Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-05-14

country. Two years later, gaunt, thin
and hollow-eyed. they drifted into the
little Mexican town of Ensenada, some
sixty miles down the coast. Their belts
were full Of gold. however, and after
resting they retitted and disappeared.
From that time nothing was heard of
them until II few days ago when they
arrived in San Diego. When they started
for the desert, IN addition to the usual
supply of provisions and necessary pros
pecting tools, they had made four can
teens of zinc, each Of siI gallons capa-
city and 80 constructed as to fit the backs
of their burros. On the back of each
burro was also iiye-gallon key. Their
way led them south from Campo TO
Iajo, somc thirty miles south OF the
Mexican line. From there they went
down the Canon de 10 Palmns, and nine
miles brought them TO the edge Of the
desert In this canon they report having
found many date palms. probably a
memeutO of the mission fathers. There
is generally good supply OF water In
the canon. and there the two men camped
for several days while resting their
mules, and with their held glasses, fixing
on some objective point In the distant
mountains by which to shape their
course. They finally decided TO steer
straight for what appeared to be a low
pass in the Cocopah range and one that
canteens and kegs were filed al the
spring two and one-hnlf miles mp the
canon, and the merit morning they started
on their journey through that yeritable
valley of death. 1heir course was south
southeast by the compass toward that
low pass, and they diyerged neither 10
the right nor TO the left. They had
hoped to make the pass, by travelling
constantly, In twenty-four hours, but
here their experience failed them. Tue
heat WIS worse than that of the
Sahara and the dryness of the atmos-
phere something of which they had not
dreamed.
They found that they could not en-
gage in conversation without their lhroats
and tongues becoming intamed. aud they
went along In silence The hot air
seemed TO shriyel their very lungs Their
canteens were constantly drawn upon,
and by the time the mountains were
reached those 1872 quarts Of water had
disappeared, though II had been used
sparngly. Suddenly the old 'borro Stun
bling along in front half paused, threw
up his head. the long ears went forward,
and lis nostrls worked cOnvulsiycly
| The pause was but for an instant. Then
| he went forward ut a pace that hurried
| his more heavily packed companions TO
maintain. He had scented water. The
| first visible sign TO fhe men was spot
| Of damp SAND under the edgc OF uue ppul
der in the bottom of the canon. A short
distance further mp little stream trek
| led over the rocks and not far above was
| a spring The supply Of water disap-
peared. however, some months afterward
| during an earthquake The nearest
| water was found three leagues nearly
| due north, the same earthquake haNlhs
| opened another spring. The cYer-preSeht
| heat was too intense for them 70 carry
| on their operations except IN tue v,rE
| MANAGED TO ret M ounce Of gold day
] The nights were but little cooler than
| the DAYS. and after the men had spent
| tho usual two hours after sundown ~
the placers they would stretch out naked
| on the sand and endeavOr TO- pass the
night in sleep Mosquitoes and etoer ~,