Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/20



its frosty  diadem  gleams  with  the  glances  of  the departing sun  long  after  the  shades  of  night  have overs}3read the  surrounding  hills.

Before us  at  the  portal  two  sentinels,  Helena  and Diablo, guard  either  side,  with  Tamalpais  picketed near the  entrance  ;  while  far  to  the  south,  over  the Tulare lakes  and  meadows,  from  the  cold  starlit  ether or glowing  in  the  roseate  hues  of  day,  the  tall  obelisks and stately  domes  and  bristlhig  minarets  of  mounts Brewer, Whitney,  and  Tyndall  look  down  in  grave guardianship. Proud immutability  ! Yet whether dripping with  slimy  sea-beds,  or  being  graven  by glaciers,  or  smoothed  into  forms  of  comeliness  by tempest,  these  mighty  ministers  to  needful  lowlands do nevertheless  slowly  crumble  in  decay,  and  with their dust  feed  forest  aijd  flower. So man  is  laid  low, and mind.

A little  to  our  left,  and  almost  hidden  by  granite- waves and  conoidal  domes  that  rise  out  of  broad  fir- planted snow-fields,  yawns  the  plateau-rent  of  Yosem- ite. It lies  in  the  Sierra  foothills,  nearly  at  right angles to  their  trend,  and  consists  of  a  trough-like erosion, or  sink,  about  a  mile  in  jierpendicular  depth, six miles  in  length,  with  a  flat  bottom  from  half  a mile  to  a  mile  in  irregular  width. Angles and  square recesses press  into  walls  of  light  gray  granite,  bril- liantly white under  the  reflection  of  the  sun's  rays, in places  reddened  by  moss,  fantastically  carved,  or stained  with  vertical  parallel  stripes  of  brown  and black. Over these  smooth  white  walls  the  Merced and its  tributaries  leap  in  wavy  silver  threads,  and dashing in  dusty  foam  upon  the  chasm  floor,  intone eternal hallelujahs. Any one  of  the  scores  of  domes, and peaks,  and  perpendicular  channels,  and  lichen- covered precipices  that  here  present  themselves  taken apart constitutes  of  itself  a  study.

Climbing up  the  outer  side  of  the  basin,  and  emer- ging from the  level  forest  that  covers  the  thick  flat rim and  veils  the  approach  to  the  chasm^  the  tourist