The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-02-20

disputed, the Switzerland Falls present
remarkable spectacle. One almost
regrets the breaks in it.. Nearly two
thousand feet above, out from what
seems to be small cut in an other
wise straight top line Of bluff, it seems
to make mighty effort to escape the
huge rock basin below. 1t dazzles in
the sunshine.
1t sounds like the roar that precedes
crash. Churned into foam in the
depth of the waterworn rock, the next
instant it is forced out and dashes
downward. The heavier part appears
like thick sheet of snowy white fleece,
of the finer sort, rolling and Tapping
toward the river below. Partly yelling
it and spreading to the right is the
outer splash from the basin like thou
sands of shooting stars with wiunowed
trails darting downward. 1t swirls
from the second basin onto the rocks
beneath, sending heavy spray in all
directions for many rods. We rushed
onto the ridge nearby, and down to the
river within five yards of the base,
getting soaking to be sure, but midst
the rip, roar and splashing, saw the
most brilliant rainbow laying PROSTATE
at our feet.
A four hours climb up the gorge lead
ing eastward from where trail quits
the Arthur valley, will bring you to Nc
Kinnon Pass. Just before the last
curve round to the top of the range, we
crossed two glaciers by deviating some
from the rude trail. They we're hollow
ed underneath by the running stream Of
snowwater. These large bridges Of snow
and ice hang off the side Of q very large
basin which has the appearance of the
crater of an extinct volcano, with the
side of rift in the side leading down
into the deep narrow canon up which
we have just climbed. The basin is ten
fold larger than the glaciers, and in
dicates probably the size to which the
glaciers grow in the colder season. On
the opposite side Of tho canon above
the great perpendicular wall of rock
which forms tho canon wall, ON an i'm
mense ledge lay great covering of
snow. Using our fieldglasses, We do
termined when 1T that distance it had
the appearance of the height Of . ten
story building, that tho layer must bo
nesr ono hundred and fifty feet thick,
Along the wall were cascades of water
an effect of tho days heat. Rumble
r-r-rumble! rip! crackle! bang! 1t wa
near sunset. The days heat WAS pass
ing off. Tho mountain of leo was OK.
banding. Nothing could be more like
the tearing, wicked, ripping kind Of
thunder that follows zigzag lightning
than the cracking Of that ice field. 1t
could have been heard through twenty
miles of uninterrupted valley. AS Il
was, the mountains opposite, held the
sound.
NcKinnon Pass reveals the nature o.
New Zealand mountains, for the most
part. Three small lakes and consider
able vegetation is found on top here
Shubbery, bush and some grass react
from the valley to the very top, while
small lakes and spongy places abound
Where the mountains are above the or
binary height, the green and the white
almost border. Looking down from the
pass, the mountains appear more ma
jestic than those at the sounds. The
gorge cuts deep, the mountains, there
fore, steep. Here the waters on the
!, western slope made for the TasmaI
Sea; those coursing down the eastern
side of the pass to the South Pacific
2 Looking eastward, the Clinton river cal
4 be seen for miles coursing along thu
. deep canon.
j, We descend rapidly. Frequently tt
], be heard is the clamorous noise of tn,
8 cawcaws, occasionally the notes of tn,
Borneo cookoo and the call of tn
"weka" hen. The cawcaw is a specie
q of parrot and may be taught to speak
q To the "weka" hen have made refer
: ence in my notes OH Stewart Island
The cookoo is longtailed bird Of grea
n beauty, an habitant of Borneo, bu
n migrates in summer to the New Zea
] land mountains.
r After night rest in the valley fiv
;. miles below the pass, and taking bat
j: in the snowwater of cascade that fall
t over twothousand feet, we set goo
t pace for the northern an upper end {
+ lake TIE Anu. At this end of the lax
d you pay your trail fee of three shilling
9 and six pence to the government co
It lector, and give the captain of the littl
O. government steamer a pound to trans
I'll fer you across the lake, distance {
b forty miles. This is a wonderful lax
n for so small country as the south j,
land. Forty miles long, varies in widtl