St. Paul daily globe., 1889-01-12
A Blizzard With Almost Over
powering Heat Instead Of
Benumbing Cold.
Safety at Last Found in the
Waters Of a Little
Pool.
An Experience Most Thrilling
Described in Graphic Lam
( guage.
st. Louis obe-Democrat.

tain the nOflZOn. IL grew IN DlacKneSS
as it increased in extent. Flanking col
umns. tawny and dense, rose rapidly
from left to right. A long sheet of what
at first seemed purple flame, something
like hill on fire, where the rays of the
sun touched it, leaped from the earth
and shot with the speed of race horse
acress the long eXpanse of Wind-swept
sand. 1t was raylesS curtain OF dust.
Nothing beyond it was visible. Even
the air and the heavens grew inky as
the blackening curtain lifted itself like
a wall stretching up from the ground
into the clouds before the awe-struck
eyes of the startled men. In front of
this frowning horizon quick flashes of
light shown for an instantup gigantic
spiral columns, which sprang one hum
dred feet i'll the air, as if by magic, and
then, curling into fantastic forms,
merged instantly into denser masses of
clouds. And all the while the air
Shrieked and moaned like an animal IN
pain. The clashing clouds would jar
one against another, as in some fearful
gorge in the Arctic seas the great ice
foes are hurled one upon another.
And these walls OF sand, instinct with
life and commotion, wbirled and circled
around them, coming every instant
nearer and nearer.
Back to the water hole" shouted
Foot. They turned to retrace their
steps. All around them was blackness
and sand. The wind in the rushing
clouds of dust deafened the air with its
elemental cannonade. The men were
baff1ed in their last hope. The direc-
ton of the water hole was lost. They
were at the mercy of the storm.
Don't separated" shouted Foot.
'iJon hands and stand together"
The tempest of sand burst upon them
now with intense violence. 1t sweptin
binding sheets into their faces, 1t pen-
etrated their ears and noStrilS, and
parched their lips with its burning par
ticles. Their clothing was scarcely any
defense against the subtle and penetrat-
ing dust, which cut the skin with SEN
sation like the thrust of innumerable
needles. The air was filed with Whirling
masses of gritty, powdered earth. The
ground waived in little pillows of sand.
Whichever way the hunters turned they
were met by whirlwnd against which
it was impossible to make headway, To
stand still was death. They would have
been buried alive in few minutes. Yet
how could they walk on? They We're
clearly the center of circle to which
the storm cOnverged from all directions.
1t looked as if the desert forces had con-
spired to Overwhelm and destroy them.
While FOOte was in measure familiar
with the terrible agitatiOns which at
times convulse the desert, the fearful
experience was new to his companions.
They had never before seen anything
like it. 1t shocked, alarmed and be-
Wildered them. They felt themselves
assailed by forces at once impalpable
and Irresistible. The earth, the air, the
heavens were confederated against
them. Yet they pushed back inch by
inch in what they supposed to be the
direction of the water hole. 10 reach
it meant safety. If they failed of that
haven of shelter they must inevitably
perish in the desert. And so they
toiled on through what appeared to
them ages of doubt, uncertainty and
Struggle as they would, they could not
combat the deepening currents of sand,
which, like all immense flood in the
ground, dashed on them its Sheeted
volumes of dust.
And so the hours went by. Their
throats were parched-a consuming
thirst assailed them. The dust-laden
air had choked their lungs and almost
stifled respiration. Their eyes were in
famed and almost sightless. Their feet
sank ankle deep IN the soft, shifting
sand, while abound and above them
Whirled the black, dense canopy which
baff1ed all their efforts to penetrate and
ass.
And now young Hughes, unable long
er to maintain the desperate struggle,
sank helpless upon the ground. His
frame, delicately nurtured, was not
l,t,i1f fn,
was exhausted: his parched and swollen
tongue vainly appealed for water. His
comrades had given him the last drop
of their own supplies. But Foot never
lost courage. His gigantic frame
and indomitable heart seemed to
take on new capacities for as
sistance as the situation grew more and
more menacing. The fainting form of
the exhausted boy was thrown across
his shoulder, and with this additional
burden he kept his place at the head of
the little file of hunters slowly breast
ing the storm. Every step they now
took was made against the fierce drift
that nearly lifted them from their feet.
with dust. Still they struggled on. A
few hundred yards away from the
water hole was little sand dam, which
had attracted their attention in the
early morning. They suddenly STUN
bled upon this. 1t was pure accident,
for they had long ago lost accurate
knowledge of the route they were pur-
suing. They could not tell until this
fortunate discovery was made it they
= were going in the proper direction.
But now they were suddenly
full of hope. The discovery of
the little sand dune had con-
verted them from despair to hopeful
ness. 1t would afford them at least par
tial shelter from the wavc-like drift OF
the sand; and it gave them the assur-
ance that the life-Sustaining water was
but few yards away. Pushing close
5up under the cone-like deposit they felt
"a sense of almost instantaneous relief
as the duSt-laden wind swept over them.
The terrible drift, at all events, no
longer beat i'll their faces, filling their
ears, noStrils and eyes with the grit
that pierced them as with the thrust OF
needles. Ordinarily they would have
reg arded their condition now as desper-
! ate; but it was in so many respects an
Improvement upon that OF few mo-
ments since that they felt the sanddune
to be. as it in reality was, a positive
& benefactiOn.
10 And here they rested for while, their
hearts kindling every instant with new
hope. They had only few hundred
yards more of drift and sand to fight
before reaching their haven of safety.
1t is true the air was still full of black
ness, the wind still screeched and
whirled in spiral columns of dust, the
drift still rose and beat upon their
breasts. but their hearts were lighter,
and new sense of energy and strength
vitaliZed their frames. They had only
to make one more desperate effort and
their work of redemption from terrible
peril would be complete.
Little Hughes lay upon the ground
drawing his breath in quick. painful
gasps. Every nerve was strained, every
muscle quivering. The heat and fatigue
had rendered him nearly insensible.