Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-03-12

/. moon burns pale above the hin In the
redness which the sun has left. with
me evening star set q moons breadth
above 10. as In a jewelers. design. There
u not mall these miles Of air the dim
ness tor one bead Of dew. The moon
rests unbent on It's edge before 1t moves
beneath the hill, and. clear az the sink
ing name, the little melancholy twltter
on the kailir phoenix laments the hour.
Ihat ana not the camp bugle gives the
real last post the night call OF this
bird country into which we have come"
But u IS the plaques Of dust and flies
tlal make life so unboarable From
Modder river Mr. Battersby writes:
When The first shot was fired across
the Modder the land was green IN its
way. II had az least On II a make-be.
HeNe or grass, q sparse dried untooth-
some looking heritage. which man and
beast accepted az fodder Now II Is a
pla2ing red waste Of sand. The waste
extends. the sand is Intensified as regl-
ment Is added 20 regiment battalion 70
battalion, battery 20 battery. troop TO
troop. The dust which was once a null
sance Is now little less than plague.
u Is always being stirred by the strings
or horses on tfeir way 10 watering,
which pass ana repass 10 the river al
most every hour OF the day. by the
kicking squealing droyes Of transport
mules by the long spans OF oxen. Ii
rises on the stlllest days without warn
ing, In thin twisting splrals OF yellow
sand which take their own way, beautl-
ful and abomInable, across the camp,
beiouling everything, upsetting every
thing that stands across their course,
and reaching for hundreds Of feet up
ward into the still blue sky.
DUST AS THE PLAGUE.
"But the dust evils are little more
than an amusement to our dust ridden
souls, II is the dust which comes, not
In daily spirals, but In overwhelming
clouds, that we fear. which hides. not a
tent here and there, but the entire
camp, the roof Of heaven, all vestlge OF
the world; which blinds the eyes and
brings blood TO the eyelds. nils the
mouth with lis gritty foulness, and
coats every inch OF the body with a film
OF brown; which lasts not for q few
clustering moments, but for hour after
hour OF unrelieying discomfort, during
which II Is impossible TO ride, TO write
or TO forgive ones enemies. We'll. we
shall have, please heaven, but few more
days Of II now.
After the husband but a short way
after-the ilies, Ohe used to think, az
a child, beside the lice and the blood
and the blains that the Egyptians we're
let OF rather lightly with flies. A short
stay by the Modder alters that opinion.
The tent is black with them, the Jam
pots hum under the hand that lifts
them from the table and the flies pour
out between ones fingers like black
spouts OF water, a sudden pyramid OF
them forms on every morsel OF food and
ones hand Is never at rest sweeping
them from ones face, They follow the
ink as one writes In search OF some
fresh experience. and the pen Is clogged
with their severed feet Beyond doubt
one did the Egyptians an injustice.
But with the dust and the flies
trouble does not cease. There are scor-
pions, no doubt, tarantulas. lice, and
other little things Of the kind. but these
are but incidental worries. Against
them must be set the magnificent sun
light day after day. the clear cool
nights, the plentitude OF the air."