The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-20
4 La Sale Street, Chicago

been drawn by capillary attraction into the
surrounding snow, so that our blankets
were perfectly dry. was warm-too warm
for my body was moist and steaming with
perspiration.
There was a clear foot of space ali
around us, and enough light came through
the snow to enable the Indian and / TO dis
tinguish each other.
DO you think the storm is over?' I
asked, my voice sounding strangely as /
For answer the Indian took the cleaning
rod or his rifle and began to work it up
through the snow above his head 1t was
slow job, and he had to widen a space
to admit the whole length of his arm before
he pushed the rod high enough for his pur-
pose; At last he withdrew 1t, and through
.the hole that he had made a ray of sun
light rifted down to where we were Black
Eagle put his eye to the hole and looked
up through IL.
HIM; all right. No more snow he
grunted. Guess we go now
With his hunting knife he began to cut
that he had made with the cleaning rod and
clearing away space barely big enough
to admit his body and permit him to use
his arm freely. The snow, it fell into
the opening where we We're. l distributed
where it would be least In the way. First
Black Eagle worked lying on his back then
he sat up, with his head in the opening,
then rose to his knees, and at last he got
upon his feet and could tell by the sound
OF his voice and movements and by the
light streaming down into the hole that he
was working with head and shoulders in the
open air. The snow, packed by the wind
and then frozen was as solid almost ag
chalk. He lifted himself clear of the hole
ana cut away the snow chunks, throwing
them TO right and left, until he had en-
larged the opening SO that | could easily
pass out the saddle, blankets, antelope
quarters and our other effects, and then
follow myself.
Il emerged into dazzling sunlight and a
world OF snow. Plain. valley and distant
nils and mountains ali were white, and
every gully was filled level to it's brink
with snow so solid that in moving about
upon 1t our feet left scarcely an impression.
Underneath the snow over half of Dakota.
we knew We're buried cattle, horses and
sheep which would not be discovered until
II melted in the spring I looked for my
ranch which ordinarily would be plainly in
view from the ridge. but i could now see
only the chimney and a part of the roof
among the drifts. Fortunately, j had a
pair of green goggles in my pockets with
ness. His blanket pulled over his head an
swered the same purpose 25 goggles for the
Indian. The air was cold, though sunny.
and the snow was hard enough everywhere
TO walk on without slumping. The hands OF
my watch, which l had wound twice while
under the snow, were at noon when we
started for the ranch We got there at 5
clock in the afternoon, and | was hungry
and faint enough, as the Indian and / sat
down to the first food we had to eat in over
two days. 1t had been thought at the ranch
that l probably had perished in the biz
zard-that / certainly had If the storm had
caught me between Marston and the
ranch-and the men looked at me at first as
was hungry like myself, but beyond that he
showed no signs of having gone through
anything unusual. AS for me, il was years
before / cared even to think of my expert
ence, and of what would have happened il
/ had not fallen in with the old Indian
inc &c I