t • '* * )
plain, with the river before, lj§ft an amphitheatre o f “ mountains
behind, it, drew our attention, |f|| very‘pkaKngobje<ft, aiid’furpriM
us with the number of inhabitants which it pöured-foïÖi^ to fee the
ftrangers pafs.
I have already mentioned- that fmaff poffiö^^bf.^cultivat^^gfound
now began, though very rarelyj- to make their appearance^'this t'ir-
eumftance, h ow le r , had no influence on oui ‘füjpïie's as the pro-«;1
vifiori-boats b f to-day brought *ir$ the fame mdifferent èatkbles wKifchi
we had,' for feme tirtïèpbeen aecüftoméd tó'.récëivé. ’
in the êv^atmg, the nifitf'^raifually approached The rivfef, tm;*' at
length, they fe lo i^ uppn^it, and formed a'rade^and'loftjfTbarjibr,
, iM h , at once, confined'and obfeured its channel,. JThisr^^^^cjffi
turned for a cbhhdcraöle'ïïntance,*!^if'^x'rc,'■ on'pmfSie 'to’UcadthS.
ey&te a mountain of^fuch" ftupend^is ifta^ifiide^r^^^^^^ption
' %Kjcn i am abóift jWgive, wilFnot be able-ra® convey, ] icS^rcfthc
mind dfimy readers/" It was foïaté-'as fevefrö^docfc/at.rijgfft! before
we arrived at tfee commencement of i t ; but^thV nfoph ^IHbnc'ih’IUl'licr■ '
f^lendour, and-enabled the eye"fo trace^gféry part ppgthis enormous
objedt with lefs diftin<ftnefs*rperhaps, as to minute jj|ufefbut with
better effeét as to ffsjSiagnifieent outline;.
This mountain jifesfrom the river to the ^rponSiculdr ftsjgmjofrat
leafl: three hundred "yards. T h é face it prefents rewards the wafÊr'ft
divided between bare rock' and fli||f^fóliag<ê: the' öjsfper ,part appeared,
in fome places, to projeét öveï the river, and oflef ja moft
t^mendous fhape to the voyagers who fait Ifeneath-tit.: whéflj* tnefé-j
fore,-t^ flieh a# elevkficSn of fhjid'rocky mountain,
bafe, and craggy fumrmtl, is'added “th# extent ofriear two lïfflfs’ o f
lengthening precipice, fome faint notion may be' entertained of this,
ftupendous object.
. I ts termination is equally abrupt with its beginning; and all its
ports fupport the favage grandeur of the whole. On the extreme Decent,
"'point, as we,paffed dw iy th e driver, a pyramidical r^ k appeared to
afe.ove.the edgdof,the precipice, and
finil^&p-aapeah. x
I H j j J B S B B K an^nte#ening plain, that ex-'
W d ^ ^ ^ t% fo o # ^ d il| a n t& u n ta ^ fo^ ndth ? !? enorrnbus roc^>
m m m H K l
.awidSnd a.ffe% b n t gradual-afcent
fraii^hiriver to .when^it .ffeoots up, §s it,were, in a
l i f e unvaiyipg^p^pendicnjar R a t io n ,, ^ the« ylouds, affording
another\^^oxaibiplo|>b%,^!,e>fift> hm© in nature«
I As' a Jim# J f ’ Kills iJ y d S f fm l *“ >' fcbKdua tfs’ a%ig the river to
thefe ftupendous objeds, a fucceffive boundary of the fame kmd'con I
tinued during a courfe of Several miles after we had left them. But
it was the peculiar office of this extraordinary night to awaken our
afloniffment by the grand exertions of art, as well as by the enormous
works of riature f for, at the conclufion of this chain of hills, that
had fo long excluded any view into the-country, we were furprized
with a line of light that extended for feveral miles over,mountains
and vallies, at fome diftance from the river, and formed one unintended,
blazing outline, as they rofe or funk in the horizon.
In fome parts of this brilliant, undulating line, it was varied or
" thickened, as it appeared, by large,tods or groups o f torches ■ and, .
on tlie moft confpicuous heights immenfe bonfires threw their flames
, towards the clouds. Nor was this all, for the lights did not only
-rive the outline of the‘mountain, but fometimes ferpentifed up it,
■ and connedted, by a fpiral gream of light, a large fire at the bottom,
with that which reddened the fummit.
The