The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-07-21
At last the foot of the mountain was

AL ldSb tne InOt Oi tuc litoVattiH was
reached, and against the dull sky l could
see the outlines OF the great Struggling
trees which had been scathed by the fire,
and which stood leafiess about my clear
ing. Their dead branches creaked be-
meath the fury of the tempest, making a
dismal, moaning sound, which seemed like
an omen of some terrible disaster i'm
pending over the valley.
l moved down among them, and in a
moment found myself to my middle in
water, and l sprang bsck again, fearing
that the next step would carry me beyond
my depth. Great God was the valley
flooded with water, and had my cabin and
its loved inmates been swept away?
Sick at heart, and oppressed with this
terrible fear ! asked myself the question,
as stood trying to pierce the darkness
which filled the valley before me, and to
comprehend the exact spot where stood
At last I decided the latter question by q
study of the dead trees before me, and
then moved slowly down the valley to
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. FOr
a moment it wavered, and then burned
brightly, and knew that as yet my cabin
had not been moved from the spot where
| had placed it but the rays of the light
glimmered upon a sea of dark water
which lay between it ani 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
should have thought it would have been
but this was soon made plain as | reflected
upon the subject. A short distance
dOTn the valley the hills came close
down TO the banks of the stream, and
here, owing to the amount of drift wood
a Jam had been FORMED which the force oi
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 it was
impossible to tell, but it did not seem as
though it would for many minutes, as
could hear the rush and roar oil the waters
as it battled with it from the spot where
stood
Suddenly shrek, full of mortal terror,
rang over the water My heart stood still
in my breast, for recognized the voice as
that of my wife, and l knew that some
fearful danger mcpaced her and the child.
Again it was repeated, and | sent back an
answering cry. \ moment more, and
stood mute with horror and dismay The
Eiqht aods na0oing sl01cg doto'a TO the bottom Of
the clcoring, telling as plainly as words
could have done, that the cabin was
Gfoat
For a few moments it seemed as though
l were chained to the spot where | sto:d.
The light, as it tlOated downward, pos
seSsed a terrible fascination, and l could
not take my eyes from it it | wonid.
could seem to see its timbers falling
asunder, and the pale faces OF nay wife
and child sinking into the black, turbulent
waters. The horror of that moment /
shall never forget so long as | live.
Another horrible crash among the
MOUNTAINS, 10 the nortbwarG--a sound rs
If q huge Cliff had been hurled downward,
broke the terrible spell that bound ine 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, l answered back, though
| doubted if | was heard, the cabin Was
so near 10 the rushing current OF the
river; and then hurri,d along the edge
of the clearing, which was the boundary
of the lake, toward asc spot where the
river broke through the hills. and where
the Jam had been formed which flowed
the waters back.
Steadily the light glidcd down the
waters of the little lake, and from It's mo
ton | judged that it had not as yet float
cd into the current of the river, and
breathed a silent prayer in my heart thai
il would not be so, for then all hope would
be gone. il the cabin would but hold to-
gether and keep out Of the current OF tht
river, it would lodge amoog the trees al
the tOot Of the clearing, where | would bt
ready to bear them from it to a place o
safety
The way round to the bank Of the
river was diflicNlt to get over In the dark
ness, but accomplished it much sooner
than had expected, and by the time tn,
cabin had fiOatCd half the distance from
it's site To- the spot where l now stood
But the light was moving faster now
and in very few minutes the fate OF th'
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 bu
few minutes longer they would b.
saved but did it break, the fierce flow o
the waters would bring it into TIL
stream, where it would at once be hurlc'
to pieces. This much / saw and com
pretended in the darkness, and you Cal
| imagine, stranger, with what fearful In
tercst watched the jam and the fast az
preaching light upon the water.
Nearer and nearer came the cabin, an
| shorter grew the rays Of light whic
| streaked out between it and the spO
where stood. | called to Mary at th
! top of my voice, hut if any answer cam
back il was drowned by the roar of til
Jam. Two minutes more, and if it ker
on lis course il would glide in among th
trees where | could reach it and bea
them off in safety.
At this moment, when my heart hes
high with the hope that they would b
spared to me, with mighty roar an
crash the Jam gave way, and the surgin
waters madly followed. Ia mOmeI
the cabin obeyed the new impulse give
it, and moved towards the centre of th
stream. IL WAS a moment OF fearful su
pense to me. but it was soon over. i
my great Joy it lodged for minu'
against the trees, upon the bank, and
that time had my wife and child in m
arms, and had borne them to the soil
earth. Then their lrail bark surged inI
the stream, and in a moment after W.
torn apart, and its timbers Aoatcd singl
down the stream.
We found shelter beneath some owe
hanging rocks, where we staid until NOR
ing, when we made our way over III
mountain TO fathers, thankful for the G
cape VIC had had from the tempest, whiC
would not be foIgo tten 10 our dying da
On the morrow came the sad nev
from the Notch, and rs Mary and Ii
tened to the story, we shuddered as v
thought of our own peril amid the water
MIR. EASY keeps hotel, taking bot
transient and permanent boarders, as th'