The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1891-09-05

the foot of the bed and lighted the candle.
What was my amazement to find third
savage in the cabinl 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 ut hand, but did not need a weapon.
The warrior had been dreadlaiiy hurt,
and, as investigation proved, hal been
buried Just beyond the other two. W@en
left the bodies he had dug his way to my
tunnel, and then pulled himself along to
the door, intending 10 have my life as l
slept When baffled in this, he stared at
me with all the hate human heart can
betray. He was crushed at the hips, and
none but a savage could have accomplished
what he did. l could have killed him at
a 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 a
faint warwhoop 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 be-
come by the adventure that | did not
sleep again that night
AAHAN
where the two bodies lay and pushed the
three into it and packed the snow over
them. Then l began running 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 / turned to the right to come out
down the valley, and | was still at this
work when he first week closed. Early
in the second week / was stopped by
bank of rocks and earth and when the
second week closed l was drifting atunnel
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 obstruc
tions. Again a cave in would take place
to hinder further progress for day or
two, and finally came to the conclusion
that | could never get out by tuneling.
/ started in on the third week more to
be at work than from any hope of escape.
All that week / tunneled to the right
noon | broke into my own tunnel In
other words, | had done as a man does
when lost in the woods. | made a half
circle and came back on myself, while all
the time / felt sure / was going straight
ahead. The fourth week was spent mostly
i'm the house. | was now becoming much
weaker, and was ready to give up. 1t was
on the thirty fifth night that the cabin be-
gan grooming and cracking again, and
knew that the snow was settling down
around it, The noises continued all night,
giving me many a fright, and at o'clock
next morning, when / opened the door, L
found my tunnel filled up. / was lament
ing this when | noticed that the fire was
drawing better than usual. Going over
to the fireplace took look up the Chin
ney and saw the dark sky of heaven. At
the same moment three or four drops of
rain fell upon my face, and then | under
stood that a great thaw had set in and
was reducing the snow around me. 1t
was three days more, however, before
got daylight through the window and
could force my way ont of the door.
1t had been raining for tf@ee 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 DeIOre cOulu geb away.
Then the weather changed to colder, and
l got down to Virginia City. 1t 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 being dashed
against the rocks. His body was carried
across the frozen creek to the edge of q
thicket, and such clothing as still chung
to it was in shreds and tatters. 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 beer
spared That l came out of it alive wa:
simply the luck which strangely enough
saves a man now and then from the opeI
jaws of death. New York Sun.