114 SEVENTY-MILE DESERT — EMIGRANT CACHE. 



through a mass of dark and threatening clouds. The wind was 

 fresh and cold, and the mud soft and tenacious, making the tra- 

 velling very slow and fatiguing. During the night, we passed five 

 wagons and one cart, which had stuck fast in the mud, and heen 

 necessarily left by their owners, who, from appearances, had aban- 

 doned every thing, fearful of perishing themselves in this inhos- 

 pitable desert. Great quantities of excellent clothing, tool-chests, 

 trunks, scientific books, and, in fact, almost every thing, both use- 

 less and necessary on a journey of this kind, had been here left 

 strewn over the plain. Many articles had not even been removed 

 from the wagons. The carcasses of several oxen lying about on 

 the ground satisfactorily explained the whole matter. In attempt- 

 ing to cross the plain, 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 a broken ox-yoke, the remains 

 of a barrel, and part of an old wagon-bed, which served for 

 fuel sufl5cient to boil a little coffee, of which all hands stood 

 very much in need. The mud was ankle-deep ; and the only 

 place upon which we could spread down a blanket to 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. We 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 only 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 

 mournful cry, that we were but little recruited by our night's rest. 



It may well be supposed that there were few attractions to de- 

 tain 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 



