Butte record., 1854-04-22

| when hrst came to the place; and as
the night was not very dark one, |
could see the blazes as | passed among
the trees. My mare knew the track
among the trees as well as myself, and
spashed through it at a sharp rate, tor
, she knew, too. there was no time to lose.
In i've minutes | came ont on the edge
Of the prairie, and, just as expected. the
Land vas all covered, and looked like
big pond. could see it shining clear
across to the other side of the opening.
&! As luck would have it, could just get
/ glimpse Of the trees on the far side of
the prairie. There was big clump Of
cypress trees, that could see plain
enough; knew this to be close to nv
neighbor's shsnty; so | have my crea-
ture the spur, and struck right for it
As | left the timber, the mare was up to
her hips OF course | expected good
deal of heavy riding, but | had no idea
that the food would GET much higher
that proved to be mistake l had not
got more than couple of miles out, when
discovered that the water was rapidly
rising, for I noticed the mare getting
deeper and deeper. 1t was no use turn
ing back. | should loose the mare to
dead certainty, if l did not succeed in
reaching the high ground so spoke to
the creature to do her best, and kept on.
The poor beast did not need any spurr-
ing--she did he best, and no mistake
Still the food rose. and kept rising, till
It came clear to her shoulders. | began
to feel frightened in earnest. We were
not more than half across, and | thought
| Ii it rose much more We should have to
swim for it. | proved to be right about
that. The minute a'ter, it seemed to
deepen suddenly, AS # there we're hol-
low in the prairie h4ard the mare
give d loud 'gouf,' and then sink until |
was up to the arm pits. She rose again
the next minute, bat could tell from
the smooth iding, thar she Was off the
bottom. She was swimming aud no
mistake
Ny first thought was to head her back
to the shanty, and l reined her round for
that purpose but turn her as ! might,
she could no longer touch bottom
Stranger, [ found myself 10 a quandary
about then. l began to think that both
niue and the mares time had come in
earnest, for | had no idea that the crea-
'ure could ever smim to t'other side, es
pecially with me on her back, and par
ticuiarly as my ribs were heavier then
than they now are. | was not much
under two hundred at that time, and that
is no light weight. Well, | was about
reckoning up. | got to thinking about
Mary and the children, and the old shan.
! iy in the Mississippi, and heap of things
that had left unsettled, and that came
into my mind to trouble me. fhe mare
kept plunging ahead, but | observed she
was sinking deeper and deeper and fast
losing her strength, and of course could
not hold out much longer. I though at
this time that if I got off her back and
took hold of her tail she could manage a
little better, So l slipped back over
her hips. and clung to the long hair. 1t
did some good, for she swan higher, but
she got mighty slow through the food,
aud had but little hopes of reaching
land
was towed in this way about guar
ter of mile, when l spied something
floating little ahead. 1t had got con-
sidcrably darker. but still there was
light enough to show me that it WAS a
log. The mare might then have bet
ter chance for herself, and, maybe, if
easec of dragging me, who was keeping
her back, she might make footing some
where. So | held on till she got little
closer, and then, letting 20 of her tail
| clasped the log, and got on it, The
mare swan on, apparently not missing
,ne. She disappeared through the dark
ness, but l did not as much as say good
bye to her, for / felt afraid that my voice
would bring her back again. and she
might strike the log with her hoofs, and
'whammel' it about. So l lay quiet, and
let her go way.
was not long on the log before I dis
covered it was drifting, for there was
current that set tolerable sharp across
the prairie. | had got astride of one
end of the log, but, as it dipped consid-
erably, was still over the hams in wa
ter. I thought it might be more COM
Portable nearer the middle, and was about
to pull the thing more under me, when