Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-05-05
SAVED BY RABBIT
Lucky Catch Preserved Lives of
Surveyors.
On the Verge Of Starvation In Cana.
dian Wilds, Small Creature Was
Godsend to Men and Doqs.

The flying survey that the engineers
of the Grand Trunk Pacific railway
made through the unexplored forests
and mountains Of Canada was attend
ed by all manner of hardships and
adventures. 1t is remarkable that so
few men lost their lives, for the work,
which was pushed forward winter and
summer, was always filed with dam
gers. An experience related in Mr.. +.
A. Talbot's book, "The Making of a
Great Canadian Railway" affords a
graphic idea of the pains and pen
alties that many surveyors endured
In that silent, unpopulated country:
In the depths Of winter i was out
with one Of the surveyors on an ex-
ploration trip. We had four dogs and
a couple of sleighs not heavily laden.
Somehow or other, owing to the
binding snow, we were delayed and
lost our way. The dogs had to go
without food and we ourselves did not
taste bite for three days; nor did
we catch sight of the smallest speci-
men of game. One thing after anoth-
er was thrown off the sleighs to ease
the plight of the dogs, grown so thin
from want of food that their ribs
showed through their skins. Only our
sleeping bags were retained. Through
the day we stumbled along on our
snowshoes, constantly falling over OBJ
stacles and bruising ourselves against
the trees. At night we lay down by
our camp fire, utterly exhausted and
faint from hunger and cold.
1t was on the third morning that
deserted the faint footprints Of a
jack rabbit. 1t was the first sign Of
game that we had seen for three days.
/ drew my companions attention to
the tracks.
"Stop right here and light fire.
Wen have something to eat this morn
ing or else / won't come back again !"
cried excltedly as grabbed my gun.
/ sped off with my eyes glued to
those scarcely discernible footprints.
But it was weary tracking; the trail
was as elusive a will-c'-the-wisp as
anyone could find in the forest. For
three solid hours / followed 1t relent-
iessly, stumbling and falling wildly,
bruising my shins and tearing my
hands through the bush.
At last it disappeared into willow
shrub. Crawling up warily, / searched
the thicket, and there spled the quar-
ry. Fearful that in my excitement l
might take too hurried an aim with
my rifle, miss, frighten, and lose the
animal, crawled steadily forward on
my hands and knees. When within
an arms reach / made sudden spring
and caught 1t by the scrutf OF the
neck. In a trice it was dead; but l
had captured a sorry prize. Like our
selves, 1t was In sore need of food, for
It could obtain but slender sustenance
from the snow-covered ground.
retraced my footsteps as hurried
" as l could. I found my comrade
sitting before the fire holding his head
In his hands between his knees-an
abject picture of misery and despair.
In few minutes the rabbit was
skinned and splitting merrily on an I'M
provised roasting jack. The skin was
cut into four equal parts and given
to the dogs. They deyoured 1t raven
ously. Not an atom of that rabbit
was wasted. The little bit of food put
new life into us and we pressed on
through the forest until finally we
reached our camp.