Year: 1866

1T ratified and beat against the poles, as if
it was impatient of being tied there, and
wanted to break loose and be off


1t blew at last SO very hard, that l
should have been precious glad Of an
excuse to get down, but l couldn't well
leave my work, and the old hands didn't
seem TO mind it much, so | KEEP at it.
Whenever the wind blows now, and l
shut my eyes, can call it all back again.
The creaking and quivering of the poles,
the rattling of the boards, the bowling
and whisting of the gale as it swept saw
agely by, in rage because it could not
sweep us away. A high wind is some
times pretty hard to deal with, sometimes,
on the ground; and l have seen folks
pretty hard driven to corner. So it
may be guessed what sort of fun it is
right up on a spidery scaffold, where a
man is expected TO work with both hands
and hold on by nothing. and that too,
where single step backwards would be
there it's thing as allus makes me
nervous to talk about.


1t was getting to be somewhere about
half-past three, and | was working hard,
so as to keep from thinking about the
storm, when all at once | happened to
turn my head, and see the men were
sculling down the ladders as hard as they
could go. And then, before | had time
to think, there was loud crash, and
large piece of the scaffolding gave way,
and swept with it poles, boards and bricks
right in to the open space below. l leap
ed up at pole which projected from the
roof above me, just as the boards upon
which stood gave way and fell on to
next stage, some twenty feet below
Tightly grasping the rough fir pole, I
clung for life.


Think : | did think. thought hun
dreds OF things in a few seconds, as shut
my eyes as | began to pray, for | felt as
it could not hold on long, and knew
as | should fall first on the stage below,
when the boards would either give way,
or shoot me OIL again with a spring, and
then L knew there would be crowd
round something upon the ground, and
the police coming with a stretcher.


"Creep out, mate, and come down the
rope" cried a voice from below | turn
ed mp head, so that | could Just see that
the pole | was hanging to had block at
the end, through which ran rope for
drawing light things up and down to the
sraffold. For an instant | dared not
move; then raising myself, l went hand
over hand towards the pulley, and in
another instant should have grasped it,
when | heard a rushing sound, and the
creaking of a wheel, as the rope went
spinning through, and was gone the
weight o. the iUuSer side having dragged
the other through. As / hung, | dis
tinctly heard it fall, perhaps hundred
and fifty feet.


As the rope fell, and l hung there, l
could hear regular shrek from those
below but nobody stirred to my assist
ance, for | was beyond help then; but |
seemed to grow stronger with the danger,
though my arms felt as if they were being
wrenchcd out Of their sockets and my
nerves as if they were torn with hot irons
Sobbing for breath, | crept in again till
was over the stage first; then close in to
the face of the building, and there |
hung. Once | tried to get some hold
with my feet, but the smooth bricks let
my toes slip over them directly. Then |
tried TO get leg over the pole, so as to
climb up and sit therc but the time was
gone by for that | had hung too long,
and was now growing weaker every mo
ment


| can't describe what I felt All |
know is, that it was horrible, and that
long afterwards used to jump up in bed
with scream for so sure as | was u
little out o sorts, came dream OF hang
ing to that scaifold pole, expecting every
moment TO be ones last. can't say
either how long | hung, but feeling at
length | was going made one last try for
it. | thought OF my poor lass, and seem
ed to see her IA looking at me in widder's
cap; AMI then | clenched my teeth hard
and tried to get on TO where the end OF
the pole was fastened. | got one hand
over the hard bricks and hooked my fin
gers and held on then got the other
hand over, and tried to climb up, as a
cheer from below encouraged me; but
my feet and knees slipped over the smooth
bricks, and in spite of every effort they
hung down straight at last, and l felt a
sharp quiver run through me slowly,
slowly, my hands opened, my fingers
Strengthened, and with eyes blinded and
bloodshot, | fell.


Fell what seemed TO be an enormous
distance, though it was only TO the next
stage, where boards, bricks and tools,
shaken by the conclusion, went with a
crash below. The deal planks upon
which lay still KEEP in their places, but
with their en- Is jolted so near the edge
that it seemed to me that the least motion
on my part would make them slip, and
send me off again. | was too exhausted
and frightened to move, and lay there for
some time, not knowing whether was
much hurt or not. The first thing as
recalled me to myself was the voice of a
man who came up a ladder close at hand.
and could see that he had rope and
pulley with him, which he soon had hook
cd on to the ladder.


"Hold on, mate he says. ''lf throw
you the end of the rope, you can tie it
round you ?"


ON try" say. So he makes moose