The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-08-15

easy, oy the density ot the woods, the slender saplings and decayed ssumps forming admirable banisters for our party of travellers. We soon found, however, that much danger was necess AFily added to this mode of climbing. as we often re- moved large stones which went crashing down the sides, sometimes striking a tree or dropping noisily into the water below. We changed our tactics then, and, dis tTibuting ourselves in even numbers, side by side, continued our ascent, keeping close together.
 Nearer the top, however, the difficulties seemed more intricate and the dangers multiplied. We found fewer trees aud less support, while the heretofore pre- vailing abundance of moss and earth that we had found so acceptable for crawling purposes, when we could not walk, by support, suddenly diminished, and we realized our true situation. Above and before us there appeared tier after tier of seemingly impossible rock behind and below there lay the precipitous lodges, over which we had just made our way With determined purpose we once more clinched the rocks and stones around us, and mounted the summit. Now, indeed,
 "The beauty and majesty of the earth
 Spread wide beneath"
 lay before our vision. In a moment we had forgotten our laborious journey up ward, and running forward to a projected rock, the top of a pillar of the cliff, drank in the tableau of nature. Below, great ravines, with jagged, stony edges, yawned and miniature promontortes ran from the sloping sides far into the river. Throw ing ourselves upon the grass, we leaned over and surveyed the scene below us the waving trees and bushes, which find their sustenance in the ground covering the base, the accumulation of centuries, dropping little by little the huge bould- CTS, loag since removed from the Pali- sades' fatherly graso, and now firmly inn planted in the bed beneath the river.
 The Hudson sleepily rolled by, bearing upon its bosom richly laIen crafts from the cities of the great lakes and the up- per river towns. As meditated upon of an incident having no unimportant part in the history of our country, namely, the exploration of this river by Hendrix Hudson, when he sailed to point nearly opposite where we rested, and, there cast ing, anchor, traded with the Indians. We tried to imagine the quaintly rgged Half Moon as she attracted the attention of the dusky denizens of the forest, who padded their canoes round about her, but would not climb thereon" Then we amused ourselves by endeavorlng to throw a stone into the river and were greatly surprised to find that though the rocks seem to descend vertically, so great is the slope formed by the continuous falling of the loose stones and dirt 1t was impossible to do so. Together, in twos and threes, we dragged great stones to the edge, and being confident of the ab- sence oi any human being directly below, rolled them over the brink, and uem blingly watched, as, descending with fearful rapidIty, they would strike some projecting abutment, and, springing far out, go crashing through the uee tops, and roll heavily over the stone. covered beach into the water
 We were soon glad to leave this dan gerous spot and find our way to a rustic summer house, ingeniously constructed d upon the edge of a latent rock pillar, where, covered oy a spreading, shady cedar, we could watch with safety the WOil0 VI udluIC dIOQuA. OuQCt NuI ICCl and below a cluster of brush and vines, in narrow cleft, colony of blue jays had formed their nests. In and out they fitted, sailing far down into the dizzy depths, and returning shortly with food or building material. We remembered as we watched them disappear between the lodges of rock, whose cavities gave forth diversity of shades of light, that the Creator had not been unmindful oi their needs, when in bestowing intellect and reason upon man, He had also allotted powers to them commensurate to their wants. We almost envied them in their possessions, and could but ex- claim, What hath God wrought"
 Lifting our eyes, we saw the opposite shore, now thickly peopled and present. i-g commercial aspect in striking con- trast to the rural surroundings behind us. The city of Yonkers, wherein is located the famous Phillipse Manor house, once the home of Lord Phillipse, the colonial magnate, with two prominent features of interest, easily seen by the naked eye the palatial residence of Samuel ]. Tilden and the imposing brick water tower, 100 feet high-lay five miles bel ow US, and one mile further north the village of Dobbs Ferry, made prominent in revolu- tionary history as the point where Wash ington crossed the Hudson Tn his retreat in November, I776; while but five miles above lay Tarytown, the scene of the celebrated "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and where the remains of the author, Washington Irving, are inferred. The broad, blue expanse of water forming Long Island sound is plainly visible over the Westchester hill-tops, and Long Island offsets the background of the picture by narrow strip of land. We got partial glimpse Of the bay of the great metropolis, and to the northeast obtained an excellent view of the Con- necticut hills, strikingly beautiful! as they disappeared into the hazy distance be- yond.
 We were soon reused from the reverie by the falling of rain-drops, having been