Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-08-11
An Augusta Mans Evening in a
German Forest.
Correspondence of Staunton VINDIcAToa.
GoTTINGEN, Germany,
T11Iv o1cf 1919

correspondence of Staunton VINDICAToR.1
GoTTINaEN, Germany,
July 31st, 1876.
A merry party. rather mixed as to ma
tionality, but consisting chiefly of Ameri-
cans, and an equal number of both sexes,
| were suddenly seized with the idea Of
| rambling through the woods, and getting
supper at Guismer, an old-fashioned Ger
man village. Accordingly at four o'clock
in the evening we set out for the hills, in
dulging in many a hearty laugh, and soon
the spires of Gottlngen were left in the
| distance. We all enjoyed the walk, con-
tinually drawing comparisons between
these landscapes and those of America.
| From the top of small hill one could
look over beautiful valley, the entire ex-
tent Of it under the highest state of cul-
tivation, striped by the varied colors of
different kinds of crops; the rye-felds
looked red, because of the great quantity
of a red flower that grows spontaneously
here, and gives beauty to the landscape,
but is an eye-sore to the owners of the
rye. No brierS or bushes were along the
bitches, and not a fence to be seen any
where. Groups of peasants could be seen
in the fields at work, and the m ost of them,
by far, were women. Everything seemed
strange, from the little birds that hoped
upon the ground, to. the more stately
species that Glove the ali above our heads,
and filled it with the ''melody of song"
One object, however, presented a familiar
appearance-a hawk, branch of whose
| ancestral line, must have emigrated to
| Virginia, in times OF yore, and there, at
| the s'HaWk'S n est, !" increased and multi
piled to prodigous extent.
| Finally we arrived at the Village, and
ordered supper, but no sooner had one
| taken q few mOuthfulS OF the famous black
| bread, and d slngularly unpalatable mix
| ture of salad, potatoes, ETC., than all the
romance of the thing was gone, and our
| bright anticipations vanished before the
scent Of Dutch cheese" like mist be-
| fore d storm. Nobody was hungry, so we
started home, and directed our course
| through the woods. The night was very
dark. and it was with difficulty we could
| find the way in this hour Of darkness and
despair-the one applied to the night, and
the other to the peasants, who hoped to
supply us with cherries on our way. Up
stepped a travelled parrot. of the party,
| gain our undivided attention, so we soon
/ lost sight Of him and his fair companion,
| one of the American ladies. They were
soon missed, and we called, but received
| no answer, save from the frogs in a neigh
boring pond.
Amidst a good deal of excitement, the
man with the longest pair of stills was de-
| tached for the aid of the foresters. Three
| of them with la nternS were soon on hand {,
! and search began. In our ignorance of
the way we had gone on in the right di-
rection, while our guide" had wandered
into the woods, and was lost in the dark
ness Of night. The search was kept up
until one clock, and then given up. We
returned home to await the morning light.
With the dawn, however, came in our
lost couple. The ''guide'' looked forlorn
and discouraged. They had wandered the
entire night in the forest, and were ''wet
with the dews Of the morning" Poor
Alardice he says he says he has often
crossed the moors of Scotland in the tive
sma-hours," but he will never again at
tempt to pilot {; party OH German soil,
who will not take his advice.-We all be-
lieve him. K,