Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-10

--lIS chasmS ragged rG-
IS ~ vines and rocky hill
sides. Far away on
the line of the west
ern horizon fringe of green against the
dusky background marks the course OF the
f'lo Grande, anc. on the east a bold, bare
mountain range. cut and furrowed IT. a
thousand seams and gashes. Overhead the
SKY is blue and without cloud, bat the
strong glare of the sun reflected by the
rocky hills and black lava beds only seems
10 intensity the horrors of the tornado, a
desolate. grewsome place. Men and ami
mais have gone mad here fighting thirst.
Ihere Is no water, no shade, no birds, no
NE. Even the grasshoppers avoid it, and
Mexican pursued to the death will turn
anu race the scalping knife of the Apache
rather than the silent horrors of the Jor-
hada only wildness and 1eSolation and
great silence, such is the Jornada 1t is
full of deceptive mirages
Deceived by Miragcs.
ohly comparatively few years ago a
party of emiSrants, with no guide and but
slightly acquainted with the country, crossed
the mountain range on the east side and
struck out boldly, with the idea of reach
ing RIO Grande river to the west 1t was
early fall. Looking out over the treacher-
groves OF trees, charming lakes and winding
streams ahead and grassy stones and YER
uint meadows, and so they Travelled on and
on. Their supply of water gave cut but on
the fourth day, just at sunset the devoted
band imagined they beautiful lake
OF water only a few miles ahead, and the
sight gave them fresh hope They pushed
on 10 reach 1t, but darkness came and no
water The party was composed OF SIX
men and one woman, wife and mother,
with one little toddler clinging to her SIX rt
ana another at the breast. Morning dawn
ed, ana as the sun poured down on the YER
dureless plain there, OH glory! but a few
miles ahead, with the trees reflected in the
water and grassy green meadows with the
waters tapping and curling on the beach
there apparently was the lake. The Door
emigrants went almost wild at the sight.
but the dumb oxen at the wagons weak
emaciated, betrayed no symptoms OF eager
ness. and this was fatal sign, for lad
there been real water within a dozen miles
they would have detected Il and been Re-
yond control. The morning hours PASSED.
nigh noon came the children cried and vor
rled ana the little boy asked his mother
again and again for water; the tongues of
men and cattle alike became tarched and
frlghtfully swollen; they staggered and
reeled over the hot, parched cruel ground
win no DEFINITE aim or purpose, and with
but one thought. one PRAYER water water
ana there still ahead now growing nearer
now receding. was the fatal mirage hold
ing before the blOod-shot eyes and Keeling
steps Of the emigrants the beautiful lake
fringed with its grove of trees The party
staggered on till late in the afternoon and
then the oxen fell and refused to rise The
men gave up in despair and wandered OFF
one by one over the stony desert reckless
speechless, with fixed staring eyes. and even
the husband deserted his wife and children
shouting back as well as his parchad ton~ue
would permit that he saw a spring and a
grove of trees ''just over yonder'' an would
bring them all some water. Another night
passed another day with its blazing hcat
the oxen all dead, but the mother and her
children, clinglnG close to each other had
craWled beneath the shade of one Of the
wagons and were still alive The stars
came out. and COYOTE. bold with hunger
sneaked up to the dead oxen for his f.ast
put the woman shook her gaunt hand and
frightened the brute away She had ro
nourishment for the baby lips still clua1 70
her breast. and the little boy with his head
on her Ian could cry no longer he Cnly
moaned They were in the jaws of the
Jornada and the terrors of the desert were
upon them.
4 Tragedy of the Desert
At 10 O'Clock the next morning, and some
miles west of the point where the mother
ana her children We're slowly dying, a cat
tie herder had urged his gaunt, wiry
bronchO up the steep sides of rocky bluff.
and sat scanning the horizon with his glass
in the faint hope that he might discover
some trace of a gang of thieving Apaches.
who had stampeded a few of his choicest
steers the day before. When the Apache
works mean trick and is apprehensive of
immediate and vigorous pursuit he always
strikes for the desert, knowing that his
trail will soon be lost on the lava beds, and
then when he feels sure that the pursuit
has been abandoned works his way back
to the protecting gorges of the mountains
The herder, with his faithful Winchester
hanging at his saddle, carefully swept the
horizon in every direction for miles and
miles around; he noted every rock and
gorge and dark ravine but saw nothing,
and. wheeling in his saddle, was giving up
the search in disgust when his attention
was attracted by some mere specks in the
sky, which appeared to be slowly circling
round and round and gradually settling
down to lower altitude Experience
sharpenS the wits of a plainsman. 1t hard
ly reeded a second Slar ce to convince him
that the SpeckS were turkey DuZZards. the
scavengers of the western plains, and he
knew. further that when Mr.. Buzzard slow
ly sails in circle and then settles toward
the ground he does so with the eX-
pectation of feaSting on some carbon THE
cursed Apaches." muttered the herder be-
tween his clinched teeth. "They have
slaughtered my steers and packed off the
meat, and now the buzzards are coming
for what's left" He worked his faithful
horse down the side of the bluff. and. once
on level ground, worked his way cautiously
toward the circlinS buZZards for a better
view. Drawing rein once more, he not only
saw the buZzards, but saw that they were
settling down near two white objects,
which his glass soon told him were the
covers of emigrant wagons. Quick as a
flash the herdcr took in the situation. He
knew that the wagons belonged to an EN-
igrant party, who had either persisted of
thirst or been slaughtered by the Apaches
He did not stop to consider the situation or
note the peril there might be in hidden
ambuscade; his instinct told him that his
services We're badly needed in the vicinity.
and he put his broncho down to q dead
run, urging HIM with voice and spur and
at the same time, affeCtondtely patting
him on the neck, as true plainsmen always
do. As he drew nearer he could distinguish
the dead cattle still fastened to the
wagons, and then his horse SHE'D at a
CHASTITY object, with CLASSY eyes upturned
to the sky. and protruding tongue and
hands ciinched in a tuft of grass in the
death agony. and then another and an
other. until all the six men men were pass
ed strung out in single file. and who had
died where they had fell. They had wan
dared at least two miles from the wagons
and death found them still looking for the
mirage lake. The herder saw it all and
took in the whole story at a glance. but
pressed on for the wagons in the hope that
some one might still he found alive. As he
came IN. with rifle cooked in readiness for
any skuiing Apache that might he lying
in wait for hun. he heard the feeble wall