The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-05-20

agonizing terror. Every moment l saw
the bell sweep within an inch of my face
and my eyes-I could not close them,
though TO look at the object was bitter as
death-lollow it instinctively in its oscil-
.ating progress until it came back again.
1t was in vain l said TO myself that it
could come no nearer at any future swing
iban at first every time it descended l
endeavored to shrink into the very floor to
avoid being buried under the down-swecu-
ing mass !; and then, rejecting on the
danger of pressing too weightily on my
frail support, would cover up again as far
as | dared.
AT first my fears were mere matter of
fact. l was afraid the palleys above
would give way, and let the bell plunge
on me. At another time, the possibility
OF the clapper being shot out in some
sweep, and dashins through my body, as
| had seen a ramrud glide through door,
fitted across my mind. The dread also,
AS have already mentioned, of the crazy
floor, toTmented me but these soon gave
way to fears not more unfounded, but
more visionary, and of course more tre-
mendous. The roaring Of the bell con-
fused my intellect, and my fancy soon
began to teem with all sorts of strange
and terrifying ideas. The bell pealing
above, and opening its jaws with a hide
Gus clamor, seemed TO me at one time 81
raveniug monster, raging to devour me;
at another, whirlpool ready to suck me
into lis believing abyss AS | gazed on
1t, 1t assumed all shapes; it was a flying
eagle, or rather roc of Arabian story
tellers, clapping its wings and screaming
over me. AS looked upwards into il,
II would appear sometimes 10 lengthen
into indefinite extent. or TO be twisted at
the end into The spiral folds of the tails of
flying dragon. Nor was the flaming
breath or fiery glance of that fabled ami
NAL wanting to complete the picture. My
eyes, inflaned, blood-shot, and glaring,
invested the supposed monster with full
proportion of unholy light
1t would be endless were l to merely
hint at all fame es that po,sl ssed my min /.
Every object that was hideous and roar
ing presented itself to my imagination. l
often thought that was in hurricane at
sea, and that the vessel in which l was
furious vehemence. The air, set in mo-
ton by the swinging of the bell, blew
over me, nearly with the violence, and
more than the thunder, of a tempest :;
and the floor seemed to reel under me,
as drunken man. But the most awful
of the ideas that seized on me were drawn
from the supernatural In the vast cav>
ern of the bell hideous faces appeared,
and glared down on me with terrifying
ffowns, or with grinning mockery still
more appalling.
At last, the devil himself, accoutred as
in the common description of the evil spir-
ii, with hoof, horn and tail, and eyes of
Internal lustre, made his appearance, and
called to God and worship
him, who was powerful to save me. This
dread suggestion he uttered with the full
toned clangoT of the bell. | had him with
in an inch of me, and thought on The fate
of the Santon Barsisa Strenuously and
desperately defed him and bade him be-
gone. Reason, then, for moment, re
sumed her sway, bat it was only to fill
me with fresh terror, just as the lightning
dispels the gloom that surrounds the be-
Dighted mariner, but to show him that
his vessel is driving on rock, where she
must inevitably be dashed to pieces.
found | was becoming delirious, and
trembIed lest reason should utterly desert
me. This is at all times an agonizing
thought, but it smote me then with ten
fold agony. | feared lest, when utterly
deprived of my senses, should rise-to
do which WAS every moment tempted by
that strange feeling which calls on man,
whose head is dizzy from standing on the
battlement of lofty castle, 10 precipitate
himself from if, and then death would be
instant and tremendous. When thought
of this, became desperate. l caught the
from my nails and [ yelled with the cry
of despair, | called for help, prayed, l
shouted, but all the efforts of nay voice were
of course drowned ir the bell. As it passed
over my mouth, it occasionally echoed my
cries, which mixed not with it's own sound,
but preserved ther distinct character.
Perhaps this was but fancy. To me,
know, they then sounded as if they were
the shouting, bowling, or laughing of the
fends with which my imagination had
peopled the gloomy cave which swung
over me. There is no man, however firm
his nerves may be, who could retain his
courage in this situation.
In twenty minutes the ringing was
done. Half of that time passed over me
without power of fcomputatior-the other
half appeared an age. When it ceased,
l became gradually more quiet, but new
fear retained me. l knew that five min
utes would elapse without ringing, but, at
the end of that short time, the bell would
be rung second time, for five minutes
more l could not calculate time. A
minute and an hour were of equal dura>
ton. 1 feared to rise, lest the five min