A description of the part of Devonshire bordering on the Tamar and the Tavy; its natural history, manners, customs, superstitions, scenery, antiquities, biography of eminent persons, etcin a series of letters to Robert Southey . laughed at the idea. How-ever, we determined to ascend the lowest first, whichwe did with no great difficulty, and discovered on ita basin, a foot and a half in diameter and one footdeep. This, contrary to all we had liitherto seen,was full of dirty water, which was probably occa-sioned by decayed moss. Over it hung a loftierpile, which we resolved to ascend as high as
A description of the part of Devonshire bordering on the Tamar and the Tavy; its natural history, manners, customs, superstitions, scenery, antiquities, biography of eminent persons, etcin a series of letters to Robert Southey . laughed at the idea. How-ever, we determined to ascend the lowest first, whichwe did with no great difficulty, and discovered on ita basin, a foot and a half in diameter and one footdeep. This, contrary to all we had liitherto seen,was full of dirty water, which was probably occa-sioned by decayed moss. Over it hung a loftierpile, which we resolved to ascend as high as wecould, without much hope of reaching the top. Myfriend, however, got to the very summit of it, onwhich he informed mc was a wide but shallow followed him till I reached the thu-d stone from 240 STAPLliTOR. [let. the top, which I could feel with my hand, but wasunable to summon resolution cnoug-h to ascendhigher. Whilst I was leaning with my breast against thestone, he moved from his position, and I felt the rockshake under him. On my mentioning this circum-stance, he did not seem to give it credit; but I soonconvinced him, by shaking it myself, till, Avith somedegree of apprehension, he requested me to • I begged he would continvie on the top, till Ihad descended and taken a sketch of it, with him-self on the summit; but first gave him a plumb-lineto let down, and we found he was elevated thirtyfeet. Whilst sketching. I conversed with him, andcould almost fancy I heard a voice from the not onlv stood upright, but stretched out hishands and foot in the position of Mercury, andseemed rather like a statue on the top of a loftycolumn than a human being on the summit of anatural rock. Besides its elevation, it hangs con-siderably out of its perpendicular; which so blendedthe feelings of fear for my friend and surprise at hisintrepid firmness, that I felt the most indescribable XIII.] STAPLETOR. 241 sensations, and my fingers could scarcely hold thepen
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