The Shasta courier., 1862-03-29

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birth, believed that he could know no imore
Of the danger than myself, and therefore
preferred to act from the dictates of my own
feelings, rather than his fears; and, as
was to nav him well for his services, felt but
little disposed to be hurried from place
which had cost me so much time, money and
trouble to visit.
Giving no heed, therefore, to his earnest
solicitations. resolved to sound, if possible
the depth of the chasm before me, and then
proceed to inspect the. others and for TINS
purpose pried off from larger one small
block of lava, and advancing to the very
edge of the chasm, dropped it down, and
listened to the hollow reyerberatlons, as It
went bounding from side to side, long after
it was lost to the eye. The depth was so
immense that / heard it for more than a
minute. and then the sound seemed rather
te die out from the distance than to cease
because of the block having reached its des
tination. 1t was an awful depth, and
fearfully impressed me with the terrible and
as | drew back with shudder, a gust of
hot, sulphurous air rushed and roared up
ward, followed by a steam like vapor, and
a heavy hollow sound. as if a cannon had
been discharged far down in the bowels of
the earth.
This new manifestation of the powers of
Nature fairly startled me into desire for
fight, and had already turned for the pur-
pose, when suddenly there came a sort of
rumbling crash, and the ground, shaking,
heaving and rolling under me, began to
crumbie into the dread abyss. | was thrown
down, and ON my hands and knees, praying
God for mercy, was scrambling over it and
upward, to save myself from most horrible
fate, when two Locks, rolling together,
caught my feet and legs between them,
and, without actually crushing held them as
if in vice. Then came another crash and
crumble, the lava slid away from behind
me, and was left upon the very verge of the
awful gulf now widened to some fifteen or
twenty feet down iuto which l looked
with horror-strained eyes only to see dark
ness and death below, and breathe the al
most 81 ffocating vapors that rushed from that
seemingly bottomless pit
On, the horrors of that awful realization !!
what pen or tongue can protray them !?
There, helpless, but conscious prisoner,
suspended over the mouth of black and
heated abyss, to be hurled downward by
the next throe of trembling nature.
" Help help help for the love of God.
help" / screamed, in the very agony of
wild despair.
looked up and around to catch glimpse
of my guide, but he was gone, and l had
nothing to rely on but the mercy of heaven !;
and prayed to God, as | never prayed be-
fore, for forgivenessj of my sins, that they
might not follow me to Judgement. 1t mi ght
be second, it might be minute, it might
be an hour, that l should have thus to un-
dcrgo living death, but be the time long or
short, felt there was no escape from doom
that even now makes me grow pale and
shudder when think of it. Above me was
clear, blue sky-beneath me black and
horrible abyss around me thickning yapors,
that made my brain grow dizzy, rumbling
and kissing sounds warned me that another
convulsion might occur at any moment, and
another would be the last of me. Home and
friends / should never see again, and my
tomb would be the volcanic Hecla strove,
with the madness of desperation, to olsen
gage my imprisoned limbs, but l might as
well have attempted to have moved a
a mountain There was fixed and fastened
for the terrible death l was awaiting. Oh,
God of mercy what fate!
Suddenly heard shout, and, turning
around beheld, with feelings that cannot
describe, my faithful guide Fastening down
the rugged sides of the crater to my relief.
He had fed in terror at the first alarming
demonstration, but had nobly returned to
save me, if possible, by risking his life for
mine. May God reward him as he de-
serves
g 1 warned you, master )" he said, as he
came up painting, his eyes half starting
from his head, and his whole countenancc
expressing commingled terror and pity
& You did you did ~ cried |, 9 but oh
forgive and save me!'
You are already forgi, en-, master, and
| will save you if can-save you or perish
with you"
Instantly he set to work with his iron
pointed stick to break the lava around my
limbs, but had scarcely made any progress
when again the earth trembled, and the
blocks parted, one of them rolling down in
to the yawning chasm with dull hollow
sound. l sprang forward-I seized a
hand of the guide we both struggled hard,
and the next moment we had both fallen,
locked in each others arms, upon the solid
earth above. was free, but still upon the
verge of the pit, and at any moment we
might be hurled to destruction.
HQuick. master !" cried the guide !" up +!
up and run for your life ~
l staggered to my feet, with wild cry of
hope and fear, and, half supported by my
faithful companion, hurried up the sloping
sides of the crater As we reached the
, ridge above, the ground shook with a heavy
, explosion and, looking back, beheld
, with horror dark smoking pit, where we
had stood.
And then, without waiting to see more,
| turned and fed over the rough ground as
fast as my bruised limbs would let me. We
reached our horses in safety, and hurrying
down the mountain. gave the alarm to the
villagers, who joined us in our flight across
the country till safe distance was
gained.
Here l bid adieu to my faithful guide,
rewarding him as a man grateful for the pres
ervation Of his life might be supposed to
do.
A few days later, when the long-extinct
Hecla was again convulsing the Island, and
sending forth its mighty tongues of fire and
streams of melted lava, l was far away
from the sublime and awful scene, thanking
God l was alive to tell the story of my won :
derful escape from a burning tomb.
T How PRrcE GERS ON.-The Napoleon,