Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1911-09-15

which rise almost abruptly from the
banks. The mountain sides are culti-
waited like we do first bottom land.
The principal product is the grape
which gets just the proper sunlight
on these mountain sides to make its
juice command more money than the
wine in the back country. There are
also many truck farms, small pas
lures, patches Of Alfalfa and wheat,
all tilted up from the river at an an
gle of As to 80 degrees. The roads
are good and white, the fields just
now are green, the sky is a blue like
the sky in Italy and Kansas. The lit
tie towns with their white-washed
houses and red-tiIed roofs cluster
every mile or 50 along the 'niver, and
the view from the mountains or from
the river is one that makes the tickle
come around the heart. In this beau
tiful spot where nature and man have
both been busy for so many hundred
years We are spending a few days fol
rest.
Of course l climbed the Drachen-
fels, the mountain which looms up
Like a sentinel and has on it's top a
ruined castle with view and a le-
gend. Byron told of the great view
and every tourist who stops has to
climb the mountain. So we climbed
Mr.. Byron was right this time for tht
view was grand. Ordinarily l take
little stock in Byron's fits over seen.
cry. He Travelled through Europe and
had thrills over some very ordinary
things. Byron could take a few
drinks and then reel off some verses
which gave an old ruin or tumbled
down castle a reputation which it wi
Use forever as a bait for tourists. Blu
this time Byron was right, for the
panorama of the Rhine valley, made
UP of the river, the hills, the sky, tht
shades of growing green, the white
and red towns and tCle boats as nois
less as birds, is one worth more thai
the twenty-five American cents I
takes to make the climb on a cog
wheel railroad.
The ruined castle which stands
about 1000 feet above the Rhine anC
yet so near ii seems that one couk
throw a stone from the parapet int
the river, was occupied by a line o
the fierceSt gentlemen that eve
robbed an innocent traveller. Fo
! several hundred years no one wa
safe to go this way unless he pai
the robber barons who had a'sor
Of confederaey or union, in which uh
Count of DrachenfeB was one Of tn
main guys. The name means tn
dragons rock and comes from tn
fact that a dragon once resided /
a cave near the top. The legen
says that It was customary among Il
old heather to feed prisoners to tn
5 Dragon, so he would look pleasaI
and not roar at night. Returnin
from a trip into the west the
= brought number Of captives, anon
I them a beautiful Christian maidel
The heather young men all wante
L the girl SO the wise chief decide
that she should be given to Il
. Dragon. thus preventing a scra
among the brethren and paying sp
e cial tribute to the Drag. So tbs
L formed procession and marched
- The big rock where they were
u customed to lay out provisions q
VI his nibs. The beautiful girl vi
~ bound hand and foot, covered wi
u flowers. and then the crowd got bai
!" to see the Dragon do the rest. II
nt Dragon came out roaring ike a stu
u pig but when the girl held out
u crucifix toward him he boked, n
, and jumped from the rock into d
H. river. The best hooking young me-
a among the heather then rushed 4
wand and released the lady, marri
n her and they lived happily ever aft
Is ward-so the legend says. And the
S, is no reason to doubt the legend