Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-02-21

cas--were filled with the drift and it was peri
lous to attempt penetrating in either direction.
Two men had already disappeared
On each side of our camp rose the walls of
the canon, almost vertical, to the height of
hundred feet These we might have climed had
the weather been soft, for the. rock was trap
formation, and offered numerous seames and
lodges but now there was coating of ice and
snow upon them that render the ascent impossi-
BILE. The ground had been frozen hard before
the storm came on, although it was now freez-
ing no longer, and the snow would not bear our
weight. Eli our efforts to get out of the valley
proved idle ; and we gave them over, yielding
ourselves, in q kind of reckless despair, to wait
for--ws scarce knew what.
For three days we sat shivering around the
fires, now and then casting looks of gloomy in
quiry around the sky. The same dull gray for
an answer, mottled with flakes slanting earth
ward, for it still continued to snow. Not a
bright spot cheered the aching eye;
'The little platform on which we rested "a
piece of two or three acres-was still free from
the snow drift on account of its exposure to the
wind. Struggling pines, stunted and leadess,
grew over its surface, in all about fifty or sixty
trees. From these we obtained our fires but
what were fires when we had no meat to cook
upon them!
We were now in tho third day without food,
though not absolutely without eating-the men
had bolted their gun-covers, and tho cat-skin
flaps of their bulletpouches and were now seen
the last shift but one-stripping the paraiche
from the sole of thier moccasins
The women, wrapped in their til,mas, nestled
closely in the embrace of father, brother, hus-
band, and lover for all these affections were
present. The last string of tasajo, hitherto
economical for their sake had been praceled
out to them in the morning. That was gone,
and whence was their next morsel to come : At
long intervals Ay de mi ! Dios demi alma ?
were heard only in low murmurs, as some colder
blast swept down the canon. In the face Of
those beautiful creatures might be read that un-
complaining patience-that high endurence-so
characteristic of the Hispano- Mexican woman
Even the stern men around them bore ur
with less fortitude. Rude oaths were uttered
from time to time, and teeth ground together
with that strange wild look that heralds insan.
ity. Once or twice fancied that observed q
look of still stranger, still wilder expression
when the black ring forms around the eye
when the muscles twitch and quiver along
gaunt famished jaws-when men gaze guilty
like ut each other. God it was fearful =
The half-robber discipline, voluntary at the best
bad vanished under the lsyel!ing,nod Of common
suffering and trembled to think
1t Glars away leetle, out tharawa
1t was the voice of the trapper Carey, wht
had risen and stood pointing toward the East.
In an instant we were all upon our feet, look
ing in the direction Indicated Sure enough
there was break in the lead-colored sky-s
yellowish streak, that widened out as we con
tinued gazing-the flakes fell lighter and thin
ner, and in two hours more it had ceased snow.
ing altogether.
Half-a-dozen of us, shouldering our rifles
struck down the valley. We would make one
more attempt to trample road through the
drift. 1t was a vain one. The snow was owe
our heads, and after struggling two hours, W
had not gained above two hundred yards. Her
we caught a glimpse of what lay before US
As far as the eye could reach, it rested upo1
the same deep impossible masses. Despair ant
hunger paralyzed our exertions, and dropping
off one by one, we returned to the camp.
We fell down around the fires in sulen 81
lence. Carey continued pacing back and forth
now glancing up at the sky, and at times kneel
ing down, and running his hand over the sur
face of the snow At length he approache
the fire, and in his slow drawling manner, re
marked
Its gwine to friz, rekin.'
ell and if it does = asked one of hi
comrades, without caring for an answer to tn
question:
wal, an iv it does,' repeated the trappel
we'll walk out O. this hyar jug afore anoth'
sun-up, an upou a good hard trail too.
'The expression of every face changed, as
by magic Several leapcd to their feet. Cole
,, the Canadian, skilled in snow craft ran to
bunk, and drawing his hand along the combin,
shouted back
C'est urai IL gele; Hgeler
!, "A cold wind soon after set in, and cheere
:. by the Frightening prospect, we began to thin
of the fires, that during our late moments
reckless Indifference, had been almost suffered
!, burn out The Delawares seizing their tomt
hawks, commenced hacking at the pines, viii
> Others dragged forward the fallen trees, oppr
!. off their branches with the keen scalping- knit
. AT this moment peculiar cry attracted OF
attention, and. looking around, we perceive
one of the Indians drop suddenly upon h
= knees, striking the ground with his hatchet.'
What is it what is itl' shouted sever
> voices, in almost as many languages
!, Yam-yam! yam yam y replied the India
:, still striking at the frozen ground
The lnjun right it's man root = said G
rey, picking up some leaves which the Del
ware had chopped off,
Il recognised plant well known to t
mountain-man-a rare, but wonderful convt
1 vulus, the Iponed ieptOphylla. The name
a man-root is given to it by the hunters fro
o the similarity of its root in shape, and SON
a times in size, to the body of man. 1t is
| culent, and serves to sustain human life.
In on instant, half-a-dozen men were up
n their knees, chipping and hacking the hard ella
Il but their batchets glinted of as from the ST.
y face of a rock.