"I have never found a coward growing in the ranks of the closely-linked, shoulder-to-shoulder front of trees that mark the timber-line. Although they may not _seem_ to grow, materially, more than from eight to twelve feet high, and though many look deformed by the overwhelming conditions, so that they present strange shapes in comparison with the erect tall giants down the mountainside, yet I love to remember that in His perfect Creation, these same fighters have won greatness and eternal beauty for their service to others.
"In most cases, you will find that the higher the alt.i.tude of the peak and the wilder the winds, the closer grow the trees, as if to find increase of strength in the one united front that they present to the storms. These winter gales are so powerful that they tear at every object offering resistance to their destructive force. Thus the limbs growing on the outer side of the trees on timber-line are all torn away, or twisted back upon the parent trunk.
"But there are times when even the most valiant defenders of the forest are momentarily overpowered. There comes a blizzard; the gale howls and shrieks as it tears back and forth for days at a stretch, trying to force a pa.s.sage through the defence line. And sometimes a little soldier is rooted up with malignant fury, and used by the merciless gale to batter at his companions. This generally proves futile, however.
"It is not always in the wintertime that the most terrific blizzards occur in the Rockies. In July, when all the country is pining for a breeze, these peaks produce blizzards that surpa.s.s anything heard of in winter, and these summer storms are the most destructive, as the trees are green and full of tender tips, that are ruthlessly torn off during the gale.
"Then, too, the summer months generally produce the awful snowslides you hear about, that are quite common in the Rockies."
"Oh, I wish we could see one of them!" exclaimed Julie, impulsively.
"Child, you don"t know what you are saying!" said Mr. Gilroy, earnestly. "If you ever went through one, as I have, you"d never want to experience another, I a.s.sure you."
"Oh, Gilly! Do tell us about it," cried the scouts.
And Mr. Vernon added, "Yes, Gilroy, do tell us the story."
"It was many years ago, while I was on a geological trip through the Rockies. Tally and I were ready to start for a several days" outing on the peaks when the man we lodged with said, "You are going out at a bad time. Some big slides have been reported recently."
"I, like Julie here, said, "I"d like the excitement of riding a slide."
"The rancher said I was locoed, but he went about his business after that. So I took my snowshoes in case I met a slide and had to ride it.
"Tally and I were soon climbing the trail, and as we went higher and higher, I felt pleasantly excited to see several small slides start from distant peaks and ride ruthlessly over everything to gain a resting-place.
"Then we both heard a rumble and stood looking about. We now beheld a slide quite close at hand--on our own ridge but on the far side. It coasted slowly at first, but gathered momentum as it went, until it was flying downwards.
"It was about fifty feet wide and several hundred feet long, but it cut a clean channel through the forest, carrying great trees, rocks, and other objects on its crest. Before it had traveled five hundred yards, it had gathered into its capacious maw tons of debris, besides the vast blanket of snow it started out with. All this made a resistless force that swept over other forest impedimenta, dragging all along with its flood.
"It looked as if the village that snuggled at the foot of the mountain would be completely smothered and destroyed, when suddenly, the entire river of white was deflected by an erosion that had cut a wayward pathway across the mountainside. This attracted the slide down into the ravine. And as its ma.s.s went over the edge of the gulch, fine powdery particles filled the air, but nothing more than a dull, grinding sound rose to me as a tremor shook the ground, and I realized that it had found its end in the canyon.
"Upon my return to the ranch, I was told that that slide had cut down and ruined fifty thousand fine trees. Nothing could be done with them after such a battle with the slide.
"But the next day, as I still thrilled with the memory of the immense slide, I heard a rumbling sound just above where we were. Tally screamed, "Look out. She come!"
"I saw snow sliding across a shallow depression above, and heading straight for me. Tally had managed to scramble quickly out of the way, and I worked those snowshoes faster than anything I ever did before or since--believe me!
"Before I could reach a safety zone, however, I was caught in the outer edge of the avalanche and whirled along for some distance. By dint of working those same snowshoes I managed to gain the extreme edge, where I flung myself recklessly out into s.p.a.ce, not knowing where I might land.
