The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-02-28

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most ledge. From here crswled up to the ridge
and hard job il was, for had to pass two places
where the rotten rock was crumbled so fine that il
slid awsy at every step. At one Of these places
which was about three hundred PAGES wide, ii
took me two hours 10 get over, and the labor TO
keep in a straight line almost killed me- for the
single slid under my feet like water, and kept
carrying me down towards the edge, where ii
| poured with laundering noise into q chasm
about two thousand feet Deep and threatened to
| sweep me away with it.
| "Scrambling and crawling on ell fours, with the
sweat running from every poure of my body, l
succeeded, IN about two hours, In getting over,
and reached the other side half dead, aid lay
!, down to rest little.
1 "Afier taking dram of kirschtoasser, cIamb.
cred over the rock, TO the highest part of the wall
And here came the hardest piece of work
| had had yet for had TO cross q long ride
as sharp as the back of knife, and as rotten as
birthstone. / could as well have walked across
upon wire as upon such an edge; and / had to
| make up my mind to work my way over 1t as,rad
die, at the risk Of cutting myself in two or that
| the old rock would break off, aud 20 head fore
| nest down with the broken piece. But what will
one not venture for gams? So take my Sc 1t
on the ridge, one leg hanging over a raVine q
| thousand feet deep, and the other over an abyss
1 oil three thousand, where | could see below the
| tavern and in front.of it my Englishman with his
telescope. And now started TO work myself
| along. In three minutes my leather breeehes
| were cut TO rags, and had to crawl along on
| hands and knees, and whenever piece of the
| rotten Old rock gave Uay, lay myself down on my
| stomach. Presently came to place that made
my hair stand on end, for as | crswled along the
| whole ridge swsyed under me-, and saw under.
| meath great hole through it, as big as gats way
| over which the ridge thar was cracking and sway
ing under me. sprsDg like a narrow bridge. At
this instant heard low whistle in front of me-
emo looking up saw IN old cams buck standing
who stuck his forefoOt into his mouth and gave
another loud whistle to call all the gamsen to.
gether, then looked at me in a very contemptuous
bleafed
" BleatedF' asked the Dresdener in astonish.
meDi. " Do the chsmois bucks blsat then?'
" All bucks bleat," replied the hunter calmly,
and continued.
So the buck stamped with his foot and bIeated
frighdully. knew at once what that meant and
!ald myself Hat upon my stomach, just in time,
Tor the brute lowered his horns and drove
right az me, with the whole herd after him
for the things saw that | had them in a bag, and
were bound to get over the ridge happen what
might And now the whole chase drove right
over my back, so that sight and hearing failed me.
l brought my rife forward In homes at least TO get
shot at one Of them, when one of the brutes
catches bis horns in the strap and carries my
piece away with hin, and at the same moment the
bridge under me sways frightully aud az last
breaks down, just as the last gains was over In
ny cooperation l gave myself tremendous shove
forward. and succeeded in clutcbing the firm rock
at the very moment that the whole thing fell era "a.
iug down together; and there was l, perched upon
corner OF the wall. Ny retreat over the ridge
OF getting across the chasm. / sat down to resi-
awhile and to consider how upon earth | should
get down from the wall. The only possible way
seemed 10 be upon the south side whers the rock |
was not precisely perpendicular, but still de. |
sctnoed smooth as wall for about a thousand |
feet. Here Noticed plumber of cracks and little
bushes which would probably give me a hold,
then theIe was a projecting crsg with an eagles |
nest on II, around which the eagles. which had |
caught sight of me, were flying with loud |
Screams.
81 made the attempt to chamber Down. but |
found 1t impossible, ss could get footing, and
had to scran bic back again. This did with CON l
siderable difficulty, as the seat Of my breechss /
stuck fast to the rock. Coming TO examine the |
cause of this. found that the pitch. torch which
Stuck out OF my pocket, was sticking 10 the stone
which was heated by the sun.
That moment thought struck me. had been
thinking OF cutting my hands and feeS, to make |
them sticky enough with the blood TO take hold of
Tie foek-a dodge that Schiller mentions, by the |
wsy-but thought: Hold on Pitch sticks fast
er Than blOod-and so / went TO work at once. / |
pulled of ny shoes and threw them down into the |
valley; and then plsstered my hands, the soles
OF my ieet, ara the seat OF my leather breeches,
with the pitch. Now began 10 work nv way
down with my bsck against the wall, in this way
hrst, reached down with my feet as far as
could and stamped them hard against the rock
until they stuck fast; then | slid my back down !
az near my feet as could bring it, aud stuck my
breeches fast; and then | capped my hands |
against the wall until they held; after which |
pulled my feet loose, stretched them further |
ooNb, ana went through the same msneuver |
again. II was an awful job. seemed to myself
like fly that has been in a honey.pot and draQs |
himself along q wall; and l left long black |
streak down the rock, which can be seen to this |
very day, from which they call il the PechWand, |
and NE Pechnazi.
81 had crawled down in this way untl was
lbou. hundred feet above the eagles nest when |
ioui that the pitch began to LET go, and could |
hardly he made 10 hold. Just here the wall was
mo 9th az rrfa and tIo a. 4
head until the wind from their wings almost blew |
he away. still contrived to work down about |
i!iy feet more, when all at once broke loose and
rack there was sistiDg'in the eagles nest, |
While the sticks of it few IN all directions |
md the whole crag shook. | felt a furious
'iling and scratching as IL | had fallen
IN pile OF hsh-hooks for had plumped do Rn
pen eight Young eagles, and was mashing them
o Jam. While the young brutes were biting
md scratching me below, the Old eagles were |
catering my head with their wings and tearing |
ny hair out by beaksfull. l grew desperate
Ell ked club out Of the nest and banged about
nul me feathers few again, but II did no good.
Il last made grab, and caught an eagle by |
be leg with each hand and now there began
eht to which the other was nothing. But kept |
firm hold, when On sudden the old nest broke
pose, and we all came down together. II had
ct had the two old birds by the legs, should
eTtsinly have broken my neck But as it vas
be two birds Mapped With all their might and
o5seH nae i 56w psrIiehqte aSd Es slid pretty
4
and feet. | reached the bottom in good condi. |
on, and found there wood CATER who had been |
atching me for some time, and who called to me
, hold the eagles fast until he could come and
III them. But wanted them alive, go | made |
IN unwind long cord that always carried |
'ound my waist, and tie an end of it 10 leg of
ich eagie, and now had the brutes by string
Re the boys have their kites
81 now let the wood cutter hold the cord while
It'll f0ubd my shoes and put them on. took |
70 cord with the eagles again in my hand, and |
e things were pulling me about this way and
Al vsy, and | was thinking what should do |
ith them when my Englishman who had seen | =
@ whole thing through his telescope, came run y
ng up. he cried that must give aim back bis
oney, for bad made him pay me in advance for
c twenty gamsen that we had counted through | o
Q telescope. But had spent it already. So
we him the eagles 70 hold, pretending That was
ling TO take OF my belt and get the money for | =.
N; but as soon as things began TO drag him d
'out, made of, calling out to him that he might |
eat his friends with the eagles.
81 Whether he did so or not, cannot say, for
i way as fast es | could, and came down here
here have been living ever since, and where