The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-02-01
A Tramp for Life.

of the West have witnessed strange scenes
Many battle has been fought on them, o
which no survivor has told the story
Many human being has lain down to die
or exposure and starvation in those remote
wilds, without even the poor. :comfortNo Noi
being able to transmit his dismal tale t6
nome and kindred. Many terror.stricken
wayiarer has been swept out of existence
py tne remorseless fire of the prairie, which
mas crammed its hungry nav alike with
White men and red, with the domestic cattle
OF the settlement, and the wild beasts Of the
pam. A few bleaching bones, or broken
fragments of arms, may perchance give token
OF "nat has passed to some traveller; but
the wolves and panthers of those regions
are greedy and ill-fed, and generally even
! the slightest traces of such casualties dis.
appear.
There cameinto Sioux City some DAYS ago
man whose chances of escape from the
perlls OF the Plains that beset him were 20
slight that his preservation seems almost
miraculous. An insurance, COMPANY, even
or the sort that take doubtfufrisks, would
hardly have guaranteed TIL Dormitt's
earthly existence for nine@ DER cent.
knowing in advance the task he meant tc
undertake. Dormitt, it appears, is q Texas
cattle. driver. His affairs had drawn him
TO Fort Buford, and he found himself al
That post last October. Luck had gone
against him, and he was quite without mo mo.
ney-he had not, in fact, a single dollar. He
made up his mind that 7he must &c
home to Texas. The distance, how.
ever, is twelve hundred and TWENTY-FIVE
miles. and 1t lies through an Indian country,
notorlously dangerous. Still, weather-wisee
people at Fort Buford said there was TO he ar
open winter, and the adventurer was like
wise persuaded that the Indians of the re-
gion had moved southwark. He therefore
rolled up his blankets and ammunition
shouldered his rifle, and boldly struck oui
for Texas. When he had travelled over two
hundred miles, Dormitt was oYertaken by ;
fearful snow-storm. 1t came down SLOWLY
! and finely at first, but afterward In gigantic
flakes, piling UP higher and higher, cover
| ing all tracks, and filling the air with it.
binding fury. The unfortunate man gave
himself up for lost. He could neither ge
| forward nor backward, and, like the out
casts in Bret Harte's story of "Pokel
| that Of snowy sepulchre. In the momen
of his agony, and as if by the special in
terposition OF Providence, the poor fellow
stumbled upon hole in an embankment
Here he remained in safety, and even il
warmth, until the storm passed over. Al
soon as he could make any way through
the snow he came forth from his shelte
automatically enough-started to 60 bacl
to Fort Buford. Having gone mile, how
ever, he paused and reflected. Texans d.
not relish the "back track" and Dormit
thought he was doing what was cowardly
Presently he resolved to decide his cours,
by method practiced among children. Fl,
set Il stick on end, letting it fall us it would
determined to go in the direction it shoul(
indicate. The stick fell toward Texas, ant
Dormitt, setting his face toward the east
pushed on once again.
! a this time he had been without food fol
two whole days. He argued that he was a
likely to fall in with surprise in one direc
ton us another, and this being the case
1t was best TO prosecute his original inten
tion. Growing weaker and weaker, OIL tht
! second night after leaving his retreat in tht
embankment he discovered another .similal
hole. Into This he crawled on all fours
when suddenly he clapped his hand on thu
face Of Il dead Indian He drew bacl
with shudder, but soon rejecting that
| man not afraid Of Il live Indian need hardl,
| be terrified by dead one, Dormitt re
| tiiained in the hole. Presently, to his joy
he found 4 large piece of frozen buffalo
meat, the property, no doubt, of the de
ceased brave. This was our travellers saliva
| ton. He ate heartily, slept we'll, and il
| the morning went his way. On the follow.
| ing afternoon he fell in with party of In
dians, who robbed, but, strangely enough
| did not otherwise Imolest him. The same
evening he came directly poh q monstrou
black bear, who was equally considerate
After undergoing extraordinary hardships
and being many times as near apparent,
unavoidable destruction as in the instances
we have described, Dormitt got safely Il
Sioux City and related his adventures tt
! the editor of the Journal of the place. He
had been about IS days in accomplishing hi
| journey, was worn to a skeleton, and al
most naked. Curious to say, his health was
Notwithstanding, good, and his wants bein2
freely supplied, he was soon in the best o
spirits. Many records exist Of very small
parties accomplishing the transit across oul
| Central Continent, aud Of others who have
tried it and miserably perish but we have
never before heard OF single individual
attempting it. The figure ofa solitary maj
setting forth deliberately to make his way
across vast and desolate wastes, is romantic
and moving. Subj journey might have
been attempted by Cooper's Leather Stock
ing; but with that exception we know o
no other character, either in fact or fiction
to whom such resulute hardihood woulL
seem natural or possibie.-N. 7. Times.