New-York tribune., 1872-03-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
KINGS MOUNTAINEERING

<rl aosor;,,;or rlcasant humor and bold adventure
Il presented in the pages of this admirable we mgbt
even saw thi. unique volume The work is dedicated to
the eminent geologst. Mr. josiah Dwight Whitney
Of whose expedition for the survey of California MI
Kine was n member II is accordingly founded on
the personal experience of the writer during series
of perous explorations. aud is thus cnlivened with
the charm of wild forest life in the freshness OF pm
mevalpature.
The Sierra Nevada is the GTandest Of all the
massive mountain ranges which form the western
margin Of the American continent 1t lies between
the arid deserts of the Great Basin and the eXuberant
ptais fields and orchards of California. Its eastern
slope is a grim wall of rock plungng abruptly
down 20 the plain. On the west il forms an immense
sweep well watered and overgrown with cool stately
forests Its crest is a line of sharp. snowy peaks,
springing INTO the sky. and catching the Alpine
glow after the has set for all the rest of Ameri-
ca For four hundred miles the Sierras a definite
ndge broad aud high. in the form of an ocean wave
ButtIesses of dark and gloomy rock, juttlng ~
tcrvals from steep WALL form the abrupt eastern
slopcs Scattered gTowths of irregular forests huu-
die together near the snow. The lower deciNlueS
are barren spurs sinking into the stenle hats ol he
Great Basin Long ridges OF gentle outline folm the
western side while the sloping table is scored from
iop To bottom by system Of canons two or three
Thousand feet deep. Every canon carries nVer'
derived IRON thc meltlnS VI tLc pc' POtu" SN'V"
which threads its way down the mountain. The
G!st view Of the Sierra chain as'seen from the Colo
RADIO desert furnishes Mr. King with congcnial sub
iect for his rare descriptive power.
II was in early May, 1866 My companion, Mr.: James
Gardner. aud eot into the saddle ON me hik ol tu
I,ior,do pi.fv and headed westward over thc roHC
from La Paz to san Bcinardno My mount was tonfh,
macnnnmous sot OF mule who al all mes iiu ms NSSI!
test that Of my friend, an animal su 1arolSf hu ato
rciher wanting moral attributes. He developed
Singular Gntp5,hy for my mule and utterly refused to
net within quarter OF mile o me soil so id"t % Over %
wcaIying route OF 80! miles We "eTc onsT1 & 10 ,o
lust beyond the reach Of shout Honr aoI nuI, iu %
ding along doG-trOt, We pursued oui ,ol'tIE WY
without the spice Of companonNhp ana ait"gcher ne
Iryed OF thejucodramac satisfaction ol loI.nn5sS. -
Ear ahead white line raced across tIe barren
Ncrt ouw oV er more aud arid reaches OF desert
Rolling hills OF crude color ana low gloomy contour io
Xe The general level Here and there the eye was ~
% S S S,,nsc r,ted sd sank dow INTO the desert I'M
relieved hy shade solitary tree. The whole aspect
uf nature wa- dun IN color and gloomy with an apcr
fsy Spcne a toiiil sun beat down with cruel severity
Lndng the g with Il, bIIance, and inducing pam
, var 'SS redy ctS' at the first til Ga rocco wed
away aud ground - dust ttr''in par 20 IYhCS uy SWtp ~
trcA " whlrwnds. Water was only found ~ intervals
Of -lxy seventy miles. ana when reached. NI nIG
Of an asgIa,ati0n than picasuie-6tier' tur3d, anu
scarce rode ol IL al day, ana beIae" !, an iE,''
rnS to ,,, eaX5 wor.e a, next I''i iiae.
