The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-12-03
A PRAIRIE EXPIRATION
Rs CAPTAIN MAINE REID.
,y heavens, I am los, "'

Fly heavens. am lost
 The words came from my lips under circumstances to excuse their seeming profanity. was too much alarmed to be n a mood for blaspheming. had s,rayed @pon prairie.
 You may smile-ye who. except in the oarkness of night. have never been out of s:ghi ot trees or houses may sGofi at .ife fear confess having felt. Go to . Ne have never been Tn the midst of d ,seeless. ,rackless plain, with only the sky -irclc in sight-there alone and lost That
 s horror you have not had ; and heaven spare you the sensation. l; would drive 'airth out ef your ruind-aye. wfins a .5roan from the bottom of your breast
 That l :eaS lost no longer had doubt. on,iction had come. despite all my ef- forts to hew II. l was on prairie cx- aanse. bounded but by the canopy ot heaven. No hill. nor rock. nor tree 10 break the smooth manotony of it's sur flce. For two hours had been riding !th eyes bent upon the sky line. in hopes et seeing something to guide me. had occn going, as supposed, in a straigh, course but discovered my mistake on observing some red spots upon the grass. i knew It to be blood. and whence il came. rom the antelope, whose carcass fay upon ny horse. There had killed the animal. hacked ii across the -croup. and ridden away Eancying myself at leas, ten miles oil, saw that was back on the spot rom which had started
 How different my feelings now. had killed the creature with blow from the butt of as loaded whip-a eHa,ko after nding II down with relay of horses. It :s mode of chase peculiar to northern Mexico. On the steed bestrode-my ,ast and best-i, had led me long gallop. ! had overtaken the animal gwen i, the
 'np dc grace, and leaped down from my saddle to let out its blood. Triumpantly turned to look for my hunting conpan- lons whom l had Jeff far behind. Far behind indeed. They were out of sight. 50, too, were the hills. the rocks, ridges. and timber :. islands" in short, everything that could serve a, a landmark In prai- sie parlance was ou, of sigh, of land" For all this was not then alarmed. or not much. could ride back on my tracks: and this, after packing the prong horn. l started to do. To try, should rather say, for soon found 1t impossible. The plain was d desert table-land. with uni hard as stone, the grass shor, and Sunburnt The hoofs of a horse scarce indented 1t. even going at gallop. Be sides, the antelope in its last struggles to escape me, had doubled half dozen times. carrying through miles of eccen- ,ric zigzagging. To trace it back was be- yond mans patience. even had there been hoof.marks discernable to make this pos sible. Which there.were not. here and there only scratch, where the iron had torn up the turf, through my horse sud- denly turning.
 What hope of my comrades coming Gp, or in sight! About as much as man in mid-ocean, adrift in an oar-boat, might haze q heinz seen s-cm . ship. Srch might pass within less than five miles of him, without any one aboard sighting the crown of his hat.
 was in the middle of prairie hun dreds of miles in superficial extent. knew it to be so. had been upon i, be- fore. many times, in pursuit of band of Indians, who had made a marasd upon the frontier settlements. Commanding corps of Mounted Rifles. had pursued the savages in discharge of duty. But then was in company-at the head of my troop-with skilled trackers to guide us. Even then we had to go with eau ton, and on both occasions, to our cha grin, the redskins escaped us. Now alone, and knowing myself lost, the sem sation was altogether different After iirst packing the game. and riding away ii had been sufficiently embarrassing. It grew quite painful as passed on without sighting aught to guide me. When, after two hours wandering, came back to the same place, saw and recognized the blood drops it was appalling. Then l had the surety Of being lost Then it was made that speech savoring of pro(aoity.
 Quickly followed the questions: What am b dor Dismount and remain till morningl"
 kwas now near nightfall; about an