Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-17

time in her life, fear really came upon her
1t was not the danger. She had known
danger both by sea and land from infancy.
But it was her helplessness that appalled,
her; the inability to really move either
hand or foot. She was literally chained to
the rock.
Fortunately the night was warm, even to
sultriness; but she knew that the small
hours of morning would bring down a cold
blast from the ice foes of Alaska.
Fixing her foot securely in the rough and
porous surface of the land where she stood
she turned her back on the world and laid,
or rather leaned, her face to the mighty
wall. Then with great care and caution she
drew herself up to more secure and less
precipitous side of the singular prison and
prepared to spend the light as best she
could.
The place was so filed with sea birds
eggs that little or no room was left her
here. And so nest after nest as far as she
could reach, was emptied by starting the
eggs rolling down the steep.
Then, making certain of her footing she
! put out her arms and drew all the feathers,
as far as she could reach, under her re-
| clining body and thus soon found herself
far from uncomfortable. Still there was
the dread of slipping down while asleep.
The downy but slippery bed of feathers
did not at all add to her sense of security.
Fortunately she had stout cord at her
! girdle. This stout silken cord she had
long worn in order to make more secure in
its concealment the knife which she always
carried.
Do not be alarmed at mention of this
knife. 1t is no rarity. Besides, this girls
work at building her curious boat, the con-
tinual climbing of crags, both in the sea and
on the land, all her life and action, indeed,
made stout, sharp knife as necessary to
her as is needle to an ordinary woman.
Taking her knife in the left hand, she felt
about with her right as she lay, or rather
leaned, there till she found a crevice or
crack in the rocks into which she could
fasten the knife. Gradually and securely
driving it down in this crack to the hiit,
she proceeded to fasten one end of the heavy
silken cord to the knife and the other to her
left arm. Then she prayed piteous prayer
with clasped hands and forehead humbled
to the rocks. Her heart was very gentle
now. Never before was her better, gentler
self so entirely to the surface. She was sorry
for the folly of that day, and of all days.
Not for herself; she was sorry for the pain Of
others. She prayed for her sister; for her
great, rugged father. She prayed first for
all that was near and dear to her. And
last of all the poor, penitent and desolate
girl with such contradiction of nature
PRAYED for herself. And then she slept.
The cold winds of early morning awak-
ened her. She had slept soundly; but her
limbs were stiff and her hands and feet
numb. She put the cord again about her
body, making her short dress still shorter.
Then she took the knife in her left hand.
After taking one look at the dizzy depths
below, and making certain that she could
never descend in that way and live, be-
numbed as she now was, she slowly began
to ascend.
Bear in mind this island had been her
rocking cradle. She knew it so we'll. 1t
had no terrors for her at all under ordinary
circumstances. Like the lion tanner in the
cage with the lion he has known so long
and we'll she even now, rested and renewed
as she was, with full day before her, felt no
more dread.
As said before, she knew every foot of the
ground. or crevice of the rock, whether ac-
cesSible or inaccessible.
She knew that there was somewhere a cir
cult to this continual ascent; that there was
a summit to this caag in the sea somewhere
and she would reach it and descend by the
other side.
This one particular rock is curious 1t
looks like a sea lion. 1t rests there, half
lifted from the water, like huge sea lion
looking away out toward the Orient seas.
Its head overhangs the ocean. Its nose is
high, fearlully high In the air. Ships at
high tide could, were it not for the fallen
rocks there, that keep the fretful waters
cnurned to foam, ships, L say, were it not
for the fallen rocks that thrust up through
the waters here and are made black with
roaring sea lions and white with roaring
seas, could almost sail under this huge stone
nose that is lifted bold and bare more than
200 feet above the waters; above the 10, 600
trembling, groaning, moaning, and contin-
ually roaring sea lions on their jutting
crags and the hungry all-devouring ocean.
Farla found her journey slow from the
beginning. Otter she would have to stop
and roll aside and down the steep hundreds
and hundreds Of eggs. They were dan
gerous footing where life depended so en-
tirely on the certainty of her foothold.
After an hour of arduous work she came
to what seemed to her to be the last steep
ascent before the summit But this seemed
utterly inaccessible. Here was at last a
place to rest, however, and rolling the eggs
aside, she threw herself on her face full
length, threw out her long, strong limbs
full length and rested-really rested for the
first time And this time her prayer was a
PRAYER of gratitude.
Lifting her face to begin the work before
her she instinctively turned her eyes to the
waters below 1t was alive with boats.
And such a shout went up from the thou
sands of people far, far below on the decks
of the various craft!
All night she had been missed. All
night men had searched about the entire ac-
cesslble portions OF the rock. For the girl
was we'll known; was not only widely known
but well known, and she was universally
if not entirely loved.
They had only this moment discovered
her. But when the shout died away and
the men looked and looked again, they grew
white with pity and with dismay.
Some of the boats drew in close to the
island, as if to try and reach her; others
stood further out to sea, as if to survey the
possible chances of her escape; other boats
drew on around the island, as if to see what
hope lay on the other side.
The girls heart swelled with gratitude.
And yet she was greatly vexed with herself
that she should have been the cause of so
much care. This made her very resolved to
have done with the whole sad business; and
tying her girdle she laid hold of the crag
before her and began steadily to ascend.
She had more confidence now; and more
strength, also. Ten feet! twenty feet! The
knife was il her teethl She had kicked off
both her shoes. Her fingers were streaming
with blood. Thirty feet! Forty feet!
One foot swings loose and the body sways!
The left arm hangs loose as if deadi One |