, 1888-01-01
FREEZING TO DEATH.


in some lumber way up in the Piscata-
quis region, and l had to go up there and
see how things were getting along. 1t
was n long Journey, but the sleighing
was like glass, and | had n of the best
horses that ever stood inside the thills.
! On my second day out the thermometer
stood at 20 dogs. below, and was inclined
to go lower. l knew l would reach one
of those queer little villages common to
the Maine backwcods early in the even
ing. There | intended to stay all night,
and drive on next morning to the house
of the agent of the lumber property,
twelve miles further along. l reached
the village and found that there wa no
tavern there.
This, of course, upset my plans. SO
/ ate supper in the village n started on,
intending to proceed to the agents the
same night. 1t was n starlight night,
but the air was filed with that peculiar
frozen mist frequently noticeable on very
cold nights. AS we neared the river this
haze became denser, until finally it was
with difficulty l could see anything ahead
of me. 1t was like passing through a
storm of scaly ice. Suddenly, as l was
thinking that we must be almost on the
margin of the river, there came n crack
ing SOUND, II lOuu bpliSu VI "ubtit anu
the next second my horse was founder
ing about in water, which also covered
the sleigh, the robes and myself up to
my waist.
1.-THE water splashed about soon
drenched the rest of me, and in less
time than / can tell it 1 was coated with
n rapidly %thickening armor of ice. L
guess my noble beast must have floun-
dcrcd ut least n minute in that hole before
he knew exactly what had happened.
When the situation did come to him he
became quiet, threw his fore feet up, and
lodged them both in the ice with a on
certed blow like a trip hammer. The ice
was thick, but beneath that blow an i'm
mense cake was broken off and was car
ricd down in under the edge of h ice
below. The horse SWAN onward, drag
giag the sleigh with it through the rap
idly freezing slush. Once more he
pounded the ice ahead of him with his
powerful fore feet, and again the ice
yirl.led.
During all this time l was shouting
for help. l might, mt the first break,
lnve turned and leaped back to shore, but
had not collected myself in time. 1t was
now too late, and even if it had not been
/ was so stifFcned by the casing of ice that
/ couldn't have moved to save myself
from death. The horse kept on, and,
strange as tho story seems, broke n chan
mel for fifty feet across that river, and
drCw the sleigh out safely on the other
side. And he didn't larry when he got
there. but started off at the top of his
speed toward our destination. He soon
struck the road and away we went. 1
know that although IL danger was es-
capped. n greater was before us, and L
urged the horse on with my voice. My
robes and clothing had frozen so solid
that if | had been encased in iron l could
not have been more motionless. My
horse was n jet black, but his icy coating
made him stand out, ever in that frozen
mist, like n speeter horse. l could not
move even my hands. We were not yet
half way to the agents house when 1
found myself growing drowsy. l could
no longer use my voice. The clatter of
the horses hoofs and the cracking of the
runners on the ice sounded to me like
thunder claps and weird, hideous cries.
j knew that / was freezing, but / labored
hard to rouse nay will and fight with it
against my fate. Tao stars looked like
great Goals of fire, although before they
could DO seen but dimly through the
peculiar haze. The trees, with their
branches covered with snow, took OF the
shapes of gigantic ghosts. Still l pre-
served all my powers of reasoning.
Finally l felt myself growing deliciously
warm. A lauguor, such rs De Quincy
might have described, with attending
visions of loneliness, took possession of
me. l heard the most delightful music.
Still I made ono mental effort to shake
off this fatal spell, and that was all.
~ don't know how far l was from the
agent's house when l froze to death, but
the next thing l remembered l was suf-
fering such tortures rs n victim of the
rack might feel. He never felt worse.
Suddenly, at my feet, the pricking of a
million needles assaulted nay flesh. Tor
turiag me at that spot n moment, until l
writhed in agony, it dashed quickly up
my leg, stopped an instant, rs if gloating
in my misery, and then crawlcd with
that awful pain slowly upward, until it
seemed that tiny jets of the tiercest flame
We're being blown into my body, hear
and brain. Ehe intensity of this agony
was not constant. If it had been l would
nave died again in n short time. 1t came
in waves, so to speak. Each wave was
Il little less furious than its predecessor,
utll AZ luSJ lllc SIOIIH was puSStu, anu L
found myself n weak, SPECIFICS, limp
and helpless mortal, lying on a robe be.
fore the fireplace of my friend, the agent.
He had brought me back to life.
when l was strong enough to hear it,
he told mo that he was awakened in the
night by the peculiar and loud neighing
of n horse. He looked out of the window
and saw n sight that startled nina
ghostly horse and sleigh and driver in the
road before his door. He recovered him
self and went down. Then he discovered
that the driver was dead. He quickly
carried tie driver into the house, laid
linn on the loor before the fireplace, and
recognized Inc. Knowing that even if L
was not beyond all aid, nothing could be
lone for mo until the robe and clothing
were thawed, he made the fire blaze and
hurried to the rescue of the faithful and
intelligent horse that had reasoned with
itself that it must stop at the first house
it came to on that terrible night, and that
life and death depended on it. BY the
time the horse was cared for l was in
shape to be resuscitated in case any such
thing could lie done. | was stripped and