"Fortunately, I was left sprawling with legs and arms about a pine, while the slide rioted on without me. I lifted my bruised head because I wished to see all I could of it, and I was able to witness the havoc it wrought in its descent. When it reached the bottom of the mountain it collided with a rocky wall on an opposite cliff. The first meeting of the snow with this powerful resistance curled it backward upon itself, while the rest of the slide piled up on top, and quickly filled the narrow valley with its debris.
"Had I not been so near the line of least suction, or had I been in the middle of that fearful slide, nothing could have saved me. I should have been buried under tons of snow even if I survived a death-dealing blow from a rock or tree during the descent.
"Now, Julie, do you still care to experience a hand-to-hand battle with a slide?"
"If it wasn"t for all such thrilling adventures, Gilly, you wouldn"t be so entertaining. When one is in the Rockies, one looks for experiences that go _with_ the Rockies," declared the girl.
Mr. Gilroy shook his head as if to say Julie was hopeless. But Joan laughingly remarked, "A snowslide wouldn"t be any wilder than Julie"s visit to old man Good Arrow in his castle."
"And about as frightful as the pit he would have thrown Julie into,"
added Mr. Gilroy.
"Joking aside, Scouts. We expect to meet with various thrilling adventures during our sojourn in the Rockies, and I don"t believe one takes such dire risks if one is careful," said Julie.
"Maybe not, but you are not careful. In fact, you take "dire risks"
every time," retorted Mr. Gilroy.
Nothing was said for a few minutes, then Tally spoke, "Mees"r Gilloy--him come to Boulder, pooty quick!"
"Ha, that"s good news!" remarked Mr. Vernon.
"Yes, and our little scheme worked fine, eh, Uncle," laughed Mr.
Gilroy. But all the coaxings from the scouts could not make either man say what that scheme had been.
At Boulder the party gladly left the wagon for Tally to deliver to his brother, and the horses were turned over to the man they were intended for. While Tally was waiting for his brother"s arrival, Mr. Gilroy found he could conduct his party through the Boulder Canyon, known as "The Switzerland Trail."
So they got on a train and rode through a canyon which, as the name suggested, was everywhere lined with great boulders of all shapes and sizes. Here a roaring torrent would cleave a way down to the bottom of the canyon, while there an abrupt wall of rock defied the elements and all things else to maintain its stand.
At Tungsten, the end of the trail, the scouts visited the district where this metal is mined. When they were through with the visit, Mr.
Gilroy told the girls that Boulder County"s record of income from tungsten alone was more than five million dollars a year.
The State University at Boulder was visited upon the return of the scout tourists to that city. Here the girls learned that the campus covered over sixty acres of ground, and that the university boasted of twenty-two splendidly equipped buildings, equal to any in the world.
It also had a library of its own that numbered about eighty-three thousand volumes. The value of the buildings approximated one million, seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
"It doesn"t seem possible, when you look around at what this place is--or seems to be!" exclaimed Ruth.
"Which goes to prove that appearances are not necessarily harmonious with facts," returned Mrs. Vernon, smilingly.
When they met Tally, who was waiting at the place appointed, Julie asked, "Where do we go from here, Gilly?"
"We"ll follow Tally, as he seems to have a plan back of that grin,"
returned Mr. Gilroy.
Every one turned to look at Tally, who in turn seemed quite taken by surprise, as he said, "Tally no plan!"
"Ah, Tally! Will you never understand my winks!" sighed Mr. Gilroy. "I wanted you to help me out while I evaded an issue with these dreadful Scouts."
"Um, Tally glad to if Mees"r Gilloy onny tell him."
The others laughed at this guileless confession, and Mr. Gilroy shook his head despairingly. Then he said, "Well, I suppose I must "fess up.""
"Of course, if you have any hidden schemes back in _your_ brain,"
Julie retorted.
"This is it! Tally heard of a number of excellent horses to be had from a rancher near Loveland, so rather than wait about here for him to go and bring them back, we will go on to Loveland by train, and start from that place to ride through the Rocky Mountain National Park.
"You see, my first plan is entirely upset by a prairie schooner, an Indian, and a horse-dealer. I had expected to ride from Denver on horses secured there, and go to Ward. Then on across the Divide and so on to Hot Sulphur Springs and Steamboat Springs. But it seems the itinerary revised itself,--and it may turn out to be a good improvement on mine," said Mr. Gilroy.
"How far is the Continental Divide from Loveland?" asked Joan.