The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1880-04-01

To the rightly" PdSs oor dtbd!' Pass
that wsyl-" 4 Ia izquierdar' Ito the
left )-"AJdlantd!' Move forward
there)-"Estese ahir' (Stay where you
are)-" Vdyd un POGO dtrosP (Back
little)-"No udyd tan de pyis1p (Not
30 fast there
Seaver and sat watching them till they
had all passed round bend of the path
out sight; we then dismounted, some
what to the astonishment of our poems.
would have tempted @le to ride
along these paths prefer to trust my
own leg to. those of mule in such
places, but of all the caravan ahead of
US not person dismounted, and our
poems declared that it is safer to ride
than walk.
The second Of the laderas, which we
came to in the course of an hour, is
much like The first, trife narrower, l
thought, and was passed in the same
manner; and at about eleven O. clock we
reached the "cow-path." ~
A glance at this third ladera showed
that what we had had was but for
taste of what was to come. The mule
train had halted on the little plateau
above it. The cdpitaz was giving orders
rapidly; the women looked nervous,
pale and alarmed; and some Of tine
children were crying in their paniers.
The path seemed narrow and rough.
1t led down among rocks, at first, then
bended along the brink Of a.cliH fer sew
eral hundred yards; and away down at
the lowest, worst part of it, it turns at
right angles round projecting rock and
thence leads up a steep incline.
This is the point of greatest danger.
For that portion of the path leading
down to this turn is almost as steep as
the room of house. Looking down at
it, either way, it seems as if you would
there come 20 jumping of place, and
once over the brink of the path, one
would slide down a smooth ledge for a
hundred feet or more to the top of a
cliff which overhangs the deep river,
nobody knows how many feet below.
of the pathway is worn into tracks, or
holes, six and eight inches in depth, by
the feet of the mules, each one of which
steps xactly In the track of the animal
before him. In making the turn at this
point, the mules have literally to bend
their bodies; and the rider has here to
look out for his of leg, for the. animals
conscious of the great danger, bear hard
against the projecting rock on the upper
side.
My friend and / had climbed out or
the rocks to the left of the path, in order
to have algood view of the caravan as il
wound down the lddera and doubled the
elbow. "What think you of this
Seaver?' / said to him. 81 think it is
an institution peculiar to the country
he said.
The mules seemed to dread the descent
The head mule hung back and would no
start at the word; but few blows from
therebeng,ie (whip) set him going, though
very cautiously, with his nose closely
applied to the path. Gradually the ami
NAL worked his way down to the elbow
then with a sharp "squirm" to right
rounded it and went up the incline ou
of s. ght beyond.
The second mule stopped short severa
times. But the muleteers shouted Il
him and threw stones till he started en-
One after another the eight pack mule
went down and around. Then cane tn,
eleven panier-mules with the children
Though foreigner and stranger,
felt my breath quicken at the peril t,
which the little things were exposed
| For there seemed more danger 10 thes
than to the pack-animals, In that tn
paniers were larger and more unwieldl,
than the pack saddles. o mddre!
podrer' the children cried. "Omi madre
NE tcmoi (I am afraid.) Me terao
Adoade irenlos" (Where are we going
"Respondame, mi mddrei' (Tell me
mother.) "A nimo mi corazonito! !
nimo, ma qurida" (Cheer up, my iii
tie heart. Cheer up, my little dear,
their mothers kept repeating to quie
them; though they were far from cas-
themselves.
One after the other the panier-mule
smelled their way down the path an
went round the turn. So sharply di
they press the baskets against the rec
at the bend, that l could plainly hea
the wicker-work crackle. Eight ha
passed round out of sight in safety, bu
the ninth one in order, either fror
pressing his panier too hard against tn
stones, or from the sudden musculs
effJft it made to double the angl
threw It's two hind legs of the narro
shelf.
Instantly a terrible cry arose from IL
group of anxious parents above u
; mingled with the excited shouts Of til
muleteers: ".Subas Bdge! Carrombo
But all stood as if paralyzed, their eye
, rivcted on the mule; and in truth the
was no such thing as getting down
him past the others.
/, The animals bind quarters were
= the rock, but it clupg on by its fore ,e
! and nose We could actually see Il
. poor beast gripping hold of the ro'
, with its teeth.
Seaver and L. both rnn along dete
3 mined to get.pass the other mules, if ,
a had tn climb over their backs. For '
n could hear those two children screa
a ing and crying, 30 oyndeme, ma madre
e 1t seem a sight to move the very ston
g But the shouting and tumult h
d started the other mules briskly forwaI
e One or two stepped past where t
fallen animal still clung on, but anoth,
n hurrying by, knocked the poor creatur
4 nose of with its feet or its papier, a
II to our horror, we saw mule and bash
4 slide down the steep ledge to the brow
4 the cliff, where he seemed to bound {
4 and wheeling over in mid-air, f
with sudden plunge into the bla
4 stream beneath.
Ir "Hes gone! They're lostP' groan
r the ensign. Like an echo came the Ct
/. Todos murieronp (They are all deac
}, from the party above us, mingled wi
II the sobs of the women.
e But the mule rose after a mome
:; and ] saw that it was making an
,e tempt to swim, though grjevou,
e weighted down with its load, which 81
8 kept its place on its back. Seeing th
IS there was rush of the muleteers ba
,t alohx the path to a point where it v
1t possible to descend to the river. Sea,
| aud l ran with them, and I recoll,
It taking some prodigious leaps downws
~ from rock to rock. Reaching the bed
le the torrent, we followed along benes
the cliff, partly in the water, and 90
E fifty or sixty rods below, came upon
40 mule stranded in an eddy against