The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-07


rose 10 his feet aud looked around him he
beStated.
II was IA fearful scene. As far rs the
eve could penetrate the stability oi me
prair.e seemed changed 10 the furious
| lashihg, of foam white waste OF waters.
Great waves If snow met, shifted, spread,
| raced like wolves joined again, rose, but
fetcd each other till puifs OF tine snow
| sorang INFO the air, Ike spray, only to fall
| ai,d melt in the sliding streams. All was
| unreal CHASTITY No sky, but a iorlnless,
inpenetrable mass Of flying snow; no
| earth except when q sweeping gust laid
barc long streak OF biackened sod that
| had the effect, the terrifying effect, oil
hollow. fathumless trough between the
Kissing waves, aud over all the night ana
tempest were speeding like the flight or
twin eagles.
Our companion set his teeth and made
q. if TO spring out and set forth sit
down. we shouted. do you intend 10
commit suicide:n And, with laugh at
his relieved expression, we pushed the
ponies on toward the west;
I'VE must be mercless now. we are
| too far on 10 turn back, and II we are not
DELAYED we can reach the shanty before
deep night" shouted in the ear Of the
driver. There were now bat two shantles
where We knew Of people living, and both
| of these were some miles from our desll-
nation. One Oh these we soon reached
after passing the corner stake alluded 10.
IL was a small frame shanty, banked to
the roof with SHOW and sods; indeed, the
ROOF was also of sods, laid Oh for addl-
lional warmth. II was low ana mean
looking at ordinary times, but now, as the
door Opened and the red light streamcd
out over the drifts giinting through the
falling snow, it had Il .nguldrly attractive
| look. The house was full 10 oyerflowing,
we were told, and there were no places
for our horses at all; they woald have to
stand ont if we staid. But we amt
goln' to STAY" said Moore, grimly, as he
pulled ont into the road, now mere tran,
20 br followed with the greatest difficulty.
| Just after turning into this lalnt track
there came team Of horses rushing 10
meet us As they passed US at SWIFT
calop we saw that. attached 10 the mar
n.s. Of one, was a boys hand sled, upon
which long plank WAS bound, and lastly
a Young fellow lying atop, on his side, N
| the ,y1y bows coast down hill. He had
round, red face, on which was fearless
laugh. and he shook the Teins above his
noble team and plunged into the dark
| ness Of the cast ON his way TO the settle
| rhrnt
The storm had steadily increased in
violence. though each stage seemed the
HInit of its fury The cold grew ever
bitterer, the night was almost upon us,
and the snow filed the dir, and we could
see but a few rods in any direction; but
our only resource was to press on out on
he prairie wrapped IN madly swirlng
clouds Of snow. But we were all western
born and not only knew our danger, but
| how to meet it as we'll Our trail was en-
tirely lost, and there was nothing left but
10 steer by the wind and the section lines.
For mile or more we had been following
q fnrrow which had been p!Owed along
the section line and we must now leave
tlfat and bear to the southwest.
Therefore, taking the wind (Which we
knew to be in the northwest on our night
shoulder. we struck out in Il straight line
for the place where we knew the shanty
belonging To Moore must be We ought
/ 10 come near enough TO II 10 see it rs we
passed: if not-well, we didn't like 10
think OF that As our course must be
made with the greatest care Moore drove,
while Bailey aud took turns in rigid!y
| Keeping the wind upon the right ear, and
| In walking in the track behind. The track
was kept straight in this way and in
creased our chances OF finding che house
We were now moving III II circle OF half
| light, outside of which. 100 feet away,
was darkness. Without this half light
all was distorted, fantastic a sage bush,
clump of weeds, or a tuft OF grass
assumed huge proportions, and through
| the treachcrous gloom looked like barn
or A stack Of hay in the further reach OF
the eve. A bit of single not fifty feet
| from my eye looked 50 like cabin Oh the
side Of q distant swell that | called joy
/ fully to my companions that had found
the house 1t frightened me when, few
steps further on, / came TO the wind
( blown bit of wood, and my vision of the
house and the snowy hill faded out into
/ the depths Of the storm. The snow flew
so thicklv that we could not see the ponies
al times as they labored heavily through
the deep snow, for we were on the UNI
2 PltlitAO hO" ohA tHN ShO" wa
mid leg deep. Around me | heard
the multitudinous trampHng OF the
SHOWS, the fluttering of innumerable
wings, the sheer weight Of an army Of
foes pressing against us, small as units, a
terrible force taken together. There were
swirls here and there which opened
vistas in which the mind put vague
pictures OF battles between ghostly adver-
| sarles and then the snow came down
upon us-ay, II seemed 10 leap up from
beneath iall from above, as well as drive
on the level terrific blast, like sand from
a tube At intervals we would stop, and
20 as far as we dared 10 the right and
left, and, STOPPING down, look under the
snow 10 discover the house Our course
since leaving the section line was so slow
and painful that it seemed as though we
had been travelling more than an hour,
and finally Moore pulled up and turned
TO me with look Of grim resolution on
his face that told that we had arrived at
the same conclusion
"Sesgraves, we're In for it, We've
passed the shanty without seeing It,.
That's about my idea. And more
than that will not 60 single step
further in that direction There is
nothing but trackless prairie out
there Our only hope now Is TO turn TO
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