Virginia illustrated : containing a visit to the Virginian Canaan, and the adventures of Porte Crayon and his cousins . iant stalagmite. I climbedup the walls, and squeezed myself into damp niches. More mis-erable than the ass, I had a hundred bundles of hay to choosefrom, and the regret at what I missed seemed to overbalance thesatisfaction I felt in the sketches actually made. Not unfrequent-ly I forgot my drawing entirely, and would sit looking with all the intensity of eyes and soul, as if endeavoring to comprehendmore fully the wonderful creations by which I was thou read
Virginia illustrated : containing a visit to the Virginian Canaan, and the adventures of Porte Crayon and his cousins . iant stalagmite. I climbedup the walls, and squeezed myself into damp niches. More mis-erable than the ass, I had a hundred bundles of hay to choosefrom, and the regret at what I missed seemed to overbalance thesatisfaction I felt in the sketches actually made. Not unfrequent-ly I forgot my drawing entirely, and would sit looking with all the intensity of eyes and soul, as if endeavoring to comprehendmore fully the wonderful creations by which I was thou read, O philosopher, what is written on these eternaltablets ? The percolation of water through limestone strata forten thousand years—and nothing more ? The last sketch I made, continued Crayon, is a most singu-lar one. In arranging the lights to show the huge mass calledthe Magic Tower to the greatest advantage, I observed two gigan-tic figures standing in deep shade, but strongly relieved againstthe illuminated wall. They stood so statue-like, and so complete 100 PORTE CRAYON AND HIS COUSINS. ? ^ J-* THE MAGIC TOWER. was the illusion, that I felt some hesitation in representing them,fearing that I might be suspected of condescending to an artistictrick. Although wonderful stories are often prefaced in the samemanner, it rarely happens that any opportunity of telling them isneglected, notwithstanding the risk incurred in the reputation of A QUESTION OF TASTE. JQl the teller. So here go the statues, at all hazards. While I wasat work upon them, two boys entered with a pot of hot coffee,which had been sent to me by arrangement. Both started withsurprise, and remarked on the giants, as they called them. Bymy pocket thermometer I ascertained the temperature of the caveto be about 53^ degrees Fahrenheit, and, although I sometimesremained in it from eight to ten hours at a time, I never felt theslightest discomfort from the darkness or any other cause. Onemorning, having
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectvirginiasociallifean
