White Sulphur papers; or, Life at the springs of Western Virginia

68 WHITE SULPHUR PAPERS
the black clouds, while the beholder is reminded of
volcanoes in their rage.
Fires have to be kindled below the mountains to
meet those from above, otherwise the fences and
corn in the fields would be destroyed.
These fires, so destructive to the verdure and
growth of the trees, happen, almost annually, from
the carelessness of the hunters, who fire the dry
leaves and underwood to increase the facilities of
procuring game, and not unfrequently from the burning
of a bee-tree.
This particular region in the county of Greenbriar,
and as far as the Sweet Springs, w^as at one
time a favourite resting place for the red man. The
smoke has curled from many a wdgw^am on these
high liills, w^here councils and war talks have been
held, and along the banks of the creek
can now be
found the arrow points of quivers wasted in hunt
and in battle. Kate's mountain, in view from the
White Sulphur, was the scene of many a bloody
fight between the white settlers and the Indians.
The mountain takes its name from an old lady, Kate
Carpenter—who after having her family butchered,
took refuge there, where she remained for some days
in great jeopardy of her life.
But tales of border warfare of olden days have
ceased to be interesting. The thrillmg occurrences