The New era-leader. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1911-1912, 1911-09-01
monxrIght. 4. C. MeClurg & Co. lslol

else could follow, and the storm was
completely blotting out their trail.
1t was three o'clock before Il died
sufficiently down for them to venture
out. Even Their the air remained fun
of sand, while constantly shifting
ridges made travel diffcult. Only
grim necessity-the suffering Of the
ponies for water, and their own need
for soon reaching the habitation Of
man and acquiring food-drove them
to the early venture. They must At
tain the valley of the Salt Fork that
night, or else perish In the desert
there remained no other choice. Ty.
ing neckerchiefs over their horses
eyes, and lying nat themselves, they
succeeded in pressing slowly forward.
winding in and out among the shift
ing dunes, with only the wind to guide
them. 1t was an awful trail. the hoofS
sinking deep in drifting sand. the
struggling ponies becoming 80 ex-
hausted that their riders finally dis.
mounted, and staggered forward on
foot, leading them stumbling blindly
after. Once the negroes horse
dropped, and had to be dashed to its
feet again; once Keith's pony STUN
bled and fell on him, hurting him face
down into the sand. and he would
| have died there, lacking sufncient
strength to lift the dead weight, but
for Neb's assistance. AZ Il was he
went staggering blindly forward.
bruised, and faint from hunger and
fatigue. Neither man spoke; they had
no breath nor energy left to waste;
every ounce of strength needed 70 b
conserved for the battle against ~
ture. They were fighting for life;
fighting grimly. almost hopelsssly. and
alone.
About them night finally closed In.
black and starless, yet fortunately
with q gradual dying away Of the
storm. For an hour past they had
been struggling On, doubling their d.
rection, wondering DULY II they were
not lost and merely drifting about in
a circle. They had debated this
fercely once, the ponies standing -
jectedly, tails to the storm. Neb argu-
ing that the wind still blew from the
south, and Keith contending II had
shifted into the westward. The white
man won his way, and they staggered
on uncertain, the negro grasping the
first pony's tail to keep from being
separated from his companion. Some
instinct of the plains must have guild.
ed them, for at last they 1ragge4
themselves out from the desert, II
crunching sand under foot changing
into rock. and then 10 short brittle
! grass, at which the ponies nibbled &c
erly. The slope led gradually down.
! ward, the animals seeming water, and
struggling to break away. Suavins
in their saddles, the riders let them
go, and they never stopped until belly
deep In the stream, their noses buried.
The men shivered in their saddles.
until, at last satisfied, the ponies con-
scented to be forced back up the bank.
where they nibbled at the short tufts
of heritage. but in q manner express
sive of WEAKNESS. Keith flung him.
self on the ground, every muscle OF
his body aching. his exposed flesh still
smarting from the hail q Sand
through which they had passed.
He had not the slightest conception
as to where they were. except b
knew this must be the Salt Fork. Ut
terly confused by the maze q shifting
dunes, through whose in~tricacies they
|, had somehow found passage. the black
ness OF the night yielded no clue - t.
their point Of emergence. TAe vol
ume Of water In the stream alon<
, J suggested that in their wandering
! they must have drifted % the eaal
; ward, and come out much lower dOwI
, than had been originally Intended. .
so, then they might be almost directl,
south Of Carson City, and b . seotiol
with which he was totally unacquaint
ed. One thing was, howsvee. certail
: they would be compelled 70 wait 70
. daylight to ascertain the truth. ami
: decide upon their future movements
: There wal another barreA. sand,
stretch of desolation lying betwssl
this isolated valley and that q tn
Canadian. and their horses Woul
: never stand to be pushed forwar
!. without both rest apd food. A I
; themselves-they had eaten their laa
!. crumb long since, but this was No
: the first time both had known starvl
tion.
> Keith arose reluctantly. and reno,
ed the saddles from the animals, hQl
: bling them SO they could erase Z
!. will, Neb was propped up bensath Q
!, o~ut-cropping Of the bank. which partl
protected him from the wind, . met
hulk OF = shadow. Keith could ~
tell whether he slept OF not. but mad
s no effort to disturb him. A mo0sz
!. he stared vacantly about into u
!. black silence, and then lay down. pi
: lowing his head upon . saddle. n
found 1t impossible to sieyp, tie ehi
: Of the wind causing him to turn q
: twist, in vain search after comfoI