The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1869-08-27
8lisreIIansuns SeIeftisns.
UNDER THE ICE.
fH. Alsna. agsEEs's NIaAegtogs E.0AF.

4 : z.
horn, or craWlsd over the dangerous glacier
Of MOnta Rosa, than Uric Peterson. he wa
a man Of immense strength and great daring
and had often tracked the wiidernesa of snow
when those who followed the same calling
willingly remained in their cottages in tn
u well-protected villages. He laughed 81 BIZ
companies, when they talked of danger; snC
made light Of the fears Of his good wife whef
J she trsmb1ed at the bowling Of the ferc'
J, winds, or the avalanche Of snow, that nov
, and then swept down, with Irresistible force
} UPON tho little chalsts. Wild. well-SPiked ID
shoes, stout slpenstOck, confidence in him.
self and firm and fervent trust in God, he
/ avowsd that man was as safe upon the top
most cliffs Of the cloud pierced Matterhorn,
! ias in the brook-thteaded valley Of TOurmsn-
ches. But the timid heart Of Eomsnhood
could not look upon the matter in the salne
light, although her trust in the good Lord
was eq uslly strong; aud 80, when she saw
; him take down his trusty rifle, poWder-bOrn,
land heavily-shod iron staff, one morning,
she clung 70 him, and begged that be would
not 60 upon the mountains. There is every
sign Of storm" she said. 'You know how
terrible they are. We have food enough IN
ltbs cottage. Do stay at homs with the little
ouss.1i5 5aa1 .iaaEi9rf3 ed ,hcoH
| That vould I, wife,i was the reply if !
lbad not seen an ibex as I vas coming home
yesterday evening. He was a stout old fel-
How, with huge horns; and fancied he was
almost laughing at me as crep around the
lelif upon which be Has standing. -ua
But, Uric, think of the storm That is GER
tainly coming, r,g--4sv b0s or-r- 5t,9.
4 have been in many one, and care
nothing for them. 1 love the free whistliDg
tofthe wind upon the mountain tops, aud The
! Rhirliug of the Gfsathefy snow. SO, good
wife get me, something to eat. ] must bslOf
before the day dawns.' sdt I
With heavy sigh, the woman did as he
bad requested; and with his fond kiss still
lingering upon her lips, she saw him climb
ihe moubtain side until turn in the path
hid hisa from her rvieE. Then she sunk APP
on her knees, by the bedside Of her still
slumbering children, and committed him in
to the keeping Of that God who had thus far
preserved him il the midst Of every danger.
Meantime, Uric fastened onward with
light foot Il vas still dark in the valley;
but far above him,, he could see the white
peak glittsripg 10 the dim light OF the morn
ing, and the fast paliug stars. Higher and
higher be climbed; and soon the sun arose,
shedding its rays Of rosy gold Upon the icy
piles and making them fash as il fbuileded Of
myriad diamonds. Toa stranger il would
have been dazzling sighti 20 the, brave
hunter, it had lost some Of its charm BY fam
ilisrity, aHd he pressed onward and upward.
The road grew more rough and difficult. he
was obliged to pick his way, to Chamber up
steep crags; but at last be reached the edge
of glacier. He sat dOgn and rested for q
little time, satisfied his. hunger, examined
his shoes and the point o. his alPenstOck, and
again set bravely forth, leapiDg the yawniinng
chasms, and guarding sgsinst the tfsacSero6us
cTscka Zuaa5 1a.gsd iDodtis beqq5ds
A wall Of polished ice arose befOrs him,
and he knew that he would have to scale IL,
before be could get within shot of the eoyet-
Cd game. With great difficult il was accom-
lplishsd; and finding the tracks Of the ibex,
be followed them, until suddenly turning q
ragged point he found himself within easy
shot, and In an instant, the report Of his rife
had awakened the echoes Of the mountains
With the 'thud' of the bullet the beast sursnp.
forward, but it, tail wss dropped, is head
hanging heavily down, its gate slow and step
uncertain, He knew that the w8izziBg lead
had reached its mark; that the animal would
soon die, and he paused to reload his rifle,
before he followed him. 1 will surprise nv
good WIFE he thought by returning sooner
than she expected; and l will have hearty
laugh at the towards who dared not venture
nom their saug eaGtages for fear Of a Storm
go With a smile upon his lips, he fastened
to where The ibex was lying, and raised it to
bis arms. Then, with cry Of horror, he
felt his footing give way and hunter, and
game were swallowed up in a erevasse Of al
most unfathOmable depth. The thin cover
ing Of ice had been sufficiently strong 10
bear the weight Of the beast; but that Of
Uric added had shiversd It as if it had been
an egg-sheil.
Down, dOWE Hunter and ibe1, through
the debris Of snow and ice, lying there for a
thousand years. he fsncied that the bottom
would never be reached. The most profound
darkness envslOped him; his hands could
clutch nothing but dampness-but chilling
Aakes. Fortunately, the carcass of the beast
was beneath him. Yet, for all that safeguard,
he lay for long time insensible. When
cousciouBness returned, another day had
dawned, and its golden glOfies had found
their way to the bottom Of the yawning grave
in which be was lying. he thought upon
the utter helplessness Of his situation; that
be must perish from cold and hunger; of the
lingering torture he would be forced to en-
dure, before death came to put an end to his
misery; and every nerve in his body culver!
ed with horror. He looked around to see if
there were not some possible chance Of ss.
cape, On either side smooth ice walls arose,
emitting BLUSH steel glitter. BE felt that
he was buried alivel %. God. Why was l
not Instantly killedg he exclaimed, in the
sgony ofdespair, and then, as better thoughts
svaysd him, he thankedlthe Almighty, with
whom nothing is impossible, for bis safety
thus far, aad prayed to HimfOF guidance and
deliYeranee.io5ni i.s 10 slgosl saJ s7sii
His next thought vas Of his gun. When
it was found that he did not return, his
'neighbOrs would certainly search for hip,
and BY firing the gun he could attract their
attention. Vain hopel Search as he would
he could fnd nothing of it. Even if he had
discovered it, it would have been useless, for
his powder-horn vas gone as we'll Over
and over he turned the showdown deep be
dug into it, until bis hands burned like fire,
and great drops Of perspiFatiOn rolled from
bis forehead-untl his arms grew stiff and
sore, and be was forced to give.uP the labor
from sheer exhaustion. With bis back
sgainst the frozen prison walls, be looked
alOfts and saw the great vulture, sailing up
on its immense and tiTeless wings around the
mouth Of the chasm; and the strong man
shuddersd, as be shook bis fist deiantly, and
murmered with his lOarse voice, 'YGur time /
has not come yerl He thought also Of bis /
hsPpy home, and Of his dear wife and child /
rem. aud then naturally, for be was faint and |
hnnprR. he tb, nlht.nf The fr,l.i 81 rlifa had |