Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-04
Motorcycle Punges Over Cliff at Night Pacific Coast Trr

My brain and nerves were all
a-hutter, but / managed to retain
enough self-composure to realize that
my only hope of getting away from
the serpent unframed was to hang
on, at least to the head. If not to the
tail and body that were thrashing and
buzzing about my face. arm. and
shoulder.
Still pressing the snakes head firmly
down, ! managed to drag out my hunt
ing-knife with my free hand. set the
blade-edge against the back of the
rattler's head, and push the knife into
the ground with every ounce of
strength left in my arm. The writing
body fell away, and the rattles ceased
to sound-evidence enough that the
fight was won.
The snake was nearly five feet long
and on the tail there were Is rattles
and button"
After getting back to camp from a
fruitless all-day search for water, /
told Fletcher that I'd die of thirst
before I'd again crawl through the
brush hunting for it.
Fletcher had likewise returned 10
camp without having found a trace of
anything save undrinkable salt water,
but he had made one important dis.
covery. He had found a clum of bar.
rel cactus and had dragged a huge
stem of one into camp.
We chopped this open with our
camp ak and spent an hour or more
chewing the pith. From each pound
or p1th we chewed up and spat out
we managed to extract fluid ounce
or more or the watery juice. The
cactus juice had an acrid, metallic
taste and was a miserable substitute
for water, but it partially alleviated
our parched Threats and mouths and
enabled us to get through the balance
of the day without further reducing
the precious water supply in our can
teens.
We ate the two rabbits for supper,
and after an evening by the camp
fire, discussing various plans for
escape, retired to our blankets, thirsty,
tired, discouraged and seemingly no
nearer solution Of our problem than
we were at the outset of our mishap.
Daylight dawned again-and one of
those cruel, cloudless desert days, with
the sun beating down upon us like the
concentrated rays of a burning glass.
We breakfasted from our dwindling
store, but thoughtfully refrained from
eating bacon or other salty food that
would tend to create thirst.
fIeIcn0r, VINO was the best me.
chanic, was to push on with the work
of dismantling the machine while I
renewed my search for water.
I returned to camp that evening.
almost exhausted and feeling as
parched and dry as a cinder. after
tramping the gulch all day without
food and with nothing to alleviate
my thirst save cactus juice. I found
that Fletcher had made excellent
progress at tearing down the machine.
He had sections of it scattered all
around him. all ready to be carried
up the chasm wall.
Neither Of us had touched a drop
of water all day. since we were en-.
deavoring to conserve our meager
supply for the task of getting the
machine parts out of the gulch and
reassembled. We decided. however.
that we had earned a drink ana so
we shared a quart of water.
In the morning, and at the risk of
dying from thirst before we saw the
task completed, we decided to under.
take the tremendous work of Juggling
the parts of the motor cycle and side
car up to the rock walls and into the
1esert.
Downright. 1927I