Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-03-16

J. III my perllOuS pOSlllOn, nerves ana mus
/ cles stretched to the utmost to keep my
, self there, looking at the sky above m,
[ head and at the ice around me, but no
daring again to glance into the gulf be
low. The blood was flowing from
wound / had received on the check, an,
! felt that my right leg, upon which, for
, tunately, was not resting, was seyerel,
, bruised the left leg, however, panied b.
the effort Of standing and the cold, wal
, beginning to give way. 1t was impossi
BILE to change my position without thu
risk of my balance. The cold Of tn,
wall of ice against which i was resting
more and more benumbed me, the watel
continued to fall, and dared not stir.
1 called my companion; no one re
Piled called again. Nothingl Moth
ing Not human being within reacl
of my voice. ! was seized with giddi
ness as a terrible thought crossed my
brain,
e He has gone to see if the help is
coming, and he cannot find the crevasse
again-there are hundreds such. | am
lostl "
/ commended my soul to God. My
strength was quite exhausted. / had
never yet given up all hope. l was
seized with desire to let myself fall,
and thus put an end to this agony.
AT this critical moment heard myself
called. Ny friend had run to look for
the guide, but when he wished to return
he was horror-struck on perceiving that
the surface of the glacier was rent by
countless crevasses, and so similar that
there was not single sign by which he
could recognize the abyss in which | was
buried alive. In this cruel perplexity
God guided him to see a little knapsack
which the guide had left at the edge of
the gulf. cried to him to look at his
watch. Five minutes more had elapsed.
The cold was becoming more and more
intense, and the blood was literally freez-
ing in my veins. | called; l asked if
there was any one in sight The guide
had started thirty-fvG minutes ago, and
not a soul had yet appeared 1t was
scarcely probable that he could return
so quickly, as we had taken three quar-
ters of an hour to get to this spot, and he
had to go and return.
n felt that could hold on but very little
longer. The frail support on which my
safety alone depended might yield at
any moment and break beneath me. /
remembered that / had long knife in
my pocket, and resolved to make use
of it to draw myself out. Uniformed my
companion of this project; he implored
me to do nothing of the kind, but my sit
uation had become intolerable. / made
notch in the ice, high enough for me
to reach to it, and large enough for me
to insert my hand in it; then about two
feet above the little bridge l dug out
hole sufficiently large for me to place
my foot in it. succeeded, and grasping
these two points of support, my back
resting with all my strength against the
opposite wall, / was able to raise myself
and keep myself firm in this new posi-
ton. descended again upon the bridge,
and began another notch above the first.
l fattered myself that | should thus be
able to escape from my prison, but
single slip, a false step, would precipi-
tate me into the abyss.
Iwas working diligently at my second
step, when heard joyous cry above
me: Here they are Three men with
ropes-they are running as fast as their
legs can carry them
! steadied myself as firmly as possible
upon the narrow and slippery bridge, SO
as to be able to seize the rope they we're
about to lower, and tie it round me. 1
saw the end of it swinging about two
yards above my head. May God have
mercy upon me it is too shortl"
We have another"
That was fastened to the first and let
down. seized the end of it. l bound |
it strongly round my waist, and grasping
the rope with both hands gave the signal |
for them to pull up.
Z They began-l was saved. A minute |
afterwards / was standing upon the gla-
eier. | had passed fifty minutes in the
erevasse during which time | had hap
PLY lost neither confidence in God nor
my presence Of mind
When ! placed my foot upon firm
ground again an oyerpowering feeling
of deep gratitude to the Almighty, who
had delivered me in so great a peril,
filed my breast / fell on nv Sinees
and tainted When / again became
conscious our party was preparing to
start for Montanvert, Before leaving /
wished to cast one look into the crevasse
where ! had nearly been buried alive.
saw how completely impossible it
would have been for me to get out of it
as / had projected The opening at the
top was too wide to have allowed me, as
| reached it, to lean against the oppo-
site wall, and without that support the
most agile of climbing animals would
have found it impossible to scale this
wall of ice.
The guide had run to the inn, where
be could not find single rope suitable
for the purpose. In despair he started
for ChamOurix. When on the way he
met two muleteers. Their animals were
aden with wood, tied on with ropes,
which he implored them to give him to
save a poor traveller who had fallen into
\ crevasse. These good people at once
lnloaded their mules, and came with the
rude to my assistance. Tying them
ogether-there were three-the ropes
-eached the depth Of thirty to forty !
rards, where | had been arrested in my /
all.
Assisted by my deliverers, was able
o reach Montanvert, where, in good i
,ed, and with my bruises attended TO, Z
lad leisure to dream about the danger =
rom which | had escaped, and the re- 1
Of which often haunts me '
10Th sleeping and waking. J trust that a
uture travellers, profting by my expert 4
nee, viii not run the risk OF penetrating '
nto the midst Of these icy regions with I
'ut providing themselves with axes and 4
opes, and especially with firm conf 4
enee in Gods goodness, the sursst Of
Imports, and the best safeguard here
elow.