to obliterate the work of -centuries, to strip their summits bare of verdure, and to leave them -with shreds of forest and patches of shrubbery hanging to their stark -and naked sides. Thus their whole aspect was altered to an extent hardly -to be realized to-day, though remarked with mingled wonder and dread -long after the period of the convulsion. - -From the house our eyes naturally wandered to the mountain, where -quarrymen were pecking at its side like yellow-hammers at a dead -sycamore. All at once a tremendous explosion was heard, and a stream -of loosened earth and bowlders came rattling down the mountain. So -unexpected was the sound, so startling its multiplied echo, it seemed as -if the mountain had uttered a roar of rage and pain, which was taken up -and repeated by the other mountains until the uproar became deafening. -When the reverberation died away in the distance, we again heard the -metallic click of the miners' hammers chipping away at the gaunt ribs of -Mount Willey. - -How does it happen that this catastrophe is still able to awaken the -liveliest interest for the fate of the Willey family? Why is it that -the oft-repeated tale seems ever new in the ears of sympathetic -listeners? Our age is crowded with horrors, to which this seems trifling -indeed. May we not attribute it to the influence which the actual scene -exerts on the imagination? One must stand on the spot to comprehend; -must feel the mysterious terror to which all who come within the -influence of the gorge submit. Here the annihilation of a family is but -the legitimate expression of that feeling. It seems altogether natural -to the place. The ravine might well be the sepulchre of a million human -beings, instead of the grave of a single obscure family. - -We reached the public-house, at the side of the Willey house, with -appetites whetted by our long walk. The mercury had only risen to -thirty-eight degrees by the thermometer nailed to the door-post. We went -in. - -In general, the mountain publicans are not only very obliging, but equal -to even the most unexpected demands. The colonel, who never brags, had -boasted for the last half-hour what he was going to do at this repast. -In point of fact, we were famishing. - -A man was standing with his back to the fire, his hands thrust -underneath his coat-tails, and a pipe in his mouth. Either the pipe -illuminated his nose, or his nose the pipe. He also had a nervous -contraction of the muscles of his face, causing an involuntary twitching -of the eyebrows, and at the same time of his ears, up and down. This -habit, taken in connection with the perfect immobility of the figure, -made on us the impression of a statue winking. We therefore hesitated to -address it--I mean _him_--until a moment's puzzled scrutiny satisfied us -that it--I mean the strange object--was alive. He merely turned his head -when we entered the room, wagged his ears playfully, winked furiously, -and then resumed his first attitude. In all probability he was some -stranger like ourselves. - -I accosted him. "Sir," said I, "can you tell us if it is possible to -procure a dinner here?" - -The man took the pipe from his mouth, shook out the ashes very -deliberately, and, without looking at me, tranquilly observed, - -"You would like dinner, then?" - -"Would we like dinner? We breakfasted at Bartlett, and have passed six -hours fasting." - -"And eleven miles. You see, a long way between meals," interjected -George, with decision. - -"It's after the regular dinner," drawled the apathetic smoker, using his -thumb for a stopper, and stooping for a brand with which to relight his -pipe. - -"In that case we are willing to pay for any additional trouble," I -hastened to say. - -The man seemed reflecting. We _were_ hungry; that was incontestable; -but we were also shivering, and he maintained his position astride the -hearth-stone, like the fabled Colossus of old. - -"A cold day," said the colonel, threshing himself. - -"I did not notice it," returned the stranger, indifferently. - -"Only thirty-eight at the door," said George, stamping his feet with -unnecessary vehemence. - -"Indeed!" observed our man, with more interest. - -"Yes," George asserted; "and if the fireplace were only larger, or the -screen smaller." - -The man hastily stepped aside, knocking over, as he did so, a blazing -brand, which he kicked viciously back into the fire. - -Having carried the outworks, we approached the citadel. "Perhaps, sir," -I ventured, "you can inform us where the landlord may be found?" - -"You wanted dinner, I believe?" The tone in which this question was put -gave me goose-flesh. I could not speak, George dropped into a chair. -The colonel propped himself against the chimney-piece. I shrugged my -shoulders, and nodded expressively to my companions, who returned two -glances of eloquent dismay. Evidently nothing was to be got out of this -fellow. - -"Dinner for one?" continued the eternal smoker. - -"For three!" I exclaimed, out of all patience. - -"For four; I shall eat double," added the colonel. - -"Six!" shouted George, seizing the dinner-bell on the mantel-piece. - -"Stop," said the man, betraying a little excitement; "don't ring that -bell." - -"Why not?" demanded George; "we want to see the landlord; and, by Jove," -brandishing the bell aloft, "see him we will!" - -"He stands before you, gentlemen; and if you will have a little patience -I will see what can be done." So saying, he put his pipe on the -chimney-piece, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and went out, -muttering, as he did so. "The world was not made in a day." - -In three-quarters of an hour we sat down to a funereal repast, the -bare recollection of which makes me ill, but which was enlivened by the -following conversation: - -"How many inhabitants are in your tract?" I asked of the man who waited -on us. - -"Do you mean inhabitants?" - -"Certainly, I mean inhabitants." - -"Well, that's not an easy one." - -"How so?" - -"Because the same question not only puzzled the State Legislature, but -made the attorney-general sick." - -We became attentive. - -"Explain that, if you please," said I. - -"Why, just look at it: with only eight legal voters in the tract" (he -called it track), "we cast five hundred ballots at the State election." - -"Five hundred ballots! then your voters must have sprung from the ground -or from the rocks." - -"Pretty nearly so." - -"Actual men?" - -"Actual men." - -"You are jesting." - -My man looked at me as if I had offered him an affront. The supposition -was plainly inadmissible. He was completely innocent of the charge. - -"You hear those men pounding away up the hill?" he demanded, jerking his -thumb in the direction indicated. - -"Yes." - -"Well, those are the five hundred voters. On election morning they came -to the polling-place with a ballot in one hand, and a pick, a sledge, -or a drill in the other. Our supervisor is a very honest, blunt sort of -man: he refused their ballots on the spot." - -"Well?" - -"Well, one of them had a can of nitro-glycerine and a coil of wire. He -deposited his can in a corner, hitched on the wire, and was going out -with his comrades, when the supervisor, feeling nervous, said, - -"'The polls are open, gentlemen.'" - -"Ingenious," remarked George. - -The man looked astounded. - -"He means dangerous," said I; "but go on." - -"I will. When the votes were counted, at sundown, it was found that our -precinct had elected two representatives to the General Court. But when -the successful candidates presented their certificates at Concord, some -meddlesome city fellow questioned the validity of the election. The -upshot of it was that the two nitro-glycerites came back with a flea in -each ear." - -"And the five hundred were disfranchised," said George. - -"Why, as to that, half were French Canadians, half Irish, and the devil -knows what the rest were; I don't." - -"Never mind the rest. You see," said George, rising, "how, with the -railway, the blessings of civilization penetrate into the dark corners -of the earth." - -The colonel began his sacramental, "That beats--" when he was -interrupted by a second explosion, which shook the building. We paid our -reckoning, George saying, as he threw his money on the table, "A heavy -charge." - -"No more than the regular price," said the landlord, stiffly. - -"I referred, my dear sir, to the explosion," replied George, with the -sardonic grin habitual to him on certain occasions. - -"Oh!" said the host, resuming his pipe and his fireplace. - -We spent the remaining hours of this memorable afternoon sauntering -through the Notch, which is dripping with cascades, and noisy with -mountain torrents. The Saco, here nothing but a brook, crawls languidly -along its bed of broken rock. From dizzy summit to where they meet the -river, the old wasted mountains sit warming their scarred sides in the -sun. Looking up at the passage of the railway around Mount Willey, it -impressed us as a single fractured stone might have done on the Great -Pyramid, or a pin's scratch on the face of a giant. The locomotive, -which groped its way along its broken shell, stopped, and stealthily -moving again, seemed a mouse that the laboring mountain had brought -forth. But when its infernal clamor broke the silence, what demoniacal -yells shook the forests! Farewell to our dream of inviolable nature. The -demon of progress had forced his way into the very sanctuary. There were -no longer any White Mountains. - -We passed by the beautiful brook Kedron, flung down from the utmost -heights of Willey, between banks mottled with colors. Then, high up on -our right, two airy water-falls seemed to hang suspended from the summit -of Webster. These, called respectively the Silver Cascade, and the -Flume withdrew the attention from every other object, until a sharp turn -to the right brought the overhanging precipice of Mount Willard full -upon us. This enormous mass of granite, rising seven hundred feet above -the road, stands in the very jaws of the gorge, which it commands from -end to end. - -[Illustration: THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER.] - -Here the railway seems fairly stopped; but with a graceful sweep it -eludes the mountain, and glides around its massive shoulder, giving, as -it does so, a hand to the high-road, which comes straggling up the sharp -ascent. The river, now shrunken to a rivulet, is finally lost to view -beneath heaped-up blocks of granite, which the infuriated old mountain -has hurled down upon it. It is heard painfully gurgling under the ruins, -like a victim crushed, and dying by inches. - -Now and here we entered a close, dark defile hewn down between cliffs, -ascending on the right in regular terraces, on the left in ruptured -masses. These terraces were fringed at the top with tapering evergreens, -and displayed gaudy tufts of maple and mountain-ash on their cool gray. -Those on the right are furthermore decorated with natural sculptures, -indicated by sign-boards, which the curious investigate profitably or -unprofitably, according to their fertility of imagination. - -For a few rods this narrow cleft continues; then, on a sudden, the rocks -which lift themselves on either side shut together. An enormous mass -has tumbled from its ancient location on the left side, and, taking a -position within twenty feet of the opposite precipice, forms the natural -gate of the Notch, through which a way was made for the common road -with great labor, through which the river frays a passage, but where -no one would imagine there was room for either. The railway has made a -breach for itself through the solid rock, greatly diminishing the native -grandeur of the place. All three emerge from the shadow and gloom of the -pass into the cheerful sunshine of a little prairie, at the extremity of -which are seen the white walls of a hotel. - -The whole route we had traversed is full of contrasts, full of -surprises; but this sudden transition was the most picturesque, the most -startling of all. We seemed to have reached the end of the world. - - - - -IX. - -_CRAWFORD'S._ - - The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts - Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rose. - SHAKSPEARE. - - -All who have passed much time at the mountains have seen the -elephant--near the gate of the Notch. - -Though it is only from Nature's chisel, the elephant is an honest one, -and readily admitted into the category of things curious or marvellous -constantly displayed for our inspection. Standing on the piazza of the -hotel, the enormous forehead and trunk seem just emerging from the -shaggy woods near the entrance to the pass. And the gray of the granite -strengthens the illusion still more. From the Elephant's Head, a title -suggestive of the near vicinity of a public-house, there is a fine view -down the Notch for those who cannot ascend Mount Willard. - -The Crawford House, being built at the highest point of the pass, -nearly two thousand feet above the sea, is not merely a hotel--it is a -water-shed. The roof divides the rain falling upon it into two streams, -flowing on one side into the Saco, on the other into the Ammonoosuc. -Here the sun rises over the Willey range, and sets behind Mount Clinton. -The north side of the piazza enables you to look over the forests into -the valley of the Ammonoosuc, where the view is closed by the chain -dividing this basin from that of Israel's River. But we are not yet -ready to conduct the reader into this Promised Land. - -My window overlooked a grassy plain of perhaps half a mile, the view -being closed by the Gate of the Notch, now disfigured by snow-sheds -built for the protection of the railway. The massive, full-rounded bulk -of Webster rose above, the forests of Willard tumbled down into the -ragged fissure. Half-way between the hotel and the Gate, over-borne by -the big shadow of Mount Clinton, extends the pretty lakelet which is -the fountain-head of the Saco. Beyond the lake, and at the left, is -where the old Notch House stood. This lake was once a beaver-pond, and -this plain a boggy meadow, through which a road of corduroy and sods -conducted the early traveller. The highway and railway run amicably side -by side, dividing the little vale in two. - -[Illustration: ELEPHANT'S HEAD, WINTER.] - -This pass, which was certainly known to the Indians, was, in 1771, -rediscovered by Timothy Nash, a hunter, who was persuaded by Benjamin -Sawyer, another hunter, to admit him to an equal share in the discovery. -In 1773 Nash and Sawyer received a grant of 2184 acres, skirting the -mountains on the west, as a reward. With the prodigality characteristic -of their class, the hunters squandered their large acquisition in a -little time after it was granted. Both the Crawford and Fabyan hotels -stand upon their tract. - -Of many excursions which this secluded retreat offers, that to the -summit of Mount Washington, by the bridle-path opened in 1840 by Thomas -J. Crawford, and that to the top of Mount Willard, are the principal. -The route to the first begins opposite to the hotel, at the left; the -latter turns from the glen a quarter of a mile below, on the right. -Supposing Mount Washington a cathedral set on an eminence, you are here -on the summit of the eminence, with one foot on the immense staircase of -the cathedral. - -Our resolve to ascend by the bridle-path was already formed, and we -regarded the climb up Mount Willard as indispensable. As for the -cascades, which lulled us to sleep, who shall describe them? We could -not lift our eyes to the heights above without seeing one or more -fluttering in the play of the breeze, and making rainbows in pure -diversion. President Dwight, in his "Travels," has no more eloquent -passage than that describing the Flume Cascade. How many since have -thrown down pen or pencil in sheer despair of reproducing, by words -or pigments, the aerial lightness, the joyous freedom; above all, the -exuberant, unquenchable vitality that characterize mountain water-falls! -Down the Notch is a masterpiece, hidden from the eye of the passer-by, -called Ripley Falls, which fairly revels in its charming seclusion. -Only a short walk from the hotel, by a woodland path, there is another, -Beecher's Cascade, whose capricious leaps and playful somersaults, all -the while volubly chattering to itself, like a child alone with its -playthings, fascinates us, as sky, water, and fire charm the eyes of an -infant. It is always tumbling down, and as often leaping to its feet to -resume its frolicsome gambols, with no loss of sprightliness or sign of -weariness that we can detect. Only a lover may sing the praises of these -mountain cascades falling from the skies: - -"The torrent is the soul of the valley. Not only is it the Providence or -the scourge, often both at once, but it gives to it a physiognomy; it -gladdens or saddens it; it lends it a voice; it communicates life to it. -A valley without its torrent is only a hole." - -They give the name of Idlewild to the romantic sylvan retreat, reached -by a winding path, diverging near the hotel, on the left. I visited -it in company with Mr. Atwater, whose taste and enthusiasm for the -work have converted the natural disorder of the mountain side into -a trysting-place fit for elves and fairies; but where one encounters -ladies in elegant toilets, enjoying a quiet stroll among the fern-draped -rocks. Some fine vistas of the valley mountains have been opened through -the woods--beautiful little bits of blue, framed in illuminated foliage. -One notes approvingly the revival of an olden taste in the cutting and -shaping of trees into rustic chairs, stairways, and arbors. - -After a day like ours, the great fires and admirable order of the -hotel were grateful indeed. If it is true that the way to man's heart -lies through his stomach, the cherry-lipped waiter-girl, who whispered -her seductive tale in my too-willing ear at supper, made a veritable -conquest. My compliments to her, notwithstanding the penalty paid for -lingering too long over the griddle-cakes. - -The autumn nights being cool, it was something curious to see the parlor -doors every now and then thrown wide open, to admit a man who came -trundling in on a wheelbarrow a monster log fit for the celebration of -Yule-tide. The city guest, accustomed to the economy of wood at home, -because it is dear, looks on this prodigality first with consternation, -and finally with admiration. When the big log is deposited on the -blazing hearth amid fusees of sparks, the easy-chairs again close around -the fireplace a charmed circle; and while the buzz of conversation goes -on, and the faces are illuminated by the ruddy glow, the wood snaps, -and hisses, and spits as if it had life and sense of feeling. The men -talk in drowsy undertones; the ladies, watching the chimney-soot catch -fire and redden, point out to each other the old grandame's pictures -of "folks coming home from meeting." This scene is the counterpart of -a warm summer evening on the piazza--both typical of unrestrained, -luxurious indolence. How many pictures have appeared in that old -fireplace! and what experiences its embers revived! Water shows us only -our own faces in their proper mask--nothing more, nothing less; but -fire, the element of the supernatural, is able, so at least we believe, -to unfold the future as easily as it turns our eyes into the past. If -only we could read! - -When we arose in the morning, what was our astonishment to see the -surrounding mountains white with snow. Like one smitten with sudden -terror, they had grown gray in a night. Striking, indeed, was the -transformation from yesterday's pomp; beautiful the contrast between -the dark green below and the dead white of the upper zones. Thickly -incrusted with hoar-frost, the stiffened foliage of the pines and firs -gave those trees the unwonted appearance of bursting into blossom. Over -all a dull and brooding sky shed its cold, wan light upon the glen, -forbidding all thought of attacking the high summits, at least for this -day. - -Dismissing this, therefore, as impracticable, we nevertheless determined -on ascending Mount Willard--an easy thing to do, considering you have -only to follow a good carriage-road for two miles and a half to reach -the precipices overlooking the Saco Valley. - -Startling, indeed, by its sublimity was the spectacle that rewarded our -trouble a thousand-fold. Still, the sensations partook more of wonder -than admiration--much more. The unpractised eye is so utterly confounded -by the immensity of this awful chasm of the Notch, yawning in all its -extent and all its grandeur far down beneath, that, powerless to grasp -the fulness and the vastness thus suddenly encountered, it stupidly -stares into those far-retreating depths. The scene really seems too -tremendous for flesh and blood to comprehend. For an instant, while -standing on the brink of the sheer precipice, which here suddenly drops -seven or eight hundred feet, my head swam and my knees trembled. - -[Illustration: LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH.] - -First came the idea that I was looking down into the dry bed of some -primeval cataract, whose mighty rush and roar the imagination summoned -again from the tomb of ages, and whose echo was in the cascades, hung -like two white arms on the black and hairy breast of the adjacent -mountain. This idea carries us luck to the Deluge, of which science -pretends to have found proofs in the basin of the Notch. What am I -saying? to the Deluge! it transports us to the Beginning itself, when -"_Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved -upon the face of the waters._" - -You see the immense walls of Mount Willey on one side, and of Webster -on the other, rushing downward thousands of feet, and meeting in one -magnificently imposing sweep at their bases. This vast natural inverted -archway has the heavens for a roof. The eye roves from the shaggy head -of one mountain to the shattered cornices of the other. One is terrible, -the other forbidding. The naked precipices of Willey, furrowed by -avalanches, still show where the fatal slide of 1826 crushed its way -down into the valley, traversing a mile in only a few moments. Far down -in the distance you see the Willey hamlet and its bright clearing. You -see the Saco's silver. - -Such, imperfectly, are the more salient features of this immense cavity -of the Notch, three miles long, two thousand feet deep, rounded as if -by art, and as full of suggestions as a ripe melon of seeds. I recall -few natural wonders so difficult to get away from, or that haunt you so -perpetually. - -Like ivy on storied and crumbling towers, so high up the cadaverous -cliffs of Willey the hardy fir-tree feels its way, insinuating its long -roots in every fissure where a little mould has crept, but mounting -always like the most intrepid of climbers. Upon the other side, the -massed and plumed forest advances boldly up the sharp declivity of -Webster; but in mid-ascent is met and ploughed in long, thin lines by -cataracts of stones, poured down upon it from the summit. Only a few -straggling bushes succeed in mounting higher; and far up, upon the very -edge of the crumbling parapet, one solitary cedar tottered. The thought -of imminent destruction prevailed over every other. Indeed, it seemed -as if one touch would precipitate the whole mass of earth, stones, and -trees into the vale beneath. - -Between these high, receding walls, which draw widely apart at the -outlet of the pass, mountains rise, range upon range. Over the flattened -Nancy summits, Chocorua lifts his crested head once more into view. We -pass in review the summits massed between, which on this morning were -of a deep blue-black, and stood vigorously forth from a sad and boding -sky. - -From the ledges of Mount Willard, Washington and the peaks between are -visible in a clear day. This morning they were muffled in clouds, which -a strong upper current of air began slowly to disperse. We, therefore, -secured a good position, and waited patiently for the unveiling. - -Little by little the clouds shook themselves free from the mountain, and -began a slow, measured movement toward the Ammonoosuc Valley. As they -were drawn out thinner and thinner, like fleeces, by invisible hands, -we began to be conscious of some luminous object behind them, and all -at once, through a rift, there burst upon the sight the grand mass of -Washington, all resplendent in silvery whiteness. From moment to moment -the trooping clouds, as if pausing to pay homage to the illustrious -recluse, encompassed it about. Then moving on, the endless procession -again and again disclosed the snowy crest, shining out in unshrouded -effulgence. To look was to be wonder-struck--to be dumb. - -As the clouds unrolled more and more their snowy billows, other and -lower summits rose above, as on that memorable morn after the Deluge, -where they appeared like islands of crystal floating in a sea of -silvery vapor. We gazed for an hour upon this unearthly display, which -derived unique splendor from fitful sun-rays shot through the folds of -surrounding clouds, then drawing off, and again darting unawares upon -the stainless white of the summits. It was a dream of the celestial -spheres to see the great dome, one moment glittering like beaten silver, -another shining with the dull lustre of a gigantic opal. - -I have since made several journeys through the Notch by the railway. -The effect of the scenery, joined with some sense of peril in the minds -of the timid, is very marked. Old travellers find a new and veritable -sensation of excitement; while new ones forget fatigue, drop the novels -they have been reading, maintaining a state of breathless suspense and -admiration until the train vanishes out at the rocky portal, after an -ascent of nearly six hundred feet in two miles. - -In effect, the road is a most striking expression of the maxim, -"_L'audace, et toujours de l'audace_," as applied to modern engineering -skill. From Bemis's to Crawford's its way is literally carved out of -the side of the mountain. But if the engineers have stolen a march upon -it, the thought, how easily the mountain could shake off this puny, -clinging thing, prevailing over every other, announces that the mountain -is still the master. - -There are no two experiences which the traveller retains so long or so -vividly as this journey through the great Notch, and this survey from -the ledges of Mount Willard, which is so admirably placed to command it. -To my mind, the position of this mountain suggests the doubt whether -nature did not make a mistake here. Was not the splitting of the -mountains an after-thought? - - - - -X. - -_THE ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S._ - - On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds. - With a diadem of snow.--_Manfred._ - - -At five in the morning I was aroused by a loud rap at the door. In an -instant I had jumped out of bed, ran to the window, and peered out. It -was still dark; but the heavens were bright with stars, so bright that -there was light in the room. Now or never was our opportunity. Not a -moment was to be lost. - -I began a vigorous reveille upon the window-pane. George half opened one -sleepy eye, and asked if the house was on fire. The colonel pretended -not to have heard. - -"Up, sluggards!" I exclaimed; "the mountain is ours!" - -"Do you know who first tempted man to go up into a high mountain?" -growled George. - -"Satan!" whined a smothered voice from beneath the bedclothes. - -The case evidently was one which demanded heroic treatment. In an -instant I whipped off the bedclothes; in another I received two violent -blows full in the chest, which compelled me to give ground. The pillows -were followed by the bolster, which I parried with a chair, the bolster -by a sortie of the garrison _in puris naturalibus_. For a few seconds -the melee was furious, the air thick with flying missiles. By a common -instinct we drew apart, with the intention of renewing the combat, when -we heard quick blows upon the partition at the left, and scared voices -from the chamber at the right demanding what was the matter. George -dropped his pillow, and articulated in a broken voice, "Malediction! I -am awake." - -"Come, gentlemen," I urged, "if you are sufficiently diverted, dress -yourselves, and let us be off. At the present moment you remind me of -the half-armed warriors on the pediment of the Parthenon." - -"I take it you mean the frieze," said George, with chattering teeth. - -The colonel was on all-fours, picking up the different articles of his -wardrobe from the four corners of the chamber. "My stocking," said he, -groping among the furniture. - -"What do you call this?" inquired George, fishing the dripping article -from the water-pitcher. - -"Eh! where the deuce is my watch?" redemanded the colonel, still seeking. - -"Perhaps this is yours?" George again suggested, drawing it, with mock -dexterity, as he had seen Hermann do, from a boot-leg. - -We quickly threw on our clothes, but at the moment of starting George -put his hand into his breast and made a frightful grimace. - -"What is it?" we both asked in one breath. "What is the matter?" - -"My pocket-book is gone." - -After five minutes' ransacking in every hole and corner of the room, -and after shaking the bedclothes carefully, all to no purpose, it was -discovered that George and myself had exchanged coats. We then went -down-stairs into the great hall, where a solitary jet of gas burnt -blue, and a sleepy watchman dozed on a settee. The morning air was -more than chilly: it was "a nipping and an eager air." There were two -or three futile attempts at pleasantry, but hunger, darkness, and the -cold quickly silenced them. A man is never himself when roused at five -in the morning. No matter how desirable the excursion may have looked -the night before, turning out of a warm bed to hurry on your clothes by -candle-light, and to take the road fasting, strips it of all glamour. - -Day broke disclosing a clear sky, up which the rosy tints of sunrise -were streaming. The last star trembled in the zone of dusky blue above -the grand old hills, like a tear-drop on the eyelids of the night. The -warm color flowed over the frosted heads of the pines, mantling their -ghastly white with the warm glow of reviving life. Then the eye fell -upon the lower forests, still wrapped in deep shadows, the tiny lake, -the boats, and, lastly, the oval plain, or vestibule of the Notch, above -which ascended the shaggy sides of Mount Willard, and the retreating -outline of Mount Webster. The little plain was white with hoar-frost; -the frozen fountain dripped slowly into its basin, like a penitent -telling its beads. - -After a hasty breakfast, despatched with mountain appetites, behold us -at half-past six entering the forest in Indian file! My companions -again found their accustomed gayety, and soon the solemn old woods -echoed with mirth. Our hopes were as high as the mountain itself. - -A detour as far as Gibbs's Falls cost a good half-hour in recovering -the bridle-path; but we were at length _en route_, myself at the head, -George behind. The colonel carried the flask, and marched in the -middle. He was considered the most incorruptible of the three; but this -precaution was deemed an indispensable safeguard, should he, in a moment -of forgetfulness, carry the flask to his lips. - -The side of Mount Clinton, which we were now climbing, is very steep. -The name of bridle-path, which they give the long gully we had entered, -is a snare for pedestrians, but a greater delusion for cavaliers. The -rains, the melting snows, have so channelled it as to leave little -besides interlaced roots of old trees and loose bowlders in its bed. -Higher up it is nothing but the bare course of a mountain torrent. - -The long rain had thoroughly soaked the earth, rendering it miry and -slippery to the feet; the heavy air, compounded of a thousand odors, -hindered, rather than assisted, the free play of the lungs. Our progress -was slow, our breathing quick and labored. Every leaf trembled with -rain-drops, so that the flight of a startled bird overhead sprinkled us -with fine spray. Finches chattered in the tree-tops, squirrels scolded -us sharply from fallen logs. - -Looking up was like looking through some glorious, illuminated -window--the changed foliage seemed to have fixed the gorgeous hues of -the sunset. Through its crimson and gold, violet and green, patches of -blue sky greeted us with fair promise for the day. Looking ahead, the -path zigzagged among ascending trees, plunged into the sombre depths -above our heads, and was lost. One impression that I received may be, -yet I doubt, common to others. On either side of me the forest seemed -all in motion; the dusky trunks striding silently and stealthily by, -moving when we moved, halting when we halted. The greenwood was as full -of illusions as the human heart. I can never repress a certain fear in a -forest, and to-day this seemed peopled with sprites, gnomes, and fauns. -Once or twice a crow rose lazily from the top of a dead pine, and flew -croaking away; but we thought not of omens or auguries, and pushed gayly -on up the sharp ascent. - -It was a wild woodland walk, with few glimpses out of the forest. -For about a mile we steered toward the sun, climbing one of the long -braces of the mountain. Stopping near here, at a spring deliciously -pure and cold, we soon turned toward the north. As we advanced up the -mountain the sun began to gild the tree-tops, and stray beams to play -at hide-and-seek among the black trunks. We saw dells of Arcadian -loveliness, and we heard the noise of rivulets, trickling in their -depths, that we did not see. - -Wh-r-r-r! rose a startled partridge, directly in our path, bringing us -to a full stop. Another and another took flight. - -"Gad!" muttered the colonel, wiping his forehead, "I was dreaming of -old times; I declare I thought the mountain had got our range, and was -shelling us." - -"_Salmis_ of partridge; _sauce aux champignons_," said George, licking -his lips, and looking wistfully after the birds. You see, one spoke from -the head, the other from the stomach. - -Half an hour's steady tramp brought us to an abandoned camp, where -travellers formerly passed the night. A long stretch of corduroy road, -and we were in the region of resinous trees. Here it was like going up -rickety stairs, the mossed and sodden logs affording only a treacherous -foothold. Evidence that we were nearing the summit was on all sides. -Patches of snow covered the ground and were lodged among the branches. -From these little runlets made their way into the path, as the most -convenient channel. There were many dead pines, having their curiously -distorted limbs hung with the long gray lichen called "old man's beard." -Multitudes of great trees, prostrated by the wind, lay rotting along -the ground, or had lodged in falling, constituting a woful picture of -wreck and ruin. Here was not only the confusion and havoc of a primitive -forest, untouched by the axe, but the battle-ground of ages, where -frost, fire, and flood had steadily and pitilessly beaten the forest -back in every desperate effort made to scale the summit. Prone upon the -earth, stripped naked, or bursting their bark, the dead trees looked -like fallen giants despoiled of their armor, and left festering upon the -field. But we advanced to a scene still more weird. - -The last mile gives occasional glimpses into the Ammonoosuc Valley, of -Fabyan's, of the hamlet at the base of Washington, and of the mountains -between Fabyan's and Jefferson. The last half-mile is a steady planting -of one foot before another up the ledges. We left the forest for a -scanty growth of firs, rooted among enormous rocks, and having their -branches pinned down to their sides by snow and ice. The whole forest -had been seized, pinioned, and cast into a death-like stupor. Each -tree seemed to keep the attitude in which it was first overtaken; each -silvered head to have dropped on its breast at the moment the spell -overcame it. Perpetual imprisonment rewarded the temerity of the forest -for thus invading the dominion of the Ice King. There it stood, all -glittering in its crystal chains! - -But as we threaded our way among these trees, still as statues, the -sun came valiantly to the rescue. A warm breath fanned our cheeks and -traversed the ice-locked forest. Instantly a thrill ran along the -mountain. Quick, snapping noises filled the air. The trees burst their -fetters in a trice. Myriad crystals fluttered overhead, or fell tinkling -on the rocks at our feet. Another breath, and tree after tree lifted its -bowed head gracefully erect. The forest was free. - -George, who began by asking every few rods how much farther it was, now -repeated the question for the fiftieth time; but we paid no attention. - -We now entered a sort of liliputian forest, not higher than the knee, -but which must have presented an almost insuperable barrier to early -explorers of the mountain. In fact, as they could neither go through it -nor around it, they must have walked over it, the thick-matted foliage -rendering this the only alternative. No one could tell how long these -trees had been growing, when a winter of unheard-of severity destroyed -them all, leaving only their skeletons bleaching in the sun and -weather. Wrenched, twisted, and made to grow the wrong way by the wind, -the branches resembled the cast-off antlers of some extinct race of -quadrupeds which had long ago resorted to the top of the mountain. The -girdle of blasted trees below was piteous, but this was truly a strange -spectacle. Indeed, the pallid forehead of the mountain seemed wearing a -crown of thorns. - -Getting clear of the dwarf-trees, or knee-wood, as it is called in the -Alps, we ran quickly up the bare summit ledge. The transition from the -gloom and desolation below into clear sunshine and free air was almost -as great as from darkness to light. We lost all sense of fatigue; we -felt only exultation and supreme content. - -Here we were, we three, more than four thousand feet above the sea, -confronted by an expanse so vast that no eye but an eagle's might grasp -it, so thronged with upstarting peaks as to confound and bewilder us -out of all power of expression. One feeling was uppermost--our own -insignificance. We were like flies on the gigantic forehead of an -elephant. - -However, we had climbed and were astride the ridge-pole of New England. -The rains which beat upon it descend on one side to the Atlantic, on -the other to Long Island Sound. The golden sands which are the glory of -the New England coast have been borne, atom by atom, grain by grain, -from this grand laboratory of Nature; and if you would know the source -of her great industries, her wealth, her prosperity, seek it along the -rivers which are born of these skies, cradled in these ravines, and -nourished amid the tangled mazes of these impenetrable forests. How, -like beautiful serpents, their sources lie knotted and coiled in the -heart of these mountains! How lovingly they twine about the feet of the -grand old hills! Too proud to bear its burdens, they create commerce, -building cities, scattering wealth as they run on. No barriers can stay, -no chains fetter their free course. They laugh and run on. - -We stood facing the south. Far down beneath us, at our left, was the -valley of Mount Washington River. A dark, serpentine rift in the -unbroken forest indicated the course of the stream. Mechanically we -turned to follow it up the long gorge through which it flows, to where -it issues, in secret, from the side of Mount Washington itself. In front -of us arose the great Notch Mountains; beyond, mountains were piled on -mountains; higher still, like grander edifices of some imperial city, -towered the pinnacles of Lafayette, Carrigain, Chocorua, Kearsarge, and -the rest. Yes, there they were, pricking the keen air with their blunted -spears, fretting the blue vault with the everlasting menace of a power -to mount higher if it so willed, filling us with the daring aspiration -to rise as high as they pointed. Here and there something flashed -brightly upon the eye; but it was no easy thing to realize that those -little pools we saw glistening among the mountains were some of the -largest lakes in New England. - -Leaving the massive Franconia group, the eye swept over the Ammonoosuc -basin, over the green heights of Bethlehem and Littleton, overtopped by -the distant Green Mountains; then along the range dividing the waters -flowing from the western slopes of the great summits into separate -streams; then Whitefield, Lancaster, Jefferson; and, lastly, rested upon -the amazing apparition of Washington, rising two thousand feet above -the crags on which we stood. Perched upon the cap-stone of this massive -pile, like a dove-cot on the cupola of St. Peter's, we distinctly saw -the Summit House. Between us and our goal rose the brown heads of -Pleasant, Franklin, and Monroe, over which our path lay. All these -peaks and their connecting ridges were freely spattered with snow. - -"By Jove!" ejaculated the colonel at last; "this beats Kentucky!" - -It is necessary to say two words concerning a spectacle equally novel -and startling to dwellers in more temperate regions, and which now held -us in mingled astonishment and admiration. We could hardly believe -our eyes. This bleak and desolate ridge, where only scattered tufts -of coarse grass, stinted shrubs, or spongy moss gave evidence of -life, which seemed never to have known the warmth of a sunbeam, was -transformed into a garden of exquisite beauty by the frozen north wind. - -We remarked the iced branches of dwarf firs inhabiting the upper zone -of the mountain as we passed them; but here, on this summit, the -surfaces of the rocks actually bristled with spikes, spear-heads, and -lance-points, all of ice, all shooting in the direction of the north -wind. The forms were as various as beautiful, but most commonly took -that of a single spray, though sometimes they were moulded into perfect -clusters of berries, branching coral, or pendulous crystals. Common -shrubs were transformed to diamond aigrettes, coarse grasses into -bird-of-paradise plumes, by the simple adhesion of frost-dust. The iron -rocks attracted the flying particles as the loadstone attracts steel. -Cellini never fashioned anything half so marvellous as this exquisite -workmanship of a frozen mist. Yet, though it was all surpassingly -beautiful, it was strangely suggestive of death. There was no life--no, -not even the chirrup of an insect. No wonder our eyes sought the valley. - -Hardly had we time to take in these unaccustomed sights, when, to our -unspeakable dismay, ominous streakings of gray appeared in the southern -and eastern horizons. The sun was already overclouded, and emitted -only a dull glare. For a moment a premonition of defeat came over me; -but another look at the summit removed all indecision, and, without -mentioning my fears to my companions, we all three plunged into the -bushy ravine that leads to Mount Pleasant. - -Suddenly I felt the wind in my face, and the air was filled with -whirling snow-flakes. We had not got over half the distance to the -second mountain, before the ill-omened vapors had expanded into a -storm-cloud that boded no good to any that might be abroad on the -mountain. My idea was that we could gain the summit before it overtook -us. I accordingly lengthened my steps, and we moved on at a pace which -brought us quickly to the second mountain. But, rapidly as we had -marched, the storm was before us. - -Here began our first experience of the nature of the task in hand. The -burly side of Mount Pleasant was safely turned, but beyond this snow had -obliterated the path, which was only here and there indicated by little -heaps of loose stones. It became difficult, and we frequently lost it -altogether among the deep drifts. We called a halt, passed the flask, -and attempted to derive some encouragement from the prospect. - -The storm-cloud was now upon us in downright earnest. Already the flying -scud drifted in our faces, and poured, like another Niagara, over the -ridge one long, unbroken billow. The sun retreated farther and farther, -until it looked like a farthing dip shining behind a blanket. Another -furious blast, and it disappeared altogether. And now, to render our -discomfiture complete, the gigantic dome of Washington, that had lured -us on, disappeared, swallowed up in a vortex of whirling vapor; and -presently we were all at once assailed by a blinding snow-squall. -Henceforth there was neither luminary nor landmark to guide us. None of -us had any knowledge of the route, and not one had thought of a guide. -To render our situation more serious still, George now declared that he -had sprained an ankle. - -If I had never before realized how the most vigorous travellers had -perished within a few paces of the summit, I understood it this day. - -Bathed in perspiration, warned by the fresh snow that the path would -soon be lost beyond recovery, we held a brief council upon the situation -before and behind us. It was more than aggravating either way. - -All three secretly favored a retreat. Without doubt it was not only the -safest, but the wisest course to pursue; yet to turn back was to give in -beaten, and defeat was not easy to accept. Even George, notwithstanding -his ankle, was pluckily inclined to go on. There was no time to lose, -so we emerged from the friendly shelter of a jutting ledge upon the -trackless waste before us. - -From this point, at the northern foot of Pleasant, progress was -necessarily slow. We could not distinguish objects twenty paces through -the flying scud and snow, and we knew vaguely that somewhere here the -mountain ridge suddenly broke off, on both sides, into precipices -thousands of feet down. George, being lame, kept the middle, while the -colonel and I searched for stone-heaps at the right and left. - -We were marching along thus, when I heard an exclamation, and saw the -colonel's hat driven past me through the air. The owner ran rapidly over -to my side. - -"Take care!" I shouted, throwing myself in his path; "take care!" - -"But my hat!" cried he, pushing on past me. The wind almost drowned our -voices. - -"Are you mad?" I screamed, gripping his arm, and forcing him backward by -main strength. - -He gave me a dazed look, but seemed to comprehend nothing of my -excitement. George halted, looking first at one, then at the other. - -"Wait," said I, loosening a piece of ice with my boot. On both sides of -us rose a whirlpool of boiling clouds. I tossed the piece of ice in the -direction the hat had taken--not a sound; a second after the first--the -same silence; a third in the opposite direction. We listened intently, -painfully, but could hear nothing except the loud beating of our own -hearts. A dozen steps more would have precipitated our companion from -the top to the bottom of the mountain. - -I looked at the man whose arm I still tightly grasped. He was as pale as -a corpse. - -"This must be Oakes's Gulf," I ventured, in order to break the silence, -after we had all taken a pull at the flask. - -"This is Oakes's Gulf--agreed; but where in perdition is my hat?" -demanded the colonel, wiping the big drops from his forehead. - -After he had tied a handkerchief around his head, we crossed this -Devil's Bridge, with the caution of men fully alive to the consequences -of a false step, and with that tension of the nerves which announces the -terrible or the unknown.[9] - -We had not gone far when a tremendous gust sent us reeling toward the -abyss. I dropped on my hands and knees, and my companions followed -suit. We arose, shook off the snow, and slowly mounted the long, steep, -and rocky side of Franklin. Upon gaining the summit, the walking was -better. We were also protected by the slope of the mountain. The worst -seemed over. But what fantastic objects were the big rocks, scattered, -or rather lying in wait, along our route! What grotesque appearances -continually started out of the clouds! Now it was an enormous bear -squatted on his haunches; now a dark-browed sphinx; and more than once -we could have sworn we saw human beings stealthily watching us from -a distance. How easy to imagine these weird objects lost travellers, -suddenly turned to stone for their presumptuous invasion of the domain -of terrors! It really seemed as if we had but to stamp our feet to see a -legion of demons start into life and bar our way. - -Say what you will, we could not shake off the dread which these -unearthly objects inspired; nor could we forbear, were it at the risk of -being turned to stone, looking back, or peering furtively from side to -side when some new apparition thrust its hideous suggestions before us. -What would you have? Are we not all children who shrink from entering -a haunted chamber, and shudder in the presence of death? Well, the -mountain was haunted, and death seemed near. We forgot fatigue, forgot -cold, to yield to this mysterious terror, which daunted us as no peril -could do, and froze us with vague presentiment of the unknown. - -Covered from head to foot with snow, bearded with icicles, tracking -this solitude, which refused the echo of a foot-fall, like spectres, we -seemed to have entered the debatable ground forever dedicated to spirits -having neither home on earth nor hope in heaven, but doomed to wander -up and down these livid crags for an eternity of woe. The mountain had -already taken possession of our physical, now it seized upon our moral -nature. Neither the one nor the other could resist the impressions which -naked rock, furious tempest, and hidden danger stamped on every foot of -the way. - -In this way we reached Mount Monroe, last of the peaks in our route -to the summit, where we were forced to pick our way among the rocks, -struggling forward through drifts frequently waist deep. - -It was here that, finding myself some distance in advance of the -others--for poor George was lagging painfully--I halted for them to come -up. I was choking with thirst, aggravated by eating the damp snow. As -soon as the colonel was near enough--the wind only could be heard--I -made a gesture of a man drinking. He did not seem to understand, though -I impatiently repeated the pantomime. He came to where I stood. - -"The flask!" I exclaimed. - -He drew it slowly from his pocket, and handed it to me with a hang-dog -look that I failed for the moment to interpret. I put it to my lips, -shook it, turned it bottom up. Not a drop! - -And, nevertheless, this was the man in whom I had trusted. Caesar only -succumbed to the dagger of Brutus; but I had not the courage to fall -with dignity under this new misfortune, and so stood staring at the -flask and the culprit alternately. - -"Say that our cup is now full," suggested the incorrigible George. "The -paradox strikes me as ingenious and appropriate." - -It really was too bad. Snow and sleet had wet us to the skin, and clung -to our frozen garments. Our hands and faces were swollen and inflamed; -our eyes half closed and blood-shot. Even this short minute's halt set -our teeth chattering. George could only limp along, and it was evident -could not hold out much longer. Just now my uneasiness was greater than -my sympathy. He was an accessory before the fact; for, while I was -diligently looking out the path, he had helped the colonel to finish the -flask. - -We were nearing the goal: so much was certain. But the violence of the -gale, increasing with the greater altitude, warned us against delay. -We therefore pushed on across the stony terraces extending beyond, and -were at length rewarded by seeing before us the heaped-up pile of broken -granite constituting the peak of Washington, and which we knew still -rose a thousand feet above our heads. The sight of this towering mass, -which seems formed of the debris of the Creation, is well calculated -to stagger more adventurous spirits than the three weary and foot-sore -men who stood watching the cloud-billows, silently rolling up, dash -themselves unceasingly against its foundations. We looked first at the -mountain, then in each other's faces, then began the ascent. - -For near an hour we toiled upward, sometimes up to the middle in snow, -always carefully feeling our way among the treacherous pitfalls it -concealed. Compelled to halt every few rods to recover breath, the -distance traversed could not be great. Still, with dogged perseverance, -we kept on, occasionally lending each other a helping hand out of a -drift, or from rock to rock; but no words were exchanged, for the stock -of gayety with which we set out was now exhausted. The gravity of the -situation began to create uneasiness in the minds of my companions. All -at once I heard my name called out. I turned. It was the colonel, whose -halloo in midst of this stony silence startled me. - -"You pretend," he began, "that it's only a thousand feet from the -plateau to the top of this accursed mountain?" - -"No more, no less. Professor Guyot assures us of the fact." - -"Well, then, here we have been zigzagging about for a good hour, haven't -we?" - -"An hour and twenty minutes," said I, consulting my watch. - -"And not a sign of the houses or the railway, or any other creeping -thing. Do you want my opinion?" - -"Charmed." - -"We have passed the houses without seeing them in the storm, and are now -on the side of the mountain opposite from where we started." - -"So that you conclude--?" - -"We are lost." - -This was, of course, mere guesswork; but we had no compass, and might -be travelling in the wrong direction, after all. A moment's reflection, -however, reassured me. "Is that your opinion, too, George?" I asked. - -George had taken off his boot, and was chafing his swollen ankle. He -looked up. - -"My opinion is that I don't know anything about it; but as you got us -into this scrape, you had better get us out of it, and be spry about it -too, for the deuce take me if I can go much farther." - -"Why," croaked the colonel, "I recollect hearing of a traveller who, -like us, actually walked by the Summit House without seeing it, when he -was hailed by a man who, by mere accident, chanced to be outside, and -who imagined he saw something moving in the fog. In five minutes the -stranger would inevitably have walked over a precipice with his eyes -open." - -"And I remember seeing on the wall of the tavern where we stopped, at -Bartlett, a placard offering a reward for a man who, like us, set out -from Crawford's, and was never heard of," George put in.[10] - -"And I read of one who, like us, almost reached the summit, but -mistaking a lower peak for the pinnacle, losing his head, crawled, -exhausted, under a rock to die there," I finished, firing the last shot. - -Without another word both my comrades grappled vigorously with the -mountain, and for ten minutes nothing was heard but our labored -breathing. On whatever side we might be, so long as we continued to -ascend I had little fear of being in the wrong road. Our affair was to -get to the top. - -At the end of ten minutes we came suddenly upon a walled enclosure, -which we conjectured to be the corral at the end of the bridle-path. We -hailed it like an oasis in the midst of this desert. We entered, brushed -the snow from a stone, and sat down. - -Up to this time my umbrella had afforded a good deal of merriment to my -companions, who could not understand why I encumbered myself with it on -a day which began as this one did, perfectly clear and cloudless. Since -the storm came on, the force of the wind would at any time have lifted -off his feet the man who attempted to spread it, and even if it had -not, as well might one have walked blindfolded in that treacherous road -as with an open umbrella before him. Now it was my turn, or, rather, -the turn of the abused umbrella. A few moments of rest were absolutely -necessary; but the wind cut like a cimeter, and we felt ourselves -freezing. I opened the umbrella, and, protected by it from the wind, -we crouched under its friendly shelter, and lighted our cigars. Never -before did I know the luxury of a smoke like that. - -"Now," said I, complacently glancing up at our tent, "ever since I -read how an umbrella saved a man's life, I determined never to go on a -mountain without one." - -"An umbrella! How do you make that out?" demanded both my auditors. - -"It is very simple. He was lost on this very mountain, under conditions -similar to those we are now experiencing, except that his carrying an -umbrella was an accident, and that he was alone. He passed two nights -under it. But the story will keep." - -It may well be imagined that we had not the least disposition to be -merry; yet for all that there was something irresistibly comical in -three men sitting with their feet in the snow, and putting their heads -together under a single umbrella. Various were the conjectures. We could -hear nothing but the rushing wind, see nothing but driving sleet. George -believed we were still half a mile from the summit; the colonel was not -able to precisely fix his opinion, but thought us still a long way off. -After diligent search, in which we all joined, I succeeded in finding -something like a path turning to the right, and we again resumed our -slow clambering over the rocks. - -Perhaps ten minutes passed thus, when we again halted and peered -anxiously into the whirling vapor--nothing, neither monument nor -stone, to indicate where we were. A new danger confronted us; one I -had hitherto repulsed because I dared not think of it. The light was -failing, and darkness would soon be here. God help any that this night -surprised on the mountain! While we eagerly sought on all sides some -evidence that human feet had ever passed that way, a terrific blast, -that seemed to concentrate the fury of the tempest in one mighty effort, -dashed us helpless upon the rocks. For some seconds we were blinded, and -could only crouch low until its violence subsided. But as the monstrous -wave recoiled from the mountain, a piercing cry brought us quickly to -our feet. - -"Look!" shouted George, waving his hat like a madman--"look there!" he -repeated. - -Vaguely, through the tattered clouds, like a wreck driving miserably -before the tempest, we distinguished a building propped up by timbers -crusted with thick ice. The gale shook and beat upon it with demoniacal -glee, but never did weary eyes rest on a more welcome object. For ten -seconds, perhaps, we held it in view; then, in a twinkling, the clouds -rolled over it, shut together, and it was gone--swallowed up in the -vortex. - -A moment of bewilderment succeeded, after which we made a simultaneous -rush in the direction of the building. In five minutes more we were -within the hotel, thawing our frozen clothing before a rousing fire. - -It provokes a smile when I think of it. Here, in this frail structure, -perched like another Noah's Ark on its mountain, and which every gust -threatened to scatter to the winds of heaven, a grand piano was going -in the parlor, a telegraphic instrument clicked in a corner, and we sat -down to a _menu_ that made the colonel forget the loss of his hat. - -"By the bones of Daniel Boone! I can say as Napoleon did on the Great -St. Bernard, 'I have spoiled a hat among your mountains; well, I shall -find a new one on the other side,'" observed the colonel, uncorking a -second bottle of champagne. - - - - -SECOND JOURNEY. - - - PAGE - -I. _LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS_ 113 - -II. _JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY_ 122 - -III. _THE CARTER NOTCH_ 132 - -IV. _THE PINKHAM NOTCH_ 144 - -V. _A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S_ 155 - -VI. _IN AND ABOUT GORHAM_ 165 - -VII. _ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD_ 178 - -VIII._MOUNT WASHINGTON_ 189 - -[Illustration: WHITE MOUNTAINS - -(CENTRAL AND NORTHERN SECTION.) - -FROM -WALLING'S MAP OF -NEW HAMPSHIRE, -With corrections by -Members of the -APPALACHIAN CLUB. -1881. -] - - - - -SECOND JOURNEY - - - - -I. - -_LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS._ - - My lord, I will hoist saile; and all the wind - My bark can beare shall hasten me to find - A great new world. - --SIR W. DAVENANT. - - -When Cabot, in the _Mathew_, of Bristol, was sailing by the New England -coast, and the amazed savage beheld a pyramid of white sails rising, -like a cloud, out of the sea, the navigator saw from the deck of his -ship, rising out of the land, a cluster of lofty summits cut like a -cameo on the northern sky. - -The Indian left his tradition of the marvellous apparition, which he at -first believed to be a mass of trees wrapped in faded foliage, drifting -slowly at the caprice of the waves; but, as he gazed, fire streamed -from the strange object, a cloud shut it from his view, and a peal like -distant thunder was wafted on the breeze to his startled ears. That peal -announced the doom of his race. He was looking at the first ship. - -Succeeding navigators, Italians, Portuguese, French, English--a roll of -famous names--sailed these seas, and, in their turn, hailed the distant -summits. They became the great distinguishing landmarks of this corner -of the New World. They are found on all the maps traced by the early -geographers from the relations of the discoverers themselves. Having -thus found form and substance, they also found a name--the Mountains of -St. John. - -Ships multiplied. Men of strange garb, speech, complexion, erected their -habitations along the coast, the unresisting Indian never dreaming -that the thin line which the sea had cast up would speedily rise to an -inundation destined to sweep him from the face of the earth. Then began -that steady advance, slow at first, gathering momentum with the years, -before which he recoiled step by step, and finally disappeared forever. -His destiny was accomplished. To-day only mountains and streams transmit -to us the certainty that he ever did exist. They are his monument, his -lament, his eternal accusation. - -The White Mountains stood for the Indian not only as an image, but as -the actual dwelling-place of Omnipotence. His dreaded Manitou, whose -voice was the thunder, whose anger the lightning, and on whose face -no mortal could look and live, was the counterpart of the terrible -Thor, the Icelandic god, throned in a palace of ice among frozen and -inaccessible mountain peaks, over which he could be heard urging his -loud chariot amid the rage of the tempest. Frost and fire, plague and -famine were the terrific natural agents common to the Indian and to the -Norse mythology; and to his god of terrors the Indian conjurer addressed -his prayers, his incantations, and his propitiatory offerings, when -some calamity had befallen or threatened his tribe. But to cross the -boundary which separated him from the abiding-place of the Manitou! -plant his audacious foot within the region from which Nature shrunk back -affrighted! Not all the wealth he believed the mountain hoarded would -have tempted him to brave the swift and terrible vengeance of the justly -offended, all-powerful Manitou. So far, then, as he was concerned, the -mountain remained inviolate, inviolable, as a kind of hell, filled with -the despairing shrieks of those who in an evil hour transgressed the -limits sacred to immortals.[11] - -As a pendant to this superstition, in which their deity is with simple -grandeur throned on the highest mountain peak, it is curious to remember -the Indian tradition of the Deluge; for, like so many peoples, they had -their tradition, coming from a remote time, and having strong family -resemblance with that of more enlightened nations. According to it, all -the inhabitants of the earth were drowned, except one Powaw and his -wife, who were preserved by climbing to the top of the White Mountains, -and who were the progenitors of the subsequent races of man. The Powaw -took with him a hare, which, upon the subsiding of the waters, he freed, -as Noah did the dove, seeing in its prolonged absence the assurance that -he and his companion might safely descend to earth. The likeness of this -tradition with the story of Deucalion, and Pyrrha, his wife, as related -by Ovid, is very striking. One does not easily consent to refer it to -accident alone. - -There is one thing more. When asked by the whites to point out the -Indian's heaven, the savage stretched his arm in the direction of the -White Hills, and replied that heaven was just beyond. Such being his -religion, and such the influence of the mountain upon this highly -imaginative, poetic, natural man, one finds himself drawn legitimately -in the train of those marvels which our ancestors considered the most -credible things in the world, and which the sceptical cannot explain by -a sneer. - -According to the Indians, on the highest mountain, suspended from a -crag overlooking a dismal lake, was an enormous carbuncle, which many -declared they had seen blazing in the night like a live coal. Some even -asserted that its ruddy glare lighted the livid rocks around like the -fire of a midnight encampment, while by day it emitted rays, like the -sun, dazzling to look upon. And this extraordinary sight they declared -they had not only seen, but seen again and again. - -It is true that the Indians did not hesitate to declare that no mortal -hand could hope to grasp the great fire-stone. It was, said they, in the -special guardianship of the genius of the mountain, who, on the approach -of human footsteps, troubled the waters of the lake, causing a dark mist -to rise, in which the venturesome mortal became bewildered, and then -hopelessly lost. Several noted conjurers of the Pigwackets, rendered -foolhardy by their success in exorcising evil spirits, so far conquered -their fears as to ascend the mountain; but they never returned, and had, -no doubt, expiated their folly by being transformed into stone, or flung -headlong down some stark and terrible precipice. - -This tale of the great carbuncle fired the imagination of the simple -settlers to the highest pitch. We believe what we wish to believe, and, -notwithstanding their religion refused to admit the existence of the -Indian demon, its guardian, they seem to have had little difficulty in -crediting the reality of the jewel itself. At any rate, the belief that -the mountain shut up precious mines has come down to our own day; we -are assured by a learned historian of fifty years ago that the story of -the great carbuncle still found full credence in his.