The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-02-10
know, and the fire was all out. when


know, and the fire was all out, when
some noise in the room startled me.
sat up in bed and was soon convinced
that some one or some living thing be-
side myself was present. I could hear
a labored breathing. together with
sounds as of some one pulling himself
along the floor, and | climbed over the
foot of the bed and lighted the candle.
What was my amazement to find third
savage in the cabini He had quite
reached the side of the bed. and had got
out that way, as usual, he would have
at least wounded me, for he had his
naked knife in his hand and was bent
on murder. The Ratchet was at hand,
but | did not need weapon. The
warrior had been dreadfully hurt, and,
as investigation had proved, had been
buried just beyond the other two.
When left the bodies he had dug his
way to my tunnel, and then pulled
himself along to the door, intending to
have my life as / slept. When baffied
in this, he glared at me with all the
hate human heart can betray. He
was crushed at the hips, and none but
n savage could have accomplished
what he did. could have killed him
at single blow, but the horrible work
was spared me. Death was already
beside him, and as | stood and looked
down upon him, candle in hand, he
uttered faint war-whoop, and fell
over, dead. When / was sure that life
had departed | dragged him into the
tunnel and shut and barred the door.
and so upset had my nerves become
by the adventure that l did not sleep
again that night.
In the morning | excavated a hole
near where the two bodies lay, and
pushed the three into it, and packed the
snow over them. Then I began running
a tunnel for the ledge in front of the
cabin, and had gone about twenty feet
when the second night came. Early
in the third day had to abandon this
tunnel on account of a cave-in which
nearly smothered me. Then I turned
to the right to come out down the val
ley, and | was still at this work when
the first week closed. Early in the
second week Twas stopped by a bank
of rocks and earth, and when the
second week closed was drifting a
tunnel to the left. 1t was slower work
than you would think for The snow
was packed very solid, and all dug
out had to be thrown behind ME, and
eventually carried off and scattered in
some hole under the tree tops Every
few feet met with big rock or the
trunk of tree, and it was hard work
to get around such distractions.
Again cave-in would take place to
hinder further progress for day or
two, and [ finally came to the con-
clusion that could never get out by
tunnelng.
| started in on the third week more
to be at work than from any hope of
escape. All that week I tunneled to
the right again, and at three o'clock
on Saturday afternoon I broke into my
own tunnel. In other words, / had
done as a man does when lost in the
woods. l made a half circle and came
back on myself, while all the time [
felt sure l was going straight ahead.
The fourth week was spent mostly in
the house. Twas now becoming much
weaker, and was ready to give up. 1t
was on the thirty-ffth night that the
cabin began grooming and racking
again and knew that the snow was
settling down around it. The noises
continued all night, giving me many
fright, and at seven o'clock next morn
ing, when opened the door, I found
my tunnel filled up. | was lamenting
this when noticed that the fire was
drawing better than usual Going
over to the fireplace l took a look up
the chimney and saw the dark sky of
heaven. At the same moment three
or four drops of rain fell upon.my face,
and then l understood that great
thaw had set in and was reducing the
snow around me. 1t was three days
more, however, before l got daylight
through the window and could force
my way out of the door.
1t had been raining for three days
and nights, and the creek below me
was a mad torrent. The snow on
the trail was yet very deep, and was
compelled to wait two days more be-
fore | could get away. Then the
weather changed to colder, and / got
down to Virginia City. It was nearly
a month later before we could get at
the bodies | knew were under the
snow. The hermit had been caught in
the edge of the rush. and killed by be-
ing dashed against the rocks. His
body was carried across the frozen
creek to the edge of a thicket, and
such clothing as still chung to it
was in shreds and tters. They
had known of the avalanche both above
and below, and had given me up for
lost AS near as the men could Judge
the snow above me was forty feet
deep, and no one had any idea that
the cabin had been spared. That I
came out of it alive was simply the
luck which strangely enough saves a
man now and then from the open jaws
of death.-M Y. Sun
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