Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-11-15
a NARROW ESCAPE
theodore Roosevelt Describes One OF Aie
FroaOh.Cansdian Trappers.

y MARROW ESCAPE.
theodore Roosevelt Describes Ono Of Hls
Freaoh.Cansdian Trappers.
Once or twice he showed q curious
reluctance about allowing a man to ap-
preach him suddenly from behind.
Altogether his actions were SO odd
that I felt some curiosity to learn his
history. It turned out that he had
been through rather uncanny ex-
perience the winter before. He and
another man had gone into remote
basin. or inclosed valley, in the heart
Of the mountains. where game was
very plentiful; indeed, it was so album
dant that they decided to pass the win
ter there. Accordingly they put up a log
cabin, working hard. and merely killing
enough meat for their immediate use.
Just as it was finished winter set in
with tremendous snow-stOrms. Going
out to hunt, in the first lull. they found,
to their CONSERVATION, that every head
of game had left the valley. Not an
animal was to be found therein; they
had abandoned it for winter haunts.
The outlook for the two adventurcrs
was appalling. They were afraid OF
trying to break out through the deep
snOw-drifts, and starvation stared them
in the face if they stayed. The man
that met had his dog with him. They
put themselves on very short COM
mons. SO as to use up their flour
as slowly as possible, and
hunted unweariedly. but saw nothing.
Soon violent quarrel broke out be-
tween them. The other man, a fierce,
sullen fellow, insisted that the dog
should be killed, but the owner was
exceedingly attached to it, and refused.
For a 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
Weakened by the animal crying out; the
other man had tried to kill it with his
knife, but failed. The provisions were
now almost exhausted, and the two
men were glaring at each other with
the rage of maddened, raving hum
Per. Neither dared to sleep, for
lear that the other would kill him.
Then the one who owned the dog at
last spoke, and proposed that. to give
each chance TO: his life, they should
separate. He would take half of the
handful of -four that was left and start
off to try to get home; the other should
stay where he was; and if he tried to
follow the first, he was warned that he
would be shot without mercy. A like
fate was to be the portion of the wan
derer ii driven to return to the hut.
The arrangement was agreed to and
the two men separated, neither dar-
ing to turn his back while they were
within rife-shot of each other. For
two days the one who went off toiled
on with weary weakness through the
snow-drifts. Late on the second after
noon, as he looked back from high
ridge, he saw in the far distance a
black speck against the snow, coming
along on his trail. His companion
was logging his footsteps. Immedi-
ately he followed his own trail back,
a little and lay in ambush. At dusk
his companion came stealthily up, rifle
in hand, peering cautiously ahead,
his drawn face showing the starved.
eager ferocity of wild beast, and the
man he was hunting shot him down
exactly as if he had been one
Leaving the body where it fell. the wan
derer continued his journey, the dog
staggering painfully behind him. The
next evening he baked his last cake
and divided it with the dog. In the
morning, with his belt drawn still
tighter round his skeleton body, he
once more set out, with apparently
only a few hours OF dull misery be-
tween him and death. At noon he
crossed the track of a huge timber-wOlf;
instantly the dog gave tongue, and,
rallying its strength, ran along the
trail. The man struggled after. At
last his strength gave out and he sat
down to die; but while sitting still,
slowly stiffening with the cold, he
heard the dog baying in the woods.
Shaking off his mortal numbness, he
crawled towards the sound, and found
he wolf over the body of deer that
he had just killed. and keeping the dog
from it. At the approach of the new
assailant the'wolf sullenly drew off, and
man and dog tore the raw deer-hesh
with hideous eagerness. 1t made them
very sick for the next twenty-four
hours; but, lying by the carcass for
two or three days. they recovered
DISQUALIFICATION Roosevelt, in Cent
Nry
A SUICIDAL HABIT.