44 With Feet to the Earth 



where it now runs. One has been roofed 

 by a fallen slab of rock, weighing hundreds 

 of tons, that has transformed it into a 

 cave. Fine moss in this cavern is hardly 

 visible as you look toward the light from 

 within, but it shines like a cat's eye when 

 you see it in the other direction. 



As the open country is gained below the 

 falls, Mount Ascutney comes into sight at 

 the eastward : a stately pyramid cut from 

 the rest of the Green Mountains by miles 

 of rolling country ; a lonely, forest-wrapped 

 peak that drops its upset image into the 

 Connecticut It was a cold afternoon 

 when I climbed Ascutney. Ice draped the 

 rocks and trees near the top, but bear- 

 tracks on the path showed that the woods 

 had not lost their life. On the summit 

 were several surveyors, gloved and over- 

 coated, who were watching the flicker of 

 a mirror, tiny sun-sparks, away over on 

 Mount Kearsarge. This height, of some- 

 thing over three thousand three hundred 

 feet, is so isolated that it commands a glo- 

 rious view : the Connecticut below, Wind- 

 sor snuggling on its shore, the Green 



