The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-11-29
A Storm Above the Clouds.


We looked at each other in dcspair.
ITS no use" | said
Not Bit was the answer.
we sat down and talked it over. TO
retrace our steps was out of The uues.
ton, and we could not climb TO the
top of the field, probably a thousand
feet, i'm our weakened condition.
Suddenly Kellogg lpaped to his feet
ana rushed toward the slippery mass.
crying out, Come on; we've got to do
IT. III take mine this way" without
second thought, In my hopeless des.
peration ] followed. by using his gun
as brace Kellogg kept his feet. but
| slipped and fell on all-fours and be-
gan sliding down In wild frenzy [
tried to drive my bare fingers through
the crust, but only succeeded in tear.
ing the skin off them.
Luckily | had retained my rife. and
by frantic effort drove 1t muzzle first
through the hard crust and came to a
stop. having gone about twenty feet.
AA''A - nv bI'li liI llllN lOIliiiilt
move my body would have been hurled
to the bottom of the gorge more than
a thousand feet below, and mangled
beyond all semblancc of human form.
Looking up mt my companion | saw
that he had turned away his head, un-
willing to be witness of my horrible
fate, but as 1 called out to him lie
looked around, aud / saw face so
white and horror stricken that | can
never forget it. Cold beads OF sweat
stood on my forehead. and l felt that
my courage was all gone. The tXpc-
ricnce of that awful moment almost
unnerycd me, and I was weak and
helpless S little child.
Lying on my face held On tightly
to the rifle driven deep through the
crust. How to regain my footing was
n puzzle. Kellogg started to come
down to me. and it was difficulty that
| persuaded him to desist.
At last ] hit on Il plan. Holding
on to the rifle with one hand, with the
other / drew my poclet-knife, and,
opening it with my teeth, cut two
holes in the crust for my feet, and af-
ter much effort stood upright. But we
were still in bad fix Kellogg called
out to me to break holes through the
crust for my feet with the butt of the
gun. Although not more than twenty
feet distant he could hardly make HIM
self heard above the roar of the storm.
But the suggestion was a good one
and proved our salvation. We moved
slowly forward, breaking hole in the
ice for each step. 1t was severe treat
ment to give valuable guns, but they
had to suffer in the best interests of
their owners.
Slowly and carefully we moved for
ward, occasionally stopping to rest
and speak words of encouragement to
each other. for now we had the first
CLEAN of hope for five long, terrible
hours.
Although very weak physically, our
minds We're much clearer than an hour
before, and we even went SO far as to
chaff each other a little. But we had
plenty of fears yet. Once my heart
leaped as Kellogg slipped and came
down on both knees, clawing frantl-
cally at the air, but he reSained his
feet without difficulty, and we pushed
on. Would we ever get across? Every
minute seemed an hour
| Kellogg said that as nearly as he
could calculate, we had been founder
inc about on that man-trap fora week!
But we kept going; the end must
come some time, and sure enough 1t
did. and ut o'clock we stepped on the
granite boulders again, having been
lust one hour and ten minutes on that
terrible inclined snow-hcld. Neither
of us was much given to dem ons'ra-
ton. but there was a hearty hand
shake and a few things said whlch
sounded all right up there, but might
look little foolish in print.