The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-01-28

going 10 deatn-kneW L was descending
one Of those unusued shafts that lie on
many Cornish moor-knew that my
bones would lie unthought ofs in its
depths forever.
But even at that instant my flight was
arrested, and | hung in mid-air, cling
ing by my hands, to what | knew not.
1t was my sword, which / had forgotten
that held. BY q miracle it had thrust
itself, as fell, between the earth and
the rocks in the side of the shaft, and
there, jammed fast, it held me up.
cannot explain how it occurred-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, and | was held up, my
feet dangling over the abyss, my hands
clinging to the hilt Of my good blade. -
1t was firm as wedge; / could feel
that, in spite Of my trembling; yet still
my position was horrible. To remain
thus, to hold on, was torture unuttera-
BILE; but to yield, even for a moment,
was death. There was no hope of re-
lease for hours; there was no possibility
OF relief of posture; there was nothing
but strong endurance and courage to
carry me through. WAITED Il suffered
Il prayed.
1t was night to rae of fire. The
winds blew and the snow 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 | had called aloud
through all the night, but now, with
scarcely any interpission, | raised my
voice in cries for Melp. | did this till
WEAKNESS stopped me; then l rested,
in agonized hope of voice in reply.
There was none. No sound reached me.
was in my grave alone. called
again, again, again. | husbanded my
voice. ! drew in my breath, and shout
ed with the strength of despair. There
was no answer.
The sun travelled upwards, and
knew il was high noon, though to me
the stars were visible likewisc yet the
midday rays shone somewhat into the
shaft, and showed how hung The
pit here was quite perpendicular; it
sloped slightly from my feet upwards,
and had found rest for one foot on q
ledge of the rock. o, the ease to my
anguish from this merciful rest! Tears
sprang to my eyes as ! thanked God
The sun had shown me that TO climb
out of the pit unaided was impossible,
so ] called for help again, and called
till voice failed me. l ceased to cry,
and night fell down again
AS the hours crept on, a kind of mad
ness seized me; phantoms sprang up
from the pit, and tempted me TO plunge
below; horrible eyes glared on me. But
worst of all was the sound of water--a
gurgling rill flowing gently in my very
ears, trickling, drop by drop, in sweet
est music, horribly distinct Water!
To reach water would willingly die;
but knew il was madness, so resisted
the fiery thirst that would have me re-
lease my hold and perish. Waterl Yes,
there was water at the bottom of the
shaft, fathoms deep below 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.
grew dizzy--sick- blind / should
have tainted have fallen--died; but as
/ leaned my head against the rock, j
felt as though cold, refreshing hand
were laid upon it suddenly,
,uac ,uotn,,I 4 ,,tng M 500 l,.no IA
was water. A tiny stream trickling
through the bare wall of rock like dew
from heaven. | held forth my parched
tongue and caught the drops as they
fell; and AS drank my strength was
renewed, and hope and the desire for
life grew warm within me again. And
yet on this, the second night of my hor-
rible Imprisonment, cared not so pas
sionately-I looked not so eagerly for
succor. My limbs were numbed, my
brain deadened, life was ebbing towards
death; shadow at times fell over my
eyes, and if held still to the hilt of my
sword, If my feet sought still the ledge
that rested them, they did it mechani.
cally, from habit, and not from hope.
think sometimes was not in my
right mind. l was among green fields
and woods, was gathering flowers,
was climbing mountains; and from these
visions | awoke always to darkness
darkness above, around, darkness be-
low, hiding the abyss that hungered
greedily for my life. And no friendly
face, no voice, no football near. Not a
step, through all these slow, slow hours.
II passing peasant through the day
had heard the lonely cry rising from
the depths he had set it down to ghost
or piXy, and passed on his frightened
way regardless.
And now the night was wearing on,
and no rescue. | could not live till
morning. knew that.
My mind wandered again. My moth
er waited for me, must hurry home
but was bound by chain In outer
darkness, and was going to die. There
was no Christian in all the land to sue.
cor mel was forgotten and forsakon,
left in the pit-and | would unclasp my
hands, and fall and die
No, would call again once more
"Ielpl help! Mercy helpp'
AS my fainting voice died in the dark
depth, and quivorcd up to the glimmer-
ing sky, felt hope dio with It, and
rnve nm MI Thought NJ lifo I turned