The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-12-02

q savage beast only to die more ter.
ribly by starvation, Or to, be dashed
to pieces in q rocky chasm?
Nature had never seemed to me 80
r The stony walls looked down at me
in awful silence: The yawning preci-
pice at my feet seemed waiting with a
sickening expectancy.
Before this had been afraid to
speak aloud, for fear of rousing some
wild animal; but now 1 felt that I
should be glad to see or hear ANYTHING
with life, even if it were g. savage. /
shouted myself hoarse, but only
strange echoes answered me from the
frowning woods.
The shadows grew deeper. Unjust do
something-anything.
1t occurred to me to make a rome of
some OF my clothing, and thus de-
scend. It was tho work OF but a. mo.
ment to take off my long stockings
and tie them together. and then to
add my scarf. All this made only
four or FIVE yards in length. tore
the skirt 6t my. stout Waterproof suit
into strips; which I tied together, I'M
til had what seemed enough. Then,
fastening q stone to one end; crept
to the edge and let the rope down to
measure the distance. 1t still lacked
q little: The! deficiency was soon sup.
piled from the sleeves OF my jacket.
The root of a pine afforded q conven-
lent place for attaching the rope; and,
having first tested every foot of it, to
make sure that it would bear NV
weight, l was ready to swing off.
Several times looked over. and my
head grew dizzy. 1 decided to 90
backward, to obviate that difficulty.
Fearing my shoes would be a hinder
ance in my clinging to the rope,
pushed them over, together with my
cartridge belt. Another instant Of
hesitation and heart-sinking, and
was fairly off.
l reached the bottom sore and
breathless, but safe. Another trial
awaited me. In the gathering gloom
could not find my shoes, and the
sharp stones cut my tender feet at
every step. Moreover, dreaded rat
tlesnakes, and listened with painful
acuteness for the warningrattle. Ibid
not hear anything, and soon lost that
fear in my overpowering anxiety to
reach some human habitation.
1t grew dark so rapidly that had
to use my stick at every step, as q
blind man does, to feel the way be-
fore me. Before I had CROPPED along
many rods my guide gave me timely
warming OF g. chasm. Feeling for q
stone, hurled it forward and heard
1t strike far down below me.
could go no farther-at least until
daylight-so, drawing back few feet,
sat down to wait. was so weary
that I Immediately fell asleep. l was
awakened by a rlf1e-shot, followed
quickly by second report, but the
sounded a long way off.
started up and tried to shout an
answer, but my overstrained throat
could make no noise except a hoarse
croaking, like a child with Group.
was sure the shots came from nv
friends, searching for me.
In the pocket of my jacket were
some matches that had not before
remembered. 1t was not g. moment
before had scraped some leaves to-
gether and set fire to them. A num-
Der OF cones had fallen from the pines
above, and there was a mass of dry
chaparral, so that I had no lack OF
fuel.
By the blaze I could see the nature
OF the place around me. was stand.
ing on a platform much like the one
from which had descended. On one
side was the sheer wall, on the other
the precipice. l was hemmed in by
prison walls.
heaped on branches till the flames
ran high and made a roaring sound.
The whole canon was illuminated, and
the tall pines shook like spectres in
the fantastic light. 1 stretched my
hands toward the genial warmth, and
felt that salvation was near, for nv
friends must now see the light.
A cracking noise at a little distance
drew my attention. Chaparral, cones,
the pines themselves, were ablaze.
had set the canon on fire. Dismay
succeeded my short-lived CLEAN OF
hope. In front was the chasm, be-
hind the fire. l was two rods from,
the ledge, and the flames swept to-
ward me. moved forward.
This sudden and awful danger gave
me O voice. I SCI canned wildly as the
fire reached out long, adder-like ton
CUES for me.
Avoice above shouted to me.
"Quick, quick" I cried, cor it's too
late!'
The fire had driven me so near the
edge that a step would have hurled
me over. felt the terrible calm that
comes to one when hope is dead.
saw two snakes leap upward in the
blaze and writhe about each other in
agony.
'Catch this, and tie it under your
arms" shouted a voice, and rope
fell at my feet.
was saved; but never since have
cared for hunting. was cured by the
dying look of the white deer.