from the summit was glorious; and I thought as I looked below,
northward and eastward, where two wide openings gave a boundless stretch
of valley to the eye, that my journey was well repaid: but it was not
over yet; and, before we reached Pittsburg, I do not know but that there
were moments when I would have retracted this burst of enthusiasm.

The third afternoon and night it rained incessantly; the road from
Youngstown, or Greensburg, being nearly as bad as that memorable
Washington turnpike. The delays, too, were unnecessary and frequent; at
some of the changing-places the servants had to be roused, and this was
no easy task. Now and then, an extra independent hand refused to get
up, or denied us help when he was up; in which case the poor devil of a
driver was left to his own resources, with, now and then, the aid of a
half-naked, wretched negro.

The travelling of the "Good Intent," taking the roads into
consideration, was a capital pace, the horses excellent; but I have set
down, that, on a pretty fair estimate, making allowance for the
exaggerations of discomfort and ill-humour, about nine hours on the
whole line were lost for want of the commonest attention, and the
passengers greatly inconvenienced without any advantage accruing to the
proprietors.

At length we emerged from the slough, and about daylight on the third
morning were rumbled over the _pave_ of Pittsburg.

The inn was closed; but the rough assault of my Western friends soon
roused the bar-keeper, who got his door open just in time to save his
lock from a huge paving-stone, with which the angry Major purposed to
test its power of resistance.

"Why, you're in an uncommon hurry," exclaimed the half-awakened
bar-keeper.

"That's more than we can say of you, stranger," retorted the Major.
"What was you about that you didn't hear the coach? Maybe it was the
rain made such a noise you couldn't?"

"No; does it rain that hard, though?" gaped the matter-of-fact mixer of
liquids.

"I guess it does; and if it wasn't that you've got the key of the
liquor, it would be only right to put you out into it for an hour; for
you are the hardest-hearted white-man I ever come across, this side the
mountains, or you'd a' moved quicker to let in a dog on such a night."

A rousing fire and some hot whisky and water soon restored our
good-humour: a bed was quickly arranged for me by a good-natured negro,
who had, I verily believe, just crawled out of it; a fire w