San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-02-11

l
was an uninhabitahle wilderness / laid
it to excited imagination, and i knew
that poor Gilbert's bones would be
whitening under the burning sun in a
few days. 1t was impossible to help
him. could only hold on and let the
balloon drive. 1t became frightfully
cold, and found that l had also dislo-
Gated my arm.
After time became unconscious
and fell to the bottom of the car, which
was covered with ice. When recovered
consciousness l found myself in the
hands Of Mexican cattleman ON whose
ranch the balloon had descended, near Al
buquerque, New Mexico. Twas with him
for several weeks, very ill and 0delirious
most of the time. But / recovered and
returned to San Francisco, where, to my
surprise, found that all but one of the
carrier pigeons had returned before me.
| heard nothing of Eric and naturally
mourned him as dead, for no man could
exist in the region three days. 1t is a
waterless, burning, alkali desert
Nov for the strangest part of my
story:
Zone evening two weeks ago l OBJ
served a carrier pigeon, evidently
stranger, endeavOring to enter my coop,
with a message fastened to his tail in
the usual manner. l Invent up and let
him in and recognized him at once as
the bird that had failed to return. My
heart sprang up in my throat, and my
hands trembled so that | could scarcely
detach the message. 1t was written on
some kind of a small skin and read thus,
for here it is
Pierce took from his pocketbook
white parchment and unfOlded it upon
the table. The others watched him with
an intense gaze. Then holding it up to
the light he read:
III. r. Pierce, San Francisco, California:
If you are alive, help me. | am in a city of
ancient people in a canyon, latitude thirty
three degrees thirty minutes longitude thirty
two degrees thirty minutes west from Wash
ingtOn, near as can make it. There is no
way of escape. The people know of no other
world or race and believe me supernatural
but it can't last much longer. There's millions
of dollars here in solid gold. 1t will pay a re-
lief party. The population is about twenty
five hundred. | have learned the language
And written a book that will make peoples
eyes open. If this falls into the hands of any
white man, for Gods sake forward to H. r.
Pierce, San Francisco. or, if he is missing, send
help to me at once. ERIC l.. GILBERT.
"Well, that's all there is of it. | am
going to find him, and you are the kind
of men | should like to have join me in
the endeavOr. for | believe he is alive. |
believe every word of this message. |
should like to have you organize a wag-
on train and search for him while |
make the attempt in the balloon. It's
risky, l know, but I've a feeling that it
will succeed. | believe that it was the
same city that l saw as l was whirled
away that night when we struck the
cliff. As figure it, my friends, the To-
cation of this unknown city must be in
the San Francisco river region, one of
the most inaccessible places in the
United States. 1t lies north of Fort
Borie, where, I think, we might make
our start, and is bounded by the Black
river on the north, the ella range on the
west and on the east by the Rio Salarosa
and the White mountains.
"Clifton is the nearest settlement, /
believe, to this arid wilderness, and /
find that the chances for a successful
balloon search would be best if begun
in that locality. The air current seems
more steadily southwestern than other.
wise, and wish to start from there. II
is a tough country in which to travel,
from all accounts, but l think we can
overcome all difficulties, and the ventura
will pay us if successful. l want tG
make a business proposition to you
without calling for any feeling or sym.
pathy on your part at all. l will give
you each ten thousand dollars if we sue.
coed in rescuing Gilbert, and five thou.
sand if we fail after making all proper
efforts. How does it strike your"
Gale had already felt his blood stil
with the spirit of adventure and had
made up his mind long before Pierce
ceased speaking, and as he concluded
said emphatically:
II am with you, heart and soul. It's
just the kind of work / need, and be.
lieve this old gas bag here is as anxious
as am to undertake the search
The sheriff, slow minded, as most mel
of his size and kind are, was, however,
as willing as Whitley, but he was oldet
and more lethargic, more prone to sed
the difficulties, if not the dangers, than
Gale, and, too, he relished the ease and
comfort of the standardization of Evans
Gulch, preferring it to hard riding and
hard sleeping on the sunburned plains.
For him, however, the money considera'
ton was the motive power; the prize was
too gittering not to be worth an effort
such plums came in his way all too rare
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