Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-04-29

beard the clatter Of horses hoofs, and the
number of wheels rising and falling, as
the road wound in and out among the
ro,ks further or nearer. 1t was some
carriage rolling rapidly toward home
toward my home, and here was | q casta.
way. -..., l...r....-,
l shouted, but my voice seemed lost in
the great space. The wind carried it up
tho river and blew it away into stided
fragments. 1t was useles. to cry. No
one would hear me. How long should |
have to live 2 Was there my chance that
| might yet escape? could not swim;
the channel on either side was therefore,
an unpassable barrier. Even had | been
an excellent swimmer, | doubt if in my
enfeebed state could have won the fur
ther bank of the channel, where the cur.
rent was running the least swiftly. How
long would my island remain uncovered by
the sea 7
Six or eight feet above my head, tang
led masses of sea.weed hanging in the in
tersuces of the woodwork showed the
highest reach Of the tide. The ebb had
commenced an hour before | started from
Atermaw. Allowing an hour for my sub
sequent adventures, the cbb would still
have three hours to run then another
anotbe: three hours food would eapse be-
fore the tide would once more reach me
| remembered that | had flask of metal
IN my pocket which still contained dram
of brandy, and that | had few fragments
of buiscuit in my pocket, remaining Of
some that my wife had packed up for my
use couple of days before. | drank the
brandy and munched the biscuits, and feI,
again hopeful. Six hours! Why, in that
time help might come. Death was nc
longer imminent. ... ......
But was entirely wrong. The strong
south-westorly gales had piled up the wa.
ters about the mouth Of the estuary, sc
that the ebb was checked, and the food
increased, and the tide ran out only some
three hours. | must have been longer ly,
ing on the sand, too, that had calculated
for, as | watched the waters hur7ying dowr
on each side of me, | noticed that the
current seemed to slacken all of sudden
then it stopped, so that fragment 0
bleached wood that was floating downward
came to a rest, then moved slowly ono,
more up Tard. The tide had turped
In very short time the expanse Of wa
ters before me. that had just now seemed
broad liver outlet, scored and marked
with sand-bapks, assumed the appearance,
of an agltated sea. Short waves hurried
along, their white crests cleaning in the
moonlight they cane in serried lines, tiel
over tier; the hoarse roar of the advanc
ing tide reverberated in the air, minglih!
in my brain with the strange rattle as o
bells that never ceased to jange therein
How relnorscless they seemed thos'
waves hurryiug up, like hounds who view
their prey! And yet it was solemn
scene; /; and what there was of dignity ant
grandeur in the sight, half recouclcd MI
20 the thought that my life would be swal
lowed up ere long in these advancing bat
talions OF serred waves for now the bit
terness Of death was asst its tcrrors has
vanished l felt profound sadness tina
! was all.
How far could | climb up these Shiny
slippery posts and buttrcsses that seemed
to mock me with their lying proffsrs 0
safety A couple Of cross.beams or tie
which bound togeth er the lower ends o
the piers afforded at their intersection
sort of angular resting.place, where
could, for time perhaps, find refug
from the waves This was far below high
water mark, so that to reach it would onl,
give me short respite from my final az
ony but, for all that, | determined to at
tempt 1t. AS soon as the water covered
the little island on which l stood, woult
try to climb this slippery beam, that rost
from the sand, in which it was partly bur
7 led, at an angle Of about forty five degrees
9 With the tide rose the wind; with tn,
wind came rain and fog. The moon
blurred and indistinct, shone family for
while, and then vanished altogether, al
though her diffused light still made every
thing darkly visible. Soon the wave
were dashing ut my feet, the sand q pull
beneath them. Now was the time to max,
my last effort for little more lifs. Bu
found that | bad overrsted my own pow
d ers..a i crawlcd few feet up the slipper
timber; then fell back. Again | tried
aud again but it was Of no use. Strengt
does not come to eager desire to be strong
All that | could do was to clasp my arm
around the beam; but every now and the
some heavier, fercer billow would com
in with devouring sweep, covering m