The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-11-18

1
son lost on the prairles. He probably
never thinks Of It until he discovers
that he Is lost, and then he has no land
mark from which to take his bearings.
have known repeated instances where
persons have been lost on the plains and
afterwards found lying dead with a COM
pass in their hands,"
"The mental condition of person
| lost on the plains Is nearly always one
| of hopeless confusion. Not one man in
q hundred retains sufficient control of
his mental faculties to help himself out
of his situation. And the suddenness
and completeness, too, with which many
minds give way form one of the most Gu
rious phases of their condition. Some
years ago was guide to hunting par
ty on the Southern plains. Among the
number was an Englishman, an intelli-
gent young fellow of PERHAPS twenty-five
years Of age. He was an excellent shot,
but unacquainted with the prairie, and
warned him repeatedly of straying away
from the camp For while he observed
the caution, and stuck close to the camp.
But after time he grew more venture
some, and seemed inclined to take his
own course. One day, when we were
running buffalo, he followed after the
herd instead of returning to camp, as we
supposed.
Upon our return H was missed,
and search instituted. In not more
than two hours after he was missed L
sighted his horse feeding alone on the
prairie. A few minutes after H was
discovered sitting on the ground about
half mile away. AS soon as we ad-
vanced toward him he started up and
ran off at the top of his speed l knew
what was the matter with him as soon
as he jumped, but the rest didn't. Rid
ing alongside of him, jumped to the
ground and took after him on foot
After sharp run L caught him. He
was clean daft. The discovery that he
was lost, and possibly would not be
found again, had upset his intellect COM
pletely. He struggled like a madman to
free himself, but held on to him. We
took him back to camp and tied him
fast. Toward night he began to recover
and by morning was quite himself
again. After that experience he kept
close to camp.
:" A man may easily become lost on
prairie trail, or even on a broad high
way on the plains, If he has no other
landmark to go by. In the old days of
overland travel to California it frequent
ly happened that parties who had camp
ed short distance from the road took
the back track in the morning, under
the firm belief that it was the right
one.
sit is astonishing how quick men
will get lost on a prairie. They seem
hardly to have time to get out of sight.
Sometimes, too, they are found again.
Two young Canadians went up the Red
river valley, a few summers since, bound
for Fort Garry. They had joined in
the purchase of a pony and a rickety old
cart at Fargo, and journeyed together
One evening about dusk they went into
camp on the banks of Goose river. AT
ter supper one of them started off on the
prairie to look after the pony, which had
been hobbled and turned loose. He failed
to return. The pony came in all right in
the morning, but the man has not been
seen to this day. 1t is probable that
when he left the camp he went in
westerly direction. If he did so he
might walk to the Rocky mountains
without seeing humnn being.
As l said, people disappear sudden
ly on the prairies, and are never heard
of more. But it occasionally happens
that people are found also, or, rather,
their remains are. The most singular
find of this sort coming to my own
knowledge was that of two half-breeds
who had been hunting buffalo in the
winter. They had wandered far out
upon the plains in search of game, and,
being laden heavily with meat and
hides, night overlook them before they
were able to regain the shelter of the
timber. To protect themselves from
the cold, they lay down on the snow
side by side, and wrapped fresh buffalo
hide tightly about them with the green
or fleshy side out. While they slept, the
overlapping sides and ends of the hide
froze fast, and imprisoned them like
wise. Tightly wrapped, as they were,
they could not extricate themselves, and
so died of starvation. When found, the
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