We Carried Our Luncheon With Us, So
There Was No Necessity For Haste, And Every Now And Then We Sat Upon
The Thick Carpet Of Pine Needles To Rest, And Also Study The Marvelous
Coloring Of The Cliffs Across The River.
The walls of the canon are
very high and very steep - in many places perpendicular - and their
strata of brilliant colors are a marvel to everyone.
It was a day to
be remembered, and no one seemed to mind being a little tired when we
returned late in the afternoon. The proprietor of the little log hotel
that is only a short distance up the river, told Captain Spencer that
we had gone down six good miles - giving us a tramp altogether, of
twelve miles. It seems incredible, for not one of us could walk one
half that distance in less rarefied air.
Just below the big falls, and of course very near our camp, is a
nature study that we find most interesting. An unusually tall pine
tree has grown up from between the boulders at the edge of the river.
The tree is now dead and its long branches have fallen off, but a few
outspreading short ones are still left, and right in the center of
these a pair of eagles have built a huge nest, and in that nest, right
now, are two dear eaglets! The tree is some distance from the top of
the cliff, but it is also lower, otherwise we would not have such a
fine view of the nest and the big babies. They look a little larger
than mallard ducks, and are well feathered. They fill the nest to
overflowing, and seem to realize that if they move about much, one
would soon go overboard. The two old birds - immense in size - can be
seen soaring above the nest at almost any time, but not once have we
seen them come to the nest, although we have watched with much
patience for them to do so. The great wisdom shown by those birds in
the selection of a home is wonderful. It would be utterly impossible
for man or beast to reach it.
Another nature study that we have seen in the park, and which, to me,
was most wonderful, was a large beaver village. Of course most people
of the Northwest have seen beaver villages of various sizes, but that
one was different, and should be called a city. There were elevated
roads laid off in squares that run with great precision from one
little house to the other. There are dozens and dozens of
houses - perhaps a hundred - in the marshy lake, and the amount of
intelligence and cunning the little animals have shown in the
construction of their houses and elevated roads is worth studying.
They are certainly fine engineers.
We take the road home from here, but go a much more direct route,
which will be by ambulance all the way to Fort Ellis, instead of going
by the cars from Mammoth Hot Springs.
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