Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1859-08-05

round and round the two corpses in front
Of the tent they eircled and howled. AL
through that awful night the lost man lay
to them in the pitch darkness,
now cooling his wounded arm with snow,
now firing his pistol TO scare the wolves
from their human prey.
With the first CLEAN Of daylight he
rose to rid himself of the horrible COM
panionship of the bodies, and of all that
betrayed their fate, before the next wan
dering Indians came near the spot and
before the wolves gathered again with
the darkness. Hunger drove him TO be-
gin by taking their provisions of dried
buffalo meat from under the dead mems
leather girdles. He then rolled up their
remains with whatever lay about them,
in their buffalo robes, tied them round,
dragged them, one after the other, to the
hole in the ice where be got his water,
and pushed them through il, to be carried
away by the current of the river.
Even yet, the number of his necessary
precautions was not complete. He had
a large fire to make, next, on the spot
where the two savages had dropped, with
the double object of effecting all traces of
their fall, and destroying the faintest
scent of blood before the wolves collected
again. When the fire had dwindled to
heap of ashes, new snow storm
smoothed out all marks of it. BY the
next morning not sign was left to be-
tray the deaths Of the Indians-the
smooth ground was as empty and as white
as ever-and of all that had happened,
on that memorable sixteenth day Of the
travellers sojourn in the wilderness, moth
ing now remained but the terrible recol-
lection of it.
The time wore on from that date, with
out an event to break the woeful monoto-
ny of il, until christmas came. He was
still alive in his solitude on Christmas
day. A stolid apathy towards the future
had begun to get possession Of him his
sense Of the horror of his situation grew
nummed and dull the long solitude and
ceaseless cold, seemed to be slowly freez-
ing his mind, and making a new wilder.
ness there, dreary AMI empty as the waste
that encompassed him. His thoughts
wandered with a certain sadness TO the
Christmas-tree and the children's festi
walls, at that blessed season, in his native
Germany-but he was too far gone fol
any deep grief, or for any bitter pangs o
despair. He kept the Christmas-day
with the only indulgence he could afforC
himself, pipeful ofthe dry willow leaves
and as the night fell, be lay on his bach
by the fire, looking up through the hol'
in his tent at the frosty heavens, and
fancying dimly that the kind stars lookeS
down on him, as they had often looked
in by-gone days. at home.
The old year ended, and the new yea
came. His hold on life was slackenine
and the end was not far off. II was day
light, early in the month Of January
He was resting upon the blanket--no
asleep, and not awake. Suddenly th
sound Of approaching footsteps reache,
him on the still air. Il was no dream
salutation in the Indian language sound
ed ~ his ears moment afterwards
He reused himself and caught up hi
rife. More words were spoken befor
he could get out Of the tent. IL was th
English language this time. " You ar
badly off here, friend" said cheerf,
voice. Had the white men Of the Pot
and the Mission remembered him at last
No. When the tent covering was raise,
an Indian entered, and pushed his fiy
: foot rife in before him. A strange lool
ing man, with five savage companions
: The lost traveller advanced 20 meet thel
:, with his rife ready. Happily, he vi
! wrong this time. These savage wande
: ers Of the prarie-fhese charitable beatl
E en-, whom the piiiless Christians At ii
I. Mission we're established to convert --ha
come to do the good work which bis waiI
: brethren had, to their eternal disgrac
: neglected; they bad come 70 save him
The man who bad spoken IN Engli'
+ was hali-breed voluntary .runaws
: from civilization. Ills companions b
< longed, like himself, 10 the friendly sriI
E Of Ottoe Idians. They had gone 0
with their sqnaws on q hunting expel
S ton aud they had seen the smoke Of 4
5 lost trageler's FIRE two miles OF Il
e are hungry, they said to him, prodacil
, their own food--@ eat yoa are ready
It perish--come with Us. Yos are SD
e we Sill take care Of you sod will elog
J. yoa." These were the words oi The q
85 Skins, aOd the friendly promises ih
y implied we're performed 10 the letter,