The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-05-26

the Snowy Desert. lie had three chances,
not Of life, but of death. Death by cold !;
death by the nurderous treachery Of saw
ages death by the teeth Of the wolves
which prowled the wilderness by night.
But he was brave man, and he faced his
imminent perils and his awful loneliness with
q stout heart.
He was well supplied with arms and am.
munition and the first thing he did when
the Post left him was to look to these. His
next proceeding was to make use OF the
snow on the earth to keep out the snow
from the heavens. by raising white wall,
firmly stamped, all round his little tent. He
then dragged up supply of wood from the
river near at hand, and piled it before his
door. His fireplace was hollow in the
ground 10 front OF his bed Of blankets and
buffalo robes The food he possessed to
cook at it, consisted Of buffalo meat and
rice. iIe had also some coffee. These pro-
visions, on which his feeble chance Of life
depended, he carefully divided into fourteen
days rations, having first calculated that,
in fourteen days at the furthest, he might
look for help from the Mission. The sum
Of bis preparations was now complete. He
fed his fire. set on his food to cook, and crept
into his blankets to wait for the coming Of
night-the first night alone in the desert.
After time, the silence and the solitude
weighed upon him so heavily, that be sought
some kind of comfort but, in that forlorn
situation, even the sound Of his own voice
made him shudder. The sun sank to Its
setting behind snow clouds its last rays
were trembling redly over the wilderness of
white ground, when the howl Of the wolves
came down upon him on the icy wind.
They were assembled in rsvine where the
travellers last horse had fallen dead, some
days before Nothing was left Of the AMI
NAL but his polished bones and the rings OF
his harness and over these bare relics OF
their feast the ravenous creatures wrangled
and yelled all night, The deserted man,
listening to them in bis tent, tried TO while
away the unspeakable opprt ssion Of the dark
hours by calculating their varying numbers
from the greater or lesser volume Of the
bowling sounds that reached him. tx.
haustiou overpowered his faculties, while he
was still at this melancholy work. lie slept,
till hunger woke him the next day, when
the sun was high again in the heavens.
He cut notch in the pole Of his tent to
mark that one day was passed. II was then
the sixteenth or eighteenth Of November
and by Christmas he vsinly believed that be
would be safe at the Mission. That second
day was very weary; and his strength was
failing him already. When he dragged up
the wood and water TO bis tent. his feet
were lame, and he staggered like drunken
man.
Hopeless and hungry, be sat down on his
bed, filled his pipe with willow.eaves, the
best substitute for tobacco that he possessed,
and smoked in the warmth OF the fire, with
his eyes on the boiling kettle into which be
had thrown a little maize. He was still
thus occupied when the dreary view through
the opening Of his tent was suddenly changed
by the appearance OF living beings. Some
horsemen were approaching him, driving
laden horses before them. His weapons
were at hand, and, with these ready, be
awaited their advance. As they came
nearer, he saw that they were Indians Of n
rlendly tribe, returning from beaver hunt.
Within gunshot they stopped, and one Of
them addressed him in English. They ac-
cepted bis invitation TO enter the tent and
sitting there by his side, they eDtreated him,
long and earnestly, to abandon the goods, to
give up the vain hope Of help from the Mis-.
SION, and 10 save his life by casting his lot
with theirs.
The wolves said the man who bad first
spoken in knglish-a Delaware Indian
the wolves will give you no rest, day or
night; and il the men OF the Pawnee tribe
fiod you ont you will be robbed, murdered
and scalped You have no hope Of rescue.
Bad horses will Dot live to get you and
the whites of the Mission will not risk good
horsss and their own lives 10 saw one man
whom they will give up for lost Come
with u,
Bot Mr. Nollhsuscn. unfortunately ior
himself, put faith 10 the Mission. lie was.
moreover, brayely aud honorably sBxious to
preserve the goods, only the smaller share
Of which happened 70 be hi. owu property.
Firmly persuaded that his fellow white
men would no, desert him, and that they
would bring him easier terms oi travelling
in bis disabled condition, than those which
the Delaware. ooud 0fsr he s,lll held to hs
first resolution, and still said. No
The Indian ro.e 10 lesve him
"The word Of a white" said thc ssvsge
"a more TO you than the wil and deed Of
rei skin. Yon have bad your ci,O'ce--nay
yol not deeeiSe yourself"
With ,he.s word b. shook Mr. Myllhag
seu by the hand, and be- and bis companion.
departed I ey never once looked back al
the traveilsf or hs tent, but krp, On their
way rapidly ,oE4ri. the south, ADD left him
a doomed MAJ
For the psXt ogh, days SOW storms
RACED iBoa.aar,ly, All ,hrra'ebed u bury
him alive 10 hl, tent AlibOagh b. va, a.
yet, spArsi ihe pasg. q hunger ltbs trend
ly Indians having incr,ass4 hs snail stock
Of pfOysiOn. ~ %. ieg Oi sl alisiyfs his