Kentucky Forests and Caves 



are salty and so are the wells. Salt River was 

 nearly dry. Much of my way this forenoon was 

 over naked limestone. After passing the level 

 ground that extended twenty-five or thirty 

 miles from the river I came to a region of roll- 

 ing hills called Kentucky Knobs — hills of de- 

 nudation, covered with trees to the top. Some 

 of them have a few pines. For a few hours I 

 followed the farmers' paths, but soon wan- 

 dered away from roads and encountered many 

 a tribe of twisted vines difficult to pass. 



Emerging about noon from a grove of giant 

 sunflowers, I found myself on the brink of a 

 tumbling rocky stream [Rolling Fork]. I did 

 not expect to find bridges on my wild ways, 

 and at once started to ford, when a negro 

 woman on the opposite bank earnestly called 

 on me to wait until she could tell the "men 

 folks" to bring me a horse — that the river 

 was too deep and rapid to wade and that I 

 would "sartain be drowned" if I attempted to 

 cross. I replied that my bag and plants would 

 ballast me; that the water did not appear to be 

 [3] 



