Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-04-25

/ the path which he had traced out for
/ himself in a dotted line was an i'm
possible one Nevertheless, he turn
! ed his hand behind him and waved a
signal of encouragement, but he new
er once looked back or down.
Then he seemed to gather resolu
ton; stuck fast one gait, and then
another, into two tiny riffs in the cliff
and drew himself up over a space of
seven or eight feet to the ledge above.
| Then, for the first time he turned and
/ looked down. These riffs ran oblique
ly, and from his gestures it seemed
only too plain that he doubted if he
could get back. But his courage did
not fail him, and after minutes rest
he resumed his perilous journey,
sometimes being suspended in the
air by both arms, sometimes by one,
with no place TO put his toe; yet it
was marvellous to see the progress he
made up the iron stained face Of the
steep wall.
Near the top the cliff beetled out
above his head, and he crept along the
ledge, first to one side and then to
another, looking for some part Of the
rock above him where he could get
hold for his steel hooks. He tried one
place and another, but was afraid to
trust himself, and at last discovered a
small rift through which a tiny stream
of water trickled, and into that he
thrust both his gaffs, lifting himself
lightly upward.
This was the most perilous spot of
all, for above him was a stretch of
about fifteen feet of bald cliff; below
him lay an abyss nearly four hundred
feet deep with surging sea and cruel
rocks at the bottom. To turn his
head and look down would be terror
and immediate destruction, 50 he
climbed on and on shifting his gaffs
from one holding point to another,
sticking his knees hard against the
cliff and hardly ever finding a spot to
place his foot. Then the summit was
reached and he sprang lightly upon
the rim of the guano burned sod.
The two breathless watchers below
pulled off their caps and hurrahed,
but he stood silently at the dizzy top
till the echoes of their voices in the
cliffs had died. Raising his hand to
get their attention he shouted in a
strong mournful tone, "I can never
go back. Don't wait for me, but try
if you can get help" Then he sat
down upon rock, exhausted from
the desperate climb.
The top of the island was about
three acres in area, and was inhabited
by more than five thousand birds. It
would be almost impossible to take
step in any direction without treading
into nest, and the mothers became
Infatuated as George walked about,
rose with shrill cries, brushing his
face with their wings and pecking
savagely at him. The wings of the
other birds lowering about and flying
across the island fairly darkened the
ground, and there were tumult and
anger among all the cormorants at the
intrusion upon their abode.
George struck several of the birds
with one of his gaffs, and, after killing
them by pounding their heads against
rock, threw them over the preci-
pice to the boys below, for he knew
they would linger about the base of
island before returning home. Then |
with despair in his heart he sat upon
the sod near the verge Of the cliff and
watched for the departure of the skiff.
Night soon fell upon sea and land;
and he sat there through the pitchy |
dark, hour after hour, terrified by the |
lightning and deafening |
thunder and deluged by the pitiless
rain. Not once through that long
and terrible night did he close his
eyes in sleep, and when the grey dawn
in the east great .throb of
hope went through his heart.
The clouds rolled away and the sun
burned up on the edge of the sea like
a large scarlet furnace. And with the
rising of the sun came the voices of
his parents and friends from the
mainland asking him how he had
Jared through the night and telling
him to keep up his spirits. Then
some of them tried to throw across
food made up in tins and little par
cells, but they all fell short and drop
ped into the gulf below.
He was now tortured with hunger,
and on the advice of his mother, who
stood IL, front Of the assem- bIaOa on
the mainland, he built a fire out of the
deeayed grasses and weeds, the dry
bones of birds and nest materials, and
roasted half-dozen eggs, selecting
the fresh ones when cooked and eat