Year: 1869

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the temperature and it was now excessively cold.
! For four days he toiled thus his only food the
raw and frozen flesh Of the Ibex; for fonr nights
he slept within the hole he had cut away in the
thick ice.walis, closing up the entrance and thus
obtaining partial shelter from the chilling blasts
And once he heard the firing of guns, and his
heart beat wildly within him. He dropped his
duh hatchet, uawled to the centre Of the ehasm,
and shouted with al his remaining strength
shouted until his strained voice was reduced to
very ghost Of hoarse whisper. He knew that
his friends were in search of him imagined that
he could hear his name called; could do nothing
to attract their attention; and as the firing grew
fainter, and farther and farther away, flung him
self down, weeping and wringing his hands The
last plank to which be had elupg had been shiyer-
ed. 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
trumpet shall sound, and hot flashes of fame dis
solve the frost work around him. ...>.-.


With his mind trembling upon the verge of mad.
ness overpowered by sorrow, crushed by bitter ag-
ony, he fell back insensible and lay for long time
upon the cold, damp snow, that soon must be his
winding sheet The black yulture tapped its
wings above him and he knew nothing oft. But
after some hours, the hunters consciousness re-
turned, though he was far too much crushed, in
both body and soul, to resume his labors. He
crept into the little cavern he had e1cavsted would
it not be to him tomb and gave passionate vent
to his griefs. For many weary hours nothing
passed his lips; and, with aching head and fever
ed brain, with trembling lips and convulsive sobs,
he prayed for dehverance, if by no other hand, at
least by the skeleton one Of death.


1t was rayless, sunless, starless darkness in the
icy-cavern when the springs of his life again be-
came capable of action. He was ravenously hun
cry, and arose to satisfy 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 God's
blessed sunshine forever2 Nothing but smooth ice
met his burning and blistered fingers Then, after
an hour search, he founda soft spot, and instant
" solved the mystery. He knew that there must
have been heavy fall of snow during 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 feathers around; and he drew
the remnant of the carcass of the Ibex into the
cave and made another rude meal And thus re.
freshed, new hope was born within him; and
again the ice-wals resounded with the vigorous
blows of his hatchet. But it was slow work, and
much of the time was taken up in clearing the
chips from the little grotto w.


A week passed-a week of the most severe toll
and terrible anxiety-and yet he was not disheart-
ened. His trust in God had returneu {; and love
for his wife and dependent children kept alive his
often sinking heart. He was yet in the hope of
reaching the upper air-of seeing his dear ones
again. But even as he was thinking thus, with
some Of his old time cheerfulness, new anxiety
took possession Of and nearly overpowered him.
The carcass Of the Ibex, that had been the inno-
cent cause of all his trouble, was picked almost to
the bones. :'-


With dire starvation staring him in the face, he
bowed his head and wept like little child. Star
walton, that is dreadful, even in thought Starva-
ton, that has in it more horror than thousand
other deaths He could almost see it silently ap-
preaching, and for a time, despair alone had pos
session of him. Then his trust in the Supreme
Being returned, and he committed himself unto
his holy keeping.


Heavenly Father, he murmured from between
his parched and blackened lips; lit is thy hand
that has sustained me so far-has saved me from
all dangers. Thou givest food to the young ravens
and markest even the fall of the tiny sparrow.
None but Thou can hear me, or help me, Hear
nv prsyeri Save me, o God Save me!'


Something of sweet consolation came with the
utterancs of these words and he laid down to sleep
more TRANQUILITY than he had done for many pre-
vious nights. Yet, it was only to be awakened by
new fear. It needed no seer to tell him that the
jotn, or hot south wind, was sweeping over the
glaciers and snow fields of the high Alps and that
the rain was falling in torrents, and the enormous
blocks of ice melting as by the touch Of fire. The
cavern he had dug deep with such infinite labor,
was almost breast deep with water, and it was
rushing in with all the swiftness of mountain tor
rent Instantly, he was wet to the skin, and stood
almost paralyzed with terror. Then he breasted
his way out into the chssm but it was only to re-
turn again as quickly as possible. Never cataract
ragged more fercely than the surging waters there.
Cutting little inches in the ice-wa, be climbed be-
yond the reach Of the water, and tremblngly
awaited his fate. The waves rose rapidly higher
and higher. He had climbed until his head
rested against the top Of the little cave, and could
20 no further. And yet, the waters rolled upward
around him. They reached his waist, surged
higher to his breast crept to his throat and des-
pte all his efforts 5egan to trickle into his mouth.
In another moment, he would be strangled by
them his hold would be torn away, and his body
dashed hither and thither, against the sharp points
of the ice.


20, God, save mel" burst from him in the ag-
ony of the instant-the moment Of time that laid


between him and death.


A noise like thunder shivering crash-sound-


ed through the chasm. It was as if the very


foundations of the world were tottering beneath
him. Nov, indeed, he felt that bis end had come.