y
clouded, and the outlook was awful. The great Divide of the Arkansas
was in front, looming vaguely through a heavy snow cloud, and snow
began to fall, not in powder, but in heavy flakes. Finding that there
would be risk in trying to ride till nightfall, in the early afternoon
I left the road and went two miles into the hills by an untrodden path,
where there were gates to open, and a rapid steep-sided creek to cross;
and at the entrance to a most fantastic gorge I came upon an elegant
frame house belonging to Mr. Perry, a millionaire, to whom I had an
introduction which I did not hesitate to present, as it was weather in
which a traveler might almost ask for shelter without one.

Mr. Perry was away, but his daughter, a very bright-looking,
elegantly-dressed girl, invited me to dine and remain. They had stewed
venison and various luxuries on the table, which was tasteful and
refined, and an adroit, colored table-maid waited, one of five attached
Negro servants who had been their slaves before the war. After dinner,
though snow was slowly falling, a gentleman cousin took me a ride to
show me the beauties of Pleasant Park, which takes rank among the
finest scenery of Colorado, and in good weather is very easy of access.
It did look very grand as we entered it by a narrow pass guarded by two
buttes, or isolated upright masses of rock, bright red, and about 300
feet in height. The pines were very large, and the narrow canyons
which came down on the park gloomily magnificent. It is remarkable
also from a quantity of "monumental" rocks, from 50 to 300 feet in
height, bright vermilion, green, buff, orange, and sometimes all
combined, their gay tinting a contrast to the disastrous-looking snow
and the somber pines. Bear Canyon, a gorge of singular majesty, comes
down on the park, and we crossed the Bear Creek at the foot of this on
the ice, which gave way, and both our horses broke through into pretty
deep and very cold water, and shortly afterwards Birdie put her foot
into a prairie dog's hole which was concealed by the snow, and on
recovering herself fell three times on her nose. I thought of Bishop
Wilberforce's fatal accident from a smaller stumble, and felt sure that
he would have kept his seat had he been mounted, as I was, on a Mexican
saddle. It was too threatening for a long ride, and on returning I
passed into a region of vivacious descriptions of Egypt, Palestine,
Asia Minor, Turkey, Russia, and other count