benevolence, sucli as attending the sick, relieving the oppressed;
and often did he interpose his charitable interference between the
Severe taskmaster and his wretched slaves, when the latter were
condemned, for some trifling offence, to undergo fearful mutilations
or the cruel lash. Thus, in acts of piety, this man of God pursued
his way, blessing and blessed, till his senses became enthralled by
the surpassing beauty of a mountain nymph, who dwelt in a
cottage not far removed from the friar’s lonely habitation. I t was
in one of his rambles, in search of some object of charity, that his
eyes first encountered this lovely daughter of the Atlantic Isle,
tending a herd of her father’s mountain goats on the adjacent hill,
called S Goat Pound Ridge.’. They had strayed so far that she had
vainly tried to collect them, and - was returning tired and sad to her
dwelling, when encountering the monk, she humbly told her tale,
and asked his assistance. I t was readily accorded, for who could
resist such an appeal, enhanced by so much beauty ? The scattered
flock was re-united, and the young girl, gracefully acknowledging
his services, with a light heart returned to her home. I t would
have been well for the good Pather had that interview been the.last,
but fate ordained it otherwise. Again and again he sought her
mountain cot, pouring into the maiden’s ear his tale of love and
adoration, and finally besought her to be his bride. She promised,
but on one condition only, to listen to his suit—he must renounce
his creed and become of her faith. Upon these terms alone would
she consent, and until he had resolved thus to prove his devotion
he must not hope to see her again. The struggle was a fearful one in
the breast of the monk, but love triumphed in the end : he forsook
the faith of his fathers, broke his vows, and became a renegade.
“ In due course of time the wedding day was fixed; the ceremony
was to be performed in that very chapel which had so often re-echoed
the apostate’s pious prayers for his suffering flock, and the bride,
accompanied by her attendant maidens, approached the altar. The
service was read, and just as the bridegroom was clasping the hand
of his beloved a fearful crash resounded, the rock was rent asunder,
and every vestige of the chapel, and of those it contained, for ever
disappeared. In its place stands the gaunt image of the grim Mar,
an example and a sad warning to those who suffer their evil passions
to prevail over their better judgment.”
At Burnt Rock, on Horse Pasture, near the back of Woodlands