The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-02
BRAVE FIGHT FOR LIFE.
Terrible Experience of Trappsr in
the Northwest Territory.
lOuting.)


Comfort reigned around the little
campfire that evening; pipes were
smoked and tea was brewed, material
accomplishments to chat and cheer.
Then some one asked a question:: just
what, is immateriai; only the answer
matters.
Boys" said Puffle seriously, II
thought last winter l was out of it.
Close call, you ask? Well, pretty
close. j had started out from Revel-
stoke with the usual outfit, a twenty
five-foot Peterboro loaded with to
about the 600-pound limit with all my
and had been having pretty good luck,
when, boys played the fool. / got in
a hurry. i took overlong hikes and
ate cold grub to save time. We fellows
don't dare do that. No man in the win
ter woods can stand cold grub; he must
cock well and take his rest. Then II
doesn't matter if he has to wade creeks
and sleep wet and live wet days at a
time; he can resist it, he's got the fuel
in him. We have a rule that when we
get In hurry, we must camp a whole
day and think it over. When 1 found
myself going, 1 did camp and think it
over, but l guess l was q bit late about
it. l dug Oregon grape and princess
tonic and was lucky enough to find
some foxgloye for my heart. which had
begun to kick too hard when climbed.
Then l hurt my foot before the roots
had put me in shape. and when L found
toe black one morning ! knew / must
pull for down river. l cached my stuff
and started. 1 had to hurry then.
All day l snowshoed, biting hard on a
bit of pine to forget the pain. Nights
I'd find a hollow cedar log, cut holes in
1t about 10 feet apare for draft, kindle
a fire at the end and lie down on the
log. When the fire had burned up to
the draft hole at my foot, 1 moved up
another hole. When / couldn't find a
log, I'd dig a pit down in the snow,
kindle a brush fire in it, and sleep at the
edge of the ashes. l reached Smith
Creek all right. and by then my whole
foot was black. Boys-may i live 70
forget i'll fell in crossing that creek
fell in over my head and ears, in ice
water, and nothing between me and
Revelstoke TO help me. II I stopped,
besides the certainty of FREEING, l knew
my hurt would never let me start
again; and 1 didn't think l could keep
going. i felt I was gone, but / re-
solved I'd die hard and play the gams
through. Off l hiked on the raquettes;
awful going it was, the pain killing me
by inches and every rag on me frozen
solid. Night came; L kept on like a
mailman, for / dared not stop a second
II I drowse6 an instant, / was dead
reached Whites cabin; all nature urged
me to go in for a rest. 4 had reason
enough to know il would be my last
rest. so | hit the trail steady with an
awful limp. / prayed Kelly might be
i'm his cabin, but it was cold and shut
When I reached. Mosquito Landing l
was dying, but the thought of only six
miles more kept me going. When
had been hiking steady for forty-two
hours, | fell into my own door and
things swan and went dark. 1t was
three months even to crutches. The
sawbones all said I'd die; but didn't
fool 'em? Going out again next win
ter? Sure. I've got to go back for that
cache A man must live, you know.