The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1842-08-13

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oil indnln5 had encamped on this very
spo! but few days previous, the wilted
limbs Of the trees and other ''signs" show
ing that they had made 1t resting place.
We, too, halted couple OF hours, to give
our horses all opportunity to Craze and
rest themselves. The trail which led up
on lhe opposite side was discovered a
SHOT, distance above us, to the south,
winding up the steep and ragged sides of
the precipice,
AS we Jonrneyed along this dell all were
struck with admiration at the strange and
iancinl figures made by the WASTING of
the waters during the rainy season, In
some places perfect walls. formed of n
reddish clay, were seen standing, and were
they any where else, ii would be imposSi-
BILE to believe that other than the. hand Of
man had formed them. The vein of which
| these walls were composed was of even
thickness, very hard. and ran perpendicu-
larlv; and when the softer sand which had
surrounded them was washed away, the
veins still renamed standing upright, in
some places one hundred feet high, and
three or four hundred in length.
Columns, too, were there, and such
was their architectural order, ard so much
Of Cilaste grandeur was there about them
that we were lost in wonder and admira-
ton. In other places the brcastworks OF
forts would be plainly visible, then again
the irowning turronts of some castle of
the oldcn time. Cumhrous pillars of
some mighty pile raised TO religion or
royalty were scattered about, regularity
was strangely mixed up with rnin ard dis
order, and Nature had done it all. Nigga
"a has been considered, one Of her widest
freaks; but Niagara sinks into insignii-
canoe when compared with the wild gran
deur of this awful chasm. Imagination
carried us back TO Thcbes, to Palmyra,
and to ancient Athens, and we could not
help thinking that we were now among
. their ruins.
Our passage ont Of this place was cilcc-
ted with the greatest difficulty. We were
obliged TO carry rifles, holsters and sad
; dle-bags in our hands, and in chambering
up a steep pitch, one Of the horses strik-
ing his shoulder against projecting rock,
: was preciptated some fifteen or twenty
| iCCb tINbuY upO!l HIS DdGh. All lllouSlIL
? he must be killed bp the fall; but singular
t enough he rose immediately, shook him
| sell, and a second effort in climbing pro-
we'd more successlul--,the animal had not
G received the slightest apparent injury!
BY the middle Of the afternoon we were
C all safely across, after spending fire or six
hours completely shut out from the
world, Again we found ourselves upon
the level prairie, and on looking back, al
ter proceeding some hundred yards, not &
sign Of the immense chasm was visible
: The waste we were then upon was at
b least two hundred and fifty miles in widtl
and the two cIasms have mentioned
e were the reservoirs and at the same tim;
a the conductors OF the heavy quantity
: rain which falls upon it during the W,
+ season, to the running streams. III
e prairie is undoubtedly the largest in ii
: world, and tho chasms are in perfect keel
: ing with tho size Of the prairie.
II At sundown we halted by the side OF
d water hole, and oncamped for the nigl
BY this time many of the men were c.
e tnely ont of provisions, while those wi
1t still had little beef left had saved it h,
n stinting themselves on the previous day
y The worst of our sutlerngs had nor
IS commenced.