The Beaufort tribune and Port Royal commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1877-1879, 1877-12-06

W,
"Never mind what can climb like,
says Billy. "I'm game to do it; so her
goes"
"But if you do get up" said Parson
"you will want tools to take off and OF
the weather cock, and you can't carr.
them"
Just then a message soame from tn
rectory that Parson was wanted, ant
went away in a hurry; and no soone
had he gone than there was no end o
chaff about Billy, which ended in hi
pulling up his belt another hole, ant
saying
"I'm going"
"And what are you going to do whel
you get up there"
Nothing" he says, "but tie tn
rope up to the top of the spire, ant
leave it for some of you clever chaps Il
do"
"What rope shall you use" said.
"The new we'll rope" says Billy.
sits over two hundred feet long"
Cricketing was set aside for that day
for joey Rance went off and got th'
rope, coming back with it coiled oyel
his arm, throwing it down before Bill.
in defiant sort of way, as much as K
say
"Thers, now, let's see you do il.
Without word, Billy picked up thu
coil of rope and went in at the belfr,
door, to come out soon after on the toI
of the tower, and then, with one end o
the rope made into loop and throw
over his shoulders, he went to one edge
of the eight-sided spire and began x
climb up from crochet to crochet
which were about yard apart, and look
ing like so many ornamental knobs
sticking out from the spire.
We gave him cheer as he began tx
go up, and then sat on the grass wonder
ing like to see how active and clever tn
fellow was as he went up yard aftel
yard, climbing rapidly, and seeming a!
if he'd soon be at the top.
The whole of the village turned ou
in q state of excitement, and we hae
hard work to keep two brave fellows
from going up to try at other corners o
the spire.
"HeIl do it-he'll do it I" was the
cry over and over again.
And it seemed as if he would, for ht
went on rapidly till he was within some
thirty feet of the top; when all of
sudden he seemed to lose his hold, ant
come sliding rapidly down between TIVE
rows of erockets faster and faster, till hi
disappeared behind the parapet of th'
tower.
We held our breath, one and all, as
we saw him fall, and cold chill Of hor
ror came upon us. It was not until ht
had reached the top of the tower ths
we reused ourselves to run to the belfry
door and began to 60 up the spira
staircase to get the poor fellow, whom
we expected to find half dead.
"Hallo - cried Billy's voice, as we GO
halfway down the cork-screw. "Pn
coming down."
CANT you hurt, then ?" cried joey
Rance.
"No, not much," said Billy, as We
reached him by one of the loop-holes in
the stone wall. "Got some skin off and
bit bruised"
"Why, we thought you were half,
killed." we said.
"Not I, he replied grufly; "the rope
caught over one of the crockets, and tha!
broke my fall"
':Going to try again ?" said joey, with
sneer.
"No, I amt going to try again,
neither" said Bill, grufiy. 81 left the
rope up at the top there, thinking you
were so clever you'd like to CO."
"Oh, I could do it if 1 liked" said
joey.
"Only you daren't," said Bill, rub.
bing his elbows, and putting his lips to
his bleeding knuckles. ,
"Daren't I ?" said joey. =
And without another word he pushed
by Billy, and went on steadily up toward
the top of the tower.
"Ihope he'll like it, said Billy, chuck
ling. at amt so easy as he thinks.
Let's go down. I'm good bit shook. y
Poor fellow, he looked rather white
as he got down, and to our surprise on
looking up on hearing q cheer, there was
Joey hard at work with the rope over
his shoulder, climbing away, the lads
cheering him again and again as he
climbed higher and higher, till he at last
reached the great copper support of the
weathercock, and then, he clung there
motionless for few minutes, and we
began to think he had lost his nerve
and was afraid to move.
But that wasn't it-he was only gath;
ering breath /: and We gave cheer In
which Billy johnson heartily joined as
up there looking as small as crow, the
plucky fellow gave the weathercock g
spin round afterwards holding on by hif
legs, clasped round the copper support.
while he took the rope from his shoul'
ders, undid the loop, and then tied il
securely to the great strong support.
All this .ame he had had his straw hal
on and now, taking it off, he gave it 6
skim away from him !; and away it went
right out into space, to fall at last fal
from the foot of the tower.
Joey now began to come down YER.
slowly and carefully, as if the coming
down was worse than the going up, ant
more than once he slipped but he hat
tight hold of the rope with one hant
and that saved him, so that he onl.
rested, and then continued to come down
You see the spire sloped so that b
did not hang away from it, but agains
the stone sides; and so we went ol
watching him till he was about hal
way down, when he stopped to rest
and, pulling up the rope a bit as h
held on to the rope, so as to rest hi