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Show DOING PU0V0 CANYON. Incidents, Descriptions and Reflections. Reflec-tions. Salt Lake City, June 28, 1879. Editors Herald: Thero have been eo many Rich-mouds Rich-mouds in the field we are about to enter, that the topic c m claim neither youth nor oiiginality; for were we to raneack tnu lexicon of a Vebater, the repertoire of a Byron, or tbe vocabulary vocabu-lary of a Cicero, we could find but little eloquence or poetry unused, with which (o do the subject justice. Esery rock baa been raved over, every streamlet guBhed over, every tree, blown over and every wagon tipped over; we have only to go over the same ground as our predecessors, or at least so much of it as lUs between the city of Provo aud H dlowoy's Mills, the extent of our recent peregrination. On the morning ol the 17th inst. we found ournelf comfortably ensconced in a light spring vehicle, drawn by a long-eared Centiurs, the rear wRgon of a dozen or more on thoir way to the mouth of the couon. uur pany consisted con-sisted of the faculty and students of the Brigham Young Academy it beiog their annual picnio excursion their local friends and acquaintances, and a number of ladies and gentlemen from tbia city, who had been included in-cluded in the courtesy of a general invitation. By what freak ol circumstance circum-stance we became an occupant of the last team on tbe road, and therefore one of the first to become painfully aware of that fact, wo will not waste lime in guessing, but content oureelf by embracing the hope that tha cause of the honor thrust bo generously and gratuitously upon us, though wisely hidden for the present, will yet Bhine elorioualy to our understanding in the light of an ultimate future, for even as tho children of Israel followed the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, did wo march bravely onward, now on tbe skirts and now in the midst of the flying volume of alkali, which bid all else from view. For the first few miles we wrapped ourBelvea in stoicism stoic-ism and ulsters, convincing ourselves by an ordinal train of reasoning, that we were having an excellent time, and that the duet was one of tbe legitimate agencies necessary to complete com-plete tbe programme of our felicity; but on more mature reflection we remembered having eaten our hereditary here-ditary "peck of dust" long before we had arrived at out "teens," and, though cover having exhausted our homeetead and preemption rights, it gradually dawned upon us that we were amassing too much landed property consistent with the limitations limita-tions of law and equity, and yielding to the subtle qualms of conscience, we felt before we had gone five miles perfectly willing to give all we had to the poor. The sun now appeared above the eastern summits in all the majesty ol auroral splendor, evoking several screams from aB many youDg ladiea aliead, wbo bad never seen it rise beiore, and poured a shimmering shimmer-ing river of golden light over valley, bill and stream. Thousands of birds were twittering in tbe air and tree-tops, tree-tops, clusters of bright tinted berrieB adorned tbe bushes, whose bedding foliage kissed tbo limped waters aa they glided by', and far abovo our beads, on either aide, tbe masEive boulders bung in ominous magnificence, magnifi-cence, like ciaut sentioels guarding the scene below. Nearly everybody was in ecatacies and instinctively reaching for pencil and paper to apostrophise the flaming god of day, which the "Professor," who shared our Beat and is noted for the vigor and practicality of his rhetoric, remarked blandly that it was "too d -d hot," and to cool himself, him-self, got out to walk. We followed his illustrious example, but after tbe space of a very Bbort time, returned to the venicie, wiser, warmer anu dustier than ever. Ten miles from the city wo halted at tbe famous "Bridal Veil," a name which, to this day, thespinater tcuriat imagines ia a personal insinuation, and with eyes filled with dust and admiration, ad-miration, gazed long and fixedly at its wondroiia beauty. The cascade makes ita first appearence hundreds of feet above, (ailing like ft shower of gems over a precipice bo black and ugly, that it might be more aptly termed tbe "Prophet of Khorassan," did not tke silver veil but ill conceal the distorted visage of the monster over whose lace it is flung. The origin of the stream is nearly as ob scure as that of ine tgypuon rue. Local tradition asserts that it ia the outlet to a take away up among the hills, but tbe "Professor" wbo, at tho expense of a lost dinner and a huzardous climb, explored it aB far as wns practicable, returned with chagrin cha-grin and ft lorn pair of pants, to declare de-clare that oo such lako existed. But having its sourco bb an open question for the luture and a Stanley, there is no question as to the beauty of the waterfall. From the jutting clifi where it first presents itself to the enraptured vision, to the base of the crag where the s lvei y thread of water loses ita identity in tho river and flows away to the west, there aro two deacentB, tbe lower fall being the higher (paradoxical though it may be), and when the bud is beaming agaicBt the (ace ol the precipice, and the mountain zephyr lifts the water from ita downward couree and flings the misty, glittering spray from side to Bide like a piece of floating drapery, the titular origin of "Bridal Veil," is a thing of easy compreheu-iou. compreheu-iou. The BBcent to the head of tbe falls is difficult and dangerous, but most of the hidies, even those who trembled at tho phoaomeuon of sun rise, eesayed and accomplished the feat right bravely. Every picnic excursion has its lovera, its cynics and its heroes; if not, it would bo incomplete. We all know, or ought to, how the first claeB deport themselves, drinking from each oil. era eyes tbe cups of brimming brim-ming love that well from tbe heart's deepest fountains, anticipating every wish that beauty ceuld aak for or gallantry bestow, and heedless of all else, around, abovo or beneath, which would detract Irom the mutual care and attention that both are but too willing to grant. Then there ia tbe