The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-23

cry led 10 II. This objection, a. L nave
s,,f los nou, been obvlated. Then too,
little attempt has been made 10 adver-
tise its advantages: 81 seems to be some
thing OF a close corporation. consisting
Of some thirty odd neat little cottages
encircling a pretty lawn, situated right
unon the side of the mountain not 30
very far from It's summit. These cot
tares are owned by persons In the sur
rounding country. who occupy them dur
ING tho summer months. They have
hotel for the accommodation OF the rev
transients who make their appearance
from time TO time. This hotel is neither
so large nor so deliberately fitted out as
our famous Jefferson" No plaster s.
uscd about tie place, walls and ceilings
being of native wood. Upon reaching the
room assigned me. I opened my valise,
and tal<ing out It's contents. so disposed
various and sundry garments upon the
walls. In such a judicious manner as
TO cover the knot holes In the aforesaid
"native-wood." thus cutting Off the view
to and from tho adjoining rooms. Hav-
Ing removed the marks OF travel. went
down to the porch 10 view the land
scape DER" In front 81 the hotel.
quartet were pitching quoits, short dis
lance away I could hear the rumble from
"a
dab. a quiet game Of whist was In pro-
gress. while here and there. In little
groups. the ladies were chatting. and the
men talking war. In the centre or the
lawn was a band-stand. They have no
band but the stands there all rght.
One OF the favorite amusements OF the
place is to climb TO the "Black Rock
n huge black boulder near the mountain
top from which the place takes liz name.
These excursions are made by people OF
strong legs and weak minds for only
the stoutest limbs could carry one up
the terribly rough, steep and tedious
path to this point. while / cannot ina
CINE a really sensible person taking the
trip-certainly not second time Once
there. there's no difficulty about getting
back. All you have 10 do IS TO let go,
and gravity does the rest. In adopting
this mode of descent, II Is usually Gus
tomary to engage a man 70 meet You az
the foot Of the mountain. with a small
bag in which 10 gather you up. The
great attraction Of the place IS the
spring-a bold stream which bursts out
from the side of the mountain, really
magnificent water, cold, clear and spark
ling and strongly chalybeate. said TO be
I'm fact. like every other spring. In the
mountains. the finest water I'm Virginia.
is there any place which our enterpris-
ing Richmcnders have not discovered.
had not dreamed of meeting any one
knew there. but had only Just stepped
upon the porch, when / met friend
from Richmond.
A PERILOUS JOURNEY.
But hunting and that alone was Just
now engaging our attention. so we be-
gan making inquiries and finally were
introduced 10 a mountaineer, whom, we
were told. knew every foot Of the noun
tain and could find game If Il was 10 be
discovered. and we had soon made ar
rangements for him to meet us before
sunrise the next morning. so in antici-
patton of such an early start, we retired
very soon after supper have con-
tracted the bad habit Of reading myself
TO sleep every night, but found It I'M
necessary to do so on this occasion, as
the two young ladies in the adjoining
room were reading a very Interesting
novel TO each other and as every word
they read as well as their extremely
original comments were distinctly audi
BILE TO me. I closed my book, extinguish-
ed my lamp and allowed them to read
me to sleep Bright and early the next
morning we were up and. after hasty
breakfast, mounted our horses and, pre-
ceded by our guide who disoained 10
ride started to cross the mountain.
They have some funny people up there
in the mountains, ! don't think they
mean to lie but they make serious mis-
takes I'm their calculations sometimes.
For instance, we were told IL was about
one-half mile to the top Of the noun
tain. IT proved the longest mile | ever
travelled. But It was almost impossible
10 get definite report as TO distances.
col
was eight miles distant-after passing
two mile-posts in a direct line TO the
desired point. we met n native and ask
ed how far was our destination. well,
now, I guess its about twelve mile, was
the encouraging reply. And. reader,
should a mountaineer ever tell you that
a road is bad, if you value your neck
don't venture on II. They told us the
road TO the top of the mountain was
fairly good" never travelled a worse
filled with huge rocks over which our
horses stumbled. and so steep we posi-
lively had to cling TO the horses names
lest we slide off behind. | did not won
der our guide preferred 20 walk I ra-
Their thought he had the best of It, but
IL was quite a warm day and after we
had gone about five miles, he stopped
and wiping the perspiration from his
brow, pointed into the bushes and said
If we could go that way we would cut
off a couple of miles. ! could see no
sign of a. road. but he assured us there
was supposed TO be one there, so we
attempted it, he leading the way and
holding up the boughs of the trees that
we might ride beneath them; presently
the way grew so rocky and steep that
I do not see how our horses possibly
climbed it. Halfway up my saddie-eirth
broke and l narrowly escaped an ugly
fall, and as 1t was, had TO Chamber 10
the top Of the hill on foot, my horse fol-
lowing as best he could. When we fin
ally reached the top of this mountain,
and started down the other side the road
soon became so rocky and precipitous.
that It was foolhardy in the extreme 10
ride. as we looked every moment for our
horses to pitch forward and throw us
over their heads. 50 we dismOunted and
for two miles clambered down the noun
tain side our horses slipping and sliding
behind us 1t seemed every moment that
they would tumble upon us.
When we had reached the summit OF
the first mountain our guide showed
us a spot where a man could stand with
one foot i'm Rockingham county. the other
in Augusta and shake hands with "a
friend standing in Albemarle And here