The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-02-22

able to keep to track that was oeinS
buried deeper and deeper every instant.
II isn't pleasant to sit still and freeze to
death. In ten minutes l was chilled
through. and I felt 1 was freezing. The
horses were still moving, and, although
T could not see them, 1 dashed them with
the whip. 1t seemed hours since the
storm had shut us in. and was just be-
COMING convinced that the horses had
rot out of the path and that we were lost
on the prairie, when there came a sud-
den lull in the fierce wind. The air was
still full of whirling snow, but | could
see objects about me, and it didn't take
| long for me to ascertain that we were In
the barn and were safe. l had left the
barn doors open in the morning, and the
horses had found their way back; think
bv instinct. but my neighbors think it
was sheer accident, and declare that 1t
wouldn't happen again in thou.
sand wears. Although we had
reached the barn, we were not in the
house vet. From the barn to the house
is about twenty yards, but rs far as see
ing was concerned, the house might as
we'll have been in the moon. The little
woman helped me unharness the horses
and put them in their stalls. Then l
told her to remain where she was, and L
made break for the house. 1t Is diff
cult for any one to believe that in blind
ing storm he cannot go twenty yards In
q line sufficiently straight to find house,
but try it sometime Do you see that
pump? stumbled over it. 1t is twenty
feet to the right of the path from the
barn to the house. If it hadn't a-been
for that pump I would never again have
found either the house or the barn. l
knew that the handle of that pump
pointed directly toward the house, and
that it was not over ten yards away.
, raised the handle and felt for my bear,
ings. let go of the pump-handle and
PLUNGED TOWARD THE HOUSE.
When I tell you that I ran smacl
against it yon will understand that see
ing was out of the question. After go
INFO the house / TOOK ball OF twine anc
tied one end to the door knob, and sue
ceeded in getting back to the barn, an'
by following the string, we reached tn
p house again. For three days ana nlgnt
. thereafter neither of MS even opened tn
{ outer door. When the storm ceased W
;, could not see the barn, for the snow ha
Z piled in between the house and barn S
deep tnat IL CONoTcQ tuc NlHeto"o w VA"
side of the house. On the east side {
{ the house, however, there was very llttl
= snow. The shovel happened to be
% the house, and the little woman and
% succeeded in tunneling through the BARI
u but we had to carry every shovelful
= the snow taken out of the tunnel throug
!, the house and throw it out on the ea'
n side.
AZ "Were the horses all right when 20
le ding from their stalls. 1t took me nea
d ly all the rest Of the winter to shovel Il
e, SHOW out of the barn"
IS DO people out in the prairies ey,
o get lost in these storms?"
ITO be caught out on the prairie by
e blizzard means ideath and nothing ca
It avert it. After a settler has been he,
e one winter, it's sly old blizzard tht
v catches him. Not so the newcomer
e They cannot imagine that there is dar
t ger at all times. Three people wer
= lost that day in this vicinity. one of then
n woman who had been over across tn
= prairie about mile to see sick neigh
Dor. When she saw that storm wa
imminent she started for home on foot
[ She never got half way there"
when was her body found?"
: I'm the spring, when the snow
melted"