St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-04-07

i ne TWO GREATNESS watchers DelOW
pulled off their caps and hurrahed,
bnt 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
strong, mournful tone, Il can never
90 back. Don't wait for me, but try
if YOU can get help" Then he sat
down upon a rock, exhausted from
the desperate climb.
The top of the island was about
three acres in area, and was lnhab1t-
ed bv more than five thousand birds.
1t would be almost impossible to
take step in any direction without
treading into a nest, and the mothers
became infuriated as George walked
about, and 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 kill
against a rock, threw them over the
precipice to the boys below, for he
knew they would linger about the
base of the island for while before
returning home. Then with de-
spair 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
binding 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 gray
dawn appeared in the east a great
throb of hope went through his
heart.
The clouds had rolled away and
the sun burned upon the edge of the
sea like large scarlet furnace. And
with the rising Of the sun came the
voices ofhis parents and friends from
the mainland asking him how he had
Jared through the night and telling
him to keep up his spirits. Then
oSo0
food made up in tins and little par
GELS, but they all fell short and
dropped into the gulf below.
He was now tortured with hunger,
and on the advice ofhis mother, who
stood in front of the assemblage on
the mainland, he built a fire out of
the decayed grasses and weeds, the
dry bones of birds and nest materials
and roasted a half-dozen eggs, select
ing the fresh ones when cooked and
eating them.
So far no one could devise any
means of reaching him. 1t was i'm
possible to stretch a ladder across,
and access from below was equally
impossible. His father and several
fishermen tried for hours to fly a
rope across the chasm, but fell short
fully forty feet from the brink OF
the island. The group stood there
in mute sorrow, the mother constant
" shouting across words of encOur-
agement.
, Hour after hour passed, till the sun
had passed the meridian, then the
: party on the mainland heard a wild
, cawing close beside them, and turn
ing saw that Jack, poor Georges
raven, had joined them. Evidently
) the bird had followed the party at a
safe distance, remaining all these
hours in the background, but at last
ventured to show himself. No soon
l er did George see him than an idea
flashed through his mind, and raising
his voice he cried: "Catch Jack and
fasten the smallest rope you have tC
| L. 7 l.,
it across"
Fortunately one of the party ha6
, brought along reel of cod line. sc
the bird was captured and the line
fastened to his leg, after which il
5 was placed in loose coil on the
brink of the mainland cliff. Come
Jack, come" shouted George, anc
. Immediately upon the bird being re
leased he plunged out into the all
across the gulf with exultant chat
tering, dragging the line, and made
straight for George, perching at hi:
feet and looking at him with wide
l curious eyes.
The party on the mainland under
stood the expedient, and immediate
1 ly fastened the end of one of thu
E heavy coils of rope to the small line
e and then fastened carefully together
e all the heavy coils. Taking the small
e line in his hand, George drew across
e the heavy coil, and when he got holo
: of the end of it dragged it to per
t pendicular rock and carefully fastened
t it around it. The men on the main
i land then threw the joined cabl
$ carefully over into the gulf, and i
3 went with a swash down into thu
;, sea.
, George next fastened the line from
, Jacks leg, then saying a few cheer,
: words to his mother got over tn
rope and descended swiftly dow
t over the precipice and was received
hel0uu hu a boat which law by tn