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INTRODUCTION

My residence is about a mile, as the bird flies, from the celebrated Rocks 
of Deer Creek. I first saw this great natural curiosity in the Spring of 
1844. I was then young, and did not dream that my advanced years would be 
passed almost under its shadows. But He who appoints the bounds of our 
habitations has so ordered. To-day I occupy the place which I have named, 
for peculiar reasons, "Shirley, near the Rocks."

Since I have lived in this locality I have been observant of much apparent 
interest in the Rocks, and have read numerous compositions, both in prose 
and poetry, descriptive of them. These were generally the essays of the 
young, inspired by the beauties and sublimities of the scenes around them. 
Of the objects seen, none have excited more interest than the King and 
Queen Seats. Who made them?--for what purpose were they used?--have been 
frequent enquiries. These interrogatories suggested the writing of "The 
Last King and Queen of the Rocks of Deer Creek." Having done so for the 
instruction and entertainment of the young people especially, it occurred 
to me that a series of sketches, mingling fact with fancy, might give them 
pleasure, and, perhaps, be of some profit to them. These I have written, 
and they are to be found in this small and unpretentious volume.

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I hope that the character of these compositions will give offence to no 
one, not even the most conscientious. They are, indeed, the interweaving 
of fact with fancy, but the facts are more numerous than one would imagine 
who has not studied the locality and its history as I have done. Add to 
these facts the laws, customs and usages of the original inhabitants of 
the country, referred to in these stories, and the amount of absolute 
fiction is not great. My apology for the presence of fiction at all is, 
that it is, as I use it, a mirror--a reflection of the truth. Nature 
responds to imagination, and imagination is the handmaid of Nature. 
Shakespeare is read by all, not because his characters and scenes are not 
fictitious, but rather because his imaginings mirror the truths of Nature. 
That sublimest creation of poetic genius, the Book of Job, the Divine 
inspiration of which is not doubted, is a sacred drama, the persons of 
which, though they may not have had existence in fact, are nevertheless 
real, because they are truthful. Paradise Lost and the Pilgrim's Progress 
are both creations of fancy, but not therefore pernicious. If strict, 
literal fact is alone to be tolerated, then all books embellished with the 
colors of imagination must be discarded, though imagination be the medium 
for the conveyance of truth.

I am the more solicitous that the facts and truthful fancies of this book 
shall be read, because of the changes that will be wrought by the 
improvements now in progress and promised in the vicinity of the Rocks. 
The iron horse will soon be running along our streams and through our 
valleys, the smoke of the locomotive will

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curl its wreaths about the summits of the Rocks, partially hiding them 
from view. The substitution of the realities of the commercial and 
business life for the poetries of undisturbed Nature is inevitable.

THE AUTHOR.



INTRODUCTION TO SECOND EDITION

The favor with which the first edition of one thousand copies of "The 
Rocks of Deer Creek; their Legends and History," has been received, 
encourages the issue of a second edition indefinitely large. The sale of 
so many copies in so brief a space of time shows that the interest is in 
the Rocks as a natural curiosity of great attraction; and this fact is a 
compliment to the intelligence and taste of the many who have purchased 
and read the book. Of the hundreds who were courteously solicited to 
patronize this home production, scarce a half-dozen lacked courtesy in 
their refusal to do so, and charity believes that the majority of this 
insignificant number were prompted by no unworthy motives. Occasionally 
there is found in the forests a rare bird, in the waters a rare fish, in 
the fields a rare beast; why, therefore, should it be thought a strange 
thing when there is found occasionally among those animals who, as has 
been scientifically determined, possess the qualities and characteristics 
of all the inferior animals, one to whom the presentation of a book 
constitutes a grave offence. Some members of the genus homo--the 
microcosm--never read a book, not because they have no knowledge of 
letters, but because all letters are offensive to them.

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Care has been taken in making up the present edition to avoid as much as 
possible the defects and blemishes of the first. Both grammatical and 
typographical errors exist in the former, and fortunate it will be if none 
shall be found in the latter. The effort to secure perfection of form will 
be appreciated, and the failure to do so will be forgiven by all generous 
readers.

This book is larger; other legends have been added; the facts and 
incidents are more numerous. It is large enough. We launch our boat, 
which, though not
"-- as goodly and strong and staunch
As ever weathered a wintry sea,"
will nevertheless, we hope,
"-- sail securely, and safely reach
The Fortunate Isles, on whose shining beach
The sights we see, and the sounds we hear,
Will be those of joy, and not of fear."

THE AUTHOR.



CONTENTS:

DEDICATION ... 3 
INTRODUCTION ... 5 
INTRODUCTION TO SECOND EDITION ... 9 
DESCRIPTION OF THE ROCKS ... 13 
RAZUKA; A LEGEND OF ROCK RIDGE LAKE ... 15 
THE LAST KING AND QUEEN OF THE ROCKS OF DEER CREEK ... 22 
THE LAST INDIAN OF DEER CREEK ... 28 
THE HERMIT OF THE OTTER ROCK ... 33 
THE ROBBER'S DEN; OR, THE LEARNED PHILOLOGIST ... 41 
THE ENCHANTRESS OF HUNTING RIDGE ... 46 
THE AGED TRAPPER, HUNTER AND FISHERMAN OF THE INDIAN CUPBOARD ... 51 
THE MINE OLD FIELDS; OR, THE GATHERING OF THE WITCHES ... 58 
THE FAILING BRANCH; OR, THE CAPTURED BRIDE ... 64 
THE EAGLE ... 71 
THE WITCH RABBIT ... 72 
THE BIG SNAKE ... 73 
WHITSUNTIDE ... 74 
THE PERILOUS FEAT ... 75 
AN ACT OF VANDALISM ... 76 
CANAL AND RAILROAD ... 77 
THE ORIGINAL MOONSHINER ... 79 
THE MONUMENTS OF THE GIANTS ... 81 
THE FIELD OF DARTS ... 84 
THE CHROME PITS ... 86 
THE SLATE QUARRIES ... 87 
THE HORSE EPIDEMIC AND THE GUINEA-MAN'S PONY ... 89 
THE CHURCH OF THE ROCKS ... 92

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MIKE'S ROCK ... 94 
THE ANCIENT MILL AND THE HONEST MILLER ... 95 
THE OLDEST INHABITANT ... 98 
THE YOUNGEST INHABITANTS ... 100 
THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS ... 101 
THE MASSACRE OF THE MINGOES ... 103 
ROCKS LITERATURE ... 105
INTRODUCTION THERETO ... 106
SELECTIONS THEREFROM, IN PROSE AND POETRY ... 107A
DESCRIPTION OF THE ROCKS IN PROSE ... 107B
STANZAS ON KING AND QUEEN SEATS ... 107C
DESCRIPTION OF THE ROCKS IN POETRY ... 108D
THE FERN ... 109E
THE OLD MILL ... 112 
A PROPHECY ... 116 
MASON AND DIXON'S LINE ... 122 
A LITERARY CURIOSITY ... 123

ILLUSTRATIONS:
THE ROCKS OF DEER CREEK ... FRONT OF TITLE 
THE FALLING BRANCH ... PAGE 64