Frostburg mining journal., 1883-11-03
WHOLE NO. $50.

to sit on, which may not be as proud
as their my-hog-guinea chairs, but
which sends up a sweeter flavor than
the skin of any hog can do, be itof
Guinea, or be it of any other land.
Come, friend, don't be mournful for
the colt; twas an innocent thing,
and had not seen much hardship.
Its death will save the creature
many sore back and weary foot"
Uncas did as the other had di-
rected, and when the voice of Hawk
eye ceased, the roar of the cataract
sounded like the rumbling of distant
thunder.
"Are We quite safe in this cavern%
demanded Hayward. as there no
danger of surprise? A single armed
man, at its entrance, would hold us
at his mercy"
A spectral-looking figure stalked
from out the darkness behind the
scout, and seizing a blazing brand,
held it towards the further extremity
of their retreat. Alice uttered faint
shrek and even Cora rose to her feet, as
this appalling object moved into the
light but single word from Hey
ward calmed them, with the assurance
it was only their attendant, Ching
achgook, who, lifting another blank
ct, discovered that the cavern had
two outlets. Then holding the
brand, he crossed deep, narrow
chasm in the rocks, which ran at
right angles with the passage they
were in, but which, unlike that, was
open to the heavens, and entered
another cave, answering to the de-
scription of the first, in every essen
tial particular.
"Such old foxes as Cningachgook
and myself are not often caught in
burrow with one hole" said Hawk
eye, laughing; "you can easily see
the cunning of the place-the rock
is black limestone, which everybody
knows is soft; it makes no uncom-
Portable pillow, where brush and
pine wood is scarce; well, the fall
was once few yards below us and l
dare say, was, in its time, as regular
and as handsome sheet of water as
along the Hudson. But old age is a
great injury to good looks, as these
sweet young ladies have yet to parn.
The place is sadly changed! These
rocks are full of cracks, and in some
places they are softer than at other
some, and the water has worked out
deep hollows for itself, until it has
rollen back, aye, some hundred feet,
breaking here and wearing there,
until the falls have neither shape
nor consistency"
"In what part of them are we ?"
asked Hayward.
"Why, we are nigh the spot that
Providence first placed them at, but
where it seems, they were to rebellious
to stay. The rock proved softer on
each side of us, and so they left the
center of the river bare and dry, first
working out these two little holes for
us to hide in"
ave are then on an island ?"
"Aye! there are the falls on two
sides OF us and the river above and
below. If you had daylight, it would
be worth the trouble to step an the
height of this rock and look at the
perversity of the water. 1t falls by
no rule at all there it skips; here, 1t
shoots in one place tits white as snow,
and in another tits as green as grass;
hereabouts, it pitches into deep hol-
lows, that rumble and quake the arth /;
and thereaway, it ripples and sings
like brook, fashioning whirlpools
and gulleys in the old stone, as it twas
no harder than trodden clay. The
whole design of the river seems dis
concerted. First it runs smoothly,
as if meaning to go down the descent
as things are ordered; then it angles
about and faces the shores nor are
there places wanting where it looks
backward, as if unwilling to leave the
wilderness, tie mingle with the salt!
Aye, lady, the fine cobweb-looking
cloth you wear at your throat, is
coarse, and like a fish-net, to little
spots | can show you, where the river
fabricates all sorts of images, as if,
having broke loose from order, it
would try its hand at everything.
And yet what does it amount tol
After the water has suffered to have
its will, for time, like a headstrong