The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-24
A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.
The Story Told OF Two Canadian Trappcrs
Narrow Escape.

Once or twice he showed curious 70,
luctance about allowing man 20 approach
him suddenly from behind Altogether
his actions were so odd that ! felt some
curiosity to learn bis history. IL turned
ont that he had been through n rather I'M
canny experience the winter before. lie
and another man had gone into a remote
basin. or inclosed valley, in The heart OF
the mountains, where game was very
plentiful, indeed, il was so abundant that
they decided to pass tho winter there
Accordingly they put upa log cabin. work
ing hard, and merely killing enough meat
for their immediate use. Just rs Il was
finished winter set in with tremendous
snow storms Going out 10 hunt, in the
first lull, they found to their consterna.
ton. that every head of game had left the
valley. Not an animal was TO be found
therein: they had abandoned il Tor their
winter haunts. The outlook for the two
adventures was appalling. They wer,
afraid of trying to break out through thu
deep snow drifts, and starvation stared
them in the face if they staid. The man
that | met had his dog with him. They
put themselves on very short commons.
so as to use up their -four as slowly as
possible. and hunted unweariedly, but
saw nothing.
Soon violent quarrel broke ont be-
tween them. The other man. n fierce,
sullen fellow, insisted that the dog should
be killed, but the owner was exceedingly
attached to il, and refused. For couple
Of weeks they spoke no words to each
other. though cooped in the little narrow
pen of logs. Then one night the owner
Of the dog was wakened by the animal
CRYING out: the other man had tried O.
kin il with his knife, but failed The
provisions were now almost exhausted,
and the two men were glaring al eech
other with the rage of maddened raven
ing hunger Neither dared 20 sleep. for
fear that the othC~ would kill him. Then
the one who owned the dog at last spoke,
and proposed that, to give each a chance
for his life, they should separate lie
would take half Of the handful OF -four
that was LETT and start OIL TO try 20 get
home: the other should stay whore ho
WAS and If he tried to follow the FIRST be-
was warned that he would be shot with
out mercy A like fate vas 20 be- the
portion I
turn to the hut. The arrangement was
agreed 20 and the two men separated,
neither daring TO turn his back while they
were within rifle shot of each other.
For two days the one who went on
tOiled on with weary weakness through
the snow drifts. Late on the second
Afternoon. az he looked back from high
ridge he saw in the tar distance a black
speck against tho snow. coming along on
his trail His companion was DIGGING
his footsteps Immediately he followed
his own trail back little aud laid in am
bush At dusk his companion came
stealthiiy up, rifle in hand, pccring eau
tiouslv ahead. his drawn face showing
the starved. eager ferocity OF the wild
beast. and the man lac was hunting shot
him down exactly as Il he had been one
Leaving the body where IL fell, tine wan.
derer continued his journey, the dog stag
gering painfully behind him. The next
evening ho baked his last cake md divided
10 with the dog In the morning. with
his belt drawn still tighter round his skel-
cton body. hc once moro set out, with APP
parently only a few hours Of dull misery
between him and death SO noon ho
crossed llt lluNk va RI il'iilN NNAtFNt f't+i
instantly the dog gave tongue, and. rally
ing It's strength, ran along the trail The
man struggled after
a. last lis strength gavc out and be sat
down 10 die, but while sitting still, slowly
stilening with the cold. ho heard tine dog
baying ia tho woods Shaking OH hi5
mortal uumbness he crawied towards tho
sound, and found the wolf over the body
Of deer he had jus. killed. and keeping
the dog from it. AZ the approach OF the
new assailant the wolf sullenly drew of,
and the man and dog tore the raw deer
flesh with hideous cagcrness. It made
them very sick for the next twenty iom
hours, but, lying by the carcass for two
or tarce days, they recovered strength
Theodore Roosevelt in The Century.