The Grenada gazette., 1888-03-24
can never forget the horror of that


was lagging-I, who was SO expert
skater. His eye caught mine, and b
that sort of intuitive knowledge we ar
endowed with in times of great danger
he became aware of our dreadful situa
ton, heard the cracking of the ice, sa,
it, felt it rising in front Of us.
What did the strong man doe File
like a coward from the dangers he ha'
brought us to, and escape to the land
Did the alarm seize him that hal over
powered me? Far otherwise. Raisin!
his voice so it could be heard over th
din of the skaters and the merry voice
of those in the slcighs, he shouted
"Sing Coronation; all sing, so we cal
time our strokes" and without lower
ing his voice he sang:
"All hail the power OF Jesus namel
Let angels PROSTATE fall,
Bring forth the royal dadem.
And crown Him Lord of all
The order came so Unexpectedly thai
few joined in singing this verse, but
when it came to the next stanza almos,
all the voices were heard. l felt a sor,
OF relief when the soprano, alto, tenor
and bass voices all struck the words:
Grown Him, ye martyrs of our God,
Who from His atars CALL"
But feared the time when the bass
would be left to carry a line alone.
There were but three or four bass
voices in the entire company, but my
friend was numbered among them /
noticed that he husbanded his breath
for this, as a strong man saves his
strength for some great effort. Never
theless, l could hear alternating with
the words:
''Extol the stem Of Jcsse's rod"
the crack - crack -- crack - crack -
crack of the brittle shell that was be-
tween us eternity. 1t was a wondrous
relief when four parts instead of one,
and n hundred voices instead of four
took on tho words, which sounded like
an anthem of praise:
"Extol the stem Of Jesse's rod,
And crown Him Lord Of all"
We were now approaching the mid
die Of the lake, where the water was
the deepest; so deep, indeed, that no
line in the village could reach The bot
tom, and where the ice must be the
thinnest because it was the last to
freeze there. ! knew this, but | felt
that we were going with such rapidity
there would be no new danger SO long
as there was no break in the singing
l singled out tree on the shore we
were trying to make, and calculated if.
at the rate we were then singing, there
were verses enough to last until we
reached. feared lest the leader might
omit staDza, as was sometimes done
in church, and there might be space
over which we would be left to pass in
silence. or with nothing to disturb the
silence but the cracking of the ice.
l had no cause for alarm, however,
in the matter There was, indeed. that
dreadful crack-crack-crack of the ice
distinctly heard during the singing of
one line in each stanza of the hymn, but
it was either that had become more
accustomed to it or because it was more
faint than little time before that it
failed to affect me as at first. So too,
there was little breadth of ice to be
passed over after the singers had closed
the verse:
Let every kindred, every tribe
On this terrestrial bail,
To Him all majesty ascribe.
And crown Him Lord Of ALL"
But our momentum was then such
that ! knew we should reach the shore
in safety, which we soon did. On
reaching the shore there was the same
bOisterous noise that marked our start
ng, each one untying his sled Or sleigh |
md joining the little party with which
,e came. But Of the peril through
which they had passed. The
iangcr from which they had been
'cscued. no one of them had
he slightest intimation. The two
who knew all remained on the sandy
beach after the party had gone TO their
ZONES. Their arms were about each
'thcr's snecks as they knelt. and trem-
II closed the lips that would have
prayed. The next day was Thanksgiy-
ne. Singularly enough, the opening
lynn in the church service was the one
hat was sung on the ice, but it was
lot strange that two hands holding
lymn-books tremblcd when all the
congregation sang coronation. ~
'odney Welch, in Chicago Times
Note.-This sketch. an actual Incl
lent in my life, was written substan-
tally as it is here nearly twenty years
go, and published in u weekly paper
ssued in this city. The religious press
indy took it up and carried it, | be.
ieve. round the globe. 1t was printed
n paper on the banks of the CLYDE,
nd in one on the banks Of the Gances.
saw 1t in several papers published in
australia and New Zealand. About a
ear after it was published | received
etter from minister located in the
orthern part Of New England setting
orth the troubles he had encountered
n finding the author of the story. |
'as Informed that it had been read ut
prayer meeting in his church, and !
hat sit had been the means of putting