St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-02-21

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twelve miles to the peak. A cloud
rested on the side as if it loved the
mountain and would not leave it..
The main road dwindled away to a
mountain path, sometimes leading up
a steep sandy plain, then across a
prairie cut up with deep gorges, or
through a clumpo OF trees. Wecrossed
a ravine nearly one hundred feet deep,
and scared up a flock OF wild turkeys.
The ascent grew sleeper and the air
colder. At last, at about halt past
four, Olinda was reached. Olinda is
the summer home of H. p. Baldwin,
the wealthy sugar planter 1t is a
large, delightful house in a temperate
region, surrounded by temperate
flowers, and the grounds beautifully
adorned. 1t is wei FURNISHED and lett
in charge of a japanese, who, how
ever, could not be found anywhere.
We climbed in at a window, made a
fire in the range and prepared our
suppers, while the guide took care OF
the horses. The house had a deserted
appearance. Evidences OF child occu-
pancy could be seen in the dolls and
toys and children's books of little
tots, but this was winter, and the
little ones were no doubt in their home
down by the ever restless sea.
After supper we went to bed and
slept until midnight, when we awoke,
and, after a lunch, saddled ourhorses
and proceeded on our midnight jour
new to the House OF the Sun.
Coward and upward, step by step,
and loot by foot, II sleepy horses
stumbled through the darkness.
From Olinda to the top of the noun
tain | was told that the rise was one
foot to every six, and believe that
the statement is correct. But few
words were spoken. II we were in
clined to yawn ordoze in our saddles,
our horses stumbling on some round
stone awoke us. Hour after hour we
pressed on; sometimes over a bleak
mountain wild, sometimes througha
forest of dead trees blasted by the
cold mountain winds.
Before starting, Mr.. Colville had
furnished me with an o%vercoat and
gloves, assuring me that | would
need them. | donned them on leav-
ing Olinda, and now found my teeth
chattering with the cold. thought
| would dismount and walk up tn,
steep, but found after taking a doztn
steps that l could hardly breathe.
The atmosphere was so light that
although our horses went on a walk
they painted as il they had been run
ming, and often we were compelled
to halt and let them rest. My hat
blew off once and | dismounted t.
get it. The exertion almost exhaust
ed me.
Our guide showed evidences O.
bewilderment. and though he uttered
not a word we knew he was LOST
Mountain gorge alter mountain
gorge was crossed. Sometimes VT
threaded II way along a narrow
shelf of rock on the mountain side
with a chasm 500 feet deep on on,
side and a cliff FULLY as high on the
other. My horses foot struck {
loose stone and sent it rolling to tn,
awful depths below.
At last the morning star rose |
looked double the size of ii star. Tn,
purity of the atmosphere in thi,
region would certainly make it ;
desirable place for Astronomical
observations. We halted to allow
II horse to rest, and talked almos
in whispers. A white object appeared
among the rocks and course shrub
berry. 1t was a wild bull. Wild cat
tie, wild deer and wild goats ar
common in the mountains of tn
Hawaiian islands. At sight of u
this one gave a snort and fled.
We pressed on and soon reached
the summit, tired. chilled and be
rumbed, before the first tints OF ros,
morn began to appear. Our horse
were turned over to our guide, and
went into the stone house to build
fire, when one of my companion
cried:
Its coming. Let the fire go AM
hurry up"
Day bad begun to dawn, and W
ran, painting and stumbling, to tn
highest point of the peak which over
looks the vast crater, FIVE miles i
diameter. Right on the verge ottha
awful abyss we paused. seized
stone weighing perhaps twent
pounds and threw it over into tn
dark crater. We wanted to hear
strike the rocky bottom. No SCUM
ever came back. 1t was lost in tn
tall of thousands of feet.
The eastern horizon all spread GU
at our feet. was now a wonder {
beauty. No pen can describe it, an
no painters brush do it justice. A
the prismatic hues of the rainbow
an everchanging panorama wei
spread for thousands OF miles belo,
us. The orange glow here, the app
green there, the yellow gold and We
million borders, while thousands {
ieet below were what seemed blu
pillows. These were clouds. AS tt
!, day dawned they wereeverchanginl
Kaleidoscope, and chameleon
beauty. One moment the clouds b
meath were like blue pillows, the ne,
cold snowbanks with ships sailing