River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-03-04

had reached NY camping ground, and
stood looking far off to the north, seeing
the landmark disappear one by one as
the head of the blizzard reached them
and shrouded them in It's icy breath. A
calm. Then with a mighty husband
loud noise the head Of the blizzard
swept past me. The air was filed with
particles OF ice that cut through almost
horizontally, and seemed as il they
would never fall. Colder, ever colder,
grew the wind, and denser the air as
the ice particles thickened. | sought
shelter i'll the rocks. Backing the
clothing on the mare / turned her loose,
knowing that she would not leave me.
Then | lay down on my blankets, and.
wrapping my beaver cloak aroud me, I
tried to sleep. | began thinking, and
could not sleep. The buffalo had not
come south that winter; and the wolves
were gaunty and hungry. As they fol
low hOaseman over the plains in the
summer. SO they do in winter, only
more of them and those great, gaunt
famine breeders, the gray and black
ones. go in largely increased numbers.
| had pack of them at my heels all
day, and now they cropped up in my
thoughts
Finally l slept. When Iawoke it
was dark. Holding up my naked
hand, felt the icy sweat of the biz
zard' strike sharply against it, The
roar of the wind still continued. could
not go to sleep again, and l lay waiting
| for dawn. | waited, it seemed TO me,
| for hours, when / suddenly felt my
mare paw my breast. | spoke kindly
to her, saying she had made mistake
Soon she paved me again, and | arose
to find that all was dark, that | could
not see the white mare. Alarmed, |
struck match under my cloak and
looked down to see the blaze. | saw
nothing. but the match burned my fin
gers. With desolating dependency
I realized the fact that the glare of the
snow encountered for the past few days
had made me snow blind; that was
fifty miles from the nearest house, and
unable to see; that furious snow storm
was raging"
Stupid, almost wild with horror, |
| thought could hear the shutting of the
wolves, and the soft patter of their feet
below the wild shrek of the artic winds.
l was simply benumbed with terror.
| With my eyesight in full power should
have thought the situation dangerous.
As it was, considered it hopeless. The
mare recalled me to myself by rubbing
her cold muzzle against my face. She
saw that something was wrong with me;
but what, she could not comprehend. |
resolved to saddle her, to feed her, and,
after she ate, to mount and let her take
her own course 50 fed her the re-
manning measure of barley and waited
for her to eat. Then | saddled up, and
without briding, mounted, and wrap
ping my cloak around me, sat steadily
in the saddle, awaiting the risky action
of the high strung animal. She stood
trembling until | told her to 60. Then
| felt her turn until the ice struck obi
quely on my right side and back, and
she rapidly walked of. Not motion
or movement did she make to decom-
pose my seat. Wrapped in my cloak,
with hood drawn over my face, warm
and encouraged with hope, | patiently
sat on the horse. could now hear the
snarling of the wolves, and my only
fear was that they, rendered desper-
ate by hunger, might attack the mare.
I dismissed the thought; would notthink
of it. If they did attack us we were
lost; if they did not l thought we were
safe. All day the blizzard ragged and
tore Jelly around and on US. The
mare walked rapidly or cantered slow
iy on. 1t seemed to me that we had
been travelling for days, for weeks even,
when the mare stopped and neighed
loudly. Reaching forward | felt the
rough stoCkade. Dismounting, [ felt the
hinges of the gate. Loudly | called.
Then I took my rifle from the saddle
and rapidly handled cartridges into it.
At last sleepy voice from the inside
called, who is there? l answered,
'BurI-and l am stone-blind. Come
to me- They came, and | was saved
for the second time by the white mare.
Do you wonder that I, not having the
Sioux maiden, love her mare?'
sat by the bright fire with my feet
high on a stool, and did not answer
simply sat and smoked, and thought of
the girl, of the man, of the mare. Leav-
ing me thinking, Burr went to sleep in
his chair with soitened face.