Bobby Leach was the second person to brave Niagara Falls and live. He performed his death-defying stunt when he was 49 years old, sealed in a barrel. Fifteen years later he met his end in a way least expected, as the following news release records:
“Bobby Leach, who achieved fame when he went over Niagara Falls in a barrel, died today of injuries received when he slipped on an orange peel. Leach, who made the perilous journey without receiving a scratch, broke his leg when he slipped on the orange peel. Complications set in following an amputation, causing death.”
The case of Bobby Leach is only one of thousands reported, with many more untold. An officer, hero of many battles, escapes all danger from gunfire and bombs, only to die later from an infected pin prick. A sea captain, who had weathered many a storm and always reached port safely, was drowned in his bathtub at home.
The preservation of our natural life often seems —and is treated by some — as a gamble. But if we had all-knowing eyes, we would be compelled to say, “There is just a step between me and death.”
The moral is plain. Your time may be short — be prepared!
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2)