The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-01-01
gelett Sturp.
LEFT IN THE PIT.

home of my betrothed. But my horst
was good and | rode hard | might be ae
Trevesy by nightfall There was sprin-
kle of snow on the ground, and feathery
shower fell lightly around me, of which [
thought nothing till sunset. The short, dark
day was over at ) O clock and at that hour
sharp wind sprang mp and the snow be-
gan falling thickly [ felt somewhat
blinded and bewildered by the big flakes,
every flying downward, and onward, and
around me, like cold, patient army,
whose onslaught could never be stayed or
driven back
Still | pushed on, though the poor beast
| rode shook and trembled, and strove, in
his dumb way, to reason against my head
strong will. And now, with some dismay,
suddenly perceived, by the sinking Of
my horse, even to his fanks in heaped
snow, that, bewildered by the whiteness,
he and | had lost the road 1t was but a
rough road at the best, for | was i'll a
wild country, where mines were many and
men and dwellings, few. Extricating my
poor steed from the drifted snow wherein
he foundered | rested him moment and
shouted for help. Again and again my
cry came back to me, following on the
wings of the cold wind, but no other sound
broke the deathly stiffness of the night.
O, for the saving light in some charita
BILE window But there was none-only
snow and darkness, darkness and snow all
around | thought it terrible, and yet in
little span of time from this would have
deemed it paradise to be lying lonely in
the heaped snow upon this drear moor.
| put my horseato Il sharp canter and he
went about furlong blindly, then stood
still snorting with terror. strove to urge
him on, but he refused to obey either whip
or spur. Seeing no reason for my horse S
fright OF stubbomness spurred him sharp
ly, and urged him with angry voice to
obedience His wonderful obstinacy COM
PEELED me at length to dismount, and, with
drawn sword in my hand, prepared for
highwayman or footpad, dragged him
onward by the bride. Upon this he made
one hasty plunge forward, then stopped,
and at the same instant the earth went
from beneath my feet and | fell-fell |
knew not whittier, down, down, into deep
darkness unfathomable, terrible as the
great pit | can scarcely say whether [
thought as fell, yet l knew | was going
to death-knew | was descending one Of
those unused shafts that lie on many Il
Cornish moor-knew that my bones would
be unthought of in its depths forever.
But even at that instant my flight was
arrested, and | hung in mid air, clinging
by my hands, to what | knew not 1t was
my sword, which had forgotten that |
held. By miracle it had thrust itself as
fell between the earth and the rocks in
the side of the shaft, and, jammed fast, it
| held me up.
[ cannot explain how this occurred.
only know that it was so. As the cry for
mercy escaped my lips the mercy came.
Nv sword caught in the interstices of the
rock, and I was held up, my feet dangling
over the abyss, my hands clinging to the
hilt of my good blade. 1t was firm as a
wedge; | could feel that in spite of my
trembling; yet still my position was horri-
bic. To remain thus, to hold on, was
torture unutterable, but to yield, even for
moment, was death. There was no hope
for relief even for hours; there was no pos
sibility of relief of posture; there was moth
inc but strong endurance and courage to
carry me through | waited, | suffered,
| prayed.
1t was night to me of fire. The winds
blew and the snow fell, but the cold
| touched me not | had fallen too deeply
| in the shaft for that, even if my tortured
blood could have felt it.
Morning broke at last, and hope grew
with it. At intervals l had called aloud
through all the night, but now, with
scarcely any intermission, Iraised my voice
in cries for help. did this till WEAKNESS
stopped me, and rested in agonized hope
of voice in reply. There was none. No
4 sound reached me- I was in my grave
alone. | called again again, again. L
husbanded my voice. | drew in breath
and shouted with the strength Of despair.
| There was no answer.
The sun travelled upward, and | knew
| it was high noon, though to me the stars
were visible likewise; yet the midday rays
shone somewhat into the shaft and showed
me how | hung. The pit here was quite
| perpendicular; it sloped slightly from my
feet upward, and I had found rest for one
! foot on ledge of the rock. o, the ease
to my anguish from this merciful rest
Tears sprang to my eyes as thanked God
/ for it.
The sun had shown me that to climb
out of the pit unaided was impossible, so
| | called for help again, and called till my
/ voice failed me- ceased to cry, and
night fell down again.
As the hours crept on kind of mad
ness seized me; phantoms sprang up from
the pit and tempted me to plunge below;
horrible eyes glared on me. But worst of
all was the sound of water-a purling rill
flowing gently in my very ears, trickling
drop by drop in sweetest music, horribly
distant. Water To reach water would
willingly die; but knew it was madness,
so resisted the fiery thirst that would
have me release my hold and perish
Water Yes, there was water at the
bottom of the shaft, fathoms deep below
my feet, but | could only reach that to
die; and there was water on the fair earth
fathoms above me-water | should never
see again.
l grew dizzy--sick-blind | should
have tainted --have fallen-died; but as
leaned my head against the rock felt as
though cold, refreshing hand were laid
upon it suddenly.