The Van Buren press., 1897-11-06
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z AT THE MERCY I
8 :. OF THE WIND. {
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IIP 70 fae Nsw Yezr tie 1ar1A On.
| taTio winter EaJ been anus zz-lF
snow 1eSs and sold. 50 that Lake EEzroz
vs. frozen 70 z1 azucsr unprecedented
distance from the shore The 5o1e Azr-
bo- o Parry s5uasz Ms . dazzling Helz
O. th5ek el1ne 5ce, and tro1 tAe @aata
@ its steamboat channel TIE z-azz
Georgian bay stretched en- a rs1--11z.
Esesi and south, white 2ad Stl5l q The
very horizon
As T1e see was iu rs=-t7et condition
fer skating. the hzrlsaE was - SazllIr y Ne
sp-inkled with moving figures on E1e
esternoouS and I was generally az11s
the skaters
one day. ~ I walked 5owz Il the
landing. noticed that he vest vzs
dark with o-aiaous-aoakinsg graz Clouds.
among which tie suz was airez6T Dis
appearing. ! fresh northeast wi-z
blew dCwl tie sound. and IAzs decided
ne % take tae S5uzA caazrei. i Or
.
fer returning. tse wz1d might ~ ex-
. pecced 10 20 down as evening assTzz4z-=z
The ice was S11se-tzF suao-6z az3 he
wind 80 strong that went Ev5aC down
lie channel e. great speed Ths DARK.
heavily wooded shores stzea@e5 past
. Ike > panorama ID not -ea-lzs 1Ls
fau fa7ce ot The -a1e behind n ta-
E there : q sczt q 51zexiezsloz IN z-zr 81
motion through the open a.. and :
Skated faster and faster. without ta1le
. least though: 1t danger @ sensation =
ta-igne- l. vas - i ! moved bF pure
vo,iti5n.
I id zat notice chs passage ot tine
/ hut n what seemed El1rTeloesiy s1-zt
. period I found myself rounding -le
. bluff head q Parry Island. a15 eos-
4 ing out upon tie cpe1 AXE itszlt. The7z
. I looked ~ ny watch; IS ! Tas EFs
o'clock ! deelie5 rc take q shoz -1
I upon The lake and then return
I had never before skate5 ur.1z IL
Z epen reaches ot he Georgian tsaF. and
Z lad lot imagined tia. thz 5e~ coa35 -
- excellent I knew that usually :
vas cracked and Ti6eT, b.scaase the IL
. eessan1 molten q The water r-ezelte5
/ from freezing smoothly, bz- zew :
vas zlnast = glassT IS he zee q IL
harbor 5zselt
Away sezE. Delighted Oaoe ! 7-zs
e.ear ot re zS-szi. - Ezle ss-aek n
. with increased strength a1s5 - greatly
T zeceze-zzs5 ~ sa-sz thai 7 mas cute
+ TWO miles FROM land t~tC-e -o,5a
th1aEh-- s-1 tszal 10 fear --Cl'n-s n
re-si151E shelle- II -hs teeth II Tie
wind - I cI-cl=i shout 10 The right
tscz5 toward -E- s1u-e-ald stopped
. sbo--, The gale met ne like e wall
. !. was impossible to- ne 20 skate
against r.
tu-,s- q few vigorous strokes t-1 iZ
vain. When tired 70 stand s.5l- went
sliding away before The wind Again
. and sga5n ! renewed the struggle De-
+ pe-zte.v exl4uSrilE myself. Eve-y b.
. Cvclis- knows the he4r--b-eaA.-- strain
| OF riding against 2 head wind b-- this
I was wOrss. for was not abb 70 a1Tz1ce
even q wand. Indeed, actually -osl
7 ground. 7 could stop myself only By
I sitting down. and that was what ! dl1.
I was not then much alarmed II
I seemed absurd 10 suppose that al able
( bodied and active young man would be
I prevented from crossing Two miles q
T ice By wind power alone. Could 10,
I tack 70 right and left, and thus beat
I up through the storm2
Igot up, and began 10 skate yiEOrous-
/ Is in q southeasterly direction. bearing
I 10 the east, 50 that the wind blew upon
nv right side. or upon ny weather
I bow For some minutes all seemed 10
20 we'll. I held my head down and
Travelled as fast as was possible But
when l made ready TO go about upon
I the other tack. and looked TO see what
/ progress had made, l was horriried
to find l had been blown so far 70 lee
ward as to be quite half mile fan
Their from shelter than before.
I tried to rectify the error by striking
out strongly northeast TO north, but
] the force Of the storm would not even
allow me to turn at right angles 10 its
course. l was gradually and imper-
I ceutiblv driven 10 veer westward The
I gale seemed TO gain strength every mo-
unent. In ten minutes another half
/ mile seemed lost, and the headland of
E Parry island began 70 grow faint in
I distance and gathering twilight
/ now felt myself 10 be al the mercy
I Of the wind. There was no abatement
I in its violence as night drew on. /,
I blew iuexorably with . steady great
pressure. bringing a few grains Of dry
I snow. that slid swiftly Ike sand along
{ the ice. - long aS 7 remained on
nv feet I Was borne farther ard far
/ ther from shore. in spite Of every effort
I Il was bitter cold. the flying grains Of
{ snow cut when I faced them. and 50,
down once more. with NY back 20 the
weather. and tired 20 think q plan for
I saving my life
The prospect was terrifying had
+ proved unable 20 make head against the
I storm. The ice was 50 smooth that
+ I could rot walk On it with my skates
OF. I could not sit still and wait for
the weather 70 moderate. lest I be-
frozen solid in a few hours The one
active thing I could do was 20 run
straight before tie Wind.
This was not soiusare q proceeding z at
/ itnrht appear. Wharton. Owen ~ouul