ey cried. A mountaineer descended into
sight around a loop of the path above.

"Change cars," I shouted.

They changed and, passing, were grave, demure--then they changed again,
and thus we climbed.

Such a glory as was below, around and above us; the air like champagne;
the sunlight rich and pouring like a flood on the gold that the beeches
had strewn in the path, on the gold that the poplars still shook high
above and shimmering on the royal scarlet of the maple and the sombre
russet of the oak. From far below us to far above us a deep curving
ravine was slashed into the mountain side as by one stroke of a gigantic
scimitar. The darkness deep down was lighted up with cool green,
interfused with liquid gold. Russet and yellow splashed the mountain
sides beyond and high up the maples were in a shaking blaze. The
Blight's swift eyes took all in and with indrawn breath she drank it all
deep down.

An hour by sun we were near the top, which was bared of trees and
turned into rich farm-land covered with blue-grass. Along these upland
pastures, dotted with grazing cattle, and across them we rode toward the
mountain wildernesses on the other side, down into which a zigzag path
wriggles along the steep front of Benham's spur. At the edge of the
steep was a cabin and a bushy-bearded mountaineer, who looked like
a brigand, answered my hail. He "mought" keep us all night, but he'd
"ruther not, as we could git a place to stay down the spur." Could we
get down before dark? The mountaineer lifted his eyes to where the sun
was breaking the horizon of the west into streaks and splashes of yellow
and crimson.

"Oh, yes, you can git thar afore dark."

Now I knew that the mountaineer's idea of distance is vague--but he
knows how long it takes to get from one place to another. So we started
down--dropping at once into thick dark woods, and as we went looping
down, the deeper was the gloom. That sun had suddenly severed all
connection with the laws of gravity and sunk, and it was all the darker
because the stars were not out. The path was steep and coiled downward
like a wounded snake. In one place a tree had fallen across it, and to
reach the next coil of the path below was dangerous. So I had the
girls dismount and I led the gray horse down on his haunches. The mules
refused to follow, which was rather unusual. I went back and from a safe
distance in the rear I belabored them down. They cared neither for gray
horse nor crooked pa