Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-07-14
DON'T TAKE A DOG.
That's the Advice of an Old Prospecter in
the Colorado Desert

j Mr.. Riley, of the Colorado desert, is
perhaps one of the most picturesque
characters of his time. He is pro-
spector by profession, wanderer by
inclination, and poet and philosopher
by nature. He is gentleman of much
queer information, and has a peculiar
knowledge OF the people inhabiting or
travelling over the waste places Of Cali
fornia and Arizona. For the past twelve
years he has lived on the Colorado and
ella deserts, and has no intention of
abandoning life which he declares IS
1ull of golden promise.
"I've had some pretty bad scares,"
said MIR. Riley aDstractedly, to the san
Francisco Chronicle man. The very
worsest scare had was IN the country
of the Navajoe Indians. | was going
along kinder slowly with my burro, and
l saw on the ant hill small stones Of a
purple color, which glittered wonder
fully bright. They're beautiful stones,
and l commenced to gather them.
dams do but come charging down on
me on horseback. Says | to myself,
Riley, your scalp will be dangling from
a waist in an hour The Indians made
me take down my pack, went through
every blessed thing | had, took my
money, and when l showed them the
small pack of stones l had gathered,
they just grabbed them and told me to
get out of their reservation rs fast as my
legs and the burro would let me. |
learned afterward that they had killed
two men a few days afore that. and |
consider myself mighty lucky to have
escaped.
81 tell you lots of chaps get done uo
in this desert. 1t is not always Indians
that does 'em up, either. | believe it's
pure fear. They just get scared, and
when man once gets real frightened
then he is goner. There amt no saw
ing him. There was fellow called Far
rell at the Paymaster mine who went
out one evening for walk. He lost his
bearings, got plumb frightened and died
within mile or so from the camp.
There was good deal of curiosity about
his disappearance till the body was
found by the buzzards. Some Mexicans
saw these birds atiying about and set
ting down now and again, and they
rell's bones, which were picked nice
and clean. Now fright just killed him.
If he had kept his wits about him do
you think be would ever have got lost
No, sir.
II also know of two men, father and
son, who died in the desert a mile and
a half from the Colorado River. Their
bodies were found few yards apart
from each other, and we could tell they
must have been crazy when they were
dying, for their nails were clean torn off
scratching for water.
Eyes, ! have had some rough times
on the desert, but l 90 pretty we'll
| heeled. It amt so much for myself
that | keer, but it is for the poor burro.
Each time you take a drink from the
canteen the burro looks ut you SO sor-
rowful-like that you feel kinder mean.
l can't see brute suffer without suffer-
ing myself, SO | always give them lit
tie in my hat. and that will keep them
contented. But if you want to have
lively time when you go a-prospecting
take green dog with you which has
never been on the desert, and that dog
will give you more trouble than any
| thing you know of.
me the dogeonest lots of worry you
can guess. The first thing he did was to
chase rabbit, when he plunged right
clean into lot of chaias. Well, didn't
them chajas stick into him? Then he
tried to bite them out and they got into
his mouth; then ne jun ped all over me,
and then rubbed up against the burro
and got his legs stuck full of them
plaguey thUrns. You bet l had time.
Here was dog, man and burro chuck
full of needles. l then had to tie him
down, and, getting two HAT stones, had
| to push the chajas out. The queer
thing about these needles is that if you
try to pick them out they sink deeper
into the skin and seem to travel under
meath. You have to press them up
| ward. and that is the only way you can
get them out.
"You may laugh as you will, but the
| chajas actually jump at you. There Is
an attraction in human flesh for the
chaja, and when it won't bother some
men it will bother others. | have
known of chaja leaving a man alone
when he passed by it.. and the next man
| EYES," said Mr.. Durbrow. "that is
fact. l have noticed men keep a good
distance from these wretched cactl, but
notwithstanding all of their precautions.
they have been stuck full of these vi
cious needles. l believe Mr.. Riley
when he says the chaja jumps at you.
The pain is exquisite. l have expert
enced great deal of trouble from
them"
"You bet it's painful continued
Riley. THAT poor mule stood on three
legs, holding up the fourth, which was
trembling all over. You'd have thought
that Internal dog had learned a lesson
by it's first acquaintance with a chaia,
but blessed if it did not the next day
go clean into another clump. After
that, whenever 1t saw bush he would
march away from it and give it the Wild
est berth possible.
.:Then dog will drink as much water
as man, and altogether he is of very
little use and great deal of trouble and
anxiety. If you ever go prospecting
never take dog"
| "Have you ever suffered much from
| thirst?"
II have. and often. I think the best
thing for a man to take on journey is
canned tomatoes. They are great things
| To nnench thirst but the trouble is the