Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-02-08

Al lou ltilcIs nave mlnu 10 TURN III
and help-well an good; but, anyhow,
that kids goin' TO be saved for his
mother.n
IL was thirteen miles east over the
range TO the nearest cabin. The sum-
NIT was nearly fourteen thousand feet
In height. and upon il n storm was rag
ing. The spurs to the north and west
were utterly impossible. The only way
out was down the gulch by the same
route over which they had recently
come in. Although by this trail there
would be no storm. there was worse.
There were slides. precipices and diff
cultics innumerable. Besides. IL would
only lead into the broad valley of the
GunnisOn. The range must Vet be
rOs,ed To- the east be ore railroad
town could be reached, or the advan-
tages of shelter aud medical attendance
secured. They believed the boy would
die before morning. How. then, could
he De slved2
Bill. SEEING their questioning looks,
answered them:
" See here. pards; the boy amt near
so sick ~ We think he is. He's tired,
wore out. an teetotally discouraged;
but he's Young saint burnt out with
whisky an in my opinion ; more
hom,,ick than sick. I've seen them
fellcrS before. Ii we kin make him I'M
derstand there's u chance of his gittin'
home. he'll hang on so we kjH Git him
home. I'll rig litter on Balaam
| OBalaam was Bills burro). an well
take hun down the valley To Taylor
CrccA. A couple o. you fcllers kin
then cross the range by Brush Greek
trail To Copper Creek, an git more fell
lcrs thar. an meet me an the Kid on
the summit o. Red Mountain. Theirs
an empty cabin ut timber-line on the
west q Red Mounta II, an meet me
thar an hour BY sun tomorrow. II
yer hustle ycr'l II lit thar. Yer ought
To. fetch up b. midnight on the sum
nit
Ii j. useless to attempt to convey an
| idea OF what this plan involved.
None but those who have seen these
vast stretches of rock and snow-save.
perhaps, those who have contemplated
Tor IN hour Bromlcy's Evcr.a,ting
SHOWS of Colorado can appreciate
the magnitude of the undertaking. But
they knew the boy must die If he re-
manned where he was. and a the plan
offered possible chance of success. they
adopted ii.
They were ready i'm an hour. Bill
I rigge6 n litterupon his burro. rs Indians
/ do, and in it placed Little John. AT
eleven O'Clock the procession started
down The gulch. There were two men
besides Bill. While these went forward
and picked out the trail. Bill attended
To the litter. Their progress was slow.
and their mishaps many, but without
serious accident they reached the valley
ut daylight, and ut twelve o'clock were
at TAYLOR Greek.
Little John was no worse. lie
was partly conscious, and had been
made to understand that he was
going towards home. Bills assist.
ants were to leave him ut this point,
and he delivered n last in unct:on.
Now. pards. let's have no bitches.
Kin make the cabin in five or siN
hours easy enough. an shall stop thar
IN hour To rest an warm. IL | Kin
make the next two miles over the sum.
init tie thing done. II it's miet-like
mebbe kin make il. Ii II storms
God help rs. You must be thar at Tn,
summit ut midnight. II the snow,
driftcd bad, Balaam can't make il. an
Wen have 90 carry the boy. When yOr
cit thar, If il storms. hunt round, an
yer II find me an Balaam an the Kid
somewhat in the snow. Now. git; an
an you ever loved yer mothers -
dOH't yOH tdH!'
The two departed; reached and passed
the summit lie ore daylight had faded
and 81 six o'clock were i'm the timber o.
Copper Creek on tie eastern slope. In
n few minutes more they were in SNUG
catiu by glowing fire, telling thcii
story To four fearless, big-hearteC
miners.
They all knew Bill Lewis. and though
he could WIZ if any man could; but they
had little hope of finding Little Johr
alive. They all. however. willingly
male ready To set out. They had e CHI
miles OF comparatively easy trail. which
they could do i'm three hours. leaving
them two hours in which 10 climb tho
two miles from UNDERLINE to Rec
Mountain summit. Without great diff
ficulty they reached the foot of the slid,
in the time proposed. But dscourap
ing. indeed, was the prospect upon ar
irving there. That drcarv waste O
snow, snow, nothing hut snow, stretch
Ing up. up, up. ut an ang,e of sevent,
degrees, until il faded in the uncertain
light the wind roaring far above thci
heads rs it came sweeping over from
the other side; all brought a-swift sens,
of their own pOwerlessness rs agains
he appalling forces of nature. which
weighed down and discouraged then
drearily.
One by one they crawled up the fear
ful winding way. Not one had hear
- speak or breath to- spare. Even min
u;cs seem long in time and place lk,
this, and il seemed an age before the,
saw the top. and, oh, how long befor,
they reached it.
They had hitherto been warm enough
But when they turned the summit tn,
cold west wind chilled them through
There was no snow falling. but the wine
was driving ana swirling the recen
snow IN small cyclones of arctic horror
around their shrinking forms. In
moment they had abandoned ever,
hope.
There was no Bill Lewis there.
There WAS no council held; there wa
no time for that; but instinctively ever,
] hAsAh Ah'h'N AWNAA ANI NOIllt NllLn
shelter. Onward they went, at time
easily and rapidly over the hard. oil,
snow. and then struggling through deel
drifts. until, some half mile from tn,
summit. they saw something dark il
the snow ahead.
IL coU'd be nothing else. Bat wer
they alive or dead?
Good. faithful Balaaml no man shall
abuse thee more! Brave Bill Lewis
Thy sins be forgiven theel
Bill had worked his way up from tn,
cabin by tramping the snow in front o
Balaam, hundred feet at time, an,
going over the ground several times. un
I'll the animal could pass through. an,
then repeating for another hundred fee
This he had done in biting blast an,
binding snow. never faltering, neve
despairlng. for six long hours!
/ Bits greeting was characteristics.