The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-08-08
An ARKANSAS ADV HTURE
- -r.rrna ut

What life is 50 commd g, % par
rem Of incident that it laN ~ eNpefa,
enced, some spicy romante Or n'e1
some thrilling adventure Whieh u ~ou'a
interest Others to hear?
While travelling among the mountains !,
Of Western Arkansas the ldent tooA
place that am about to larrase.
r.-Ie b.d ra.ze,l = few weeks very pleas
antly at the far famed Hureka apfiilss
and was about to start home,
had left New Orleans for It. Louls
ON the elegant Anchor Line Steamer
Belle Of Memphis, and on my arrlVal z
hat civ. took the .sFrisco" road for the
snr;nrs 7 did not wish to return ~
tba same route. so concluded to pro-
| ceed bv stage to Alma, the nearest sta
tion ~ The little Rock and Fort smith
Pailroad. whence / could proceed direct
| IL by rail to Memphis.
This sage routelay forabout one nun.
dred miles through the wild, virgin forests
of Western Arkansas, crossing two ranges
# mountains, and winding its rugged
course over hill and dale, presents view
- n;cturesoue granduer by no means IN
ferior to the scenery of the French broad
snd shenandoah valley,so aPtly descrIo-
"A osuTbe Land of the Sky" The Frisco
Road that is now open from St. LOUIS
: Fort Smith was completed at that
time only as far as Fayetteville.
So. one day apout P. NJ, ] found my
self at Fayetteville seated in a cumoer-
someold Concord coach resigned to enduIs
tbe hardship of a long ride that Wouid
last all night and until late hour the E
next morning. The mail, express anu
BAGGAGE having been carefully slowed
away the driver took his seat and as the
| fonr horses started il lively trot' we
realized that our journey had begun.
There were two other passengers. one
was a mild eyed gentleman of dignined re-
serve who proved to be college protes,
sor while the other wore checkereo
flannel oyershirt and his pantaloons were
tucked into a pair of very heavy, coarse
boots his toute ensemble being that OF
laboring man. The professor explained
that he was employing his summer vaca
tion in securing specimens with when Z
enrich his chronological and botanlca
collections and every time he saw Gu
rious bug or fowerhe would want to ge
/ ont and secure it, until the driver finally
declared that he couldn't loose the tins
, and refused to humor him further. a
E CAPTAIN Cutie would express it, ne wa
] "chock full O science" and when h
found he couldn't collect "specimins,
= he began an interminable scientific dis
: sertation that was about as monotonou
= and interesting as the pattering OF ran
2 on the house top. We reached the sum
/ nit of the first range of mountains JUS
at sunset and paused here to chang
] horses. while the sun sinking beneat
the horizon formed the most beautifu
;, SCENE I ever witnessed. No one ca
e boast of having seen glorious sun-st
until he has viewed one from mour
q tain top on a clear summer evening
:. We resumed our journey and directl
d the moon arose like great ball OF mr.
l. LIGHTING up mountains and valleys VII
Q indescribable beauty had taken m
sent ON the box with the driver that
might the better enjoy the view and
the same time escape the learned large
i of the professor, who having no eth
audience was focusing his learning upe
our friend of the checkered shirt.
r making a steep ascent We passed alor
" very narrow ledge overlooking q chas
TO so deep that the light of the moon fall
a. q to penetrate the cavernous darkne:
Is We paused to admire the awful gra
lie duer of the scene, and while the proft
IN sor's head was stuck out of the window
Y silent admiration Of the surrounding
Te his silk hat fell off, struck the groul
I'd and bouncing over the brink, disappear
IS from view in the darkness below.
. . Jumped out as though inclined to folle
it and begged US in the most excited al
to pitiful manner to get it for him. @
nd sidering the loss of so trivial matter as
r hat, his anxiety appeared extremly rid
nd ulous.
We It was seen about ten feet below
IL hs precipice lodged in some bushes, entire
me beyond reach. Upon the professo
rot offering ten dollars for its recovery
'rk driver took the reins from the hors
81 81 tied them together, securing one end
red a tree and the other around his bo
at lowered himself and presently reappt
be ed with the hat to the great JOY of
oD- owner, who cheerfully handed him
The reward promised. He then explail
A that he had been boarding up two "
OF salary in anticipation of this SUNNI
lsI aai excursion and, as we all seemed hoi
,cb friends. he did not mind telling us
tion he had eleven hundred dollars seer
rty. in the lining Of the hat This LITTLE
aro sns cident proved Of positive benefit to
Sine for it seemed to act as quietus =
may the professor, who relapsed into a
!, to found meditation and ceased to Dor
soa0 9a with accounts Of his learned invest
tate tions. Renewing our journey, ne re
efor ed the summit Of the Boston mount
.ates about midnight and while the he
~. ~ we're changing, we partook Of me
lis the hotel, that, considering the i
shall would be difficult to classify as sE'ppl
oT breakfast.
hese at length resumiDg our seats 4
me stage, we began the long, steep dc.
nov and the horses going in rapid trOt
ougn iolting nf the coach over rocks
nol;- ri. stumps and the itful shadows "a
her. the candles, the cliffs and trees apps
] her i though Ne were rushing to &c
MS destruction. Scarcely month
s.re ..a.e this very trip IA associated pres
thet match stated that while the stage
hers making this descent. thedriyer lost
sl.aL trol If the horses and TIE result "a
eIeet killing Of the driver md two horse
their ths serious injury of Tie solitary p
sreee Ear inside st The termination Of
l.1aan = descent, which i about s. nil
sueh length, wc cross narrow yalleY a
of us gin the ascent 0I another range ot 2
cruel fainx. The stages going and fefu
girls ...~.,g, ,,.st Il, tIs;s "a I..2 AID net
niger ....a.s s. ,t..s -.