A NEW MEXICO SAND STORM. 



HARRY SUYDAM. 



"We're going to have a storm," said the 

 foreman of the Jingle Bob outfit, as we 

 rode across the Pecos valley, in New Mex- 

 ico. Looking in the direction the old cow- 

 man indicated I could barely see in the 

 distance a dark gray disk, such as I had 

 never before seen on the plains. I had 

 been in the arid lands only 2 months, and 

 there had been not a drop of rain during 

 that time, though lightning was frequently 

 seen in the evening, which told of showers 

 in the mountains, 80 miles away. 



Joe Nash, the foreman, and I had start- 

 ed out that evening with a team of horses 

 and a buckboard to find a horse camp 

 somewhere across the Pecos river and 

 about a 3 days' drive from the Chisholm 

 ranch. Little vegetation was visible in the 

 valley, and the river was fast becoming only 

 a creek, while the Rio Hondo, shown on 

 the map with the same bold outlines 

 as the Hudson, was at that time a dry 

 arroyo. 



We were standing near a chuck wagon 

 that belonged to the Jingle Job outfit 

 when Nash called my attention to the ap- 

 proaching shower. Before I could realize 

 that there was need to prepare for trouble, 

 the cook, who happened to be the only 

 man with the wagon, hurriedly threw down 

 a small tent, while Nash rapidly unhar- 

 nessed the horses from the buckboard and 

 hobbled them. I was a tenderfoot in the 

 fullest sense of the term, but did not like 

 to admit it, so instead of asking any ques- 

 tions, I took hold of the tent with the cook 

 and hustled as did my companions. By 

 that time the grey disk had developed into 

 an angry, dark cloud, and was spreading 

 over the calm, blue sky. Before we got the 

 tent secured a delightfully cool breeze was 

 fanning us. After the tarpaulins were 

 firmly lashed over buckboard and chuck 

 wagon, I stopped to enjoy the breeze and 

 watch the storm speeding toward us. 



I had been in storms on the Atlantic and 

 on the Pacific that had caused sailors no 

 little alarm, but when the threatened dan- 

 gers had passed they left hardly any im- 

 pression on my mind; but I shall never 

 forget the fury of this my first desert storm. 

 As far as the eye could reach not an ob- 

 ject of man's handiwork could be seen. 

 Only the excited chattering of the prairie 

 dogs broke the ominous stillness. Occa- 

 sionally a jack rabbit jumped from the 

 sparse shade of a stunted mesquite bush 

 and leaped to another. The scattered bands 

 of cow ponies were stampeding to the few 

 draws in the almost level plains, while our 

 hobbled buckboard horses were struggling 

 to reach some imaginary shelter. 



Before the grey cloud had fairly reached 

 us a heavy black one followed, and from it 

 came peal after peal of deafening thunder. 

 For 15 minutes there was such a fierce gale 

 that it was only with the greatest dimculty 

 we succeeded in keeping our tent from be- 

 ing blown across the Staked Plains into 

 Kansas. We were almost buried with al- 

 kali sand, and I realized this was one of 

 those fearful sand storms that occur in the 

 desert, of which I had heard so much. 



Then came the rain, and then inky dark- 

 ness. Joe and I hugged each other on our 

 bedding, which was barely covered by our 

 little tent. The rain and wind continued 

 throughout half the night, but shortly after 

 midnight the clouds parted and drifted 

 away; the moon came out and shone as 

 the sun shines elsewhere. Then we looked 

 out and saw that the lowlands all about us< 

 were under water. We thanked our stars 

 we had happened to be on a ridge when 

 the storm caught us. If we had not been 

 we should have been swept into the Pecos, 

 which was by that time a torrent of muddy 

 water. 



I had seen a New Mexico sand storm and 

 a cloudburst all in one evening. 



Manager — I want you to appear in just 

 one piece holding a stick of dynamite. 



Actor — And how many pieces would I 

 appear in if the dynamite should explode? 

 —Life. 



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