Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-07-10

THE ROPE WALKER AT NIas.R.

nI' ms IN the Home Journal, thus de-
scrloes IA, biondln passage over the Nisgara
river In the character of an Indian chief e.
" Alter being dressed in his fesh-colored
tights, wampum apron, bead neclace and moe-
casins, he came out with his particularly nm
combed sandy hair uncovered as vet by its
crown OF festhers) to look little into the ar
rangements for his performance For fifteen
or twenty minutes the little Tecumseh was
hopping about, trying the cords which held
the ropes to the stanchions, cooking the pistol
which was to be fired to announce his return
giving directions for the music, binding the
Igatures OF his balance-pole, and answering
very merrily all the jokes and questions of the
iookers-on- In his motions, back and forward,
ne took no regular step; he simply bounded
Like child's soap bubble, the difficulty
seemed to be to get to the ground-to keen
from floating away. During all this time. Of
course, L had the desired opportunity for the
study of his face. 1t was one which nineteen
persons out of twenty, on seeing it in a crowd,
would pass over as wholly uninteresting-the
twentieth and more observant man giving him
n good look; as one of the most coolly de-
termined and honestly spunky little fellows he
he had ever seen. The top of his skull. of
course, is very high with his bump of firm
ness. His cheek-bones are prominent his nose
straight and with thin expanded nostriIs his
lips thin and firm, his cheeks hollow and pale;
and he wears a sandy moustache and imperial
"a la Louis Napoleon Though anything but
beauty, he is a man ii is impossible not to
take fancy to. Retiring to his shanty for a
minute or two, after all was arranged, his re-
appearance was announced by grand utmost
isna from the band, and forward came Tecum-
sen, with high crown of many-cOlOred feath-
ers on his head-not with a slow pace as would
be expected from an Indian chief but dancing
jig all the way to the precipice. 1t was Gu
rlous, however, to see that the smile on his
hp, and his other signs of merriment for the
many, were altogether mechanical and arti-
hclal, while the closely pressed eyelid through
which his keen blue eye was hardly visible,
showed the inner minds utter absorption and
concentration in the work he had to do. The
rope was drawn from shore to shore, 500 feet
across and $50 feet high above the Niagara rap
ids-a perilOus bridge for human feet to walk
took hold of his arm as he stood trying the
rope Tor moment with the ball of his foot
1t was like bunch of iron wire, wholly unim-
pressible. And away he went, his moccasined
feet hugglng the two sides Of the swaying cable
his balance-pOle playing up and down. and his
little figure gradually diminishing as he walked
steadily ON and reached the middle of the
chasm, where he proceeded to stand upon one
leg and hold the other out at right angles
The spectators, of course, were all breathlessly
SILENT though L found it much more breath
less to think of afterward than to see it done
he did II with such apparent ease and certainty
that it was like seeing bird fly or a spider
walk the ceillng-not to be wondered at for
that kind Of creature. / am inclined to think
1t would be more startling (better enabling
one to imagine himself in the performers
place. If he were to do it in common clothes
Looking scarcely larger than a butterfly as he
reached the opposite shore, Blondin remained
fifteen or twenty minutes out Of sight, and
then the pistol was fired to announce his re-
turn. He came quietly on to the center, where
he stopped to lie down at full length on the
rope, and execute various pOstures and gym
nastics and, between this and his reaching
our shore again, he made several pretended
trips, as if losing his bslance-the screams of
the afrighted ladies, at this, very comically
varying the tune which was being endeavored
by the band. As he came up the slant of the
rope again, L saw that his lips were tightly
drawn together and his features were rigidly
set with the mental exertiOn, and il was an
expression of face that would be worth paint
ing as type Of determined will. Through all
the anxiety of spectators suspense, l could
not help admiring the little man exceedingly,
and was the first to give him hand as he
stepped en- the cliff. 1t was a cold, clammy
grip that he gave me in return, and his fin
gers felt icy and wet Everybody who could
reach him gave him a shake Of the hand on
his way TO the shanty, and the enthusiasm for
him seemed universal. And so ended the show
Of human life put fearfully in peril. Mr..
BlOndin, was afterward told. has a wife and
several children, and resides at Niagara, hav-
ing adopted it as his theater of performance
His professional profits amount to $4,000 a
wear -