Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-12-08
Lost in The Snow.

My life has been full of strange advent
lures; for since was a lad Of sixteen, till
! reached the age Cf sixty-eight-more
than half century, was in the employ
of the Hudson's Bay Fur Company. Some
times | acted as an Indian trader; but for
many years followed trapping and pack
Ing.
| am now eighty-fve, and still hale
and hearty old man. Ii is true that can.
not stow away 50 large a quantity of buff
falo beef as | once could; but even yet l
can hold my own with younger men at
the trencher.
Sometimes, with few choice comrades,
would seek the trapping grounds of the
Shayenne or Asslniboin Indians, and trade
with them for their peltries, which | would
sell again to the Company's agent at con-
siderable profit. At other times, while
drawing yearly salary from the Hudson's
Bay agent, l would be frequently sent in
charge of dog trains to distant points, to
bring in the pelts from various caches
(''hiding places J where our trsppers and
hunters had deposited them.
On one occasion was ordered to go thus,
with a large train and two companions, from
temporary post on the Moose River, a
branch Of the Red River, westward, to one
of the northern branches of the Missouri
Some of our men had, the winter before,
made a long cache of otter and beaver
skins on the banks Of that stream, and early
IL the spnng was directed TO bring them
IN
One OF my companions, D'Arville, had
been OF the autumn party; he was therefore
sent with me as a guide. The other,
Falardeau had not been long in the employ
OF the Company, but was permitted to ac-
company us, at his own request, being
desirous, as he said, to learn the country.
We reached the stream, and found the
caches all right; and. after stopping for
few days, TO rest our dogs and recruit them
on a good feed of buffalo meat, we started
again on our return TO the trading-post-
We had travelled some three or four days,
when on reaching one Of the northern
heads of the Shayenne, DArvllle the guide
remembered having been told by one of his
comrades of former trip. that, by taxing
another route eastward from that stream,
we could shorten our distance to the Red
River; we struck out in that direction Ihe
route would take US through treeiess
prairie of many miles exteat. None OF us
had ever attempted il before: but we would
have had no difficulty in crossing 1t hao
not binding snow storm set In with such
violence and frequent changes OF the WIG
that, after struggling along for two days
with no cessation of it, we became con
fused, and the guide confessed that he knew
not where we were. In short, We wer'
lost: and that under the most unpleasant
of all circumstances; upon wide and un
known plain, on which, even were 1t no
for the binding storm, no landmarks ex
listed to direct our steps
On encamping the first night on this des
olate track, we secured our dogs Ground u
and were all so completely showed In that
On the return of day, II was with much la
bor that we could dig our way again to TN
.r-foca The snow had fallen to the depti
of five feet.
To proceed with our slecges was out O
49, oues.;on for the spring snow, contlnu
ally falling, was without crust Leaving
therefore, the sledges and packs behind us
,,,s. as we had detached the dogs from then
the night previous we whistled on on
faithful animals, ana started onward, mop
inp. soon as the storm should abate, 10 d
.nio IN continue our way towards the lori
d., tho snow continued to fall, till 1t be
came impossible without snow-shoes' nov
wore TO proceed. We therefore dug dow
70 the ground, and determined 70 encsih
,;n the snow should have worn itsen OUT
"a tho surface be hard enough TO bear ou
we;oht or so long as our scanty supply
buffalo beef should hold out. we wef
soon buried beneath the snow orii' asain
mn, our dogs, with the true instinct Oh 'ne,
..;os stunck out for the fort. HAD
- possible for us to hsve followed them
nv would have conducted us safefy o.
our night course
so we renamed four days without ioo0
the storm contiuing. On the nigh' % - -
ssh @ d.v wrapping ourselves up IN ou
,,.ntets and buffalo robes, we threw ou'
sa,xes down recklessly to die; for death wa
auns ms all in the face Despairing 0
.~ar seeing the light of another day. "
eve our owes and were soon lost in 10
- .s',,sss But still another day arrive
Nhut to two of us only; for beside mt
- 60 u in the same robe, lay the BODY s
".sp ppoT oomrade D'Arvillc, still ana ne
,u'. @ starvation and cold had done ONE !
ness .,n the stalwart hunter. Durin
,ho, wre.ched night his brave Spifi' ''''>
and fled. x his na,uf,
snd assisting him to regain his s%o
,au fset we determined to make ono 70 -
yen - - resch the fort. Leaving the corp
% "ur dead companion to the wolves. i I
-. - we're too weak to attempt 70 0u'' 49,
Srssoed %s ourselves from the spot.
we went. At last, my comps''0'
,,, laid down to die