i6 



JOHN BURROUGHS 



that cascade down their sides from the dark mantling 

 scenery and cedars above. They are the prelude of what 

 we are presently to see — the gem of all this region, and 

 perhaps the most thrillingly beautiful bit of natural scenery 

 we witnessed on the whole trip — the Multnomah Falls. 



The train gave us only five minutes to look at it, but 

 those five minutes were of the most exquisite delight. 

 There, close at hand, but withdrawn into a deep recess in 

 the face of the mountain wall, like a statue in an alcove, 

 stood this vision of beauty and sublimity. How the siren 

 mocked us, and made the few minutes in which we were 

 allowed to view her so tantalizingly brief! Not water, but 



the spirit of water, of a snow- 

 born mountain torrent, play- 

 ing and dallying there with 

 wind and gravity, on the face 

 of a vertical moss-covered 

 rocky wall six hundred feet 

 high. So ethereal, yet so 

 massive; a combination of a 

 certain coyness and unap- 

 proachableness, with such 

 elemental grandeur and 

 power. It left nothing to 

 be desired but a day in 

 which to picnic upon the 

 flower-covered carpet of 

 moss at its feet. The brief 

 view warmed me up like a 

 great symphony. I*- was in- 

 deed to the eye what the 

 sweetest and most stirring 

 music is to the ear — har- 

 mony, delicacy, and power. Such an air of repose and 

 completeness about it all; yes, and of the private and se- 



MULTNOMAH FALLS. 

 600 FEET HIGH. 



