The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1889-11-22

without knowing when or how it hap.
pened, we found ourselves buried in a
fog. And 1t was growing dark, too
Arthur finally stopped and said de.
cidedly;
"Sam, it's perfect foolishness to keep
on in this way. We don't know
where we're going. We're only firing
ourselves out, and the first thing we
know we may pitch head first off some
precipice. Let's stop and wait for
morning
was obliged to admit that he was
right. Between darkness and fog, we
could not see where we placed our feet,
and all about us was as black as clos
ed cellar.
"These rocks won't make very soft
bed | remarked, after accepting
ArChur's proposition.
"No they won't and l don't think
it's safe to sleep on the ground. There
are California lions around these
mountains, and I've heard that rattle.
snakes are not very scarce either, We
must find a good tree and get into
that
Finding even so large an object as
a tree is not always the easiest task in
the world, when one can't see anything
whatever, and we groped around un-
successfully until we began to think
that we should have to take our
chances of California lions, rattle
snakes and any other dangers the
mountains might afford. But Just
then came in collision with some
thing round and hard that gave me a
severe bump on the nose.
"pve found one, Arthur !" l exclaim.
ed. "Come along slowly till you
touch me. I'm standing against it,"
He did so, then assisted me to climb
the invisible tree.
1t was twisted and distorted, like all
mountain trees exposed to high
winds, extending out at an angle from
the great rock under which its roots
found nourishment, so that its inclined
trunk and heavy branches made by nc
means the worst of resting places.
We slowed ourselves away in the
first and second forks, glad enough to
rest after our hard days tramp.
Supposing the time to be somewhere
about 8 o'clock, we would have to stay
there for some eight or nine hours till
sunrise, and the night air, combine /
with the fog, was cold and damp.
But, on the other hand, we found a
few biscuits in our pockets; and our
coats were heavy. We were not so
badly situated after all.
Then too, the morning would prob
ably be clear, and with the sun for q
guide we could certainly find our way.
"Oh we can stand this y we agreed,
cheerily. It'll be a long night but
that's the worst of it. It'll do us no
harm, and will teach us to carry COM
passes the next time we go mountain
eering."
In this frame of mind we prepared to
tough it out. 1t was long night and
a most uncomfortable one.
At first we could not get to sleer,
try as we would, and we talked and
told stories for hours. Then we began
to feel drowsy, and settled ourselves
as well as we could to take a nap.
But the hardness of the rough
wood and the frequent aches and
cramps which ran through us made
sleeping difficult, and even dangerous,
for both of us came within an ace of
falling out of the tree several times
during the night.
Once Arthur, who was above, slipped
and fell directly upon me, carrying me
with him, and we both slipped some
feet down the trunk before we could
stop.
"Whew! that was a close shave"
painted he pulling himself back again.
dts /. "We'i have been pumped
down on those hard rocks if it did"
"Well, 1t isn't very far to the ground,
fortunately" answered he. We're not
up more than ten or twelve feet, |
should say"
After this we kept broad awake and
passed the tedious hours somehow. or
other, but they were the longest !
ever remember to have spent.
1t seemed to us that the night would
never be over, and we were wondering
whether the world hadn't stopped
turning on its axis; when Arthur sud.
denly exclaimed:
"Why l can see you Saml"
And as looking up / could just des-
cry his figure and the shapes of the
branches near him.
Hurrah! 1t was really morning at
last
The light grew rapidly stronger, and
overhead the fog was breaking up
Strips of dark blue showed through
the clouds, and we were now able tc
see quite a stretch of the ground over
which we had come.
Curious that it clears away faster
on one side than the other" remarked
Arthur 81 can't see thing under us
while out the other way the rocks
show as plainly as can be-"
looked down and saw nothing but
fog beneath and further out.
at is queer" | said. Il never saw
'OS SiihB " Vho SlOuuu 81 uSlOIS III
my hfe, still less only In one place"
just then the sun broke through
the vapors and flooded us with 1T
brilliancy. was looking up to get
my bearings from it, when a sort O.
gasp from Arthur caused me to glanc,
at him, first in surprise then in alarm
He was clutching the trunk with star
ing eyes, open mouthed aud pale faced
a perfect statue of terror.
Hastily following the direction o.
his look, ! caught one glimpse of wha
he saw, and instantly hugged the near
est branch like madman.
Beneath me was an empty gulf
going down, down, till the tree tops a
the bottom looked like shrubs, anC
through the thinning fog l saw
that our tree grew out of the yer,
edge of sheer precipice hundred
of feet high, over which it hung lik
| the arm of crane.
Do you wonder that we wer
frightened, or that for some minutes "
we clung there, trying to steady ou
swimming heads and brace our tremt
ling nerves after the sudden shock o