West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1900-08-02

we rested, and the rain poured
down in torrents. At the dinner
table ! remarked, "If this rain
continues we cannot go on" when
to my surprise was informed eve
MUST so on, we will hold YOU re-
sponsible If we miss our steamer.
Then / had feeling go over me
which in my younger days would
have called MAD, but now that am
missionary call i, yfghfcons in
Hg0afioH.
The next morning | found it nee
essary to call the ladies at four
O'Clock and as they are very slow
felt il my duty to hasten matters by
reminding them about every fifteen
minutes that l was ready and
If we missed the boat it would be
their doings..
We made long hard pull that
day over a beautiful mountain road
never before travelled by foreigner,
SO you see we were explorers as
we'll as tourists. We put up that
night at an inn. need not describe
1t to you, but do wish you could
have seen Miss LIS eyes when she
said, "Do you mean we have to
stay here tonight told her we
were indeed fortunate to find such
a comfortable inn, and indeed we
had room TO ourselves with a
window. What more could one
ask?
To be sure the walls were some
what blackened and crumbled by
age and smoke, and the plank beds
could have been more inviting, but
slept until daylight, and when
Miss l.. said she had not slept a
wink, but had breathed through her
handkerchief all night, | laid the
responsibility of not getting an
early start upon her. We reached
the river at noon, forty miles above
the point our house boat could
come to meet us. | was almost
frantic, for by this time l was as
anxious to catch the steamer as were
my tourists.
The Ing Hok river is very like
our river Cheat, in its widest and
most picturesque parts. 1t is more
rapid than the Cheat and was swell
ed by the rains. A boatman offered
to take us down to our house boat
for eight dollars. knew three dol
lars was an abundance, but | could
not get him to see so. Chow long
would it take him ?" How my heart
sunk within me, when he SAID, "To-
morrow morning." for the steamer
sailed at daylight, and when we
reached the house boat we still had
thirty miles to go to the steamer. l
urged him to do his best to reach
the house boat before dark, and we
started off. He said he would pro-
mise to reach our boat before dark
if we would give him ten dollars. /
threw anxiety to the winds and en-
joyed the day as | seldom enjoy
day.
The scenery was enhancing and
when we would shoot the rapids, or
go dashing through the great bould-
ers that lay in the river bed, it was
exciting enough to Danish every
thought of the past or the future
the present was all-absorbing.
When six miles from our boat.
where letters, food and beds await
ed us, our boatman coolly tied up
for the night. 1t was not vet dark.
and knew he could make it if he
would, and SO determined that he
should.
DO you want to know what meth
DDS used2
Well, suspect the old boatman
told a story something like this to
his children and grandchildren
"rhe foreigners are very strange
people, when we were going through
the most dangerous rapids, and my
heart was just jumping with fright,
they sat quietly there in the boat
and seemed to really enjoy it, Then
when ! tied up for the night, the one
who can talk our language stepped
out IN front and ordered me to pro.
coed just as if she was the man and
/ was the woman. told her had
not promised to reach her boat for
eight dollars and she had not prom
ised me ten. She said III you
could reach it for ten you can reach
it for eight, and again ordered me
to 60 on. I did not move, and
what do you suppose that woman
did ? ] was standing on shore, tying
my boat, when she jerked the rope
out Of my hand and said, Your
boat goes whether you 90 or not,
and with that she pushed right out