Year: 1869




and game were swallowed up In crevasse
of almost unfathomable depth The thin
covering of ice had been sufficiently
strong to bear the weight of the beast
but that of Uric added, had shiyered it as
If it had been an eggshell.


Down, down. Hunter and ibex, through
the debris of snow and ice, lying there for
thousand years. NE 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 would be
forced to endure, before death came to put
an end to his misery; and every nerve in
his body quivered with horror. Helooked
around to see if there were not some pos
sible chance to escape. On either side
smooth ice walls arose, emitting blush
steel glitter He felt that he was buried
alive! go, God Why was not instant
ly killed." he exclaimed, in the agony of
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
hopel Search as he would, he could
| find nothing of it. Even if he had discov-
| cred it, it 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 it's immense and tire
| less wings, around the mouth of the chasm; !;
| and the strong man shuddered, as he shook
his fist defsntly, and murmured with his
| hoarse voice, "Your time has not come
yetp He thought also of his happy home
/ duu IlS uCetl WI dltI CullQlCll, 1Hu blICu,
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
it would be cowardly to lie down and die,
without an effort !; and he remembered the
goodness of God, and once more fervently
implored His help. Then bold idea came
to him. Why might he not cut his way
/ through the solid ice He had a 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. 4He was accustomed to the
cold, was warmly clad, could use the skin
of the ibex, in case of need, and its .Hesh
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 toi1ed 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 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 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 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-


sible, 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 feyered brain, with trembling
limbs and convulsive sobs, he prayed for


deliverance, if by no other hand, at least


by the skeleton one of death.


It 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 salts


fy his hunger with a portion OF the lbeA


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 ar
hours search he found a 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
| It was still showing heavily: the fake,