The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-13
A PERILOUS VOYAGE.
A YOUNG WESTERN HUNTER
THRILLING EXPERIENCE.

| Caught by Water Witch" and Carrie.
Down Stream. Now sinking. Now Risins
| Until at Last Friendly Root Intes
fered to Rescue Him from Death.
al had an encounter with q waite.
| witch when | was IN Utah" remarke,
one OF q party of young men who wer
! seated round small table the othel
| evening mo matter where), telling tale
OF adventure by land and sea. In II
Spouse to the general demand the speak
er told this story:
! I'm the month of July, few year
! age, camped with a party from Salt
| Lake City on the banks of the Provo
/ river. The Provo, as we used 10 say al
school, rises amid the snow clad peaks
/ of the Wasatch mountains, flows south
and empties into Utah lake. The track
of deer discovered one morning within
the borders of the camp caused some
/ excitement among us.
/ 1.-The next day Mr.. F. and shouldered
our guns and went out to shoot the in
vader. We crossed the river by bridge
a few miles below camp and climbed a
/ bold mountain wall. At the end of a
long tramp | found myself on the oppo-
site bank of the river about half mile
above our camp | was alone. having
| separated from my companion early in
/ the hunt. was in disguised frame Of
mind. | had started the deer. had an
excellent shot and touch of buck fever,
although the deer was a doe, and had
| missed
The way had come looked long and
hard, and resolved TO ford the river
At the time it was at fuIl bank, deep and
| swift. | crossed one arm of the stream
to a large island without difficulty. the
water not coming above my knees. From
| this island the other branch of the river
looked more uncertain. The water was
certainly waist deep and the current was
swift. | noticed that at the lower end
| of the island. where the two currents
joined again. the water foamed up three
or four feet high, as if breaking over a
rock. On each bank there was dense
growth of willow bushes, with long
! dropping stems which reached out over
the river, some Of the tips touching the
water.
TERRIBLE VOYAGE
Though no hunter am a good swim
mer, and have always been accustomed
to the water from boyhood. The thought
of any personal danger in crossing a
stream not more than twenty yards wide
never entered my mind. | thought
might possibly drop the gun, and was
quite certain to ruin box of cartridges
l carried in my pocket. These consid-
erations alone made me give any atten-
ton TO the lay of the land and the course
of the currents.
Il entered the water and advanced to-
ward the opposite bank, holding the gun
in one hand and high. 1t was deeper
than thought, the water coming quite
Up to my shoulders. Twas about to reach
for one of the bending willow stems
when | made nisstep and was swept
off my feet. the current carrying me
swiftly to the center of the foaming water
at the end of the island where | went to
the bottom like lead. | came up far
enough to see daylight shining through
the water when | went to the bottom
again. | still had the gun. As came
up the second time began TO spin around
like top.
''Then realized that was in trouble
dropped the gun, and with the aid of
both arms brought my head above water
and clear of the whirlpool. was gasp
ing for breath when got to the air, but
| had not taken in any water. and al.
though much exhausted from the pound
ing Fhad received by the fierce current
l was congratulating myself on my
escape when. floating easy with both
arms free, felt myself slowly but surely
going under again.
''Then something like terror seized me.
l thought my last moments Of life had
come Luckily there came with this
thought the resolve Of desperate man
TO die by inches and to cling to life until
the last gasp. There was q great i'm
pulse at first TO cry out for help. Icould
hear the clip of Mormon farmers hay
rake in the 6eld on the other side Of the
river and his chirp to his horse. But |
knew in that awful moment that the cab
for help was only to waste the breath !
had resolved to husband.
THE WATER WITCH.
Il felt my strength going as you can
feel pair of reins slip through your
hands. Every few feet, slowly but
surely, l would go under. Then, by
desperate exertions with my arms,
would bring my nose and mouth above
the water again. The river swept me
under a bunch Of those long, graceful
willow branches, but again | was steady
enough not to catch hold Of them
knew that TO do so was 10 waste my ef
forts for life in vain. They were slip
rlerY thev ware small and would not