The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-07-30
For the anderson hstelliqencer.
ATrip TO the Mountains--No. 3.


beg you to linger with US still little longer
around the glorious Tallulah. 1t has been
read and sung for years upon years. but no one
yet, with the most extravagant imagination
and abundant flow of words, has been able to
depict its grandeur We now propose to take
recess from the pulpit and repair to the Hotel
for dinner, hoping to meet our companions
again, which we did. They soon arrived from
the terrible ascent below with countenances
flushed and defiant as of those who had
achieved a wonderful victory. Everybody
wanted to talk at once. One had done this,
and one had done that-each claiming to have
achieved the greatest wonder. They had held
each others heels while they peeped over the
cliffs below. They insisted that [ should &C
company them that afternoon, if no further,
to Reeds Squeeze and the Needles Eye-two
celebrated places formed respectively by the
leaning of tree, and large rock against the
precipice. I replied that I did not feel much
in the humor of being squeezed, nor did pro-
pose to thread the needle.
The sumptuous dinner being over, our COM
panion s. proposed that we start again. Ever
untiring and anxious for new adventures, he
is only e1celled by the mountaineers in their
greater dread of rattle snakes. This time we
went together along the verge-and verge it
certainly was-hundreds of feet below and
near the roaring cataracts. I, scrambling
along, sometimes on hands and knees, clinging
to bushes and turf of grass, with strong stick
supporting me on the left, and leaning towards
the mountain on the right, was accosted by
one Of the party, saying, "H, I believe you
are scared" I replied that had been taught
from my youth to tell the truth--and this time
I told it upon bended knee. I could but think
that the massive mountain on the right would.
allow poor little Hllock to nestle against its
bosom. AS to how high it still was above us
could not tell Indeed, my thoughts were not
turned in that direction. My impression was
that if 1 fell at all, I would not likely fall
upwards.
From here we reached, in good order, our
old standpoint, the Devils Pulpit After gaz-
ing at the sights around, above and below, the
still intrepid S. descended about so feet to the
rostrum of his Satanic Majesty, which is fiat
rock projecting from the bosom of the preci-
pice. On returning he asked me to go down
with him, but begged to be excused as was
not inclined to 60 to "Meetin'" that day.
Here we all stand in groups, DR.. Cunningham
and Lady, from Greensborough, Ga, having
Joined our party. At our feet volume after
volume of the foaming waters, at the foot of
each fall, seemed to glide into the crevices of
the majestic wall above, as if to calmly bathe
its foot, rest and invigorate themselves for the
awful descents below. The precipices on each
side, especially the north present one grand
mass of created masonry. The oblong, square
and triangular blocks of solid granite, with
perfect delineations, indicate the hand of
Master sculptor-which He indeed is The
white and spruce pine, the cedar and twiniug
vine, here and there cling to the rugged brow,
apparently without earth or moisture, as if
demanding existence, that they might revel in
the awful melodies from below.
The next point below and very near is what
is called the "Lover's Leap" Some of our
party, in quite couching and humble position,
dared to peep over. Well, have heard of
love at first sight, and love in various FORMS
but I concluded that if I made that leap
would pretty surely never love again.
The next point of interest is the "Poet's
Cradle" large shelving rock, approached by
an exceedingly narrow pathway, After much
pursuasion by my intrepid companion, l was
finally induced to make the effort and enter its
portal He asked me to write. My muse had
left me He reminded me of the beautiful
verse we had read in the hotel register, COM
posed by New Yorker while reclining in this
Cradle I told him that I did not propose to
dispute anybody's word, but my impression
was, that if that Poet was as badly scared as
was, he did the most of his writing after he
got back to the Hotel Just above, on the
northern side of the precipce, is square hole
in the wall, which I described to be two by
four feet, but was informed by our gentlemanly
guide that it was seven by fourteen feet wide
and twenty feet deep, called Vulcan's Forge
Of course I gave it up, but did not believe it
Just then We then repaired, or rather scram-
bled to the summit Of Grand Chasm, said to
be 1900 feet deep, in the shape of horse shoe
From this point, in addition to the depths
below, the landscape view of the mountains,
FAR down the river is grand beyond description
1 could not believe that this chasm was SO deep
as represented; but while being charmed with
our surroundings, buzzard came sailing up
the stream, apparently over half way up the
precipice. AS it got about opposite us it COM
menced circing and lowering Down, down
it went, until we supposed it had near y
reached the surface Of the water, where 1t
seemed no larger than partridge; Our guide
told us that if it really reached the bottom, it
would not appear larger than the smallest bird.
Then my incredulity about heights and dis
tances began to give way. =, .,-