Beyond the West: containing an account of two years' travel in the other half of our great continent far beyond the old West, on the plains, in the Rocky mountains, and picturesque parks of Colorado. Also, characteristic features of New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho ... Oregon, Utah, Nevada, and ... California, the end of the West ... the great continental railroad, together with the ... most wonderful natural scenery in the world .../ by George W. Pine.

ASCENT OF PIKE'S PEAK.
the freshly-fallen snow! It was worth all our toil
to see the cheek of June, with its purple flush, nestle
among the silver locks of December. Finally the
last flower and blade of grass were left behind and
only rocks and snow ahead. It became difficult to
avoid falling asleep during our brief pauses. Just
below this we turned southward to look down a
tremendous chasm known as the " Crater." It is
half a mile wide, nearly circular, inclosed by abrupt
walls of rock, and -fully twelve hundred feet deep.
Creeping to the verge of the dizzy hight, while our
comrades clung to us with desperate clasp to save us
from tumbling over, we dislodged huge rocks into
the abyss. Down they leaped, bounding from ledge
to ledge, striking sparks and scattering showers of
fire, with great crash and roar, that came rolling up
to us like peals of thunder long after they were out
of sight. One overhanging rock affords to the
spectator, lying flat upon his face, an excellent view
of the yawning gulf, though its uncomfortable tumbling disquiets his nerves.
At last, just before noon, passing two banks of
snow which have lain unmelted for years, perhaps
for centuries, we stood on the highest poilt of Pike's
Peak. The ladies of our party, one a native of
Boston, the other of Derry, N. H., were the first of
their sex who ever set fio,)t up,on the simimit.
I
i
i
I
,I
iI
i
I
I