Sunday Washington globe., 1902-05-04

1t was in the heart of the desert, eighty
miles west of the Colorado River, in the
midst of the chain Of low rocky hills that
can be seen in the distance from the win
dows of passing trains, that two brothers,
Ned and Guy Smith, had an experience that
they will remember to the last day Of their
lives, and which, only for a miracle, would
have cost them their lives.
They left the Colorado River one day in
June, two years ago, with their four burros
loaded with provisions and the ever present
water kegs, intending to make three days
stay IN the desert before returning to the
river to refill their kegs. At the end of the
first day they encountered terrific sand
storm, common to that section Of the desert,
and were compelled to remain in camp till
it was over For two days the storm ragged.
while their water was getting lower and
lower in the kegs. The burros had wan
dered away during the first night of the
storm, and had probably perished and been
covered up in the shifting sand, which
makes new sand dunes in an hour: so they
were left without even the company of
those faithful friends to break the monotony.
On the morning of the third day the
storm abated in its fury, and the hardy
prOspectors started to retrace their foot
steps to the banks of the river, where water
was to be had, and where they had left
part Of their camp equipage and stock Of
provisions brought from the Needles by
rowboat The sand had so changed the
landmarks that the brothers could not tell
the directions of the compass, and awoke to
the terrible certainty that they were lost,
and lost without any water IN their can
teens. They wandered aimlessly around
till night, hoping against hope that the
kind Providence which watches over every
human being would direct their footsteps
in the way that they should travel.
They passed an uneasy night, and by
moruing their craving for water had in
creased TO torture. The second day was
PITT in much as the first had been The
pitiless sun beat down on their heads with
a heat equal to a furnace. MIirages ap.
peared in the distance, in which lakes of
water could be seen by the half. crazed men.
They followed many a mile in the direction
of the phantom lakes, and finally, at night
fall, lay down to rest till morning. Their
tongues were so swelled they we're pro-
truding, cracked and bleeding, from their
mouths Their minds wandered, and they
saw streams of running water on every
side Tables, loaded with viands fit for a
king, we're set before their troubled visions
and then disappeared as they we're about
to sup and dine.
That awful night finally came to an end.
as every night will, and the poor prospec-
tors, with hope gone, struggled to their feet
once more to begin that terrible search for
water. A lizard, frightened at the unusual
sight of man scuttled from the protection
of a rock, and ran toward another rock some
so feet away. So hot was the sand that the
little creature, used as il was to the heat,
had only run half the distance when there
was little puff of white smoke seen rising
in the air, and nothing earthly was left Of
the cremated creature. (Other prospectors
verify the statement made to me by Guy
Smith. relating to the cremation Of the
lizard and have no reason to doubt their
words .-Writer.) Other prospectors have
told me that they have held a canteen up
side down, letting the water run from it in
a stream, and that not a drop would ever
reach the ground; it would all 60 up in
steam So much for the Mojave Desert in
summer
The fourth day saw the two men still
struggling along in their endless search for
water, but almost too weak to longer drag
their feet over the burning sand There
shoes had long since worn out, and their
bleeding feet left carmine stains on the
white sand.
Late in the afternoon Of this day the two
men fancied they saw palissde fence in
the distance and staggered on toward it,
Neither could express his thoughts, save
by motions, for their tongues were in such
condition that they could not articulate a
sound. As they neared the supposed fence
they were surprised and disappointed to
hnd that instead Of long stakes driven in
the ground, each object was small pillar
of sand, some four feet high. On top of
each pillar was the track Of a camel. Years
before, when the only rainstoTm in the his
tory of the desert had fallen, there were few
camels which had been used as an expert
ment by the Government, running at large
upon the plains. One Of these animals had
walked along, pressing the moistened sand
into cement beneath its foot as deep as
the moisture extended; and when the sand.
storm sweptghe desert months afterward
the loose sand had been blown away from
the tracks, leaving the pillars sticking out
Of the sand, with the track of a camel on top
of each other.
Knowing that the camel was probably go
ing in the direction of the nearest water when
it crossed that way, the brothers concluded
~ ADlA1W inc AAhGAhl an easy Ah6k uuQEI the
circumstances. In their feeble condition
they could not 90 over a hundred steps
without sitting down to rest After going
about a mile in this manner Ned saw what
appeared to be a large bOwlder near the
camel tracks, and selected il as seat upon
which to rest After sitting on it for a few
minutes the instincts Of a prospector caused
him to wonder what the bowlder was doing
in that particular place, away from any hills
for they had long since wandered out Of
the range Of hills in which they had been
prospecting-and what its formation might
prove TO be. Getting out his little pick, an
article prospector always carries in his
belt, he began to pick at the bowlder. The
first blow broke a piece from the supposed
stone, and he took Il up to examine IT, Al
the FIRST appearance It resembled a crystal
of rock salt, and the perishing man thought