Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-04-08

*
te is not 80 smooth as a gravel walk, but
leads from end to end"
y. "You know Of but oneP said he; "but
of know of two. Go you by the summit i
=" yon prefer it I shall go by the back Of th'
i Rock"
V He spoke in tone of bravado. Mos
people are aware that the east side, Of
e "bsck of The lrock," is q tremendous pre-
It cipice. Formerly, on the face Of this pre-
g cipice, there were certain narrow paths
d chiefly freqnented by goats, and forming 6
y communication, such rs 1t was, between
y the eastern base Of the Rock and its sum-
= NIT. But one of these paths having at q
= previous siege been actually made available
By the enemy, they were all destroyed
q By scraping the Rock; and though there
2 still remained one or Two similar paths
g that is, blind psths, as they might be called
d | paths which led down from the summit
l at one point, and up again at snother-net
q single communication between summit
ard base had escaped obliterAtion. Those
remaining paths well knew, and had oc-
cssionslly tried; but it was ticklish work.
You looked up on the blank wall of preci-
pice, and down on the Mediterranean; 8
| single false step would be destruction. To
the gallant captain, the very bulk and
breadth of his cOrporesl presence rendered
his proposed expedition doubly dangerous.
There was every reason TO fear, even upon
mechanical principles, that his centre of
gravity would overlap the lines of safety at
certain awkward points, and in the mildest
manner ventured to hint that he would
find the usual path safer as well as more
pleasant.
"To you it may be-" he replied, scorn-
fully, "but not to me. Let me tell you, sir,
l have scaled mountains to which this rock
Is molehill. 1 have a good head, and
shall go. Take your own way, and give
me leave TO take mine. I don't ask you
/ to 60 with me-, and I wouldn't advise it."
A horing, boastful man little imsgines
{ how dissgreeable he makes himself even to
those who wish him we'll In this case
there was nothing more to be said. The
Captain disappearing over the ridge, look
/ ed very much like q man stepping down
into vacancy.
Pursuing my course from the Rock
Gusrd towards the Signal House, had
covered about half the distance when !
heard q human voice. At the solitary el- |
ovation it sounded odd. Whence did it !
come? 1t seemed to proceed from the |
left or Tidge of the Rock. Sol 1t was the |
captain. Nothing visible but his head; he !
spoke in his usual gruff key, somewhat |
tremulous though;
"Here! Lend hand !"
l helped him up. lie was bIowzed and ,
prodigi0usly swested we won't say fright
ened, but 10 use the mildest term, little
excited"
He spoke vindictively. "You didn't tell
me should meet anything Couldn't go
forward, couldn't go back, and only the
breadth Of a knife-tosrd There was
Much obliged to your
ga gost2" asked.
1t WAS well known in the garrison, and
the Captain must have known it too, that
the goats which browse on the Rock, in
going from one part of the rock to the
other, do occasionally use those nknife-
board" paths along the face of the preci-
pice, and when two Of them meet,ss there is
no room to pass, and the outsider would
infsllibly be precipitsted, one lies down
and the oher wslks over him. This led
me to fancy that goat had met the Cap
tain, and that either he had laid himself
along to be walked over by the goat, or
the goat had done ss much for him.
Nonsense, goat q he exclaimed. "What
do you mean by goat? No, sir not goat;
a bsboon."
'Met you at the back of the RockP Oh,
one of the Gibraltar apes, 1 suppose. They
hide up here amongthe orags and crevices;
but never met one yet in that path, or in
any like iE."
When anything disagreeable has occur
red, it Is quite natural that we should feel
thoroughly out of temper with every body,
and just in the humOr for Yresking our
vengeance on somebody, and so quSrrell-
ing with the first person we meet. Such
seemed to bs the Captains temper now.
"Sir," said he, fercely, al did not say an /!
spe; said babcon-snd pretty big
one, too-full the size of the Governors
wolfdog. not so big bsboon, though, as :
1 have seen," he added, with an insulting
glance.
wss on duty, and didn't want to qusr-
rsl. "Come," said /, laughing and eyeing
his portly person, 1--WE won't dispute which
baboons are the biggest, or which donkeys.
1 grant it. There is one species Of apes on
the Rock which is considerably larger than
tho common sort, and which, therefore, may
perhaps be properly called bsb boons. Well, !
in passing along that perilous path, one of
these bsboons st you. It was an inter-
ssling meeting to both parties, and sim
gulsr adventure. Now please to tell me
all particulars"
Ths Captsin, somewhat toned down BY '
the ides of telling began to narrste. For c
some distance he made his way along the
path with no obstruction, save only the !
want of additional space. One arm bruis. !
cd sgsinst perpendicular wall of lofty l
oahr ha 0fh he 1
He owned he didn't like it; but his cool I
ness and determination, not to mention the
impossibility of turning back, carried him !
forward. Just as he had got round pro- 9
iscting ridge, which once passed return was I
hopeless, Whist do you think he saw in the 3
path before him. An enormous bs boon ]
TO be done2 He could not get back, and :
the bsboon would not. Passing was i'm. l
possible. They stood for some seconds,
each looking dsggers at the other. Itwss
q question of life and DEATH
Presently the bsboon began to grin
grinned menseingly, raised hlmself erect on
his hind legs, and grinned again, advance
a few steps, and gave another grin. The
Captain could have easily pitched the beast
over the ledCe, but in so doing, might he
not have lost his Dilance, ana gone over
himself2 At this moment bright idea
occurred TO the Captains mind he made ,
slight movement downward with his hand,
hoping that the beast would do as goats do
under similar circumstances, i. e. lie down
upon the psth, in order that he (the Cap
tsin) might walk over him. The bSboon
took no notice. What remained7 Only /
that, as the babOon would not, the Cap
tsin must. Accordingly (this part of the
adventure the Captain narrated with 3
amount of self-vindication) :
the Captain laid himself along at full
length, and the bsbool walked over him.
So they parted; each went his own wayj