cynic, whoso diet of bout grapes has well nigh perverted hia appetite! for the grand, the beautiful and tho good, unmoved (apparently) by anything any-thing ai.d unloved by all; ridicuiing, like the hunsry fox in the adage, what be cannot himself enjoy, (not from disinclination, but incorrigible necessity,) and in whose eyea lovers are ' sloppy," nature "stupid," and the company "uucongsnial." ''Oh would some power the giflie gie U9 To sco our?olvoi B olh. s u us; It would frao many a blunder free U3 And foolish notion' But the hero is Me character of the trio. "1-niik at me" ia tho motto he wciiis on hi hatbar.d, aud "I don't care lor myself so the lad ice are all riht" his favorite remark when in tntir bearing. He never cate when the rest do, because be "can st.uid it eney without eating;" bo will rush through oak brush with his broad cloth pants and become "a kmy of shred d and p-itciies," to cull larkepurs aud bluebeiitJ for "tbe ladies;" he will leap cataracts and wido etreumB like a chamois, and if neceeaary laud in the middle of iht-iu , to exhibit hia chivalry to "the ladies;" he will pick up lizards and harmless snakes and ebow hits courage by waving wav-ing them above hia head iike a Moses in the wilderness; he will climb trees, wade shallow rivere, ascend migbty crags and perching himself on a spur of rock, the only thing between him and eternity, yell like a panther to attract the lympathy of the crowd beneath, or A j ax-like, heave huge boulderB from the mountain side to Bbow hia prowess to tho weaker veeseis below, and without a thought in his own empty head or for the broken heads of others, often seriously imperilled by Mb reckleeB egotism, revel in the fear and admiration (?) he excites. We are Dot aware that any of these animated jumping-jacke were along on the trip we are describing, des-cribing, tut certain it ie that on 9 young imn bad bis Bbouldor nearly broKen by a boulder coming down upon him while ascending the bill, supposed to have been launched by a "hero," in a wild thirst for immortality. immor-tality. Perbapa he would have got it, too. if be had been caught. But it was time to break camp and move onward, and in half an hour all were aboard and once more moving up the canon. At the hour when from the hill tbe chipmunks' chip-munks' soaring notes are heard and ( young men's hearts do gently turn to ; thoughts of the evening meal, our excursionists arrived at "the mills," a mythological title given to a iparsely grown thicket of timber, on the banks ot a crystal stream, in which was "a dam by a mill site, but no mill by a dam site." We baited for the night. Supper waa first on tbe programme, and afier it had been disposed of and evening had drawn her curtains over the Bcene, the gay and festive company com-pany gathered around the oamp fire "to have some fun." All vied with eaoh other in creating amusement lor tbe whole; even lovera separating from their Bweet-hearts, with touching aelf-BBcrifice, aelf-BBcrifice, long enough to "go to Rome," "walk the cedar swamp," or pay a forfeit for not doing so. But such games Boon subsided and the more intellectual amusements ruled the hour. At first there waa a natural ; diffidence, no one wishing to lead out, but all quite anxious to follow. At Inst one young man, willing to sacrifice sacri-fice himself for the general good, climbed up an adjacent tree and proceeded pro-ceeded to deliver a stump speech Irom the upper branches. Another young man, quite willing he should sacrifice himself hut not the assembly, seized an nxe and began to chop th tree down, determined by that spirit which insists on a due observance of the eternal fitness of things that if any such speech were delivered, it should bo a "stump" speech in every sense of tbe word. The celerity with which the young Cicero came down from bis perch, when he saw the plan lor bis immolation rivalled that of the herald Mercury, descending from the portala of Olympus. But an impetus had been given, and now the entertainment enter-tainment began in good earnest, j Songs, recitationa and anecdotes followed fol-lowed in lively alternation till betl-jtime, betl-jtime, when the entire company even .the loverB dispersed with the avowed intention of "sleeping it into morning." morn-ing." And now that beautilul phase .of Christian character, which fallB as the dewB of benevolence upon the bar-iren bar-iren wastes of human seltishneaa re-Igard re-Igard for the aged was about to be newly exemplified. Feather beds, pillows, and bo It, fleecy blankets had been fetched along on purpose, and now the most desirable places were tteleoted for their disposition, and every care exerted for the bodily comfort of the elderly and infirm, and, as if nothing could be omitted that would tend to their happiness, when they had retired to rest, tbe young folks lay awake and laughed and hollowed all night to keep them from getting lonesome. But one incident in-cident occurred to vary the monotony ot giggles, hoots, and noisy conversation, conver-sation, and that was when an old white mule that had been wandering around all night without any definite purposo, poking his noso into pans aud kettles promiscuously, reaohed over the end gate of a wagon, where a lot of girls were engaged in "making night hideous," and alter nibbling the capillary head-dress of a golden haired BircD, who was telling a good joke to the others, pulled out aeveral large mouthfuls and swallowed it, under the impression that it was lied top. One wild, despairing yell reBchoed among tbe billtope, tbe girls sprung to their leet, but tha mule had already fainted, So ended the only night-mare of the trip. The girl now wears her hat in company; tho mule sleeps with his fathers. But little more need be told of a pleasure trip which exceeded our fond-eBt fond-eBt expectations, and forms a chapter in our book of remembrance whose characters will forever remain bright and Ipcihlp. Wr held Snndav ser vices next day, beneath the shade of a Btately pine, and altera season of spiritual refreshing, gathered up the paraphernalia of our rustic dwelling place, bade gocd by to the eternal hills, and returned to the realms of civilization. Lose Fisherman. |