[12] We are now -acquainted with the spirit of the time when the first attempt to scale -the mountain, known to us, was rewarded with complete success. But the -record is of exasperating brevity. - -Among the earliest settlers of Exeter, New Hampshire, was a man by the -name of Darby Field. The antecedents of this obscure personage are -securely hidden behind the mists of more than two centuries. - -A hundred and twenty-five years before the ascent of Mont Blanc by -Jacques Balmat, Darby Field successfully ascended to the summit of the -"White Hill," to-day known as Mount Washington; but the exploit of the -adventurous Irishman is far more remarkable in its way than that of the -brave Swiss, since he had to make his way for eighty miles through a -wilderness inhabited only by beasts of prey, or by human beings scarcely -less savage, before he reached the foot of the great range; while Balmat -lived under the very shadow of the monarch of the Alps, so that its -spectre was forever crossing his path. Furthermore, the greater part of -the ascent of Mont Blanc was already familiar ground to the guides and -chamois-hunters of the Swiss Alps. On the contrary, according to every -probability, Field was the first human being whose daring foot invaded -the hitherto inviolable seclusion of the illustrious hermit of New -England. - -For such an adventure one instinctively seeks a motive. I did not long -amuse myself with the idea that this explorer climbed merely for the -sake of climbing; and I have little notion that he dreamed of posthumous -renown. It is far more probable that the reports brought by the Indians -of the fabulous treasures of the mountains led to Field's long, arduous, -and really perilous journey. It is certain that he was possessed of -rare intrepidity, as well as the true craving for adventure. That goes -without saying; still, the whole undertaking--its inception, its pursuit -to the end in the face of extraordinary obstacles, which he had no means -of measuring or anticipating--announces a very different sort of man -from the ordinary, a purpose before which all dangers disappear. - -In June, 1642, that is to say, only twelve years after the Puritan -settlements in Massachusetts Bay, Field set out from the sea-coast for -the White Hills. - -So far as known, he prosecuted his journey to the Indian village -of Pigwacket, the existence of which is thus established, without -noteworthy accident or adventure. Here he was joined by some Indians, -who conducted him within eight miles of the summit, when, declaring that -to go farther would expose them to the wrath of their great Evil Spirit, -they halted, and refused to proceed. The brave Irishman was equal to the -emergency. To turn back, baffled, within sight of his goal was evidently -not an admitted contingency. Leaving the Indians, therefore, squatted -upon the rocks, and no doubt regarding him as a man rushing upon a -fool's fate, Field again resolutely faced the mountain, when, seeing him -equally unmoved by their warnings as unshaken in his determination to -reach the summit, two of the boldest warriors ran after him, while the -others stoically made their preparations to await a return which they -never expected to take place. They watched the retreating figures until -lost among the rocks. - -In the language of the original narration, the rest of the ascent was -effected by "a ridge between two valleys filled with snow, out of which -came two branches of the Saco River, which met at the foot of the hill, -where was an Indian town of two hundred people." ... "By-the-way, among -the rocks, there were two ponds, one a blackish water, and the other -reddish.".... "Within twelve miles of the top was neither tree nor -grass, but low savins, which they went upon the top of sometimes." - -The adventurous climber pushed on. Soon he was assailed by thick clouds, -through which he and his companions resolutely toiled upward. This slow -and labored progress through entangling mists continued until within -four miles of the summit, when Field emerged above them into a region -of intense cold. Surmounting the immense pile of shattered rocks which -constitute the spire, he at last stood upon the unclouded summit, -with its vast landscape outspread beneath him, and the air so clear -that the sea seemed not more than twenty miles distant. No doubt the -daring explorer experienced all the triumph natural to his successful -achievement. It is not difficult to imagine the exultation with which he -planted his audacious foot upon the topmost crag, for, like Columbus, -Cabot, Balboa, he, too, was a real discoverer. The Indians must have -regarded him, who thus scornfully braved the vengeance of their god of -terrors, as something more than man. I have often pictured him standing -there, proudly erect, while the wonder-struck savages crouched humbly at -his feet. Both, in their way, felt the presence of their God; but the -white man would confront his as an equal, while the savage adored with -his face in the dust. - -The three men, after their first emotion of ecstasy, amazement, or fear, -looked about them. For the moment the great carbuncle was forgotten. -Field had chosen the best month of the twelve for his attempt, and now -saw a vast and unknown region stretching away on the north and east to -the shores of what he took for seas, but what were really only seas of -vapor, heaped against the farthest horizons. He fancied he saw a great -water to the north, which he judged to be a hundred miles broad, for -no land was beyond it. He thought he descried the great Gulf of Canada -to the east, and in the west the great lake out of which the river of -Canada came. All these illusions are sufficiently familiar to mountain -explorers; and it must not be forgotten that in Field's day geographical -knowledge of the interior of the country was indeed limited. In fact, he -must have brought back with him the first accurate knowledge respecting -the sources of those rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the -mountains. The great gulf on the north side of Mount Washington is -truly declared to be such a precipice that they could scarce discern to -the bottom; the great northern wilderness as "daunting terrible," and -clothed with "infinite thick woods." Such is its aspect to-day. - -The day must have been so far spent that Field had but little time in -which to prosecute his search. He, however, found "store of Muscovy -glass" and some crystals, which, supposing them to be diamonds, he -carefully secured and brought away. These glittering masses, congealed, -according to popular belief, like ice on the frozen regions of the -mountains, gave them the name of the Crystal Hills--a name the most -poetic, the most suggestive, and the most fitting that has been applied -to the highest summits since the day they were first discovered by -Englishmen. - -Descending the mountain, Field rejoined his Indians, who were doubtless -much astonished to see him return to them safe and sound; for, while he -had been making the ascent, a furious tempest, sent, as these savages -believed, to destroy the rash pale-face and his equally reckless -companions, burst upon the mountain. He found them drying themselves by -a fire of pine-knots; and, after a short halt, the party took their way -down the mountain to the Indian village. - -Before a month elapsed, Field, with five or six companions, made a -second ascent; but the gem of inestimable value, by whose light one -might read at night, continued to elude his pursuit. The search was not, -however, abandoned. Others continued it. The marvellous story, as firmly -believed as ever by the credulous, survived, in all its purity, to our -own century, to be finally transmitted to immortality by Hawthorne's -tale of "The Great Carbuncle." It may be said here that great influence -was formerly attributed to this stone, which the learned in alchemy -believed prevailed against the dangers of infection, and was a sure -talisman to preserve its owner from peril by sea or by land. - -A tradition is ten times a tradition when it has a fixed locality. -Without this it is a myth, a mere vagabond of a tradition. Knowing this, -I searched diligently for the spot where the great carbuncle, like the -eye of a Cyclop, shed its red lustre far down the valley of the Saco; -and if the little mountain tarn to-day known as Hermit Lake, over which -the gaunt crags rise in austere grandeur, be not the place, then I am -persuaded that further seeking would be unavailing. I cannot go so far -as to say that it never existed. - -What seems passing strange is that the feat performed by Field,[13] the -fame of which spread throughout the colony, should have been nearly, -if not wholly, forgotten before the lapse of a century. Robert Rogers, -one of the most celebrated hunters of the White Mountains, subsequently -a renowned partisan leader in the French and Indian wars, uses the -following language concerning them: - -"I cannot learn that any person was ever on the top of these mountains. -I have been told by the Indians that they have often attempted it in -vain, by reason of the change of air they met with, which I am inclined -to believe, having ascended them myself 'til the alteration of air was -very perceptible; and even then I had not advanced half way up; the -valleys below were then concealed from view by clouds." - -It is not precisely known when or how these granite peaks took the name -of the White Mountains. We find them so designated in 1672 by Josselyn, -who himself performed the feat of ascending the highest summit, of -which a brief record is found in his "New England's Rarities." One -cannot help saying of this book that either the author was a liar of the -first magnitude, or else we have to regret the degeneracy of Nature, -exhausted by her long travail; for this narrator gravely tells us of -frogs which were as big as a child of a year old, and of poisonous -serpents which the Indians caught with their bare hands, and ate alive -with great gusto. These are rarities indeed. - -The first mention I have met with of an Indian name for the White -Mountains is in the narrative of John Gyles's captivity, printed in -Boston in 1736, saying: - -"These White Hills, at the head of Penobscot River, are by the Indians -said to be much higher than those called Agiockochook,[14] above Saco." - -The similitude between the names White Mountains and Mont Blanc suggests -the same idea, that color, rather than character, makes the first and -strongest impression upon the beholder. Thus we have White Mountains and -Green Mountains, Red Mountains and Black Mountains, the world over. The -eye seizes a color before the mind fixes upon a distinctive feature, -or the imagination a resemblance. It is stated, on the authority of -Schoolcraft, that the Algonquins called these summits "White Rocks." -Mariners, approaching from the open sea, descried what seemed a -cloud-bank, rising from the landward horizon, when twenty leagues from -the nearest coast, and before any other land was visible from the -mast-head. Thirty leagues distant in a direct line, in a clear midsummer -day, the distant summits appeared of a pearly whiteness; observed -again from a church steeple on the sea-coast, with the sky partially -overcast, they were whitish-gray, showing that the change from blue to -white, or to cool tones approximating with white, is due to atmospheric -conditions. The early writers succeed only imperfectly in accounting -for this phenomenon, which for six months of the year at least has no -connection whatever with the snows that cover the highest peaks only -from the middle of October to the middle of April, a period during which -few navigators of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries visited our -shores, or, indeed, ventured to put to sea at all.[15] - - - - -II. - -_JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY._ - - Once more, O mountains of the North, unveil - Your brows, and lay your cloudy mantles by!--WHITTIER. - - -It is Petrarch who says, "A journey on foot hath most pleasant -commodities; a man may go at his pleasure; none shall stay him, none -shall carry him beyond his wish, none shall trouble him; he hath but -one labor, the labor of nature, to go." Every true pedestrian ought to -render full faith to the poet's assertion; and should he chance to have -his Laura, he will see her somewhere, or, rather, everywhere, I promise -him. But that is his affair. - -There are two ways of reaching Jackson from North Conway. One route -leaves the travelled highway a short distance beyond the East Branch of -the Saco, and ascends Thorn Hill; another diverges from it near Glen -Station, in Bartlett. The Thorn Hill way is the longer; but, as the -views are unsurpassed, I unhesitatingly chose it in preference to the -easier and shorter road. - -The walk from the Intervale over Thorn Hill gives ravishing backward -glimpses, opening to a full and broad panorama of the Saco meadows and -of the surrounding mountains. Needless to call them by name. One might -forget names, but the image never. Then, advancing to the summit, full -upon the charmed eye comes that glorious vision of the great mountains, -elevated to an immense height, and seeming, in their benevolence, to -say, "Approach, mortals!" Underneath is the village. - -We have left the grand vestibule of the Saco to enter an amphitheatre. -Washington, in his snowy toga, occupies the place of high honor. Adams -flaunts his dainty spire over the Pinkham Notch, at the monarch's left -hand. Then comes an embattled wall, pierced through its centre by the -immense hollow of the Carter Notch. - -Jackson is the ideal mountain village. From Thorn Hill it looked a -little elysium, with its handful of white houses huddled around its -one little church spire, like a congregation sitting at the feet of -their pastor. You perceive neither entrance nor exit, so completely is -the deep vale shut in by mountains. The streams, that make two veins -of silver in the green floor, seem vainly seeking a way out. One would -think Nature had locked the door and thrown away the key. The first -stream is the Wildcat, coming from the Carter Notch; the second, the -Ellis, from the Pinkham Notch. They unite just below the village, and, -like a forlorn-hope, together cut their way out of the mountains. - -Getting down into the village, the high mountains now sink out of -sight, and I saw only the nearer and less elevated ones immediately -surrounding--on the north, Eagle and Wildcat; on the east, Tin and -Thorn; on the west, Iron Mountain. The latter has fine, bold cliffs. -Over its smooth slope I again saw the two great steps of the Giant's -Stairs, mounting the long ridge which conducts to the great plateau of -Mount Washington. - -The village has a bright, pleasant look, but is not otherwise remarkable -in itself. Three hotels, the church, and a score or so of houses, -constitute the central portion. But if the village is small, the -township is large; and what is the visitor's astonishment, on opening -his eyes some fine morning, to see farms and farm-houses scattered along -the very summit of Thorn Mountain, whence they appear to regard the -little world below with a lofty disdain. How came they there? is the -question one feels inclined to ask; for in this enchanted air he loses -the desire, almost the faculty, of thinking for himself. The inhabitants -of this little colony seem to prize their seclusion, and only descend to -earth at the call of necessity. Their neighbors are the eagles. Surely -this is _Ultima Thule_. Alas! no; the tax-gatherer mounts even here. - -The people of Jackson are above all anxious for the development of -the mineral resources of the place. They have iron and tin, and claim -also the existence of copper and even of gold ores. Yet it is probable -that the vein most profitable for them, the one most likely to yield -satisfactory returns, is that on which the summer hotels have been -located and opened. So far, the mountains refuse to give up the wealth -they hoard. - -[Illustration: GIANT'S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN.] - -The Wildcat cuts the village in two. It is a perfect highwayman of a -stream. The very air is tremulous with its rush and roar. I halted -awhile on the little bridge that spans it, from which, looking down -the long pathway it makes, I enjoyed a fine retrospect of the Moats, -and, looking up, saw the torrent come bounding toward me. Here it makes -a swift descent over granite ledges, clean and fresh from constant -scrubbing, as the face of a country urchin, and as freckled. See how -hard every rod of its course is beset by huge hump-backed bowlders! A -river in fetters! - -Just above the bridge the stream plunges, two white streaks of water, -twenty to thirty feet obliquely down. Now it is dark, now light; -sometimes tinged a pale emerald, sometimes a rich amber, where it falls -down in thin sheets. For half a mile the ledges look as if an earthquake -had ripped them up to make a channel for this tempest of water. It is -from these ledges, looking down the course of the stream, that Moat -Mountain is so incomparably fine. It stretches itself luxuriously along -the rich meadows, like a Sybarite upon his couch of velvet, lifting -its head high enough to embrace the landscape, of which itself is the -most attractive feature. And the tall pines rise above the framework of -forest, as if to look at the beautiful mountain, clothed with the light -of the morning, and reclining with such infinite grace. - -Sprays of trembling foliage droop or stretch themselves out over the -stream in search of the fine dew it sends up. They seem endeavoring to -hide the broad scar made through the forest. The clear sun illuminates -their green leaves, and makes the cool rocks emit a sensible warmth. It -also illuminates the little fountains of water. Ferns and young willows -shoot from crevices, delicate mosses attach themselves to the grim -bowlders. I found the perfect print of a human foot sunk in the hardest -rock; also cavities as cleverly rounded as if pebbles had been taken -from the granite. On the banks, under the thick shade of the pines, I -gathered a handful of the showy pappoose flower, the green leaves of -which are edible. Little mauve butterflies fluttered at our knees like -violets blown about by the wind. - -The crest of the fall is split, and broken up in huge fragments. The -main stream gains an outlet by a deep channel it has cut in the rock; -then turns a mill; then shoots down the face of the ledge. Above the -high ledge the bed of the river widens to about two hundred feet. Higher -up, where it is broken in long regular steps over which fifty cascades -tumble, I thought it most beautiful. - -Besides Jackson Falls, so called, there is a fine cataract on the Ellis, -known as Goodrich Falls. This is a mile and a half out of the village, -where the Conway road passes the Ellis by a bridge; and, being directly -upon the high-road, is one of the best known. The river here suddenly -pours its whole volume over a precipice eighty feet high, making the -earth tremble with the shock. I made my way down the steep bank to the -bed of the river below the fall, from which I saw, first, the curling -wave, large, regular, and glassy, of the dam, then three wild and -foaming pitches of broken water, with detached cascades gushing out from -the rocks at the right--all falling heavily into the eddying pool below. -Where the water was not white, or filliped into fine spray, it was the -color of pale sherry, and opaque, gradually changing to amber gold -as the light penetrated it and the descending sheet of the fall grew -thinner. The full tide of the river showed the fall to the best possible -advantage. But spring is the season of cascades--the only season when -one is sure of seeing them at all. - -One gets strongly attached to such a stream as the Ellis. If it has -been his only comrade for weeks, as it has been mine, the liking grows -stronger every day--the sense of companionship is full and complete: -the river is so voluble, so vivacious, so full of noisy chatter. If you -are dull, it rouses and lifts you out of yourself; if gay, it is as gay -as you. Besides, there is the paradox that, notwithstanding you may be -going in different directions, it never leaves you for a single moment. -One talks as it runs, one listens as he walks. A secret, an indefinable -sympathy springs up. You are no longer alone. - -[Illustration: MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS.] - -Among other stories that the river told me was the following: - -Once, while on their way to Canada through these mountains, a war-party -of Indians, fresh from a successful forray on the sea-coast, halted with -their prisoners on the banks of a stream whose waters stopped their way. -For weeks these miserable captives had toiled through trackless forests, -through swollen and angry torrents, sometimes climbing mountains on -their hands and knees--they were so steep--and at night stretching their -aching limbs on the cold ground, with no other roof than the heavens.[16] - -The captives were a mother, with her new-born babe, scarcely fourteen -days old, her boy of six, her two daughters of fourteen and sixteen -years, and her maid. Two of her little flock were missing. One little -prattler was playing at her knee, and another in the orchard, when -thirteen red devils burst in the door of their happy home. Two cruel -strokes of the axe stretched them lifeless in their blood before her -frenzied eyes. One was killed to intimidate, the other was despatched -because he was afraid, and cried out to his mother. There was no time -for tears--none even for a parting kiss. Think of that, mothers of the -nineteenth century! The tragedy finished, the hapless survivors were -hurried from the house into the woods. There was no resistance. The blow -fell like a stroke of lightning from a clear sky. - -This mother, whose eyes never left the embroidered belt of the chief, -where the reeking scalps of her murdered babes hung; this mother, -who had tasted the agony of death from hour to hour, and whose -incomparable courage not only supported her own weak frame, but had -so far miraculously preserved the lives of her little ones, now stood -shivering on the shores of the swollen torrent with her babe in her -arms, and holding her little boy by the hand. In rags, bleeding, and -almost famished, her misery should have melted a heart of stone. But she -well knew the mercy of her masters. When fainting, they had goaded her -on with blows, or, making a gesture as if to snatch her little one from -her arms, significantly grasped their tomahawks. Hope was gone; but the -mother's instinct was not yet extinguished in that heroic breast. - -But at this moment of sorrow and despair, what was her amazement to hear -the Indians accost her daughter Sarah, and command her to sing them a -song. What mysterious chord had the wild, flowing river touched in those -savage breasts? The girl prepared to obey, and the Indians to listen. In -the heart of these vast solitudes, which never before echoed to a human -voice, the heroic English maiden chanted to the plaintive refrain of the -river the sublime words of the Psalmist: - -"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we -remembered Zion. - -"We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. - -"For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and -they that wasted us required of us mirth." - -As she sung, the poor girl's voice trembled and her eyes filled, but she -never once looked toward her mother. - -When the last notes of the singer's voice died away, the bloodiest -devil, he who murdered the children, took the babe gently from the -mother, without a word; another lifted her burden to his own shoulder; -another, the little boy; when the whole company entered the river. - -Gentlemen, metaphysicians, explain that scene, if you please: it is no -romance. - -As this tale plunged me in a train of sombre reflection, the river -recounted one of those marvellous legends which contain more poetry than -superstition, and which here seem so appropriate. - -According to the legend, a family living at the foot of a lofty peak -had a daughter more beautiful than any maiden of the tribe, possessing -a mind elevated far above the common order, and as accomplished as -beautiful. When she reached a proper age, her parents looked around -them for a suitable match, but in vain. None of the young men of the -tribe were worthy of so peerless a creature. Suddenly this lovely -wildflower of the mountains disappeared. Diligent was the search, and -loud the lamentations when no trace of her light moccasin could be -found in forest or glade. The tribe mourned her as lost. But one day -some hunters, who had penetrated into the fastnesses of the mountain, -discovered the lost maiden disporting herself in the limpid waters -of a stream with a beautiful youth, whose hair, like her own, flowed -down below his waist. On the approach of the intruders, the youthful -bathers vanished from sight. The relatives of the maiden recognized her -companion as one of the kind spirits of the mountain, and henceforth -looked upon him as their son. They called upon him for moose, bear, or -whatever creature they desired, and had only to go to the water-side -and signify their desire, when, behold! the animal came swimming toward -them. This legend strongly reminded me of one of those marvellous fables -of the Hartz, in which a princess of exceeding beauty, destroyed by the -arts of a wicked fairy, was often seen bathing in the river Ilse. If she -met a traveller, she conducted him into the interior of the mountain and -loaded him with riches. Each legend dimly conveys its idea of the wealth -believed to reside in the mountain itself. - -The Ellis continues to guide us farther and farther into the mountains. -If we turn in the direction of the Glen House, a mile out of the -village the Giant's Stairs come finely into view, and are held for -some distance. Then bewitching vistas of Mount Washington, with snow -decorating his huge sides, rise and sink, appear and disappear, until -we reach an open vale, where the stream is spanned by a rude bridge. -The route offers nothing more striking in its way than the view of the -Pinkham Notch, which lies open at this point. - -One of my walks extending as far as the last house on this road, -permitted me to gratify a strong desire to see something of the in-door -life of the poorer class of farmers. That desire was fully satisfied. -There was nothing remarkable about the house itself; but the room in -which I rested would have furnished Meyer von Bremen a capital subject -for one of his characteristic interiors--it carried me back a century -at least. In one corner a woman upward of seventy, I should say, sat -at a spinning-wheel. She rose, got my bread-and-milk, and then resumed -her spinning. A young mother, with a babe in her lap and two tow-headed -urchins at her knee, occupied a high-backed rocking-chair. To judge -from appearances, the river which flowed by the door was completely -forgotten. Her efforts to hush the babe being interrupted by the peevish -whining of one of the brats, she dealt him a sound box on the ear, upon -which the whole pack howled in unison, while the mother, very red with -the effect of her own anger, dragged the culprit from the room. There -was still another occupant, a young girl, so silently plying her needle -that I did not at first notice her. The floor was bare. A rickety chair -or two and a cradle finished the meagre inventory of the apartment. -The general appearance of things was untidy and unthrifty, rather than -squalid; but I could not help recalling Sir William Davenant's remark, -"that those tenants never get much furniture who begin with a cradle." - -In such rambles, romantic and picturesque, in such dreams, the time -runs away. The weeks are long days, the days moments. Every one asks -himself why he finds Jackson so enticing, but no one is able to answer -the question. _Cui bono?_ When I am happy, shall I make myself miserable -searching for the reason? Not if I know it. - -Like bees to the sweetest flowers, the artists alight on the choicest -bits of scenery by instinct. One runs across their umbrellas almost -everywhere, spread like gigantic mushrooms; but some of them seem only -to live and have their true artistic being here. In general, they -are gentle, unobtrusive, and rather subdued in the presence of their -beloved mountains. Some among them, however, develop actual rapacity -in the search for new subjects, as, with a pencil between their teeth, -they creep in ambush to surprise and carry off some mountain beauty -which you or I are to ransom. Does a traveller contemplate some arduous -exploration in an unvisited region? the artist knocks him over by -quietly remarking, "I camped there several days last year." - -In France they maintain that high mountains cannot be painted. -Consequently, the modern French landscape is almost always a dead -level; an illimitable plain, through which a placid stream quietly -meanders, with a thick wood of aged trees at the left, a snug hamlet in -the middle distance, some shrubbery on the right, and a clumsy ox-cart -with peasants, in the foreground. All these details are sufficiently -commonplace; but they appeal strongly to our human yearning for a life -of perfect peace--a sanctuary the world cannot enter. Turner knew that -he must paint a mountain with its head in the clouds, and its feet -plunged in unfathomable abysses. Imagination would do the rest, and -imagination governs the universe. - -Photography cannot reproduce the true relation of distant mountains to -the landscape. The highest summits look like hills. For want of color, -too, it is always twilight. Even running water has a frozen look, -and rocks emit a dead, sepulchral glare. But for details--every leaf -of the tree, or shadow of the leaf--it is faultless; it is the thing -itself. True, under the magnifying-glass the foliage looks crisped, as -is noticed after a first frost. In short, the photograph of mountain -scenery is like that of a friend taken in his coffin. We say with a -shiver that is he, but, alas, how changed! A body without a soul. Again, -photography cannot suggest movement. Perfect immobility is a condition -indispensable to a successful picture. A successful picture! A petrified -landscape! - -"In the morning to the mountain," says the proverb, as emblematic of -high hopes. For two stations embodying the best features the vicinity -of Jackson can offer, the crest of Thorn Mountain and the ledges above -Fernald's Farm are strongly commended to every sojourner. Both are -easily reached. On the first, you are a child lifted above the crowd -on the shoulders of a giant; the mountains have come to you. On the -second, you have taken the best possible position to study the form and -structure of Mount Washington. You see all the ravines, and can count -all the gigantic feelers the immense mountain throws down into the -gorge of the Ellis. In this way, step by step, we continue to master the -topography of the region visited as we take our chocolate, one sip at a -time. - -I prepared to continue my journey to the Glen House by the valley of -the Wildcat and the Carter Notch, which is a sort of side entrance to -the Peabody Valley. Two passes thus lie on alternate sides of the same -mountain chain. Before doing so, however, two words are necessary. - - - - -III. - -_THE CARTER NOTCH._ - - Stranger, if thou hast learned a truth which needs - No school of long experience, that the world - Is full of guilt and misery, and hast seen - Enough of all its sorrows, crimes, and cares, - To tire thee of it, enter this wild wood - And view the haunts of nature. - --BRYANT. - - -What traveller can pass beyond the crest of Thorn Hill without paying -his tribute of silent admiration to the splendid pageant of mountains -visible from this charmed spot! Before him the great rampart, bristling -with its countless towers, is breached as cleanly as if a cannon-ball -had just crashed through it. It is an immense hole; it is the cavity -from which, apparently, one of those great iron teeth has just been -extracted. Only it does not disfigure the landscape. Far from it. It -really exalts the surrounding peaks. They are enormously aggrandized by -it. You look around for a mountain of proper size and shape to fill it. -That gives the true idea. It is a mountainous hole. - -The little river, tumbling step by step down its broken ledges into -Jackson, comes direct from the Notch, and its stream is the thread -which conducts through the labyrinth of thick woods. I dearly love the -companionship of these mountain streams. They are the voices of the -wilderness, singing high or low, softly humming a melodious refrain to -your thoughts, or, joining innumerable cascades in one grand chorus, -they salute the ear with a gush of sound that strips the forest of its -loneliness and awe. This same madcap Wildcat runs shouting and hallooing -through the woods like a stream possessed. - -By half-past seven of a bright and crisp morning I was climbing the -steep hill-side over which Jackson Falls pour down. Here was a genuine -surprise. On arriving at the top, instead of entering a difficult and -confined gorge, I found a charming and tolerably wide vale, dotted with -farms, extending far up into the midst of the mountains. You hardly -realize that the stream flowing so demurely along the bottom of the -valley is the same making its entry into the village with such noise -and tumult. Half a mile above the falls the snowy cupola of Washington -showed itself over Eagle Mountain for a few moments. Then, farther on, -Adams was seen, also white with snow. For five miles the road skirts the -western slopes of the valley, which grows continually deeper, narrower, -and higher. Spruce Mountain is now on our left, the broad flanks of -Black Mountain occupy the right side of the valley. Beyond Black -Mountain Carter Dome lifts its ponderous mass, and between them the dip -of the Perkins Notch, dividing the two ranges, gives admittance to the -Wild River Valley, and to the Androscoggin, in Shelburne. Before me the -grand, downward curves of Carter Notch opened wider and wider. - -I picked up, _en route_, the guide of this locality, who lives on the -side of the mountain near where the road is left for the woods. Our -business was transacted in two words. While he was strapping on his -knapsack I had leisure to observe the manner of man he was. - -The guide, whose Christian name is Jonathan, is known in all the country -round as "Jock" Davis. He was a medium-sized, muscular man, whiskered to -his eyes, with a pair of bare arms the color of unglazed earthen-ware, -and a step like a panther. As he strode silently on before, with his dog -at his heels, I was reminded of the Jibenainosay and his inseparable -Little Peter. He was steady as a clock, careful, and a capital forester, -but a trifle taciturn. From time to time, as he drew my attention to the -things noticeable or interesting by the way, his face grew animated, and -his eyes sparkled. By the same token I believed I detected that dormant -perception of beauty and grandeur which is inborn, and which travellers -are in general too much disposed to deny any existence among the natives -of these mountains. It is true, one cannot express his feelings with -the vivacity of the other; but if there is such a thing as speech in -silence, the honest guide's looks spoke volumes. - -He told me that he was accustomed to get his own living in the woods, -like an old bear. He had trapped and gummed all through the region we -were in; the slopes of the great range, and the Wild River wilderness, -which he declared, with a shake of the head, to be "a horrid hole." Now -and then, without halting, he took a step to the right or left to look -into his fox and sable traps, set near the foot-path. When he spoke of -"gumming" on Wildcat Mountain, I was near making an awkward mistake; I -understood him to say "gunning." So I very innocently asked what he had -bagged. He opened his eyes widely and replied, "Gum."[17] - -[Illustration: THE CARTER NOTCH.] - -Seeing me ready, Davis whistled to his dog, and we entered the -logging-road in Indian file. We at once took a brisk pace, which in a -short time brought us to the edge of a clearing, now badly overgrown -with bramble and coppice, and showing how easily nature obliterates -the mark of civilization when left alone. In this clearing an old -cellar told its sad story but too plainly. Those pioneers who first -struck the axe into the noble pines here are all gone. They abandoned -in consternation the effort to wring a scanty subsistence from this -inhospitable and unfruitful region. Even the poor farms I had seen -encroaching upon the skirts of this wilderness seemed fighting in -retreat. - -We quickly came to a second opening, where the axe of God had smote -the forest still more ruthlessly than that of man. The ground was -encumbered with half-burnt trees, among which the gaudy fire-weed grew -rank and tall. Divining my thought, the guide explained in his quaint, -sententious way, "Fire went through it; then the wind harricaned it -down." A comprehensive sweep of his staff indicated the area traversed -by the whirlwind of fire and the tornado. This opening disclosed at our -left the gray cliffs and yawning aperture of the Notch--by far the most -satisfactory view yet obtained, and the nearest. - -Burying ourselves in deeper solitudes, broken only by the hound in full -cry after a fox or a rabbit, we descended to the banks of the Wildcat at -a point one and a half miles from the road we had left. We then crossed -the rude bridge of logs, keeping company with the gradually diminishing -river, now upon one bank, now on the other, making a gradual ascent -along with it, frequently pausing in mid-stream to glance up and down -through the beautiful vistas it has cut through the trees. Halt at the -third crossing, traveller, and take in the long course through the -avenue of black, moss-draped firs! one so sombre and austere, the other -gliding so bright and blithesome out of its shadow and gloom. Just above -this spot a succession of tiny water-falls comes like a procession of -nymphs out of an enchanted wood. - -We were now in a colder region. The sparseness of the timber led me to -look right and left for the stumps of felled trees, but I saw nothing of -the kind. To the rigorous climate and extreme leanness of the soil they -attribute the scanty, undersized growth. I did not see fifty good timber -trees along the whole route. Where a large tree had been prostrated by -the wind, its upturned and matted roots showed a pitiful quantity of -earth adhering. Finding it impossible to grow downward more than a few -poor inches, they spread themselves laterally out to a great distance. -But the fir, with its flame-shaped point, is a symbol of indomitable -pluck. You see it standing erect on the top of some huge bowlder, which -its strong, thick roots clutch like a vulture's talons. How came it -there? Look at those rotting trunks, so beautifully covered with the -lycopodium and partridge-plum! The seed of a fir has taken root in the -bark. A tiny tree is already springing from the rich mould. As it grows, -its roots grasp whatever offers a support; and if the decaying tree has -fallen across a bowlder, they strike downward into the soil beneath -it, and the rock is a prisoner during the lifetime of the tree. Its -resin protects it from the icy blasts of winter, and from the alternate -freezing and thawing of early spring. It is emphatically the tree of the -mountains. - -An hour and a half of pretty rapid walking brought us to the bottom of a -steep rise. We were at length come to close quarters with the formidable -outworks of Wildcat Mountain. The brook has for some distance poured a -stream of the purest water over moss of the richest green, but now it -most mysteriously vanishes from sight. From this point the singular rock -called the Pulpit is seen overhanging the upper crags of the Dome.[18] - -We drank a cup of delicious water from a spring by the side of the path, -and, finding direct access forbidden by the towering and misshapen mass -before us, turned sharply to the left, and attacked the side of Wildcat -Mountain. We had now attained an altitude of nearly three thousand feet -above the sea, or two thousand two hundred and fifty above the village -of Jackson; we were more than a thousand higher than the renowned -Crawford Notch. - -On every side the ground was loaded down with huge gray bowlders, so -ponderous that it seemed as if the solid earth must give way under them. -Some looked as if the merest touch would send them crashing down the -mountain. Undermined by the slow action of time, these fragments have -fallen one by one from the high cliffs, and accumulated at the base. -Among these the path serpentined for half a mile more, bringing us at -last to the summit of the spur we had been climbing, and to the broad -entrance of the Notch. We passed quickly over the level ground we were -upon, stopped by the side of a well-built cabin of bark, threw off our -loads, and then, fascinated by the exceeding strangeness of everything -around me, I advanced to the edge of the scrubby growth in front of the -camp, in order to command an unobstructed view. - -Shall I live long enough to forget this sublime tragedy of nature, -enacted Heaven knows when or how? How still it was! I seemed to have -arrived at the instant a death-like silence succeeds the catastrophe. -I saw only the bare walls of a temple, of which some Samson had just -overthrown the columns--walls overgrown with a forest, ruins overspread -with one struggling for existence. - -Imagine the light of a mid-day sun brightening the tops of the -mountains, while within a sepulchral gloom rendered all objects--rocks, -trees, cliffs--all the more weird and fantastic. I was between two high -mountains, whose walls enclose the pass. Overhanging it, fifteen hundred -feet at least, the sunburnt crags of the Dome towered above the highest -precipices of the mountain behind me. These stately barriers, at once -so noble and imposing, seemed absolutely indestructible. Impossible to -conceive anything more enduring than this imperishable rock. So long -as the world stands, those mountains will stand. And nothing can shake -this conviction. They look so strong, so confident in their strength, so -incapable of change. - -But what, then, is this dusky gray mass, stretching huge and irregular -across the chasm from mountain to mountain, completely filling the -space between, and so effectually blockading the entrance that we were -compelled to pick our way up the steep side of the mountain in order to -turn it? - -Picture to yourself acres upon acres of naked granite, split and -splintered in every conceivable form, of enormous size and weight, yet -pitched, piled, and tumbled about like playthings, tilted, or so poised -and balanced as to open numberless caves, which sprinkled the whole area -with a thousand shadows--figure this, I repeat, to yourself--and the -mind will then grasp but faintly the idea of this colossal barricade, -seemingly built by the giants of old to guard their last stronghold from -all intrusion. At some distance in front of me a rock of prodigious -size, very closely resembling the gable of a house, thrusting itself -half out, conveyed its horrible suggestion of an avalanche in the act of -ingulfing a hamlet. And all this one beholds in a kind of stupefaction. - -Whence came this colossal debris? I had at first the idea that the -great arch, springing from peak to peak, supported on the Atlantean -shoulders of the two mountains, had fallen in ruins. I even tried to -imagine the terrific crash with which heaven and earth came together in -the fall. Easy to realize here Schiller's graphic description of the -Jungfrau: - -"One walks there between life and death. Two threatening peaks shut in -the solitary way. Pass over this place of terror without noise; dread -lest you awaken the sleeping avalanche." - -It is evident, however, as soon as the eye attaches itself to the side -of the Dome, that one of its loftiest precipices, originally measuring -an altitude as great as any yet remaining, has precipitated itself in a -crushed and broken mass into the abyss. Nothing is left of the primitive -edifice except these ruins. It is easily conceived that, previous to -the convulsion, the interior aspect of the Notch was quite different -from what is seen to-day. It was doubtless narrower, gloomier, and -deeper before the cliff became dislodged. The track of the convulsion is -easily traced. From top to bottom the side of the mountain is hollowed -out, exposing a shallow ravine, in which nothing but dwarf spruces will -grow, and in which the erratic rocks, arrested here and there in their -fall, seem endeavoring to regain their ancient position on the summit. -There is no trace whatever of the rubbish ordinarily accompanying a -slide--only these rocks. - -Seeing that all this happened long ago, I asked the guide why the larger -growth we saw on both sides of the hollow had not succeeded in covering -the old scar, as is the case with the Willey Slide; but he was unable to -advance even a conjecture. The spruce, however, loves ruins, spreading -itself out over them with avidity. - -We felt our way cautiously and slowly out over the bowlders; for the -moment one quits the usual track he risks falling headlong upon the -sharp rocks beneath. In the midst of these grisly blocks stunted firs -are born, and die for want of sustenance, making the dreary waste -bristle with hard and horny skeletons. The spruce, dwarfed and deformed, -has established itself solidly in the interstices; a few bushes spring -up in the crannies. With this exception, the entire area is denuded -of vegetation. The obstruction is heaped in two principal ridges, -traversing its greatest breadth, and opening a broad way between. -This is one of the most curious features I remarked. From a flat rock -on the summit of the first we obtained the best idea of the general -configuration of the Notch; and from this point, also, we saw the two -little lakes beneath us which are the sources of the Wildcat. Beyond, -and above the hollow they occupy, the two mountains meet in the low -ridge constituting the true summit of Carter Notch. Far down, under -the bowlders, the Wildcat gropes its way out; but, notwithstanding one -or the other was continually dropping out of sight into the caverns -with which they are filled, we could neither hear nor see anything to -indicate its route. It is buried out of sight and sound. - -No incident of the whole excursion is more curiously inexplicable than -the total disappearance of the brook at the mountain's foot. Notice that -it was last seen gushing from the side we ascended, half a mile below -the camp. Whence does it come? When we were on top of the bowlders, -looking down on the water of the two little lakes, we wonderingly ask, -"Where does it go? How does it get out?" The mystery is, however, solved -by the certainty that their waters flow out underneath the barrier, so -that this mammoth pile of debris, which could destroy a city, was unable -to arrest the flow of a rivulet. - -But all this wreck and ruin exerts a saddening influence; it seems -to prefigure the Death of the Mountain. So one gladly turns to the -landscape--a very noble though not extensive one--enclosing all the -mountains and valleys to the south of us lying between Kearsarge and -Moat. - -After this tour of the rocks, we returned to the hut and ate our -luncheon. Here the Pulpit Rock, which is sure to catch the eye whenever -it wanders to the cliffs opposite, looks very much like the broken -handle of a jug. Davis explained that, by advancing fifteen or twenty -paces upon it, it would be possible to hang suspended over the thousand -feet of space beneath. While thus occupied, the dog received his share -of the bread and meat; nor was the little tame hawk that came and hopped -so fearlessly at our feet forgotten. This bird and a cross-bill were the -only living things I saw.[19] - -Being fully rested and refreshed, we started on a second exploration of -the upper part of the Notch. Thus far our examination had been confined -to the lower portion only. Descending the spur upon which the hut is -situated, we were, in a few moments, at the bottom of the deep cavity -lying between the Giants' Barricade and the little mountain forming the -northern portal. This area is undoubtedly the original floor of the -pass. We had now reached a position between the lakes. Looking backward, -the barricade lifted a black and frowning wall a hundred and fifty feet -above our heads. Looking down, the water of the lakes seemed "an image -of the Dead Sea sleeping at the foot of Jerusalem destroyed." While I -stood looking into them, a passing cloud, pausing in astonishment at -seeing itself reflected from these shadowy depths, darkened the whole -interior. Deprived all at once of sunlight, the scene became one of -great and magnificent solemnity. The pass assumed the appearance of a -vast cavern. The ponds lay still and cold below. The air grew chill, -the water black as ink. The ruddy color faded from the cliffs. They -became livid. I saw the thousands upon thousands of fir-trees, rigid and -sombre, ranged tier on tier like spectators in an immense circus, who -are awaiting the signal for some terrible spectacle to begin. When the -cloud tranquilly resumed its journey, a load seemed lifted off. It was -Nature repeating to herself, - - "Put out the light, and then put out the light." - -We had reached the camp at half-past ten. At half-past twelve we began -the ascent of the Dome. It is not so much the height as the steepness of -this mountain that wins our respect. The path goes straight up to the -first summit, deflects a little to reach the Pulpit, and then, turning -more northerly, ascends for a mile and a half more by a much easier rise -to the highest peak. There are no open ledges on the route. The path is -cut through a wood from base to summit; and, with the exception of a -few trees felled to open an outlook in the direction of the main range, -was covered on the summit itself with a dense growth of fir-trees from -twelve to fifteen feet high. To obtain a view of the whole horizon, it -was necessary, at the time of my visit, to climb one of these trees. - -I will not fatigue the reader with any detailed account of the ascent. -Suffice it to say that it was a slow and toilsome lifting of one heavy -foot after another for three-quarters of an hour. Sometimes the slope -was so near the vertical that we could ascend only a few rods at a -time. I improved these halts by leaning against a tree, and panting like -a doe pursued by the hunter. Davis threw himself upon the ground and -watched me attentively, but without speaking. If he expected me to give -out, I disappointed him by giving the signal to move on. I had already -served my apprenticeship on Carrigain. It was difficult to maintain -an upright position. Once, indeed, on looking up, I perceived that -the guide had abandoned in disgust the idea of walking erect, and was -creeping on all-fours, like his dog. This breathless scramble continued -for three-quarters of an hour, at the end of which we turned into the -short by-path conducting to the Pulpit. - -Near the Pulpit is a cleared space large enough to afford standing room -for fifteen or twenty persons. This Pulpit is a huge, rectangular rock, -jutting out from the face of the cliff on which we stood, and is not at -all unworthy of the name given to it by the guide. It is a fine station -from which to survey the deep rent in the side of the mountain, as well -as the mammoth stone-heap, which it overlooks. The black side of Mount -Wildcat, ploughed from top to bottom with four deep gashes, - - "The least a death to nature," - -is also seen to excellent advantage across the airy space between the -mountains. The fluttering of a handkerchief at the door of the little -cabin greatly enlivened the solitary scene, and drew from us the same -signal in return. - -At first sight the ascent by the chasm seems feasible; but Davis, who -has twice performed this difficult feat, declared with a shrug that -nothing would tempt him to do it again. Those who have ever come to -close quarters with the shrubby growth of these ruins will know how to -leave it in undisputed possession of its own chosen ground. The dwarf -spruce is the Cossack of the woods. - -What a beautiful landscape is that from the Pulpit! The southern horizon -is now widely opened. The mountains around Jackson have dwindled -to hills. Especially curious are the flattened top and distorted -contour-lines of Iron Mountain. Another singular feature is the way we -look through the cloven summit of Doublehead to Kearsarge's stately -pyramid. Here are strips of the Ellis and Saco Valleys, and all of the -Wildcat. The lakes in Ossipee are dazzling to look upon. Old Chocorua -lifts his brilliant spire; then Moat his iron bulwarks. Crawford, -Resolution, and the Giants' Stairs extend on the right, behind Iron. -The view is then cut off by the burly form of Wildcat. Far back in the -picture are the notched walls of the Franconia and Sandwich chains, -topped by pale blue peaks. - -Continuing the ascent for about three-fourths of a mile, we came to a -point only a rod or two distant from the head of the great slide of -1869, and from the top of a tree here was the most thrilling prospect of -Washington and the great northern peaks I ever beheld. All the summits -as far south as Monroe are included in the view. - -Over the right shoulder of Wildcat appeared the dazzling summit of -Washington, having at his left the noble cone of Jefferson, the -matchless shaft of Adams, and the massive pyramid of Madison. Each gray -head was profusely powdered with snow. Dark clouds, heavily charged with -frost, partially intercepted the sun's rays, and, enveloping the great -mountains in their shadows, cast over them a mantle of the deepest blue; -but enough light escaped to gild the arid slopes of the great ravines a -rich brown gold, and to pierce through, and beautifully expose, against -the dark bulk of Adams, a thin veil of slowly falling snow. Imagine an -Ethiopian wrapped from head to foot in lace! - -A chapter could not give the thousand details of this grand picture. -One devours it with avidity. He sees to the greatest possible advantage -the magnificent proportions of Washington, with his massive slopes -rolling up and up, like petrified storm-clouds, to the final summit. -He sees the miles of carriage-road, from where it leaves the woods, -as far as the great northern plateau. He looks deep down into the -depths of Tuckerman's and Huntington's ravines, and between them sees -Raymond's Cataract crusting the bare cliffs with a vein of quicksilver. -The massive head-wall of Tuckerman's was freely spattered with fresh -snow; the Lion's Head rose stark and forbidding; the upper cliffs of -Huntington's, - - "With twenty trenched gashes in his head," - -the great billows of land rushing downward into the dark gulfs, -resembled the vortex of a frozen whirlpool. - -But for refinement of form, delicacy of outline, and a predominant, -inexplicable grace, Adams stands forth here without a rival. -Washington is the undisputed monarch, but Adams is the highest type of -mountain beauty here. That splendid, slightly concave, antique shaft, -rising in unconscious symmetry from the shoulders of two supporting -mountain-peaks, which seem prostrating themselves at its feet, changes -the emotion of awe and respect to one of admiration and pleasure. Our -elevation presented all the great summits in an unrivalled attitude for -observation or study; and whoever has once beheld them--banded together -with bonds of adamant, their heads in the snow, and their feet in the -impenetrable shades of the Great Gulf; with every one of their thousands -of feet under his eye--every line as firm and strong, and every contour -true as the Great Architect drew it--without loss or abatement; vigorous -in old age as in youth; monuments of one race, and silent spectators -of the passing of another; victors in the battle with Time; chronicles -and retrospect of ages; types of the Everlasting and Unchangeable--will -often try to summon up the picture of the great peaks, and once more -marshal their towering battlements before the memory. - -The descent occupied less than half an hour, so rapidly is it made. -We had nothing whatever to do with regulating our speed, but were -fully occupied in so placing our feet as to avoid pitching headlong, -or sitting suddenly down in a miry place. We simply tumbled down the -mountain, like two rocks detached from its peak. - -After a last survey of the basin of the Notch, from the clearing above -the upper lake, we crossed the little mountain at its head, taking the -path leading to the Glen House. We descended the reverse side together, -to the point where the great slide referred to came thundering down from -the Dome into the gorge of Nineteen Mile Brook. This landslip, which -happened October 4th, 1869, was one of the results of the disastrous -autumnal storms, which deluged the mountains with rain, and set in -motion here an enormous quantity of wreck and debris. It was at this -time that Mr. Thompson, the proprietor of the Glen House, lost his life -in the Peabody River, in a desperate effort to avert the destruction of -his mill. - -Here I parted from my guide; and, after threading the woods for two -hours more, following the valley of Nineteen Mile Brook, came out of -their shadowy embrace into the stony pastures above the Glen House. - - - - -IV. - -_THE PINKHAM NOTCH._ - - Levons les yeux vers les saintes montagnes. - --RACINE. - - -The Glen House is one of the last strongholds of the old ways of travel. -Jackson is twelve, Randolph seven, and Gorham eight miles distant. These -are the nearest villages. The nearest farm-houses are Copp's, three -miles on the road to Randolph, and Emery's, six on the road to Jackson. -The nearest railway-station is eight miles off, at Gorham. The nearest -steam-whistle is there. So much for its seclusion. - -Being thus isolated, the Glen House is naturally the point of direction -for the region adjacent. Situated at the base of Carter Mountain, on a -terrace rising above the Peabody River, which it overlooks, it has only -the valley of this stream--a half mile of level meadow here--between -it and the base of Mount Washington. The carriage-road to the summit, -which, in 1861, superseded the old bridle-path, is seen crossing this -meadow. This road occupied six years in building, is eight miles long, -and is as well and solidly built as any similar piece of highway in New -England. - -When it is a question of this gigantic mass, which here offers such an -easy mode of ascent, the interest is assured. Respecting the appearance -of Mount Washington from the Glen House itself, it is a received -truth that neither the height nor the proportions of a high mountain -are properly appreciated when the spectator is placed exactly at the -base. The same is true here of Mount Washington, which is too much -foreshortened for a favorable estimate of its grandeur or its elevation. -The Dome looks flat, elongated, obese. But it is only a step from the -hotel to more eligible posts of observation, say the clearings on Mount -Carter, or, better still, the slopes of Wildcat, which are easily -reached over a good path. - -Still, Mount Washington is surveyed with more astonishment, perhaps, -from this point, than from any other. Its lower section is covered -with a dense forest, out of which rise the successive and stupendous -undulations culminating at last in the absolutely barren summit, which -the nearer swells almost conceal. The true peak stands well to the left, -indicated by a white building when the sun is shining, and a dark one -when it is not. As seen from this spot, the peculiar formation of the -mountain gives the impression of a semi-fluid mass, first cooled to -hardness, then receiving successive additions, which, although eternally -united with its bulk, have left the point of contact forever visible. -When the first mass cooled, it received a second, a third, and a fourth. -One believes, so to speak, certain intervals to have elapsed in the -process of solidifying these masses, which seem, to me at least, not -risen above the earth, but poured down upon it. - -It is related that an Englishman, seated on the balcony of his hotel at -Chamouni, after having conscientiously followed the peripatetics of a -sunset, remarked, "Very fine, very fine indeed! but it is a pity Mont -Blanc hides the view." In this sense, Mount Washington "hides the view" -to the west. No peak dares show its head in this direction. - -From the vicinity of the hotel, Wildcat Mountain allows the eye to -embrace, at the left, Mount Washington as far as Tuckerman's Ravine. -Only a few miles of the valley can be traced on this side; but at the -right it is open for nearly its whole length, fully exposing that -magnificent sweep of the great northern peaks, here bending majestically -to the north-east, and exhibiting their titanic props, deep hollows, -soaring peaks, to the admiring scrutiny of every wayfarer. It is -impossible to appreciate this view all at once. No one can pretend -to analyze the sensations produced by looking at mountains. The bare -thought of them causes a flutter of enthusiasm wherever we may be. At -such moments one lays down the pen to revel in the recollection. - -Among these grandees, Adams looks highest. It is indispensable that this -mountain should be seen from some higher point. It is only half seen -from the Glen, although the view here is by far the best to be had in -any valley enclosing the great chain. Ascend, therefore, even at the -risk of some toil, one of the adjacent heights, and this superb monument -will deign to show the true symmetrical relation of summit to base. - -I have already said that most travellers approach this charming mountain -nook by the Pinkham defile, instead of making their debut by the -Carter Notch. It will be well worth our while to retrace at least so -much of this route, through the first-named pass, as will enable us to -gain a knowledge, not so much of what it shows as of what it hides. By -referring to the chapter on Jackson, we shall then have seen all that -can be seen on the travelled highway. - -The four miles back through the Pinkham forest deserve to be called the -Avenue of Cascades. Not less than four drop from the mountain tops, or -leap down the confined gorges. Let us first walk in this direction. - -Two miles from the hotel we meet a sprightly and vigorous brook coming -down from Wildcat Mountain to swell the Peabody. A short walk up this -stream brings us to Thompson's Falls, which are several pretty cascades -slipping down a bed of granite. The ledges over which they glide offer -a practicable road to the top of the falls, from which is a most -interesting view into Tuckerman's Ravine, and of the summit of Mount -Washington. - -Some overpowering, some unexplained fascination about these dark and -mysterious chambers of the mountain arouses in us a desire strangely -like to that intense craving for a knowledge of futurity itself. We -think of the Purgatory of the ancients into which we would willingly -descend if, like Dante holding the hand of Virgil, we might hope to -return unscathed to earth. "This is nothing but an enormous breach -in the mountain," you say, weakly attempting to throw off the spell -by ridiculing the imagination. Be it so. But it has all the terrible -suggestiveness of a descent into the world of the dead. When we walk in -the dark we say that we are afraid of falling. It is a falsehood. We are -afraid of a _Presence_. - -That dark curling lip of the south wall, looking as if the eternal -adamant of the hills had been scorched and shrivelled by consuming -flame, marks the highest curve of the massive granite spur rooted deep -in the Pinkham defile. It is named Boott's Spur. The sky-line of the -ravine's head-wall is five thousand feet above the sea, on the great -plateau over which the Crawford trail passes. That enormous crag, rising -like another Tower of Famine, on the north and east divides the ravine -proper from the collateral chamber, known as Huntington's, out of which -the source of the Peabody gushes a swift torrent, and near which the -carriage-road winds its devious way up to the summit. In the depression -of this craggy ridge, between the two ravines, sufficient water is -collected to form the beautiful cataract known as Raymond's, which is -seen from all those elevations commanding the ravine itself. - -[Illustration: THE EMERALD POOL.] - -The ravine also furnishes a route to the summit of Mount Washington in -so far that the ascent may be continued from the head of the chasm to -the high plateau, and so up the pinnacle, by the old Crawford trail, or -over the crag on the right to the carriage-road; but it is not to be -highly recommended on that account, except to strong climbers. It should -be visited for itself, and for what is to be seen going or returning by -the different paths. I have also descended from the Summit House to the -ravine and returned by the same route; an excursion growing in favor -with those tourists having a day or two on their hands, and who approach -the mountain from the west or opposite side. In that case a return to -the summit saves a long detour. - -Before we come to Thompson's Falls a well-trod path leads to the Emerald -Pool, which Bierstadt's painting has rendered famous. At first one sees -only a deep hollow, with a dark and glassy pool at the bottom, and a -cool light coming down through the high tree-tops. Two large rocks -tightly compress the stream which fills it, so that the water gushes -out with sufficient force to whiten a little, without disturbing the -placid repose of the pool. This gives the effect of milk poured upon -ink. Above these rocks we look up the stony bed of the frantic river -and meet the blue mass of a distant mountain. Rocks are picturesquely -dropped about the margin. Upon one side a birch leans far out over the -basin, whose polished surface brilliantly reflects the white light of -its bark. One sees the print of foliage on the black water, like that of -ferns and grasses upon coal; or, rather, like the most beautiful Italian -mosaics--black marble inlaid with arabesques of color. The illusion -is more perfect still when the yellow and scarlet of the maples is -reflected, as in autumn. - -The contrast between the absolutely quiet pool and the feverish -excitement of the river is singular. It is that of a life: one, serene -and unmoved, receives the other in its bosom and calms its excitement. -It then runs out over the pebbles at a steadier pace, soothed, -tranquillized, and strengthened, to meet its destiny by this one moment -of peace and rest. - -Doubtless many turn languidly into this charming sylvan retreat with -only a dim perception of its beauty. Few go away except to sing its -praises with heart and tongue. Solitude is here. Repose is here. Peace -is omnipresent. And, freed from the excitements of city life, "Peace -at any price" is the cry of him whom care pursues as with a knotted -scourge. If he find not rest here, 'tis his soul "is poor." For him -the smell of the earth, the fragrance of the pines, the very stones, -have healing or strength. He grows drowsy with the lullaby of the -brook. A delicious languor steals over him. A thousand dreamy fancies -float through his imagination. He is a child again; or, rather, he is -born again. The artificial man drops off. Stocks and bonds are clean -forgotten. His step is more elastic, his eye more alert, his heart -lighter. He departs believing he has read, "Let all who enter here leave -care behind." And all this comes of seeing a little shaded mountain pool -consecrated by Nature. He has only experienced her religion and received -her baptism. - -Burying ourselves deeper in the pass, the trees, stirred by the breeze, -shake out their foliage like a maiden her long tresses. And the glory -of one is the glory of the other. We look up to the greater mountains, -still wrapped in shadows, saying to those whom its beams caress, "Out of -my sun!" - -At the third mile a guide-board at the right announces the Crystal -Cascade. We turn aside here, and, entering the wood, soon reach the -banks of a stream. The last courtesy this white-robed maid makes on -crossing the threshold of her mountain home is called the Crystal -Cascade. It is an adieu full of grace and feeling. - -[Illustration: THE CRYSTAL CASCADE.] - -The Crystal Cascade divides with Glen Ellis the honor of being the most -beautiful water-fall of the White Mountains. And well may it claim this -distinction. These two charming and radiant sisters have each their -especial admirers, who come in multitudes every year, like pilgrims -to the shrine of a goddess. In fact, they are as unlike as two human -countenances. Every one is astonished at the changes effected by simple -combinations of rocks, trees, and water. One shrinks from a critical -analysis of what appeals so strangely to his human sympathies. Indeed, -he should possess the language of a Dumas or a Ruskin, the poetry of -a Longfellow or a Whittier, the pencil of a Turner or a Church, to do -justice to this pre-eminently beautiful of cascades. - -Look around. On the right bank of the stream, where a tall birch leans -its forked branches out over the pool below, a jutting rock embraces -in one glance the greater part of the fall. The cliffs, rising on both -sides, make a most wild and impressive setting. The trees, which shade -or partly screen it, exclude the light. The ferns and shrubbery trace -their arabesques of foliage upon the cold, damp rocks. The sides of -the mountain, receding into black shadows, seem set with innumerable -columns, supporting a roof of dusky leafage. All this combines to -produce the effect of standing under the vault of some old dimly-lighted -cathedral--a subdued, a softened feeling. A voice seems whispering, "God -is here!" - -Through these sombre shades the cascade comes like a gleam of light: -it redeems the solitude. High up, hundreds of feet up the mountain, it -boils and foams; it hardly seems to run. How it turns and tosses, and -writhes on its hard bed! The green leaves quiver at its struggles. Birds -fly silently by. Down, down, and still down over its shattered stairs -falls the doomed flood, until, lashed and broken into a mere feathery -cloud, it reaches a narrow gorge between abrupt cliffs of granite. A -little pellucid basin, half white, half black water, receives it in -full career. It then flows out by a pretty water-fall of twenty feet -more. But here, again, the sharp, wedge-shaped cliff, advancing from -the opposite bank, compresses its whole volume within a deep and narrow -trough, through which it flies with the rapidity of light, makes a -right angle, and goes down the mountain, uttering loud complaints. From -below, the jagged, sharp-edged cliff forms a kind of vestibule, behind -which the cascade conceals itself. Behind this, farther back, is a rock, -perfectly black, and smooth as polished ebony, over which the surplus -water of the fall spreads a tangled web of antique lace. Some very -curious work has been going on here since the stream first made its way -through the countless obstacles it meets in the long miles to its secret -fountains on Mount Washington. One carries away a delightful impression -of the Crystal Cascade. To the natural beauty of falling water it brings -the charm of lawless unrestraint. It scorns the straight and narrow -path; has stolen interviews with secret nooks on this side or that; is -forever coquettishly adjusting its beautiful dishabille. What power has -taken one of those dazzling clouds, floating over the great summit, and -pinned it to the mountain side, from which it strives to rise and soar -away? - -We are now in the wildest depths of the Pinkham defile. The road is -gloomy enough, edging its way always through a dense wood around a -spur of Mount Washington, which it closely hugs. Upon reaching the -summit, thirteen hundred and fifty feet above the Saco, at Bartlett, a -sign-board showed where to leave the highway, but now the noise of the -fall coming clearer and clearer was an even surer guide. - -The sense of seclusion is perfect. Stately pines, funereal cedars, -sombre hemlocks, throng the banks, as if come to refresh their -parched foliage with the fine spray ascending from the cataract. This -spray sparkles in the sun like diamond-dust. Through the thick-set, -clean-limbed tree-trunks jets of foam can be seen in mad riot along -the rocky gorge. They leap, toss their heads, and tumble over each -other like young lambs at play. Backward up the stream, downward beyond -the fall, we see the same tumult of waters in the midst of statuesque -immobility; we hear the roar of the fall echoing in the tops of the -pines; we feel the dull earth throb with the superabundant energy of the -wild river. - -Making my way to the rocks above the cataract, I saw the torrent swiftly -descending in two long, arching billows, flecked with foam, and tossing -myriad diamonds to the sun. Two large masses of rock, loosened from the -cliffs that hang over it, have dropped into the stream, turning it a -little from its ancient course, but only to make it more picturesque and -more tumultuous. On the left of the gorge the rocks are richly striped -with black, yellow, and purple. The water is crystal clear, and cold as -ice, having come, in less time than it takes to write, from the snows of -Tuckerman's Ravine. The variegated hues of the rocks, glistening with -spray, of the water itself seizing and imprisoning, like flies in amber, -every shadow these rocks let fall, the roar of the cataract, make a deep -and abiding impression of savage force and beauty. - -But I had not yet seen the fall. Descending by slippery stairs to the -pool beneath it, I saw, eighty feet above me, the whole stream force its -way through a narrow cleft, and stand in one unbroken column, superbly -erect, upon the level surface of the pool. The sheet was as white as -marble, the pool as green as malachite. As if stunned by the fall, it -turns slowly round; then, recovering, precipitates itself down the rocky -gorge with greater passion than ever. - -On its upper edge the curling sheet of the fall was shot with sunlight, -and shone with enchanting brilliancy. All below was one white, feathery -mass, gliding down with the swift and noiseless movement of an avalanche -of fresh snow. No sound until the moment of contact with the submerged -rocks beneath; then it finds a voice that shakes the hoary forest to -its centre. How this exquisite white thing fascinates! One has almost -to tear himself away from the spot. Undine seems beckoning us to -descend with her into the crystal grottoes of the pool. From the tender -dalliance of a sunbeam with the glittering mists constantly ascending -was born a pale Iris. Exquisitely its evanescent hues decorated the -virgin drapery of the fall. Within these mists two airy forms sometimes -discover themselves, hand-in-hand. - -The story runs that the daughter of a sagamore inhabiting the little -vale, now Jackson, was secretly wooed and won by a young brave of -another and neighboring tribe. But the haughty old chief destined her -for a renowned warrior of his own band. Mustering his friends, the -preferred lover presented himself in the village, and, according to -Indian usage, laying - - "--at her father's feet that night - His softest furs and wampum white." - -demanded his bride. The alliance was too honorable to permit an abrupt -refusal. Smothering his wrath, the father assembled his braves. The -matter was debated in solemn council. It was determined that the rivals -should settle their dispute by a trial of skill, the winner to carry off -the beautiful prize. A mark was set up, the ground carefully measured, -and the two warriors took their respective places in the midst of the -assembled tribe. The heart of the Indian maiden beat with hope when -her lover sent his arrow quivering in the edge of the target; but it -sunk when his rival, stepping scornfully to his place, shot within the -very centre. A shout of triumph rewarded the skill of the victor; but -before it died away the defeated warrior strode to the spot where his -mistress was seated and spoke a few hurried words, intended for her -ear alone. The girl sprung to her feet and grasped her lover's hand. -In another moment they were running swiftly for the woods. They were -hotly pursued. It became a matter of life and death. Perceiving escape -impossible, rendered desperate by the near approach of their pursuers, -the fugitives, still holding fast each other's hand, rushed to the verge -of the cataract and flung themselves headlong into its deadly embrace. - -Over the pool the gray and gloomy wall of Wildcat Mountain seems -stretching up to an incredible height. The astonishing wildness of the -surroundings affects one very deeply. You look up. You see the firs -surmounting those tall cliffs sway to and fro, as if growing dizzy with -the sight of the abyss beneath them. - -The Ellis Cascade is not so light as those mountain sylphs in the great -Notch, which a zephyr lifts from their feet, and scatters far and -wide; it is a vestal hotly pursued by impish goblins to the brink of -the precipice, transformed into a water-fall. For an instant the iron -grip of the cliff seems clutching its snowy throat, but with a mocking -courtesy the fair stream eludes the grasp, and so escapes. - -While returning from Glen Ellis, I saw, not more than a quarter of -a mile from this fall, a beautiful cascade come streaming down a -long trough of granite from a great height, and disappear behind the -tree-tops that skirt the narrow gorge. I had never before seen this -cascade, it being usually dry in summer. The sight of glancing water -among the shaggy upper forests of the mountain--for you hear nothing--is -a real pleasure to the eye. The rock down which this cascade flows is -New River Cliff. - -Before leaving the Ellis, which I did regretfully, it is proper to -recall an incident which gave rise to one of its affluents. In 1775, -says Sullivan, in his "History of Maine," the Saco was found to -swell suddenly, and in a singular manner. As there had not been rain -sufficient to account for this increase of volume, people were at a -loss how to explain the phenomenon, until it was finally discovered to -be occasioned by a new river having broken out of the side of the White -Mountains. - -When this river issued from the mountains, in October, 1775, a mixture -of iron-ore gave the water a deep red color, and this singular, and to -them most startling, appearance led the people inhabiting the upper -banks of the Saco to declare that the river ran blood--a circumstance -which these simple-minded folk regarded as of evil omen for the success -of their arms in the struggle then going on between the Colonies and -Great Britain. Except for illustrating a marked characteristic the -incident would possess little importance. Considerable doubt exists as -to the precise course of this New River, by which it is conjectured that -the ascents of Cutler, Boott, Bigelow, and perhaps others, early in -this century, were made to the summit of Mount Washington. But this is -merely conjecture.