Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-25

but I SEED he uz bout rum crazy-most O
them Mexicans hafn't t fur t go t crazy
land anyhow. We KEEP a-goin' till dark,
n he'd t stop n camp. tn HOSES wuz
sufferin', but we couldn't help 'em. BY
tn time we he'd breakfast next mornin'
they wuzn't pint O water left in the
camp. We wuz sure we'd be all right In
til mornin', fer we'd see tn sun. But we
didn't see glimpse O. him. TIL clouds
wuz worse n tn day afore. Directly we
he'd another storm, ike tn first, only not
quite SO bad But we suffered lots more
from it. An hour afterward tn lieuten-
ant pulled up his horse short like n luked
round, fairly dazed-
eve waz right down T. our camp o tn
night afore. We uz goin' in circle We
w lost-lost right In big alkali plain.
18th TIL wind hot ez furnace blast ALLOW.
in alkali dust into our lungs, NO sun t
guide Us, no water n no show t find emmy,
n every body most dead. Every body
looked mighty sober. Mexican Joe jess
give one screech when he seed tn marks
o camp, n begun { cuss himself n mum
Bile his prayers Then all t. once he give
howl n set his spurs into his horses
sides n set off at gallop, Til dern fool
had gone crazy, sure enough! TIL lieu
tenant sent squad after him n they
catched him n brought him back. chat
term idgit. He wuz out q tn game. TIL
lieutenant he'd got mighty quiet n spoke
low u gentle like. He called up two or
three O. tn sergeants n talked to 'em.
Every man he'd different opinion. FL
nally we started on agin. We couldn't
git lost worse n we wuz already. n eff we
KEEP agoin' somethin' might come Nv it.
We KEEP agoin' all day, resting frequent,
but we didn't get no whar. No sun yet.
Every body was a sufferin' terrible. TIL
bosses wuz as bad. They couldn't go out
Our lips wuz cracked n bleedin'. Tb'
Thet uz bout like red pepper rubbed
into wound We couldn't sleep. Eft
a man did drop off he'd dream O lakes n
rivers n springs n moss covered buckets
in tn well n water all round, but he
couldn't get drop Nv it, fore it'd all run
away from him when he tried t drink,
till he'd scream In his agony n wake up
and find himself drier n thirstier n
weaker'n ever, till he'd shudder n turn
over n shet his eyes n try t fergit it all,
only t. 60 over tn whole misery agin
when he'd drop into doze.
Next mornin' three men never an
swered the bugle call. They died in tn
night, and nobody knowed it'll Lots more
O tn boys w nightly nigh tn same fix.
We started sg'in, an under a cloudy sky
still, SO it " all guesswork about where
we uz goin'. We went mighty slow; jess
crept along. BY noon every tongue uz
hangin' out n all swelled up; every eye
uz bloodshot, n every man W nearly
crazy. Tn bosses jest staggered along.
n tn boys'd hardly KEEP their saddles.
But tn middle O. tn afternoon tn lieu
tenant seemed t make up his mind some
thin'd got t be done. he called lot to-
gether n held council. Then he tux
eight men n we all give up our canteens
t them eight. We went into camp n the
eight lit out, two together, on each o tn
four sides. We watched m out O sight,
n never expected t see any more o
them When it got dark we made q
bright fire n kept 1t a-goin'. Bout
ten or 1even o'clock I heard . gun
n got upt' listen Directly heard It
ggin. Sod everybody else. We fred of
a carbine n KEEP shootin' bout every
half minute. tell, after awhile, the two
what d rode off tn way We thought uz
east come ridin' into camp, every canteen
full O. water n them n their bosses fresh
n smart ez y please They'd found
water, n 'twasn't more q six miles away
either. When they come ridin' up n
singin' out 'Waterf you'd q thought We
w all lonatics. Two more men he'd died
since we canped. n dozen more never
'xpected to git bone; but every one O
them got up a got swig Nv 9 csuteen n
Civ up all notion O dyin'. They never
wuz bigger change In men Wv course
they wuzu't only jess one fourth canteen
to each nan, but II w life in IT. yer bet.
Men cried n prayed, rough fellers like
them wuz, too. when they kuow'd they
could Git drink Half nv NJ couldn't
hev held out another day under tibet hot
sun q in tibet slkah dust. Nor tn bosses,
neither. didn't 'xpset { ever see tn SUI
rise nex1 morning.
We'll, we Jess broke camp. thet Is. al
but q squad Y stay n wal. fsr nctber six
feaers. u started fer I'll waterin' place
cur fellers lad found We got there long
fore norrtn'. and Ii two hours NJ all
right agin, though Il u Q powerful poor
waterin' place, only deep hole a
kinder pond N . soFtef rsvine- But u
wuz water, n never kncved afnre bow
much that neszt & sssrvto' hoAaAnitv.
Next mornn ali I'll rest ken 70 rS-ex-
oept th' two wha: went to4hex way from
where VIC found IA wAser-they never az
hard Nv emmy ucre We staid there half
Q day, than I'll SUI COME out all r1gat. We
took sur beArin's n lit cut. n 1ssc dark
got outside the alkah n M ~ right
Next day ne struck tn ApAckes n wiped
en- out n got back 70 the fort khout git
tin lost Ag.n- Bat my hair N white By
IT, tina IA 1na -hAAk n Ahs.Aaia -