THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 85 



beautiful, and their beauty is of so rare a kind, 

 — unlike any part of the loose earthy lowlands 

 where people dwell and earn their bread. They 

 are simply flat or gently undulating areas of 

 solid resisting granite, the unchanged surface 

 over which the ancient glaciers flowed. They 

 are found in the most perfect condition at an ele- 

 vation of from eight to nine thousand feet above 

 sea level. Some are miles in extent, only slightly 

 blurred or scarred by spots that have at last 

 yielded to the weather ; while the best preserved 

 portions are brilliantly polished, and reflect the 

 sunbeams as calm water or glass, shining as if 

 rubbed and burnished every day, notwithstand- 

 ing they have been exposed to plashing, corrod- 

 ing rains, dew, frost, and melting sloppy snows 

 for thousands of years. 



The attention of hunters and prospectors, who 

 see so much in their wild journeys, is seldom at- 

 tracted by moraines, however regular and arti- 

 ficial-looking ; or rocks, however boldly sculp- 

 tured ; or canons, however deep and sheer-walled. 

 But when they come to these pavements, they 

 go down on their knees and rub their hands ad- 

 miringly on the glistening surface, and try hard 

 to account for its mysterious smoothness and 

 brightness. They may have seen the winter 

 avalanches come down the mountains, through 

 the woods, sweeping away the trees and scour- 

 ing the ground ; but they conclude that this 



