The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1895-08-17

line. One of the liveliest of these soli-
tary adventures is thus described by
his biographer:
Jack started at one o'clock in the
morning, and blessed with o good
moon made capital time, SO that he
reached the crest of the range by day
light. The snow was in excellent con-
dition, just soft enough to make his
twelve-foot Norwegian shoes bite well.
All the lower branches Of the pines were
covered, and in the gulches the snow
must have been twenty feet deep.
On the crest the wind had swept the
ridges clear. and Jack had TO carry his
shoes for half fnilc or SO, till he came
to a long valley. Hero he fastened
them on again, and started downward;
slowly at first, then faster and faster
IA the grade grew deeper.
Suddenly, ut the top of his speed, he
found himself in the air, and came
down with force that nearly stunned
him. He had struck sheet of ice, his
shoes had lost their hold, and down he
had gone on his back.
Both shoes came OFF. He clutched at
them instinctively, but caught only
one. The other was instantly beyond
reach, sliding down the mountain side.
AS Jack watched IL disappear he felt
sick. If the shoe was gone, he might
reckon ON his fingers tho number of
hours he had TO live. There were four
or five miles of snow, from ten TO thir-
ty feet thick. between him and his
destination. To wade through il was
impossible.
Before him were twenty miles of
mountain and valley TO the nearest
camp. To stay where he was meant TO
bc frozen TO death i'm few hours. He
must recover that shoe, or he was lost.
1t would Of course slide down the
steepest grade, and would pass into the
lower valley by the way of a rocky
gorge, which jack could see from
where he stood. and which was break
neck place, with mountains of snow in
and around It. whence II would be inn
possible TO climb, should the search be
unsuccessful
Any chance was worth trying I'm so
desperate a case, and Jack thought
that, as the shoe he still had would
naturally follow its mate IL placed on
the same grade, his best plan was to
lie down upon 1t, start sliding. and trust
to It's being stopped by whatever had
arrested its fellow.
OF course, the odds were that the
first shoe had gone over n precipice, or
splintcred on a point OF rock, and that
the same fate would overtalte the sec
ond, together with It's burden; but, II a
man must die, quick death Is better
than slow torture, and Jack decided 90
risk his fate. lie found the spot where
the accident had happened, put the re-
naming shoe on the track, lay down
along II, rounding his chest as much as
possible, and steering with his elbows.
Down they went, sometimes sliding
along smoothly, sometimes blowing
through the soft drift, on and ON, II
seemed 20 the anxious traveller, inter-
minably. He kept sharp lookout for
any trace OF the lost shoe, and also for
any CHASTITY header that might be In
front OF him.
AT last he came TO n turn In the gully.
nRd could scarcely believe his eyes.
There was the lost shoe sticking out Of
a drift in 'front.' Slowly and nnxiously
he cxtricatcd u, fearing TO find that the
toe had struck rock and splintercd.
No, IL was all right; and In n moment
moro he was safe, and sweeping down
into the timber.