Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 90: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

82 A Dakota Blizzard. He said nothing of this, but continued to cheer his companion, whose spirits had begun to droop under the terrific strain. There was no sign of a break; these storms often last three days, and have been ‘known to hold out five or Six. The only wonder is that any living thing in the . way of animal life survives their fury. Cuthbert was almost benumbed; he could only with the greatest difficulty maintain his seat in the saddle, and was rapidly reaching that dangerous con- dition when it would really become a matter of utter indifference to him whether they found shelter or not. It was, therefore, just in time that timber hove in sight. To the boys it promised an asylum— safety, warmth, life. Even the utterly-fagged horses knew the end of their trial was close at hand, for they seemed to push forward with renewed zeal, Cuthbert made an effort and aroused himself from the half-stupor into which he had fallen. So, with a shout of joy, they pushed on and pres- ently found refuge under the trees. Here, while the cold was still severe, the backbone of that piercing wind was broken, and when the boys crawled stiffly from the saddles, to which they had - actually been frozen tight, they managed, by means of rough-and-tumble exercise, in which each pum- meled the other most vigorously, to induce a new circulation of blood that began to give internal warmth. | “Cesar! How it wars!” said Cuthbert, as he elanced up at the lowering clouds and heard behind the furious blasts of the blizzard. “’Tain’t much!” said Karl, nonchalantly. “I’ve been through much worse; but this ain’t no time to get spoutin’, Comfortable, Cuthbert?” COnnicloooks CO