Year: 1875

OF the game land in an instant the report
Of his rifle had awakened the echoes Of
the mountains. With the "thud'' of
the bullet the beast sprang forward, but
its tail was drooped, its head hanging
heavily down, its gait slow, and step un
certain. He knew that the whizzing
lead had reached its mark; that the ami
NAL would soon die, he paused to re-
load his rifle before he followed him


Il will surprise nv good wife," he
thought, "by returning sooner than she
expected, and l will have a hearty laugh
at the towards who dared not venturel
from their snug cottages for fear of a
Storm


With o smile upon his lips he hastened
to where the ibeX was lying, and raised
it in his arms. Then, with cry of hor.
ror, he felt his foot giving way land hun
ter and game were swallowed up in the
crevasse of almost unfathomable depth.
Tue thin covering Of ice had been suffi
ciently strong to hold the weight of the
beast but that of Uric added had shiv-
cred it as if it had been an egg she'll


Down! down! Hunter and ibex,
through the debris of snow and ice lying
there for thousand years He fancied
that the bottom would never be reached
The most profound darkness enveloped
him; his hands could clutch nothing but
dampness-but chilling flakes Fortu-
nately the carcass of the beast was be-
meath 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 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. He looked around to see
if there were not some possible chance
of escape. On either side smooth ice
walls arose. emitting blush steel gilt
ter He felt that he was buried alive!


80, God why was l not instantly
killed p 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 gum
When it was found that he did not re
turn.his neighbors would certainly search
for him, and by firing the gun he could
attract their attention. Vain hopei-
Search as he would, he could find moth
ing of it. Even if he had discovered it,
it would have been useless, for his pow
der horn was gone as we'll. 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 ex-
haustlon. With his back against the
prison walls,he looked aloft and saw the
great vulture, sailing upon its immense
and tireless wings, around the mouth OF
the chasm; and the strong man shudder
ed, ,as he shook his fist deliantly and muir.
INJURED with his hoarse voice:


"Your time has not yet GOMEZ


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 pre-.
pared for. him. Having eaten of tie
bread and goats milk cheese, and drank
of the little bottle of wine (which strange
to say had remained unbroken,) he rea
soned 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 hatchet, such as
this class never travel without! All


but he was forgetful that the walls.migh


be hundreds of feet thick; that they were
of excessive hardness, and would soor
renderr blunt both hatchet and knife
The bright hope that was born withir
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 o


the ibex in case Of need, and its fesl
would drive away the wolves of starva
ton for many day. A brief rest ant


he began the task, and toiled faithfully
until darkness forced him to stop. A
night of uneasy rest, a breakfast of th'
raw flesh of the ibeX, and he resumed
his labors. Another day of toll, and b,
again stretched himself upon the skin o


the beast, wrapping it around him a


much as possible, and slept long ant


heavily, although there had been a sud
den fall in the temperature, and it was
now excessively cold.


For four days he .oled thus, his onl,


food the raw and frozen flesh of tn


ibex; for four nights he slept in 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 O


guns, and his heart beat wildly within
him. He dropped his dulled hatchet


craWled to the center of the chasm, an,
shouted with all his remaining strength
shouted until his strained voice was re


duced to the very ghost Of hoars
whisper. He knew that his friends wer
in search of him Imagined that he hear'
them calling ;could do nothing to attrac
their attention; and, as the firing grey
fainter and further away, flung himsel
down, weeping and wringing his hands
The last plank to which he had clung ha
been shivered! His neighbors an
, friends had come-and gone The
t would never search that part of tn
mountain again. None would ever knos
of his fate. He was buried in an ic
tomb until the last trump should sound
and hot flashes of flame dissolve the gres
2 frost.work around him.


With his mind trembling on the verg
of madness, overpowered by sorrow
crushed by bitter agony,he fell back an
\ lay for long time insensible upon TIL
cold, damp snow, that soon must be hi
: winding sheet. The black vulture faE
ped his wings above him, and he kne
, nothing of it. But after some hours til


hunters consciousness returned, thong