Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-01-06
Buried in the Quicksand.
BY VICTOR HUGO.

IL sOmetlmcS happens. on certain coasts
of Britain or Scotland, that man, a
traveller, fisherman walking suddenly
/ perceives that for several minutes he has
been walking with difficulty. The shore
is like pitch under bis feet. The soles Of
his feet cling to it; it is no more like
sand. it is like glue. The coast is per-
fectly dry; butin every step that he takes,
as soon as he has raised his feet. the print
that it leaves is filed with water. The
eye pesceiyes no other change; the i'm
mense expanse is smooth and tranquil :;
all the sand has the same aspect !;
nothing distinguishes the saudi which is
solid from that which is not; the little
joyous crowd of sea pucerous continue to
leap unanimously upon his feet as he
passes along.
The man continues his route goes for
ward, leaning toward the shore, seeking
to approach the upland. He is not unea-
sy. Why should he be :? Only he feels
as though the heavincss of his feet in
creases with each each step that he takes.
Suddenly he sinks. He sinks two Or
three inches. Certainly he is not in IA
good route be stops to take his bearings.
His feet have disappeared. The sand
covers them. He lifts his feet from the
sand. He wishes to turn back he turns,
be sinks deeply; the sand comes to his
ankles he withdraws and throws himself
to the left; the sand comes still higher -
He leans to the right; the sand comes be-
low the knees. Then he recognizes, with
an Undesirable terror, that he is involy-
ed in quicksand, aud that under him the
trighful elements in which man cannot
walk, and fish cannot swim. He throws
down his burden, if he has one he light
ems himself Ike ship in distress Il
is already too late the sand is above his
knee
He calls, he waves his hat Or his hand
kerchief; the sand gains on him more and
more. If the coast is deserted, if solid
ground is too far distant. if the sand bauk
is in too bad repute. if there are no he
roes within call, it is finished, he is con-
demned to burial He is sentenced to
this frightful interment, long. infallible,
inlp!aeable, impossible to retard or to hast
en- which lasts for hours which, to every
effort that you utter, drags you little
lower, which Furnishes you for your RESTS.
lance by a redoubIed embrace; which
slowly draws the man nto the earth, al
loving him al! the time to look upon the
hor ION, the trees. the green fields, the
smoke of the villages on the plain, the
sails of the vessels on the main. the birds
that fly and slug and sea, the sky.
Buried in quicksaud in sepulchre,
which becomes the tide, and which rises
from the degths Of the earth toward a liv-
ng person Each minute is an inexora-
BE undertaken The miserable person
tries to sit down, to crawl every move
ment baries him; he stands erect, be sinks;
he feels himself engulphcd he shouts, i'm
plores, cries to the clouds, wrings his
hands. There he is in the sand to his
waist; the sand reaches his chest He
raises his hands, makes furious gestures,
etisps his pals on the sand, wishes to
grasp at a straw. leans On his elbows,
wishes to withdraw himself from this soft
inclosure. sobs trantically. The sand rises.
it atiains his shoulders, it reaches his neck.
bis face only is visible now. He cries,
the sand fills his mouth silence. His
eyes are still open the sand closes them
tight Then the forehead melts away
little flying hair is still seen above surface,
a hand, still out, pierees the level sand
moves, trembles. aud disappears. Sad
placement OF a. man!
Sometimes the horseman is buried with
his horse; sometimes the carman with his
cart, all sink beneath the sand. This is
a shipwreck. though not on the sea 1t is
the earth drowning a man! The earth
penetrated with ocean becomes snare.
1t offers itself plain, and opens billow.