The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-01-30
NUMBER 2.
LOST IN THE DESERT.
KANSAS BOYS THRILLING ADvEN-
TURE.

A KANSAS BOYS THRILLING ADvEN-
TURE.
One winters day lad named John
Wilson, with his father and two neigh
bors, all living at Mosquito bottom,
Kansas, started for the plains on the
Upper Arkansas to hunt buffalo. Game
was abundant. and the excitement of
the chase completely fascinated the boy.
1t was his first experience in buffalo
hunting, and he thought he would like
to follow the wild sport all the rest of
his days. When the men had killed
meat enough to load their wagons they
prepared to return, but John did not
want to go home.
The hunters camp was in the shelter
of ''skirt of timber on the rivers
bank. Southwark stretched the vast
rolling prairie. and there in the distance
while his companions were busy cooking
and packing their rations. John could
see buffalOes and antelopes feeding -
He begged his father to let him go out
and have Zone more shot.
His father finally yielded TO his i'm
portunities, and seiZing his gun and am
munition he was soon out of sight on
the prairie stealing within reach of his
game. The wild creatures diScOve red
him and galloped away, but John W ould
not give it up.
Away went buffaloes and boy. the
latter too much excited to think how
/ fruitleSS such race must be. Before
/ long the herd had left him far behind.
I Stopping to take breath and look about
1 him, he found that he had utterly lost
/ his direction. He did not know where
/ he was, nor which way to go.
When night drew near the men in
. camp began to wonder what had become
of John. His father grew worried, and
his worry soon increased to terrible anx-
/ iety. BY dark the three were on horse
/ back roaming the prairie, shouting the
boys name, whooping like Indians and
firing guns.
But they did not find him that night
nor the next day, nor the next, nor the
next. Then Mr.. Wilson sent home as
swiftly as possible and called all his old
neighboTs to come and help him hunt
through W esfeTn Kansas for his miss
ing son. They joined him, and kept VI
the search till more than a week wa.
gone, but all in vain
Poor John-aloue on the Great Amer
lean Desert The darkness overtool
him while he was trying to guess hi
way back to camp. He walked OF
bTayely, hoping to retTace the ground
he had run over; but instead of ap
preaching the river every step only tool
nim further away.
y cold wind rose and blew in his face
and by-and-by sleet storm came on
and the wet froZe upon his clothes til
they were stiff with ice. About mid
night he stumbled against q clUmp O
bushes, and, curling down under thei
shelter, he fell asleep from sheer eX
haustiOn. In the morning he got NJ
. and strained his eyes over the prairie
but all looked dreaTy and strange. Il
balanced stick on end, and determined
to go the way it fell.
But there was no luck in the sign
and he started off in the wrong direc
ton, as before. He walked all tina
, day, going he knew not whittier. to Sinl
down at night in another weary sleep
p On the second day he cTept near enOucl
, to a herd of buffaloes, to fire one shot
: but missed his mark.
The third day and the fourth weT
: spent in the same fruitless wandering
l In all that time, since he had left hi
fathers camp, he had not tasted food
but toTmented with hunger as he wa'
+, and with the ice still clinging TO h
: clothes. the courageous boy tTudged OF
u hoping to meet other hunterS-Or Ii
{ dians-sOme human beings. wheths
: friends or foes he did not care, If the
: would only give him something to eat.
On the fifth day his strength, whic
Z had held out so wonderfully, gave ou
i He stopped on the bank OF lit.
; stream where some stunted trees grew
{ and managed to scrape together son
II dry fuel. which he lindled into a brigl
= fire by discharging his gun into it.
/ Here he warmed and dried himself, al
{ law down and went to sleep.
/ When he awoke again, toward eve
/ ing, it was to see a big Indian standiT
! near him with gun. and the hi1
= quarters of an antelope strapped on }
u back
A. GLOW - grunted the Indian.
-e GLOW yourself - said John, crawliI
y to his feet.
IL There was no need Of more words,
le the poor boys haggard and famish
= looks told the whole story. In We
"a short time the fire was replenished al
ld some veuison roasted. and John made
u hearty meal.
The kind Indian .ook him to
sd camp and kept him till he was strO
again, and then showed him the W
'e home. Three days afterward he n
'd his father, with the party Of neighbo
Is who were searching for him.