The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-03-09
From the Baltimore Sunday Herald.

| From the baltimore Sunday Herald.
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK
Seated in most comfortable
conveyance, with the curtains rolled
to the very top, behind two splendid
roadsters, with the ribbons in the
hands of an experienced and agree.
able driver, | was soon being driven
over a good road through the hunt.
ing grounds of Meshach Browning,
on my way to Deep Greek Narrows.
l had not gone far beyond the
limits of Oakland when | was forci-
bly, struck with the appearance of a
succession of highly cultivated and
improved farms on either side of
the road. While it was an agree
able and pleasant sight, it was
rather a something I had not antici-
pated seeing in this remote and Sc
Guided section of country. The
farms ranged from $50 to 200 and
800 acres, with comfortable home.
steads and every outdoor conven-
fence, such as barns, stables and
other necessary outhouses. The
fields were generally large and en-
closed with high and substantial
fencing The leading crops ap-
peared to be rye, oats, wheat and
potatoes. do not think l noticed
more than one corn field. On sew
eral of the larger farms, where the
range was more extended, large
flocks of sheep of the Southdown
breed were grazing. Such improved
rural pictures l had supposed were
left far in the rear of my journey.
1t was not until | had reached
Hoop Pole Ridge, some half way
out to the place of my destination,
that | was able to look upon a con.
tinuous scene of the weird, rugged
and beautiful in nature. Meshach
Browning, who, by the way, was
born and reared in the woods and
who had received only a quarter
schooling in one of the early log
cabin schools, says in his book,
when contemplating this view:
"My mind cannot imagine more
beautiful sight than could then be
obtained from the highest grounds
of the Hoop Pole Ridge, which COM
manded view of the valley between
that and the great Backbone Noun
tain, a distance from six to eight
miles. 1t was a grand sight to
watch the tall grass rolling in beau
tiful waves with every breeze which
passed over its smooth surface, as
well as the herds of deer skipping
and playing with each other. 1t
was not a strange thing to see a
great, lubberly-looking bear forcing
his way through the grass, when
every deer would bound off,
with tail erect, toward the nearest
thicket. Sometimes a wolf could
be seen prowling among the high
grass endeavoring to sneak fawn,
or, if possible, even deer"
Although the march of civiliza-
ton, modern vandalism 1t could be
more properly termed in many in
stances, has made many fearful in
roads through this section of coun,
try; still there remains much, very
much of the original growth, the
ragged splendor and Unframed
beauty of the days when the young
and fearless hunter was monarch
of all he surveyed" Deer and
Wild turkeys are still captured al
along this ridge, while pheasant
hunting is splendid sport. OF thu
few bears and wolves remaining il
these range of mountains, one o.
two are occasionally seen in Meadow
Mountain, some six miles beyond
and still further on in what il
known as the Blackwater region
it is but seldom however, that on,
is captured.
Continuing my journey down the
Hoop Pole, through a deep shade
thrown from the dense. large anC
stately trees on either side of tn,
road, occasionally my eyes would
rest upon some aged monarch o
the forest which seemed to hav,
successfully defled the ravages o
time and storms. Often as one o
these huge objects of admiration
met my view l fancied to myself, i
it could but speak, what thrilling