■136 



THE MUSEUM. 



topple on some unfortunate passer by. 

 Or possibly in play the force of Adam, 

 as pointed out by the ubiquitous guide, 

 was made and stuck on that pinacle for 

 envious eyes to behold. Balanced 

 Rock, the greatest wonder of the 

 region, a thunderbolt of Jupiter, prob- 

 ably struck vengeance upon some 

 hated rival, and is ready yet, with a 

 little picking at its base, to go thunder- 

 ing down the declivity, carrying death 

 and destruction to everything that 

 might be in its path. No more beau- 

 tiful spot could be selected by the 

 Gods for their habitation. Possibly 

 they carved and moulded the thous- 

 ands of fanciful, grotesque, multiform 

 statutes of purest alabaster in the ad- 

 jacent hills. The Cave of the Winds 

 is witness of their deft fingers and vivid 

 imagination, and each year discovers 

 some new hallway where walked the 

 Gods when weary with care or sadden- 

 ed with jealous bickeriniJ^s. In the 

 Grand Cavern is a beautiful hall where 

 once they were wont to assemble and 

 dance while some one of their number 

 brought forth sweet music from the 

 great organ on the wall, the stalactites 

 of varying size yielding to the magic 

 fingers of a goddess, and echoing such 

 exquisite sweetness as can be made 

 only by the deft fingering of a goddess 

 nymph, and even responding to man 

 with a melody bewildering in sweet- 

 ness and volume. Up in the moun- 

 tains, beyond Cheyenne, beyon-l Mt. 

 Rosa, almost where now is the timber 

 line, enclosed by Pike's Peak, old 

 Baldy, and the smaller peaks betwct-n, 

 was their bathing p'ace. where iheir 

 graceful bodies were dipped in the 

 limpid waters of someone of the Seven 

 Lakes, which are yet clear as cr}stal, 



pure and fresh as the dews of heaven, 

 mantled on every side by frowning 

 peaks. And lastly, up yonder in South 

 Cheyenne Canon they cut a pathway 

 through a solid wall of granite, two 

 thousand feet high, — the cliffs on 

 either side now called the Pillars of 

 Hercules, — constructed the beautiful 

 Seven Falls, in whose spray they 

 cooled their fevered brows as they 

 climbed to the side of Cheyenne Moun- 

 tain, where they sat and viewed the 

 the plain, winding streams, and the 

 huge unwieldly animals lumbering 

 along, while they drank in the pure 

 air, the sweet perfume of the trees and 

 flowers all around. 



Now these are beautiful thoughts. 

 They certainly are more entrancing 

 when viewing the scene than on paper. 



We reveled in the scenery; but at 

 the same time we got hungry, as it 

 was far • into the afternoon, and no 

 companions in sight. We cannnot col- 

 lect, we cannot take pictures, we can- 

 not eat, we can do but one tiling, go to 

 camp. 



This is more than six miles away, 

 and we have a big load to carry. We 

 pass the cathedral, take one look at 

 the bear and sea lion, and in no amia- 

 ble mood head for the famous balanced 

 rock. Lovely r<. d winged grasshoppers 

 are thick, the big yellow "crackers" 

 tantalize us greatly, an occasional 

 Satyrus is seen, then a gauzy ant lion. 

 We rave, stamp, and groati in despera- 

 tion. It is too much. We shed our 

 burdens and use hats But all moun- 

 tain life is gamey, and luck is not with 

 us. Late in the evening we reach 

 camp, after climbing a few hundred 

 feet. Supper is over, the fire out, the 

 last stra^v has been added. Let the 



