The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-10

! see him. They helped her up and che
| looked into their faces You are going
I to leave himi" she cried; you are not
| going to try to save him.
"Fraulein. you know usi'' the elder said
! with a sad shake of his head. IF it were
/ possible. we would do it; but it is not.
Look for yourself. Fraulein.''
1t was true what he said. 1t was a
matter of a drop of eighty feet at most;
I but that glazed rock, shelving inward at
! that sharp angle. made it so hopeless
: that these men, who were brave as lions,
| who had behaved on more than one occa-
sion like heroes. who had twice saved her
own life. would not attempt it.
| She gave quick glance at their rope
| and at her own. which she had placed on
n rock by the side of the ice ak.
Il will do it," she said, and her face
! looked beautiful just then. with the light
| of firm purpose and self-sacrifice shining
, in her eyes. You have enough rope-I
| will try
"Fraulein. you must motif is deathr'
cried the guides, in fearful alarm You
know us-and We dare not"
| But | will" she cried. Give me dou-
| Bile rope, and an extra one. | can tie the
| knots. you know that-aud / shall not lose
my head. Come, FRITZ"
"Fraulein. you will be dashed to pieces
you give your life for nothing" the man
| said. 1T is impossibler
But to argue. to plead with her was use
| less, and they knew it; and with lremb-
| ling fingers the elder brother knotted the
| rope around her body and placed another
| coil in her hand. She was quite calm;
she even noticed the little red strands
| woven into the rope that told her it was
| the strongest and best obtainable- Ev-
| erything, she knew, depended on that
rome II she could reach Valance without
! being dashed to pieces. That was what
| the guides refused to risk. and she knew
| that she was not Drawer than they. only
more foolish.
In silence they lowered her; they could
M n
| in speech
1t was no new sensation to her-it had
been necessary on several Of her climbs;
and her balance was perfect. She looked
down and saw something that brought her
heart to a standstill. She was some Jhir-
ty feet above the ledge where Valance
lay, some tirteen feet away from it hori-
ZontaIly. owing to the shelving of the
rock; and the young mans body was in
such a position that il must infallibiy slip
off the ledge in a very short time. She
saw also that the ledge was at the *
treme end of what might almost be call
that level with her eyes was deep lis
sure. the under portion of which jutted
out in a small peak, and that this assure
overhung the ledge almost perpendicu-
Iarly.
!. Her trained eye took it in in a moment
the possibility. the one slender chance.
She could loop her extra rope over that
jutting peak and lower herself right on
To the ledge. But first she must get at it,
1t was at least ten feet away. there was
only one thing to do-to swing herself
on to il.
She shouted, and they understood above
and ceased serving out the rope. Then
she swung herself slowly, with incredible
skill, each time a little nearer, until at
last she was thrown against the face of
the rock Just in the right place, dizzy
with a rushing of waters in her ears and
bleeding hands To slip the moose of the
extra rope round the juttting peak of the
tssure was the work of moment. She
shouted again. more taintlS, and the rope
was served out once more. Slowly she
lowered herself by the aid of a third
rope; and she dare not look beneath her.
But she had achieved the impossible:
her foot touched the rock Another shout,
balance. and she found herself kneeling
beside the huddIed heap that had started
ont so confidently few short hours ago.
She could not stop to see whether he
were dead or alive. With her grazed ting-
ers she tied the rope around his body, and
her brain, working autOmat lcally, Won
dered why she had done this thing, and
could find no answer. She only knew that
as she swung, half blind and deaf. near
er death than she had ever been in her
life. one thing was clear to her-she must
get at him-he must be saved!
1t was only seconds. but it seemed CEN
turtles before the knots We're tied; then,
knowing that the worst danger was to
come, she pulled the signal rope.
simultaneously winding. her arms
around the mans body and turning sick
with fear at the dead weight of it, the
woman again swung out. then again, and
again, and again. and the fourth time as
she kicked out with her feet. to prevent
their being dashed against the rock, the
sole was torn clean off her boot But as
they swung out into space. almost uneon-
scious as she was. she knew that the
worst was over, for. with a shvcring
jerk. the rope gradually steadied itself.
and they were hauled uD without the
frightful swinging that might ut any mo-
ment have meant instant death.