The Washington times., 1904-04-24

we were clad Before that 1 had no
conception of how very dirty it is
possible for a man to become.
There was practically no fuel. AS
our horses died from cold and exposure
we used the straw with which the
pack saddles were stuffed and occasion
ally we would find patches of some
mountain herb. with thick fibrous roots.
With such makeshifts we found it
possible TO boil water for our tea and
to heat the cans OF timed meat. That
was all; there was nothing even ap-
preaching a fire about which we might
have warmed ourselves
Here Bfr Crosby stopped long enough
TO stir into renewed and CHEEKY activity
the fire of logs that blazed upon his
own hearth and TO look about the room
in which he sat with his interviewer
The. contrast must have afforded new
| enjoyment of the sweet delights OF
home.
New Guide Makes Mistake.
"Wen, we went on" he continued
after a moment where we were the
Aksia Chin was traversed by two
mountain ranges and we were making
our way down the valley, in the effort
to reach either Rudak or place on
the map called I4anak, which one of
our men had visited ONCE before This
fellow said he thought he could
recognize certain peaks that pointed
the way, and at his instance we plunged
into the labyrinth of mountains, many
of the passes 1900 feet and more above
the level Of the sea.
| Finally our new guide had to con-
fess that he had no idea where we were:
that the familiar landmarks he had
thought he remembered vanished with
our closer approach and he was at
sea.
AT that time six OF our sixteen
horses were dead and all the rest were
weakened. To add to our difficulties
Captain Anginieur was suffering dread
( fully with sciatica and could scarcely
move. 1t was. indeed. only by the most
heroic efforts that he managed to get
along at all. We threw away portion
of our belongings, everything, in fact.
we coufc possibly spare, and pressed on.
determined TO make one more effort,
as a united caravan, to reach Rudak
! or Lanal1.
When Hope Had Fled.
THE effort was in vain. for at the
end of two days we found ourselves
| IN a worse condition than ever
stopped the caravan with only bushel
OF grain left, and but TWO horses able
I to travel. We pitched our little tent.
AMI sent the two best men, with the
two horses and the busheI of grain,
in search of help. Then we sat down
to wait.
THE suspense of that waiting was ter
~,
tense, and our provisions were grad
each day can of sardines and an
other Of some Russian timed goods
we had with US. IL was never posi-
BILE to say, without opening them, what
these latter contained. / shall never
forget the CHASTITY humor that over
came me when ] opened one can and
fouHd-cabbage.
Eleven days had passed and we had
about abandoned hope. The provisions
would last only four or five days long
er, even with the greatest economy
consistent with the preservation of
life For myself / had determined tc
end it all with my revolver, and l an
convinced Angfnieur shared my inten-
ton We thought the end had come
For thirty days we had seen no human
being, save the members of our owr
party. We were almost certain the
men we had sent out had succumbeo
to cold and starvation and were dead
The Day of the Rescue.
Then came the day of our rescue
BY a mircle of good luck the men. aft
er travelling $50 miles. had found q
band of wandering Kirghiz, the no
! rnads Of Central Asia. and with some
OF this band hurried back to our as
sistance. They came with camels anc
, a sheep and other things for oG= com
, fort I never met a more kindly and
hospitable people: / never met men OF
; women / was more glad 20 see.
J well. that was the end Of our des
: perate straits. though not of our peril,
: and hardships. There were mountains
/ stiIl TO climb. some OF them more diff