New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-02-27
BURIED We.
A THRILLrSG STORY.

In the autumn of 1928 just thirty-five years ago,
my sister and went to pay visit to aunt, mar
ried to a wealthy wood merchant of Bellinzona.
was then eighteen and Ia Petite some years
younger. Our uncle and aunt, who had no child
rem grew very fond Of us, and would not hear OF
our leaving them they talked of adopting tile
little one, and taking me into the wood business.
We, on our part, were willing enough to stay with
them; for never before had we known so much
comfort our parents being rich IN nothing but sons
and daughters. The winter of 1924 was more
than usually severe. The snow lay deep in theNval
ley all the small streams were frozen, so no saw
mills could work. Our uncle grumbled and smoked
and smoked and grumbled, from morning till night
He had several large orders, and he was uneasy at
the delay he was forced to make in executing
them. You must know that the wood Is felled in
summer, but not removed till winter, when by
means Of long slides, formed Of rough trunks of
trees, on which water is poured to procure coat
ing Of ice the ttmbers are conveyed to the foot Of
the mountain. Now, that winter not one among the
stoutest-hearted Of the Burratori (the men are 80
called who cut and bring wood to the lake, would
venture up to the forests. There was nothing for
1t but to wait III the cold moderated. February,
with its wild bleak days, came and passed, and
still the men refused to work. AT last some warm
sunshine without brought us sunshine within; my
aunts husband now whistled about the house.
making each Of his fingers 60 off in small reports
| as q sort Of teu de joie. Seven Burratori had
| agreed to go up the mountain. As during the last
three weeks there had been neither fresh fall of
| snow, nor any indication of thaW, the weather
Il Wise declared no 1hnReE was 10 De unprecedented,
| In fact the mountain, frcm its nature was little
subject to ayaanches, nor had any worth speaking
of occurred within the memory of man. :.
/ Tired out by such long inactivity, was wild to
join the intended expedition, and at last wearied
my uncle into granting me permission to begin my
| apprenticeship at once. was put under the care
4 of an old fellow called Picurio, generally recog-
nized the chief of the Burratori We were to set
| out on the Monday morning, and it was hoped the
| job would be completed BY the following Satur-
| day
| We had however, forgotten to ask la petite's
consent She, who had never been separated
from me even for day since her birth, was in
| tears from morning till night at the idea of my
leaving her for whole week. Ny uncle was, in
truth, soft-hearted man, SO he agreed to go with
US himself, and take the little girl also as far as
Aqna, a village in the Val Blegno, lying at the
base of the mountain to which we were bound.
| This arrangement put an end to my sisters tears,
though rs fhe Bnrratori stop out, night and day
till the work is finished she would see as little Of
| me if she had remained at Bellinzona. We were
well provided with wooden wrappers and the means
| of kindling fire: and as you may believe the
| thought OF this biyouac had infinite charms for
my imagination.
The cold on that memorable Monday morning
was, perhaps, as intense as it had been during the
winter; but as there was no wind the men kent
to their engagement. / cannot affirm that sleeping
under rock was as delightful in reality as antici-
patton; still relished being treated as man. and
never complained. On the Wednesday old Picurio
declared it was beginning to thaw, and on Thursday
it was perfectly clear that the frost had broke up
indeed we heard the snow slipping down the
grooves cut in the mountains side by the spring
and summer torrents. The Burratori did not seem
to care, for the pine trees prevented any danger
Gus accumulation of snow in the immediate yicin-
ity. Our only danger lay in going to and from the
forest, night shelter being in the natural
formed by projecting rocks, which, as matter OF
course were on that part of the mountain where
there was no wood. We strained every nerve to
finish our task on Friday evening.
s.Three or four hours more wonld have done
it, said Picurio, in a Responding tone, as dark
ness overlook us, and large stack of timber lay
before us.
"Well, then, let us be up by the break Of day.
cried l. g and we may be all back at Bellinzona by
the evening"
On the morrow we only mustered five, three Of
the party were missing Had they deserted, or
only gone on in advance.
1--WE shall soon know" said the remaining Bur-
ratori, and with one accord they set forth such
wild nnearthly yells ending in shrill peas Of mad
laughter, that, though had heard of their mode
of Communicating with their friends at distance,
| was, nevertheless, disagreeahly startled. These
wells can be heard an Incredibly long way Oh
When there could be no reasonable doubt that the
missing men had deserted US, many were the
smothered exclamations of Ohio gatto di marmes,
e cat Of marble. meaning lazy fellow, ayou
shall pay for this"
The loss dispirited u.s. for the work still to be
done required all original strength Of hands to
get it finished in the time proposed. The dawn
was just whitening the horizon when we began
our assent, and little breeze, barely enough to
make the pine branches CULVER, was blowing from
the west. Picurio's only son, a stout, handsome
young man, the wag of our party, prophesied we
should have fine day but as the light increased
great black masses of clouds came up from the
southwest.
"a bad sign, say, said Picurio. 1--WE had better
turn back
I was somewhat vsxed at the advice, and an
swered hastily, "Those who are afraid NAV 90
back; shall keep my promise to my uncle if 1
send down the rest of the wood unassisted,i and /
walked off; the rest followed, but in silence
Our path up the mountain, now widening in and
out through pines, now passing under Steep bare
rocks perforated with caverns, ran along the edge
of ravine several feet deep, ut the bottom of
which lay, beneath a huge snow-drift, one of the
great mountain-streams, which, in summer, could
be heard miles away it dashed and roared in its
PERCEPTIONS descent to join and swell the wide
Tcino. Far above. as high as we could see, were
mountain-tops glistening with spears of sea-green
ice, which, as gazed, were gilded by the rays Of
the rising sun.
.Lookln cried l." Is not that the promise of a
fine day? y
Old Picurio shook his head as before, for at the
instant pale, watery sun, eneircled by a ring of
vapor, shot into view. In another moment it was
entirely obseured by clouds which speedily covered
the whole sky. The signing breeze suddenly grew
into turbulent wind, and some pricklng sleei
fell. s 81
The men stood still, looking uneasily about them
muttering between their teeth: s.Aht yacca dun
| VEN mOstreif TCoW of q monstroua wind