Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-05-09

From Dickens Household Words.
HOW THE AVALANCHE COMES DOWN
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To n long, narrow, bleak Pyrencan valley, and
alta height Of four thousand feet above the level
Of the sen, there spings frem tho rock bot, sulphur,
Gus water, rcpuicl 10 bo the most efhcacions oil
the many mineral springs OF the Pyrenees. Ihere
is, naturally, an ctablissement des bains and, IN
spite Of the cold, inhospitablc site, q long irreg'
uIar street, which is called Bareges.
The avalanche does not fall from the mountains
which tower above the village, but down an
ominous cleft IN til rocks on it's right hank, and
on the opposite side of the valley. And the neon
venience is, that not content with rushing from
the snowy SUBMITS and sweeping bare the face of
the rocks, and marking its dcsolate track with the
scattered pines which it has upr0oted, and choking
the noisy river, it rushes mp the opposite bnhk'ahu
30 through the very centre Of Bnreges. vi course
the inhabitants Of Bareges know this, expect II,
and nre prepared fer it. In winter there is a
great gap in the one long street-no house. nor
shed nor tree, nor bush being visible. This is
the road left clear for the avalanche, which some
times travels that way five or six times IN the
course of the winter. In the spring, when his
visits are supposed to be at an end, Tue
disjointed street is united by wooden houses, or
taraques, in which the various merchants from
neighboring towns display their wares. There Is
something to an Epglishman almost incredlbIe,an
quite incomprehensible in erecting q village IN
the very teeth of an avalanche. Why not put
the houses lower down the valley in safety Z the
walk or ride, in summer, &c the etablisscment
being so easy. Why not convey the water IN
pipesP Why not-in fact-hity other things
But no-the Bearnais Of the mountains is familiar
will, the danger, he does not despise 1t, but he
considers the being buried under an avalanche as
one Of the necessary conditions OF life, and at oil
times the possible termination OF 1t. Even IN
Barepes, where, ae Pierre Pnlassou, the guide,
will tell YOU, they take such good precauticn, it is
not always found a sufficient one; and the ava.
lanche will swerve to the right or left, and cover
part Of the village; or it will exceed the dimin-
sions deemed desirable, and overwhelm the houses
on both sides of il.
In NAV Of last year the winter, which had been
an unusually fine one, was supposed to be at IN
ond, and many of the marchnnds began to erect
their ~baraques. Thirteen were completed, and
others begun, when the weather changed, and q
snow-storm came on. All that day it showed, and
in the evening the long sweep of the wind was
heard at intervals through the valley.
"There is snow enough up there to bury the
whole village % said the old men who were stand
ing in groups, consulting as TO what was to be
done.
"Well we'll, the baraques must be left-ior who
will help to pull them down with this danger
threatening us ~
depend on it this will be no light affair" said
another, land the n%eighbors in the end houses had
better ome to us for tonight"
And they separated each, who considered MN
self safe from possible danger, Offering shelter to
others who might be overtaken 10y 1t. mus II
happened that, besides the thirteen baraques many
houses on either side Of the high road for the
avalanche, were lett empty. u S'O w
households regardless Of the dahger-one consist
ed of father aud mother and three children the
other was an auberCe, q little inn frequented by
Spaniards and mountaineers in their co1traoand
excursions and, on the night in question, there
were thiateen under this roof. In both cases they
relied for safety on the fact Of the house being
built against a projecting rock, which would AFFORD
shelter from the wind that precedes the avalanche
The snow is u minor inconvenience that no on
troubles himself much about,
The evening wore into night and nothing cam
of any ones expectations. so everybody went
bed and to sleep. Not everybody-for one ma
sat listening intently for sounds in the upr'
regions which might indicate the approach
danger. AT length he rose. and went into tn
little room, where his only child, a youth Of sever
teen, was sleeping.
''Jules, mon ami, get upP"
Jules slept soundly, and only pulled the bee
clothes over his head at this appeal, -,
Jules !" said his father more loudly, max
haste-get up and run to neighbor Henri tie
him I am sure the avalanche is on the point
falling, and he must catch up the three childre
and come with his wife at once-l feel quit
certain they are not safe. Make haste 1t
midnight and very dark" Jules had hastll
thrown on his clothes and, as his father va
s~peaking the last words, he left the house.
4 few minutes only elapsed when there WI
that terrific sweep Of the wind and crash of obstt
cles opposing it, which tells of the avalanche. III
father who stood straining his eyes through ii
QdrkUebS, llOuHiL LG COull L lHS lulC cfhilb t'
followed silently ard swiftly, and drew its viii
mantle over the desolation left by the storm.
as soon as it was daylight, all Bareges was
work for Jules had not been heard of, and man
houses were under the snow: among them the tv
which we're inhabited. The father Of jules soC
by aud watched the work in silence. Few wor'
were uttered by anybody, for who could tell VIII
the result Of the search might be?
They had begun to work, as near as they cou
possibly judge, just over Henri's house. AT mi
-. IL, la x,.Io r ,io -ngc. and hastily hroo
ing through, entered. All was sale. Her
aud his wife and children waiting patien'
for their deliyerers.
'Julesis not here, then! I sent him to wa
you"
"Ah, mon Dien," said Henri, 1--WE heard n cry
Just one-it sounded close to the house, thoug
it was some poor beast swept away by t
wind
The n~eighbors broke open the house.door a
CROPPED about in the snow. There. lying acre
the threshold, and crushed By an adjoining W
which had fallen on him, lay poor Jules, dead.
3 The workers left the father to his grief and
the care of the women, and hurried to the auberI
ut which some few had already been occupied sin
day.break. The snow beneath which it was burr
lay so thickly over it, that it was after dusk beiC
mn entry was effected-of course through the TO
The house was unharmed, and all within it VI
safe. Jean Cahasse, the aubergiste, told
neighbors that neither he nor any of the 9th
had heard any unusual noise in the night, thou
he fancied he remembered something like a clap
thunder. But, in the morning he awoke and sa
Wife, it is very dark, and yet | seem to have /
a long sleep. 1t must surely be time to get u
So, be carried bis watch to he window, intend
to open the outer shutters. But he could not m
them. He went down to the house-door; {
again. in spite of all his pushing. Then up
the trap.door in the roof; and, finding that
could not lift it, he returned to his wife and 81
"Wife, the avalanche has fallen so you had b
ter get up and make the breakfast"
4. Alter breakfast all the men took out their KIN
ting, hanging tho skein of wool round their neck
the women and children were busy spinning fla
and thus they sat round The fire telling tales
past dangers till the evening. ThenJean Gaia;
said,
II am sure the n~eighbors would begin to dig
soon as it was light-bus, doubtless, the snow !
deep. Wife if the oniOn-soup is ready, we "
have supper"
1t was whilst they were at supper that
nainhhors enterrd md zera rraaied nf aarz