Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-07-06

superh,unan strength to turn the skifr toward
the shore. For sonic moments the struggle
seemed doubtful, but for dear life, and those
| loved a thousand times more than life, /
toilcd on, while the maniac, still clutching
the. form ofmy kfcless Evelyn, looked coolly
on, and smiled at my efforts At length !
had succeeded "A, forcing tile boat from the
strong, middle current, when at that moment,
my ffail paddle snapped and fell from my
hands. Htiqi ....-,..-.s eaaE s.
again tore another strip Of lining from
the boat, but itwas too short to avail against
the fresh impetus which the light craft had now
gained and to my utter horror I saw there
was no further help for us! Soon we were
carried into the heaving rapids, and I felt the
cookie shell beneath us tossed and thrownlikc
a feather upon the impetuous waves. The
waters roared and raved about us as il they
were maddened by the presumption Of puny
man to venture upon their empire, calm and
dcccitful MS was their upper course. 4.
"Oh how, often since that fearful hour
have thanked God that my poor Evelyn
was spared the horror Of it. She remained
enclasped in the arms Of that lnocking mani
&C throd eh all that awful voyage, but all in
sensible to the terrific scene about her.
"Down--down, we shot like an arrow to-
wards the dread abyss, which, since the
dawn of Creation, no living object has
ever PASSED and lived ! down into that chaos
and destruction, ever roaring for fresh vic
! Tins. With hcadlong rush We had reach
| cd within sight Of the Table Rock on which
tthat very'day, Arthur and nd'inysclf had stood,
lostin awe and woniler atithe sublis... sspec,
tacle of an ocean Of wpter leaping into that
stormy gulf With strange calm as [ re.
called that morning rumble, and frightfi,l as
was my position, my eyes took In lall the
fearful grandeur Of the scenei Still our lit.
tie skiH, sst if suddenly, gifted with wings,
flew down that wild descent, till as we were
nearing that last little island on the Canadi.
an shore, but few rods above the mighty
cataract, | made one more desperate effort
and concentrating in it the force of a dozen
strong, men, under ordinary excitement
wrcnchcd the side rail from the boat, and ma,
king use of II as an oar, forced the bow from
its headlong direction toward the island. Al
that point my board came in contact with a
huge rock projecting from the white bilows,
and with a skiIlful force applied upon It, i
threw the boat to the shore! With the speed
OF lightning sprang to it, and would have
saved them. But at that m,.ment the mad.
man, dropping my poor wife at his feet,
leapcd upon me, and with powerful blow
dashed me away from my hold upon tho
light craft! In an instant it shot out into
the wild rapids; and ere could find my
feet, was rods away, sprinsing like fright
encd courser towards that awful lcap-r-bcar,
ing to instant death all l loved, a thousand
times dcarcr than my own soul. All! how
distinctly l can recall that terrible scene, and
the manner Of my poor mad cousin, rs press
ing the already thank God !--lifeless form
OF my Evelyn to his breast with ono arm, and
with the other rearing aloft The terrified child
he shouted back to me i'm voice that rang
above the tllundcrs of the descending floods.
|" In! Ia la! cousin Harry,--is not this
a glorious wedding ride? Ia! ha ha p
and so disappeared from my sight forever on
earth all / loved ~ sga.fg IN SO a-s.f
This was the fearful story cf our host. II
was the last time ever met him, Cor when l
revisited Grand Island on the following sum.
mer, found the old cabin deserted and fall.
en- in.:alts occupant had disappeared sud
denly from the island. Our old boatman in
formed US that the last that had been seen
of him he was returning from the village OF
the Falls, and attempting in the face Of a
fierce norther to cross the river, had probably
gone over the cAtaract---as portions of his
skiff were afterwards seen gyrating about the
great eddy Of the whirlpool.
Peace to his spirit! he has found his lost
and loved oncs at last, having Joined them
through the same awful gateway they had
Passeu pe1orc mn. gsg es4,sa,. ID