The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-06

BY E. B. MURRAY q
fcation we came out of the river as dry
as we went in, barring the effects of q
copious cold perspiration on my part.
More miles of rough. road, fanged with
murderous stones and varied with treach.
erous looking fords, finally brought us to
our destination for the night, the resi-
dence of Mr.. r. Whitesides, where we
received cordial welcome and hot sup
per, and were most pleasantly enter.
tanned. Darkness came down upon u.
almost at one stride soonafter we reached
his gate. A few minutes later we were
sitting in the front porch looking ou:
into the night, and /, for one, feeling
deeply impressed with the novelty and
beauty of the brief twilight in the noun
tains, when suddenly ghostly voice
darted out of thicket almost at our
feet and went calling down the dark val
ley, as rapidly as the words could be
uttered, "Whip.poor-willl whip-poor-
will whip-poor-willp Immediately it
seemed as if thousand -throats, which
had been awaiting the signal, had caught
up the cry, and sal thousand voices were
clamoring in concert for the punishment
of that hapless offender against bird laws.
If Will was not thrashed within an inch
of his life that night it was certainly be-
cause he could not be found, and not be-
cause of any lack of unanimity of senti-
ment against him on the part of the
other and numerous members of his COM
munity.. :. Not being able, apparently, to
lay.claws ON Viii, however, several voices
next proposed very earnestly 10 Chuck
Wits widow, but this proposition was
voted down and drowned out of hand-a
proceeding I readily understood when it
was explained to me that while the whip
poor-willT is mountain bird achuck,
will'sSwidow is known as the lowlander,",
by which name he is commonly called.
After an early breakfast next morning
we commenced our second days journey,
and had proceeded but few miles when
we turned sharply into q valley, looking
up which We were greeted with our first
view of the Blue Ridge, only twelve
miles away. A half hour later, at'7: 20
a. m. Friday morning, and just as ne
turned the summit of one of the lesser
hills, my companion suddenly pointed
upward over the tree tops and startled
me from reverie with the single suffi-
cient exclamation,
YONDER is BALD MOUNTAIN
Onlyiits crown was visible, however,
and as the road descended the hillside it
quickly disappeared and was not again
visible until an hour later, when with
equal suddenness it came into view again
from the top of little knoll, whence its
hard, sharp outlines, in the possession of
which it differs from all other peaks in
sight, were readily traced from the river
bed at its foot up to the bare rocky sum-
NIT, whence it has. derived its distinctive
name. We were now butfye miles from
its base, and from our point of view the
summit appeared to be divided into three
prominent peaks, known respectively as
Harris View, the Pinnacle, and Round
Top, but I may as we'll mention here
that the term Bald Mountain is given to
arrange which comprises many such peaks,
and which extends perhaps twenty miles
to the north of the entrance to Hickory
Nut-Gap. A little before. noon we
reached the hotel atjits base, and having
obtained dinner. and an hour of needed
rest prepared to go in search of the vol
cano. tSs
We had repeated inquiries along
the route as to the fact of the reported
rupture and its whereabouts, if it really
existed. AS the first question was almost
invariably answered in the negative,
however, we did not find frequent occa-
sion for ptopounding the second. With
in sight of the mountain itself we had
met and questioned man who lived
within FIVE miles of it, aud were. informed
by. him that "there was some talk about
such a crack, but he had never seen it |;
didn't believe that it was there, and,
moreover, though he had been living
near it for years, he had never heard any
rumblings or felt any Shocks" This
answer was repeated in substance by
several other persons along the road, and
but for the representations of one or two
countrymen who seemed to be better in
formed, or who had heard at least that
some one else had seen 'sthe crack" I
should have been tempted very strongly
to give up the race in sight of the goal !!
There was no approach to certainty, and
scarcely to possibility of successful
search until we alighted at the hotel
door, when the courteous young land
lord, Mr.. .Flack, informed me that there
was no doubt about the existence of q
recently formed chasm, and that it had
been seen and marked by Mr.. Afford,
a farmer who lived upon the top of one
of the peaks in sight, and whose services
could be secured for our guidance. AS
already stated, the mountain was really
q range of several mountains, and from
the door of the hotel we were confronted
with four formidable peaks at the outset,
with the prospect of a dozen more to in
yestigate after we had explored these in
such manner as we could. Any one of
them would have required two or three
days for even cursory ramble among
thin forests and jagged glens. 1t was out
of the question to attempt it.
We had no resource but to 60 and find
Afford at once, and learn what he had
seen. Afford had come down from his
height yesterday, Mr.. Flack said, and
had pointed out to him where the crack
was to be found. 1t was just beyond the
edge of precipice il sight, which, ris.
ing from the forest half way up the
mountain side, loomed up dead, blank,
perpendicular rock wall, three or four
times as high as st. Michaeps steeple
No living creature could climb it. The
psth lay to the right of this cliff, and
would bring us by roundabout way to
its brow. Afford lived up there all
among the little stars; he must be seen,
and our. host at last consented to show
the way to his celestial abode. Our pre-
parations for. the ascent consisted in di-