The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-09

| brought down q Ircat zeal OF Wa,er-ho
mrch that could scarcely keep flame
goinc-and about 4:30 O'Clock the cabin
| was cleared of smoke While could not
for IN instant believe that the mouth o.
the chimney showed above the snow, |
WIS satisfied that some way had been
opened for the smoke TO drive away.
NAV explain here that great mass OF
tree tops lodged on the roof before the
bulk Of that snow came, ana these held
the snow up 80 that the smoke went sili'
Ing about in hundred channels
got myself some supper, wound mp the
clock. and sat down Tor smoke and
think, The hermit had two pipes ana "a
large stock OF tobacco, and lonely as was
my situation q feeling Of gratitude to God
for the comforts al hand wac uppermost
IN my mind Twas now perfectly salisheu
that was buried deep under the sho",
and that my rescue wodld ue matter Oh
+ weeks. The first move was TO write out q
statement Of the accident, and this /
,laced where it would be preserved ana
found Ia case OF my death Then began
q daily journal, and mapped out pro-
granme 10 be followed. \ weeks I'M
prisonunent would be nothing but AFTER
| that it would not do to let thc mind dwell
on the situation You see, tie horror OF
# WIGS the stiffness The idea kept com'
ing no that was buried alive, ana II was
an awful thing to think Of The bermlt's
clock was an old fashioned one, with u
| loud tick tack. and after the cabin rot
through settling under the weight OF the
| snow every tick sounded almost Is loud
~ the blow Of hammer. Il was so
warm that needed only tbe smallest fire,
and when went to bed at = q CLOCK there
was no need Of even single blanket Tor
cover.
was up at an early hour next morn
ing having slept like leg all night, and
while eating breakfast was startled by
| sounds which believed to be the voice Or
| q human being. thought l could near
! proans and means and cries Tor hep, ana
when opened the door the sounds came
10 me more distinctly. 1t might be that
| the hermit. caught under the snow, had
succeeded in tunneling his way 10 Il point
from which could rescue him uy digging,
and had no sooner dispatched my break
fast than set about making me shovel
10 dig with l found a Ratchet, and with
| this sharpened board, and the snow |
dug from the doorway / heaped up IN the
| fuel room. had not been digging over
| half all hour when | made the discovery
| that the first rush OF the avalanche had
| brought down great lot Of small trees,
bushes, and rocks, with here and there
| large tree. They had been piled up heller
SHELTER, hat they held up the mass OF snow
so that with little digging / could run II
| tunnel in almost any direction Great
care was necessary, however, as the bur
den above was very heavy, and the dis
placement Of support might bring down
a 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 q sort Of
bower. under which lie lay, ana ] knew
that it was his voice had heard calling.
! There were no Indians about us except
hostilcs, and Just before the snow came
they had killed two men belonging to our
| camp. We had no fear Of them alter
winter set in, knowing that they stuck
! close TO their villages. Here was q red
| skin. however and in full war paint; but
| [ had 10 sooner found him than | saw
that he was dead though his body was
still warm lie had been maulcd IN a
terrible manner, both legs being broken,
his head all bloody from Oh injary, and
| his light arm doubled under him os II
broken | could see the butt Of his rife
sticking ont Of the snow, bat when /
pulled ut it | found the barrel missing. II
| ptT |
hawk and knife however together with
powder horn and bullet pouch. and when
| had pulled the body along and cIept behind
Ii, | caught sight OF moccasn IN the
| snow and digt. II to0k me al noun 10
uBearth the body, which was that OF =
second warrior The life had been crushed
ont Of him in q second. The mass OF rock
which had come down with him had
broken every bone in his body, and great
share OF his fnce had been ground oil
| His rife could not find. while both knife
and tomahawk were broken. while
searching his cold and battered body /
| found a buckskin bag containing about
$500 worth II small nuggets Of gold ant
this gave ne hint to overhaul the other
| also got from him bag containing
about $500 worth OF dust and nuggets,
ana IN the search found attached 10 his
belt a white mans scalp, which had not
been of the victims head over two days
| They must have been in ambush part way
up the mountain. intent upon taking the
hermit's scalp, and but for the avalanche
they might have had mine as well.
The day had gone by the time | had
overhauled the second Indians body
Being at work the hours had passed
swiftly away, and had not given myself
any time to brood over the horrors Of the
! situation After supper / sat in front Of
the fire for a while, then wrote up my
| daily journal, and when ] went to bed
| left the door wide open 1t seemed 10
me that the mir was getting foul down
there, and lay opening the door the room
was greatly purified. 1t was midnight as
| afterward came to know, and the fire
was all out, when some noise in the room
| startled me | sat up IN bed aud was
| soon convinced that some one or some
living thing beside myself was present l
| could hear labored breathing, together
with sounds as Of some one pulling HIM
self along tue door, and climbed over
the foot OF tho bed and Lighted the candle
ftegl y nN.l