94 THE CAROLINA MOUNTAINS 
You keep the "main leading wagon-road" as di- 
rected, cross the once dreaded torrent of Green River, 
not now through the dangerous ford, but over a safe, 
new bridge. The Green River, — so green as you cross 
it on the train up in the mountains beyond Saluda, 
and so charming in the "cove" below Saluda, where 
water and banks are so very, very green, the trees 
reaching over and forbidding the sun to shine too 
brightly in the cool solitude, — the Green River 
down here is also green, though it has already begun 
to lose a little of its mountain freshness. 
The "main leading wagon-road" finally leads you 
down the pretty valley of Cane Creek to the wide 
Hickorynut Gap Road, on its way to Rutherfordton, 
a state road, if one is not mistaken. Entering it, 
you turn to the left and follow it up the Broad River 
Valley and close to the water that comes in jumps 
and tumbles, darting and whirling down from its 
sources in the high springs of the mountains. Large 
trees border the valley, beeches and oaks and tulip- 
trees, with straight dark pines for color balance. 
Looking up it, you see one of those happy arrange- 
ments of mountains that make a valley something 
more than mere solid earth and running water. It is 
these overlapping, down-reaching mountains that 
give this region its characteristic charm. For the 
Broad River Valley is noted for its beauty, although 
it has no high mountains, nor any remarkable 
grandeur of scenery. 
Crossing a charming, though somewhat deep and 
rocky ford of the Broad River, you continue on up 
