The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. 1 (of 2): or, Illustrations, by Pen And Pencil, of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the War for IndependenceLossing, Benson John
History
The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. 1 (of 2): or, Illustrations, by Pen And Pencil, of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the War for Independence
Lossing, Benson John
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
Our guide, professing to know every rock and tree in the mountain, now
left the cattle-path for a "shorter cut," but we soon wished ourselves
back again in the beaten track The old man was evidently "out of his
reckoning," but had too much "grit" to acknowledge it. For nearly an
hour we followed him through thickets tangled with vines, over the
trunks of huge trees leveled by the wind, and across a dry morass
covered with brakes and wire-grass shoulder high, where every trill of
the grasshopper sounded to our suspicious and vigilant ears like the
warning of a rattle-snake, until at length we were confronted by a wall
of huge broken rocks, almost perpendicular, and at least fifty feet
high. It seemed to extend north and south indefinitely, and we almost
despaired of scaling it. The guide insisted upon the profundity of his
knowledge of the route, and we, being unable to contradict his positive
assertions that he was in the right way, followed him up the precipice.
It was a toilsome and dangerous ascent, but fortunately the sun was yet
eastward of meridian, and we were in shadow. We at last reached a broad
ledge near the summit, where, exhausted, we sat down and regaled
ourselves with some mulberries which we had gathered by the way. A large
wolf-dog, belonging to our guide, had managed to follow his master, and
seemed quite as weary as ourselves when he reached us. Another scramble
of about twenty minutes, over broken rocks and ledges like a giant's
stair-case, brought us upon the bold, rocky summit of the mountain. The
view from this lofty hill is one of great interest and beauty, including
almost every variety of natural scenery, and a region abounding with
historical
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