Western wilds

Western wilds and the men who redeem them. An authentic narrative, embracing an account of seven years travel and adventure in the far West; wild life in Arizona; perils of the plains; life in the canon and death on the desert ... adventures among the red - Page 330

THE FAIR APOSTATE. 325 for those they loved. Briarly had never known how much he loved his little Marian till then. Daily the image of her mother grew in her face, and hourly he felt the agony of death lest he should leave her corpse in the wilderness. At times pushing his hand- cart with her weight added to his regular load; at times wading the cold mount-ain streams with her clasped to his bosom, and yet again assisting others whose husbands or fathers had died on the way, he showed that a false faith had not yet corrupted nature. Day after day the " WHOSE EXISTENCE FROM DECEMBER TILL MAY IS ORGANIZED FAMINE AND MISERY." train struggled on in silence and sorrow, and every morning saw from one to ten of their number cold in death. Daily the survivors grew weaker from exposure and insufficient food : old men died as easily as a lamp goes out when the oil is exhausted ; women died as a child goes to sleep ; young men died sitting by the camp- fire, with their scant rations in their mouths. Still the survivors pressed on, though every day more slowly: by day pierced by the keen winds, or happily sheltered a little by the mountain pines; by night shivering and moan-ing in a miserable sleep, cheered only by the long drawn and melan-choly howl of the coyote.