St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-10-11
A NARROW ESCAPE.
Thrilling Experience OF n Western



Trapper.
From Theodore Rossevelt's illustrat-
ID paper on Frontier Types" in the
October Century, we quote the follow
s.Bg description of one of his trapper's,
# French Canadian
Once OF twice he showed a curious
teluctance about allowing a man to ap-
roach him suddenly from behind. Al
*Rgether his actions were so odd that |
Rlt some curiosity to learn his history.
z# turned out that he had been through
& rather uncanny experience the win
ID before. He and another man had
ono into n remote basin, or inclOsed
ALLEY, in the Ia art of the mountains,
there game was very plentiful in
iced, it was so abundant that they de-
ded to pass the winter there. Ac-
zprdingly they put up og-cabin,
8Orking hard, and merely killing
zshOugh meat for their immediate use.
INST as it was finished winter set in
I'll it'll tremendous snow storms. Going
s6llt to hunt, in the firstlull, they found,
ID their Consideration, that every head
Ia game had left the valley. Not an
animal was to be found therein they
lad abandoned it for their winter
ziaunts.
The outlook for the two adventur-
RS was APPALLING. They were afraid of
lying to break out through the deep
now drifts, and starvation stared them
ID the face if they staid. The man
bat | met had his dog with him. They
Int themselves on very short COM
$fiOns, SD as to use up their -four as
5aiOwly as possible, and hunted un-
=~eariedly, but saw nothing. Soon a
|aiOlent quarrel broke out between
hem. The other man, fierce, sullen
fhsllOw, insisted that the dog should be
allied, but the owner was exceedingly
attached to it, and refused. For a
@epuple of weeks they spoke no words
10 each other. though cooped in the lit
=Eze narrow pen of logs. Then one
<Aght the owner of the dog was awak-
|ehed by the animal crying out; the
|other man had tried to kill it with his
|4nife, but failed.
FL The provisions were now almost ex-
zsausted, and the two men were glaring
20 each other with the rage of mad
lened, ravening hunger. Neither
Jared to- sleep, for fear that the other
III Ould kill him. Then the one who
|awned the dog at last spoke, and pro-
E7Dsed that, to give each other a chance
Epr his life, they should separate. He
81 Guild take half of the handful of -four
hat was left and start off to try to get
|AOme !; the other should stay where he
|Sas; and if he tried to follow the first,
be was warned that he would be shot
without mercy. A like fate was to be
lhe portion of the wanderer if driven
DO return to the hut. The arrangement
5vas agreed to and the two men separ
Ated, neither daring to turn his back
while they were within ritie-shOt of
bach other.
For two days the one who went off
BOILED on with weary weakness through
the snow drifts. Late on the second
afternoon, as he looked back from
high ridge, he saw in the far distance
u black speck against the snow, coming
along on his trail. His companion was
logging his footsteps. Immediately
he followed his own trail back "a little
and lay in ambush. At dusk his COM
paniOn came stealthily up, rifle in
hand, peeIing cautiously ahead, his
drawn face showing the starved, eager
ferOcity of wild beast, and the man
lie was hunting shot him down exactly
as if lie had been one.
Leaving the body where it fell, the
wanderer continued his Journey, the
dog staggering painfully behind him.
The next evening he baked his last
cake and divided it with the dog. In
the morning, with his belt drawn
still tighter round his skeleton body,
he once more set out, with apparently
only few hours of dull misery be-
tween him and death. At noon he
crossed the track of a hugh timber
wolf instantly the dog gave tongue,
and, rallying it's strength, ran along
the trail. The man struggled after.
AT last his strength gave out and he
sat down to die but while sitting still,
slowly stiffening with tie cold, he
heard the dog baying in the woods.
Shaking off his mortal numbness, he
erawled towards the sound, and found
the wolf over the body of a deer that
be had just killed, and keeping the dog
from it. At the approach of the new
Assailant the wolf suddenly drew off,
hnd man and dog tore the raw deer
flesh with hideous eagerness. 1t made
them very sick for the next twenty
four hours; but, lying by the carcass
for two or three days, they recovered
strength.
"Hutch'' the HighHayman.