Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-02-27
THE FIELD OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND OAR
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.

a Cougar.
n FTER battle of eighteen
~ hours with an immense Ice
NJ foe, says the New York Her.
aid, Captain "Mose" lyrrell,
veteran oysterman, reached his home
at dawn nearly dead from exposure and
exhaustion. He had spent the greater
part of Friday and all OF that night in
q small open oyster skiff that had be.
come wedged in an ice pack and had
been carried to sea before he could
extricate his boat.
Captain "Mose" started early in
the morning to visit one of his oyster
beds in Raritan Ray in q sixteen foot
skiff. There was but little ice in the
bay, and the water was as smooth as
glass. After working awhile he
started to row ashore, and was star.
tied to find that, unnoticed by him, a
vast expanse of heavy ice, which he
had believed to be frozen solid in the
Raritan River and Staten Island
Sound, Ind become loose, and was
coming down on the ebb tide. He
made gallant pull for the shore, but
his efforts were vain, for in minute
his boat was surrounded and wedged
in by the drifting pack.
Hour after hour he worked away,
trying to chop his way out OF this
treacherous, icy embrace, but it was
loves labor lost. Finally, exhausted.
he contented himself with warding off
the huge cakes that came crashing
toward his frail boat. threatening
every moment to smash it to pieces.
''That was the toughest trip l ever
made in my forty years of lie On the
bay" said Captain "Mose" to re-
porter of the Herald. "Twice the Ice
got under the boat and raised it out
of the water, and it nearly turned
turtle both times. All the time was
trying to get ont OF ths ice I was
drifting toward the point of the Hook.
Along toward dark l looked over to
the southland and saw that l was not
alone in the ivo Aoe
"Hardly half mile away cow
another skiff containing little girl,
q woman and man. They were caught
fast, too, and drifting helplessly
toward sea. I tried TO reach them,
thinking that two of us in ono boat
would stand u better chance of getting
out, but I had not made hundred
yards in their direction when dark.
ness fell, and that is the last saw Of
the other boat.
"When it became dark I came to
the conclusion that was in for night
in the cold. could see the lights on
the Highlands, and then I began to
realize that if did not get out of the
pack soon I was good for sea voyage,
which did not suit me, for had not
stored up for such q trip. Just then
would have given every dollar ever
saw for good stiff southeaster to
break up that ice and set me toward
Staten Island, but it was perfectly
calm-not u ripple-and just swore
because it did not blow great guns.
'I tell you, it was cold, and l was
hungry, too. 1t must have been near
midnight, when became 80 drowsy
that I could hardly stand up, but I
knew that if slept would be frozen
to death, and l fought off the sleep.
1t must have been long after midnight
when breeze sprung up from the
northeast that freshened into gale.
The ice pack broke up, and was free.
II set my sail and started for home,
keeping a sharp lookout for the other
boat that had been wedged in the
ice, but did not see trace of it. II
may have got into clear water and
reached shore all right, or may have
been lost"
Captain "Mose" is an old time waite,
man and has reputation for nerve
and hardness. but his night on the
ice has affected him more than ten
years of his ordinary life OF exposure
would, and lie declares that he will pull
his boat out and quit the water for
ever.
A Hunt for Raiding Ccmanches.
"It was little party, these rene
gade Comanches from the reservation
they numbered only five bucks and
three sqaaws-but they did heap oi
mischief before they were brought to
| DOOh, bdlu Ouo ICSuioA "a NY OiAoCA
telling of campaigns in Texas. ''Two
wagons outfits they had destroyed,
and left no one alive to tell the tale
only the bodies of men, women and
children. Ranch after ranch they had
jumped, killing everybody they found
at them and burning the buildings.
There were other murders of cowboys,
shepherds, and travellers which did moi
come to light so soon, and which nc
doubt they committed. 1t was no
easy to believe that so small bant
could do so much mischief, and it wal
generally thought that there was {
large party CT Indians on the warpath
"There were two separate detach
ments of cavalry sent out against them
half company each. The indiana
gave the troops long chase, doubl
ing and turning, and making nigh
and day marches to throw us off theil
trail. They we're 60 few in numbe
and travelled go light that they wer'
hard to follow, and all the time w
were chasing them, reports OF theil
depredations were coming in to u
IEOm every quhEttI. 1t UeRhu " lOOl
, as if they would round out their caree
OF rapine by getting safe back on tn
| reservation in spite of us, when tn
detachment 1 commanded struck thei
trail hot. By marching all night "
| came up with them at the breaking o
. morning while they were still asleel
in camp. They were lying on th
, ground in the open air with the plum
der they had taken beaped up aroun
, them. A little distance away tn
/ horses they had stolen, about twent
in number, were picketed out to feed
and one horse was tied close to th
camp.
. Il knew, OF course, that the Indi
, ans must be jumped very suddenly
and short work made OF them, els
they would get to their horses an,
l scatter, in which case they would Civ
l us another long chase, with almos
the certainty that some of them woul