[20] - -After Glen Ellis one has had enough, for the day at least, of waterfalls -and cascade. Its excitement is strangely infectious and exhilarating. At -the same time, it casts a sweet and gentle spell over the spirits. If he -be wise, the visitor will not exhaust in a single tour of the sun the -pleasures yet in store, but, after a fall, try a ravine or a mountain -ascent, thus introducing that variety which is the spice of all our -pleasures. - - - - -V. - -_A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S._ - - The crag leaps down, and over it the flood: - Know'st thou it, then? - 'Tis there! 'tis there - Our way runs.... Wilt thou go?--GOETHE. - - -At the mountains the first look of every one is directed to the heavens, -not in silent adoration or holy meditation, but in earnest scrutiny -of the weather. For here the weather governs with absolute sway; and -nowhere is it more capricious. Morning and evening skies are, therefore, -consulted with an interest the varied destinies of the day may be -supposed to suggest. From being a merely conventional topic, the weather -becomes one of the first importance, and such salutations as "A fine -day," or "A nice morning," are in less danger of being coupled with a -wet day or a scowling forenoon. To sum up the whole question, where life -in the open air is the common aim of all, a rainy day is a day lost, and -everybody knows that a lost day can never be recovered. Sun worship is, -therefore, universal. - -The prospect being duly weighed and pronounced good, or fair, or fairly -good, _presto!_ the hotel presents a scene of active preparation. -Anglers, with rod and basket, betake themselves to the neighboring trout -brooks, artists to the woods or the open. Mountain wagons clatter up -to the door with an exhilarating spirit and dash. Amid much laughter -and cracking of jokes, these strong, yet slight-looking vehicles are -speedily filled with parties for the summit, the Crystal Cascade, or -Glen Ellis; knots of pedestrians, picturesquely dressed, move off with -elastic tread for some long-meditated climb among the hills or in the -ravines; while the regular stages for Gorham or Glen Station depart amid -hurried and hearty leave-takings, the flutter of handkerchiefs, and the -sharp crack of the driver's whip. Now they are off, and quiet settles -once more upon the long veranda. - -My own plans included a trip in and out of Tuckerman's Ravine; in by -the old Thompson path, out by the Crystal Cascade. It is necessary to -depart a little from the order of time, as my first essay (during the -first week of May) was frustrated by the deep snows then effectually -blockading the way above Hermit Lake. The following July found me more -fortunate, and it is this excursion that I shall now lay before the -reader for his approval. - -I chose a companion to whom I unfolded the scheme, while reconnoitring -the ravine through my glass. He eagerly embraced my proposal, declaring -his readiness to start on the instant. Upon a hint I let fall touching -his ability to make this then fatiguing march, he observed, rather -stiffly, "I went through one Wilderness with Grant; guess I can through -this." - -"Pack your knapsack, then, comrade, and you shall inscribe 'Tuckerman's' -along with Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg." - -"Bless me! is it so very tough as all that? No matter, give me five -minutes to settle my affairs, and I'm with you." - -Let us improve these minutes by again directing the glass toward the -ravine. - -The upper section of this remarkable ravine--that portion lifted above -the forest line--is finely observed from the neighborhood of the -Crystal Cascade, but from the Glen House the curiously distorted rim -and vertical wall of its south and west sides, the astonishing crag -standing sentinel over its entrance, may be viewed at full leisure. -It constitutes quite too important a feature of the landscape to -escape notice. Dominated by the towering mass of the Dome, infolded by -undulating slopes descending from opposite braces of Mount Washington, -and resembling gigantic draperies, we see an enormous, funnel-shaped, -hollow sunk in the very heart of the mountain. We see, also, that access -is feasible only from the north-east, where the entrance is defended by -the high crag spoken of. Behind these barriers, graven with a thousand -lines and filled with a thousand shadows, the amphitheatre lifts its -formidable walls into view. - -For two miles our plain way led up the summit-road, but at this -distance, where it suddenly changes direction to the right, we plunged -into the forest. Our course now lay onward and upward over what had at -some time been a path--now an untrodden one--encumbered at every few -rods with fallen trees, soaked with rain, and grown up with moose-wood. -Time and again we found the way barred by these exasperating windfalls, -and their thick _abatis_ of branches, forcing us alternately to go -down on all-fours and creep underneath, or to mount and dismount, like -recruits, on the wooden horse of a cavalry school. - -But to any one loving the woods--and this day I loved not wisely, but -too well--this walk is something to be taken, but not repeated, for fear -of impairing the first and most abiding impressions. One cannot have -such a revelation twice. - -[Illustration: THE PATH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE.] - -I recall no mountain-path that is so richly diversified with all -the wildest forms of mountain beauty. At first our progress through -primitive groves of pine, hemlock, and birch was impeded by nothing more -remarkable than the giant trees stretching interminably, rank upon rank, -tier upon tier. But these woods, these countless gray and black and -white trunks, and outspread framework of branches, supported a canopy -of thick foliage, filled with voices innumerable. Something stirred in -the top of a lofty pine; and then, like an alguazil on a watch-tower, a -crow, apparent sentinel of all the feathered colony, rose clumsily on -his talons, flapped two sable wings, and thrice hoarsely challenged, -"Caw! caw! caw!" What clamor, what a liliputian Babel ensued! Our ears -fairly tingled with the calls, outcries, and objurgations apparently -flung down at us by the multitudinous population overhead. Hark to the -woodpecker's rat-tat-tat, the partridge's muffled drum! List to the -bugle of the wood-thrush, sweet and clear! Now sounds the cat-bird's -shrill alarm, the owl's hoot of indignant surprise. Then the squirrels, -those little monkeys of our northern woods, grated their teeth sharply -at us, and let fall nuts on our heads as we passed underneath. Never -were visitors more unwelcome. - -Before long we came to a brook, then to another. Their foaming waters -shot past like a herd of wild horses. These we crossed. We now began to -thread a region where the forest was more open. The moss we trampled -underfoot, and which here replaces the grass of the valleys, was beating -the tallest trees in the race for the mountain-top. It was the old story -of the tortoise and the hare over again. But this moss: have you ever -looked at it before your heel bruised the perfumed flowers springing -from its velvet? Here are tufts exquisitely decorated with coral -lichens; here the violet and anemone nestle lovingly together; here it -creeps up the gray trunks, or hides the bare roots of old trees. Tread -softly! This is the abode of elves and fairies. Step lightly! you expect -to hear the crushed flowers cry out with pain. - -These enchanting spots, where stones are couches and trees canopies, -tempted us to sit down on a cushioned bowlder, or throw ourselves -upon the thick carpet into which we sunk ankle-deep at every step. -Even the bald, gray rocks were tapestried with mosses, lichens, and -vines. All around, under the thick shade, hundreds of enormous trees -lay rotting; yet exquisitely the prostrate trunks were overspread with -robes of softest green, effectually concealing the repulsiveness, the -suggestions of decay. Now and then the dead tree rose into new life -through the sturdy roots of a young fir, or luxuriant, plumed ferns -growing in its bark. This inexpressible fecundity, in the midst of -inexpressible wastefulness, declared that for Nature there is no such -thing as death. And they tell us the day of miracles has passed! Upon -this dream of elf-land the cool morning light fell in oblique streams -through the tree-trunks, as through grated windows, filling all the wood -with a subdued twilight glimmer, leaving a portion of its own gleams -on the moss-grown rocks, while the trees stretched their black shadows -luxuriously along the thick-piled sward, like weary soldiers in a -bivouac. - -We proceeded thus from chamber to chamber, and from cloister to -cloister, at times descending some spur of the mountain into a -deep-shaded dell, and again climbing a swift and miry slope to better -ground, until we crossed the stream coming from the high spur spoken of. -From here the ground rapidly rose for half a mile more, when we suddenly -came out of the low firs full upon the Lion's Head crag, rising above -Hermit Lake, and visible from the vicinity of the Glen House. To be thus -unexpectedly confronted by this wall of imperishable rock stirs one very -deeply. For the moment it dominates _us_, even as it does the little -tarn so unconsciously slumbering at its feet. It is horribly mutilated -and defaced. Its sides are thickly sowed with stunted trees, that bury -their roots in its cracks and rents with a gripe of iron. In effect it -is the barbican of the great ravine. Crouched underneath, by the shore -of the lake, is a matted forest of firs and spruces, dwindled to half -their usual size, grizzled with long lichens, and occupying, as if by -stealth, the debatable ground between life and death. It is, in fact, -more dead than alive. Deeply sunk beneath is the lake. - -Hermit Lake--a little pool nestling underneath a precipice--demands a -word. Its solitary state, its waters green and profound, and the thick -shades by which it was covered, seemed strangely at variance with the -intense activity of the foaming torrents we had seen, and could still -hear rushing down the mountain. It was too small for a lake, or else it -was dwarfed by the immense mass of overshadowing rock towering above it, -whose reflected light streamed across its still and glossy surface. Here -we bid farewell to the forest. - -We had now gained a commanding post of observation, though there was -yet rough work to do. We saw the whole magnificent sweep of the ravine, -to where it terminates in a semicircle of stupendous cliffs that seem -hewn perpendicularly a thousand feet down. Lying against the western -wall we distinguished patches of snow; but they appeared of trifling -extent. Great wooded mountain slopes stretched away from the depths -of the gorge on either side, making the iron lineaments of the giant -cliffs seem harder by their own softness and delicacy. Here and there -these exquisite draperies were torn in long rents by land-slips. In the -west arose the shattered peak of Monroe--a mass of splintered granite, -conspicuous at every point for its irreclaimable deformity. It seemed -as if the huge open maw of the ravine might swallow up this peak with -ease. There was a Dantesque grandeur and solemnity everywhere. With our -backs against the trees, we watched the bellying sails of a stray cloud -which intercepted in its aerial voyage our view of the great summit; -but it soon floated away, discovering the whitish-gray ledges to the -very capstone of the dome itself. Looking down and over the thick woods -beyond, we met again the burly Carter Mountains, pushed backward from -the Pinkham Notch, and kept back by an invisible yet colossal strength. - -[Illustration: HERMIT LAKE.] - -From Hermit Lake the only practicable way was by clambering up the bed -of the mountain brook that falls through the ravine. The whole expanse -that stretched on either side was a chaos of shattered granite, pitched -about in awful confusion. Path there was none. No matter what way we -turned, "no thoroughfare" was carved in stolid stone. We tried to force -a passage through the stunted cedars that are mistaken at a mile for -greensward, but were beaten back, torn and bleeding, to the brook. We -then turned to the great bowlders, to be equally buffeted and abused, -and finally repulsed upon the brook, which seemed all the while mocking -our efforts. Once, while forcing a route, inch by inch, through the -scrub, I was held suspended over a deep crevice, by my belt, until -extricated by my comrade. At another time he disappeared to the armpits -in a hole, from which I drew him like a blade from a scabbard. At this -moment we found ourselves unable either to advance or retreat. The dwarf -trees squeezed us like a vise. Who would have thought there was so much -life in them? At our wits' end, we looked at our bleeding hands, then at -each other. The brook was the only clew to such a labyrinth, and to it, -as from Scylla to Charybdis, we turned as soon as we recovered breath. -But to reach it was no easy matter; we had literally to cut our way out -of the jungle. - -When we were there, and had rested awhile from the previous severe -exertions, my companion, alternately mopping his forehead and feeling -his bruises, looked up with a quizzical expression, and ejaculated, -"Faith, I am almost as glad to get out of this wilderness as the other! -In any case," he gayly added, "I have lost the most blood here; while in -Virginia I did not receive a scratch." - -After this rude initiation into the mysteries of the ravine, we advanced -directly up the bed of the brook. But the brook is for half a mile -nothing but a succession of leaps and plunges, its course choked with -bowlders. We however toiled on, from rock to rock, first boosting, then -hoisting each other up; one moment splashing in a pool, the next halting -in dismay under a cascade, which we must either mount like a chamois or -ascend like a trout. The climber here tastes the full enjoyment of an -encounter with untamed nature, which calls every thew and sinew into -action. At length the stream grew narrower, suddenly divided, and we -stood at the mouth of the Snow Arch, confronted by the vertical upper -wall of the ravine. - -We stood in an arena "more majestic than the circus of a Titus or a -Vespasian." The scene was one of awful desolation. A little way below -us the gorge was heaped with the ruins of some unrecorded convulsion, -by which the precipice had been cloven from base to summit, and the -enormous fragments heaved into the chasm with a force the imagination -is powerless to conceive. In the interstices among these blocks -rose thickets of dwarf cedars, as stiff and unyielding as the livid -rock itself. It was truly an arena which might have witnessed the -gladiatorial combats of immortals. - -We did not at first look at the Snow Arch. The eye was irresistibly -fascinated by the tremendous mass of the precipice above. From top to -bottom its tawny front was covered with countless little streams, that -clung to its polished wall without once quitting their hold. They twined -and twisted in their downward course, like a brood of young serpents -escaping from their lair; nor could I banish the idea of the ghastly -head of a Gorgon clothed with tresses of serpents. A poetic imagination -has named this tangled knot of mountain rills, "The fall of a thousand -streams." At the foot of the cliff the scattered waters unite, before -entering the Snow Arch, in a single stream. Turning now to the right, -the narrowing gorge, ascending by a steep slope as high as the upper -edge of the precipice, points out the only practicable way to the summit -of Mount Washington in this direction. But we have had enough of such -climbing, for one day, at least. - -Partial recovery from the stupefaction which seizes and holds one fast -is doubtless signalized in every case by an effort to account for the -overwhelming disaster of which these ruins are the mute yet speaking -evidence. We need go no farther in the search than the innocent-looking -little rills, first dripping from the Alpine mosses, then percolating -through the rocks of the high plateau, and falling over its edge in a -thousand streams. Puny as they look, before their inroads the plateau -line has doubtless receded, like the great wall of rock over which -Niagara pours the waters of four seas. With their combined forces--how -long ago cannot be guessed; and what, indeed, does it signify?--knitted -together by frost into Herculean strength, they assailed the granite -cliffs that were older than the sun, older than the moon or the stars, -mined and countermined year by year, inch by inch, drop by drop, -until--honey-combed, riddled, and pierced to its centre, and all was -ready for its final overthrow--winter gave the signal. In a twinkling, -yielding to the stroke, and shattered into a thousand fragments, -the cliffs laid their haughty heads low in the dust. Afterward the -accumulated waters tranquilly continued the process of demolition, and -of removing the soil from the deep excavation they had made, until -the floor of the ravine had sunk to its present level. In California -a man with a hose washes away mountains to get at the gold deposits. -This principle of hydraulic force is borrowed, pure and simple, from a -mountain cataract. - -[Illustration: SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE.] - -Osgood, the experienced guide, who had visited the ravine oftener -than anybody else, assured me that never within his remembrance had -this forgotten forgement of winter, the Snow Arch, been seen to such -advantage. We estimated its width at above two hundred feet, where it -threw a solid bridge of ice over the stream, and not far from three -hundred in its greatest length, where it lay along the slope of the -gorge. Summer and winter met on this neutral ground. Entering the Arch -was joining January and July with a step. Flowers blossomed at the -threshold. We caught water, as it dripped ice-cold from the roof, and -pledged Old Winter in his own cellarage. The brook foamed at our feet. -Looking up, there was a pretty picture of a tiny water-fall pouring in -at the upper end and out at the ragged portal of the grotto. But I think -we were most charmed with the remarkable sculpture of the roof, which -was a groined arch fashioned as featly as was ever done by human hands. -What the stream had begun in secret the warm vapors had chiselled with -a bolder hand, but not altered. As it was formed, so it remained--a -veritable chapel of the hills, the brook droning its low, monotonous -chant, and the dripping roof tinkling its refrain unceasingly. If the -interior of the great ravine impressed us as the hidden receptacle of -all waste matter, this lustrous heap of snow, so insignificant in its -relation to the immensity of the chasm that we scarcely looked at it at -first, now chased away the feeling of mingled terror and aversion--of -having stolen unawares into the one forbidden chamber--and possessed us -with a sense of the beautiful, which remained long after its glittering -particles had melted into the stream that flowed beneath. So under a -cold exterior is nourished the principle of undying love, which the aged -mountain gives that earth may forever renew her fairest youth. - -The presence of this miniature glacier is a very simple matter. The -fierce winds of winter which sweep over the plateau whirl the snows -before them, over its crest, into the ravine, where they are lodged at -the foot of the precipice, and accumulate to a great depth. As soon as -released by spring, the little streams, falling down this wall, seek -their old channels, and, being warmer, succeed in forcing a passage -through the ice. By the end of August the ice usually disappears, though -it sometimes remains even later. - -After picking up some fine specimens of quartz, sparkling with mica, and -uttering a parting malediction on the black flies that tormented us, we -took our way down and out of the ravine, following the general course of -the stream along its steep valley, and, after an uneventful march of two -hours, reached the upper waters of the Crystal Cascade. - - - - -VI. - -_IN AND ABOUT GORHAM._ - - That lonely dwelling stood among the hills - By a gray mountain stream. - --SOUTHEY. - - -After the events described in the last chapter, I continued, like the -navigator of unknown coasts, my tour of the great range. Half a mile -below the Glen House, the Great Gulf discharges from its black throat -the little river rising on the plateau at its head. The head of this -stupendous abyss is a mountain, and mountains wall it in. Its depths -remain unexplored except by an occasional angler or trapper. - -Two and a half miles farther on a road diverges to the left, crosses the -Peabody by a bridge, and stretches on over a depression of the range -to Randolph, where it intersects the great route from Lancaster and -Jefferson to Gorham. Over the river, snugly ensconced at the foot of -Mount Madison, is the old Copp place. Commanding, as it does, a noble -prospect up and down the valley, and of all the great peaks except -Washington, its situation is most inviting; more than this, the picture -of the weather-stained farm-house nestling among these sleeping giants -revives in fullest vigor our preconceived idea of life in the mountains, -already shaken by the balls, routs, and grand toilets of the hotels. -The house, as we see by Mistress Dolly Copp's register, has been known -to many generations of tourists. The Copps have lived here about half a -century. - -Travellers going up or down, between the Glen House and Gorham, usually -make a detour as far as Copp's, in order to view the Imp to better -advantage than can be done from the road. Among these travellers some -have now and then knocked at the door and demanded to see the Imp. The -hired girl invariably requests them to wait until she can call the -mistress. - -[Illustration: THE IMP.] - -Directly opposite the farm-house the inclined ridge of Imp Mountain -is broken down perpendicularly some two hundred feet, leaving a -jagged cliff, resembling an immense step, facing up the valley. This -is a mountain of the Carter chain, sloping gradually toward the Glen -House. Upon this cliff, or this step, is the distorted human profile -which gives the mountain its name. A strong, clear light behind it -is necessary to bring out all the features, the mouth especially, in -bold relief against the sky, when the expression is certainly almost -diabolical. One imagines that some goblin, imprisoned for ages within -the mountain, and suddenly liberated by an earthquake, exhibits its -hideous countenance, still wearing the same look it wore at the moment -it was entombed in its mask of granite. The forenoon is the best time, -and the road, a few rods back from the house, the best point from which -to see it. The coal-black face is then in shadow. - -The Copp farm-house has a tale of its own, illustrating in a remarkable -manner the amount of physical hardship that long training, and -familiarity with rough out-of-door life, will occasionally enable -men to endure. Seeing two men in the door-yard, I sat down on the -chopping-block, and entered into conversation with them. - -By the time I had taken out my note-book I had all the members of the -household and all the inmates of the barn-yard around me. I might -add that all were talking at once. The matron stood in the door-way, -which her ample figure quite filled, trifling with the beads of a gold -necklace. A younger face stared out over her shoulder; while an old man, -whose countenance had hardened into a vacant smile, and one of forty -or thereabouts, alternately passed my glass one to the other, with an -astonishment similar to that displayed by Friday when he first looked -through Crusoe's telescope. - -"Which of you is named Nathaniel Copp?" I asked, after they had -satisfied their curiosity. - -"That is my name," the younger very deliberately responded. "Really," -thought I, "there is little enough of the conventional hero in that -face;" therefore I again asked, "Are you the same Nathaniel Copp who was -lost while hunting in the mountains, let me see, about twenty-five years -ago?" - -"Yes; but I wasn't lost after I got down to Wild River," he hastily -rejoined, like a man who has a reputation to defend. - -"Tell me about it, will you?" - -I take from my note-book the following relation of the exploit of this -mountain Nimrod, as I received it on the spot. But I had literally to -draw it out of him, a syllable at a time. - -On the last day of January, 1855, Nathaniel Copp, son of Hayes D. Copp, -of Pinkham's Grant, near the Glen House, set out from home on a deer -hunt, and was out four successive days. On the fifth day he again left -to look for a deer killed the previous day, about eight miles from home. -Having found it, he dragged the carcass (weighing two hundred and thirty -pounds) home through the snow, and at one o'clock P.M. started -for another he had tracked near the place where the former was killed, -which he followed until he lost the track, at dark. He then found that -he had lost his own way, and should, in all probability, be obliged to -spend the night in the woods, with the temperature ranging from 32 deg. to -35 deg. below zero. - -Knowing that to remain quiet was certain death, and having nothing with -which to light a fire, the hunter began walking for his life. The moon -shone out bright and clear, making the cold seem even more intense. -While revolving in his mind his unpleasant predicament he heard a deer -bleat. He gave chase, and easily overtook it. The snow was too deep for -the animal to escape from a hunter on snow-shoes. Copp leaped upon his -back, and despatched him with his hunting-knife. He then dressed him, -and, taking out the heart, put it in his pocket, not for a trophy, but, -as he told me, to keep starvation at arm's-length. The excitement of the -chase made him forget cold until he perceived himself growing benumbed. -Rousing himself, he again pushed on, whither he knew not, but spurred -by the instinct of self-preservation. Daylight found him still striding -on, with no clew to a way out of the thick woods, which imprisoned him -on every side. At length, at ten in the morning, he came out at or near -Wild River, in Gilead, forty miles from home, having walked twenty one -consecutive hours without rest or food, the greater part of the time -through a tangled growth of underbrush. - -His friends at home becoming alarmed at his prolonged absence during -such freezing weather, three of them, Hayes D. Copp, his father, John -Goulding, and Thomas Culhane, started in search of him. They followed -his track until it was lost in the darkness, and, by the aid of their -dog, found the deer which young Copp had killed and dressed. They again -started on the trail, but with the faintest hope of ever finding the -lost man alive, and, after being out twenty-six hours in the extreme -cold, found the object of their search. - -No words can do justice to the heroic self-denial and fortitude with -which these men continued an almost hopeless search, when every moment -expecting to find the stiffened corpse of their friend. Goulding froze -both feet; the others their ears. - -When found, young Copp did not seem to realize in the least the great -danger through which he had passed, and talked with perfect unconcern -of hunts that he had planned for the next week. One of his feet was so -badly frozen, from the effect of too tightly lacing his snow-shoe, that -the toes had to be amputated. - -Until reaching the bridge, within two miles of Gorham, I saw no one, -heard nothing except the strokes of an axe, borne on the still air from -some logging-camp, twittering birds, or chattering river. Ascending the -hill above the bridge, I took my last look back at Mount Washington, -over whose head rose-tinted clouds hung in graceful folds. The summit -was beautifully distinct. The bases of all the mountains were floating -in that delicious blue haze, enrapturing to the artist, exasperating -to the climber. Turning to my route, I had before me the village of -Gorham, with the long slopes of Mount Hayes meeting in a regular pyramid -behind it. Against the dusky wall of the mountain one white spire stood -out clean and sharp. At my right, along the river, was a cluster of -saw-mills, sheds, and shanties; beyond, an irregular line of forest -concealing the town--all except the steeple; beyond that the mountain. -As I entered the village, the shrill scream of a locomotive pierced the -still air, and, like the horn of Ernani, broke my dream of forgetfulness -with its fatal blast. Adieu, dreams of delusion! we are once more -manacled with the city. - -I loitered along the river road, hoping, as the sky was clear, to see -the sun go down on the great summits. Nor was I disappointed. As I -walked on, Madison, the superb, gradually drew out of the Peabody Glen, -and soon Washington came into line over the ridge of Moriah, whose -highest precipices were kindled with a ruddy glow, while a wonderful -white light rested, like a halo, on the brow of the monarch. Of a -sudden, the crest of Moriah paled, then grew dark; night rose from the -black glen, twilight descended from the dusky heavens. For an instant -the humps of Clay reddened in the afterglow. Then the light went out, -and I saw only the towering forms of the giant mountains dimly traced -upon the sky. A star fell. At this signal the great dome sparkled with -myriad lights. Night had ascended her mountain throne. - -Gorham is situated on the Grand Trunk Railway, between Paris and Berlin, -with Milan just beyond--names a trifle ambitious for villages with -the bark on, but conferring distinction upon half a hundred otherwise -obscure villages scattered from Maine to California. - -Gorham is also situated in one of those natural parks, called -intervales, in an amphitheatre of hills, through which the Androscoggin -flows with a strong, steady tide. The left bank is appropriated by Mount -Hayes, the right by the village--a suspension bridge giving access from -one to the other. This mountain rises abruptly from the river to a broad -summit-plateau, from which a wide and brilliant prospect rewards the -climber. The central portion of Gorham is getting to be much too busy -for that rest and quietude which is so greatly desired by a large class -of travellers to the mountains, but, on the other hand, its position -with respect to the highest summits is more advantageous than that of -any other town lying on the skirts of the mountains, and accessible by -railway. In one hour the tourist can be at the Glen House, in three -on the summit of Mount Washington. Being at the very end of the great -chain, in the angle where its last elevation abuts on the Androscoggin, -the valley conducting around the northerly side of the great eminences, -through the settlements of Randolph and Jefferson, furnishes another and -a charming avenue of travel into the region watered by the Connecticut. -As the great tide of travel flows in from the west and south, Gorham -has profited little by the extension of railways furnishing more direct -communication with the heart of the mountains. - -Mount Hayes is the guardian of the village, erecting its rocky rampart -over it, like the precipices of Cape Diamond over Quebec. The hill in -front is called Pine Mountain, though it is only a mountain by brevet. -The tip of the peak of Madison peers down into the village over this -hill. I plainly saw the snow up there from my window. To the left, and -over the low slope of Pine Mountain, rise the Carter summits, which here -make a remarkably imposing background to the picture, and in conjunction -with the great range form the basin of the Peabody. I saw this stream, -making its final exit from the mountains, throw itself exhausted with -its rapid course into the Androscoggin, half a mile below the hotel. -North-west of the village street, drawn up in line across the valley, -extend the Pilot peaks. - -The Carter group is said to have been named after a hunter. According -to Farmer, the Pilot Mountains were so called from a dog. Willard, a -hunter, had been lost two or three days on these mountains, on the east -side of which his camp was situated. Every day he observed that Pilot, -his dog, regularly left him, as he supposed in search of game; but -toward nightfall would as regularly return to his master. This at length -excited the attention of the hunter, who, when nearly exhausted with -fatigue and hunger, decided to commit himself to the guidance of Pilot, -and in a short time was conducted by the intelligent animal in safety to -his camp. - -My first morning at Gorham was a beautiful one, and I prepared to -improve it to the utmost by a walk around the northern base of Madison, -neither knowing nor caring whither it might lead me. Spring was in -her most enchanting mood. A few steps, and I was amid the marvels of -a new creation, the tasselled birches, the downy willows, the oaks in -gosling-gray. Even the gnarled and withered apple-trees gave promise of -blossoming, and the young ferns, pushing aside the dead leaves, came -forth with their tiny fists doubled for the battle of life. Why did not -Nature so order it that mankind might rest like the trees, or shall we, -like them, come forth at last strong, vigorous, beautiful, from that -long refreshing slumber? - -Leaving the village, at the end of a mile and a half I took the road -turning to the left, where Moose River falls into the Androscoggin, at -the point where the latter, making a remarkable bend, turns sharply away -to the north. Moose River is a true mountain stream, clear and limpid, -foaming along a bed of sand and pebbles. - -From this spot the whole extent of the Pilot range was unrolled at my -right, while at the left, majestic among the lower hills, Madison and -Adams were massed in one grand pyramid. The snows glistening on the -summits seemed trophies torn from winter. - -About a mile from the turning, at Lary's, I found the best station for -viewing the statuesque proportions of Madison. The foreground a swift -mountain stream, white as the snows where it takes its rise. Beyond, -a strip of meadow land, covered with young birches and poplars, just -showing their tender, trembling foliage. Among these are scattered -large, dead trees, relics of the primeval forest; the middle ground -a young forest, showing in its dainty wicker-work of branchlets that -beady appearance which belongs to spring alone, and is so exquisitely -beautiful. Above this ascends, mile upon mile, the enormous bulk of -the mountain, ashen-gray at the summit, dusky olive-green below. Stark -precipices, hedged about with blasted pines, and seamed with snow, -capped the great pile. Over this a pale azure, deepening in intensity -toward the zenith, unrolled its magnificent drapery. - -After the ascent of Mount Hayes, which Mr. King has fittingly described -as "the chair set by the Creator at the proper distance and angle to -appreciate and enjoy" the kingly prominence of Mount Washington, the -two things best worth seeing in the neighborhood are the falls of the -Androscoggin at Berlin, and the beautiful view of the loftiest of the -White Mountain peaks from what is called here the Lead Mine Bridge. To -get to the falls you must ascend the river, and to obtain the view you -must descend a few miles. I consecrated a day to this excursion. - -With a head already filled with the noise of half a hundred mountain -torrents, water-falls, or cascades, I set out after breakfast for -Berlin Falls, feeling that the passage of a body of water such as the -Androscoggin is at Gorham, through a narrow gorge, must be something -different from the common. - -A word about Berlin. Its situation is far more picturesque than that of -Gorham. There is the same environment of mountains, and, in addition to -the falls, a magnificent view of Madison, Adams, Jefferson, and of the -Carter range. The precipices of Mount Forist, which overhang railway and -village, are noticeable among a thousand. Here Dead River falls into the -Androscoggin, and here the Grand Trunk Railway, taking leave of this -river, turns to the north-west, crosses over to the Upper Ammonoosuc, -twists and twines along: with it among the northern mountains, and at -last emerges upon the level meadows of the Connecticut. - -Berlin has another aspect. Lumber is its business; lumber its staple of -conversation; people go to bed to dream of lumber. In a word, lumber is -everywhere. The lumberman admires a tree in his way quite as much as you -or I. No eye like his to estimate its height, its girth, its thickness. -But as ships to Shylock, so trees to him are naught but boards--so many -feet. So that there is something almost ferocious in the lumberman's or -mill-owner's admiration for the forest; something almost startling in -the idea that this out-of-the-way corner is devouring the forests at the -rate of twenty car-loads a day. In plain language, this village cuts up -a good-sized grove every day, and rejoices over it with a new house or a -new barn. - -At the risk of being classed with the sentimental and the unpractical, -every one who is alive to the consequences of converting our forests -into deserts, or worse than deserts, should raise a voice of warning -against this wholesale destruction. The consequences may be remote, -but they are certain. For the most part, the travelled routes have -long since been stripped of their valuable timber trees. Now the mills -are fast eating their way into the hitherto inaccessible regions, -leaving a track of desolation behind wherever they go, like that of a -destroying army. What cannot be carried away is burnt. Fires are seen -blazing by the side of every saw-mill, in which all the waste material -is carefully consumed. A trifle? Enough is consumed every year in this -way to furnish the great city of New York with its fuel. I speak with -moderation. Not a village but has its saw-mills; while at Whitefield, -Bethlehem, Livermore, Low, and Burbank's Grant, and many other -localities, the havoc is frightful. Forest fires, originating chiefly in -the logging-camps, annually desolate leagues of forest land. How long is -this to continue? - -The mountain labors incessantly to re-create, but what can it do against -such fearful odds? and what shall we do when it can no longer furnish -pine to build our homes, or wood to warm them? Delve deeper and deeper -under the Alleghanies? In about two hundred and fifty years the noble -forests, which set the early discoverers wild with enthusiasm, have -been steadily driven farther and farther back into the interior, until -"the forest primeval" exists not nearer than a hundred miles inland. -Then the great northern wilderness began at the sea-coast. It is now -in the vicinity of Lake Umbagog. Still the warfare goes on. I do not -call occasional bunches of wood forests. All this means less and less -moisture; consequently, more and more drought. The tree draws the -cloud from heaven, and bestows it on the earth. The summer of 1880 was -one of almost unexampled dryness. Large rivers dwindled to pitiful -rivulets, brooks were dried up, and the beautiful cascades in many -instances wholly disappeared. The State is powerless to interfere. Not -so individuals, or combinations of individuals for the preservation of -such tracts of woodland as the noble Cathedral woods of North Conway. In -the West a man who plants a tree is a public benefactor; is he who saves -the life of one in the East less so? America, says Berthold Auerbach, is -no longer "the Promised Land for the Old World;" if she does not protect -her woods, she will become "waste and dry," like the Promised Land of -the ancients--Palestine itself. Look on this picture of Michelet: - -"On the shores of the Caspian, for three or four hundred leagues, -one sees nothing, one encounters nothing, but midway an isolated and -solitary tree. It is the love and worship of every passing wayfarer. -Each one offers it something; and the very Tartar, in default of every -other gift, will snatch a hair from his beard or his horse's mane." - -The season when the great movement of lumber from the northern -wilderness to the sea begins is one of great activity. The logs are -floated down the Androscoggin from Lake Umbagog with the spring -freshets, when those destined to go farther are "driven," as the -lumbermen's phrase is, over the falls and through the rapids here, to -be picked up below. It may well be believed that the passage of the -falls by a "drive" is a sight worth witnessing. Sometimes the logs -get so tightly jammed in the narrow gorge of the river that it seems -impossible to extricate them; but the dam they form causes the river -to rise behind it, when the accumulated and pent-up waters force their -way through the obstruction, tossing huge logs in the air as if they -were straws. A squad of lumbermen--tough, muscular, handy fellows they -are--accompanies each drive, just as _vaqueros_ do a Texan herd; and -the herd of logs, like the herd of cattle, is branded with the owner's -mark. After making the drive of the falls, the men move down below them, -where they find active and, so far as appearance goes, dangerous work in -disentangling the snarls of logs caught among the rocks of the rapids. -Against a current no ordinary boat could stem for a moment; they dart -hither and thither in their light bateaux, as the herdsman does on his -active little mustang. If a log grounds in the midst of the rapids, the -bateaux dashes toward it. One river-driver jumps upon it, and holds the -boat fast, while another grapples it with a powerful lever called a -cant-dog. In a moment the log rolls off the rocks with a loud splash, -and is hurried away by the rapid tide. - -During the drive the lumberman is almost always wet to the skin, day -in and day out. When a raft of logs is first started in the spring the -men suffer from the exposure; but after a little time the work seems -to toughen and harden them, so that they do not in the least mind the -amphibious life they are forced to lead. Rain or shine, they get to -their work at five in the morning, leaving it only when it is too dark -to see longer. Each squad--for the whole force is divided into what may -be called skirmishers, advanced-guards, main body, and rear-guard, each -having its appointed work to perform--then repairs to its camp, which is -generally a tent pitched near the river, where the cook is waiting for -their arrival with a hot supper of fried doughnuts and baked beans--the -lumberman's diet of preference. They pass the evening playing euchre, -telling stories, or relating the experiences of the day, and are as -simple, hearty, happy-go-lucky fellows as can be found in the wide world. - -To say that the Berlin Falls begin two miles below the village is no -more than the truth, since at this distance the river was sheeted in -foam from shore to shore. For these two miles its bed is so thickly sown -with rocks that it is like a river stretched on the rack. The whole -river, every drop of it, is hemmed in by enormous masses of granite, -forming a long, narrow, and rocky gorge, down which it bursts in one mad -plunge, tossing and roaring like the Maelstrom. What fury! What force! -The solid earth shakes, and the very air trembles. It is a saturnalia. A -whirlwind of passion, swift, uncontrollable, and terrible. - -The best situation I could find was upon a jutting ledge below the -little foot-bridge thrown from rock to rock. Several turns in the long -course of the cataract prevent its whole extent being seen all at once; -but it starts up hither and thither among the rocks, boiling with rage -at being so continually hindered in its free course, until, at last, -madness seizes it, and, flying straight at the throat of the gorge, -it goes down in one long white wave, overwhelming everything in its -way. It reaches the foot of the rocks in fleeces, darts wildly hither -and thither, shakes off the grasp of concealed rocks, and, racing on, -stretches itself on its wide and shallow bed, uttering a tremulous wail. - -From the village at the falls, and from Berlin Mills, are elevations -from which the great White Mountains are grandly conspicuous. The view -is similar to that much extolled one from Milan, the town next to -Berlin. Here the three great mountains, closed in mass, display a triple -crown of peaks, Washington being thrown back to the left, and behind -Madison, with Adams on his right. Best of all is the blended effect of -early morning, or of the afterglow, when a few light clouds sail along -the crimson sky, and their shadows play hide-and-seek on the mountain -sides. - -In the afternoon, while walking down the road to Shelburne, I met an -apparently honest farmer, with whom I held some discourse. He was -curious about the great city he had known half a century before, when -it was in swaddling clothes; I about the mountains above and around us, -that had never known change since the world began. An amiable contest -ensued, in which each tried to lead the other to talk of the topic most -interesting to himself. The husbandman grew eloquent upon his native -State and its great man. "But what," I insisted, "do you think of your -greatest mountain there?" pointing to the splendid peak. - -"Oh, drat the mountains! I never look at 'em. Ask the old woman." - -Some enticing views may be had from the Shelburne intervales, embracing -Madison on the right, and Washington on the left. It is, therefore, -permitted to steal an occasional look back until we reach the Lead Mine -Bridge, and stand over the middle of the flashing Androscoggin. - -The dimpled river, broad here, and showing tufts of foliage on its satin -surface, recedes between wooded banks to the middle distance, where it -disappears. Swaying to and fro, without noise, the lithe and slender -willows on the margin continually dipped their budding twigs in the -stream, as if to show its clear transparency, while letting fall, drop -by drop, its crystal globules. They gently nodded their green heads, -keeping time to the low music of the river. - -[Illustration: THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE.] - -Beyond the river, over gently meeting slopes of the valley, two -magnificent shapes, Washington and Madison, rose grandly. Those truly -regal summits still wore their winter ermine. They were drawn so widely -apart as to show the familiar peaks of Mount Clay protruding between -them. It is hardly possible to imagine a more beautiful picture of -mountain scenery. Noble river, hoary summits, blanched precipices, over -whose haggard visages a little color was beginning to steal, eloquently -appealed to every perception of the beautiful and the sublime. Much as -the view from this point is extolled, it can hardly be over-praised. -True, it exhibits the same objects that we see from Berlin and Milan; -but the order of arrangement is not only reversed, but so altered as to -render any comparison impossible. In this connection it may be remarked -that a short removal usually changes the whole character of a mountain -landscape. No two are precisely alike. - -The annals of Shelburne, which originally included Gorham within its -limits, are sufficiently meagre; but they furnish the same story -of struggle with hardship--often with danger--common to the early -settlements in this region. Shelburne was settled, just before the -breaking out of the Revolution, by a handful of adventurous pioneers, -who were attacked in 1781 by a prowling band of hostile Indians. This -incursion is memorable as one of the last recorded in the long series -going back into the first decade of the New England colonies. It was -one of the boldest. The histories place the number of Indians at only -six. After visiting Bethel, where they captured three white men, and -Gilead, where they killed another, they entered Shelburne. Here they -killed and scalped Peter Poor, and took a negro prisoner. Such was the -terror inspired by this audacious onset, that the inhabitants, making no -defence, fled, panic-struck, to Hark Hill, where they passed the night, -leaving the savages to plunder the village at their leisure. The next -day the refugees continued their flight, stopping only when they reached -Fryeburg, fifty-nine miles from the scene of disaster. - -Before taking leave of the Androscoggin Valley, which is an opulent -picture-gallery, and where at every step one finds himself arrested -before some masterpiece of Nature, the traveller is strongly advised to -continue his journey to Bethel, the town next below Shelburne. Bethel -is one of the loveliest and dreamiest of mountain nooks. Its expanses -of rich verdure, its little steeple, emerging from groves of elm-trees, -its rustic bridge spanning the tireless river, its air of lethargy and -indolence, captivate eye and mind; and to eyes tired with the hardness -and glare of near mountains, the distant peaks become points of welcome -repose. - - - - -VII. - -_ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD._ - - Where the huge mountain rears his brow sublime, - On which no neighboring height its shadow flings, - Led by desire intense the steep I climb. - PETRARCH. - - -The first days of May, 1877, found me again at the Glen House, prepared -to put in immediate execution the long-deferred purpose of ascending -Mount Washington in the balmy days of spring. Before separating for the -night, my young Jehu, who drove me from Gorham in an hour, said, with a -grin, - -"So you are going where they cut their butter with a chisel, and their -meat with a hand-saw?" - -"What do you mean?" - -"Oh, you will learn to-morrow." - -"Till to-morrow, then." - -"Good-night." - -"Good-night." - -At six in the morning, while the stars were yet twinkling, I stood in -the road in front of the Glen House. Everything announced a beautiful -day. The rising sun crimsoned, first, the dun wall of Tuckerman's -Ravine, then the high summits, and then flowed down their brawny -flanks--his first salutation being to the monarch. In ten minutes I was -alone in the forest with the squirrels, the partridges, the woodpeckers, -and my own thoughts. - -As bears are not unfrequently seen at this season of the year, I kept my -eyes about me. One of the old drivers related to me that one morning, -while going up this road with a heavy load of passengers, his horses -suddenly stopped, showing most unmistakable signs of terror. The place -was a dangerous one, where the road had been wholly excavated from -the steep side of the mountain, so, keeping one eye upon his fractious -team, he threw quick glances right and left with the other; while the -passengers, alarmed by the sudden stop, the driver's shouts to his -animals, and the still more alarming backward movement of the coach, -thrust their heads out of the windows, and with white faces demanded -what was the matter. - -"By thunder!" ejaculated Jehu, "there was my leaders all in a lather, -an' backin' almost atop of the fill-horses, and them passengers -a-shoutin' like lunatics let out on a picnic. 'Look! darn it all,' -sez I, a-pintin' with my whip. My hosses was all in a heap, I tell -ye, rarin' and charging, when a little Harvard student, with his head -sand-papered, sung out, 'All right, Cap, I've chucked your hind wheels;' -and then he made for the leaders' heads. Them college chaps ain't such -darned fools arter all, they ain't." - -"What was it?" - -"A big black bear, all huddled up in a bunch, a-takin' his morning -observation on the scenery from the top of a dead sycamore. You see the -side of the hill was so slantin' steep that he wa'n't more'n tew rod -from the road." - -"What did you do?" - -"Dew?" echoed the driver, laughing--"dew?" he repeated, "why, them crazy -passengers, when they found the bear couldn't get at _them_, just picked -up rocks and hove them at the old cuss. When one hit him a crack, Lord, -how he'd shake his head and growl! But, you see, he couldn't get at 'em, -so they banged away, until Mr. Bruin couldn't stan' it any longer, an' -slid right down the tree as slick as grease, and as mad as Old Nick. It -tickled me most to death to see him a-makin' tooth-picks fly from that -tree." - -"Was that your only encounter with bears?" I asked, willing to draw him -out. - -"Waal, no, not exactly," he replied, chuckling to himself, gleefully, at -some recollection the question revived. "There used to be a tame bear -over to the Alpine House. One night the critter got loose, and we all -cal'lated he'd took to the woods. Anyhow we hunted high and low; but -no bear. Waal, you see, one forenoon our hostler Mike--his real name -was Pat, but there was another Pat came afore him, so we called t'other -Mike--went up in the barn-chamber to pitch some hay down to the hosses." -Here he stopped and began to choke. - -"Well, go on; what has that to do with the bear?" - -"Just you hold your hosses a minnit, stranger. Mike hadn't no sooner -jabbed his pitchfork down, so as to git a big bunch, when it struck -something soft-like, and then, before he knew what ailed him, the -hay-mow riz rite up afore him, with the almightiest growl comin' out -on't was ever heerd in any maynagery this side of Noah's Ark." - -Here the driver broke down utterly, gasping, "Oho! aha! oh Lord! ah! -ha! ha! ha! ha! ho! ho! Mike!" until his breath was quite gone, and the -big tears rolled down his cheeks. Then he heaved a deep sigh, attempted -to go on, but immediately went off in a second hysterical explosion. I -waited for his recovery. - -"Waal," he at length resumed, "the long and short of it was this: that -air bear had buried himself under the hay-mow, and was a-snoozin' it -comfortable and innocent as you please, when Mike prodded him in the -ribs with the pitchfork. The fust any of us knew we saw Mike come -a-flyin' out of the barn-chamber window and the bear arter him. Mike led -him a length. Maybe that Irishman didn't streak it for the house! Bless -you, he never teched the ground arter he struck it! The boys couldn't -do anything for laughing, and Mick was so scart he forgot to yell. That -bear was so hoppin' wild we had to kill him; and if you wanted to make -Mike fightin' mad any time, all you had to do was to ask him to go up in -the barn-chamber and pitch down a bear." - -The first four miles are merely toilsome. It is only when emerging upon -the bare crags above the woods that the wonders of the ascent begin, and -the succession of views, dimly seen through my eyes in this chapter, -challenges the attention at every step. There is one exception. About -a mile up, the road issues upon a jutting spur of the mountain, from -which the summit, with the house on the highest point, is seen in clear -weather. - -Suddenly I came out of the low firs, the scrubby growth of birches, upon -the fear-inspiring desolation of the bared and wintry summit. The high -sun poured down with dazzling brightness upon the white ledges, which, -rising like a wall above the solitary cabin before me, thrust their -jagged edges in the way, as if to forbid farther progress. Out of this -glittering precipice dead trees thrust huge antlers. This formless mass -overhanging the Half-Way House, known as The Ledge, is one of the most -terrific sights of the journey. - -Until clear of the woods, my uneasiness, inspired by the recollection -of the ascent from Crawford's, was extreme; but I now stood, in the -full blaze of an unclouded sun, upon a treeless wilderness of rock, a -gratified spectator of one of the most extraordinary scenes it has ever -fallen to man's lot to witness. But what a frightful silence! Not a -murmur; not a rustling leaf; but all still as death. I was half-afraid. - -At my feet yawned the measureless void of the Great Gulf, torn from the -entrails of the mountain by Titanic hands. Above my head leaped up the -endless pile of granite constituting the dome of Washington. It had now -exchanged its gray cassock for pale green. All around was unutterable -desolation. Crevassed with wide splits, encompassed round by lofty -mountain walls, the gorge was at once fascinating and forbidding, grand -yet terrible. The high-encircling steeps of Clay and Jefferson, Adams -and Madison, enclosing it with one mighty sweep, ascended out of its -depths and stretched along the sky, which seemed receding before their -daring advance. Peering down into the abyss, where the tallest pines -were shrubs and their trunks needles, the earth seemed split to its -centre, and the feet of these mountains rooted in the midst. To confront -such a spectacle unmoved one should be more, or less than human. - -Looking backward over the forest through which I had come, the eye -caught a blur of white and a gleam of blue in the Peabody Glen. The -white was the hotel, the blue the river. Following the vale out to -its entrance upon the Androscoggin meadows, the same swift messenger -ascended Moriah, and, traversing the confederate peaks to the summit of -Mount Carter, stopped short at its journey's end. - -As I slowly mounted the Ledge the same unnatural appearance was -everywhere--the same wreck, same desolation, same discord. The dead -cedars, bleaching all around, looked like an army of gigantic crabs -crawling up the mountain side, which universal ruin overspread, and -which even the soft sunshine rendered more ghastly and more solemn. I -looked eagerly along the road; listened. Not a human being; not a sound. -I was alone upon the mountain. - -[Illustration: MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF.] - -From here I no longer walked upon earth but on air. Respiration became -more and more difficult. Not even a zephyr stirred, while the glare -was painful to eyes already overtaxed in the endeavor to grasp the -full meaning of this most unaccustomed scene. The road, steadily -ascending, showed its zigzags far up the mountain. Now and then a rude -receptacle had been dug, or rather built up, by the road-side, in which -earth to mend the road was stored; and this soil, wholly composed of -disintegrated rock, must be scraped from underneath the ledges, from -crevices, from hollows, and husbanded with care. "As cheap as dirt," -was a saying without significance here. As I neared the summit the -melting snows had, in many places, swept it bare, exposing the naked -ledge; and here earth must be brought up from lower down the mountain. -But the pains bestowed upon it equals the incessant demand for its -preservation, and had I not seen with my own eyes I could scarcely have -believed so excellent a specimen of road-making existed in this desert. - -But how long will the mountain resist the denuding process constantly -going on, and what repair the gradual but certain disintegration of the -peak? It is a monument of human inability to act upon it in any way. -Be it so. The snows, the frosts, the rains, pursue their work none the -less surely. You see in the deep gullies, the avalanches of stones, the -sands of the sea-shore--so many evidences of the forces which, sooner or -later, will accomplish the miracle and remove the mountain. - -From my next halting-place I perceived that I had been traversing a -promontory of the mountain jutting boldly out into the Great Gulf, above -the Half-Way House; and, looking down over the parapet-wall, a mile or -more of the road uncoiled its huge folds, turning hither and thither, -doubling upon itself like a bewildered serpent, and, like the serpent, -always gaining a little on the mountain. This is one of the strangest -sights of this strange journey; but, in order to appreciate it at its -full value, one should be descending by the stage-coach, when the -danger, more apparent than real, is intensified by the swift descent of -the mountain into the gulf below, over which the traveller sees himself -suspended with feelings more poignant than agreeable. The fact that -there has never been a fatal accident upon the carriage-road speaks -volumes for the caution and skill of the drivers; but, as one of the -oldest and most experienced said to me, "There should be no fooling, no -chaffing, and no drinking on that road."[21] - -Continuing to ascend, the road once more took a different direction, -curving around that side of the mountain rising above the Pinkham -forest. This detour brought the Carter chain upon my left, instead of on -my right. - -Thus far I had encountered little snow, though the rocks were everywhere -crusted with ice; but now a sudden turning brought me full upon an -enormous bank, completely blocking the road, which here skirted the -edge of a high precipice. Had a sentinel suddenly barred my way with -his bayonet, I could not have been more astonished. I was brought to a -dead stand. I looked over the parapet, then at the snow-bank, then at -the mountain. The first look made me shudder, the second thoughtful, the -third gave me a headache. - -At this spot the side of the mountain was only a continuation of the -precipice, bent slightly backward from the perpendicular, and ascending -several hundred feet higher. The snow, extending a hundred feet or more -above, and conforming nearly with the slope of the mountain, filled the -road for thrice that distance. I saw that it was only prevented from -sliding into the valley by the low wall of loose stones at the edge of -the road; but how long would that resist the great pressure upon it? The -snow-bank had already melted at its edges, so that I could crawl some -distance underneath, and hear the drip of water above and below, showing -that it was being steadily undermined. In fact, the whole mass seemed on -the point of precipitating itself over the precipice. I could neither go -around it nor under it; so much was certain. - -What to do? I had only a strong umbrella, the inseparable companion -of my mountain jaunts, and the glacier was as steep as a roof. What -assurance was there that if I ventured upon it the whole sheet, -dislodged by my weight, might not be shot off the mountain side, -carrying me with it to the bottom of the abyss? But while I felt no -desire to add mine to the catalogue of victims already claimed by the -mountain, the idea of being turned back was inadmissible. Native -caution put the question, "Will you?" and native persistency answered, -"I will." - -When a thing is to be done, the best way is to do it. I therefore tried -the snow, and, finding a solid foothold, resolved to venture; had it -been soft, I should not have dared. Using my umbrella as an alpenstock, -I crossed on the parapet, where the declivity was the least, and without -accident, but slowly and breathlessly, until near the opposite side, -when I passed the intervening space in two bounds, alighting in the road -with the blood tingling to my fingers' ends. - -A sharp turn around a ledge, and the south-east wall of Tuckerman's -Ravine rose up, like a wraith, out of the forest. Nearer at hand was the -head of Huntington's, while to the right the cone of Washington loomed -grandly more than a thousand feet higher. A little to the left you look -down into the gloomy depths of the Pinkham defile, the valley of Ellis -River, the Saco Valley to North Conway, where the familiar figure of -Kearsarge is the presiding genius. The blue course of the Ellis, which -is nothing but a long cascade, the rich green of the Conway intervales, -the blanched peak of Chocorua, the sapphire summits of the Ossipee -Mountains, were presented in conjunction with the black and humid walls -of the ravine, and the iron-gray mass of the great dome. The crag on -which I stood leans out over the mountain like a bastion, from which -the spectator sees the deep-intrenched valleys, the rivers which wash -the feet of the monarch, and the long line of summits which partake his -grandeur while making it all the more impressive.[22] - -Turning now my back upon the Glen, the way led in the opposite -direction, and began to look over the depression between Clay and -Jefferson into the world of blue peaks beyond. From here the striking -spectacle of the four great northern peaks, their naked summits, their -sides seamed with old and new slides, and flecked with snow, constantly -enlarged. There were some terrible rents in the side of Clay, red as -half-closed wounds; in one place the mountain seemed cloven to its -centre. It was of this gulf that the first climber said it was such -a precipice he could scarce discern to the bottom. The rifts in the -walls of the ravine, the blasted fir-trees leaning over the abyss, -and clutching the rocks with a death-gripe, the rocks themselves, -tormented, formidable, impending, astound by their vivid portrayal of -the formless, their suggestions of the agony in which these mountains -were brought forth. - -I was now fairly upon the broad, grass-grown terrace at the base of the -pinnacle, sometimes called the Cow Pasture. The low peak rising upon its -limits is a monument to the fatal temerity of a traveller who, having -climbed, as he supposed, to the top of the mountain, died from hunger -or exposure, or from both, at this inhospitable spot.[23] A skeleton in -rags was found, at the end of a year, huddled under some rocks. Farther -down the mountain a heap of stones indicates the place where Doctor -Ball, of Boston, was found by the party sent in search of him, famished, -exhausted, and almost delirious. When rescued, he had passed two nights -upon the mountain, without food, fire, or shelter, after as many days -of fruitless wandering up and down, always led astray by his want of -knowledge, and mocked by occasional glimpses of snowy peaks above, or -the distant Glen below. More dead than alive, he was supported down the -mountain as far as the camp at The Ledge, whence he was able to ride to -the Glen House. His reappearance had the effect of one risen from the -dead. In reality, the rescuing party took up with them materials for a -rude bier, expecting to find a dead body stiffening in the snow.[24] - -Besides this almost unheard of resistance to hunger, cold, and -exhaustion combined, and notwithstanding the fortitude which enabled the -lost man to continue his desperate struggle for life until rescued, all -would doubtless have been to no purpose without the aid of an umbrella, -which, by a lucky chance, he took at setting out. This umbrella was -his only protection during the two terrible vigils he made upon the -mountain. How, is related in the chapter on the ascent from Crawford's. - -Crossing the terrace, where even the road seems glad to rest after its -laborious climb of seven miles, and where the traveller may also relax -his efforts, preparatory to his arduous advance up the pinnacle, I came -upon the railway, still solidly embedded in snow and ice. - -[Illustration: WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT.] - -Still making a route for itself among massy blocks, tilted at every -conceivable angle, but forming, nevertheless, a symmetrical cone, the -carriage-road winds up the steep ascent, to which the railway is nailed. -While traversing the plateau, with the Summit House now in full view, -my eye caught, far above me, the figure of a man pacing up and down -before the building, like a sentinel on his post. I swung my hat in the -air; again; but he did not see me. Nevertheless, I experienced a thrill -of pleasure at seeing him, so acutely had the sense of loneliness come -over me in these awful solitudes. It put such vigor into my steps that -in half an hour I crossed the last rise, when the solitary pedestrian, -making an about-face at the end of his beat, suddenly discovered -a strange form and figure emerging from the rocks before him. He -stopped short, took the pipe from his teeth, looking with open-mouthed -astonishment, then, as I continued to approach, he hastened toward me, -met me half-way, and, between rapid questions and answers, led the way -into the signal station. - -Behold me installed in the cupola of New England! While I was resting, -my host, a tall, bronzed, bearded man, bustled about the two or three -apartments constituting this swallow's nest. He put the kettle on the -stove, gave the fire a stir, spread a cloth upon the table, and took -some plates, cups, and saucers from a locker, some canned meats and -fruit from a cupboard, I, meanwhile, following all these movements with -an interest easily imagined. His preparations completed, my host first -ran his eye over them approvingly, then, presenting a pen, requested me -to inscribe my name in the visitors' book. I did so, noticing that the -last entry was in October--that is, five months had elapsed since the -last climber wended his solitary way down the mountain. My hospitable -entertainer then, with perfect politeness, begged me to draw my chair to -the table and fall to. I did not refuse. While he poured out the tea, I -asked, - -"Whom have I the pleasure of addressing?" and he modestly replied, - -"Private Doyle, sir, of the United States Signal Service. Have another -bit of devilled ham? No? Try these peaches." - -"Thank you. At least Uncle Sam renders your exile tolerable. Is this -your ordinary fare?" - -"Oh, as to that, you should see us in the dead of winter, chopping our -frozen meat with a hatchet, and our lard with a chisel." - -This, then, was what my young Jehu had meant. Where was I? I glanced -out of the window. Nothing but sky, nothing but rocks; immensity and -desolation. I disposed my ideas to hear my companion ask, "What is the -news from the other world?" - - - - -VIII. - -_MOUNT WASHINGTON._ - - The soldiers from the mountain Theches ran from rear to front, - breaking their ranks, crowding tumultuously upon each other, - laughing and shouting, "The sea! the sea!"