lt ln S Noon on Inc thiri day Of our march, having
,cG he i,aIltf- O. the Cla6azoD Valley. We emerged
from IoulA. rocky gateway In the mountain an
NM tbnt we might hold council and determine our
rnu,,e for the water question becoming seIlons
,aoyins 10 he drcd up and obsolete uPon the ground
fresh mule AID lively man e,t a3ht, 70 ,n s
Wei enough; ont after al II Il hi ut>t WIN
tolerance un both Sides soTt Of diplomatic lntcrchl;c
Sdr@I binl Win spur; hut wncn the bigi contracting
rarcs get rcd the c,tcnte corddie goes To pieces ana
IN actual hosthlleS OPEN ia ""iOh hofei "'" " ~ "
'VI I % , bambIlrc uncertainty during the last
Ias hahOur's Tot. and those inyarlabe indicators
John" long. furry ears, either Topped das"haN
down side or lay hack with Ill omen upon MS
Gardner reached in few minutes and we dis
-,ape We on the margin of a great basin
shos gently shelving rim sank from onr feet to per
Iccty level plain which stretched sonih as Lar as
"a, Cyt could reach. bounded by di, eNcl hOflzon,
the hue walled IN to The west at distance Of
STOUT fOriy miles. by tine high frownnG wall OF the
fhis pan was level floor, as wiIe a. marle
ana INTO Ky spurs from own mountain range
I " ii,. T. ~. TnnrG in md ont among the foot
NIL and, TRACED upon the barren slopes oi thS fockI
roast marked al considerable ecVailon apON' tD'
rlsin Inc shore-,ine alceLt sea- white stain
"A, uuUe IT, louncr IIarcin clearly a. II ne Wdiei had
bu u,i Iccedcd. ON tie ann. distant base OF e Sleis
~,tcrinark the level white valley, and the
utter at,'i,f ulon - surface "i any 'eS,Idlo, @ %
s~f ava-t tidc had but inst e6bed. and the riian!
-corcus had hrrio'ly dried up It's iasl Traces o'
In Tie .u1l nct glare of the southern horizon. il
ing aud tuuniag q. boW-. il the old tide Were com
us; bar the, were ouls -iudGeliuaN OF heat A. We
rsius tecsnc suddenly Transformed into placid blue
- ,.t. Io.. mining shores were the whte blocks
0i roofs Cr,ups spIe-erowned Villages. and cool
sfretrhcs or aeon grove. soft. vapoy atmosphere
hut over u,. ,ea shadows purple aud blue. toated
slow, acros, it producing tc enchanting effect Of
l.ht .id colon. TIE dreamy richness oI me tONts lne
sapphire SAY Of the desert and the cool purple
d.samc. of iuornttn~. grouped d. by miracle. II
va m. il Nai .i were about repay hundredold
ur the nc shc had given the topoSrdlhers and their
~ a rioron' The illusion vanished II gonc lcay
ne tue white desert uuielie'ed ~ sI%do" Dia]e OF
wnic light railing iul on the plain; ne sun,struck am
f.cne u whlIViud columns whtc with The dust Of thc
desert NJ up aud vanishing nlo the ny. Waves Of
heat rolled lOws tho valley, the old shores
inai~tuct, The whole lowtand unreal shades OF
nistv bno cross ID Ol er and disappeared Lake. win
ragrcd CLEANED out rcfcctnS the sky, and ~
in"ment disappeared.
The bewdorme eject Of this natural magic and per
dream which might have aBcn fatal possession Of u.s.
hu nr the nuOrnao bra n;. OF Gardners mule, whose
lshtd all haiucinaOn and brought us gently bdcR rom
,n nstey ono part sand one part alum one part sale
avery disgusting taste and NeI! great range OF GcOO@
cal formations
The successful attempt tn ascend one Of the loftest
,~ahs of the Nevada range, since named Mount
Tyndal Affords Example Of the most perous enter
prise and even audaciOus courage, which is to he
found i'm the history of Alpine climbing. The most
.1pcrenced veterans Of the party who had assembled
90 the hight of 1900 feet abOnt 1000 feet lower
than the summit of Mont Blanc had pronounced the
experiment an impossibility. Mr. King, however,
Wa not 10 be- daunted by their lack of faith Taking
s1dc OF ms companions named Cotter, he asked
him whether bc would join him in the attempt 10
penetrate the Terra lncOgnita al the risk of their
nooks lie cheerfully replied in bis usual frank,
Courageous tone, why nOtV stout of limb, and
vet stronger in heart of iron endurance, and of
quiet. unexcitcd temperament deeply devoted to
the writer. he was the very comuade that
l..ath will