Arizona weekly citizen., 1881-08-28

| lobul Tor lnOldu Toes luTkeu on every hand, and man who ventured thither must carry with him tried nerves, and a desperate courage, quickneSs of thought and promptness of action, iL order to | cope at all with the dangers which every where threaten him; and, therefore, this ! quietly-uttered order did its work as well among a score Of men, possessing the above qualities, as though a trumpet had suddenly been sounded iu their midst
 \ fire was built, huge, black coffee pot set tO boiling, and soon the men were engaged in di-Tatchiug a rather tough breakfast of hardtack and '.jerked.' or sUn-dTicd meat. Robert Kingsley, the youngest member of the party, straight, 1.-the and singular l y handsome, with dark hair and brows,
 while his eyes were dark-blue, rose from the ground, where he had been sitting while partaking of the primitive meal. turned the cOile-grOunds out of a Jiu- dipper, and started with it for the springs.
 "Bahr' he exclaimed, hastily ejecting the mOuthful of water with a look of disgust On his frank, bOyish face that the whole company laughed.
 "What's the matter, Kingsley" qlc..- tiOned tine guide with a grunt of amuse- ment.
 Well, if that isn't the uastiest stun [ ever tasted, Captain Benl l don't know where | ever met it's cqualr' sand the young fellow, with vry face. By Georgel if I could just lie down beside a spring that bubbled out from under the roots of an old apple-tree I know of, I would try and wash the taste of that vile, rotten liquid out of my mouth. But"
 "But,r broke in the guide, rather sar- castically, it IS about thirty miles tO another watering-place, and should ad- wise yOu, young man, tO fill yOur can teen with what you find here: for when your mouth k blistering and cracking. even that stuff will be a relief"
 With look of resignation, Kingsley set about filling his canteen; but sud denly down 1t went, as Kingsley uttered an exclamation nf ast0nishmrut and warning.
 What's up? what's the troubleg" ex- claimed the entire party, spriuging to their feet
 "A corral attacked by Indiansr' r' ex- claimed the impetuous young fellow Come on, boys, and we'll give those red hides a tanning"
 And, springing from the mound of sand, away he dashed for his horse.
 As he passed by the old scout. the lat ter caught hm by tine arm and said, sternly:
 Stop! you must not go back over that alkali desert"
 The young man stared at the scout in perfect astOnishment, and then looked at the scene at which the rest of the party were gazing. Could anything be plainer?
 The background, of tall, dark noun tains, with it's marrow opening. formed q strange contrast to the white canvas of the circle of tram wagons, which seemed but short distance on the shimIncring alkaline plains; the horde of dark riders, sitting on their horses with the flexibihtv of motion possessed only by an Indian hOrseman, the showers of arrows, the answering bars of fire and puiis Of smoke. followed by riderleSs mustangs, all, every detail outlined in perfect distinct ness, stamped with such vividuess that his second look left not doubt in Rob crt kingsley's mind, but rather con vmced him that his eyes Lad not de- ceived him.
 Not gOw he exclaimed, his brave, daring face flushing, and his eyes flash ing with scOrn of cOwardice and a reck- less delight in danger; "not gol and see white men, and helpless women and children perish, Why, you are-~
 He stopped and crims0ned visihly be- fore the stern, accusing gaze 0f thc old guide.
 Forgive me, Captain Bcn," he said, earnestly. "Your courage and bravery are beyond question. But surely t seems hard to be ordered"
 Boz said the old scout, interrupt ing inn, turn your eyes Co the west again. Those mountains seem but three miles away: Eut remember that We rode three hours steady after entering the pass on the further side of that plain You can see the flashes of those rifles, but can you hear the report? Ton can see those redskins throw up their arms and fall from their horses, but can you hear the faintest whisper of their Li- deous death-yelly'
 4 thrill crept over Robert king5ley, as well as the rest of the party, who had all heard the old hunters impressive words, and at once perceived their truth.
 "ls the plain haunted?" queried one of them, with a shiyer of superstit,ous awe, and not a jccr rose to the liIs of his practical companions.
 "No." replied the old guide, quietly, |" 1t IS not haunted. That whole thing is actually occurring, but yOu go that way, pointing westward, you are but going further from those you want to help. and only to see 1t all vanish like fog before your eyes. It is mirage"
 A mirage? Whats thatY exclaimed one of the men.
 The old hunter shook his head.
 "I don't know how 1t comes about" he said, slowly, but I know this That places and scenes, hundreds of miles away, are seen as plain as If they always belonged there on that desert of alkali, where the bones of scores are bleaching who have followed those strange air pictures until death overlook them When fairly crazy with thirst, travellers have been mOcked with clear. still lakes or rivers, that always kept beyond their reach; when they had travelled until every muscle had q separate pain, they would see towns and villages rise mp be- fore them, but they never reached them. Many a strange sight have l seen here"
 He studied the phantom panorama closely a moment, and then exclaimed:
 "Luckily, l know just where the train isl We have got to cross Twenty eight Mile Desert facing about" go through pass in yonder mountains and 1t Is right there Come on bOysl Mount, and we'll be going
 In two moments every man had swung himself into his saddle. and was dashing away across the sand plain.
 It was a dreary scene spread out be- fore the party. Sand, sand. scanti,y sprinkled with tufts of buffalo grass, with here and there a clump of sage brush, all bounded by bare, brown mOun- tains an immensity of desOlation, which in the mornings glaring light, had a wild, lonely, dreary aspect, abst- lutely disheartening.
 But the brave, eager bOrdermen gave hardly a whit of attention to glinting sand or naked mountain With the strange vision they had turned from, stamped upon their minds, with the knowledge that the salvation O, train lay in their prOmptness H. getting to the scene of action, that the balance of life and death was in their hands, no wonder that their whole souls and every sense was concentrated on a little rent in the mountains. that was SO many miles away.
 The whole party were well mounted, and the long, swift, even strides of the horses absolutely deyOured distance: but to the eager, impatient men it seemed as