Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1878-06-27

ISL Aue sloFm from the south Is upon us,
passes, and all to the north is hidden from
sight. But, bark From the highways of
the heavens comes the sound of preparation
tor battle. The fury-breathing powers of
the air, with their cohorts, are out for a field
day !; CLEANS of electricity light the misty
walls of vapor that hide the battle field from
our view. Those short, sharp, musket-like
reports are the skirmishers feeling their way
to the front. That deep and noisy rumble
is the speeding OF the great guns, worked
by Cyclopean cannoneers, into position.
Those mighty blasts are the aerial trumpet
ers wheeling the battalions of chariots of fire
into line for the coming tray. Listen to the
sharp roll of the Titanic drums calling the
stragglers to their places, and see how
quickly they respond as they hitslike shad-
ows across the sky to the scene of the ap-
preaching conflict. Oh, that the curtain,
which WI can almosttouch, wouldn't rise,
that we might see this contest of the legions
of Nature! 7
The sun hides his light behind the distant
mountains, and for a while only the ftful
flashing of the vengeance-breathing clouds
can be seen. Suddenly the earth shakes
with the crash of the %contending elements,
while "the tllunders of Natures ordnance
echo through the caverns of the clouds.''
Ha! this is d battle! Behold, the misty veil
rent aside; we can see as we'll as hear this
savage struggle for the mastery. The thun-
derbolts hurled from Jove's artillery dart
toward each other with tongues OF lurid
flame. The trees in the midst of the uproar
sway and tremble in their fear, and the very
mountain rocks to its foundation. The
shock of the onset of the storm cloud from
the south has driven the storm cloud, it's
brother, from its coign of vantage on the
Black ridge, where it rested in such con
temptuous security, and the two disappear
behind the high hills on the northeast, out
of sight, but we can still hear the roar of
the strife. Only for a brief moment, how
ever, are they hidden from us. Back they
come into the old arena, and the battle is
renewed over and on the Black ridge. There
is no motion in the atmosphere where we
stand-only half a mile from the scene of
the con6ict-the air is so still that feather
droppedfrom the hand will fall straight to
the ground, yet those two enraged masses
move two and fro scarcely a hundred feet
from the earth with the jerky, ftful move
ment of giant wrestlers, while peal after
peal, crash. upon crash, deafens the ear with
their confusion. And ever, since the begin
ming of the engagement. is heard the cease
less rumble of the heavy artillery in a dis
tant part of the field. Surely the contest
must be witnessed from OH high.
Midnight approaches. For five hours has
this stupenduous battle been raging over
nearly the same ground, swaying hither and
thither only as one side or the other gained
the advantage. There is no wind, the air is
yet still, but both sides have been reinforced
by dusty. troops from a distance and from
all sides. The small clouds from the south
could be plainly seen us they sailed rapidly
through space, hiding for n transient mo,
ment the moon and stars from sight. These
seemed to look with calm indifference u the
turmoil raging beneath them.
Wearied at length with this protracted
duel at long range, they close in a deadly
hand to hand fight, attacking with such DIES
~tructive fury that the individuality of each
is lost, resulting in the formation Of a BLOCK
,of inky %blackness in and through which the
fierce contest still continues. The distorted
blackness seems like a living monster tina
writhes and bellows in its agony and water!
the earth with a copious' flood Of tears, &C
companied by the groans and shouts of the