The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-02-25

them. They insisted. however. that
the twigs were bent and the leaves
turned out of their natural position
by bear pushing his way through
the thick bushes.
" But, / objected, q bear wouldn't {
reach high enough to turn these
.eaves. me- --re turned By a maj
and tall man at that
Well. I had found the track we
we're looking for. l was sure OF il;
and after that / had no trouble in
following the course OF the missing
man. ! was soon convinced that night
had overtaken him and caused him
TO lose the trail which, as you have
seen, Is hardly wider than q squir-
rel's track, and not easy TO find even
by day.
Still led by certain signs I pass
ed into q ravine at the bottom of
which ran a stream. The professor
had doubtless taken this stream as q
guide to some settlement, and in this
he was right. The danger which lay
in his way, however, he little dream
ed OF, for following the water course
few yards further We came TO
precipice over which it leaped, plung-
ing into pool below. The rock over
which the water fell was not perpen-
dicular but shelved abruptly, and
along its edge grew z thicket of lau-
rel bushes whose twisted, protruding
roots were covered with moss.
Professor Mitchell had come TO
the spot in the darkness, and his ear
must have told hin of the falling
water, but the depth TO which il fell
he could not know. The thick moss.
stretching from stone TO stone, hid
treacherous holes, and breaking
through it into one of these he lost
his balance, and was throuwn Iio-
lently forward over the edge Of the
rock and into the pool some forty
feet below. In falling he had clutch
ed at the laurel bushes on either side
of him, bu had only grasped SOME
other twigs which gave way beneath
his weight, and all down the stesp
declivity we traced the passage of his
body as, with arms extended, Es
msde the frightful descent.
We had the greatest difficulty ~
gsstinS down to the pool even by day:
at night it would have been impc&si-
hle2. AS We climbed among the rocks
on the waters edge we camo Ipon
to ftssl queer, for l knew there was g
dead nial somewhere about. Th4 da?
was Il Gne one, but vith a few clouds
in ths-sky. When one; OF these NOV
ed ovar the sun the pool was dark,
showing no bottom. When the sin
came 9ut, however, the whole depth
vas claedr and then we e,sIw. stretched
at full length upon itss gravelly ted.
I a hC fIf
we're lCaAing. There he. lay, face
DOWN. 3Zrd~ with b,ln ans EXTENDED
n The t4~g atti -ude Of falling, anG
III his stiffeneG2 fingers the
laurel branches at which, ne haG
CIItched.
1T WIS, evident that he had not
suffered nor struggled, and. plunging
into the iIc cold water all heated as
he was By the difficult ascent down
ne go .'Se, his death must have been
lnstantane 1HS- 1t was in this way
Nat we lOl.nC him, but even 40 " tnaC
he body was discovered We, had no
means of taking it from a pool full !
OuTteen deep.
Assistance was gotten from Ashe I,
Tille, an dtEsrg the remains yzeTe car |
led, borne down the mountain upon
he shoulders CT men, the way being |
o obstructeds in many places lat thro'
hese, although the weight was near
y 210 pounds, it could be carried by !
Wo men at 1nce'''
Professor Mitchell was BURIED l. !
he Presbyterian cemetery at Ashe- !
nile, he ha Eng been mir tstr of |
hat denomination; but on June IA,
S88, his remains were reinterred ON
he top of the peak, whose altitude |
le determined. and which bears his
lame, where q. handsome stone erect
ID by the citizens of North Caro-
ina, has beeas placed"