Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-12-24
PER1Ls m THE Wild IoRrR
LAND.


On tho Southern shore Of tho lake
three moose had been killed. When
the tidings reached the fort, two moi,
and two sleds Of dogs set ( for the
"cacho !" II was safely found, the
meat packed upon the slcds, and all
made ready for the return; then came
tile usual storm, dense and dark, the
fine snow (dry ~ dnstrnder the bit.
ing cold) swept the surface Of the
lake. The sun. which on one oi
these "poundre" days In the North
seems TO exert as snnch Influence
upon the war Of cold aud storm a.
some good bishop In the middle
iages wns wont 10 exercise over the
bclligerents Of Greasy or Pocitiers,
when, as II is stated, "Hc withdrew
to neighbofing eminencc, and there
remained during the combat .s-tht
sm. 1 say, Tor n tiino, seemed 10 pro.
test. by his presenec. against ths
whole i,,g, but then finding all
protests equally ,iisreeaded by the
wind aud cold, he muiIird himself up
In the nearest cloud and vent fast
asleep until the sleep was over. For
a time the men held their way acros.
the lake; then the dogs became be.
wi'dered; the leading driver turned
to his companion, aud telling him to
drive both trains, he strobe on In
front Of his dogs TO give n ''lead" II,
the storm. Driving two trains OF
loaded dogs Is hard work; tho second
driver could not keep up. and the
man deliberately increasing his pace
walked steadily away, leaving his
comradc TO tho mercies of cold and
drift. He did this cowardly act with
the knowledge that his companion
had only three. matches in his pos.
session, he having induced him IA
give mp the rest to Indiana whom
they had fallen In with. Tho man.
Tins abandoned OH the dreaded lake
was a. young Hudson's Bay clerk
by no meaas habituated to the hard.
ships uf such . situation. Dutit re
quires little previous experience tt
know when one is lost. The dog.
soon began TO wander, and finally
headed for where their instinct told
Them lay the shore. When the!
reached the shore night. had fallen
the wind had gone down, but still
the cold was intense it was the close
of January; the .oldest time of thu
year where eighty degrees Of frost II
no unusual occurrence. At such
ifime It was no easy time to Nght |
fire, the numbed. senselcss hands eau
not find, ,atrength to strike Is match
nnd many q time have I seem hard!
voyngeur fail in his first attempt
With the driest wood, and with ful
daylight to assist him. But wha'
chance had the. inexperienced hand
v ith scant willow sticks for fuel an,
darkness to deceive him? His woot
was parttEg grees,pud one by one hi
three mat6Rca Hash, f]ickcred, an,
died out. No fire, no food-alon
somewhere OH Lac Claire ins 40 t,
so deg. below zero. 1t was an ugl,
prospect. Wrapping. himself In
Blanket lie got dog at his feet ant
lay down. With daylight he was up
and putting tho dogs int" harness Sc
out; hut he knew nothing whateve'
of the lake, aud he sieered needles
of direction. He came at last to
spriug of open water; it was highl.
charged with sulphur, and hence it
resistance to- the cold of winter
Though ii was nauscous TO the tast,
he drank deeply of il. No othe
4 sowing OF water existed i'll all Ill
wide circle of the lake. For fon
days the wrctchcd man remained a
this place, his sn!e hope lay in tin
chance that mon would come to loo!
for him from the fort, but ere 'tha
would come about single night sut
flee to terminate his existence. Thcs
bad nights are bad enough when w
have all that food and fuel can do
Men loose their finger or their toe
sometimes in the hours of wintry day
light, but here fire there was none
and food without fire was not to b.
had. The meat upon the sled hat
i frozcn almost as solid as the stone o
quarry. He still hoped for relief
but had he known of the conduct o
!he ruffian whose desertion had thus
brought lin TO the misery his hops
would have been faint one. On thu
day following his descrtion the de
sertcrnppcareda at the Quatrc Four
che; he pretended TO be astoundet
that his comrade had not turned ur
On the same eveniughe reached forl
Chipcwvan; he told plausible s:or!
If Il wing left his companions smok'
ing near certain spot on the north
side Of the lake OH his return to tho
spot iHt Stcus NCAc SD'Ss "''>' N-> "
once concluded they had headed fol
home. Su.n wss his tale. "A search
cxped,tion was at once despatched
| but, acting under the direction OF the
lscoundrel Harper, no trace Of thu
lost nlan could be found. No wonder
the scene of his desertion lay man.
miles away to the south. but the vii
lain wished TO give Iime for cold ant
hunger to do their work, not for All,
qualification or revenge towards hi
late comrade, but simply because
"dead men tell no tales" Upon, th'
return of this nsucccssful expedition
suspicious were aroused; the ma,
= A country editor, waxing efoqncn
in the description of new organ
says: "The swell died away in deli
cious suffGcation, like one singing
sweet song under the bed-clothes."
was besought to tell the truth, an,
all would be forgiven him II he nov
confessed where 1t was he left hi
companion. He still, how ever, as
serted that he had left him on tn
. shore of the lake at a spot marked b.
q single willow. Again a scare
party goes ont, but this time unde
-~nnrtoucesl IaodershiD mud fofalt