Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-08-13


tally Indifferent to the pangs of death.
l only wanted to be warm; 1 felt that in
some way l 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 I 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 d0ngue fever. While perfectly
conscious in the last moments-told they
were my last, and asked If l was pre-
pared to undergo them-1 felt the same
sensation as here: if | were only comfort
able would willingly go. knew a
| gentleman once who told me that, when
IN a 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-
fering and desire to become warm, after
the lapse of an hour, probably, | 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 a limb is asleep.
was comfortable ard 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 |
would never awaken again, | was per-
fectly willing to 90 asleep. Even then I
remember thinking Of poor travellers, lost
in the snow, being brought in by St.
Bernard dogs.
But | was warm, and laughed silently
at Mr.. Wheeler's 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 to awaken suddenly
when I 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 a sense of
comfort and oblivion.
Now I was dead Sensibility had left
me. 1t was evident / would suffer no
more. In thirty or forty minutes, an hour
at farthest, my body would die. Then
what?
That I 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, it appeared to me that when | had
fallen asleep | had anticipated just such
contamination 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 in q vague and indistinCt way
that the half-breed 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-
sciousness 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
|
built a 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
safety to the fire he had returned to find
Mr.. Wheeler gOne-haying, evidently,
awakened from his stupor sufficiently to
realize that he was alone, and to wander
off, alf-frenzied, in search of us.
These facts being at last impressed
upon my mind by the excited and volu-
BILE half breed, urged him to renew the
search for our lost companion; but he
positively refused. He explained that,
in doing what he had already done, he
had ieopardized his own life, and had
frozen both hands and feet considerably
that, while paid to care for me, he had
nothing to do with Mr.. Wheeler. He
urged that, if he left the bank of the
stream, he was likely to be lost, the
snow at once obliterating all trace
of his tracks. [ ordered him to 60
An offer of five golden sovereigns
met with like refusal. At length | told
him if he would find Mr. Wheeler dead
or alive l would give him a good horse
For this consideration he went. In
twenty minutes he returned, leading tae
unfortunate man, badly frozen, whom he
found running wildly about in circle on
the prairie.
He was kept from the fire with some
, difficulty until his hands, feet and face
were thawed out with water but did
not recover his mind until six hours
: after From frequent personal opserva-
ton / am led to believe that every one
who freezes to death upon the prairies
/ or elsewhere becomes invariably insane
before death
: Having been thoroughly warmed and
: recruited by a steaming hot breakfast
we followed the river to avoid losing oul
: way and in the afternoon reached 8
Hudson Bay Company's post at George
: town. Here We were informed that the
: temperature had fallen during the pre-,
| vious night to forty-nine degrees below
} zero! We remained in that hospitable
shelter for two days, during which the
| terrific storm ragged with undated fury
Some dozen Indians and half-breeds per
7 ished upon the route over which we haC
just passed.
: After this lapse of time I re
: call my thoughts and feeIing
/ with much more distinctness and ac
5 curacy than I could for some
/ time Immediately subsequent to 1ht
t events related. No one who has passed
a through great danger realizes fully the
? extent of it at once. 1t requires time tt
n impress the memory with all its circum
4 stances. What :. Y feelings were at thi
unexpected preservation from the dread
+ f11l fa 70 who +I,raotpD Il mo IT i in,