The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-16
THE DESERTS HARVEST.
r3periences Met With in Crossing
Forty Miles OF burning sand.

cdlOuS anu 6OA5N@ VI CNtsiAf 49,
Inv marshes and alkah plains of the
Sluggish Humboldt, are all left behind.
49, desert is before US. Finding but little
-rass and no water fit to drink, we de-
9nr,ined TO cross the desert at once, be-
sore our horses became too weak to make
,ba Journey. There were but two of us
INV brother Fred and with two saddle
rorses and one packed with our provis-
;,ns and a little kit of camp fixtures.
INST at sunset we climbed a slight ele-
,-tion and before us lay the dreaded
SorIy-mile desert, Which must be crossed
Ani+bout stopping and without grass or
wafer All night we plodded along over
soid cement-llke floor, thlckly streWn
,1irh shapeless masses of black and broken
r1ek whose spectral shadows fell in grew
eome fantastic shapes across our trail.
The heat even in the night, was swelter-
ing and was rejected IN our races IKE
ne breath of an oven. We had made
tWeutv-eight miles without stopping, and
mad reached the worst and most perilouS
nart of the desert just as the stars We're
ntling and the morning sun was sending
IN IFS cleaning streamers in the east, her
aiding another day of heat and suffering.
T3oiv-lOoking wolves had been fitting
we could see the coWardly brutes where
the sky and the desert seemed to come
together, sittingfon their launches in bold
relief watching US as we tramped slowly
and YEARLY along. Twelve miles of loose,
%i Dot sand must yet be crossed before we
reached the river and the grass, Our poor
horses were reeling along almost famish-
ed pleading in dumb silence for water and
something to eat Our road was no long
er solid; we were on VeritaDle sea of
hot. glistening sand, so light and ashy that
we sank to our ankles every step, while
our horses struggled along, Tainly trying
TO find a solid footing. Not a breath of
air was stirring; not tree, a shrub, a
blade of grass or a drop of water could
bo The great NagAN to blaze
as it climbed SLOWLY into the brassy sky,
betokening terrible day for such as had
started with slower teams than ours. We
had passed m4ny such during the night,
but had left all behind.
On this s'Ia of sand, on which we were
now enter lng, is where the most OF the
suffering and the greatest loss occur,
and Col pity the poor fellows who reach
It after the middle of the day. Sand,
lgha ashy sand, as far as the weary
ey IS can see, still hot and crawling from
Yesterdays pitiless sun. We had seen
much wreckage and dead stock before
arriving here, but now we began to see
ghe desert at it's worst. The outlines Of
our trail were no longer marked with
shadowy rocks. but with wreckage of
dismantled wagons, abandoned tents, all
manner OF camp equlpage, and the car
ther trouble in keeping the trail; our
route was all too plainly marked. 1t was
as though a caravan had been smitten
by deadly simeon, and all had persisted
As we urged forward our painting horses
the sight winch met our aching eyes was
one never to be forgotten. Above us car
rion birds were circling high in the faint
ed air; arond US blistering sand. The
only landmarks were abandoned wagons
and dead animals as far as we could see
westward, and for rods on either SIDE
the hot sand was thickly StreWn with
carcasses like a Veritable stream of de-
sruction, widening and narrowing, but
4tVrrnu . FNaFtg
nerd of cattle, scattering over acres of
sand all dead and abandoned. Here a
single span of horses, or single yoke OF
oxen with yoke or harness on. Here a
team of six or eight horses or mules had
fallen together. Here were oxen with
their Jokes still on, FIVE, six, or eight
yoke with the end of a stout wagon
tongue still in the yoke ring of the wheel
err, while the forward teams We're still
in line, with chains between. Here a
Young calf and its furnishing mother had
lain down and died together. Some were
barely dead perhaps had dropped but yes
Nerday Others, shrunken and shriveled,
told plainly the suffering of earlier years;
an had fallen and died of consuming
thirst. Some perculiar element in the des-
ert ar had preserved them. Some were
mutilated by wolves and Vultures, but
with no indication of decay. Here was
three years harvest of the desert since
the great hegira for gold began. We
could step from carcass to carcass for
many rods continuously. AS the August
NuI NAllllDtu ulSHtI lilb SldS lldlL ar De-
came more sitting, admonishing us that
10 Hnger here meant the addition of three
more faithful horses to this graveyard
OF the desert from which many thousands
mad escaped, while other thousands had
pulully persisted almost in sight of the
little river, whose slkirting of trees could
now be seen, while miles of dreary sand
must yet be crossed before the shade, the
water, the grass, and welcome rest could
be reached.
Pathetic illustrations of dumb and pitt
aDle helplessness were now visible all
around us. Here was poor horse prone
Yl ms Slue, Just able to raise his head and
look Wlsttully at us. Here is a herd of
eatIe, horses, and mules, just abandoned,
slandln' with dropping heads and quiv-
tIihg limbs, while their anxious eyes are
piea4lig with dumb eloquence for water.
shaA never forget one brave old OK,
PoOI, Dut still substantial His yoke had
been taken off and his mate was dead. but
enS grand old fellow, seeming to get
scgghl OF the precious water, now but two
~, ,vlIS away, had struggled along alone,
std' III complete helpiessneSS, he had
e,Uppeu ana stood trembling as with an
ssue, The hair on his neck was worn to
en it sA in by the yoke, which he had patti
~. ~ Dorne Tor l,J0Q mics. One pail of
water would have saved him, and ouenched
ndler would have saved him and
HItgrehed the awful fire of his consuming
mist and he might have reached the
~ H. Foor, brave old fellow, abandoned
H. ~ 4ie. Nobody was now in sight. but
Ied ana l. Desolation and death were
- oliIu Us, the air like the breath of
rrerudcei and here in pitlful weakness, the
TT1.'rri9t,!llcatlon of faithful service and I'M
q ani'1cu helplessness, with quivering
tb,tN dh9 leet resolutely braced stood
yar, sTahq Old OK, dying of thirst Slowly.
hesss. SStlGgNly, turning his head, he looked
in9 eonaiIlsIy after us as we were pass
III NY deepest sympathies were touch
mo-, pltled him. and with my heart al
to 6iHi my mouth, / went TO him. smoke
Worn i,r'', hndlV and gently rubbed his yoke
hiInata TX HIS pleading eyes were almost
n seer'oIL N their look of suffering He
+ ~ ''c ,,, 'C know what ! said, and tried to
4 torou6S hands with his dry and swollen
I6n9 ~ uttering with uuiVerinE, tremu-
ouito 'plcG such a gentle greeting that I
for tIOke down and cried like a child.
wa 700 was almost exhausted. 7 too
wera "ee!Sry and suffering with thirst We
gly,n nnigW sufferers, and / would have
a 'i possessed If | could have saved
but 49, tiul OK. What else couId 7 do
I stdpoJ5y MN and cry? For a few minutes
n ING sV,p, allng him gently. Then brush
his anps ny tears, / tramped along with
witL tbg"ilng eyes following me Trred
not o. "e morse, had gone on. and nnst
\ ! eo1id tdt behind. Fainter and faintct.
as nSdr that pathetic m-o-o-o-h-h-b
Catrbjrgu along TO overtake NV brother
n my noar W at last and looking harlr
4 ing uumb friend was no longer stand
ana nn,. irving TO follow me he had faiIen
a lay on W outstretched and oIiveTipe ~
n less Baths not sand, giving up the hone
W - STEM nIg - ~ ~, :,