Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-06-30
A PERIL0US ADVENTURE,

Sidney Emmett.
A PERIL0US ADVENTURE.
Ii was past noon when | started fO
the home of my betrothed. But m
horse was good and | rode hard.
might be at Treyesy by nightEll
There was a sprinkle of snow on tn
ground, and feathery shower fel
lightly around me, of which | though
nothing till sunset. The short, darI
day was over at five; and at that hou
a sharp wind sprang up, and snow be
gan falling thickly. | felt somewhat
blinded and bewildered by the biz
lakes ever lying downward and on
ward and around me, like a cold, pa
ticnt army, whose onslaught couC
never he stayed or driven back.
Still | pushed on, though the pool
beast | rode shook and trembled ant
stroye in his dumb way to reason
against my headstrong will. And now
with some dismay | suddenly per
ceiyrd, by the sinking of my horse
even to his tanks in heapcd snow, that
bewildered by the whiteness, he and
had lost the road. 1t was but rOugl
one at best, for | was in wild coun
try, where mines were many and mer
and dwellings few. EXtricating my
poor stced from the drifting snow
wherein he llomdered, | 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 the saving light in some
friendly window! But there was none
only SNOW and darkness, darkness
and snow all around. | thought il
terrible; and yet little span of time
from this | would have deemed it para,
disc 10 be lying lonely on the hcaped
snow upon this drcary moor.
| put my horse 10 a sharp cantcr, and
he went about Il furlOng blndly, then
stood still, Snorting with terror.
stroyc to urge him on, but he refused
TO obey either whip or spur. Seeing
10 reason for my horses fright and
stubborncss | spurrcd him sharply and
urged him with angry voice to obc-
dicncc. His wonderful Obstiuacy at
length compelled me to dsmOunt, and
with my drawn sword in my hand
prepared for lighwaymm or fOOtpad,
dragged him onward 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 ell knew not whittier
down, down, into deep darkness I'M
ratholnahIe, terrible as the great pit.
| can scarcely say whether thought as
| fell, yet / knew | was going TO death
knew ! was descending one of those
unused shafts that lie ON many a Corn
ish moor knew that my bones would
lie lmtlought Of in lis depths forever.
But even at that instant my flight
was arrested, and | hung in mid air,
clingug Ivy my hands TO what knew
not. II WIS my sword which | had
forgotten that held. BY Il miracle it
had thrust itself as fell, between the
earth and the rocks in the side of the
shaft; and there, iammcd fast, it had
held me up,
cannot explain how this occurred
| only know that it was 50. AS that
cry for mercy escaped my lips, the
mercy came. My sword caught in the
intcrstices of the rock, and | was held
up, my feet dangling over the abyss,
my hands clinging TO the hilt of my
good blade. 1t was firm us II wedge
could iccl that, in spite Of my trem-
bling; yet still my position was horri-
bic. To remain thus, to hold on, was
torture unuttcrable; but to yield even
for moment was death. There was
no hope of release for hOurs-there
was no possibility of relief of posture;
there was nothing but strong endu-
rance and courage to carry me through.
waited-I SUFFERED prayed.
1t was II night to me of fire, The
winds blew and the snow fell, but the
cold touched me not; l 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 | had
called loud through the night but now,
with scarcely any intermission, l raised
my voice in cries for help. l did this
till WEAKNESS stopped me then Irested
in agonized hope of Il voice in reply.
There was none. No sound reached
me. l was in my grave alone. Icalled
again, again, againl ! husbanded my
voice. drew in breath, and shouted
with the strength of despair. There
was no answer.
The sun Travelled upward, and l
knew it was high noon, though to me
the stars were visible likewise; yet the
midday rays shone somewhat into the
shaft and showed me how l hung.
The pit here was quite perpendicular
it sloped slightly from my feet upward,
and l had found rest for one foot on a
ledge of the rock. Oh, the ease to my
anguish from this melciful rest! Tears
sprang into my eyes as l thanked God
for it.
The sun had shown me that to climb
out of the pit unaided was impossible,
so l called for help again, and called
till voice failed me. l ceased to cry,
and night fell down again.
AS the hours crept on, Il kind OF
madness seized me; phantoms sprang
up from the pit, and tempted me tc
plunge below; horrible eyes glared on
me. But worst of all was the sound
of water-a purling rill flowing gently
IL my very ears, trickling drop by droT
in sweetest music, horribly distinct
Water! To reach water | would will
lingly die; but / knew it was madness
so | resisted the fiery thirst that would
have me release my hold and perish
Waterl Yes, there was water at the
bottom of the shaft, fathoms deep be.
low my feet, but ! could only reach
that to die; and there was water on the
fair earth, fathoms above me-water ]
should never see again.