Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-06-11


shapes; it was flying eagle, or rather
roc of the Arabian storytellers, clapplng
its wings and screaming over me. AS l
looked upwards into it, it would appear
sometimes to lengthen into indefinite ex-
tent, or to be twisted at the end into the
spiral folds of the tail of flying dragon.
Nor was the flaming breath or fiery glance
of that fabled animal wanting to complete
the picture. My eyes, inf1amed, blood.
shot, and glaring, invested the supposed
monster with full proportion of unholy
light
1t would be endless were I to merely
hint at all the fancies that possessed my
mind. Every object that was hideous and
roaring presented itself to my Imagination.
I often thought that was in hurricane
at sea, and that the vessel in which was
embarked tossed under me with the most
furious vehemence. The air, set in motion
by the swinging of the bell, blew over me,
nearly with the violence, and more than
the thunder, of tempest; and the floor
seemed to reel under me, as under a
drunken man. But the most awful OF all
the ideas that seized on me were drawn
from the supernatural. In the vast
cavern of the bell hideous faces appeared,
and glared down on me with terrifying
frowns, or with grinning mockery still
more appalling.
At last, the devil himself, accoutred as
in the common description of the evil
spirit, with hoof horn, tail, and eyes of
Internal lustre, made his appearance,
and called on me to curse God and
worship him, who was powerful to
save me. This dread suggestion he
uttered with the full-toned clangor of the
bell. 1 had him within an inch of nae,
and I thought on the fate of the Santon
Barsisa. Strenuously and desperately l
defied him and bade him begone. Reason,
then, for a moment, resumed her sway,
but it was only to fill me with fresh terror,
just as the lightning dispels the gloom that
surrounds the benighted mariner, but to
show him that his vessel is driving on
rock, where she must inevitably be dashed
to pieces. I found I was becoming delir-
ious, and trembled lest reason should ut
terly desert me. This is at all times an
agonizing thought, but it smote me then
with tenfold agony. feared lest, when
utterly deprived of my senses, l 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 a lofty
castle, to precipitate himself from it, and
then death would be instant and tremen-
dous. When I thought of this, l became
desperate. I caught the floor with grasp
which drove the blood from my nails and
I yelled with the cry of despair. I called
for help, I prayed, | shouted, but all the
efforts of my voice were of course
drowned in the bell. AS it passed over
my mouth, it occasionally echoed my cries,
which mixed not with its own sound, but
preserved their distinct character.
Perhaps this was but fancy. To me,
I know, they then sounded as if they
were the shouting, bowling, or laugh
ing of the fiends with which my imagina-
ton had peopled the gloomy cave which
swung over me. There is no man, how
ever firm his nerves may be, who could re-
tain his courage in this situation.
In twenty minutes the ringing was done.
Half of that time passed over me without
power of computation-the other half ap-
peared an age. When it ceased, became
gradually more quiet, but new fear re-
tanned me- I knew that five minutes
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. feared to rise,
least the five minutes should have elapsed,
and the ringing be again commenced, in
which case I should be crushed, before l
could escape, against the walls or frame
work of the bell. I therefore still con-
tinued to lie down, cautiously shift
ing myself, however, with a care
full gliding, so that my eye no
longer looked into the hollow. This was
of itself considerable relief. The cessa-
tion of the noise had, in great measure,
the effect of supplying me, for my atten-
ton, being no longer occupied by the
chimeras l had conjured up, began to flag.
All that now distressed me was the con-
slant expectation of the second ringing,
for which, however, settled myself with
a kind of stupid resolution. l closed my
eyes, and clenched my teeth as firmly as
if they had been screwed in vice.
At last the dreaded moment came, and
the first swing of the bell extorted groan
from me, as they say the most resolute
victim screams at the sight of the rack, to
which he is for second time destined.
After this, however, I lay silent and
lethargic, without thought Wrapt in
the defensive armor of stupidity, deied
the bell and its intonatiens. When it
ceased, I was reused little by the hope of
escape. did not, however, decide on
this step hastily, but, putting up my hand
with the utmost caution, touched the
rim. Though the ringing had ceased, it still
was tremulous from the sound, and shook
under my hand, which instantly rec coiled
as from an electric jar. A quarter of an
hour probably elapsed before again dared
to make the experiment, and then found
it at rest. determined to lose no time,
fearing that might have lain then already
too long, and that the bell for evening
service would catch me. This dread stim-
ulated me, and slipped out with the ut
most rapidity, and arose. 1 stood, I sup
pose, for minute, looking with silly
wonder on the place of my inn.
prisonment, penetrated with Joy at
escaping, but then rushed down the
stony and irregular stair with the
velocity of lightning, and arrived in
the bell-ringers' room. This was the last
act had power to accomplish. leaned
against the wall, motionless and deprived
of thought, in which posture my COM
panions found me, when, in the course of
couple of hours, they returned to their
occupation.
They were shocked, as we'll they might
be, at the figure before them. The wind of
the bell had excoriated my face, and my
dim and stupefied eyes were mixed with a
lack-lustre gaze in my raw eyelids. My
hands were torn and bleeding; nay hair
disheveled; and my clothes tattered. They
spoke to me but l gave no answer. They
shook me, but I remained insensible.
They then became alarmed, and hastened