Daily Yellowstone journal., 1885-10-25
THE DESERT TR ilN.

trail int desert region. Tie springs
reported A, Icing along the way wcrt
not, the lew existing watCr.hulrS were a !,
save unc, dried up. aud when We CAmprd
after Tagellng four nights al The & ulCT
part OF as macy days, il was where II
hrazcn Suu looked down upon parChCu
land that he'd no sign OF animal lab Ia
ton, save one gHunt anther, which mel
scouting for water found dead half =
league from the road In all tho
desolate = ain, stretching miles away
to iron bound mountain ranges On
either hand, there was 10 break
save few shriveled bushes aud the
windla,s ui Il well. few rods from the
roadside The pro. cct1r of the road had
assured our leader of lind NJ here well
OF water, pure and never failing IL now
contained perhaps ten feet of water, salt
as the sen, and imprrgualtl with some
acTid mineral element The stpk was
now too much exhausted 10 drag the
heavy wagons farther. livery dgup Of
water WAS gone from our ke=s ad Caa
teens
4 hurried council was held, aud our
one pO,si,ur plan of escape ARA lged. My
uncle Ani another young man selected
the tWr east AIDED mules iightruCd their
belts about them, and with bullets in
their mouths TO chew 10 stmu ale the
salivary g ands they started al night fall
upon the back track. in de- erale at.
tempt to drive the stock 10 water, and
bring us relief.
My father, who had some little skill as
an amateur chemist, imprOvised from the
camp e4uIpage aud utensils stll-afler
ward secoud one Fortunately we had
a par oi camp stoves, and by distilliug
the salt waller with this imperfect ap
paratus, nineteen lives were preserved
Three men aud five women sto, in
watches OF two at the still two hours at a
turn. The little campstoyes were kept
red hot, and drop, drop. drop, the price.
less water fell slowly-so frightfully
Slowly-iuto the cups. Our rations were
two teaspoOnfuls every two hours
Of course, cooking was out of the ques
ton, nor could our dry and stiflened
mouths bear even such food AS was avail.
able from the stores The rst day the
attempt was made 10 prepare coffee with
the "a water, but the experiment was
not repeated, for the reason that one Mr..
B.-the sixth woman of the parlv-had
persisted in drinking the clear, cookbook.
ing water. and she became insane almost
immediaIe'y, Her st, en- children. forlorn
Little creatures that they were. had all the
attention possible. and bore their 81 err
ings with touching patience
viii not dwell on the i've DAYS sue.
ceeding The departure of the young men.
To this day-e en- as writc-l fall into
u ner, ous chill at thought Of our eytrrm.
Ity. There WIS the baking saud, the gar
ing sky. the triumphant. M CkiGg sun the
little, lonely lamp, with its added degrees
OF heat from the glowing stoves the
feversh faces aud trembling forms.
stretched about lencalh the wagons.
where or SPOT of shade blessed the
earth The horses, tina, had been too far
sfent to dri'e back, lay dead before us.
none having strength TO drag them away,
aud srlcndid Newfoundland dog
moancd out his life in accompaniment to
tire insane wumans yells. Misery in
every moment, and agonies of suspense
for the fate Of our two gallant boys lad
they ridden safely to their succOr aud ours,
or were they lying, swollen ghastly,
| stark shapes in some lone deiile
o. tie mountain We had come throu ia ,
! 1hen-tbe nilh day the saltwater gave out
That night the "a ion was reduced one
half. tie stills being supplied by wriDg ing
semi liquid mud 10 d strHiner OF linen.
While Two ladies were tending the still
Thompson. the driver Of our famil7
trayeiilg coach, came 10 them, and will
threats compelled them 10 give up 10 him
more Than half pint of distilled water
! hey compiled, 10 avoid wa6rnng Ia co
lislOn the Two gentlemen who were 10
lake the next turn. hui one whole ration
was thus sdrri.Ced 10 one person. The
ordeal passed.
en- tue : XIII morning one of our
rescuers came in camp, bowed and stag.
gerng under the weight Of a mOnslruu:
AeXicun gourd that he had strapped upon
! his shoulders. 10 foreStall the slUw-moying
OK carts, laden with waller barrels, follow
ing farther back. TheyOung men, spurrcd
| by the thought Of loved ones dying
behind them, had pushed the stock 10
their utmost efforts. and had reached
Cienegas IN some eighteen or twenty
hours Not m0meHl had been wasted
In organizing the relief party aud here
came rumIling. groaning, creaking into
camp the great carretas, with wheels of
! solid wood and fastcnings Of rawbide
thongs, driven by swart teamslers, rough
and leroclous Of aspect who nevertheless,
wept like children at the sight of the
wretChCd wasted beings who hailed then
with black, swollen lips aud tongues al
cracked aud bleeding. They were bu
Just in time Tie insane woman and twt
Of her children appeared then dying, ant
surCl could not have lived half da
longer VI alter was doled out with du
pre- au',un, congratulations and thanks
givings Offered; q hasly but suiicien
breakfast was cooked, and all prepare
ton made for abandoning the scene of s,
much wrUtChedncss
Thea very nearly came about misera
bic mishap. Thompson, the driver be
fore mentioned-a tall lank fellow from
Missouri or Texas, | "disremember
which, to quote one Of his own odd term
had gotten. by purchase, Caiolery, u
appropr alton bottle of aguardienl
from one Of the Mexican drivers. aud be
fore any one knew OF Il, Thompson wa
uproarously bOisterously, abusiyel
drunk. The occasion was one TO wal
rant more than usual lenience, aud muc
forbearance was displayed toward III
man FINALLY, however, he came :
where the women aud children "a
awaiting the start and insolentl
ordered n lady 10 prepare fresh break
fast for him My father came TO us. au
tried to lead him away, when Thompso
sprang upon him and hurled him bacl
ward TO the very brink Of the salt wei
some fifty feet deep Thompson wa
more tnan six feet tall, my father belo'
the average height o. men. but the smallc
man held his own, and was even forcin
his antagonist away from the well. whe
, Thompson reached TO his hip and dre'