--XENOPHON'S - _Anabasis_. - - -After the repast we walked out, Private Doyle and I, upon the narrow -platform behind the house. According to every appearance I had reached -_Ultima Thule_. - -For some moments--moments not to be forgotten--we stood there silent. -Neither stirred. The scene was too tremendous to be grasped in an -instant. A moment was needed to recover one's moral equipoise, as well -as for the unpractised eye to adjust itself to the vastness of the -landscape, and to the multitude of objects, strange objects, everywhere -confronting it. My own sensations were at first too vague for analysis, -too tumultuous for expression. The flood choked itself. - -All seemed chaos. On every side the great mountains fell away like -mists of the morning, dispersing, receding to an endless distance, -diminishing, growing more and more vague, and finally vanishing on -a limitless horizon neither earth nor sky. Never before had such a -spectacle offered itself to my gaze. The first idea was of standing on -the threshold of another planet, and of looking down upon this world of -ours outspread beneath; the second, of being face to face with eternity -itself. No one ever felt exhilaration at first. The scene is too -solemnizing. - -But by degrees order came out of this chaos. The bewildering throng of -mountains arranged itself in chains, clusters, or families. Hills drew -apart, valleys opened, streams twinkled in the sun, towns and villages -clung to the skirts of the mountains or dotted the rich meadows; but all -was mysterious, all as yet unreal. - -Comprehending at last that all New England was under my feet, I began -to search out certain landmarks. But this investigation is fatiguing: -besides, it conducts to nothing--absolutely nothing. Pointing to -a scrap of blue haze in the west, my companion observed, "That is -Mount Mansfield;" and I, mechanically, repeated, "Ah! that is Mount -Mansfield." It was nothing. Distance and Infinity have no more relation -than Time and Eternity. It sufficed for me, God knows, to be admitted -near the person of the great autocrat of New England, while under skies -so fair and radiant he gave audience to his imposing and splendid -retinue of mountains. - -But still, independent of the will, the eye flitted from peak to -peak, from summit to summit, making the slow circuit of this immense -horizon, hovering at last over a band of white gleaming far away in the -south-east like a luminous cloud, on whose surface objects like birds -reposed. It was the sea, and the specks ships sailing on the main. -With the aid of a telescope we could even tell what sails the vessels -carried. In these few seconds the eye had put a girdle of six hundred -miles about.[25] - -I consider this first introduction to what the peak of Mount Washington -looks down upon an epoch in any man's life. I saw the whole noble -company of mountains from highest to lowest. I saw the deep depressions -through which the Connecticut, the Merrimac, the Saco, the Androscoggin, -wind toward the lowlands. I saw the lakes which nurse the infant -tributaries of those streams. I saw the great northern forests, the -notched wall of the Green Mountains, the wide expanse of level land, -flat and heavy like the ocean, and finally the ocean itself. And all -this was mingled in one mighty scene. - -The utmost that I can say of this view is that it is a marvel. You -receive an impression of the illimitable such as no other natural -spectacle--no, not even the sea--can give. Astonishment can go no -farther. Nevertheless, the truth is that you are on too high a -view-point for the most effective grasp of mountain scenery. This -immense height renders near objects indistinct, obscures the more -distant. Seldom, indeed, is the land seen, even under favoring -conditions, except through a soft haze, which, you are surprised to -notice, becomes more and more transparent as you descend. The eye -explores this _clair-obscur_, and gradually discerns this or that -object. It is true that you see to a great distance, but you do not -distinguish anything clearly. This is the rule, derived from many -observations, to which the crystal air of autumn and winter makes the -rare and fortunate exception. - -There is a more cogent reason why the view from Mount Washington is -inferior to that from other and lower summits. Everything is below -you, and, naturally, therefore, any picture of these mountains not -showing the cloud-capped dome of the monarch, attended by his cortege -of grand peaks--the central, dominating, perfecting group--must be -essentially incomplete. Imagine Rome without St. Peter's, or, to come -nearer home, Boston without her State House! One word more: from this -lofty height you lose the symmetrical relation of the lesser summits to -the grand whole. Even these signal embodiments of heroic strength--the -peaks of Jefferson, Adams, and Madison--so vigorously self-asserting -that what they lose in stature they gain by a powerful individuality, -even these suffer a partial eclipse; but the summits stretching to -the southward are so dwarfed as to be divested of any character as -typical mountain structures. What fascinates us is the "sublime chaos -of trenchant crests, of peaks shooting upward;" and the charm of the -view--such at least is the writer's conviction--resides rather in the -immediate surroundings than in the extent of the panorama, great as that -unquestionably is. - -One thing struck me with great force--the enormous mass of the mountain. -The more you realize that the dependent peaks, stretching eight miles -north, and as many south, are nothing but buttresses, the more this -prodigious weight amazes. Two long spurs, divided by the valley of the -Rocky Branch, also descend into the Saco Valley as far as Bartlett; and -another, shorter, but of the same indestructible masonry, is traced -between the valleys of the Ammonoosuc and of Israel's River. In a word, -as the valleys lie and the roads run, we must travel sixty or seventy -miles around in order to make the circuit of Mount Washington at its -base. - -Even here one is not satisfied if he sees a stone ever so little above -him.[26] The best posts for an outlook, after the signal station, are -upon a point of rocks behind the old Tip-Top House, and from the end -of the hotel platform, where the railway begins its terrifying descent. -From all these situations the view was large and satisfying. From the -first station one overlooks the southern summits; from the second, the -northern. A movement of the head discloses, in turn, the ocean, the -lakes and lowlands of Maine and New Hampshire, the broad highlands -of Massachusetts, the fading forms of Monadnock and Wachusett, the -highest peaks of Vermont and New York, and, finally, the great Canadian -wilderness. - -After all this, the eye dwells upon the hideous waste of rock -blackened by ages of exposure, corroded with a green incrustation, -like _verd-antique_, constituting the dome. It is at once mournful and -appalling. Time has dealt the mountain some crushing blows, as we see by -these ghastly ruins, bearing silent testimony to their own great age. It -is necessary to step with care, for the rocks are sharp-edged. The green -appearance is due to lichens which bespatter them. Greedy little spiders -inhabit them. Truly this is a spot disinherited by Nature. - -Noticing many boards scattered helter-skelter about the top and sides of -the mountain, I drew my companion's attention to them, and he explained -that what I saw was the result of the great January gale, which had -blown down the shed used as an engine-house, demolished every vestige of -the walk leading from the hotel to the signal station, and distributed -the fragments as if they had been straws far and wide, as I saw them. - -The same gale had swept the coast from Hatteras to Canso with -destructive fury. I begged Private Doyle to give me his recollections of -it. We returned to the station, and he began as follows: - -"At the time of the tornado I was sick, and my comrade, Sergeant M----, -who is now absent on leave, had to do my turn as well as his own. 'Uncle -Sam,' you know, keeps two of us here, for fear of accidents."[27] - -"It surprised me to find you here alone," I assented. - -"This is the third day." Then, resuming his narrative, "During the -forenoon preceding the gale we observed nothing very unusual; but the -clouds kept sinking and sinking, until, in the afternoon, the summit -alone was above them. For miles around nothing could be seen but one -vast ocean of frozen vapor, with peaks sticking out here and there, -like icebergs floating in this ocean--all being cased in snow and ice. -I cannot tell you how curious this was. Later in the day the density of -the clouds became such that they reflected the colors of the spectrum: -and that too was beautiful beyond description. It was about this time -Sergeant M---- came to where I was lying, and said, 'There is going to -be the devil to pay; so I guess I'll make everything snug.' - -"By nine in the evening the wind had increased to one hundred miles an -hour, with heavy sleet, so that no observation could be safely made -from without. At midnight the velocity of the storm was one hundred and -twenty miles, and the exposed thermometer recorded 24 deg. below zero. We -could hardly get it above freezing inside the house. With the stove red, -water froze within three feet of the fire; in fact, where you are now -sitting. - -"At this time the uproar outside was deafening. About one o'clock -the wind rose to one hundred and fifty miles. It was now blowing a -hurricane. That carpet (indicating the one in the room where we were) -stood up a foot from the floor, like a sail. The wind, gathering up all -the loose ice on top of the mountain, dashed it against the house in -one continuous volley. I lay wondering how long we should stand this -terrific pounding, when all at once there came a crash. M---- shouted to -me to get up; but I had tumbled out in a hurry on hearing the glass go. -You see I was ready-dressed, to keep myself warm in bed. - -"Our united efforts were hardly equal to closing the storm-shutters from -the inside; but we succeeded, finally, though the lights were out, and -we worked in the dark." He rose in order to show me how the shutters, -made of thick oak planks, were secured by a bar, and by strong wooden -buttons screwed in the window-frame. - -"We had scarcely done this," resumed Doyle, "and were shivering over the -fire, when a heavy gust of wind again burst open the shutters as easy -as if they had never been fastened at all. We sprang to our feet. After -a hard tussle we again secured the windows by nailing a cleat to the -floor, against which we fixed one end of a board, using the other end as -a lever. You understand?" I nodded. "Well, even then it was all we could -do to force the shutters back into place. But we did it. We _had_ to do -it. - -"The rest of the night was passed in momentary expectation that the -building would be blown over into Tuckerman's Ravine, and we with it. -At four in the morning the wind registered one hundred and eighty-six -miles. It had shifted then from east to north-east. From this time it -steadily fell to ten miles at nine o'clock--as calm as a daisy. This was -the heaviest blow ever experienced on the mountain." - -"Suppose this house had gone, and the hotel stood fast, could you have -effected an entrance into the hotel?" I asked. - -"No, indeed. We could not have faced the wind." - -"Not for a hundred feet, and in a matter of life and death?" - -"In that gale? We should have been lifted clean off our feet and smashed -upon the rocks like this bottle," flinging one out at the door. - -"So then for all those hours you expected from one moment to another to -be swept into eternity?" - -[Illustration: THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE.] - -"We did what we could. Each of us wrapped himself up in blankets and -quilts, tying these tightly around him with ropes, to which were -attached bars of iron, so that if the house went by the board we might -stand a chance--a slim one--of anchoring, somehow, somewhere." - -I tried to make him admit that he was afraid; but he would not. Only he -forgot, he said, in the excitement of that terrible night, that he was -ill, until the danger was over. - -"We are going to have a blow," observed Doyle, glancing at the -barometer--"barometer falling, wind rising. Besides, that blue haze, -creeping over the valley, is a pretty sure sign of a change of weather." -His prognostic was completely verified in the course of a few hours. - -"Now," said Doyle, rising, "I must go and feed my chick." - -We retraced our steps to the point of rocks overhanging the southern -slope, where he stopped and began to scatter crumbs, I watching him -curiously meanwhile. Pretty soon he went down on his hands and knees and -peered underneath the rocks. "Ah!" he exclaimed, with vivacity, "there -you are!" - -"What is it?" I asked; "what is there?" - -"My mouse. He is rather shy, and knows I am not alone," he replied, -chirruping to the animal with affectionate concern. - -Brought to the mountain top in some barrel or box, the little stowaway -had become domesticated, and would come at the call of his human -playmate. The incident was trifling enough of itself, yet there was -something touching in this companionship, something that sharply -recalled the sense of loneliness I had myself experienced. In reality, -the disparity between the man and the mouse seemed not greater than that -between the mountain and the man. - -While we were standing among the rocks the sun touched the western -horizon. The heavens became obscured. All at once I saw an immense -shadow striding across the valley below us. Slowly and majestically it -ascended the Carter chain until it reached the highest summit. I could -not repress an exclamation of surprise; but what was my astonishment -to see this immense phantom, without pausing in its advance, lift -itself into the upper air to an incredible height, and stand fixed and -motionless high above all the surrounding mountains. It was the shadow -of Mount Washington projected upon the dusky curtain of the sky. All the -other peaks seemed to bow their heads by a sentiment of respect, while -the actual and the spectre mountain exchanged majestic salutations. Then -the vast gray pyramid retreated step by step into the thick shades. -Night fell. - -The expected storm which the observer had predicted did not fail to put -in an appearance. By the time we reached the house the wind had risen to -forty miles an hour, driving the clouds in an unbroken flight against -the summit, from which they rebounded with rage equal to that displayed -in their vindictive onset. The Great Gulf was like the crater of some -mighty volcano on the eve of an eruption, vomiting forth volumes of -thickening cloud and mist. It seemed the mustering-place of all the -storm-legions of the Atlantic, steadily pouring forth from its black -jaws, unfurling their ghostly standards as they advanced to storm -the battlements of the mountain. Occasionally a break in the column -disclosed the opposite peaks looming vast and black as midnight. Then -the effect was indescribable. At one moment everything seemed resolving -into its original elements; the next I was reminded of a gigantic -mould, not from mortal hands, in which all these vast forms were slowly -cooling. The moon shed a pale, wan light over this unearthly scene, -in which creation and annihilation seemed confusedly struggling. The -sublime drama of the Fourth Day, when light was striving with darkness -for its allotted place in the universe, seemed enacting under my eyes. - -The evening passed in comparative quiet, although the gale was now -moving from east to west at the rate of sixty miles an hour. Rain -rattled on the roof like shot. Now and then the building shuddered -and creaked, like a good ship breasting the fury of the gale. Vivid -flashes of lightning made the well-lighted room momentarily dark, -and checked conversation as suddenly as if we had felt the electric -shock. Under such novel conditions, with strange noises all about him, -one does not feel quite at ease. Nevertheless the kettle sung on the -stove, the telegraph instrument ticked on the table. We had Fabyan's, -Littleton, and White River Junction within call. We had plenty of -books, the station being well furnished from voluntary gifts of the -considerate-benevolent. At nine Doyle went out, but immediately returned -and said he had something to show me. I followed him out to the platform -behind the house. A forest fire had been seen all day in the direction -of Fabyan's, but at night it looked like a burning lake sunk in depths -of infernal blackness. I had never seen anything so nearly realizing my -idea of hell. No other object was visible--only this red glare as of -a sun in partial eclipse shining at the bottom of an immense hole. We -watched it a few minutes and then went in. I attempted to be cheerful, -but how was one to rise above such surroundings? Alternately the storm -roared and whined for admittance. Worn out with the tension, physical -and moral, of this day, I crept into bed and tried to shut the storm -out. The poor exile in the next room murmured to himself, "Ah, this -horrible solitude!" - -The next morning, while looking down from this eagle's nest upon the -southern peaks to where the bridle path could be distinctly traced -across the plateau, and still winding on around the peaked crest of -Monroe, I was seized with a longing to explore the route which on a -former occasion proved so difficult, but to-day presenting apparently -nothing more serious than a fatiguing scramble up and down the cone. -Accordingly, taking leave of my companion, I began to feel my way down -that cataract of granite, fallen, it would seem, from the skies.[28] - -In proportion as I descended, the mountain ridge below regained, little -by little, its actual character. Except where patches of snow mottled -it with white, it displayed one uniform and universal tinge of faded -orange where the soft sunshine fell full upon it, toned into rusty brown -when overshadowed, gradually deepening to an intense blue-black in the -ravines. But so insignificant did the summits look, when far below, -that I hardly recognized them for the same I had seen from Fabyan's and -had traversed from Crawford's. Monroe, the nearest, has, however, a -most striking resemblance to an enormous petrified wave on the eve of -dashing itself down into the valley. The lower you descend the stronger -this impression becomes; but from the summit of Mount Washington this -peak is so belittled that the mountains seemed saying to each other, -"Good-morning, Mole-hill!" "Good-morning, Big Bully!" - -When I reached the stone-corral, the ground, if ground it can be -called, descended less abruptly, over successive stony terraces, to a -comparative level, haired over with a coarse, wiry, and tangled grass, -strewed with bowlders, and inundated along its upper margin by torrents -of stones. Upon closer inspection these stones arranged themselves -in irregular semicircular ridges. In the eyes of the botanist and -entomologist this seemingly arid region is more attractive than the most -beautiful gardens of the valley. Among these grasses and these stones -lie hid the beautiful Alpine flowers of which no species exist in the -lowlands. Only the arbutus, which puts forth its pink-and-white flowers -earliest of all, and is warmed into life by the snows, at all resembles -them in its habits. Over this grassy plain the wind swept continually -and roughly; but on putting the grass aside with the hand, the tiny -blossoms greet you with a smile of bewitching sweetness. - -These areas, extending between and sometimes surrounding the high peaks, -or even approaching their summits, are the "lawns" of the botanist, and -his most interesting field of research. Within its scope about fifty -species of strictly Alpine plants vegetate. As we ascend the mountain, -after the dwarf trees come the Lapland rhododendron, Labrador tea, dwarf -birch, and Alpine willows, which, in turn, give place to the Greenland -sandwort, diapensia, cassiope, and other plants, with arctic rushes, -sedges, and lichens, which flourish on the very summit. - -To the left, this plain, on which the grass mournfully rustled, sloped -gently for, I should guess, half a mile, and then rolled heavily off, -over a grass-grown rim, into Tuckerman's Ravine. In this direction the -Carter Mountains appeared. Beyond, stretching away out of the plain, -extended the long Boott's Spur, over which the Davis path formerly -ascended from the valley of the Saco, but which is now, from long -disuse, traced with difficulty. Between this headland and Monroe opened -the valley of Mount Washington River, the old Dry River of the carbuncle -hunters, which the eye followed to its junction with the Saco, beyond -which the precipices of Frankenstein glistened in the sun, like a -corselet of steel. Oakes's Gulf cuts deeply into the head of the gorge. -The plain, the ravine, the spur, and the gulf transmit the names of -those indefatigable botanists, Bigelow, Tuckerman, Boott, and Oakes. - -On the other side of the ridge--for of course this plain has its -ridge--the ground was more broken in its rapid descent toward the -Ammonoosuc Valley, into which I looked over the right shoulder of Monroe. - -But what a sight for the rock-wearied eye was the little Lake of the -Clouds, cuddled close to the hairy breast of this mountain! On the -instant the prevailing gloom was lighted as if by magic by this dainty -nursling of the clouds, which seemed innocently smiling in the face of -the hideous mountain. And the stooping monster seemed to regard the -little waif, lying there in its rocky cradle, with astonishment, and to -forego his first impulse to strangle it where it lay. Lion and lamb were -lying down together. - -Casting an eye upward, and finding the houses on the summit were hidden -by the retreating curvature of the cone, I saw, with chagrin, light -mists scudding over my head. It was a notice to hasten my movements idle -to disregard here. Crossing as rapidly as possible Bigelow's Lawn--the -half-mile of grass ground referred to, where I sunk ankle-deep in moss, -or stumbled twenty times in as many rods over concealed stones--I -skirted the head of the chasm for some distance. But from above the -ravine does not make a startling impression. I, however, discovered, -lodged underneath its walls, a bank of snow. All around I heard water -gurgling under my feet in rock-worn channels while making its way -tranquilly to the brow of the ravine. These little underground runlets -are the same that glide over the head-wall, and are the head tributaries -of the Ellis.[29] - -Retracing my way to the ridge and to the path, which I followed for some -distance, startling the silence with an occasional halloo, I descended -into the hollow, where the Lake of the Clouds seems to have checked -itself, white and still, on the very edge of the tremendous gully, cut -deep into the western slopes. The lake is the fountain-head of the -Ammonoosuc. Its waters are too cold to nourish any species of fishes; -they are too elevated for any of the feathered tribe to pay it a visit. - -[Illustration: LAKE OF THE CLOUDS.] - -Strange spectacle! A fairy haunt, rock-rimmed and fringed about with -Alpine shrubs, half-disclosing, half-concealing its bare bosom, coyly -reposed on this wind-swept ridge, like "a good deed in a naughty -world." From its crystal basin a tiny rill trickled through soft moss -to the dizzy verge beyond, where, like some airy sprite, clothed with -the rainbow and tossing its white tresses to the sport of the breeze, -it tripped gayly over the grisly precipice and fell in a silvery -shower from height to height. Where it passed, flowers, ferns, and -rich herbage sprung forth upon the hard face of the granite. Tapering -fir-trees exhaled a dewy freshness; aspens quivered with the delight -of its coming, and aged trees, tottering, decrepit, piteous to see, -stretched their withered limbs toward heaven. On it went, and still on, -leaving its white robe clinging to the mountain side. All the forest -seemed crowding forward to catch it; but, now reverently kissing the -feet of the old trees, now saucily flinging a handful of crystal in the -faces of scowling cliffs, it eluded the embrace of the forest, which -thrilled with its musical laughter from lowest deeps to the summit of -high-rocking pines. When it was no longer visible a sonorous murmur -heralded its triumphal progress. No wonder the bewildered eye roved from -bleak summit to voluptuous vale; from the handful of drops above to the -brimming river below. The miracle of Horeb was being repeated hour by -hour, like an affair of every-day life. - -This hand-mirror of Venus has two tiny companion pools close by. The -weary explorer may sip a draught of sweetest savor while admiring -their exceeding beauty--a beauty heightened by its unexpectedness, and -teaching that not all is barren even here. A benison on those little -lakes! - -Stone houses of refuge are much needed on the mountains over which -the Crawford trail reaches the summit. They should always be provided -with fagots for a fire, clean straw or boughs for a bed, and printed -directions for the inexperienced traveller to follow. A fireplace, -furnished with a crane and a kettle for heating water, would be absolute -luxuries. Being done, this glorious promenade--the equal of which does -not exist in New England--would be taken with confidence by numbers, -instead of, as now, by the few. It is the appropriate pendant of the -ascent from the Glen by the carriage-road, or from Fabyan's by the -railway. One can hardly pretend to have seen the mountains in their -grandest aspects until he has threaded this wondrous picture-gallery, -this marvellous hall of statues.[30] - -While recrossing the plateau, from which Washington has the appearance -of one mountain piled upon another, I suddenly came upon a dead sparrow -in my path. Poor little fellow! he was too adventurous, and sunk on -stiffening pinions beneath the frozen wind. Ten steps farther on a large -brown butterfly flew up and fluttered cheerily along the path. Why, -then, did the bird die and the butterfly live? - -This mountain butterfly, which endured cold that the bird could not, has -excited the attention of naturalists, it is said. The mountain is 6293 -feet high, and the butterflies never descend below an elevation of about -5600 feet. Here they "disport during the month of July of every year," -thriving upon the scanty deposits of honey found in the flowers of the -few species of hardy plants that grow in the crevices of the rocks at -this great altitude, and upon other available liquid substances. The -insect measures, from tip to tip of the expanded fore-wings, about -one and eight-tenths inches. It is colored in shades of brown, with -various bands and marblings diversifying the surface of the wings. The -butterfly is known to naturalists as the _OEneis semidea_, and was -first described, in 1828, by Thomas Say. An allied species occurs on -Long's Peak and other elevated heights in Colorado; and another is found -at Hopedale, Labrador; but they are confined to these widely separated -localities. It is surmised that the butterfly, like the Alpine flora, -beautifully illustrates the presence, or rather the advance and retreat, -of the glacier. - -I took up the little winged chorister of the vale who was not able to -make spring come to the mountain for all his warbling. Truly, was not -the little bird's fate typical of those ambitious climbers for fame -who, chilled to death by neglect or indifference, die singing on the -heights? So the sparrow's fall gave me food for reflection, during which -I reached the little circular enclosure at the foot of the cone. - -Once more I climbed the rambling and rocky stairs leading to the summit; -but long before reaching it clouds were drifting above and below me. -The day was to end like so many others. The crabbed old mountain had -exhausted his store of benevolence. I hurried on down the Glen road. -After descending a mile I heard a rumbling sound, deep and prolonged, -like distant thunder. The thought of being overtaken on the mountain by -a thunder-storm made me quicken my pace almost to a run. On turning the -corner where the snow-bank had lain, like a lion in the path, devoutly -wishing myself well and safely over, I felt something rise in my throat. -The bank was no longer there. Every vestige of it had disappeared, and, -in all probability, its sudden plunge down the mountain was what I had -taken for thunder. Ten minutes sooner and I should have been upon its -treacherous bridge. - -I passed the Half-Way House, entered the dusk forest, where the -tree-tops were swaying wildly to and fro, the birds flitting silently, -and the tall pines discordantly humming, as if getting the pitch of the -storm. Suddenly it grew dark. A stream of fire blinded me with its -glare. Then a deafening peal shook the solid earth. Another and another -succeeded: Olympian salvos greeted the arrival of the storm king. - -The rain was pattering among the leaves when I emerged into the open -vale, guided by the lights of the Glen House shining through the -darkness. My heavy feet almost refused to carry me farther, and I walked -like the statue in "Don Juan." - - - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - - - PAGE -I. _THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE_ 209 - -II. _THE FRANCONIA PASS_ 224 - -III. _THE KING OF FRANCONIA_ 237 - -IV. _FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD_ 248 - -V. _THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW_ 256 - -VI. _THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES_ 259 - -VII. _MOOSEHILLOCK_ 267 - -VIII._BETHLEHEM_ 276 - -IX. _JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER_ 291 - -X. _THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS_ 304 - -[Illustration: WHITE MOUNTAINS - -(WEST SIDE) - -1881.] - - - - -THIRD JOURNEY. - - - - -I. - -_THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE._ - - O child of that white-crested mountain whose springs - Gush forth in the shade of the cliff-eagle's wings, - Down whose slopes to the lowlands thy wild waters shine, - Leaping gray walls of rock, flashing through the dwarf-pine! - WHITTIER. - - -Plymouth lies at the entrance to the Pemigewasset Valley, like an -encampment pitched to dispute its passage. At present its design is to -facilitate the ingress of tourists. - -I am sitting at the window this morning looking down the Pemigewasset -Valley. It is a gray, sad morning. Wet clouds hang and droop heavily -over. In the distance the frayed and tattered edges are rolled up, -half-disclosing the humid outlines of the hills on the other side of -the valley. The trees are budded with rain-drops. Through a lattice -of bordering foliage I look down upon the river, shrunken by drought -to half its usual breadth, and exposing its parched bed of sand and -pebbles. It gives an expiring gurgle in its stony throat. It is one of -those mornings that, in spite of our philosophy, strangely affect the -spirits, and are like a presentiment of evil. The clouds are funereal -draperies; the river chants a dirge. - -In this world of ours, where events push each other aside with such -appalling rapidity, perhaps it is scarcely remembered that Hawthorne -breathed his last in this house on the night of May 18th, 1864. He who -was born in sight of these mountains had come among them to die. - -In company with his old college mate and loving friend, General Pierce, -he came from Centre Harbor to Plymouth the day previous to the sad -event. Devoted friends--and few men have known more devoted--had for -some time seen that his days were numbered. The fire had all but gone -out from his eye, which seemed interrogating the world of which he was -already more than half an inhabitant. A presentiment of his approaching -end seemed foreshadowed in the changed look and faltering step of -Hawthorne himself: he walked like a man consciously going to his grave. -Still, much was hoped--it could hardly be that much was expected--from -this journey, and from the companionship of two men grown gray with -care, each standing on the pinnacle of his ambition, each disappointed, -but united, one to the other, by the ties of life-long friendship; -turning their backs upon the gay world, and walking hand-in-hand among -the sweet groves and pleasant streams like boys again. It was like a -dream of their lost youth: the reality was no more. - -On this journey General Pierce was the watchful, tender, and sympathetic -nurse. Without doubt either of these men would have died for the other. - -But these hopes, these cares, alas! proved delusive. The angel of death -came unbidden into the sacred companionship; the shadow of his wings -hovered over them unseen. In the night, without a sigh or a struggle, as -he himself wished it might be, the hand of death was gently and kindly -laid on the fevered brain and fluttering heart. In the morning his -friend entered the chamber to find only the lifeless form of Nathaniel -Hawthorne plunged in the slumber that knows no awakening. Great heart -and mighty brain were stilled forever. - -While the weather gives such inhospitable welcome let us employ the -time by turning over a leaf from history. According to Farmer, the -intervales here were formerly resorted to by the Indians for hunting -and fishing. At the mouth of Baker's River, which here joins the -Pemigewasset, they had a settlement. Graves, bones, gun-barrels, besides -many implements of their rude husbandry, have been discovered. Here, it -is said, the Indians were attacked by a party of English from Haverhill, -Massachusetts, led by Captain Baker, who defeated them, killed many, and -destroyed a large quantity of fur. From him Baker's River receives its -name. - -Before the French and Indian war broke out this region was debatable -ground, into which only the most celebrated and intrepid white hunters -ventured. Among these was a young man of twenty-three, named Stark, who -lived near the Amoskeag Falls, in what is now Manchester. In April, -1752, Stark was hunting here with three companions, one of whom was -his brother William. They had pitched their camp on Baker's River, -in the present limits of Rumney, and were prosecuting their hunt with -good success, when they suddenly discovered the presence of Indians in -their vicinity. Though it was a time of peace, they were not the less -apprehensive on that account, and determined to change their position. -But the Indians had also discovered the white hunters, and prepared to -entrap them. When Stark went out very early the next morning to collect -the traps he was intercepted and made prisoner. The Indians then took a -position on the bank of the river to ambush his companions as they came -down. Eastman, who was on the shore, next fell into their hands; but -the two others were in a canoe floating quietly down the stream out of -reach. Stark was ordered to hail and decoy them to the shore. He obeyed; -but, instead of lending himself to the treachery, shouted to his friends -that he was taken, and to save themselves. They instantly steered for -the opposite shore, receiving a volley as they did so. Stinson, one of -those in the boat, was shot dead; but William Stark escaped through the -heroism of his brother, who knocked up the guns of the savages as they -covered him with fatal aim. - -Stark and his fellow-prisoner were taken to St. Francis by Actaeon and -his prowling band, with whom they had had the misfortune to fall in. At -St. Francis the Indians set Stark hoeing their corn. At first he cut up -the corn and spared the weeds; but this expedient not serving to relieve -him of the drudgery, he threw his hoe into the river, telling his -captors that hoeing corn was the business of squaws, not of warriors. -This answer procured him recognition among them as a spirit worthy of -themselves. He was adopted into the tribe, and called the "Young Chief." -The promise of youth was fulfilled. The young hunter of the White -Mountains and the conqueror of Bennington are the same. - -The choice is open to leave the railway here and enter the mountains by -the Pemigewasset Valley, or to continue by it the route which conducts -to the summit of Mount Washington, by Bethlehem and Fabyan's. To journey -on by rail to the Profile House is seventy-five miles, while by the -common road, following the Pemigewasset, the distance is only thirty -miles. A daily stage passes over this route, which I risk nothing in -saying is always one of the delightful reminiscences of the whole -journey. Deciding in favor of the last excursion, my first care was to -procure a conveyance. - -At three in the afternoon I set out for Campton, seven miles up the -valley, which the carriage-road soon enters upon, and which by a few -unregarded turnings is presently as fast shut up as if its mountain -gates had in reality swung noiselessly together behind you. Hardly had I -recovered from the effect of the deception produced by seeing the same -mountain first in front, next on my right hand, and then shifted over to -the other side of the valley, when I saw, spanned by a high bridge, the -river in violent commotion far down below me. - -The Pemigewasset, confined here between narrow banks, has cut for -itself two deep channels through its craggy and cavernous bed; but -one of these being dammed for the purpose of deepening the other, the -general picturesqueness of the fall is greatly diminished. Still, it is -a pretty and engaging sight, this cataract, especially if the river be -full, although you think of a mettled Arabian harnessed in a tread-mill -when you look at it. Livermore Fall, as it is called, is but two miles -from Plymouth, the white houses of which look hot in the same brilliant -sunlight that falls so gently upon the luxuriant green of the valley. -The feature of this fall is the deep water-worn chasm through which it -plunges. - -By crossing the bridge here the left bank of the stream may be followed, -the valley towns of Campton, Thornton, and Woodstock being divided by it -into numerous villages or hamlets, frequently puzzling the uninitiated -traveller, who has set out in all confidence, but who is seized by -the most cruel perplexity, upon hearing that there are four villages -in Campton, each several miles distant from the other. One would have -pleased him far better. - -[Illustration: ON THE PROFILE ROAD.] - -Crossing this bridge, and descending to the level meadow below the -falls, I made a brief inspection of the establishment for breeding and -stocking with trout and salmon the depleted mountain streams of New -Hampshire. The breeding-house and basins are situated just below the -falls, on the banks of the river. This is a work undertaken by the -State, with the expectation of repeopling its rivers, brooks, and ponds -with their finny inhabitants. All those streams immediately accessible -from the villages are so persistently fished by the inhabitants as to -afford little sport to the angler from a distance, who is compelled -to go farther and fare worse; but the State is certainly entitled to -much credit for its endeavor to make two trout grow where only one grew -before. It is feared, however, that the experiment of stocking the -Pemigewasset with salmon will not prove successful. The farmers who live -along the banks say that one of these fish is rarely seen, although the -fishery is protected by the most rigid regulations. No one who has not -visited the mountains between May 1st--the earliest date when fishing -is permitted--and the middle of June, can have an idea of the number -of sportsmen every year resorting to the trout streams, or of the -unheard-of drain upon those streams. Not the least of many ludicrous -sights I have witnessed was that of a man, weighing two hundred pounds, -excitedly swinging aloft a trout weighing less than two ounces, and this -trophy he exhibited to me with unfeigned triumph--the butcher! This is -mere slaughter, and ought not to be tolerated. A pretty sight is to see -the breeding-trout follow you in your walk around the margin of their -little basin to be fed from your hand. They are tame as pigeons and -ravenous as sharks. - -Mount Prospect, in Holderness, is the first landmark of note. It is -seen, soon after leaving Plymouth, rising from the opposite side of the -valley, its green crest commanding a superb view of the lake region -below, and of the lofty Franconia Mountains above. It is worth ascending -this mountain were it only to see again the beautiful islet-spotted -Squam Lake and far-reaching Winnipiseogee quivering in noonday splendor. - -The beautiful valley is now open throughout its whole extent. Of -course I refer only to that portion lying above Plymouth. But it is an -anomaly of mountain valleys. Its length is about twenty-five miles, and -its greatest width, I should judge, not more than three or four. For -twenty miles it is almost as straight as an arrow. There is nothing to -hinder a perfectly free and open view up or down. Contrast this with -the wilful and tortuous windings of the Ammonoosuc, or the Saco, which -seem to grope and feel their way foot by foot along their cramped and -crooked channels. The angle of ascent, too, is here so gradual as to be -scarcely noticed until the foot of the mountain wall, at its head, is -reached. True, this valley is not clothed with a feeling of overpowering -grandeur, but it is beautiful. It is not terrible, but bewitching. - -The vista of mountains on the east side of the valley becomes every -moment more and more extended, and more and more interesting. A long -array of summits trending away to the north, with detached mountains -heaved above the lower clusters, like great whales sporting in a frozen -sea, is gradually uncovered. Green as a carpet, level as a floor, the -valley, adorned with clumps of elms, groves of maples, and strips of -tilled land of a rich chocolate brown, makes altogether a picture which -sets the eye fairly dancing. Even the daisies, the clover, and the -buttercups which so plentifully spangle the meadows seem far brighter -and sweeter in this atmosphere, nodding a playful welcome as you pass -them by. We are in the country of flowers. - -Since passing Blair's and the bridge over the river to Campton Hollow I -was on the alert for that first and most engaging view of the Franconia -Mountains which has been so highly extolled. Perhaps I should say -that one poetic nature has revealed it to a thousand others. Without -doubt this landscape is the more striking because it is the first, and -consequently deepest, impression of grand mountain scenery obtained -by those upon whom at a turn of the road, and without premonition, it -flashes like the realization of some ecstatic vision. - -Half a mile below the little hamlet of West Campton the road crosses -the point of a hill pushed well out into the valley. It is here that -the circlet of mountains is seen enclosing the valley on all sides -like a gigantic palisade. In one place, far away in the north, this -wall is shattered to its centre, like the famous Breach of Roland; -and through this enormous loop-hole we see golden mists rising above -the undiscovered country beyond. We are looking through the far-famed -Franconia Notch. On one side the clustered peaks of Lafayette lift -themselves serenely into the sky. On the left a silvery light is -playing on the ledges of Mount Cannon, softening all the asperities of -this stern-visaged mountain. The two great groups now stand fully and -finely exposed; though the lower and nearer summits are blended with -the higher by distance. Remark the difference of outline. A series of -humps marks the crest-line of the group, which culminates in the oblique -wall of Mount Cannon. On the contrary, that on the right, culminating -in Lafayette, presents two beautiful and regular pyramids, older than -Cheops, which sometimes in early morning exactly resemble two stately -monuments, springing alert and vigorous as the day which gilds them. At -a distance of twenty miles it demands good eyes and a clear atmosphere -to detect the supporting lines of these pyramidal structures, which in -reality are two separate mountains, Liberty and Flume. This exquisite -landscape seldom fails of producing a rapturous outburst from those who -are making the journey for the first time. - -There are many points of resemblance between this view and that of the -White Mountains from Conway Corner. Both unfold at once, and in a single -glance, the principal systems about which all the subordinate chains -seem manoeuvring under the commanding gaze of Washington or Lafayette. - -Soon after starting it was evident that my driver's loquaciousness was -due to his having "crooked his elbow" too often while loitering about -Plymouth. The frequent plunge of the wheels into the ditches by the -roadside, accompanied with a shower of mud, was little conducive to the -calm and free enjoyment of the beauties of the landscape. The driver -alone was unconcerned, and as often as good fortune enabled him to steer -clear of upsetting his passengers would articulate, thickly, "Don't be -alarmed, Cap': no one was ever hurt on this road." - -Silently committing myself to that Providence which is said to watch -over the destinies of tipplers, I breathed freely only when we drew up -at the hospitable door of the village inn, bespattered with mud, but -with no broken bones. - -Sanborn's, at West Campton, is the old road-side inn that long ago swung -the stag-and-hounds as its distinctive emblem. A row of superb maples -shades the road. Here we have fairly entered the renowned intervales, -that gleam among the darker forests or groves like patches of blue in -a storm-clouded sky. Looking southward, across the level meadows, the -hills of Rumney flinging up smooth, firm curves, and the more distant, -downward-plunging outline of Mount Prospect, in Holderness, close the -valley. Upon the left, where the clearings extend quite to the summits -of the near hills, the maple groves interspersed among them resemble -soldiers advancing up the green slopes in columns of attack. Following -this line a little, the valley of Mad River is distinguished by the deep -trough through which it descends from the mountains of Waterville. And -here, peering over the nearer elevations, the huge blue-black mass of -Black Mountain flings two splendid peaks aloft. - -For a more intimate acquaintance with these surroundings the hillside -pasture above the school-house gives a perspective of greater breadth; -while that from the Ellsworth road is in some respects finer still. -About two miles up this road the valley of the East Branch, showing the -massive Mount Hancock, cicatriced with one long, narrow scar, is lifted -into view. The other features of the landscape remain the same, except -that Mount Cannon is now cut off by the hill rising to the north of us. -As often as one of these hidden valleys is thus revealed we are seized -with a longing to explore it. - -[Illustration: WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER.] - -One need not push inquiry into the antecedents of Campton or the -neighboring villages very far. The township was originally granted to -General Jabez Spencer, of East Haddam, Connecticut, in 1761. In 1768 a -few families had come into Campton, Plymouth, Hebron, Sandwich, Rumney, -Holderness, and Bridgewater. No opening had been made for civilized men -on this side of Canada except for three families, who had gone fifty -miles into the wilderness to begin a settlement where Lancaster now -is. The name is derived simply from the circumstance that the first -proprietors built a camp when they visited their grant. The different -villages are much frequented by artists, who have spread the fame of -Campton from one end of the Union to the other. But a serpent has -entered even this Eden--the villagers are sighing for the advent of the -railway. - -Having dedicated one day to an exploration of the Mad River Valley, I -can pronounce it well worth any tourist's while to tarry long enough -in the vicinity for the purpose. It is certainly one of the finest -exhibitions of mountain scenery far or near. Here is a valley twelve -miles long, at the bottom of which a rapid river bruises itself on a bed -of broken rock, while above it are heaped mountains to be picked out -of a thousand for peculiarity of form or structure. The Pemigewasset -is passed by a ford just deep enough at times to invest the journey -with a little healthy excitement at the very beginning. The ford has, -however, been carefully marked by large stones placed at the edge of the -submerged road. - -Fording the river and climbing the hill which lies across the entrance -to this land-locked valley, I was at once ushered upon a scene of -great and varied charm. Right before me, sunning his three peaks four -thousand feet above, was the prodigious mass of Black Mountain. Far up -the valley it stretched, forming an unbroken wall nearly ten miles long, -and apparently sealing all access from the Sandwich side. A nipple, -a pyramid, and a flattened mound protruding from the summit ridge -constitute these eminences, easily recognized from the Franconia highway -among a host of lesser peaks. At the southern end of this mountain -the range is broken through, giving passage to a rough and straggling -road--fourteen hundred feet above the sea-level--to Sandwich Centre, and -to the lake towns south of it. This pass is known as Sandwich Notch. - -Campton Village lies along the hill-slope opposite to Black Mountain. -Completely does it fill the artistic sense. Its situation leaves nothing -to be desired in an ideal mountain village. So completely is it secluded -from the rest of the world by its environment of mountains, that you -might pass and repass the Pemigewasset Valley a hundred times without -once surprising the secret of its existence. All those houses, half hid -beneath groves of maples, bespeak luxurious repose. Opposite to Black -Mountain, whose dark forest drapery hides the mass of the mountain, is -the immense whitish-yellow rock called Welch Mountain. Only a scanty -vegetation is suffered to creep among the crevices. It is really -nothing but a big excrescent rock, having a principal summit shaped -somewhat like a Martello tower; and, indeed, resembling one in ruins. -The bright ledges brilliantly reflect the sun, causing the eye to turn -gratefully to the sombre gloom of the evergreens crowding the sides of -the neighboring mountains. Welch Mountain reminded me, I hardly know -why, of Chocorua; but the resemblance can scarcely extend farther than -to the meagreness, mutually characteristic, and to the blistered, almost -calcined ledges, which in each case catch the earliest and latest beams -of day. In fact, I could think only of a leper sunning his scars, and in -rags. - -At the head of the vale, alternately coming into and retreating from -view--for we are still progressing--is the mysterious triple-crowned -mountain known on the maps as Tripyramid. When first seen it seems -standing solitary and alone, and to have wrapped itself in a veil of -thinnest gauze. As we advance it displays the white streak of an immense -slide, which occurred in 1869. This mountain is visible from the shore -of the lake at Laconia. It is one of the first to greet us from the -elevated summits, though from no point is its singularly admirable and -well-proportioned architecture so advantageously exhibited as when -approaching by this valley. Its northern peak stands farthest from the -others, yet not so far as to mar the general grace and harmony of form. -Hail to thee, mountain of the high, heroic crest, for thy fortunate name -and the gracious, kingly mien with which thou wearest thy triple crown! -Prince thou art and potentate. None approach thy forest courts but do -thee homage. - -The end of the valley was reached in two hours of very leisurely -driving. The road abruptly terminated among a handful of houses -scattered about the bottom of a deep and narrow vale. This is, beyond -question, the most remarkable mountain glen into which civilization has -thus far penetrated. On looking up at the big mountains one experiences -a half-stifled feeling; and, on looking around the scattered hamlet, its -dozen houses seem undergoing perpetual banishment. - -This diminutive settlement, in which signs of progress and decay stand -side by side--progress evidenced by new and showy cottages; decay by -abandoned and dilapidated ones--is at the edge of a region as shaggy and -wild as any in the famed Adirondack wilderness. It fairly jostles the -wilderness. It braves it. It is really insolent. Yet are its natural -resources so slender that the struggle to keep the breath in it must -have been long and obstinate. A wheezy saw-mill indicates at once its -origin and its means of livelihood; but it is evident that it might -have remained obscure and unknown until doomsday, had not a few anglers -stumbled upon it while in pursuit of brooks and waters new. - -[Illustration: BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS.] - -The glen is surrounded by peaks that for boldness, savage freedom, -and power challenge any that we can remember. They threaten while -maintaining an attitude of lofty scorn for the saucy intruder. The -curious Noon Peak--we have at length got to the end of the almost -endless Black Mountain--nods familiarly from the south. It long stood -for a sun-dial for the settlement; hence its name. Tecumseh, a noble -mountain, and Osceola, its worthy companion, rise to the north. A -short walk in this direction brings Kancamagus[31] and the gap between -this mountain and Osceola into view. All these mountains stand in the -magnificent order in which they were first placed by Nature; but never -does the idea of inertia, of helpless immobility, cross the mind of the -beholder for a single moment. - -The unvisited region between Greeley's, in Waterville, and the Saco is -destined to be one of the favorite haunts of the sportsman, the angler, -and the lover of the grand old woods. It is crossed and recrossed by -swift streams, sown with lakes, glades, and glens, and thickly set -with mountains, among which the timid deer browses, and the bear and -wildcat roam unmolested. Fish and game, untamed and untrodden mountains -and woods, welcome the sportsman here. With Greeley's for a base, -encampments may be pitched in the forest, and exploration carried into -the most out-of-the-way corners. The full zest of such a life can -only be understood by those to whom its freedom and unrestraint, its -healthful and vigorous existence, have already proved their charm. The -time may come when the mountains shall be covered with a thousand tents, -and the summer-dwellers will resemble the tribes of Israel encamped by -the sweet waters of Sion. - -Waterville maintains unfrequent communication with Livermore and the -Saco by a path twelve miles long--constructed by the Appalachian -Mountain Club--over which a few pedestrians pass every year. I have -explored this path for several miles beyond Beckytown while visiting -the great slide which sloughed off from the side of Tripyramid, and -the cascades on the way to it. Osceola, Hancock, and Carrigain, three -remarkably fine mountains, offer inviting excursions to expert climbers. -I was reluctantly compelled to renounce the intention of passing over -the whole route, which should occupy, at least, two days or parts of -days, one night being spent in camp. - -The Mad River drive is a delightful episode. In the way of mountain -valley there is nothing like it. Bold crag, furious torrent, lonely -cabin, blue peak, deep hollow, choked up with the densest foliage, -constitute its varied and ever-changing features. The overhanging -woods looked as if it had been raining sunshine; the road like an -endless grotto of illuminated leaves, musical with birds, and exhaling a -thousand perfumes. - -[Illustration: FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON.] - -The remainder of the route up the Pemigewasset is more and more a -revelation of the august summits that have so constantly met us -since entering this lovely valley. Boldly emerging from the mass of -mountains, they present themselves at every mile in new combinations. -Through Thornton and Woodstock the spectacle continues almost without -intermission. Gradually, the finely-pointed peaks of the Lafayette group -deploy and advance toward us. Now they pitch sharply down into the -valley of the East Branch. Now the great shafts of stone are crusted -with silvery light, or sprayed with the cataract. Now the sun gilds the -slides that furrow, but do not deface them. Stay a moment at this rapid -brook that comes hastening from the west! It is an envoy from yonder -great, billowy mountain that lords it so proudly over - - "many a nameless slide-scarred crest - And pine-dark gorge between." - -That is Moosehillock. Facing again the north, the road is soon swallowed -up by the forest, and the forest by the mountains. A few poor cottages -skirt the route. Still ascending, the miles grow longer and less -interesting, until the white house, first seen from far below, suddenly -stands uncovered at the left. We are at the Flume House, and before the -gates of the Franconia Notch. - - - - -II. - -THE FRANCONIA PASS. - - Beyond them, like a sun-rimmed cloud, - The great Notch Mountains shone, - Watched over by the solemn-browed - And awful face of stone!--WHITTIER. - - -When Boswell exclaimed in ecstasy, "An immense mountain!" Dr. Johnson -sneered, "An immense protuberance!" but he, the sublime cynic, became -respectful before leaving the Hebrides. Charles Lamb, too, at one time -pretended something approaching contempt for mountains; but, after a -visit to Coleridge, he made the _amende honorable_ in these terms: - -"I feel I shall remember your mountains to the last day of my life. -They haunt me perpetually. I am like a man who has been falling in love -unknown to himself; which he finds out when he leaves the lady." - -Notwithstanding their prepossessions against nature, and their -undisguised preference for the smoke and dirt of London, the mountains -awoke something in these two men which was apparently a revelation of -themselves unto themselves. I have felt a higher respect for both since -I knew that they loved mountains, as I pity those who have only seen -heaven through the smoke of the city. It is not easy to explain two -ideas so essentially opposite as are presented in the earlier and later -declarations of these widely famous authors, unless we agree, keeping -"Elia's" odd simile in mind, that in the first case they should, like -woman, be taken, not at what she says, but what she means. - -The Flume House is the proper tarrying-place for an investigation of the -mountain gorge from which it derives both its custom and its name. It -is also placed opposite to the Pool, another of those natural wonders -with which the pass is crowded, and which tempt us at every step to turn -aside from the travelled road. - -Fronting the hotel is a belt of woods, with two massive mountains -rising behind. In the concealment of these woods the Pemigewasset, -contracted to a modest stream, runs along the foot of the mountains. -A rough, zigzag path leads through the woods to the river and to the -Pool. Now raise the eyes to the summit-ridge of yonder mountain. The -peak finely reproduces the features of a gigantic human face, while -the undulations of the ridge fairly suggest a recumbent human figure -wrapped in a shroud. The outlines of the forehead and nose are curiously -like the profile of Washington; hence the colossal figure is called -Washington Lying in State. This immortal sculpture gave rise to the idea -that the tomb of Washington, like that of Desaix, on the St. Bernard, -should be on the great summit that bears his name. - -[Illustration: A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL.] - -From the Flume House I looked up through the deep cleft of the Notch--an -impressive vista. To the left is Cannon, or Profile Mountain; to the -right the beetling crags of Eagle Cliff; then the pointed, shapely peaks -of Lafayette; and so the range continues breaking off and off, bending -away into lesser mountains that finally melt into pale-blue shadows. -Now a stray cloud atop a peak gives it a volcanic character. Now a puff -scatters it like thistle-down. It is a sultry summer's morning, and -banks of film hang like huge spider's-webs in the tree-tops. Soon they -detach themselves, and, floating lazily upward, are seized by a truant -breeze, spun mischievously round, and then settle quietly down on the -highest peaks like young eaglets on their nest. - -Let us first walk down to the Pool. This Pool is a caprice of the river. -Imagine a cistern, deeply sunk in granite, receiving at one end a weary -cascade, which seems to crave a moment's rest before hurrying on down -the rocky pass. In the mystery and seclusion of ages, and with only the -rude implements picked up by the way, the river has hollowed a basin -a hundred feet wide and forty deep out of the stubborn rock. Without -doubt Nature thus first taught us to cut the hardest marble with sand -and water. Cliffs traversed by cracks rise a hundred feet higher. -The water is a glossy and lustrous sea-green, and of such marvellous -transparency that you see the brilliant pebbles sparkling at the bottom, -shifting with the waves of light like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. -Overtopping trees lean timidly over and peer down into the Pool, which -coldly repulses their shadows. Only the colorless hue of the rocks -is reflected; and the stranger, seeing an old man with a gray beard -standing erect in a boat, has no other idea than that he has arrived on -the borders and is to be accosted by the ferryman of Hades. - -The Flume is reached by going down the road a short distance, and then -diverging to the left and crossing the river to the Flume Brook. A -carriage-way conducts almost to the entrance of the gorge. Then begins -an easy and interesting promenade up the bed of the brook. - -This is a remarkable rock-gallery, driven several hundred feet into -the heart of the mountain, through which an ice-cold brook rushes. The -miracle of Moses seems repeated here sublimely. Some unknown power smote -the rock, and the prisoned stream gushed forth free and lightsome as -air. You approach it over broad ledges of freckled granite, polished -by the constant flow of a thin, pellucid sheet of water to slippery -smoothness. Proceeding a short distance up this natural esplanade, you -enter a damp and gloomy fissure between perpendicular walls, rising -seventy feet above the stream, and, on lifting your eyes suddenly, -espy an enormous bowlder tightly wedged between the cliffs. Now try to -imagine a force capable of grasping the solid rock and dividing it in -halves as easily as you would an apple with your two hands. - -[Illustration: THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH.] - -At sight of the suspended bowlder, which seems, like Paul Pry, to have -"just dropped in," I believe every visitor has his moment of hesitation, -which he usually ends by passing underneath, paying as he goes with a -tremor of the nerves, more or less, for his temerity. But there is no -danger. It is seen that the deep crevice, into which the rock seems -jammed with the especial purpose of holding it asunder, also hugs the -intruder like a vise; so closely, indeed, that, according to every -appearance, it must stay where it is until doomsday, unless released by -some passing earthquake from its imprisonment. Sentimental tourists do -not omit to find a moral in this curiosity, which really looks to be on -the eve of dropping, with a loud splash, into the torrent beneath. On -top of the cliffs I picked up a visiting-card, on which some one with -a poetic turn had written, "Does not this bowlder remind you of the -sword of Damocles?" To a civil question, civil reply: No; to me it looks -like a nut in a cracker. - -Over the gorge bends an arcade of interlaced foliage shot through and -through with sunshine; and wherever cleft or cranny can be found young -birches, sword-ferns, trailing vines, insinuating their long roots in -the damp mould, garland the cold granite with tenderest green. The -exquisite white anemone blooms in the mossy wall wet with tiny streams -that do not run but glide unperceived down. What could be more cunning -than the persistency with which these hardy waifs, clinging or drooping -along the craggy way, draw their sustenance from the rock, which seems -to nourish them in spite of itself? Underneath your feet the swollen -torrent storms along the gorge, dashing itself recklessly against -intruding bowlders, or else passing them with a curl of disdain. How -gallantly it surmounts every obstacle in its way! How crystal-clear are -its waters! On it speeds, scattering pearls and diamonds right and left, -like the prodigal it is; unpolluted, as yet, by the filth of cities, or -turned into a languid, broken-spirited drudge by dams or mill-wheels. -"Stop me?" it seems exclaiming. "Why, I am offspring of the clouds, -their messenger to the parched earth, the mountain maid-of-all-work! -Stay; step aside here in the sun and I will show you my rainbow-signet! -When I rest, do you not behold the mother imaged in the features of the -child? Stop me! Put your hand in my bosom and see how strong and full -of life are my pulse-beats. To-morrow I shall be vapor. Thought is not -freer. I do not belong to earth any more than the eagle sailing above -yonder mountain-top." - -Overhead a fallen tree-trunk makes a crazy bridge from cliff to cliff. -The sight of the gorge, with the flood foaming far below, the glitter -of falling waters through the trees, the splendid light in the midst of -deepest gloom, the solemn pines--the odorous forest, the wildness and -the coolness--impart an indescribable charm to the spot that makes us -reluctant to leave it. Many ladies ascend to the head of the gorge and, -crossing on the rude bridge, leave their visiting-cards on the other -side; one had left her pocket-handkerchief, with the scent fresh upon -it. I picked it up, and out hopped a toad. - -After the Pool and the Flume, an ascent of the mountain behind the hotel -will be found conducive to enjoyment of another kind. This mountain -commands delicious views of the valley of the Pemigewasset. A short hour -is usually sufficient for the climb. It was a very raw, windy morning -on which I climbed it, but the uncommon purity of the air and the -exceeding beauty of the landscape were most rarely combined with cloud -effects seen only in conjunction with a brisk north-west wind. I had -taken a station similar to that occupied by Mount Willard with respect -to the Saco Valley, now opening a vista essentially different from -that most memorable one in my mountain experience. The valley is not -the same. You see the undulating course of the river for many leagues, -and but for an intercepting hill, which hides them, might distinguish -the houses of Plymouth. The vales of Woodstock, Thornton, and Campton, -spotted with white houses, lie outspread in the sun, between enclosing -mountains; and the windings of the Pemigewasset are now seen dark and -glossy, now white with foam, appearing, disappearing, and finally lost -to view in the blended distance. The sky was packed with clouds. Over -the vivid green of the intervales their black shadows drifted swiftly -and noiselessly, first turning the light on, then off again, with -magical effect. To look up and see these clouds all in motion, and then, -looking down, see those weird draperies darkly trailing over the land, -was a reminiscence of - - "The dim and shadowy armies of our unquiet dreams-- - Their footsteps brush the dewy fern and paint the shaded streams." - -The mountain ridges flowed southward with marvellous smoothness to the -vanishing-point, on one side of the valley bright green, on the other -indigo blue. This picture was not startling, like that from the Crawford -Notch, but, in its own way, was incomparable. The sunsets are said to be -beautiful beyond description. - -One looks up the Notch upon the great central peaks composing -the water-shed--Cannon, Lafayette, Lincoln, and the rest--to see -crags, ridges, black forests, rising before him in all their gloomy -magnificence. - -[Illustration: THE BASIN.] - -On one side all is beauty, harmony, and grace; on the other, a packed -mass of bristling, steep-sided mountains seem storming the sky with -their gray turrets. Could we but look over the brawny shoulders of the -mountains opposite to us, the eye would take in the vast, untrodden -solitudes of the Pemigewasset forests cut by the East Branch and -presided over by Mount Carrigain--a region as yet reserved for those -restless and adventurous spirits whom the beaten paths of travel have -ceased to charm or attract. But an excursion into this "forest primeval" -is to be no holiday promenade. It is an arduous and difficult march -over slippery rocks, through tangled thickets, or up the beds of -mountain torrents. Hard fare and a harder bed of boughs finish the day, -every hour of which has been a continued combat with fresh obstacles. -At this price one may venture to encounter the virgin wilderness or, as -the cant phrase is, "try roughing it." It is a curious feeling to turn -your back upon the last cart-path, then upon the last foot-path; to hear -the distant baying of a hound grow fainter and fainter--in a word, to -exchange at a single step the sights and sounds of civilized life, the -movement, the bustle, for a silence broken only by the hum of bees and -the murmur of invisible waters. - -I left the Flume House in company with a young-old man, whom I met -there, and in whom I hoped to find another and a surer pair of eyes, -for, were he to have as many as Argus, the sight-seer would find -employment for them all. - -While gayly threading the green-wood, we came upon a miniature edition -of the Pool, situated close to the highway, called the Basin. A basin -in fact it is, and a bath fit for the gods. It is plain to see that -the stream once poured over the smooth ledges here, instead of making -its exit by the present channel. A cascade falls into it with hollow -roar. This cistern has been worn by the rotary motion of large pebbles -which the little cascade, pouring down into it from above, set and -kept actively whirling and grinding at its own mad caprice. But this -was not the work of a day. Long and constant attrition only could have -scooped this cavity out of the granite, which is here so clean, smooth, -and white, and filled to the brim with a grayish-emerald water, light, -limpid, and incessantly replenished by the effervescent cascade. In the -beginning this was doubtless an insignificant crevice, into which a few -pebbles and a handful of sand were dropped by the stream, but which, -having no way of escape, were kept in a perpetual tread-mill, until what -was at first a mere hole became as we now see it. The really curious -feature of the stone basin is a strip of granite projecting into it -which closely resembles a human leg and foot, luxuriously cooling itself -in the stream. Such queer freaks of nature are not merely curious, -but they while away the hours so agreeably that time and distance are -forgotten. - -As we walked on, the hills were constantly hemming us in closer and -closer. Suddenly we entered a sort of crater, with high mountains all -around. One impulse caused us to halt and look about us. In full view -at our left the inaccessible precipices of Mount Cannon rose above a -mountain of shattered stones, which ages upon ages of battering have -torn piecemeal from it. Its base was heaped high with these ruins. -Seldom has it fallen to my lot to see anything so grandly typical -of the indomitable as this sorely battered