登陆注册
5379700000042

第42章

At eight in the morning we reached the remnant and ruin of what had been the important military station of "Camp Floyd," some forty-five or fifty miles from Salt Lake City.At four P.M.we had doubled our distance and were ninety or a hundred miles from Salt Lake.And now we entered upon one of that species of deserts whose concentrated hideousness shames the diffused and diluted horrors of Sahara--an "alkali" desert.For sixty-eight miles there was but one break in it.I do not remember that this was really a break; indeed it seems to me that it was nothing but a watering depot in the midst of the stretch of sixty-eight miles.If my memory serves me, there was no well or spring at this place, but the water was hauled there by mule and ox teams from the further side of the desert.There was a stage station there.It was forty-five miles from the beginning of the desert, and twenty-three from the end of it.

We plowed and dragged and groped along, the whole live-long night, and at the end of this uncomfortable twelve hours we finished the forty-five-mile part of the desert and got to the stage station where the imported water was.The sun was just rising.It was easy enough to cross a desert in the night while we were asleep; and it was pleasant to reflect, in the morning, that we in actual person had encountered an absolute desert and could always speak knowingly of deserts in presence of the ignorant thenceforward.And it was pleasant also to reflect that this was not an obscure, back country desert, but a very celebrated one, the metropolis itself, as you may say.All this was very well and very comfortable and satisfactory--but now we were to cross a desert in daylight.This was fine--novel--romantic--dramatically adventurous--this, indeed, was worth living for, worth traveling for! We would write home all about it.

This enthusiasm, this stern thirst for adventure, wilted under the sultry August sun and did not last above one hour.One poor little hour--and then we were ashamed that we had "gushed" so.The poetry was all in the anticipation--there is none in the reality.Imagine a vast, waveless ocean stricken dead and turned to ashes; imagine this solemn waste tufted with ash-dusted sage-bushes; imagine the lifeless silence and solitude that belong to such a place; imagine a coach, creeping like a bug through the midst of this shoreless level, and sending up tumbled volumes of dust as if it were a bug that went by steam; imagine this aching monotony of toiling and plowing kept up hour after hour, and the shore still as far away as ever, apparently; imagine team, driver, coach and passengers so deeply coated with ashes that they are all one colorless color; imagine ash-drifts roosting above moustaches and eyebrows like snow accumulations on boughs and bushes.This is the reality of it.

同类推荐
  • 丹台玉案

    丹台玉案

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 巵林

    巵林

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 施八方天仪则

    施八方天仪则

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上洞真安灶经

    太上洞真安灶经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 西河词话

    西河词话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 一品恶妇

    一品恶妇

    回归市井生活,努力写一个热闹好看的市井故事。她就是刁蛮泼辣,又如何?
  • 雪中悍刀行(全集)

    雪中悍刀行(全集)

    电视剧2017年开拍!烽火戏诸侯开创奇幻武侠新世界,持续热销,再创高峰!魔窟北凉的草包世子徐凤年兀自觉醒,逐渐成熟,踏上了逆袭之路。他一刀将江湖捅了个透!妖刀烽火颠覆传统用鬼斧般的文字创造了一个奇特而神秘的世界。这里有牵瘦马缺门牙见着歹人跑得比主子还快却是传说中的高手的老黄,有整日摇摇晃晃不求道却能一剑开天门,倒骑青牛的年轻道士,有刚出世便跌入武评第八,一声剑响成了陆地神仙敢叫天下第二劈海相送的断臂抠脚的老剑神,还有骑熊猫扛向日葵不太冷的少女杀手……
  • N的异世界生活

    N的异世界生活

    那些在屏幕之中已经完结的故事,在她的世界里还在继续,不管是起义之后的和平生活,还是纠缠不清的爱恨情仇,又或者是........“但是这些和我又有什么关系呢。”N有些无奈,“我知道你们两个美男子谈恋爱不容易,但是能能不能别来找我。”“但是之前那对男女不是你帮忙撮合的吗?”“给钱啊!”
  • 佛母般泥洹经

    佛母般泥洹经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 最强骚操作

    最强骚操作

    【爆笑段子流】睡觉时被女鬼压床,我已经有老婆了该怎么尴尬而不失礼貌的拒绝?被门夹过的核桃还能补脑吗?失败并不可怕!可怕的是你还相信这句话。当你觉得自己又丑又穷,一无是处时,不要绝望,因为至少你的判断还是对的。天生骚气横秋的李骚,得到了史上最骚的系统,秀翻各种绝杀骚操作,变得更骚更强!反正,这是一位骚年靠着骚操作拯救人类的故事……【《最强骚操作》千人骚神群:629651939】
  • 带着王者荣耀系统征服异界

    带着王者荣耀系统征服异界

    哟,穿越了,没事儿,我有王者荣耀。哟,未婚妻想害我,没事儿,我有王者荣耀。你说你是第一炼丹师,嘿嘿,我有妲己宝宝,给我来一枚回神水晶。你说你是第一阵法师,诸葛亮教教这家伙怎么样布阵。说你是出身名门,心高气昂的绝世容颜大...
  • 浮尘漂流记

    浮尘漂流记

    本书是作者季红真八十年代至今部分散文的结集,写作年度跨度大,属于学者散文中的游记散文的结集。每到一地,必考据风物,重历史掌故,知识信息丰富,理性、知性胜于感性;虽是女学者,而风格厚重大气。但不如张中行、余秋雨散文有知名度。
  • 金刚錍科

    金刚錍科

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 莎士比亚十四行诗(化境文库)

    莎士比亚十四行诗(化境文库)

    《莎士比亚十四行诗》是世界文豪莎士比亚创作的十四行诗全收录。成书大约于1590年至1598年之间,其诗作的结构技巧和语言技巧都很高,几乎每首诗都有独立的审美价值。诗集分为两部分,第一部分为前126首,献给一个年轻的贵族(Fair Lord),诗人的诗热烈地歌颂了这位朋友的美貌以及他们的友情;第二部分为第127首至最后,献给一位“黑女士”(Dark Lady),描写爱情。
  • 王爷太纨绔

    王爷太纨绔

    王爷太纨绔[绝对甜宠,1v1,放心入坑喔~~]