Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-07-23
"A ROSPEC|OR'S LUCK.
X BY JAMES M'NELLIS. \

G ESEItAL years ago, u lone pros
pector was in camp with a few
Indians on the Mexican side of the
line. The Indians were of that tribe
that lives on the deserts border and
subsists on wild honey, pine nuts and
the fruit of the cactus. With what
Spanish he could command, the pros
pector was trying to gain some in
formation.
He was meeting with poor success,
not on account of his Spanish, but be-
cause of the Indians meagre knowl-
edge of a country which they had in
habited for generations. The only
information he received va advice
to keep entirely away from the des-
ert, for many MeXicans and Indians
acquainted with the surrounding
country, venturing beyond the town,
had left their bones in that sea of
sand.
But here was a man who had left
the States intending to prospect the
desert; he had %prospected the min
eral states and territories of the
union, and had been in most camps
of any consequence; he combined
hunting and trapping with prospect
ing, travelling over mountain and
valley with a pack outfit, generally
alone. The man had seen rough times
and hardships in cold and in warn
climates, though his strength or en-
durance had never been overtaXed.
He had been provided with q new out
fit at San Diego, laying in six months
provisions for the trip. The burros
were young and in good condition,
and able to stand any kind of ia
tigue.
On the morning the ~prospector
made his start, going blindly, as it
were-for the little information he
had received from the Indians was
as discouraging as it was limited;
they had hoped, up to the last minute,
to change his course, but they saw
at last that he was determined, and
they parted with him as though they
were about to bury him. They
watched him out of sight in an east
erly direction, then an old man told
them that there was n Gringo less
in the world. Then they started at
once to break camp, as they always
do after they bury a relative or
friend.
The sun had disappeared some time
and the western horizon had grown
n1,rpla 1ybap tho procnartor rearhad q
spring-the only one which was
known in the direction he had taken,
He had to leave his course a long
distance to the south to reach it,
though it brought him well out into
the desert. The water oozed out of
a small porphry cropping, and seemed
like surface water which might dry
up at any time. He was tired out.
His burros had already lain down
with their packs on. After removing
the packs and hobbling the animals.
he cooked his supper of frying-pan
bread, coffee and bacon; then he
laid down in his blankets while the
burros stood around and watched him,
There was nothing in sight for them
to eat, and they were too tired to
hunt for anything, besides their front
feetwere hobbled short. But that was
a necessity. Foot loose, by morning
they would be well out of sight in any
direction they took, and if a wind
started up, their tracks would soon
be covered with sand, and it would
1,a tp,nnccih1n 10 trana Than,
When the prospector awoke it was
daylight. He gathered a few dried
cactus leaves to make a fire, and
looked out over the rolling sand in
every direction. Nothing else could
be seen. After another meal OF bacon,
bread and coffee, he filed his gallon
canteen with water, strapped o a
forty-four Remington six-shooter,
and started out in a southeasterly
direction; not to prospect for gold,
but for water, which seemed far
mores scarce. He would turn every few
minutes to landmark his camp in the
short dry gulch, SO he would not
miss it on his return. He Travelled
in the same direction until his shadow
in the sand became twice his own
length before he turned his face
toward camp. He had seer no signs
of water. 1t was dark that night
when he reached camp with his can
teen nearly empty, and too tired to
cook. He made a meal on panoche
and Mexican cheese, and again was
soon asleep in his blankets.
The next three days saw The same
experience tried. The man went as
far as he could go and return to the
camp the same night, each day taking
o different direction, and each day
with the same result-no sign of
water. But in his travels he picked
up float quartz, which on prospect
ing with a horn spoon at camp, proved