Beadle's Dime Novels No. 153: Mohawk Nat — page 36: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

38 MOHAWK NAT. of, the first cascade, which fell from a hight of forty feet. It was a strange scene, but one he loved from long association. Artists who make pictures of the scenery now would find them lacking in something which lent a savage grandeur to the sight then—the lofty pines which grew along the banks, which had stood there years upon years. The path was lit- tered here and there by fragments of limestone, which had fallen from the cliff above. Even as be walked, a huge mass, which had been threatening to break away for many years, the last support yielding to the wash of the water, came thundering down, striking the ledge not five feet in front of the adyenturous young man. He threw himself quickly backward, just in time to escape the pieces which flew through the air, like fragments from a bursting bomb. But, the mis- chief did not end with that. To his horror, a portion of the ledge upon which the great rock, weighing over twenty tons, fell, gave way before the force of the blow, and a great gap showed itself before the eyes of Lewis, perhaps fifteen feet in width, and even the portion on which he stood showed a great rent, which threatened to widen if any additional weight was thrown upon it. He crawled cautiously to the opening and looked down. The ledge at that spot had been very thin, and. he could not. tell whether the portion on the other side mage he his weight in case he made the leap. was only a choice of two things: to go back and undertake the open path through the woods, or leap the chasm, Quick to decide, he made up his mind to attempt aden grey tonlpamg Retiring five paces, to give himself im in the leap, he went at it like a stag. For a moment his bo quivered in the air, and the next struck the rock on the other side. As he had feared, it gave way, and he felt himself going down. Throwing out his hands, he clutched a strong vine which dangled over the face of the cliff, and held on desperately, while the frail support under foot went crashing downward into the gulf below. He found himself hanging at the utmost extent of his arms, struggling vainly to find a resting-place for his feet. ~The vine was that of the wild grape, and as strong as steel wire, and he began to up it, hand over hand, feeling at every step for some tion on which to rest. CoOpmMiclooolks. conn