I stood. My position was not without peril,
since if the waters did not abate at the end of some hours, I should be
left to starve on the rock. This danger at once occurred to me, and my
mind was already overcome by gloomy forebodings. One thing was, however,
certain,--I must endeavor to reach the castle before nightfall; for to
pass the dark hours where I was would be impossible. The difficulty of
the ascent was now increased fourfold; the footing was less secure on
the rocks, and dashing torrents tore past with a force that strength
like mine could never have combated. It is with pride that I remember to
have looked all those perils boldly in the face; it is, I say, a proud
thought to me, even now, that as a mere boy I could meet danger boldly
and undauntedly. More than once, indeed, the fatal terrors of my
position stood arrayed before me, and I thought that I had seen my dear
home and my kind mother for the last time; I could even speculate
upon poor Raper's affliction when he came to hear of my calamity. With
thoughts like these I wended my way along, ever upwards and ever more
steep and difficult. Although the storm had spent much of its fury, the
rain continued to fall in torrents, and the roar of the swollen
streams almost equalled the deafening clamor of the thunder. The sudden
transition from unbroken silence to the crash and tumult of falling
waters is one of the most striking features of Alpine scenery, and
suggests, even at moments of the greatest calm and quiet, a sense of
foreboding peril. The sudden change of temperature, too, from intense
heat to an almost biting cold, induces terrific storms of wind, almost
tornadoes, by whose violence great trees are torn up by the roots, and
vast rocks hurled down from crag and precipice. In turning the angle
of a cliff, I came suddenly upon one of these gusts, which carried me
completely off my legs, and swept me into a low copse of brushwood,
stunned and senseless. I must have remained a considerable time
unconscious, for when I came to myself the stars were shining in the
dark blue sky of night, and the air calm, serene, and summer-like. It
was with difficulty I could remember where I was, and by what chances I
had come there; and it was indeed with a sinking heart that I arose, not
knowing whither to turn my steps, nor whether my chance of safety lay
above or below me.

I was sorely bruised besides, and one of my arms severely injured by
my fall, as I discovered