River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-04-05

ed to move on leaden wings, and it ap
peared to me that ! must have beer
suspended over the shaft for man,
hours. | began to fear that, on ac
count of the storm, my partners haC
concluded to "turn i'm at the cabin o.
our neighbor. The moment | though
of this, it seemed to me almost Ger
tain that such was the case. My es
cape, now began to think, rested OF
myself. thought there might be be
fore me pole strong enough to beal
my weight. Slowly / began raising
my right arm, in order to feel fOl
some support; but startling swapping
of twigs, when this extra weight wa
thrown upon my left arm, caused mt
quickly TO desist.
"Great heavens y | groaned, as
settled back into my former position
show long is this to last -
Just at this moment / heard the
sound of voices. This time there was
no mistake about it. / heard the loud
ringing laugh of my jovial partner
Tom, and heard card-lOYing Bob say
something about a game they had beer
playing at the "other cabin"
As they came nearer, heard hin
say:
Il wonder if Dan has got back from
town.
They spoke in their ordinary tone OF
voice, and this gave me great joy, as
knew | could make them hear without
shouting too loudly. 1 heard them al
the door, scraping the snow away with
their feet, and knew that now was the
time to call: for, once had they en-
tered, they might not hear me.
"Tom y | cried, "TOm y
There was 10 answer f; and my heart
felt cold within me.
''Tom - again cried.
This time, to my great joy, both OF
the boys in breath sang out, ''Hellol
"Tom - cried again, in as loud a
tone of voice as | dare use: tom
come here -
"Why. that's Dan what can be the
matter %
And both came as fast as their legs
would carry them down to near where
| was hanging.
Don't come too near - l cried.
"FOr heavens sake, don't come too
neari" have fallen through the brush
over this shaft; and it's just ready to
break and let me down. Get a rope,
quick-the windlass rope you know
Tom ran to the cabin, and in less
than a minute-though it seemed an
hour to me-was back with the rope.
Both were running to the shaft with
the rope, when | stopped them.
stop right where you are, boys
Now listen, or you will kill me. Don't
come near the brush about the shaft,
or you will break it and let me down.
Take hold of the rope about twenty
feet apart and walk so as to bring
it across the shaft, so that can reach
it."
They did as l directed, and the rope
was soon against my face. began
slowly to lift my right had to clutch
it, but a cracking of the brush on
which | hung suspended startled me
so much that | had not the courage to
try and grasp the rope. | thought of
making sudden plunge for it, but
feared | might fail to catch it, when |
would most certainly break through,
and fall 10 the bottom of the shaft.
''What is the matter 90 asked Bob.
Cant you get hold of the rope o.
"No," l replied. 81 shall break
through if even lift finger
Take hold of the rope with your
teeth - cried Tom.
This was the very idea.
''Hold the rope a little lower" said
/, land l will try. Lower yet. There
hold on"
"Have you got it! asked Tom.
Eyes," | answered, as well as /
could.
'Now try it with your hands," cried
Bob.
As quickly as | could use my stiffen-
ed right arm, made a clutch at the
rope, and, most luckily for myself, got
hold of it. Had 4 missed it. | should
have been precipitated to the bottom
of the shaft for as | clutched the
rope, the whole rotton pile of boughs
broke loose, and dropped into the dark
pit below.
After being dragged some distance
from the black and yawning mouth OF
the shaft, / still held to the rope with
both teeth and hands, and could hard.
~ be persuaded that was out of dan
ger. | was so completely exhausted,
that | was unable to walk to the cab
in without the assistance of both my
partners; and it was some weeks be-
fore my strained shoulders were free
from pain.
There may be more trying and peril
Gus positions than the one above deS.
cribed, but if there are, | beg leave to
be excused from trying them.