Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-02-09

No shipwrecked mariner ever viewed 9
receding sail with more of despair than
felt when watching the flight of that bird
now began the ascent OF the last ridge
to he crossed before reaching the head OF
the lake and open walking. But wha;
obstacles presented themselves, obstacles
seemingly insurmounta Bile in my present
condition. 1t was dusk before | reached
the crest OF the ridge and familiar objects
assumed strange shapes aud huge proper
tons. Fir trees looked like abrupt bluffs
Il elbow down" ] mistook for a tote
road and got far into it before was will
ing TO disbelieve the illusion that woke
such strong hopes OF reaching The lake by
cleared way.
SO on ] staggered, falling often and
finding j could recover myself hut
poorly on account OF cold and exhaus-
ton. At last the lake was reached, but
with the first gust OF piercing wind that
struck me my hopes were swept away.
1t was now SO late that no fisherman
would be out, and this chilling wind
was enough to freeze one in ordinary
circumstances. To me having been, out
thirty-six hours without food so
tired it seemed impossible to go rod
farther, though that rod meant life to
me, with my outer garments frozen, it
seemed absurd to undertake it.
One thing favored me; the wind blew
from the north. My course lay little
west OF south, so 1t would help to bear me
on; had my course been against the wind
rather than with it, | should have gone
back into the woods and lain down with
out any hope or expectation of continu-
ing further the weary march of earthly
life.
1t was cold, tediousIy 50, and the wind
whirled the snow in clouds, shutting out
The shore line. Cold and windy as it was
on the lake, / dared not leave it for fear of
getting lost il took to the shelterng
woods.
My rifle | set up against a tree as
came to the lake, saying to il as l walked
away: "Old friend, III leave you here. II
get through all right Phi be back for
you; il not you can stay here ill you are
found by some other, and may you be the
friend to him you have been to me-
So, freed OF all weight except what was
necessary to my protection, staggered on;
almost delirious, hopeless, sentimental,
then buoyant by turns; with only four
short miles between me and warmth,
food, life; only one hours easy walk in
fair chance.
koI ~ TO- 10 Iatr
after one OF my falls that were now be-
coming more frequent, l had much
difficulty in rising, so pulled my feet out
from the strings of my snowshoes. Since
the wind had swept the lake nearly bare
OF the light snow l got on more easily;
crust of the old snow | found it easier
than getting up impeded with snowshoes
AS | lay some time after one Of these
falls, thinking, as | felt the snow blow
over and sift about me: 1.-The snow shall
be their winding sheet, gazed up to the
brig htly -twinkling stars, and those COM
panions of the belated filled me with a
terrible rage, since to my fancy they
seemed the knocking, derisive eyes of
demons that saw my plight and gioated
over it. | raised myself, determined that
they should not see me die, SO bore on for
a short distance, falling again and again,
each time regaining my feet with more
and more effort, till at last / reached 1.-The
Narrows", only half mile from the
camp.
Seated there, the wind chilling my very
heart, what more natural than for me to
my mind conferred on man whose life |
had prolonged by rescuing him from
drowning but who had long ago made his
bed under the sod of California W here this
occurred. suppose it was my thinking
Of the gold state and not the presence Of
the man that recalled the incident, but
wondered il they come back, as they say
they can and do; why, if he knew Of my
osition, he could not find some way to
inform the boys at the camp that their
a sistance was needed at once and close at
hand
A flash, then report from the shore
near the camp. Then everything grew
DIRK 10 me tlll L aWOKe TO sense terrible
pains in every part OF my person. In ex-
PLANTATION the boys told me hat as they
were sitting by the fire preparing to tarn
in, one of the ''sports" in their camp
said eXeitediy; "There's man out here
freezing" The two guides ran in search
of the man of which their guest had
thus spoken; one going to the stream
thinking that perhaps someone in cross
ing bad fallen in; the other ran to the
shore of the lake, and seeing me seated
out there on stranded log fired his rifle
as a signal to his "pard' that he had found
the object of their search. Toget her
they carried me, now more dead than
alive, to their camp, gave me stimuiants
and after a time succeeded in bringing
back the most of the life the cold had
driven out.
l gained strength rapidly, and in few
DAYS WAS bout apain hut Nss MT nor