, 1862-02-13
oM WASHINGTON TERRITORY, THURSDAY FEBRUARY 49,

With these words he shook Mr.. Mollhausen
by the hand, and he and his companions de-
parted. They never once looked back at the
traveller or his tent, but kept IN their way rap
idly towards the south, and leit him doomed
man.
For the next eight days snow storms ragged
necessarily, and threatened to bury him alive in
his tent. Although be was as yet, spared the
pangs Of hunger, Che friendly Indians having
increased his small stock Of provisions by the
leg of an antelope) his sufierings Of other kinds
were indescribable. He was 40 lame that he bad
to crawl on his hands and knees when he fetched
his supply Of water; bis head swan his men,
ory failed him, and he dared not close his eyes
by night for fear Of the wolves. Maddened by
hunger, they came nearer and nearer to him.
Howling and yelling, they eircled round and
round the tent, closer and closer at the end OF
every day. One night he heard the snow out
side cracking under their feet; the next, he
saw the teeth Of one Of them appear through
the leather side Of bis tent. He could only scare
them away by firing at them In the darkness /;
but they returned TO the attack in few hours,
and they let him no chance to sleep till the broad
daylight drove them back to their lairs.
He was just strong enough on the ninth day
to make the ninth notch in the pole Of the tent
On the tenth day he was powerless. His cour-
age gave way, and he despared. for the FIRST time,
Of bis rescue He had medcine-chest with
him, which be had already used, containing
small bottle Of laudhnbm and case Of quinife.
Without forming any distinct resolution, without
well knowing what he did, he put the laudanum
bottle to his lips, and almost emptiedit Adeep
swoon followed the draught; he remembered
taking It, and remembered nothing more.
When he came to himself again, II was pitch
dark, and bis tent poles were rocking in gale
Of wind. Thirst, and, In lesser degree, hunger
we're his awakening sensations. He satisfied
the first with half-melted snow, and the second
with raw buffalo meat. When his fire (which
had dwindled to few g'immering sparks) was
re-lighted, he roasted the meat, and recklessy
ievourcd three days rations at q meal BY the
morning he was so much better (partly through
the rest which the laudanum had given to bis
mind, partly through the sustenance which the
excess Of food had afforded his body that the
preservation Of his life became once more mat
ter Of interest to him. He tottered out, leaning
on his rife, to get q little exercise. In few
days he contrived TO walk as lar as the top Of
low hill, from which he could look forth, all
round, over the lonesome prospect
By this time his provisions were at an end, and
the last faint hope Of rescue from the Mission
had died out Of his mind. Il was . question,
now, whether the man shOnld deyOnr the wolves,
or the wolves the man. The man had his rifle,
bis ammunition, and his steady resolution T.
fight it out with solitude, cold, and starvation
to the very Iast-and the wolves dropped under
bis bullets, and fed him, with their dry, sinewy
flesh He took the best part Of the meat only,
and LEFT the rest Every morning the carcase
abandoned at night was missing. The wolves
that were living devoured to the last mOrsel the
wolves that were dead.
He grew accustomed to his wretched and re-
volting food, and to every other hardship Of his
forlorn situation-except the solitude Of It. The
unutterable oppression Of his own loneliness
hung upon his mind, heavier and heavier weight
with each succeeding day. A savage shyness
at the idea Of meeting with any living human
creatures began to take possession Of him. There
were moments when he underwent the most
fearful Of oil mortal trials-the conscious strug-
gle 10 keep the control Of bis own senses. At
such times, he sang, and wbistled, and extended
his walks to the utmost limits that bis strength
would allow and so, by main force, as it were,
held his own tottering reason still in its place:
Thus, the wofIl time-the dreary, lonely,
hopeless hours-wOre on till be had cut bis six
teenth notch in the tent-pOle. This was mem
orable day in the history Of the Crusoe Of the
snowy desert
He had walked out to the top cf the little hin
to watch the suns way downward in the wintry
western heaven, and be was YEARLY looking
about him as usual, when he saw two humhn
figures, specks as yet in the distance, approach
ing from the far north. The warning Of the
Delaware Tndi,n came back to bis memory, and
reminded him that those two men were approach.
ing from the district Of the murderous Pawnees.
A moments consideration decided him 10 await
the coming Of these strangers In place Of am.
bush which commanded view Of his tent. u
they were Pawnees, he knew that the time had
come when they or he must die.
He went back to the tent, armed himself with
Us many weapons as he could carry, took the
percussion caps off the rest, and hid them un-
der his bed. Then he put wood on the Dire, 80
as to let the smoke rise freely through the open.
ing at the top Of the tent, and thereby strengthen
any suspicion in the mind Of strangers that u
living man was inside Il; and no next fastened
the second opening, which served for door, tying
il on the inner side, as if he hal shut himself up
for the night. This done, he Withdrew TO the
frozen river Of Sandy Hill Creek, about 4 hun
dred aud iilty PAGES of, walGing backwards so
rs to make his f0otnarkS in the snow appear TO
be leading to the tent, instead Of away from u.
Arrived on the ice, of which the high winds
had drift,d the snow up on the banks, he took
Of his SHOES for fear the nails IN them might be-
tray him by scratches on the smoothly frozen
surface, and then followed the stream over. the
ice, till he reached the winding which brought
its course nearest TO his tent. Here he climbed
up the bank, between two snow.drifts, and hid
himself among some Wllhercd bushes, where
the twigs and stalks gave hin q sight Of the
tent and Just ROOM enough besides Tor the use
OF his several weapons
In this situation he watched and listened.
Although the frost was so intense that his breath
froze on his beard, and his lsft hand felt glued to
the barrel Of his oveled rife, the fever Of expec'
ta,ion in his mind prevented his feeling the cold,
lie watched, for what seemed 10 be en- inter
minable time and, at last the heads oi the Two
men rose in sight over the brow Of q neighbor.
ing bill. Their figures followed in another min.
ute. An doubts were ended nOw-the last day