The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-09-23


coats and braces were instantly taken
off and knotted together. [ watched
Bennen, while this work was going on
his hands trembled with excitement.
and his knots We're evidently insecure.
The last junction complete, he ex-
claimed, "Now let me down!
"Not 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 promlnences al
forded kind of foothold. Bennen
was dropped down upon these; L 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 OF
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 Il 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
Jumbled themselves to 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 Heterogeneous 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 in the cree
vase in shirt-8leeves--the porter had
been III 1t for two hours-and the drip
ping ice had drenched us. Bennen,
moreover, had worked with the energy
Of madness, and now the re action
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
moderated his own exhaustation and
overrated the vitality of the porter
cit can not be thought of" l sad, "to
the cave of Faulberg, where we must
tend him as well as we can" We got
him to the side of the glacier, where
Bennen took him on his back; in ten
minutes he sank under his load 1t
was now my turn, so | took the man on
my back and FLOODED on with him as
far as / was able Helping each other
by turns, we reached the mountain
grot.
The sun had set, and the crown Of
Jungfrau was imbeddeJi in amber light
Thinking that the MarieIin Sea might
be reached before darkness, | proposed
starting in search of help. Bennen
protested against my going alone, and
| thought ! noticed moisture in Iub-
book S eyes. Such an occasion brings
out mans feelings IL lie 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 | found myself
III difficulty. and the liGht vas vlslblv
/ departing, Tic conviction deepened
that persistence would be folly, and
the most Impressive moment of my ey-
istence was that on which | stopped at
the brink Of a profound tissure and
| looked upon the mountains and the
sky. The serenity wss rctfect-not a
| cloud, not a breeze, hot a sound. while
the laet iitc8 Of sunset spread over the
solemn west.
| returned; warm wine was given to
our patient, and all our dry clothes
were wrapped around him. Hot water
bottles were placed at his feet ard his
back was brisl1y rubbed. He continued
TO groan long time but, finally, both
this and iho trembling ceased Bennen
watched him solemnly, and at length
muttered III anguish, Sir, he is dead =
| leaned over the man and found him
breathing gently; | felt bis pulse-it
was beating TRANQUILITY Not dead,
dear old Beunen he viii be able to
crawl home with us III the morning"
The prediction was justified by the
event and two days alterward we saw
HIM at Laax, minus bit OF his ear,
with brulse upon his cheek and a few
scars upon his hand, but without 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, [ almost register
ed 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 year
aftcrward | was again upon the ice.
AT the capture of Detroit by the
British in 1912, the records of the town