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Show COLORADO. 459 spreading over the highest peaks, changing their icy glitter to a daz-zling variety of white, green, and yellow tints. The storm left us one horse short. So Mr. Merrill, journalist, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and the writer, had to " divide time " on a single pony. The walking was comparatively easy to the foot of the Peak, then suddenly the walker's breath gave out and he took " tail hold." Then ensued a scene for a comic almanac. With Merrill on deck and the author towing be-hind, we would struggle ahead for a hundred yards or so, the horse blowing like a porpoise and the man on foot gasping for breath, un-able even to say " whoa;" then the author would mount, and Merrill take the tail. In vain the others, now fast getting ahead of us, shouted : " For shame ! Let go." Neither dared to loosen his hold, knowing he could never make it alone. When first on foot one would feel peculiarly vigorous, as if he could run right up the slope without a gasp; but after ten or twelve steps the breath would suddenly give out, and leave him completely exhausted. Only a minute or two was required, however, for a renewal of lung- power. Merrill and I were both asthmatics, and the preceding day had been any thing but favora-ble for us ; even the poor horse might be counted a " pilgrim," as he had not been higher than Georgetown for a month. The air, too, besides being so attenuated, was very cold; mane, tail, and nose- hairs were soon white with frost, as were our beards ; and I fancied I could see a look of almost human reproach in the pony's eye as he cast frequent glances at the man who held his tail. It was a mean ad-vantage to take the hill was too steep for him to kick but necessity justified it. The morning sun had shone on the snow but an hour or so when bright fleecy clouds began to rise and obscure the view. Then a strong wind sprang up, and the mist in long, filmy lines swept around and buried us in its chilly depths. For five minutes at a time we could see but a rod or two ahead, and those who had one horse apiece soon left Merrill and myself far behind. Even the lady, whose guide and guard I should have been according to law, left us at the last " hog- back," being on a spirited little pony that was determined to keep up with the rest. All the way we could plainly hear their voices far above us, the shout ringing with a peculiar metallic clink, like the " honk, honk " of wild geese, heard over our heads against a wintry sky. At intervals a strong wind would spring up from the south- west and sweep all the mist far away over McClellan Mountain ; then we could look back over the sub- ranges and foot- hills and see the clouds banked far out on the plains, at least five thousand feet below us. |
