The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-24
THE CYCLONES TRACK.
Where Had Been Life and Hope Wa
Only Sad Desolation.


Only Sad Desolation.
About noon a party of emigrants
reached the Red river half mile below
us. We counted twenty-six white
topped wagons, gexas-bound, and there
must have been close on to hundred
men, women and children. The Red
was over it's banks and a mile wide at
that point, and the party encamped on
the bluffs to wait for fall The
horses were turned out, fires lighted,
and the voices of the children and the
songs of the women floated up to us as
the MONDAY meal was prepared.
1t was a summers day and almost
cloudless. The grass on the bluff was
green and thick, and forty feet below
ran the flood. There was nothing to
fear-nothing to cause the slightest
anxiety. The food would subside in a
day or two and make the crossing safe
In the meantime they laughed and
were happy.
"Look therer'
On dead tree to our right sitting
side by side with folded wings and
necks outstretched, are four great vult-
ures-scavengers of plain and prairie.
Never an hour between sunrise and
sunset when you cannot see them cir
cling in the air-never days travel
when You will not hear their croak!
croak! croak! as they call each other
70 feast.
These birds have come on silent
wing. They utter no sound. There is
no movement except of their necks as
| they look down into the emigrant
camp. 1t gives one creepy feeling to
watch them. The air has brought
them no faint. There are no WORKOUT
horses waiting to die. If there was a
human being sick unto death down
there the songs and shouts would be
hushed. Have the horrible birds
Toasted and alighted up there to rest
and sleep? No! They are lean and
hungry-looking. and the vulture never
tires. Our camp is much the nearest,
but their attention is wholly occupied
with the other. They have every liv-
ing thing under their eyes. 1t is like
the silent ceaseless watch over muir
derer condemned to death.
'See.-what's that"
The emigrants have approached the
river by long and narrow valley. We
saw their wagons while they were yet
miles away. Afar off on their trail,
where sky and plain seem to meet, is
black spot, looking for moment like
bruise on the white skin of a babe.
At first hand would cover it, but as
we look it grows larger and
larger and darker and darker. 1t is
from the earth as if following an explo-
sion. 1t spreads out to take in the
width of the valley-it mounts up until
it stands like great wall against the
sky, and we watch and wonder and
tremble. About us everything is as
quiet as the grave. Down in the camp
of the emigrants a group of children
are singing. Hark!
There is land that is fairer than day.
And by faith we can see i; afar;
Our Father waits over the way"
1t is the words of the Sweet Bye
and Bye" and men and women join
with the children. l turn my eyes from
the cloud to the vultures. They still
occupy the limb-their horrible necks
are still outstretched. Back to the
cloud, which has now assumed
strange, menacing appearance. 1t
seems to be whirling round and round
for few seconds. Then, with the
rush of a cannon-ball and the resistless
force of tidal wave. it comes sweep
ing up the valley and strikes the camp.
We hear moan--wild. weird, awful
a roar-a crash. For q minute it is as
dark as midnight down there There
is breath of wind like ice. We hear
crashing and grinding on the other side
of the river.
The darkness slowly drifts away.
Where is the camp-the wagons-horses
men, women and little, singing chill
dren? The bluff is bare. There is not
living thing in sight-not the slight
est trace of what was there FIVE min
utes ago. / glance up at the tree. The
vultures are just taking wing to follow
the current of the stream They have
not waited in vain. We rush down to
the site of the camp and ask each other
if it was all dream With q power
which would have shaken the founda-
tons of a mountain-with clutch
which would have lifted the grandest
oak clear of the soil-with a rush
which would have crumbled stone
walls. the cyclone had sweep: every
thing over the bluffs into the food.
Not soul escaped Not an animal
was lef- behind. Not the fragment of
a broken vehicle-not the strap OF
harness-not even a fire-brand from
the camp fires could be found. II was
as if man had never rested on the spot
Detroit Free Press.