babe, and awoke refreshed. The horrors of the earlier part of
the night came upon me like a fearful dream. The waters thundered in my
ears. I opened my eyes, and looked up. The first rays of the sun,
glancing upon the mists raised by the falls, formed numerous rainbows. I
dared not to look down to the abyss, or forward to the rushing stream.
With a feeling of utter helplessness, I turned my face again to the
rock, and looked up. A cry of hope and thanksgiving escaped my lips--the
top of the bank was only a few feet from where I lay! Rising to my
knees, and holding by the bushes, I poured forth my morning prayers of
thanksgiving and supplication for deliverance. I rose to my feet; the
edge was only a little above my reach--my situation was still fearfully
critical. Whether to risk all, and, by my own efforts, free myself, or
wait until aid came, I turned over in my mind for a few minutes, as I
examined the space above me. The noise of the waters, and agitation of
my mind, were again beginning to render my situation more and more
perilous, and I felt there was no time to lose. It was far more
appalling in the glare of day than the cloud of night, and, with a
desperate energy, I made the attempt, clinging to what I could grasp. I
know not how I succeeded, until I lay stretched upon the verge of the
gulf, secure from danger. I dared not rise to my feet--I crept upon my
hands and knees for several yards, then sprang up, nor looked behind.
Unheeding the path I took, I ran until I sank exhausted, the roar of the
waters no longer sounding in my ears. The sight of the place was now
hateful to me. I resolved not to visit it again, or see the other
falls--indeed, I was very ill, from the night's exposure to damp, and
the sufferings of my mind.

Without hat or shoes, I entered the inn of the village. On raising the
people from their beds, my appearance was so suspicious, that it was
with difficulty they allowed me to enter; but a seven-shilling piece,
which I tendered to the landlady, acted as a charm in raising her good
opinion of me. I obtained a warm bed, and a cordial, while she prepared
breakfast, and dried my clothes, which were soiled and wet. I evaded all
her artful inquiries to learn how I had come into my present situation.
It looked so improbable, even to myself, that I thought no one would
give credit to my relation; and the rumours upon my former escape made
me resolve to keep it secret from every one, even Malcolm, to