Year: 1877

! w Bubh IIle resi-


tne night there. The place was drv an


sheltered. Had my bed been softer


would have slept all that man could a,


sure; as 1t was, I slept, and sler


should mention, though, that be


lore closing my eyes had several time


Snlieed my position; 1 had gone. first O


an TO the further end of the boiler


'nen, again, L had crawled back TO III,


man-hole, n to put my hand out and fell


mat 1t was really open. The warmes


place was at the farthest end, where /


nnalIy established myself, and that !


knew from the first. 1t was foolish IN


me to think that the opening tbrouo b


which had just entered could be closed


without my hearing it, and that. too


wnen no one was astir but myself; be.
SUES, never could bear to be sbnt nv,
stranger, but believe should suffocate
in an empty church if once L felt that
was so shut up in it that 1 could not get
out. L have seen men afore now Just Liz g
me, or worse, rather-much worse-men
that it made sort of furious to be tied
down to anything, yet so soft-like and
contradictory in their natures that you
might lead them anywhere, so long as
they didn't feel the string. Stranger, it
takes all sorts of people to make a world
and we may have good many of the
worst kind of men here out of the West.
But have seen folks upon this river
quiet-looking chaps, too, as you ever see
who were so teetotally carachtevank-
ferrous that they'd shoot the doctor who'd
tell them they couldn't live when ailing,
and make die of it just out of spite
when told they must get well. Yes !
fellows as fond of the good things of
earth as you or I, yet who'd rush like
mad right over the gangway plank of
life, if once brought to believe that they
had to stay in this world whether they
wanted to leave or not. Thunder and
bees if such fellows as that had heard
the cocks crow as [ did-awakened to
find darkness about him-darkness so
thick you could cut it with knife
heard other sounds, too, to tell that it
was morning-and, scrambling, to fun
BILE for that mani -hole-found it, too.
black, closed-black and even as the
rest of the iron coffin around him-closed.
with not rivet-hole to let Gods light
and air in-why--why he'd swounded
right down Oh the spot, as L did, and
amt ashamed to own it to no man !"


The big drops actually stood upon the
poor fellows brow, as he now paused for
a moment in the recital of this terrible
story. He passed his hand over his
rough features, and resumed it with less
agitation Of manner.


Chow long I might have remained
there senseless L don't know. The doc
tors have since told me it must have
been sort of fit, more like an apoplexy
than a swoon, for the attack finally pass
ed off in sleep. Yes, I slept, 1 know
that, for dreamed-dreamed O heap O.
things afore [ woke. There is but one
dream, however, that L have ever been
able to recall distinctly, and that must
have come on shortly before I recovered
my consciousness. Ny resting place
through the night had been, as I've told
you, at the far end of the boiler. Well,
[ now dreamed that the man-hole was
still open and what seems curious,
rather than laughable, if you take it in
connection with other things, I fancied
that my legs had been so stretched with
the long walk / had taken the evening
before, that they now reached the whole
length of the boiler and extended
through the opening.


cat first, in my dreamy reflections it
was comfortable thought that no one
could now shut up the man-hole without
awakening me. But soon it seemed as
if feet, which were on the outside, were
becoming drenched in the storm, which
had originally driven me to seek this
shelter. felt the chilling rain upon
my extremities. They grew colder and
colder, and their mum bness gradually
extended upward to other parts of my
body. It seemed, however, that it was
only the under side of my person that
was thus strangely visited. I laid upon
my back, and it must have been a spe-
cies of nightmare that afflicted me. for
knew at last that 1 was dreaming, yet
felt it impossible to rouse myself. A
violent fit of coughing restored at last
my powers of volition. The water,
which had been slowly rising around
we, rushed into my mouth awoke-
to hear the rapid strokes of the pump,
which was driving the water into the
boiler !


My whole condition-no, not all of
it-not yet-my present condition
flashed across me with new horror. But
/ did not again swoon. The choking
sensation, which made me faint when I
first discovered how l was entombed,
gave way to a livelier, though less over
emotion. Il shrieked even as
l started from my slumber. The pre-
vious discovery of the closed aperture,
with the instant oblivion that followed,
seemed only part of my dream, and I
threw my arms about and looked eagerly
for the opening by which I had entered
the horrid place-yes, looked for it, and
felt for it, though it was the terrible
conviction that it was closed, now a
second time brought home to me, which
my frenzied cry. Every sense
seemed to have ten-fold acuteness, yet