Year: 1869




A Thrilling and PeriIous Experience


A correspondent of the New York Re
public writing from the North Woods,
tells the following story:


Al the foot of the Lower Cedar, abou
fifty yards from the shore, is a small ant
low, rocky island, not more than thirty fee
in diameter, having few shrubs growing
upon il, with single scrubby spruce ans
a young mountain ash in the centre, Meth
er of which is twelve feet in height.
1t was January.


John left his home, some sixteen mile,
away, taking q bag of provisions and few
spring traps to be absent week or more
in pursuit of mink and marten. 1t was al
open season. Little snow was upon the
ground, and ali the lakes were unfroZen
! John made his way alone TO the Lower
Cedar lake, deposited his provision bag il
the log shanty, and taking his boat and
trans. rowed over to the little island which
has Just been described. Running the boa!
up on the rocks, ne stepped out with a trap,
and went to the opposite side of the island,
a distance not exceeding twenty-five feet,
carefully set his trap and returned to the
landing.


What was his dismay to find the boat
caught lightly upon q low rock about two
rods from the island.


Here was serious predicament for the
incautious trapper. There was not tree
nor a branch by which he could reach the
boat. There was no wIthes nor bark which,
being tied together and attached to a stone.
could thrown into the boat: He had never
learned to swim stroke Between him
and the rock on winch his boat was strand
ed were the waters, dark. cold, and ten feet
deep. What was TO be done?


John was an iron-hearted man, but while
celebrating iii much agitation, had the ad-
ded horror Of seeing the boat swayed first
by the wind, then grating harshly upon
the rock, at last disengaged. and drifted
slowly out into the middle of the lake. The
case now seemed absolutely hopeless.


As the hunters and trappers frequently go
forth alone in the winter, and are absent
several weeks. his stay would attract no
attention at the settlement. No human
dwelling was nearer than sixteen miles. =
Confronting, philosophically. therefore,
his alarming situation, he secured the is
land in search of fuel, which resulted III
his finding small quantity of substance
resembling peat. He now began the con-
struction of a kind of earthwork, in semi
circular form, a protection against the
wind. Gathering enough of the peat to
keep his hands and fec. from suffering as
the early darkness irew on he wrapped
himself in his coat as closely as possible.
and lay down for the night. Long, dreary,
dreadful were those hours, relieved by oc-
casional snatches ofsleep. Morning came.
but 1T was barely welcome. II only reveal
ed his desperate condition, and brought no
intimation of relief


The sun arose, climbed the sky, sank TO
his setting; no food. no fire. lest he should
exhaust his stock of fuel; no sight or sound
oI hope. Night settled all its shadows upon
his heart. Hungry, faint and wretched, he
lighted his meagre fire and laid him down.
That night he slept from sheer exhaustion
Again the morning; the live-long day the
sinking sun, the blank shadows, the fam
ishing body, the howllng wolves, the
thoughts of horror, the vision of inevitable
death Thus dragged the hours till the
sun arose. And thus, with fast failing pow
ers half bswildered mind, he lived, or
rather was dying. through four days aud
five nights. During the fifth night the wind
changed 20 the north, with bitter, freezing
cold.


Now. thought the trapper, the end has
come. Sill. pitiless lrosts fell from the
crystal heavens. He had no hope ofseeing
the morniI G light. But what he forebod-
ed was to be his destruction was Gods
wondrOus provision for his salvation The
lake froze over, and on lifting his eyes in
the morning, new hope struggled with
the sunbeams in his despairing soul Stiff
ened, emaciated and unable to stand, he
thought 'Life is dear, and home is sweet.
can but die ifI venture forth. To 'inger
here another day is certain death, will try
the ice."


Crawling orth from his damp lurking
place to the edge of the lake, he cautiously
felt his way ont upon the thin, transparent
ice. As well from inability TO stand as
from consideration of prudence, he crept
on hands and knees over the treacherous
surface. 1t bore his out spread weight
Slowly he moved, with trembling advance.
for longseams shot from beneath him and
clicked ike the report of pistol to the op.
posite shore. Once the faithless floor gave
way at his knees and the chilling water
came half way over him; but, with the en-
ergy of dying man, he sprang upon the
unbroken surface, and with shivering fear
again moved on. Again he broke through
the ice again he saved himself with des-
perate strength. But at length-joy un-
speabls, and that almost overcame his ex-
hausied nature-he drew himself upon the
solid shorei aN-r.rrsa


Resting awhile from his superhuman ex-
ertions, and now, with hope and home ris-
ing like twin stars in the east, he made
his way slowly to the cabin where his stock
of provisions had been left, There were
bread and dried venison, but he could not
eat Nature lad borne the fame too long
He laid down and was almost Instantly bur
led in sluplber, from which he did not
wake until the shades of evening were draw
ing on. Then be found himself able to
take refreshment, lay down and slept until
broad daylight, rose and ate again, and in
it's strength felt his precarious way toward
his home, which at eventide lie reached,
emaciated almost beyond recognition, more
nearly dead than alive, but restored at last
from the jaws of an unmarked grave, saved
from the vulture and the wolf, and rejoic-
ing in the arms of wife and children about
his own freside.