River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-02-11

Carson called down. 1--WE made heel
holds and hand holds for you along
side of me- I'm going to heave the
rose in slow and easy, and you just
come along sticking and not too fast.
III tell you what, first of all III take
you on the rope, and you worry out of
that pack Get me?'
Smoke nodded, and with infinite care
unbucl5led his pack straps With a
wriggle Of the shoulders he dislodgcd
the pack. and Carson saw it slide over
tie bulge and out Of sight
Now. I'm going to ditch mine" be
called down "You just take it easy
and wait.
Five minutes later the upward strug
gle began. Smoke. after drying his
hands on the insides of his arm sleeves.
claved into the climb-bellied and
clung and stuck and plastered-s
tanned and helped by the pull Of the
rope Alone, he could not have al
vanced
A third Of the way up, where the
pitch was sleeper and the ice less
eroded. he felt the strain on the rope
decreasing He moved slower and
slower Here was no place to stop and
remain His most desperate effort
could not prevent the stop and he
could feel the down slip beginning.
I'm going" he called up.
$50 am l. was the reply, gritted
through Cars0ns teeth.
Then cast loose"
Smoke felt the rope tauten in fu-
tie effort; then the pace Quickened, and
as he went past his previous Judgment
ami over the bulge the last glimpse he
caught Of Carson he was turned over
with madly moving hands and feet
striving to overcome the downward
draw
To Smokes surprise, as he went over
the bulge, there was no sheer fall. The
rope restrained him as he slid down Il
sleeper pitch, which quickly eased I'M
til he came to a halt in another niche
on the verge Of another bulge. Carson
was now out Of sight, ensconced in the
place previously occupied by Smoke.
''Geer' he could hear Carson shiver
"Gee!'
An interval Of quiet followed, and
then Smoke could feel the rope agi
tated
What are you doing?" he called up
Making more hand and foot holds,
came the trembling answer You just
wait I'll have You up here in d fifty
Don't mind the way talk I'm just
excited"
you're holding me by main
strength" Smoke argued soon or
late. with the ice melting, youll slip
down after me. The thing for you to
30 is to cut loose. Hear me! There's
no use both ot US going Get thatl
You're the biggest little man il crea-
ton. but you've done youl best You
cut looSe!"
You shut up! I'm going to make
holes this time deep enough to haul up
span of horses"
Several silent minutes passed Smoke
could hear the metallic strike and hack
of the knife, and occasionally dribIets
of ice slid over the bulge and came
down to him. Thirsty. cIinging on
hand and foot, he caught the frag
ments III his mouth and melted them
to water, which he swallowed,
He heard a gasp that slid into a
groan Of despair and felt a slackening
Of the rope that made him claw In
mediately the rope frightened again
Straining his eyes III an upward look
along the steep slope, he stared a mo
ment, then saw the knife, point first.
slide over the verge OF the bulge and
down upon him. He tucked his cheek
to it, shrank from the pang of cut
flesh. tucked more tightly and felt the
knife come to rest.
the creVaSSe
Cheer up. I've got it?' Smoke an
swered.
stay! Wait! I've got a lot of
string in my pocket. Iii drop it down
to you. and you send the knife up
Smoke made no reply He was bat
Ting with a sudden rush Of thought
Hey. you! Here comes the string
Tell me when you've got it."
A small pocketknife weighted on
the string slid down the ice. Smoke
got it, opened the larger blade by
quick effort of his teeth and one hand
and made sure that the blade was
sharp. Then be tied the sheath knife
to the end of the string
Haul away!" he called
With strained eyes he saw the up
ward progress Of the knife. But he
saw more-a little man. afraid and in
domitable. who shivered and chartered.
whose head swan with giddiness and
who mastered his qualms and distress
es and played a hero's part Here was
q proper meat eater. eager with friend
Illness, generous to destruction, with
grit that shaking fear could not shake
Then, too. be considered the situa
ton cold bloodedly. There was no
chance for two. Steadily they were
sliding into the heart of the glacier
op1 if uaS his 0raatar vvoierI,+ that