The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-08-16

dore, " and trying TO make - the music
of the waters fit into them as an &C
compartment, when their suddenly
sounded ina my. ears a roar so loud, .anC
increasing so rapidly in volume, that
started, and looking up perceived tina
now indeed the fall had become grand
" augmented. 1t was swollen to a
least twice the size it had been ten min
utes before: it looked magnificent.
turned towards the stepping-stones bs
which l always gained the precipitou,
bank of the river To my horror they
had all disappeared, and in their place
boiling, bubbling ferment of brown
water and frothy foam was sweeping
along at a tremendous pace. Then in
an instant | knew that the river was
rising rapidly. Any one but fool would
have foresecn this as the natural eonse-
quence of the increase in the waterfall.
Right and left and all around the river
had now become boiling caldron of
broken water; l was cut off from all
hope of retreat, and should be washed
away like a fly, knew.
Helpless and scared, l stood irreso-
lutte yet a moment longer.F l recollect
in this dire emergency suddenly observ-
ing a still further increase in the vol
ume of the fall, and almost simultane-
ously with it feeling my legs slip from
under me as the brown water gurgled
in my ears and glistened in my eyes.
Then there was a choking, helpless,
tumbling pressure forward, several
sharp blows upon my legs and arms, an
effort to strike out, met by coming in
contact with more rocks, and then a
whirl and twirl and spinning round as
if | had been a cork.
The swimmers instinct, however, was
of some use after all, for, in the first
place, it enabled me to retain little
presence of mind, and, in the second, to
bring my head up to the surface after
the first plunge. / saw was. already a
long way from the upper fall, and an
additional pang was given to my sensa-
tons by the recollection that was be-
ing hurried on towards the lower, over
which if were carried I must inevita-
bly, be drowned. Fortunately, just now
L was carried by the current close in.
under one of these sheer-down sides,
and for the fiftieth time sent spinning
round in the eddy like a cork.
l made a hopeless grab at the smooth
and slippery surface, much as the
drowning man catches at the proverbial
straw, for was by this time getting ex-
hausted and suffocated by the constant
rolling over which the torrent gave me.
[ did just manage to get finger-hold
in crack, and to steady myself some
what; but the water was very deep just
here, and l could not lift much more
than my chin above it, whilst foothold
of any sort was out of the question.
Yet to remain where I was much
onger was impossible. Could l but
nave raised myself some two feet
should have been able to reach an over
bough of one of the thickly
growing young ash sapplings, the roots
If which projected from the earthly top
If the rock yard or two above.
O, how longed for giants arm,
hat might touch that bough! Twice
made futile effort to spring out Of
he water at it, but only exhausted my
elf, and had the greatest difficulty in re-
aiming my support.
Was l sinking and losing conscious
lessP and is this TO be the end,
hought, with that music still in my
,ars? And, 10! what vision is that
which beholdp Surely an angels face
ooBing down from amidst the leafy
'oof above me! Yes, my life must be
passing away in dream of beautiful
lights and sounds. For a moment or
wo more such was the vague conclusion
loating through my dazed mind, nor
vas it at once dispelled by perfectly |
hubble and silvery voice saying:
"Try to reach it now; 1 think you
IAN /; quick, try!"
This can be no illusion; this is no |
phantom born of a drowning mans |
ancy; this is a sweet reality; and in
hat bending branch, now steadily de-
sending to within my grip, see my
ife restored to me and my hopes re-
lewed.
l have the delicate end of the bough
n my hand yes, automatically l have
eized it, and already it helps to lift me
higher out of the water.
"Be very cautious" says the voice
,nce more. "Take great care, or it
will snap. There, wait so, whilst 1 pub
his strong one down, and that will hold
7our weight better; now, SOL" and in
mother minute l have grasped this
stronger one; l manage 10 raise myself /
~ it a little, and to put. the tips of my
oes into the fissure of the rock by which /
had so long held with the tips of my +
fingers.
Then soft firm hand is held out to |
ne, and taking it l finally, by one SUI
,reme effort, pull myself well up among
he underwood and twisted roots at the
OPP of the cliff.
Too exhausted to speak or think l !
brew myself down upon the steep hill
tide among the long grass and ferns be-
ween the trees. Then | think l did
'eally lose consciousness for awhile, for
do not remember seeing the pretty
ssraoaf,,l ori,.l who had Savod NV lifa nm