The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1896-07-31


i;iySeif on my face-I had not sunk he
low my waist-and elawed the bank IN
Al frantic endeavor to draw my SELF out.
Ny fingers slipped through the soft
mud and touched some hard, smooth
substance. buried about three inches
below the surface.
i struggled TO grasp 1t, but IL was
too large for my fingers TO grip. 1t WAS
= tree that had probably grounded on
the flat long ago, and the tides had
gradually driftei the sand over it
When one II in position of great
bodily danger. events succeed one an
other much more rapidly than they
can be afterNVard told The telling of
tins has taken a great deal longer time
than its actual occurrence. \ few min
utes only had PASSED sinc,. l started to-
ward the dyke.
The sound Of the tide now rushing
over the lower part of the flats called
NE To- a sense Of uenS danger.
~Eyen If was able is keep from sink
iHE for a little While. the red water
would soon rise over the placr of nv
Imprisonment ana complete what ths.
gulckSs.nd~ had ~ surely beluu-
Drowning b. said ro i- the easiest
of deaths thuG-ht I. though ana kIud
was preferable to bsiu. -morhsrei Iu
sozy quicb~-IuI
I'm tine water. ton. 7 could az beast
StruE-ls- t-shr for Ife. Iut fu shat
narrow, clinEu- gravy. every limb
t-puud a~ s,ifh elastic cords aIIu,, lr-r
freedom pulg Co tHr extent oF .imf.g
ulad-i,uiu-E aus- caught .rkra a r..l--raI..-
-y iu "a -F.Irr'- 1E,a. 0 vuaII uar ,isu
have tEr sIr.-iaUE.ar uf -frH-l-IIr-s.
The f-elIug uf fear thar fr-f T---
----.d u- gradually I-ff- Hr rlat l--
uuuis7l us --H-.-- and la If- rIarr
'aulr strange f1rrasa-. -aeL a- one
trrlu- l,l.u Ig.rr laIf avail
The Sun zHrU...T ttlrIr- Ir. u.sr-IHr
/ rays into lly brain The Lol.r-- er, of a.
raven FAR lp .u rae -E. .auls falutIg ta
ul,- D s.srlrl..l r.ll ar. l.- laars. ,IarI.
. -T--e'-s showing against "a iarsl.rsau.i
uf white r.uud-- fuariu-s- fIaallls and
~ arshIu--
Il wondered It rhr F--gL uf q. ravens
I fs-li ou ones hrsii ssuuIa l.ulf much 20
thsy We're up rlser- whiting far m- o.
dir. Then Q rr.lsemi--r-i chat before
was dead would Dr.. burl,d-
Il smii,d -,rimly at tbe Thought OF
Z cA-sltiug them Eut 70 they c5im, b,-
4 forrr IU~iiustis,lg f-It f.r ml knife
/ could ky,p htrl aiT with d. My knife,
/ Like "a Hash eausr the Thought that IL
] would bs a means uf rescue
The cloud of Taucie~ seemed to lift
from ny BRAN. With trembling Tin
] gers. / hurri-dly Gre,s it ont and opened
IT, r. yya> tite fqd known uamongschoo
boys a. 'roaL~tli,ller.' stout md strong
Hopefully. U TN one hand, felt for
the tree. but 1 lad sunk ~ far in the
mud hat Il was now beyond my reach
\ groan burs; through my clenehed
teeth. a. my last hope fled
1T seemed as if must give up But
] life X slye,-1->o sweet Ia one about 10
lose 1t. One more effort. then-a re
] qtiem chanted toy the waves and flung
landward 10y the winds
Making Il violent struggle, I thrust
my hand that held the knife a. far for
ward a. l could and struck down with
all my strength
The tree must have been lying
obliquely along the sides OF The gully,
- that my left hand had not been able
L. reach il: but my right, in which Was
the knife, had found 1t. The blade sank
into the soft. half-decayed wood. Slip
I
tree as possible. 20 As not 10 pull the
knife out and placing my left hand over
my right. TO give myself greater pur-
chase l pulled. Slowly. almost imper-
ceptibly. the dreadful sucking power
WAS leSsened-NaLS stopped, Slowly
NV arms bent-I was gaining. Wrench
ing the knife out. l drove IL In farther
up the trunk, repeating this again and
again. for l was able To draw myself
only few inches at a time, until I
finally lay my length over the tree-
saved,
Il had thrown the gun high up on
the fiat when / first found that ! was
fast. Recovering II now, l gained the
| dvke. to fall weak and trembling on the
grass. ] lay there until the tide had risen
| to the dyke Then washing the mud out
of my clothes l spread them in the sun
| to drv. When l had finished IL was
flood tide. the water WAS still and
smooth as a mirror, except where here
| and there mounds Of amber-colored
foam or a piece of driftwood broke the
surface.
Il shuddered a. my eyes, drawn by a
strange fascination, sought out the
! spot. now covered 10y many feet OF
water. where short time before had
80 narrowly escaped a terrible death
when l reached my boarding house,
tired and hungry. the harvest moon was
shining brightly l thought with a
shudder of the cold white glitter OF the
wet sands. and how nearly that night
her beams had rested on my grave -
I Golden DAYS