Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1886-11-27

: than fifteen feet, but it looked very ter
r rible to me. / could not leap that dis
lance. o could | climb around the
steep and slippery sides, A tall tres
crew from the lower level, however
and by leaning far out l caught
+ branch and thus climbed down.
| felt certain now that | must be
very near the valley floor, for | had
t been descending a long time, Behind
me, in the hollowS of the canon, the
: shadows o fevening were already lying.
had spraiued my ankle in the do
scent an injury that at any other tims
would have disabled me, but now could
. not be allowed to impede my progress.
| limped along, hoping and fully eX-
pccting to see, ut a turning not far OIL,
the valley before me, the green fields
and the dwellings of men. ilow were
my hopes Knocked when | found, in
stead, a prccipicc fully sixty feet deep.
With a cry of horror, | drew back and
wrung my hands in despair, Had |
been saved from the jaws of 4 savage
beast only to die more terribly by starry
dllOU, OI 10 w ud>utu w IitNON III a
rocky chaSm? Nature had neve
seemed to me so pitilcss. The stony
walls looked down at me in awful
silence. The yawning prccipice at my
feet seemed waiting with a s%ickening
expectancy.
Before this | had been afraid to
speak aloud, for fear of rouSing some
wild animal, but now | should be glad
to see or hear any thing with life, even
if il were a savage. | shouted myself
hoarSc. but only strange echoes an
swcred me from the frowning woods.
The shadows grew deeper. must dc
sOmcthing-anv thing.
1t occurred to me to make a rope OF
some of my clothing and thus descend.
II was the work of but q moment to
take off my long stockings and tic
them together, and then to add my
scarf. All this made only four or five
yards in length. ] tore the skirt OF
my stout waterproof suit into strips
which | tied together, until had what
seemed enough, Then, fastening =.
stone to one end, | crept TO the edge
and let the rope down to measure the
distance, 1t still lacked u little. Tho
deficiency was soon supplied from the
sleeves of my jacket. The root of a
pine afforded a convenient place for
attaching the rope; and, having first
tested every foot of it to make sure
that it would bear my weight, | was
ready to push off.
Several times | looked over and my
head grew dizzy. | decided to 90
backward, to obviate that difficulty.
Fearing my shoes would be a him
dcrance in my clinging to the rope, |
pushed them over, together with my
cartridge belt. Another instant of hes
itation and heart-sinking, and [ was
fairly oil. | reached the bottom sore
and GREATNESS, but safe. Another trial
awaited me. In the gathering gloom
] could not lind my shoes, and the
sharp stones cut my tender feet at ey-
cry step. Moreover, | dreaded rattle
snakes, and listened with painful
acuttncss for the warning rattle. !
did not hear any thing, and o o lost
that fear in my overpowCring anxiety
g.. r.,,L r,u,, L,,v, ,L;,,,?
~ t'"ri mn so In,l! '",i" nni "Hu't ,ha
ar' y, ;o "''H ~ a"p''II ." " ! n WSuun'IG
'" ~ eiIU,S ',,P' %o a '!In'
pnfd,n Lod nron,I ,,"na .aS.
my guide gave me timely warning of a
chasm. Feeling for a stone | hurled it
i h," "'V i ,a',i ~ S,,aNs iai uo"'.
i IN,o' NH 1,,l;uh. ~ "u i";.noi
s,. f'a. "."H"'s DaoN
"'r" inr, ,h,. ,a I1"n W wan" was
"N'', =" ~ t"ii'u' n "'iVeP'
"" "%Noi'eu ~ i,~lc-9no.' ,oi-
,D"e" qu'INiS y " sseolu report Jul
''I9 aou ,a " io,lS wa, w.
.''Iu w. ""'' u,ou " 9no". an
niI ny G,oi'a'"i',e n'lo"1
o" , ,l'" IN, Nv "oi' LEY, oNvuPV " mo"'SI
,l''"'I-' Inv " VIl'" WIN Group
- 3'"' "'o NUS am nun NY
m'ol"'' ,~y"'H,n'S loa me. VI lne
tD,"I '"t' JIoH'' "o'0 'oli,o hl',oHGa
u''' '''a Nv, Deiot' 'eiiTilip9leu' 1t
va, ,''1s " IMMINENT octoiti haa SciaPcu
wa Wv i',''a loTcllol an" se' irG
~ 'nvili' "a iu'l'"cr Vi CONES iau
ia,I''i rom 'l't pines ABOVE ana Ihere
THS " nl9>S ol otF chaPaFrai' so mat
l 't''' no I'cN OF iUeI.
-, VIC 'i'"e co''u see lae nature
- l!v pI'c' ".oullu me- l was
standing on a platform much like the
olo i'UIIi when J hau ueScenGeu' Oh
o!' S,H' was the 'lieer wall on tnc
pl''I 'he PIevGiPIcG' was hemhlcu IN
~ P!lsoi Walls neaPtd on branches
.la !nc names ran r hlTh ana made Il
r9'i,HS to1'u, n wnole canon was
i.iU'hl'l"'eu' ana the tali pines looked
\ SPec'er' IN me fantastic iIght' !
s~Ire,cneo my hanos towards the genial
warmth ana iclt mat salvation was
near ior my friends must see the light.
a cracNIIhG nose at a lttle distance
drew my attention. Chaparrel, cones,
,he pines themselves were ablaze. |
wv" n'l "ottiiNeH lean oi nope
fire. was two rndy from ,bo lalpo
and tbn Hanna. o,..,t tou,orJg mo
moved forward
Thi- sudhnn .nd awful lo,oor or.