The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-13

ard, our Finnish guide, Tom, and |
myself, left Ely with all urluggage
and tramped to the little log cabin
near the banks of lake fifteen
miles distant, variously known as
NaIneless lake, Little lake, or most
anything you want to call 1t
Friday morning four of Us de-
c.ded to see what we could round
up Il the way OF game, while Judge
Schaefer remained in camp to
5traighten things out.
TON came upon some moose
lacks and followed them up He
gagged the animal, too, before he
had gone very for. In couple Of
hours we decided to still hunt, and
separated for the purpose.
after 2 short time / came upon
place that had been occupied by a
moose in sleeping during the night
Tracks leading away into the brush
zvere distinctly visible, and I began
the marks failed to show any signs
OF freshness, I decided it was use
less to go any farther and turned
about, with the intention of work
| ing back toward camp.
His Compass Goes Awry.
81 took out my compass. It indi-
| Gated that I had got away to the
north of the trail This didn't seem
right to me. I wondered If my in
strument had become defective. An
| hours further walking failed to put
me on my bearings. A bitter cold
wind began to blow. Added to this
the brush became more dense, and
| walking was a matter of forcing my
way through unfriendly branches
that impeded every inch of the way
| before me.
.'Was l lost? This thought came
upon me suddenly and with terrific
force, like the unexpected bang of a
high-powered rifle. l wouldn't per
NIT myself to believe it at first. My
reputation as a woOdsman was at
stake I sort of compromised the
argument that had arisen between
self, by deciding to settle down for
the night and give up hope of get
ting back to camp until morning.
81 climbed to the summit of a
high hill and built roaring fire.
The fagots l had to gather as l had
gone away without an ak, a foolish
thing, by the way, for a woodsman
to do.
Fires Rifle; Uses Smoke Signal
"'Then 1 began firing my rifle
Shot away every shot but one. Nc
: last shot. l ate the sandwiches, and
S Immediately felt stronger. If il
had then occurred to me that I was
in for four more days of wandering
: you can bet l would have been more
e conservative with those sandwiches
"After thatmeal, my last real one
for some time, / built another fire
Streams of smoke from two fires i
:, the Indian signal for being lost, anC
e l tried it as last hope.
''Night came on fast. It usual,
d does when one wishes it would not
e The discomforts that darkness an
s night GOODNESS brought make m
5, shudder yet. The flames began t.
:. burn low around ten or clever
o'clock, and l put my feet right il
r the Goals to keep them from freez
e ing. I had to keep them there a.
: night and at the same time drive OF
= sleep, that threatened and threaten
ed, and might have brought m
. death.
| Saturday morning I started GU
/ determined to find camp as soon a
possible. But the ever-thickenin
brush was continuous barrier.
Ate Frozen Cranberries.
every now and then my rout
took me through the ice-cold water
/ of a marsh. But whatever mcor
| venience these marshes brought
they probably were the means o
saving my life; for I plucked froze
| cranberries from the bushes an
they afforded me surprising noun
ishment.
| might again brought its discon
forts and hours of agony, and ar
other day did not bring me neare
camp.
! tuesday, toward the middle Q
the day, I had reached the end c
my endurance. My gun slipped fro1
my fingers and fell upon the grounC
I saw in the distance log shack.
staggered toward it, and it SCENE
- to me I found some brandy an
food
= tThen I laid down, confident thu
the end had come.
Had Companion With Scythe.
/ HYou asked me what my thought
were during these last hours. II
tell you. I had a companion, but b
had scythe. He smirked at m
from the bushes and again was b
my side, in front of me and in bac
of me. I may fool you yet, oil
man. told him. But I hardly be
lieved I'd be able to. But l wa.
] it.,
! Mr.. Jackson was found lying III
| conscious by trapper name
Charles Neimi. His gun had bee
found first, and footprints led t
where he lay.
| Investigation of Mr.. Jackson
tracks brought out the ironic fac
that on Saturday he had wandere
within thirty or forty yards of tn
trail, just missing it.
care you going back? We'r
forming a hunting party for mex
week, someone said at the station
"You bet I WILL" was the reply @
! the gamest old hunter the Wisconsi
woods have seen for many a year.