and disfigured mountain -citadel, which nevertheless lifts and will still lift its unconquerable -battlements so long as one stone remains upon another. Hewed and -hacked, riven and torn, gashed and defaced in countless battles, one -can hardly repress an emotion of pity as well as of admiration. I do -not recollect, in all these mountains, another such striking example -of the denuding forces with which they are perpetually at war. When we -see mountains crumbling before our very eyes, may we not begin to doubt -the stability of things that we are pleased to call eternal? Still, -although it seems erected solely for the pastime of all the powers of -destruction, this one, so glorious in its unconquerable resolve to die -at its post--this one, exposing its naked breast to the fury of its -deadliest foes--so stern and terrific of aspect, so high and haughty, -so dauntlessly throwing down the gauntlet to Fate itself--assures us -that the combat will be long and obstinate, and that the mountain will -fall at last, if fall it must, with the grace and heroism of a gladiator -in the Roman arena. The gale flies at it with a shriek of impotent -rage. Winter strips off its broidered tunic and flings white dust in -its aged face. Rust corrodes, rains drench, fires scorch it; lightning -and frost are forever searching out the weak spots in its harness; but, -still uplifting its adamantine crest, it receives unshaken the stroke -or the blast, spurns the lightning, mocks the thunder, and stands fast. -Underneath is a little lake, which at sunset resembles a pool of blood -that has trickled drop by drop from the deep wounds in the side of the -mountain. - -We are still advancing in this region of wonders. In our front soars an -insuperable mass of forest-shagged rock. Behind it rises the absolutely -regal Lafayette. Our footsteps are stayed by the glimmer of water -through trees by the road-side. We have reached the summit of the pass. - -Six miles of continued ascent from the Flume House have brought us to -Profile Lake, which the road skirts. Although a pretty enough piece of -water, it is not for itself this lake is resorted to by its thousands, -or for being the source of the Pemigewasset, or for its trout--which -you take for the reflection of birds on its burnished surface--but for -the mountain rising high above, whose wooded slopes it so faithfully -mirrors. Now lift the eyes to the bare summit! It is difficult to -believe the evidence of the senses! Upon the high cliffs of this -mountain is the remarkable and celebrated natural rock sculpture of a -human head, which, from a height twelve hundred feet above the lake, -has for uncounted ages looked with the same stony stare down the pass -upon the windings of the river through its incomparable valley. The -profile itself measures about forty feet from the tip of the chin to -the flattened crown which imparts to it such a peculiarly antique -appearance. All is perfect, except that the forehead is concealed by -something like the visor of a helmet. And all this illusion is produced -by several projecting crags. It might be said to have been begotten by a -thunder-bolt. - -Taking a seat within a rustic arbor on the high shore of the lake, -one is at liberty to peruse at leisure what, I dare say, is the most -extraordinary sight of a lifetime. A change of position varies more or -less the character of the expression, which is, after all, the marked -peculiarity of this monstrous _alto relievo_; for let the spectator -turn his gaze vacantly upon the more familiar objects at hand--as he -inevitably will, to assure himself that he is not the victim of some -strange hallucination--a fascination born neither of admiration nor -horror, but strongly partaking of both emotions, draws him irresistibly -back to the Dantesque head stuck, like a felon's, on the highest -battlements of the pass. The more you may have seen, the more your -feelings are disciplined, the greater the confusion of ideas. The moment -is come to acknowledge yourself vanquished. This is not merely a face, -it is a portrait. That is not the work of some cunning chisel, but a -cast from a living head. You feel and will always maintain that those -features have had a living and breathing counterpart. Nothing more, -nothing less. - -But where and what was the original prototype? Not man; since, ages -before he was created, the chisel of the Almighty wrought this sculpture -upon the rock above us. No, not man; the face is too majestic, too -nobly grand, for anything of mortal mould. One of the antique gods may, -perhaps, have sat for this archetype of the coming man. And yet not man, -we think, for the head will surely hold the same strange converse with -futurity when man shall have vanished from the face of the earth. - -This gigantic silhouette, which has been dubbed the Old Man of the -Mountain, is unquestionably the greatest curiosity of this or any other -mountain region. It is unique. But it is not merely curious; nor is -it more marvellous for the wonderful accuracy of outline than for the -almost superhuman expression of frozen terror it eternally fixes on the -vague and shadowy distance--a far-away look; an intense and speechless -amazement, such as sometimes settles on the faces of the dying at the -moment the soul leaves the body forever--untranslatable into words, but -seeming to declare the presence of some unutterable vision, too bright -and dazzling for mortal eyes to behold. The face puts the whole world -behind it. It does everything but speak--nay, you are ready to swear -that it is going to speak! And so this chance jumbling together of a few -stones has produced a sculpture before which Art hangs her head. - -I renounce in dismay the idea of reproducing the effect on the reader's -mind which this prodigy produced on my own. Impressions more pronounced, -yet at the same time more inexplicable, have never so effectually -overcome that habitual self-command derived from many experiences of -travel among strange and unaccustomed scenes. From the moment the -startled eye catches it one is aware of a _Presence_ which dominates the -spirit, first with strange fear, then by that natural revulsion which -at such moments makes the imagination supreme, conducts straight to -the supernatural, there to leave it helplessly struggling in a maze of -impotent conjecture. But, even upon this debatable ground, between two -worlds, one is not able to surprise the secret of those lips of marble. -The Sphinx overcomes us by his stony, his disdainful silence. Let the -visitor be ever so unimpassioned, surely he must be more than mortal to -resist the impression of mingled awe, wonder, and admiration which a -first sight of this weird object forces upon him. He is, indeed, less -than human if the feeling does not continually grow and deepen while -he looks. The face is so amazing, that I have often tried to imagine -the sensations of him who first discovered it peering from the top of -the mountain with such absorbed, open-mouthed wonder. Again I see the -tired Indian hunter, pausing to slake his thirst by the lake-side, -start as his gaze suddenly encounters this terrific apparition. I -fancy the half-uttered exclamation sticking in his throat. I behold -him standing there with bated breath, not daring to stir hand or foot, -his white lips parted, his scared eyes dilated, until his own swarthy -features exactly reflect that unearthly, that intense amazement stamped -large and vivid upon the livid rock. There he remains, rooted to the -spot, unable to reason, trembling in every limb. For him there are no -accidents of nature; for him everything has its design. His moment of -terrible suspense is hardly difficult to understand, seeing how careless -thousands that come and go are thrilled, and awed, and silenced, -notwithstanding you tell them the face is nothing but rocks. - -[Illustration: THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.] - -If the effect upon minds of the common order be so pronounced, a first -sight of the Great Stone Face may easily be supposed to act powerfully -upon the imaginative and impressible. The novelist, Hawthorne, makes -it the interpreter of a noble life. For him the Titanic countenance is -radiant with majestic benignity. He endows it with a soul, surrounds the -colossal brow with the halo of a spiritual grandeur, and, marshalling -his train of phantoms, proceeds to pass inexorable judgment upon them. -Another legend--like its predecessor, too long for our pages--runs to -the effect that a painter who had resolved to paint Christ sitting in -judgment, and who was filled with the grandeur of his subject, wandered -up and down the great art palaces, the cathedrals of the Old World, -seeking in vain a model which should in all things be the embodiment of -his ideal. In despair at the futility of his search he hears a strange -report, brought by some pious missionaries from the New World, of a -wonderful image of the human face which the Indians looked upon with -sacred veneration. The painter immediately crossed the sea, and caused -himself to be guided to the spot, where he beheld, in the profile of the -great White Mountains, the object of his search and fulfilment of his -dream. The legend is entitled _Christus Judex._ - -Had Byron visited this place of awe and mystery, his "Manfred," the -scene of which is laid among the mountains of the Bernese Alps, would -doubtless have had a deeper and perhaps gloomier impulse; but even among -the eternal realms of ice the poet never beheld an object that could -so arouse the gloomy exaltation he has breathed into that tragedy. His -line-- - - "Bound to earth, he lifts his eye to heaven"-- - -becomes descriptive here. - -Again and again we turn to the face. We go away to wonder if it is still -there. We come back to wonder still more. An emotion of pity mingles -with the rest. Time seems to have passed it by. It seems undergoing some -terrible sentence. It is a greater riddle than the gigantic stone face -on the banks of the Nile. - -All effects of light and shadow are so many changes of countenance or of -expression. I have seen the face cut sharp and clear as an antique cameo -upon the morning sky. I have seen it suffused, nay, almost transfigured, -in the sunset glow. Often and often does a cloud rest upon its brow. I -have seen it start fitfully out of the flying scud to be the next moment -smothered in clouds. I have heard the thunder roll from its lips of -stone. I recall the sunken cheeks, wet with the damps of its night-long -vigil, glistening in the morning sunshine--smiling through tears. I -remember its emaciated visage streaked and crossed with wrinkles that -the snow had put there in a night; but never have I seen it insipid or -commonplace. On the contrary, the overhanging brow, the antique nose, -the protruding under-lip, the massive chin, might belong to another -Prometheus chained to the rock, but whom no punishment could make lower -his haughty head. - -I lingered by the margin of the lake watching the play of the clouds -upon the water, until a loud and resonant peal, followed by large, warm -drops, admonished me to seek the nearest shelter. And what thunder! -The hills rocked. What echoes! The mountains seemed knocking their -stony heads together. What lightning! The very heavens cracked with the -flashes. - - "Far along - From peak to peak the rattling crags among - Leaps the live thunder! not from one lone cloud, - But every mountain now hath found a tongue, - And Jura answers, through her misty shroud, - Back to the joyous Alps, who call to her aloud!" - - - - -III. - -_THE KING OF FRANCONIA._ - - Hills draw like heaven - And stronger, sometimes, holding out their hands - To pull you from the vile flats up to them. - E. B. BROWNING. - - -At noon we reached the spacious and inviting Profile House, which is -hid away in a deep and narrow glen, nearly two thousand feet above -the sea. No situation could be more sequestered or more charming. The -place seems stolen from the unkempt wilderness that shuts it in. An -oval, grassy plain, not extensive, but bright and smiling, spreads its -green between a grisly precipice and a shaggy mountain. And there, if -you-will believe me, in front of the long, white-columned hotel, like a -Turkish rug on a carpet, was a pretty flower-garden. Like those flowers -on the lawn were beauties sauntering up and down in exquisite morning -toilets, coquetting with their bright-colored parasols, and now and then -glancing up at the grim old mountains with that air of elegant disdain -which is so redoubtable a weapon--even in the mountains. Little children -fluttered about the grass like beautiful butterflies, and as unmindful -of the terrors that hovered over them so threateningly. Nurses in their -stiff grenadier caps and white aprons, lackeys in livery, cadets in -uniform, elegant equipages, blooded horses, dainty shapes on horseback, -cavaliers, and last, but not least, the resolute pedestrian, or the -gentlemen strollers up and down the shaded avenues, made up a scene as -animated as attractive. There is tonic in the air: there is healing in -the balm of these groves. Even the horses step out more briskly. Peals -of laughter startle the solemn old woods. You hear them high up the -mountain side. There go a pair of lovers, the gentleman with his book, -whose most telling passages he has carefully conned, the lady with her -embroidery, over which she bends lower as he reads on. Ah, happy days! -What is this youth, which, having it, we are so eager to escape, and, -when it is gone, we look back upon with such longing? - -[Illustration: EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE.] - -The lofty crag opposite the hotel is Eagle Cliff, a name at once -legitimate and satisfying, although it is now untenanted by the eagles -which formerly made their home in the security of its precipitous -rocks. The cliff is also seen to great advantage from Echo Lake, half a -mile farther on, of which it constitutes a striking feature. In simple -parlance it is an advanced spur of Mount Lafayette. The high and curving -wall of this cliff encloses on one side the Profile Glen, while Mount -Cannon forms the other. The precipices tower so far above the glen that -large trees look like shrubs. Behind Eagle Cliff, almost isolating it -from the mountain, of which it is the barbacan, a hideous ravine yawns -upon the pass. Here and there, among the thick-set evergreen trees, -beech and birch and maple, spread masses of rich green, and mottle it -with softness. The purple rock bulges daringly out, forming a parapet of -adamant. - -The turf underneath the cliff was most beautifully and profusely -spangled with the delicate pink anemone, the _fleur des fees_, that -pale darling of our New England woods, to which the arbutus resigns the -sceptre of spring. It is a moving sight to see these little drooping -flowers, so shy and modest, yet so meek and trustful, growing at the -foot of a bare and sterile rock. The face hardened looking up; grew -soft looking down. "Don't tread on us!" "May not a flower look up at a -mountain?" they seem to plead. Lightly fall the dews upon your upturned -faces, dear little flowers! Soft be the sunshine and gentle the winds -that kiss those sky-tinted cheeks! In thy sweet purity and innocence -I see faces that are beneath the sod, flowers that have blossomed in -Paradise. - -We see also, from the hotel, the singular rock that occasioned the -change of name from Profile to Cannon Mountain. It nearly resembles a -piece of heavy ordnance protruding, threateningly, from the parapet of a -fortress. - -Taking one of the well-worn paths conducting to the water-side, a few -minutes' walk brings us to the shore of Echo Lake, with Eagle Cliff now -rising grandly on our right. Nowhere among the White Hills is there a -fuller realization of a mountain lake than this. Light flaws frost it -with silver. Sharp keels cut it as diamonds cut glass. The water is so -transparent that you see fishes swimming or floating indolently about. - -[Illustration: ECHO LAKE.] - -Echo Lake is somewhat larger than Profile Lake, and is only a step -from the road. Its sources are in the hundred streams that descend the -surrounding mountains, and its waters are discharged by the valley, -lying between us and the heights of Bethlehem, into the Ammonoosuc. -Therefore, in coming from one lake to the other we have crossed the -summit of the pass. On one side the waters flow to the Merrimac, on the -other to the Connecticut. An idle fancy tempted me to bring a cup of -water from Profile and cast it into Echo Lake, forgetting that, although -divided in their lives, the twin lakes had yet a common destiny in the -abyss of the ocean. I found the outlook from the boat-house on the whole -the most satisfying, because one looks back directly through the deep -chasm of the Notch. - -In this beautiful little mountain-tarn the true artist finds his ideal. -The snowy peak of Lafayette looked down into it with a freezing stare. -Cannon Mountain now showed his retreating wall on the right. The huge, -castellated rampart of Eagle Cliff lifted on its borders precipices -dripping with moisture, and glistening in the sun like casements. -Except for the lake, the whole aspect would be irredeemably savage -and forbidding--a blind landscape; but when the sun sinks behind the -long ridge of Mount Cannon, purpling all these grisly crags, and the -cloaked shadows, groping their way foot by foot up the ravines, seem -spectres risen from the depths of the lake, you see, underneath the -cliffs, long and slender spears of golden light thrust deep into its -black and glossy tide, crimsoning it as with its own life-blood. Then, -too, is the proper moment for surprising these vain old mountains -viewing themselves in their mountain mirror, in which the bald, the -wrinkled, and the decrepit appear young, vigorous, and gloriously fair; -to see them gloating over their swarthy features like the bandit in -"Fra Diavolo." Their ragged mantles are changed to gaudy cashmeres, -picturesquely twisted about their brawny shoulders, their snows to -laces. Oh the pomp, the majesty of these sunsets, which so glorify -the upturned faces of the haggard cliffs; which transmute, as in the -miracle, water into wine; which instantly transform these rugged -mountain walls into gates of jasper, and ruby, and onyx--glowing, -effulgent, enrapturing! And then, after the sun drops wearily down the -west, that gauze-like vapor, spun from the breath of evening, rising -like incense from the surface of the lake, which the mountains put on -for the masque of night; and, finally, the inquisitive stars piercing -the lake with ice-cold gleams, or the full-moon breaking in one great -burst of splendor on its level surface! - -The echo adds its feats of ventriloquism. The marvel of the phonograph -is but a mimicry of Nature, the universal teacher. Now the man blows -a strong, clear blast upon a long Alpine horn, and, like a bugle-call -flying from camp to camp, the martial signal is repeated, not once, but -again and again, in waves of bewitching sweetness and with the exquisite -modulations of the wood-thrush's note. From covert to covert, now here, -now there, it chants its rapturous melody. Once again it glides upon -the entranced ear, and still we lean in breathless eagerness to catch -the last faint cadence sighing itself away upon the palpitating air. A -cannon was then fired. The report and echo came with the flash. In a -moment more a deep and hollow rumbling sound, as if the mountains were -splitting their huge sides with suppressed laughter, startled us. - -The ascent of Mount Lafayette fittingly crowns the series of excursions -through which we have passed since leaving Plymouth. This mountain -dominates the valleys north and south with undisputed sway. It is the -King of Franconia. - -At seven in the morning I crossed the little clearing, and, turning into -the path leading to the summit, found myself at the beginning of a steep -ascent. It was one of the last and fairest days of that bright season -which made the poet exclaim, - - "And what is so fair as a day in June?" - -The thunder-storm of the previous afternoon, which continued its furious -cannonade at intervals throughout the night, had purified the air and -given promise of a day favorable for the ascension. No clouds were upon -the mountains. Everything betokened a pacific disposition. - -[Illustration: MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, LAFAYETTE.] - -The path at once attacks the south side of Eagle Cliff. A short way up, -openings afford fine views of Mount Cannon and its weird profile, of the -valley below, and of the glen we have just left. The stupendous mass of -Eagle Cliff, suspended a thousand feet over your head, accelerates the -pace. - -After an hour of steady, but not rapid, climbing, the path turned -abruptly under the shattered, but still formidable, precipices of the -cliff, which rose some distance higher, skirted it awhile, and then -began to zigzag among huge rocks along the narrow ridge uniting the -cliff with the mass of the mountain. Two deep ravines fall away on -either side. For two or three hundred yards, from the time the shoulder -of the cliff is turned until the mountain itself is reached, the walk -is as romantic an episode of mountain climbing as any I can recall, -except the narrow gully of Chocorua. But this passage presents no such -difficulties as must be overcome there. Although heaped with rocks, the -way is easy, and is quite level. In one place, where it glides between -two prodigious masses of rock dislodged from the cliff, it is so narrow -as to admit only a single person at a time. When I turned to look back -down the black ravine, cutting into the south side of the mountain, my -eye met nothing but immense rocks stopped in their descent on the very -edge of the gulf. It is among these that a way has been found for the -path, which was to me a reminiscence of the high defiles of the Isthmus -of Darien; to complete the illusion, nothing was now wanting except the -tinkling bells of the mules and the song of the muleteer. I climbed upon -one of the high rocks, and gazed to my full content upon the granite -parapet of Mount Cannon. - -In a few rods more the path encountered the great ravine opening into -the valley of Gale River. Through its wide trough brilliant strips of -this valley gleamed out far below. The village of Franconia and the -heights of Lisbon and Bethlehem now appeared on this side. - -I think that the perception of a distance climbed is greater to one who -is looking down from a great height than to one looking up. Doubtless -the imagination, which associates the plunging lines of a deep gorge -with the horror of a fall, has much to do with this impression. Upon -crossing a bridge of logs, the peak of Lafayette leaped up; yet so -distant as to promise no easy conquest. Somewhere down the gorge I heard -the roar of a brook; then the report of the cannon at Echo Lake; but up -here there was no echo. - -The usual indications now assured me that I was nearing the top. In -three-quarters of an hour from the time of leaving the natural bridge, -joining Eagle Cliff with the mountain, I stood upon the first of the -great billows which, rolling in to a common centre, appear to have -forced the true summit a thousand feet higher. - -The first, perhaps the most curious, thing that I noticed--for one -hardly suspects the existence of considerable bodies of water in these -high regions, and, therefore, never comes upon them except unawares--was -two little lakelets, nestling in the hollow between me and the main -peak. Reposing amid the sterility of the high peaks, these lakes -surround themselves with such plants as have survived the ascent from -below, or, nourished by the snows of the summit, those that never do -descend into temperate climates. Thus an appearance of fertility--one -of those deceptions that we welcome, knowing it to be such--greets us -unexpectedly. But its appearance is weird and forbidding. Here the -extremes of arctic and temperate vegetation meet and embrace; here the -flowers of the valley annually visit their pale sisters, banished by -Nature to these Siberian solitudes; and here the rough, strong Alpine -grass, striking its roots deep among the atoms of sand, granite, or -flint, lives almost in defiance of Nature herself; and when the snows -come and the freezing north winds blow, and it can no longer stand -erect, throws itself upon the tender plants, like a brave soldier -expiring on the body of his helpless comrade, saved by his own devotion. - -But these Alpine lakes always provoke a smile. When some distance -beyond the Eagle Lakes, as they are called, and higher, I caught, -underneath a wooded ridge of Cannon, the sparkle of one hidden among -the summits on the opposite side of the Notch. The immense, solitary -Kinsman Mountain overtops Cannon as easily as Cannon does Eagle Cliff. -In its dark setting of the thickest and blackest forests this lake -blazed like one of the enormous diamonds which our forefathers so firmly -believed existed among these mountains. They call this water--only to -be discovered by getting above it--Lonesome Lake, and in summer it is -the chosen retreat of one well known to American literature, whom the -mountains know, and who knows them. - -I descended the slope to the plateau on which the lakes lie, soon -gaining the rush-grown shore of the nearest. Its water was hardly -drinkable, but your thirsty climber is not apt to be too fastidious. -These lakes are prettier from a distance; the spongy and yielding moss, -the sickly yellow sedge surrounding them, and the rusty brown of the -brackish water, do not invite us to tarry long. - -[Illustration: CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE.] - -The ascent of the pinnacle now began. It is too much a repetition, -though by no means as toilsome, of the Mount Washington climb to merit -particular description. This peak, too, seems disinherited by Nature. -The last trees encountered are the stunted firs with distorted little -trunks, which it may have required half a century to grow as thick as -the wrist. I left the region of Alpine trees to enter that of gray -rocks, constantly increasing in size toward the summit, where they were -confusedly piled in ragged ridges, one upon another, looming large and -threateningly in the distance. But as often as I stopped to breathe -I scanned "the landscape o'er" with all the delight of a wholly new -experience. The fascination of being on a mountain-top has yet to be -explained. Perhaps, after all, it is not susceptible of analysis. - -After gaining the highest visible point, to find the real summit -still beyond, I stopped to drink at a delicious spring trickling from -underneath a large rock, around which the track wound. I was now among -the ruin and demolition of the summit, standing in the midst of a vast -atmospheric ocean. - -Had I staked all my hopes upon the distant view, no choice but -disappointment was mine to accept. Steeped in the softest, dreamiest -azure that ever dull earth borrowed from bright heaven, a hundred peaks -lifted their airy turrets on high. These castles of the air--for I will -maintain that they were nothing else--loomed with enchanting grace, -the nearest like battlements of turquoise and amethyst, or, receding -through infinite gradations to the merest shadows, seemed but the dusky -reflection of those less remote. The air was full of illusions. There -was bright sunshine, yet only a deluge of semi-opaque golden vapor. -There were forms without substance. See those iron-ribbed, deep-chested -mountains! I declare it seemed as if a swallow might fly through them -with ease! Over the great Twin chain were traced, apparently on the air -itself, some humid outlines of surpassing grace which I recognized for -the great White Mountains. It was a dream of the great poetic past: of -the golden age of Milton and of Dante. The mountains seemed dissolving -and floating away before my eyes. - -Stretched beneath the huge land-billows, the valleys--north, south, or -west--reflected the fervid sunshine with softened brilliance, and all -those white farms and hamlets spotting them looked like flakes of foam -in the hollows of an immense ocean. - -Heaven forbid that I should profane such a scene with the dry recital -of this view or that! I did not even think of it. A study of one of -Nature's most capricious moods interested me far more than a study of -topography. How should I know that what I saw were mountains, when the -earth itself was not clearly distinguishable? Alone, surrounded by all -these delusions, I had, indeed, a support for my feet, but none whatever -for the bewildered senses. - -I found the mountain-top untenanted except by horse-flies, black gnats, -and active little black spiders. These swarmed upon the rocks. I also -found buttercups, the mountain-cranberry, and a heath, bearing a little -white flower, blossoming near the summit. There were the four walls of a -ruined building, a cairn, and a signal-staff to show that some one had -been before me. This staff is 5259 feet above the ocean, or 3245 feet -above the summit of the Franconia Pass. - -The ascent required about three, and the descent about two hours. The -distance is not much less than four miles; but, these miles being a -nearly uninterrupted climb from the base to the summit of the mountain, -haste is out of the question, if going up, and imprudent, if coming -down. There are no breakneck or dangerous places on the route; nor any -where the traveller is liable to lose his way, even in a fog, except -on the first summit, where the new and old paths meet, and where a -guide-board should be erected. - - - - -IV. - -_FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD._ - - Believe if thou wilt that mountains change their places, but - believe not that men change their dispositions.--_Oriental Proverb_. - - -Although one may make the journey from the Profile House to Bethlehem -with greater ease and rapidity by the railway recently constructed along -the side of the Franconia range, preference will unquestionably be given -to the old way by all who would not lose some of the most striking views -the neighborhood affords. Beginning near the hotel, the railway skirts -the shore of Echo Lake, and then plunges into a forest it was the first -to invade. By a descent of one hundred feet to the mile, for nine and -a half miles, it reaches the Ammonoosuc at Bethlehem station. I have -nothing to say against the locomotive, but then I should not like to go -through the gallery of the Louvre behind one. - -[Illustration: FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH.] - -From Echo Lake the high-road to Franconia, Littleton, and Bethlehem -winds down the steep mountain side into the valley of Gale River. To -the left, in the middle distance, appear the little church-tower and -white buildings constituting the village of Franconia Iron Works. This -village is charmingly placed for effectively commanding a survey of the -amphitheatre of mountains which isolates it from the neighboring towns -and settlements. - -As we come down the three-mile descent, from the summit of the pass -to the level of the deep valley, and to the northern base of the -notch-mountains, an eminence rises to the left. Half-way up, occupying -a well-chosen site, there is a hotel, and on the high ridge another -commands not only this valley, but also those lying to the west of it. -On the opposite side to us rise the green heights of Bethlehem, Mount -Agassiz being conspicuous by the observatory on its summit. Those -farm-houses dotting the hill-side show how the road crooks and turns to -get to the top. Following these heights westward, a deep rift indicates -the course of the stream dividing the valley, and of the highway to -Littleton. Between these walls the long ellipse of fertile land beckons -us to descend. - -I am always most partial to those grassy lanes and by-ways going no one -knows where, especially if they have well-sweeps and elm-trees in them; -but here also is the old red farm-house, with its antiquated sweep, -its colony of arching elms, its wild-rose clustering above the porch, -its embodiment of those magical words, "Home, sweet home." It fits the -rugged landscape as no other habitation can. It fits it to a T, as -we say in New England. More than this, it unites us with another and -different generation. What a story of toil, privation, endurance these -old walls could tell! How genuine the surprise with which they look down -upon the more modern houses of the village! Here, too, is the Virginia -fence, on which the king of the barn-yard defiantly perches. There is -the field behind it, and the men scattering seed in the fallow earth. -Yonder, in the mowing-ground, a laborer is sharpening his scythe, the -steel ringing musically under the quick strokes of his "rifle." - -Over there, to the left, is the rustic bridge, and hard by a clump of -peeled birches throw their grateful shade over the hot road. Many stop -here, for the white-columned trunks are carved with initials, some -freshly cut, some mere scars. But why mutilate the tree? What signify -those letters, that every idler should gratify his little vanity by -giving it a stab? Do you know that the birch does not renew its bark, -and that the tree thus stripped of its natural protection is doomed? -Cease, then, I pray you, this senseless mutilation; nor call down the -just malediction of the future traveller for destroying his shade. -Unable to escape its fate, the poor tree, like a victim at the stake, -stoically receives your barbarous strokes and gashes. Refrain, then, -traveller, for pity's sake! Have a little mercy! Know that the ancients -believed the tree possessed of a soul. Remember the touching story -of Adonis, barbarously wounded, surviving in a pine, where he weeps -eternally. Consider how often is the figure of "The Tree" used in the -Scriptures as emblematic of the life eternal! Who would wish to inhabit -a treeless heaven? - -The stream--which does not allow us to forget that it is here--is a -vociferous mountain brook. Hardly less forward is the roadside fountain -gushing into a water-trough its refreshing abundance for the tired and -dusty wayfarer. It makes no difference in the world whether he goes -on two legs or on four. "Drink and be filled" is the invitation thus -generously held out to all alike. With what a sigh of pleasure your -steaming beast lifts his reluctant and dripping muzzle from the cool -wave, and after satisfying again and again his thirst, luxuriously -immersing his nose for the third and fourth time, still pretends to -drink! How deliciously light and limpid and sparkling is the water, and -how sweet! How it cools the hot blood! You quaff nectar. You sip it as -you would champagne. It tastes far better, you think, pouring from this -half-decayed, moss-crusted spout than from iron, or bronze, or marble. -Come, fellow-traveller, a bumper! Fill high! God bless the man who -first invented the roadside fountain! He was a true benefactor of his -fellow-man. - -[Illustration: THE ROADSIDE SPRING.] - -Turn once more to the house. A little girl tosses corn, kernel by -kernel, to her pet chickens. There go a flight of pigeons: they curvet -and wheel, and settle on the ridge-pole, where they begin to flirt, and -strut, and coo. The men in the field look up at the top of the mountain, -to see if it is not yet noon. And now a woman, with plump bare arms, -coming briskly to the open door, puts the dinner-horn to her lips with -one hand while placing the other lightly upon her hip. She does not know -that act and attitude are alike inviting. How should she? - -Let us follow the pretty stream that is our guide. Franconia has the -reputation of being the hottest in summer and in winter the coldest of -the mountain villages. It _is_ hot. The houses are strung along the road -for a mile. People may or may not live in them: you see nobody. One -modest church-tower catches the eye for a moment, and then, as we enter -the heart of the village, a square barrack of a building, just across -the stream, is pointed out as the old furnace, which in times past gave -importance to this out-of-the-way corner. But the old furnace is now -deserted except by cows from the neighboring pastures, who come and go -through its open doors in search of shade. At present the river, which -brings its music and its freshness to the very doors of the villagers, -is the only busy thing in the place. - -During the Rebellion the furnace was kept busy night and day, turning -out iron to be cast into cannon. The very hills were melted down for -the defence of the imperilled Union. In the adjoining town of Lisbon -the discovery of gold-bearing quartz turned the heads of the usually -steady-going population. The precious deposits were first found on the -Bailey farm, in 1865, and similar specimens were soon detected on the -farms adjoining. It is said the old people could scarcely be made to -credit these reports until they had seen and handled the precious metal; -for the country had been settled nearly a century, and the presence of -any but the baser ores was wholly unsuspected and disbelieved. - -There is one peculiarity, common to all these mountain villages, -to which I must allude. A stranger is not known by any personal -peculiarity, but by his horse. If you ask for such or such a person, -the chances are ten to one you will immediately be asked in return if -he drove a bay horse, or a black colt, or a brown mare with one white -ear; so quick are these lazy-looking men, that loll on the door-steps or -spread themselves out over the shop-counters, to observe what interests -them most. The girls here know the points of a horse better than most -men, and are far more reckless drivers than men. To a man who, like -myself, has lived in a horse-stealing country, it does look queerly to -see the barn-doors standing open at night. But then every country has -its own customs. - -One seeks in vain for any scraps of history or tradition that might -shed even a momentary lustre upon this village out of the past. Yet its -situation invites the belief that it is full of both. Disappointed in -this, we at least have an inexhaustible theme in the dark and tranquil -mountains bending over us. - -Mount Lafayette presents toward Franconia two enormous green billows, -rolled apart, the deep hollow between being the great ravine dividing -the mountain from base to summit. Over this deep incision, which, -from the irregularity of one of its ridges, looks widest at the top, -presides, with matchless dignity, the bared and craggy peak whose dusky -brown gradually mingles with the scant verdure checked hundreds of feet -down. With what hauteur it seems to regard this effort of Nature to -place a garland on its bronzed and knotted forehead! One can never get -over his admiration for the savage grace with which the mountain, which -at first sight seems literally thrown together, develops a beauty, a -harmony, and an intelligence giving such absolute superiority to works -of Nature over those of man. - -The side of Mount Cannon turned toward the village now elevates two -almost regular triangular masses, one rising behind the other, and -both surmounted by the rounded summit, which, except in its mass, has -little resemblance to a mountain. It is seen that on two-thirds of these -elevations a new forest has replaced the original growth. Twenty-five -years ago a destructive fire raged on this mountain, destroying all the -vegetation, as well as the thin soil down to the hard rock. Even that -was cracked and peeled like old parchment. This burning mountain was a -scene of startling magnificence during several nights, when the village -was as light as day, the sky overspread an angry glow, and the river -ran blood-red. The hump-backed ridges, connecting Cannon with Kinsman, -present nearly the same appearance from this as from the other side of -the Notch--or as remarked when approaching from Campton. - -The superb picture seen from the upper end of the valley, combining, as -it does, the two great chains in a single glance of the eye, is extended -and improved by going a mile out of the village to the school-house on -the Sugar Hill road. It is a peerless landscape. I have gazed at it for -hours with that ineffable delight which baffles all power of expression. -It will have no partakers. One must go there alone and see the setting -sun paint those vast shapes with colors the heavens alone are capable of -producing. - -Distinguished by the beautiful groves of maple that adorn its crest, -Sugar Hill is destined to grow more and more in the popular esteem. No -traveller should pass it by. It is so admirably placed as to command -in one magnificent sweep of the eye all the highest mountains; it is -also lifted into sun and air by an elevation sufficiently high to -reach the cooler upper currents. The days are not so breathless or -so stifling as they are down in the valley. You look deep into the -Franconia Notch, and watch the evening shadows creep up the great east -wall. Extending beyond these nearer mountains, the scarcely inferior -Twin summits pose themselves like gigantic athletes. Passing to the -other side of the valley, we see as far as the pale peaks of Vermont, -and those rising above the valley of Israel's River. But better than -all, grander than all, is that kingly coronet of great mountains set on -the lustrous green cushion of the valley. Nowhere, I venture to affirm, -will the felicity of the title, "Crown of New England,"[32] receive -more unanimous acceptance than from this favored spot. Especially when -a canopy of clouds overspreading permits the pointed peaks to reflect -the illuminated fires of sunset does the crown seem blazing with jewels -and precious stones. All the great summits are visible here, and all the -ravines, except those in Madison, are as clearly distinguished as if not -more than ten instead of twenty miles separated us. - -The high crest of Sugar Hill unfolds an unrivalled panorama. This is but -faint praise. Yet I find myself instinctively preferring the landscape -from Goodenow's; for those great horizons, uncovered all at once, like -a magnificent banquet, are too much for one pair of eyes, however good, -or however unwearied with continued sight-seeing. As we cannot look -at all the pictures of a gallery at once, we naturally single out the -masterpieces. The effort to digest too much natural scenery is a species -of intellectual gluttony the overtaxed brain will be quick to revenge, -by an attack of indigestion or a loss of appetite. - -I was very fond of walking, in the cool of the evening, either in this -direction or to the upper end of the village, on the Bethlehem road. -There is one point on this road, before it begins in earnest its ascent -of the heights, that became a favorite haunt of mine. Emerging from the -concealment of thick woods upon a sandy plain, covered here with a thick -carpet of verdure, and skirted by a regiment of pines seemingly awaiting -only the word of command to advance into the valley, a landscape second -to none that I have seen is before you. At the same time he would be -an audacious mortal who attempted to transfer it to page or canvas. -Nothing disturbs the exquisite harmony of the scene. To the left of -you are all the White Mountains, from Adams to Pleasant; in front, the -Franconia range, from Kinsman to the Great Haystack. Here is the deep -rent of the Notch from which we have but lately descended. Here, too, -overtopped and subjugated by the superb spire of Lafayette, the long -and curiously-distorted outline of Eagle Cliff pitches headlong down -into the half-open aperture of the pass. Nothing but an earthquake could -have made such a breach. How that tremendous, earth-swooping ridge seems -battered down by the blows of a huge mace! Unspeakably wild and stern, -the fractured mountains are to the valley what a raging tempest is to -the serenest of skies: one part of the heavens convulsed by the storm, -another all peace and calm. Thus from behind his impregnable outworks -Lafayette, stern and defiant, keeps eternal watch and ward over the -valley cowering at his feet. - -From this spot, too, sacred as yet from all intrusion, the profound -ravine, descending nearly from the summit of Lafayette, is fully -exposed. It is a thing of cracks, crevices, and rents; of upward -curves in brilliant light; of black, mysterious hollows, which the eye -investigates inch by inch, to where the gorge is swallowed up by the -thick forests underneath. The whole side of the principal peak seems -torn away. Up there, among the snows, is the source of a flashing stream -which comes roaring down through the gorge. Storms swell it into an -ungovernable and raging torrent. Thus under the folds of his mantle the -lordly peak carries peace or war for the vale. - -After the half-stifled feeling experienced among the great mountains, -it is indeed a rare pleasure to once more come forth into full -breathing-space, and to inspect at leisure from some friendly shade -the grandeur magnified by distance, yet divested of excitements that -set the brain whirling by the rapidity of their succession. If the -wayfarer chances to see, as I did, the whole noble array of high -summits presenting a long, snowy line of unsullied brilliance against -a background of pale azure, he will account it one of the crowning -enjoyments of his journey. - -The Bridal Veil Falls, lying on the northern slope of Mount Kinsman, -will, when a good path shall enable tourists to visit them, prove one -of the most attractive features of Franconia. Truth compels me to say -that I did not once hear them spoken of during the fortnight passed in -the village, although fishermen were continually bringing in trout from -the Copper-mine Brook, on which these falls are situated. The height of -the fall is given at seventy-six feet, and its surroundings are said -to be of the most romantic and picturesque character. Its marvellous -transparency, which permits the ledges to be seen through the gauze-like -sheet falling over them, has given to it its name. - -From Franconia I took the daily stage to Littleton, which lies on both -banks of the Ammonoosuc, and, turning my back upon the high mountains, -ran down the rail to Wells River, having the intention of cultivating a -more intimate acquaintance with that most noble and interesting entrance -formed by the meeting of the Ammonoosuc with the Connecticut. - - - - -V. - -_THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW._ - - Say, have the solid rocks - Into streams of silver been melted, - Flowing over the plains, - Spreading to lakes in the fields? - LONGFELLOW. - - -The Connecticut is justly named "the beautiful river," and its valley -"the garden of New England." Issuing from the heart of the northern -wilderness, it spreads boundless fertility throughout its stately march -to the sea. It is not a rapid river, but flows with an even and majestic -tide through its long avenue of mountains. Radiant envoy of the skies, -its mission is peace on earth and good-will toward men. As it advances -the confluent streams flock to it from their mountain homes. On one side -the Green Mountains of Vermont send their hundred tributaries to swell -its flood; on the other side the White Hills of New Hampshire pour their -impetuous torrents into its broad and placid bosom. Two States thus vie -with each other in contributing the wealth it lavishes with absolutely -impartial hand along the shores of each. - -Unlike the storied Rhine, no crumbling ruins crown the lofty heights -of this beautiful river. Its verdant hill-sides everywhere display the -evidences of thrift and happiness; its only fortresses are the watchful -and everlasting peaks that catch the earliest beams of the New England -sun and flash the welcome signal from tower to tower. From time to time -the mountains, which seem crowding its banks to see it pass, draw back, -as if to give the noble river room. It rewards this benevolence with -a garden-spot. Sometimes the mountains press too closely upon it, and -the offended stream repays this temerity with a barrenness equal to the -beneficence it has just bestowed. Where it is permitted to expand the -amphitheatres thus created are the highest types of decorative nature. -Graciously touching first one shore and then the other, making the -loveliest windings imaginable, the river actually seems on the point of -retracing its steps; but, yielding to destiny, it again resumes its -slow march, loitering meanwhile in the cool shadows of the mountains, or -indolently stretching itself at full length upon the green carpet of the -level meadows. Every traveller who has passed here has seen the Happy -Valley of Rasselas.[33] - -Such is the renowned Ox-Bow of Lower Coos. Tell me, you who have seen -it, if the sight has not caused a ripple of pleasurable excitement? - -Here the Connecticut receives the waters of the Ammonoosuc, flowing from -the very summit of the White Hills, and, in its turn, made to guide -the railway to its own birthplace among the snows of Mount Washington. -Here the valley, graven in long lines by the ploughshare, heaped with -fruitful orchards and groves, extends for many miles up and down its -checkered and variegated floor. But it is most beautiful between the -villages of Newbury and Haverhill, or at the Great and Little Ox-Bow, -where the fat and fecund meadows, extending for two miles from side -to side of the valley, resemble an Eden upon earth, and the villages, -prettily arranged on terraces above them, half-hid in a thick fringe of -foliage, the mantel-ornaments of their own best rooms. Only moderate -elevations rise on the Vermont side; but the New Hampshire shore is -upheaved into the finely accentuated Benton peaks, behind which, -like a citadel within its outworks, is uplifted the gigantic bulk of -Moosehillock--the greatest mountain of all this valley, and its natural -landmark--keeping strict watch over it as far as the Canadian frontiers. - -The traveller approaching by the Connecticut Valley holds this exquisite -landscape in view from the Vermont side of the river. The tourist -who approaches by the valley of the Merrimac enjoys it from the New -Hampshire shore. - -The large village of Newbury, usually known as the "Street," is built -along a plateau, rising well above the intervale, and joined to the -foothills of the Green Mountains. The Passumpsic Railway coasts the -intervale, just touching the northern skirt of the village. The -village of Haverhill is similarly situated with respect to the skirt -of the White Mountains; but its surface is much more uneven, and it -is elevated higher above the valley than its opposite neighbor. The -Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railway, having crossed the divide between -the waters of the Merrimac and the Connecticut, now follows the high -level, after a swift descent from Warren Summit. These plateaus, or -terraces, forming broken shelves, first upon one side of the valley, -then upon the other, strongly resemble the remains of the ancient bed of -a river of tenfold the magnitude of the stream as we see it to-day. They -give rise at once to all those interesting conjectures, or theories, -which are considered the special field of the geologist, but are also -equally attractive to every intelligent observer of Nature and her -wondrous works. - -Of these two villages, which are really subdivided into half a dozen, -and which so beautifully decorate the mountain walls of this valley, -it is no treason to the Granite State to say that Newbury enjoys a -preference few will be found to dispute. It has the grandest mountain -landscape. Moosehillock is lifted high above the Benton range, which -occupies the foreground. The whole background is filled with high -summits--Lafayette feeling his way up among the clouds, Moosehillock -roughly pushing his out of the throng. Meadows of emerald, river -of burnished steel, hill-sides in green and buff, and etched with -glittering hamlets, gray mountains, bending darkly over, cloud-detaining -peaks, vanishing in the far east--surely fairer landscape never brought -a glow of pleasure to the cheek, or kindled the eye of a traveller, -already sated with a panorama reaching from these mountains to the Sound. - -We are now, I imagine, sufficiently instructed in the general -characteristics of the famed Ox-Bow to pass from its picturesque and -topographical features into the domain of history, and to summon from -the past the details of a tragedy in war, which, had it occurred in -the days of Homer, would have been embalmed in an epic. Our history -begins at a period before any white settlement existed in the region -immediately about us. No wonder the red man relinquished it only at the -point of the bayonet. It was a country worth fighting for to the bitter -end. - - - - -VI. - -_THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES._ - - "L'histoire a sa verite; la legende a la sienne." - - -In the month of September, 1759, the army of Sir Jeffrey Amherst -was in cantonments at Crown Point. A picked corps of American -rangers, commanded by Robert Rogers, was attached to this army. One -day an aide-de-camp brought Rogers an order to repair forthwith to -head-quarters, and in a few moments the ranger entered the general's -marquee. - -"At your orders, general," said the ranger, making his salute. - -"About that accursed hornet's-nest of St. Francis?" said the general, -frowning. - -"When I was a lad, your excellency, we used to burn a hornet's-nest, if -it became troublesome," observed Rogers, significantly. - -"And how many do you imagine, major, this one has stung to death in the -last six years?" inquired General Amherst, fumbling among his papers. - -"I don't know; a great many, your excellency." - -"Six hundred men, women, and children." - -The two men looked at each other a moment without speaking. - -"At this rate," continued the general, "his Majesty's New England -provinces will soon be depopulated." - -"For God's sake, general, put a stop to this butchery!" ejaculated the -exasperated ranger. - -"That's exactly what I have sent for you to do. Here are your orders. -You are commanded, and I expect you to destroy that nest of vipers, -root and branch. Remember the atrocities committed by these Indian -scoundrels, and take your revenge; but remember, also, that I forbid the -killing of women and children. Exterminate the fighting-men, but spare -the non-combatants. That is war. Now make an end of St. Francis once and -for all." - -[Illustration: ROBERT ROGERS.] - -Nearly a hundred leagues separated the Abenaqui village from the -English; and we should add that once there, in the heart of the enemy's -country, all idea of help from the army must be abandoned, and the -rangers, depending wholly upon themselves, be deprived of every resource -except to cut their way through all obstacles. But this was exactly the -kind of service for which this distinctive body of American soldiers was -formed. - -Sir Jeffrey Amherst had said to Rogers, "Go and wipe out St. Francis for -me," precisely as he would have said to his orderly, "Go and saddle my -horse." - -But this illustrates the high degree of confidence which the army -reposed in the chief of the rangers. The general knew that this -expedition demanded, at every stage, the highest qualities in a leader. -Rogers had already proved himself possessed of these qualities in a -hundred perilous encounters. - -That night, without noise or display, the two hundred men detailed for -the expedition left their encampment, which was habitually in the van of -the army. On the evening of the twenty-second day since leaving Crown -Point a halt was ordered. The rangers were near their destination. From -the top of a tree the doomed village was discovered three miles distant. -Not the least sign that the presence of an enemy was suspected could -be seen or heard. The village wore its ordinary aspect of profound -security. Rogers therefore commanded his men to rest, and prepare -themselves for the work in hand. - -At eight in the evening, having first disguised himself, Rogers took -Lieutenant Turner and Ensign Avery, and with them reconnoitred the -Indian town. He found it the scene of high festivity, and for an -hour watched unseen the unsuspecting inhabitants celebrating with -dancing and barbaric music the nuptials of one of the tribe. All this -marvellously favored his plans. Not dreaming of an enemy, the savages -abandoned themselves to unrestrained enjoyment and hilarity. The fete -was protracted until a late hour under the very eyes of the spies, who, -finding themselves unnoticed, crept boldly into the village, where they -examined the ground and concerted the plan of attack. - -At length all was hushed. The last notes of revelry faded on the still -night air. One by one the drowsy merry-makers retired to their lodges, -and soon the village was wrapped in profound slumber--the slumber of -death. This was the moment so anxiously awaited by Rogers. Time was -precious. He quickly made his way back to the spot where the rangers -were lying on their arms. One by one the men were aroused and fell into -their places. It was two in the morning when he left the village. At -three the whole body moved stealthily up to within five hundred yards -of the village, where the men halted, threw off their packs, and were -formed for the assault in three divisions. The village continued silent -as the grave. - -St. Francis was a village of about forty or fifty wigwams, thrown -together in a disorderly clump. In the midst was a chapel, to which the -inhabitants were daily summoned by matin and vesper bell to hear the -holy father, whose spiritual charge they were, celebrate the mass. The -place was enriched with the spoil torn from the English and the ransom -of many miserable captives. We have said that these Indians had slain -and taken, in six years, six hundred English: that is equivalent to one -hundred every year. - -The knowledge of numberless atrocities nerved the arms and steeled the -hearts of the avengers. When the sun began to brighten the east the -three bands of rangers, waiting eagerly for the signal, rushed upon the -village. - -A deplorable and sickening scene of carnage ensued. The surprise was -complete. The first and only warning the amazed savages had were the -volleys that mowed them down by scores and fifties. Eyes heavy with the -carousal of the previous night opened to encounter an appalling carnival -of butchery and horror. Two of the stoutest of the rangers--Farrington -and Bradley--led one of the attacking columns to the door where the -wedding had taken place. Finding it barred, they threw themselves so -violently against it that the fastenings gave way, precipitating Bradley -headlong among the Indians who were asleep on their mats. All these were -slain before they could make the least resistance. - -On all sides the axe and the rifle were soon reaping their deadly -harvest. Those panic-stricken, half-dazed wretches who rushed pell-mell -into the streets either ran stupidly upon the uplifted weapons of the -rangers or were shot down by squads advantageously posted to receive -them. A few who ran this terrible gauntlet plunged into the river -flowing before the village, and struck boldly out for the opposite -shore; but the avengers had closed every avenue of escape, and the -fugitives were picked off from the banks. The same fate overtook those -who tumbled into their canoes and pushed out into the stream. The frail -barks were riddled with shot, leaving their occupants an easy target for -a score of rifles. The incessant flashes, the explosions of musketry, -the shouts of the assailants, and the yells of their victims were all -mingled in one horrible uproar. For two hours this massacre continued. -Combat it cannot be called. Rendered furious by the sight of hundreds of -scalps waving mournfully in the night-wind in front of the lodges, the -pitiless assailants hunted the doomed savages down like blood-hounds. -Every shot was followed by a death-whoop, every stroke by a howl of -agony. For two horrible hours the village shook with explosions and -echoed with frantic outcries. It was then given up to pillage, and then -to the torch, and all those who from fear had hid themselves perished -miserably in the flames. At seven o'clock in the morning all was over. -Silence once more enveloped the hideous scene of conflagration and -slaughter. The village of St. Francis was the funeral pyre of two -hundred warriors. Rogers had indeed taken the fullest revenge enjoined -by Sir Jeffrey Amherst's orders. - -From this point our true history passes into the legendary. - -While the sack of St. Francis was going on a number of the Abenaquis -took refuge in the little chapel. Their retreat was discovered. A few -of their assailants having collected in the neighborhood precipitated -themselves toward it, with loud cries. Others ran up. Two or three blows -with the butt of a musket forced open the door, when the building was -instantly filled with armed men. - -An unforeseen reception awaited them. Lighted candles burnt on the high -altar, shedding a mild radiance throughout the interior, and casting -a dull glow upon the holy vessels of gold and silver upon the altar. -At the altar's foot, clad in the sacred vestments of his office, stood -the missionary, a middle-aged, vigorous-looking man, his arms crossed -upon his breast, his face lighted up with the exaltation of a martyr. -Face and figure denoted the high resolve to meet fate half-way. Behind -him crouched the knot of half-crazed savages, who had fled to the -sanctuary for its protection, and who, on seeing their mortal enemies, -instinctively took a posture of defence. The priest, at two or three -paces in advance of them, seemed to offer his body as their rampart. The -scene was worthy the pencil of a Rembrandt. - -At this sight the intruders halted, the foremost even falling back a -step, but the vessels of gold and silver inflamed their cupidity to -the highest pitch; while the hostile attitude of the warriors was a -menace men already steeped in bloodshed regarded a moment in still more -threatening silence, and then by a common impulse recognized by covering -the forlorn group with their rifles. - -Believing the critical moment come, the priest threw up his hands in -an attitude of supplication, arresting the fatal volley as much by -the dignity of the gesture itself, as by the resonant voice which -exclaimed, in French, "Madmen, for pity's sake, for the sake of Him on -the Cross, stay your hands! This violence! What is your will? What seek -ye in the house of God?" - -A gunshot outside, followed by a mournful howl, was his sole response. - -The priest shuddered, and his crisped lips murmured an _ave_. He -comprehended that another soul had been sent, unshriven, to its final -account. - -"Hear him!" said a ranger, in a mocking undertone; "his gabble minds me -of a flock of wild geese." - -A burst of derisive laughter followed this coarse sally. - -In fact, they had not too much respect for the Church of Rome, these -wild woodsmen, but were filled with ineradicable hatred for its -missionaries, domesticated among their enemies, in whom they believed -they saw the real heads of the tribes, and the legitimate objects, -therefore, of their vengeance. - -"Yield, Papist! Come, you shall have good quarter; on the word of a -ranger you shall," cried an authoritative voice, the speaker at the same -time advancing a step, and dropping his rifle the length of his sinewy -arms. - -"Never!" answered the ecclesiastic, crossing himself. - -A suppressed voice from behind hurriedly murmured in his ear, "_Ecoutez: -rendez-vous, mon pere: je vous en supplie!_" - -"_Jamais! mieux vaut la mort que la misericorde de brigands et -meurtriers!