Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1891-08-08
Extraordinary Fishing.

inOmas u CAIuShIi pios!uohU VI ZIG
Dowric B. 1 ?. Ccm2suy. poiaEed to 40 ar.
tioe In he San Francisco Examiner en- the
strange cvesfow OF the Colorado desers,
acd began unwindiug an explanatory gam.
"Some years age was down 10 that coun-
try looking for borax dsposits snd anything
else that promised commercial venture.
This little summer clothing weather would
have been considered sherry cobbler acd
two stIa#s 10 that oliuate, sud the water
wasn't good enough 10 mix with whisky.
We'll, OF oourse. got lost. That The proper
thing 10 DO ic that region, and didu'l wish
TO D:esk owe the rules. / left camp With
friend who pretended to knew all The est-
marks OF the suffering land, aud put OF for
a little valley where an I0dlan told Us there
were heap { s.uff ike ashes Oh the ground.
''My. friend was just plain, four round
exhibition liar. He dldn'G know enough
about that desert to keep out of coyote hole
in the broad light OF noon, aad couldn't
have found bis way II the land had been
laid eff with guide poets. His horse broke
leg ard we turned for camp. We didn't
get there. We want up and we went down.
Then we did the regulation trick of going
In circle and came back TO the dead horse.
Oar water, grub, strength, and spirits gave
out at the same time. Our tongues swelled.
90 did our feet.
"Then couple of Indians loomed up like
the SHADOW Of fe great rock In dry and
thirsty land where no water is.' They
didn'l have much to eat, but one Of them
was carrying about with him pick and
shovel. They said they could take ua back
to camp In FIVE hours. That was all very
nice, but how were we to get there? One
OF the borses was dead. Mine was beaten
out and had 10 be abandoned. We couldn't
walk and were actually dying of thirst and
exhaustion.
"Why you no catchum 6sh ?" asked one
of the Indians.
"Now, there's question to put dying
man on the Colorado desert. miles away
from water thought had lost my mind
OF the Indian had. My friend laughed a
dry blub.a.!nb through bis thick tongue.
He thought 1t was joke, and he'd laugh at
joke If the arch Gend were broiling his
soul on fork. But it was no joke to the
Iodiane Work is never a ke to them, and
| to catch fish in the middle OF the Colorado
desert means work.
"One of them took the ptck, the ether the
shovel, and selecting spot with much care
tuey UcBuu " UiR uUlo III tuo ktOuuo' IL
was just as easy for us to look oo and say
nothing ss to ask why, and eight easier
than 1t was to swear. 30 we sat stil and
blls.ered. They dug through the sand, and
then through earth packed and baked ell.
most as hard SO brick wall. Next they
struck more sand and then gravel-damp
gravel.
"They must have been down q dozen
fSet. or So when one of them grunted.
stopped. and obucked out Tapping. wig
CLING fish Yes, sir. g fish; and trout at
.hat-s true sslmo fsnteualis. Then In lees
than ten minutes they bad cup Of pure
water and another trout. Nov. that may
sound So comprehensive ss a statement OF
newspaper circulation. but it's the living
truth. knew. OF course. that trout live for
years in the wet gravel-evefy fool knows
that--but hadn't any ides that man
could 60 fishing with pic6 and shove! iu
the middle OF The Colorado deeert.
Now this overflow business explains 1t
all. There's an underground lake there and
when occasion fits II pobs up ssrenely from
below. Just like geysers which generally
have their periods OF spou.ing. And you
can wager your life that I'll bs down there
next with my Ave ounce Leonard; for.
mark my word, there'll be great trout fish,
Ing on the Colorado bottom during the
damp sDell."