St. Landry democrat., 1880-12-04
From the Colorado Springs GaIettc.E

From tlia Colorado Springs GaIettc.E
Sergeant keefc returned last evening
from an unsuccessful attempt to ascend
the Peak. He says that it is the first
time within his experience that ne has
been thus bafiled and he asks to be cx-
cused from ever being subjected to
similar experience. BY the reports
which he had received from Mr.. Sweeney
who is stationed at the Peak, he was
led to infer that but little snow had
fallen. and in consequence he was not
Drepared to contend with the obstacles
which blocked his path. The journey
for the first few miles of the trail was
without any Unsatisfactory feature, hnt
while making an abrupt turn in the
trail in the vicinity of Mlnnellaha Falls,
the sergeant was brought to stand
still by an immense herd Of black
tailed deer, which impeded bis further
progress He contends that the herd
contained fully seven hundred head,
and saws it took just one hour and forty
minutes for them to pass given point.
| The sergeant was only armed with 81
| calibre Smith and Wesson revolver, and
with this poor apology for q tirearm he
succeeded in killing seventeen Oh the
deer. The only plausible reason that
! Sergeant O'keefe can give tor the re-
markable appearance OF this vast herd.
| is that they were driven from South
| Park by the recent storm. AS the SER
2eant was compelled to continue his
tourney to the Peak, he gathered the
game which he had slaughtered, tied
their tails together and slung them
over the neck of his faithful mule,
Balaam," and continued on his way.
| Everything passed of. smoothly until
timber line was reached, when the
sergeant encountered another serious
barrier, as the fierce northwest wind
which had accompanied the storm had
formed mountains of snow across the
trail. With the much-trnsted veteran
mule, "Balaam," and an unusual amount
of perseverance on the part OF himself,
Sergeant O'keefe contrived to surmount
a tremendous snoW-drift twenty eight
feet in depth. When safely upon the
other side he paused for moment, and
taking his field glass he viewed the
prospect DER and examined the difficult
ties with which he had to contend. As
far as the eye could reach nothing but
snow banks could be seen, some of which
were at least 100 feet in height. 1t only
required brief space OF time for the
sergeant to make up his mind that i
would be useless for him to risk his life
in making another rash attempt, so he
concluded to return to the springs, bu
upon turning to step into the saddle, ht
discovered that the mule had disappear
, ed. The sergeant was now in a sac
plight. Had he only survived the ter
iible rat raid of 1876 to find death agail
staring him in the face from starvation
He retraced his steps through the nam
moth snow drift and after terrible
siege Of over one hour he found him
| self standing upon the other side, thor
, oughly exhausted. After he had some
What revived he glanced around him il
hopes of finding some traces of the los
mule, and what was his Chargrln t
: perceive the much trusted, Balaam
4 lying upon his back with feet uplifte'
D in the air at the bottom of a deep ravine
\ The deer with hich he had been fas
tened were scattered from top to bot
5 tom of the rayine. The sergeant sc
e cured the game and the mule and agai
G started Oh his homeward journey
h | While passing along Il very seclude
t portion OF the trail he was attacked
d six ravenous mountain lions, and, i
order to save his own life, he was con
II pelled to cast away the game which ha
required so much exertiOn to capture
Even the seventeen deer did not II
plenish their rayenous appetites, an
still they pursued him, but by the pre-
per manipulation Of that mule Okee1
managed to evade them, He reache
the signal office in this city at 8 o'cloc
t, last night, and it is doubtful wheth'
e he ever again attempts to traverse ii
b Pixies Peak trail.