The sun., 1915-12-19


that any traveller Of average alertness
would know more of what could be
learned about Belgium from books
than Mrs. Anderson acquired. The
real value Of the book lies In personal
sketches and in the reprinting Of the
letters received since the outbreak of
war. Although they are presented
with proper diplomatic reserve and
with no partisan comment they throw
lurid light on the sufYerings Of the
brave little nation that has been sac
rificcd to save civilization.
John Muir's Record of His Life In
Alaska.
In n recent book about his associa-
| ton with John Muir In Alaska the
Rev. Samuel Hall Young told a thrill
Ing story of a time when the great nat
uralist rescued him. helpless with two
dis1ocatcd shoulders, from peril OF a
landslide on the slope Of a mountain
peak by gripping the preacher by the
coat collar in his teeth and swinging
him to a safe foothotd. In Travels IN
Alaska. by JOHN MUIR OHoughton
Miffiin). a record carefully set in order
from the original manuscript notes by
Mrs. MARION RANDALL PARSONS. who
for many years helped Muir in his
literary undertakings. the hero Of the
adventure modestly omits the sensa- =
| tional feature of the adventure. He
would not have mentioned 1t at all, he
says--and had made no contemporary
record of 1t in his notebook
! for the fact that in his mission lee
lures in the East MIR. Young often
told the story and "a miserable SEN
sational caricature Of it appeared in a
| respectable magazine" after which II
| thought 1t but fair to my brave COM
panion that it should be told Just as 1t
happened" And John Muir's telling
| OF 1t is exactly what his friends would
expect of him once he had been per-
suaded to tell 1t at all.
Muir set out to climb. starting from
Glenora. itself thousand feet above
sea level spur peak of the Coast
Range with a height OF 5000 feet. The
climb was far from extraordinary en-
| cept for the limited time which the
explorer allowed himself for its accom-
plishment. The days were short and
1t was past 3 o'clock in the afternoon
when he set out. After urging. he
permitted Young to accompany him,
| with this condition:
We'll, | have warned YOU ! said.
and will not assume responsibility for
| any trouble that may arise. But
when the emergency confronted the
climbers he cancelled the condition
and assumed the risk of a mighty diff
ficult rescue. He says:
About half an hour before sunset. when
we were a cluster of crumb.Ing PIN
naclcs that formed the summit | had
ceased 20 feel anxiety about the noun.
taineering strength and skin Of my COM
panion. and pushed rapidly On. In pass
ing around the shoulder Of the highest
pinnacle. where the rock was rapidly dis
integratinE and the danger Of slipping
vas great shouted in warning voice.
BE careful here; this is dangerous"
Mr.. Young was perhaps a dozen or two
yards behind me. nut out of sIght |
afterward rcproached myself for not stop
ping and lending him a steadying hand.
| was startled nv a scream fO-
help, and. hurrying back. found the mis-
sionary face downward, his arms ou, .
stretched. clutching little crumbling knobs
on the brink Of guly that plungcs down
a thousand feet or more TO a small re-
sidual glacier. ! managed to get below
him. touched one of mis- feet. and tried to
encourage Nim bv saying, Il am below
you. You are in no danger You can't
slip past me, and I viii soon get you out
of this"
He then told me that both Of his arms
we're dislocatei. II vas almost impossible
to hnd footholds on the trea cher rous rock,
and I was at my wits end to know how
hfr,. -..ll lot Ir.p -.
where could get about him. find out
how much he WAS hurt, and way back
down the mountain. After narrowly scan
ming the clin and making footholiE. /
managed to roll and ~, him few yards
to a place whore the slope was less steep.
and there attempted 10 set his arms.
| found. however. tina; this was impos-
siblc in such a place. | therefore tied his
arms 20 his sides with my suspcnders and
neckti.. to prevent as much a. possible
Inflammation from movement.
Digging footstep in the sand or crum-
bling rock Ave or SIX feet beneath him.
reached up, took hold Of him by one Of
his fee, and gently slid him down on his
back. placed his heels In the step. then
descended another f,e or six feet. dug
heel notches and slid him down to them.
Thus the whole distance was made by
succession OF narrow steps al very short
intervals and the gtaoier was reached
perhaps about midnight.
1t was not until long after sunrise.
however. that the descent was COM
pleted. What a man was John Muir,
To those who. like himself, love
"pure widness," Muir ON his first
trip to Alaska in ls19--the others
were of 1880 and lS9O--commends
Alaska as one of the most wonderful