Milford chronicle., 1885-05-08

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or jump off Would you not, in al
ecstasy Of nervous agitation, fall +
your knees, get down face-frst at ful
length, clutch by your hands and will
shut eyes feel your way? I longed t
lie down and hold, but Of course tina
was impossible"
'Still there was a wall at your back,
observed Jack.
"That made It worse The cliff
seemed to press outward against me. L
did, in fact, incline very slightly out
ward. 1t seemed to be thrusting me
of. Oh, the horror of that sensation
Your toes on the edge of precipice
and the implacable, calm mountain ap.
parently weighting you slowly for
ward. "
Beads of sweat broke out over his
white face at the horror he had called
before him. Wiping his lips ilervously
with the back of his hand, and looking
askant, as at the narrow pathway, he
paused long. saw its cruel edge and
the dark CLEANS of its abysmal water.
81 knew" he resumed. ''that with
my back 60 the wall could never reach
the rope. could not face toward il
and step forward, so narrow was the
ledge. Motion was perhaps barely pos
sible that way, but the breadth Of my
shoulders would have forced me to lean
somewhat more outward, and this
dared not and could not do. Also, to
see a solid surface before me became an
irresistible desire. I resolved to try to
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 whitecaps, and in be-
meath me, where I could not see, it
dashed and churned with a faint, per-
vading roar that could barely distin-
guish. Before the descending sun
heavy bank of cloud had arisen. The
oceans surface bore that appearance of
intense and angry gloom that often
heralds a storm, but, save the deep mur-
muir going out from far below my perch,
all to my hearing was deadly still.
Cautiously l swung my right foot
before the other and carefully edged
around. For an instant, as my shoulder
rubbed against the rock, I felt that I
must fall. did stagger, in fact, but
the next moment stood firm, face to the
beetling cliff, my heels on the very
edge, and the new sensation of the
abyss behind me no less horrible than
that from which had with such diff
cuty escaped. I stood quaking. A de-
lirious horror thrilled every nerve. The
skin about my ears and neck suddenly
cold, shrank convulsively.
"Wild with fear, 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 a mad eagerness to
climb swept away other feeling, and
ny hands attempted in vain to clutch
,he rock. Not daring to cast my head
I drew it tOrtOise-like be-
iween my raised shoulders and chin
against the preoipice, and gazed upward
With straining of vision from under my
eyebrows.
"Far above the dead wall stretched.
jidewise glances gave me glimpses Of
he projecting summit coping. There
vas no rope in that direction. But the
distraction Of scanning the cliff side had
yiven my strained nerves some relief; to |
ny memory again returned the promise
+ the Almighty and the consciousness !
f His regard. Once more my muscles |
,ecame firm strung.
ga cautious step sidewise made me |
now how much l had gained in ease
nd security of motion by the change of
ront. I made progress that seemed |
lmOst rapid for some rods, and even |
ad exultation in my quick approach to /
be rope. Hence came freedom to think
.ow l should act on reaching it, and
peculation as to how soon my comrades
7ould haul me up. ~
''Then the idea rusheS . as.gn me
It they might - y yet draw it away
N,oon: that Eiiile almost in my clutch
sht rise from my hands. Instantly
Il the terrors of my position returned
18th tenfold force; an outward thrust Of
he precipice seemed to grow distinct,
" trembling hands told me that it
loved bodily toward me, the descent
ehind me took an unspeakable remote
ess, and from the utmost depth of that
leer air seemed to ascend steadily a
sadly and chilling wind. But think
did not stop for an instant. Instead,
slirium to move faster possessed me,
ID with quick, sidelong steps-my fol-
wing foot striking against that before
on the point of stumbling,
retched out like the crucified, |
'essed in mortal terror along.
"Every possible accident and delay
as presented to my excited brain.
hat if the ledge should narrow sud-
My to nothing? Now believed that
y heels were unsupported in air, and
moved along on tip-toe. Now was
that the narrow pathway
)ped outward, that this slope had be-
me so distinct, so increasingly dis !
let, that I might at any moment slip !
into the void. But dominating every :
of possible disaster, was
II that of the need for speed, and dis
lot amid all other terrors was that SEN
lion of the dead wall ever silently and
sxorably pressing me outward. !
my mouth and throat were choked i
III dryness, my convulsive lips t
rched and arid much I longed to {
ess them against the cold, moist stone. t
It I never stopped. Faster, faster
re wildly 1 stepped-in a delirium
shed along. Then suddenly before
staring eyes was a well-remembered
20 of messy stone, and I knew that q
J rope should be directly behind me. i
IS it? n
4 glanced over my left shoulder. p
q rope was not to be seen? Wildly p
ooked over the other-no rope Al G.
ghty God and hast Thou deserted n
n Al
But what Yes, it moves it tsways h
sight it disappears-to return again o.
view There was the rope directly n
my back, swinging in the now strong tC
,eze with a motion that had carried it Il
ay from my first hurried glances. h
tn the relief tears pressed to my eyes a
face bowed to the precipice, al VI
st forgetful for a little time of the'1 s.
lgry air beneath-I offered deep ii
nks to my God for the delivery that te
med so near. NJ
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