DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70301#0181
PERSONS BURIED UNDER THE SNOW.
159
to a friend’s house, and there treated on a thin diet, and in
small quantities at a time, as best suited their state of inani-
tion. When their strength was a little recruited, they gave
the following account of the manner in which they had been
supported during their long imprisonment.
It appears that Roccia’s wife, Mary Anne, her sister-in-
law Anne, her daughter Margaret aged about thirteen, and
her son Anthony about six years old, had gone to the stable
to carry some rye-flour gruel to a she-goat, which had the
night before brought forth two dead kids. In the stable were
five other goats, an ass, and five or six fowls. Having at-
tended the goat, they stood for a few minutes at the door of
the stable, waiting till the ringing of the bell should sum-
mon them to prayers. The wife heard the alarm given by
the priest, and looking up beheld an immense mass of snow
rolling down the side of the mountain. At the same in-
stant a terrible report proceeded from another quarter, which
made her quickly retreat with her family into the stable, and
shut the door. In less than three minutes they heard the
roof break over their heads, and were involved in total dark-
ness. By the advice of the sister they all got into the rack
and manger, which being under the main prop of the stable,
resisted the weight of the snow, and afforded some degree of
security. The ass, which was tied to the manger, had
broken loose from it, and in kicking and struggling threw
down a little vessel in which they used afterwards to melt the
snow that served them for drink.
In this dismal situation their first care was to ascertain
what they had to eat. They remembered that there were
thirty-six or forty cakes in a place near the stable, and en-
deavoured to get at them, but found it impossible on account
of the snowr. The sister had fifteen chesnuts in her pocket;
each of the women ate two, and the children, having previ-
ously breakfasted, had nothing more that day. They often
159
to a friend’s house, and there treated on a thin diet, and in
small quantities at a time, as best suited their state of inani-
tion. When their strength was a little recruited, they gave
the following account of the manner in which they had been
supported during their long imprisonment.
It appears that Roccia’s wife, Mary Anne, her sister-in-
law Anne, her daughter Margaret aged about thirteen, and
her son Anthony about six years old, had gone to the stable
to carry some rye-flour gruel to a she-goat, which had the
night before brought forth two dead kids. In the stable were
five other goats, an ass, and five or six fowls. Having at-
tended the goat, they stood for a few minutes at the door of
the stable, waiting till the ringing of the bell should sum-
mon them to prayers. The wife heard the alarm given by
the priest, and looking up beheld an immense mass of snow
rolling down the side of the mountain. At the same in-
stant a terrible report proceeded from another quarter, which
made her quickly retreat with her family into the stable, and
shut the door. In less than three minutes they heard the
roof break over their heads, and were involved in total dark-
ness. By the advice of the sister they all got into the rack
and manger, which being under the main prop of the stable,
resisted the weight of the snow, and afforded some degree of
security. The ass, which was tied to the manger, had
broken loose from it, and in kicking and struggling threw
down a little vessel in which they used afterwards to melt the
snow that served them for drink.
In this dismal situation their first care was to ascertain
what they had to eat. They remembered that there were
thirty-six or forty cakes in a place near the stable, and en-
deavoured to get at them, but found it impossible on account
of the snowr. The sister had fifteen chesnuts in her pocket;
each of the women ate two, and the children, having previ-
ously breakfasted, had nothing more that day. They often