The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-02-02
A NARROW EsUAPE.

From Theodore Roosevelt's illus
trated paper on 'Frontier Types" in
the Century, we quote h following
description of one of these trappers, u
French Canadian: "Ohce or twice he
showed a curious reluctance about
allowing a man to approach him sud
denly from behind. Altogether bis
actions were so odd that L felt some
curiosity to learn his history. Ii
turned out that he had been through a
rather uncanDy experience the winter
before. He and another nan had gone
into a remote basin, or enclosed valley,
in the heart of the mountains, where
game was very plentiful; indeed, it
was 80 abundant that they decided to
pass the winter there. Accordingly
they put up a og-cabin, working hard,
and merely killing enough meat for
their immediate use. Just as it was
finished winter set in with tremendous
snow-storms Going out to hunt, in
the first lull, they found, to their con
s~ternation, that every head OF game
had left the valley. Not an animal
was to be found therein; they had
abandoned ii for their winter haunts.
The outlook for the two Adventures
was appalling. They were afraid OF
trying to break out through the deep
snow-drifts, and starvationstared them
In the face If they staid. The man that
/ met had his dog with him. They
put themselves on very short commons.
SO as to use up their -four as slowly as
possible, and hunted unweariedly, but
saw nothing. Soon a violent quarrel
broke out between them. The other
man, q fierce, sullen fellow, insisted
that the dog should be killed, but the
owner was exceedingly attached to it,
and refused. For a couple of weeks
they spoke no words to each other,
though cooped in the little narrow pen
of logs. Then one night the owner OF
the dog was wskeDed by the animal
crying out; the other man had tried TO
kill IL with his knife, but failed. The
provisions were now almost exhausted,
and the two mon were glaring at each
other with the rage of m%addened,
~ravening hunger. Neither dared to
sleep, for fear that the other would
kill him. Then the one who owned
the dog at last spoke, and proposed
that, to give each q chance for his life,
they should separate. He would take
half of the handful of -four that was
left and start off to try to get home;
the other should stay whore he was;
and If he tried to follow the first, be
was warned that he would be shot
without mercy. A like fate was to be
the portion Of the wanderer If driven
to return to the hut. The arrangement
was agreed to and the two men
separated, neither daring to turn his
back while they were within rifle.shot
of each ether. For two days the one
went of toiled on with weary
weakness through the drifts.
Late In the second afternoon, as he
looked back from a high ridge, he say
in the tar distance q black speck
against the snow, coming along on his
trail. His companion was DIGGING his
footsteps. Immediately he followed
his own trail back a little and lay in
ambush. AT dusk bis companion came
stealthily up, rife in hand, peering
cautiously ahead, his drawn face show
ing the starved, eager ~ferocity of a
wild beast, and the man he was hunt
Ing shot him down exactly as if he had
been one. Leaving the body where it
fell, the wanderer continued his jour-
ney, the dog staggering painfully be-
hind him. The mex evening he baked
nl6 last cake ana d1VlQeQ II win the
dog. In the morning, with his belt
drawn still tighter round his skeleton
body, he once more set out, with ap-
parently only a few hours Of dull
misery between him and death. AT
noon he crossed the track of a huge
>-timber- wolf; instantly the dog CAV
tongue, and, rallying its 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 the
cold, he heard the dog barking in the
woods. Shaking of his mortal numb
ness, he crawled towards the sound,
and found the I.olf over the body of a
deer that he had just killed, and keep
ing the dog from it. At the approach
of the new assailant the wolf sullenly
drew off, and 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 re-
covered strength"