242 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



the freedom from incessantly troublesome woods, and 

 the pleasure of having reached the end proposed. In 

 Pittsburg we were directed to the best inn, a small 

 wooden cabin set askew by the Monongahela, its ex- 

 terior promising little ; but seeing several well dressed 

 men and ladies adorned we were not discouraged. 

 Not we but our vehicle had the honor of being the first 

 object of their curiosity, for we had come the whole 

 way in a two-wheeled chaise, + what hitherto had been 

 regarded as next to impossible. Thus we did not think 

 it at all strange if, on passing a house in the mountains, 

 the mother called her children together in consterna- 

 tion to show them what they had never before seen in 

 their lives a chaise. 



In this mountain-journey one misses what might be 

 probably expected, finding no extraordinary works of 

 nature, cataracts, rock-peaks, or abysses. And so I 

 was disappointed with what I had seen, because from 

 what I had been told by the Americans I looked for 

 great things. Only those who have seen no others speak 

 of the Blue Mountains as a non plus ultra. From 

 Carlisle it is not only continual forest, but a very 

 monotonous forest, there being little variety among 

 the trees. For plants, the best season was over, but 

 along the dry roads we found not so many as we 

 could wish, and we could not explore all the swamps. 

 Indeed, there are very few birds to be seen, and all 

 wild animals are frightened off by the noise of the 

 passenger. We saw but one young bear which quite 

 without warning climbed down a tree on to the road 

 like a clown, and hurriedly made off. We heard here 

 and there of rattlesnakes, ' copper-bellies/ and moc- 

 assins (which being smaller and making no noise are 



