The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-05-11

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day. The roar of gushing water came
up to our ears from the right; and turn
ing our eyes in that direction, we beheld
a mass of snowy foam plunging over the
jagged rocks and entered the head of the
glen by series of cascades. No won
der the place was named Cascade Glen"
Huge icicles hung in pendant masses in
almost every direction. The rising spray
had frozen on all the surrounding shrubs
and branches, whether leaning over the
top of the chasm or rooted in the crevices
along its lofty sides, and they could
scarcely sustain their weight.
Knocking loose fragment of rock,
we endeavored to roll it over the preci.
pice.
Just as we were giving it the necessary
momentum to carry it over, my foot
caught against a root and hurled me
headlong to the brink of the gulf. /
struck on smooth, descending rock,
slippery with ice, and shot forward like
an arrow.
In a frenzy of fear I put forth every
effort to regain my feet; but the coat of
ice that had frozen on the surface of the
rock was hard as adament, and smooth as
glass. and in an instant l slid over the
terrible abyss!
A little henlock sapling, that had
once stood on the edge of the great cleft,
and some time since been partly torn out
by the roots, probably by some previous
snowstorm, and, with some of the roots
still fixed in the crevices of the rock,
hung suspended from the verge of the
cliff, out over yawning gulf
Like drowning man catching at
straw, caught the half uprooted sap
ling.
Down, down it went, bending and
cracking at the roots Ny hands slipped.
down the icy bark until they grasped the
boughs of the inverted top, and found
myself suspended and swinging in mid
air.
1t was an awful moment-such as only
those who have sometime passed through
such a peril can realize! Away below
200 feet beneath, profusion Of dark,
Misunderstanding crags and fragments
of rocks lay scattered and heaped in
every direction. Above, the clear blue
sky, so clear and tranquil, afforded con-
trast seldom witnessed. l swung my
foot against the perpendicular wall of
rock, and attempted to climb up the sap
ling, hand over hand, but it was so icy l
could not pull myself up.
The effect caused one of the roots to
snap asunder; and several fragments, be-
ing looseDed from the rock, rolled down
into the gulf beneath, sending back q
hollow echo that smote fearfully on my
ear. 1t seemed as though my support
was about to give way. 1t turned
slightly, and appeared to hang by a
single root. 1 dared not make an effort.
felt faint, and weak, and sick. My
eyes seemed starting from their sockets,
and my brain whirled with dizziness.
The gates of eternity appeared opening
before me. felt the tiny twigs slipping
through my fingers. A thousand
thoughts came crowding upon my con-
fused memory, and I groaned in the
agony of despair. An age seemed
passing away, and with it the last ray of
hope.
Something hit me on the shoulder.
Looking up 1 observed rope COM
posed of fish lines twisted together at my
side. Will Herkimer was lying down on
the rock above. by the roots of the little
hemlock, peering over the precipice.
Making desperate effort, causing every
nerve in my trembling body to culver, l
held my position with one hand, and
thrust the other through the moose.
The sapling to which hung with the
energy of despair, cracked at the roots,
seeming to give way and settle, swayed
fearfully, but did not break loose.
A moment later my companions were
tagging at the rope. Grasping the
dimutive hemlock with one hand, to aid
their efforts, slowly assembled. 1
neared the partially upturned roots,
climbing up from the inverted tops to-
wards the base, and my head appeared
above the rock. Ny companions sat
with their feet braced against the roots
and fragments of rock steadily pulling
upon the rope, their faces blanched with
terror.
Will Herkimer chung to solid root
with one hand, and grasping my wrist
with the other, helped me over the ledge.
His teeth d. mly set, his face was aim ost
purple from his exertions, and the sweat
streaming from every pore. A single root
of the little tree hung in little seam at
the top of the rock, it was all
that held. I seized it firmly with
my right hand, and placed my
knee on the top of the rock. The sus-
pended sapling swayed to and fro below
me, the root parted with sharp crack,
and it dropped into the dark abyss.
The sudden jerk, as my knee slipped
from the rock came near pulling the