The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-05-30

I GFG UnB TOCk, H. PUU
a rock on the loop to hold it till his return.
When a ledge did project so that one could
drop straight on it, he hauled down some
slack and left the rope hanging"
"Did the wind never blow it OFF," asked
Jack.
''Seldom, and never out of reach" said
the old man. "Well, the ledge [ reached
was like this" illustrating with his hands
| SIT was some six feet wide; it stuck out
may be some ten feet farther than the cliff
| top; the rock wall went up pretty near
| perpendicular, till near the coping at the
| ground, but below the ledge the cliffs face
was so scooped away that the sea, five
| hundred feet below, ran in under it nigh
| fifty feet.
"As | went down thousands of birds
rose from the jagged places of the preci-
pice, circling round me with harsh screams.
Soon touching the ledge, l stepped from
| the loop, and drawing down a little slack,
walked off briskly. For fully quarter of a
mile the ledge ran along the cliffs face
| almost as level and even in width as that
| sidewalk. | remember fancying that it
sloped outward more than usual, but in
| stantly dismissed the notion, though CATER
Pentreath, the oldest man in that country
| side, used to tell us that we should not get
the use Of that ledge always. 1t had been
as steady in our time as in his grand
| fathers, and we only laughed at his
| prophecies. Yet the place of an old filed
tissure was marked by line of grass, by
! tufts of weeds and small bushes stretching
almost as far as the ledge itself, and within
a foot or so of the cliffs face
eggs were not so many as usual, and |
went long piece from my rope before
turning back. Then | noticed the very
strange conduct of the hosts of sea-fowls
below. Usually there were hundreds, but
now there were millions on the wing, and
instead of darling forth in playful motions
fha,r 10, Ia a tnl
ing shrilly, rushing out as in terror and
returning in masses as though to alight,
only to wheel in dread, and keep the air in
vast clouds.
1.-The weather was beautiful, the sea like
glass At no great distance two large briggs,
and nearer small yacht, lay becalmed,
heaving on the long pillows. [ could look
down her cabin stairway almost and it
seemed scarcely more than a long leap to
her deck
puzzled by the singular conduct of the
sea birds, ! soon stopped and set my back
against the cliff, to rest while watching
them The day was deadly still and very
warm.
"Iremembertaking Off my cap and wiping
the sweat from my face and forehead
with my sleeve. While doing this, | looked
down involuntarily to the assure at my
feet. Instantly my blood almost froze with
| horror! There was distinct crack be-
|
packed, root threaded soil with which
it was filed Forcibly pressed back, and
in flash looked along the ledge. The
| assure was widening under my eyes, the
rock before me seemed sinking outward
and with shudder and a groan and roar,
the whole long platform fell crashing to
| the sea below. | stood on a margin of rock
scarce foot wide. at my back a perpen-
dIcular cliff, and five hundred feet below
the ocean, now almost hidden by the vast
concourse of wheeling and alfrighted birds.
Can you believe that my first sensation
was one of relief? l stood safe! Even
feeling Of interest held me for some mo-
ments. Almost coolly | observed a long
and mighty wave roll out from beneath. 1t
| went forth with a high, curling crest-a
solid wall of water! 1t struck the Yacht
stern on, plunged down on her deck,
smashed through her swell of sail, and
swept her out of sight forever.
"Not till then did my thoughts dwell en-
! trely ON my own position; not till then
did | comprehend its hopelessness! Now
my eyes closed cenvulsively to shut out
the abyss down which my glance had fall
| en-; shuddering, / pressed hard against
the solid wall at my back; an appalling
cold slowly crept through me! Ny reason
| struggled against wild desire to lean: all
the demons of despair whispered me to
make an instant end. In Imagination |
had leaped! | felt the swooning helpless
ness of falling and the cold, upward rush
| of air"
"Sdll L pressed hard back against the
wall of rock, and though nearly faint from
| terror, never forgot for an instant the
death at my feet, nor the utter danger of
the slightest motion. How long this weak
| ness lasted | know not; | only know that
! the unspeakable horror of that first period
! has come to me in waking dreams many
and many a day since; that | have long
| ,s,lA . hat l.
| the past is to stand again on that narrow
| fOot-hOld, and to look around on the earth
is often to cry out with joy that it widens
| away from my feet"
The old man paused long. Glancing
| sidewise at Jack, | saw that his face was
pallid. | myself had shuddered and
grown cold-so strongly had my magma
ton realized the awful experience that
| Petherick described.
":5uddenly," said the old man, "these
words flashed to my brain: '-1re not tlc0
| $DarrorS sold for a faIthmg? Ind one ot
| hem ShW not tIU on the ground ,ctthOW
yo" Fother. Fear not therefore; pc are OF
more udjUo Man many SparrOlcS' Ny facul-
ties so strained, seemed to bedr the words.
Indeed, often yet think did truly hear a
voice utter them very near me-"
'lnstantly hope arose, consciously des-
| perate indeed, but became calm, resource
full, capable, and feeling unaccountably
| AIDED. Careful not to look down, l opened
my eyes and gazed far away over the
bright sea. The rippled pillows told that Il
| light outward breeze had sprung up. Slow
| ly, and somewhat more distant, the two
| briggs moved toward the horizon. Turning
my head, | could trace the narrow stone of
| my footing to where my rope dangled, per-
| haps three hundred yards distant.
at seemed to hang within easy reach of
| the cliffs face, and instantly Iresolved and
as instantly proceeded to work toward it.
| No time remained for hesitation. Night
was coming on. reasoned that my COM
rades thought me killed. They had prob
| ably gone to view the new condition of the
| precipiCe from lower station, and on their
return would haul up and carry off the
| rope. | made a move toward it. Try to
think of that journey"
| | nodded to him silently.
"Shultling sidewiSe very carefully, Il had
not made five yards before | knew that |
could not continue to look out over that
| abyss without glancing down, and that |
| could not glance down without losing my
| senses. NOu have the brick line to keep
eyes on as you walk along the factory
wall; do you think you could move along
it erect, looking down as you would have
| to! Yet it is only one hundred feet high
| Imagine five more such walls on top of that
and you trying to move sidewise-incapa-
| BILE of closing your eyes, forced to look
| down, from end to end, yes, three times
| farther! Imagine you've got to go on or
| jump off! Would you not in an ecstacy of
nervous agitation, fall to your knees, get