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on the opposite side of which wound our future track; for the
ascent is here in an acutely zig-zag direction. The horses
carefully picked their steps along the narrow precipice, and
turned the angle that led them to the opposite side.
At length, as we ascended, Derwent-water dwindled on the eye to
the smallness of a pond, while the grandeur of its amphitheatre
was increased by new ranges of dark mountains, no longer
individually great, but so from accumulation - a scenery to give
ideas of the breaking up of a world. Others (sic) precipices soon
hid it again; but Bassenthwaite continued to spread immediately
below us, till we turned into the heart of Skiddaw, and were
inclosed by its steeps. We had now lost all track, even of the
flocks that were scattered over these tremendous wilds. The guide
conducted us by many curvings among the heathy hills and hollows
of the mountain; but the ascents were such, that the horses
panted in the slowest walk, and it was necessary to let them rest
every six or seven minutes - An opening to the south, at length,
showed the whole plan of the narrow vales of St. John and of
Nadale, separated by the dark ridge of rocks called St. John's
Rigg, with each its small line of verdure at the bottom, and
bounded by enormous grey fells, which we were, however, now high
enough to overlook. A white speck on the top of St. John's Rigg,
was pointed out by the guide to be a chapel of ease to Keswick,
which has no less than five such scattered amongst the fells.
From this chapel, dedicated to St. John, the rock and the vale
have received their name; and our guide told us that Nadale was
frequently known by the same title.
Leaving this view, the mountain soon again shut out all prospect,
but of its own vallies and precipices, covered with various
shades of turf and moss, and with heath, of which a dull purple
was the prevailing hue. Not a tree or bush appeared on Skiddaw,
nor even a stone wall any where broke the simple greatness of its
lines. Sometimes we looked into
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