224 Miscellaneous Notices of Mountain Scenery^ ^c. 



ing drops ; and the silver note of a single unseen and un- 

 known bird was the only sound that we could hear. After 

 we had proceeded a mile or two, the roaring of the Amon- 

 oosuck began to break in upon the stillness, and soon yrew 

 so loud as to excite our suprise. In consequence of coming 

 to the river almost at right angles, and by a very narrow road, 

 through trees and bushes very thick, we had no view of the 

 water, till with a quick trot we had advanced upon the bridge 

 too far to recede, when the sight that opened at once to the 

 right and to the left, drew from all of us similar exclama- 

 tions of astonishment and terror ; and we hurried over the 

 trembling fabric as fast as possible. After finding ourselves 

 safe on the other side, we walked down to the brink ; and, 

 though familiar with mountain scenery, we all confessed 

 that we had never seen a mountain torrent before. The wa- 

 ter was as thick with earth as it could be, without being 

 changed into mud. A man living near in a log hut showed 

 us how high it was at day break. Though it had fallen six 

 feet, he assured us that it was still ten feet, above its ordina- 

 ry level. To this add its ordinary depth of three or four feet, 

 and here at day break was a body of water twenty feet deep, 

 and sixty feet wide, moving with the rapidity of a gale of 

 wind, between steep banks covered with hemlocks and 

 pines, and over a bed of large rocks, breaking its surface 

 into billows like those of the ocean. After gazing a few 

 moments on this sublime sight, we proceeded on our way, 

 for the most part at some distance from the river, till we 

 came to the farm of Rosebrook, lying on its banks. We 

 found his fields covered with water, and sand, and flood 

 wood. His fences and bridges were all swept away ; and 

 the road was so blocked up with logs, that we had to wait 

 for the labors of men and oxen, before we could get to his 

 house. Here we were told that the river was never before 

 known to bring down any considerable quantity of earth, 

 and were pointed to bare spots on the sides of the White 

 Mountains, never seen till that morning. As our road, for 

 the remaining six miles, lay quite near the river and crossed 

 many small tributary streams, we employed a man to accom- 

 pany us with an axe. We were frequently obliged to re- 

 move trees from the road, to fill excavations, to mend and 

 make bridges, or contrive to get our horses and wagon, along 

 separately. After toiling in this manner for half a day, we 

 reached the end of our journey, not however without being 



