Louisiana capitolian., 1880-03-06

per6O III dis cal, II IOCC my mOCn0r
when l was baby. It has been 90
sweet to find one again! You said
henceforth your home and heart were
hers. Oh, my love, may We not share
the boon I"
LOST IN THE DESERT.
A KANSAS BoY's THRILLING ADvEN-
TURE.
One winters day lad named John
Wilson, with his father and two
neighbors, 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. It 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 shell
ter of a "skairt of timber" on the river
bank. South ward stretched the vast
rolling prairie, and there in the dis
tance, while his companions were
busy cooking and packing their
rations, John could see antelopes aud
bufaloes. He begged his father to
let him go out and have Zone more
shot"
His father finally Welded to his i'm
portunities, and seizing his gun and
ammunition he was soon out of sight
on the prairie stealing within reach of
his game. The wild creatures dis
covered him and galloped away, but
John would not give it up.
Away went the buffalOes and boy,
the latter too much excited to think
how fruitless such q race must be-.
Before long the herd left him far
behind. Stopping to take q breath and
look about him, he found that he had
utterly lost his direction. He did not
know where he was nor which way
to 60.
When night drew near the men in
camp began to wonder what had be-
come of John. His father grew wor-
ried, and his worry soon increased to
terrible anxiety. BY dark they were
on horseback 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 neighbors to come
and help him hunt through Western
Knasas for his missing son. They
joined him, and kept up the search
till more than a week was gone, but
all in vain.
Poor John-alone on the Great
American desert! The darkness
overlook him while he was trying to
guess his way back to camp. He
walked on bravely, hoping to retrace
the ground he had rum over; but
instead of approaching the river every
step only took him further away.
A cold wind rose and blew in his face
and by-and-by sleet storm came on,
and the wet froze upon his clothes
till they were stiff with ice. About
midnight he stumbled against a
clump OF bushes, and curling down
under their shelter, he fell asleep from
sheer exhaustion. In the morning he
got up and stained his eyes over the
prairie, but all looked dreary and
strange. He balanced a stick Oh end
and determined to 90 the way it fell
But there is no luck in the sign, ,and
he started off in the wrong direction
as before. He walked all that day
going he knew not whittier, to sink
down at night in another weary sleep
On the second day he crept nea,
enough to n herd of butfalOes to tirt
one shot, but missed his mark.
The third day aud the fourth were
spent in the same fruitless wandering
In all that time, since he had left his
fathers camp, he had not tasted food
but, tormented with hunger as HI
was, and with the ice still clinging tt
his clothes, the courageous boy trud
ged on, hoping to meet other hunter
or Indians-some human beings, ,whe'
ther friends or foes, he did not care
if they. would only give him some
thing to eat.
On the fifth day his strength gav'
out. He stopped on the bank Of I
little stream where some stuntet
trees grew, and managed to scrap
together some dry fuel, which he kin
died into bright fire by discharginI
his gun into it. Here he warme,
and dried himself and lay down an
went to sleep.
When lie awoke again, toward eve
ming, it was to see a big Indian stand
ing near him with q gun, and tn
hind quarters Of an antelope strappe
on his back.
"HOw ~ grunted the Indian.
"How yourself!" said John, crawl
ing to his feet.
} There was no need of more words
for the poor boys haggard and fam
ished looks told the whole story. l
} a very short time the fire was replen
: ished and some venison roasted, an
} John made a hearty meal.
The kind Indian took him to hi
camp and kept him till he was stron
again, and then showed him the wa
home. Three days afterward he m,
his father, with the party of neigl
bors, who were searching tor him.. |
, The Pointe Coupee Pelican says
!. Our negroes who were foolish enoug
to go to Kansas, have written to the
cOlOred friends to send them the mol
ey to return to POinte COupee. Th