_" ejaculated the missionary, rejecting the counsel also, -with a vehement shake of the head. - -"_Grand Dieu! tout, donc, est fini_," sighed the voice, despairingly. - -The rangers understood the gesture better than the words. An officer, -the same who had just spoken, again impatiently demanded, this time in a -higher and more threatening key, - -"A last time! Do you yield or no? Answer, friar!" - -The priest turned quickly, took the consecrated Host from the altar, -elevated it above his head, and, in a voice that was long remembered by -those who heard it, exclaimed, - -"To your knees, monsters! to your knees!" - -What the ranger understood of this pantomime and this command was that -they conveyed a scornful and a final refusal. Muttering under his -breath, "Your blood be upon your own head, then," he levelled his -gun and pulled the trigger. A general discharge from both sides shook -the building, filling it with thick and stifling smoke, and instantly -extinguishing the lights. The few dim rays penetrating the windows, and -which seemed recoiling from the frightful spectacle within, enabled the -combatants vaguely to distinguish each other in the obscurity. Not a cry -was heard; nothing but quick reports or blows signaled the progress of -this lugubrious combat. - -This butchery continued ten minutes, at the end of which the rangers, -with the exception of one of their number killed outright, issued from -the chapel, after having first stripped the altar, despoiled the shrine -of its silver image of the Virgin, and flung the Host upon the ground. -While this profanation was enacting a voice rose from the heap of dead -at the altar's foot, which made the boldest heart among the rangers stop -beating. It said, - -"The Great Spirit of the Abenaquis will scatter darkness in the path of -the accursed Pale-faces! Hunger walks before and Death strikes their -trail! Their wives weep for the warriors that do not return! Manitou is -angry when the dead speak. The dead have spoken!" - -The torch was then applied to the chapel, and, like the rest of the -village, it was fast being reduced to a heap of cinders. But now -something singular transpired. As the rangers filed out from the -shambles the bell of the little chapel began to toll. In wonder and -dread they listened to its slow and measured strokes until, the flames -having mounted to the belfry, it fell with a loud clang among the ruins. -The rangers hastened onward. This unexpected sound already filled them -with gloomy forebodings. - -After the stern necessities of their situation rendered a separation -the sole hope of successful retreat, the party which carried along -with it the silver image was so hard pressed by the Indians, and by a -still more relentless enemy, famine, that it reached the banks of the -Connecticut reduced to four half-starved, emaciated men. More than once -had they been on the point of flinging their burden into some one of the -torrents every hour obstructing their way; but as one after another fell -exhausted or lifeless, the unlucky image passed from hand to hand, and -was thus preserved up to the moment so eagerly and so confidently looked -for, during that long and dreadful march, to end all their privations. - -But the chastisement of heaven, prefigured in the words of the expiring -Abenaqui, had already overtaken them. Half-crazed by their sufferings, -they mistook the place of rendezvous appointed by their chief, and, -having no tidings of their comrades, believed themselves to be the sole -survivors of all that gallant but ill-fated band. In this conviction, to -which a mournful destiny conducted, they took the fatal determination -to cross the mountains under the guidance of one of their number who -had, or professed, a knowledge of the way through the Great Notch of the -White Hills. - -For four days they dragged themselves onward through thickets, through -deep snows and swollen streams, without sustenance of any kind, when -three of them, in consequence of their complicated miseries, aggravated -by finding no way through the wall of mountains, lost their senses. -What leather covered their cartouch-boxes they had already scorched -to a cinder and greedily devoured. At length, on the last days of -October, as they were crossing a small river dammed by logs, they -discovered some human bodies, not only scalped, but horribly mangled, -which were supposed to be some of their own band. But this was no -time for distinctions. On them they accordingly fell like cannibals, -their impatience being too great to await the kindling of a fire to -dress their horrid food by. When they had thus abated somewhat the -excruciating pangs they before endured, the fragments were carefully -collected for a future store. - -My pen refuses to record the dreadful extremities to which starvation -reduced these miserable wretches. At length, after some days of -fruitless wandering up and down, finding the mountains inexorably -closing in upon them, even this last dreadful resource failed, and, -crawling under some rocks, they perished miserably in the delirium -produced by hunger and despair, blaspheming, and hurling horrible -imprecations at the silver image, to which, in their insanity, they -attributed all their sufferings. One of them, seizing the statue, -tottered to the edge of a precipice, and, exerting all his remaining -strength, dashed it down into the gulf at his feet. - -Tradition affirms that the first settlers who ascended Israel's River -found relics of the lost detachment near the foot of the mountains; but, -notwithstanding the most diligent search, the silver image has thus far -eluded every effort made for its recovery. - - - - -VII. - -MOOSEHILLOCK. - - And so, when restless and adrift, I keep - Great comfort in a quietness like this, - An awful strength that lies in fearless sleep, - On this great shoulder lay my head, nor miss - The things I longed for but an hour ago. - SARAH O. JEWETT. - - -Moosehillock, or Moosilauke,[34] is one of four or five summits from -which the best idea of the whole area of the White Mountains may be -obtained. It is not so remarkable for its form as for its mass. It is an -immense mountain. - -Lifted in solitary grandeur upon the extreme borders of the army of -peaks to which it belongs, and which it seems defending, haughtily -over-bearing those lesser summits of the Green Mountains confronting -it from the opposite shores of the Connecticut, which here separates -the two grand systems, like two hostile armies, the one from the other, -Moosehillock resembles a crouching lion, magnificent in repose, but -terrible in its awakening. - -This immense strength, paralyzed and helpless though it seems, is -nevertheless capable of arousing in us a sentiment of respectful -fear--respect for the creative power, fear for the suspended life we -believe is there. The mountain really seems lying extended under the sky -listening for the awful command, "Arise and walk!" - -This mountain received a name before Mount Washington, and is in -some respects, as I hope to point out, the most interesting of the -whole group. In the first place, it commands a hundred miles of the -Connecticut Valley, including, of course, all the great peaks of the -Green Mountain and Adirondack chains. Again, its position confers -decided advantages for studying the configuration of the Franconia -group, to which, in a certain sense, it is allied, and of the ranges -enclosing the Pemigewasset Valley, which it overlooks. Moosehillock -stands in the broad angle formed by the meeting waters of the -Connecticut and the Ammonoosuc. In a word, it is an advanced bastion -of the whole cluster of castellated summits, constituting the White -Mountains in a larger meaning. - -Therefore no summit better repays a visit than Moosehillock; yet it is -astonishing, considering the ease of access, how few make the ascent. -The traveller can hardly do better than begin here his experiences of -mountain adventure, should chance conduct him this way; or, if making -his exit from the mountain region by the Connecticut Valley, he may, -taking it in his way out, make this the appropriate pendant of his -tours, romantic and picturesque. - -Having been so long known to and frequented by the Indian as well as -white hunters, the mountain is naturally the subject of considerable -legend,[35] which the historian of Warren has scrupulously gathered -together. One of these tales, founded on the disaster of Rogers, -recounts the sufferings of two of his men, hopelessly snared in the -great Jobildunk ravine. But that tale of horror needs no embellishment -from romance. This enormous rent, equally hideous in fact as in name, -cut into the vitals of the mountain so deeply that a dark stream gushes -from the gaping wound, conceals within its mazes several fine cascades. -Owing to long-continued drought, the streams were so puny and so languid -when I visited the mountain that I explored only the upper portion of -the gorge, which bristles with an untamed forest, levelling its myriad -spears at the breast of the climber. - -The greater part of the mountain lies in the town of Benton, or, -perhaps, it would be nearer the truth to say that fully half the -township is appropriated by its prodigious earthwork. But, to reach it -without undergoing the fatigues of a long march through the woods, -it is necessary to proceed to the village of Warren, which is twenty -miles north of Plymouth, and about fourteen south of Haverhill. Behind -the village rises Mount Carr. Still farther to the north the summits -of Mounts Kineo, Cushman, and Waternomee, continuing this range now -separating us from the Pemigewasset Valley, form also the eastern wall -of the valley of Baker's River, which has its principal source in the -ravines of Moosehillock. There is a bridle-path opening communication -with the mountain from the Benton side, on the north; and so with Lisbon -and Franconia. A carriage-road is also contemplated on that side, which -will render access still more feasible for a large summer population; -while a bridle-path, lately opened between two peaks of the Carr range, -facilitates ingress from the Pemigewasset side. - -I set out from the village of Warren on one of the hottest afternoons -of an intensely hot and dry summer. The five miles between the village -and the base of the mountain need not detain the sight-seer. At the -crossing of Baker's River I remarked again the granite-bed honey-combed -with those curious pot-holes sunk by whirling stones, first set in -motion and then spun around by the stream, which here, breaking up into -several wild pitches, pours through a rocky gorge. But how gratefully -cool and refreshing was even the sound of rushing water in that still, -stifling atmosphere, coming, one would think, from a furnace! Then for -two miles more the horse crept along the road, constantly ascending the -side of the valley, until the last house was reached. Here we passed a -turnpike-gate, rolled over the crisped turf of a stony pasture through a -second gate, and were at the foot of Moosehillock. - -In a trice we exchanged the sultriness, the dryness, the dust, parching -or suffocating us, of a shadeless road, for the cool, moist air of the -mountain-forest and the delectable sound of running water. A brook shot -past; then another; then the horse, who stopped when he liked, and as -often as he liked, like a man forced to undertake a task which he is -determined shall cost his task-masters dearly, began a languid progress -up the increasing declivity before us. His sighs and groans, as he -plodded wearily along, were enough to melt a heart of stone. I therefore -dismounted and walked on, leaving the driver to follow as he could. The -question was, not how the horse should get us up the mountain, but how -we should get the horse up. - -They call it four and a half miles from the bottom to the top. The -distances indicated by the sign-boards, nailed to trees, did not appear -to me exact. They are not exact; and the reason why they are not is -sufficiently original to merit a word of explanation. Having long -observed the effect of imagination, especially in computing distances, -the builder of the road, as he himself informed me, adopted a truly -ingenious method of his own. He lengthened or shortened his miles -according as the travelling was good or bad. For example: the first -mile, being an easy one, was stretched to a mile and a quarter. The -last mile is also very good travelling. That, too, he lengthened to a -mile and a half. In this way he reduced the intervening two and a half -miles of the worst road to one and three-fourth miles. This absolutely -harmless piece of deception, he averred, considerably shortened the most -difficult part of the journey. No one complained that the good miles -were too long, while the bad ones were now passed over with far less -grumbling than before they were abbreviated by this simple expedient, -which very few, I am convinced, would have thought of. In fact, the sum -of the whole distance being scrupulously adhered to, it is the most -civil piece of engineering of which I have any knowledge. - -The road up is rough, tedious, and, until the ridge at the foot of the -south peak is reached, uninteresting. It crooks and turns with absolute -lawlessness while climbing the flanks of the southern peak, skirting -also the side of the profound ravine eating its way into the mountain -from the south. Nearing this summit we obtained through an opening a -glimpse of Mount Washington, veiled in the clouds. The trees now visibly -dwindled. Just before reaching the ridge, where it joins this peak, a -fine spring, deliciously cold, gushed from the mountain side. A few -rods more of ascent brought us quite out upon the long, narrow, curving -backbone of the mountain, uplifting its sharp edge between two profound -gorges, connecting the peaks set at its two extremes, between which -Nature has decreed a perpetual divorce. The sun was just setting as we -emerged upon this natural way conducting from peak to peak along the -airy crest of the mountain. - -Although this, it will be remembered, is one of the longest miles, -according to the scale of computation in vogue here, the unexpected -speed which the horse now put forth, the sight of the squat, little -Tip-Top House, clinging to the summit beyond, the upper and nether -worlds floating or fading in splendor, while the night-breezes sweeping -over cooled our foreheads, and rudely jostled the withered trees, drawn -a little apart to the right and left to let us pass, quickly replaced -that weariness of mind and body which the mountain exacts of all who -pass over it on a sultry midsummer's day. - -At the extremity of the ridge, which is only wide enough for the road, -a gradual ascent led to the high summit and to a level plateau of a -few acres at its top. This was treeless, but covered with something -like soil, smooth, and, being singularly free from the large stones -found everywhere else, affords good walking in any direction. The -house is built of rough stone, and, though of primitive construction, -is comfortable, and even inviting. Furthermore, its materials being -collected on the spot, one accepts it as still constituting a part of -the mountain, which, indeed, at a little distance it really seems to -be. In the evening I went out, to find the mountain blindfolded with -clouds. Soon rain began to drive against the window-panes in volleys. -At a late hour we heard wheels grinding on the rocks outside, and then -a party of tourists drove up to the door, dripping and crestfallen at -having undertaken the ascent with a storm staring them in the face. But -they had only this one day, they said, and were "bound" to go up the -mountain. So up they toiled through pitch darkness, through rain and -cloud, passed the night in a building said to be on the summit, and -returned down the mountain in the morning, to catch their train, through -as dense a fog as ever exasperated a hurried tourist. But they had been -to the top! Are there anywhere else in the world people who travel two -hundred miles for a single day's recreation? - -It is very curious, this being domesticated on the top of a mountain. We -go to bed wondering if the scene will not all vanish in our dreams. It -was very odd, too, to see the tourists silently mount their buck-board -in the morning, and disappear, within a stone's throw, in clouds. -Detaching themselves to all intents from earth, they began a flight in -air. Walking a short distance, perhaps a gunshot, from the house, I -groped my way back with difficulty. The case seemed desperate. - -But grandest scene of all was the breaking up of the storm. Shortly -after noon the high sun began to exert a sensible influence upon the -clouds. A perceptible warmth, replacing the chill and clammy mists, -began to pervade the mountain-top. Presently a dim sun-ray shot through. -Then, as if a noiseless explosion had suddenly rent them, the whole -mass of clouds was torn in ten thousand tatters flying through space. -All nature seemed seized with sudden frenzy. Here a summit and there a -peak was seen, struggling fiercely in the grasp of the storm. Coming up -with rushing noise, the west wind charged home the routed storm-clouds -with fresh squadrons. What indescribable yet noiseless tumult raged in -the heavens! Even the mountains seemed scarcely able to stem the tide -of fugitives. A panic seized them. Fear gave them wings. They rushed -pell-mell into the ravines and clung to the tree-tops; they dashed -themselves blindly against the adamant of Lafayette, only to fall -back broken into the deep fosse beneath. Bolts of dazzling sunshine -continually tore through them. The gorges themselves seemed heaped with -the wounded and the dying. But the rushing wind, trampling the fugitives -down, dispersed and cut them mercilessly to pieces. One was irresistibly -carried away by this rage of battle. In ten minutes I looked around upon -a clear sky. One cloud, impaled on the gleaming spear of Lafayette, -hung limp and lifeless; another floated like a scarf from the polished -casque of Chocorua; a third, taken prisoner _en route_, humbly held the -train of Washington. All the rest of the phantom host, using its power -to render itself invisible, vanished from sight as if the mountains had -swallowed it up. - -The landscape being now fully uncovered, I enjoyed all its rare -perfection. It is a superb and fascinating one, invested with a -powerful individuality, surrounded by a charm of its own. You wish to -see the two great chains? There they are, the greater rising over the -lesser, in the order fixed by Nature. That sunny space in the softened -coloring of old tapestry, more to the right, is the Pemigewasset Valley, -and the spot from where not long ago we looked up at this mountain -looming large in the distance. We raise our eyes to glance up the East -Branch upon Mount Hancock and the peaks of Carrigain peeping over. -We touch with magic wand the faint cone of Kearsarge, so dim that it -seems as if it must rise and float away; then, continuing to call the -roll of mountains, Moat, Tripyramid, Chocorua, and all our earlier -acquaintances rise or nod among the Sandwich peaks. Some draw their -cloud-draperies over their bare shoulders, some sun their naked and -hairy breasts in savage luxury. We alight like a bird upon the glassy -bosom of Winnepiseogee the incomparable, and, like the bird, again rise, -refreshed, for flights still more remote. We sweep over the Uncanoonucs -into Massachusetts, steadying the eye upon far Wachusett as we pass from -the Merrimac Valley. Now come thronging in upon us the mountains of the -Connecticut Valley. We rest awhile upon the transcendently beautiful -expanse of the Ox-Bow, and its playthings of villages, strung along -the glittering necklace of the river. Across this valley, lifting our -eyes, we wander among the loftiest peaks of the Green Mountains--those -colossal _verd-antiques_--exchanging frozen glances across the placid -expanse of Champlain with the haughtiest summits of the Adirondacks. -We grow tired of this. One last look, this time up the valley, reveals -to us the wide and curious gap between two distant mountains, and far -beyond Memphremagog, where these mountains rise, we scan all the route -travelled by Rogers, the perils of which are fresh in our memory. We -pass on unchallenged into the dominions of Victoria. - -Is not this a landscape worth coming ten miles out of one's way to see? -And yet the half is not told. I have merely indicated its dimensions. -Now let the reader, drawing an imaginary line from peak to peak, go -over at leisure all that lies between. I merely prick the chart for -him. Moosehillock, not quite five thousand feet high, overlooks all -New Hampshire, pushes investigation into Maine and Massachusetts, is -familiar with Vermont, distant with New York, and has an eye upon -Canada. It is said the ocean has been seen, but I did not see it. - -Circumstances compelled me to drive the old horse, who has made more -ascensions of the mountain than any living thing, back to Warren. No -other was to be had for love or money. Had there been time I would have -preferred walking, but there was not. This horse measured sixteen hands. -His thin body and long legs resembled a horse upon stilts. He looked -dejected, but resigned. I argued that he would be able to get down the -mountain somehow; and, once out of the woods, I could count on his -eagerness to get home, to some extent, perhaps. I was not deceived in -either expectation. - -The road, as I have said, is for most of the way a rough, steep, and -stony one. In order to check the havoc made by sudden showers, and -to hold the thin soil in place, hemlock-boughs were spread over it, -artfully concealing those protruding stones which the scanty soil -refused to cover. He who intrusted himself to it did not find it a -bed of roses. The buck-board was the longest, clumsiest, and most -ill-favored it has ever been my lot to see. This vehicle, being peculiar -to the mountains, demands, at least, a word. It is a very primitive and -ingenious affair, and cheaply constructed. Naturally, therefore, it -originated where the farmers were poor and the roads bad. But what is -the buck-board? Every one has seen the spring-board of a gymnasium or of -a circus. A smooth plank, ten feet long, resting upon trestles placed -at either end, assists the acrobat to vault high in the air. Each time -he falls the rebound sends him up again. This is the principle of the -buck-board. Remove the trestles, put a pair of wheels in the place of -each, and you have the vehicle itself, _minus_ shafts or pole, according -as one or two horses are to draw it. Increased weight bends the board or -the spring more and more until it is in danger of touching the ground. -The passengers sit in the hollow of this spring, the natural tendency of -which is to shoot them into the air. - -[Illustration: THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON.] - -I am justified in speaking thus of the road and the vehicle. But -who shall describe the horse? That animal was possessed of a devil, -and, like the swine of the miracle, ran violently all the way down -the mountain, without stopping for water or breath. Fortunate indeed -for me was it that the sea was not at the bottom. In three-quarters -of an hour, half of which was spent in the air, I was at the foot -of the mountain which had required two tedious hours to ascend. How -the quadruped managed to avoid falling headlong fifty times over -the concealed stones I have no idea. How I contrived to alight, -when a wheel, coming violently against one of these stones, put the -spring-board in play--how I contrived to alight, I remark, during this -game of battledoor and shuttlecock, never twice in the same place, is to -this day an enigma. - -The houses of ancient Rome frequently bore the inscription for the -benefit of strangers, "_Cave canem._" This could be advantageously -replaced here, upon the first turnpike-gate, at the mountain's foot, -with the warning, "Beware of the horse!" - - - - -VIII. - -_BETHLEHEM._ - - _Ros._ O Jupiter! how weary are my spirits! - _Touch._ I care not for my spirits, if my legs were not weary. - _As You Like It._ - - -Having finished with the western approach to the White Mountains, I -was now at liberty to retrace my route up the Ammonoosuc Valley, which -so abounds in picturesque details--farms, hamlets, herds, groups of -pines, maples, torrents, roads feeling their way up the heights--to -that anomaly of mountain towns, Bethlehem. Thanks to the locomotive, -the journey is short. The villages of Bath, Lisbon, Littleton, are -successively entered; the same flurry gives a momentary activity to each -station, the same faces crowd the platforms, and the same curiosity is -exhibited by the passengers, whose excitement receives an increase with -every halt of the laboring train. - -Bethlehem is ranged high up, along the side of a mountain, like the -best china in a cupboard. The crest of Mount Agassiz[36] rises behind -it. Beneath the village the ground descends, rather abruptly, to the -Ammonoosuc, which winds, through matted woods, its way out of the -mountains. There are none of those eye-catching gleams of water which so -agreeably diversify these interminable miles of forest and mountain land. - -It is only by ascending the slopes of Mount Agassiz that we can secure -a stand-point fairly showing the commanding position of Bethlehem, or -where its immediate surroundings may be viewed all at once. It is so -situated, with respect to the curvature of this mountain, that at one -end of the village they do not know what is going on at the other. -One end revels in the wide panorama of the west, the other holds the -unsurpassed view of the great peaks to the east. - -Bethlehem has risen, almost by magic, at the point where the old highway -up the Ammonoosuc is intersected by that coming from Plymouth, the -Pemigewasset Valley, and the Profile House. In time a small roadside -hamlet naturally clustered about this spot. Dr. Timothy Dwight, the -pioneer traveller for health and pleasure among these mountains, -passed through here in 1803. Speaking of the appearance of Bethlehem, -he says: "There is nothing which merits notice, except the patience, -enterprise, and hardihood of the settlers which have induced them to -stay upon so forbidding a spot; a magnificent prospect of the White -Mountains; and a splendid collection of other mountains in their -neighborhood, particularly on the south-west." It was then reached by -only one wretched road, which passed the Ammonoosuc by a dangerous ford. -The few scattered habitations were mere log-cabins, rough and rude. -The few planting-fields were still covered with dead trees, stark and -forbidding, which the settlers, unable to fell with the axe, killed by -girdling, as the Indians did. - -From this historical picture of Bethlehem in the past, we turn to -the Bethlehem of to-day. It is turning from the post-rider to the -locomotive. Not a single feature is recognizable except the splendid -prospect of the White Mountains, and the magnificent collection of -other mountains, which call forth the same admiration to-day. Fortunate -geographical position, salubrity, fine scenery--these, and these alone, -are the legitimate cause of what may be termed the rise and progress -of Bethlehem. All that the original settlers seem to have accomplished -is to clear away the forests which intercepted, and to make the road -conducting to the view. - -It is the position of Bethlehem with respect to the recognized points -or objects of interest that gives to it a certain strategic advantage. -For example, it is admirably situated for excursions north, south, -east, or west. It is ten miles to the Profile, twelve to the Fabyan, -seventeen to the Crawford, fifteen to the Waumbek, and eighteen to the -base of Mount Washington. One can breakfast at Bethlehem, dine on Mount -Washington, and be back for tea; and he can repeat the experience with -respect to the other points named as often as inclination may prompt. -Moreover, the great elevation exempts Bethlehem from the malaria and -heat of the valleys. The air is dry, pure, and invigorating, rendering -it the paradise of those invalids who suffer from periodical attacks of -hay-fever. Lastly, it is new, or comparatively new, and possesses the -charm of novelty--not the least consideration to the thousands who are -in pursuit of that and that only. - -Bethlehem Street is the legitimate successor of the old road. This is -a name _sui generis_ which seems hardly appropriate here, although it -is so commonly applied to the principal thoroughfares of our inland New -England villages. It has a spick-and-span look, as if sprung up like -a bed of mushrooms in a night. And so, in fact, it has; for Bethlehem -as a summer resort dates only a few years back its sudden rise from -comparative obscurity into the full blaze of popular fame and favor. -The guide-book of fifteen years ago speaks of the _one_ small but -comfortable hotel, kept by the Hon. J. G. Sinclair. In fact, very little -account was made of it by travellers, except to remark the magnificent -view of the White Mountains on the east, or of the Franconia Mountains -on the south, as they passed over the then prescribed tour from North -Conway to Plymouth, or _vice versa_. - -But this newness, which you at first resent, besides introducing here -and there some few attempts at architectural adornment, contrasts -very agreeably with the ill-built, rambling, and slip-shod appearance -of the older village-centres. They are invariably most picturesque -from a distance. But here there is an evident effort to render the -place itself attractive by making it beautiful. Good taste generally -prevails. I suspect, however, that the era of good taste, beginning with -the incoming of a more refined and intelligent class of travellers, -communicated its spirit to two or three enterprising and sagacious -men,[37] who saw in what Nature had done an incentive for their own -efforts. We walk here in a broad, well-built thoroughfare, skirted on -both sides with hotels, boarding-houses, and modern cottages, in which -three or four thousand sojourners annually take refuge. All this has -grown from the "one small hotel" of a dozen years ago. Shade-trees and -grass-plots beautify the way-side. An immense horizon is visible from -these houses, and even the hottest summer days are rendered endurable -by the light airs produced and set in motion by the oppressive heats of -the valley. The sultriest season is, therefore, no bar to out-of-door -exercise for persons of average health, rendering walks, rambles, or -drives subject only to the will or caprice of the pleasure-seeker. -But in the evening all these houses are emptied of their occupants. -The whole village is out-of-doors, enjoying the coolness or the -panorama with all the zest unconstrained gratification always brings. -The multitudes of well-dressed promenaders surprise every new-comer, -who immediately thinks of Saratoga or Newport, and their social -characteristics. Bethlehem, he thinks, must be the ideal of those who -would carry city or, at least, suburban life among the mountains; who do -not care a fig for solitude, but prefer to find their pleasures still -connected with their home life. They are seeing life and seeing nature -at the same time. - -Sauntering along the street from the Sinclair House, a strikingly large -and beautiful prospect opens as we come to the Belleview. Here the -road, making its exit from the village, descends to the Ammonoosuc. The -valley broadens and deepens, exposing to view all the town of Littleton, -picturesquely scattered about the distant hill-sides. Its white houses -resemble a bank of daisies. The hills take an easy attitude of rest. -Six hundred feet below us the bottom of the valley exhibits its rich -savannas, interspersed with cottages and groves. Above its deep hollow -the Green Mountains glimmer in the far west. "Ah!" you say, "we will -stop here." - -Let us now again, leaving the Sinclair House behind, ascend the -road to the Profile. It is not so much travelled as it was before -the locomotive, in his coat-of-mail, sounded his loud trumpet at -the gates of Franconia. A mile takes us to the brow of the hill. We -hardly know which way to look first. Two noble and comprehensive views -present themselves. To the left Mount Agassiz rears his commanding -peak. In front of us, across a valley, is the great, deeply-cloven -Franconia Notch. Lafayette is superb here. Now the large, compact -mass of Moosehillock looms on the extreme right, together with all -those striking objects lately studied or observed from the village of -Franconia, which so quietly reposes beneath us. But this landscape -properly belongs to the environs of Bethlehem, and never is it so -incomparably grand as when the summits are fitfully revealed, battling -fiercely with storm-clouds. Every phase of the conflict is watched with -eager attention. Seeing all this passion above, it calls up a smile to -look down at the unbroken and unconscious tranquillity of the valley. - -[Illustration: MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM.] - -Facing now in the direction of Bethlehem, the eye roves over the -broad basin of the Ammonoosuc for many miles up and down. The hills of -Littleton, Whitefield, Dalton, Carroll, and Jefferson bend away from -the opposite side; and over the last the toothed Percy Peaks[38] rise -blue and clear at the point where the waters of the Connecticut and the -Androscoggin, approaching each other, conduct the Grand Trunk Railway -out of the mountains. The west is packed with the high summits of the -Green Mountain chain. The great White Mountains are concealed, as yet, -by the swell of the mountain down whose side the road conducts to the -village. "This," you exclaim, "this is the spot where we will pitch -our tents!" But there is no public-house here, and we are reluctantly -forced to descend. In proportion as we go down, this seemingly limitless -panorama suffers a partial eclipse. The landscape changes from the -high-wrought epic to the grand pastoral, if such a distinction may -be applied to differing forms of mountain scenery. This approach is, -without doubt, the most striking introduction to Bethlehem. It is -curiously instructive, too, as regards the relative merits of successive -elevations, each higher than the other, as proper view-points. - -A third ramble is altogether indispensable before we can say that we -know Bethlehem of the Hills. The direction is now to the east, by the -road to the Crawford House, or Fabyan's, or the Twin. We continue along -the high plateau, in the shade of sugar-maples or Lombardy poplars, -to the eastern skirt of the village, the houses getting more and more -unfrequent, until we come upon the edge of the slope to the Ammonoosuc, -where the road to Whitefield, Lancaster, and Jefferson, leaving the main -thoroughfare, drops quietly down into Bethlehem Hollow. No envious hill -now obstructs the truly "magnificent view." Through the open valley the -lordly mountains again inthrall us with the might of an overpowering -majesty. - -This locality has taken the name of the great hotel erected here -by Isaac Cruft, whose hand is visible everywhere in Bethlehem. The -Maplewood, as it is called, easily maintains at its own end the prestige -of Bethlehem for rapid growth. When I first visited the place, in -1875, I found a modest roadside hostelry accommodating sixty guests; -five years later a mammoth structure, in which six hundred could be -accommodated, had risen, like Aladdin's palace, on the same spot. -Instead of our little musical entertainment, our mock-trial, our quiet -rubber of whist, of an evening, there were readings, lectures, balls, -masquerades, theatricals, _musicales_, for every day of the week. - -But Bethlehem is emphatically the place of sunsets. In this respect no -other mountain resort can pretend to equal it. From no other village -are so many mountains visible at once; at no other has the landscape -such length and breadth for giving full effect to these truly wonderful -displays. More because the sublimity of the scene deserves a permanent -chronicle than from any confidence in my own ability to reproduce it, I -attempt in black and white to describe one of unparalleled intensity of -color, one that may never be repeated, certainly never excelled, while -the sun, the heavens, and the mountains shall last. - -A cold drizzle having set in on the day of my arrival, the mountains -were invisible when I rose in the morning. I looked, but they were no -longer there. I was much vexed at the prospect of being storm-bound, -or of making under compulsion a sojourn I had beforehand resolved -to make at my own good will and pleasure. So strongly is the spirit -of resistance developed in us. After a critical investigation of -the weather, it crossed my mind like an intuition that something -extraordinary was preparing behind the enormous masses of clouds -clinging like wet draperies to the skirts of the mountains, forming -an impenetrable curtain, now and then slowly lifted by the fresh -north wind, now suddenly distended or collapsing like huge sails, but -noiselessly and mysteriously as the ghostly canvas of the _Flying -Dutchman._ - -Toward the middle of the afternoon, the wind having freshened, the -lower clouds broke apart here and there--just enough to reveal to us -that ever-new picture of the White Mountains, beautifully robed in -fresh snow, above the darker line of forest; but so thoroughly were -the high summits blended with the dull silver-gray of upper sky that -the true line of separation defied the keenest scrutiny to detect it. -This produced a curious optical illusion. Extended sumptuously along -the crest-line, rivalling the snow itself, a bank of white clouds -rendered the deception perfect, since just above them began that heavy -and dull expanse which overspread and darkened the whole heavens, -thus imperfectly delineating a second line of summits mounting to a -prodigious height. They seemed miles upon miles high. - -Up stretched this gigantic and shadowy phantasm of towers, domes, -and peaks, illimitably, as if mountains and heavens were indeed come -together in eternal alliance. At the same time the finger dipped in -water could trace a more conclusive outline on glass than the eye could -find here. The summits, a little luminous, emitted a cold, spectral -glare. It gave you a chill to look at them. No sky, no earth, no deep -gorges, no stark precipices--no anything except that dead wall, so -sepulchral in its gray gloom that equally mind and imagination failed to -find one familiar outline or contour. The true peaks seemed clouds, and -the clouds peaks. But this phantasm was only the prologue. - -At the hour of sunset all the lower clouds had disappeared. The -upper heavens now wore that deep grape-purple impervious to light -or warmth, and producing the effect of a vast dome hung with black. -The storm replaced the azure tint of the sky with the most sombre -color in its laboratory. The light visibly waned. The icy peaks still -reflected a boreal glitter. But in the west these funereal draperies -fell a little short of touching the edge of the horizon--a bare -hand's-breadth--leaving a crevice filled with golden light, pure and -limpid as water, clear and vivid as winnowed sunshine. The sun's eye -would soon be applied to this peep-hole. A feverish impatience seized -us. We could see the people at their doors and in the street standing -silent and expectant, with their faces turned to the heavens. From a -station near Cruft's Ledge we watched intently for the moment when this -splendid light, concentrated in one level sheet, should fall upon the -great mountains. - -In a few seconds a yellow spot of piercing brilliancy appeared in this -narrow band of light. One look at it was blinding; a second would have -paralyzed the optic nerve. Mechanically we put up our hands to shut -it out. Imagine a stream of molten iron--hissing-hot and throwing off -fiery spray--gushing from the side of a furnace! Even that can give -but a feeble idea of the unspeakable intensity of this last sun-ray. -It blazed. It flooded us with a suffocating effulgence. Suppose now -this cataract of liquid flame suddenly illuminating the pitchy darkness -of a cavern in the bowels of the earth. The effect was electrifying. -Confined between the upper and nether expanse--dull earth and brooding -sky--rendered tenfold more dazzling by the blackness above, beneath, the -sun poured upon the great mountains one magnificent torrent of radiance. -In an instant the broad land was deluged with the supreme glories of -that morning when the awful voice of God uttered the sublime command, - - "Let there be light, and there was light." - -An electric shock awoke the torpid earth, transfigured the mountains. On -swept the mighty wave, shedding light, and warmth, and splendor where a -moment before all was dark, cold, and spiritless. Like Ajax before Troy, -the giant hills braced on their dazzling armor. Like Achilles's shield, -they threw back the brightness of the sun. Every tree stood sharply out. -Every cavern disclosed its inmost secrets. Twigs glittered diamonds, -leaves emitted golden rays. All was ravishingly beautiful. - -This superb exhibition continued while one might count a hundred. Then -all the lower mountains took on that ineffable purple that baffles -description. Starr King, Cherry Mountain, were resplendent. As if the -livid and thick-clustered clouds above had been trodden by invisible -feet, these peaks seemed drenched with the juice of the wine-press. -The high summits, buried in snow and cloud, were yet coldly impassive, -but presently, little by little, the light crept up and up. Now it -seized the topmost pinnacles. Heavens, what a sight! Ineffable glory -seemed quenched in the sublime terrors of that moment. On our right the -Twin and Franconia mountains glowed, from base to summit, like coals -of fire. The lower forests were wrapped in flame. Then all the snowy -line of peaks, from Adams to Clinton, turned blood-red. No pale rose -or carnation tints, as in those enrapturing summer sunsets so often -witnessed here. The stupendous and flaming mountains of hell seemed -risen before us, clothed with immortal terrors. We stood rooted to -the spot, like men who saw the judgment-day dawning, the solid earth -consuming, before their doubting eyes. Everlasting, unquenchable fires -seemed encompassing us about. Nothing more weird, more unearthly, -or more infernal was ever seen. Even the country-people, stolid and -indifferent as they usually are, regarded it with mingled stupefaction -and dismay. - -The drama approached its climax. Before we were aware, the valley grew -dark. But still, the granite peaks of Lafayette, and of that admirable -pyramid, Mount Garfield, which even the greater mountain cannot reduce -to impotence, glowed like iron drawn from the fire. Their incandescent -points, thrust upward into the black gulf of the heavens, towered -above the blacker gulfs below unspeakably. By degrees the scorching -heat cooled. The great Franconia spires successively paled. But long -after they seemed reduced to ashes, the red flame still lingered upon -the snows of Mount Washington. At last that, too, faded out. Life was -extinct. The great summit took on a wan and livid hue. Night kindly -spread her mantle over the lifeless form of the mountain, which still -disclosed its larger outlines rigid, majestic, even in death. - -Twilight succeeded--twilight steeped in silence and coolness, in the -thousand odors exhaled by the teeming earth. One by one the birds hushed -their noisy twitter. Overcome by their own perfumes, flowers shut their -dewy petals and drooped their tender little heads. The river seemed a -drowsy voice rising from the depths of the forest, complaining that -it alone should toil on while all else reposed. With night comes the -feeling of immensity. With sleep the conviction that we are nothing, -and that the order of nature disturbs itself in nothing for us. If we -awake, well; if not, well again. What if we should never wake? One such -splendid pageant as I have attempted to describe instinctively quenches -human pride. It is true, a sunset is in itself nothing, but it compels -you to admit that the world moves for itself, not for you. Believe it -not a gorgeous display in which you, the critical spectator, assist, but -the signal that the day ends and the night cometh. A spectacle that can -arouse the emotions of joy, fear, hope, suspense--nothing? Perhaps. God -knows. - -There are very pleasant walks, affording fine views of all the highest -mountains, around the eastern slope or to the summit of the mountain -rising at the back of the hotel. The bare but grassy crest of this -mountain, one of my favorite haunts, enabled me to reconnoitre my route -in advance up the valley, and to look over into the yet unvisited -region of Jefferson, or back again, at the environs of Franconia. The -glory that pours down upon these hills, the vales they infold, the wild -streams, the craggy mountain spurs, the soft, velvety clearings that -turn their dimpled cheeks to be kissed by the sunshine, may all be seen -and fully enjoyed from this spot. - -The heights behind us are well-wooded on the summits, but below this -belt of woodland extends a broad band of sunny clearings checkered with -fields of waving grain. These fields are among the highest cultivated -lands in New England. Long tillage was necessary to reduce this -refractory soil to subjection. Farther down, toward the railway-station, -the pastures are so encumbered with stones that a sheep would turn from -them in dismay. To mow among these stones a man would have to go down on -his knees. - -There is a beautiful orchard of sugar-maples down the road to the -Hollow; but it always makes me sad to see these trees standing with -their naked sides pierced and bleeding from gaping wounds. - -At the corner of this road my attention was arrested by a sign-board -planted in front of an unpainted cottage, behind which rose a clump -of magnificent birches. I walked over to see what it could mean. The -sign-board bore the name "Sir Isaac Newton Gay," in large black letters. -Here was a spur to curiosity! A knight, or at least a baronet, living -in humble seclusion, yet parading his quality thus in the face of the -world! Going to the gate, my perplexity increased upon seeing the -grass-plot in front of the dwelling literally covered with broken glass, -lamp-chimneys, bits of colored china, bottles of every imaginable shape -and size stuck upright upon sticks, interspersed with lumps of white -quartz. Some cabalistic meaning, doubtless, attached to the display. -This brilliant rubbish sparkled in the sun, filling the enclosure with -the cheap glitter of a pawnbroker's shop-window. The thing so far -announced a little eccentricity, at least, so I made bold to push my -investigation still farther, and was rewarded by finding, piled against -the trunk of a tree, at the back of the house, a heap of skulls of -animals as high as my head. The recluse's intent was now plain. Here -was a lesson that he who ran might read. The rubbish in the front yard -illustrated the pomp, glitter, and emptiness of life; the monument of -skulls its true estate, divested of all false show or pretence. Without -doubt this was a philosopher worthy of his name. - -I was admitted by a singular-looking being, with dry, straight, lank -hair, weak features, watery eyes, and a shuffling gait. Some accident -having partially closed one eye, gave him a look of preternatural -wisdom. He was ready to give an opinion on any subject under the sun, -no matter how difficult or abstruse, as soon as broached, and stroked -his scanty beard while doing so with evident self-complacency. I had a -moment to see that the walls were papered with old handbills of county -fairs, travelling shows, and the like, the floor covered with patches of -carpet as various as Joseph's coat, when my man began a formula similar -to what the Bearded Lady drawls out or the Tattooed Man recites through -his nose to gaping rustics at a country muster, at ten cents a head. -He told where he was born, how old he was, and how long he had lived -in Bethlehem. At the proper moment I put my hand in my pocket and took -out a dime, which he thankfully accepted, and dropped inside a broken -coffee-pot. - -"Sir," I observed, "seeing you are American-born, I infer your title -must have been conferred by some foreign potentate?" - -"No; that is my name." - -"But," I pursued, "has it not an unrepublican sound in a country where -titles are regarded with distrust, not to say aversion?" - -"I tell you it is my name," with some heat; "I was named for the great -_Sir_ Isaac Newton." - -"Your pardon, Sir Isaac. May I ask if you inherit the genius of your -distinguished namesake?" - -"Well, yes, to some extent I do; I philoserphize a good deal. I read a -good many books folks leaves here, besides what newspapers I can pick -up; but you see it costs a lifetime to get knowledge." - -Jaques, the misanthrope, wandering in the Forest of Arden, was not more -astonished at Touchstone's philosophy than I at this answer. "Very -true," I assented. "What is your philosophy of life?" - -He tapped his forehead with his forefinger, but it was only too evident -the apartment was untenanted. He remained a moment or two as if in deep -thought, and then began, - -"Well, I'm eighty-six years of age, come next July." - -My flesh began to creep: he was beginning, for the third time, his -eternal formula. The hermit, fumbling a red handkerchief, resumed, - -"I can say I've never wanted for necessaries, and don't propose to give -myself any trouble about it." And then he expatiated on the folly of -fretfulness. - -The Hermit of Bethlehem, as he is called, but who opens his door wide -for the world to enter, is a very ordinary sort of hermit indeed. -Still, his very feebleness of intellect, his vanity even, should be a -shield instead of a target for those who, like myself, are lured by the -unmeaning trumpery at his door, which has no other significance in the -world than a childish passion for objects that glitter in the sun. - -The constituents of hotel life do not belong to any locality: they -are universal. It is curious to see here people who have spent half -their lives in India, or China, or Australia moving about among the -untravelled with the well-bred ease and adaptation to circumstances that -newly-fledged tourists can neither understand nor imitate. It is very -droll, too, that people who have lived ten years in the same street, at -home, without knowing each other, meet here for the first time. - -I beg to introduce another acquaintance picked up by the roadside while -walking from the Twin Mountain House to Bethlehem. Had I been driving, -the incident would still have waited for a narrator. - -Climbing the hill-side at a snail's pace was a peddler's cart, drawn by -a scrubby little white horse, and bearing a new broom for an ensign, -which seemed to symbolize that this petty trader meant to sweep the road -clean of its loose cash. The sides of the cart were gayly decorated -with pans, basins, dippers by the dozen, and bristled with knickknacks -for barter or ready money, from a gridiron to a door-mat. The movement -of the vehicle over the stony road kept up a lively clatter, which -announced its coming from afar. There being for the moment, no house in -sight, the proprietor was engaged in picking raspberries by the roadside. - -The peddler--well, he was little, and stubby too, like his horse, -for whom he had dismounted to lighten the pull up-hill. The animal -seemed to know his business, for he stopped short as often as he came -to a water-bar, blew a cloud from his nostrils, champed his bit, and -distended his sides so alarmingly with a long, deep respiration, that -the patched-up harness seemed in danger of bursting. He then glanced -over his shoulder toward his master, shook his head deprecatingly, and, -with a deep sigh, moved on. - -The little merchant of small wares and great had on a rusty felt hat, -rakishly set on one side of his bullet head, and a faded olive-green -coat, rather short in the skirts, to conceal two patches in his -trousers. The latter were tucked into a pair of dusty boots very much -turned up at the toes. His face was a good deal sunburnt, and his -hair, eyebrows, and mustache were the color of the road--sandy. Except -a pair of scissors, the points of which protruded from his left-hand -vest-pocket, I perceived no weapon offensive or defensive about him. He -was a very innocent-looking peddler indeed. - -As I was passing him he held out a handful of ripe fruit. The hand was -disfigured with an ugly cicatrice: it was rather dirty. He accompanied -the offer with an invitation to "hop on" his cart and ride. This double -civility emanated from a gentleman and a peddler. - -The walk from Crawford's to Bethlehem _is_ rather fatiguing; but I said, -as in duty bound, "No" (I said it because the thought of riding through -Bethlehem Street on the top of a peddler's cart appeared ridiculous in -my eyes--with shame I confess it), "thank you; your horse already has -all he can pull, and I have only a mile or two farther to go." - -The peddler then fell into step with me, taking a long, even stride that -brought back old recollections. I said, - -"You have been a soldier." - -"How know you dat?" - -"By your gait--you do not walk, you march: by that sabre-cut on your -right hand." - -"Ha! you goot eyes haf; but it a payonet vas." - -Believing I saw a veteran of our great civil war, I asked, with -undisguised interest, - -"Where did you serve? Where were you wounded?" - -"Von year und half in war mit Danemark, von year und half mit Oustria, -und two mit Vrance." - -I looked at him again. What! That undersized, insignificant appearing -little chap, whom I could easily have pitched into the ditch, he a -soldier of Sadowa, of Metz, of Paris. Bah! - -"So, the wars over, you emigrated to America?" - -"Right avay. Ven I get home from Baris I tell Linda, my vife, 'Look -here, Linda: I been soldier six year. Now I plenty fighting got. Dere's -two hunder thaler in the knapsack. Shut your mouth tight, open your eye -close, and we get out of dis double-quig.' She say 'Where I go?' und I -tell her the _U_-nited States, by hell, befor anoder var come. She begin -to cry, I begin to schwear, und we settle it right avay." - -I asked if he minded telling how he came by the wound in his hand. This -is what he told me in his broken English: - -When Marshal Bazaine made his last desperate effort to shake off the -deadly gripe the Prussians had fastened upon Metz, a battalion of -_tirailleurs_ suddenly surrounded an advanced post established by -the Germans in the suburbs. The morning was foggy, and the surprise -complete. The picket had hardly the time to run to their arms before -they were driven back pell-mell on the reserve, amid a shower of balls. -The reserve took refuge in a stone building surrounded by a thick hedge, -maintaining an irregular fire from the windows. One of the last to cross -the court-yard, with the French at his heels, was our German. Before -he could gain the friendly shelter of the house he stumbled and fell -headlong, his gun flying through the air as he came to the ground, so -that he was not only prostrate but disarmed. - -Half-stunned, he scrambled to his knees just as his nearest pursuer -made a savage lunge with his sabre-bayonet. The Prussian instinctively -grasped it. While trying thus to parry the deadly thrust, the keen -weapon pierced his hand, and he was a second time borne to the earth, -or, rather, pinned to it by his adversary's bayonet. - -"_Rendez-vous Allemand, cochon!_" screamed the Frenchman, bestriding the -little Prussian with a look of mortal hatred. - -"_Je ne fous combrends,_" replied the wounded man, drawing a revolver -with his free hand and shooting his enemy dead. "I couldn't helb it, -I vas so mad," finished the ex-soldier, running to serve two of his -customers, who stood waiting for him at a gate by the roadside. I left -him exhibiting ribbons, edgings, confectionery--heaven knows what!--with -all the volubility of an experienced shopman. - - - - -IX. - -_JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER._ - - Through the valley runs a river, bright and rocky, cool and swift, - Where the wave with many a quiver plays around the pine-tree's drift. - _Good Words._ - - -It remains to introduce the reader into the valley watered by Israel's -River, and for this purpose we take the rail from Bethlehem to -Whitefield, and from Whitefield to Jefferson. - -Like Bethlehem, Jefferson lies reposing in mid-ascent of a mountain. -Here the resemblance ends. The mountain above it is higher, the valley -beneath more open, permitting an unimpeded view up and down. The -hill-side upon which the clump of hotels is situated makes no steep -plunge into the valley, but inclines gently down to the banks of the -river. Instead of crowding upon and jostling each other, the mountains -forming opposite sides of this valley remain tranquilly in the alignment -they were commanded not to overstep. The confusion there is reduced to -admirable order here; the smooth slopes, the clean lines, the ample -views, the roominess, so to speak, of the landscape, indicate that -everything has been done without haste, with precision, and without -deviation from the original plan, which contemplated a paradise upon -earth. - -Issuing from the wasted sides of Mount Jefferson and Mount Adams, -Israel's River runs a short north-westerly course of fifteen miles into -the Connecticut at Lancaster. This beautiful stream received its name -from Israel Glines, a hunter, who frequented these regions long before -the settlement of the country. The road from Lancaster to Gorham follows -the northern highlands of its valley to its head, then crossing the -dividing ridge which separates its waters from those of Moose River, -descends this stream to the Androscoggin at Gorham. - -On the north side Starr King Mountain rises 2400 feet above the valley -and 3800 feet above the sea. On the south side Cherry Mountain lifts -itself 3670 feet higher than the tide-level. These two mountains form -the broad basin through which Israel's River flows for more than half -its course. The village of Jefferson Hill lies on the southern slope -of Starr King, and, of course, on the north side of the valley. Cherry -Mountain, the most prominent object in the foreground, is itself a -fine mountain study. It looks down through the great Notch, greeting -Chocorua. It is conspicuous from any elevated point north of the -Franconia group--from Fabyan's, Bethlehem, Whitefield, Lancaster, etc. -Owl's Head is a conspicuous protuberance of this mountain. Over the -right shoulder of Cherry Mountain stand the great Franconia Peaks, and -to the right of these, its buildings visible, is Bethlehem. Now look up -the valley. - -[Illustration: THE NORTHERN PEAKS FROM JEFFERSON.] - -We see that we have taken one step nearer the northern wing of the -great central edifice whose snowy dome dominates New England. We are -advancing as if to turn this magnificent battle-line of Titans, on -whose right Madison stands in an attitude to repel assault. Adams next -erects his sharp lance, Jefferson his shining crescent, Washington his -broad buckler, and Monroe his twin crags against the sky. Jefferson, -as the nearest, stands boldly forward, showing its tremendous ravines, -and long, supporting ridges, with great distinctness. Washington loses -something of its grandeur here; at least it is not the most striking -object; that must be sought for among the sable-sided giants standing at -his right hand. The southern peaks, being foreshortened, show only an -irregular and flattened outline which we do not look at a second time. -From Madison to Lafayette, our two rallying points, the distance can -hardly be less than forty miles as the eye travels: the entire circuit -it is able to trace cannot fall short of seventy or eighty miles. As -at Bethlehem, the view out of the valley is chiefly remarkable for its -contrast with every other feature. - -I took a peculiar satisfaction in these views, they were so ample, -so extensive, so impressive. Here you really feel as if the whole -noble company of mountains were marshalled solely for your delighted -inspection. At no other point is there such unmeasured gratification -in seeing, because the eye roves without hinderance over the grandest -summits, placed like the Capitol at the head of its magnificent avenue. -It alights first on one pinnacle, then flits to another. It interrogates -these immortal structures with a calm scrutiny. It dives into the cool -ravines; it seeks to penetrate, like the birds, the profound silence -of the forests. It toils slowly up the broken crags, or loiters by -the cascades, hanging like athletes from dizzy brinks. It shrinks, it -admires, it questions; it is grave, gay, or thoughtful by turns. I do -not believe the man lives who, looking up to those mountains as in the -face of the Deity, can deliberately utter a falsehood: the lie would -choke him. - -Furthermore, you get the best idea of height here, because the long -amphitheatre of mountains is seen steadily growing in stature toward -the great central group; and comparison is, by all odds, the best of -teachers for the eye. - -If for no other reason than the respect due to age, Jefferson deserves a -moment to itself. It was granted, October 3d, 1765, to John Goffe, under -the name of Dartmouth. The road diverging here, and crossing Cherry -Mountain to Fabyan's, is the oldest, as it long was the only highway -through the White Mountains. In those early times the travelled way -was by the Connecticut River and Lancaster through this valley to the -White Mountain Notch. The divergent road is the old turnpike between -Vermont and Portland. Gradually, as settlements were pushed farther and -farther up the Ammonoosuc, a way was made by Bath, Lisbon, Littleton, -and Dalton, to Lancaster; but to pass beyond it was still necessary to -follow the old route; nor was it until after the settlement of Bethlehem -cleared the way that an execrable horse-path was made over the present -great highway up the Ammonoosuc. In 1803 President Dwight passed over -this new road on his second excursion to the great Notch. Few travellers -would now be willing to undergo what he did to see the mountains. -There were then only three or four houses in the sixteen miles between -Bethlehem and the Notch. - -One of the first settlers of Jefferson was Colonel Joseph Whipple, -mentioned in the narrative of Nancy, the ill-starred mountain-maid, who -died while following her faithless lover in his flight from Jefferson -out of the mountains. Colonel Whipple lived on the road to Cherry -Mountain, near the mill. In 1797 his was the only house on the road. -During the Revolution a party of Indians, led by a white man, surrounded -the house, and made Whipple their prisoner. Inventing some pretext, the -colonel obtained leave to go into another room, from which he made his -escape by a window and fled to the woods, where he successfully eluded -pursuit. - -Finding myself already well advanced toward the summit of Starr King, -I finished the ascent of this mountain during an afternoon's stroll. -Nothing worthy of remark, except the exquisite view from the summit, -presented itself. Here I met again a throng of old acquaintances, and -encountered a crowd of new ones. Here I saw something like a shadow -darken the side of Mount Washington, and watched it creep steadily up -and up to the summit. The shadow was the smoke of the locomotive making -its last ascent for the day, under the eyes of thousands of spectators, -who look at it to turn away with a smile, a shrug, or a shake of the -head. - -The name of Starr King has become a household word with all travellers -in the White Mountains. It was most fitting that he who interpreted -Nature so well and so truly should receive his monument at her hands. To -him the mountains were emblematic of her highest perfection. He loved -them. His tone when speaking of them is always tender and caressing. -They appealed to his rare and exquisite perception of the beautiful, -to his fine and sensitive nature, capable of detecting intuitively -what was hid from common eyes. He felt their presence to be ennobling -and uplifting. He opened for us the charmed portal. We accompanied him -through an earthly paradise then first revealed to us by the fervor -and wealth of his description. He led us to the shadiest retreats, the -coolest groves, the most secluded glens. He guided our footsteps up the -steep mountain-side to the bleak summit. Thrice fitting was it that a -mountain should perpetuate the name of Thomas Starr King. As was said at -the grave of Gautier, he too dated "from the creation of the beautiful." - - * * * * * - -I have now rested four days at Ethan Crawford's, who lives on the side -of Boy Mountain, five miles east of Jefferson Hill, on the road to -Gorham. This Ethan is a son of the celebrated guide and host so well -known to former travellers by the _sobriquet_ of Keeper of the Mountains. - -I go to the window, and facing toward the setting sun look down the -broadening valley of Israel's River, over the glistening house-tops -of Whitefield, into and beyond the Connecticut Valley. I have Mitten -Mountain and Cherry Mountain, both heavily wooded, just over the way, -although the view of these elevations is in part intercepted by a nearer -mountain, also covered with a vigorous forest. At this moment I hear the -rush of the stream far down in the Hollow; and, following the serpentine -line its dark course makes among the press of hills, am confronted by -the massive slopes of Madison and Adams, the sombre ravine and castled -crags of Jefferson, and the hoary crest of Washington. I am really in -the heart of the mountains. - -Swiftly from these mountains descend, with exquisite grace, enormous -billows of deep sea-green, which do not subside but lift themselves -proudly at the foot of those great overhanging walls of olive and -malachite. Here rolling together, their foliage, bright or dark, repeats -the effect of flaws sweeping over a sunny sea. Their deep hollows, -arching sides, and limpid crests perfect the resemblance to the moment -when, having exerted its utmost energy, the panting ocean stands -exhausted and motionless in the grasp of the north wind. - -These lower mountains, interposing a barrier between the two valleys -of the Ammonoosuc and of Israel's River, seem, you think, pushed up -from the yielding earth simply by the enormous weight of the higher -and neighboring mountains whose keen summit-lines cut New England in -halves. At this hour these lines are edged with dull gold. All along -the wavering heights I can detect with the naked eye isolated black -crags, and can plainly see the deep dents in the broken cornices and -capitals of the grand old mountains--those vestiges of their primordial -architecture. Here the inclined ridge of the plateau, connecting the -pinnacle of Washington with the peaks of Monroe, is traced along its -whole extent. At this distance its craggy outline breaks in light -ripples, announcing nothing of that wilderness of stones assailing the -climber. All the asperities are softened into capricious harmonies. -Below yawn the ravines. - -The tracks of old slides and torrents in the side of Monroe remind -you of the branches of a gigantic fossil tree, exposed by a fracture -dividing the mountain in two. Such is, in fact, the impression received -by looking at this mountain; but the object which most excites my -attention is the broad and deep rent in the side of Jefferson, over -which hang on one side the crumbling counterfeits of towers and -battlements, while on the other cataracts, like necklaces, are suspended -over its unfathomed abysses. Cloud-shadows drift noiselessly along the -warm steeps. Cataracts glisten brightly in the sun. The grave peaks look -down unmoved on the play of the one and the sport of the other. - -The picture of life in East Jefferson would not be complete without the -old hound dozing in the sun, the turkey-cocks strutting consequentially -up and down, the barn-swallows darting swiftly in and out, the ring of -young Ethan's anvil, and the bleating of sheep far up the mountain-side. -I see them nibbling the fresh herbage, and watch the gambols of the -lambs like a child--only the child laughs aloud, and I do not laugh. -Voices come down the hillside, and I see the slow movement of a hammock -and the flutter of a dress in the maple-grove. Poetry and perfume mingle -with the scent of wild-flowers and songs of golden-mouthed birds. - -Evening does not drive us within doors, the nights are so enchanting. -Day fades imperceptibly out. Even the stars seem disconcerted. One by -one they peep, and then flit from view. We watch the slow mustering of -the celestial host in silence. A meteor leaps from heaven to earth. -The fire-flies resemble a shower of sparks, or, as darkness deepens, -a phosphorescent sea. Dorbeetles hurtle the still air, and frogs sing -barcarolles in the misty fens. Now the mountains put on their sable -armor that is to render them invisible. Here the poet must assist us: - - "It is the hush of night; and all between - Thy margin and the mountains, dusk, yet clear, - Mellowed and mingling, yet distinctly seen-- - Save darkened Jura, whose capped heights appear - Precipitously steep." - -Light seems reluctant to leave the summits. It does not wholly fade -out of the west until a late hour. In a clear and starry night all the -surrounding mountains can be distinguished long after the valley is -steeped in darkness. At half-past nine I could easily tell the time by -my watch; and even at this hour a pale, nebulous light still lingered -where the sun had gone down. So at near two thousand feet above the full -sea one peers over into that deeper horizon where twilight and dawn meet -and embrace on the dusky threshold of midnight. - -While in the neighborhood, I devoted a day to an exploration of the -Ravine of the Cascades. This ravine is entered from a point on the -Gorham road about three miles distant from the Mount Adams House. A -cart-way crosses the meadow here to an abandoned mill which is on the -stream coming from the ravine, and by which you must ascend. A more -beautiful example of a mountain brook it has never been my lot to see. -The ascent is, however, tedious and toilsome in the extreme over the -smooth and slippery rocks in its bed. Four hours of this brought me to -the region of low trees, and to the foot of the first fall, which, I -judged, descended about thirty feet. This way to the summit is open only -to the most vigorous climbers. Even then it is better to descend into -the ravine from the gap between Adams and Jefferson in order to visit -these cascades. - -The two most profitable excursions to be made here are undoubtedly the -ascent of Mount Adams and the drive to the top of Randolph Hill. I have -found on the first summit irrefragable evidence that, next to Washington -and Lafayette, Adams is the peak which summer tourists are most desirous -of ascending. A good path, on which there is a camp, leads to the -summit. Having other views in regard to this mountain, which I had so -often admired from a distance, I made a third reconnoisance of its -outworks and its remarkable ravine, while _en route_ for Randolph Hill. - -Unquestionably fine as the views are along this road, on which you are -at one time rolling smoothly over meadow or upland, with the great -northern peak rising to its full height, or again toiling up a stony -hill-side to obtain a much better idea of its real character and -prodigious dimensions, the climax is reserved until, turning from the -highway, you begin a slow advance up the long hill-side that makes an -almost uninterrupted descent for five miles to the Androscoggin. Here -I saw from a balcony what I had before seen from the ground-floor. -The view is large and expansive. You look down the surging land into -the Androscoggin. You look over among the mountains circling its -head, huddled together like a frightened herd. You look down into the -valley of the Moose, and through the gap in the great chain you again -see the valley of the Peabody and the Carter Notch. Now you hold the -great northern peaks admiringly at arm's-length, as you would an old -friend. Putting an imaginary hand on each broad shoulder, you scan them -from head to foot. They submit calmly and with condescension to your -lengthened scrutiny. Presently the low sun floods them with royal purple -and gilds the topmost crags with refined gold. You glance up the valley. -The little river comes like a stream of fire which the huge mountains -seem crowding forward to trample out. Now look down. The same mountains -seem spurning the glittering serpent away from their feet. - -King's Ravine is as well seen from this point, perhaps, as any. It -is a huge natural niche excavated high up the mountain. You see -everything--grizzled spruces, blackened shafts of stone, rifted walls, -tawny crags--all in one glance. It is formidable and forbidding, though -a way has been made through it by which to ascend Mount Adams. Now that -there is a good path skirting the ravine and avoiding it, that look will -usually suffice to deter sensible people from attempting to reach the -summit by it. It is far better to descend into it and grope one's way -down through and underneath the bowlders. The same, and even greater, -obstacles are encountered as in Tuckerman's. In early spring the walls -of the ravine are streaked with slowly-melting snows. These gulches, all -converging toward the bottom, send a torrent roaring down with noise -equal to surf on a hard sea-beach. This torrent is the principal source -of the Moose. - -Well do I remember my first venture here. I had walked from Gorham. -Seeing a man chopping wood by the side of the road, I entered into -conversation with him; but at the first suggestion I let fall of an -intention to climb to the ravine he gaped open-mouthed. To ascend -the brook to the ravine, the escarpment of the ravine to the high -precipices, the precipices to the gate-way, was an exploit in those -days. But this was long ago. A good climber now puts King's Ravine down -in his list of excursions with the same nonchalance that a belle of the -ball-room enters an additional waltz on her card of engagements.[39] - -One day I had fished along the Moose without success. Nothing could -give a better idea of a mountain stream than this one, fed by snows and -gushing from the breached side of Mount Adams. But either the water was -too cold or the trout too wary. They persistently refused my fly. I -tried red and brown hackle, then a white moth-miller; all to no purpose. -Feeling downright hungry, I determined to seek a dinner elsewhere. -Unjointing my rod, I returned, rather crestfallen, down the mountain -into the road. - -I knocked at the first house. Pretty soon the curtain of the first -window at my left hand was partly drawn aside. I felt that I was under -the fire of a pair of very black eyes. An instant after the door was -half-opened by a woman past middle life, who examined me with a scared -look while wiping her hands on a corner of her apron. Two or three white -heads peeped out from the folds of her dress like young chickens from -the old hen's wing, and as many pairs of widely-opened eyes surveyed me -with innocent surprise. - -Perceiving her confusion, I was on the point of asking some indifferent -question, about the distance, the road--I knew not what--but my stomach -gave me a twinge of disdain, and I stood my ground. Hunger has no -conscience: honor was at stake. In two words I made known my wants, I -confess with confidence oozing away at my fingers' ends. - -Her confusion became still greater--so evident, indeed, that I took a -backward step and stammered, quite humbly, "A hunch of bread-and-cheese -or a cup of milk--" when the good-wife nailed me to the threshold. - -Quoth she, "The men folks have all _et_ their dinners, and there hain't -no more meat; but if you could put up with a few trout?" - -Put up with trout! Did I hear aright? The word made my mouth water. -I softly repeated it to myself--"Trout!"--would I put up with trout? -Not to lower myself in this woman's estimation, I replied that, seeing -there was nothing else in the house, I would put up with trout. Let it -suffice that I made a repast fit for a prince, and, like a prince, being -served by a bashful maiden with cheeks like the arbutus, which everybody -knows shows its most delicate pink only in the seclusion of its native -woods. - -My hours of leisure in Jefferson being numbered, having now made the -circuit of the great range by all the avenues penetrating or environing -it, the reader's further indulgence is craved while his faithful guide -points his well-worn alpenstock to the last stage of our mountain -journeys. - -Behold us at last, after many capricious wanderings, after calculated -avoidance, approaching the inevitable end. We are _en route_ for -Fabyan's by the road over Cherry Mountain. This road is twelve miles -long. As we mount with it the side of Cherry Mountain the beautiful -vistas continually detain us. We are now climbing the eastern wall of -the valley, so long the prominent figure from the heights of Jefferson. -We now look back upon the finely-traced slopes of Starr King, with the -village luxuriously extended in the sun. For some time we are like two -travellers going in opposite directions, but who turn again and again -for a last adieu. Now the forest closes over us and we see each other no -more. - -Noonday found me descending that side of the mountain overlooking the -Ammonoosuc Valley. Where the Cherry Mountain road joins the valley -highway the White Mountain House, an old-time tavern, stands. The -railway passes close to its door. A mile more over the level brings us -to Fabyan's, so called from one of the old mountain landlords, whose -immortality is thus assured. Now that mammoth caravansary, which seems -all eyes, is reached just as the doors opening upon the great hall -disclose a long array of tables, while permitting a delicious odor to -assail our nostrils. - -To speak to the purpose, the Fabyan House really commands a superb front -view of Mount Washington, from which it is not six miles in a bee-line. -All the southern peaks, among which Mount Pleasant is undoubtedly the -most conspicuous for its form and its mass, and for being thrown so -boldly out from the rest, are before the admiring spectator; but the -northern peaks, with the exception of Clay and Jefferson, are cut off -partly by the slopes of Mount Deception, which rises directly before the -hotel, partly by the trend of the great range itself to the north-east. -The view is superior from the neighborhood of the Mount Pleasant House, -half a mile beyond Fabyan's, where Mount Jefferson is fully and finely -brought into the picture. - -[Illustration: MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN'S.] - -The railway is seen mounting a foot-hill, crossing a second and -higher elevation, then dimly carved upon the massive flanks of Mount -Washington itself, as far as the long ridge which ascends from the -north in one unbroken slope. It is then lost. We see the houses upon -the summit, and from the Mount Pleasant House the little cluster of -roofs at the base. A long and well-defined gully, exactly dividing the -mountain, is frequently taken to be the railway, which is really much -farther to the left. The smoke of a train ascending or descending still -further indicates the line of iron, which we admit to the category of -established facts only under protest. - -Sylvester Marsh, of Littleton, New Hampshire, was the man who dreamed -of setting aside the laws of gravitation with a puff of steam. Like -all really great inventions, his had to run the gauntlet of ridicule. -When the charter for a railway to the summit of Mount Washington was -before the Legislature a member moved that Mr. Marsh also have leave -to build one to the moon. Had the motion prevailed, I am persuaded Mr. -Marsh would have built it. Really, the project seemed only a little -more audacious. But in three years from the time work was begun (April, -1866) the track was laid and the mountain in irons.