The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1866-11-01

window, and soon had a clearance, for
it was nailed up, and then when the
poor things heard me, and saw the light
shining on my helmet, how they did
shrek for help.
just then l looked down at the depth,
and | caught sight Of one fellow stand
ing below with short ladder in his
hand, which might have been of use if
the poor thugs had been in the first
floor and then / made ready to throw
my rope across, when just as [ was
ready to let go, and then going to try
and catch it, a thought struck me, and |
let the coil of rope fall down into the
court, and but one end as / kept hold of,
and then when the poor things saw it
let down they shrieked again, and one
of them fell back from the window.
:" Tie on the ladder" l shouted, "and
some of you come up" and one of my
mates soon tied the rope to one of the
more run into the house, while | hauled
away till l got hold OF the bottom of
the ladder, for they sent the heaviest
end up first, and then dragged it in at
the window, and balancing the other
end up, continued to push it across and
into the window of the other house
across the court, and SO made sort of
bridge, only it was all askew, for the
houses were not exactly opposite to one
another.
Just as I'd done this, in comes my
mate with two more men, and l sets
them to work to hold the ladder, while
[ took hold of the rope, and then made
ready to crawl across on the thin bridge
I'd rugged up. It was for life and death,
or | wouldn't have ventured on the
slight, bending wood; for though a
ladder set nearly upright may be strong
enough, it makes it a deal weaker to
lay it down level and then go and crawl
along it. I knew how it would be,
though, so L tied the rope round my
body, and made my mate hitch the
other end round a big hook in the wall,
used for a pully, SO that i'll the event Of
a fall, if the rope held good, l shouldn't
end to the ladder, too, for to keep it
steady, and then there | was scrambling
across, with the ladder bending and
quivering, and the crowd underneath
hurrahing and clapping their hands just
as if | was doing Il bit of Blondin to
please them.
How that ladder did bend SO that |
thought that it must give away, and
me go crash into the court; but it didn't,
and the next moment l was in the
window of the burning house, with the
trembling woman clinging to me-
"NoW, then," l says to one man,
"you can creep across, y and / pointed
to the ladder.
"I can't leave my wife," he says,
holding a half fainting woman against
the window, where the smoke wasn't
quite SO dense.
Z" You re trump, you are, | thinks !;
and then | hauis more of the rope over,
and makes it fast around the poor
woman's waist, and then we laid her on
the ladder, and the three on the other
side hauled, and we held on to the rope
at this end, and so we got her half across,
when she slipped off the ladder, and
hung right over the court, while there
arose a regular shrek Of horror. But
there We're people, you see, at each end
of the rope, and we loosened as the other
hauled, and so they soon had her in at
the other window, though the rope WAS
so tight that it must have hurt the poor
thing terribly.
Then they loosened the rope again,
we sent another woman over, and she
was insensible with fear, and we got
her over all right, though she, too,
slipped off the ladder. Then there were
two little girls, one after the other, and
it was sad to see how they trembled and
shool1-to much frightened to cry, as
well they might be, for the heat was
awful; and | knew that another quarter
of an hour would find the room we
were i'll red hot.
We got another over-a young man
and he was dragged over, too, for he
dare not try to crawl across, and sup
pose to man that amt used to such
things, to creep over a place like that,
all those feet over the pavement, and
when you've been frightened to death
nearly by waking out Of your sleep to
find the next place on fire, is rather try
ing; and now there was only that chap
whose wife had been sent over first, and
who had worked all he couldto help me
and another terribly coWardly chap,
whom | had quite a set-to with TO keep
back, SO as to save women and children
first.
And now this chap, as I've just spoke
about, made a rush to get at the ladder,
and he was in such a horrid fright that
l don't believe he'd got over safe, and
! besides | knew there was time for us all
| to get away, if things were done quiet
| l,,. co onvc;J nrinfr II WASN'T his tnrD