Year: 1876

Catholic World.


A DRAGON IN COLORADO.


American Desert.


A correspondent of the Denver Neops
saws: was travelling horseback alonga
stretch of county which, for long dis.
tance, merits the appellation of the
Great American desert. AS far as the
eve could reach not living thing or OBJ
iect created by the hand of man could be
seen. On every side the horizon only
bounded the view, and not even where
the sky kissed the plain did aught but
the scanty prairie grass, already burned
to brown under the rays of the fast sum-
mering sun, lift itself, dotted here and
there by innumerable cacti, from mother
earth. Save the quickly recovering
thud of my horses hoofs as he ioped
over the prairie, not sound was to be
heard, and the stiffness was profound.


But the silence and the solitude were
not for long. As I was about to seek a
place to build fire and bivouac for the
night, suddenly long trailing form
started from the earth, and a queer rum
bling cry was borne to my ears upon tne
western wind. Hardly had the sound
died upon the air when an intense trem-
bling seized my horse, and, with e1-
tended nostrils and dlated eye, he begun
looking on all sides as if to fnds way OF
escape. And now the same strange cry
was repeated, and my terrified sight per-
ceiyed an enormous reptile, half ser
pent, half quadruped, that was now run
ming. now creeping along the eartn,
with incredible rapidity. Although my
limbs almost refused to perform their
Office for terror, I had turned mechanic
ally to leap on my horse, notwlthstand-
inc that I knew that the pace at when
the monster was coming was far raster
than that of a horse at full gallop, pus
the beast had broken away from where
had tied him, and was quickly devouf-
inc the earth with rapid feet. MOE,
however, away from the coming danger.


Although destruction stared me In tne
face, I almost lost Consciousness OF my
peril in viewing the strange scene tnat
followed. As soon as the terrible thing
perceived that the horse was able to run
at rate that compelled an inconyenient
degree of speed to catch up with him,
he suddenly stopped in his career ana
for moment remained silent ana mo,
tionless, and the only sound to be heard
was that made by the retreating horse,
which was growing fainter and fainter.
Immediately, ere it had become quite
lost to the ear, the cause OF the brutes
fIipht begun to utter sonorous roaring
that one moment sounded like some
british mother calling her young ana
another a weird imitation OF the coolng
of dove. Hardly had the sound been
uttered. when the horse, which was now
almost lost to sight in the rapidly grow
inc darkness, stopped. Presently ne
turned around and begun with hasten
inc steps to return. The noise still con
tinued, and even to my human bearing
seemed to have a pleading. mvitng.
note in it. The Brobdingnagian beast,
too. had assumed the shape at once OF q
cat ready to play with her kittens, ana
of serpent when trying to charm lts
prey into its folds.


And now let me describe the monster:
Like other saurians, it had the body OF
a lizard, uplifted on, as near as coaio
Judge, eight feet, but its propelhmg
mower. as already noted, seemed to exist
Chiefly in its tail, which streamed behind
the body.at least hundred feet. Ihe
trnnk of The monster must have been
thirty feet long by about hall that hg9re
in width. and at least from eight to ten
feet through. The feet seemed little
more than paddles with which TO push
this huge body along, and apparently
had little supporting power, the crea.
ture's belly touching the ground excepS
when it's rapid motion forced it forward
in the air. The head was fattened at
the top, and lowered high up over the
BODY on neck greater in diameter than
a barrel, and fully ten feet IN length:
The eyes, as large as saucers, were aoous
a yard and half apart, and cleaned
like lanterns on either side OF q carnage.
Tins far. the mouth was only partly
omen. to emit the sound above noted, SO
that in the comparative darkness L could
NOT see it distinctly. The color was q
dark purple, such as is sometimes usea
in churches at Lenten time, notified
with black. az


By this time the horse had come with
in the embrace Of the seducer, and the
charming oil at once ceased: Another
movement, and the terrible moutn,
which / could DOW see was as large as
harm door, opened, and forked tongue
darted out and pulled my poor beast
within. Then came the sound OF the
teeth crunchiDg and the breaking OF
homes. mingled with the stiaed death
crv Of as faithful brute as ever man
bestrode. Then all was still, and the
frightful creature lay moti9niess, as u
dieestine its meal. Presently it stlrfed,
and, giving myself up for lost, made
mn nv mind to be its next victim, when'
turning, it rapidly rolled away IN she OIL
rection from which it came, witnou! as
much as looking at me. More dead tnan
alive with terror, made the best OF my
way to this place.


When you reflect that ct picnics one
hundred years ago it was the custom Tor
the Girls to stand up in q row and let the


o,:, ti,o,, all o,ood-hve all this en-