Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-08-23

from Nye's Ranch. And when he
camped that night in the manzanita-
bushes, it was with great difficulty that
he could kindle fire. But he found a
partly screened spot, where the snow
sifted lightly in, and he could camp in
comfort Jim was relieved of his load.
and tied in a clump Of trees which
sheltered him, and Mont slept as best
he could, and this was not sleeping well.
His feet were sore with the chatting of
a rough pair of new boots, put on when
he left the trading-post, and now soak
ed with melting snow.
Next day, after Jim had browsed
among the bushes, and Mont had swal.
lowed a little hot coffee, they struggled
on together, though the horse was now
Obliged to wade in a deep mass of snow,
d.. Mont desperately kept up by his
side.
Passing laboriously through the
round valley where he had made his
flrst nights camp, Mont entered the
rocky jaws of Scotchman's Valley.
The day was we'll advanced, but the
sky was dark with storm. Overhead
the air was thick as with a drifting
Whlrl OF snow. The black green trees
by the trail were half hidden and load
ed with the snow. All trace of the
route had vanished from the ground,
and only few landmarks, which Mont's
practiced eye had noted as he rode
down the trail, served to show the way
in which he should 60. There was the
high, steep southern wall of the canon.
and there were the cabins on the bench
below the upper edge. Poor Mont
noted in the binding storm the blue
smoke curling from the chimneys of
the cabins, and he longed to be by the
cheerful fireside which he pictured ia
himself was within. Like showers of
feathers, moist and large, the flakes
fell, and fell continually. Mont's feet
were wet and sore and lame. Once
and again, he paused in his struggles
and eyed the dismal sight around him,
half wondering if he should ever get
through. The hapless horse painted
beneath his burden, grooming as bis
master dragged him on through the
drifts. Once, Mont, with numb fingers,
united the thongs that bound part of
the load; then, passionately crying
aloud, "No! no [ can't lose these
provisions p he made them fast again
and labored onward. 81
He was now well up the canon. Just
opposite him were the cabins, and, as
he looked up at them. the air began to
clear. The snow fell only in scattered
flakes, and the clouds showed signs of
breaking away. Before HIM, however,
the way looked even more hopeless
than when it had been concealed by
the falling storm. Behind, g. few
ragged, fading tracks showed where
man and horse had shrugged on in the
drift.
Suddenly, low and far-off moan
broke on the utter stiffness of the air.
Mont, scared and half-delirious with
excitement and fatigue, looked up
toward the southern wall of the defle
The mountain-top seemed to be I'M
loosed and falling over into the valley.
The whole side Of the ridge appeared
broken, and as it glided swiftly down,
Mont noted, with fascinated minute
ness Of observation, thata broad brown
furrow showed behind it where the
mighty avalanche. The whole defile
seemed to shut up like the covers of
book. In twinkling the three
poor little cabins were wiped out as
with wet sponge. The pallid mass
swept on with a roar, it's huge arms
flying up toward the skies. It was not
so much wall of snow as resistless
torrent, broad and deep. The young
man stood still, his heart ceased to
beat; yet he stood and gazed, unable
to fec, as the avalanche Numbered
down from bench to bench, struck the
bottom of the canon, and spread out in
confused mass of whiteness. In an
instant, horse and man vanished in
waste of snow. The narrow valley was
filled, and only here and there, where
an uprooted tree or fragment of
wrecked cabin showed above the sur
face, was there anything to break the
utter desOlatiOn.