The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-04-03

on, frequently 1alllng, our anlHlais
stumbling in the drifts. At half-past
9, after coming seven and half miles,
when we were only one and half
miles from the cabin whose shelter we
were seeking, my horse, which had thus
far been leading, and had faithfully
scented the trail under the deep snow,
gave way in snow-bank and fell back
ward on me, pitching my gun, carried
across my saddle, some six or eight feet
to the rear.
The animals here foundered about,
completely exhausted; and, with the
storm growing worse and worse, we
could 90 no farther. While off fifty or
one hundred yards, looking for the road
in the snow, L lit a match in my hat,
when 1 heard Connolly yell out,
+" There's the cabin! There, Judge,
look quick! See the lightP" Never
have 1 heard more joy in any ones
voice in my life. Alas! it was twill
o'-the-wisp, for my match went out in
a moment, and could not find the road
nor were either of the others success
full.
We were compelled to stop till day
light; but what a camp!" No food,
no tent, and no fire, for there were no
trees about, and all the small bushes
were under the snow. Tying our poor.
exhausted animals to rocks, we quickly
threw down our bedding on bare
piece of ground. Itook out my shelter
tent, put it under the Judge-poor fell
low!-and over him my overcoat, I'M
derneath his buffalo-robe. My feet were
so wet and cold, and my boots so full
of snow, that took them off-an un-
wise move. Although we covered our
selves completely with our bedding,
well tucked in, so fine was the snow, so
high the gale and piercing wind, that it
blew through and through, and froze
ny blankets and buffalo-robe to the
canvas sheet covering them. 1t was
about thirty-five degrees below zero !;
and how the storm howled during the
long hours of the night! 1t was like the
moaning of the surf during fearful
storm coming from the sea-like the
noise and rush of a passing train as you
step aside from the railroad-track to let
IT pass. 1t was long and terrible Satur-
day night. About eight O'Clock Sunday
morning the Judge uncovered me and
called for me to jump up-that ne and
Connolly were about to start for the
cabin on foot, leaving every thing. My
boots underneath my bedding Were
frozen stiff. warmed them little by
rubbing them rapidly in my hands, and
finally forced them on my frosted feet.
My fingers were frozen, too, and, as my
ears were frosted last winter and in the
winter before by the Rocky Mountain
cold, am getting somewhat unanimous,
so to speak. My boots on, jumped up,
but refused to go on, as we searched
in vain for the road, and the
storm still ragged in all its fury, and
we could not see fifty yards into the
storm, nor look at all against it; and so
we all jumped under our bedding again.
The Judge was so cold that he came
and laid down upon my bed, pulling his
robe over him, fairly grooming in his
suffering. His hands were white with
cold, and he was warming them in his
mouth, trembling and shivering from
head to foot. At nine O'Clock he and
Connolly again started, promising, If
they reached the cabin, to send out q
guide with food to. take me in. This
time they left for certain, and, going to-
ward the mountains, found the road at
last and reached the cabin. An hour
after they had gone, noticing that the
storm had lifted a little, took out my
compass in bed, and, getting the course
to Errett's from my notebook, got the
bearing as closely as could. Getting
up quickly, / put on my overcoat, but
IL to r,<f -.
tensely cold that my hands were by that
time powerless, and / started off on a
trot that ceased as the snow grew deep
err. 1 took along my dog, which was
lying under the foot of my bed, with
me, but left, as did the others, horses,
mules, bedding and guns.
Faithful dog, mans true friend in dis
tress! He is the same "Dash," a red
Irish setter, that went south with Steele
with Merritt's command to rescue the
besieged Thornburgh's command in the
pits at Mill Creek, and was there re-
cognized during the Indian firing, and
brought back by Captain Lawson to
Fort Steele. Finding the direct line to
was too weak to cross, took to the left,
over hills from which the snow had
drifted off-my dog leading me, running
ahead, and then returning as if to hurry
me on. Now and then, where the snow
was soft and very deep, he would
| founder helplessly and moan, as he did
during the storm and the long hours OF
the night, and then follow behind me.
But, finding was too slow, he would
hurry ahead and then return for me.
Too weak with frosted hands to button
my overcoat-for, as the snow touched
my gloves, it froze-I went on with the
wind but, when had to partly face il
to turn toward the cabin, so great was
the gale that it blew me down, and
there was no way but TO crawl at times
And so, through the deep snow
and over ridges, finally
reached the haystack, less than
half square from the cabin. The
| latter could not see, for the air was