The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-02-08

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| wall ?" inquired rr
"Oh, no; but mean that up q great part Of
| that side of the mountain runs sort Of spine
of rock scarcely wide enough in some places
! for two mules to walk upon abreast; 1t is Hat
at the top and bare of trees. The mountain
! itself is covered with such dense forest that
you can imagine nothing like it here; in some
parts the spine is higher than the forest, and
! YOU look down on the tops Of the trees; in
! others they reach above it and overshadow it.
tWell. we three youngsters were left with
| the old monks for day after the rest of the
party were gone down again; and then we
set off, Talbot and Owen and ], with two
Indians and two of the fattest OF the old
monks. who seemed so infrm that it was sur
prising to see how we'll they rode. II was the
most piping-hot morning and the stillest that
you can imagine when we rode out at the
| courtyard of the convent We thought we
never were to begin the descent; those
monks were so afraid we should be playing
some tricks or getting ourselves hurt for want
of care, that they all collected round us, shak-
ing their heads at us, and, with the greatest
| gravity, trying to let us understand that we
| ought to be grave and serious, as il we had
not come up the very same path. However,
must say it's ten times easier getting up
| than going down, and it was very kind of the
old fellows to be sorry to part with us, for we
| led them such q life while we we're there; in
fact, our clambering about really frightened
| them out of their wits.
$50 off we set, and at first we made scarcely
| any way; the mules are cunning creatures,
and would not go a step faster for coaxing or
| whipping; they stepped along the spine as
daintily as a lady who is afraid of wetting her
| feet, first a little to one side, then to the
other, so that 1 could have thrown my cap
down right into the water if I had liked, and
would have done it, only one of the monks
when we frightened him, used to heave up
such deep groans, that we all knew how
| thankful he would be when we were safe out
of his hands.
''There are two forests there one
above the other; first, there are the trees with
| branches like our oaks and elms, only covered
| with flowers, large white, yellow, and scarlet
blossoms; great creepers twine over them
they are like cables, only green and hairy, and
| here and there bursting out with queer
| flowers, some like wax globes, some like tufts
Of feathers, others all thick and powdery,
with red pollen strewing the ground beneath
and others dripping honey. This was under
forest, out of it sprapg tall trunks, bare, like
| mists, and spread out their tops just like um-
| brellas held out to shade under the trees from
| the sun.
1--WE were nearly an hour going down the
first thousand feet to the lake; after that, the
| way was not SO steep, and the spine of rock
| was lower, 1Or Jne Jre6B OF UQ0 upper IOE0SG
| overshadowed us. Nothing seemed to live in
them; but the underfores perfectly swarmed
with monkeys, squirrels, lizards, yellow
snakes, birds and butterflies. You can't think
what a noise and fuss was going on there; it
was perfectly stunning. First we would
come to whole flock of blue par
rots with rose-colored top-knots; they
were tearing to pieces Quantity OF
white, feshy flowers with their strong
| he nd q hat
in them. Sometimes the way was perfectly
white with these flowers, and not one was left
on the tree, while the birds sat on the boughs
absolutely painting with the toll of tearing
them up. Next we would come to a whole
tribe of little monkeys, screaming, and squall-
ing, and boxing one another's ears, and alto
getEer making such distraction that the
cockpit, when we are all making as much
noise as we possibly can, is nothing
to it,"
''This 1 thought was saying good deal for
the powers of the monkeys, and 80 l inti-
mated to my brother
''Ah, wait till you hear those monkeys, "
was his reply" Gin the hardest gale that ever
blew, when the canvas was tearing and the
spars splitting, I'll engage to say they would
have been heard as clearly as in a calm"
But the noise subsidized as it became hot
ter, and at MONDAY there was not sound in
the forest and it was droll to see the cocka-
toos hanging to the branches by their beaks,
Just like game in a shop, and with he white
film half drawn over their eyes, showing as
plainly as possible that they were SO hot that
they did not know what to do with them
selves.
SAT noon we came into q sort of bower in
level place; it was perfectly overhung, and
the trees were so matted and laced up with
the creepers that not an inch of sky could be
seen nor watt of air felt drops of water fell
from the leaves, and warm steam rose from
everything. But there was perfect shade,
and as there was abundant room for us all to
sit down and rest and unsaddle the mules,
we did all we could to persuade the monks to
! rest there. Besides, we were hungry, and we
kept putting our fingers to our mouths, anG
telling as well as we could that we wanted
! something to eat; but they shook their heads
and made us understand that this place wal
infested with snakes.
''We looked out from under the trees anG
there again in the glare of the sunbeam wai
/ the spine of rock now winding downwardi
almost across the mountain; the seat striking
| up from it made our eyes burn and our head
} ache; but it was not very steep now, and i
was nearly as broad as the turnpike road
/ here, so that / could have got down by tn,
help of my hand and the plants. So off W,
Q set again; and now, as there was no danger
, we went as we liked, and led the way.
# ''I noticed great lump of something lyin!
d in the path; it was as big as a calf, of a gra,
1t color, and covered with white; if though
6 about it at all, l thought it was a stone.
t never absolutely looked at it till we wer
70 within one pace of it, and then my eye
d seemed drawn to it, and fixed upon it. /
xrfog 1a IL, al