Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1889-02-28

vale. DirssslY opposite As ! enter the
Ansslgrund 10 lofty rock. rising to
u k@lght Of 200 feet. and 70 worn, near
it, bsss. By the ceaseless action Of the
slsmsntsI that it 10 completely tun-
nslsd, 90 that from where / stand, /
can see through the aperture. the
soft blue sky beyond. At my feet
flows . murmuring little brook: iis
grassy banks bright with dear little
Wild howers Of various hues. Ascend
ing the valley ! reach in three quar-
tsrs Of an hour place where g wall
q rock completely closes the valley.
y9s t1ss shssss.s The sporsive littls
brook plungss. and on Investigation, /
discover. behind the fall. cave PEN
etratine the solid rock for distance
tancs of 30 feet. This delightful lit
tie cataract has the name of Amsel-
fall. Here find good place to sit
down. until thoroughly rested. pro-
ceed on my way. which takes me. BY
q fight Of stone steps hewn out of the
rock, over the barrier. and once more
! walk beside the little brook. Soon
/ enter the village of Rathswalde.
and passing through its struggling
streets, take the direct road to the
Hockstein. From this direction, the
ascent 10 hardly noticeable and I am
very much surprised when I come to
the summit and looking down the
precipice on the further side see the
green valley of Polenzsrund lying
$50 feet below me. Here I have a
splendid view Of the town of Holm
stein, with its ancient castle. I now
descend by several hundred ct tone
steps and in some parts by ladders.
through cliff. in the rock, called the
Wolfsschlucht to the Restaurant in
the cool Polenzthal. After a short rest
here, under the almost overhanging
Hockstein, I start down the valley
and, after pleasant walk Of half an
hour, cross q brook and commence the
arduous ascent ofthe Brand. Several
times / feel very much like giving up
the attempt as the day is very warm.
the path steep and what is worse the
way, nothing but bed Of sand 90
deep that my feet sink into it at every
step but I persevsrs and after awhile
the soil becomes fnner; then | enter
q splendid fine forest and passing,
through come suddenly on the out
look with its inevitable inn. Com.
pletely worn out, I sink into chair,
but soon feeling slightly rested. ap.
proach the brink of the precipice and
look over. The view thoroughly re.
wards me for all the toll of the last
few hours. Looking from right to
left / zee the lofty and remarkable
peaks of: The Bastei Barenstein,
Koenigstein, Lilienstein Pabststein,
Crosse Winterberg and numerous
others, separated by the most charm
ing of green valleys Feeling now
suffi ciently rested and having enjoyed
to the utmost the magnificent scene.
| leave this lofty point and descending
the mountain by zigzag figh: of
hundreds of steps through the wild
Tiefegru ID. passing on the way un-
der q remarkable overhanging rock,
reach the road which leads direct to
the Elbe. After an exceedingly hot
and dusty walk I arrive at the village
of Wendisch- Faehre on the Elbe and
ascending the river. in half an hour
reach Schandan. situated at the June
tion of the Kirnitzschuach with the
Eibe. This town is the central point
of the Saxon Switzerland and during
the summer season is quite a resort
for strangers. Here, as ! am very
tired and anxious for my dinner. I
will close this letter, hoping to give
an account Of the remainder of my
trip on Q future occasion.
w. B. MURPHY.