Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1851-11-14
Prairie Mirage,
IRON TRAVELS IN THE FAR W

IRON TRAVELS IN THE FAR WEST.
As if by enchantment, the cold snowy
face all AT once disappeared. Green fields
lay before us, and tall trees sprang up COW
ed with thick and yerdant frondage
Couonwoods = cried hunter, as his
eye rested on these still distant groves.
Tall saplins at that-Wahr calculated
aDother.
Water thar, fellow, reckin, remarked
a third.
Yes stree yer don't see such sprouts
as them growing out Of dry peraire.
Look hilIoa y
By Golfers, yonder's house y
A house observation-disclosures house
thar's a whole town, if thar's single
shanty. Gee! Jim, look yonder. Waghn
was riding in front with Seguin-the
rest of the band strung out behind US.
had been for some time gazing upon the
ground in a sort of abstraction-Iooking at
the snow white efflorescence, and listening
to the crunching of my horses hoofs
through lis icy incrustatlon. These ex-
clamatory phrases caused me TO raise my
eyes. The sight that met them was one
that made me rein up with a sudden
Jerk. Seguin had done the ssme, and |
saw that the whole band had halted with
similar impulse
We had Just cleared one Of the buttes,
that had hitherto obstructed our view of
the great gap. This was now directly in
front Of us; and along its base on the
southern side, rose the walls and battle
ments of city--a vast city, Judging from
It's distance, and the colossal appearance
of It's architecture We could trace the
columns of temples, and gates, and win
dows, and balconies, and parapets, and
spires There were many towers rising
high over the roofs; and i'll the middle
was a temple like 4 structure, with its
massive dome towering far above all the
others
| looked upon this sudden appartion
with a feeling OF mcredulity. 1t was a
dream, an imagination, mirage! Ha !!
ii was the Dlirage.
But no the mirage could not effect
such a complete picture. There were the
roofs, and chimneys, and walls, and win
dows There were the parapets of forti-
fled houses, with their regular notches and
cmbrazures 1t was reality. 1t was a
city
Was it the Cibolo of the Spanish Padre!
Was it that city of golden gates and burn
ished towers Was the story Of the wan
dering priest after all true Who had
proved it a fable Who had ever pene-
traed this region, the very country in
which the ecclcsiastic represented the gold
Ell city OF Cibolo to exist.
] saw that Seguin was puzzled-dis-
mayed-as well as myself! He knew
nothing of this land. lie had never wit
messed mirage like that
/ For some Time we sat in our saddles
/ influenced by strange emotions. Shall we
90 forward Yes We must reach wa,
ter. We are dying of thirst; and I'M
PEELED by this we spur onward.
We had ridden only a few PAGES turthe!
when the hunters uttered sudden ant
simultaneous cry A new oblect-an OBJ
iect of terror-was before US! Along tn,
mountain foot appeared string of darl
forms. They t0ere mounted men!
We dragged our horses to their haunch
cs-our whole line halting as one man.
'Injuns!' was the exclamation of several
Indians they must be- muttered Sc
gum. There are no other here-lndi
ans No! There never were such a
them. See ! they are not men Look