The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-06-20

Sio q l41OCACIy L W SoO III
the ice large enough to put my feet
in. At this moment our guide rejoin-
ed us He looked at the slope and at
the yawning crevasse below it, and
said, in grave tone, cit is danger
Gus; let us go round it."
With the aid of my alpenstock l had
already got halfway up this icy hill
: ock, and was now quite convinced that
it was too steep and slippery to be
crossed without an axe. The guides
warning confirmed my opinion. l was
cautiously lowering my right leg, seek
ing for the hole had made in the ice
my foot passed it--and l felt that l
was sliding down; there was nothing
rough to stop me, not the slightest
projection by which [ could hold my
self The declivity became perpendic-
ular, and fell into the gulf.
l heard a cry of despair from my
companion and my guide. My own
sensations cannot be described. l was
giddy and half stunned, sent back
wards and forwards from one wall of
ice to another. l felt myself descend
ing to great depth, condemned to be
dashed to pieces to die by horrible
death. Suddenly something stopped
me; 1 felt myself suspended. took
breath again, and could cry out, "a
rope ! ropem
By Gods mercy had fallen upon a
narrow edge of ice, which formed
sort of bridge across the crevasse.
This frail support, as far as could
judge, was about four inches broad
and eighteen thick. My head hung
from one side of it, my fee5 from the
other. Instinctively and Immediately,
by what means | know not, / raised
myself up and stood upright on this
projection, where there was a hollow
just large enough to plant one foot.
Then l heard my companion say:
Trust in God and take courage. The
guide has run to Montanvert to seek
men and ropes. He will come back
directly -
"If he is long" replied, II shall
not come up alive"
My position was a terrible one.
The thin ledge of ice was so narrow
that | could not place both feet upon
it. l could only support myself on
one leg, half resting against one of the
ice walls, and pressing the other with
my hands. The ice was as smooth as
a mirror There was nothing to grasp.
A stream of ice water flowed down on
my shoulders, piercing me to the very
bones. Above my head l saw the
long and narrow streak of the sky,
round which the mouth of the crevasse
formed frame. The ice, which was
of the darkest blue color, encircling
me on all sides, looked threatening and
gloomy. The two walls seemed as if
they were about to meet in order to
crush me, rather than to release their
prey. Numerous water courses
streamed down their sides, but in the
extent of more than sixty yards l
could not see any other projection or
obstacle except this ledge on which /
had so miraculously fallen.
l risked looking, for the second
time only, down into the terrible abyss
above which l was suspended. At
the spot where l was, the creyasse was
not more than two feet wide lower
down it narrowed rapidly, and hun
dred yards below the two sides APP
peared to touch each other. / believe
if L had fallen but a very few inches
on either side from the narrow bridge
which had arrested me, / should have
been buried and jammed up at depth
where no rope could have reached me.
/ had remained about twenty minutes
in my perilous position, nerves and
muscles stretched to the utmost to
keep myself there, looking at the sky
above my head and at the ice around
me, but not daring again to glance IN
to the gulf below. The blood was
| flowing from a wound / had received
in the cheek, and felt that my right
leg, upon which fortunately l was not
| resting, was severely bruised the left
leg, however, panied by the effort of
standing and cold, was beginning to
give way. 1t was impossible to change
nv position without the risk of losing
nv balance The cold of the wall of
| ice against which l was resting more
! and more benumbed me, the water con-
tinued to fall, and l dared not stir.
/ called my companion; no one re-
Piled. l called again. Nothing
nothing! Not human being within
reach of my voice. l was seized with
! giddiness as terrible thought cross
ed my brain.
"He is gone to see if help is CON-
ing. and he cannot find the crevasse
again; there are hundreds of such-I
am lost ~
My strength was exhausted. l had
never yet given up all hope. / was
seized with a desire to let myself fall,
and thus put an end to this agony.
At the critical moment, heard my
self called. My friend had run to
look for the guide, but when he wish
ed to return he was horror-struck on
perceiving that the surface of the gla-
cier was rent by countless crevasses,
all so similar that there was not Sill