Year: 1869

NNNNN'N-NA%s
hopei Search as he would, he could
find nothing of it Even If he had discov-
cred 1t, it would have been useless, for his
powder-hOrn was gone as well. Over and
over he turned the showdown deep he
dug into II, 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 de6antly, and murmured with his
hoarse voice, "Your time has not come
yetr 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 unbroken), he reasoned that
1t would be cowRrdly to lie down and die,
without an effort and he remembered the
goodness of God, and once more fervently
implored Hishelp, Then 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 It's 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 forced him to stop A night of
uneasy rest, a 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-
BILE, and slept long and heavily, although
there had been sudden fall 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 hstchet crawled to
tho center of the chasm, and shouted
with all his remaining strength-shoutad
until his strained voice was reduced to
the very ghost of hoarse whisper. He
knew that his friends were in search Of
MIN 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
chung had been shivered 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 lev
tomb until the last trump should sound,
anu 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-
sible, and lay for a long time upon the
cold, damp snow, that soon must be his
winding sheet. The black vulture tapped
It's 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 Y)s 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
denverance, If by no other hand, at least
Dy the skeleton one of death.


IL was rayless, sunless, starless darkness
no ylo,, l.o of Il
life again became capable of action. He
was ravenously hungry, and arose to salts.
~ his hunger with a 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 1t had drifted into,
and blocked up the opening and with the
strength of despair, he soon dug through
It was still showing heavily; the flakes
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 refreshed, new hope
was born within him and again the ice
walls resounded with the blows of his
little hatchet. But it was slow work, and
much OF the time was taken up in clearing
the chips from the little grotto


A week passed. week of the most
severe toll and terrible anxiety-and yet
he was not disheartened. His trust in
God had returned and love for his wife
and dependent children kept alive his
often-shrinking heart. He was yet in
hopes OF reaching the upper air--of seeing
his dear ones again. But even as he was
thinking thus, with something of his old
time cheertulness, new anxiety took
possession of and nearly overpowered him
The carcass of the ibex, that had been the
innocent cause of all his trouble, was
almost to the bones.


With dire starvation staring him in the
face, he bowed his head and wept like a
child. Starvation, that is dreadful, even
In thought Starvation, that has in II
more of horror than thousand other
deathsl He could almost see it silently
approaching, and for a time despair alone
had possession of him. Then his trust in
the Supreme-Being returned, and he com.
mnted himself unto His holy keeping
Heavenly Father !" he murmured, from
between his parched and blackened lips
"it is Thy hand that has sustained me SO
far-has saved me from all danger. Thou
giVest food to the young ravens, and
markest even the fall of the tiny sparrow
| None but Thou can hear me, or help.
He1r my Drayerl Save me, o Godl Save
mel"


Something of sweet consolation came
with the utterance of the words, and he
laid down to sleep more TRANQUILITY than
ne had done for many previous nights.
net' II was only to be awakened by a new
lear; II needed no seer TO tell him that
ens iohn, or hot south wind, was sweeping
over the glaciers and snow fields of the
mgh Alps and that the rain was falling
IN torrents; and the enormous blocks oi
Ice melting, as by the touch of fire. The
cavern he had dug with INFINITE labor was
almost preass-deep with water, and 1t was
rushing in with all the sWifness Of 4
mountain torrent Instantly he was wei
TO the akin, and stood almost paralyzed