Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-07-11


ing. The steps became shorter and
| shorter, with one foot hardly clear of
the ground as it was dragged along little
more than half the usual distance. And
about three miles from the body of Fish
the younger Breedlove was found. where
he, too, had lain down to await the re-
turn OF his father from the spring
Imagine, if you can, the condition of the
father, for the tracks again showed that
ne had passed on without even turning
to look back to see what was the mat
ter with his only son.
Nearly tour miles yet lay between the
searching party and the rocky portals Of
the canon that contained the spring
| over half of this the tracks of the elder
| Breedlove led with steps comparatively
| steady, although short. Was he nerved
by the thought that on his reaching that
water depended the lives of them all,
that years might roll past before living
| soul came that way, and that there was
now no mortal help within eighty miles?
Possibly so; but one who knew the
desert so we'll must have known that the
little water he would be able to carry
back in the canteen could do no more
than revive the other two in case de-
l1r1um had not overtaken them, and that
IT it had he never could take care of
them alone, even if his own strength held
| out. And too we'll he must have known
that such care would be useless unless
the mules wer ealso taken care of, and
two were gone, he knew not where.
His steady step showed determination,
but about a mile from the base of the
mountain he had begun to stumble.
There was no dragging of the feet as
with the other two, but he seemed to
stumble from his efforts to force his feet
along.
About a quarter of a mile from the
hill he had begun to fall, and the mark
| of the canteen on the ground showed
that it had fallen from his hand. There
he had risen without very much diff
Guilty; but in less than hundred yards
had fallen again, and signs of his feet
slipping began to appear, while the fine
dust showed that he had fallen more
than once in the effort to rise. Yet he
had risen and gone on nearly another
hundred yards and fallen again, then
again struggled on, until at last he was
found, face downward, in the midst of
the tracks of long series of desperate
struggles to get up.
Incredible as it lAa9ay senior this
must read like meS6drama to one who
knows nothing of these vast, lonely
plains, blazing with terrific heat-he was
only two hundred yards from the Ter
that he knew must be there. Al the
water lay the body of one of the mules,
with the strong girth of the Mexican
saddle burst by the swelling of the body.
1t must have died right there from over
drinking. Otherwise it would have
wandered away in search of food after
drinking. The other two mules were
never found, and must have died far out
upon the plain
All this was the result of overcorh-
dence, for trip on the desert is perfect
ly safe for persons properly equipped,
and it is even pleasant to stranger,
since it abounds in many and varied
charms of landscape. Another barrel of
water would have made the Breedlove
party safe. If, travelling on the desert,
you reach place at night, expecting to
find water and do not find it, the only
safety is in turning back that very night
and returning to the last water, unless
you have enough on hand to last two
days.
For if the night is passed without
water and the attempt made to make
another days journey without it, and
the fiery sun strikes the party for few
hours, the chances are that the next
camping place will be like that of the
Breedloves. A good rover of the desert
will return and give UP the trip rather
than risk it.
Many man has wandered away from
a well-equipped party and been rescued
before it was too late. From these 1t has
been learned that delirium may set IN
within four hours after drinking a quart
of water, swelling of the tongue begin
ming sooner than that From this it is
probable that there is little or no suffer-
ing after the victim lies down, although
death may not occur for two or three
days.
like the desert Indians, who drink very
little water and are never lost, can go
ar least two DAYS without danger, and
one whole day without inconvenience, It
is plain that there are two kinds OF
thirst-moutt1 thirst and blood thirst.
Mouth thirst is a mere habit that
grows with indulgence 1t represents no
| r,acacc;+y srch as Is indicated when the
blood gets short of the water required
to do its work One may drink quart
evaporated in less time from the pores.
Bv abandoning this habit entirely
there is no suffering except for few
days. The blood retains enough to 90
its work for long time, and unless one
| every fifteen minutes, and 1T VIII all be
is working very hard one need drink no
more than at home i'll winter. But one
n GREET 0I1antltV is at