The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-03-09


J, cepi for an occasional twlrge Of pain ln bill
J, forehead. no premonitnry symptoms her
}. allied The Singular ,til,tlon thst impcnd
G ed.
q o,e evening, shortly before the Ice 10
3 the rvtr broke up, ere WAS cutting
spruce for fuel uesr the door OF bis cabin,
. lrae sun had lst dropped behind the bald
e hills to southwestwsrd, when, ~ he stood
: with Al uplIited, something seemed to pass
I ssiflly before his eyes, blotting out the
I waning daylight.
7 Brsildeied, he let bis AZ fall, ard drew
1 his hand across his face, then bllnked and
!. pstred about. Darkness encompassei him.
Q He was blind, utterly blind.
D 10 f,ar and trembling, Pierre CROPPED his
/ say inIo the cabin and threw himself des-
: pairirgy upon the bales Of furs piled beside
Q bis tu'k
D Th,r, gradUA ly taking heart, be tried TO
r comfort himself with the hope that bis
mhfortune would prove to be only tenn
porsry.
Ills the nigh' -5lindneis he cried. 1t
, will pass away with the dawn.
He recalled cases, one OF which he had
himself witnessed, where others bad been
tf cted with ihst peculiar loss Of sight
which the yoysgeurs of the north term
"nlght.t lindncss /"
By day, The vision OF those who suffer
with the mslsdy 10 teemingly ulinpalrd,
but when deprived Of sunlight they immed-
late ly become absolutely powerless to see.
Some msintsin that the same conditions
which produce that dread scourge OF high
attitudes, scurvy, are also responsible for
this curious visual trouble; but whether II
is scorbutic or not, its origin has vet to be
satisfactorily explained.
To poor Pierre, awaiting 10 deepest snx
Lefty the dawn which was to reveal wheth-
er or rot bi, sight was permanently lost,
that night seemed Ifinitely long. Supper.
less, he crept into his bunk, where he toss
ed hour after hour, starting up nervously
at every sound.
| 0acB he fancitd that he heard Camille's
voice, but hen be strained his ears to lis
ten, there was only the whispering Of the
wind.
A pair Of smoke colored Labrador Jays.
chatteliDg hungiily as they Huttered about
the cabin, reused him. Opening his eyer,
he sprapg from bis bunk with a loud cry Of
| Joy. His sight was re,tored
II was bright day. The frost jswtled |
trees and the lcces penden. from the caves
and legs Of he cabin fpsrkled In the bright |
sunshine. Az Pierre observed the tiny
clouds Of pc gdered snow falling from the
spruce boue's, where 4 ok OF crossbllls
we're twittei lrg 0ytr thtir breakfast, be
was almost persuaded that the experience
Of the preceding night had existed only In
nightmare Bu. at sunset that evening
blindness again asssiled him.
A week later the ice on The river broke
up, and lbe strong current soon carried 1t
away. Waiting only until the high water
had partly subsided, Pierre launched h!s
canoe, frejghttd with It's precious cargo Of
skirs, and began his voyage downstream
TO the trading post.
When he pitched camp for the Light,
which he took care to do full hour before
sunset, be was but couple Of miles above
the point where q email river enters the
Beaver. A winter encampment Of a small
band Of Montagnais Indians was situated
on the bank OF thi, tributary, near lits
mouth. Pierre planned TO pass 1t early on
the following morning hoping thus to avoid
discovery by the natives.
With Camille, who WAS well and favora-
bly, known throughout the tribe, at his side
he would have encountered them willingly
bat now, alone and practically helpless by
night, be considered 1t polite to give them
a vide berth. His furs had been collected
In hontagnais huntlng-grounds, and the
tribesmen might declare him a trespssser
and corfi scate his booty.
Risir z with the sun, he resumed his voy
age. Padding stealthlly in the shadow Of
The opposite shore, he icanned the woods
az the mouth Of the stream. A thin smoke
wreath above the tops indicated the position ,
Of the Indians, but except that he saw 10 I
sign Of them.
Toward evening he defcendsd the rapids |
above Stone Beaver Falls. These derive |
their title from huge mass OF dark-color- !
ed rock, which at low water resembles the
colossal fiigy Of a couchaLt beaver, ,uprear,
ed In midstream on the brink Of the piung- I
log flood which It divides. But now only @
the upper part Of the spray y-drenchcd ,glist-
enipg back was visible. 7
Otherwise unobstructed, the river drops |
IN twin sheets sheer eighty feet, with an .
incesssnt crash audible for great dis- /
lance. b
A short reach Of comparatively calm
water intervents between the foot Of the
rapids and the falls. To the expert voya-
gtur, shooting the rapids was not difficult, :,
but the current below, where the waters ,
gathered for their mighty lesr, proved :
stronger than be had anticipated.
Howeve !. thanks to his skill, be gained
he lauding g-plsce 10 safety. i'hen, dlsem.
parking he emptd the canoe and drew It !,
lp on shore, preparatory to portsgins roui d
he falls. 4,
TIE portage trail WAS at least hslfmlle
org. Several trips would be necessary 10
rider to trab,por, canoe sni cargo to the
, Int Of relaurchmg below, and ~ 1t was
b, well On toward tunset. Pierre conclud- !.
to await the morrow before besintir !. .
he ts,f. :,
Accordingly, carr, Ing the canoe . few !,
,aces back from the water, be overturned
I, and proppiog it on edge, bestowed the
,sles cf furs urder It, thus providing com. ),
nrishle tlea ping a1Arterl for the nIght.