The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-01-31

that they were off W. must hurry after
them with all speed. A moose, when
once started, never stops to eat or
run in him. Now, with caribou it's
different. If, after a short run they
hear no n after them, they begin to
browse around and rest themselves for
another squirt; but a moose, never; he
runs till he drops.
Our moose there were two) only
IL together for about the first mile,
and then separated. Nick and |
branched off, each following his w
moose. The one L was after was a
three-year-old bull, and the way he
carried or all day, uphill and downhill,
across lakes and over swamps, warn't
slow. SometimesI would get a glimpse
of him, but always too far for a shot.
The way those critters get through
snow with no crust Is wonderful. In
some places his trail looked as if a bag
of -four had been drawn along the
snow; he fairly plowed the soft snow
with his breast, and yet he kept on.
Toward night we were both getting
pretty well tired out, and, do my best,
l could not lessen the distance between
us. Finally, he came oat to the largest
lake we had struck that day. On the
ice the snow was beaten hard by the
wind, and away he went across with a
fresh squirt. So, as night was rapidly
coming on, / saw it was folly to con
tinue the chase farther, and gave it up.
"As long as the chance of getting the
game kept me up, l felt no fatigue, but
now | could hardly drag my legs as /
slowly made my way across on the arm
of the lake to a sheltered spot, to pass
the night. i was worn out from the
heavy snowshoeing and the want of
something to eat, for l had not even
munched my dry biscuit, and my mouth
seemed full of tongue for want of a
drink. The first thing, therefore, was
to get a drink. So, on entering the
timber, l cut down a small, dry tree
and started to make a fire to melt my
cupful of snow into water. This is
quicker than cutting through two Or
three feet of ice to get at water.
Think of my surprise, boys, on
SN"A mini ~ poShCISs w hiiu olltl Jill
match. Ny box | had forgot to take
out of our camp the night before at the
foot of the mountain; and it must be
there to this day, amongst the saplin'
branches we laid upon.
We'll l thought, this will do. Once
the fire is started, l will take particu-
lar care it don't go out. | built a small
fire on two green billets laid on the
snow, and put my tin cup full of snow
on top to melt. While waiting for this
to take place, perhaps l didn't lean
against a blamed tree 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 froze to the heart.
1.-THE first thing / did was to thank
God that l had awoke again in this
world; for, tired as l was, it puzzled me
to this day how / shook off that heavy
sleep.
when l had my senses fully about
me, l judged by the height of the moon
above the tree tops hat 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 as loud as
guns going off.
My first move was to ascertain il
the fire was really dead out. Yes, too
true, there IA not a spot remaining.
Well. here l was in a pretty mess-at
least twenty-five miles from camp, and
in what direction l could not tell till
the sun came out.
"Of course, l could locate myself at
that moment by the moon; but what
tired man would undertake to guide
himself through the underbrush dur
ing the night?
mo blanket, no fire, and nothing to
eat except dry biscuit, which looked
and felt like a stone in that cold eli
mate! Things looked dull. / knew,
to fall asleep the second time, was
death, sure, so to keep my blood warm
and to keep my eyes open, | tramped
around a large pine tree, first with my
snow shoes on and after the snow be-
came well packed | walked around in
my mOccasined feet the rest of that
blessed night. And this is the way /
call this yarn Circulating because l
circulated around that tree all night.
Did 1 say all night? 1t appeared to me
like all month or all winter. l never
saw a noo take such a time to crawl
up into the heavens as the one on duty
that night.
Its a true saying: Everything has
an end Even that bitter cold night
came to an end at last; and, although
l was both hungry and sleepy, | could
not resist the temptation to follow a
couple of miles on the moose track
just to see how the fellow got along
after dark.
II had walked about three miles, and
.I.nl t.,lA A. IL 1919