The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1869-11-13

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and lie still with its wings spread to thei
full stretch. B3tw.eI the birl aud me
however. there was a crevasse wider tha,
any had yet leape |, and dozen yards or
the other side lay the object of my pursuit
The black Shiny sides Of the ditch over
hun g the water, VIII lay deep and still
some six or seven feet bolow, and a few
yards to the right connected with large
pool, having equilly high and muid,
banks 70 the lett was labrynth of sim
lar bitches. Some distance in front. q
broader and straighter crack 10 the fiat ex.
panse showed where the river lay. The
bank on which stood was foot or two
higher than the opposite bank describe
the situation thus ninutely in order to make
the reader understand what afterwards hap
encd.
Not liking to lose the prize 50 nearly in
my grasp resolved to make the jump.
Laying down the gun and taking off my
coat made the effort and cleared the
ditch, Only, however, by few inches.
secured the heron, and smoothing its beau>
tiful plumaee, but little injured by tt e
shot, threw it across to the bank from
which | had inst came. Then, on looking
around. | found myself in sort OF cW de
sac. The bit of firm ground on which
stood was an island. and the only way Of
escape was the one hv which | had arrived.
Having to e. take off from a lower level.
it was much harder to ret back than it had
been to come, but as there was no alterna
tive it had to be tried. did moi leap
qnte far enough, aud pitched with hands
and knees together ayainst the edge
There was no vegetation tc catch hold of,
and after hanging on the bank a few mo
mentS, vainly clntcking at the mud. fell
backwards with u heavy splash into the
water.
Fortunatel I an good swimmer, and
at first, while treading water, the udicrous
ness of the affair alone struck me hut
when | began to see that it might be diff,
cult to get up these slimv overhanging
banks, | confess felt rather frightened
1t was impossible to get out at the spot
where had fallen in. swan farther up
the ditch, and trying to bottom it. felt nv
feet touch the soft Tenacious mud, that gave
no support, but was ten times more danger.
Gus than the water. The water became
sballower as struggled on, but the muddy
bottom refused to give Inc standing place.
and the bank afforded no hold for nv
hands. 1t at last became so shallow that
had to turn on my back to avoid kicking
the mud as swan, and when in this posi-
tion | could push my arms into it with al.
most as much ease as could push them
through the water, but to pull them out
again was far from ensv.
With horrid fear of being unable to ex-
tricatc myself from the mud, and of slow
snffocation, | made a sudden dash hack in.
to deep water and tried the other bitches.
only to be rcpulSed in the same manner. I !
swan round and ronnd the pool seeking for
an outlet, and beginning to feel my boots
and clothes very heavy. Even now I in.
voluntarily smiled at the comparison which |
suddenly occurred to me between myself in |
this plight and mouse swimming round |
in bucket of water but the thought that
too, like it, might be swimming for nv
life, soon drove all ludicrous thoughts out
Of my head.
Matters now began to look very serious,
when | saw root or branch of some long |
buried tree projecting out of the bank. 1 |
caught hold of it; but it was not strong
enough to enable me to lift myself out of
the water. All that could do was to SUD.
port myself with my hands just sufficiently
to keep my head above the surface. took
this opportunity of kicking off my boots.
Up to this time | could scarcely realize
my position but now the conviction began
to dawn upon me that might never again
see the mother aud sisters mad left in a
cottage a mile and halt away. l looked
up to the sky, in which the twilight was
fast giving place to the moonlight, and
across which the clouds were merrily driv-
ing before the evening breeze and then I
looked at the black and Shiny walls which
hemmed me il, and felt as though | were
about to scream with terror. From nv
/ had always had horror of
confinement OF any kind | have felt
uncomfortable whom | have been
persuaded into exploring a cave, or when |
have been shown through prison. This
feeling | felt row more strongly shan the
fear of drowning. TO die helnmed in by
those gloomy walls would be terrible.
To add 10 the weirdness, hollow boom
ing sound, almost amounting TO a roar, ran
through the quivering bog, intensified to
ne, no doubt, by my Imprisonment in the
heart of the moss. This, though | rever
heard it before, knew TO be the voice of
The blttern. During the night it was re-
peated several times, aud anything more
weird and dismal it would bo hard to imag-
inc.
had not as yet thought of shouting
hut now did SO till | was hoarse. The
only answer was the eere scream of the
curlew. The improbability of any one
being near enough tn hear me SO late,
struck mc. and | deSsted from the useless
labor. The stillness was intense, broken
only at rare intervals by the bittern or cur.
lew. How long | clung to the branch,
Il do