The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-03-09


seemed full of tongue for want Of O
drink. The first thing, therefore, was
to get asdrink. So, on entering the
timber, Lieut. down small, dry tree
and started to make q fire to melt my
cupful Of snow into water. This lie
quicker than cutting through two or
three feet of ice to get at water.
Think of my surprise, boys, on
searching my pockets, to find only one
match. My box l had forgot to- take
out OF our camp tho night before at the
foot Of the mountain; and it must be
there to this day. amongst the saplin'
branches we laid upon.
''Well, thought, this will do. Once
the fire is started, I will take particu-
lar care it don't go out. built a small
fire on two green billets laid on the
snow, and Put ny tin cup full of snow
on top . melt While waiting for this
to take place, perhaps l didn't lean
against q blamed tree that grew near.
where sat watching tAe Gre, and fell
dead asleep, and never wox> en- til long
after the fire had burnt itself decd sat
and myself about froze to the heart.
1.-THE first thing l did was to thank
God that I had awoke again in this
world; for, tired as was, it puzzled me
to this day how 1 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
zwoy some big spruce, pine and birch
were cracking with the frost was
enough to keep weak nerves on the go.
Some of tho reports were as loud as
guns going Off.
MY first move was to ascertain II
the fire was really dead out. Yes, too
true. there was not a spot remaining.
Well. hero 1 was in pretty mess-at
least twenty-five miles from camp, and
in what direction I could not tell till
the sun came out.
''Of course, I 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 q 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 n large pine tree, first with my
snow shoes on and after the sDow be-
catne we'll packed I walked around in
blessed night. And this is the way l
call this yarn 'Circulating,' because
circulated around that tree all night.
Did I say all night? 1t appeared to me-
like all month Or all winter. I never
saw a moon take such time to crawl
up into the heavens as the one ON duty
that night.
TITS true saying: Everything has
an end Even that bitter cold night
came to an end at last; aud, although
1 was both hungry and sleepy, l 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
was just on the point of turning back,
when I perceived the trail led out to a
rocky headland or cape. Well. said,
talking to myself, we will just see how
he slid down there, and then for home.
You can imagine my glad feelings
when, on spying down over the preci-
pice, which was about ninety feet high,
to see my moose. planted across the
on some other fallen trees that hung up
four or five feet from the ground.
II was not a great while making my
way around to the foot OF the noun
tain, and there l was made acquainted
with the whole state of affairs, Us if
the moose had told me the story him
self.
I'm running away for dear life
these are Ben's own words, and not n
pun1of 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 n length of dry limb
standing straight up from the pine
trunk. And here found him."
"Dead?" asked Charley.
"Why, yes" answered Ben, "tlead
as a last years corpse.
II began to skin him and cut tho
meat up rough so it would not spoil,
till we could come and get it. While
thus employed, I heard \ shot fired
quite close to where was gave a
halloo; and who do you think an
swered? Why my churn, Nick, who
was making his way back to camp by a
short cut, and had just fred at a
partridge. He was just about as
hungry as was So we just turned to
and cooked a high pile of moose
steaks After slowing much of
this as was good for us, we had loud
smoke and a sleep the rest of the morn
ing.
AFTER dinner, by taking a straight
road that Nick knew of, we reached
our head-camp just at dark. Here,
over our evening pipe, we had a mutual
jaw about our moose hunt.
mick was not so fortunate as to
find his moose on a pine limb, nor did
he even see him once during the day =
run.
''tBut tell me, Ben,' said he, after I
had told him my story and the night I
had passed, why did you walk around
the tree all night?'