The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-03-10
pERILOUs

FEhILUUS Adv Elm
1t was past noon when I started for the
home of my betrothed. But my horse
was good, and if I rode hard, I might
be at Trevesy by nightfall. There was Q
sprinkle of snow on the ground, and q
feathery shower fell lightly around me,
of which / thought nothing till sunset.
The short, dark day was over at i've; and
at that hour n sharp wind sprang up, and
the snow began falling thickly. / felt
somewhat blinded and bewifdered by the
big flakes, e flying downwards and
UPWARDS, and around me, like q cold,
patient army, whose onslaught could
never be stayed or driven back.
Still I pushed on, though the poor
beast I rode shook and trembled, and
strove, In his dumb way, to reason
against my headstrong will And now,
with some dismay, I suddenly perceived,
by the sinking of my horse, ave to his
TANKS, In heaped snow, that, bewildered
by the whiteness, he and I had lost the
road. It was but a rough one at the
best, for I was in q wild country, where
mines we're many, andmen and dwellings
few. Extricating my poor steed from
the drifted snow wherein he ~foundered,
l rested him q moment, and shouted
aloud for help. Again and again my cry
came back to me, following on the wings
of the cold wind, but no other sound
broke the deathly stiffness OF the night.
Oh, for a saving light in ON charita-
bic window But there was none
only snow and darkness, darkness and
snow all around. I thought it terrible;
and yet in a little span of time from this
I would have deemed it Paradise to be
lying lonely on the heaped SNOW upon
this drear moor.
Iput my horse to a sharp canter, and
he went about a furlong blindly, then
stood still snorting with terror. Istrove
to urge him on, but he refused to obey
either whip or spur. Seeing nc reason
for my horses fright and ~stubborness, I
spurred him sharply, and urged him
with angry voice to obedience. His
wonderful obstinacy compelled me at
length to dismount, and, with my drawn
sword in my hand, prepared for highway
man or footpad, I dragged him EDWARDS
by the bride. Upon this he made one
hasty plunge forward, then stopped, and
at the same instant the earth went from
beneath my feet, and I fen-fell I knew
not whittier, down, down, into deep
darkness unfathomable, terrible as the
great pit. I can scarcely say whether
I thought as I fell, yet I knew I was
going to death-kne~ I was descending
one of those unused shafts that lie-out
on many a Cornish moor-knew that my
bones would lie unthought of in its
depths forever.
But even at that instant my flight was
arrested, and I hung in mid-air, clinging
by my hands, to what I knew not. Il
was my sword, which / had forgotten
that / held By a miracle it had thrust
itself, as I fell, between the eeTth and
the rocks in the side of the shaft; and
there, iammed fast, il held me up.
I cannot explain how this occured-I
only know that it was SO. As that cry
for mercy escaped my. lips, the mercy
came. My sword caught in the inter
stices of the rock, aud / was held up, my
feet dangling oyer the abyss, my hands
clinging to the hilt Of my good blade.
1t was firm as a wedge-I could feel
that, in spite of my trembling; yet. still
my position was horrible. To remain
TINS, to-hold ON. was torture nnutterable;
but to yield even for q moment was death.
There was no hope of release for hours
there was no possibility of relief OF
posture; there was nothing but strong
endurance and courage to carry me
through. I waited-I suffered
prayed.
It was q night to me of fire. The
winds blew and the now fell, but the
cold touched me not; / had fallen too
deeply In the shaft for that, even If my
tortured blood could have felt it.
Morning broke at last, and hope grew
with it. At intervals I had called aloud
through all the night; but now, with
scarcely any intermission, / raised my
voice In cries tor help. I did this till
WEAKNESS stopped me; then I rested In
agonized hope of q voice In reply. There
was none. No sound reached me.
was In my grave, alone. I called again.
again, againl4I husbanded my voice
1 drew in my breath, and shouted witt
the strength of despair. There was NJ
answer.
The sun travelled upwards, and I knew
it was high noon, though to me the star
we're visible likewise ; yet the mid-da.
rays shone somewhat into the shaft, ant
showed me how I hung. The pit hert
was not quite perpendicular /; it slopes
slightly from my feet outwards, and
had found rest for one foot on q ledge o
rock. Oh, the ease to my anguish from
this merciful rest I Tears sprang to m,
eyes as I thanked God for it.
The SUN had shown me that to climl
out of the pit unaided was impossible, s
I called for help again, and called I'll
voice failed me. ! ceased to cry, an
night fell down again.
As the hours crept on, q kind of mad
ness seized me; phantoms sprang n
from the pit, and tempted me to plung
below ; horrible yes glared on me
voices Knocked me. But worst OF q
was the sound of water-a purling ri
flowing gently in my very ears, tricklin
drop by drop In sweetest music, horribl
distinct. Waterl To reach water
would willingly die; but I knew it was
madness, SO I resisted the fiery thir
that would have me release my hold an
perish. Water ! Yes, there was water
the bottom of the shaft, fathoms dee
below my feet, but I could only reac
that to die ; and there was water on I'll
fair earth, fathoms above me-water
should never see again.
I grew dizzy-sick-blind. / shoul
have fainted-haye fallen-died; but
I leaned my head against the rock,
felt as though q cold, refreshing ha1
we're laid upon it suddenly.
1t was water It was no madness
was water. A tiny stream tricklir
through the bare wall of rock, like de
from heaven. I held forth my parch,
tongue and caught the drops as they fe
and as I drank my strength was renewe
and hope and the desire for life gre
warm within me again. And yet on thi
The second night Of my horrible impri
onment, I cared not SO ~passionately,
looked not so eagerly for succor. n
limbs were numbed, my brain deadene
life was ebbing towards death; O shade
at times fell over my eyes; and if l he
still to the hilt of my sword, if my fe
sought still the ledge that rested thel
they did it mechanically, from habit, al
not from hope.
think sometimes I was not in n