The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-13

could tell how deeply it would drift above us
The blankets soon were packed and loaded
were in a mould; and the roaring Of the storm
I fought OF the drowsinoss for a while. but II
grew stronger, and tho way old Black Eagle was
sleeping beside me gave me conhdence-and the
end was that 1 dropped of to slumbers as sound
81 slept a long WHILE, and it must have been
high morning when I awoke. 1t was dark. and
the snow was all about us, though 1t did not lie
heavily on US or Cypress us. and ! found l could
move my legs and arms a little in every direo.
tion. There was no sound of any kind to be
heard or breath Of wind that / could feel. i
turned over on my, back and stretched my legs
and arms out the best ! could TO give relief %
warm. but moist from perspiration. and the
blankets about me were dry. Peering out from
endse ih The sla snoW. I fSsla s see Sasf : fs iIiEh tr Psn:
Incency like that of porcelain by daylight. Black
Eagle was sleeping away as soundly as In the
In the dimness. with tho drowsiness caused
by the limited supply Of air. In a SPACE SO con-
and mo- s IL mbs eaS' for sS p lone "fhi eSPs. as WITH wa aRhea
s ns IIw Which ar lasted tern only i9ng b enough to 1 stretch o9
blankets, and the room stiff Was light, showing
that It still was daylight above. Next time it
set in. The Indian and / had not exchanged a
word during all this time; indeed, Black Eagle
we first laid ourselves down. / made one un.
broken sleep through the night; and woke to find
%ySSsiIy' h bur sns nFi fp psms II the Rsf fo altdD CT %y Sls 1haG,
from before my face and saw that the snow was
no longer pressed closely about us, but that we
through the heat Of our bodies; but the water
been drawn by capillary attraction into tho sur
rounding snow, so that our blankets we're per-
tectiy dry: was warmat99 warmafor my body
There was a clear foot OF space all around us.
and enough light came through the snow to en-
"Do you think the storm is over 4 l asked.
my voice sounding strangely as spoke.
OF his rifle and began to work it up through the
snow above his head. 1t was a slow job, and no
nah TO widen q space to admit the whole length
for his purpose. Al last he withdrew 1t. and
through the hole that he had made q ray of sun
put his eye TO the hole and looked up through 1t.
HIN! An right. No more snow he grun ted
With his hunting knife he began to cut a
passage upward. following the opening that he
had made with the cleaning rod and clearing
body and permit him to use his arm freely. The
snow. as II fell into the opening where we were.
then he sat w, With his head in the opening.
his hisn feet tSse "a ana nd' Nne' eou ahp to tell i's By ne the got so SpDdd
Of his voice and movements and by the
light streaming down into the hole that be
open air. The snow. packed by the wind and
then frozen, was as solid almost as chalk. He
lifted himself clear of the hole and cut away the
snow chunks, throwing them to right and left
until no had enlarged the opening SO that I
could easily pass out the saddle. blankets ante
lope quarters, and our other effects, and then
follow myself.
~ emerged into dazzling sunlight and a world
OF snow. Plain. valley. and distant hills and
mountains all were white, and every gully was
filled level to its brink with snow 80 solid that
In moving about upon 1t our feet left scarcely
an impression. Underneath the snow, over
half of Dakota, we knew were buried cattle,
horses. and sheep which would not no discoy.
cred until 1t melted in the spring. / looked for
my ranch. which ordinarily would be plainly in
view from the ridge, but 1 could now see only
the chimney and part of the roof among the
drifts. Fortunately / had q pair of green Cog
giles in my pocket with which to protect myself
from snow blindness. His blanket pulled over
his head answered the same purpose as goggles
and the snow was hard enough every where TO
walk on without dumping. The hands of
watch, which ! had wound twice whilo
under the snow. whore at noon when we started
for the ranch. We got there at 8 o'clock In the
afternoon, and j was hungry and faint enough,
as tho Indian and i sat down to the first food
we had to eat In over two days. 1t had been
thought at the ranch that ! probably had per-
ished In the blizZard-that ! certainly had if'the
storm had caught me between Marston and tho
ranch-and the men looked at mo at first as II /
were o ghost returned. Black Eagle was hun.
cry. like, myself, but beyond that he showed no
As for me. 1t was years before / cared even to
think OF my experience, and Of what would have
happened II I Ind not fallen in with the old In
dian lust as / did"