Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1883-02-03
COLD CANYON.
The Story of Duel Between an ore'
on;., and a Californian.

The DAY dILer lIlbO IaO :,
parties, the two Californlans Walkeu up
and down before the quiet ana unpie
tentious camp, only few steps rom
their own, for we were all huddieo iis
together the-e, and talked very loud ana
behaved in very insulting manner
The canyon was all on tiptoe- Inc Ner
began to forget their misery IN Jtne c an
absorbing topic of the coming Dghs' o"u
afiousoid men herd afoof end tf5ea,se
keep peaee.s They kept most 81 .iie
men out on the windy plain, freezing
there with the half starved ana freezing
mules, horses, and ponies that paved Pr
fully and helplessiy in the snow WHICH
was now almost to their breasts. IhiS
it WIS hoped would give the men s oeius.
thing better to do, and Keep tnein II o oi
battle. - 49,. ooiot
But the dreadful situation, the coidr
the hunger, the possibility OF all PERISH
ing there together, seemed only 70 MAI
den the men. That night q auel Vac
arranged to take place at dayllgns on the
nlmn above. The Californian ana the
6re0onian were to fight with rifles, Ut
fen races. Both were center, deadiJ
shots. Both had their friends and back-
ers. The whole canyon seemed ABOUT
to be drawn into the fight. Some OF the
men were now very hungry All Were
cold, cross, desperate. A genefal ps'1Dse
was imminent.
ooId right overhead. The stars stood out
and snarkIea in the frostlike fire. The
keen. cold wind swept the plaia above
and threatened to fl the canyon WITH
drifting snow. Wolves, that had eaNh
only the dead horses up to this time,
now began to attack the weak aIid dylng.
One Of the thousands th 1t hoVefed
about had even that night laid hold OF II
man. But still the fight must 90 on.
The deadly hatred must find some eX-
preston. Fortunate if 1t should emo
| with this duel just before MS.
| FleeCy clouds began to drive over the,
! moon at midnight and drift awav toward
the Idaho. The stars,Wentout as theessf
| the fierce wind had blown out the my
| rad lights of heaven. Then the snow
| bepan to fall thick and fast, as the men
sat about their feeble fires and talked
| about the coming duel. The groups
grew as white as huddled flocks Of sheep
| Now and then man would get up anG
| shake himself, and the snow would slide
| off in little ayalanches thicker than
| your palu. The fires began to perish
! under this incessant, unceasIng drop
| ming of snow. The wind ceased and the
| snow then simply possessed the WOfn-
| The fires all died out. 1t was Weird.
| deathlike darkness. The men could not
| see each others faces. When they
| smoke it was SIS though some one caileq
from deep down IN well. They CROPPED
mont feeling for each other as they
| tried to creep under their blankets IN
| the encv, Now and then bianketed
Orp9onfar, you'd find his oufstretch q
| hand twisted IN the snowy beard OF
| red kirted Californian. But there was
! no swearing at each other nov;
| Snoy above and snow below. The
wolves 1.o~ling from the bill. Snow
| that buried Ecu, that lay over your
shoul1erlike a blanket that loaded you
| down, that fastened upon you as il H
had life and sense, and like ghost OF
| yortr iniure5. dead would never go away:
With mornin~ there came a sefsse OF
change. But it vas not hight. 1here was
| only a dim. ohcstly something IN the alE
| the Ghost Of dead day. And snow
snow. snow-no:hing but snow and
snow. They came down clinging 10
| each other. Oregonian and California
| tooether. as best they could. They
| could not see each others faces. IheiT
| heads and shoulders were bowed by
| loads of snow. Many of the men in the
CANYON did not attempt to rise all day
| They were covered by the snOH many
| feet deep. In this strange, new sand
! these gold hunters had come upon
| strange things. and bad come t. teaS
| tnat most dreadful things might over
| take them. They whispered among
| themselves that the canyon would be
sweDt full CT snow if the wind should
/ ris,. again: and then surely all would
perish. Under a ledge of rocks THAI
leaned over the canyon many men
grouped together as the day wore by
hungry, starving, desperate and dying
But tie force of the falling snow, was
| spent, AS night came on we could see
each others faces; we could see the
| world once more. But what was It?
4 world of snow. Strangely enough
! little white tailed rabbit came tlmldiy
amonge the men out of the STOW ana
| hopped helplessly over human legs
They looked at each other IN turn az
| this. and then ont on the world of snow
The two duelists by chance looked in
| each others faces. There was long
pause. an awkward one. Neither spoke.
| They looked at each other steadily.
The men grouped about them held their
| breath, and all were silent, as If indeed
the snow was indeed their shroud, as
one Young Californian with a practicaE
rurn of mind and temporary religious
tendencies had suggested.
| While the two men stood looking
steadily and still at each other, there was
a movement under the blanket of the
| Orcgonian. He evidently was abs'ut to
10 something, and that soon. With eyes
| firmly fixed on the eyes of his enemy,
he threw back his blanket, threw out
and extended his hand. The Califor-
Man rasped it, and shook it, and shook
again and again, ashamed and beaten
ashamed that he had not had the cour-
lge to do what his enemy had done be-
fore him. The shout of wild delight
that went up from the group showed
Won still. 1t seemed to settle the storm.
1t certainly wakened many sleeper, and
| H. onnnt ont Of tho SrnM oil ahnsat-