The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-05-02
A n d r a vi.
BT W. o. TON.

APPS tneh nomeWaIo patnWeyS III up ny lhe .
declining sun, band of hunters were max. ,
ing their perilous descent; now threading, :
with practiced steps, the preciptous de6les,
which would have bewildered and appalled,
an unaccustomed traveller, and now leaping
with precise and energetic bounds, enormous
gorges which yawned between the mountain
sides. and where one careless step might
have sent them instantly to the deep doom
below. Yet, familiar with these pusses
from bOyhood, and with eyes and limbs as
expert as the chsmois which they chased,
the hearty peasants made the echoes merry
with their laughter; and ever and anon wound
their horns, till the music was reverberated
from thousand peaks, and, piercing to the
valley below, gave pleasing signal to their
expectant families that they were coming.
As thus in single file they proceeded, and
just as they achieved long and steep as.
cent, shout of surprise from the foremost
assembled his companions at his side, when
they beheld, deeply imbedded In huge
snow DRIFT, the dark figure Of richly dressed
strange evidently not a native of these
hills.
"He has fallen from some height above
u.s." exclaimed one, "the least Of them not
less than two hundred feet, and if he is not
lifeless from the swianess of such deep
fall, it is miracle."
Cautiously veuturing from their path
across the snow, 10 the place where lay the
body, two OF the hunters knelt down, and
after brief examination, pronounced the
man still alive, but insensible-the soft
snow upon which he hOd providehtially faI.
len, having saved his body from being dashed
"He has dug his own grave, but did not
choose to die in it," said one Of the hunters
"Let US see what little eau de ute will
do for him!" said one. and Withdrawing 4
fash from his breast, he applied it to the
lips Of the stranger, while others now rub
bed his wrists and temples.
} The man eoon opened his eyes, and be
came strong enough to stand; but his glance
: was a vacant and unmeaning one. To al
questions, he simply muttered the wor
. "Andravi," and pointed, with tremulous fin
ger, to the dread height from which he hu
I fallen.
D "He is either a mute, lunatic or simple
: top," was the conclusion Of his preservers
b "Perhsps the fall has unsettled his reason
{; and no wonder. But let US away, or W
e may need aid ourselves. for the sun is nedI
9 ly down."
b Lifting the stranger along over their ire
Z guIar and still dangerous rond, they left th
spot and ere long arrived at the neare:
home among the mountains, where tn
stranger was provided with refreshmenI
and couch by the hospitality of The hun
BILE occupants; and the others separated f
their respective dwellings.
:. Sleep and kind care soon restored AM
- ravi, for such was his name, but wheth
- his infirmity OF mind was natural, or II
result of hie fall, the shock and the fri. .ht-
certain it was that but few words could
excited from him and these were not cob
rent. His mind was wandering and limb
cile; and as he could not give any Indicate
as to where his home was, or had been, al
was now comparatively helpless, he W
=. suffered to remain among these mountu
homes, to do what he could learn 10 do.
return for the protection afforded him; o
he soon became widely known among
mou unta ineers by the undigniied soubEiqr
- 49, f"Le Fou," or the idiot.
80 Yet Andravi wes treated by all with C.
tain respect, growing out of the surmise Il
the rich dress in which he had been fou
indicated that he must have been pers
mi Of some rank or riches in his own count
al and then misfortune, when undeserved,
of ways appeals to the human sympathy. A
,v. more than ill this, Andravi, finally beco
nm ing familiar with the mountain paths, 6
ava also evincing the possession of remarka
- strength, daring and agility. after hav
,be bided for year in those lofty Businesses
ph, snow and ice, learned sufficiently TO beco
7 a professional guide to travellers and VIII
D q ever any journey Of that kind, requiring
m pecial skill and fortitude, was to be unc
md taken, 1t was sure to be intrusted to
erv hardy frame and practised instinct of the
in trepid. though generally mute and otherv
ver idiotic ADdravi.
'ual His quietude, his usefulness in his ador
With calling, and his child-like devotion to tn
the who had been thus kind to him, made
idiot Of the Alps universally regarded,
many prayer went up, from rude but
est hearts. among those frozen regions,
the All lSeeing Eye might watch over
with protect, and some day restore him to res
used and home.
e. But still for years he dwelt there,
9 to none knew who he was or whence he ca
lex. Yet, as year after year rolled by, men lie
| get ed to look upon him with sort Of awt
,hrc- one especially guarded by Providencej 8
fac. he underwent such risks in the most fur
read Alpine storms, in the deepest darkr
fell reckless Of the impending avalanches
Silly, most icy and precipisous sleeps, the
his impending torrents, or the most treache
uired SHOWS. His self reliance, his advent
said his escapes, like hIs looks and NAL
inico seemed unnatural; and the Idiot Of the
mire was the standinr theme Of many thri