A BLIND GUIDE 169 



horizon and he dived into a bunch of willows 

 until these advancing objects resolved them- 

 selves into antelope. 



Toward evening, while trotting easily along, 

 he stumbled and fell headlong. He had hardly 

 gotten all the large cactus thorns out of his 

 hand before he made another clumsy stumble. 

 Angry with himself for such awkwardness, he 

 sprang to his feet and started on the run only 

 to fall heavily again. 



Slowly he staggered to his feet, paused, and 

 passed a trembling hand before his exhausted 

 eyes. The strain had continued too long, and 

 the intrepid Crandall had become blind out in 

 the vast, lone prairie ! 



Probably not one man in a million could have 

 endured the hardships that followed the race 

 from the prospect hole. It had taken three days 

 and two nights of severe and incessant use to 

 exhaust his steadfast eyes. His oaken consti- 

 tution now also faltered, and he sank to the 

 earth, trembling with exhaustion. He had not 

 had a mouthful to eat since this race for life 

 started. A torturing pain pierced his eyes, and 

 his leg muscles commenced to cramp violently. 



With a desperate effort he blindly dragged 

 himself into a cluster of sagebrush that might 

 conceal him from the Indians. As he lay won- 

 dering what his fate would be, his ears detected 



