hat he was welcome to sit down and eat his
fill; for although we were nearly out of provisions, we would divide
with a man in distress to the last morsel. He stopped the night with
us, and took breakfast, and although urged to stop and cross the desert
with us to-day, or take some corn with him, he would not do it, but
said that he had taxed our hospitality too much already, and left us
this morning. His name was Bayell, he belonged in one of the central
counties of Illinois, and was a man of standing and influence at home,
and a brother of the I.O.O.F. He said he hailed when he came up to our
camp, but it was so dark that I did not see his hail, or I should not
have put him to the test, to see whether he was really needy or not.
Sublet and company, and Williams & Co. left us this morning to cross
the desert; we got our pack saddles completed, and took the desert at 2
o'clock, P.M., and traveled all night. Two of our horses gave out, the
same that were alkalied, and we left them. About midnight we reached
the first wagon road where we found about four acres of wagons left to
decay on the desert; this is the first sand ridge; we passed two other
wagon yards before morning at similar ridges, besides great numbers
along the road, many of them burning. Who will accurately describe this
desert at this time? Imagine to yourself a vast plain of sand and clay;
the moon riding over you in silent grandeur, just renders visible by
her light the distant mountains; the stinted sage, the salt lakes,
cheating the thirsty traveler into the belief that water is near; yes,
water it is, but poison to the living thing that stops to drink. Train
after train drag their tiresome course along, man and beast suffering
all the pangs of thirst toil on, feeling, knowing that the burning sun
finds them on the desert in the coming day, their sufferings will be
enhanced ten-fold, if worn out with fatigue and thirst they do not
faint by the wayside and give up altogether. Burning wagons render
still more hideous the solemn march; dead horses line the road, and
living ones may be constantly seen, lapping and rolling the empty water
casks (which have been cast away) for a drop of water to quench their
burning thirst, or standing with drooping heads, waiting for death to
relieve them of their tortures, or lying on the sand half buried,
unable to rise, yet still trying. The sand hills are reached; then
comes a scene of confusion and dismay. Animal after ani