The English Period 



held, whether an attempt should be made there. We all seemed 1765 

 pretty well agreed, that if any one of us would jump down a Izard 

 smooth perpendicular rock, about twenty feet in height, when he 

 got to the bottom it was likely he might find a place where we 

 might descend lower with ease. Nothing was now wanting but 

 a mouse hardy enough to tie the bell about the cat's neck. At 

 last one of the company, after having made one or two fruitless 

 attempts, fixed a forked pole to the branch of a tree that hung 

 over the rock, and by that means let himself down to the bottom. 

 The fork of the pole broke as he was going down, and I think it 

 is a wonder he did not break his neck. 



After looking about him some time, he found some notched 

 logs, not twenty yards from the place where he had risked break- 

 ing his bones, that served as a ladder, by which the whole com- 

 pany went down easily to the place where he was. 



We then scrambled down, holding by stumps and roots, and 

 tufts of grass, to the bottom, and a terrible piece of work we had 

 before we got there. Our labor, however, was in a great 

 measure recompensed by a sight of the Falls, which appear much 

 higher and much more beautiful than from above, on either side. 

 We went so near, as to be wet through with the spray. After 

 getting to the bottom of the precipice, our anxiety to be near the 

 Falls was so great, that we forgot to mark the place where we 

 came down ; and so, after our curiosity was satisfied with looking, 

 we were obliged to wander up and down for three hours, and 

 scramble over many dangerous places, before we could find our 

 way. The night approaching, gave us a comfortable prospect of 

 staying there till morning; and the appearance of wolves' tracks 

 in many places added much to our pleasant situation. We were 

 informed that those animals frequently travelled about that place, 

 in companies of about twenty or thirty at a time, and were so 

 fierce as to attack men even in the middle of the day. As we 

 had nothing with us to defend ourselves, nor flint and steel to 

 make a fire, I think the odds were about five to four that no part 

 5 65 



