Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 10.djvu/80

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��Asqtiam Lake and its Environs.

��come down quite to the water on all sides, with hardly ever a strip of beach. As we move down from the wharf we disturb a heron, which rises with a scream from his hiding-place among the rushes, and flaps angularly away. Loons are seen ever and anon swimming on the surface of the lake ; and overhead, soaring with pinions stretching wide and eyes that meet the sun, the American eagle holds his flight through the upper ether.

The general lay of the lake is north- east by south-west. The larger part of the lake is in Holderness, but por- tions of it extend into Ashland, Sand- wich, Centre Harbor, and Moulton- borough. Tlie three counties of Grafton, Carroll, and Belknap come to a point in the lake. Leaving Cot- ton cove at our left, and the twin peaks of Rattlesnake hill, we steam out into the lake. Along the west- ern horizon follow the Squam moun- tains, terminating in Mount Israel, the highest peak. Overlooking this range, we catch at times the towering crests of Mount Prospect and of Sandwich Dome. At our right, against the eastern sky, are the Red Hills, 2,000 feet in height, terminating in Colby hill, the lowest spur at the north. Beyond we catch a glimpse of Mount Ossipee, 2,-500 feet in height, which lies ten miles away. Both of these mountains are in Moul- tonborough. Red hill derives its name either from the beautiful sienite which composes it, and which near the summit, where the ledges are ex- posed to the action of the air, has a reddish hue, or to the forests of uv(v, urfti which cover its sides, the leaves of which are turned into a brilliant red by the early frosts.

��Heading toward the upper part of the lake, the northern horizon bristles with stony and wooded crests. The hills and mountains crowd confusedly upon each other to look into the clear mirror of "Kusumpe pond." Yet the}' seem tranquil and in repose, and the whole atmosphere of that re- gion is that of rest. The heights, which when seen near at hand have an alert and even savage aspect, like the gashed forehead of Whiteface, the sharp thorn of Chocorua, the un- compromising granite of Tripyramid, and the sullen bolt of Passaconaway, are veiled in the violet haze of dis- tance, which softens their rugged feat- ures and puts them in harmony with the peaceful scene they overlook.

One mountain, indeed, presents as a symbol the type of peace. Fifteen miles away, in Albany, rises the solid granite mass of Mount Paugus, 3,000 feet in height. This mountain re- minds us of the old Norse god, with his stony heart. It is a huge pile of rock, scaled over with forests. On its side stands out a spur whose up- per crest presents the perfect image of a gigantic sheep's head : eye, mouth, nose, ear, and forehead are exact, and even the chest and back of the animal are distinctly made out. There it has stood for centuries, un- changed, unmoved, symbol of the Saviour of the world, a thing to have been worshipped by the rude aborig- ines, if they could, like the old Egyp- tian, have seen any tiling of the deity in th^ representation of so meek and innocent a quadruped. It was only a few weeks ago that this singular formation was first noticed, but now it is pointed out to everybody on the lake, where it can be seen at almost

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