The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-08-15

TANTALUs OF THE Dessert.



desert of Cocopah, and who were after
ward reported as having persisted, sue
ceeded, after terrible suffering and hard
ship, IN making their way to the Lost
Horse mine. in the Pinon district
Charles T. Willard has arrived in this
city from the desert north of Indio He
was one of the party. The other mem
bers of the party were Nathan Willard,
the father of Charles; Diamond
George simonds, and the West In
dian, Leon Eugene Young Willard told
a reporter graphic tale Of his expert
ence in the desert:
'sAt Mesquite Lake we found the de-
serted cabin of Johnson, the cattlenan,
who has cattle there in the season. A
light spring wagon was standing there.
We took it, leaving our heavy wagon,
with q note explaining the situation.
We left also our seine, fodder and a
large quantity of food. The next day
we struck out for the railroad, going
due north We expected to ind water at
short intervals and took only half bar
rel with rs.
''There it was that I first noted the
mysterious movement Of the sand hills
and even mountains. We would note a
large range of hills at some point on
the horizon and look the next day to see
where it was. Often it would be in an
entirely different direction. The sand
is continually shifting, often 50 silently
and lightly as to be unseen, but surely
Just the same This, have 10 doubt. is
one reason why men get lost. Another
is the mirage, which is continually de-
ceiving a person. In every direction,
whether on level or rolling ground, we
saw little cool lakes, fringed with
palms. Sometimes we saw solid rock
hills, with trees and lakes at their feet.
Invariably there was nothing to cause
the illusion, except possibly the low
bushes that were seemingly magnified
by the rays of heat and light.
Eat noon on the day after we left
the lake our water was exhausted. Then
for 2 = days we went thirsty. 1 was
surprised to see that my father, an old
man, stood the torture better than L
Diamond George, too, seemed not to
suffer. The negro and I, though, were
greatly affected I viii describe as
closely as I can how I felt.
After the ordinary sensations of
thirst my tongue began to swell, and
the most intoleTable feeling came over
me of pain wherever anything touched
me. IF my clothes happened to rub me,
] was seized with an irresistible desire
to throw them of to the last stitch. My
father cautioned me to keep my senses,
and I argued with myself continually,
but nevertheless I would find myself
tearing my clothes off. The most intense
mental anguish, Of course, accompanied
the feelings Of physical discomfort. |
dreamed of water, thought Of water,
talked Of water, and always before mo
Ill
yards off the road or Just ahead. My
tongue swelled, filing my mouth and
feeling like a dry sponge. I could not
talk, but if [ could I would have cursed
those fresh little lakes that Knocked me.
The thought of eating filed me with
sudden disgust and ugly temper. In
spite of that, / tried to force myself to
eat something in order to allay the suf-
fering, but no sooner had 1 touched
food to my dry tongue than I flung it
away involuntarilv. To my tongue food
was as tasteIess as sawdust.
''In the evening Of the third day,
when I felt myself going mad, with OBJ
jects taking On the most grotesque shapes
and the noise of the wagon sounding as
if miles away, we saw the smoke of a
passenger train rushing across the des-
ert. Without a word father and Dia-
traps and everything out into the sand
The sand was heavy, but they urged the
horses through, and we reached the
railroad at Flowing Wells Never shall
forget the first drink of water. I was
sick for two days-out of my head, they
said
Zone Of the horses was sick. and
we had to wait at Flowing Wells nine
days. The trains whizzed by, never stop
ping, and our grub began to give out.
We had started from Mesquite Lake with
$50 pounds OF -four AT Flowing Wells
we began 20 divide it with our poor
horses At night the horses gnawed the
telegraph poles clean through and the
bottom of the wagon, where they had
licked up the flour. AS soon as possible
we started for Indio, pushing the wagon,
the horses being too weak to haul it
''At Walters Station we were over
taken by a sandstorm. We tied a wag-
on sheet to the section house and crawl
ed under. The next morning we were
under two feet of sand and had to bur
row out The horses were wading
around as if in a snowdrift. After great
tribulation we reached Indio and got
food and water and a good rest.
Il noticed many peculiar phenomena
in that region, among which were the
electric storms. have seen fash after
flash Of lightning, followed by peals of
thunder, although the sky would be
perfectly cloudless. - San Francisco
Examiner.
A Tired Baby.
Children Of Bostonian parentage are
precocious. A child Of Mr..