The Morris County chronicle., 1905-02-14

/ 1t was not an instant 700 soon. /
felt the wet rope slipping through my
hands. Leaving go with one hand
clutched out wildly for the knotted
rope, and by the happiest chance sue
ceeded in seizing it.
got a cross-piece between my feet,
and was comparatively safe, II Lola
had strength to hold on for few mo-
ments. But that might not take her
too greatly, still grasped the wet
rope.
"savedv' ] called out to her.
s'Not for long" shouted Van Hoeck
from the opposite side, and heard
the snap of the spring as he closed the
breechloader, and then the "click" as
be cooked the piece.
Would he shoot me or the girl?
asked myself in that moment.
He fred, and the ringing shot was
followed by sharp cry Of pain from
above. and the crosspiece on which l
stood gave a little jerk, but no more.
She must have escaped. despite that
cry, or she could not still have held on
to the rope.
But terrible as these thoughts that
passed through my mind in those brief
moments were, they were banished
from my mind by yet more terrific
appeal to my senses.
Following almost Immediately upon
the crack of the rife and Lola's cry,
mass of rock, probably disintegrated
by the frost, and started from its place
by the reverberation of the shot, slid
down the face Of the precipice, hurtled
against rock, and some moments
after fell with a deep pong into the
water below.
But as this had been the keystone of
the fabric that upheld the mighty
weight of the enormous rock that
covered the chasm, its fall was fol-
lowed by the crumbling away and pre-
cipitati0n Of others at intervals rapidly
decreasing, their fall eventually be-
coming continued downpour, marked
now and then BY louder crash as
some larger block gave way.
The roar of artillery, the peal of
thunder, was not to be compared with
the awful din as the great rock jerked
downward as the quartz splintered
andsgave way under it, shattering and
grinding the opposing rocks, and burst
ing away huge fragments that struck
from side to side as they hurtled down,
tearing and splitting the very heart Of
the mountain, as it seemed.
The fall was most violent at some
distance away from us further down
the ravine; only an occasional block,
ground under the great mass as it
jerked down, was shattered to pieces,
and fell in dust and rubble about us.
But our turn was at hand.
1t seemed to me as if the last day
had come, and the world were crumb-
ling to pieces To the terror of an
earthquake was added the horror of
impenetrable darkness and the con-
sciousness that the gigantic rock that
vaulted the abyss was slowly jerking
down upon us. must have kept my
hold upon the rock by instinct; had
no consciousness of volition.
The awful eruption had continued for
some moments scarcely so long as
one might take to read this descrip-
ti0n-with increasing intensity, when
suddenly, with an appalling crash, the
great roof tilted up. I saw the earth
slowly cape open above me, letting in
the binding sunlight; and then the
upper lip of the jagged rock reaching
its highest elevation shot sidelong
away, making visible the long strip
of blue heaven between the towering
peaks of the mountain.
One last pong as the rock wedged
itself afresh lower down the precipice,
and then all was still. The sight of
the blue sky, the sense Of relief, were
too much for me. l trembled violently,
and for moment / thought l must
relinquish my hold. But piteous cry
from Lola nerved me to fresh effort.
saw now the two cut ropes, and,
grasping one in each hand, drew my
self up, using the knotted rope as
slightly as I could; and so presently /
scrambled upon the ledge.
LoIa was upon tne ground draWn
against the rock round which she had
passed the knotted cord. The ball had
struck her and she had fallen. but the
devoted girl had passed the moose
around her body, and SO saved my life
for the second time. knelt beside
her, and raised her head. She opened
her beautiful eyes and smiled as she
took my hand. She could do no more.