Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-12-20

The weather hitherto had been Su-
perb-midsummer sunshine. and not a
drop Of rain.
The sunshine glinting through the
trees; the pure sky above; the song of
the birds, not vet all hushed IN the
woods; the fresh breezy odorS these
all became such novelties and charms
rs had never conceived possible. But
seated on my isolated rock, ii was still,
after all, out of the Emusic of the wat
ers' that | got my chief mental ON
ployment
At last there was Il sudden change of
the wind. Heavy clouds swept over
the landscape, hurying in mist or occa-
sional showers all forms save those close
n hand.
Regular Welsh weather, sir, said u
fresh-colored, elderly gentlemanlike
man in il tourists suit, whom | found
the next morning III the eotfee-room.
MY party will be house-bound for n
couple OF days at least, if know any
thing Of this country; shocking place
for weather Been here long, sir? ?"
told him how long, and that had
not seen drop Of ram the whole tune.
Disadvantage in chat, too he went
on; mountainous scenery wants mist
and rain to drift around the peaks; fill
up the torrents and bring out the water
tails. This one here will present a fine
sight after another four and twenty
hours OF such weather; it was mere
dribble last night when we arrived.
was consoled hv this gentleman
words, for having to spend the best part
of the day indoors; there was new
sensation then yet i'll store for me; and
| was a little disappointed to lind, when
early the following afternoon II lull in
the weather enabled me to so down to
my favorite rocky haunt. that there was
very little perccptiblc difference in the
volume Of water coming over the fall.
So here | sat, | suppose, for more
than an hour i'll my accustomed state
of placid, indolent enjoyment. With
my eyes half shut | was saving over 10
myself the first few lines Of Southev's
Lodore, and trying to make "the
music Of the waters fit into them rs an
accompaniment, when there suddenly
sounded in my ears il roar SO loud, and
increasing SO rapidly i'll volume, that
started, and, looking up, perceived
that now, indeed, the fall had be-
como grandly augmented. 1t was
swollen 10 ut least twice the size it had
been ten minutes before; it was mag
niticent, | stood up quite excited, not
even for one moment dreaming of dan.
ger. Town-hred idiot that | was, quit,
unacqualnted with the terrible force of
the elements when once Embossed,
never imagined for second that
could he placed in peril by fact 50
beautiful rs this now before me. In
the exaggeration which ignorance gave
to my estimate of these natural WON
derS, thought ! was gazing at a harm
less Niagara; had never seen any
thing half so beautiful, while the al
most deafening, thunderous roar which
accompanied it was such a new phase
Of my fayorite music that stood spell
bound with sort OF wild delight. Not
for many minutes, however; heavy
rain-cloud that had suddenly overswept
the sky, warned me to retreat turn
ed with this purpose toward the step
png-stones by which | had always
gained the precipitous banks of the
river. To my horror they had all dis
appeared, and i'll their place II boiling,
bubbing ferment of brown water and
frothy foam was sweeping along at n
tremendous pace. Then in an instant
| knew that the river was rising rapid
Is. Any ono but Il fool would have
foreseen this rs the natural conse-
quences of the increase of the waterfall.
Right and left, and all around the river
had now become boiling cauldron of
broken water; | was cut off from all
hope of retreat, and should be washed
away like fly | knew.
Helpless and scared ! stood irresolutc
yet Il moment longer.
| rccolect, in this dire emergency,
suddenly observing still further in
crease in the volume Of the fall, and al
most simultaneously with it feeling my
legs slip from under me as the brown
water gurgled in my ears and glistened
III my eyes. Then there was 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 whirl and twir. and il spinning
round as if had been cork.
The swimmers instinct, however, was
ofbomc 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 u
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 toward the lower fall,
over which, if were carried, | must IN
eyitably be drowned. Fortunately Just
now | was carried by the current close
in under the shore, and, for the fiftieth
time sent spinning round IN the eddy
like cork.
] made a hopeless grab at the smooth
and slippery surface, much as the
drowning man catches at the provcrbiai
straw, for | was by this time getting ex-
hausted and sutf1cated by the constant
rolling over which the torrent gave me.
! did just manage TO get finger-hold in
crack, and 70 steady myself somewhat;
but the water was very deep Just here,