Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-05-31
JOCASSEE.
Il Cherokee Legend.
Chapter I.

SdblH, DS w Ill. olIlfllS.
"Kcowee Old Fort as the people
in that quarter style 1t. is a fine an
tiuue ruin and relic of the Rcvolu-
ton, in the District Of Pendleton.
South Carolina. The region Of coun-
try in which we find it is, OF itself,
highly picturesque and interesting.
The broad river OF Keowee, which
runs through 1t, though cOmapara-
lively small as a stream in America,
would put tO>shame, by its size not
less than its beauty, one-half Of the
Europe; and then the mountains,
through and among which it winds
it's way, embody more OF beautiful
situation and romantic prospect than
art cam we'll figure to the eye or
language convey to the ina agination.
TO understand, you must see it.
Words are OF little avail when the
ideas ovcrcrowd utterance; and even
vanity itself is content to be dumb
in the awe inspired by thousand
prospects. like Niagara, the ideals Of
a god, and altogether beyond the
standards common to humanity.
1t is not long since wandered
through this interesting region, un-
der .hc guidance Of my friend. Col.
c.. who does the honors of society
in thai quarter with a degree of ease
and un0stentatious simplicity which
readily makes the visitor at home.
My friend was one Of those citizens
to whom ones own country is always
Of paramount interest, and whose
mind and memory. accordingly, have
been always most happily employed
when storing away and digesting in
to pleasing narrative those thousand
which give life to rocks and valleys,
and people earth with the beautiful
colors and creatures OF the imagina-
ton. These. for the gratitication Of
the spiritual seeker. he had forever
in readiness: and, with him to illus
trate them, 1t is not surprising If the
grove had moral existence in my
thoughts. and all the waters around
breathed and were instinct with
poetry. To all his narratives ! lis
tened with a satisfaction which book
stories uo not often afford me. The
more he told. the more he had to
tell. for nothing stalled ellis infinite
variety"
There may have been something
in the style Of telling his stories;
there was much, certainly, that was
highly attractive in his manner Of
doing everything. and this may have
contributed not a little to the src-
cess Of his narratives. Perhaps, too,
my presence. anon the very scene of
each legend. may have given them a
life and a vraiSeynblancc they had
wanted otherwise.
In this manner, rambling about
FROM spot TO spot, passed five
weeks, without being, at any moment
conscious OF times progress. Day
after day we wandered forth in some
new direction, contriving always to
secure. and without effort. that pleas
urable excitement OF novelty for
which the great city labors in vain,
spite OF her varying fashions, and
crOwding, and not always innocent
indulgcnces. From forest to river,
from hill to valley, still on horse
back--ior the mountainous charac-
ter Of the country forbade any more
luxurious form Of travel--we kept on
our way. always changing our ground
with the night. and our prospect with
the morning. In this manner we
travelled over, or round, tho Six
Mile. and the CLASSY, and a dozen
other mountains; and sometimes.
with a yet greater scope Of adven-
tnre. pushed off on a much longer
ramble-such as took us to the falls
Of the Whitewater, and gave us a
glimpse Of the beautiful river Of Jo-
cassec. named sweetly after the
Cherokee maiden who threw herself
into its bosom on beholding the
scalp OF her lover dangling from the
neck OF his conqueror. The story IS
almost parallel to that OF the sis
ter OF Horatius. with this difference,
that the Cherokee girl did not wait
for the vengeance OF her brother. and
altogether spared her reproaches. I