The Republican journal., 1869-01-28

treless wings, around the mouth of the
chasm and the strong man shuddered, as
he shook his fist defantly, al murmured
with his hoarse voice, ''Your time has not
como yet! y He thought of his happy home,
and his dear wife and children, and then,
naturally, for he was faint and hungry, he
thought of the food his wife had prepared
for him. Having eaten of the bread and
goats milk cheese, and drank Of the bottle
Of wine (Which strange to say had remained
unbroken,) he reasoned that it would be
cowardly to die without an effort and he
, remembered the goodness of God, and more
fervently implored His help. Then bold
idea came to him. Why might he not cut
his way through the solid ice? He had
hatchet, such as his class never travel with
. out. All !! but he was forgetful that the ice
might be hundreds of feet thick, and they
were of excessive hardness and would soon
, render blunt both hatchet and knife. The
, bright hope that had been bora within him
was darkened by no such shadow. For the
time being he knew that he was safe. He
was accustomed to the cold, was warmly
clad, could use the skin Of the ibex, in case
of need, and its flesh would drive away the
wolves of starvation for many day. A
brief rest and he began his labors faithfully
till darkness forced him to stop. A night
of uneasy rest, a breakfast Of the raw flesh
of the ibeX, and he resumed his labors.
E Another day Of TOLL and he again stretched
himself upon the skin of the beast, wrapping
: it around him as much as possible, and slept
! long and heavily, although there had been
+ a sudden fall in the temperature, and it was
now excessively cold. For four days he
toiled thus, his only food the raw and frozen
flesh of the ibex; for four nights he slept
within the hole he had cut away in the thick
icc-walls, closing up the entrance, and thus
obtaining partial shelter from the chilling
, blasts. And once he heard the firing of
guns, and his heart beat wildly within him.
, He dropped his dulled hatchet, crawled to
the center Of the chasm, and shouted with
. all his remaining ngth-shouted until
his strained voice was reduced to the very
ghost of hoarse whisper. He knew that
his friends were in search Of him; imagined
he could hear his name called could do
nothing to attract their attention and, as
, the firing grew fainter, and further and fur
ther away, flung himself down, weeping
and wringing his hands. The last plank to
which he had clung had been shivered
His neighbors and friends had come-and
gone. They would never search that part
. Of the mountain again. None would ever
know of his fate. He was buried in an icy
tomb, until the last trump should sound, and
hot flashes of flames dissolve the frost work
around him.
With his mind trembling upon the verge
of madness, overpowered by sorrow, crushed
by bitter agony, he fell back insensible, and
lay for a long time upon the cold, damp
snow, that must be his winding sheet. The
black vulture tlapped his wings above him,
and he knew nothing Of it. But after the
hunters consciousness returned, though he
was far too much crushed in body and soul,
to resume his labors, he crept into the little
cavern he had excavated (would it not be
to him a tomb y and gave passionate vent
to his griefs. For many weary hours moth
ing passed his lips; and with aching head
and fevered brain, with trembling limbs and
convulsve sobs, he prayed for deliverance,
if by no other hand, at least by the skeleton
E one of death.
1t was rayless, sunless, staroess dark
ness in the ice-cavern, when the springs Of
his life again became capable of action. He
{ was ravenously hungry, and arose to satisfy
, his hunger with a portion Of the ibex he had
left remaining outside in the chasm. He
, felt around, but could discover no outlet.
, Had he been frozen in,-shut out from
, Gods blessed sunshine forever? Nothing
but smooth ice met his burning and blistered
fingers Then, after an hours search, he
/ e ebo
, mystery. He knew there must have been
heavy fall of snow IN the night, and that
it had drifted into, and blocked up the open
ing and with the strength of despair, he
soon dug through. 1t was still showing
heavily; the flakes fell like great feathers
around and he drew the remnant of the
carcass of the ibex into the cave, and made
another rude meal. Aud thus refreshed,
new hope was born within him; and again
, the ce-walls resounded with the blows of
his little hatchet. But it was slow work,
and much of the time was taken up in clear
ing the chips from the little grotto.
! A week passed. week OF the most Sc
r we're toll and terrible anxiety-and yet he
was not disheartened. His trust in God
t had returncd and love for his wife and de-
$ pendent children, kept alive his often sink
t ing heart. He was yet in hopes Of reaching
f the upper air-of seeing his dear ones again.
But even as he was thinking thus, with
something Of his old time cheerfulness, a
new anxiety took possession of and nearly
D overpowered him. The carcass Of the ibex,
G that had been the innocent cause of all his
e trouble, was picked almost to the bones.
CHAPTER III.
With dire starvation staring him in the
; face, he bowed his head and wept like a
child. Starvation--that is dreadful, even
10 thought! Starvation-that has in it
:. more of horror than thousand other
= deaths He could almost see it silently
approaching, aud for a time despair alone
IL had possession of him. Then his trust in
> the Supreme Being returned, and he com
y mitted himself, unto His holy keeping
6 Heavenly Father!" he murmured from
between his parched and blackened lips
1t is thy hand that hast sustained me so
. far-hast saved me from all danger. Thou