The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1884-02-09
AN ARIZONA MIRAGE
Derrick Dodd In Ban Francisco WASP

Derrick Dodd In Ban Francisco Wasp. I
The beautiful mirage that was seen
last Monday by visitors to the Cliff |
House reminds me OF some of the aston |
ishing Illusions produced by the mirage |
on the heated plains OF Arizona. The
most surprising deceptions are practiced
in this way upon the simple-minded trav-
eler unfamiliar with the country. He
sees before him vast lakes with wooded
shores in spots where the oldest inhabit-
ant-well, the oldest inhabitant is a
horned toad, which can live without
water, and to which the low tempera-
ture Of the shadow Of bush six inches
high would be instantly fatal. Some
times he will take his camp kettle II am
speaking of the traveller now) and start off
confidently toward clump of willows to
get drink for his mule, out of the
spring that he knows he will find there.
The mule watches him with peculiarly
tolerant smile for the first two or three
hou,s of his journey, then unbuttons his
harness, or hangs its pack saddle on a
gopher hole and goes into camp; for it
knows the willows are bunch of weeds
over in New Mexico, and That by the
time he has chased them out of the ter.
ritory and abandoned the pursuit some.
where in Texas the Fourth of July will
be along, and there will be good deal
of hard praying to do in celebration of
American Independence. Sometimes the
mirage causes two ranges of inaccessible
mountains to grow where but one ant
hill grew before; and then again it amuses
itself by bringing San Francisco to the
San Carlos Agency, piles the New Jeru.
salem on top of it and populates the com.
bination with flying elephants measuring
sixteen miles from tip to tip. There's
no end to the surprise parties engineered
by the mirage in Arizona; that territory
is one of the best circus routes In the
country, but l guess assisted at the
boss exhibition in 1874.
had been sent out by the government
to shoot ducks for the Smithsonian in.
stitution, and expected to do little bus.
iness on my own account, in seals and
walri chats the plural of walrus) for the
Alaska Commercial Company. I was q
skillful taxidermist. having probably
stuffed more ducks with bread crumbs
and garlic than any other man in Amer.
lea. In order that the ducks might not
be too much mangled was specifically
instructed to ''shoot everything in the
left eye"-the institution being already
rich enough in ducks left eyes.
One day l was riding along, about
noon, over an interminable cactus plain
when, ascending small sand ridge, saw
before me one Of the most enchanting
scenes that ever burst upon the eye of al
unmarried man. Before me spread vas
and tranquil ocean. stretching from th'
shore line at my feet to the horizon. /
was studded with magnificent islands
most of them wooded with growth o
palms whose tall, graceful trunks. eacl
topped with tuft of LEAKAGE, were accu
rately mirrored in the pellucid water
that Tapped the sleeping isles. On som
Of these islands were great cities, wit
temples, towers, domes and shining min
arets, all complete and warranted
Strange, picturesque water craft wit
glistening sails, moved lazily about i
deep water, rode at anchor in the harbo
or were moored to the wharves at an es
pense of one hundred dollars day, whic
went into corruption fund to keep tn
harbor commissioners in Office. I Wa
lost in amazement and overwhelmed
admiration. and as my companion,
young sophomore from Harvard, joine
me on the beach he broke into rapturor
exclamations Of "Thalasses! Thalasses
Not having been with Xenophon in h
famous retreat, l was unfamiliar wit
Greek, and am little hard Of hearing
that language anyhow. l remarked wit
withering scorn: "Molasses your gram
mother! That is water"
He staggered, tainted, pitched 70
ward and was drowned at my feet, pc
ishing in his pride without medical o
sistance. Just then l heard famili
whirring sound and had the happiness