Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-09-16
cptoM 1s by the international, Literary Service


and went to work and pulled myself
up from one point to another with
great care and prodigious exertion. the
result being that in an hour or so had
risen 200 feet farther and was at an el-
ovation of 700 feet above the lake.
1t was now high time that should
put into play the apparatus fashioned
for me by the Florentine artisan.
took from leather pouch, which was
slung ut my side. hammer and five
eighths inch octagon rock drill OF
about ten inches in length, and, reach
ing up about six feet from the ledge
where stood. drilled hole some
three inches deep and with a down
ward slant of perhaps 30 degrees into
the rock. then took from the same
receptacle a stout steel hook, having
"a round shank five-elghths Of an inch
In diameter and three inches long. to
which hook were attached two straps,
one two and the other three feet III
length. each having at its end good
sized steel stirrup. Placing the shank
Of the hook into the hole which ! had
made. with both hands l hung my
weight upon It, and, putting my left
foot into the long stirrup, l drew my
self up and put my right foot into the
short stirrup. The hook was now OH
level with my waist To my belt was
fastened u large harness snap. l I'M
mediately snapped this upon the hook,
and my arms and hands were now free
to recommence operations with anoth-
er set of hook and stirrups, which /
still had in my bag. The shape and
inclination Of the hook itself as well as
the way my weight hung upon 1t pre-
vented it from having disposition to
work out of its socket, while the down.
ward bend of 1t next to the shank Kept
1t from turning around. With this
same contrivance / had ascended the
Mesa Encantada Of New Mexico. The
porous red sandstone with which
now had to do was much easier to
work than the granite Of the mesa.
and | had no doubt Of the success of
nv enterprise. l had 500 feet to climb,
each operation using up about five
minutes and advancing me about four
feet. 1t would therefore take me ten
hours to get to the top Of the rock.
A very agreeable surprise awaited
me. however. had been hard at work
for about quarter of an hour and was
busily engaged in picking away ut my
fourth hole when, suddenly and with
out warning, l felt some object strike
me on the back Of the head. natural
ly desisted from my work and looked
about me and was not little surprised
to find an inch rope Of good Italian
hemp, with a moose at the end of 1t.
dangling Just before my nose. which
rope hung down from the top of the
cliff. rising 500 feet above my head.
| saw that the moose was being low
cred slowly past me, and caught hold
Of it and gave it good stout pull. AT
once it came to a standstill, and pres
emily felt an answering tug from
above. The moose was now about on
a level with my knees. | placed one
foot within it and bore with most OF
my weight upon the rope. In mo-
ment | was conscious Of being lifted.
detached my apparatus from the
rocks and gave myself up with all the
confidence In the world to the delight
full assistance which had so opportune-
ly come 10 me.
In five minutes l had gone up fully
800 feet and was consequently thou
sand feet above the surface Of the lake.
was not bothered with amy apprehen'
sion that my friends above might let
me drop, for the reason that never
allow my thoughts to dwell upon any
thing dsagreeable. was about to win
NV bet with the count, / had made
the interesting discovery that the top
of the mesa was inhabited. and as
was upon the point of crowning ana
surprising all my previous achieve
ments in the way Of climbing was
supremely triumphant and happy.
When l had still about $50 feet to 20,
| passed a cavelike hole In the face
Of the rock, hole about two and
half feet in diameter and running In.
ward to such depth that l could not
see the end Of it. 1t seemed OF small
importance to me at the time. but AFT
erward had good reason to remember
1t.
Very soon could hear creaking as
Of q windlass upon which the cable
was being wound, and could now see
that the latter ran upon pulley.
which was mortised into the end OF
stout timber projecting some three feet
over the edge of the cliff. When was
within fifteen feet Of the top, the wind
lass suddenly stopped working, and
remained stationary. The face OF an
old man. a broad and jovial face. with
watery gray eyes. Roman nose and a
white, stubby beard. looked down on
me over the parapet. and / heard my
self thus accosted:
Marry. fair sir, but are thou Tim
othy"
The question was put with q reason
ably good Tuscan idiom and accent,
which gave me some satisfaction. for
the reason that l knew myself thor
oughly at home in that language.
was not surprised at the mention OF
nv name. It was merely a coinci-
dence, than which had known OF
many much more wonderful.
Certainly l am" said l.
The old fellow went back to the
windlass and ascended six or seven
feet farther and then again came to
stop. He looked over the precipice
again and once more addressed me:
"Now. perdio, sayst thou sooth-art
thou really the prince"
Some people would have been idiotic
enough to answer no. was not Of
their number. I was still walking
upon air, and 1 felt that policy was
better than honesty as long as l was
dangling above 1000 feet Of ether
"Old gentleman" said I, II am the
prince and none other. But hasten
with thy hosting, as my position Is
becoming somewhat fatiguing."