Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-01-23

landing "A twenty.siX FOUNDER.
Soon two others of our party boast
cd like results, while, in the same
space Of time, the Commodore add
ed no less than five to his catch.
About this time the strange con-
duct of the mare began to attract
attention. She appeared unus-
ually restless, stamping and paw
ing continually, and finally, dis
gusted at our want of appreciation,
she seized the sleeve Of my coat in
her teeth and sought to draw me
away. | imagined she must be
ill, and accordingly suggested a
hasty lunch to be followed by an
immediate adjournment.
While seated in the pung and
discussing the contents Of our bask-
cts, Howard, who chanced for
the moment to assume an upright
position, suddenly sank to the
bottom of the vehicle with blanch-
ed cheeks and pallid lips, with the
half-whispered ejaculation .her-
ciful hedrenS lce are GfiOdtp
Springing to his place, glanced
shoreward in the direction indicat-
ed, and was appalled, to see a
couple of miles away, and between
us and the shore, a streak Of blue
water not less than a quarter of a
mile broard, and extending up and
down the lake as far as the eye
could reach.
Not a moment was to be lost.
One only hope lay in the bare
chance that the field which bore us
might not yet be detached from
Sturgeon Point, a spit of land some
six miles to the sOuthward that
projected itself at right angles
from the cOast.land for nearly
leagae, further prolonged half as
far again as a submerged reel.
Hastily discarding our traps, aud
putting the horse between the
shafts, a proceeding for which she
seemed most eager, we tumbIed
aboard when the intelligent little
brute shot away down the lake
without awaiting the world Of com
mand.
Six miles never seemed so long
drawn out to our excited, over
strung nerves, though, as subse-
Quent events proved, we must fairly
have flown. Our mental condition
during this period Of frighilul sus-
pense can better be imagined than
described, and though not Of alb
solute terrOr-Our faculties were
too benumbed for that-.it was, if
possible, even worse, with ITS
peculiar admixture Of hope, hor-
ror, detection and despair, inter
spersed with mental pictures Of
home AMI loved ones. One did
not dare even glance at the faces OF
his companions lest he should
there read the confirmation of the
thoughts and fears that pervaded
his own mind; and consequently
not word was spoken, but every
eye fixed anxiously towards the
distant goal.
As we neared the Point, the
crevasse narrowed rapidly, and,
at last, much to my relief for the
moment, the connection between
the floe and spit was observed to
be intact but now, when less than
score of rods from the shadows,
where the ice was firmly grounded
and safety assured, n loud report
rent the air, the foe tremblcd,
crumbled about the edges and
then broke away with rebound
and drifted slowly lakeward, while
the loose cakes born of the dlsrup-
ton and driven by the wind, ed
died about the open lane OF water
crashing, smiling and tossing, as
if in very glee. There seemed
but one measure left, and that to
take our lives in our hands, aban-
don the brave little mare to her
fate, and essay the feat ascribed
by Mrs. Stowe to one of her myth
ical heroines.
Ere such act, however, could be
put in execution, the dancing
grinding cakes became suddenly
stopped in their career and jam
ming momentarily bridgcd the
chasm. The mare swung impetu-
ousIy to the right with an abrupt
ness that threatened a spill, and
before VIC were fairly aware of the
fact, was in the midst of swaying
heaving fragments over which she
dragged us with vehement bangs
and iolts. Never for an instant did
she stay her speed; not once did
she miss her foOthOld on the un-
stable foundation; and wi 81 space
eight or ten feet opened before
her, she took 1t with dying leap,
alighting on the firm sound ice on
the opposite side. The pung,
however, did not fare so well !;
down into the water it went, filled,
half turned over, then righted as
with a terrible crash it was drag
ged out,a few seconds later going t.
pieces in wreck that has had no
equal since the days OF the zone
horse shay"
Though well wetted, our lives
were spared And though we
scarce understood how it all came
ahout we were not the less crate.