Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1854-08-10

/ luOuS III.
) "'Tis a perfect tempest said th
! lady, as withdrew my head fror
: the window. How | love a sudde
storm! There is something SO gran'
among the winds when fairly loos
! among the hills. | never encounte
J a night like this, but Byron's mag
nifcent description of a thunder
! storm in the Jura Immediately re
ours to my mind. But are we OF
), the mountain yet?'
II Yes, we have begun the ascent
/ ".Is it not said to be dangerous?
/ "si}y no means / replied, in as
easy tone as could assume.
~ only wish it was daylight,
that we might enjoy the mountain
scenery But, Jesu Mariel what S
that?' and she covered her eyes from
the glare Of a sheet of lightning that
illumined the rugged mountain with
brilliant intensity. Peal after peal
of crashing thunder instantly sue
ceeded; there was a very volume of
rain coming down at each thunder
burst, and with the deep moaning Of
an animal, as if in dreadful agony,
breaking upon my ears, ! found that
the coach had come to q dead halt.
Louise, my beautiful fellow trav-
eller, became pale as ashes. She fixed
her searching eyes on mine with
look Of anxious dread, and, turning
TO her father, hurriedly remarked =
"We are on the mountainsl'
81 reckon SO, was the uncon-
.cerned reply.
.With instant activity, / put my
head through the window, and called
to the driver; but the only answer
was the heavy moaning of an ago.
nized animal borne'past me by the
swift wiugs Of the tempest. ] seized
the handle Of the door, and strained
at it in vain; it would not yield a jot. |
At that instant felt cold hand on
mine, and heard Louise's $ voice faint
ly arIiculating in my ear, the appall-
ing words
"iThe eoact is being mored back
fca'dsl'
"G6d in Heaven! Never shall /
forget the fierce agony with which
tugged at that coach-door, and called
on the driver in tones that rivalled
the force Of the blast, while the
dreadful conviction was burning in
my brain that the coach may being
moped slOwly baekward!
"What followed was Of such swift
occur. ence that it seems to be like
a friglitful dream.
81 rushed against the door With all
my force, but it Knocked my utmost
efforts. One side Of our vehicle was
sensibly going down, down. The
moaning of the agonized animal be-
came deeper and deeper, and ! knew
from the desperate plunges against
his traces that it WAS one of our hor-
ses. Crash upon crash of hearse
thunder rolled over the mountain,
and vivid sheets Of lightning played
around our devoted carriage, as if
in glee at our Misery, By its light
[ could see for moment-only Tor
a moment--the old planter, stand
ing erect, with his hands en- his son
and daughter, his eyes raised to
heaven, and his lips moving like!
those of one in prayer. l could see
Louise turn her ashy cheeks and su-
perb eyes towards me, as if implor~
ing my protection, and | could see,
the bold glance Of the young boy
flashing indignant defiance at the de-
scendipg carriage, the war of ele-
ments, and the awful danger that
awaited him. There was roll-a
desperate plunge. as. if of an animal
in the last throes Of dissolution a
harsh, grating jar--a sharp, piercing
scream Of moral terror, and | had
but time to clasp Louise firmly with T
one hand round the waist, and seize
the leather fastenings attached to- the
coach roof with the other. when we
were precipitated over the precIpice.
II can distinctly recollect preserv-
ing consciousness, for few seconds
of time, how rapidly my breath was
being exhausted; but of that tre-
mendous descent j soon lost all fur
ther individual knowledge by a con-
cussion so violent that ] was instant
~ deprived of sense and motion.
The traveller paused. His fea-
lures worked for a minute or two as