Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-08-13

depth in every place. i clung closer to
my companion in the vain hope of pro-
ducing more warmth. Oh, If / could
only get warm againl
| / felt I could willingly barter every
earthly possession to be warm. i
thought bitterly of our culpable care
lessness in not building fire the even
ing previous, and Of the JOY il would
be to sit before such blazing fires as
we had on nights now gone. If could
only get warm againi Was there not
some way in which we could get to
fire? Could not the half-breed build one?
If he would only try would give him
\ anything; nothing was too dear if Icould
only feel warm.
There was particular room in my
| brothers house, with large open fire.
| place in IT, If it were only evening, and
we were gathered about bright, cheer
| full fire, how nice and warm / could get!
| One sometimes goes into an hotel sitting
room in winter, and they have huge
| box-stoye made to take in cord wood
| whole. What genial warmth and heat
! there is, ? What glow there is over the
entire room Oh, if could only get warm
| like that!
| would be aroused at times out of
| thoughts like these by my companion,
| who now took to pushing me, and con
stantly warning me against falling asleep.
Mr.. Wheeler, also, was continually talk
ing Of his freezing, and assured US both
that his ears were already frozen.
For the first time / really became con-
scious of the danger we were in. Strange
TO say, it had no effect upon me. i felt
no alarm at the possibility of being over
taken by death, ! was so cold-if could
only get warm again This was the bur
den of my thought. Yet j was fully con-
scious of the danger. | knew, If death
overlook me, in exactly what shape ii
would come. And ] knew, furthermore,
that had already passed through the first
stage, and was nearly through the sec
ond Still, with this welldefned Knowl-
edge of what was before me, was to-
tally indifferent to the pangs of death.
| only wanted to be warm; felt that in
some way | must get warm. | thought
over the prospect OF speedy death in
differently There was no trouble about
the future at ALL did not think Of it.
The physical suffering and stupor were
too great to admit of it.
Twice before in my life had been In
momentary expectation OF DEATH and
one experience of the horrors OF dissolu-
ton was the same as this. That was a
case of dangue fever. While perfectly
conscious in the last moments-told they
were my last, and asked if | was pre-
pared to undergo them-l felt the same
sensation as here: IL were only comfort
able | would willingly go. / knew a
gentleman once who told me that, when
in similar situation--on the point of
death---his only feeling was one Of hun
ger; no thought or fear Of the future at
all, if only his appetite could be salts
fed. But how different that other expe-
rience, when called upon to face death
in full bodily vigor The terrors of
death which encompassed me are indie
scribable.
Continuing in the consciousness Of
danger, and yet thinking only OF my suf |
fcring and desire TO become warm, after |
the lapse of an hour, probably, l began
to get warm--that is, the sensation was +
one Of warmth and comfort, but was, in |
realty, a species Of numbness. / felt my |
flesh in several places and it produced |
a prickly, numb feeling, similar to that |
experienced when limb is asleep. I
was comfortable and happy because
/ was warm, and grew indignant
with my companion for his I'M
wearied thumps on my body
and the continual answers he required to
his questions; ] wanted to be let alone.
Fully conscious that If / went to sleep l |
would never awaken again, | was per-
fectly willing to go asleep. Even then |
remember thinking of poor travellers, lost
in the snow, being brought in by st.
Bernard dogs.
But | was warm and laughed silently |
at Mr.. Wheelers complaints of freezing.
paid no further attention to the shak-
ings of my companion or his questions,
but gathered myself up and lay thinking
how comfortable / was. Pretty soon |
began to doze, then 10 awaken suddenly |
when received more severe blow than
usual Then ! awoke to see the half
breed sitting up and bending eagerly /
over my face, and hear few muttered |
words to Wheeler-and then sense OF
comfort and Oblivion.
Now | was dead. Sensibility had left
me- II was evident | would suffer no
more In thirty or forty minutes, an hour
ut farthest, my body would die. Then
whatg
That ] should awaken with a bright fire |
before me, and be wrapped in robes and
blankets, seemed the most natural thing
in the world to me. For the matter Of
that, 1t appeared to me that when had
1allen asleep nau anticipated just sucn
consummalion of things, and it was
fully half an hour before began in the |
least to comprehend that anything out of
the ordinary channel had occurred. True,
knew i'm vague and indistinct way
that the half-brced was talking of Mr..
Wheeler being lost, but the matter seemed |
To be no affair of mine, and created no |
surprise. ! looked at him chatting my |
arms and legs, and simply felt that It
was quite right and natural that 1t should
be so.
Gradually, however, / regained con-
seriousness sufficiently to understand
that, finding me fast freezing, and i'm
possible to arouse, he had gone at the
imminent risk of his own life, some 800
yards further down the stream, and, find
ing dry and partially-rotten log, had
built fire; had then returned to find me
totally unconscious, and to carry me,
robes and all, to the fire.
The few words he had addressed to
Mr. Wheeler before leaving me showed
that he, too, was fast lapsing into the
same state. and when / was carried in