Wonders of the Yellowstone region in the Rocky Mountains - being a description of its geysers, hot-springs, Grand Canon, waterfalls, lake, and surrounding scenery, explored in 1870-71 (1874) (14784787003)

Identifier: wondersofyellows1874rich (find matches)
Title: Wonders of the Yellowstone region in the Rocky Mountains : being a description of its geysers, hot-springs, Grand Canon, waterfalls, lake, and surrounding scenery, explored in 1870-71
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Richardson, James
Subjects:
Publisher: London Glascow Edinburgh : Blackie & Son
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University



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by prompt and timely interposition,the representative of the stomach saved me from adeath of dreadful agony. One day I came to asmall stream issuing from a spring of mild temper-ature on the hillside, swarming with minnows. Icaught some with my hands, and ate them raw.To my taste they were delicious. But the stomachrefused them, accused me of attempting to poisonhim, and would not be reconciled until I had emp-tied my pouch of the few fish I had put there forfuture use. Those that I ate made me very sick.Poisoned by the mineral in the water, had I glut-ted my appetite with them as I intended, I shoulddoubtless have died in the wilderness, in excruciat-ing torment. A gradual mental introversion grew upon me asphysical weakness increased. The grand andmassive scenery which, on the upward journey, hadaroused every enthusiastic impulse of my nature,was now tame and spiritless. My thoughts wereturned in upon myself—upon the dreadful fatewhich apparently lay just before me—and the pos-
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THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 237 sible happiness of the existence beyond. All doubtof immortality fled in the light of present realities.So vivid were my conceptions of the future that attimes I longed for death, not less as the beginningof happiness than as a release from misery. Ledon by these reflections, I would recall the variedincidents of my journey—my escape from the lion,from fire, my return from the Madison Range—andin all of them I saw how much I had been indebtedto that mysterious protection which comes onlyfrom the throne of the Eternal. And yet, starving,foot-sore, half blind, worn to a skeleton, was itsurprising that I lacked the faith needful to buoyme above the dark waters of despair, which I nowfelt were closing around me ? In less serious moods, as I struggled along, mythoughts would revert to the single being on whommy holiest affections centred—my daughter. Whata tie was that to bind me to life! Oh! could I berestored to her for a single hour, long enough for