Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-03-07

J the advantages of shelter and medical at.
tendance secured. They believed tho
boy would die before mornin0. How
then, could he be saved
bill, seeing their Questioning looks,
! answered them:
T ''See here, pards; the boy amt near SC
sick as We think he is He's tired, wore
out, an teetotally discouraged; but he's
young, amt burnt out with whisky
an in my opinions more homesick than
sick. I've seen them feliars before. Il
we can make him understand there's q
chance of his gittin' home, he'll hang on
so we kin git him home. I'll rig litter
on Balaam (Balaam was Bills burro), an
we'll take him down the valley to Taylor
Creek. A couple O. you fellars kin then
cross the range by Brush Creek trail to
Copper Creek, an git more fellars thar,
an meet me an the kid on the summit OF
Red Mountain. Theirs an empty cabin
at timDer-line on the west o. Red Noun
tain, an meet me thar an hour by sun to-
morrow. If yer hustle yer'll git thar.
Yer ought ter fetch up by midnight on
the summit
1t is useless to attempt to convey an
idea OF what this plan involved.
They were ready in an hour Bill
rugged a litter upon his burro, as Indians
do, and in it placed Little John. At
II o'clock the procession started down
the gulch. There were two men beside
Blu. 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 at day
light, and at 12 o'clock were TAYLOR
creek.
Little John was no worse He was
partly conscious and had been made to
understand that he was going toward
home. Bill's assistants were TO leave
him at this point anl he delivered last
injunction.
" Now, pards, let's have no bitches.
l kin make the cabin in five or six hours
easy enough, an shall stop thar an hour
to rest an warm. If l kin make the
next two miles over the summit the
things done. If it's quiet-like, mebbe |
kin make it. If it storms-God help u.s.
You must be thar at the summit at mid
night. If the SHOWS drifted bad, Ba-
laam can't make it, an we'll have to
carry the boy. When you git thar, if it
storms, hunt round, an yer'll find me
an Balaam an the kid somewhar in the
snow. Now git; an'-an'-if you ever
loved yer mothers-don't you fail"
The two departed; reached and passed
the summit before daylight had faded,
and at six o'clock were in the timber of
Copper Creek on the eastern slope. Ina
few minutes more they were in snug
cabin by a glowing fire, telling their
story to four fearless, big-hearted miners.
he could win if any man could; but they
had little hope of finding Little John
alive. They all, however, willingly
made ready to set out. They had eight
miles of comparatively easy trail, which
they thought they could do in three
hours, leaving them two hours in which
to climb the two miles from timber-line
to Red Mountain summit. Without
great difficulty they reached the foot of
the slide in the time proposed.
One by one they crawled up the fearful
way. Not word was spoken.
No one had heart TO speak or breath to
spare. Even minutes seemed long in a
time and place like this, and it seemed
an age before they saw the top, and, oh,
how long before they reached it
They had hitherto been warm enough.
But when they turned the summit the
cold west wind chilled them through.
There was no snow falling, but the wind
was driving and swirling the recent snow
in small cyclones of horror around their
shrinking forms. In moment they had
abandoned every hope
There was no Bill Lewis there.
There was no council held; there was
no time for that; but instinctively every
man rushed forward for some slight
shelter. Onward they went, at times
easily and rapidly over the hard, old
snow, and then struggling through deep
drifts, until, half a mile from the summit,
they saw something dark in the snow
ahead.
1t could be nothing else But were
they alive or dead?
Good, faithful Balaam no man shall
abuse thee more. Brave Bill Lewis Thy
sins be forgiven thee
Bill had worked his way up from the
cabin by tramping the snow in front of
Balaam, q hundred yards at n time, and
going over the ground several times until
the animal could pass through, and then
repeating for another hundred feet. This
he had done in biting blast and binding
snow, never faltering, never despairing,
for six long hours.
Bills greeting was Characteristic. .
"Well done, pards ! know'd you'd
come. The kid was better at the cabin
but whether alive or dead now don't
know. Look an see."
Little John was alive and warm.
"Now, pards, there's six of you. Ba-
laam's pretty nigh played out Shoulder
the ends O. them ere poles, an strike fol
Caspar's cabin-frst trail to the left aftel
We strike timber. Balaam an pll go back
to the cabin, an come over in the morn
IN. You kin wait for me. I'll come =
for I've learnt sumthin' at that thai
cabin, an Pm goin' to SEQ this thing
through!"
The six men took up the litter, ant
Bill and Balaam went back to the cabin
at timber line.
The next morning was bright one oil
the eastern slope of the main range. Low
down on the big timber, nestled in
warm nook, with an eastern and southern
exposure, was a miners cabin. Alread,
the water was dripping from the roof-log
which overhung the front; the pile o
mineral specimens on the rude shelf be
side the door sparkled in the sunshine
the dog basked upon the chips; the bul
ros rubbed their necks together at tn
watering place; the fire was swapping i
the rude forge, and miner was heatin
and pounding his drills and picks. othe