The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-01-17
4 .TENDERFOOT'S STORY.

| AACn WuO were lieu over
night in u little town on the Housaton-
ic railroad, "was the first day of January,
1883. and | didn't have turkey and fix:
share of the day in the shack of min
ing CAMP, wrapped UP In blankets and
| bearskins ahd thanking the good Lord
that l wasn't d frbxeii cotpse on the
bleak shore of q bliszard:swept lake.
| II was tenderfbot at the time, and
plies over portage On the big lakes up
north. I'd gone to Winnipeg during the
land boom and got in the subcellar of
| some luring mining deals in the then
| unknown territory Of Keewatin. One
| of our group Of mines was on the main
land about fifteen miles i'll an air line from
| Rat Portage ON the Lake of the Woods.
the camp to see how the land lay, so that
| l could talk sensibly to some Montreal
capitalists who were expected to invest
| in our scheme.
I'D been up in the Northwest long
| enough not to mind the cold even when
the mercury dropped to Is or 30 below
zero, but, as l told you, l was tender
foot as to experience and outfit l
had a vague idea that we'd have to drive
| out to the mine. so l put on a heavy
| ulster and took along a pair of arctic
overshoes. At that time the Canadian
| Pacific road ran one train daily from
| Winnipeg to Rat Portage, distance of
about 165 miles. In the summer Rat
j Portage is one of the most delightful
spots ON earth. In the winter of 1888
it seemed to me the home of Boreas
and too cold for any use. l put up for
| the night at the only hotel, frame
| shell. barren of lath or plaster. but
chock full of Northwestern hospitality
and contraband whisky that would kill
anyone but an Indian or lumberman
just in from the logging season. l didn't
get fresh when some of the crowd guyed
me about my ulster, my overshoes and
| my Christy derby hat. When one
! giant from the Rainy lake region tossed
| his snowshoes into a corner and said:
Young fellow, if l was you 1 wouldn't
go out on that ice tomorrow for all the
and asked: why not? This is good,
healthy weather, isn't it?'
THE, big fellow stretched himself,
| drew closer to the stove, and replied:
Its a gettin' colder every minute. I'll
bet that spirit thermometer down at the
Hudson bay store will mark 40 under
before mornin' n if I'm good guesser,
tier there's a storm Just about due. Better
the ice breaks up before you 20 cross
the lake above Hay island, where the
wind has sweep of easy thirty miles,
The next day, New Years .ve;. we
started for the camp. The superintend-
ent, Jack Brown, quiet, little fellow,
wore, l observed a woollen cap, heavy
tie apologized for delay in our start
and said the driver of the 'huskies,' or
dog sledges, had got boiling drunk, and
that If didn't mind we'd hoof it 10 the
mine. He appointed an hour for al1r de-
parture, and gave me a knock-down to
the rest of the party. There was old
Capt. .Heenan, the oldest mining ex-
RIorer IN that region in those days; Joe
Dealy, roliicking Irish adventurer, who
owned mine on Hay island, and u
young civil engineer who said he knew
every foot of the Lake of the Woods,
and who told me that it contained TO-
goo islands, and that I ought to shake
that derby hat. Oh, yes, there was a
grizzled old chap called Dan., He 1otcd
was the new cook going out to the camp.
Down at the foot of the hill I'VE met
Brown and team. The horses pulled a
sled loaded with boxes, barrels, bags and
a side of beef. Never mind whether it
was cold or not. That big chap from
rainy lake had it dead right. AS we
passed by the Hudson bay agency I
looked at the spirit thermometer. It was
| then about noon, and if that instrument
| didn't lie, Rat Portage showed I'D Al
degrees below zero.
Yes, and when he pushed out on the
| ice, Jack Brown gave to each of us, in
| Guiding the cook and driver. a good stiff
drink: He said. Boys, that's all until
chances. It's pretty stiff going So It
was, as l learned, and my New Years
eve on the ice path of the big lake came
| near being my last on earth. OF course,
the sled broke down once or twice
Then we merrily packed the impede
m ,,le!d o:er portage, and out again
that swept over that apparently endless
stretch of ice. We didn't talk much.
| nor did we make very swift progress.
About dusk we reached an old, ADAM
doned stampmill on the island.
p, 1.-The snow was falling fast, and
shelter here for the night. He did un-
cork that bottle once more, for my bene.
fit, he said. The driver bedded the
horses and pushed on for the camp, say.
ing he would tell the boys to get supper
for us: After smoke and rest, Brown
don't like that storm. Then he and the
young, engineer went outside. They
came back pretty soon and reported that
1 the tracks were all covered up, but that
they'd taken bearings. l didn't realize
my danger, and we'll it was; Brown
| sdIu' olIoM lie. ana ne turned me
| over TO old Heenan and good-natured
Joe Dealy. They cared for me as only
big-hearted miners can for tenderfoot
| Dealy whispered to me once about an
hour after we left the old mill Stick
close to me, and for Gods sake don't
! zard.
| "Gcntlemcn, that nights experience
aged me ten years if not more. AS we
trudged. plodded and stumbled over the
| ice, vainly seeking for some guiding
point of land, would have sold my
mining interests for Il dime to any ten
derfoot fond of freezing. The upshot
was we were lost. Even Brown lost
his all. of unconcern: after running
uo against Il high wall. of rock, he beat
UP and down it's sides, came back and
| told MS to take another tack and follow
him. We did so blindly, and in my case
hopefully. Hour after hour in that aw-
full storm we staggered OH. and it must
have been to certain death unless Brown
should find the lost path to the main
land. Time and again Joe chafed my
ears and hands and babe ire brace up.
Once, after l had gone through an MR.
hole down to my knees in the water,
succuinbed to the zdrowsy forerunner of
death by freezing. l. tumbled over i'll
face from the pitiless beating of snow
and wind. Dealy retraced his steps,
found me, aroused me and almost car
ried me q mile or two further on our
trying journey. ! asked for Brown and
the bottle. Said Dealy, My boy, Jacks
tryin' to save us. If you and I'd that
bottle. we'd be dead out here. in no
i time Along about o'clock New
Year morning, as we huddled blindly
together, our arms wrapped around each
other in feeble effort to stave off the
end. Jack Browns voice pierced the
darkness. He cried: God help us.
I've given it up. We are almost ON to
the big open. Two miles from here is
open water. and we'd last about five
minutes in that corner of the lake. -.
mot a man in that group, freezing as
we were, hungry, craving stimulants,
raised his voice for liquor. We shook
hands all around and CROPPED aimlessly
along for another hour, when the in
stinct Of old Capt. Heenan led him to
change his course. He guided us to
a terraced bluff, and there, under the
snow-c1ad pines, we t,imbled together in
a heap. Brown and Heenan reused suffi-
Il cinr,fly hrou1r of fxxyiUa a nj limbs ~ MI