The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-12-26
DECEIVED BY A MIRAGE.
The Experience of a Thirsty Traveller on
. Western Desert.

who for some months past has been rid
ing an Indian pony in the northwest
partly for his health and partly. whill
prospecting for gold, has returned her,
on his way home. he says there ia d
stretch OF desert lying between the Co
lumbia river and what Is known al
Coulee City, in the Moses Coulee Of thu
Big Bend country In Washington, tina,
enormously surpasses in dreariness any
thing that he has ever before seen. Mr.,
Wickersham carried pick and pan with
him on this trip. He was also provided
with 9 roll of blanket and a lariat foa
roping his pony. His provisions consist
ed chiefly Of a piece Of bacon. some pre-
pared coffee. some flour, sugar and salt.
The culinary outfit was as light as Ii
was possible to make 1t. In this way.
with only q single 10 caliber pistol to
defend him. he moved about. camping
each night wherever he might be.
u have seen and heard a great deal
about dleary stretches Of country, " said
Mr.. -Wickersham. 81 have been on the
plains OF Colorado and Arizona, and on
the Mohave and Colorado deserts in
California. l have also been in the dry
regions about the Humboldt sink in
Nevada. They are fearful in their deco.
lation. However, I passed over a region
In the Big Bend country that is, if pos.
sible, more frightful than any Of these.
& came near furnishing there for want Of
water. my pony was completely tagged
ont, and 1t was only with the greatest
exertion that l managed finally to get
through to Coulee City. This dreary
stretch Of desert extends for q distance
OF 40 miles along Foster creek, from
the mouth Of the creek to a point near
y. on. the high tableland on the south.
Il must have been merely in derision
that the broken gulch was called a
creek. for during no year from the
time OF which the memory of man rum
was there ever any water in its bed, ex-
cept at the lower portion during fresh
cts. Into this CHASTITY region, not know.
ing that there was really nc water there,
i went on my exploring trip. Foster
creek winds by some chalk white cliffs
for several miles south of the Columbia,
and finally, when the trail made by the
Indians leaves this gorge, you traverse
an almost level stretch Of sandy desert.
On either side are great bare places, as
white as the chalky cliffs. These mark
places that are poisoned by alkali, SO
that ever il there was water nothing
could grow there. NJ:
"In traversing all this long distance
/ saw no living thing except a few
horned toads and some curious brown
birds that had no tails. What the birds
lived on I cannot tell. Aside from these
there was no bird, no animal, nothing
in the air or on the earth. The sun beat
down frightfully with a baleful glare.
It was so hot that presently / was so
] could scarcely sit on nv
horse. Riding yer this desert, one be-
comes desperate. What he GsLs been be.
comes a memory, and overcome by the
thirst and heat you feel as if You had /
been projected into a new and strange
world. In trying to reach the hamlet of
Coulee City, which is Oh q branch rail.
road from Spokane, / took the wrong
trail at a point on the desert, and, for a
time ! was lost. U.s. .... ~
1T was while / was lost on this des.
ert that I saw a beautiful. lake before
It could not have been more than q
mile away and came suddenly into view. |
/ wondered that I had not seen it be-
fore. As / rode toward it I saw that
some willows were growing on the op-
posite side of it, and to my right was
sof1e waving green grass. At the same
time a refreshing breeze swept over my
face. I thought I would soon have plen.
ty Of water, and I pushed forward as
fast as I could toward it. y
Strange to say, my pony showed no
energy. and ! was surprised at this, for
you know that q horse half famished a.
mine was can scent water ever if it ia
ten miles away. and as this was in full
sight I could not make out what the
trouble was. ! urged the pony forward
and must have ridden q mile III this
way, and still the lake drew no nearer.
! had thought that in the distance I saw
wild fowl on the lake, and my perplex.
ity was increased. Suddenly it dawned
upon me that this was no lake, but that
1t was q mirage, which in truth it was.
Then ] made all possible haste to retrace
my steps; but the pony was nearly flag.
ged out.
by dint Of great exertion I managed
to get him back over the plains, and at
last, after two days Of struggling. ]
reached q little house about five miles
from Coulee City, where a lonely rancher
had inclosed a little piece Of ground and
dug q well. There I got water, was en-.
abled to recuperate and at length pushed
on to the railroad. Talk about frightful
stretches Of country-that is the most
grewsome and weirdly fearful Of any
thing that I aver saw. I want no more
experience like the one I have just had.
Even gold would lot tempt me to 60
again into a country like that. San
Call. - {
In Memory of = Wife. II
I.have received a gift from Jerusa.
an album of real pressed flowers
the Mount Of Olives, the tomb Of
valley of the river Of Jordan.
and other sacred spots in the Holy Land,
the courtesy Of Alfred Marcus,
n memory Of his late wife, Kate Mar
,us. The album is bound in olive wood
and is one Of a limited number