Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-01-06


to near an island in the river, and the
current following the channel, took them
to the far side of it, out of sight In ag-
onizing silence their friends sped on
through the snow that here was piled in
drifts. As the voices of the boys were
again heard telling that they had passed.
the island, Mrs. Sanders stumbled and
fell in the deep snow she was trying to
get through. -
With some difficulty she was extrica ;
ted, and carried up the steep bank, and
deposited in the sleigh with Mrs. Lape,
Mr.. Sanders bidding the man drive home
and hasten back.
"What shall do, Charles? What
shall l do?' she exclaimed, desparingly
wringipg her hands.
PRAY 7! he answered, rs be ran down
the bank to join Mr.. Lape AID the
schoolmaster, who were still keeping up
with the children.
Meantime the night had coma on, but
it was a bright moonlight. The ice on
which the children floated was near the
further shore, their little forms could not
be distinguished in the distance, only a
dark spot appeared on the surface
The men kept up constant calling, but
Leo's howl was their only answer
Now came the fear they would be frozen
to death. Boston was still eight miles
distant, and the night was getting colder.
Still they kept up that fearful chase
along the edge of the ice, where mis-
step would plunge them into the freez-
ing liver, which Was almost certain
death.
A mile further they reached cabin
on the river bank, inhabited by an old
pilot. He was reused from his bed by
Mr.. Sanders orders.
There is a gorge mile or SO below,
right round tho bend-they will be
stopped there. The ice is piled at that
point clear across the river. If that bit
they are on only keeps all right, we will
have them. l wish that dog would stop
bowling, though"
ale knows the ice is rotten, | reck-
on" said the man who had made the
same assertion before.
AID like to know what is to make it
rotten in such weather as thisg 1t won ii
have lasted until the February thaw, if
you had not fired that cannon. The
danger is that it will be capsized, or the
children thrown off, when it reaches the
Jam at the gorge. for it comes there with
a rush. Help me to get this dugout on
my shoulders; it might as well go
along"
Under the guidance Of the pilot, and
still hailing the children, they kept on.
The river now widened, until it was
rearly a mile across. Mr.. Lape aud
Mr.. Sanders were silent except to ask
necessary questions; only a cow bell
which had been fastened TO the sleigh to
tell of its whereabouts, broke the stiffness.
They neared the bend, and could hear
the crash of the ice, as if after turning
the point, it was suddenly stopped in its
course. They went rapidly forward in
the direction of the gorge; neither cold
nor fatigue felt in their anxiety.
"Follow ma close and take care, said
the pilot. as he began stepping in, and
about, and over the piled up Masses
al crossed from the other side not two
hours before sundown."
They obeyed his directions. stepping
with care. They had passed the middle
of the river, when wedgcd in with other
masses, they saw that on which the chill
,lrcu was, moving toward where they
had halted. They strained there eyes
and stood fixed.
LET us try the boat" said Mr.. Lape,
pointing to the clear space before them.
alt would be stove to atoms in min
ute by one Of those blocks" said the
pilot.
As he spoke, thu mass TO which their
attention was directed, separated; the
larger part rounded the point swiftly.
and rushing onward, met the gorge, and
dashed against it with fury that threw
them all from their feet Ere the noise
of the conclusion had died away, and
while the loose mass was still rocking
and grinding, the pilot sprang on to it,
and the others followed. The cake on
which the children were had got in a
sort OF eddy, and was swinging round (;
behind it were some large masses, that
in moment, would be against it.
"Stand firm and look out" the pilot
called.
As the words left lis lips, great
mass came with crash against the small
Ter one, which it broke into fragments,
dashing it up against the piled heaps of
the gorge, and sending splinters.and piec-
es in al directions, which struck them
with the force of huge stones. With a
spring like a panther the schoolmaster
gained the quivering surface, and drag
ged little body from the broken edge,
where the next moment it would have
been mashed to jelly by the closing
masses.
Dashing back over the wedged in frag-
meuts, he saw the pilot with another
/ dark body in his arms, and Mr.. Lape
was kneeing by a third. A moment
later Leo came dripping toward them
from the river, shaking the freezing wa
ter over them.
''Hattie is only insensible," said the