[40] The summit which -the superstitious Indian dared not approach, nor the most intrepid -white hunter ascend, is now annually visited by thousands, without more -fatigue than would follow any other excursion occupying the same time. -The excitement of a first passage, the strain upon the nerves, is quite -another thing. - -In a little grass-grown enclosure, on the other side of the Ammonoosuc, -is a headstone bearing the following inscription: - - IN MEMORY OF - CAP ELIEZER ROSBROOK - WHO DIED SEP. 25 - 1817 - In the 70 Year - Of His Age. - - When I lie buried deep in dust, - My flesh shall be thy care - These withering limbs to thee I trust - To raise them strong and fair. - - WIDOW - HANNAH ROSEBROOK - Died May 4, 1829 - Aged 84 - -Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. For they rest from their labors - And their works do follow them. - -So far as is known Rosebrook was the first white settler on this spot. -One account[41] says he came here in 1788, another fixes his settlement -in 1792.[42] His military title appears to have been derived from -services rendered on the Canadian frontier during the Revolutionary -War. Rosebrook was a true pioneer, restless, adventurous, and fearless. -He was a man of large and athletic frame. From his home in Massachusetts -he had first removed to what is now Colebrook, then to Guildhall, Vt., -and lastly here, to Nash and Sawyer's Location, exchanging the comforts -which years of toil had surrounded him with, abandoning the rich and -fertile meadow-lands of the Connecticut, for a log-cabin far from any -human habitation, and with no other neighbors than the bears and wolves -that prowled unharmed the shaggy wilderness at his door. With his axe -this sturdy yeoman attacked the forest closely investing his lonely -cabin. Year by year, foot by foot, he wrested from it a little land -for tillage. With his gun he kept the beast of prey from his little -enclosure, or provided venison or bear's meat for the wife and little -ones who anxiously awaited his return from the hunt. Hunger and they -were no strangers. For years the strokes of Rosebrook's axe, or the -crack of his rifle, were the only sounds that disturbed the silences -of ages. Little by little the circle was enlarged. One after another -the giants of the forest fell beneath his blows. But years of resolute -conflict with nature and with privation found him at last in the -enjoyment of a dearly-earned prosperity. Travellers began to pass his -doors. The Great White Mountain Notch soon became a thoroughfare, which -could never have been safely travelled but for Rosebrook's intrepidity -and Rosebrook's hospitality. In this way began the feeble tide of travel -through these wilds. In this way the splendidly equipped hotel, with its -thousands of guests the locomotive every hour brings to its door, traces -its descent from the rude and humble cabin of Eleazer Rosebrook. - - - - -X. - -_THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS._ - - Cradled and rocked by wind and cloud, - Safe pillowed on the summit proud, - Steadied by that encircling arm - Which holds the Universe from harm, - I knew the Lord my soul would keep, - Upon His mountain-tops asleep! - LUCY LARCOM. - - -Thus I found myself again at the base of Mount Washington, but on the -reverse, opposed to the Glen. Before the completion of the railway from -Fabyan's to the foot of the mountain I had passed over the intervening -six miles by stage--a delightful experience; but one now steps on -board an open car, which in less than half the time formerly occupied -leaves him at the point where the mountain car and engine wait for him. -The route lies along the foaming Ammonoosuc, and its justly admired -falls, cut deep through solid granite, into the uncouth and bristling -wilderness which surrounds the base of the mountain. The peculiarity -of these falls does not consist in long, abrupt descents of perturbed -water, but in the neatly excavated caves, rock-niches, and smoothly -rounded cliffs and basins through which for some distance the impatient -stream rears and plunges like a courser feeling the curb. Imperfect -glimpses hardly give an idea of the curious and interesting processes -of rock-cutting to one who merely looks down from the high banks above -while the train is in rapid motion. It is better, therefore, to visit -these falls by way of the old turnpike. - -The advance up the valley which has first given us an outlook through -the great Notch, on our right, presents for some time the huge green -hemisphere of Mount Pleasant as the conspicuous object. The track then -swerves to the left, bringing Mount Washington into view, and in a few -minutes more we are at the ill-favored clump of houses and sheds at its -base. - -[Illustration: MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING TIMES.] - -The mechanism of the road-way is very simple. The track is formed of -three iron rails, firmly clamped to stout timbers, laid lengthwise upon -transverse pieces, or sleepers. These are securely embedded, where the -surface will allow, or raised upon trestles, where its inequalities -would compel a serious deflection from a smooth or regular inclination. -One of these, about half-way up the mountain, is called Jacob's Ladder. -Here the train achieves the most difficult part of the ascent. After -traversing the whole line on foot, and inspecting it minutely and -thoroughly, I can candidly pronounce it not only a marvel of mechanical -skill, but bear witness to the scrupulous care taken to keep every -timber and every bolt in its place. In two words, the structure is -nothing but a ladder of wood and iron laid upon the side of the -mountain.[43] - -The propelling force employed is equally simple. The engine and car -merely rest upon and are kept in place by the two outer rails, while -the power is applied to the middle one, which we have just called a -rail, but is, more properly speaking, a little ladder of steel cogs, -into which the corresponding teeth of the locomotive's driving-wheel -play--a firm hold being thus secured. The question now merely is, how -much power is necessary to overcome gravity and lift the weight of the -machine into the air? This cogged-rail is the fulcrum, and steam the -lever. Mr. Sylvester Marsh has not precisely lifted the mountain, but he -has, nevertheless, with the aid of Mr. Walter Aiken, reduced it, to all -intents, to a level. - -The boiler of the locomotive, inclined forward so as to preserve a -horizontal position when the engine is ascending, the smoke-stack -also pitched forward, give the idea of a machine that has been in a -collision. Everything seems knocked out of place. But this queer-looking -thing, that with bull-dog tenacity literally hangs on to the mountain -with its teeth, is capable of performing a feat such as Watt never -dreamed of, or Stephenson imagined. It goes up the mountain as easily as -a bear climbs a tree, and like a bear. - -I had often watched the last ascension of the train, which usually -reaches the summit at sunset, and I had as often pleased myself with -considering whether it then most resembled a big, shining beetle -crawling up the mountain side, or some fiery dragon of the fabulous -times, dragging his prey after him to his den, after ravaging the -valley. My own turn was now come to make the trial. It was a cold -afternoon in September when I entered the little carriage, not much -larger than a street-car, and felt the premonitory jerk with which the -ascent begins. The first hill is so steep that you look up to see the -track always mounting high above your head; but one soon gets used to -the novelty, and to the clatter which accompanies the incessant dropping -of a pawl into the indentures of the cogged-rail, and in which he -recognizes an element of safety. The train did not move faster than one -could walk, but it moved steadily, except when it now and then stopped -at a water-tank, standing solitary and alone upon the waste of rocks. - -By the time we emerged above the forest into the chill and wind-swept -desolation above it--a first sight of which is so amazing--the sun -had set behind the Green Mountain summits, showing a long, serrated -line of crimson peaks, above which clouds of lake floated in a sea -of amber. It grew very cold. Great-coats and shawls were quickly -put on. Thick darkness enveloped the mountain as we approached the -head of the profound gulf separating us from Mount Clay, which is the -most remarkable object seen at any time either during the ascent or -descent. Into this pitchy ravine, into its midnight blackness, a long -and brilliant train of sparks trailed downward from the locomotive, so -that we seemed being transported heavenward in a chariot of fire. This -flaming torch, lighting us on, now disclosed snow and ice on all sides. -We had successfully attained the last slope which conceals the railway -from the valley. Up this the locomotive toiled and panted, while we -watched the stars come out and emit cold gleams around, above, beneath. -The light of the Summit House twinkled small, then grew large, as, -surmounting the last and steepest pitch of the pinnacle, we were pushed -before a long row of lighted windows crusted thick with hoar-frost. -Stiffened with cold, the passengers rushed for the open door without -ceremony. In an instant the car was empty; while the locomotive, -dripping with its unheard-of efforts, seemed to regard this desertion -with reproachful glances. - -Reader, have you ever sat beside Mrs. Dodge's fire after such a passive -ascension as that just described? After a two hours' combat with the -instinct of self-preservation, did you dream of such comforts, luxuries -even, awaiting you on the bleak mountain-top, where nothing grows, and -where water even congeals and refuses to run? Could you, in the highest -flights of fancy, imagine that you would one day sit in the courts of -heaven, or feast sumptuously amid the stars? All this you either have -done or may do. And now, while the smartly-dressed waiter-girl, who -seems to have donned her white apron as a personal favor, brings you the -best the larder affords, pinch yourself to see if you are awake. - -In several ascensions by the railway I have always remarked the same -symptoms of uneasiness among the passengers, betrayed by pale faces, -compressed lips, hands tightening their grasp of the chairs, or subdued -and startled exclamations, quickly repressed. To escape the influence of -such weird surroundings one should be absolutely stolid--a stock or a -stone. So for all it is an experience more or less acute, according to -his sensibility, strength of nerve, and power of self-control. However -well it may be disguised, the strong equally with the weak, and more -deeply than the weak, feel the strain which ninety minutes' combat with -gravitation, attraction, ponderosity, engenders. The mind does not for a -single instant quit its hold of this defiance of Nature's laws. As long -as iron and steel hold fast, there is no danger; but you think iron and -steel are iron and steel, and no more. An anecdote will illustrate this -feeling. - -After pointing out to a lady-passenger the skilful devices for stopping -the engine--the pawl, the steam, and the atmospheric brakes--and after -patiently explaining their mechanism and uses, the listener asked the -conductor, with much interest, - -"Then, if the pawl breaks while we are going up?" - -"The engine will be stopped by means of these powerful brakes, applied -directly to the axles, which will, of course, render the train -motionless. As the locomotive has two driving-wheels, the engineer can -bring a double power to bear, as you see. Each is independent of the -other, so that if one gives way the other is still more than sufficient -to keep the engine stationary." - -"Thank you; but the car?" - -"Oh, the car is not attached to the engine at all; and should the -engineer lose the control of his machine, which is not at all likely, -the car can be brought to a stand-still by independent brakes of its -own. You see the engine goes up behind, and in front, down; and the car -is simply pushed forward, or follows it." - -"So that you consider it--." - -"Perfectly safe, madam, perfectly safe." - -"Thank you. One question more. Suppose all these things break at once. -What then? Where would we go?" - -"That, madam, would depend on what sort of a life you had led." - -I have still a consolation for the timid. Ten years' trial has confirmed -the declaration of its projectors, that they would make the road as safe -or safer than the ordinary railway. No life has been lost by an injury -to a passenger during that time. Besides, what is the difference? After -its day, the railway will pass like the stage-coach--that is, unless you -believe, as you do not, that the world and all progress are to stop with -ourselves. - -[Illustration: ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY.] - -The affable lady hostess told me that she paid an annual rental of ten -thousand dollars for her palace of ice; nominally for a year, but really -for a term of only seventy-six days, this being the limit of the season -upon the summit. During the remaining two hundred and eighty-nine -days the house is closed. During four or five months it is buried, or -half-buried, in a snow-drift. Of this large sum, three thousand dollars -go to the Pingree heirs. These facts may tend to modify the views of -those who think the charges exorbitant, if such there are. - -Raising my eyes to look out of the window, the light from within -fell upon a bank of snow. A man was stooping over it as if in search -of something. Going out, I found him feeling it with his hands, and -examining it with childish wonder and curiosity. I approached this -eccentric person very softly; but he, seeing my shadow on the snow -beside him, looked up. - -"Can I assist you in recovering what you have lost?" I inquired. - -"Thank you; no. I have lost nothing. Ah! I see," he continued, laughing -quietly, "you think I have lost my wits. But it is not so. I am a native -of the East Indies, and I assure you this is the first time in my life I -have ever seen snow near enough to handle it. Imagine what an experience -the ascent of Mount Washington is for me!" - -We took a turn down the hard-frozen Glen road together in order to see -the moon come up. The telegraph-poles, fantastically crusted with ice to -the thickness of a foot, stretched a line of white-hooded phantoms down -the dark side of the mountain. From successive coatings of frozen mist -the wires were as thick as cables. Couches of snow lay along the rocks, -and fresh snow had apparently been rubbed into all the inequalties of -the cliffs rising out of the Great Gulf. The scene was supremely weird, -supremely desolate. - -From here we crossed over to the railway, and, ascending by it, shortly -came upon the heap of stones, surmounted by its tablet, erected on -the spot where Miss Bourne perished while ascending the mountain, in -September, 1855. The party, of which she was one, setting out in high -spirits in the afternoon from the Glen House, was overtaken near the -summit by clouds, which hid the house from view, and among which they -became bewildered. It was here Miss Bourne declared she could go no -farther. Overcome by her exertions, she sunk exhausted and fainting -upon the rocks. Her friends were scarcely awakened to her true -condition when, amid the surrounding darkness and gloom, this young -and lovely maiden of only twenty expired in the arms of her uncle. The -mourners wrapped the body in their own cloaks, and, ignorant that a -few rods only separated them from the summit, kept a vigil throughout -the long and weary night. We hasten over this night of dread. In the -morning, discovering their destination a few rods above them, they bore -the lifeless form of their companion to it with feelings not to be -described. A rude bier was made, and she who had started up the mountain -full of life now descended it a corpse. - -The evening treated us to a magnificent spectacle. The moon, in -full-orbed splendor, moved majestically up the heavens, attended by her -glittering retinue of stars. Frozen peaks, reflecting the mild radiance, -shone like beaten silver. But the immense hollows between, the deep -valleys that had been open to view, were now inundated with a white and -luminous vapor, from which the multitude of icy summits emerged like a -vast archipelago--a sea of islands. This spectral ocean seemed on the -point of ingulfing the mountains. This motionless sea, these austere -peaks, uprising, were inconceivably weird and solemnizing. An awful hush -pervaded the inanimate but threatening host of cloud-girt mountains. -Upon them, upon the sea of frozen vapor, absorbing its light, the clear -moon poured its radiance. The stars seemed nearer and brighter than -ever before. The planets shone with piercing brilliancy; they emitted -a sensible light. The Milky Way, erecting its glittering nebula to the -zenith, to which it was pinned by a dazzling star, floated, a glorious, -star-spangled veil, amid this vast sea of gems. One could vaguely catch -the idea of an unpeopled desolation rising from the fathomless void of -a primeval ocean. The peaks, incased in snow and ice, seemed stamped -with the traces of its subsidence. Pale and haggard, they lifted their -antique heads in silent adoration. - -Going to my room and extinguishing the light, I stood for some time -at the window, unable to reconcile the unwonted appearance of the -stars shining far below, with the fixed idea that they ought not to be -there. Yet there they were. To tell the truth, my head was filled with -the surpassing pomp I had just witnessed, of which I had not before -the faintest conception. I felt as if I was silently conversing with -all those stars, looking at me and my petty aspirations with such -inflexible, disdainful immobility. When one feels that he is nothing, -self-assurance is no great thing. The conceit is taken out of him. On a -mountain the man stands naked before his Maker. He is nothing. That is -why I leave him there. - -That night I did not sleep a wink. Twenty times I jumped out of bed and -ran to the window to convince myself that it was not all a dream. No; -moon and stars were still bright. Over the Great Gulf, all ghastly in -the moonlight, stood Mount Jefferson in his winding-sheet. I dressed -myself, and from the embrasure of my window kept a vigil. - -Sunrise did not produce the startling effect I had anticipated. The -morning was fine and cloudless. A gong summoned the inmates of the -hotel to the spectacle. Without dressing themselves, they ran to their -windows, where, wrapped in bed-blankets, they stood eagerly watching the -east. To the pale emerald of early dawn a ruddy glow succeeded. Before -we were aware, the rocky waste around us grew dusky red. The crimsoned -air glided swiftly over the neighboring summits. Now the brightness -was upon Adams and Jefferson and Clay, and now it rolled its purpled -flood into the Great Gulf, to mingle with the intense blackness at the -bottom. For some moments the mountain-tops held the color, then it was -transfused into the clear sunshine of open day; while the vapors, heavy -and compact, stretched along the valleys, still smothering the land, -retained their leaden hue. - -It was still early when I descended the carriage-road on my way to Mount -Adams. The usual way is to keep the railway as far as the old Gulf Tank, -near which is a house of refuge, provided with a cooking-stove, fuel, -and beds. I continued, however, to coast the upper crags of the Great -Gulf, until compelled to make directly for the southern peak of Mount -Clay. The view from this _col_ is imposing, embracing at once, and -without turning the head, all the southern summits of the chain. Here I -was joined by two travellers fresh from Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. - -Each choosing a route for himself, we pushed on to the high summit of -Clay, from which we looked down into the deep gap dividing this mountain -from Jefferson. Arrived there, we resolutely attacked the eastern slopes -of this fine peak, whose notched summit rose more than seven hundred and -fifty feet above our heads. Patches of Alpine grasses, of reindeer-moss, -interspersed with irregular ridges of stones, extended quite up to the -summit, which was a mere elongated stone-heap crowning the apex of its -cone. Those undulating masses encircling its bulk, half hid among the -grass, were like an immense python crushing the mountain in its deadly -folds. We picked our way carefully among this chaotic debris, which the -Swiss aptly call "cemeteries of the devil," tripping now and then in the -long, wiry grass, or burying our feet among the hummocks of dry moss, -which were so many impediments to rapid progress. This appearance and -this experience were common to the whole route. - -At each summit we threw ourselves upon the ground, to feast upon the -landscape while regaining breath. Each halt developed more and more -the grand and stupendous mass of Washington receding from the depths -of the Great Gulf, along whose edge the carriage-road serpentined -and finally disappeared. We saw, a little softened by distance, the -horribly mutilated crags of the head wall stripped bare of all verdure, -presenting on its knobbed agglomerates of tempest-gnawed granite a -thousand eye-catching points and detaining as many shadows. Nothing--not -even the glittering leagues of mountains and valleys shooting or -slumbering above, beneath--so riveted the attention as this apparently -bottomless pit of the five mountains. It was a continued wonder. It drew -us by a strange magnetism to its dizzy brink, chained us there, and -then abandoned us to a physical and moral vertigo, in which the power -of critical investigation was lost. An invisible force seemed always -dragging us toward it. Whence comes this horrible, this uncontrollable -desire to throw ourselves in? - -Out of the death-like torpor which eternally shrouds the ravine -the smiling valley seems escaping. The crystal air of the heights -grows thick in its depths. Beasts and birds of prey haunt its gloomy -solitudes. An immense grave seems yawning to receive the mountains. The -aged mountains seem standing with one foot in the grave. - -This gulf makes an impression altogether different from the others. -It is an immense ravine. Each of the five mountains pushes down into -it massive buttresses of granite, forming lesser ravines between of -considerable extent. Through these streams trickle down from invisible -sources. But these buttresses, which fall lightly and gracefully as -folds of velvet from summit to base of the highest mountains, these -ravines, are hardly noticed. The insatiable maw of the gulf swallows -them as easily as an anaconda a rabbit. In immensity, which you do not -easily grasp, in grandeur, which you do not know how to measure, this -has no partakers here. Even the great Carter Mountain, rising from the -Peabody Valley, seems no more than a stone rolled away from the entrance -of this enormous sepulchre. - -Our first difficulties were encountered upon the reverse of Mount -Jefferson, from whose side rocky spurs detached themselves, and, jutting -out from the side of the mountain, formed an irregular line of cliffs -of varying height, in the way we had selected for the descent. But -these were no great affair. We now had the Ravine of the Castles upon -our left, the stately pyramid of Adams in front, and, beneath, the deep -hollow between this mountain and the one we were descending. We had the -little hamlet of East Jefferson at the mouth of the ravine, and that -crowd of peaks, tightly wedged between the waters of the Connecticut and -the Androscoggin, looming above it. - -A deviation to the left enabled us to approach the Castellated Ridge, -which is, beyond dispute, the most extraordinary rock-formation the -whole extent of the range can show. As it is then fully before you, it -is seen to much better advantage when approached from Mount Adams. I -do not know who gave it this name, but none could be more felicitous -or expressive. It is a sloping ridge of red-brown granite, broken at -its summit into a long line of picturesque towers and battlements, -rising threateningly over an escarpment of debris. Such an illusion is -too rarely encountered to be easily forgotten. It is hardly possible -to doubt you are really looking at an antique ruin. One would like to -wander among these pre-Adamite fortifications, which curiously remind -him of the old Spanish fortresses among the Pyrenees. From the opposite -side of the ravine--for I had not the time requisite for a closer -examination--the rock composing the most elevated portion of the ridge -appears to have been split perpendicularly down, probably by frost, -allowing these broken columns and shafts to stand erect upon the verge -of the abyss. In the warm afternoon light, when the shadows fall, it is -hardly possible to conceive a finer picture of a crumbling but still -formidable mountain fortress. Bastions and turrets stand boldly out. -Each broken shaft sends a long shadow streaming down into the ravine, -whose high and deeply-furrowed sides are thus beautifully striped with -dusk-purple, while the sunlit parts retain a greenish-gray. - -At the foot of Jefferson we found, concealed among rushes, a spring, -which refreshed us like wells of the desert the parched and fainting -Arab. From here two routes offered themselves. One was by keeping the -curved ridge, rising gradually to a subordinate peak (Samuel Adams),[44] -and to the foot of the summit itself; a second was by crossing the -ground sloping downward from this ridge into the Great Gulf. We chose -the latter, notwithstanding the dwarf-spruce, advancing well up to the -foot of the ridge, promised a warm reception. - -[Illustration: THE CASTELLATED RIDGE.] - -At last, after sustaining a vigorous tussle with the scrub-firs, and -stopping to unearth a brook whose waters purred underneath stones, -I stood at the foot of the pointed shaft I had so often seen wedged -into the sky. Five hundred feet or more of the apex of this pyramid -is apparently formed of broken rocks, dropped one by one into place. -Nothing like a ledge or a cliff is to be seen: only these ponderous, -sharp-edged masses of cold gray stone, lifted one above another to the -tapering point. Up this mutilated pyramid we began a slow advance. It -was necessary to carefully choose one step before taking another, in -order to avoid plunging into the deep crevasses traversing the peak in -every direction. At last I placed my foot upon the topmost crag. - -No one can help regarding this peak with the open admiration which is -its due. You conceive that every mountain ought to have a pinnacle. -Well, here it is. We could easily have stood astride the culminating -point. But how came these rocks here? and what was the primitive -structure, if these fragments we see are its relics? One hardly believes -that an ice-raft could have first transported and then deposited such -misshapen masses in their present symmetrical form. Still less does -he admit that the original shaft, crushed in a thousand pieces by -the glacier itself, fell with such grace as to rise again, as he now -sees it, from its own ruins. If, again, it proceeds from the eternal -hammering of King Frost, what was the antique edifice that first rose so -proudly above the frozen seas of the great primeval void? But to science -the things which belong to science. We have a book describing heaven, -but not one that resolves the problems of earth. The "_Veni, vidi, -vici,_" of the Book of Genesis leaves us at the beginning. We are still -staring, still questioning, still vacillating between this theory and -that hypothesis.[45] - -We had from the summit an inspiring though not an extensive view. A -bank of dun-colored smoke smirched the fair western sky as high as the -summits of the Green Mountains. At fifty miles mountains and valleys -melted confusedly into each other. Water emitted only a dull glimmer. -Here a peak and there a summit surveyed us from afar. All else was -intangible; almost imaginary. At twenty-five miles the land, resuming -its ordinary appearance, was bathed in the soft brilliance caused by the -sun shining through an atmosphere only half transparent. - -Upon this obscure mass we traced once more the well-known objects -environing the great mountain. To the south Mount Washington divided -the landscape in two. For some time we stood admiring its magnificent -_torso_, its amplitude of rock-land, its easy preponderance over every -other summit. Again we followed the road down the great north-east -spur. Once more we caught the white specks which denote the line of -the railway. We plunged our eyes down into the Great Gulf, and lifted -them to the shattered protuberances of Clay, which seemed to mark the -route where the glacier crushed and ground its way through the very -centre of the chain. A second time we descended Jefferson to the deep -dip, opening like a trough between two enormous sea-waves, where we -first saw the little Storm Lake glistening. Following now the long, -rocky ridge, rolling downward toward the hamlets of Jefferson and -Randolph, the mountains yawned wide at our feet. We were looking over -into King's Ravine--to its very bottom. We peered curiously into its -remotest depths, traced the difficult and breathless ascent through -the remarkable natural gateway at its head out upon a second ridge, -on which a little pond (Star Lake) lies hid. We then crossed the gap -communicating with Mount Madison, whose summit, last and lowest of the -great northern peaks, dominates the Androscoggin Valley with undisputed -sway. To-day it made on us scarcely an impression. Its peak, which from -the valley holds a rough similitude with that of Adams, is dwarfed here. -You look down upon it. - -More applicable to Adams than to any other, for our eyes grow dazzled -with the glitter and sparkle of countless mica-flakes incrusting the -hard granite with clear brilliancy as from the facets of a diamond; more -applicable, again, from the stern, unconquerable attitude of the great -gray shaft itself, lifted in such conscious pride beyond the confines -of the vast ethereal vault of blue--a tower of darkness invading the -bright realms of light; a defiance flung by earth in the face of high -heaven--is the magnificent description of the Matterhorn from the pen of -Ruskin: - -"If one of these little flakes of mica-sand, hurried in tremulous -spangling along the bottom of the ancient river, too light to sink, -too faint to float, almost too small for sight, could have had a mind -given to it as it was at last borne down with its kindred dust into -the abysses of the stream, and laid (would it not have thought?) for a -hopeless eternity in the dark ooze, the most despised, forgotten, and -feeble of all earth's atoms; incapable of any use or change; not fit, -down there in the diluvial darkness, so much as to help an earth-wasp -to build its nest, or feed the first fibre of a lichen--what would it -have thought had it been told that one day, knitted into a strength as -of imperishable iron, rustless by the air, infusible by the flame, out -of the substance of it, with its fellows, the axe of God should hew that -Alpine tower;--that against _it_--poor, helpless mica-flake!--the snowy -hills should lie bowed like flocks of sheep, and the kingdoms of the -earth fade away in unregarded blue; and around it--weak, wave-drifted -mica-flake!--the great war of the firmament should burst in thunder, and -yet stir it not; and the fiery arrows and angry meteors of the night -fall blunted back from it into the air; and all the stars in the clear -heaven should light, one by one, as they rose, new cressets upon the -points of snow that fringed its abiding-place on the imperishable spire!" - -Myself and my companions set out on our return to the Summit House early -in the afternoon, choosing this time the ridge in preference to the -scrubby slope. From this we turned away, at the end of half an hour, -by an obscure path leading to a boggy pool, sunk in a mossy hollow -underneath it, crossed the area of scattered bowlders, strewn all around -like the relics of a petrified tempest, and, filling our cups at the -spring, drank to Mount Adams, the paragon of mountain peaks. - -As we again approached the brow of Mount Washington the sun resembled -a red-hot globe of iron flying through the west and spreading a -conflagration through the heavens. Again the colossal shadow of the -mountain began its stately ascension in the east. One moment the burning -eye of the great luminary interrogated this phantom, sprung from the -loins of the hoary peak. Then it dropped heavily down behind the Green -Mountains, as it has done for thousands of years, the landscape fading, -fading into one vast, shadowy abyss, out of which arose the star-lit -dome of the august summit. - - - - -TOURIST'S APPENDIX. - -PREPARED FOR "THE HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS." - - -GEOGRAPHY.--The White Mountains are in the northern central part of the -State of New Hampshire. They occupy the whole area of the State between -Maine and Vermont, and between Lake Winnipiseogee and the head-streams -of the Connecticut and Androscoggin rivers. - -Two principal chains, having a general direction from south-west to -north-east, constitute this great water-shed of New England. These are -the Franconia and the White Mountains proper, sometimes called the -"Presidential Range." - -Grouped on all sides of the higher summits are a great number of -inferior ridges, among which, as in the Sandwich Range, rise some very -fine peaks, widely extending the mountainous area, and diversifying it -with numerous valleys, lakes, and streams. - -Two principal rivers, the Saco and Merrimack, flowing from these two -chief clusters, form the two great valleys of the White Mountain system; -and by these valleys the railways enter the mountains from the seaboard. -Lake Winnipiseogee, which washes the southern foot of the mountains, -is also a thoroughfare, as are the valleys of the Connecticut and -Androscoggin rivers. - -DISTANCES.--It is 430 miles from Philadelphia to Fabyan's; 340 from New -York, _via_ Springfield; 190 from Montreal, _via_ Newport; 208 _via_ -Groveton; 169 from Boston, _via_ North Conway (Eastern R.R.); 208 _via_ -Concord (B., C., & M. R.R.); 91 from Portland, _via_ North Conway (P. -& O. R.R.); 91 from Portland to Gorham (G. T. R.); 199 from Boston to -Gorham, _via_ Eastern and Grand Trunk roads; and 206 _via_ Boston and -Maine and Grand Trunk roads. - -ROUTES.--Procure, before starting, the official time-tables of the -railroads running to the mountains or making direct connection with -them, by application to local agents, by writing to the ticket-agents of -the roads, or by consulting a railway guide-book. The roads reaching the -mountains are-- - -From Washington: The Pennsylvania, and New York & New England. - -From Philadelphia: The Pennsylvania, and New York & New England. - -From Montreal: The Grand Trunk, and The South-eastern. - -From Quebec: The Grand Trunk Railway. - -From Saratoga: The Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. - -From New York: New York, New Haven, & Hartford (all rail _via_ -Springfield, White River Junction, and Wells River to Fabyan's; or all -rail _via_ Springfield, Worcester, Nashua, and Concord, N. H.; or all -rail _via_ "Shore Line," Boston & Albany, or New York & New England -roads to Boston); or by Fall River, Norwich, or Stonington "Sound Lines" -to Boston; thence by either of the following railroads: - -[Illustration: JACOBS LADDER, MOUNT WASHINGTON RAILWAY.] - -From Boston: Eastern R.R., _via_ Beverly (18 miles, branch to Cape Ann); -Hampton (46 miles, Boar's Head and Rye Beaches); Portsmouth (56 miles, -Newcastle and Isles of Shoals and York Beach); Kittery (57 miles); -Wolfborough Junction (98 miles, branch to Lake Winnipiseogee); North -Conway (138 miles; connects with Portland and Ogdensburg); Intervale -(139 miles); Glen Station (144 miles, for Jackson and Glen House); -Crawford's (165 miles); Fabyan's (169 miles; connects with B., C., & M. -for Summit of Mount Washington, Bethlehem, Profile House, and Jefferson; -or by same route to Portland, thence by P. & O. R.R. to North Conway, or -Grand Trunk Railway to Gorham). - -Boston, Lowell & Concord, and Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroads, -_via_ Lowell (26 miles); Nashua, Manchester, Concord (75 miles); -Plymouth (123 miles); Woodsville (166 miles, Wells River); Littleton -(185 miles, for Sugar Hill); Wing Road (192 miles, branch to Jefferson); -Bethlehem (196 miles, branch road to Profile House, also to "Maplewood," -and Bethlehem Street); Twin Mountain House, Fabyan's (208 miles, branch -to Summit of Mount Washington, 217 miles); connects at Fabyan's with P. -& O. and Eastern roads for North Conway, Portland, and Boston. - -Boston & Maine R.R. _via_ Lawrence (26 miles); Haverhill, Exeter (50 -miles); Dover (68 miles); Rochester (78 miles); Alton Bay (96 miles), -connecting with steamer for Wolfborough and Centre Harbor, on Lake -Winnipiseogee; or by the same road to Portland, thence by P. & O. to -North Conway and Fabyan's, or Grand Trunk to Gorham and Glen House. - -From Portland: Portland & Ogdensburg R.R. via Sebago Lake (17 miles); -Fryeburg (49 miles); Conway Centre, North Conway (60 miles); Glen -Station (66 miles, Jackson and Glen House); Bartlett (72 miles); -Crawford's (87 miles); Fabyan's (91 miles; connects with B., C., & M. -R.R. for Summit of Mount Washington, Bethlehem, Profile House, Sugar -Hill, Jefferson, etc.). - -Grand Trunk Railway: Danville Junction (27 miles); Bethel (70 miles); -Shelburne (86 miles); Gorham (91 miles, for Glen House). - -A good way to do the mountains by rail is to buy an excursion-ticket -over the route entering on the west, and, passing through, leave them -by the roads on the east side via Boston or Portland, or _vice versa_. -At Fabyan's, where the two great routes meet, the traveller coming from -either direction may pursue his journey without delay. From _Boston to -Boston_, _Portland to Portland_, there is continuous rail without going -twice over the same line. - -_Lake Winnipiseogee._--At Alton Bay, Wolfborough, and Weirs steamer is -taken for Centre Harbor, at the head of the lake. Here the traveller may -either take the daily stages for West Ossipee (E. R.R.) or steamer to -Weirs (B., C., & M.), and thus be again on the direct rail routes. - -HOW TO CHOOSE A LOCATION.--Do you wish a quiet retreat, off the -travelled routes, where you may have rest and seclusion, or do you -desire to fix yourself in a position favorable to exploring the whole -mountain region? - -In either case consult (1) some friend who has visited the mountains; -(2), consult the maps in this volume; (3), consult the landlord in any -place you may fancy for a limited or a lengthened residence; (4), apply -to the agents of the Eastern, Portland, & Ogdensburg, Boston, Concord, & -Montreal, Boston & Maine, or Grand Trunk Railways, for books or folders -containing a list of the mountain hotels reached by their lines, and the -charge for board by the day and week. (The Eastern, and B., C., & M. -print revised lists every year, for gratuitous distribution.) - -Wolfborough, Weirs, Centre Harbor, and Sandwich (all on or near -Lake Winnipiseogee); Blair's, Sanborn's, Campton Village, Thornton, -and Woodstock, in the Pemigewasset Valley; Tamworth, Conway Corner, -Fryeburg, the Intervale (North Conway), Jackson, the Glen House, Bethel -(Me.), Shelburne, Randolph, East Jefferson, Jefferson Hill, Lancaster, -Littleton, Franconia, Sugar Hill, Haverhill, and Newbury (Vt.)--all come -within the category first named; while the second want will be supplied -at such points as North Conway, Crawford's, Fabyan's, Twin Mountain -House, Bethlehem, and the Profile House. North Conway and Bethlehem are -the keys to the whole mountain region. Fabyan's and the Glen House are -the proper points from which to ascend Mount Washington. - -To aid in locating these places on the map, refer constantly to the -Index at the end of the volume. - -Leaving Boston or Portland in the morning, any of the points named may -be reached in from four to eight hours. - -HINTS FOR TOURISTS.--Select your destination, if possible, in advance; -and if you require apartments, telegraph to the hotel where you mean -to stop, giving the number of persons in your party, thus avoiding -the disappointment of arriving, at the end of a long journey, at an -over-crowded hotel. - -[Illustration: U. S. METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN -SUMMER.] - -Should you fix upon a particular locality for a long or short stay, -write to one (or more) of the landlords for terms, etc.; and if his -house is off the line of railway, inform him of the day and train you -mean to take, so that he may meet you with a carriage at the nearest -station. But if you do not go upon the day named, remember to notify the -landlord. - -Always take some warm woollen clothing (inside and outside) for mountain -ascensions. It is unsafe to be without it in any season, as the nights -are usually cool even in midsummer. - -From the middle of June to the middle of October is the season of -mountain travel. The best views are obtained in June, September, and -October. From the middle of September to the middle of October the air -is pure and invigorating, the mountain forests are then in a blaze of -autumnal splendor, the cascades are finer, and out-of-door jaunts are -less fatiguing than in July and August. - -Should you wish merely to make a rapid tour of the mountain region, it -will be best so to arrange your route before starting that the first day -will bring you where there is something to be seen, to a comfortable -hotel, and from which your journey may be continued with an economy of -time and money. - -The three journeys described in this volume will enable you to see all -that is most desirable to be seen; but the excellent facilities for -traversing the mountains render it immaterial whether these routes -are precisely followed, taken in their reverse order, or adopted as -a general plan, with such modifications as the tourist's time or -inclination may suggest. - -Upon arriving at his destination the traveller naturally desires to -use his time to the best advantage possible. But he is ignorant how to -do this. "What shall I do?" "Where shall I go?" are the two questions -that confront him. Let us suppose him arrived, first, at NORTH -CONWAY. - -As he stands gazing up the Saco Valley, Moat Mountain is on his left, -Kearsarge at his right, and Mount Washington in front. (Refer to the -Chapter and Index articles on North Conway.) The high cliffs on the side -of Moat are called the Ledges. This glorious view may be improved by -going a mile up the railroad, or highway, to the Intervale. The Ledges -contain the local celebrities. Taking a carriage, or walking, one may -visit them in an afternoon, seeing in turn Echo Lake, the Devil's Den, -the Cathedral, and Diana's Baths. The picturesque bits of river, meadow, -and mountain seen going and returning will make the way seem short, and -are certain to detain the artistic traveller. Artists' Falls, on the -opposite side of the valley, will repay a visit, if the stream is in -good condition. Artists' Brook, on which these falls are, runs from the -hills east of the village. A carriage-road leads to the Artists' Falls -House, from which a short walk brings one to the falls. This excursion -will require not more than two hours. Then there are the drives to -Kearsarge village, under the mountain, and back by the Intervale; to -Jackson, over Thorn Hill, and back by Goodrich Falls (three to four -hours each); to Bartlett Bowlder, by the west, and back by the east side -of the valley; to Fryeburg and Mount Chocorua--the last two requiring -each half a day at least. The ascent of Kearsarge (from Kearsarge -village) or of the Moats (from Diana's Baths) each demands a day to -itself. But by starting early in the morning a good climber may ascend -and descend Kearsarge, getting back to the village by two o'clock in the -afternoon. - -_At the Intervale_ he can easily repeat all these experiences, as this -is a suburb of North Conway. Let him take his first stroll over the -meadows to the river, or among the grand old pines in the forest near -the railway station, while preparing for more extended excursions. - -_At Glen Station._--While waiting for the luggage to be put on, if the -day is perfectly clear, the traveller, by going up the track a few -rods, to the bridge over the Ellis, may get a glimpse of the summit of -Mount Washington, with the hotel upon the apex; also of Carter Notch. -On the way to Jackson he will pass over Goodrich Falls by a bridge. He -should not fail to remark the fine cliffs of Iron Mountain, at his left -hand, before entering the village. Should he be _en route_ for the Glen -House, let him be on the lookout for the Giant's Stairs, on the left, -after leaving Jackson, and then for the grand view of Pinkham Notch, -with Mount Washington at the left, about four miles beyond Jackson. The -summit of Spruce Hill--the scene of the highway robbery in 1881--is the -top of the long rise beyond the bridge over Ellis River. - -_At Jackson_ we have moved eight miles nearer Mount Washington, in -the direction of the Glen House (12 miles) and Gorham (20 miles), and -also toward the Carter Notch, distant from the village 9 miles. The -excursions back to North Conway are similar to those described from -that place. The first thing to do here is to stroll up the Wildcat, and -pass an hour or two among the falls on this stream, which begin at the -village. A walk or drive up this valley to Fernald's Farm, and back -by the opposite side, or over Thorn Hill, are two tempting half-day -excursions. In an hour one may walk to Goodrich Falls (road to Glen -Station) and back to the village. He may start after breakfast, and -drive to Glen Ellis Falls (road to Glen House), eight miles, returning -to the hotel for dinner; or, lunching at Glen Ellis, go on one mile -farther to the Crystal Cascade; then, dining at the Glen House (3 -miles), return at leisure. But it is a mistake to take two such pieces -of water in one day. The pedestrian whose base is Jackson, and who -makes this trip, should pass the night at the Glen House and return by -the Carter Notch, the distance being about the same as by the highway. -But he should never try this alone, for fear of a disabling accident. -Or he may take the Glen House stage at Jackson early in the afternoon, -and, letting it drop him at Glen Ellis, make his own way to the hotel -(4 miles) on foot, after a visit to the falls. Apply to Mr. Osgood, the -veteran guide, at the Glen House, for services, or directions how to -enter the Carter Notch from the Glen House side; and to Jock Davis, who -lives at the head of the Wildcat Valley, if going in from the Jackson -side. - -Ladies who are accustomed to walking can reach Carter Notch with a -little help now and then from the gentlemen. But the fatigue of going -and returning on the same day would be too great. A party could enter -the Notch in the afternoon, pass the night in Davis's comfortable cabin, -and return the next morning. The path in is much easier and plainer from -the Jackson than from the Glen House side; but there is no difficulty -about keeping either. Davis will take up everything necessary for -camping out, except food, which may be procured at your hotel before -starting. There is plenty of water in the Notch. - -_At the Glen House_ one may finish the afternoon by walking back a mile -on the Jackson road to the Emerald Pool; or, if he is in the vein, go -one mile farther on to Thompson's Falls, and, ascending to the top, look -over the forest into Tuckerman's Ravine. The Crystal Cascade (3 miles) -and Glen Ellis (4 miles) from the hotel, ought to occupy half a day, but -three hours (driving) will suffice, if one is in a hurry. The drive to -Jackson, or march into the Notch, are just noted under Jackson. To go -into Tuckerman's Ravine by the Crystal Cascade, or by Thompson's Path -(Mount Washington carriage-road), will take a whole day. Ladies have -been into Tuckerman's; but the trial cannot be recommended except for -the most vigorous and courageous. The Appalachian Club has a camp near -Hermit Lake, where a party going into the ravine in the afternoon may -pass a comfortable night, ascend to the Snow Arch in the morning, and -return to the hotel for dinner. - -A three-mile walk on the Gorham road, crossing the Peabody River to the -Copp Farmhouse, gives a view of the celebrated "Imp" profile, on the -top of the opposite mountain. This walk is an affair of two hours and -a half. (See art. "Imp" in Index.) The Garnet Pool (one mile from the -hotel) may be taken on the way. Or, for a short and interesting stroll, -go down this road a half-mile to where the Great Gulf opens wide before -you its immense wall of mountains. The carriage-road to the summit -requires four hours for the ascent by stage; a good climber can do it -on foot in about the same time. Should a storm overtake him above the -woods, he can find shelter in the Half-way House, just at the edge of -the forest. - -[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON.] - -_At Crawford's_ one can saunter into the woods at the left of the -hotel, and enjoy himself in the sylvan retreat, "Idlewild;" or, going -down the road, ascend the Elephant's Head by a path turning in at the -left (sign-board), obtaining the view down the Notch; or, continuing -on a short distance, enter and examine the Gate of the Notch. All -these objects are in full view from the hotel. Other rambles of an -hour are to Gibbs' Falls, entering the woods at the left of the hotel -(guide-board), or, crossing the bridge over the railroad track on the -right, to Beecher's Cascades. The ascent of Mount Willard (3 miles) -should on no account be omitted. Good carriage-road all the way, and -vehicles from the hotel. The celebrated Crawford Trail to the Summit -of Mount Washington, the scene of many exploits, begins in the grove -at the left of this hotel. The distance is fully nine miles, and six -or seven hours will be none too many for the jaunt. Four intervening -mountains, Clinton, Pleasant, Franklin, and Monroe, are crossed. There -is a shelter-hut in the woods near the summit of Clinton. - -[Illustration: METEOROLOGICAL STATION, MOUNT WASHINGTON, IN WINTER.] - -_At Fabyan's._--Three or four hours may be profitably spent on Mount -Deception, opposite the hotel. The first summit is as much as one would -care to undertake in an afternoon, to get the extended and magnificent -view of the great range at sunset. Opposite the hotel is a cosy little -cottage, kept open by the railroads for the use of travellers, and to -give them information respecting routes, hotels, distances, fares, etc. -The Upper Ammonoosuc Falls (3-1/2 miles) are well worth a visit. They -are on the Old Turnpike to the base of Mount Washington. The traveller -has now at command all the important points in the mountains. - -He is 9 miles from the Summit, 4 from Crawford's, 29 from North Conway, -13 from Bethlehem, 22 from the Profile, and 18 from Jefferson--all -reached by rail in one or two hours. - -_At Bethlehem._--If the tourist locates himself at the "Maplewood," the -walk up the mountain to the Observatory, or to Cruft's Ledge, at sunset, -or to the village (1-1/2 miles), or down the Whitefield road to The -Hollow, is a good introduction. At "The Street" he will find the busiest -thoroughfare in the mountains, leading him on to a beautiful panorama -of the Ammonoosuc Valley, with Littleton in its lap; or, ascending the -old Profile House road above the Sinclair House for a mile, will see the -great Franconia mountains from the best view-point. Bethlehem is 9 miles -from the Profile House, 13 from Fabyan's, 17 from Crawford's, 42 from -North Conway, 15 from Jefferson, and 22 from the Summit. - -_At Profile House._--If you arrive by rail via Bethlehem, you have -crossed the broad flank and great ravine of Mount Lafayette to the -shores of Echo Lake, a mile from the hotel. But the opposite side -of this lake is a more eligible site for views of the surrounding -mountains; and the summit of Bald Mountain, at its north end, is still -better. From the long piazza of the Profile House the great Notch -mountains close in toward the south. Cannon Mountain is on your right, -with the peculiar rocks giving it this name thrust out from the highest -ridge in full view. The woods at the foot of this mountain, filling -the pass in front of you, conceal the beautiful Profile Lake, the -twin-sister of Echo Lake. The enormous rock at your left is Eagle Cliff, -a spur of Mount Lafayette, the mountain being ascended on the south side -of this cliff. Improve the first hour of leisure by walking directly -down the road to Profile Lake. In a few minutes you will reach the shore -near a rustic arbor (guide-board), furnished with seats, and here you -command the best view of the renowned "Old Man of the Mountain." Boats -may be had here for a sail upon the lake. Return to the hotel by the -path through the woods. Walk next up the pass one mile to Echo Lake -(boats and fishing-gear at the boat-house); or, extending your jaunt -as far as Bald Mountain, obtain, by following the old path through the -woods at the right, the best observation of the pass from the north. The -trip to the Flume House (including the Basin, Pool, and Flume) is next -in order, and will occupy a half day, although the distance is only six -miles, and the road excellent. If the forenoon is taken, a party can -either return to the hotel for dinner or dine well at the Flume House. -The Pool is reached by a path half a mile long, entering the woods -opposite the Flume House. It will take an hour to drive to the Flume; -and an hour to go into the chasm itself and return is little enough; -allowing another hour for the Pool makes four hours for the excursion. - -The ascent of Mount Lafayette (3-3/4 miles) demands three to four hours. -Saddle-horses can be procured at the hotel. Those unwilling to undertake -the whole climb may, by ascending Eagle Cliff (1 mile on same path), -secure a grand view of the Notch and lakes, the Profile, the ravines, -and the Pemigewasset Valley. A stage leaves the Profile House every -morning for Plymouth, connecting with trains for Boston and New York, -and permitting the tourist to enjoy the beauties of the Pemigewasset -Valley. But it is better to ascend this valley. - -_At the Flume House_ (refer to the preceding article).--It is a -comparatively easy climb of an hour and a half to the top of Mount -Pemigewasset, behind the hotel. See, from the hotel, the outline of the -mountain ridge opposite, called Washington Lying in State. - -_At Jefferson._--The branch railway from Whitefield (B., C., & M. R.R.) -leaves its passengers about three miles from the cluster of hotels and -boarding-houses called Jefferson Hill, or five from East Jefferson -(E. A. Crawford's, Highland, or Mount Adams House); but carriages -are usually in waiting for all these houses. The walks and drives up -and down this valley are numerous and interesting, especially so in -the direction of Mount Adams and Randolph Hill, Cherry Mountain and -Lancaster. The trip over Cherry Mountain, reaching Fabyan's (13 miles) -by sunset, or from Fabyan's, reaching Jefferson at this hour, is a -memorable experience of mountain beauty. Excursions to Mount Washington, -Profile House, Glen House, or Gorham, demand a day. The ascent of Starr -King, Owl's Head, Ravine of the Cascades, King's Ravine, or Mount Adams -are the _pieces de resistance_ for this locality. - -ITINERARY OF A WALKING TOUR.--Two weeks of fine weather will enable -a good pedestrian to traverse the mountains from Plymouth to North -Conway, or _vice versa_, following the great highways throughout the -whole journey, and giving time to see what is on the route. Good hotel -accommodation will be found at the end of each day. Should bad weather -unsettle his plans, he will nearly always be able to avail himself of -regular stage or railway conveyance for a less or greater distance. -Thus: First day, Plymouth to Woodstock (dine at Sanborn's, West -Campton), 16 miles; second day, Flume House (visiting Flume and Pool), -8 miles; third day, Profile House (visiting Basin and "Old Man"), 5-1/2 -miles; fourth day, Bethlehem (_via_ Echo Lake and Franconia), 9 miles; -fifth day, Whitefield, 8 miles; sixth day, East Jefferson, 13 miles; -seventh day, Glen House, 14 miles; eighth day, for vicinity of Glen -House; ninth day, Summit of Mount Washington by carriage-road, 8 miles; -tenth day, descent by mountain railway to Crawford's, 13 miles; eleventh -day, through the Notch to Bartlett, 13 miles; twelfth day, Jackson and -vicinity, 9 miles; thirteenth day, North Conway, 8 miles. Total, 124 -miles. - -_Advice for Climbers._--Don't hurry when on a level road--keep your -strength for the ascent. Always take the long route up a mountain, if it -be the easier one. Be careful where you plant the foot in gullied trails -or on icy ledges--a sprain is a serious matter if you are alone. Carry -in your pocket a flask, fitted with a tumbler or cup; matches that will -ignite in the wind, half a dozen cakes of pitch-kindling, a good glass, -and a luncheon; in your hand a stout walking-stick; and upon your feet -shoes that can be trusted--none of your gimcracks--but broad-soled ones, -shod with steel nails. On a long march a rubber overcoat, a haversack, -and an umbrella will be needed. Cold tea slakes thirst more effectually -than water; but when you are exposed to wet and cold something stronger -will be found useful. Should you have a palpitation of the heart, or an -inclination to vertigo, do not climb at all. Take quiet rambles instead. -My word for it, they are better for you than scaling breathless ascents -or looking down over dizzy precipices. If you feel nausea, stop at once -until you recover from it. If caught on the Crawford trail between -Mounts Clinton and Washington, go back to the hut on the first-named -mountain. - -_Newspapers for Tourists_, at Bethlehem (_The Echo_) and on the Summit -(_Among the Clouds_) are published during the season of travel, -giving hotel arrivals, information concerning rail and stage routes, -excursions, and whatever may be of interest to the summer population in -general. - -Telegraphic and telephone communication may be had at all the principal -hotels and railway-stations. - -The Appalachian Mountain Club prints every year a periodical made up of -scientific and literary contributions from its members. Address the club -at Boston. - -_Trout_, _pickerel_, and _black bass_ are found in all the mountain -waters. The State stocks the ponds and streams with trout, bass, and -salmon from its breeding-houses at Plymouth. Fishing legally begins May -1. There is good trout-fishing on Swift River (Albany), with Conway for -head-quarters. From Jackson, or Glen House, the Wildcat and Ellis are -both good trout streams; so are Nineteen-Mile Brook and the West Branch -of Peabody; but the Wild River region (from Shelburne, Glen House, or -Jackson) affords better sport, because less visited. To go in from -Jackson or Glen House a guide will be necessary, and Davis, of Jackson, -is a good one. From Jefferson and Randolph the upper waters of the -Moose, and Israel's River (especially in the Mount Jefferson ravine), -are fished with good success. E. A. Crawford, of East Jefferson, knows -the best spots. From Bartlett there should be good fishing on Sawyer's -River, above the Livermore mills. Consult Frank George, the veteran -landlord of the Bartlett House. From Crawford's the best fishing-ground -is Ethan's Pond, behind Mount Willey. At Franconia the writer has -seen some fine strings brought from the Copper-mine Brook (back of -Mount Kinsman). Fair fishing may also be had on Lafayette Brook--ask -Charles Edson, of the Edson House. Profile Lake is stocked with trout -for the benefit of guests of the hotel. The upper streams of the -Pemigewasset are all good fishing-ground. Apply to Mr. D. P. Pollard, -North Woodstock, or Merrill Greeley, Waterville. The houses of both are -resorted to by experienced fishermen who track the East Branch or Mad -River tributaries. Pickerel and bass are caught in Lakes Winnipiseogee, -Squam, Chocorua, Ossipee, and Silver, besides scores of ponds lying -chiefly in the lake region. - -N.B.--Those going exclusively to fish should go early in the season for -the best sport. - -_Guides._--The landlords will either accompany you or procure a suitable -person. - -_Camping Out._--A wall tent is preferable, but two persons get along -comfortably in one of the "A" pattern. Get one with the fly, which -can be spread behind the tent, thus giving an additional room, in -which the cooking and eating may be done under cover. Set up your tent -where there is natural drainage--where the surface water will run off -during wet weather. Dig a shallow trench around it, on the outside, -for this purpose, and if you can obtain them, lay boards for a floor. -A kerosene-oil stove, with its utensils, folding cot-bed, camp-chairs, -and mess-chest, containing dishes (tin is best), constitute a complete -outfit, to be reduced according to convenience or pleasure. To make a -woods-man's camp, first set up two crotched posts five feet high, and -six or eight apart (according to number). On these lay a pole. From this -pole three or four others extend to the ground. Then cut brush or bark -for the roof and sides, and build your fire in front. For a camp of this -sort a hatchet and packet of matches only are necessary. But always -pitch your encampment in the vicinity of wood and water. - -_Mount Washington Railway._--Length, from base to summit, 3 miles. Rise -in the three miles, 3,625 feet. Steepest grade, 13-1/2 inches in three -feet, or 1980 feet to the mile. Begun in 1866; completed in 1869. - -_Mount Washington Carriage-road._--Length, 8 miles. Average grade, one -foot in eight. Steepest grade, one foot in six. Begun in 1855; finished -in 1861. - -_Mount Washington Signal Station._--The Summit was first occupied for -scientific purposes in the winter of 1870-'71. Since then it has been -attached to the Weather Bureau at Washington, and occupied by men -detailed from the United States Signal Corps, the men volunteering for -the service. - -ALTITUDES.--The following list of altitudes of the more important -and well-known points has been compiled from the publications of the -Geological Survey of New Hampshire and of the Appalachian Mountain Club. -The figures in =heavy-face= type are the results either of actual -levelling or of trigonometrical survey, while the remainder depend upon -barometrical measurement. Where the mean of two not widely-differing -authorities is given, the fact is denoted by the letter "_m_" preceding -the figures: - - MOUNTAIN SUMMITS. - - Adams-----_m_ 5785 - Ascutney (Vermont)-----3186 - Black (Sandwich Dome)-----=3999= - Boott's Spur-----5524 - Cannon-----3850 - Carrigain-----_m_ 4651 - Carter Dome-----_m_ 4827 - Chocorua-----3540 - Clay-----5553 - Clinton-----_m_ 4315 - Crawford-----3134 - Giant's Stairs-----3500 - Gunstock-----=2394= - Iron-----_about_ 2000 - Jefferson-----5714 - Kearsarge, S. (Merrimack County)-----=2943= - Kearsarge, N. (Carroll County)-----=3251= - Lafayette-----=5259= - Madison-----_m_ 5350 - Moat (North peak)-----3200 - Monadnock-----_m_ 3177 - Monroe-----_m_ 5375 - Moosilauke-----=4811= - Moriah-----4653 - Osceola-----_m_ 4408 - Passaconnaway-----4200 - Percy (North peak)-----3336 - Pleasant (Great range)-----_m_ 4768 - Pleasant (Maine)-----=2021= - Starr King-----_m_ 3872 - Twin-----_about_ 5000 - Washington-----=6293= - Webster-----4000 - Whiteface-----=4007= - Willey-----4300 - - VILLAGES AND HOTELS. - - Bartlett (Upper)-----=660= - Bethlehem (Sinclair House)-----_m_ 1454 - Franconia-----921 - Crawford House-----=1899= - Fabyan "-----1571 - Flume "-----1431 - Glen "-----=1632= - Gorham-----=812= - Jackson-----759 - Jefferson Hill-----1440 - Jefferson Highlands (Mt. Adams House)-----1648 - Lancaster-----=870= - North Conway-----=521= - Plymouth-----=473= - Profile House-----1974 - Sugar Hill (Post Office)-----1351 - Waterville (Greeley's Hotel)-----_m_ 1544 - Willey House-----=1323= - - NOTCHES. - - Carter Notch-----3240 - Cherry Mt. Road (summit)-----_m_ 2180 - Crawford or White Mt. Notch-----=1914= - Dixville Notch-----1831 - Franconia Notch-----_m_ 2015 - Pinkham Notch (south of Glen House)-----2018 - Carrigain Notch-----2465 - - MISCELLANEOUS. - - Ammonoosuc Sta. (base of Mt. Washington)-----=2668= - Camp of Appalachian Mountain Club, on the - -----Mt. Adams path-----3307 - Echo Lake (Franconia)-----_m_ 1928 - Lake of the Clouds-----5053 - Lake Winnipiseogee-----=500= - -_Distant Points Visible from Mount Washington_ (taken from -"Appalachia").