Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-09-16
CHAPTER l,
CHAPTER l.
RY name is Timothy Law.
IN" renee, l am in the early thir-
XV4 ties. and was six months

Is La W.
|" renee, am in the early thir.
1V ties, and / was six months
younger than am now
when l passed through the experience
which I am about to relate. l was ed.
ucated for the practice Of medicine,
but never practiced. was rich and
didn't have to.
Every one has his own peculiar am
bition, or, what is the same thing. his
hobby, for what is any ambition but a
more or less exalted hobbyhorse? The
one ambition of my life has been the
climbing of mountains, and l have
made many fine ascents.
Last May / was at the village Of
Pratolino. q place about fifteen miles
to the north Of the city of Florence, IN
Italy. l was stopping at the inn of one
Guglielmo Zucchi, and there were pres
ent that night at table, besides myself,
Count Tagliapietra and several other
titled gentlemen, whose landed estates.
some of them Of an area OF at least
five acres, lay in the immediate vicini
ty. The talk happening to run upon the
subject of mountain climbing. | narrat
ed to them some of my exploits and
ended by giving them my experience
upon the top of the Mesa Encantada.
near the Indian village Of Acoma, in
New Mexico. This enchanted table
land is block of sandstone. a mile
long and 600 feet high. rising perpen'
dicular from the arid New Mexican
plain and looking for all the world like
a section Of huge cheese set upon its
edge.
"My dear Lorenzo" exclaimed the
count, 1.-The rock or mountain which
you speak of is certainly an interesting
matter, but it is not so wonderful as
something of the same kind which we
have In this very neighborhood. Some
twenty or twenty-five miles to the
northwest of this place. among the
Apennines, there rises an isolated block
of mountain Of the identical shape
which you mention. II is. however.
much larger aud more mysterious. be-
ing fully five miles in length. two or
three in thickness and 1,2O0 or l,3OO
feet In height. This enchanted mesa
of ours, which is called II Monumento
on account of its resemblance to huge
sarcophagus. stands not upon the plain.
but in the midst of one Of the pellucid
lakes of the Apennines. Its top seems
fairly level, Is fringed with forest and
should contain several thousands OF
acres, but whether inhabited or not no
man will ever know. as 1t is absolutely
impossible to reach its summit"
Thought | to myself, "The noble
count is trying to so Inc one better.
And. coming to this conclusion. l Of
fered to bet him 1000 lire that within
one week l would climb to the top OF
his mysterious mountain. He imme'
diately accepted my bet, and ! saw
that he was positive of having what
is called "sure thing"
My arrangements were soon made.
1t was only necessary to have certain
articles which were necessary to my
undertaking. and this was easily done
in Florence.
Early upon the morning of Thursday
| set out on foot from Pratolino with
my guide. For several miles the roads
were good. but after passing over the
Scenario we took a rugged path, which
led US to the west and north Of Naglia
and up into the very heart Of the Apen-
mines. When we reached the shores OF
the lake. which we did ut about D
O'Clock in the afternoon, it seemed as
If we had passed entirely beyond the
limits of human habitation and come
into region totally unexplored and
desolate.
The lake was very pretty body or
water. and. though eight or nine miles
in length. 1t seemed small pool as 1t
lay there deep down among the gigan
tic backs of the mountains. A half
mile. or. 1t may be. mile, from the
shore rose from the glasslike surface
of the water the mysterious and cube
like block of stone. the island OF rock
which had come to scale. calculat'
ed that 1t must be five or six miles in
length. though the surroundings made
IL seem much less. 1t had dark red
dish look, as of sandstone. and 1t went
I'D straight and sheer from the water
to a height of 1.20O feet and more,
a, ,b<ln n hlnPk line
of forest, and the whole shape OF 1t and
the deathlike stiffness of the great am
phitheater about me made seem most
apt the name II Monumento which had
been given to 1t.
We camped upon the shore that night,
and on Friday morning at 8 o'clock,
my guide procuring me small boat
from some secret hiding place. ! left
him upon the shore and padded my
self across the water toward this Mesa
Encantada. The nearer approached
the more precipitous and unscalable
appeared It's sides. Yet would not at
that moment have accepted 1000 lire
and called 1t quits with the count. AS
neared the island found. to my sat
isfaction. that at one point Its side was
not 80 steep as I had supposed and
that the rock sloped upward from the
water at an angle Of about 45 degrees
to q height Of something like 500 feet
Here was the place for me to land.
fastened my boat securely to the rocks
and at once began to climb and IN
about half an hour found myself a
the top Of this incline at periloui
height above the surface Of the water
/ had brought with me. Of course. the
parapnernana which had been made
| for me by the blacksmith Of Florence
but l scorned as yet to put the things
to use, as l had by no means exhaust
ed the resources Of my own strength
and agility. There was assure here
and there, a slight jutting ledge now
HOOn EARM