18 Expedition to the 



pilgrimage, yet brought us nearer to that romantic scenery 

 which for many days we had chiefly contemplated with a 

 distant eye. We entered the secondary range along the mar- 

 gin of a deep ravine, which wound with a serpentine course 

 towards the base of the mountain Our progress was some- 

 times impeded by huge rocky masses, which had been pre- 

 cipitated from some neighbouring height, and sometimes a 

 dense forest of very limited extent, or an immense impend- 

 ing wall, or oblique buttress of rock, which, by its proximi- 

 ty to the eye, vied with the grandeur of the ascending piles 

 beyond. We retraced our path of the preceding day until 

 a small stream running towards the northeast offered us a 

 change of scenery, and a course more in the direction we 

 wished to pursue. The great inequalities of the surface, and 

 the precipitous character of several of the passes, thoroughly 

 tested our confidence in our sure-footed Indian horses and 

 mules. The rude pathway skirted along the base of a high 

 cliff, on whose side, far above our heads, projected a narrow 

 ledge of rocks, frowning defiance to all attempts to ascend. 

 This ledge declined gradually as we proceeded, until it ter- 

 minated abruptly on the edge of a profound gulf. Here 

 appeared to be the only spot at which the ridge could be 

 ascended. On the brow of the cliff a fragment of rock, and 

 a small portion of earth were suspended, by the binding 

 roots of a solitary pine, offering a frail and precarious foot- 

 hold. This we chose to ascend, startling and hazardous as 

 the attempt appeared, rather than retrace our steps for se- 

 veral miles, and search for a passage in some other direction. 

 The projecting ledge by which we ascended, had barely suf- 

 ficient width to admit the passage of a single individual at 

 a time. When we had gained the summit, we allowed our 

 horses a moment's rest, in the partial shade of some strag- 

 gling oaks; and contemplated, not without a feeling of terror, 

 the danger we had passed. We thus pursued the route mark- 

 ed out for us by the bisons, which always trace the most direct 



