The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1872-10-18
and fro with such fearful violence that
we knew not how long We might hope
to prevent its being broken up.

and fro with such fearful violence that
we knew not how long we might hope
to prevent its being broken up.
Clinging with our bleeding fingers
to the projecting rocks, we sat with
our faces turned in mute despair to-
wards the opening; and the God
help lis So that burst from Trelawyn's
lips sounded like the words Of doom
to all.
I Higher and higher crept the inSatiate
waters. now reaching the very summit
of the arch, and obliterting the glim-
mer of light that yet stole in; then,
ms if to mock lis. reeeding till the faint
ray was once more visible. Again aud
again this happened; but at last we
were cllvrloped in pitchy darkness.
'Tle wall OF water had barred us in,
and unless God helped us, we had
taken our last look at the bright world
without.
1t was hard to die so young; and
even now think it no shame to Our
manhood. that choking sobs and earn
est cries for mercy tlronged to ollr
lips. as we struggled to hold on against
the volume Of water striving Alwav to
dash us onward into the deeper recess
Ses of the chaSm.
In our haste and alarm we had for
gotten that small anchor was lying
at the bottom of the boat; but now.
as a larger wave than we had hitherto
contended with came rushing on us,
Trelawny gasped out
The anchor. over with it, or we
are lost! can hold on no longer"
In an instant. had it over the side.
On came the believing wave, the boat
was lifted upon it, our hadds forced to
relinquish their grasp of the jagged
stones to which we had been clinging,
and like an arrow we were driven for
ward but the anchor held, and for a
time, we felt that we were saved.
Up to this moment very few words
had been uttered for the transition had
been too great from the mirth and
sunshine without, to the darkness and
terror within, to permit OF speech.
We all knew by what frail tenure we
held oW lives, and silently huddled
together, listening to the wash of the
pillows as they came whirling and
nmbling past our boat. to dash with
a COnCllSSiOn like thunder against some
recess of the cavern which seemed to
be far, far away.
Strange fears stole over us as we
prayed incoherently that the anchor
might hold. and the wind drop. or
clung instlnctively to the sitles of our
vessel, when the eddying waters hur-
ried by, leaving behind them Il tram
sient calm, so profound that we could
hear our own deep breathing. and the
bitter grief Of our erstwhilc happy
little cockswain. Were not his thoughts
with the widowed mother who, ii she
lost him, lost her all?
Presently the awful stiffness was
broken by rock crumbling from the
root. and falling with a deatening
crash not many feet from where WE
lay, the sound reverberating along the
eavernolls vaults until it died away In
the distance.
After Il while we fincied we heard
the moaning of the wind outside our
prison. Had il increased? And if the
result should be as terrible as we fore
BODIED, would our fate ever be known
to those who would mourn for us?
Would any vestige of the yawl, or her
unfortunate crew, be washed out to
SEA to tell the sad tale?
At last--and what an eternity it
seemed-we could discern a faint glim-
mer OF light. A few seconds, and it
lad vanished. Then. like bright
star dawning upon us, it steadily in
creased, and we knew that the tide
was falling. Breathlessly we watched
the bright harbinger Of hope, till with
eyes that brimmed over, and voices
tremulous with thankful joy, we told
each other that we might make an at
tempt to depart.
1t was not until many narrow e>-
capes of being dashed on the partly
sunken rocks, that we succeeded in
reaching the outer world. What we
then thought, or how we acted, my be
better imagined than described; and
| suppose need scarcely say that we
have never since then explored a Corn
ish cavern when the tide was rising.