FOUNTAINS AND STREAMS 249 



in the shadowy canons and cirques among the 

 peaks of the Summit, except where it is drifted, 

 or piled in avalanche heaps at the foot of long 

 converging slopes to form perennial fountains. 



The first crop of snow crystals that whitens 

 the mountains and refreshes the streams usually 

 falls in September or October, in the midst of 

 charming Indian summer weather, often while 

 the goldenrods and gentians are in their prime ; 

 but these Indian summer snows, like some of the 

 late ones that bury the June gardens, vanish in 

 a day or two, and garden work goes on with ac- 

 celerated speed. The grand winter storms that 

 load the mountains with enduring fountain snow 

 seldom set in before the end of November. The 

 fertile clouds, descending, glide about and hover 

 in brooding silence, as if thoughtfully examining 

 the forests and streams with reference to the 

 work before them ; then small flakes or single 

 crystals appear, glinting and swirling in zigzags 

 and spirals ; and soon the thronging feathery 

 masses fill the sky and make darkness like 

 night, hurrying wandering mountaineers to their 

 winter quarters. The first fall is usually about 

 two to four feet deep. Then, with intervals of 

 bright weather, not very cold, storm succeeds 

 storm, heaping snow on snow, until from thirty 

 to fifty or sixty feet has fallen ; but on account 

 of heavy settling and compacting, and the waste 

 from evaporation and melting, the depth in the 



