Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-08-10

That ne was going back to meet him that
Eldrldge and [ decided to accompany
him. Granger said we must be pre-
pared for long hard tramp and must
carry nothing but what was absolutely
necessary. He restricted us to a gun,
an ak, one rubber blanket, one wooden
blanket, supply of hard crackers, pork
and coffee, and the indispensable frying
pan and tin pot. Of these he made three
packs, bis own being heavier than both
the others. The ak he carried in his
hand, and Eldridge and I were to alter
nate III carrying the gun. We left a
note fastened with thorn on the side
of the hut for White, and set out soon
after daylight. In two hours we came
to the swamp in which Sunday Creek
takes its rise, and were plodding around
the divide, when Granger stopped sud-
denly and said: He's gone round the
head of the Little Sunday and gone into
the Dead Diamond
10 our eager questions he explained
how he judged of the freshness of the
track by spiders web spun across it,
and the marks of the rain of the night
before. The spiders web, he said, had
been spun before the rain, and was at
least tEenty-four hours old. Having
now fixed point to start from, he now
felt sure of his ground, and the rapidity
with which he walked taxed all our pow
ers to keep up with him. When he
came out of the swamp we could see
how naturally poor Harry had been mis-
led, for the opening of the valley he
should have taken was between low
hills, and hardly distinguishable but
the one he took showed broad and
clearly defined gap. We entered it
hastily, the evident anxiety and preoc-
cupation of the guide filing us with
fresh alarm. Everything in the way of
natural obstructions-fallen trees, rocks,
treacherous mud, rank underground
seemed to be accumulated in the Dead
Diamond; but Granger seemed to know
directly where to go, and where White
had been. When he found a footprint
he would walk in quite different direc-
ton from what it indicated, and would
discover q new trace in a few minutes.
He carried the ak in his right hand. and
from time to time, without stopping, he
struck OF branch from a sapling, OF, by
skillful glancing blow, uncovered a
white patch on the bare trunk of tree.
This was to enable White to follow us If
by any chance he should strike our trail.
We went on without speaking for three
or four hours, when suddenly
Granger halted and said: "Here's
his track dead tired; he's come back
to here" He then made us sit down,
and charging us not to quit the
place, he left us for half an hour or
so. The double track evidently puzzled
him. When he reioined us, however.
he seemed to be decided, and made us
turn back. and, after retracing half a
mile or so of our path, diverge to the
left, where we soon found ourselves as
cending the bed of small stream. The
ground was more open here, and we re-
quired no urging to induce us to strain
every nerve. Eldridge and kept in the
bed of the stream, while Granger fol-
lowed the track. About sunset he told
us that it was plain that White had
doubled again, and that in the waning
light it was impossible to distinguish the
two trails. There was nothing to do but
to stay all night. We made fire,
and discharged our gun once-of this
we had to be very careful, as we had but
six percussion-c Fatigue had so
overcome us that we slept soundly in
spite of our anxiety. In the morning
we were stirring before the sun. Gran
ger made q cup of coffee and prepared
what the woodsmen call breakfast, and
left us to renew his search. In two
hours he came back, and said that he
had found where White had left the val
ley-that he had undoubtedly lost his
| hC rol1
from exhaustion. "You see," said he,
"when a person from town gets lost in
the woods they most always go crazy on
| the third day, and then they want to
climb ahill. They are bound to go up,
and the rougher it is the better it suits
'em. When they are most ready to die
they come down and hide themselves.
| They won't stay on mountain when
they begin to weaken. If wehad found
Mr.. White yesterday he might have
killed all three"
His words, uttered in a cold FLOODED,
matter .of-fact manner, filed us with
horror, and we followed him in silence.
The indications of Whites passage were
plain enough when Granger pointed
them out, though of course we should
uoVof nave uOClC0u Juou uau we D0OQ
alone. Climbing the ridge was terrible
work, but we never thought of it. For
tunately, near the summit of the crest
we came on a place where the trail
crossed, and by emitting the loop we
saved good deal of time. Soon we be-
gan to descend, and the guide explained
with great satisfaction that we were
bearing in the direction of Dix's house,
and that this last trail was quite fresh.
In fact, the disturbance of the under
growth became evident even to our I'M
practiced eyes. At noon we came to a
stream, which Granger said was the
north fork of the Racket. Here he again
left us, and examined the stream care
fully for mile, returning by detour
| through the woods. He then said he
was confident that White had not crossed
and was in the woods not a mile from us.
Eldridge started to shout, but Granger
caught his arm and said, "You musn' t
make bit of noise. Nothing scares 'em
1