Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-08-14


solid surface before me became an
irresistible desire. I resolved 80 tryto
turn round before resuming the des-
perate journey. To do this i had to
nerve myself for one steady look at my
footing.
"In the depth below the myriad sea-
fowl then rested on the black water,
which, though swelling more with the
rising wind. had yet an unbroken sur
face. at some little distance from the
precipice, while further out it had be-
gun to jump to white caps, and in be-
meath me, where l could not see, it
dashed and churned with faint, per-
vading roar that I could barely dis
tinguish. Before the descending sun
a heavy bank OF cloud had arisen.
Tie oceans surface bore that appear
ance OF intense and, angry gloom that
often heralds q storm, but, save the
deep murnlur going out from far below
my perch, all to my hearing was dead
~ still.
Cautiously ! swung my right foot
before the other and carefully edged
around. For an instant, as my shout
der rubbed against the rock, felt that
Unjust fall. I did stagger, in fact, but
the 1ext m oment stood firm. face to the
beetling cliff, my heels on the very edge,
and the new sensation of the abyss be-
hind me no less horrible than that from
which Ihad with such difficulty escaped.
/ stood qnaking. A dellrious horror
thrilled every nerve. The skin about
my ears and neck, suddenly cold, shrank
convulsively.
"Wild with fear, I thrust forward
my head against the rock and rested in
| agony. A whir and wind Of sudden
wings made me conscious OF outward
things again. Then mad eagerness to
climb swept away other feeling, and my
hands attempted in vain to clutch the
rock. Not daring to cast my head back
ward, l drew it tortoise like between
| my raised shoulders and chin against
the precipice, and gazed upward with
straining Of vision from under my eye
brows.
"Far above the dead wall stretched.
Sidewise chances gave me glimpses Of
the projecting summit coping. There
was no hope in that direction. But the
distraction of scanning the cliff side had
given my strained nerves some relief;
to my memory again returned the prom
Use OF the Almighty AMI the conscious
ness of His regard. Once more my
muscles became armstrong.
ga cautious step sidewise made me
know how much had gained in ease
and security of motion by the change Of
front. I made progress that seemed
almost rapid for some rods, and even
had exultation in my quick approach to
think how I should act On reaching it,
and speculation to how soon my CON-
rades would haul me up.
|, "Then the idea rushed through me
that they might even yet draw it away
too soon; that while almost in my
clutch it might rise from my hands.
Instantly all the terrors Of my position
returned with ten-fold force; an out
ward thurst of the precipice seemed to
grow distinct, my trembling hands
told me that it moved bodily toward
speakable remoteness, and from the ut
most depth Of that sheer air seemed to
ascend steadily deadly and a chilling
wind. But T think I did not stop for
an instant. Instead delirium to move
faster possessed me, and with quick,
sidelong steps--my following foot strik-
ing hard against that before--sometime
on the point Of stumbling, stretched
out like the cruoifed, pressed in NOR
tai terror along.
every possible accident and delay
was presented to my excited brain.
What if the ledge should narrow sud-
denly to nothing? Now / believed that
my heels were unsupported in air, and
/ moved along on tip-toe. Now I was
convinced that the narrow pathway
sloped outward, that this slope had be-
come so distinct, so increasingly dis
tinct, that l light at any moment slip
off into the void. But dominating every
consideration of possible disaster. was
still that of the need for speed, and dis
tinct amid all other terrors was that
sensation of the dead wall ever silently
and inexorably pressing me outward.
My mouth and throat were choked
with dryness, my convulsive lips parch-
ed and arid; much I longed to press
them against the cold moist stone: But
I never stopped. Faster, faster-more
wildly I stepped-in deliriu1n I pushed
along. Then suddenly before my star
ing eyes was well-remembered edge
of messy stone, and knew that the
rope should be directly behind me.
Was it?
II glanced over my left shoulder.
| The rope was not to be seen? Wildly J.
looked over the other--no rope! AL
mighty God! and hast Thou deserted
| me?
"But what! Yes, it moves! it sways
in sight, it disappears-to return again
to view! There was the rope directly
at my back, swinging in the now strong
breeze with a motion that had carried it
away from my first hurried chances.
With the relief tears pressed to my eyes,
and-face bowed to the precipice, al
most forgetful for little time Of the
hungry air beneath--I offered deep
thanks to my God for the delivery that
seemed SO near"
Inc old mans lips continued to move,
but no sound came from them. We
waited silent while, with closed eyes and
bent head, he remained absorbed in the
recollection of that strange minute of
devoutness. -
II stood there" he said at last, for
what now seems a space of hours, per-
haps half q minute in reality. Then all
the chances still to be run crowded up
on me. TO turn around had been an
attempt almost desperate before, and
III, ~ i,,lr tho