--Mount Megantic (Canada), 86 miles, seen between -Jefferson and Adams; Mount Carmel, 65 miles, just over Mount Adams; -Saddleback, 60 miles, head of Rangely Lakes; Mount Abraham, 68 -miles, N., 47 deg. E.; Ebene Mountain, 135 miles, vicinity of Moosehead -Lake (rarely seen, even with a telescope); Mount Blue, 57 miles, -near Farmington, Me.; Sebago Lake, 43 miles, over Mount Doublehead; -Portland, 67 miles, over Lake Sebago; Mount Agamenticus, 79 miles, -between Kearsarge and Moat Mountains; Isles of Shoals, 96 miles, to -the right of Agamenticus (rarely seen); Mount Monadnock, 104 miles, -between Carrigain and Sandwich Dome; Mount Ascutney (Vt.), 81 miles, -S., 45 deg. W.; Killington Peaks (near Rutland, Vt.), 88 miles, on the -horizon between Moosilauk and Lincoln; Camel's Hump (Vt), 78 miles, over -Bethlehem Street; Mount Whiteface (Adirondack chain, N.Y.), 130 miles, -over the right slope of Camel's Hump; Mount Mansfield (highest of Green -Mountains), 77 miles, between Twin Mountain House and Mount Deception; -Mount Wachusett (Mass.), 126 miles, is also visible under favorable -conditions, just to the right of Whiteface (N. H.). - -MOUNTAIN PATHS. [Those with an asterisk (*) were built by the -Appalachian Mountain Club.] _Chocorua._--There are three or four paths. -The best leads from the Hammond Farm, 2-1/2 miles from the Chocorua Lake -House, and 14 miles from North Conway. The ascent, as far as the foot of -the final peak, is feasible for ladies. From this point the easiest way -is to flank the peak to the left until an old watercourse is reached, -which may be followed nearly to the summit. - -*_Moat._--An old path leads from the Swift River road to the summit of -the South Peak. Another, from the clearings on an old road which extends -along the base of the South Peak, leads to the top of the middle ridge; -but the best path for tourists is the one from Diana's Baths, on Cedar -Brook, following the stream to the foot of the ridge, thence over the -ridge to the summit of the North Peak. Path well made, and plainly -marked with signs and cairns; about 3-1/2 miles in length. - -*_Middle Mountain, North Conway._--Beginning at the ice-ponds near -Artists' Falls House, the path extends around the base of Peaked -Mountain, thence to the bare ledges which reach to the summit. Distance, -1-5/8 miles. Path well marked, and the view very beautiful. - -_Kearsarge, North Conway._--A bridle-path starts from a farm-house near -Kearsarge Village, and extends to the summit. Distance, nearly 3 miles. -Route plain, and not difficult. - -*_Mount Bartlett._--The path starts near the Pequawket House, Lower -Bartlett, follows old logging roads for some distance, runs thence -directly to the summit. From the summit the path extends along the ridge -until it joins the bridle-path to Kearsarge. - -*_Carrigain._--The route leads from the mills at Livermore, which are -reached by a road leaving the P. & O. R.R. at Livermore Station. From -the mills, logging roads are followed--crossing Duck Pond and Carrigain -Brooks--to the base; thence by a plain path through a fine forest to -"Burnt Hat Ridge," from which it is only a short distance to the summit. - -From mills to summit is about 5 miles. Station to mills, 2 miles. - -*_Livermore-Waterville Path._--This is intended for a bridle-path. -Starting from the mills at Livermore, a logging-road is followed nearly -two miles on the southerly side of Sawyer's River. Here the path begins -and runs along the north-west base of Green's Cliff, crosses Swift River -at a beautiful fall, thence through the Notch south of Mount Kancamagus -to Greeley's, in Waterville. The path is well marked by painted signs. -Distance from Livermore to Swift River, 5 miles; to Greeley's, 12 miles. - -*_Mount Willey._--Path leaves the P. & O. R.R. a little south of Willey -Station. The rise is rapid until the Brook Kedron is reached; this -brook is then followed to its source, thence the path leads direct to -the summit. Distance, 1-1/2 miles. The climb is steep; but the view -unsurpassed. - -_Crawford Bridle-path_ leads from the Crawford House to the summit of -Washington. Path is plain, and the travelling along the ridge is easy; -but it is not in condition for horses. See pp. 325, 326. - -*_Carter Notch._--Path begins near the end of the Wildcat Valley road, -about 5-1/2 miles from Jackson; thence it follows the valley of the -brook to the ponds in the Notch. From the ponds it follows Nineteen Mile -Brook to the clearing back of the Glen House. The travelling is easy; -the view in the Notch grand. - -Distance from the road to the ponds, about 4 miles; from the ponds to -the Glen House, about the same. - -*_Carter Dome._--The path starts from the larger pond in the Notch, and -is well marked to the summit. It is very steep, and about 1-1/2 miles in -length. - -_Great Gulf._--A path beginning near the Glen House goes through this -gorge. From the end of the path the carriage-road or railroad on Mount -Washington may be reached by a severe climb up the side of the ravine. - -_Tuckerman's Ravine._--The Glen House path leaves the Mount Washington -carriage-road about 2 miles up, then crosses through the forest to -Hermit Lake. - -*_Via Crystal Cascade._--The Mountain Club path begins about 3 miles -from the Glen House, on the Jackson road, ascending the stream until it -joins the Glen House path near Hermit Lake. Here the Club has a good -camp for the use of travellers. Beyond, a single path extends to the -Snow-field; and a feasible route has been marked with white paint on the -rocks--up the head wall of the ravine, and thence to the summit. - -*_Mount Adams._--This path starts opposite the residence of Charles -E. Lowe, on the road from Jefferson Hill to Gorham, about 8-1/2 miles -from either town, and climbs the steep spur forming one wall of King's -Ravine, following over the ledges to the westerly peak, thence to the -summit. Distance, about 4 miles. Nearly half way up the spur a good -camp has been built for the use of climbers. The way over the ledges is -marked by cairns. Mount Jefferson may be reached by turning to the right -before reaching the summit of the westerly peak; Madison by turning to -the left. - -*_King's Ravine._--The path branches from the Mount Adams path about -1-1/2 miles from Lowe's. The bowlders in the Ravine are reached without -great difficulty. From the bowlders up the head-wall, and through the -gate-way, the climb is arduous; and the way is not very distinctly -marked. From the gate-way, Madison and the several peaks of Adams may be -reached. - -_Mount Madison._--There are several routes up Madison, but the best -is probably that leading up the ridge from "Dolly" Copp's, on the Old -Pinkham Road. The climb is tedious, and the path somewhat overgrown. The -Mountain Club will probably clear and keep this path in good condition. - -*_Bridal Veil Falls._--Path starts from Horace Brooks's, on the road -from Franconia to Easton--2 to 3 miles from Sugar Hill and Franconia -Village. It follows an old road across the clearings to Copper-mine -Brook, thence by the brook to the foot of the Falls. Distance, 2-1/2 -miles from Brooks's. Walking easy. - -The path to the Flume on Mount Kinsman leads from the same highway about -a mile beyond Brooks's. - -_Mount Lafayette._--The bridle-path begins near the Profile House, -turning Eagle Cliff, and crossing over to the main ridge. It leads -nearly to the summit of the ridge, thence across the col by the lakes, -and up the main peak. Distance, 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 miles. - -_Mount Cannon._--The path enters the forest near the cottages in front -of the Profile House. The summit is reached by a steep climb of 1-1/2 -miles. The Cannon Rock is a short distance down the mountain-side, to -the left of the path as it emerges from the forest; the forehead rock of -the Profile can be reached by bearing down the mountain diagonally to -the right from Cannon Rock until the edge of the cliff is reached. It is -a hard scramble to the latter. - -_Black Mountain, Waterville._--The new path leaves the highway 2 miles -below Greeley's, near Drake's Brook. It runs near the edge of the ravine -of Drake's Brook, crosses the ridge between Noon and Jennings' Peaks--to -each of which a branch path leads--thence up the northerly slope of the -main summit. Distance from the road to the summit is 3-1/4 miles. The -views are very fine, and the climb easy for ordinary walkers. - -_Osceola._--Path leaves the Greeley-pond path beyond the saw-mill above -Greeley's, bearing to the left. Ascent easy. Distance, about 4 miles. - -_Tecumseh._--Path branches from the Osceola path at the crossing of -the west branch of Mad River, 7/8 of a mile from Greeley's. The grade -is easy, except for a short distance near the summit. Distance from -Greeley's, 3 miles. - -_Tri-Pyramid._--The great slide on Tri-Pyramid may be reached from -Greeley's by a path across the pasture to the right from the rear of the -house, thence about 1-1/2 miles through fine old woods to a deserted -clearing known as Beckytown. From here the stream may be followed by -clambering over the _debris_ of the slide nearly 2 miles to the base of -the South Peak. The summit is reached by climbing to the apex of the -slide, thence bearing up to the right a short distance through low woods. - -*_Thornton-Warren Path._--This path was built to enable visitors in the -Upper Pemigewasset Valley or in Warren to cross from one locality to -the other, avoiding the long detour _via_ Plymouth. It starts from the -Profile House stage-road at the junction of the Tannery road, in West -Thornton, crosses Hubbard Brook at this point, and passes over a long -stretch of pasture until the woods are reached. At this point, and at -all doubtful points, signs have been placed. For much of the distance -the path follows Hubbard Brook, and passes out through the Notch between -Mounts Kineo and Cushman to an old road-way leading to clearings on -Baker's River, near the mountain-houses at the foot of Mount Moosilauke. - -Distance from the stage-road to the road-way in Warren, 8 miles. A -permanent camp has been built half-way on Hubbard Brook. - -A trail has been spotted from a point in the path about 1 mile north of -the camp to the summit of Kineo. - - - - -INDEX. - - Refer to a mountain, lake, or river, under its proper name, - thus: Washington (Mount); Squam (Lake); Saco (River). - - The abbreviations in parentheses show that the town or village - is on the line of a railway: (E. R.R.) stands for Eastern; (P. & - O.), Portland and Ogdensburg; (B., C., & M.), Boston, Concord, and - Montreal; (G. T. R.), Grand Trunk; (Pass.), Passumpsic. - - -ADAMS, Mount, from North Conway, 55; - from Thorn Hill, 122; - from Wildcat Valley, 133; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from the Glen House, 145; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181; - ascent by King's Ravine, 298; - ascent from Mount Washington, 312-315; - the apex, 315; - view from, 316. - -Adirondacks, from Moosehillock, 273. - -Agassiz, Mount, from Profile House Road, 249, 276. - -Agiochook, or Agiockochook (Indian name for the White Mountains), 120. - -Amherst, Sir Jeffrey (Gen.), in the French War, 259. - -Ammonoosuc, Falls of, 304. - -Ammonoosuc River, source of, 179. - -Ammonoosuc Valley, from Mount Clinton, 98; - at Bethlehem, 277; - at Fabyan's, 300. - -Androscoggin River, at Gorham, 170; - at Berlin, 174; - at Shelburne, 176; - at Bethel, 177. - -Appalachian Mountain Club, 62, 221. - -Artists' Falls (North Conway), 46, 47. - -Autumn foliage, 66, 67. - - -BAKER'S RIVER (branch of Pemigewasset, branch of the Merrimack), 210; - falls on, 269. - -Bald Mountain, an inferior summit of Chocorua, 26. - -Ball, B. L., lost on Mount Washington, 186. - -Bartlett Bowlder, 58. - -Bartlett (P. & O. R.R.), mountains surrounding, 61, 62; - ascent of Mount Carrigain from, 62-65. - -Basin (Franconia Pass), 231. - -Beecher's Cascade (near Crawford House), 89. - -Belknap, Jeremy, D.D. (historian of New Hampshire), quoted, 69. - -Belknap, Mount (Lake Winnipiseogee), 8. - -Bemis, Dr. Samuel A., home of, 69, 70. - -Berlin (G. T. R.), 172; - the Falls, 174, 175. - -Bethel, Maine (G. T. R.), 177. - -Bethlehem (B., C., & M. R.R.), 276; - admirable position of as a centre, 277; - Bethlehem Street, 278, 279; - fine views from, 280, 281; - a sunset from the "Maplewood," 282-284; - White Mountains from, 284; - the Hermit, 286; - the peddler, 288. - -Bigelow's Lawn (Mount Washington), 198. - -Black Mountain (Sandwich Dome), from West Campton, 216; - Noon Peak, 220; - from Waterville (Greeley's), 221. - -Boott's Spur (Mount Washington), 146; - from the plateau, 198. - -Bourne, Lizzie, death of, on Mount Washington, 310. - -Bridal Veil Falls (Mount Kinsman), 255. - -Brown, George L. (painter), referred to, 253. - -Buck-board wagon described, 273. - - -CAMPTON, 211; - Campton Hollow, 214; - West Campton, and view from, 215; - Sanborn's, 216; - annals of Campton, 216. - -Campton Village (Pemigewasset Valley), 218. - -Cannon (or Profile) Mountain, from West Campton, 215; - from the clearing below the Profile, 231; - remarkable profile on, 232; - from Franconia, 252. - -Carrigain, Mount, from Chocorua, 30; - from Bartlett, 62; - ascent from Bartlett, 62-64; - view from summit, 64, 65. - -Carrigain Notch, from Mount Chocorua, 30; - from Mount Carrigain, 64. - -Carter Dome, 133; - the Pulpit, 136; - ascent of, and view from, 140, 141. - -Carter Mountains, from Gorham, 170. - -Carter Notch, from Chocorua, 31; - from North Conway, 40; - from Thorn Hill, 122, 132; - way into, from Jackson, 132; - impressive desolation of the interior, 137; - the Giants' Barricade, 137, 138; - the lakes, 139; - way out to Glen House, 143. - -Castellated Ridge (Mount Jefferson), 314. - -Cathedral (North Conway), 46. - -Cathedral Ledge (North Conway), 41, 42. - -Cathedral Woods (North Conway), 55. - -Centre Harbor, approach to, by Lake Winnipiseogee, 8-10; - settled, 10; - route by stage to West Ossipee _via_ Sandwich and Tamworth, 18-21. - -Chandler, Benjamin, lost on Mount Washington, 186. - -Cherry Mountain (Valley of Israel's River), 291; - Owl's Head, 292; - road to Fabyan's, 300. - -Chocorua, Lake, from the mountain, 29, 31, 32. - -Chocorua (Sho'kor'ua), Mount, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 9; - from Red Hill, 16; - legend of, 21; - ascent from Tamworth, 25-28; - landscapes from, 29-31; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Clay, Mount (next north of Washington), 169; - ascent of, 312. - -Clinton, Mount (near Crawford House), 97; - view from summit, 100. (First mountain ascended by Crawford Path.) - -Connecticut Ox-Bow, 256-258. - -Conway, or Conway Corner (E. R.R.), superb view of the great chain from, 33. - -Copp Farm (view-point for seeing "The Imp"), 165. - -Copp, Nathaniel, his adventurous deer-hunt, 167. - -Copper-mine Brook (branch of Gale River), 255. - -Crawford, Abel, described, 70-72. - -Crawford, Ethan Allen, 71, 72; - his burial-place, 302. - -Crawford bridle-path, opened, 89; - march to the summit (_see_ Chapter X.); - Mount Clinton first, 117; - the crystal forests, 98; - Liliputian wood, 99; - fine view from summit, 100; - frost-work, 100; - Mount Pleasant next, 102; - in a snow-storm, 102; - crossing the ridge, 103; - Oakes's Gulf, 103; - Mount Franklin next, 103; - (_water here_) weird objects by the way, 104; - Mount Monroe next (two peaks, with shallow ponds near the path); - the plateau, 105; - base of the cone reached, 105; - ascent of the cone, 107; - the stone corral, 107; - the summit, 108. - -Crawford Glen (Saco Valley), 69. - -Crawford House (summit of Crawford Notch), its surroundings, 87-94. - -Crawford, Mount (Saco Valley, east side), 69; - Davis Path to Mount Washington, 73; - view of from Frankenstein Bridge, 74. - -Crawford Notch (_see_ Great Notch of the White Mountains). - -Crawford, T. J., opens a bridle-path to the summit, 89. - -Crystal Cascade (Pinkham Notch), 149, 150. - - -DARTMOUTH, _see_ Jefferson. - -Davis Path (to Mount Washington), 73; - junction with Crawford Path, 198. - -Deception, Mount (near Fabyan's), 300. - -Destruction of mountain forests, 172. - -Devil's Den (North Conway), 45, 46. - -Diana's Baths (North Conway ), 46. - -Douglass, William, M.D., quoted, on the origin - of the name White Mountains, 121, _note_. - -Dwight, Timothy, L.L.D., 71 (_see_ his "Travels in New England," - and journeys through the mountains). - - -EAGLE CLIFF (Franconia Pass), from Flume House, 225; - from Profile House, 238, 239; - ascent by the bridle-path, 243; - from Franconia, 254. - -Eagle Lakes (Mount Lafayette), 244. (Also called Cloud Lakes.) - -Eagle Mountain (Eagle Mountain House), Wildcat Valley, Jackson, 133. - -Early settlements by white people, 216, 217, 293. - -Echo Lake (Franconia Pass), 239. - -Echo Lake (North Conway), 45. - -Elephant's Head (Crawford Notch), 87. - -Ellis River (branch of the Saco; rises in Pinkham Notch), - _see_ Goodrich Falls, 125; - Glen Ellis Falls, 151; - incident connected with, 153. - -Emerald Pool (near Glen House, Pinkham Notch), 147, 148. - -Endicott Rock, a surveyor's monument at the outlet of Lake Winnipiseogee, 10. - - -FABYAN'S (B., C., & M. and P. & O. R.R.), view at, 300; - Mount Washington Railway, 301; - Eleazer Rosebrook and E. A. Crawford, 302, 303. - -Fall of a Thousand Streams, 162. - -Farmer, John (historian), quoted, 210. - -Field, Darby, makes the first ascent of Mount Washington, 116-119; - second ascent, 119, _see note_. - -Flume (Franconia Pass), way to and description of, 226-228. - -Flume Cascade, _see_ description by Dr. T. Dwight, in his - "Travels in New England." - -Flume House (Franconia Pass), 224. - -Franconia Mountains, from West Campton, 215; - from Bethlehem, 280; - from Jefferson, 292. - -Franconia Pass (Chapters II. and III., Third Journey), Flume House, 224; - the Pool, 225; - the Flume, 226; - the Basin, 231; - Mounts Cannon and Lafayette, 231, 232; - the "Old Man," 232; - Profile Lake, 232; - Profile House, 237; - Eagle Cliff, 238; - Echo Lake, 239; - sunset in the pass, 240; - from Bethlehem heights, 279. - -Franconia village (Iron Works), from Mount Lafayette, 243; - general view of, 251; - fine views in, 253, 254. - -Frankenstein Cliff (Saco Valley), named, 73; - appearance of, from the valley, 73, 74; - the bridge, 74. - -Fryeburg, Maine (P. & O. R.R.), 33-38. - - -GALE RIVER (branch of the Ammonoosuc, branch of the Connecticut), 243. - -Garfield, Mount (_see_ Haystack), 284. - -Giant's Stairs (Saco Valley, east side), 73; - from Jackson, 123, 129. - -Gibbs's Falls (near Crawford House), 97. - -Glen Ellis Falls, 151, 152; legend of, 152. - -Glen House, way to, by Jackson and Carter Notch, 131; - its surroundings, 144; - carriage-road to the summit, 144; - Mount Washington from, 144, 145; - Emerald Pool, 147, 148; - Thompson's Falls, 146; - Crystal Cascade, 149; - Glen Ellis Falls, 151; - Tuckerman's Ravine, 155; - The Imp, 165; - to or from Gorham, 165, 170; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181. - -Goodenow's, _see_ Sugar Hill. - -Goodrich Falls (Ellis River), 125. - -Gorham (G. T. R.), its situation, 169. - -Grand Monadnock, from Red Hill, 17; - from Mount Washington, 192. - -Great Gulf, from Glen House, 165; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181, 185; - from Mount Clay, 313. - -Great Notch of the White Mountains (Crawford Notch), from Mount Chocorua, 31; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - approach to, by the Saco Valley, 76; - the mountains forming it, 77; - Willey, or Notch House, 77; - landslip of 1826, 79, 80; - the Cascades, 84, 85, 89, 97; - Gate of the Notch, 86; - summit of the Notch (Crawford House), 86; - Elephant's Head, 87; - discovery of the Pass, 88, 89; - the Notch from Mount Willard, 91; - from Mount Clinton, 100. - -Greeley's, _see_ Waterville. - -Green Mountains, from Mount Washington, 190; - from Moosehillock, 273. - -Gyles, John (Capt.), quoted on the Indian name for the White Mountains, 120. - - -Hancock, Mount, from the Ellsworth road (Campton), 216; - from Moosehillock, 272. - -Hart's Ledge (Saco Valley, east side, near Bartlett), 62. - -Haverhill (B., C., & M. R.R.), 257. - -Hawthorne, Nathaniel, origin of his story of "The Great Carbuncle," 119; - death of, 209; - legend of "The Great Stone Face," 235. - -Hayes, Mount (Gorham, New Hampshire), 169-171. - -Haystack, Mount (now Mount Garfield), 254. - -Hermit Lake (Tuckerman's Ravine, Mount Washington), 159. - -Hitchcock, C. H. (geologist), 197. - -Humphrey's Ledge (near Glen Station), 41. - -Hunter, Harry W., lost on Mount Washington, 199, _note_. - -Huntington's Ravine, from Carter Dome, 142. - - -Idlewild (near Crawford House), 89. - -Imp, The (rock profile near Glen House), 166. - -Indians, customs of mountain tribes, 10; - Sokokis, or Pigwackets, or _Pequawkets_, destruction of - by Love-well, 34-38; - Indian names, 24, 25, _note_; - superstitions regarding the high summits, traditions, etc. - (_see_ Chapter I., Second Journey); - attack Shelburne, 177; - at Plymouth, 210; - attack Dartmouth (Jefferson), 294. - -Intervale (North Conway, E. R.R. and P. & O. R.R.), superb - panorama from, 55-57; - _see_ art. North Conway. - -Israel's River (branch of the Connecticut), 291. - - -Jackson (_see_ Chapters II. and III., Second Journey), 122-143; - how to get there from North Conway, 122; - its topography, 123; - Jackson Falls (on Wildcat River), 124; - Fernald's Farm, 130; - Wildcat Valley, 133; - to Carter Notch, 133-140. - -Jackson, C. T. (geologist), quoted, 197, _note_. - -Jackson Falls (Wildcat River), 124. - -Jefferson, Mount, from Jefferson Hill, 293; - Ravine of the Cascades, 297; - ascent from Mount Washington, 312; - Ravine of the Castles, 313; - Castellated Ridge, 314. - -Jefferson (branch R.R. from Whitefield), 291; - Jefferson Hill, 292; - antecedents of, 293; - Indian attack on, 294; - East Jefferson, 295; - to Randolph Hill, 297; - to Fabyan's, 300. - -Jockey Cap (Fryeburg, Maine), 34. - -Josselyn, John (author of "New England's Rarities"), - ascends Mount Washington, 119. - - -Kearsarge, Mount, from North Conway, 39, 40, 41; - winter ascent of, 47-54; - view from summit, 51, 52; - from Bartlett, 62; - from Carter Dome, 141. - -King, Thomas Starr, tribute to, 294, 295. - -King's Ravine (Mount Adams), from Randolph Hill, 298; - from Mount Adams, 317. - -Kinsman, Mount (next south of Cannon, Franconia group), 244, 252. - - -Lafayette, Mount, from West Campton, 215; - _see_ Chapter III., Third Journey; - Eagle Cliff, 238, 239; - from Echo Lake, 240; - ascent from the Profile House, 243-247; - the Notch, 243; - the ravines, 243-254; - Eagle Lakes, 244; - summit and view, 246, 247; - from Franconia Iron Works, 252; - from Newbury, Vermont, 258; - from Bethlehem heights, 279. - -Lake of the Clouds (Mount Washington), 198. - -Lary's (Gorham, New Hampshire), 171. - -Lead Mine Bridge (Shelburne, G. T. R.), grand view from, 175, 176. - -Legends of General Hampton and the Devil, 11-14; - of Mount Chocorua, 21-24; - of Passaconnaway, 24, 25, _note_; - Indian tradition of the Deluge, 114; - the Indian's heaven, 115; - the Great Carbuncle, 115; - the war party and its prisoners, 127, 128; - the youthful lovers, 128; - of Glen Ellis Falls, 152; - of the Silver Image, 263. - -Lion's Head (Tuckerman's Ravine), 142, 146, 159. - -Lisbon (B., C., & M. R.R.), discovery of gold ores in, 251. - -Littleton (B., C., & M. R.R.), from Bethlehem, 279. - -Livermore (P. & O. R.R.), Saco Valley, logging hamlet of, 63; - way to the Pemigewasset, 221. - -Livermore Falls (Pemigewasset River), 212. - -Logging on the Androscoggin, 173, 174. - -Lonesome Lake (Mount Kinsman), 244. - -Long Island, Lake Winnipiseogee, east shore, 9. - -Lovewell, John (captain of colonial rangers), battle with the Sokokis, 34-38. - -Lovewell's Pond (scene of Lovewell's fight), 34. - -Lowell, Mount (Saco Valley), slide on, 64. - - -MAD RIVER and Valley (branch of Pemigewasset), 218. - -Madison, Mount (next north of Adams), 165. - -Marsh, Sylvester, projector of Mount Washington railway, 301. - -Merrimack River, source of, 65. - -Moat Range, position of, 39; - cliffs of, 40, 41, 44; - the ascent, 47; - from Jackson Falls, 124. - -Monroe, Mount, from Tuckerman's Ravine, 160. - -Moose River (branch of Androscoggin), 171. - -Moosehillock, or Moosilauke, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 10; - from Chocorua, 30; - from Pemigewasset Valley, 223; - from Newbury, Vermont, 258; - _see_ Chapter VII., Third Journey, 269-275; - how to reach the mountain, 269; - the mountain's top, 271; - view from, 273; - from Bethlehem, 279. - -Moriah, Mount (Carter Chain, near Gorham), 169. - -Mountain Butterfly, 202. - - -NANCY'S BROOK (Saco Valley), story of, 67-69. - -Newbury, Vermont (Pass. R.R.), 257. - -Nineteen Mile Brook (branch of the Peabody River, a branch - of the Androscoggin; rises in Carter Notch), 143. - -North Conway (E. R.R. and P. & O. R.R.), topographical features of, 39-41; - excursions from, 57; - _see_ Intervale, White Horse Ledge, Cathedral Ledge, Humphrey's - Ledge, Echo Lake, Diana's Baths, Artists' Falls, - Kearsarge and Moat Mountains, etc. - - -OAKE'S GULF (in great range), 103. - -Old Man of the Mountain (Franconia Pass), 231-236; - legends of, 235. - -Ossipee Mountains, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 8. - -Owl's Head (Lake Memphremagog), from Moosehillock, 273; - Cherry Mountain, 292. - - -PEABODY RIVER (branch of the Androscoggin; rises in Pinkham - Notch), 144, 154, _note_. - -Pemigewasset River, branch of Merrimack, 210; - Livermore Falls, 211; - East Branch, 223. - -Pemigewasset, Mount (near Flume House), ascent and view, 229. - -Pemigewasset Valley (Chapter I., Third Journey), 210-223; - villages of, 212. - -Pemigewasset Wilderness, way through, 221, 229. - -Percy Peaks, 280, note. - -Perkins Notch, position of, 133. - -Pilot Mountains from Gorham, 170; - origin of name, 170, 171. - -Pine Mountain (Gorham, New Hampshire), 170. - -Pinkham Notch from Thorn Hill, 122; - from the road between Jackson and Glen House, 129; - from Glen House, 144; - _see_ Thompson's Falls, Emerald Pool, Crystal Cascade, - Tuckerman's Ravine, Glen Ellis Falls, etc., 144-164. - -Pleasant, Mount, from Fabyan's, 300. - -Plymouth (B., C., & M. R.R.), 209; - routes through the mountains, 211. - -Pool, The (Franconia Pass), 225. - -Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, passage of the White Mountains Notch, 93. - -Prime, W. C., referred to, 244. - -Profile House (Franconia Pass), its attractions, 237-240; - _see_ Old Man, Profile Lake, Mounts Cannon and Lafayette, - Eagle Cliff, Echo Lake, etc.; - to Bethlehem by the old highway via Franconia, 248; - by rail, 248. - -Profile Lake (Franconia Pass), 232. - -Prospect, Mount (Holderness), 214. - - -RANDOLPH HILL, drive to, and view from, 297, 298. - -Ravine of the Castles (Mount Jefferson), 313. - -Raymond's Cataract, from Carter Dome, 142; - from Pinkham Notch, 147; - see Tuckerman's Ravine. - -Red Hill from Lake Winnipiseogee, 10; - ascent of, from Centre Harbor, and view from summit, 14-17. - -Ripley Falls (on Cow Brook, Saco Valley), 89. - -Rogers's, Robert (Major), account of the White Mountains, 119, 121, note; - destroys St. Francis, 259; - _see_ Chapter VI., Third Journey. - -Rosebrook, Eleazer, sketch of, 302, 303. - - -SACO VALLEY (Chapters IV. to IX., inclusive), from Mount Chocorua, 31; - at Fryeburg (Maine), 33; - at North Conway, 39; - at Bartlett, 61-65; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - source of the Saco, 88; - historical incident, 153. - -Sandwich Mountains from Lake Winnipiseogee, 8; - from Sandwich Centre, 19; - from Tamworth (Nickerson's), 24. - -Sandwich (town of), mountains near, 19. - -Sandwich Notch, position of, 218. - -Sawyer's River (branch of the Saco), valley of, 62, 63. - -Sawyer's Rock (Saco Valley, west side, near Bartlett), 62. - -Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe, quoted on the Indian name for the - White Mountains, 120. - -Silver Cascade (Crawford Notch), 85. - -Snow Arch (Tuckerman's Ravine), 161, 162. - -Spencer, Jabez (General), settles Campton, 216. - -Squam Lake from Red Hill, 16. - -St. Francis de Sales, sacked by Rogers, 259; - _see_ Chapter VI., Third Journey. - -Star Lake (Mount Adams), 317. - -Stark, John (General), captured by Indians, 210, 211. - -Stark, William, 210, 211. - -Starr King Mountain, 291. - -Storm Lake (between Madison and Adams), 317. - -Sugar Hill, from Profile House road, 249; - view from, 252, 253. - -Sullivan, James (Governor of Massachusetts), his authority for - the story of "The Great Carbuncle," 116; - quoted, 153. - -Swift River (branch of the Saco), from Mount Chocorua, 30. - - -TAMWORTH IRON WORKS (point from which Chocorua is usually ascended), 21, 25. - -Thompson's Falls (near Glen House), 146. - -Thorn Mountain, from North Conway, 40; - walk over Thorn Hill (lower spur of Thorn Mountain) to Jackson, 122, 132. - -Tripyramid Mountain, from Mad River Valley, 219; - slide on, 221. - -Trout-breeding, State establishment at Plymouth, 212. - -Trout-fishing begins in New Hampshire May 1, 213. - -Trumbull, J. Hammond, LL.D., quoted on the Indian names - for the White Mountains, 120, _note_. - -Tuckerman's Ravine from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from Thompson's Falls, 146; - way into from Glen House, 156; - appearance from Glen House, 156; - Hermit Lake and Lion's Head Crag, 159; - Snow Arch, 161; - head wall, 162; - out by the path to Crystal Cascade, 164. - - -VIEWS, from Red Hill, 14-17; - from Chocorua, 29-31; - from Jockey Cap, 34; - from Conway Corner, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from the Intervale (North Conway), 55-57; - from Mount Carrigain, 64, 65; - from above Bemis's, 74; - from Mount Willard, 91; - from Mount Clinton, 100; - from Carter Dome, 141; - from Glen House, 145; - from Gorham, 169; - from Berlin, 172, 175; - from Shelburne (Lead Mine Bridge), 176; - from Mount Washington carriage-road, 181, 185; - from the summit, 189-192; - from West Campton, 215; - from the Ellsworth road (Pemigewasset valley), 216; - from Mount Pemigewasset (Flume House), 229; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - from Sugar Hill, 252; - from the foot of Bethlehem heights (Gale River valley), 254; - from Moosehillock, 272; - from Bethlehem, 280, 281; - from Jefferson Hill, 292; - from East Jefferson, 295; - from Randolph Hill, 297; - from Mount Adams, 316. - - -WARREN (B., C., & M. R.R.), point from which to ascend Moosehillock, 269. - -Washington, Mount, River (formerly Dry River), grand - view of the high summits up this valley from P. & O. R.R., 74; - the valley from Mount Clinton, 100. - -Washington, Mount, carriage-road, 178; - Half-way House and the Ledge, 180; - Great Gulf, 181; - accident on, 183; - Willis's Seat, and the view 185; - Cow Pasture, 186; - Dr. Ball's adventure, 186; - fate of a climber, 186; - up the pinnacle, 186; - United States Meteorological Station, 187; - the summit, 188. - -Washington, Mount, from Lake Winnipiseogee, 9; - from Mount Chocorua, 31; - from Conway, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Kearsarge, 51; - from Mount Carrigain, 65; - first path to, 71; - Davis path, 73; - view near Bemis's (P. & O. R.R.), 74; - Crawford bridle-path opened, 89; - from Mount Willard, 93; - from Mount Clinton, 100; - first ascension, 116-119; - Indian traditions of, _see_ Chapter I., Second Journey; - from Thorn Hill, 122; - from the Wildcat Valley, 133; - from Carter Dome, 142; - from Glen House, 144; - from the Glen House and Gorham road, 168; - carriage-road, _see_ Chapter VII., Second Journey; - the Signal Station, 187, 196; - a winter tornado on the summit, 192-194; - shadow of the mountain, 195; - the plateau--its floral and entomological treasures, 197, 198; - transported bowlders on, 197; - Lake of the Clouds, 198; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - travellers lost on, 186, 199, 310; - from Moosehillock, 270; - from Bethlehem, 281, 282; - from Fabyan's, 300; - railway to summit, 301-306; - moonlight on the summit, 311; - sunrise, 312; - sunset, 318. - -Washington, Mount, Railway, from Fabyan's, 301; - to the base, 304; - its mechanism, 305; - Jacob's Ladder, 305; - up the mountain, 306, 307; - the Summit Hotel, 307. - -Waterville (Mad River valley), the neighborhood, 219; - path to Livermore, 221. - -Webster, Daniel, at Fryeburg, Maine, 33. - -Webster, Mount, approach to, 75; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Weirs (B., C., & M. R.R.), Lake Winnipiseogee, west shore, 10, _see note_. - -Welch Mountain (Pemigewasset valley), 218. - -Whipple, Joseph (Colonel), settles at Jefferson, 294. - -White Horse Ledge (North Conway), 41. - -White Mountains, general view of, from Conway, 33; - from North Conway, 40; - from Mount Carrigain (in mass), 65; - legends of, _see_ Chapter 1., Second Journey; - first ascensions, 116-119; - how named, 119, 120; - appearance from the coast, 120, 121; - from Mount Lafayette, 246; - from Bethlehem, 281; - from Fabyan's, 300. - -Wildcat River (branch of the Ellis, a branch of the Saco; - rises in Carter Notch), Jackson Falls on, 124; - disappearance of, 136. - -Wildcat Mountain (one of Carter Notch and Pinkham - Notch Mountains), position of, 123; - avalanche of bowlders, 136; - appearance from Carter Notch, 141; - from Glen House, 145. - -Wildcat Valley (Jackson to Carter Notch), 133-140. - -Willard, Mount, 77; - ascent of, from Crawford House, 91. - -Willey family, burial-place of, 55; - destruction of, by a landslip, 77-80. - -Willey, Mount, from Carrigain, 65; - approach to by the valley, 75; - from Mount Willard, 92. - -Winnipiseogee, Lake, sail up, from Wolfborough to Centre Harbor, 8-10; - Indian occupation and customs, 10; - sunset view of, from Red Hill. 16, 17. - -Winnipiseogee River (outlet of the lake), Indian remains on, 10; - Endicott Rock in, 10, _note_. - -Wolfborough ( E. R.R. branch ), Lake Winnipiseogee, 8. - - -NEW YORK & NEW ENGLAND RAILROAD. - -THIS IS THE MOST CONVENIENT LINE BETWEEN - -Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, - -AS IT IS THE ONLY LINE RUNNING - -THROUGH PULLMAN CARS WITHOUT CHANGE. - - The train leaving Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia in - the afternoon, arrives in Boston the following morning in season - to connect with trains on the Eastern, Boston & Maine, and Boston - & Lowell Railroads, for points in the White Mountains and shore - resorts. The morning trains from the White Mountains and shore - resorts arrive in Boston in sufficient time to cross the city and - take the 7 P.M. train for the South. - - Berths in Pullman Sleepers can be secured in advance on - application to the Company's Office, - -322 Washington St., Boston, and Depot, foot of Summer St.; and at -Pennsylvania Railroad Ticket Offices in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and -Washington. - -==>Ask for Tickets via New England and Str. Maryland Lines. - -S. M. FELTON, Jr., General Manager. A. C. KENDALL, General Passenger Agent. - - -WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO. - -90 & 92 Tremont Street, - -(Opposite Tremont House), BOSTON, MASS. - -DEALERS IN - -Ribbons, Laces, Flowers, Montures, Velvets, Nets, - -FEATHERS, SPRAYS, &c. - - HATS, for Ladies and Misses; CORSETS--the Best Fitting and - Most Sensible: KID GLOVES A SPECIALTY--Latest Styles, Lowest - Prices; BUTTONS, TRIMMINGS, &c., in endless variety; HOSIERY and - UNDERWEAR, for Ladies and Misses--an admirable assortment at low - rates. - -FANCY GOODS, PERFUMERY, TOILET ARTICLES, &c. - -AND MANY OTHER NOVELTIES. - - Ladies visiting Boston, or gentlemen wishing to make purchases - for absent wives, sisters, or lady friends, will do well to inspect - the admirably selected stock of Gloves, Laces, Velvets, Ribbons, - Flowers, Millinery Goods, Hats, Hosiery, Small Wares, and Fancy - Goods generally, offered by WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO., at - 90 and 92 Tremont Street (opposite the Tremont House). This firm - has won an enviable reputation for the excellence of its goods, its - courteous attendance, and the moderation of its prices; while its - location renders it most convenient of access by horse cars, either - from the hotels or from any of the railroad depots. - -==>Orders by mail or express will receive prompt attention. - -WILLIAM S. BUTLER & CO.,--90 and 92 Tremont Street, Boston. - -SHORE LINE ROUTE. - -NEW YORK AND BOSTON. - - Trains leave GRAND CENTRAL DEPOT, New York, for Boston, at - =8.05 A.M.=, =1= and =10 P.M.=; arriving in Boston - at =6= and =8.05 P.M.=, and =6.20 A.M.= - -Sundays for Boston at 10 P.M. - -WAGNER DRAWING-ROOM CARS - - On 1 P.M. trains from Boston and New York. - -WAGNER SLEEPING CARS - - On night trains from Boston and New York. - - Leave BOSTON and PROVIDENCE STATION, Boston, at =8 A.M.=, - =1= and =10.30 P.M.=; arriving in the Grand Central - Depot, New York, at =4.22= and =7.40 P.M.=, and =6.38 - A.M.= - -Sundays for New York at 10.30 P.M. - - For further information, apply to - -J. W. RICHARDSON, Agent, State Street, Corner Washington; - -Or at Providence Railroad Station, Columbus Avenue, near Boston Common. - -A. A. FOLSOM, Superintendent. - -HARPER'S CYCLOPEDIA - -OF - -BRITISH AND AMERICAN POETRY. - -EDITED BY - -EPES SARGENT. - -Large 8vo, nearly 1000 pages, Illuminated Cloth, with Colored Edges, -$4.50; Half Leather, $5.00. - - Mr. Sargent was eminently fitted for the preparation of a work - of this kind. Few men possessed a wider or more profound knowledge - of English literature; and his judgment was clear, acute, and - discriminating. * * * The beautiful typography and other exterior - charms broadly hint at the rich feast of instruction and enjoyment - which the superb volume is eminently fitted to furnish.--_N.Y. - Times._ - - We commend it highly. It contains so many of the notable poems - of our language, and so much that is sound poetry, if not notable, - that it will make itself a pleasure wherever it is found.--_N.Y. - Herald._ - - The selections are made with a good deal of taste - and judgment, and without prejudice against any school or - individual. An index of first lines adds to the usefulness of the - volume.--_N.Y. Sun._ - - The collection is remarkably complete. * * * Mr. Sargent's - work deserves special commendation for the exquisite justice it - does to living writers but little known. It is a volume of rare and - precious flowers culled because of their intrinsic value, without - regard to the writer's fame. The selections are prefaced by a brief - biographical notice of the author, with a critical estimate of the - poetry. * * * A valuable acquisition to the literary treasures of - American households.--_N.Y. Evening Express._ - - He seems to have culled the choicest and the best from the - broad field. * * * Mr. Sargent had the fine ear to detect the pure, - true music of the heart and imagination wherever it was voiced. * * - * The elegant volume is a household treasure which will be highly - prized.--_Evangelist, N.Y._ - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>_Sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on -receipt of the price._ - -DRAKE'S NEW ENGLAND COAST. - - NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST. By SAMUEL - ADAMS DRAKE. With numerous Illustrations. Square 8vo, Cloth, - $3 50; Half Calf, $5 75. - - MY DEAR SIR,--I laid out your new and beautiful - book to take with me to-day to my summer home, but before I go I - wish to thank you for preparing a volume which is every way so - delightful. All summer I shall have it at hand, and many a pleasant - hour I anticipate in the enjoyment of it. I have _read_ far enough - in it already to feel how admirably you have done your part of it, - and I have _seen_, in turning over the delectable pages, what a - panorama of lovely nooks and rocky coast your artist has prepared - for the pleasure of your readers. May they be a good many thousand - this year, and continue to increase time onward. If I am not - greatly out in my judgment, edition after edition will be called - for. Truly yours, - -JAMES T. FIELDS. - -Thy "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast" is a delightful book, -and one of most frequent reference in my library. Thy friend, - -JOHN G. WHITTIER. - -I take this opportunity of acknowledging the pleasure I have received -from your interesting book on our New England coast. It was my companion -last summer on the coast of Maine. Yours truly, - -F. PARKMAN. - -Mr. Samuel Adams Drake does for the New England coast such service as -Mr. Nordhoff has done for the Pacific. His "Nooks and Corners of the -New England Coast"--a volume of 459 pages--is an admirable guide both -to the lover of the picturesque and the searcher for historic lore, as -well as to stay-at-home travellers. The "Preface" tells the story of the -book; it is a sketch-map of the coast, with the motto, "On this line, if -it takes all summer." "Summer" began with Mr. Drake one Christmas-day -at Mount Desert, whence he went South, touching at Castine, Pemaquid, -and Monhegan; Wells and "Agamenticus, the ancient city" of York; -Kittery Point; "The Shoals;" Newcastle; Salem and Marblehead; Plymouth -and Duxbury; Nantucket; Newport; Mount Hope; New London, Norwich, and -Saybrook. What nature has to show and history to tell at each of these -places, who were the heroes and worthies--all this Mr. Drake gives in -pleasant talk--_N.Y Tribune._ - -MY DEAR MR. DRAKE,--I have given your beautiful book, "Nooks -and Corners of the New England Coast," a pretty general perusal. It is -one "after my own heart," and I thank you very much for it. Your Preface -is an admirable "hit" in more ways than one. Like Grant, whom you have -quoted, it took you, I imagine, _all winter_ as well as _all summer_ -to accomplish your victory, for you speak of experiences with snow and -sleet. - -You have gathered into your volume, in the most attractive form, a vast -amount of historical and descriptive matter that is exceedingly useful. -I hope your pen will not be stayed. Your friend and brother of the pen, - -BENSON J. LOSSING. - -To-morrow I leave home for a week or two in Maine, and shall take your -beautiful volume, "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast," with -me to read and enjoy at leisure. I am sure it cannot fail to be very -interesting. - -Yours faithfully, -HENRY W. LONGFELLOW. - -I need not tell you with how much interest both my husband and -myself--lovers of the valley--look forward to your work, nor how much -pleasure your "Nooks and Corners" has already afforded us. - -With most cordial regards, -HARRIET P. SPOFFORD. - -His style is at once simple and graphic, and his work as conscientious -and faithful to fact as if he were the dullest of annalists instead of -one of the liveliest of essayists and historians. The legitimate charm -of variety--characteristic of a work of this kind--makes the book more -entertaining than any volume of similar size devoted exclusively to -chronology, biography, essays, or anecdotes.--JOHN G. SAXE, in -the _Brooklyn Argus_. - -Mr. Drake's "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast" ought to be in -the hands of every one who visits our sea-side resorts. The artistic -features serve to embellish a very interesting description of our New -England watering-places, enlivened with anecdotes, bits of history -connected with the various places, and pleasant gossip about people and -things in general.--_Saturday Evening Gazette_, Boston. - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>HARPER & BROTHERS _will send the above work by mail, postage -prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price_. - -GLOWING TRIBUTES TO AMERICAN ART. - -WHAT LEADING ENGLISH PAPERS - -SAY OF - -"PASTORAL DAYS; - -OR, - -MEMORIES OF A NEW ENGLAND YEAR." - -BY W. HAMILTON GIBSON. - -4to, Illuminated Cloth, Gilt Edges, $7 50. - -FROM "THE TIMES," LONDON. - - The title of this very beautifully illustrated book conveys - but a very faint idea of its merits, which lie, not in the - descriptions of the varied beauties of the fields and fens of New - England, but in the admirable wood-engravings, which on every - page picture far more than could be given in words. The author - has the rare gift of feeling for the exquisitely graceful forms - of plant life and the fine touch of an expert draughtsman, which - enables him both to select and to draw with a refinement which few - artists in this direction have ever shown. Besides these essential - qualities in a painter from nature, Mr. Gibson has a fine sense - of the poetic and picturesque in landscape, of which there are - many charming pieces in this volume, interesting in themselves as - pictures, and singularly so in their resemblance to the scenery - of Old England. Most of the little vignette-like views might be - mistaken for Birket Foster's thoroughly English pictures, and some - are like Old Crome's vigorous idyls. One of the most striking--a - wild forest scene with a storm passing, called "The Line Storm"--is - quite remarkable in the excellent drawing of the trees swept by the - gale and in the general composition of the picture, which is full - of the true poetic conception of grandeur in landscape beauty. But - all Mr. Gibsons's good drawing would have been nothing unless he - had been so ably aided by the artist engravers, who have throughout - worked with such sympathy with his taste, and so much regard for - the native grace of wild flowers, grasses, ferns, insects, and - all the infinite beauties of the fields, down to the mysterious - spider and his silky net spread over the brambles. These cuts are - exceptional examples of beautiful work. Nothing in the whole round - of wood-engraving can surpass, if it has even equalled, these - in delicacy as well as breadth of effect. Much as our English - cutters pride themselves on belonging to the school which Bewick - and Jackson founded, they must certainly come to these American - artists to learn the something more which is to be found in their - works. In point of printing, too, there is much to be learned in - the extremely fine ink and paper, which, although subjected to - "hot-pressing," are evidently adapted in some special condition for - wood-printing. The printing is obviously by hand-press,[46] and in - the arrangement of the type with the cuts on each page the greatest - ingenuity and invention are displayed. This, too, has been designed - with a sort of a Japanesque fancy; here is a tangled mass of - grasses and weeds, with a party of ants stealing out of the shade, - and there the dragon-flies flit across among the blossoms of the - reeds, or the feathery seeds of the dandelion float on the page. - Each section of the seasons has its suggestive picture: Springtime, - with a flight of birds under a may-flower branch that hangs across - the brook: Summer, a host of butterflies sporting round the wild - rose: Autumn, with the swallows flying south and falling leaves - that strew the page; while for Winter the chrysalis hangs in the - leafless bough, and the snow-clad graves in the village church-yard - tell the same story of sleep and awakening. As many as thirty - different artists, besides the author and designer, have assisted - in producing this very tastefully illustrated volume, which - commends itself by its genuine artistic merits to all lovers of the - picturesque and the natural. - -FROM "THE SATURDAY REVIEW," LONDON. - - This pleasant American book has brought to our remembrance, - though without any sense of imitation, two old-fashioned favorites. - In the first place, its descriptions of rural humanity, its rustic - sweetness and humor, have a certain analogy with the delicately - pencilled studies of life in Miss Mitford's "Our Village;" but the - relation it bears to the second book is much closer. It is more - than forty years since Mr. P. H. Gosse published the first of those - delightful sketches of animal life at home which have led so many - of us with a wholesome purpose into the woods and lanes. It was in - the _Canadian Naturalist_ that he broke this new ground; and though - we do not think this has ever been one of his best-known books, we - cannot but believe that there are still many readers who will be - reminded of it as they glance down Mr. Gibson's pages. - - People must be strangely constituted who do not enjoy such - pages as Mr. Gibson has presented to us here. It is not merely that - he writes well, but the subject itself is irresistibly fascinating. - We plunge with him into the silence of a New England village in a - clearing of the woods. The spring is awakening in a flush of tender - green, in a fever of warm days and shivering nights, and we hasten - with our companion through all the bustle and stir of the few busy - hours of light so swiftly that the darkness is on us before we are - aware. Then falls on the ear a pathetic, an intolerable silence; - a deep mist covers the ground, a few lights twinkle in scattered - farms and cottages, and all seems brooding, melting, in the deep - and throbbing hush of the darkness. * * * The wailing of the great - owl upon the maple-tree takes our author back in memory to the - scenes of his youth, where the owl was looked upon as a creature of - most sinister omen, and his own partiality to it, as a proof that - there was something uncanny or even "fey" about him. All this is - described with great sympathy and delicacy; but perhaps Mr. Gibson - is most felicitous in his little touches of floral painting. He - has a few words about the earthy, spicy fragrance of the arbutus - that might have been said in verse by the late Mr. Bryant; his - description of the effect of biting the bulbs of the Indian turnip, - or "Jack-in-the-pulpit," is inimitable in its quiet way; while the - phrase about the fading dandelions--"the golden stars upon the - lawn are nearly all burned out; we see their downy ashes in the - grass"--is perhaps the best thing ever said about a humble flower, - whose vulgarity, in the literal sense, blinds us to the beauty of - its evolution and decay. - - In his studies of life and country manners Mr. Gibson is a - very agreeable and amusing, if not quite so novel, a companion. - Not seldom he reminds us not merely of Miss Mitford, but sometimes - of Thoreau and of Hawthorne. The story of Aunt Huldy, the village - crone who sustained herself upon simples to the age of a hundred - and three, is one of those little vignettes, half humorous, half - pathetic, and altogether picturesque, in which the Americans excel. - Aunt Huldy was an old witch in a scarlet hood, whose long white - hair flowing behind her was wont to frighten the village children - who came upon her in the woods; but she was absolutely harmless, a - crazy old valetudinarian, who was always searching for the elixir - of life in strange herbs and decoctions. At last she thought - she had found it in sweet-fern, and she spent her last years in - grubbing up every specimen she could find, smoking it, chewing it, - drinking it, and sleeping with a little bag of it tied round her - neck. - - But although Mr. Gibson writes so well, he modestly disclaims - all pretension as a writer, and lets us know that he is an artist - by profession. His book is illustrated by more than seventy designs - from his pencil, engraved in that beautiful American manner to - which we have often called attention. The scenes designed are - closely analogous to those described in the text. We have an - apple-orchard in full blossom, with a group of idlers lounging - underneath the boughs; scenes in the fields so full of mystery and - stillness that we are reminded of Millet, or of our own Mason; - clusters of flowers drawn with all the knowledge of a botanist and - the sympathy of a poet. It is hard to define the peculiar pleasure - that such illustrations give to the eye. It is something that - includes and yet transcends the mere enjoyment of whatever artistic - excellence the designs may possess. We are directly reminded by - them of such similar scenes as have been either the rule or the - still more fascinating exception of every childish life, and at - their suggestion the past comes back; in the familiar Wordsworthian - phrase, "a river flows on through the vale of Cheapside." - - We know so little over here of the best American art that - it may chance that Mr. Gibson is very well known in New York. - We confess, however, that we never heard of him before; but his - drawings are so full of delicate fancy and feeling, and his writing - so skilful and graceful, that, in calling attention to his book, we - cannot but express the hope that we soon may hear of him again, in - either function, or in both. - -"PASTORAL DAYS" is published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York, -who will send the work, postage prepaid, to any part of the United -States, on receipt of $7 50. - -HARPER'S GUIDE TO EUROPE. - -HARPER'S HAND-BOOK FOR TRAVELLERS IN EUROPE AND THE EAST: being a Guide -through Great Britain and Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, -Italy, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Tyrol, Spain, Russia, -Denmark, Norway, Sweden, United States, and Canada. By W. Pembroke -Fetridge. With Maps and Plans of Cities. In Three Volumes. 12mo, -Leather, Pocket-Book Form, $3 00 per vol. _The volumes sold separately_. - -VOL. I. GREAT BRITAIN, IRELAND, FRANCE, BELGIUM, -HOLLAND. - -VOL. II. GERMANY, AUSTRIA, ITALY, SICILY AND MALTA, EGYPT, -THE DESERT, SYRIA AND PALESTINE, TURKEY, GREECE. - -VOL. III. SWITZERLAND, TYROL, DENMARK, NORWAY, SWEDEN, -RUSSIA, SPAIN, UNITED STATES AND CANADA. - -It has stood the test of trying experience, and has proved the -traveller's friend in all emergencies. Each year has added to its -attractions and value, until it is about as near perfect as it is -possible to make it.--_Boston Post_. - - Personal use of this Guide during several visits to - various portions of Europe enables us to attest its merits. No - American is fully equipped for travel in Europe without this - Hand-Book.--_Philadelphia North American_. - - Take "Harper's Hand-Book," and read it carefully through; - then return to the parts relating to the places you have resolved - to visit; follow the route on the maps, and particularly study the - plans of cities. So you will start with sound pre-knowledge, which - will smoothen the entire course of travel.--_Philadelphia Press_. - - The book is not only unrivalled as a guide-book, for which - it is primarily intended, but it is a complete cyclopaedia of - all that relates to the countries, towns, and cities which are - described in it--their curiosities, most notable scenes, their - most celebrated historical, commercial, literary, and artistic - centres. Besides general descriptions of great value, there are - minute and detailed accounts of everything that is worth seeing - or knowing relative to the countries of the Old World. The great - value of the book consists in the fact that it covers all the - ground that any traveller may pass through--being exhaustive not - only of one country or two, but comprising in its ample pages exact - and full information respecting every country in Europe and the - East.--_Christian Intelligencer_, N. Y. - - It is a marvellous compendium of information, and the author - has labored hard to make his book keep pace with the progress of - events. * * * It forms a really valuable work of reference on all - the topics which it treats, and in that way is as useful to the - reader who stays at home as to the traveller who carries it with - him abroad.--_N. Y. Times_. - - I have received and examined with lively interest the new - and extended edition of your extremely valuable "Hand-Book for - Travellers in Europe and the East." You have evidently spared no - time or pains in consolidating the results of your wide travel, - your great experience. You succeed in presenting to the traveller - the most valuable guide and friend with which I have the good - fortune to be acquainted. With the warmest thanks, I beg you to - receive the most cordial congratulations of yours, very faithfully, - JOHN MEREDITH READ. Jr., _United States Minister of - Greece._ - - From having travelled somewhat extensively in former years - in Europe and the East. I can say with entire truth that you have - succeeded in combining more that is instructive and valuable for - the traveller than is contained in any one or series of hand-books - that I have ever met with.--T. BIGELOW LAWRENCE. - - To make a tour abroad without a guide-book is impossible. - The object should be to secure that which is most complete and - comprehensive in the least compass. The scope, plan, and execution - of Harper's makes it, on the whole, the most satisfactory that can - be found.--_Albany Journal_. - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -HARPER & BROTHERS _will send the above work by mail, postage -prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price._ - -ENGLISH MEN OF LETTERS. - -EDITED BY JOHN MORLEY. - -The following volumes are now ready: - -JOHNSON, LESLIE STEPHEN. - -GIBBON, J. C. MORISON. - -SCOTT, R. H. HUTTON. - -SHELLEY, J. A. SYMONDS. - -HUME, Professor HUXLEY. - -GOLDSMITH, WILLIAM BLACK. - -DEFOE, WILLIAM MINTO. - -BURNS, Principal SHAIRP. - -SPENSER, The DEAN OF ST. PAUL'S. - -THACKERAY, ANTHONY TROLLOPE. - -BURKE, JOHN MORLEY. - -MILTON, MARK PATTISON. - -SOUTHEY, Professor DOWDEN. - -CHAUCER, Professor A. W. WARD. - -BUNYAN, J. A. FROUDE. - -COWPER, GOLDWIN SMITH. - -POPE, LESLIE STEPHEN. - -BYRON, JOHN NICHOL. - -LOCKE, THOMAS FOWLER. - -WORDSWORTH, F. W. H. MYERS. - -DRYDEN, G. SAINTSBURY. - -LANDOR, Professor SIDNEY COLVIN. - -DE QUINCEY, Professor D. MASSON. - -LAMB, The Rev. ALFRED AINGER. - -BENTLEY, Professor JEBB. - -12mo, Cloth, 75 cents per volume. - -HAWTHORNE. By HENRY JAMES, JR.............12mo, Cloth, $1 00. - -VOLUMES IN PREPARATION: - -SWIFT, JOHN MORLEY. - -GRAY, E. W. GOSSE. - -ADAM SMITH, LEONARD H. COURTNEY. - -DICKENS, Professor A. W. WARD. - -_Others will be announced._ - -Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -==>HARPER & BROTHERS _will send any of the above works by mail, -postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the -price_. */ - -ENGLISH CLASSICS. - -EDITED, WITH NOTES, - -BY WM. J. ROLFE, A.M. - -SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS. - - The Merchant of Venice. - The Tempest. - Julius Caesar. - Hamlet. - As You Like It. - Henry the Fifth. - Macbeth. - Henry the Eighth. - Midsummer-Night's Dream. - Richard III. - Richard the Second. - Much Ado About Nothing. - Antony and Cleopatra. - Romeo and Juliet. - Othello. - Twelfth Night. - The Winter's Tale. - King John. - Henry IV. Part I. - Henry IV. Part II. - King Lear. - Taming of the Shrew. - All's Well that Ends Well. - Coriolanus. - Comedy of Errors. - Cymbeline. - Merry Wives of Windsor. - Measure for Measure. - Two Gentlemen of Verona. - Love's Labour's Lost. - Timon of Athens. - -SELECT POEMS OF OLIVER GOLDSMITH. - -SELECT POEMS OF THOMAS GRAY. - -_ILLUSTRATED._ - -16MO, CLOTH, 50 CENTS PER VOLUME; PAPER, 40 CENTS PER VOLUME. - -In the preparation of this edition of the English Classics it has been -the aim to adapt them for school and home reading, in essentially -the same way as Greek and Latin Classics are edited for educational -purposes. The chief requisites are a pure text (expurgated, if -necessary), and the notes needed for its thorough explanation and -illustration. - -Each of Shakespeare's plays is complete in one volume, and is preceded -by an introduction containing the "History of the Play," the "Sources of -the Plot," and "Critical Comments on the Play." - -PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. - -HARPER & BROTHERS _will send any of the above work by mail, -postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the -price_. - -[Illustration: Map of White Mountains, New Hampshire] - -[Illustration: Map of Vermont and New Hampshire] - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -griping his arm=> gripping his arm {pg 103} - -more and more drouth=> more and more drought {pg 173} - -turned to looked back=> turned to look back {pg 243} - -Moosilauk 4881=> Moosilauke 4881 {pg 330} - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] So called from the fishing-weirs of the Indians. The Indian name was -Aquedahtan. Here is the Endicott Rock, with an inscription made by -Massachusetts surveyors in 1652. - -[2] No tradition attaches to the last three peaks. Passaconnaway was a -great chieftain and conjurer of the Pennacooks. It is of him the poet -Whittier writes: - - Burned for him the drifted snow, - Bade through ice fresh lilies blow, - And the leaves of summer glow - Over winter's wood. - -This noted patriarch and necromancer, in whose arts not only the Indians -but the English seemed to have put entire faith, after living to a great -age, was, according to the tradition, translated to heaven from the -summit of Mount Washington, after the manner of Elias, in a chariot of -fire, surrounded by a tempest of flame. Wonnalancet was the son and -successor of Passaconnaway. Paugus, an under chief of the Pigwackets, or -Sokokis, killed in the battle with Lovewell, related in the next -chapter. - -[3] Something has since been done by the Appalachian Club to render this -part of the ascent less hazardous than it formerly was. - -[4] The Saco has since been bridged, and is traversed with all ease. - -[5] The sequel to this strange but true story is in keeping with the -rest of its horrible details. Perpetually haunted by the ghost of his -victim, the murderer became a prey to remorse. Life became -insupportable. He felt that he was both shunned and abhorred. Gradually -he fell into a decline, and within a few years from the time the deed -was committed he died. - -[6] Dr. Jeremy Belknap relates that, on his journey through this region -in 1784, he was besought by the superstitious villagers to lay the -spirits which were still believed to haunt the fastnesses of the -mountains. - -[7] This house stood just within the entrance to the Notch, from the -north, or Fabyan side. It was for some time kept by Thomas J., one of -the famous Crawfords. Travellers who are a good deal puzzled by the -frequent recurrence of the name "Crawford's" will recollect that the -present hotel is now the only one in this valley bearing the name. - -[8] A portion of the slide touching the house, even moved it a little -from its foundations before being stopped by the resistance it opposed -to the progress of the debris. - -[9] I have since passed over the same route without finding those -sensations to which our inexperience, and the tempest which surrounded -us, rendered us peculiarly liable. In reality, the ridge connecting -Mount Pleasant with Mount Franklin is passed without hesitation, in good -weather, by the most timid; but when a rod of the way cannot be seen the -case is different, and caution necessary. The view of this natural -bridge from the summit of Mount Franklin is one of the imposing sights -of the day's march. - -[10] The remains of this ill-fated climber have since been found at the -foot of the pinnacle. See chapter on Mount Washington. - -[11] This analogy of belief may be carried farther still, to the -populations of Asia, which surround the great "Abode of Snow"--the -Himalayas. It would be interesting to see in this similarity of -religious worship a link between the Asiatic, the primitive man, and the -American--the most recent, and the most unfortunate. Our province is -simply to recount a fact to which the brothers Schlaginweit -("Exploration de la Haute Asie") bear witness: - -"It is in spite of himself, under the enticement of a great reward, that -the superstitious Hindoo decides to accompany the traveller into the -mountains, which he dreads less for the unknown dangers of the ascent -than for the sacrilege he believes he is committing in approaching the -holy asylum, the inviolable sanctuary of the gods he reveres; his -trouble becomes extreme when he sees in the peak to be climbed not the -mountain, but the god whose name it bears. Henceforth it is by sacrifice -and prayer alone that he may appease the profoundly offended deity." - -[12] Sullivan: "History of Maine." - -[13] Field's second ascension (July, 1642) was followed in the same year -by that of Vines and Gorges, two magistrates of Sir F. Gorges's province -of Maine, within which the mountains were believed to lie. Their visit -contributed little to the knowledge of the region, as they erroneously -reported the high plateau of the great chain to be the source of the -Kennebec, as well as of the Androscoggin and Connecticut rivers. - -[14] It also occurs, reduced to Agiochook, in the ballad, of unknown -origin, on the death of Captain Lovewell. One of these was, doubtless, -the authority of Belknap. Touching the signification of Agiochook, it is -the opinion of Dr. J. Hammond Trumbull that the word which Captain Gyles -imperfectly translated from sound into English syllables is Algonquin -for "at the mountains on that side," or "over yonder." "As to the -generally received interpretations of Agiockochook, such as 'the abode -of the Great Spirit,' 'the place of the Spirit of the Great Forest,' or, -as one writer prefers, 'the place of the Storm Spirit,'" says Dr. -Trumbull, "it is enough to say that no element of any Algonkin word -meaning 'great,' 'spirit,' 'forest,' 'storm,' or 'abode,' or combining -the meaning of any two of these words, occurs in 'Agiockochook.' The -only Indian name for the White Hills that bears internal evidence of -genuineness is one given on the authority of President Alden, as used -'by one of the eastern tribes,' that is, Waumbekketmethna, which easily -resolves itself into the Kennebec-Abnaki waubeghiket-amadinar, 'white -greatest mountain.' It is very probable, however, that this synthesis is -a mere translation, by an Indian, of the English 'White Mountains.' I -have never, myself, succeeded in obtaining this name from the modern -Abnakis." - -[15] Here is what Douglass says in his "Summary" (1748-'53): "The White -Hills, or rather mountains, inland about seventy miles north from the -mouth of Piscataqua Harbor, about seven miles west by north from the -head of the Pigwoket branch of Saco River; they are called white not -from their being continually covered with snow, but because they are -bald atop, producing no trees or brush, and covered with a whitish stone -or shingle: these hills may be observed at a great distance, and are a -considerable guide or direction to the Indians in travelling that -country." - -And Robert Rogers ("Account of America," London, 1765) remarks that the -White Mountains were "so called from that appearance which is like snow, -consisting, as is generally supposed, of a white flint, from which the -reflection is very brilliant and dazzling." - -[16] Captivity of Elizabeth Hanson, taken at Dover, New Hampshire, 1724. - -[17] No Yankee girl need be told for what purpose spruce gum is -procured; but it will doubtless be news to many that the best quality is -worth a dollar the pound. Davis told me he had gathered enough in a -single season to fetch ninety dollars. - -[18] I use the name, as usually applied, to the whole mountain. In point -of fact, the Dome is not visible from the Notch. - -[19] The guide knew no other name for the larger bird than meat-hawk; -but its size, plumage, and utter fearlessness are characteristic of the -Canada jay, occasionally encountered in these high latitudes. I cannot -refrain from reminding the reader that the cross-bill is the subject of -a beautiful German legend, translated by Longfellow. The dying and -forsaken Saviour sees a little bird striving to draw the nail from his -bleeding palm with his beak: - - "And the Saviour spoke in mildness: - 'Blest be thou of all the good! - Bear, as token of this moment, - Marks of blood and holy rood!" - - "And the bird is called the cross-bill; - Covered all with blood so clear. - In the groves of pine it singeth - Songs like legends, strange to hear." - -[20] Peabody River is said to have originated in the same manner, and in -a single night. It is probable, however, that as long as there has been -a valley there has also been a stream. - -[21] Since the above was written, a deplorable accident has given -melancholy emphasis to these words of warning. I leave them as they are, -because they were employed by the very person to whom the disaster was -due: "The first accident by which any passengers were ever injured on -the carriage-road, from the Glen House to the summit of Mount -Washington, occurred July 3d, 1880, about a mile below the Half-Way -House. One of the six-horse mountain wagons, containing a party of nine -persons--the last load of the excursionists from Michigan to make the -descent of the mountain--was tipped over, and one lady was killed and -five others injured. Soon after starting from the summit the passengers -discovered that the driver had been drinking while waiting for the party -to descend. They left this wagon a short distance from the summit and -walked to the Half-Way House, four miles below, where one of the -employes of the Carriage-road Company assured them that there was no bad -place below that, and that he thought it would be safe for them to -resume their seats with the driver, who was with them. Soon after -passing the Half-Way House, in driving around a curve too rapidly, the -carriage was overset, throwing the occupants into the woods and on the -rocks. Mrs. Ira Chichester, of Allegan, Michigan, was instantly killed, -her husband, who was sitting at her side, being only slightly bruised. -Of the other occupants, several were more or less injured. The injured -were brought at once to the Glen House, and received every possible care -and attention. Lindsey, the driver, was taken up insensible. He had been -on the road ten years, and was considered one of the safest and most -reliable drivers in the mountains." - -[22] A stone bench, known as Willis's Seat, has been fixed in the -parapet wall at the extreme southern angle of the road, between the -sixth and seventh miles. It is a fine lookout, but will need to be -carefully searched for. - -[23] Benjamin Chandler, of Delaware, in August, 1856. - -[24] Dr. B. L. Ball's "Three Days on the White Mountains," in October, -1855. - -[25] Considering the pinnacle of Mount Washington as the centre of a -circle of vision, the greatest distance I have been able to see with the -naked eye, in nine ascensions, did not probably much exceed one hundred -miles. This being half the diameter, the circumference would surpass six -hundred miles. It is now considered settled that Katahdin, one hundred -and sixty miles distant, is not visible from Mount Washington. - -[26] The highest point, formerly indicated by a cairn and a beacon, is -now occupied by an observatory, built of planks, and, of course, -commanding the whole horizon. It is desirable to examine this vast -landscape in detail, or so much of it as the eye embraces at once, and -no more. - -[27] One poor fellow (Private Stevens) did die here in 1872. His comrade -remained one day and two nights alone with the dead body before help -could be summoned from below. - -[28] It was for a long time believed that the summit of Mount Washington -bore no marks of the great Glacial Period, which the lamented Agassiz -was the first to present in his great work on the glaciers of the Alps. -Such was the opinion of Dr. C. T. Jackson, State Geologist of New -Hampshire. It is now announced that Professor C. H. Hitchcock has -detected the presence of transported bowlders not identical with the -rocks in place. - -[29] In going to and returning from the ravine, I must have walked over -the very spot which has since derived a tragical interest from the -discovery, in July, 1880, of a human skeleton among the rocks. Three -students, who had climbed up through the ravine on the way to the -summit, stumbled upon the remains. Some fragments of clothing remained, -and in a pocket were articles identifying the lost man as Harry W. -Hunter, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. This was the same person whom I had -seen placarded as missing, in 1875, and who is referred to in the -chapter on the ascent from Crawford's. A cairn and tablet, similar to -those erected on the spot where Miss Bourne perished, had already been -placed here when I last visited the locality, where the remains had so -long lain undiscovered in their solitary tomb. An inscription upon the -tablet gives the following details: "Henry W. Hunter, aged twenty-two -years, perished in a storm, September 3d, 1874, while walking from the -Willey House to the summit. Remains found July 14th, 1880, by a party of -Amherst students." The place is conspicuous from the plain, and is -between the Crawford Path and Tuckerman's. By going a few rods to the -left, the Summit House, one mile distant, is in full view. This makes -the third person known to have perished on or near the summit of Mount -Washington. Young Hunter died without a witness to the agony of his last -moments. No search was made until nearly a year had elapsed. It proved -ineffectual, and was abandoned. Thus, strangely and by chance, was -brought to light the fact that he sunk exhausted and lifeless at the -foot of the cone itself. I can fully appreciate the nature of the -situation in which this too adventurous but truly unfortunate climber -was placed. - -[30] A log-hut has been built near the summit of Mount Clinton since -this was written. It is a good deed. But the long miles over the summits -remain as yet neglected. Had one existed at the base of Monroe, it is -probable that one life, at least, might have been saved. It is on the -plain that danger and difficulties thicken. - -[31] Kancamagus, the Pennacook sachem, led the Indian assault on Dover, -in 1689. - -[32] This name was given to his picture of the great range, in -possession of the Prince of Wales, by Mr. George L. Brown, the eminent -landscape-painter. The canvas represents the summits in the sumptuous -garb of autumn. - -[33] The true source of the Connecticut remained so long in doubt that -it passed into a by-word. Cotton Mather, speaking of an ecclesiastical -quarrel in Hartford, says that it was almost as obscure as the rise of -the Connecticut River. - -[34] This orthography is of recent adoption. By recent I mean within -thirty years. Before that time it was always Moosehillock. Nothing is -easier than to unsettle a name. So far as known, I believe there is not -a single summit of the White Mountain group having a name given to it by -the Indians. On the contrary, the Indian names have all come from the -white people. That these are sometimes far-fetched is seen in Osceola -and Tecumseh; that they are often puerile, it is needless to point out. -Moosehillock is probably no exception. It is not unlikely to be an -English nickname. The result of these changes is that the people -inhabiting the region contiguous to the mountain do not know how to -spell the name on their guide-boards. - -[35] Speaking of legends, that of Rubenzal, of the Silesian mountains, -is not unlike Irving's legend of Rip Van Winkle and the Catskills. Both -were Dutch legends. The Indian legends of Moosehillock are very like to -those of high mountains, everywhere. - -[36] In the valley of the Aar, at the head of the Aar glacier, in -Switzerland, is a peak named for Agassiz, who thus has two enduring -monuments, one in his native, the other in his adopted land. The eminent -Swiss scientist spent much time among the White Mountains. - -[37] Such, for example, as the Hon. J. G. Sinclair, Isaac Cruft, Esq., -and ex-Governor Howard of Rhode Island. - -[38] The twin Percy Peaks, which we saw in the north, rise in the -south-east corner of Stratford. Their name was probably derived from the -township now called Stark, and formerly Percy. The township was named by -Governor Wentworth in honor of Hugh, Earl of Northumberland, who figured -in the early days of the American Revolution. The adjoining township of -Northumberland is also commemorative of the same princely house. - -[39] The greater part of the ascent so nearly coincides, in its main -features, with that into Tuckerman's, that a description would be, in -effect, a repetition. To my mind Tuckerman's is the grander of the two; -it is only when the upper section of King's is reached that it begins to -be either grand or interesting by comparison. - -[40] The road up the Rigi, in Switzerland, was modelled upon the plans -of Mr. Marsh. - -[41] Dr. Timothy Dwight. - -[42] Rev. Benjamin G. Willey. - -[43] The greatest angle of inclination is twelve feet in one hundred. - -[44] Samuel Adams at the feet of John Adams is not the exact order that -we have been accustomed to seeing these men. Better leave Samuel Adams -where he stands in history--alone. - -[45] It is only forty years since Agassiz advanced his now generally -adopted theory of the Glacial Period. The Indians believed that the -world was originally covered with water, and that their god created the -dry land from a grain of sand. - -[46] The English reviewer is in error here. The letterpress and -illustrations were printed together on an Adams press. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heart of the White Mountains, -Their Legend and Scenery, by Samuel Adams Drake - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE MOUNTAINS *** - -***** This file should be named 42447.txt or 42447.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/4/4/42447/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at -http://gutenberg.org/license). - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at -809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official -page at http://pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit http://pglaf.org - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/42447.zip b/old/42447.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 51fa677..0000000 --- a/old/42447.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/readme.htm b/old/readme.htm deleted file mode 100644 index e5abb06..0000000 --- a/old/readme.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html> -<html lang="en"> -<head> - <meta charset="utf-8"> -</head> -<body> -<div> -Versions of this book's files up to October 2024 are here.<br> -More recent changes, if any, are reflected in the GitHub repository: -<a href="https://github.com/gutenbergbooks/42447">https://github.com/gutenbergbooks/42447</a> -</div> -</body> -</html> |
