Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-09-28
HUMBUGs OF TRAVEL.
A New view OF Yo semitic vale

not pay 10 20 Inere.
"What do we see2 Tall rocks, few
tall trees, high and narrow waterfall, a
pretty little riverl No more. A lovely
natural scene, grant you; but OH
where in this broad and beautiful land
of ours are not lovely natural scenes
the rule? Words cannot tell the feeling
of cold despair which came over me and
all our party as we looked about us. Was
it for this we had so suffered In truth,
and very truth, it does not pay.
We never rallied from that first inn
preston.
But that stone wall is nearly mile
high
- 1t may be so, but it does not look it;
and if it did, the stars are higher, and,
thank God, the stars shine at home
g. That waterfalls eleven times higher
than Niagara.
Indeedl itlooks like freman's hose
playing over The top of Stewards store.
And then we learn to our dismay
that, to see anything more than this in
the Valley, we have got to mount the un-
happy brutes again, and, with Ferguson
tagging at our heels at an exorbitant
price daily, make trips as dangerous and
as perilous, as rocky and as unpleasant
in every way as that which with so much
difficulty we have just now accomplished !
In the house there is neither amusement
nor comfort We are dirty, sick, sore
and miserable, and at night, as we creep
heartsick to bed, we can think of moth
ing but-the Yo Semitic Fall, the Bridal
Veil, III Captain, the Cathedral Rocks?
mol OF the weary distance which lies
between us and civilization.
But we try to make the best of it,
once there. Let's say it does pay, says
the Jolly Tapley of our party. Yes;
let's sit on the banks of this lovely
river We do SO. A companionable,
also, and we leave him in possession.
Try again. There is an Indian camp
beside Hutchings. 1t looks romantic
from this point Let us get nearer A
vile stencil arrests us. These filthy
wretches found dead horse yesterday,
and are now eating some of its carcass
There is one of the poor brute's legs
with mud-be- -grimed hoof still hanging
to it. Its entrails and other parts are
strung out in the sun to dry for future
eating; the black blood drips to the
ground as dog gnaws them greedily,
until driven off by an Indian woman
who is unwilling to share such luxury.
1t will not do to approach these people
too closely they are covered with ver-
min. Their copper skins are black as
SCOT in spots; this is called dirt, pure
and simple. They are clad in the dis
carded tatters of civilization; and how
tattered the discarded garment of the
Sierra Nevada mountaineer is no one
can know who has not seen. The CON
sequence is that the sight Of these peo-
pie so near pleasure resort is an ofiense
to decency. Indian men loll under the
trees playing cards for silver coin. They
glare at us as we approach. 1t is easy
to see that these people (although Fer
guson assured us they were tame }
would have nc humanitarian scruples
about waging war of eKterWination
against the whites if they had but the
power.
While the men play cards and loaf
under the shade Of trees, the women sit
in the broiling sun and grind acorns,
beating them between heavy stones into
the finest powder. The acorns ground
to meal furnish the only food these poor
creatures can rely on during winter; and
to gather them and dispute their posses
sion with the hogs is the work Of the
Indian women. That is, it Is one part
of their work, for that all work is done
by In9iep women is an old story. Man
hood oblige
" By another day some of US are we'll
enough to mount again and begin our
search after beauty. We find an occa-
sioaal rattlesnake, unlimited fatigue, and
the tombstone OF naa Who was kicked
to death by his horse. The trips are
very wearying, the scenery very grand,
very beautiful, but we are in no condi-
ton 10 enjoy it, We never get in such
condition, ana tho universal verdict
with us is that if every one of ibe Saie.-
falls in Yo Semitic were magnified, every
one If its gxanite dOmes were 0lmypus,
if its rivers we're the Rhine, and its
valley the fairy gardens of Yer
sailles the sight Of it would ROT repay
one for the suffering involved in
getting to it. And the plain truth
is that nine out of ten who visit Yo Sc
mite think ibis, but they will not say
what they think. some people, i is
true, never have an opinion of their |
own, but parrot-like repeat the refrain
which has been set them to sing You
remember in the pages Of Most Glorious
Twain the ugly little girl they say in the |
Holy Land, and frank Marks astonish- |
ment at everybody's bawling out in cho- |
rus, What Madonna-like beautyp He |
knew there was an explanation. He |
afterward found the keynote. 1t was
struck in Old Grimes Dead Book ON
the Holy Land. So with the Yo Sc
mite. l felt awedl-the spirit land
losing yogf own identity.
10 travelled monkey nere to tell
the truth, why do you not2 Because
yop are afraid some other travelled mon
key viii say yoR CANT appreciate the
scenery which il makes y6ar head ache
to look at, and your bones ache TO get
at. Because you are a coward, or be-
cause you know you have made an idiot
of yourself, and flung away your money
By bepdfnls, and endured the tortures
Of purgatoFyi s4d yqp are ashamed to
confess yourself so easily takei ~ gnd |
done for-man of the world that you !
are. But | am only a woman, and
confess all.