San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-07-11

At Fort Dodge the soldiers left the
train. No halt was made there. The
captain said he thought it better to push
on, as so mach time had been lost at
Pawnee Rock.
At the fort the trail left the Arkansas
and struck across the country in a more
southwesterly direction toward the CT
marion river. Day after day the heavy
train toiled on, slowly and creakingly in
the hot sun.
1t was an agreeable advertisement in
those monotonous days-as it is in all
phases and conditions of human life-to
have pair of lovers in the company,
and the movements of the captain and
Janey were watched with eager but IN
obtrusive scrutiny. Their little side ex-
cursions on horseback, their long talks
in the twilight after the corral was
formed and the tender glances that
often passed swiftly between them We're
all noted: but these things did not solve
the mystery surrounding King and this
woman, and as yet no explanation had
been offered by the captain further than
what he said on the night he came to
their aid at Pawnee Rock-that she was
his promised wife.
The route of the trail from the point
where it touched the Cimarron was up
the stream for a considerable distance
and then due southwest to the Catholic
mission of San Miguel. 1t now lay
through more broken country. The
foothills and low lying spurs of the
mountains run out into the adjacent
country for many miles, and diversity
the plains and the alkali fields with new
and pleasing scenes. Mountain streams
running down toward the valleys of the
great rivers that feed the Father of
Waters" patches of verdure that have
held their ground against the ugly,
prickly cactus and the Spanish bayonet;
real trees once more on the high eleva-
tons and along the water courses after
the sandhills are passed, and then the
dim outlines of the mountains in the
distance-irst the Ration range to the
north, and then the Sierra Blanca, the
great, perpetually snow covered divide
appearing in the low distance like sill
very line on blue base.
Each days travel increased the alti-
tude, and the nights grew cold, but the
days were glorious. New vigor filed the
beasts as well as the men as they gained
the higher atmosphere, and all pressed
on. Up and down again, yet always as
cending. Now following the highway of
a mesa, now skirting the base of around
top, now hating to slake their travel
thirst from the sparkling arroyos, and
again and again pointing out to the ten
derfoot passengers the pinnacled cities Of
the mirage. Here and there a vista of
the plains, widening between the foot
hills. showed this miracle of light half
imbedded in and half floating over the
sand. Or, a view from some high point
that the caravan had almost uncOn-
sciOusly gained looked back over the
fat, yellow desert and discovered the
false ponds" and spectral wind blown
trees that they had seemingly passed by
without knowing it. The curious con-
fguration of the ground often made the
mountain streams appear to be flowing
up hill to meet the travellers, and then as
the trail bent sharply around upon itself
the lifelike water would slide away be-
hind rock and plunge down a preci-
pice into dark, green fringed basin or
tortuous crack of the canyon.
Hot springs boiled from one of the
mountain sides and were walled around
with the sediment. of the overflow of
ages, presenting grotesque shapes and
blue-green tints suggestive of under
earth laboratories. To step over these
long growing crusts and look for the
first time into the bubbling waters;
to feel their living motion with
the hand; to wonder whence they
had come through all the ages since
| the upheaval of the mountains let
loose their fountain heads, in whose do
minions they took their rise; what fires
warmed them; whence they gathered
their salts and their sparkle, and what
force brings them forever and forever
| upward-that was a rare sensation.
| The waters still effervesce, and their
healing warmth has not diminished a
degree, but the wilderness is gone.
When the Santa Fe train reached Las
Vegas springs they found the lodge of
several old and decrepit Indian families
who had come, as their forefathers had
for generations before them, to lave
their wounds and their worn out bodies
J To Be Continued.