The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-02-04
THE WHITE
DEATH


The White Death, senior; 1t is
therei"
wherein Tarantula valley?"
"Yes. senor." @.
What is the White Death?"
Lozo drew his lips firmly together
and again shook his head. Evidently
the White Death was something to be
silent about, as well as to fear.
rs 1t a pestilence of some Hnd?"
the American questioned
"No, senor." ...
rs it snake?"
mo, senor." ...
"a wild beast?"
"No, senor."
rs it death from poisonous gases?"
"No, senor." ..r.
'Is it death by the hand of men
banditti, for instance?"
"No. senor."
Hunger? thirst?" -...-
"No. senor."
Then what the devil is the White
Death?" E -.
The American SPOKE angrily, but
Lozo made no reply. He only drew
! his lips tighter together and looked
| more frightened. The fellow-half
savage that he was-feared he might
draw the anger of the White Death
| upon himself should he describe its
| nature.
"Queer!" the American muttered,
| greatly perplexed. Then he tried pol
icy. Coma I'll double your pay II
you'll act as guide"
| mo, senior"
Treble it."
mo, senor."
"Give you ten dollars a day-Amer-
ican gold"
! mo, senor." ..t
The American considered awhile.
! Then he said: THAT decides me; I'll
| prospect Tarantula valley and see II
l can't stack mortgage on this White
Death-and I'll go it alone"
The Mexican was a Catholic He
crossed himself and looked unhappy.
i There was no reason he shouldn't look
unhappy. He liked the American, in
! his rough way; besides the Ameri-
cans pay was good-and certain. And
now the American was going to meet
the White Death!
Having made up his mind to pros
pect Tarantula valley at any cost, the
Virginian looked about foT another
guide. than Lezo, but his labor was
| wasted. No one would accompany
him on his proposed prospecting tour,
nor explain what was meant by the
White Death.
Was it something so strange, so far
| removed from common nature, that
human speech could frame no descrip.
tion of it? Or0did the superstitious
villagers fear that they might draw
! the anger of the White Death-what.
ever it was-upon themselves should
they go into particulars?
The next day the American set out
| alone for Tarantula valley, very curl.
GUS and not at all nervous. He was
| well provisioned-oneb burro bore his
supply of food, another hiS blankets
| and mining outfit-and well armed
He didn't reason that there might be
something : lurking in the valley be-
fore him against shich his Winches-
ter would be no protection-some
Shape such as might haunt the infer
nal pool and make it more hideous
! than even a diseased poet could inn
| agine. No: he didn't reason at all.
Tarantula valley, in appearance, was
| a pleasant place, with wooded river
/ flowing through 1t and a wooded lake,
or large pool, in its center. The Amer
lean thought what paradise it would
! be in which to dream away the rest
| Of his life with One by his side who
was waiting for him in Virginia.
Yet, despite the sylvan charm of
the valley, the American grew lonely,
| for there really wasn't much society
! about. To be sure, there were the two
burros, an occasional snake, a few
| horned toads, and some buzzards; but,
| apart from these, the dumb creatures
to be seen were not at all sociable.
Not sociable, at least, like the buzz
yards. They, in one particular, were
almost as good as human society, ta-
| king, as they did, a very evident in
terest in the Americans state of
| health.
One strange thing that impressed
the Virginian were the collections of
bones scattered over the valley, and
especially about the lake. On his first
day in the vale he had lighted on one
of these collections of bones. He ex.
amined 1t. 1t looked like . little open
air cosmopolitan graveyard. Within a
circle of about 20 feet in diameter were
collected the skeleton of burro, the
skeleton I q buzzard, the skeleton of
q large wild animal of the cat tribe.
the skeleton of a cow, several skele-
tons the species of which the Ameri-
can couldn't determine, and last, but
not least, the skeleton of man.
1t was evident that some wild ami
NAL had lately rayened in that part of
the country, gathering into one feed
| ing ground the prey of month or so.
The second day he spent in the val
ley the American lighted on a second
| collection of bones. 1t was much like
the first, only the human skeleton
bleaching in the sun was that of q
woman and not man. At this the