The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-02
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY. JANUARY ?. 1879.

To- D..
the horn of arrack from his pocket ana
drank. He had two hundred feet moro I'm
climb, and the next hundrod-tnat vould
test him, that would be the ordealt
There was no time to lose While ho hung
there a musket shot could pick him ofr
from below, and there was NO r.iiirs. how,
soon his deserton would be discovered Its
hoped Il would not be I'm mornins M,
started again. This was travail tDaapd
His rough fingers his toes which were
almost like horn, began 10 bleed once oi.
twice he swung quite clear of lie ,sY
hanging by his fingers to catch g., .til....
foothold TO right or left and just eettju.r
il by an inch, or less, sometimes Tra
strain and tension were terrible. ills head
appeared to swell and hll with blood. .n
top il hurt him so much that il seemed a..
him it must burst. His neck was .uin.
horribly with the constant looking up. tn1
skin of his knees was gone his ankles.
We're bruised. But he must keep on an ne
got to the top, or until he fell.
He was lighting on in a kind of dream
which was quite apart from all usual feel
ings OF this world. The earth Itself seem
ed far away, and he was toiliug amors
vastness. himself a giant with Immense
frame and huge. sprawling limbs 1t was
like the dreams which come in Sleep. when
the body is an elusive, stupcndoos mass
that falls into space after a confused
struggle with nmmensities. II was all
mechanical, vague, almost numb-this er-
fort to overcome a mountain. Yet il was
precise and hugely expert too: for though
there was strange mist on the brain th,s
body felt its way with singular certain
~. as might some moluscau dNcller of
the sea, which is sensitive like a plant
with intuition like an animal Yet some
times it seemed that this vast BODY over
coming the mountain would let go It's hold
eli st,tN L..
depths. There was strange convulsive
shiver in every nerve.
God have mercy. the time was come now!
No, not yet. At the very instant when
II seemed this painting flesh and blood
would be shaken off by the granite force
repelling it, the fingers Ike great an
tennae touched horns of rock, iutting out
from lodges. ON the third escarpment of
the wall Here was the last point Of the
second and worst stage of the Journey
Slowly, heavily, the body drew up TO the
shelf of limestone. and crouched in an
inert bundle. There il lay for long time
While the long minutes went by, a voice
kept calling up from below-callng. call
ing, at first eagerly, then anxiously. then
with terror By and by the bundle of life
stirred, took shape raised itself. aud was
changed into man again, a thinking con
scious being, who now understood the
meaning of this sound coming from the
earth-or was il the sea below Ii was
human voice which had at last pierced
the awful exhaustion, the deadly labor
the peril end strife which had numbed
the brain of man, while the BODY i'm its
instinct for existence still chung to the
rocky lodges. 1t had called the man back
to earth-he was no longer a great ami
nal, and the rock a monster with skins
and scales of stone
Antoine! Antoine All, Antolner' called
the voice
Now he knew. He answered down:
An right! All right, Minois"
Are you at the top?"
mo, but the rest is easy"
Hurry. hurry. Antoinci If they should
come before you reach the topr
tn soon be there. All but, Minois. il
was awfulr'
Are you hurt, Antoine?"
No, but my fingers are in rags. am
going now, a bftotu'
"Antoinew
''sh! do not speak. am startingl"
There was silence for what seemed
hours to the girl below Foot by foot the
man climbed on no less cautious because
the ascent was easier, for he had become
weaker. But he was on the monsters neck
now, and soon he should set his heel on
1.-THE was not to be shaken off.
At last the victorious moment came.
over jutting ledge he drew himself IN
by sheer strength and the rubber-like grin
OF his lacerated fingers body. legs knees
ana now he lay fiat and breathess upon
the ground.
How soft and cool was it, This was
long, sweet grass that touched his face.
which made a couch like down for the
battered wearied body. Surely this ira.
van mad been almost more than mortal
ana what was this vast auttering over his
head, this million-voiced discord rouno
him, like the buffetings and cries of snir-
It's who welcome another to their tor
inent? He raised his head and laughed in
triumph. These were the cormorants.
gulls and gannets on the Perez rock.
Antoine Robichon had done what man
had never done before him. he had done
u IN the night, with only the moon to
tighten the monstrous labor of his incred-
ible adventure: he had accomplished Il,
without help of any mortal sort
Legions of birds clrcled over him with
wild cries, so shrill and scoIding that a,
hfst he did not hear Minois' voice cali
ing up to him. AT last, however. remem-
perlng ne leaned over the cliff and saw
her standing in the moonlight far below
Her voice came up to him indistinctly
because Of the clatter of the birds-"An-
tome, Antoine" She could not see him
fer this part of the rock was in shadow.
An, ba, all rightr he said and taking
hold of one end of the Irvine he had
brought, he let the roll fall. 1t dropped
almost at Minois' feet She fastened the
rope she had got at The post 70 the end
of It, and called to Antoine. He drew n
up quickly. She had found no rope long
enough, SO she had tied three together
Antoine must splice them perfectly. Once
more he let down the Irvine, and she fast
ened 1t to his blanket. II was a heavy
strain on the twine but the blanket and
the FOOD enclosed were got up safely She
called Tor him to lower again. and this
time he hauled UP tobacco, tea. matches.
needles, cotton, knife and a horn of rum.
NOW she called for him TO splice the ropes
properly. There was no time to do thar.
but he tied them firmly together and let
the great coil down. This time was drawn,
up musket and ammunition and an
other blanket Again the rope went down.
and the two bundles of sticks and fag-
gots were attached. with flint and steel.
also small roll of coarse cotton. ana
bearskin. Last of all come a small
tent, and bundle of woman's clothes.
The rope I'd not come down again at
once.
Antoine! Antoinew called the girl
He was untying the bundle of woman's
clothes, and trying to make out what they
were, by holding them up in the moon
oh he IL.