The Monte Vista journal., 1900-06-16
Floating with a Wolf
Grim Experience of = westernef on
the Missouri River.
~~~A~~>


wv on an ice raft does not con-
form to the requirements OF the Sun
day-school picnic. Dismal ms the lat
ter may be and generally is, it is oricn-
tai luxuriancc compared To the former
especially IL the highway being tray-
ersed happens to be the Missouri river
when it feels pert" The speaker was
western man.
at was in the early sos. You re-
member the winter i had that thing
on in Kansas City?" he resumed.
"Whew, what n winter that was! Their
mometer down below zero for six
weeks, wind howling blizzard all day
and resting up at night for the next
day, snow three feet deep and frozen
solid so that wagon wheels played
harmonics all the time, n mans breath
adding to the accumulations of snow
and ice and"
'Oh, come, Charlie" broke in the
sufferer, draw il mild, like Sairey
Camp liked it,"
well, you know it was fearful win
ter as well as |. What's the matter?
You visited me and nearly froze To
death. Couldn't keep warm, although
burned up ton of coal n week. Well,
YOU know. I'm something of hunter.
l had plenty of idle time and used to
wrap up well and take my Parker ont
across into Kansas, where chicken and
duck were plenty. had some fine spor,
sniping, too, along the big river and
the slough. There are too many hills
thereabouts for good sloughing,
though.
at was along in March. You know
the idea that the weather out there is
better than here won't hold water, for
the water would freeze in winter. The
season outlasts ours sometimes, TOO.
1t did this particular winter, for they
had snow in the middle of April. Fact.
/ got out my gun one day when IL was
u bit mild and went over the road to
few miles up river from Quindaro. You
know this once famous town is now
the reservoir fer the waterworks. Well
l suiped along tn. bank in the reeds
and was knocking over quite few
when / saw | had better start back
down river II ! wanted to get HON.
before dark. / had had good sport,
but ached for more. l, was "A grand day
cold. to he sure. but bracing.
AT last l spicd some duck sitting on
the water-thc river rarely freezes al
the way ovcr-just beyond the rim OF
lee which fringcd the shore. At this
point the river sweeps wide To tho
north and then cuts into the hills on
tn. south side. forming n narrow gorg.
near the wat.rworks. There is "a bend
which the current strikes and IL had
piled up lot of ice in huinmocks as 1,
ground against the shore ledge. These
hummochs helped me heap. for
could sneak out on the shore ice and
get chance at the duck. / forgot
all about the time, for ! was shy good
fat r-dhead aud wanted him.
Well, sir, | went out ON that shore
ledsc-it was shoal water there-nnd
hea,,d chunks of Zee at thos. ducks tp
get EN- up, you know, for no hunter
shoots at water fowl when swimming.
They balked like sam Hin aud crcpt
out farther aud farther. still hraving
things at 'cm. At last they ros. and
! was busy shooting right and left as
fast a. 1 could load. Then when we
got out of rang. ! found had nary
duck. was out Of ridges and no dog
To bring Ia the dead. / killed lot,
but they fcil in the water or, whit was
worse. ON the bank.
Yes, sir. tLat's a fact. turned
back To 20 to the shore and discovers,
that | wns ON an Ice raft well ou, In
the current. II was whirling around In
III" cddying stream like "A top, and 10y
III. time | had seen the wnterworks
half dozen times and lost EN- MS often
i declare l didn't know IL ! was AZ
ouindsro or in tn" Alps. Say. maybe
you think ! liked IL. l didn't. That
river IL hard proposition anywhere.
II Is harder in what they call n throat
gornc-onc Of these narrowings OF tfM
banks-thnn anywhere elise. wns In
one of th.s. gorg.s and working down.
stream ns fast as the field ice would
let me.
AS ] said. the crushing of the iioc
axninst that angle In the bank had
oiled up lot Of bcrvs higher than my
head. What made me swear nt myself
for fool was that had forgotten 10
calculate the fottcnnes. OF ice n, that
season. ! went out on the edge, and,
a. the dumned stream was risinr any.