Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-09-20

to get into the crevasse, but was oblig-
ed to recoil. 1t was quite plain that
a second life was in danger, for my
guide seemed to have lost all self-con-
troll. [ placed my hand heavily upon
his shoulder, and admonished him that
upon his GOODNESS depended the life of
his friend. " If you behave like man
we shall save him if like woman he
is lost.
A first-rate rope accompanied She
party, but, rnhappily it was with the
man in the crevasse Coats, waist
coats and braces were instantly taken
off and knotted together I watched
Bennen, while this work was going on;
his hands trembled with excitement,
and his knots were evidently insecure.
The last junction complete, he ex-
claimed, "Now let me down."
"Net until each of these knots have
been tested; not an inch. -
Two of them gave way, and Lub-
books waistcoat also proved too tender
for the strain The debris was about
40 feet from the surface of the glacier,
but two intermediate prominences af-
forded kind of foothold. Bennen
was dropped down upon these; [ fol-
lowed, being let down by Lubbock and
the other porter Bennen then de-
scended the remaining distance, and
was followed by me. More could not
find room.
The shape and size of the cavity were
such as to produce a kind of resonance,
which rendered it difficult to fix the
precise spot from which the sound is
sued; but the moaning continued, be-
coming to all appearance gradually
feebler. Fearing to wound the man
the ice rubbish was cautiously rooted
away; it rang curiously as it fell in
the adjacent gloom. A layer two or
three feet thick was thus removed, and
finally, from the frozen mass, and as
bloodless as to be almost as white as
the surrounding snow, issued single
human hand. The fingers moved.
Round it we rooted, cleared the arm,
and reached the knapsack, which we
cut away. We also regained our rope
The mans head was then laid bare, and
my brandy flask was Immediately at his
lips. He tried to speak, but his words
jrmbled themselves to a dull moan.
Bennen's feelings got the better of
him at intervals; he wrought like a
hero, but at times he needed guidance
and stern admonition The arms once
free, we passed the rope underneath
them, and tried to draw the man out
But the 1Ge-fragments around him had
regulated SO as to form solid case.
Thrice we essayed to draw him up,
thrice we failed; he had literally to be
hewn out of the ice, and not until his
last foot was extricated were we able to
lift him. By pulling him from above,
and pushing him from below, the man
was at length raised to the surface Of
the glacier
For an hour we had been il the Gre
vase in shirt-sleeves-the porter had
been in it for two hours-and the drip
ping ice had drenched Us. Bennen,
moreover, had worked With the energy
Of madness, and now the reaction
came. He shook as if he would fall to
pieces but brandy and some dry COW
ering revived him. The rescued man
was helpless, unable to utter an articu-
late sentence, Bennen proposed to
carry him down the glacier toward
home. Had this been attempted, the
man would certaidly have died upon
the ice. Bennen thought he could
carry him for two hours but the guide
underrated his own eXhaustation and
oyerrated the vitality of the porter,
''Itcann not be thonght Of, [ SAID, to
the cave Of Faulberg, where we must
tend him as well as we cam" We got
him to the side of the glacier wBere
Bennen took him on his back In ten
I. l. !,
was now my turn, SO [ took the man on
my back and FLOODED on with him as
far as I was able. Hell ping each other
by turns, we reached the mountain
grOt
The sun had set, and the crown Of
Jungfrau was imbedded in amber light.
Thinking that the Marielin Sea might
be reached before darkness, proposed
starting ii search OF help. Bennen
protested against my going alone, and
thought [ noticed moisture in Lub-
books eyes. Such an occasion brings
out q mans feelings if he has any. [
gave them both my blessing and made
for the glacier. But my anxiety to get
quickly clear of the crevasses defeated
it's own object. Thrice I found myself
III difficulty. and the light was vistisiv
departing. The ecnvfcti0n deepened
that persistence would be folly, and
the most impressive moment of my ex-
istence was that on which [ stopped at
the brink of a, profound fissure and
looked upon the mountains and the
sky. The serenity was perfect-not a
cloud, not breeze, not a sound, while
the last hues of sunset spread over the
solemn west
I returned; warm wine was given te
our patient, and all cur 1rv clothes
were wrapped around him. Hot water
bottles were placed at his feet and his
back was brisky rubbed. He continued
to groan a long time but, finally, both
this and the trembling ceased Bennen
watched him solemnly, and at length
muttered in anguish, Sir, he is dead 7
[ leaned over the man and found him
breathing gently; [ felt his pulse-it
was beating TRANQUILITY, "Not dead,
dear old Bennen he will be able to
crawl home with us in the morning. :"
The prediction was justified by the
event; and two days afterward we saw
him at Laax, minus a bit of his ear,
with a bruise upon his cheek and few
scars upon his hand, but without a bro
ken bone or serious injury of any kind.
The self-denying conduct of the sec
ond porter made us forget his stupidity
it may have been stupefaction. AS [
Lay there wet, through the long hours
OF that dismal night, I almost register
ed q VOW never to tread upon a glacier
again. But, like forms in the physical
world, human emotions vary with the
distance from their origin, and a year
afterward [ was again upon the ice.
'Eho RGnuhIjcauS of ENGLAND.