The herald., 1896-08-23

for thew are always some distance In the |
rear. An inventory Is taken, and the |
damage found to be mainly in shaken |
nerves; so we mount again, the Guide |
changing horses with Frisco, VINO Is put
slightly bruised.
Soon we come to the beginning OF cape
canyon one of the longest valleys on the
island, and here we separate, the Guide
and Frisco leaving US to ascend peak
called Black Jack, and arranging to
meet us for lunch on the ridge between
that mountain and Razor Back, our OBJ
iectiye peak An hours ride through
picturesque canyon and up mountain
side through the tall chapparal brings
us 20 the trystng place, and as lunch Is
being spread beneath the scrub oaks,
we hear the voices OF Frisco and the
Guide, and by straining our eyes finally
make them out far above us on the
mountain. They arrive in camp IN tlme
to get share of the lunch, and exhibit
a fine wild goat skin and head, which
Frisco will have cured and mounted as
a trophy of his prowess.
Lunch dispatched and horses saddled,
we make another start, Frisco, the DOC
tor and the Boy going ahead with the
rifles, on the chance of q shot at d Wild
goat, while the rest of us slowly follow
up the slope of Razor Back. The trail.
ii such ii can be called, here takes a
very uncomfortable pitch upwards, and
Miss Timidity loses her nerve and in
sists on dismounting and leading her
horse. Soon our way leads us along
razor-lille ridge with q steep prectpice
on either hand and now Miss Timidity
breaks down entirely and declares with
tears that she cannot go any further;
| 1t takes the combined efforts OF the
company to convince her that she can.
But the timid ones fears are soothed
at last and on we so again for the top,
which we at last attain, and what an
attainment!
From many of the mountain peaks
that the traveller ascends can be seen
nothing but other peaks and Intervening
valleys; while hero we look over the tops
of all neighboring peaks and are treated
to glorious panorama of land and
water over one hundred miles in extent.
To the westward the Santa Barbara
islands are plainly visible, to the south
west can be seen the island of San
Clemente, blue projection out of a
bluer sea-; while to the uorth and east
are plainly visible on the mainland the
| San Pedro headlands, the plains of Los
! Angeles and Santa Ana, the foothills
back of them and towering above all
/ the noble peaks of the Sierra Madre
range each silhouetted clearly against
! the blue sky, with "Old Badly" the
grandest of them all, showing his white
cross over seventy-tive miles away. A
glorious view is this combinat.nA of
land and sea with its frame of rugged
| mountains, once seen never to be for
| gotten. A stately ship, all sails spread,
/ lies apparently motionless between us
and the mainland, and far out, so far
| that her hull looks like black speck on
| the water comes the daily steamer from
San Pedro. her smoke making thread
| like line to leeward. A bald eagle circles
| above neighboring crag; but for these
few signs of life we might imagine our
selves jest landed out of the ark. on
| some gigantic Ararat, with the flood
! Subsiding about us.
The day has been warm and we have
looked forward to a cooling breeze on the
mountain peak, but, strange to say, we
find it the hottest place we have encoun-
| tered, for the air is absolutely still and
| oven-like. What breeze there is appears
to be below us, so we shorten our in
| tended stay and tighten cinches for the
descent. which is to be on new face of
the mountain. The guide assures the
ladies that we have passed all the worst
places on the trail, but Oh, Guide! thy
nameshould be Ananias, for now no
semblance of trail can be found, AID we
scramble over the loose shale on the
steep slope, the animals slipping so al
every step that we are all soon glad to
dismount and lead them In this fashion
we descend again into Cape canyon
striking the trail therein three miles
below where we left it for the ascent and
where we We're Joined by the unsuccess-
1ul goat hunters. Inc evening SnduOW!
had heightened and disappeared, anc
the stars were twinkling over the tent.
, of Avalon when we struggled intSe.s cerr
tired and dusty. but happr JNyfwomer
I ''itrr reu dresses on were not appreciated
IN certain quarters. These are ma tiers
which time can heal, but never can n
GRACE the memory of that glorious pan
orama we looked down upon ne mid
summer day from the topmost pinnacle
of Orzaba A SOJOTTRNEI2