•.'08 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1.5. 



low. It was friend Stevenson with the buggy. 

 He had found the right road, and was calling us 

 to come out of briers and locks. and get in and 

 ride to the 7-e(i/ foot of the trail. He made me 

 think of Evang(>list in the same book I have 

 mentioned. We really wei'e a couple of tired 

 and discouraged pilgrims. I fear, and we were 

 very glad to abandon our dangerous road and 

 get" back into the buggy. We certainly had 

 learned to appreciate a smooth path and a reg- 

 ular traveled road. 



It was fully three o'clock when he bade us 

 good-by. and we started off. He was to keep 

 the horse and buggy over night, and come back 

 for us at eleven the next day. If we backed out 

 we were to get home some time in the night as 

 best we could. 



Please let me digress a little here. As my 

 story is to bear a good deal on this matter of 

 health as well as endurance. I want you to bear 

 with me when I tell you of my physical condi- 

 tion at this time. I was scarcely through with 

 the nervous chills. Only a few days before, my 

 strength would often give out suddenly when I 

 had walked less than a mile. My overcoat and 

 fur cap were worn constantly, indoors and out, 

 when everybody else, almost, was in summer 

 clothing: in fact, I had at the time a cold in my 

 head and right ear. Add to this a bou'ct com- 

 plaint that had annoyed me for nearly two 

 weeks, and you will have a picture of the man 

 who proposed to walk nine miles on a stretch. 

 up a mountain. Mrs. Root and the other wo- 

 men-folks declared I must take my overcoat, 

 and that my companion must carry it strapped 

 over his shoulders. However. I threw it back 

 into the buggy, and our only baggage was half 

 a pound of crackers and a nickel's worth of 

 cheese. I was full of excitement, and I rather 

 thought I should hold out. In tive minutes we 

 were up so high that the horse and buggy seem- 

 ed like a kitten and a baby-cart. We called 

 down to the earth below, and told friend S. to 

 bring Mrs. Root in the morning, and come rath- 

 er early, so that she could climb up a mile or so. 

 to meet us on our return trip. Then we called 

 again to have the Kodak brought also. Then 

 up we went. The trail is nicely graded, one 

 foot in ten, and just wide enough for a horse. 

 Before we get down to business in climbing, 

 however, I wish to say just a woi'd more in the 

 health matter. Friend Fan- advised me to take 

 a good big drink of watei'. for none was to be 

 had on the trail again until we were nearly half 

 way up. I did not drink (nil/, however. I'lease 

 bear with me if I tell you frankly why. I knew 

 if I took a drink, even a small one, I should very 

 soon have to stop on account of my bowel trou- 

 ble, not only once, but may be several times. I 

 have been more or le.ss troubled in this way all 

 my life. Oh how I have envied people who 

 could at any time drink all the water they 

 wanted I From the valley below, the trail 

 seems to run along the mountain-side almost 

 without any very short crooks or tui'ns: but 

 when right there you an- surprised to Mud al- 

 most every rod of the mountain-side cut with 

 canyons made by the water in its course down, 

 and the trail is therefore in and out and ai'ound 

 sharp rocky curves and into sharp grooves, so 

 you are first in the sun and then out of it, in 

 sishtof the valley and out of sight of it, until 

 the path becomes an ever changing labyrinth. 

 'rii(> accompanying picture gives a glimpse of 

 this.* 



The horse and buggy soon became a mere 

 speck down below our feet, and it was only by 

 carefully scanning the thin thread that repre- 



* Our gt)()d friend Raniblei'. on page 197, gives us 

 another very good glimpse of a inountaui trail, only 

 his trail is wide enough for a wagon as well as horse. 



sented the roadway that we could see it at all. 

 About this time the grandeur and sublimity of 

 the landscape spread out before us began to be 

 almost entrancing. I have often tried to think 

 what the earth below must look like to a bal- 

 loonist, and here it was before lue. The moun- 

 tain, that had seemed so gradual in its ascent, 

 when viewed from the valley before, now seem- 

 ed to be almost straight down, over the edge of 

 the trail: and it was so in reality, for a stone 

 kicked from the path went crashing and re- 

 bounding until it almost frightened one to think 

 of the immense distance. Before we had gone a 

 mile I felt amply repaid for all our trouble: and 

 every rod we made, further on, showed some 

 new unfolding of beauty. First the trail took 

 one side of the mountain and then another; 

 sometimes it turned abruptly so your right hand 

 was against the mountain, when it had before 

 been toward the valley. Up, up, up we went. 

 The points that had at first seemed so grand 

 were now a mile below, and seemed almost on a 

 level with the valley, while away up above us 

 we could see glimpses of the trail we were des- 

 tined to tread. The easy ascent was but play 

 to one whose heart was in it, as was mine, and 

 my enthusiasm rose as our pathway did in its 

 windings among the rocky precipices. A pret- 

 ty white house near an orange-grove stood near 

 the beginning of the trail. Every time we came 

 round so as to bring it in sight we noted how it 

 grew less and less. When half a mile up it 

 seemed too small foi' folks to live in: next time 

 it looked like two pieces of shingles, one laid 

 across the other. You see. the house had an L 

 to it. Next time it was about like two pieces of 

 a honey-section, and at last a mere white speck 

 without shape. The orange-trees looked like 

 rows of cabbages, and finally the whole orchard 

 was only a speck of green. Higher and higher! 

 If one felt dizzy a while ago. how should he feel 

 now. at this immense height, with the clouds 

 below him".* Finally I began to think I could 

 take a good drink without any danger of harm, 

 for I was perspiring a little all over, and the red 

 blood was tingling to ray very fingers' ends. We 

 watched foi- the water-trough: but we were so 

 busy talking and looking off into the valley we 

 did not know we had passed it until we were 

 half a mile above it. The sun seemed pretty 

 hot, and we were not sorry when the trail 

 changed to the north side, where trees and 

 bushes cut off the sun as well as the view. 

 Then I began to discover 1 was getting tired. 

 We ate some of our ci'aekers and cheese, and 

 for a time I felt stronger: but before we had 

 reached the half-way point I thought I was 

 used up. We had been on the trail just two 

 hours. I rested: but when we got up again I 

 was so stiff and sore I really felt worse. I man- 

 aged to go a little more than half way, when I 

 spoke to fri(>nd Farr as follows: 



" I luaii be able to hold out until six o'clock: 

 but until seven, never." 



What should I do? It was four miles down 

 and four miles up to any stopping-place. We 

 watched for water, but saw no sign of any. and 

 it would soon be dark. Could we ever tread on 

 this narrow path, so close to such fearful depths, 

 in the night-time? Just about then I must 

 have got what Ernest would call my "second 

 wind." My comi'ade had just asked if I had 

 any matches. Neither of us had thought of 

 such a thing: but here I was. without an over- 

 coat, and wet with perspiration. He finally 

 fished a broken " lucifer" from one pocket, and 

 our hopes hung on this. I remember thinking 

 1 would go a little further, and pi-etty soon I 

 didn't feel so tired, and started up a brisker 

 walk: then we came out of the pine-trees, and 

 around on that side of the mountain toward the 

 plain again. The picture referred to tells 



