The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-11-10
THE TEMPEST.
BY GEORGE =. PRENTICE.

Z
e ing. L have stood in front of battle,
when swords were cleaning and cir
! cling around me like fiery serpents Of
the air-I have sat on the mountain
/ pinnacle, when the whirIwind WAS
= rending its oaks from rocky clefts and
scattering them piecemeal to the
clouds. j have seen those things with
r a swelling soul that reckeI not of dan
ger-but there is something i'm the
thunder's voice that makes me tren-
BILE like child. | have tried To over
come this unmanly weakness have
called pride to my add have sought
for moral courage in the lessons Of
philOSOphy-but it avails me nothing
at the first low moaning of the dis
tant cloud my heart sinks and dies
, within me.
My involuntary dread Of thunder,
has its origin in an incident that Oc-
CURED when was a child of ten years.
| had little cOusin-a girl of the same
age of myself, who had been the con-
stant companion of my childhood.
Strange that after the lapse of a score
of years, that cOuntenance is 80 famil-
lar to me. / can see the bright, young
creature-her large eyes flashing Iii e
a beautiful gem, her free locks stream
ing as in joy upon the rising gale, and
her cheek glowing like a ruby through
a wreath of transparent Snow. Her
voice had the melody and jOyOusness
of a birds, and when she bounded
over wooded hill or the fresh green
valley, shouting Il glad answer To
every voice of nature and clasping her
little hands in the very ecstacy of
young existence, she looked as if
breaking away like a freed nightin-
gale from the earth, and going Off
/ where all things were beautiful and
happy like her.
! 1t was morning in the middle of
| August. The little girl had been
/ passing some days at nv fathers
/ house, and she was now to return
! home. Her path lay across the fields,
and / gladly became the companion
of her walk. / never knew a sum-
mer morning more beautiful and still.
/ Only one little clOnd was visible. and
that seemed as pure and white, and
! peaceful, as if il had been the incense
| from burning censer Of the skies.
| The leaves hung silent in the woods,
the waters of the bay had forgotten
their undulatiOns, the flowers were
the rainbow, and the whole atmOs-
| phere was of such a soft and Iuxuri-
Ous sweetness. that it seemed a cloud
Of roses scattered down by the hands
I of Peri, from the far-off gardens of
/ Paradise. The green earth and the
| blue sea were abroad in their bound
lessness, and the peaceful sky bent
over and blessed them. The little
creature at my side was in deIirium
/ of happiness, and her clear. sweet
voice came ringing upon the air as
often aS she heard the tones of favor
ite bird, or found some strange or
| lovely flower in her frolic wandering.
The unbroken and almost super
natural tranquility of the day cOntin-
ued until nearly noon. Then, for the
| first time, the Indications Of an aIs-
| preaching tempest were manifest.
/ Over the summit Of mountain AT a
distance of about a mile, the fold, ofa
/ dark cloud became suddenly visible
and at the same moment hollow roar
came down upon the winds. aS if il
were the sound of waves in rocky
cavern. The cloud unrOlled like a
/ banner-fOld upon the air, but still tic.
atmosphere was calm and the leaves
rs mOtiOnless rs before; there was not
even 4 qUiveT upon the sleeping
waters to tell of the coming hurricane.
| To escape the tempest was impossible.
/ A. the only resort, we fed to an
oak, that stood ut the foot of a tall.
and ragged precipice. Here we r.
manned and gazed almost brcathlesS-
[ ~ upon the clouds, marshalling them
selves like bloody giants in the sky
I - thnnIpF
every burst was so fearful that the
young creature, who stood by me,
shut her eyes cOnvUlsively, chung with
a desperate strength to my arm, and
shrieked as if her heart would break.
y few minutes and the storm was
upon us. During the height Ofits fury,
the little girl lifted her finger toward
the precipice that lowered above Us.
| looked an amethystine flame was
quivering upon its gray peaks, and
the next moment the clouds opened.
the rocks tOttered to their foundation,
a roar like the grOan of a universe
filled the air, and | felt myself blind
ed and thrown | knew not whittier.
How long | remained inSensible I
cannot tell; but when consciousness
returned, the violence of the tempest
was abating; the roar Of the winds dy-
ing i'll the tree tops, and the deen
tones of the thunder coming in fainter
murmers from the eastern hills.
j arose, and looked trembling and
almost deliriOU,iy around. She was
there-the Idol of my infant love-
stretched out upon the wet, green
earth. After a moment tofirTesOIutiOn.
went up and looked upon her. The
handkerchief upon her neck was
slightly rent, and single dark spot
upon her bosom told where the path
of death had been. At first | clasped
her 10 my breast with a cry of agony.
and then laid her down and gazeG
into her face almost with a feeling os
calmness. Her bright dishevelled
ringlets clustered sweetly around her
brow, the look of terror had faded
from her lips, and an infant smile
was pictured beautifully there-tlle
red rose tinge upon her cheeks was
lovely as in life, and as | pressed it To
my own the fountain OF tears was
opened, and wept Us ifmy head were
waters. i have but = dim recollection
of what fOllowed-I only know that
remained weeping and motionlesss till
the coming on of twilight, and that I
was then taken tenderly by the hand,
and led away where | saw the cOuu-
tenance of parents and sisters.
Many years have gone by on their
wings of light and shadow. but the
scenes | have portrayed still come
over me, at times, with IA terrible dis
tinctneSs. The oak yet stands at the
base of the precipice; its limbs are
black and dead, and It's hollow trunk.
looking upwards to the sky aS if call
ing to the clouds for drink, is an en-
blem of rapid and noiseless decay. \
year ago | visited that spot, and the
thoughts of by-g0ne wears came
mOurnfuily back to me-thOughts of
the little innocent being, who fell hv
the whirIwind-in the memory that
she had gone where no lightnings
slumber in the folds of the rainbow
clouds, and where the sunlit waters
are never broken by the stOrnl-breath
of OmnipOtence.
My readers will understand why [
shrink in terror from the thunder.
Even the consciousness of security Is
no relief to ne-Iay fear has assumed
the nature of instinct, and seems, in
deed, part of my existence.
The grand scheme of a nlan for
bringing England within FIVE days'
journey to India, has hear proposed
i'll letter to the Prime Minister. 1t
proposes to make use of existing line;
OF railway and of the Mont Cents
Tunnel To Trieste, and thence To con-
struct railroad through Austria.
European and Asiatic Turkey, Persi;.
and BelOchistan, to kurrachee, and
onwards TO Bombay. The total dis
tance from London to Kurrachee
would lie 5,3ll miles (the Straits of