14 LAND OF THE LINGERING SNOW. 



the ground. This gave a hint of what the con- 

 dition of the pitch-pines and cedars would be, 

 in spots sheltered from the wind, and I hurried 

 on to see them. The walking was heavy. Early 

 in the afternoon, when the storm abated, just 

 nine inches of snow had fallen on a level. Pass- 

 ing through the woods, where I had seen quail 

 two weeks ago, but where now no sign of them 

 was to be found, I came out into the old pasture, 

 thickly overgrown with savin, pitch-pine and 

 barberries. Here and there something which 

 resembled a tree remained, but the greater part 

 of the growth had been suppressed. There were 

 rounded masses which looked like sheep in the 

 snow, and there were arched stems from which 

 depended balls and branches of snow resembling 

 boxing-gloves, cauliflowers, toy rabbits and lambs 

 and other unpoetical objects. In most cases the 

 top of the pine or savin could not be distin- 

 guished from its base. 



At the foot of the hill was a cedar swamp. 

 Entering, I could readily imagine myself in the 

 Luray Caverns. A floor of pure white sup- 

 ported an endless series of white columns, beyond 

 which were botryoidal masses of white rising to 

 i roof of white. Mingled with the more regular 

 forms were snarls and tangles of snow serpents, 

 and shafts and pinnacles as varied in form as the 

 stalagmites of the limestone caves. Later I was 



