The herald., 1893-02-27
A DESERT FIGHT WITH THIRST.
A Cattle Kings Adventure on
the Colorado Waste.
His Exciting Journey From Indio to
Indian Wells.
A Fight for Life Against Hot Sands,
q Broiling Sun and a Thirst
That was Inde-
scribable.

William G. Loud of the Barbacomi
Land and Cattle company, Southern
California and Arizona, and one of the
cattle kings of the coast, is at the Russ.
says the San Francisco Examiner.
ut was ON February 10th," said Mr..
Loud, "that was at Yuma with about
1000 head of cattle, trying to swim them
over the Colorado river and get them to
new pastures in California. Part Of the
cattle and my assistants and the force
OF cowboys got over, and part we didn't.
"one OF my men, with some cowboys,
had preceded me with the part that got
over and gone ON toward Los Angeles
with them. 1, my son-in-law, Mr..
Hamm, and William johnson, my fore
man, were to take oar horses and go on
the train to Indio and then across the
country to intercept the cattle at Indian
Wells. tz
"We were told before we left Yuma
that it was only 40 or 30 miles across the
desert from Indio to Indian Wells, but
when we got to Indio the postmaster
there informed us that 1t was much
farther, and produced an old map which
he had. l looked at 1t and found indeed
that it was immeasurably farther. The
map had some section lines upon 1t, and
l made an estimate and found. that we
had been seriously deceived, and that
we could hope for no water till we got to
Indian Wells.
"There was none whatever at any way
place. However, ii appeared we could
not ROW turn back.
"At z O'Clock in the morning. there
fore, we set out, knowing that we had
no email task before US. We skirted the
edge of the rising sand bluffs away from
the Salton region and the alkali that lay
white as chalk before us. We travelled
almost due south, as that was the direc-
tion of Indian Wells, and rode as hard
as we thought we dared.
ut was fearfully hot. The sun blazed
down as it does almost constantly on the
desert. The country seemed baked.
Our horses sank in many places, in fact
almost constantly, hoof deep in the
sand, and travelling became dead drag.
We rode hard all that day, and con-
tinued riding into the night, knowing
that if we saved ourselves and our horses
we must keep moving.
"We rested while that night on the
sand and then got up and pushed on.
We rode all that day till O'Clock. I
didn't eat anything and wouldn't talk.
l thought it was best to save ourselves
up and not exert ourselves. Our horses
were by this time badly used up. They,
like us, had not had drop to drink and
had nothing to eat. Here we stopped
and made calculation. l found we
had already ridden so milss, and we
were still far out on the desert.
"We unburdened cur mule OF his pack
and threw IL off on the desert, and also
lightened ourselves OF everything we
could. My tongue grew stiff and
parched.a Still knew perfectly we'll
what ISwas about. My son.in-law, when
he saw I wouldn't eat anything, was
scared and thought was getting weak.
5'Don't you bother about me- said !;
spll get through. Only keep those
horses moving, for if we delay there
will be no help for either them or u.s.
"We then journeyed on and rode till
about 8 O'Clock at night, when we
camped and tied our horses to trees.
"That night didn't sleep but mighty
little-a beautiful moonlit night, too.
But along about 8 O'Clock fell asleep.
slept for two hours, and then woke up,
and my tongue was as hard as piece of
wood and stuck right to the roof of my
mouth. 1t was as if it was glued there,
and 1 had to put my fingers in my
mouth and detsch it, which did
gradually. 1t was the only way could
do.
'sThere was kind of dry powder on
top of my tongue, and it felt hard and
very queer.
81 was afraid to 60 to sleep after that
didn't dare to. So woke the boys
up and told them we must saddle the
horses and go on again. Then walked
down about q quarter of a mile away,
where my son-in-law and had dug a
hole in the sand the night before. There
are places on the desert where it looks
sometimes as though water might be
found. This looked that way, and we
had dug down as deep as we could and
scooped out the sand with our hands.
although we did not reach any water
did not know but some might possibly
come in during the night. When I got
there, however, found there was no
water in the hole. 1t was dry and l
went back, and we got on our horses
again and rode as hard as we could to-
ward the mountains.
II was stiff at first, but in about half
an hour felt better. The others were
feeling fairly we'll, considering the long
time we had had no water. Mr.. Hamm
ate one meal day, but Johnson, who
was always big eater, ate three.
"We dragged ourselves along wesrily
that day. Before we had travelled in a
swinging trot, but now it became diff
cult to get along. The sun came down
hot and the sands we're fred as before.
We were now in region of bluffy
rounded hills, and luckily for us the
sand did not blow.
Our tongues grew more parched and
heavy az we proceeded. My tongue was
swollen so l could not talk except in q
whisper, and the whispering I refrained
from except when / could not help it.
At about O'Clock in the afternoon in
the foothills we were gladdened by COM
ing on miry mudhole with cattle hoof
marks in which there was little water.
We knew there must be some fresh
water above, but this was good enough
for me. 1t was first rate. 1t was all l
wanted.
II got off and drank about a teacup-
much. Then threw it up. wasn't
sick, but when | opened my mouth it
just spurted outiin succeeding jets. l
couldn't hold it down and didn't care to.
felt it was relieving me, as it was.
Then somebody shouted from q little
way above to come up there and get
some fresh water. The boys had gone
on up. waited about half an hour and