Year: 1869

anu game were Swallowed up III CreVaSSe
of almost unfathomable depth. The thin
strong to bear the weight of the beast;
but that of Uric added, had shivered it as
if it had been an eggshell.


Down, down. Hunter and ibex, through
the debris of snow and ice, lying there for
2 thousand years. He fancied that the
bottom would never be reached. The
most profound darkness enveloped him;
his hands could clutch nothing but damp
ness-but chilling flakes. Fortunately,
the carcass of the beast was beneath him.
Yet, for all that safeguard, he lay for
long time insensible. When consciousness
returned, another day had dawned, and its
golden glories had found their way even
to the bottom of the yawning grave in
which he was lying. He thought upon
the utter helplessness of his situation; ;
that he must perish from cold and hunger;
of the lingering tortures he wouli be
forced to endure, before death came 20 put
an end to his misery; and every nerve in
his body quivered with horror. He looked
around to see if there were not some pos
sible chance to escape. On either side
smooth ice walls arose, emitting a blush
steel glitter. He felt that he was buried
alive 40, God! Why was not instant
/
DESPAIR, and then, as better thoughts
swayed him, he thanked the Almighty,
with whom nothing is impossible, for his
safety thus far, and prayed to Him for
guidance and deliverance


His next thought was of his gun. When
it was found that he did not return, his
neighbOrs would certainly search for
him, and by firing the gun, he
could attract their attention. Vain
hope Search as he would, he could
find nothing of it. Even if he had discov-
cred it, il would have been useless, for his
pOwder-hOrn was gone as well. Over and
over he turned the showdown deep he
dug into it, until his hands burned like
fire, and great drops of perspiration rolled
from his forehead-until his arms grew
stiff and sore, and he was forced to give up
the useless labor from sheer exhaustion
With his back against the frozen prison
walls, he looked aloft, and saw the great
vulture, sailing upon its immense and tire
less wings, around the mouth Of the chasm !;
and the strong man shuddered, as he shook
his fist defiantly, and murmured with his
hoarse voice, Your time has not come
yetp He thought also of his happy home
and his dear wife and children, and then,
naturally, for he was faint and hungry, he
thought of the food his wife had prepared
for him. Having eaten of the bread and
goats milk cheese, and drank of the lit
tie bottle of wine (Which, strange to say,
had remained unbrokeD), he reasoned that
it would be cOwardly to lie down and die
without an effort and he remembered the
goodness of God, and once more feryently
implored His help. Then a bold idea came
to him. Why might he not cut his way
through the solid ice He had hatchet,
such as his class never travel without
All! but he was fOrgetful that the walls
might be hundreds of feet thick; that
they were of excessive hardness, and
would soon render blunt both hatchet and
knife. The bright hope that had been
born within him was darkened by no such
shadow. For the time being he knew that
he was safe. He was accustomed to the
cold, was warmly clad, could use the skin
OF the ibeX, in case of need, and its flesh
would drive away the wolves of starvation
for many day. A brief rest and he be-
gan the task, and tOiled faithfully until
darkness for ced him to stop. A night of
uneasy rest, breakfast of the raw flesh
of the ibex, and he resumed his labors
Another day of toll, and he again stretched
himself upon the skin of the beast, wrap
| ping it around him as much as was posi-
bic, and slept long and heavily, although
there had been a sudden fsll in the tenn
perature, and it was now excessively cold


For four days he toiled thus, his only
food the raw and frozen flesh of the ibex !;
for four nights he slept within the hole
he had cut away in the thick ice-walls,
closing up the entrance, and thus obtain
ing partial shelter from the chilling blasts
And once he heard the firing of guns, and
his heart beat wildly within him. He
dropped his dulled hatchet, crawled to
the center of the chasm, and shouted
with all his remaining strength-shouted
until his strained voice was reduced to
the very ghost of a hOarse whisper. He
knew that his friends were in search Of
him; imagined he could hear his name
called; could do nothing to attract their
attention ; and, as the firing grew fainter,
and further and further away, flung him
self down, weeping and wringing his
hands. The last plank to which he had
clung had been shiyered! His neighbors
and friends had come-and gone. They
would never search that part of the
mountain again. None would ever know
OF his fate. He was buried in an icy
tomb until the last trump should sound,
and hot flashes of flame dissolve the frost
work around him.


With his mind trembling upon the verge
OF madness, overpowered by sorrow,
crushed by bitter agony, he fell back insen-
slble, and lay for long time upon the
cold, damp snow, that soon must be his
winding sheet The black vulture tapped
its wings above him, and he knew nothing
OF it. But, after some hours, the hunters
/ consciousness returned, though he was far
too much crushed, in body and soul, to re-
sumo his labors. He crept into the little
cavern he had excavated (would it not be
/ to him tomb p, and gave passionate vent
to his griefs For many weary hours
nothing passed his lips; and with aching
head and fevered brain, with trembling
limbs and cOnvulsive sobs, he prayed for
deliverance, if by no other hand, at least
by the skeleton one of death.


1t was rayless, sunless, starless darkness
in the ice cavern, when the springs of his
life again became capable of action. He
was ravenously hungry, and arose to satis-
/ fy his hunger with portion of the ibex
he had left remaining outside in the chasm.
He felt around, but could discover no out
let. Had he been frozen in-shut out
from Gods blessed sunshine forever?
Nothing but smooth ice met his burning
and blistered fingers. Then, after an
hours search he found soft spot, and in
stantly solved the mystery. He knew
there must have been heavy fall of snow
In the night, and that it had drifted into,
and blocked up the opening and with the
strength OF despair, he soon dug through.
1t was still showing heavily; the fakes
| fell like great faatharo oro,,nd. ond 10