The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-08-10
LOST IL A moNaoLrAN DEsERr

An Eastern traveller who appears L
have possessed an admirable capabIlI
~ for being lost whenever II was DOS
slble, Tecounts his experiences In losIut
himself In q Mongolian desert. In or
der TO comprehend bis illusions 10 thI
lakes, the Antelope6, aud the nests Of
birds eggs, Il Is necessary for the read
er TO bear In mind that the Monaghan
deserts are not, strictly speaking, des.
ertS, but extensive pralrIes, void o
fertility, but numerouSly studded witt
lakes OF bracklsh water, He saws:
Il Is quite easy for o stranger 10 be
Loaf In the Mongollan desert beyond al
hope Of finding his way again, unless
soine one comes to his aid. was thu
lost In a journey between Kiachtu and
Ptkiu several years ago. The accident
was due to my own oarelessness, as
Eal been repeatedly cautioned BY my
MCngol companions not 10 risk my.
sell, under any circumstances, out d
sign' Of the road or the caravan,
used to have a tondness for pursuing
game whenever we sighted any, which
was pretty often; and as had q oouplt
.i hardy Mongol ponies, l did a greal
q. ~ OF chasing during the day, ex.
changing my ponies whenever one wa,
wearled.
one afternoon saw fine drove Of
GnlelOpes, and set out In pursuit Of
them, hoping TO secure some venIsou
for ~ upper, as l was not particularly
fond Of mutton and the native way Of
cooking II. The chase led me further
than expected; the game was shy,
and could not get near enough for q
good shot; after long pursuit gave
up. Just as l abandoned the chase the
sun was setting, and warned me that
must get back very soon, as the night
would be upon me. My notion OF The
direction | ought to 90 was not entirely
clear, as l had followed q very tortuouv
course In pursuing the antelopes. The
country was not q dead level, but q
sort OF rolling prairie, where the ridges
followed each other In regular success.
sion, like waves Of the ocean In what
sailors call ground swell.
l was not altogether certain which
way l turned when I left the road, and
l had not observed the point OF the
ridges when left It, 80 as to know
whether 10 follow or cross them, Il
was my impression, however, that
turned to the eastward and had been
moving away from the SUP; 80 turned
my pony's head In a westerly direction
and followed the ridges, which, In this
locality, ran, from east 10 west. Fee
quently I dlstnounted and adopted the
native plan. IN the hope Of seeing tents
or other objects. -
With all my efforts I could discover
nothing. Every time looked there
was the same unbroken horizon, with.
out a single object to vary the monoto-
ny. Hour after hour passed away, the
stars came out clear and distinct In the
sky, and marked of the progress Of the
night as they slowly moved from east
to west. l grew hungry and thirsty,
and l0nged most earnestly to reach the
caravan, where l might satisfy the
cravings OF my stomach. Ny pony
shared my uueRsiness, and moved i'm
patiently, now endeavOrlnR 10 60 In one
direction and now In another. Think.
Ing 1t possible that he might know the
proper route to follow better than I did.
1gaye hun free rein, but soon found
that he was as much at fault as myself.
Then fully Compensated that l was
lost In the desert.
Without compass or landmark Ia
guide me, there was no use in further
attempts TO find the caravan. l should
only exhaust my strength and that OF
my steed and very soon decided to halt
where was. Following the MonRol
custom, carried long rope attached
to my saddle bow; and with this l
managed to picket the pony where he
could Craze and satisfy bis hunger, he
did so with O will. How enVied him
his ability to eat the grass, which,
though scanty. was quite sufficient fol
his purpose. lay down and tried 10
eleep; bat sleeping was no easy matter,
First, had the consciousness Of being
lost and this Of itself was enough d
drive sleep away from any but the
most wearied eyelids. Then I was sur.
ferlug from hunger and thirst; the
night was chilly, and as had oniy nv
ordinary clothing, the cold caused me
to SILVER violently. The few snatches
OF sleep l caught were troubled with
many dreams, none OF them pleasant,
All sorts OF horrible fancies passed
through my brain; and I verify believe
that though l did not sleep half an houl
III the whole night, the incidents OF nv
dreams were enough for thousand
vpurs.
Morning came. was suffering from
hunger, and more from thirst, NV
lh.oSt was parched, my tongue was
swollen, so that It was difficult 10 move
.G,while all the time there WasA choking
sensation, as II I were ufiderRoinS
grrGugulation. How I lonRed for Watetj
Mounting my horse rode slowly alon o
The ridge towards the west, and, AFTER
proceeding several miles, discovered 4
small lake 10 my right. My horse lad
scented II earlier than ], and needed M
urging 10 reach 1t. DIsmounting, j
bent ever and drank from the edge,
which vas marked with the tracks ii
the RIlielopes aud Of numerous aquatic
birds. The water was brackish and
bitter; ont drank itwith eageruess. aE
l Wa. wiling TO run the risk OF Internal
Injury rather than endure the horrible
thigGt that was devourlug me, NV
thirst was satisfied; but the water gave
me t severe pain In my stomach, thal
soon became almost az uncomfortable AZ
the previous dryneSs. Istood for some
minutes on the shore OF the lake, and,
preparing to remount my horse, the
Birdie slipped from my hand. Moneol
ponies are generally treacherous, and
mine proved no exception 10 the rule
Finding himself free, he darted of. and
trotted back the way we had come, n
was useless for me to attempt to catch
him, and, after watching him disap-
pear, l resigned myself to my fate,
knew that search would be made
for me, and my hope now lay In some
one coming 10 the lake. Il did net re,
qulre long elaboration to determine me
TO remain In the vicinity orthe water,
AS long az l was nehr i'll could moi
perish OF thirst; and, moreover, the
Mongols, who probably knew Of The
situation OF the lake, might be attract.
ed here for water, and, II looking fol
me, would be likely to take the lake In
the way. Tying my kerchief 10 nv
rAmrod, which Liked In the pron nj
In order TO attract attention, I Law doWr
on the grass, and slept, as near "a
could estimate, for more than two
hours. ....
Seeing some Waterfowl short dis
lance away, 1 walked In their direction
and luckily found . nest among tht
reeds, close 10 the WATERS edge, Thu
six or eight eggs 1t contained were mos
valuable prizes: one swallowed raw
and the others carried 10 where lef
my gun. Gathering some OF tho dry
grass and reeds, made q FIRE, ant
roasted the eggs, which gave me {
hearty meal. The worst OF my hard
ships seemed over. had found watel