The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-01-24
CONTINUED Prom Yesterday


1T won't do. Bili," told himself.
Hold atcady--for one minute more"
A spruce log. the last segment OF
the tree he had cut. lay somewhere
few feet from his door But he
remembered II had fallen into a
hickct OF evergreen could no find
II now7 The log would not burn un.
al II was cut up with his an. the ar
would be hard 10 find in the pressing
darkness. Even II he found IL. even
II hs could cut kindiing with his
building and mending n fire with
grSen timber In a cruel task even
with vision; and he knew as well aa
he knew the fact Of his own life that
!, would be wholly impoAsibls to tho
bind.
Then what was ieft' Only a deeper.
colder darkness than this he knew
now. Death was ieft--nothing else.
In an hour. perhaps In a hah hour.
possibly not until the night had gone
and come again with iiA wind md
itA chill. the end would be the same.
There was no light 90 guide him
home. no landmarks that he could
see.
Then his thought seired upon an
IDEA 80 fantastic. seemingly 30 i'm.
possible OF achievement, that at first
he could not give II eredence. Ills
mind had flashed 20 those unfortn.
mates that had sometimes iont their
way In the dark chambers OF an un.
foreground cavern and thence 20 that
method by which they guarded
against this danger. These men car.
ried strings. un~indlng them as they
entered the cavern and following
them out lie had not carried
string end here, but he had made a
tralli His anowshoe tracks probably
were not yet elaborated under the
wind blown snbw. Could he feel his
way along them back 20 the cabin
The milea were many and long. but
he wouldn't have TO creep on hands
and knees all the way. perhaps he
could walk. stopped. touching the de.
nr~nsiona In IN. snow at every step.
In his own soul he did not believe
that he had ono chance In a hundred
Of making II thru to safety. Crawl
Ing. creeping. cropping from track 20
track would wear him out quickly.
but was there any other course for
himf II he didn't try that. would b.
have any alternative other than 90
lie stiil and die7 He wasn't rur~
that he could even find the tracks
in the snow. but n he were able 90
encircis the cabin AT radius Of fifty
feet he could not miss them. Hs
CROPPED about AZ the aide OF the cabin
for hi1 sno~Hhoes.
He found them In a minute, then
walked straight Rs he could fifty feet
out from the door. once more he
went on hands and feet. cropping In
the icy snow. He started TO make
Er~at circle.
Fifteen feet farther ~ felt q br-ak
tn the even surface. The snow had
h~en ~ soft and hts shoes had sunk
10 deep that the powdered flakes IN.
wind had n;rcwn during tho nigh,
had only half filled his tracks. lie
started tn follow them down.
lie walked stopped. cropping with
one hand. and after an endless tim.
his fingers dipped into dry. warm
aahea
Only for a fraction Of a second ala
he fail 10 understand. And In N.
darkness and the silence the mans
breath caught In what was almost a
sob. lie realized that he had fol.
lowed the tracks in tho wrong dlrcc.
ton. and had traced Them straight
TO tho cabin door that he had just
left
II was only q matter OF a hundred
feet but IL was tragedy here. once
more he started on the out.trail.
He soon found that he could not
walk In his present stopped position.
Human flesh n not built 10 stand
such n strain as that. Before he
had gone half a mile sharp pains be.
Fan 20 attack him. viciouaiy. In the
back and thighs For all HIS mag.
nifioent s'rcngth-largrly returned 90
him In his hours Of rcst---ho could
not progress in this position more
than half mile farther.
He took another course. Tie would
walk ahead five psoea. then drop
down and gropo again for the tracks.
Sometimes he found them at once.
often he had TO go on his hands and
feet and start 20 circle. Then. find.
ing tho trail. he would mush on for
five steps more.
oh. the way was cruel, Tie could
not zee to avoid the singing lash OF
the spruce needles. the cruel blows
OF the branches. Already the attempt
began 10 partake OF a quality OF
blind and stumbling
advance over infinite difficulties thru
the infinity OF time II was like some
torment OF an evil Herrafter-eter.
nal, remorscless. wholly without
hope. Many times he sprawled at
full length, and always II was harder
to force himself 20 his feet.
Five steps on. hating and cropping.
then five steps more: thus the lone
figure journeyed thru the winter for.
est The seconds dragged into the
minutes. the minutes into hours. The
cold dcepened: likely IL was the bitter
hour Just after dawn. The hand with
which he CROPPED for the tracks had
lost all power OF feeling.
He could not Judge distance or
line. Already II seemed TO him that |
no had been upon the journey end. |
ess hours. Because OF the faint |
yraynesS before his eyes he Judged
I was broad daylight: perhaps nj.
.cady the day was giving over TO
darkness. He didn't know how far
10 had come. The only thought he
lad left was always TO count his ter
mic iive steps. and count five more.
Nothing else mattered. He had for
ne moment at least lost sight OF all
'ther things. His thought was not
o clear now; II seemed to him that
no forest was no longer silent. There
Vere confused murmurings I'm his
ar. curious confusion and perplex.
" In his brain. IL was hard 10 re.
member who he was and where he
vas going. Just 10 count his steps.