The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-10-31


When they were gone. there would be no
more smoking.
IL say, do you think you could smoke .
tigarettei" he asked hopefully. "'Baccy's
l wonderful comfort at all times, but when
you're bit pinched. you know
He pulled out his tobacco pouch tempt
Ingly. / told him would rather not try
IL yet awhile.
81 think shall enjoy it more presently"
laid he, putting his pipe In his pocket
Then / noticed by the limpness OF his
pouch as he put that away that his tobacco
was nearly all gone.
When we began TO feel chilly. we walked
on'again, keeping under the trees with the
hope of finding some animal that might
serve US for food. the snowdrift that edged
the wood being our guide.
Gordon had provided himself with
stout stick, but we saw no sign OF living
creature the whole day, and the only thing
we found to eat was some frozen moss aud
lcathery kind OF lichen. On and on
we went. skirtipg the edge of the plain,
| through tho interminable forest, until the
| light began to fade; then we went out and
looked beyond the drift. The boundless
plain. with the edging of black pines, was
all we saw-nothing else.
I'VE must think now of making our
selves comfortable for the night" said
| Gordon as we re-entered the forest. "We
| will have good fire at any rate"
Fuel was not wanting The edge of the
wood was strewn with broken wood-limbs
torn from the trees by the gales that swept
| across the plain. or broken down in former
| winters by the weight of ice and snow. We
collected "A great heap and having built the
! foundation of our fire Gordon, with inf
nite care, struck one of his precious matches
and lit the pile of dry leaves and fir cones
! knew then why he had refrained from
smoking all day. Our lives depended on
those vestas, for IL they gave out before we
could get fresh supply we must freeze to
| death.
As soon as the fire was well alight we
| Bcraped a narrow trench, about six feet
long. in the thick bed of fir needles facing
the fire. and framing a kind Of roof over 1t
| with pine branches piled mass of twigs
and rubbish of all kinds on top so as to ex-
rlude the cold air. We both worked with
D will, leaving off now and then to put fresh
| fuel on the fire, and when it was finished
felt very we'll satisfied with our perform
| Ance
Now" said Gordon when we had put
the finishing touch to the roof, creep in
side, mademoiselle, and see il you can get
few hours sleep"
But we have got to make another shelter
for you," said i.
mo; one will serve us both-turn and
turn about. 1t won't do to let the fire 90
down, you know"-it was in this way he
| disguised his fear Of attack by wolves
land promise you to take my full share of
rest as soon as you have had yours"
| / crept into the trench, and stretching
myself out at full length found that the
springy fir needles made better bed than
the hard planks of the kameras. IL was
| pleasantly warm. too, with the heat thrown
out by the fire.
Gordon seated himself at the opening,
with his heavy stick beside him. and with
q deep sigh of satisfaction lit the first pipe
Of the day. 1t was good to see the happy
content in his face as he slowly smoked.
letting the clouds issue slowly from his
| lips, and the leaping flames of the fire be-
! yond him. Indesd, but for the craving of
hunger, i bad no reason to complain. but
| good deal to be thankful for.
| 1t was not long before / dropped off, and
slept soundly, as it seemed to me, for
good long while But when awoke Cor
| don declared that it was not yet time to
( think about changing the watch; So not
\ u
| dropped off again.
Iawoke second time to find him still
patiently sitting on guard at my feet, but
he gave me the same answer and would
not permit me to take his place. And when,
after third space Of sleep. he allowed me
\ to come out. saw by the gray light be-
| tween the trees that the night was past.
/ Then having piled more wood on the fire,
/ and handed his stick over to me with in
structions to give him "a crack over the
| toes' with it IL heard the slightest sounds
or detected any movement in the surround
ing trees. he crawled into the trench, and
In few minutes was snoring sonorously.
In couple Of hours he came out, pro-
testing that he could sleep no longer. and
having nothing to detain us we recon-
menced our onward march,
| have no need to dwell on this part of
my history, for further testimony to the
patient courage, generosity and unceasing
kindness of George Gordon is unnecessary,
and nothing occurred to break the terrible
monotony of our journey through the
ilreary forest until the fourth day of our
escape In the Afternoon of that day we
tame upon n road cut through the forest
md debouching upon the plain. This dis
sovery threw US into state of intense ex-
ttttutut. ~ Was Inc IL NiSiOu Ol water IN
The desert.
Not a soul was in sight, but there were
marks of sledge runners in the snow which
had fallen the day before.
Its not a main road-that is evident by
its narrowness," said Gordon. grasping my
hand.
what shall we do'" / asked, trembling
violently.
IF il only leads to a farm, we're all
right No one would be so inhuman as to
refuse us food, seeing how pinched and
done up we are. II, on the other hand, it
leads TO town-why, then, we stand
good chance Of being made prisoners again.
What do you say to stopping here while
go on and reconnoter?"
mo. no. IL you go on, will go with
you"
And hope for the best" he added stur.
dily, pressing my arm to his side and STEP
pinu out