Bedford inquirer and chronicle. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1854-1857, 1855-11-30

| niG"oi auA- hobiSt- attslhihoues III lhosPetats
and happiness. 4sa
lconctuded nett Hnek
From Bayqra 1iayior's .a;rp Book et 1irqp4ts
First view Of the HimaIaya Meua-
j. was about eight in the morning-an
atmosphere of crystal, and not . cloud in
the sky. Yet something white and shining
glimered through the loose foliage of some
trees on my right hand. My heart came
into my mouth with the sudden bound it
gave, when,after plungiug through the trees.
like one mad tumbling into ditch or the
other side, and scrambling upla great, pile
Of dirt, ! saw the Hinalayas before me,--s
Uno5scared by single cloud or a speek Of
vapor, there stood revealed tie whole noun
tain region, from the low range. of the
Siwalik Hills, about twenty miles distant,
Ito the loftiest pinnacles Of eternal snow,
which look down on china ana Thibet. The
highest range though much more than a
hundred miles distant, ,as the crow flies, rose
as far in the sky as the Alps at forty niles.
and with every glacier and cnasn aud spire
Of uhtrodden snow as clearly defined. Their
maenitnde, therefore, was fully apparent,
because the eye refused to credit the inter-
venlng distance. But the exquisite ,loveli-
ness Of the shadows painted by the morning
on those enormous wastes o. snow, and the
bold yet beautiful outlines &c the topmost
cones, snaring to region Of perpetual silence
and death, far surpassed any distant view
Of tho Alps or any other mountain chain /
ever saw. 4 S seen from Raorklee, the
Himaiayas present the appearance of three
distinct ranges. Che 6rst, the siwalil
Hills, are not more than two thousand feet
In height; the second, or Sub Hinalayas,
rise to eight or nine thousand, while the
loftie,t peaks Of the snowy range, visible
from this point, are o5 900 feet above the
sea: Far il the northwest was the Ciiore,
an isoIateu peah, WHICH Is almost preeTssfg
the height Of Noun. Blanc, but SCENE
very pigmy in comparison with the white
cones beyond it.
ANOTHER VIEW OF TIE HINAL3YAs.
To the north, looked into the wild heart
Of the Himalayas--a wilderness OF barren
peaks, a vust janble OF red mountains,
divided by tremendous clsftS and rayenes,
of that dark indigo hne which you
sometimes see on the edge of thnndercloud
but in the back ground, towering far. Ear
above them, rose the mighty Pinnacles OF
the Gungootro, the Juinnoote. the Bud
reenath, and the Cylay, the heaven Of India,
where the Great God, Mahadeo, still sits on
his throne, inaccessible to mortal foot. |
was ffty miles nearer these mountains than
a: Roorkhee, where ! frst beheld tt,em, amp
with the additional advantange Of being
mounted on, foot stool equal to one third
of their hight They still stood immeasura-,
bly, above me SO cold ana clear, and white,
that, witheutknowedge to the. contrary, l.
should nave said that they were not than
twenty miles distant. Yet as tae crow
flies, a line of sspsntQ miles would scarce
have reached their sammits-
ass 90 FADE ON AN -FLEPfiANT.
The rajaii had kept his promise. and his
tig she elephant had already arrived. She
lSnelt at the keepers cotnaanl, and sinaif
ladder was placed against her side. that2l
might climb upon the pad as had been
unable to borrow a howdah. I had a pack
age of bread and cold roast beef, TO serve
,ne as a tifin, bus was careful to conceal it
from the driver, otherwise himself and the
elephant, with all her trapping, must have
undergone pnrl6catiop. on account Of tie,
lunclean flesh. took reluctant leafu Of
Mr.. Kecne, seated myself astrido on the
pad, with the driver before me on The
elephants neck and we. moved off. The
driver wa, a Sikh, in clean, white and
scarlet dress, aud narrow handkerchief
bound around his head, His long, well
combsd bair was apointed with butter, aud,
as his bead was Just under roy nose, ! was
continually regaled with the unctuous odors.
He carried 4 short iron spike, with winch
shc occasionally punched the ELEPHANTS head
causing her = snort and throw up hcr trunk,
I as she quickened her pace ! found the
motion very like that 81 = very large droni-
edary, aud by no means Unpleasant or fati-
guing. Thoagh walking, She went at the
rate Of abcut.Evc miles an hour. | noticed
that the driver frequently spoke sg her in q
quiet, conversational tone, making remarks
about the roads and advising her how to
proceed-all Of which she seemed to UNDER
stand perfectly, and obeyel without hesi-
tation.
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