New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-18

piercing cry. But when shall | forget what fol
lowed The sound had scarcely left my lips when
). was answered by voice within the guilty. q
cry, beginning low and quick, bu> swelling into
~ "lu feNerberatlng peal or shrek, which stopped
,it very heating Of my heart; a shrek 50 ut
icflN appalling and unearthly that II seemed rs
II aII inc demons OF the pit had burst n once INTO
" scream OF hooking laughter. Again, ana yet
again, the sound reycrberated in unlmaSlnable
echoes, through | knew not what abysnal caves
ana hoiiows OF the world. Shaken as | was In
every nerve, could no longer reason; Otherwise
must nave told myself that the cry could only
DC Il repetition of my own. No living monster 5
voice from the abyss could have appeared to me
more real or more terrific Scarcely knowing
WM't dld, flung myself upon my narrow pla :
FORM ana stopped my ears 10 Shut away the sound.
hen al last | ycnturcd 10 unclose them the
aWlnl peal had faded into silence, ana no souhI
was To he distinguished except the faint continual
noise oil gurgiiating water, which had not ceased
To issue from Tie depths Of the abyss. To this
SOUND now lay listening in a kind Of frightiul
fascination for some minutcs-tvc or ten. Then,
even as listened to the sound ! heard. with
freezing blood. change Of character take place
WITHIN ia change into a long. low, booming muir
muir. dreadful as lions growl II was the
Weakening voice of the eruption! At last my
hour was come
Rigid with horror. | threw myself against thc
wall, ana. with starting eyes and painting breath;
awaited the yollcy Of the boiling stream. heard
thc sound Increase into thunder-a herce eN-
poslon shook the very rock-thcre came blest,
shrek from rho abyss: I felt shock that
stunned me. and the tremendous spout OF water
shot me from the gulf and hurled me MY icct
into the air.
Strange that had never thought Of this that
] had never taken into calculation the Flgan'lc
power OF such jet How incredibly aD-
surd It now appeared that I should fancy that a
current Of such force would leave lnc in the mol
low. Nor WINS | fated to be boiled alive; the
water though it's heat was only Just enuurabIe,
was by no means boiling hot. Had been aware
before that this occasionally Happened. my bit-
'ercSt despair would have retained spark oil
hope.
But was my danger at an end? Far other
wise; the most extraordinary part OF the plrU
for which have considered that It ought 10 d.
recorded, as the sole experience OF us SihuUS
now 10 he related But how shall | describe
it, How shall ] recount the Stronccst. the most
wildly singular adventure thnt ever mortal man
escaped - tell of? / must take an illustration.
Every one has seen % ball or cork figure kcpt
dancing on the summit of n garden fountain.
Now. Jet there be IMAGINED a Stupcndous jet, I'VE
feet in thickness and fifty feet in hcleht tossing
aOit, In place of the cork ball. a living man.
such was now my situation. There was the Brob,,
dignaeian fountain dancing in the sunlight ana
there l. the vcriest piamy. tossed like pup,
pet on It's colossal crest. What mortal ever found
himself in position 50 grotcsquc and yet 50 ter
rihlc?
The motion q body suspended on n Jet Of
water depends for the most part, on its shape and
weight. II too heavy. II falls instantly; II 700
light the fountain casts IL of like spray. In
form, sphere is the most easily supported; but
the capricous stream occasionally seems to tah"
a fancy for another figure. 50 tlat the most r.
regular of bodies may sometimes be- seen dancing
long and wildly and thus II must have been WIN
cantc Jet: IL neither threw me on nor JEFF IN" all
AZ first. for several seconds il kept me splnnn{
dIIIllv upon it, very summit then %, Glanced
10 come erect. 70 position which Afforded less re-
Si~iaucc | sank suddenly dozen feet WITHIN the
body of the ict-ouy. the n"\t instant 70 DO c,,s'
aloit again. io>~cl whiricd and shaken. ~ we
while this lasted il would poe i'm vain 10 spel5. for
felt rotiiu. with dstiuctn"SS The d7Iv height