News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-05-22

many thousands of feet above the
level OF the sea. The shadows of night
were just sinking from the mountain
tops, and the scene was one of grand
eur
Above US, to the left, rose a single
peak, clad IN snow, and which, catch
ing the earlier rays from the eastern
hoflzOn, stood in the clear atmosphere
clean cut massive, and gIittering with
afeSplendent opalescence: Just below
US extended a cloud formed ocean,
still dark with the shadows of night,
winch was as level as floor and which
extended to the distant horizon. The
high peak, with its brightness, seemed
huge dome of light, as if a great
lamp to illuminate the cloud land be-
low.
As we descended we entered the
ocean of clouds, which receded a little
way from us. making it seem as if we
were dropping down into an enormous
well. Through the walls of this cloud
shaft we could see distorted objects:
pines assumed fantastic shapes, and
great fragments of fallen rocks be-
came hldeOus monsters ready to spring
on US out Of the void. The compost
ton Of this ocean was something Won
derful. 1t was Of two colors-a feecy
white and a blue These two were
not intermingled except in large
masses; there was clearly a defined
stratum of one, and then the other
everything it. They were like facim of
the blue and white, all exhibiting a
superb striation,
Suddenly we passed through the
cloud masses, which left open the
view below The hollow in which we
began to descend had sunk rapidly to
a fathOmlesS rayine, and we were seen
to be crawling narrow shelf blasted
out from the side of the mountain,
and which was but few INCHES wider
than the space required for the wheels
of the coach. We were between what
seemed two parallel mQuntaina. |
glanced up; il was like looking out of
deep slit in the earth looked down
to the right, and withdrew my eyes
with a dizzy feeling of horror. 1t was
on the very edge of a precipice that
we were moving, and so close was its
outer edge that it seemed as if with
my extended hand | could have
dropped a pebble directly into the
abyss. In the momentary look had
caught sight of pines so far down that
they seemed like hot house plants
strewn along the walls Of the chasm.
Not a sound was heard save the
querulous ereakipg of the leathern
hinges and springs Of the coach, and
the dull grating of the brakes on the
wheels. Even though the latter were
so fastened that the hind wheels no
longer revolyed, they Were not suf-
fcient to control the speed; held by a
grasp of iron. the wheel horses were
almost on their launches, and were
tugging at their pole straps till they
were apparently about to be carried
from their feet. l glanced along the
road in our front with the hope that
there might be some visible termina-
ton of the appalling situation.
At tl&is moment we entered on com
paratively straight line of road, which
appeared to run till it was cut off a
long distance down by a spur of the
mountain that extended across the
track, and at which the road seemed
to end. We were descending at an
angle of not less than 80 degrees, and
at each step it seemed as if the horses
would be carried off their feet by the
tremendous pressure of the coach. The
wheels at one instant would sink into
the soft wash from the mountain side,
and the next strike detached frag
ment Of rock, sending the vehicle now
to the walls on the left, then over to
the right, till the abyss yawned be-
meath me like the ravenous jaws of
hell
We had descended a short distance
down this straight piece of road when,
in the midst of a luroh from which
there seemed no possible recovery,
there rang out a sharp crack like a
musket shot There was a sudden ces-
sation of the grinding noise on the
brake, the heavy coach plunged for
ward like an avalanche, there was a
fierce confusion, clatter of whiffie
trees rs the stage appeared about to roll
over the horses, and then came the
conviction, like binding flash, that
the brakes had given awayI
"God in heaven! Jump!' was
shrieked by some one behind me.
Then rose TO- my feet as | waited for
the driver to detach the plunging
mass of horses from the stage, and
stood ready to spring when the way
was clear. For the millionth part of
a second my attention was distracted
by cries from the passengers within
the coach, who were hOwling and
shrieking like madmen, and then l
recalled my own danger as clung
with difficulty to the seat and braced
myself for the leap the moment oppor-
tunity offered.
Just then the driver rose to his feet.
His long whip described a swift circle
and fell across the backs ofthe leaders.
They sprang forward like shot from
a cannon, dragging the wheel horses
lash struck the leaders the driver tight
ened the reins and gave yell of en-
couragement to his team, and then,
leaning far back, guided them with
taut lines directly down the narrow
road, The four horses at once leaped
into wild run, and then | compre-
hended that he was undertaking to
keep in the road instead of abandon
ing the coach to its fate.
1t was nota full second from the Civ
ing way of the brakes till we were
shooting down the steep incline with
the swiftness and momentum of a
thunderbolt The broad sombrero of
the driver was snatched away by the
wind and his long hair tossed on the
air like the name of a runaway horse.
How 1 saw this detail and others /
know not What passed was like the
hideous visions of nightmare. | felt
nothing; | saw objects near me and i'll
the distance which rushed by, inter
mingled like the spokes of q swift
moving wheel. Ny most salient rec
objections are the long hair futtering
about my face, and the horses, which
aid not seem to be four in number,
but a flying, solid mass of white driven
like wave of foam pushed from the
| front Of a powerful steamer.