The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-20
A CLOSE CALL FOR LIFE
A DAKOTA RANCHMAN IN A BLIZ-
ZARD IN THE OPEN PRAIRIE.
Indian Way of Weathering N Snow
ter-Sleep Under a Snowdrift.

New York Sun.
1T seemed hard show for my life when
the blizzard struck me in the open prairie
ten miles from my house. If it hadn't been
for old Black Eagle, the Crow Indian chief
the coyotes would have had the picking of
my bones after that Storm" said s. d.
Ermentrout, who was a ranchman in Da-
kota before the Territory was organized
into two States. ut was in February. 1881,
and I had ridden in the morning of that
day from my ranch on Snake creek to
Marston station, twenty-one miles away.
to get some picks sharpened. There was
high wind from the south in the forenoon,
which shifted sharply round to the north
west at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon,
about the time 1 started on my return, so
that I got the wind in my face both going
and coming. The morning had been warm
and sunny, but with the change of the
wind the sky began to thicken and the air
grew piercingly cold. About eleven miles
from my ranch L overlook Black Eagle
plodding along on foot, carrying the skin
and hind quarters of an antelope ON his
shoulders. He had been hunting and had
lost his horse in some way, 1 have for
gotten-I think, though, that ranchman
had seized it as stolen property. I knew
the old man, and told him he could stay at
my ranch over night. I'll Hastened on,
for I had begun to feel anxious
about the weather. The / had in
creased so that it was hard " Jrk to force
my horses pace beyond a walk, and it was
so bitingly cold that had to bend my head
down to keep my face from freezing.
The trail lay across open prairies, rising
in low swells. I climbed to the top of one
hillock, and from it could see my ranch
plainly standing against what looked like
white cloud that filled the whole northern
sky. AS came to the crest of the next emf
nence, quarter of a mile beyond, the cloud
had closed about the ranch shutting it from
my sight, and the mist drew nearer me,
hiding the distant landmarks one by one
while looked. 1 recognized the fact that
hard snow squall. if not an out and out
blizzard, was coming my way fast and
my first tho1ght was to run before it for
Marston; but l could see by the speed with
which it was advancing that it would over
take me in few minutes A fine snow like
mist already was coming with the wind
and filled my eyes and nostrils when /
tried to look to the north. From the top of
the prairie swell behind me 1 saw Black
Eagle signaling me to come to him. l
turned my horses head and galoped to
where. the old man was waiting, standing
with his blanket mufied round his head
and his back to the storm. AS 1 drew
alongside him and stopped he caught the
morse Dy the bride and ran with him back
little out of the full sweep of the wind.
:" Get off quick! Take saddle off, he said
ms voice half drowned in the roar of the
wind, His fingers were christening the
bride strap as he spoke. we stay here
Let UNI horse go. Now!
THE INDIAN FASHION
''The horse was restless and trembling
with fear. AS lifted the saddle and blank
ct from his back the Indian slipped the bri-
lie Il
from restraint, vanished from our sight in
the flying snow that now hid every object
forty feet away. Off on our right q moan
ing sound came to our ears. and the forms
of two or three cattle, part of bunch run
ming south before the storm, appeared for a
few moments through the snowmist as they
passed us and disappeared. Had we been in
their way they would have run straight over
u.s. not turning to right or left. The Indian
did not delay to look at the cattle. He was
spreading the antelope skin on the ground,
and that done he stood on it to hold 1t
down. He clutched the two blankets, the
one he had worn and my saddle blanket
tightly by the edges to keep the wind from
blowing them out of his hands.
4" Now you, get down., quick! he said
Take you saddle. There, -
II had heard of the Indians way, when
overtaken by a blizzard, of rolling them
selves in a blanket and lying down on the
open plain to let the sa9W dTdt over son Ine EN-
storm and cold. The thing had never struck
ME as inviting, or safe, for white men, at
least however it might be foc Indians. NOW
l had to try it, for there was nothing else
to be done l threw myself down on the
antelope skin, arranged my saddle oehlnd
me for a pillow and wind-break, ana the
Indian lay down beside me. We pulled the
blankets over our heads and tucked them
closely about our Tse sc an9 eEe from his nil
low formed by the two antelope quarters
Let UNI blow; blow himself out! We stay
THE relief from the driving wind with
it's singing cold and suffocating snow was
great, now that we were fiat on the ground
beneath our blankets. AS the snow Drawn
over the crest of the ridge behind fell in
showers upon us the blanket became heavy
with it's weight. My benumbed toes ana
fingers began to ache and tingle now, and
after this came a pleasant warmth. Inc
old Indian seemed to go to sleep at once
The relief from the. cold was SO grateful
that very soon / found myself growing
drowsy With that feeling came a great
fear-the fear of the fate which had heard
and read that people met with VINO let
themselves be overcome by sleep out IN the
winter cold, a sleep that passed into death
by freezing Then there was the conscious
ness that we were being buried allVe py
snow. indeed, but who could tell how deeply
it would drift above US? The blankets soon
were packed and loaded above ana ar r.1.lIs
us. so that / felt as If we were in m2ld;
and the roaring CT the storm now souhleu
like a far-away zephyr in my ears iougnt
off the drowsiness Tor Wnlie, o4t II CIV .,.s
sleeping beside me gave me confldence-anc
the end was that l dropped on 10 slumper
as sound as his. -.
Il slept long while, and it must !. have ave
been high morning when l awoke IL was
dark and the snow was all about US
though it did not lie heavily on US or OPP
press US, and found could move my legs
and arms little in every direction Tnere
was not sound of any kind to be neard o. o.
breath of wind that could feel. turned
over on my back and stretched my ny legs
and arms out the best could 10 give re-
lief TO nv muscles. 1 was not merely COM
fortably warm but moist from persplra-
ton. and the blankets about me We're dry
Peering out from the blanket, L could see
that the light penetrated the snow, Wnlcn
showed a faint translucency like that or
porcelain by daylight. Black ISasls WAS
sleening away as soundly as IN the begin
ming a nd seemed not to have stirred once.
SLEEP UNDER THE SNOW.
sIn the dimness, with the drowsiness
caused by the limited supply of air in a
space so confined it was easy to drop
asleep again. dozed and slumbered for
long hours, with waking spells which lasted
only long enough to stretch my limbs and