Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-04-18
Copyright.
CHAPTER VII.
In the Sand Desert,

In the Sand Desert.
Suddenly Keith halted, bringing his
pony's head sharply about. so that the
two faced one another. The wind was
rising, hurting clouds of sand into
hand before his face.
There's no need Of keeping up a
water trail any longer" he said quiet
~. "By all the signs we're in for a
sand storm by daylight, and that will
cover our tracks so the devil himself
couldn't follow them. Got water bag
on your saddle.
ri reck'n dis am one, sah."
Keith felt Of the object Neb held
forth.
Eyes. and big one. too; I'LL It and
Gtrap it on tight; we've got q long,
Hry ride ahead"
'Whar' yo' propose goin', Massa
kJaok?"
ITO the Bar X on the Canadian.
I've worked with that outfit. They'll
give us whatever we need, and ask
no questions; don't know of anything
In between. It's going to be hard
ride, boy, and mighty little to eat ex-
Ecept what l saved from supper"
How far am it to dis yere Bar X p"
"a hundred and fifty miles as the
Iprow flies, and sand all the way, ex-
I2ept for the valley Of Salt Fork. Come
Epn now, and keep close. for It's easy
TO get lost in these sand hills"
Koif
nifty miles Of sandy desolation before,
but had never been called upon to
make such journey as this proved to
be. He knew there was little to fear
from human enemies, for they were
riding far enough east of the Santa Fe
trail to be out of the path of raiding
parties, while this desert country was
Stunned by Indian hunters. 1t con-
SISTED of sand hill after sand hill, a
.drear waterless waste, where nothing
grew, and mid the dread sameness of
which traveller could only find pass
age by the guidance of stars at night
or the blazing sun by day. To the
eye mile after mile appeared exactly
alike, with nothing whatever to dis
t1nguish either distance or direction
the same drifting ridges of sand
stretching forth in every direction, no
summit higher than another, no sem
sblance of green shrubbery, or silver
sheen of running water anywhere to
break the dull monotony-a vast
sandy plain, devoid Of life, extending
to the horizon, operhung by a barren
sky.
They had covered ten miles of it by
,daybreak, their ponies travelling heavi-
ly, fetlock deep, but could advance no
further. With the first tint of rose in
the east the brooding storm burst
upon them in wild desert fury, the
fierce wind buffeting them back, lash
ing their faces with sharp grit until
they We're unable to bear the pain.
The flying sand smote them in clouds,
driven with the speed Of bullets. In
vain they lay fiat, urging their ponies
forward; the beasts, maddened and
blinded by the merciless flashing OF the
sand, refused to face the storm. Keith,
all sense of direction long since lost,
rolled YEARLY from the saddle, bur-
rowed under the partial shelter of a
sand dune, and called upon Neb to
follow him. With their hands and feet
they made slight wind-break, drag
gins the struggling ponies into it's
protection, and burrowed themselves
there, the clouds of sand skurrying
over them SO thick as to obscure the
sky, and rapidly burying them alto
gether as though in grave Within
an hour they We're compelled to dig
themselves out, yet 1t proved partial
escape from the pitiless flashing. The
wind howled like Embossed demons,
and the Nair grew cold, adding to the
sting of the grit. when some sudden
eddy hurled it into their hiding place.
TO endeavor further travel would
mean certain death, for no one could
have guided course for a hundred
feet through the tempest, which seem
ed to suck the very breath away. To
the fugitives came this comfort-if
they could not advance, then no one
else could follow, and the storm was
completely blotting out their trail
1t was three o'clock before 1t died
sufficiently down for them to venture
out. Even then the air remained full
of sand. while constantly shifting
ridges made travel difficult. Only
grim necessity-the suffering of the
ponies for water, and their own need
for coon reaching the habitation of
man and acquiring food-drovtstthe
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 fiat 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 SO ex-
lhausted that their riders finally dis,
mounted, and staggered forward on
foot, leading them stumbling blindly