The Princeton union., 1890-08-21
TgsN

me from him with such violence thai
Istumbled and fell. al
As ! rose to my feet ! heard his
voice in the distance calling out,
Strange things have happened III
| the Catacombs, sir. Find your way
out OF them if you can. Goodnight t..'''
'Stayl' I exclaimed in agony.
do not leave me here to perish!
Save me, ifyou have the heart Of a
mani 3..5 S.5ss
Il never listen to prayer or ap-
peal, he replied, with his hideous
sneering laugh. ST am pitiless as
Ideath. /. 573
And the echoes gave back the aw-
| ful word death! till a more dread
ful scene followed.
was alone in darkness, abandon
ed to the most horrible fate the inn
Iaginations can picture.
What was to be done? What
could be done in such terrible
crisis? My party would miss me, it
is true, and a search would be made
for me; bnt q regiment of men might
seek for days in this maze Of laby-
rinthine galleries without success /
must try and help myself. I re-
membered that / had in my pocket
two boxes of waxed matches, each
of which would burn ten or twenty
seconds. lighted one, and by it's
feeble light ascertained where I.was.
| was in one of the galleries Of the
quarries, and just beside me yawned
q black abyss Of unknown depth,
into which a single unwary step
might have precipitat me.
By keeping close to the wall /
could avoid this and similar pitfalls.
So / groped my way along The
passage wound and turned. The
horror of darkness was so great that
I sacrificed another match; but it
would not do to be SO lavish.
70 describe my sensations would
be utterly impossible. Ny brain
reeled, and if;I was on the very
verge OF madness, if not past it,
when 1 realized the tact thatI was
lost in the Catacombs.
But few hours since I was in the
full enjoyment of health and life,
sharing the gayeties of Paris, an
ticipating no evil, and now to die Of
starvation in this horrible cavern!
1 thought of home and it's dear ones,
my comfortable. house in Bedford
square, my peaceful occupation
there. my books, my easel, my pho
Geographic apparatus. s=5
Why did the spirit Of adventure
tempt me away from all the bless
ings that Provide vouchsafed to.
me, to wander in foreign lands?
Then my whole life passed in review
before me, with it's many vicissitudes,
it's sins Of ommission and commits
sion, and the faces Of the loved and
lost came to me with the smiles and
tears of the olden time. as
After hours Of fruitless wand dering
/ sat down exhausted and hopeless.
| was almost surprised to find my
self hungry. Then / remembe the
bread / had provided for the little
birds in the Tuileries garden. Itook
one of the small loaves and swallow
ed a few mouthfuls. The reader will
be surprised to learn that after thisI
felt sleepy. / was astonished my
self to find thatI was nodding. So:
4 spread my heavy cloak on the floor,
g and wrapping myself up in it was
soon fast asleep.
cannot tell how long my slumber
lasted. IWoke. however, to renew my.
struggles at escape. lit match after
match, and called aloud for help, till
my voice was utterly exhausted
Surely Imust have been missed, and a.
search must have been going on for
me? Alasl alas! no one responded to
my call. No footsteps but my own
echoed thraugh those dismal CALLER
les.
But now a new craving assailed.
me-thirst, more cruel than hunger.
Lack Of water kills quicker than lack
Of food. I no longer th ought Of es-I
Gaping from my living grave. NV
only CRY was for water, water! But.
this want was soon supplied. The
sacrifice OF a few more matches re-
vealed to me a little stream exuding
from the walls. II glued my lips to it,
and though the flavor was nauseous.,
yet never in the heat OF summer had
a goblet of iced champagne been
more delicious to my palate!
How long a time passed in my
dismal prison housed it is impossible
to say. Days, nights who can
measure them under such circum-
stances? Finally I had exhausted
my last crumb, and starvation star
ed me in my face. How could / now
sustain Life? Oddly enough / lust
then remembered the legend Of the
Beaumanoir arms.
Beaumanoir was a gallant French
character Of the olden time, who.
single handed, contended with q
score of English Knights Covered
with wounds, he asked his squire for
water, but water was not to- be had,
Drink thy blood Beaumanoir!''
was the reply Of the squire, and Bore
ton sang, Beaumnnoir, became att
erwards the motto of the family.
Before died could open q vein.