The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1878-05-30

mounted our chargers and pur
sued our course toward Turtle
town. Reader, | imagine your
self confined near the ever con
tinued burning and smelling pro
cesses which the ores are carried
through at the Isabella smelling
works, inhaling the fumes anL
sulphuric vapOrs arising from the
many roast piles, blast furnaces
DC, for twelve months, and you
will know just how 10 appreciate
an excursion into the country in
the month of May, when nature
is clothed in habiliments of mag,
nificent grandeur, amid the chirps
of the tiny sparrow, and more SUI
perb notes and songs OF the
knocking bird, with a broad eX
pansive view of the celebrated
Frog mountain, with its majestic
bluffs of rock and towering peaks
arising up before you and presen-
ting the appearance of an unpass-
able barrier, impressing the ST.
lent spectator for a moment with
a reverence Of the Great Creator
and Architect of the universe,
whose handiwork stands an ire
futable witness of an allwise and
supreme being.
After contemplating this en-
chanting view Of mountain see
merry we unloosed our seine and
fishing tackle with a view Of hay
ing fine sport; but owing TO the
clearness of the water and numer-
GUS cascades in the creek catch
ing fish in a seine was out of the
question, nevertheless our obiec.
tive point when leaving home
was the Hiwassee river where IT
receives the waters ofTurtletown.
But the great dilemma was in
what way were we to proceed on
our journey with such gigantic
mountains confronting us at ev-
cry point Of the compass in the
direction we wished to explore,
but with the eXhuberance of boys
out of school and the eXhilliala-
ting influences Of pure mountain
air, some began the almost per-
pendicular ascent of clambering
up slowly, grasping the bushes
for support at every step-SOme
Of them being Of the prickly ashe
species and covered with thorns,
consequently we released our
holds without much reluctance,
while others navigated their way
down in the bed Of the creek over
the slick and moss-coyered boul-
derS, sometimes falling down and
getting in to water so deep we
had to resort to swimming. We
descended the fails in many pla-
ces where they were 10 to 80 feet
in height, by swimming from step
to step by the brushwoOd projec
ting from the crevices in the
above, and at someTpoints
the current was so swift hat we
were forced to scale the summit
of the adjacent mountain spurs
whore they terminated abruptly
by forming a perpendicular bluff,
at the waters edge often from 80
to 90 feet high. While toiling up
the mountain side our guide, Mr..
CClman, showed us traces Of the
bear in his wild, untamed state,
and where in his savage herculean
strength he had wrenched off sap
lings from 3 to 5 inches in diam
eter with his teethand ponderous
Turkeys are abundant al
though we saw but one or two
and they were upon the wing at
such a distance as to preclude all
possibility of makinga successful
shot. After tramping some two
or three miles over this romantic
and precipitous mountain range
our steps were quickened by
some one in the advance eyrlaim7 ;
ing river ahead !" We consider g..
ed our sore feet and weary limbs
compensated Ewhen our
was greeted by the Hiwas-
see river, majestically flowing .
at the base Of those splen-
lid mountains in its rough and !
'ugged channel amid rocks and !
bounded on either side by
he most picturesque mountain
scenery that can be conceived Of
enchanting the visitor and hold, I
ne him spell-bound and causing :
lim to feel as though he was ,
reading upon soil hat was never !
before explored by mortal man. !
feasting our eyes upon the !
many objects within our view, ,
we began slowly to ~retrace our !
steps to camps, when Capt. Witt !
a huge rattlesnake peace !
IDLY coiled up taking his noon ,
lay KNAPP; He quietly discharged !
he contents Of his fowling piece {
nto his s%nakeship and left him a I.
prey TO the d~enlzens of .
he mountains. AZ !
regaining our camp and ap. .
)easing our ravenOus appetite !
he time Of resting was taken up !
n discoursing excellent music !
lpon the banjo by William Sum |
Ter, who is more extensively !
Known as "Banjo Bill,n who was L
he life Of tie party and created !
Is many friends among the citi-
ems Of that sections as though I