Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1866-12-14
The Ice Raft.
BY ARTHUR L. MESERVE.

Ihe ice Is SeIClng weak. and there
are holes In many places, which make
1t dangerous for those not used to
the way"
"But know every inch of this lake
landlord. Many are the times when
there was not a house along its shore,
that | have trapped half the fall and
winter in sight of it and more times
than one built my camp fire on the ice,
and sought for the fish beneath it
Thank ye kindly for the warning,
Cap'n, but if these chaps don't feel
like backing out, we'll go over the
lake tonight"
"No danger of that, Ben," said /.
ave are in hurry to get home as
soon as possible, and we had rather
walk tonight than not. How far do
you call it across, landlord ?"
"Some fifteen miles, | think to the
nearest point of land; but I wouldn't t
wonder if you had to go lurther than
that tonight. The river that comes
in at the head of the lake is open,
and it is very likely it has thawed
quite channel down into the lake.
However you can keep straight across
and ifyou find that to be the case,
you can follow it down until you come
to firm ice. 1t may make a little ex-
ira travel, that is ALL"
"The moon will be up by that time, -
l said. at rises at ten, and the river
you say is well over to the other side.
That will give US light to get across
the channel without danger"
"Aioon or no moon, | can cross the
lake." broke in Ben. "There is not
a spot | should not know with my
eyes shut. The current is pretty
strong there, but | do not think it has
been warm enough yet to thaw open
the lake; but if it will only make a
matter Of a little more travel, we
must run the risk and take the short
est cut across"
LEAD on, Ben, we are ready. Good
by landlord; when we come this way
again We will try and make a longer
stop with you"
"Yes, Cap'n; that ar whiskey of
yourn is good, and am not man to
slight that; and | must say that bear
steak at supper was the incest | ever
eat. Good luck to yc, and you Will
see me again next fall, if I've not gone
under"
take care and not 90 nndar tho
ice, and look out for the wolves,
shouted the landlord, as last eau
ton, as we turned away from his cab
in and went down upon the ice, that
stretched away before US until it was
lost in the blackness of the night.
"Them varmintS won't be apt to
trouble US tonight, unless there is a
big pack hanging around the shore
and the wind should be right for them
to scent us. A few of 'em never ven.
ture out in an open space like this
The sneaking varmints amt got nc
courage unless there is a crowd of
'em together"
A word now as to whom we were
and whittier bound, and then we &C
on with our story. There were thre,
of us-Frank Hardy, Ben Grant anC
myself. Frank and had been OIL
business some hundred miles from tn,
town in which we resided, and wheI
Just on the point of returning by th
same route we had come, We fell il
with "Old Ben" as he was know
among the trapperS and traders, wit
whom we were well acquainted, ant
who, learning our intention of setting
out Immediately for home, prevaiie,
upon US to accompany him, taking
short cut across lots" as ne expresse'
it, by doing which we should save neal
ly a third of the distance, though W
should have to make the entire .joul
ney on foot, instead of by stage, as W
: had intended. We wanted to see th
country, and we liked the society O
Old Ben-so we provided ourselve
with snow shoes, for it was the frs
, of March and the snow still lay a
deep as in midwinter, although trave
ING was not so bad as it would hav
: been then, as the sun had melted th
e top of the snow a little, forming
1 crust, through which we did not sin
D enough to gather the frost as we wall
ed.
We were armed each of US with
+ rife, and while Frank and | had littl
T., else to carry, Old Ben had an axe an
/ a large knapsack in which he carrie
a supply of food, which we shoul
stand in need of, as according to h
d reckoning we should strike but one (
n two settlements on our route: and
though we had our rifles to depeI
upon for food, it was the season Of Il
d year when game is scarce, and tt
trapper thought that it would be
# we'll to take something along in t
way of rations.
y. The first day of our tramp, alo
j. about the middle of the afternoon '
a reached the little settlement on t
lake shore, where we stopped and re
ee ed ourselves until the sun went dow
when as we were preparing to set o
" the conversation ensued that we ha
I'd already chronicled.
The sun had gone down and one
one the stars were coming out and
ma king their places in the great b
of vault above US, when We turned
MS hacks upon the landlord and his ca
u.s. and struck out upon the ice that G
ver cred the bosom of the lake, hecl
here and there with patches OF sn'
that meeting rough spot in the ii
is had not been swept away by the WIN
Tvs The surface was so slippery that
oct found we conld make little heady