The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1876-07-29

The Adventures. Of a Scouting
Party - Cavalry Attack on
Crickets-Crops I'm the Valley
Contracts Awarded.

tnat WAS less dInlcted than usual
with the 'cacDthes scribendi' that pre-
vented me from writing to you for
some time past; kat this place has been
80 dull and so little stirring that, like
one of Dickens characters in Little
Dorrit," devote my leisure moments
to writing obituary notices in which
invariably figured as victim to the saw
age Sioux, after performing prodigous
heroic actions an an unprecedented
manner. kave iast returned from
TRp TO THREE FORKS.
vas cite Of q party Of thirteen who
started from Camp on the 2lst under
command of Lieutenant C. G. Norton,
First Cavalry. We Travelled the old
Silver City road, and, barring the rainy
nights, had very good time. You
can possibly form no adequate idea
Of the utter dissolution that prevails all
through the country we Travelled over.
Not human being greeted our sight,
and the only living things we came
acr9ss were cattle, mosquitoes, gnsts,
aud antelope, the latter being so Wild
that we did not get over meal for the
com2and. Cattle We're plentiful, and
look well. tue grass is abundant every
place but on the desert between
Antelope Springs end Antelope Greek
The road is In very good order all the
way to Three Forks; but its course has
6een considerably altered at the river
since last fail. 1t now takes turn to
the left, and, abandoning the old upper
crossing, goes along the left bank Of
the river for about 500 yards, turns
sharply TO the right. aud, after cross
ing by good ford where the water is
about two feet in depth, follows the
course of the river all along to the old
station at the Three Forks, and leaves
. the old road over the mountain to its
right. By choosing this line the con-
tractor, no doubt, avoided great deal
OF grading; but ut high water, even if
the river were brldgsd, this new road
would be impracticable. We took Il
barrel along, aud, arriving at the Three
FORKS, quickly initiated fish picking.
We got salmon and mountain trout
without any further trouble than pro
curing crickets and batting with them.
After six or eight hours fishing We re-
tired to our beds, not to sleep. but to
be tormented by swarms of white guats;
say literally swarHs. They formed
temporary nests in your eyes, nose,
barr. ears. aud in fact. every portion of
your body that mad the misfortune to
to be exposed. AS for the horses, they
formed for the gnats bloody bonanza.
III the language of play bills, seldom
equalled; never surpassed.
THE MOST MELANCHOLY SIGHT
On the whole trip, and one that awoke
IN my mind saddenipg reflections on
the mntability of human stfairs was IA
deserted bar.room. The bar, dice
box, and an empty beer bottle were all
that remained. The partitions were
covered with mementoes of departed
guests, bearing testimony to the kind
reception they had met with during
their temporary sojourn at the hotel,
(bless the mark) and giving warning
to others to beware of rattlesuakes.
About fifteen miles from McDermit We
found
A DESERTED WAGON,
Front wheels gone. but still containing
the following: A German coneertina,
wheezy, dumb, and decreped; rusty
rifle minus the lock; counterpart
like Joseph's surtout, made up of many
colors; a Tame Hymn Book" and
series of McGnffy's school books, these
were inextricably mixed with ladies
garments Of every description. but na-
i've modesty prevented my taking any
further notice when the latter came
into view. We left everything as il
laid for the first Pah Ute that should
come along,I am afraid | have made
N,,tl