St. Paul daily globe., 1893-06-11
TREACHERous ALKALI SPOTS
Prairie Quagmires That Lurk Be-
meath a Seemingly Firm Sur

meath a Seemingly Firm Sur
face.
New York Sun.
What are known as alkali spots upon
the Western plains" said the Gothamte
who had herded cattle for some seasons
in the Northwest, 'are whitisr places
on the prairie, sometimes covering many
acres. Here the alkali has eXuded
from the soil. and has the appear
ance of lime Sprinkled over the sur
face. This appearance is most noticeable
where the soil is damp. Some Of these
places ale of marShy character, and
some Of them, though this is rare, are
yerltable QuagmlreS, as deluslye ana
dangerous as the quicksandS OF the
Platte. they can be described only as
a network of swamp holes separated by
narrow strips of firm soil, the entire
surface appearing the same and equally
firm. A spongy soil or crust Of varying
thickness covers the holes. and one
might never suspect their existence
until, breaking through, he sinks rapid
ly into a muShy, clinging, ineXtricable
mre.
"Herding cattle in Wyoming, my
closest companion for months had been
young man, "a years OF age, a hand
some fellow, with classic features, a
we'll nodded figure, good rider, and
crack shot. The rougher boys often
twitted him about his fair, shapely
hands and his care for them, for when
on duty he always wore heavy buckskin
gloves. HO was reticent and said little
about his past life, but expressions he
dropped and his knowledge of college
sports convinced me he was college
from N
habitation, in the open air we slept be-
tween the same blankets or watched
the herd while commaning with our
thoughts and talking to the stars,
which seemed so much nearer and
brighter than Ill the far away Eastern
home.
1T came about that one day after a
roundup thirty head of cattle were
missing from the herd. There was
suspicion that they had been stolen by
ruStlerS. but they might have wandered
beyond the usual limits of the range; so
the next morning my companion and
were instructed by the superintendent
to 20 in search OF them. We had ridden
forty miles since the break of day, find
ing no trace of the lost cattle, and late
in the afternoon had decided to return.
In short time we saw in front of us an
started to cross it my companion was
several hundred yards to my right and
a short distance ahead of me. In few
moments ] heard an exclamation from
him, and looking uD saw his horse sink
ing into quagmife. Riding rapidly
toward him, L felt the surface Waver
beneath me, and knew that the next
moment l myself might be engulfed.
There was but one thing to do. asked
him if his feet were free from the STIR
rupS, and he called back that they were.
| told him to clasp his hands above his
head, and he did so; | mentally meas
ured the distance with sinking sense
of horror and doubt. 1t was a supreme
moment; my lariat described the circle
above my head, then cut the air. hoy-
cred over him for an instant, descended
gracefully and tightened around his
chest. 1t had covered the distance with
not an inch to spare. | literally dragged
him from his horse to solid ground and
safety. He had locked his hands be-
hind his head, his buckskln gloves. pro-
tecting them, and they saved his head
and face, SO that he brought up with
only a few bruises.
at was useless to think of eXtricating
the horse, which had sunk into the mire
until nothing but his head and neck
were above the surface, and as we
started off he turned mis- head toward us
with eyes so sad and whinny so
mournful it was almost human. l could
not stand it, and, drawing my Colts.
AIMED and fired. His head dropped for
ward Poor Pete was saved from hor-
rible lingering death, and the most pop
ular broncho in the camp was no more.
Now came new discovery. The
alkall spot was of oblong shape, and as
we rode round it to avoid another at
tempt at crossing, within a space Of
about five acres, we'll towards the sur
face, we counted twenty pairs of horns
just above the surface, as it they were
growing out Of the ground We were
satisfied that we had fathomed the mys-
terry of the lost cattle. They had at
tempted to cross the place and had sunk
into the swamp holes. In their strug
giles to release themselves they had nat
urally kept their heads up as long as
possible. and death oyertaking them
when the mire reached their mouths
and nostrils. they remained in that po-
sition with only their horns above the
surface. The others of the missing cat
tie had no doubt shared the same fate,
but striking a softer and deeper mire
had disappeared entirely below the sur
face"