The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-04-10
BALD MOUNTAIN.
SO SawbOnes" EIucIdates the Cussedness
OF Newspaper Humanity.


NEAR THE VoLCANIo REGIONS, March
10" Hi afloat in the mountains Pr
"Old Badly" Preparing to Eruct =
Volcano Smoke Fire THE Earth
Quaking ! Things Trottingp l heard
all this, and could not stand it. I had
never seen a volcano, so I mounted nv
horse and put out for " Old Bald" The
news got worse the farther I went. As
l approached the mountain I met the
natives gettin men, women, children
and dogs. They begged me to turn
back. and sung, "TuTn, sinner, turn, 4"
and think some of them prayed for
me. 1t beat old Mrs. Wards saloon at
Greenville. To get out of the fuss I
pushed on. I struck leading spur of
old Bald, and rode up, up as far as /
could ride. Then 1 dismounted, hitched
my horse and walked on. Where the
spur joined the main mountain, my way
was Obstruced by perpendicular rocks.
l could see smoke from the top, but /
could not hear the rumbliDg. I climbed
up and around the mountain to avoid
the rocks. After proceeding for some
time, began to hear the rumblirg. It
appeared to be below me and farther
around the mountain. / got on a high
point, from which there was a COM
handing view below. The rumbling
from this point was terrible and unac-
cOuntable. Just here saw sight that
astonished me more than if the earth
yawned at my feet. saw a wagon, with
four mules, driven furiously around the
side of the mountain. It had on it an
old-fashioned wagon-bed, and from the
Co
it. How the thing held together, bounc-
ing about over the rocks, is unaccounta-
bic. 1t went few hundred yards, and
turned round. It stopped about ten
minutes as if to rest the mules, then,
here it came again. The road (if it
could be called a road) was about four
hundred yards long. 1t would turn and
rest the mules at each end. I saw it
make several trips. Then 1 took a
drink from my flask. and scrambled
down to this Devils turnpike. 1 placed
myself by the side of the road, to wait
for the wagon. In few minutes here
it came. The driver did not see me
until he was within fifty steps of me.
He appeared astonished, stood up in
his stirrups Che was riding one of the
mules), and tried to bluff me by yelling
out:
"Get out of the way, you id
fool !"
As soon as he spoke knew him. 1t
was George Skies. He used to live
over in Buncombe when Madison was
part of Buncombe; l picked up a
couple of rocks and placed myself in
the middle of the road. Then he stop
ped and / went for him. Said I, George,
= 4 70 hn 4IoL
mule with one of these dornicks, talk
fast"
"Talk what ?" said he.
Volcano" said L
CHOW look here, Sawbones Che al
ways called me Sawbones), "you know
that am poor man. / am paid by
the editors to do this"
"But how about the smoke and fire?"
He said one of his boys was on top
and with sticks and wet leaves he kept
"How about the the blow out ?"
Here George laughed outright. He
said the natives were very skittish when
they heard the rumbling, but when ''the
blow up" came, they incontinently tod
died He had buried key of powder
about eight feet deep, inserted a tin
buO6 III Juo hoBS 6IdulpSu III bu6 u1IG,
lit a slow match and then she blew Quit
''They say they hear this rumbling
to Old Fort ?"
go, yes! They hear it there They
will hear it in New York soon, the news
is spreading mighty fast Sawbones,
for God sake give me all the tobacco
you have about you-go home to your
family and keep your mouth shut. ."
I did come home to my family. The
old quilt saw me coming and ran to
meet me. The first word was "volca-
no !" 1 told her the volcano was all
right, but that the cussedness of hu-
man nature was breaking my heart, and
that if she didn't get in the house and
make me a strong cup of coffee, there
would be a volcano right there. She
went-not being a strong minded cru
sader, she consequently does what [ ask
her to do.
If you are in the "volcano" business
you can suppress this. 1 do not want
to iniure any mans business; and this
Volcano earthquake news is mighty ex-
citing reading.