, 1883-10-13
A LEAP FOR LIFE.

When l was a young fellow, now
many years ago, l frequently spent
part Of my vacations with an uncle,
who lived in a beautiful part Of
Wales, and whose house was only a
mile or two from the cOast-in thai
neighborhood, very wild and precip-
itOus, and remarkable for the pecu-
liar character Of the strata Of which
many of the wave and weather.
beaten cliffs were composed. My
uncle was keen gcolOgist, and had
imbued me with some Of his own in
terest in the subject and many a
long and pleasant ramble we had to-
gether, armed with our little ham
mers and specimen-cases, sometimes
starting directly after breakfast, and
remaining absent until the evening,
either carrying our simple luncheon
with us, or adjourning for refresh
ments to some humble villhge hos
telry, when such happened to be
within easy reach.
These were pleasant days often
look back to them now, when am
an elderly gentleman, subject to gout
and rheumatism, and tied for most
Of the week to dingy office in the
city. But they were very nearly be-
ing brought to an abrupt conclusion
by an accident that occurred during
one Of our more distant excursions
and as the relation Of this incident
commentaries rare instance Of
combined pluck, presence Of mind
and heroic self-sacriiice, do not
think need any further excuse for
entering upon the details connected
with it. Few people are very likely
tb be placed in a similar position :;
should, however, such an occasion
arise, let us hope they may not be
found wanting in ability to follow so
admirable an example.
During one OF my visits to my un-
Gle, he had at the Ame time as guests
two professional geologists Of some
eminence, who had heard Of the
special facilities the neighbOrhOOd
afforded for the pursuit of their fav-
Orite science, and had some cores
pOndence with my uncle on the sub
ject, which resulted in their receiv-
ing an invitation from my hospitablc
relative to come to his house and
judge Of the matter for themselves.
This invitation was accepted, and
the geOlOgists arrived; two very
pleasant well-infOrmed men, be-
tween whom and my uncle a very
interesting and animated conversa-
tiOn speedily ensued, in which the
terms, "granatic DEBRIS" "boulder
clay" "newer formations" "dip Of
the strata" were freely banded
about in a manner very edifying to
listen to, If not altogether intelligi-
ble to the majority Of their hearers.
For the first day or two we con-
tented ourselves with showing the
strangers the features Of scientific
interest more Immediately in the vi
cinity; and with these they were
greatly grltifled. But my uncle was
anxious that they should inspect a
district some miles off, peculiarly
rich in specimens, and which he had
himself visited several years before,
but never since had been the COM
panion Of his expeditions therefore
it was new to me as well as to our
guests. Everything was arranged for
our start and we set Offafter an early
breakfast, driving the first portion OF
the distance, and putting up our trap
at a farmhouse, to await our return,
while we pursued the remainder Of
the excursion on foot. 1t was an ex-
quisite day. AS we walked along the
clifFs-here Of very remarkable hight
and magnihcence-we indulged in
loud expressions Of admiration at the
beauty Of the scenery, the bold line
Of coast stretching away for miles on
each side, the tremendous precipices
descending sheer to the blue waters
that Tapped their base ; only here and
there broken by some jagged and
pointed rocks, that rapid destruction
to any unfortunate vessels which
should be cast upon them.
Our expedition was a great sue
cess. Many rare specimens Of differ
ent fossils were added to our collec-
tions, and my uncle was much graft
fed that his exertiOns for the enter
tainment Of his guests had been so
satisfactorily rewarded. We had
taken some sandwiches and sherry
with us, and enjoyed our lunch dur
ing an interval OF cessation from our
geological researches. By this time
we had reached the extreme end Of
our expedition, and were on thepOint
Of retracing our steps when one Of
the strangers expressed a desire to