San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-01-09
A. DAKOTA MIRAGE.
EXPERIENCE OF A PARTY OF HUN
TIERS IN THE ARID PLAINS.

They Sec Water While CraEed with
pears-One of Their Number Loses His
Life. the Others Are Rescued.
Has the reader ever been so fortunate or
unfortunate as to witness a Dakota mirage
an eye witness, in factl
The recollections of one autumn week will
last me to my dying day. 1t was one Of
those calm, sunshiny days, and was num-
bered in company with a quartet Of sport
owing young fellows who went forth, eager
to scour the grand, boundlesS prairieS in
search of the toothsome duck or hen, ante
lope or, perhaps, stray buffalo, which are
now very scarce.
THREE DAYS WITHOUT WATER.
We started out without taking the precau-
ton OF preparing for any emergencies what
ever, as we placed explicit confidence in our
ability as good sportSmen to supply the needs
of the body. We sorely regretted not doing
SO the next day. That whole day we wan
dered aimle,sly about over the endless
prairies, and not so much as an insignificant
gopher made its appearance to fall before
our shotguns The cravings of hunger and
thirst now began to assert themselves, and in
our frenzed wanderings the truth dawned
upon us that we were LIST. Lost! Lost, in
deed, upon a scorchlng prairie that seemed to
have no outlet, no trees no water, no green
grass, and not a fowl or animal in sight.
The situation was horrible to contemplate.
Our faithful horses tongues were lolling
from their mouths, and we were so weak
from hunger that it was with great difficulty
we remained in the saddles.
Two days without water is harder on O
human being than gong without food for
week. and we saw starvation and death
gauntly staring lis in the face. How wo man
aged to drag through the hours of that awful
night | can never relate. 1t was well ON to
noon before we considered ourselves sufn-
GENTLY rested to resume the hunt for q sign
of civilization. The suns burning rays
seemed to be hotter and more relentless than
ever. We soon stopped as we were too
fatigued to proceed any farther. Simaltane-
ously it dawned upon us all that this was to
be our last day upon earth, and with a
brOtherly shake of the hand we lay prone
upon the ground awaiting the now welcome
coming of death.
Harry Hale suddenly sprung upon his feet.
grabbed his shotgun, placed the muzzle to
his brain, and would have pulled the trigger
and ended his earthly troubles but for my
timely interference
POOR HARRY'S FATE.
He then rushed to one of the horses and shot
it dead Hardly had the animal fallen before
Hale, with childish gee, pounced upon the
prostrate body, slashed its throat with his
hunting knife, and applied his mouth to the
hot, gushing blood, drinking il down with
gluttonous appetite
The sight of flowing blood nerved us to
almost desperation, and we crowded to the
yet dying horse, roughly pushed Hale aside,
and eagerly sucked the eb5ing life's blood
| believe to this day that nothing has o. o.
tested better in my life. Our existence was
prolonged now for at least a short period,
and our lips moved in grateful prayer.
A wild, maniacal shout from Hale at
tracUed my attention. Great heavensl The
mailman was mounted on one Of the horses
and tearing away. He was glancing back
and pointing ahead and screaming at the top
of his lungs: "Waterl Waterp One of us
must be left behind, One horse wns dead,
and three persons could not ride upon the
two animals, that were now very weak.
looked in the direction OF Hale. and. surs