The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-05-26

CStlAIc W d lItIU III UIlc JUNCTION Oh TWO great
ravines. We had no compass, and down
there in the gloom there was no east,
north, south or west. One looking up
could realize that the sunshine lay on the
mountain top, but down there it was twi-
light, had been twilight for 10, 600 years.
The trapper and the lieutenant stepped
aside for a brief conference, and presently
the latter turned to US and said:
Men, it is evident that we have taken
a wrong direction and are lost in the noun
tain. We Will build Il fire and eat and
rest"
We had provisions and blankets, and
there were so many of us that it seemed
idle to fear disaster, and yet that word
lost" had a curious effect on everybody.
/ saw men look about them and SILVER, as
if wondering if their bones were to be left
there. Others became silent and p~ensive,
and others still sat down as if their strength
had gone from them. We managed to start
a fire, but no one seemed to care for food.
After al hours rest the trapper left u to
get his bearings. Night came, and he had
not returned. We moved to a better camp
ing spot, built two or three fires, and for
hours there was scarcely a word spoken.
No man felt fear. There are no towards
among the soldiers at the frontier posts.
1t was distrust, solitude, oppression. We
were lost. That night / heard men sigh
ing and moaning in their sleep. At mid
night l sat up and looked around M and
saw that the officer had not yet been
asleep. AS the Pickering flames lighted up
his face I was surprised at the change. 1t
looked pinched and drawn, as if be had
been i'll for q month.
Morning came, but no trapper. Noon
came, and then we knew thatA he would
not return to us. We packed up without
orders, almost without speech. When
words were passed, it was in whispers, as
if men lay dead around us. When VIC were
ready to go, the officer led the way into
the right hand ravine. We had been STUN
bling along for an hour when it was dis
covered that three men were absent. They
had dropped off the column to take an
other route, one they believed more GER
tain to lead to the valley, but yet without
saying a word The selfish spirit which
crops out when men are in peril together
had come to the surface.
Down the big ravine ill the way was
blocked, up small one to the left, down
another to the right, always a ravine,
always a stream of water babbling along,
always slime and cold and twilight. At
noon we rested for an hour. 1t was only
"a hours since we lost our way, and vet |
saw two or three men smiling in a pecul-
lar and counting IN their finger
ends. At night we found that two more
men had remained behind. Some had
thrown away provisions and blankets, but
they did not ask their comrades to share
with them. They seemed neither hungry
nor cold. Twice that night I was awak-
ened from sleep by men babbting or laugh
ing in their dreams. When we were ready
tn nlprn m, nn-t nNnrninr two mon still
sat on the rocks. The officer spoke harshly
to them, and yet there was Il note of fear
in his tones. He ordered them to fall in,
but when we moved away they did not
follow. | saw them counting their fingers
as | looked back.
On this day we got out Of the ravine
among the pines and cedars n powders.
Sometimes we had to creep under the
limbs, sometimes pull each other up the
rocks. No one knew which way we were
going. We simply toiled along and at
sunset were in n ravine again. Some one
built a fire. Three Or four men cooked
and ate some bacon. The lieutenant sat
by himself, moody and taciturn, II that
night as the men began to stretch out for
sleep he spoke for the first time for hours.
He stood up and looked us over and said:
Here are only - men. What has be-
come Of the others?'
No one answered. What was it to us?
That night Private johnson went crazy
and wandered away. We did not look for
him when morning came. We simply rose
up and moved on again. So that day
passed, and the next, and the next, and so
passed six days and nights. On the morn
ing of the seventh day they found us-ive
ragged, bruised and starving men-sitting
together on a great rock, but no one hold-