[ 39 ] 
which time we had a fine profpedt over the 
vale of the great mountain we had juft crofied, 
and which differed fo remarkably from all I 
had ever been upon before, in its eafy and fruit- 
ful afcent and defcent, in its . great width, 
every where crowned with noble and lofty 
woods, but above all, in its being intirely free 
from naked rocks and fteep precipices. 
From thefe remarks, one might be naturally 
led to imagine, that the Waters at the flood 
gradually ebbed and retired on each fide, to- 
wards the river Si. Lawrence and Sufquehanah , 
the very next ridges on either fide being nar- 
rower, fteeper, and fome rocks wafhed bare, 
and fo all the adjacent ridges the farther they 
are from this, appear to be more wafhed, more 
compofed of great banks of craggy rocks and 
tremendous precipices, the foil more carried oflf, 
mighty rocks tumbled down, and thofe left ap- 
pearing as if piled up in a pyramid and hereby 
preferved from a fhare in the awful ruin below 
among their fellows ; the foil being fo per- 
fectly wafhed from their root, as evidently no 
longer to fupport them. • After having enjoyed 
this enchanting profpedt and entertaining hypo- 
thefis, we defcended eafily for feveral miles, 
over good land producing fugar-maples, many 
of which the Indians had tapped to make 
fugar of the fap, alfo oaks, hickery, white 
walnuts, plums and fome apple trees, full of 
fruit ; the Indians had fet long bufhes all round 
the 
