Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-08-25
\ Fight For Life.

y correspondent writes. At the timt
of which | write | was q settler i'll Da
kota, north of the Northern Pacific
Road One day in December went tC
q neighbOring town to transact some
business in connection with my farm.
At two O'Clock | started off for my
fifteen-mileS drive due north. Every,
thing went well at lirst-the team logged
along at good pace, knowing that they
were going home, and | hardly noticed
that the wind had lulled ultil / saw q
heavy bank of clouds ahead of me. !
felt sure that this indicated a change in
the weather, and made up my mind 10
getShOme us quickly rs possible.
The horses responded to my call in a
cheerful manner and ratified along at a
good pace. suddenly remembered that
| had brought no Overcoat or rugs with
me, and had even neglected to bring any
gloves. The clouds in the north sud-
denly began to rise and grow blacker
and blacker, and a cool wind came
sweeping down. In few minutes the
whole sky was overcast with dense
clouds and Il fine dusty snow was seen
filling the atmosphere, and sitting into
every part of my clothing. | was con-
vinced that this was a blizzard" and
from its appearance 1t promised to he
one of the worst kind. Every minute
the sky got darker and the wind blew
fiercer, and every moment the cold in
creased and the binding snow came
thicker. | was now thoroughly aroused
to my danger. | knew that if did not
reach some house in a short time l
should be lost on the prairie and prob
ably freeze to death. IcOuld not locate
my exact position from memory, and to
see was impossible, as in the binding
SHOW 1 could barely find the track before
me. | reckoned that at the rate l was
travelling l must have gone ten miles
out of the fifteen, and | knew there was
no chance of being able to reach home
that night, for even if the team could
have kept the track Ishould have frozen
in the wagon.
The wind was hOwling and shrieking
like thousand demons, and every de-
mon voice in that fearful wind seemed
to scream out for the possession of my
little, lost self.
The terror of my position seemed to
make me even colder, and us l sat shiv-
ering and shaking in the storm l re-
membered that new danger had arisen,
for the next feeling would he sense of
calmneSs and repose indicating sleep,
and before it was everlastingly too late
| made up my mind to get out of the
wagon and try to walk by the side and
lead the horses, so as to keep myself
awake But another danger now arose;
the snow was drifting into every little
hollow and piling against every little
ridge. The horses were quite blinded
bv the storm and refused to go ahead.
They turned round with their tails to
the wind and tried to run with the
storm. My fingers were numbed by the
most fearful pain ever experienced and
nv ears were singing with the frost.
There was no time to be lost SeiZing
hold of the horses heads / held them
while trying to remember about what
mart / was in. The extreme peril of
my position seemed to quicken my facul-
ties. and judged that | must not be
far from a certain hayStack that L had
seen in slight hollow as l drove past
in the morning. As the darkness of
night had not quite set i'll, L thought 1
could perhaps manage to discover that
haystack, and then could pull out
enough hay to cover myself or perhaps
creep into the stack myself. 1t was
desperate effort and l made up my mind
to try it.
BY carefully leading the horses along
the ridge. l tried to note every little
hollow on the left-hand side. For a
long time discovered nothing to reward
me for my efforts and the night was
coming on, while the cold grew more
intense and the wind howled fiercer than