The Minnesotian. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1851-1852, 1852-01-03
Prairie Mirage.

neldS lay before us. ana tall trees Sprang
up covered with thick and verdant from
dage!
Co.tonwoods cried a hunter, as his
eye rested on these still distant groves.
"'Tall saplins at that-wah!' ejacula-
ted another.
''Water thar, fellow, I reckin,' remark
ed third
eyes stree! yer don't see such sprouts
as them growing out O. peraira. Look !!
hilloa.
''By Gollies, yonder's house!'
ga house? ne-two-three-ah house?
thar's whole town, if thar's single shan
ty. See! Jim, look yonder. Waghn
Il 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-looking at
the snow white c(llorescence, and listen
ing to the crunching of my horses hoofs
through its icy incrustations. These ex-
clamatory phrases caused me to raise my
eyes. The sight that met them was one
that made me rein up with sudden
jerk. Seguin had done the same, 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 south
ern side, rose the walls and battlements of
a city-a vast city, judging from its dis
lance, and the colossal appearance of its
architecture! We could trace the columns
Of temples, and doors, and gates, and win
dows, AMI balconies, and parapets, and
epires, There were many towers rising
high over the roofs? and in the middle
was temple like structure, with its mas
sive dome towering far above all the 9TH
ers!
Il looked upon this sudden apparition
with feeling of incredulity. 1t was a
dream, an Imagination, mirage! ha!
it WIS the mirage.
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 forth
fled houses, with their regular notches and
embrazures! 1t was reality. 1t was
q CITY.
WAS i. the Cibolo of the Spanish Pa
drie9 Was it that city of golden gates
and FURNISHED towers? Was the story of
the wandering priest after all true? Who
had proved it fable? Who had ever
penetrated this region, the very country in
which the eccle>iasiic represented the
golden city of Cibolo to exist?
Il saw that Seguin was puzzled-dis-
mayed-as we'll as myself! He knew
nothing Of this land. He had never wit
messed mirage like that!
For some time we sat in our saddles,
influenced by strange emotions. Shall we
60 forward? Yes! We must reach wa
ter. We are dying of thirst, and impelled
by this we spur onward.
'We had ridden only few PAGES fur
Their. when the hunters uttered sudden
and simultaneous cry! A new Object
an object of terror-was before us! A
long the mountain foot appeared string
Of dark forms. They ,cere mounted men /!
We dragged our horses to their hunch-
es-our whole line halling as one man."
Injuns was the exclamation of several.
Indians they must be, mu,tered Sc
guin-There are no others here-Indians!
No!-There never were such as them.
See! they are not men! Look their huge
horses-their long guns-they are giants !
BY heaven! continued he, after moment s
pause, they are bodiless. They are Phan-
toms
There were EXPLANATIONS of terror
from the hunters behind,
Were these the inhabitants of the CITY /?
There was striking proportion in the COL
iossal size of the horses and the horsemen!
'For moment was awe struck, like
the rest. Only a moment. A sudden
memory flashed upon me. thought of
the Hartz mountains and their demons
! knew that the phenomena before us could
be no other-an optical delusion--a crea-
ton of the mirage.
i raised my hand above my head. The
foremost of the giants initiated the motion
Il put spurs to my horse and galloped
forward. So did he, as if to meet me af-
ter few springs l had passed the refrac-
ting angle and, like thought the shadowy
giant vanished into air!
The men had ridden forward after me
and having also passed the angle Of refrac-
ton saw no more of the phantom host.
The city, too, had disappeared !; but we
could trace the outlines of many singular
formation in the trap rock strata that trav-
srsed the edge of tn, valley.
the tall groves were no longer to be
seen; but low belt of green willows
rell willows could be distinguished a.
long the foot of the mountain, within the
gap. Under the foliage there was some
thing that sparkled in the sun like sheets of
silver, II pas wa'er! 1t was a branch
of the Prieto! ----
'Our horses neighed at the sight, and
shortly after we had alighted upon its