San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-09-01

q great Stretch or pine trees, WITH great
rocks scattered among them, as if some
mountain had been blown up and fallen
in huge shower of fragments
And so, still forever toiling and
scrambling upward, we found ourselves
about o'clock, as / should judge by
the light beyond the trees and upon the
side of the mountain, with the whole
campaign laid out like a carpet under
us ON one side, prodigious slopes of rock
on either hand, with only shrub or q
twisted fir here and there, and on the
forest side horrid stark ravine with a
cascade of water laundering down in its
midst, and apeak rising beyond, covered
with snow, which glittered in the sun
Light like a monstrous heap of white
salt.
After resting at this point half an
hour to breathe our mules, the guides
got into their saddles, and we did like
wise, and SO ON again along the side of
the ravine, only not of cluster as here
tofore, but one behind the other in a
long line, the mules falling into this
order of themselves as if they had trav-
eled the path hundred times, but
there was no means of going otherwise,
the path being atrociously narrow and
steep, and only fit for wild goats, there
being no land rail, coping or anything in
the world to stay one from being hurled
down 1000 feet, and the mountain sides
30 inclined that twas a miracle the
mules could find foothold and keep their
balance. From the bottom of the ravine
came constant roar of falling water,
though we could spy it only now and
then leaping down from one chasm to
another, and more than once our guides
would cry to us to stop, and that where
our mules had to keep shifting their
feet to get hold, while some huge bowl
der, loosened by the nights rain, few
down across our path in terrified bounds
from the heights above, making the
very mountain tremble with the shock.
Not word spoke we; nay, we had
scarce courage at times to draw breath
for two hours and more of this fearful
passage, with no encouragement from
our guides save that one of them did
coolly take out knife and peel an on
ion as though he had been ON level,
broad road, and hhen, reaching a fiat
space, we came to stand again before
an ascent that promised to be worse
than that we had done Here we got
down, Moll clinging to our hands and
looking around her with huge, frighted
eyes.
shall VI soon be there2" she asked.
Engl.pp putty g this question in
y le n kideE they pointed up
wafN to gap filled with SNOW, and an
swered that was the highest point This
was some consolatiop, though we could
not regard the rugged way that lay be-
twixt us and that fhout quaking. In
deed, thought thaSeven Don Sanchez,
despite the calm, unmoved countenance
he ever kept, did look about him with a
certain kind of uneasiness. However,
taking example from our guides, we IN
loosed our saddlebags, and laid out our
store of victuals with hogskin of wine
which rekin,lled our spirits prodigiously.
While we were at this repast our
guides, starting as if they had caught
sound Though we heard none save the
horrid bursting of water), looked down,
and one of them, clapping two dirty
fingers in his mouth, made shrill whis
tie. Then we, looking down, presently
spied two mules far below on the path
we had come, but at such distance
that we could scarce make out whether
they were mounted or not
"Who are they?" asks Don Sanchez
sternly, as I managed to understand.
Friends, "'replies one of the fellows,
with grin that seemed to lay his face
In two halves