We wandered southward in the path of the tornado, a quarter mile or so,
to a sphagnous swamp and the ledge of White Rock on the side of the Dome.
The view from these rocks is variable, yet not picturesque nor pastoral
as the one from Mount Œta. It is wild, fearful,—beyond all signs or
sounds of civilization. Far to the southwest the blue Catskills blend
with the sky; southward the grim, awkward, ragged shoulders of Greylock’s
Brotherhood tower; from the eastern brow, Haystack and Stamford Mountains
roll away, one after the other, like great land waves. The deep valley
of Broad Brook sleeps below. The slopes of Stamford Mountains are dotted
with evergreen trees for miles, as far as one can see.
Gathering a few fragrant balsam-fir boughs, we now rapidly began to
descend the mountain, for while the luncheon we carried had satisfied
our hunger, we were sadly in need of drinking water. We soon found
ourselves at the Coal-Bed, gathering the Wildwood Tiger Lilies (_Lilium
Philadelphicum_), which we had observed as we passed in the morning.
We ate the late wild strawberries along the roadside, and took a long
rest in the shade, pursuing our way later down the Rocky Hollow Road
northward to Blackberry Clearing, on the Dummy Farm. Here we religiously
searched the ravines for Deaf-Man’s Spring. Major, our dog, was the first
to discover it. We found him taking a bath in the deepest pool. However,
a higher basin was overflowing with fresh, clean water, from which we
drank excessively. The reviving effect upon our spirits was immediate.
Deaf-Man’s Fountain is in the ravine of Dry Brook, walled up like a
little well. It is the only water in this immediate vale,—a natural and
everlasting spring-head. Guide-boards should be erected at the four
corners of country roads, directing travellers to the water-supply, the
need of which is often so powerfully felt by pilgrims.
[Illustration: =The Red Wood Lily.= (_Lilium Philadelphicum._)
“_O lilies, upturned lilies,_
_How swift their prisoned rays_
_To smite with fire from Heaven_
_The fainting August days!_”
ELAINE GOODALE.]
We rounded the Domelet, descended to Jepson Farm in Rattlesnake Valley,
and proceeded to Lloyd Spring and the colony of Showy Reginæ. At this
point in our travels, we had completed a great circle.
XVII
The Cascade and Bellows-Pipe, Notch Valley, Berkshire County
Come here where Greylock rolls
Itself toward heaven; in these deep silences
World-worn and fretted souls
Bathe and be clean! Cares drift like mists away.
Author Unknown.
Monday, July 22d, dawned fair, although there were some signs of a storm
in the lowering gray cloud-folds at the horizon. However, we had decided
to explore the Notch Valley and the Bellows-Pipe, between Greylock and
the Ragged Mountains.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account