Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 24.djvu/184

 164 Charles Henry Carey beautiful situation for a camp. The surrounding scenery enchantingly beautiful. [1844] Sunday, September 1. We spend the Sabbath in this lovely spot in rest, reading and divine worship; sermon in the morning; afternoon prayer meeting in which all the adults took a part and though we could not understand each other, yet our common Father can under- stand his children in their devotions whatever their lan- guage. Monday, 2. Soon after daylight, we started and after passing perhaps eight miles, we were met by head wind and laid by for breakfast ; beach was covered with vari- ous specimens of beautiful pebbles ; and soon after break- fast, we started again, the wind having turned favorable, and soon we came in sight of a huge pillar of rock which presented itself in about the middle of river. This was an omen of the mighty wonders which soon presented themselves to our view in the most splendid and magnifi- cent view of rocks in pillars and in almost every form as up, up, up, until within the neighborhood of the clouds. The grandest scene by far I ever witnessed in the works of nature. This is what is sometimes called Cape Horn. The waters are restless; the mighty columns of basalt, like lofty pyramids lifting themselves up as to heaven, truly made the scene fearfully grand; never was I so awed by nature in any of her forms in which she has ever showed herself. The far famed Falls of Niagara dwindle compared with the scenery of this day; it wants the pen of fancy to describe this scene and the most obtuse and dull mind is almost waken up into fancy here ; but my incompetency to describe the scene forbids the attempt as all attempt of mine would be but solemn mock- ery. This scenery presents itself in unnumbered varieties new and grand for about two miles. At night we camp at the foot of the cascades. Tuesday, 3. Today a scene full of novelty and labor. These cascades continue for four miles in which the