Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-06-12
For the VERMONT FARMER.
LOST IN THE WOODS.
by ZOLLIKoFFER.


On the morning of January 4, 1869, Mr..
z. w. Bishop, OF Dudswell, Wolfe Co., z.
o., with his son Julius and II son-in-law
John +. Weston, went some four miles into
the unbroken forest to build n camp for
their headquarters in numbering operations,
taking with them two days provisions.
They passed through Marbleton village,
which was about a mile from the skirt of
the forest. As the reader probably knows,
tho wilderness stretches away to the east
and north for hundreds of miles.
The three men calculated that by Wednes-
day noon they could complete the camp, and
their brother was to meet them with n team
In the afternoon at the house of Widow
Whelan, about half way from the village to
the woods. But Wednesday noon found
considerable yet to be done, and rs there
was provision enough left for their supper
they concluded to stay and complete the
camp. Thursday morning came and there
was an hour or two's work yet to be done.
They divided the small piece of bread which
remained, which only gave each mouthful
or two, and went to work. They finished
the camp about l p. NJ, and started for
home. The land was covered with a heavy
growth of valuable pine and spruce timber
and they thought it best to look around n
little and arrange plan of operation, so
they left the bazed line which marked their
course and travelled northward the length
of one lott (the land there is laid out in lots
about mile in length and half n mile
wldeO then across the end of the lot, and
started back for their trail on the opposite
side of the lot, following the lot lines all the
while, in order to not get lost. As the line
they were following interscctcd their trail
diagonally, they thought to gain time by cut
ting across the corner. There was about six
inches OF snow on the ground and rs much
more lodged in the dense evergreen foliage
overhead; the wind began to blow and the
air became filled with snow; the men failed
to find their trail, which was only marked
by blazed trees, and wero-lost! in a bound
less wilderness.
The falling snow melting MS it fell during
the afternoon had completely wet their
clothing and now rs it grew colder with the
setting sun their limbs were benumbed with
cold. Struggling blindly on, they frequent
ly stumbled into brooks and water holes
until their boots were filled with water, and
by midnight they were so nearly exhausted
that they resolved to build fire and wait
for morning, but not q match could they
find. Again they started on, not knowing
whether they were going towards home or
directly into the Wilderness which stretches
away across Maine and New Brunswick. |
Nl.s.v I....l 4. 4
Julius remembered that his father had that
morning put three matches in tho watch |
pocket Of his vest. Then they undertook |
TO draw off their mittens, but they were |
frozen to their hands. Finally Weston sue
ceeded in getting one of his of and the |
matches were taken from the pocket. BY |
this time the old man had also got his NIT
tens OIL and they undertook to light fire.
They felt that upon these three matches de-
pended life or death. The first match broke
and flow into the snow. The second failed
TO ignite the bark they had collected though
the old man held it until his thumb and
ilnger nails scorched and Kissed ms the last
end OF the match burned out. The third
and last match communicated n blaze 10 n
piece of bark; 1t illckered and would have
gone on. but Mr.. Bishop hastily drew some
papers from his pocket and fed the flame
with them; then he burned the blank leaves
from n memorandum book; then tho &c
counts themselves, and finally the last piece
of paper he had, promissory note. This
last saved tho blaze, and as it began to snap
and crackle among the small sticks and pieo-
es of bark hope rose in their hearts. The
blaze had become perhaps six inches in
height when n mass OF snow fell from q
bough overhead and entirely extinguished IT,
Mr.. Bishops courage left him for tho first
time, and no exclaimed "My God! boys, we
must perish horep
But Julius and Weston were young; one
had wife Mt homo and to the other came
the memory of gentle, bright-oyed Nellie,
who had that very evening expected him to
take her TO a social gathering, and who was
doubtless oven then wondering what acct
dent had happened to keep him away and
make him for the first time fail to keep his