Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-07-28

that the next step would carry me beyond
my depth. Great God! was the valley
flooded with water, and had my cabin sno
| its loved inmates been swept awayf
Sick at heart, and oppressed with thu
terrible fear asked myself the question,
as stood trying to pierce the darkneaa
which filled the valley before me, and g
comprehend the exact spot where stood
At last decided the latter question BY
study of the dead trees before me, ana
then moved slowly down the valley g
bring myself opposite to the spot where
had LEFT my cabin standing In the morn
ing.
Just then, to my great Joy, light
beamed out through the darkness. F0
a moment it wavered, and then burnet
brightly, and knew that as yet my cabi,Hs
had not been moved from the spot whefs
I had placed it; but the rays Of the light
which lay between it and the spot where
/ stood, and any moment it might float
away.
wondered why it was that the water
was SO still, and not the rushing torrent l
should have thought it would have been;
but this was soon made plain as reflected
upon the subject. A short distance
down the valley the hills came close
down to the banks of IL stream, and
here, owing to the amount Of drift-w0od,
jam had been FORMED which the force OF
the water had not yet been able to break,
and so had flowed it back, covering the
entire valley. How much longer the
drift-wood would bear the strain 1t was
impossible to tell, but it did not seem as
though 1t would for many minutes, as
could hear the rush and roar of the waters
"a it battled with it from the spot where
stood.
Suddenly a shrek, full of mortal terror,
rang over the water. My heart stood still
in my breast, for l recognized the voice as
that of my wife, and I knew that some
fearful danger menaced her and the child.
Again it was repeated, and / sent back an
answering cry. A moment more, and
stood mute with horror and dismay. The
light soas nsooiag sL0tc,y do,cn tot the bottom Of
the clearing, telling as plainly rs words
could have done, that the cabin was
afoat.
For few moments it seemed as though
| were chained to the spet where stood
The light, as it foated downward, pos
sessed terrible fascination, and / could
not take my eyes from it il would. l
could seem to see its timbers falling
asunder, and the pale faces OF my wife
and child sinking into the black, turbulent
waters. The horror of that moment l
shall never forget so long as live.
Another horrible crash among the
mouptains, to the northwarG-a sound as
if huge cliff had been hurled downward,
broke the terrible spell that bound me to
the spot, and reused me to an effort to try
and effect the escape of my loved ones.
Another cry of despair which reached me
from the cabin, answered back, though
l doubted if was heard, the cabin was
so near to the rushing current OF the
river; and then hurried along the edge
Of the clearing, which was the boundary
of the lake, toward the spot where the
river broke through the hills, and where
the jam had been formed which flowed
the waters back.
Steadily the light glided down the
waters of the little lake, and from Its mo.
ton judged that it had not as yet float
ed into the current of the river, and
breathed silent prayer in my heart that
i. would not be so, for then all hope would
be gone. If the cabin would but hold to-
gether and keep out Of the current Of the
river, it would lodge among the trees at
the foot Of the clearing, where | would be
ready to bear them from it to q place of
safety.
The way round to the bank Of the
river was difficult to get over in the dark
ness but / accomplished it much sooner
than had expected, and by thu time the
cabin had floated half the distance from
its site to the spot where l now stood.
But the light was moving faster now,
and in very few minutes the fate of the
helpless ones would be decided
Upon the jam piled high in the river,
with the foaming waters breaking
through and over it, their lives depended.
Could it resist the force Of the water but
few minutes longer they would be
saved but did it break, the fierce flow Of
the waters would bring 1t into the
stream, where it would at once be hurled
to pieces. This much i saw and COM
pretended in the darkness, and you can
imagine, stranger, with what fearful in
tercst watched the jam and the fast APP
preaching light upon the water.
Nearer and nearer CAME the cabin, and
shorter grew the rays Of light which
streaked out between it and the spot
where stood. l called to Mary at the
top of my voice, but If any answer came
back it was drowned by the roar of the
jam Two minutes more, and IL It kept
on its course it would glide in among the
trees where / could reach it and bear
them Off in safety.
At this moment, when my heart beat
high with the hope that they would be
spared to me, with mighty roar and
crash the jam gave way, and the surging
waters madly followed. In a moment
the cabin obeyed the new impulse given
it, and moved towards the centre Of the
stream. 1t was a moment of fearful sus.
pense to me. but it was soon over To
my great Joy 1t lodged for minute
against the trees, upon the bank, and in
that time had my vile and child in my
arms, and had borne them TO the solid
earth. Then their frail bark surged into
the stream, and In moment after was
torn apart, and its timbers foated singly
down the stream.
We found q shelter beneath some over
hanging rocks, where we staid until morn.
ing, when we made our way over the
mountain to fathers, thankful for the es
cape we had had from the tempest, which
would not be forgotten to our dying day.
On the morrow came the sad news
from the Notch, and a. Mary and I lis.