The Master of the World | Page 9

farm of Wildon, less than a mile from the
Great Eyrie. There was certainly a tumult in the air, but I felt no quivering of the earth."
"But in the reports sent to Mr. Ward --"
"Reports made under the impulse of the panic, "interrupted the mayor of Morganton." I
said nothing of any earth tremors in mine."
"But as to the flames which rose clearly above the crest?"
"Yes, as to those, Mr. Strock, that is different. I saw them; saw them with my own eyes,
and the clouds certainly reflected them for miles around. Moreover noises certainly came
from the crater of the Great Eyrie, hissings, as if a great boiler were letting off steam."
"You have reliable testimony of this?"
"Yes, the evidence of my own ears."
"And in the midst of this noise, Mr. Smith, did you believe that you heard that most
remarkable of all the phenomena, a sound like the flapping of great wings?"
"I thought so, Mr. Strock; but what mighty bird could this be, which sped away after the
flames had died down, and what wings could ever make such tremendous sounds. I
therefore seriously question, if this must not have been a deception of my imagination.
The Great Eyrie a refuge for unknown monsters of the sky! Would they not have been
seen long since, soaring above their immense nest of stone? In short, there is in all this a
mystery which has not yet been solved."
"But we will solve it, Mr. Smith, if you will give me your aid."
"Surely, Mr. Strock; tomorrow we will start our campaign."
"Tomorrow." And on that word the mayor and I separated. I went to a hotel, and
established myself for a stay which might be indefinitely prolonged. Then having dined,
and written to Mr. Ward, I saw Mr. Smith again in the afternoon, and arranged to leave
Morganton with him at daybreak.
Our first purpose was to undertake the ascent of the mountain, with the aid of two
experienced guides. These men had ascended Mt. Mitchell and others of the highest
peaks of the Blueridge. They had never, however, attempted the Great Eyrie, knowing

that its walls of inaccessible cliffs defended it on every side. Moreover, before the recent
startling occurrences the Great Eyrie had not particularly attracted the attention of tourists.
Mr. Smith knew the two guides personally as men daring, skillful and trustworthy. They
would stop at no obstacle; and we were resolved to follow them through everything.
Moreover Mr. Smith remarked at the last that perhaps it was no longer as difficult as
formerly to penetrate within the Great Eyrie.
"And why?" asked I.
"Because a huge block has recently broken away from the mountain side and perhaps it
has left a practicable path or entrance."
"That would be a fortunate chance, Mr. Smith."
"We shall know all about it, Mr. Strock, no later than tomorrow."
"Till tomorrow, then."
Chapter 3
THE GREAT EYRIE

The next day at dawn, Elias Smith and I left Morganton by a road which, winding along
the left bank of the Catawba River, led to the village of Pleasant Garden. The guides
accompanied us, Harry Horn, a man of thirty, and James Bruck, aged twenty-five. They
were both natives of the region, and in constant demand among the tourists who climbed
the peaks of the Blueridge and Cumberland Mountains.
A light wagon with two good horses was provided to carry us to the foot of the range. It
contained provisions for two or three days, beyond which our trip surely would not be
protracted. Mr. Smith had shown himself a generous provider both in meats and in
liquors. As to water the mountain springs would furnish it in abundance, increased by the
heavy rains, frequent in that region during springtime.
It is needless to add that the Mayor of Morganton in his role of hunter, had brought along
his gun and his dog, Nisko, who gamboled joyously about the wagon. Nisko, however,
was to remain behind at the farm at Wildon, when we attempted our ascent. He could not
possibly follow us to the Great Eyrie with its cliffs to scale and its crevasses to cross.
The day was beautiful, the fresh air in that climate is still cool of an April morning. A few
fleecy clouds sped rapidly overhead, driven by a light breeze which swept across the long
plains, from the distant Atlantic. The sun peeping forth at intervals, illumined all the fresh
young verdure of the countryside.
An entire world animated the woods through which we passed. From before our equipage

fled squirrels, field-mice, parroquets of brilliant colors and deafening loquacity.
Opossums passed in hurried leaps, bearing their young in their pouches. Myriads of birds
were scattered amid the foliage of banyans,