The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-02-10

better provided Iof naQ Planned Ior
the avalanche to come. There was a
lean-to at the back end of the hut, and
! looked into this to find it full of fuel.
/ felt much more hopeful after. i had
taken the inventory, for could not
help but feel that it would be long be-
fore ! saw daylight again.
For several hours after the accident
the cabin sent forth suspicious sounds.
The snow was settling and packing
above it. and rafters and logs cracked
and snapped in a way to keep me on
thorns If the weight on the roof
proved too great I should be crushed
or smothered the moment it fell in. 1t
was after three o clock in the after
noon before | felt safe. But very lit
tie snow had come down the chimney.
reasoned from this that it had been
covered by rocks or limbs. If such
was the case and the fire refused to
burn, should be hard pressed with
plenty of raw provisions at hand l
felt all the gravity of the situation as |
threw on some light-wood and made
blaze. 1t was hard fight for half an
hour. Some of the smoke certainly
found way to escape, but some was
driven back. However, after time
the heat of the fire brought down II
| great deal of water-so much that /
could scarcely keep flame going
and about half-past four o'clock the
cabin was cleared of smoke. While l
could not for an instant believe that
the mouth of the chimney showed
| above the snow, was satisfied that
some way had been opened for the
smoke to drive away. may explain
here that great mass of tree tops
lodged on the roof before the bulk of
that snow came, and these held the
snow up so that the smoke went sail
ing about in hundred channels.
got myself some supper, wound
up the clock, and sat down for
smoke and think. The hermit had
two pipes and a large stock oftobacco,
and lonely as was my situation feel
ing of gratitude to God for the COM
forts at hand was uppermost in my
mind. | was now perfectly satisfied
that was buried deep under the snow.
and that my rescue would be mat
ter of weeks. The first move was to
write out statement of the accident,
and this | placed where it would be
preserved and found in case of my
death. Then l began daily journal,
and mapped out a programme to be
followed. A weeks imprisonment
would be nothing, but after that it
would not do to let the mind dwell on
the situation. You see, the horror of
it was the stiffness. The idea kept
coming up that I was buried alive, and
it was an awful thing to think of. The
hermit's clock was an old-fashioned
one, with a loud tick-tack, and after
the cabin got through settling under
the weight of the snow every tick
sounded almost as loud as the blow of
hammer 1t was so warm that I
needed only the smallest fire, and
when | went to bed at nine o'clock
there was no need of even q single
blanket for cover.
was up at an early hour next morn
ing, having slept like a log all night,
and while eating breakfast was startled
by sounds which | believed to be the
voice of a human being. | thought l
could hear groans and cries for help
and when l opened the door the sounds
came to me more distinctly. 1t might
be that the hermit, caught under the
snow, had succeeded in tunneling his
way to point from which could
rescue him by digging, and l had no
sooner dispatched my breakfast than
set about making me shovel to dig
with. | found Ratchet, and with
this sharpened board, and the snow
l dug from the doorway heaped up in
the fuel room. had not been digging
over half an hour when | made the
discovery that the first rush of the
avalanche had brought down a great
lot of small trees, bushes and rocks,
with here and there q large tree. They
had been piled up helter-skelter, but
they held up the mass of snow so that
with a little digging could run tun-
mel in almost any direction. Great
care was necessary, however, as the
burden above was very heavy, and the
displacement of a support might bring
down great weight of snow.
After | had run the tunnel straight
| out from the door about twenty feet,
turned to the right, made my way
under a lot of rubbish, and after going
about thirty feet came upon the body
| of an Indian. Here the limbs and
sticks made a sort of bower, under
which he lay, and | knew that it was his
voice had heard calling. There were
no Indians about us except hostiles,
and Just before the snow came they
had killed two men belonging to our
camp. We had no fear of them after
winter set in, knowing that they stuck
close to their villages. Here was
redskin, however and in full war
paint; but had no sooner found him
than l saw that he was dead, though
his body was still warm. He had been
mauled in terrible manner, both
legs being broken, his head all bloody
from an injury, and his right arm
doubled under him as if broken. l
could see the butt of his rifle sticking
out of the snow, but when | pulled at
it found the barrel missing. 1t had
been wrenched Off / got his tomahawk
and knife, however, together with pow
der horn and bullet pouch, and when
/ had pulled the body along and crept
beyond it, / caught sight of mecca
sin in the snow and dirt. 1t took me
an hour to unearth the body, which
was that of second warrior. The
life had been crushed out of him in a
second. The mass of rock which had
come down with him had broken every
bone in his body, and great share of
his face had been ground off. His