The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1886-08-14

Like drowning man catching at
II straw, / caught the half uprooted
sapling.
Down, down it went, bending and
cracking at the roots. My hands
Slipped down the icy bark until they
grasped the boughs of the inverted
top, and | found myself suspended
and swinging in mid-air.
1t was an awful moment-such as
only those who have some time
passed through such peril can re-
alize Away below, two hundred
feet beneath, a profusion of dark
murderous-looEing crags and frag-
ments Of rock lay scattered and
heaped in every direction. Above,
the clear blue sky, so pure and tran
quill, afforded II contrast seldom wit
messed. | swung my foot against
the wall of rock, and attempted to
climb up the sapling, hand over
hand but it was SO icy | could not
pull myself up. The effort caused
one Of the roots to snap asuhder
and several fragments, being loosen
ed from the rock, rolled down into
the gulf beneath, sending back
hollow echo that smote fearfully on
my ear. 1t seemed as though my
support was about to give way. 1t
turned slightly, and appeared to
hang by a single root. I dared not
make another effort / felt faint,
and weak, and sick. My eyes SEEM
ed starting from their sockets, and
my brain whirled with dizziness.
The gates of eternity appeared op-
ening before me / felt the tiny
twigs slipping through my fingers.
A thousand thoughts came crowd
ing upon my confused memory, and
1 groaned in the agony of despair:
An age seemed passing away, and
with it the last ray of hope.
Something hit me on the shoulder.
Looking up / observed rope, COM
posed of fish lines twisted together
with moose dangling at my side.
Will Herkimer was lying down on
the rock above, by the roots of the
little hemlock, peering over the pre-
cipice. Making a desperate effort,
causing every nerve in my trembling
body to quiver, l held my position
with one hand, and thrust the other
through the moose.
The sappling to which | clung
with the energy of despair, cracked
at the roots, seemed to give and set
tie, swayed fearfully, but did not
break loose.
A moment later my companions
were tugging at the rope. Grasping
the diminutive hemlock with one
hand, to aid their efforts, | slowly
assembled. | neared the partially
upturncd roots, climbing up from
the inverted top towards the base,
and my head appeared above the
rock. My companions sat with their
feet braced against the roots, and
fragments of rock, steadily pulling
upon the rope, their faces blanched
with terror VIII Herkimer clung
to Il solid root with one hand, and,
grasping my wrist with the other
helped to raise me over the ledge
His teeth were firmly set, his face
was almost purple from his exertions,
and the sweat was streaming from
every pore. A single root of the lit
tie tree hung in seam at the top of
the rock 1t was all that held.
seized it firmly with my right hand,
and placed my knee on the top OF
the rock. The suspended sapling
swayed to and fro below me, the root
parted with Il crack, and it dropped
down into the dark abyss. The sud
den jerk, as my knee slipped from
the rock, came near pulling the boys
over after me, but they managed to
hold their positions, and in mo-
ment more lay upon the rock above
safe and free from danger though
more dead than alive.
The strain upon my nerves had
been so great that l nearly tainted
when the excitement of the moment
was over, and for some minutes
could not stand on my feet. My
strength soon returned, however
and in little over half an hour We
set ont for home. My wrist was
was purple and swollen where the
cord had been drawn a round the
muscles, and for more than IL week
it was so lame | could not use it
But | felt thankful to heaven that my
: body was crushed into shapelei
mass on the cruel crags at the bot
f tom of the wild glen. 1t was in
deed hair-breadth escape, and
shudder in recalling the incident t.
my memory. You may reasonabl,
suppose, however, that | never ven
! turcd near the edge of "a preci
t pice again when the rocks wcr
| Slipnorv with 100