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Show 114 SEVENTY- MILE DE0BRT- EMIGRAK? CACHE. . through a. mass. of dark ajid threatening clouds. TKe wind was fresh and cold, and the mud Soft and tenacious, making the travelling very « low and fatiguing.' Duriftg the night, we passed five wagons and one cart, which had stuck fast in the mud, and . been , necessarily left by their owners, who, from appearances, had abandoned everything, fearful of perishing themselves in this inhospitable desert. Great quantities of excellent clothing, tool- chests, trunks, scientific books, and, in fact, almost every thing, both useless and necessary oh a journey of this kind, had been here left strewn over the plain. ' Many articles had not f ven been removed from the wagons. The carcasses of several oxen lying about on the ground satisfactorilyexplained the whole matter. In attempting to cross the plaitf^ the animals had died from exhaustion and want of water, and the wagons and their contents had of course to be abandoned. About one o'clock in the morning, we halted in the. midst of the plain, enticed by the sight of aibroken ox- yoke, the, remains of a barrel/ and P* 5** of an old wagori- bed, which served for . fuel sufficient to boil a little coffee, of which all hands stood very much in need. The mud was ankle- deep; and the only jplace upon which we oould spread down a blanket ta sleep was around some scattering bushes of artemisia, where the wind had collected a little sand, presenting a spot rather higher and not so wet as the mud- flat around. The whole scene was as barren, dreary, and desolate as could be well imagined. TVe gave the mules a portion of the grass that had been packed upon them in the morning, and two pint- cups of water each- the oqly liquid they had, tasted during the day. We then fastened them. up as well as we could to the artemisia- bushes, and, wrapping ourselves in our blankets, lay down to wait for the morning. The night was windy and quite cold, and the poor mules kept up such a pitiful and inournftd cry, that we were but little recruited by our night's rest. It may well be supposed that there were few attractions to detain us long on this spot. We had exhausted our fuel last night, and there was nothing with which to cook breakfast; so we started quite early without any, pursuing the same general course through the heavy mud. The wind, uninterrupted by any obstacle, blew hard over the level plain; and although the thermometer stood at only 47°, yet it was very cold, and brought into requisition all appliances for preventing the escape of animal heat. In the course; of the morning, we passed a spot where some emigrants had made a large |
