66 



MARK TWAIN'S SKETCHES. 



novelty, and then terminated long before it 

 had begun to be a pleasure. We were then 

 well down under the precipice, but still consid- 

 erably above the level of the river. 



We now began to creep along flimsy bridges 

 of a single plank, our persons shielded fron* 

 destruction by a crazy wooden railing, to which 

 I clung with both hands — not because I was 

 afraid, but because I wanted to. Presently the 

 descent became steeper, and the bridge flimsier, 

 and sprays from the American Fall began to 

 rain down on us in fast-increasing sheets that 

 soon became blinding, and after that our pro- 

 gress was mostly in the nature of groping. 

 Now a furious wind began to rush out from 

 behind the waterfall, which seemed determined 

 to sweep us from the bridge, and scatter us on 

 the rocks and among the torrents below. I 

 remarked that I wanted to go home ; but it was 

 too late. We were almost under the monstrous 

 wall of water thundering down from above, and 

 speech was in vain in the midst of such jl 

 pitiless crash of sound. 



In another moment the guide disappeared 

 behind the deluge, and bewildered by the 

 thunder, driven helplessly by the wind, and 

 smitten by the arrowy tempest of rain, I fol- 

 lowed. All was darkness. Such a mad storm- 

 ing, roaring, and bellowing of warring wind and 

 water never crazed my ears before. I bent my 

 head, and seemed to receive the Atlantic on 

 va.^ back, ihe world seemed going to destruction. I could not see anything, the 



