The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1870-06-10
T y .eruo A.tw,'Al w Y
@i9ht's glide III The Sierra,

- s43lo"ZSEaA : F@1##Bs-
@i9ht's glide in The Sierra.
From Overland Monthly for June.
Ny medical friend hal pulled away Wig.
Orously 1t his cigar for some minutes. 10
silence; and then, throwing away the stump,
) IL x.sis 4i,s win,ercf lses ., when lind
just been placed in charge Ut division near
the summit of tltc 'SiJFIS New ida. on the
half 6nissed Genirsl Pacific Railroad. After
u long days ride, came tack to the board.
ing house st ten O'Clock in the evening. and
was told that messenger had been there
from Camp No. ~. with . request that
would lose NO time IN hurryiDg over there
very critical condition. The messenger had
been very urgent. and II was evidently =
case life and dcatl'-nothimg less. ! took
few minutes 10 consider. ] was tired out,
and wanted sleep badly, but could, on =
pinch, go little farther without breaking
down entirely. Tho moon would bc up u
eleven O'clock, ,YDd the night MAS still aud
clear, though the sii0w had only just ceased
falling, and was from five TO eight feet
deep on the level, ii you can use the cx.
preston properly where there 10 nOthing
like y Level ~ be found, and the TOsds--Of
trails, Ia,her-arc obIitentcd by the drifts.
Liaquircd ABBOTT tile IocSiisG II Camp No.
-. 1t was twelve mics away, and di
rcc,ly over ridge, Or spur, Of the noun
tai,,s. Ny own horse tSz,pld not stand the
"trip. but big lubber Of y cart horse. tia,
thu y said YVES good saddle horse, was offer.
Cd me. got supper, put on dry socks and
an extra pair Of fur lincd oycrbools, and
Hraa Il, TN. kn.lile and off
A good saddle horse! The brute belong
cI ~ the nightmare. family, and his mother
must have taken special pride In him.
Great heavens. what . gait! lie had travel.
ell 80 long in the cart that the steady Jolt
had communicated itself to llis spine, sad
become chronic. At every step he ierked
his back up, ~ II expecting to feel the gir,h
strap strike him underneath, and neither
curses nor blows would i.;duce him for .
moment 10 recognize the fact that he was
out Of the shafts, and abandon his eternal
hippytyhop. 'l4 When / started out, there
were hard Jumps in the Saddle. - large -
chcstnuts; 'hef6rs the lwslveShiles We're half
completed, the Jumps had grown to the size
Of paving stones, and swfully sharp edged
and rssping. The snow which, hid just
fallen filled the trail. but tho old snow un.
dcrncntI' being hard packed. snd the trees
UbVJS VIC JOuNC VIGIL uJNLgNI, i UUO I'D UIllle
Guilty in Keeping The track most Of the time
Of destination, 7aA'nc - could guess,
clouds obscured INC moon for time. and
lost the road. lkep: on as well rs ] knew
how, guessing ut the location Of Camp No.
-, and. after ruling down the steep side
Of rsvinc. and working hMlf an hour u get
old Jerky back into the ridge. filling my
OvershSvs with snow, ss2 fairly exhansting
mysclfin hOundcring through the drifts.
was rewarded. with the sight of lights IN
s'nc cabins half mile away. Mt doubt
lux that this was Camp No. -. I rounded
y small canyon, worked my way. over .
point Of rocks, Jcrky stumbling and falling
repeatedly, and reached the cabins ut halt.
1,Sst iwelveO'clOck.-tH. :. ..8.ErFCgrG". .
The lights had disappeared. 'Halloo the
house, there r. No answer ''Halloo tho
house " louder and longer than before. A
panel in the side of tbs nearest cabin open
cd slowly and cautiously. aud after time
enough had elapsed tn sltOws critical cx.
animation Of the party outside. voice de- ,
IMndcd: D, WHO You, john! What you
wah.cc catchcc hcre!" Il was . Chinese
wood cutters camp, and there was not Z
white n,as 'aboutp,hs placs. s.a,-
The Johns told me that there was camp
of white mcIr OH the other side Of lhe ~
vine Ind just crossed. and perhaps half u
mile farther upAhe mountain; they thought
il might be Camp humble -" Half an
hours fl0undcring through the snow brought
me hack 10 the point whence had sighted
the lights, and soon after l q m. was al
the white mems camp. ] reused the inmates
more easily here, ~ they were indulying In
little friendly game Of ''p,tch." or draw"
that being Saturday n.ght--s and l,ad not
retired to their virtuous hunks. No, that
was not Camp No. --. my infOrmer told
me, and, what was worse, Camp, No. -
was right over the summit IT the mountain,
mile and a half away. could 80 around
by the trail. three miles, or ride up to the
railroad track. atiog my horse. and walk
through the snow sheds, little more than
\ mile ~ ~ss contrary 70 the rules 10 take
NJ animal inside the sheds.
! started Up toward the track, and reached
itat . ATm.nl The night Wa sow clasr and
still not the slightest noise could be heard,
und the silence was something awful and
on earth will not feel more completely alone
than Jcrhy and did 1t that moment. As !
w9s about 10 disp.opnt and tie him 70 = tree.
Thought struck me. I knew every rcgu.
lar train ON the road, and there was none
due for hours from either direction. had
atime.tabac1in my pockct, and took u out
and examined it carefully by the moonlight,
Tic track was clsaE why might ! not ven
turc to save my strength. and tlist Of NY
horse, and by swing Time. pcehaps save :
valuable human life ~ well : Why not,
indeed The more / thopght Of Il. the more
sstishcd1 bcea2ss tfas. ( wm afc Hing
70 do.
The moon, now unol,scured, was high In
the heavens - I cn,crc6 the snpw sbed, and
II was not very 6l0calt u ksep Gle way tas
the light came scintillsting through thous.
and cracks and creviccs ia the rough timber
structure. Three or four culycrts, TO allow
fhe passage Of mot,ptsin streams when the
OnA<N s1eitlng, 6,Aecked my progress for :
brief time, but there WAS plank acrDss one
or Two, for the convenience Of foot pas.
scngcrs." and as the &ater was hard frozen,
got old Jerky around tho others in safety.
The worst was over, and was already
beginpipg 70 chuckle- oyes the 9dvc9;ure,
, sa0 Hide pzpelf ~ my s1Sretl)ksghk md
pluck IN making The venture HAD, an.
doubleday. saved u least an hour Of hard
w&k k0G1iW ttNqRh ~ SeR. H94 Rossi.
bly-n0t impsobably, 10 fact-ssved { lifel
Just then ] heard ) low, tssaulo0s, hmm!
ming pQlsD running .along - fIese hdsa
'Y6ih. DC Ymseinctively q iaSe6ked ~ 6i6t' %
listeh u he'd subsidized fort moment