The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-07-08

gave a nOWl l1ke WHO DedSI, ana
turned again to have hard fight to
brush the rushing water, which near
ly took me eff my legs. But the fear
of death lent me help, and l got on
| and on again till l felt myself in a
turning which l soon knew was a
smaller sewer, and from thence l
reached another, where had to stoop:
but the water was shallower, not above
my knees, and at last much less than
that that.
Here l knelt down to rest, and the
position brought something else from
my heart; and. after a while, still
STOPPING, l went on, till, having pass
ed dozens upon dozens of drains, l
determined to creep up one, and l did.
Praps you won't think it strange,
as dream and groan in bed some
times, when l tel you what followed
crawled on, and on, and on, in the
hopes that the place l was in would
lead under one of the street gratings,
and l kept staring in the hopes of
catching a CLEAN of light, till at last
the place seemed so tight that l dared
go no farther, for fear of being fixed
in. SO began to back very slowly.
and then, feeling it rather hard work,
stopped for rest.
1t was quite dry here; but scuffling
on in front, kept hearing the rats 1
had driven before me; and now that |
stopped and was quite still, half a
dozen of them made rush to get past
me, and the little fight which followed
even now gives me the horrors I'd
hardly room to move; but [ killed one
by squeezing him, when the others
backed off, but not till my face was
bitten and running with blood.
At last, half dead, | tried to back
ont, for the place seemed to stife me;
and pushed myself back a little way
and then / was stopped. for the skirts
of my jacket filled up what little space
had been left, and 1 felt that l was
wedged in, stuck fast
Now came the horrors again worse
than ever The hot blood seemed to
gush into my eyes: felt half suffo-
Gated: end, to add to my sufferings, a
rat that felt itself, as it We're, pen
ned, up fastened upon my lip 1t was
its last bite, however, for, half mad as
[ felt then, my teeth had closed in a
moment upon the vicious beast, and it
was dead.
[ made one more struggle, but
could not move, | was SO knocked up;
and then | tainted
It must have been some time before
/ come to myself; but when l did, the
first sound l heard was regular
tramp, tramp,of someone walking over
my head, and gave long yell for
help, when, to my great joy, the step
halted, and shrieked again. and the
sweetest sound have ever heard in
my life came back 1t was voice
shonting;-
"Hallow
Stuck fast in the drainr I shouted
with all the strength l had left and
then l swooned off once more, to wake
up week afterwards out of a b,ain-
fever sleep in hospital.
1t seems | had got within a few
yards of a grating which was An end
O the drain, and the close quarters
made the rats so fierce The police
man had heard my shrek, and had
listened at the grating, and then got
help; but he was only laughed at, for
they could get no further answer out
O me. 1t was then about half past
three on summers morning; and
though the CRATE was got open, they
were about to give it up, saying the
policeman had been humbugged
when couple o sweeps came up, and
the little 'un offered to go down back
ards, and he did, and came out direct
ly after, saying that he could feel a
mans head with his toes
That policeman has had many a
glass at my expense since, and l hope
he'll have many more; and when he
tells me the story, which like to heal
but always take care shall be wher
Polly's away-he says he knows how
| should have liked TO see how they
tore that drain UP in no time Tt
which there's always such an echo il
my heart. that it comes quite natura
to say, Your right, my boyw