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manner of spilled naphtha； actually waist high with green feed； sown with
flowers like a brocade。 Quaint tributary little brooks babble and murmur
down through these trees； down through these lawns。 A blessed warm
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sun hums with the joy of innumerable bees。 To right hand and to left； in
front of you and behind； rising sheer； forbidding； impregnable； the cliffs；
mountains； and ranges hem you in。 Down the river ten miles you can go：
then the gorge closes； the river grows savage； you can only look down the
tumbling fierce waters and turn back。 Up the river five miles you can go；
then interpose the sheer snow…clad cliffs of the Palisades； and them； rising
a matter of fourteen thousand feet； you may not cross。 You are shut in
your paradise as completely as though surrounded by iron bars。
But； too； the world is shut out。 The paradise is yours。 In it are trout
and deer and grouse and bear and lazy happy days。 Your horses feed to
the fatness of butter。 You wander at will in the ample though definite
limits of your domain。 You lie on your back and examine dispassionately；
with an interest entirely detached； the huge cliff…walls of the valley。
Days slip by。 Really； it needs at least an angel with a flaming sword to
force you to move on。
We turned away from our view and addressed ourselves to the task of
finding out just when we were going to get there。 The first day we
bobbed up and over innumerable little ridges of a few hundred feet
elevation； crossed several streams； and skirted the wide bowl…like
amphitheatre of a basin。 The second day we climbed over things and
finally ended in a small hanging park named Alpine Meadows； at an
elevation of eight thousand five hundred feet。 There we rested…over a
day； camped under a single pine… tree； with the quick…growing mountain
grasses thick about us； a semicircle of mountains on three sides； and the
plunge into the canon on the other。 As we needed meat； we spent part of
the day in finding a deer。 The rest of the time we watched idly for bear。
Bears are great travelers。 They will often go twenty miles overnight；
apparently for the sheer delight of being on the move。 Also are they
exceedingly loath to expend unnecessary energy in getting to places； and
they hate to go down steep hills。 You see； their fore legs are short。
Therefore they are skilled in the choice of easy routes through the
mountains； and once having made the choice they stick to it until through
certain narrow places on the route selected they have worn a trail as
smooth as a garden…path。 The old prospectors used quite occasionally to
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pick out the horse…passes by trusting in general to the bear migrations； and
many a well…traveled route of to…day is superimposed over the way…
through picked out by old bruin long ago。
Of such was our own trail。 Therefore we kept our rifles at hand and
our eyes open for a straggler。 But none came； though we baited craftily
with portions of our deer。 All we gained was a rattlesnake； and he
seemed a bit out of place so high up in the air。
Mount Tunemah stood over against us； still twenty…two hundred feet
above our elevation。 We gazed on it sadly； for directly by its summit； and
for five hours beyond； lay our trail； and evil of reputation was that trail
beyond all others。 The horses； as we bunched them in preparation for the
packing； took on a new interest； for it was on the cards that the unpacking
at evening would find some missing from the ranks。
〃Lily's a goner； sure；〃 said Wes。 〃I don't know how she's got this far
except by drunken man's luck。 She'll never make the Tunemah。〃
〃And Tunemah himself；〃 pointed out the Tenderfoot； naming his
own fool horse； 〃I see where I start in to walk。〃
〃Sort of a ‘morituri te salutamur；' 〃 said I。
We climbed the two thousand two hundred feet； leading our saddle…
horses to save their strength。 Every twenty feet we rested； breathing
heavily of the rarified air。 Then at the top of the world we paused on the
brink of nothing to tighten cinches； while the cold wind swept by us； the
snow glittered in a sunlight become silvery like that of early April； and the
giant peaks of the High Sierras lifted into a distance inconceivably remote；
as though the horizon had been set back for their accommodation。
To our left lay a windrow of snow such as you will see drifted into a
sharp crest across a corner of your yard； only this windrow was twenty
feet high and packed solid by the sun； the wind； and the weight of its age。
We climbed it and looked over directly into the eye of a round Alpine lake
seven or eight hundred feet below。 It was of an intense cobalt blue； a
color to be seen only in these glacial bodies of water； deep and rich as the
mantle of a merchant of Tyre。 White ice floated in it。 The savage fierce
granite needles and knife…edges of the mountain crest hemmed it about。
But this was temporizing； and we knew it。 The first drop of the trail
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was so steep that we could flip a pebble to the first level of it； and so rough
in its water…and…snow…gouged knuckles of rocks that it seemed that at the
first step a horse must necessarily fall end over end。 We made it
successfully； however； and breathed deep。 Even Lily； by a miracle of
lucky scrambling； did not even stumble。
〃Now she's easy for a little ways；〃 said Wes； 〃then we'll get busy。〃
When we 〃got busy〃 we took our guns in our hands to preserve them
from a fall； and started in。 Two more miracles saved Dinkey at two more
places。 We spent an hour at one spot； and finally built a new trail around
it。 Six times a minute we held our breaths and stood on tiptoe with
anxiety； powerless to help； while the horse did his best。 At the especially
bad places we checked them off one after another； congratulating
ourselves on so much saved as each came across without accident。 When
there were no bad places； the trail was so extraordinarily steep that we
ahead were in constant dread of a horse's falling on us from behind； and
our legs did become wearied to incipient paralysis by the constant stiff
checking of the descent。 Moreover every second or so one of the big
loose stones with which the trail was cumbered would be dislodged and
come bouncing down among us。 We dodged and swore； the horses
kicked； we all feared for the integrity of our legs。 The day was full of an
intense nervous strain； an entire absorption in the precise present。 We
promptly forgot a difficulty as soon as we were by it： we had not time to
think of those still ahead。 All outside the insistence of the moment was
blurred and unimportant； like a specialized focus； so I cannot tell you
much about the scenery。 The only outside impression we received was
that the canon floor was slowly rising to meet us。
Then strangely enough； as it seemed； we stepped off to level ground。
Our watches said half…past three。 We had made five miles in a little
under seven hours。
Remained only the crossing of the river。 This was no mean task； but
we accomplished it lightly； searching out a ford。 There were high grasses；
and on the other side of them a grove of very tall cottonwoods； clean as a
park。 First of all we cooked things； then we spread things； then we lay
on our backs and smoked things； our hands clasped back of our heads。
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