The North-Carolinian. [volume] (Fayetteville [N.C.]) 1839-1861, 1850-04-06

was surmounted by a white suSar-ioaI nat,
set off with a little red cocks tail. They
| al! had boards. Of various shapes ans! col
| ors. There was one who seemed to be
the commander. He was stout old gen.
tleman. with weathcr-beaten countenance;
he wore laced doublet. broad belt and
hanger. h,sl, crowned hat and feather, red
stockings. and hgh-heeled shoes, with
roses in them. The whole group remind
ed RIP of the figures in "A Flemish painting,
| in the parlor OF Dominic Van Shaick, the
village parson. and which had been brought
over from Holland at the time Of the set
| tlement.
What seemed particularly odd to Rip
was. that though these folks were evident
| ly amusing themselves, yet they maintain
ed the gravest faces. the most mysterious
silence, and were. withal, the most mel
ancholy party Of pleasure he had ever wit
messed. Nothing interrupted the stiffness
Of the scene out the noise Of the balls,
which. whenever they were rolled, echoed
along the mountains like rumblins peals Of
! thunder.
! AS Rip aud his companion approached
them, they suddenly desisted from their
play. and stared at him with such fixed
statue like gaze, and such strange, un-
couth, lack -lustrc countenances, that his
heart turned within him, aud his knees
smote together. His companion now
emptied the contents Of the keg into large
f1agOns, and made signs to him to wait upon
the company. He obeyed with fear and
trembling; they quaffed the liquor in pro-
found silence, and then returned to their
game.
BY degrees Rips awe and apprehension
subsidized. He even vcntured, when no
l.. <lo1
age, which he found had much Of the flavor
Of excellent Hollands. lie was natur-
ally thirsty soul, and was soon tempted
to repeat the draught. One taste provoked
another; and he reiterated his visits to the
flagon so often that at length his senses
were overpowered, his eyes swan in his
head. his head gradually declined, and he
fell into deep sleep.
On waking, he fourd himself on the
green knoll whence he had first seen the
old man Of the glen. He rubbed his eyes
it was a bright sunny morning. The
birds were hopping aud twittering among
the bushes, and the eagle was wheeling
aIoft. and breasting the pure mountain
breeze. ''Surely," thought Rip, 81 have
not slept here all night He recalled the
! occurrences before he fell asleep. The
strange man with keg Of liquor-the
mountain ravine-the wild retreat among
the r"cks-thc wobcgonc party at nine
wicked ha:on!'' thtug Int Rip: "what ex-
cu~c shall / make to Dame Van WinkIe!"
lie looked round for his gun, but in
place of the clean, well-oiIed fowling-
piece, he found an old fireIock lying by
him, the barrel incrustcd with rust, the
lock falling off, and the stock worm-eatcn.
He now suspected that the grave r"ysters
of the mountain had put a trick upon him,
and, having dose.I him with liquor, had
robbed him Of his gun. Wolf, too, had
disappeared, but he might have strayed
away after Il squirrel or partridge. tie
whistlcd after him and shouted his name,
but all in vain; the ech"es repeated his
whistle & shout, but no do. was to be seen.
lie determined to visit the scene Of the
last evening gambol, an.l fhe met with any
Of the party, to demand his dog and gun.
As he rose to walk. he found himself sti # in
the joints, and wanting in his usual ac-
tivity. .. These mountain beds do not
agree with me-" thought Rip. ''and If this
froic should lay me up with fit Of the
rheumatism, ! shall have a blessed time
with Dame Van Winkle" With some
difficulty he got down into the glen: he
found the gully up which he aud his COM
ing; but to his astonishment a mountain
stream was now foamins down it, leaping
from rock to rock, and filling the glen with
babbling murmurs. He, however. made
shift to scramble up it's sides, working his
toilsome way through thickets Of birch,
sassafras. and witch-hazel, and sometimes
tripped up or entangIed by the wild grape
vines that twisted their coils ar tendrils
from tree to tree, and spread kind Of net
work in his path.
At length he reached to where the rayine
had opened through the cliffs to the amphi-
theatre but no traces ot such opening re-
manned The rocks presented high, i'm
penetrable wall, over which the torrent
came tumbling in sheet Of fra,hery foam.
and fell into broad deep basin, black FROM
the shadows Of the surrounding forest.
Here, then, poor Rip was brought to a
stand. lie again called and whistlcd after
his dog he was only ans vered by the
cawing Of flock Of idle crows, sporting
high in air about dry tree that o"erhung
sunny prccipicc and who, secure IN
their eicva alton, seemed to look down and
scolf at the poor mans prplcxitics. What
was to he done? The morning was passing
away. and Rip felt famishe.l for want Of
his breakfast He grieved to give up his
dog and gun he dreaded to meet his wife;
but it would not do to starve among the
mountains. lie shook his head, shoulder
e! the rusty irciock. and, with heart
full Of trouble and anxiety. turned his