Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-09-18

| Donovan before they become entirely lost
| in the fog One Of us had better start or
| in the direction in which they went, and
try to recall them with the cornet,"
~ am ready to go" said Baxter,
so am l! So am IT. added two or three
voices.
NO; am going" said Brian.
No, brother, am the one 10 go" cried
| Jack. with my skates can soon reach
! Donovan"
Very WE'LL" replied Brian; you can 20;
but listen every now ana then and see il
you 90 not hear shot"
Snatching the coruet from his brothers
hand, Jack dashed off through the fog,
which WAS growing more and moro dense
| \ half hour elapsed. and there was no
news from the absent oneS-neither from
! Cross and Donovan, who We're doubtless
unable TO find their way across the lake,
nor from Jack, who had gone in pursuit
Of them; and what would become OF all
three in case night came on before they
| had returuedf
IF we had firearms, suggested Service,
"perhapS--'
"Firesrmsw interrupted Brian, There
are some at the French Cave, We hsvenE
a minute to lose. Let us hasten back to
the cave"
For now the wise course 70 pursue did
| indeed seem to be to return with all speed
| TO the French Cave and indicate the direo-
! ton the lost boys must take to reach the
| shore by means of a series of shots
In less than half an hour the three miles
that separated the party from the French
! Cave had been traverSed On this occa-
| sion all thought of economizing ammu-
| milton was ignored, and Wilcox aud Bax.
| ter loaded two guns, which they fred re-
peatedly.
Still there was no response, either from
rife or cornet
1t was already half-past three O'clock,
and the fog seemed to become more and
more impenetrable in proportion as the
! sun sunk lower and lower behind the brow
! OF the Clit
Get out the caunon" cried Brian,
One of the small guns of the "Soughi"
was dragged out on the middle of the ter
race, and pointed toward the northeast
| In such calm as then prevailed, the re.
port could scarcely fail to be heard for
distance of several miles; still there was
no response.
For at least an hour longer the little
cannon was fired at intervals of not less
than ten minutes Ii was impossible for
| the missing boys to mistake the meaning,
of these repeated signals; besides the re-
port must be heard over nearly the entire
| lake-a foggy atmosphere being eminent
| ly favorable TO the transmission Of sound.
AT last, little before nve octocN, wv.
or three distant shots were quite distinct.
| ly heard to the northeast
| r,t,1. lid
Baxter instantly responded by another
cannon shot; and u few minutes aftcrward
two shadowy forms became visible through
the mist, which was much less dense neal
the shore than further out on the lake,
and soon eager shouts responded to those
that rose from the terrace.
1t was Donovan and Cross.
Jack was not with them
Brian grief and anxiety were well.nigb
| insupportable. His brother had been un,
| able to find the two sportsmen, who had
not even heard his calls on the cornet
While Jack was fastening eastward in
search of them, Cross and Donovan were
at the south end of the lake, and had It
not been for the firing at the French Cave
they would never have found their way
back.
| bTldu was So NlSlIpSSpu dI uile lnOuPHI
of his brothers. danger, that he quite for
got to reproach Donovan, whose disobedi
ence had been the cause of all this trou
BILE. If Jack was obliged TO spend the
night on the lake with the mercury at OF
below zero, there was little likelihood of
his surviving such exposure.
1T was who ought to have gone In his
stead. ~ repeated Brian, to whom Cor
don and Baxter were vainly trying to i'm
| part glimmer of hope.
A few more shots we're fired II Jack
was near the French Cave he would GER
, tainly hear the shots and reply with his
cornet; but after the reyerberations died
away, no other sound broke the stiffness.
| Already twilight was fast coming on
and the entire island would soon be en-
shrouded in darkness.
| 1t was some relief however, to see that
| there were strong indications of breeze
which would dispel the fog and render
the darkness the chief obstacle TO the wan
derer's speedy return.
| Under these circumstances the best
thing to do was to make big fire on the
! shore; and Wilcox Baxter, and Service,
were already piling up dry wood on the
| terrace, when Gordon suddenly checked
! them,
Watt said he: and raising a spy-glass
to his eyes he looked eagerly toward the
northeast ut seems To me that | see
| something moving he added.
| Brian had already seized the glass and
was gazing in his turn.
Heaven be praised--it is he" he cried
| at is Jackl | see himW
And they all began to shout at the top
| of their voices as if they fanced they could
make themselves heard for a distance of
| at least a mile
The distance was fast diminishing, how
ever, for Jack was gliding swiftly over the
smooth ice, and few minutes more
would bring him to the French Cave.
ut looks very much as If he had some
body with him." cried Baxter, with ges-
! ture of surprise.
! And, In fact, keen eye could really dis.
Germ two dark forms moving along about
one hundred yards behind the skater.
"W hat can it be-" asked Gordon.
"Meu!' ventured Baxter.
"They look more like animals" said
! Wilcox.
IcOO