The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-10-15
AN ABSURD ADVENTURE.

1Nl Roughing it," gives a humorous
account of the manner in which himself and
two comrades were lost and how after trav-
cling for some time in a circle they con
cluded to camp for the night. Plainly the
situation was desperate. We were cold
and stiff and the horses were tired. We de-
cided to build sage-brush fire and camp
out TIL morning. This was wise, because
if we were wandering from the right road
and the snow-storm continued another day
our case would be the next thing to hope
less if we kept on. l'.''
All agreed that camp fire was what
would come nearest to saving u.s. now, and
so we set about building it. We could find
no matches, and so we tried to make shift
with the pistols Not a man in the party
had tried to do such thing before, but
not a man in the party doubted that it could
be done, and without any trouble-because
every man in the party had read about it
in books many time and had naturally
come to believe it, with trusting simplicity,
just as he had long ago accepted and be-
leved that other common book-fraud about
Indians and lost hunters making a fire by
rubbing two dry sticks together.
We huddled together on our knees in the
deep snow, and the horses put their noses
together and bowed their patient heads
over us; and while the feathery flakes ed
died down and turned us into a group of
white statuary, we proceeded with the mo-
mentous experiment. We broke twigs
from sage bush and piled them on little
cleared place in the shelter of our bodies
In the course Of ten or fifteen minutes all
was ready, and then, while conversation
ceased and our pulses beat low with anx-
ious suspense, Ollendorff applied his revol-
yer, pulled the trigger and blew the pile
clear out of the county 1t was the flattest
failure that ever was.
This was distressing, but it paled before
a greater horror-the horses were gone /
had been appointed to hold the brides, but
in my absorbing anxiety over the pistol ex-
pertinent had unconsciously dropped
them and the released animals walked off
in the storm. 1t was useless to try to fol-
low them, for their footballs could make no
sound, and one could pass within two yards
of the creatures and never see them. We
gave them up without an effort at recov-
ering them, and cursed the lying books
that said that horses W ould stay by their
masters for protection and companionship
in distressful time like ours.
We were miserable enough, before; we
felt still more forlorn, now. Patiently, but
with blighted hope, we broke more sticks
and piled them, and once more the Prus-
sian shot them into humiliation. Plainly,
to light fire with pistol was an art re-
quiring practice and experience, and the
middle Of desert at midnight in snow
storm was not a good place or time for the
acquiring of the accomplishment. We
gave it up and tried the other. Each man
took couple of sticks and fell to chatting
together. At the end of half an hour we
were thoroughly chilled, and so were the
sticks. We bitterly execrated the Indians,
the hunters and the books that had betray-
ed us with the silly device, and wondered
dismally what was next to be done. At
this critical moment Mr.. Ballou fished out
four matches from the rubbish of an over
looked pocket. To have found four gold
bars would have seemed poor and cheap
good luck compared to this. One cannot
think how good match looks under such
circumstances or how lovable or precious,
and as sacredly beautiful to the eye. This
time we gathered sticks with high hopes;
and when Mr.. Ballou prepared to light the
first match, there was an amount Of in
terest centered Iupon him that pages OF
writing cannot describe. The match burn
ed hopefully for moment and then went
out. 1t could not have carried more regret
with it if it had been human life. The
next match flashed and died. The wind
puffed the third one out just as it was on
the imminent verge of success. We gath
cred together closer than ever, and develop
ed solicitude that was rapt and painful, as
Ballou scratched our last hope on his leg.
1t lit. Shading it with his hands, the old
gentleman bent gradually down and every
heart went with him-eyerybody too, for
that matter--and blood and breath stood
still. The flame touched the sticks at last,
took gradual hold upon them-hesitated---
took stronger hold-hesitated again.