SAVED BY A WHIRLWIND.

Tuapeka Times, Volume I, Issue 20, 27 June 1868, Page 5

SAVED BY A WHIRLWIND.

The sun was driving, with his broad strong glances, American fog and darkness alike before him into the dim, distant vista of the past. As the genial light of his countenance illumines the rocky ranges that confine the lovely valley of the Yosemite in their cold, dark embrace, the reflection thrown from a pool of crystal water, falls upon the face of a young man, who, even asleep, is pre-eminently handsome ; his posture, careless though it is, brings into view the majesty and beautiful symmetry of his limbs. One hand is thrown across his breast, grasping that deadliest of weapons, the never-failing Spencer sevenshooting rifle ; a belt of dressed buckskin, confining in its embrace a large hunter's knife, serves also to bind the loose woollen huntingshirt at the waist ; plain, but substantial deerskin breeches and light mocassins complete his outfit, for head covering he had none. His countenance is open and manly. But what noise was that in the dense wood to hiß left ? See, he has heard it, and rousing, springs to bis feet, the ever-ready rifle poised for a shot. CarefuVy he scans the dense mesa of brush from whence t')o sound nn)se. Hark! Another crash, and snor.ing with piun of some sort, a gmzly bea*, the kiog of his k ; nd, bursts into the small clenr space, and fronts our hunter with an ang^j glnnce of astonishment in his deep-set and gla' ing eyes. A moment's scrutiny revea's his tormentors; numberless hornets encircle hi 3 shnggy head, wotkhg away with both paws in tiie i'uti'e attempt to demolish his perliaacious Jitile foes ; moa n after moan of ppii guggles up from his distended jaws. Wh^le he stands thus, the hunter raises his rifle ; but ere he can catch bis aim, is bimself aLacked and stu»g by the poisonous insects. Pain drives him crazy ; and he dashes, head down, into the brush to divest bimself of his foes. The bear, thoroughly roused and angered by the repeated stinjs upon his frontispiece, and seeing something tangible in the form of the bleeding man whereon to wee-k his vengeance, rushes ai\er him, b>-e /king tb *ough the matted and tho'-ny bruoh willi rapidity, if not perfect eaie: Not so wilh our hunter, however. He pause' after a moment's dash, upon find'ng himself clear of his little pesls, only to realise the proximity of a greater danger, in the shape of a maddened bear of hughest dimensions. He tnvos to flee with bruia close behind. A few rapid leaps, and with a cry of dismay he disappears from view. On rushes the b:ar. A crash, and bruio, too, has vanished from sight, but not f-'om hearing; for ypll afuer yell of rage bar3.s upon the otherwise still air. Let us draw near, in our privileged character, and penetrate tbe mystery. 'Tis easily done. Both bear and man have fallen down an old forgotten shaft, some twenty-five feet in depth, and singularly clear from rubbish. At tbe boltoai Jies the partially summed form of the youth, whose fortunes we hare thus far followed ; and, still more dreadful sight, midway between the mouth and bottom, wedged in between a stout irou bi>r, crossing the pit from side to side, and the gravelly clay that formed the side, hung poor bruij, head don v. Soon the hunter regoined consciousness, and as his eye took in the true nature of his peril, he shivered with dread. His rifle, tried and true, was useless, broken in bis fa 'l ; his kn'f , bah! what co i 1 Id he do with that? k ; 'l the bear? Perhaps he ni'ghfc ; but not be To :e he suffered injury, and perhaps death. Eren a slight wound now, in his present position, would no doubt incapacitate h'ai IVom escaping, even though he were so fortunate as to till the bear. He saw that but little i ; me would be afforded bi-nto decide on bis course, as b^uiu, in his struggles, was gradually cutting the soft diit away, and each moment slipping further down. A bright thought seemed to uke possession of his brain. See, it is evea so ; for he is executing it. Wilh the broken and bent barrel of h : s rifle, he drives the spl'ntered stock into the soit dire upon the side opposite ihe bear ; next, the stiff, metal sheath of his knife is driven in ; and bLPI higher, almost within reach of bruin's I fore-arms, the knife itself finds a shejfch in the soil. What can he mean ? Tho knife, his last defence, gone ! Ha ! the bear is live ;he falls, and lies for a moment, stunned upon the gravel at the shaft's bottom. With swift, sure movements, the hunter mounts the rude stair 3he has fashioned, and by great exerLion, reaches the iron bar, upon which he succeeds in swinging himself. "Safe, safe, thank heaven." For a moment, those Jips move as if in prayer. Bruin is on his feet again, and seeing bis enemy seated above him, tries to reach him by the frail staircase ; but alas for broin's hopes, they will not support his weight. Standing upright, he can reach within a foot of the iron bar; seeing which, the hunter rises to his feet by supporting h'mself against the sides of the pit; below him sure death; a few feet above, liber iy and life. How e.»sy to succumb to one, how difficult to retch the other! For hours the two captives gaze at each other. Suddenly a change takes place i the a ; r grows hot and oppressive, the very birds expand their wings, and with open mouths seek a cool retreat. What is it ? mentally enqu^es the young man. A moment, and the fierce gust of wind sending a shower of stone and loose dirt down the shaft, gave the explanation he desired. "Oh heaven ! " he cried, " a whirlwind." Poor young man, the very thing you fear, will prove your saviour. Crash, and down comes a large pine directly across the mouth of the pit, one of its broken branches entering the shaft, and almost throwing the hunter from the bar. Ere the bough ceased vibrating, the hunter had grasped it, and was crawling and climbing along to safety. 'Twas but a moment ere be cast himself in humble prayer on the earth above his prison, the Btorm yet raged, trees, strong and hardy, the heroeß of a hundred years, bent and broke like reeds in the fierce blast. When the youth arose, its fury was gone. Down in the pit he could see his late dreaded foe ; he gazed a moment at him, and turning, walked limping away. . Now that the excitement was over, his bruises began to feel stiff and sore. Night saw him safe in his comrades' camp, three of whom next day saw the t trail and kjiled the bear.