The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-09-22
VOL. XH.-NO. 46.

swallow; tried to do SO by soaking hard
tack in horses blood, and masticate it 10
that way, but | nearly strangled in the at
tempt) and the fact that the horses were
giving out one by one, we laid down on
the open prairie and endeayored to obtain
such shelter from the fearful heat as a
woollen blanket thrown over a small mes
quit bush would afford.
This, our fourth day without water, was
dreadful. A picture Of the internal re-
gions, and the rich man begging for a drop
of water TO cool his tongue, could not have
been more fully portrayed as to his agony
than 1t was to US during that eventful day
Men gasping in death around us; horses
fallen dead to the right and left; the crazed
survivors of our men fighting each his
neighbor for the blood Of the horses as the
animals thrOats were cut. Prayers, curses,
and howls Of anguish intermingled came
to ones ears from every direction There
was rain, apparently, in the far-away dis
tance, yet never drop for US. Can you
wonder that the minds of the men, under
the circumstances, gave way, and that, in
stead Of having with US the forty rational
men who left camp with us, our party now
consisted of eighteen madmen. AS night
came on, made brief sort of speech to
the poor fellows, showing them our plan !,
which was TO drive the horses as far as we
could, killing them for their blood when
required; aud, by travelling by night and
resting by day (thus avoiding the intense
heat, endeayor to reach some of the streams
to the east of us-thus, perchance, to find
water, and also run chance of being
picked up by possible relief party from
the fort. Some Of the men understood
me, and said they would follow. At this
camp, being utterly exhausted, we aban-
doned all our rations and every unnecessa-
ry article, taking our guns and pistols, in
case we were attacked, aud also to enable
US TO kill buffaloes for their blood. Every
horse we had, but two, finally dropped
dead before we left that camp and, as
Captain Nolan and myself had lost all our
horses (my second one dropping dead here,)
we mounted pack mules, and the men fol-
lowed us on foot. We left camp at 8
O'Clock at night and travelled until about
3 the next morning, when, as we were
marching along, we came across what seem.
ed an old wagon trail. As soon as / saw
it, and had hopefully travelled it little.
way, it occurred to me where we were.
l at once made the good news known
to all, and such wild hurrahs and
firing Of guns you never heard in your life.
The captain and travelled some FIVE miles
on that blessed trail, and finally reached
Double Lake completely exhausted We
found here six Of the men of our company,
whom we had missed, and Immediately
started them out with cauteens Of water
for their suffering comrades. Our loss on
the trip was four men died from thirst;
also one citizen died; and twenty three
Government horses and four mules. at
Double Lake we came across Captain Lee,
Of our regiment, and eleven Tonkawa In
dian scouts-the relief party sent from
Fort Concho in search of us. This, |
suppose, will in measure account for the
statements in the Eastern papers (since seen
by me- that We were attacked by Indians,
and, being all nearly dead-our horses
quite so--had been massaered. The ex-
aggerated reports about us, it seems, were
circulated by some of the men left behind,
who managed to reach water first, and, be-
lieving us all dead, came into Concho and
told the stories that have since been going
over the country, and which nearly de-
prived my dear wife, at the Fort, Of her
reason.