The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-03-22

'>SHASN tuii Va tOliR uC iOI MttAU OI u
drink. The first thing, therefore, was
to get drink So. on entering the
timber, cut down small, dry tree
and started to make Il Gre TO melt my
cupful OF snow into water. This is
quicker than cutting through two or
three feet of ice to get ut water.
"Think of my surprise, boys, on
searching my pockets, to find only one
match. My box had forgot to take
out of our camp the night before ut the
foot of tho mountain and it must DO
there to this day, amongst the saplin'
branches we laid upon.
We'll. thought, this will do. Once
tho fire Is started, will take particu-
lar care it don't go out. built small
fire on two green billets laid on the
snow, and put my tin cup full of snow
on top 50 melt. While waiting for this
to tako place, perhaps l didn't lean
against blamed treo that grew near,
where sat watching the fire, and fell
dead asleep, and never woke until long
after the fire had burnt itself dead out
and myself about frozc to the heart
1.-THE first thing did was to thank
God that I had awol1c again in this
world; for, tired as was, it puzzled me
to this day how / shook off that heavy
sleep.
when had my senses fully about
me, judged by the height of the moon
above the tree tops that it must be
somewhere about nine o'clock, and the
way some big spruce, pine and birch
were cracking with the frost was
enough To keep weak nerves on the go.
Some of the reports were rs loud as
guns going Off.
My first move WAS to ascertain if
the fire was really dead out. Yes, too
true, there was not IL spot remaining
We'll. here l wns in Il pretty mcss-at
least twenty-five miles from camp, and
In what direction | could not tell till
tho sun came out.
"Of course, l could locate myself ut
that moment by the moon; but what
tired mon would undertake 70 guide
himself through the underbrush dur
ing tho night?
mo blanket, no fro, and nothing to
est except dry biscuit, which looked
and felt lilc d stone in thnt cold CHI
mate! Things looked dull I know,
TO fall asleep the second time, was
death, sure, so to keep my blood warm
and to keep my eyes open, trampcd
around largo Pine tree, first with my
snow shoes on and after tho snow be-
came woll packed I walked around in
my moccasincd feet the rost of that
blessed night. And this is tho way I
call this yorn 'Circulating,' because
circulated around that tree all night.
Did say oil nightp 1t appeared to me
like all month or all winter. l mover
saw moon take such time to crawl
up into tho heavens as the ono on duty
that night.
Its true saying: Everything has
an end Even that bitter cold night
came to an end ut last; and, although
l was both hungry and sleepy, could
not resist the temptation to follow n
couple of miles on the moose track
just to see how the fellow got along
after dark
Il had walked about three miles, and
was just on the point Of turning back,
when l perceived the trail led out to u
rocky hcadland or cape. Well. said,
talking to myself, we will Just see how
he slid down there, and then for home.
You cam imagine my glad feelings
when, on spying down over the prcci-
picc, which was about ninety feet high,
to SEQ my moose planted across the
trunk of pine tree that lay crosswise
on some other fallen trees that hung up
four or five feet from the ground.
81 was not Il great while making my
way around to the foot of the noun
tain, and there was made acquainted
with the whole state of affairs, as if
the moose had told me the story him
self.
''In running away for dear life
these are Bcn's own words, and not @
pun of the author-''in his mad rush,
and in the pickering light of coming
night in the forest, he jumped clean
out over the cliff and planted himself
to the heart on length of dry limb
standing straight up from the pine
trunk. And here l found him"
"Dcad?" asked Charley.
"Why, yes" answered Ben, 'dcad
as last years corpse.
81 began to skin him and cut the
meat up rough so it would not spoil,
till we could come and get it. While
thus employed, I heard shot fred
quite close to where was. gave Il
halloo; and who do you think an
swered? Why my chum, Nick, who
was making his way back TO camp by a
short cut. and had just fired at a
partridge. He was just about as
hungry as l was. So we just turned to
and cooked high pile of moose
steaks. After slowing as much of
this as was good for us, we had loud
smoke and Il sleep the rest OF the morn
ing.
After dinner, by taking straight
road that Nick knew of, we reached