Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-11
By JOHN EDWIN HOGG.

TIME task of dragging the motor
parts up the face of the cliff
was no small feat for noun.
Il taineering. 1t took US three
full hours to get the wheels.
motor frame and motor up into the
desert to the point where we decided
to reassemb,e the machine again, and
those three hours were an eternity of
torture from heat, thirst and back
breaking labor.
l failed completely in my effort to
get up the cliff with the motor, and
we had to leave it on a ledge about
half way up. After getting the other
parts up, we lowered rope, and with
both of us on the ledge above we
managed to hoist it.
BY the time we got back to camp
our lips were parched and swollen and
our mouths and threats so dry that
neither of US could speak above a
whisper.
Reluctant as we were to drink the
little water we had left, we could get
no relief from the torture of thirst
sufficient to enable further work until
we had consumed fully a quart each.
Then, after eating a square of hard
tack apiece. we decided to lug out
one more load of motor parts before
giving up the task for the day.
After getting this last load out, we
returned to camp burning up with
thirst, out heads buzzing from the
heat and tagged in body and spirit.
An inventory of our water supply
after taking a last drink for the day
revealed that we. had only six quarts
of water left-so little that we were
virtually convinced all our labors had
been in vain, for death was due to
overtake us before we could ever as
senble the machine again, much less
make the dash across the desert to
Owl Hole.
When I discussed this with Fletcher,
he said in his characteristic way: "Oh,
well. what are the odds? We've got
to die some day. / didn't expect to
go quite so soon, but in a hundred
years from now-who1l ever know
the difference"
THE next morning Fletcher shoul,
= dered the side car body. like an In
dian portaging a canoe. and with me
carrying the few remaining parts of
the machine we made our way out of
the chasm. The side car body was an
impossible load TO get up the cliffs
with, so after getting the rest Of the
outfit to the top we hoisted it up with
the rope, as we had done with the
motor.
1t was then agreed that I should be-
gin the work Of assembling the ma.
chine while Fletcher went back ia
bring out our provisions, camping
equipment and blankets.
set the wheels in the motor frame
put on the side car chassis and then
began the work of installing the mo.
tor / worked so intently that l took
no account of time or even the fact
that l was thirsty. until suddenly il
dawned upon me that Fletcher was
ecUaS-<-eS overdue.
looked at my watch, which ] had
carefuny Kept running. and sprang to
my feet in alarm as / noted that he
had been gone more than two hours
Something must have happened to
him,
Thereupon I reached for my field
glasses and went to the edge of the
chasm. For fully 10 minutes 1 combed
the rocks and brush at the bottom OF
the chasm without catching sight oil
him.
/ continued to scan the gulch with
the powerful lenses, and As / swung
them around, searching the floor OF
the chasm, a sight came into my field
of vision which we'll nigh made me
plunge over the edge of the cliff with
JOY.
There at the base of the ledge, less
than 500 yards away. was a stream Of
clear, sparkling water tricklfng out oi
q crack in the solid rock OF the wal
into a tiny pool! II was invisible II
the naked eye, but in plain view witt
the glasses.
a luxuriant growth nt grass sur