The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-01-31

an in my opinion is more homesics
than sick. I've seen them fellers before
If we kin make him understand there'
a chance of his gittin' home, he,I! hang
on so we kin git him home. III rig
litter on Balaam tBalaam was Bills bur
TO y an we'll take him down the valley
to Taylor Creek. A couple O. you feller'
kin then cross the range by Brush Creel
trail to Copper Greek, an git more tel
lers thar, an meet me an the kid or
the summit o. Red Mountain. Theirs
an empty cabin at timber.line On the
west O. Red Mountain, an meet me thar
an hour by sun tomorrow. If yer hus'
tie yer'll git thar. Yer ought ter fetch
up by midnight on the summit"
It is useless to attempt to convey an
idea of what this plan involved.
None but those who have seen these
vast stretches of rock and snou-save
perhaps, those who have contemplated
for an hour Bromley's Everlasting
SHOWS of Colorado"-can appreciate the
magnitude of the undertaking. But they
knew the boy must die if be remained
where he was, and as the plan offered q
possible chance of success, they adopted
it. -,
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 besides
Bill. While these ent,sforward and
picked out the trail, Bill attended to the
litter. Their progress was slow, and
their mishaps many, but withou!ts tserious
accident they reached thevatley at day
light, and at IL. o'clock were at Taylor
Creek.
Little John was no. worse. He was
partly conscious, and had been made to
understand that he was going towards
home. Bills assistants were to- leave
him at this point, and he delivered last
injunction.
"Now, pards, let's have no bitches. /
kin make the cabin in FIVE or six hours
easy enough, an shall stop thar an hour
to rest an warm. If kin make the
next two miles over the summit the
things done. But it's no use talkin'-
that's hell! If it's quiet.like, mebbe I
kin make it. If it storms-God help
u.s.! You must be thar at the summit at
midnight. If the SHOWS drifted bad,
Balaam 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 6 o'clock we're in the timber OF
Cooper Greek, on the eastern slope. In
a few minutes more they were in snug
cabin by glowing fire, telling their
story to four fearless, big miners.
They all knew Bill Lewis, and thought
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
though: they could do in three hours
in which 10 climb the two miles from
timber-line to Read Mountain summit.
Without great difficulty they reached tho
foot of the slide in the time proposed.
But discouraging, indeed. was the pros
pect upon arriving there. That dreary
waste Of snow, snow, nothing but snow,
stretching up, up, up, at an angle OF sew
enty degrees, until 1t faded in the uncer-
tain light; the wind roaring far above
their heads as it came sweeping over
from the other side; all broug bit a swift
sense of their own powerlessness as
against the appalling forces OF nature,
which weighed down and discouraged
them drearily.
One by one they crawled up the fear
full winding way. Not word was spo'
ken. No one had heart to speak or
breath to spare. Even minutes seem
long in time aud 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 arctic 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 shell
ter. Onward they went, at times easily
and rapidly over the hard, old snow, and
then struggling through deep drifts,
until, some half 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
Bslaam, hundred feet at the 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 de-
sparing, for six long hours
Bills greeting was Characteristic:
"Well done, pards! I know'd you'd
come. The kid was better at the cabin I;
but whether alive or dead now, / don't
know. Look an see"
Little John was alive and warm.
Now, pards, there's six o you. Ba-
laam's pretty nigh played out: Shoulder
the ends of them ere poles, an strike for
Caspar's cabin-6rst trail to the left after
We strike timber. Balaam and I'll 60
back to the cabin, an come over in the
mornin'. You kin wait for me. III
come-for I've learnt sumthin' at that
thar cabin, an Tn gein' to see this thing
through"
The six men took up the litter, and
Bill and Balaam went back to the cabin
at timber.line. They had packed the
trail pretty well coming down in line;
and 80, without special difficulty, though
slowly and YEARLY, they gained the sum
nit, and the dreadful and critical titty
feet once passed, they felt that th'
troubles were ended.