The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-06-20
lost in DESERT
The cra1y NOTION That. sssnyed me

The Crazy NotIon r hat nyed the
Life OF a recfo Z.
he craze TO lind n Iaetsf Is q funny
thing, said the old prospects : - 81 al
WAYS had it and once. in SBr tishS Co
innibia. away nortt IT gave me q close
calf was alone wliensl got as tar
as the last settlement There Were
four Indians ana q fur. trader here.
They all advised me not TO SO into the
barFeas: but. like q good many otheFs.
l thought was wiser, than the na-
tives. and l only meant TO go Z re"
miles. There was AStting TO do but
foot il and carry your provisions anu
blankets on your back.
The country was SIS fat rs moor
and bald aud smooth jas my head, with
no land nlarts The only way could
get direction was by the sun ard stars
.yhe1, had been out for about Two
days my provisions Were nearly gone
l was going to turn back and maize a
dash for the settlement All.day long
q gray cloud had been moving up from
the west very slowly. ! suppose 1t
was coming on so slow l didn realize
what II meant TO be without the sun
to guide me There wasn't even
blade OF grass or that Cesert nor NV
ing thing nor stone sticking UP. ne
clouds kept bending over more and
more. and finally they closed down
orer me like trap.
81 shall never forget the lcuesome-
ness of that place and how -heneNer
1 stopped walking would strain and
strain my ears without hearing 4 thing
but the thump of my own heart. But
1 thought l was all right and kept on
walking toward the settlement steadi-
ly until it was nearly night. Then
saw something white q few yards OF to
one side. In one gasp the breath Went
out of me- The white thing was bit
of cracker 1 had dropped when I had
eaten my lunch
81 sat down and tried to think. l
knew it was no use tc walk that way
any farther. l began to think my
bones would whiten out there on the
barrens. but finally 1 went to sleep. In
the morning l was crazy with hunger.
I ate my last piece of hard tack. and
nearly all day 1 walked aimlessly. hop
ing to find some landmark. There was
no sleep in me that night. Whenever
I shut my eyes could see nothing but
q great fat plain with line across 1t
the straightest line you ever saw.
''Well, it was that crazy notion that
saved my life. 1t suddenly occurred
to me that 1 could draw line across
this desert When it was getting iiSEt
in the morning there were few min
utes when could see which side OF
the circle was east by the Gllmmer
through the clouds. SO worked With
INV sheathknife till had built little
pile of earth and waited for day to
come. The moment I saw the Glimmer
and had the direction ran toward the
south q hundred yards or so and punt
another pile. Then I ran hundred
yards more, sighting back across the
two piles, and built third. They
were only little piles of dirt, but they
looked like towers on the desert
Gail that day I built piles OF earth
southwark until 1 lost count, ana the
next day when l saw the Slim ner OF
morning 1 knew 1 had the right dlrec-
ton Toward night / struck q dog
track, and finally 1 sighted clunip or
trees and q group of cabins hfeu
nv revolver several times until L saw
two men on horseback coming out 70
me. Then I swung down on my hHces
and fell over flat on my face.
ut was several weeks before coI.id
close my eyes at night without sI2htiiis
along little piles of earth. y outh $
Companion