We were among the racing clouds, tossed and scattered by the roaring
gale. Thunder boomed, and weird, lightning flashes pierced our car, then
the hurricane struck us squarely, lifting, overturning the car, and we
were buried beneath the wreck. I was stunned, but a slight scalp wound
which bled profusely relieved me greatly. The heat was suffocating, my
clothing became saturated with perspiration streaming from every pore of
my body.
Saxe. was the first to recover and extricated himself from the storage
and debris, unhurt but badly scratched, and once more the energetic,
pushing old boy we were familiar with.
“The worst is over,” he bawled, “and the _Propellier_ didn’t bust; but
snow is falling in clouds—boys, brace up, or we’ll be buried alive!”
Sheldon and Saunders squirmed lively after this. We forced our way out
of the overturned car and sank waist deep in soft, new snow, which
prevented the gale carrying us away. The _Propellier_ and adjoining cars
were not damaged, the snow having blown up against, and piled high,
protecting them almost entirely, but the wind now carried the snow over
and down the sides, causing Saxe. to shout: “Hustle, boys, hustle! we’ll
be buried alive!”
The heaters were filled and fires started; in a short time the waste
pipes were letting off streams of steam. We shoveled a bank nearly
twelve feet high, which protected us some from the wind, but it flung
the snow upon us faster than we could work, and from steam to shovel we
labored for our lives against odds for eight long, weary hours. But the
storm spent itself, ceased as suddenly as it came, calmed beneath the
freezing temperature that descended. The snow iced, our labor was over
and we sought shelter, food and rest.
Saunders advised early departure, and two hours later we started. The
_Propellier_ made a rush up the steep embankment; midway she seemed to
lose speed, but suddenly cleared the remaining distance at a bound. The
dense atmosphere had lifted and plain upon plain of snow with
wind-tossed mounds and hills met our vision, and over it all a crescent
moon glistened mystically. The search-light flared and with a shrill
blast we speeded northward. Midnight we had reached and traveled beyond
the altitude scientists claim the earth’s pivot is located. Towards
morning a heavy mist fell upon us, a dark, silent, deadly mist, which
sent a chill to our bones. I could not shake off the dull feeling of
dread that came over me. The _Propellier_ glided smoothly, swiftly
onward, taking us farther into this horrible death-land. The fear that
tugged at my heart shamed me to silence. I glanced furtively at my three
companions, who were unusually still, and whose faces blanched beneath
my scrutiny. Then Saxe. suddenly halted the _Propellier_, and addressed
us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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