The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1895-02-14

few minutes for n little rest.
Hours seemed to have passed IN
my effort to find their footprints
in the snow at the nearest point,
until / was completely overcome
by tired limbs and an empty stom-
ach, i concluded that would rest,
eat lunch which / had put in my
ammunition bag, and return to the
shanty, and whatever my dogs
were running they could take over
the Cumberland, climb II tree or
take a hole, and | would go to
Texas or somewhere else, where l
could ride pony.
While enjoying my lunch, seated
on a large stone in narrow pass
between two high knobs, | uncon-
sciously fell asleep, it then being
the middle of the afternoon. !
never awokc until the shades of
night had lowered around me.
After | recovered from the shock
of my situation, ! began to doyise
for myself Che proper steps ! coNld
take for the night. ! was, in my
Judgment, about six or seven miles
from my shanty, and | realized
the uncertainty of retracing my
steps amid the darkness of the
night; while on the other hand |
considered the danger of remaining
there until day dawned again; not
that | was afraid OF any ferocious
animals. but Of the possibility Of
contracting disease from exposure,
for even then the wind was blow
ing Il cutting blast and roaring in
the tree tops above my head. ]
could see mass of dark, threaten
ing clouds that promised Il storm
of snow before midnight. Then
again should | attempt to stay and
moro STOW should fall, would not
be able to retracc my steps on tho
/ following morning. My dogs had
not returned, and the sound of my
horn would die out on the distant
hills. No return could hear from
old Rover, who would always an
swcr me by bowling when in hear
ing. Again and again did | blow,
but tho only sound that camo back
was that of an owl in the distant
hills.
Discouraged in my effort to call
up my dogs, resolved to arrive ut
some Immediate conclusion, for
the night was growing cold and the
mass Of clouds had spread across
the sky 50 as to eclipse the stars,
the only means of light, for there
was no moon. At last determined
on a move toward the shanty, for
in the event that should | stay out
all night, it would DO better to be
travelling rather than to sit still
and be frozen corpse on the fol-
lowing morning. So off ] started
down tho same hill which | had
assembled, crossing deep hollows,
tumbling over rocks, climbing
steep declivities and wrestling with
the thick undcrbrush and logs
which were in my route, until |
reached creek, which | supposed
to be the one on which | had built
my shanty; SO / intended to fol-
low this and watch carefully on
the right bank for the shanty. As
was moving hurriedly along ]
was startled on hearing n clap OF
thunder. Had fallen over Il cliff?
Had there come an earthquake, OF
the winding up of creation? ]
could not tell whether | was among
the living or dead until the sun
had reached a point overhead that
, sent an awakening beam down and
, aroused my sleeping soul.
This sudden and unexpected
transition had rendered mo uncon.
sciou4 for - hours. | will state
that believe had the day been Q
, cloudy ono, and the sun had not
sent an awakening beam of light
| | would never have awoke. But
, | awoko only to find myself buried
/, alive away down in the Garth.
r could see daylight only at one
| point above me, and the welcome
beam had departed. | struck d
, match with the faint hope of See
: ing some means by which to a..
cend, but to my modification only
/ a mass of hollow Garth opened ont
, above my head. gave up in dir