The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1867-03-28
THE MOUNTAIN LEDGE.
A Thrilling Sketch.
BY DIR, THOMAS DUNN ENGLISH.

BY DIR. THOMAS DUNN ENGLISH.
Penned with FIVE or six others,
o few nights since, in q country
tavern, waiting for the arrival Of
the stage which was to convey me
to q town where | had an engage.
ment, l sat in the bar-room, listen.
ing to the conversation.
l did not note the parties partic-
ularly. In fact there was nothing
remarkable in any of them. They
were perfect strangers to me, and |
was impaticntly waiting my eman.
cipation from the tobacco smoke
and villainous smell of whiskey,
which invaded my nostrils. But |
listened to the stories that were
told, with some interest. One Of
these, and the last heard, interest.
cd me by its details, while its ter
mination struck my fancy. The
narrator, lean, cadaverous speci,
men, looked as though he had liv-
cd life of adventure; and the
earnest manner in which he spoke
satisfied me that he was telling the
truth. @
Something was said about Pixies
Peak, and the gold diggers.
II shall not forget the Pixies
Peak country" said he, "very soon.
An adventure happened to me
there, which is not likely to leave
my memory. 1t was commonplace
enough, possibly, but it might have
been attended with fatal cousequen'
COS. / never recallit without feeling
a crawling sensation, sort Of creep
ing in the flesh, and a desire tc
shrink, as it were, into myself.
"There were four of us, adven
turers together-Jas. Grant, Franl
Garden and George s. Bruce. Gran
was from Fayette county, in Vir
ginia; Garden was an Englishman
and Bruce was from my own neigh
borhood-in fact, a distant relative
l had met Grant and Garden at st
Louis. We had heard of Pike
Peak, and concluded we would try
our hands at gold hunting. Whel
we arrived at tho 'diggings, W
found Bruce. l was very mucl
astonished, for poor George wa
both deaf and dumb. What pos
sessed him to go on such an advcn
ture, or how he got so far, | coul
not divine; nor have l learne
' since. There he was, though; an(
|. naturally enough, he attached him
$ self TO our party.
i "We had very poor luck. Gu
pile did not increase rapidly; an
one day we set out to 'prospec
4 elsewhere. We got about thirt
q miles beyond any one else; an
9 coming to a canon, or dry river
9 bed, with the rocks piled on bot
sidos, struck upon q very comforts
BILE novelty in the shape of o sprin!
o 1t bubbled from the base of clii
y ran about three yards from j
.e source, over the bare rock, and the
e disappeared in some sand and pc
" bles. 1t was about three o'cloc
when we got there; but it was t
n y good point for camp, to be pas
Ii ed. Grant took his rife, and star
as ed off to hunt something to shoe
while we gathered some of Il
70 halt-dried, shrubby plants th
u !. grew in the crevices Of the rock
10 serve as fuel.
!. so soon as we had accumulate
ID q sufficient pile, and heaped OF
4 !; spoil on the camp-ground, we
sat down-Carden and l falling j
to conversation, and Bruce sittir
=. =. apart, probably communing wi
u. bis own fancies. Among 9th
matters the condition Of our col
on panion led us to discuss the mod
at of communication which deaf-mut
: have with others, and / explain
to him the letters Of the mutes' {
phabet, and their superiority ov
7 the old.f fashioned signs. Duril
this talk my eye wandered up t
canon, and / noticed huge Giro
,J lar hill, which rose about a the
G sand feet above the river.clit
= and whose base was about q m
: of. esh n .', 'eH3 ins aeas'fI ff
y 3 aia i should like to get to the su
n nit Of that, saidI. The view ir
there must be well worthy Of bei
seen. 'lltry.' 1.e7 M.
,cn "Carden endeavored to dissua
lap me, but / was determined 70 SCI
IeS the hill, if possible, and act out
IL; the purpose. few huns I'd yal
sr; s up the canon brought me TO q
qi.; Hs'; vine. Up this partly walked .
VA partly clambered, until I.react
Se, ,ls, The top Of the cliff which boune
ons the canon. Along this l wall
tTs' uiS. until / came 10 the base Of
mountain. The side Of this '