Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-11-11

stood, would have been folly, as it was quite
vertical. tried planting it's base i'll some OF
the notches in the first sections, but they were
not deep enough and I could not make it
stand. When I stood my first section against
the shaft, ut a smaller angle, l could plant my
second in the notches, but then it would not
reach higher than within six or eight feet OF
the platform l wished to gain.
"All this time my candle was stuck in bit
of clay. at the bottom of the shaft. 1t was
fast being consumed, which could not afford:
therefore, blew it out and sat down in the
dark. My feelings may, perhaps, be imagined,
but I cannot describe them. I wanted to
think-to do some good, strong thinking
nv thoughts and my brain seemed to spin
around in circle, and all I did was to repeat
over and over the one word: Lost lost
lost Up Lost was all l could say-all l could
get my brain to comprehend
CLAY down and rocked myself to and fro
on the ground, not remaining still for a mo-
ment, save when occasionally paused to gaze
at the little square of light that marked the
top of the shaft. Once in thus tossing about,
| struck my head against the wall of the shaft.
This gave me an idea that stopped for mo-
ment to consider: it was that might at last
dash out my brains against the rock when
there seemed to be nothing else left to do.
''This did me some good, and | began to
think again. 1t appeared to me that l had
seen something floating in the water, in the
other part of the shaft, during the time my
candle was burning. I tried to remember
what it was There were several objects.
They were not bits of wood or bark, but some
thing else-just what I could not recollect.
| This bothered me 50 much that | determined
to light my candle and see what was in the wa
ter. found two dead rabbits-all bloated
and green-three or four small striped squir-
rels, one tolerably large gray squirrel, OF a
bulTowing kind, and half dozen mice.
Gail these were more or less decayed but
considered that it might yet become necessary
for me to eat them therefore, 1 fished them
out and placed them in a corner of the dry
part of the shaft, where I could find them if
my candle was all gone, when the time came
that must eat them. This done blew out
my candle and again lay down to roll and toss,
to gaze at the specks Of day far above me, and
grOan
"Some one might pass that way and hear
me. The moment this thought came into
my head I arose, and, leaning against the
wall and looking upward, began shouting.
Hours after did nothing but shout. shout
ed till hoarse, and till could hardly stand.
Finally, completely exhausted, fell asleep.
"When I awoke it was all dark above, and
said as it is now dark, no use of shouting.
When daylight came again Iresumed my shout
ing, and kept it up until became very hoarse
and weak, when I gave it up as worse than
useless.
ssI studied all manner of combinations to
be made with my two pieces of ladder, and
two or three times lighted my candle to look
at them, but soon blew it out again, as 1 saw
that they could not be made any longer than
they actually were. The bit of daylight above
did not reach me, and did me no good except
to let me know when it was day, and when it
was night.
"It is useless to prolong this part of my
story. l soon suffered the pangs of hunger
and thirst. 1t was not hard to bring myself
to crawl to the water and drink of it, foul
as it was, but it was hard to undertake to eat
of the dead animals Several times attempt
ed it, but gave it up, feeling that the time had
not yet arrived.
'sI found myself taking maps at all times
of the day and night. On waking from one
of these short maps, thought I heard some
thing on the bottom of the shaft-there was
slight rattlng of the little quartz peb-
bles or broken fragments of rock. I listened
for some time, and finally became satisfied
there was something moving about in the
shaft. I struck match and lighted my bit
of candle, when I saw near ME little
striped squirrel. was delighted to find that
had some live thing in the shaft with me-
I advanced and took up the little animal,
which hardly made an attempt to escape
AS I held it in my hands I could feel it's
heart beating so rapidly that the pulsations
could not be counted. Here thought I, 'are
few mouthsful of food. that may be eaten
without loathing. AS held the squirrel in
my hand, thinking whether to kill and eat it
then, or to await still more dire extremity
T happened to cast my eyes upward toward
the ladders, when 'now,' thought l, If this
were a carrier-pigeon, a sparrow, or bird OF
any kind, it might be the means of saving
me- Then it occurred to me that 1 might
make a better use of the squirrel than to
eat it.
s'Taking out my memorandum book l wrote
the note you found OH your cabin floor, wrap
ped it about the body of the squirrel, and tied
it there with bit of thread drawn from my
handkerchief, and wound it many times around
the little animal. l then tossed it to the
platform, which 1 longed so much to reach.
| saw it land on the platform, and then saw it
make its way up the first ladder above, after
which saw nothing more of it. I prayed
most earnestly that something might come OF
this silly-looking experiment, then fell asleep,
and awoke and prayed again.
Call seemed of no use, however, and was
on the point of trying once more to eat one
of the digustng dead squirrels in tile shaft,
when voice-it seemed from Heaven-said :
Jacob, are you there?' and you came and
found me"
"All is now clear as day." said I. ''The
squirrel, with your note tied upon his body,
wandered down the side of the mountain, was
seen by my old cat 'Chispa'-the greatest
hunter in the State-who pounced upon him,