Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-08-13
A NIGHT OF MY LIFE.

n
IN the month of February, 1869, was
called by urgent business from my resi-
dencc near the foot Of Lake Winnipeg
. British North america, TO Fort Aber-
crombie, in Dakota Territory, distance
of some $50 miles.
This call involved no ordinary journey.
1t WIS weary, exhaustive travel OF ten
or twelve days across an unbroken prai.
rie, without shelter of any kind, without
the probability Of cncountcring a single
human being throughout the entire route,
and the almost certainty Of being over
taken by some of the terrible storms
prevalent at that season But the call
was imperative, and set about preparing
for the journey
The preparations were Of primitive
Sort there being but two methods Of
travel admissible at that scason--the one
by dog-sledges, the other with horses at.
tached to light carioles. The outfit en-
braccd combination Of the two by the
selection of a commodious dog-slcdge,
with trans in which 10 place horse for
myself, and light cariole for my com
panion, for attendant must have over
that desolate route. Choosing "a stalwart
halfbreed, accustomed to the rough life
of the prairics and Injured to all manner
of hardship from infancy, we started one
bitterly cold day toward the end Of the
month
In tie forward conveyance was placed
provisions for ourselves and provender
for the animals, while my own sledge was
comfortably furnished with the huge
bundle Of robes and blankets requisite
for our comfort aud even safety in camp.
I.4tx Il
To creep and glide smoothly TO my jour
ney's end. But the intensity of the cold
soon disenchanted me of that illusion
when | was forced to take to my feet and
run after the sledgc to avoid being frozen.
Even then the severity of the cold was
such that, when jumping on the sledge
for momentary respite, on reaching the
ground again my blood would seem
frozen, the muscles refuse to act, and it
would require sharp trot of "A mile or
more before could recover usual
warmth.
To any one who has not experienced
the atmosphere of that hypcrborean re-
gion the intensity Of It's coldness can
scarcely be described. The sun, being
so far southwark, creates but little heat,
and the major part of the time Is hidden
behind somber and leaden clouds. Be-
fore you, in every direction, the eye
meets but an unbroken waste OF snow,
presenting the appearance of an inn
mense sheet slightly raised at both
ends; for the level prairie has the
peculiarity OF seemingly being ele-
waited in whatever point OF the compass
you may turn, leaving an observer in
the depression. Far away, perhaps, as
the eye can reach. faint line of scat
tered lree-tops may barely be distin-
guished, appearing no higher than fern
bushes, marking the course OF some
prairie-stream crossing your path, or
running parallel with it--not thing of
life or motion within the range of vision
between the earth or sky save the con-
yeyance near you.
The atmosphere is filled with crystal,
seintiliating, minute, almost impcrcepti-
BILE particles of snow, drifting on wings
of air, impalpable and tieeting. The
yastness and magnitude of the scene are
overpowering. The immensely of the
dead level is overwhelming, You are
an atom in the gigantic panorama OF
frozen Nature about you. Off to the
north rolls little eddy of loose snow, a
mere puff, not larger than your hand,
Another follows: miniature coils circle
about over the smooth surface, and sink
back impcrceptibly to the level again.
Drifts Of larger proportions roll over the
expanse until the atmosphere becomes
thick with the frozen particles. The
outlines of the trees are lost and the
range of vision Is limited to few feet.
The wind howls like raging beast, con-
gealing your very hearts blood 1t is
the sirocco of the North! Woe to the
luckless wandcrer then! The morning
sun will find calm and peaceful face
turned up to the sky, with Its life frozen
out, and It's form hard and unimpressi.
BILE as IL carved from granite.
Our rate of travel was about twenty
Eve miles a day. The route pur
sued was that commonly taken by
the gogagenrs In their trips to st
Paul, and in many Of our proposed
camping-rlaces the fuel had been ex
haustcd To supply the numberless trains
which had come and gone in the years
before. This necessitated, at times, con
tibled trave! for an entire day without
stopping.
Al night we descended the banks Of
the river, pitching our camp upon the
second terrace, in some spot equally con
yenient to wood and water. Then
making an excavation In the snow, logs
would Be heaped up until our fire wa,
enfflciently large to afford genial warmth
,,roughout the night. Our sledges turned
aeross the head, and blankets spreat
mon the snow, formed a bed into which
with caps and oyercoats on, we were a
all times ready to creep.
Thus we io,Irneyed on until the CLOSING