Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1899-03-16
BY contrast with It's dazzling white

~
cup OF coffee soon relieved our weari-
ness, and preparations for dinner went
on rapidly.
Jack brought In wood, and UNI
packed the provisions and spread blan-
kets. Frank. while attending to the
cooking, also furnished something TO
cook, happening to see a rabbit rum
ming past at which he got II snap shot,
and managed by good luck to bring
down.
After eating all we could, we lay back
upon our blankets, taking comfort TO
the fullest extent, Jack, proud of the
success of his plan, was rnther disposed
to glory over Frank, who had opposed
it pretty strongly,
He now asked, triumphantly:
Glad you came, aren't you, Frankly,
bcy?"
Was 1t an earthquake, or was it the
care falling in?
A dull, rumbling noise Jared the very
rock, followed by the sound Of a heavy
mass striking the ground with a rush
like tornado, while in one moment
we found ourselves plunged in dense
darkness, lit up by the blazing fire.
We quickly understood what had
taken place. The bank of snow above
us, loosened by thawing, had slid down,
and we were buried behind an ava
| lanche!
NO I'm not Jacky, boy!" replied
Frank, struggling out of the snow,
which half covered him, and answering
jacks question as if all was perfectly
serene,
There was something so udicrous
about this that, Notwithstanding our
dangerous situation, Jack and roared
with merriment and Frank gave a dry
chuckle-his nearest approach TO a
laugh.
But this didn't last long, The state
of affairs was too serious Here we
were, halfway up mountain, shut oil
from escape by an unknown depth of
snow, and the day half spent, besides
How were we to escape?
dig out with our hands and hatch
cts" said Jack.
mo use" answered Frank. There
must be tons of snow out there, and
this is a small hole We couldn't stow
away what we'd dug OUT
As this was very true, we gave up
the plan.
Then" continued Jack, lets dig
round the edge next to the rock"
Cant be done" again objected
Frank, for the same reason. And ii
you could do it, the whole thing would
cave in on u.s."
We gave that up, too.
Build a fire under 1t, and melt a
hole through, suggested.
Frank routed me also.
How are we going to keep a fire
burning with snow-water dropping
down on it?"
"1'hen fix things yourself" said Jack.
petuOntly, as if Frank was to blame
for it all.
"Ill try to-" responded he, calmly,
| Let me lnlnk minute
He looked all around. and then
seemed to fall into a brown study"
| 81 have it," said he, at last. Harry,
your idea of melting isn't so bad, after
all. ! think we can use it. You see.
bays, this heap outside must be shaped
something like half sugar loaf-very
broad at the bottom and quite small
at the top. THE upper part touches
the roof, which is very thin, you know.
Now, if we can build a good fire up
there, and heat the roof pretty thor
oughly, the hot rock will melt the snow,
touching it all along its edge 10 the
open air, and the rest of the heat will
| follow the same direction. Under
stand?"
We did, and said so. But how to build
a fire so high up?
Frank showed us. Under his direc-
ton we trampled the snow into hard
slope, and at the summit Frank dug a
level recess, in which we built the fire
upon our frying-pan and some stones
we found scattered about.
1 Fortunately there was fair draught
through crevice made for that pur-
pose long before. But still the smoke
was pretty bad as our watery eyes and
constant coughing gave evidence.
Frank made as long a passage as be
could parallel with the rock, so that
the hot air might go that way. Their
we awaited results.
The first was a stream of water that
made things very unpleasant for us un.
til we turned it off down an inclined
tunnel into the bank.
AS the rock heated, the stream be-
came larger, and we joyfully perceived
that the scheme worked Just as Frank
had said it would until, when our wood
was completely gone, and .the sled as
we'll, the smoke began to clear away
and finally went up in body around the
tongue of ledge overhead,
"Hurrah!" CALCULATED Frank. 1.-THE
ways clear now!"
Perhaps it was; but we had to wait
until the fire burned away. and then
it took some time for the rock to COO
off, as it was nearly red, hot in places.
1t did cool at last. however and Jack
Ratchet in hand, crawled up the hole
By vigorously plying his weapon, be
enlarged it until we were all three able
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