Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1922-03-09

A
mules appear around a bend, and so
one hunts out a corner in which to
Irower until the caravan Is met Or
one follows worriedly behind a hun
dred mules for hours, watching their
effort to keep their feet, shuddering
when one falls, looking in pity upon
the poor little feet twisted under
rocks, as the PROSTATE animal lies
patiently waiting for someone to UNI
burden him and help him out OF his
predicament; one follows for miles.
trying repeatedly to find some spot
where it is possible to pass the train,
and get on away from them. Occa-.
sionally one sees a dead animal lying
by the road-side-some poor crea-
ture which did not rise from his fall.
No vestige OF such an animal is seen
for long, for we are in the country OF
the vultures, who are always lowering
over the house, or around anyone
taking a journey. Knowing birds, the
vultures!
Rivers Swollen
The rivers were so swollen that.
although we deposited our feet on our
mules heads when we forded a riv-
er, even SO we could not escape wet
ting, and the contents of the saddle
bags were saturated every day. Our
beds and trunks, on the cargo mules,
were wrapped several times around
in uchado"-rubberiZed cloth
as is all baggage or merchandise, so
with a few exceptions we found things
dry when we set up our cots and made
up our beds at night, having arrived
somewhere. Thus, with the blazing
souis-for one retains very little life,
either physical or spiritual while on
the trail-we plodded along over what
seemed always impossible roads,
plunging out of one wallow hole only
to fall into another. for four days;
constantly wet mostly hungry, for we
ate only before six a. m. and after
seven p. m. Every little then, and that
out of tin cans, taking only a snack
of dry bread from our saddle bags at
noon. without dismount.ng.) Usually
we were so under the influence OF sleep
that we were in danger of falling from
our saddles. Nights spent surround
ed intimately by all the kinds of do
nestle fowls there are, (Which fowls
must have wonderful revelations in
their dreams to judge by their talka-
tive, restless way of sleeping), and by
from five to nine dogs, the usual num-
Der found in these mud inns. not to
mention six or seven cats, several OF
which persist the night through in
sleeping on first one and then an
other of our pillows; nights spent
where the mice do get at the sack of
bread (although we hung it from the
matched roof and gnaw at it until
We are obliged to get up several
times and change its location, where
the mosquitoes, and frequently some
thing worse, manage to crawl under
our thick mosquito nets and make
things interesting for us with their
constant music and their feasting-
these nights leaves one ready to drop
: from the saddle, dead with sleep.
J when they are repeated through the
entire journey, as they are always.
Marvellous Sights
And yet the marvellous sights and
: sounds on all sides should keep the
most tired mortal awake. The dash
. ing mountain torrents, forming fire.
quent and startlingly beautiful cas-
cades, the sudden surprises of wide
vistas of deep gorges and nesting
valleys given by a turn of the trail,
the vapors and clouds and mountains
so mixed in a confusion of beauty that
one cannot be distinguished from an
other, these are common sights the
first day out, on the down trip to the
river. Then we get away from the
mountains, and stumble through
foaming. rushing creeks, sometimes
wading the creek-bed, for lack Of a
better TRAIL for three or four miles.
Here we follow through a deep gorge,
and marvel how any river, even so
troubled a river as lies five hundred
: feet below us, while we cling to the
side of the cliff, could ever have cut
out such a gorge. Newell thinks it
must look like the Grand Canyon, and
indeed it must, when the departing
sun touches up its many colored sides.
But the Grand Canyon never knew
such foliage as lies in superabundan-
re in this region, at least not in the
present age.
Down, down, down one goes, yet
never realizes that he is getting to
lower level, because always in front
of one, as he breathes a sigh of relief
that he has descended that much
safely, rises a hill to climb. Travel
ing over trails is like life itself. 1t is
all of an up-and downness, very little
is to be found OF an evenness and
easiness. One goes down to com
mence climbing up again. one climbs
to start down again. The steady up