Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-06-17


nearly 900 feet into the burning sky
of the desert, my eye lit upon some well
defined outcroppings of quartz. This
seemed likely spot at which to COM
mence my prospecting, and hobbling my
burro and taking my prospecting pick /
began slowly to traverse the course of
the vein as it was defined by the crop
pings. As descended toward the Death
valley slope of the ridge the vein showed
still more strongly, and, intensely inter
ested, failed to notice that the ground
over which | was slowly picking my way
grew more and more precipitous
Suddenly, as l rounded rocky es-
carpment, the awful panorama of Death
valley unfolded itself to my view. had
never contemplated this scene without a
certain feeling of awe, and l now stood
motionless before the vast spectacle.
Seven thousand feet below me lay
the valley, hideous, repulsive, appalling
in its vista of desolation, its course de-
fined by apparently endless unheayals of
volcanic origin, while borne on the wings
of an approaching storm an enormous
cloud was sweeping toward me at least
half mile below From the center of
this cloud flashed incessant Ightnings,
and the reverberations of the accom-
panying thunder, echoing from rock to
rock, completed this picture of yerita-
BILE inferno.
Il can't tell you just how it happened.
but something moved under my feet as
stood watching the storm, and before
could help myself | was slipping down,
down, with Il rapidity that took away
my breath, toward the sheer edge of the
precipice.
"As | slid, however, | retained suffi-
cient presence of mind to clutch at every
thing which might impede my progress
but there was not much on that barren
slope. The next few seconds were ter
rible. | knew that if nothing stopped me
] was lost. 1t was while | was sliding
these few last feet that the phenomenon
so often experienced by men who have
been suddenly put in extraordinarily per-
ilous positions occurred in my own case
In single instant it seemed as if the
whole panorama of busy life, extending
over AZ years, was flashed before me-
passed in one moment from my child
hoods home in Connecticut to the awful
realization of present peril. Then there
was a sudden shock. | was brought up
by something that struck me under the
left arm, and | opened my eyes slowly, to
find myself in peculiar position.
Il was lying on my back at an angle of
about 80 degrees, my feet resting against
one of those yellow, cone shaped cacti,
which take such deep root in the soil
My left arm was cutching projecting
rock, which jutted TO a length of about
IS inches from the face of the precipice.
N.ifl fla,. Of 4I...
rested my fall. Unchecked by my spas
modic but wholly unconscious seizure of
the rock as | swept past it, on the one
hand ! must have plunged through the
cactus against which my feet now rested.
On the other hand, if my feet had not
struck the cactus my hold would have
been torn from the rock, which in its
turn partly supported me.
q was saved, This was my first refiec-
ton. Savedl Yes, but for lingering
and cruel fate.
Il was miles from a human habita-
ton. Accustomed to be gone from camp
for week or more at a time. my part
ner would not be at all alarmed at my
absence. Besides, how long could | re-
tain my present position? Already my
left arm was stiffened and cramped by
holding on to the rock, for l was afraid
to trust all my weight on the cactus.
Just then a shadow passed between
me and the sun. looked up. An enor-
nous vulture was ioa ing a few score
feet above me. 1 felt my nerves grad
ually breaking down as the utter hope
lessness of escape forced itself upon me.
''All this time | had not noticed that
I