Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-02-28

rectly down to the river, and follows it TO
the town limits. Not long after leaving
tie lake he heard a noise like the roar
ing of great water-spout. Instinetively
he turned toward the mountains :;
they were calm aud beautiful as in the
morning. but northward, where the Black
{ Hills rise from the plains, he saw 3 vast
wall of cloud approaching with the speed
Of whirlwind The roaring increased.
Al this instant the frozen tidal-wave
touched the foot hills aud chased the sun
beams firm the mountains like au ava
lanche. The horses rushed forward in ter
ror, and a second later they were in dark
ness, the storm sweeping over them with
resistless fury. Snow, finer than the
finest -four, filed the air so that 1t was
impossible to see hundred feet in any di-
rection. Fisk wrapped a bufLlo robe
around his neck and shoulders, and urged
the trembling horses or, but they could not
/ keep the road, and in short time the
plain was as trackless as the sen. After
the horses had left the beaten way they
could scarcely walk, and it was not long
before they refused to move The dark
ness increased, and the mercury was rap
idly running down to zero.
No time must be lost. The traces were
unhitched, and mounting tae strongest
horse, Fisk attempted to urge him forward :;
/ but be would not 20 on. Then he led
them for time, but fndjng that it re-
quired all his strength to keep the buffalo
robe from blowing away, he left the team
and pushed on before the wind, for the
I = nj In
places the snow was deep, and more than
twenty times the strong man was hurled
into the drifts. so terrible was the storm.
By ) O'Clock the mercury stood at ten de-
grees below zero. The snow blew from all
points OF the compass, and penetrated eve
~ stitch OF his clothing that was not pro-
tected by the buffalo robe. The man
knew that death was on his trail. His
strength was failing rapidly, an1 the cold
increasing with the fairy O. the storm. All
his garments were frozen stiff. and his eve
lashes coated with ice. It seem, that he
crossed the river few hundred feet below
Boyd's rancho; but he has only & faint
recollection Of stumbling down a bauh, ana
of dreaming that he ght possibly be near
house. lie felt that his time had almost
=
could not stop, except to brush away the
frozen tears, for wife WITH her babes are
waiting and praying, not three miles
away.
He managed to walk an hour longer,
when a dizziness came on, and his brain
ree.ei-nke the storm. Then be began
digging hole in the deepest drift he could
fnl. Ii vas Ike digging his own grave,
Tor he knew not how soon he might sink
with exhaustion. Alter working q long time
the ground was reached, and, then drawing
the robe over his head. he waited for the
snow to bury him. The wind did Is work
well, aud in an hour eighteen iueles Of
snow covered his roof Oi fur. Never did
a man long TO sleep more than he, but he
knew that If be closed MS eyes, II would
be forever Burning pains SHOT through
nj swollen limbs, and his legs crampeI as
if on the rack, and finally something ike
nettles prickle1 in his boots. Tnen he
knew that his feet were tre-z;ny. Was
be 70 die after all the hours OF agony
No, he would keep his muscles moving,
and he did - long after his toes were tr0
zen stiff Hour after hour this man fought
with death
At daylight he erawied out. Houses
were near. Then he staggered aud fell
20; up again, and dragged his frozen limbs
toward the limits Of the town After
walking for an hour he reached C5oper's
Ranche-the summer residence OF our
Town Clerk-and pushed in the back door.
Another hour was consumed in making a
FIRE Some matches, j piece OF candle
aud an old br0ad-aXe were found, Then
he melted snow in pail AMI 1hawed his
frozen feet. He also tcunl dry clothing
and pair OF cavalry boots. Although
completely exhausted, he started for
Greeley, a distance of two miles. The
mercury was eighteen degrees below zero,
and it took him an hour to walk a single
mile Often he thought he would fall to
the ground The houses seemed TO spin |
around as he passed them, and familiar
streets in which he saw children playing
the day before, were but the landmarks OF
a dream At last he reached his fathers /
gate and staggered to the door. Then
there was q rush and u scream, and the
next instant black and bloated face was
lying on woman's breast Greeley |
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