Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-01-14

ture of tho ascent. and the next the eX-
treme difficulty of finding III way. IN
deed, had ii not been for the mental notes
that ] had fortunately taken OF the shape
of various rocks, etc, | an sure that we
never should have managed il at all, but
have wandered about in the dreadful womb
of the volcano-fOr | suppose II must once
have been something of the sort-until we
died of exhaustion and despair. As il was,
we went wrong several times, and once
nearly fell into q hinge crack or crevasse.
II was terrible work creeping about in the
dense gloom Gnd awful stiffness from
bow,der TO bDwlder, and examining it by
the feeble light of the lamps To see If |
could recognize its shape. We rarely
spoke. our hearts we're too heavy for speech,
we simply stumbled about, falling some
times and cutting ourselves. in a rather
do-ncd sort OF way. The fact was that our
spirits were utterly crushed, and We did
not greatly care what happened TO us.
Only we felt bound to try and save Il
lives whilst we could, and, indeed, % natur-
al instinct prompted IA TO it. So for some
three or four hours, I should think cam
not tell exactly how long. for we had no
watch left that would gO-we blundercd
on. During the last two hours we were
completely lost, and | began TO fear that
we had got into the funnel OF some subSid-
iary cone. when. at last. suddenly recog-
niZnd n very large rock which we had
1NNt III - NV ~ iiN'hR WY '''Aa
the top. 1t is a marvel that | should have
recognized it, and, indaed, we had already
passed il goinG M right angles tothe proper
path. when something about it struck me,
and I turned back and examined it in an
idle sort of way. and, as II happened, THIS
proved our salvation.
After this we gained the rocky, natural
stair without much further trouble, and
in due course found ourselves back in the
little chamber, where the benighted Moot
had lived and died.
But now n fresh terror stared us in the
face. 1t may be remembered that owingto
poor Jobs fear II awkwarineSs, the
blank upon which we had crossed from the
huge spur to the rockin&-stone had been
whirled off into the guilt below.
How were we TO cross without the plank
There was only one answer-we must
try AMI jump il. or else stop where we
were till we starved. The distance in It
self was not so very great-between eleven
and twelve feet | should think-nnd have
seen Leo Jump over nineteen when he was
q II fellow at college: but then, think
of the conditions. Two weary, WORKOUT
men, one OF them the wrong side OF forty,
"a rocking-stone 10 take of from, n trein-
bling point of rock some few feet across TO
land on. and a bOttOmlesS gull To be cleared
In 81 aging gale. IL was bad enough. COD
knows. bat when | pointed outthe,e things
10 Leo, he put the whole matter In u nut
shell by replying. nEcTclicSs as 'hc c''HoV
was. we must cnooSe between the certain
nv OF "A lingering death in the aid
the risk ot "a swift one inth air. q. course
there was no arguing against TINS, but oAe
thinc was clear. we could not attempt that
leap in the dark: the only thing 10 DO vas
t. wait for the ray % light wntch pierced
through the gulf at sunset. How near 10
or how far from slnset we might be neither
OF us had the fuinrest notion; all we ana
know was that when ut last the iiSht came
il would not endure more than Il coupe OF
minutes AT the oulsiic, 80 that we must DE
prepared to ineeLit. Accordingly we lnade
uo our minds To creep on 10 tle top ol .nc
r~octino-.tono and lie there in readiness.
we were lie more easily ~reoOnclied tothls
course by the fact thai II lamps, were
once more nearly exhausted indeed, one
had zone out bodily, and the ~ aer was
jumping up ald down, rs the lame OF u
2ainv does Nncl 1.le on Is GONE 90 ~ VAC