The Cumberland Mountains 
softness and beauty. Oh, these forest gardens 
of our Father! What perfection, what divin- 
ity, in their architecture! What simplicity and 
mysterious complexity of detail! Who shall 
read the teaching of these sylvan pages, the 
glad brotherhood of rills that sing in the val- 
leys, and all the happy creatures that dwell in 
them under the tender keeping of a Father’s 
care? 
September 19. Received another solemn warn- 
ing of dangers on my way through the moun- 
tains. Was told by my worthy entertainer of a 
wondrous gap in the mountains which he ad- 
vised me to see. “It is called Track Gap,” said 
he, “from the great number of tracks in the 
rocks — bird tracks, bar tracks, hoss tracks, 
men tracks, all in the solid rock as if it had been 
mud.” Bidding farewell to my worthy moun- 
taineer and all his comfortable wonders, I pur- 
sued my way to the South. 
As I was leaving, he repeated the warnings of 
danger ahead, saying that there were a good 
many people living like wild beasts on whatever 
[ 39 ] 
