Daily globe., 1878-12-01

''iS 90 -iie-o> oittJ tue Gne9Clng Vision OF
snow and sky, the vague, distant and
evef-shlttlng horizoa; the long snow
ridges that seem to bo roiloi one upon
another IN nlotionless torpor, or, in a
storm, moving like the swefls OF tha
ocean, tho weird effecE of sunrise and
sunset, OF night limiting the vision TO
almost nothing, and clothing e7en that
IN spectral opaque gray, Of morning.
slowly expanding 1t toa hopeless, shape
less blank; the sigh and sough of the
cease.ess wind, that seems an echo ia
unison With the immeasurable solitude Of
which It IS the sole voice; aud, over all,
the constantly growing sense Of lonely,
aeVer-endlng distance, which deepen.
upon the traveller as mcrning after morn
ing daWns upon his onward progress un-
der the So ae fantastic, ever-shifting
horizon OF snow and sky.
All this bacanss doubly intensified to
She Traveller left alone to shape his courss
lor the day. But the reality 81 the Storm,
Drift aud desolation has the excitement
OF the very pain which.they produce. To
be lost In the binding bl8ze OF ''pou-
Ore day; 10 have d spur of icy keenuess
urging MN on to renew efforts; 70 have
| She dead weight OF that dread inertia
winch always accompanies the traveller
on notbera plains, Keeping blm down
| with an iron grasp; to have despair CON
sEantly suge eEting the futiiity Of further
| eAeEnon, to seek with da2ed eyes and
slckenlng fears, hour after hour, far the
liant print OF snow-shoe or moccasin up
oh the snow; to see night approaching,
and not thing OF he or shape of shell
ter WITHIN the scope Of vision; to urge
Inc tired dogs with whip anl voice to
iresh exertlons, to greater Efforts in gain
laS some iar-otE asp4n bluff Or willow
copse ere night shall wrap the dreary
scene il darkness--aIl this is but the
| reiterated recital OF the travellers daily
misery. In the face of cold tie inten-
slty OF which it is difficult to imagine he
must keep CD. Right in his teeth blows
the bitter blast; the dogs with low-bens
heads, often face about 10 the races, and
can only be induced 10 proceed by repeat
ed thraahings; the haIt-breeds, with
blankets wrapped tightly aboat their
heads, bend forward as they walk against
the wind. To run Is instantly 10 lree8a,
to lie upon the s!edge even, Ior I. moment,
is TO chill the body through to the very
marrow. Under these circumstances the
Traveller ls APT TO WondeI if the game is
worth The candle. He coAp paras himself
with all other Iunatics who have gone on
fools errands since the world began, and
nnds the result very much t. his own dis
advantage.
| Small wonder, when aftat such I. day
OF toll and hardship the traveller sees
through the gloom lie haven he so long
has sought--it nlag be only the camp
fire in the aspen clu:np or The dull glow
OF q chip-file in g snow drift he nails
with intense JOY the glcam that tells him
OF u resting place. aud get IS he stretch
es his weary limbs in the snow or on the
soft broom, he laughs 1t the fatigues and
Tears which an hour before wero heart
aickening enough. Xct so ii is.
When the light begins TO fade over the
silent plan, and the grayish, Opaque
pail settles down upon the frozen lan2-
scape, the Traveller looks about him for a
good camping place. a poplar thickes
or pine bluff supplies all the requir
ments-a few dead trees for fuel, level
space for his fire and his blankets, and
"broem" for his bed. Every one sets to
work as quickly as possible. One unhar-
nesses the dogs and unpacks the sledges;
another collects dry logs; third cuts
line chips and startes the fir, while The
fourth shoVels away the snow IN front of
the tire with a snow w-shoe, and strews
the cleared ground with piue-brush.
Then all squat down, smoking and super
intending the cooking Of supper. the
hungry dogs seated around waiting for
their share
a pipe and smoke follow, then the
blankets and robes are spread down for
the befi. The operation of undressing is
reversed, and the traveller literally dresses
for the night, covering his head and all,
and placing his t,eat as near the fire as ne
dare. All huddle together as closely as
possible, and, when sileGco reiens, the
dogs creep seftly in toward tue fire and
lie at the sleepers' feet. Then begins the
cold. It has been ine1pressibIy cold all
day; as the darkness creeps on the wind
lulis, and the frost comes out OF the clear,
gray sky with still, merciless rigor. The
mercury in the Thermometer sinks down.
down, till it disappears in the bulb and
may be used as a bullet; the twenties and
thirtieg below have been passed: Just
when taint tinge OF coming dawn steals
over the eastern horizon it viii not unfre-
quently be in the forties below. fhs
, traveller is tired with his forty miles
march on snow-shoeB. Lying down with
} his blistered feet and stif1ened limbs,
J sleep has come to him by the sheer force
OF fatigue; but the d IN consciousness Of
. that frightful cold never for AZ instant
, leaves his waking brain; and as he lies
in q huddled heap beneath the robes, he
welcomes the short-h1&ired shiyering dog,
: who, forced from his cold lair In the
snow, seeks warmth upon the outside Of
his masters blankets.
Strange as 1t may appear to those who,
!. living in warm houses and sleeping
in cosy rooms from which all drapghts
are zealously excluded, deem taking ones
rest in poplar thicket at such q temp
erature next to an lmpossibiIity, it is
quite the reverse. The men who brave
such dangers are made Of sterner stuff.
and do not perish SO easily. On the
other hand, it frequently occurs that
when, before dawn, the fire again glows
ruddlly and the cup of tea is drunk hot
and strong, the whole discomfort Of the
night Is forgotten-fofgotten, perhaps, In
the dread anticipation of ascold still more
trying in the days journey to come.
For days the same routine OF travel is
pursued. To rise at three o'clock of the
/ bitterly cold mornings, TO start at four,
and plod on till DARK, hating twice for
an hour during the dag, is the dull his
tory of each days toll. No literary skill
is able to enligen the dreary
monotony Of tile journey. III front
goes the train OF dogs, founder
Ing along in the deep snow, then the