| OCR Text |
Show 188 A NIGHT ON THE LAKE- WATER- FOWL. a fish nor the solitary cry of a bird was to be heard, as, in profound darkness, the boat moved on, plunging her bows into the black and sullen waters. As we passed within the shadows of the obscure and frowning mountains, the eye was strained in vain to catch some evidence of life. The sense of isolation from every thing living was painfully oppressive. Even the chirp of a cricket would have formed some link with the world, of life; but all was stillness and solitary desolation. At daylight we were still fifteen miles from the island, and the boat was « hove- to" for breakfast, which consisted of bread and cold bacon, without even a drink of water. Before we passed around the point of Antelope Island, we stopped for a few moments at the little islet near it, where the number of gulls and pelicans was, if possible, greater than we had seen on Gunnison's Island. The whole islet was covered with eggs, chiefly those of gulls, and with innumerable young birds, just hatched, the most of which on our appearance instinctively concealed themselves among the crevices of the rocks, while the parent birds, in countless numbers, anxiously hovered over us, filling the air with their discordant cries. Some young herons and cormorants were also found amid this colony of gulls- the former fierce and full of fight, the latter timid and alarmed, running from their nests to the water, where they endeavoured to conceal themselves by persevering but abortive attempts to dive. We filled half a barrel with the eggs, but most of them proved to be bad. Stopping for a short time to quench our burning thirst, at a spring breaking forth under a ledge of rocks at the foot of a picturesque little bay on the eastern side of Antelope Island, we reached our point of destination at five o'clock in the afternoon, quite worn down by the incessant toil of nearly thirty- six sleepless hours. I was much gratified to learn from the herdsman the safe arrival of the party I had despatched to the Uintah Mountains last November on a trading expedition, and that they had brought with them nineteen fine horses. As the party on the western shore were nearly out of provisions, a couple of horses were immediately caught, and, accompanied by a single attendant, I started at once for the city, distant twenty- five miles, leaving directions that a team should follow early in the morning, for the purpose of hauling provisions out to the island. We reached our quarters in the city at two in the morning, and retired to rest, thoroughly wearied |
