The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-11-26

Now my eyes closed conyulsively, to
shut out the abyss down which my
glance had fallen. Shuddering, pressed
hard again the solid wall at my back.
An appalling cold slowly crept through
me. NJ reason struggled against wild
desire to leap. All the demons of de-
spair whispered to me to make an In
slant end. In imagination had leaped.
I felt the swooning helplessness of fall
ing and the cold, upward rush of air.
Still pressed hard back against the
wall of rock. and, though nearly faint
from teTro' never forgot for an instant
the death Il my feet nor the utter dan
ger of the slightest motion. How long
this weakness lasted know not. / only
know that the unspeakable horror OF
that first period has come to me in wax
ing dreams many and many a day since;
that I have long nights of that deadly
fear; that to think of the past is to
stand again on that narrow foothold,
and to look around on the earth is often
to cry out with joy that it widens away
from my feet.
Suddenly these words flashed to my
brain: "Are not two sparrows sold for
farthing? And one of them shall not
fall on the ground without your Father.
Fear not, therefore. Ye are of more
value than many sparrows T" My facul-
ties SO strained, seemed to hear the
words. Indeed, often yet think that I
did truly hear a voice utter them very
near me.
Instantly hope arose, consciously des-
perate indeed, but [ became calm, re-
sourceful, capable and feeling unac-
countably aided. Careful not to look
down. opened my eyes and gazed far
away over the bright sea. The rippled
pillows told that light outward breeze
had sprung up. Slowly and somewhat
more distant the two briggs moved to-
ward the horizon. Turning my head, |
could trace the narrow stone of my foot
ing to where my rope dangled, perhaps
800 yards distant.
1t seemed to hang within easy reach
of the cliffs face, and instantly [ re-
solved and as instantly proceeded to
work toward it. No time remained for
hesitation. Night was coming on. |
reasoned that my comrades thought nae
killed. They had probably gone to view
the new condition of the precipice from
q lower station, and on their return
would haul up and carry off the rope.
I made a move toward it. Try to think
of that journey!
Shutting sidewise very carefully, |
had not made five yards before l knew
that I could not continue to look out
over that abyss without glancing down,
and that could not glance down with
out losing my senses. Imagine trying
to move sidewise, incapable OF closing
your eyes, forced to look down from end
to end 800 feet! Imagine you've got
to go on or jump off! Would you not,
in an, ecstasy of nervous agitation, fall
to your knees, get down face first at full
length, clutch by your hands and, with
shut eyes, feel your way? I longed to
lie down and hold, but of course that
was impossible.
The wall at my back made it worse.
The cliff seemed to press outward
against me. 1t did, in fact, incline very
slightly outward. 1t seemed to be
thrusting me off. Oh, the horror of that
sensation! Your toes on the edge Of a
precipice, and the implacable, calm
mountain apparently weighing you slow
~ forward.
knew that with my back to the wall
[ could never reach the rope. I could
not face toward it and step forward, SO
narrow was the ledge. Motion was per-
haps barely possible that way, but the
breadth of my shoulders would have
forced me to lean somewhat more out
ward, and this dared not and could
not do. Also to see solid surface be-
fore me became an irresistible desire. l
resolved to try to turn round before re-
Stunning the desperate journey. To do
this had to nerve myself for one steady
look at my footing.
In the depth below the myriad sea
fowl then rested on the black water,
which, though swelling more with the
rising wind had yet an unbroken sur
face at some little distance from the
precipice, while farther out it had be-
gun to jump to whitecaps, and in be-
meath me, where I could not see, it
dashed and churned with faint, per-
vading roar that I could barely distin-
guish. Before the descending sun
heavy bank of cloud had arisen. The
oceans surface bore that appearance of
intense and angry gloom that often her.
aids storm, but, save the deep MUIR
muir going out from below my perch,
all to my hearing was deadly still.
Cautiously swung my right foot be-
fore the other and carefully edged
around. For an instant, as my shoulder
rubbed against the rock, felt that /
must fall. / did stagger, in fact, but
the next moment stood firm, face to the
beetling cliff, my heels Oh the very edge,
and the new sensation of the abyss be-
hind me no less horrible than that from
which had with such difficulty escaped.
1 stood quaking. A delirious horror
thrilled every nerve. The skin about
my ears and neck, suddenly cold, shrank
convulsively.
Wild with fear, thrust forward my
head against the rock and rested in