176 A WEEK ON WALDEN'S RIDGE. 



mated to be one hundred and fifty feet in 

 height. The slender stream, broken into 

 jewels as it falls, strikes the bottom at some 

 distance from the foot of the cliffs, which 

 here form the arc of a circle, and are not 

 perpendicular, but deeply hollowed. After 

 enjoying the prospect from this point, 

 holding to a tree and leaning over the edge 

 of the rocks, we retraced our steps till we 

 came to a steep, zigzag path, which took us 

 to the foot of the precipice. Here, as well 

 as above, were laurel and rhododendron in 

 profusion. One big rhododendron-tree grew 

 on the face of the cliff, thirty feet over our 

 heads, leaning outward, and bearing at least 

 fifty clusters of gorgeous rose-purple flowers ; 

 and a smaller one, in a similiar position, 

 was equally full. The hanging gardens of 

 Babylon may have been more wonderful, 

 but I was well content. 



From the point where we stood the ledge 

 makes eastward for a long distance, almost 

 at right angles, and the cliffs for a mile 

 or, more likely, for two or three miles 

 were straight before us, broken everywhere 

 into angles, light gray and reddish-brown 

 intermixed, with the late afternoon sun shin' 



