Year: 1862




DEAR PRESS The descent from the l'in-
nacle TO the table-land, is made with great ease.
The distance is not such as to weary one, and
the rocks, of ffagmentary character, in the
path, are of considerable size,and aid one rath-
er than retard. Upon the wild Plateau. which
is covered by the growth of Reindeer lchen,
are scattered numerous boulders of great size
and unworn surface. Many of these are cloth
ed by the yellow and dotted map lichen. of the
botanists, Lecidea geographical, and the occur
renee of this lichen indicates that we are now
about3O0 feet from the plain below. The
Plateau with its steep sides and its generous
breadth is no inconspicuous feature of Katah-
din. 1t is another of those differences which
cause this to be SO much unlike all other noun
tains in New England. At the side of one of
the immense drift rocks is cold reservoir of
snow-water which is truly grateful to the
thirsty visitor. Fill the canteens with it before
we try the ascent into the "Basin; !" drink be-
fore we 60, health to all coming visitors, and
may they find the well of water as soon as they
desire. have known party to hunt in vain
for this spring, and be obliged to leave the
mountain several hours earlier in consequence
of the failure.


"All ready for the Basin?"


Down into chasms partly filed with broken
sticks and fallen tree and concealed by the
long mountain moss; down into the narrow
ravine, and over boulders which tremble in the
poise as we step on their edge; down through
the underground ofthe creeping spruce; down
into the Basin. Now comes real work.


Struggling through the thicket and finding
it easier even to crawl under the low branches
than to break through their interlocking.


Where is the guide?


No answer to our holloas and our vexed
cries. Nothing for us to do, but to plunge on
through thick and thin, especially the thick
and, thus, for two hours of weary work. To
add to the pleasure of the walk, the musqui-
toes begin to cheer us with their songs and
take their pay in frugal meals. The musqui-
TO signifies his approach by lively, high-keyed
carol; the black fly does not. We had black
flies, also, to urge us on and 9strus-like they
almost goaded us to desperation. Every now
and then, the fat people would "draw on their
vocabularies," and gives utterance to various
sentiments more disrespectful than otherwise,
to these kindred torments ofour journey. And,
indeed, it is no pleasant thing to be using both
hands in pushing away the intertwined spruce
boughs and, at the very instant, when the
branches are more complex than usual,t have
dozen mosquitoes singing out at once "ain't
you glad you come?' Now can we expect hu-
man nature to be benevolent, in its highest de-
gree, under such infictions? In other words,
it is no place to read Sunday-school books when
you are wriggling and squirming, and tumbng
and tearing down in to the basin of Mount Kat
ahdin.


We were nearly exhausted by the work,
when we thought we would again sing out to
Keep and find, if possible, his whereabouts. No
answer for some time. AT last we heard a
voice in the distance and we all Simultaneous
ly rushed for moment in the direction There
we heard another voice at our right hand and
then were compelled to stop. Soon, in answer
TO our despairing cries, we heard Keep sing
out, "Here's the Lallel"


One of our fat friends took two long steps
towards the Lake, and fell between couple
OF boulders where he stuck fast "Come, get
up" said Quip, ''you have damned the way all
up"


"Yes, Quip" drawled Dave, "and I've damn
ed it all the way DOWN.


But we at last reached the shore ofthe Lake.
II, for once, may be allowed to refer to any
thing so comparatively unimportant as my ap-
parel when / sat down by the fire, would sum
it all up as follows:


One pantaloon.


Item One whole boot, and one with two
holes.


Item Coat (up in the thicket somewhere


Item HAT, with no rim, and the top of the
crown gone.


Item Flannel Shirt. (The flannel is torn
to pieces, and the shirt exists only as an idea.)


Item :-Neck-cloth (looks like raw silk)


We rested by the fire in pretty good humor
after all. The tea, so called, was refreshing
and we talked over the affairs of the day. Not
one OF us had untorn clothes; scarcely had we
enough to protect MS from the night air; the
spruce had torn the cloth as if its fingers had
been steel. But Quip said 'he didn't care any
thing for clothes, he had enough musquito
bites to cover him- Our blankets were of