The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1888-03-10
Ne had driven perhaps two miles

something else that we didn't hear.
and then digging his heels into his
pony he rode away toward the town.
l saw nothing about the mountains
unusual, but, turning a second time
and casting my eyes far to the north
west. where the peaks are low, ! saw
a furry Of clouds rising from behind
the mountains. Even while l gazed at
them they arose with ominous rapidity,
and in a minute or two had become
darker and were beginning to boil and
swell most threateningly. For minute
l was fascinated. We had a couple of
dogs in the wagon behind the seats
and they began to whine. The horses
put back their ears, and the outlook
for q trip to the mountains became
serious. The driver was for turning
back at once. told him that we had
a plain open country before us with
good roads and fresh horses, and we
could easily reach the ranch in a couple
of hours But while we we're discuss
ing the matter the clouds increased in
darkness and lifted themselves like a
black wall almost to the zenith. The
distant peaks were blotted out in an
instant, and the clouds chased the
shadows from the lower mountains and
came down upon us roaring like an
ocean storm.
1t was an awful scene. Destruction
seemed at hand. Yet far to our left
and back of us the prairie cleaned in
the sunlight, and the mountains In the
south glittered as if it were a summer
day.
There was no time to do any thing
but prepare for the blizzard. The
dogs crouched under the seats, the
horses stopped and refused to move,
and We had just time to wrap the
blankets around us and tuck in the
buffalo robe when the storm came in
all its fury.
A thousand menageries let loose
would have been silence compared
with the noise of the storm. 1t was
impossible to see two rods in any direc-
ton. 1t was almost Us dark as night,
and but for the snow which filled the
air, flying upward and downward and
from all parts Of the compass, we
should not have been able to see the
horses before us. We managed to turn
them around, but dared not leave the
wagon for fear the blankets and buffa-
10 robes would be swept away.
We now had the storm at our back.
and the wind, which howled like u
thousand tiends, blew the wagon be-
fore it, forcing the horses to walk
along until we were crowded off the
hard beaten road and almost upset.
when the wagon went down the snowy
cmbalklnent out oil To the prairie.
The cold became intense. Snow as
fine as flour sifted under our wraps,
got under II clothes-in fact, l could
feel it down in my stockings almost
freezing the life out Of me. For a few
minutes the sensation was simply hor-
rible. We became bewildered and did
not KNOWN what direction to 60 should
we get the horses to move on. We
knew the direction of the storm when
it first came. but billiards. always
change a few points to the north or
west. Besides, even IL we could re-
sumo u journey, there was a proba-
bility that we would miss the town en-
tirely and be frozen or force to stay
out on the prairie until morning. Our
only hope lay in the fact that there
were a few ranches just outside of the
town with wire fences inclosing the
cultivated fields. W. were sure to run
against the fences unless we lost our
reckoning entirely and double back on
course
But we soon found that the storm had
only just begun. 1t increased in vio-
lence every minute, and the tempera-
ture ran down to what seemed twenty
eight or thirty degrees below zero. At
last we got the horses to move by get
ting out Of the wagon and leading them.
The dogs, however, did not follow us.
They stayed in the wagon under the
seats. believe they would have been
blown away then had they left the
wagon. The only way we managed to
stand was by hanging on to the horses.
l tried to mount one Of the animals.
while the deliver attempted to climb
upon the other, but it was impossible to
remain there. We would have been
frozen to death in ten minutes, so we
kept the horses between ourselves and
the wind. but might as well have had u
sieve.
W. continued drifting along until
VIC reached what seemed to be a gulch
or ditch, which was half filled with
snow, and here. with a great effort.
we unhitched the horses from the
wagon, which was left behind. We
tumbled down the steep embankment
and got across it somehow, and
struggled On to keep from freezing. /
fell something brush against my leg,
but could see nothing. it was so dark.
l put down my hands. and to my joy
found the dogs were with US. 1t made
me positively happy for a moment, be-
cause l knew they would keep us warm
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