New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-03-30
The Horrors Of Starvation.

The following, which is the eaperienca Of 8. !
miner, we clip from a recent California paper,
Two men sought distant g digging became !.
completely shut in by heavy snow, and soon
consumed all their food. The writer says:
'.On the second day of our starvation found
the carcass of a mule that had lost in the fall,
which the cayotas had nearly entirely devoured;
but on examination we found small piece of
hesh remaining on the lower thigh, which we
carefully cut off, With the hope that We could
eat 1t ourselves. But it was no 90: ii would
not s9ick. we Tired u IN every way possible,
but to no purpose. 1t was more than our stom-
achs could bear. What now to tlo we could not
tell. To get out was impossible. Death seemed
to stare Us in the face. Ny companion hseaue
so respondent that he gave up all hope and
would not leave the camp, although he was a
much larger and stronger man than myself; vet
kept up much the best But at the same time
saw little chance but to starve; vet / had a
faint hope that he would die first and then---a#
For fear he might take advantage of me, L sell !
dom let my rifle out of my hands [ kept on nv
feet all the time, although | was getting exceed
lugly weak and the snow on the river bar was
four feet deep and from six to ten feet deep on
the mountains, Now, all my fairy dreams Of
wealth and happiness when should get home.
we're turned into gloom and darkness gold Iost
its lustre. To heeom- cannibal was horrify
ing the thought Of having to starve to deaih
and become food for tue Wild beasts was intoler-
able. Gold was ofno use; i would have gladly
given all possessed for one pound of bread bur-
alas | could not get it. My heart grew faint
within me l knew full well that there was no
chance tor my men to get to me before / inuskz
starye to death, unless my companion should
die, or Il To become a murderer seemed too
heartless and treacherous; but what could /
do LIS it not better that one die than both
die Thus reasoned, and struggled against
reason, until hope was lost in despair Bat
bark an idea occurs to me. remember see
ing the track of a cayofa near the carease Of
that mule! Hope springs up; new visor is
aroused | snatehed up my rifle and started off
IN the direction OF the mule with light heart
and an eager and quick step, with a hope Of yet
escaping the dreadful calamity that seemed TO
await me. On my reaching the carease, saw
that there was cayota in the habit of coming
there; how to contrive some way to kill It was
the next thing to be done After some examir-
alton, posted myself behind a large rock. It
was now getting near dusk, and no cayota yet
sat with eager expectation, hoping the next
moment would bring some wild beast in sight.
At the irst appearance of the animal, l threw
my rifle to my face and fred, infiicting a death :
shot. Now my heart was filled with joy, and |
felt that He who created me was able to feed
me, and that it was more than just that /
should feel the sting of the lash had so much
deserved from the hand of Him who had thus
far blessed and prespered me. On my return
to camp, met my companion, who, but q mo-
ment previous, struggling in hopeless despair,
might now be seen with frightened counten-
ance, with tears of joy chasing each other down
his emaciated cheeks''