The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1884-12-27


the snow shoes and forged rapidly
along the ascent OF the Mosquito Noun
tains. At o'clock he was less than q
mile from the pass when an annoying
accident occurred; his rife slipped out
of his hand and tumbled into an ice
creyice at the side of the road. 1t took
him over an hour to rescue it with an i'm.
provised lariat. and by that time the
evening had set in. AS it was impossi
bic to safely traverse the treacherous
roadway In the dusk, nothing remained
to do but wait for the moon. 1t rose
early, and in few hours hung full and
bright above the mountains. Cart
wright drew his coat closer and hurried
on.
Mosquito pass, towards which he
pushed, is net pass at all in the com.
mon understanding of the word, but q
shallow furroW across the crest of the
range at its dizziest point. Wrapped in
everlasting snow, exposed to the tenn
pestuous winds, and fanked by an aw-
full chasm OF ice, it is death to attempt
it in winter, save at the stillest times.
Of such was that night; yet as Cart.
wright crept along he clutched the
black rocks with his fingers and dared
not stand erect for fear the furious
blast would tear him bodily from the
ground. Slowly he crawled, the only
living thing in the stupendous solitude
among the clouds, and with a darkness
blacker than the skies above, deeper,
denser and deadlier than the gorge be-
low around abOut his heart
At last he was over, and, resting a
moment, hurried on. There was a par
TALLY level stretch for some distance
and then the descent be an. An hour
more and he stood on the zigzag trail
half a mile down the slope directly be-
low him he saw the lights of the cabin
windows, and paused, with a murderous
CLEAN IN his eyes, to look at the locks
OF his Winchester.
The moon by this time was riding
high and turned the snow-feld above,
below ard all around him to glis jening.
ghostly white. The sky had none of
the dome-hke look of lower attitudes,
but stretched on and on In the dark
blue ether to fathomless forever, and
in this immensely of space the Christ
mas stars hung like a million lamps.
The distant peaks stood In a cluster of
jet like shadows and the black outline
of the range was bordered with silver
thread
As Cartwright gazed, with something
perhaps of a subtle magic of the scene
creeping in upon him, he gave a sudden
start and threw wild look at the icy
field above. 1t seemed to him that a
small bush or beaten down tree that
cast black shadow about quarter of
mile up had moved in some mysterious
way, and was much nearer 20 him then
it appeared before. He paled little
through his bronze, and stood like q
statue, looking that way.
Five minutes passed-ten-and then,
heavensl what witchery of the night
was that? The whole vast field of ice
and snow, with its myriads of glittering
points and world of shadows, with its
stones and bushes and all it's conforma-
ton, moved steadily, slowly, silently
toward him for a space-then stopped
again! There was sense that the earth
itself was giving way, and the Birnam
Woods that came to Dunsinane were
not more terrifying than this slow SHIFT
ing of all things stable; bat it was no
riddle to the mountaineer.
He knew that snow slide, one of
those frozen avalanches that start in the
loosening of lump of ice, silently
gathering strength by the tapping Of one
layer over another until they crash
down, the embodiment of death and
strength, tossing rocks like pebbles
and swapping thick pines like reeds
he knew that one of these was trembling
upon the verge of its spring.
Cartwright's wandering eyes fell upon
the cabin and in the briefest instant
in a hundreth part of the time it takes
to write these words-he realized that
it lay in the path of the monster and
was doomed; and in the incongruity OF
spirit that was half grotesque, a fierce
Indignation stirred within him against
the messenger of death that came in
the dead of the night and made no
sign.
As for himself, he had only to steu
aside and let the avalanche go by, buf
the fate of the cabin clashed with his
rough notions of fairness; it assailed
his life long doctrines of chance; his
brutal courage was aroused against il
because 1t came so unaware.
How nearly akin It was to his own
errand he never thought; he was sen.
sible alone Of an impulse to thwart the
disaster without heroic motives, he
suddenly did what a hero would.
To think was to act. 1t is said that
pebble will turn an avalanche. 4
sportsman knows that breeze will de-
feet bullet. Near by was the trunk
of an old pine tree. He sprung to il
like lightning, and pried 1t forward
with his rifle. At the last wrench the
stock broke off short, and he rejoiced
with the same monstrous incongruity
that he had his pistol still. Loose
stones lay about, and these he piled
against the log to form a sort of bull
wark. His strength was supernatural
His feet flew. The drops Of sweat fell
from his forehead into the snow. The
barricade was still to weak, and the
avalanche was coming! Already thin
CLASSY sheets of ice, like the tongues OF
the waves on the ocean beach that come
below the breakers, shot around his
ankles. A crunching, grinding sound
was in the air, as though the universe
was rended at its foundations. He
darted to and fro like a shadow. He
wove the stumps and branches with the
debris he carried in his arms. Still il
was coming comingl His time for
flight was drawing short. One more
stone, leap and he is safel He never
made it. The snow was already upon
HIM. An arm of it snot out and
wrapped him around waist high. he
writhed in it and chung to the barricade
with strong mans desperate hold on
life, but the avalanche rushed down In
all the resistless might of 10, 600 tons of
snow. 1t tore his bleeding fingers
from the tree; it curled wave-like above
his head. and whirled him far out into
its churning midst. He threw up his
arms once, as q swimmer who sinks 70
rise no more, and his dying shrek was
rs naught in the pitiless roar that
echoed mp TO heavenI