Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-06-26

The journey occupied day and half. They
rode Indian ME along tran which only Jefrys
SwampS, fallen trees; il led through an IN
broken forest of gigantic pines, oaks, birch
ASH and sugar naples; even the nut-treeS and
black cherry had had time here to reach the
height Of hundred and fifty feet. Ever
green's and deciduous trees grew alike leatesS
and DranchleSS side by side, spreading palm
Ike at the top. The Journey was, in fact,
black pillars under hat, leafy roof. The sides
OF the creeks were banked with flaming color
laurel and rhOdOdendronS heaped up walls OF
dark green. scarlet, and creamy white; In the
sunshine late azaleas lifted wandS OF shell-ltke
rose. Sometimes the horses literally broke the
path for miles through waving forests OF fern.
There was no sign that man had ever passed
this way before. Huge trees, fallen a century
before. lay In gigantic round burrows On the
ground; burrows of deep moss of fretted and
futed lichen, gray and golden, bronze aud pur-
pie. and OF trailing myriads OF pink oxalis.
Plumy fern nodded from the sides, and a thcket
OF young hemlocks pushed ambitiously up
from the top of the ridge; but when Jerry put
his foot on 1t, the whole furrow crumbied like
pun ball into cloud of red dust. 1t was
dead body, which. undisturbed In the slow pas
sage of uncounted years, had made all this
false show OF life Very few song-birds had
made their way into this solitude. There was
none OF the multitudinous hum OF life OF woods
near towns. The absolute stiffness was
strange and oppressive at MONDAY. Nature
dwelt alone here, and kept silence and there
they had come upon her unawareS. Even
jaunty, self-sufficient Mrs. Mulock felt like an
intruder, and rode apart and quietly. The
Judge led Sarah,s horse which could not keep
Its footing. Sometimes he pointed with bright.
pleased eyes to stately tree or bed of feath-
cry moss, but he said nothing, and never called
on her to admire them Mr.. Morley rode up
once, and said, In a grave and patronizing
manner, that he must acknowledge there was
a quality Of freshness and newt born strength
in this unexplored wilderness which any scene
trcn Mt q Nod
1nnumerable tourists. Miss Dav1dger assented
civilly, but pushed on. Human voices were an
impertinence in the great and worthless mean
1ngS OF the woods.
Monstrous fungous growths reared them
selves on every side as they began to descend
to the Blackwater. The thieketS grew more
dense; red and black spiders swung themselves
necessarily across their faces from tree to tree
they found traces OF bears on newly barked
trees, and more than once the three-lObbed
clawleSS track OF a panther In the wet black
mould. Ihe thickets OF laurel and scrub oak
On the banks OF the rivers give to these beasts
and to wolves an imperv1Ous shelter; they have
the best chance there, too, Of catching the
deer as they come down to water. Browning
pointed out a dark green Shrub, which he said
was eek browse" and "had been made by the
Good Man TO grow just that high to reach the
muzzles OF the young elks." No elks had been
some might yet be hiding back In Canaan
The party camped the second night on the
bank OF the Biackwater, a stream which emp
ties into the Cheat. making hut5 of birch bark,
and beds Of hemlock boaghs set on end to give
an elastic spring. The Doctor and Morley set
out with their best white flies, reels. and lines
to catch trout for supper IN the coffee colored,
gloomy creek. Browning took few worms
from rotten tree trunk in his pocket, and his
old rod: the Judge built up the fire, and Mrs
MulOck and Sarah cooked some fitch, aud
went the usual way in such cases. The scie1-
tihc fishermen came home dripping wet. and
swearing that there was not the fin OF a trout
In the river. to find Jerry placidly frying forty
In pan. They ate their supper by the light OF
the roaring fire, a great horned owl hootfng In
the thicket. Every man had hunting story
TO tell.-Reoeccd Harding Darts, ut H01pei''>
NODOzjI1 for J,jTl