The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1895-02-21

ter is at the source and not at the out
let or mouth. Beginning at the rise of
the stream, you find the flow quite
abundant, but it steadily diminishes
as you follow it down, until after
awhile it vanishes altogether. swal-
lowed up and absorbed by the dry
earth and sand, through which it has
Ats course. AT certain seasons, when
the snow melts in the mountains or
there is -iolent rainfall, the dry bed
becomes rushing torrent, sweeping
everything before it. cloudburst
caught some of our C. ulry when en-
camped in the dry bed of one of those
singular streams aud we had a desper-
ate scramble for life. The water, with
out any warning roar and in wave a
dozen feet high, came down with a
faint swish that none of us heard until
we were overwhelmed. We lost
couple of mules and only by the best
of fortune did several of us escape
drowning.
We were returning from three
days pursuit of a party of Apache
raiders one afternoon End were maxi
ing our way through the Mogollen
mountains, on the route to the fort,
when we entered the bed of one of
the streams such as | have described.
Men and animals were suffering from
the furnace-lille heat and from thirst,
and our two Apache guides, Pedro and
Masque. assured us that we had to fol.
low up the dry bed only short way
when we would find all the water we
needed.
No company of cavalry ever pursued
party of raiders with more energy
than we and our failure was inevita.
bic. We exchanged shots with the
Indians several times, and once were
sure we had them cornered, but it was
like attempting to corner lot of rats
in an empty barn. There were scores
of holes into which they whisked
out of sight and reach. When an
Apache war party are pressed hard
they break into couples, or, If neces.
sary, into individuals, and each takes
his own separate line of flight. Pur-
suit then becomes impossible, since
there is no organized body left to pur-
sue. The warriors, after thus battling
their foes, meet at some place miles
HiStuhN plCpdIC W REPEAT JnelT
raids at some other point.
The river bed which we were follow
ing wound through a valley, with a
varying width of from one to two or
three hundred yards. 1t was strewn
with powders and rocks, most of
which had probably been tumbled in
to their places by the resistless rush
of the stream when swollen by melt
ing snow and fierce storms. The
mountain sloped upward on either
hand ano was of the toughest and most
PERCEPTIONS nature.
We would not have taken this route
on the return (since it compelled "a de-
tour of several miles,, but for the
urgent need of water. We were ap-
palled at the prospect of the long ride
over the burning plain to the fort
under the torture of thirst, and, like
inen in such state, were willing to
take any risk for the sake of the de-
licious, soul-reviving fluid.
Sure enough, we had ridden barely
couple of miles when signs of mois-
ture showed themselves. A little further
and we struck vigorous rivulet above
where it disappeared Under large
rock Our poor animals iammed their
noses into this, crowding each other,
SO that they and the troopers were
strung along the current for number
of rods. We dropped on our faces and
drank, glad to do so beside the horses,
and to share. the precious necessity
with them We drank and drank un-
til, as our captain expressed it, we in
augurated another drought, which re-
moved tho point OF tina waters now
teR'e distance further up tha bed.