hree. From the gorges above
and between the precipitous cliffs, eleven falls, of greater or less
magnitude, come tumbling into the valley, the loftiest of which is
Sentinel Fall, 3,000 feet high. To our taste, the fall known as the
Bridal Veil was the finest of them all in effect, though but a little
over 600 feet in height, or say four times as high as Niagara. The lofty
Yosemite Fall, over 2,600 feet, can be seen from the piazza of the hotel
to good effect, where one can sit and watch the current of air, which
sweeps up the valley, play fantastic tricks with the broad glittering
sheet of flying water. No pen can adequately describe this scene, and no
American who can possibly do so should fail to visit the spot. The
abundant moisture of the locality and the vertical rays of the sun
carpet the valley with a bright and uniform verdure, through the midst
of which winds the swift flowing Merced River, altogether forming a
scene of most entrancing beauty.

It was not until so late as 1851 that the feet of a white man ever trod
the valley, which for years had proven the secure hiding-place of
marauding Indians. In their early battles with the savages, the whites
were often nonplussed by the sudden disappearance of their foes, who
left no trace behind them, on which occasions, as was afterwards
discovered, they fled to the nearly inaccessible Yosemite Valley.
Betrayed at last by a treacherous Indian, the tribe was here surprised
and nearly all destroyed; the few remaining warriors were only too glad
to make terms at any sacrifice. The name Yosemite, in the native tongue,
signifies "Great Grizzly Bear." There are few residents in the valley,
except those connected with the stages that run hither during the summer
months, and with the hotel kept for the accommodation of visitors. The
vegetation is remarkable for its profuseness and almost tropical
luxuriance. A few domestic cattle find rich browsing and good winter
quarters, but provisions must be laid in before the fall is over, the
place being inaccessible in winter.

Our last view, on leaving the valley, was at the sheet of water already
mentioned as the Bridal Veil, falling from such an immense height that
it becomes in its course gauze-like, almost as thin as lace in
appearance, notwithstanding its large body, which is evident enough when
it reaches the rocky bed and joins the Merced, not far away. Around the
base of the cliffs, promoted by the constant moisture, there w