Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1912-04-12

furious snowstorm from the northwest
struck down upon them suddenly.
Bending their heads lower the men
plunged onward aimlessly. But there
was no use in attempting to force
their way through that endless drift.
So Cormier and his companions de-
termined to fight the blizzard just
where they were. They halted and
overturned the boat and made a sort
Of shelter.
Two Die In Storm.
The storm ragged more violently.
The cold became intense An icy
numbness seized the feet of Cormier
and his two companions. In agony
the men jumped up and down on the
ice, beating their arms across their
chests and pounding together their
frozen hands. At length Cormier tum-
bled over in a heap. Charles Tur-
bide fell unconscious at his side. Be-
fore daybreak both were dead.
Then Arsene Turbide went out into
the snowy waste and looked about
him. The storm had abated by this
time. The snow had ceased to fall.
He could see clearly now and quickly
realized that it was impossible to re-
turn by the route he had come, as the
north wind had forced his ice foe far
out in the gulf
In the hazy direction of his home a
rough sea tossed, piled up with rag
ged fragments of ice. No boat could
live In such waters. His only chance
for salvation lay in the hard, frozen
gulf toward the shore of Cape Bre-
ton, even though that shore was 70
miles away
Arsene buried the bodies of his COM
rades underneath the upturned boat.
Grasping the bludgeon he had used in
the slaughter of seals, he turned his
face in the direction of Cape Breton
and started on his long journey.
Made Brave Fight for Life.
All that cold day Arsene trudged
over the rough ice with neither food
nor drink Sometimes he plunged
through deep drifts, sometimes he
glided more easily over windswept sur
faces. AS the day wore on he was as
sailed by frequent spells of drowsi-
ness. But he was determined to fight
and struggled to the end. When night
fell he dezed as best he could, but al
ways standing, for he knew that once
he stretched himself upon the ice 1t
would mean his last sleep.
The next morning he crept up on
seal and dubbed 1t to death, drank
the warm blood. He did not know
that his garments, his face and his
hands were smeared with blood, but
he did realize that he had secured re-
newed strength and courage to con-
tinue his journey. Late that afternoon
he reached Meat Cove at Cape Breton,
and scarcely able to drag himself
along, staggered to the first house in
sight. Opening the door. he entered.
not knowing the appearance he pre-
scented to the inmates. They question
ed him, but he could not speak So
thinking him either insane or muir
derer, they thrust him out and Slam
med the door behind him.
Found Refuge Too Late.
Arsene struggled on again. When
the door was opened to him at the
next house, he rushed in headlong,
flung himself down before a fire and
at once fell into a sound slumber.
When he awoke he narrated his story,
and then word was telegraphed to
Grindstone island, one of the Magda-
len group, to send speedy relief to the
woman who had been left alone at the
lighthouse on Bird Rock.
Arsene did not recover from his ex-
perience and within fortnight died
from it's effects.
Many stories might be told of the
other Magdalen islands. For many
years they have been Inhabited by
few thousand natives who are descend
ed from the Acadians who settled In
New France under the leadership Of
Champlain and De Mont. Since the
first settlement in 1853 generations OF
the same families have raised meager
crops in the valleys and fed sheep and
cattle on the high cone-shaDed hills