DIXVILLE NOTCH. 313 



turn after he had reached the lofty summit. With phil- 

 osophic calmness, however, he sketched the scene from 

 that point, perhaps intending to throw it down to St. 

 A - as his farewell work; but having finished his 

 sketch, he accomplished a descent which was perilous in 

 the extreme, and which indeed to our eyes on Monday 

 seemed incredible. 



Up the wild pass the Mountain Ranger pressed. The 

 road was now the solid rock. The vast walls closed in 

 on each side of us. A few hundred feet up the steep hill 

 brought us to the summit of the pass, and the carriage 

 stood still across the point of rock. It was a little past 

 twelve o'clock noon, and the sun was behind the very 

 peak of the precipice which towered some five hundred 

 feet above us. A cold wind rushed and roared through 

 the Notch. Its sounds were curious, sometimes almost 

 human, as if there were inhabitants of this weird pass who 

 were angry at our invasion. The marked characteristic 

 of all the view was the worn-out, used-up appearance of 

 every thing. The rocks were all decayed and crumbling; 

 the mosses were brown and dry ; the bushes were little, 

 old weazen-faced bushes ; the very sky seemed brown or 

 brassy overhead. 



It is a very remarkable, a wonderful piece of scenery, 

 and taking in connection with this the various views along 

 the road, I have no hesitation in saying that the drive 

 from Colebrook, through Dixville Notch to Bethel, is the 

 finest drive I have ever found in America. I remark in 

 passing that any ordinarily strong wagon, carriage, or 

 buggy will go safely enough through this road. No one 

 should think of attempting to travel in New Hampshire 

 with a light-built city carriage. 



We walked down the sudden plunge of the road east- 



