In the central region of the North American continent, there is a large area of ​​desolate and arid desert. For many years, it has always hindered the progress of civilization and restricted the development of culture. From the Sierra Nevada Mountains all the way to Nibraska, from the Yellowstone River in the north to

Colorado in the south is a completely lifeless area. However, in this desolate and terrifying area, the natural scenery is also rich and colorful. There are snow-covered mountains and steep mountains, as well as dark and gloomy deep valleys.

There are rapid rivers rushing between canyons formed by mountains and rocks, and there are endless wilderness, covered with snow in winter, and a gray salt-alkali land in summer. Although the scenery is so colorful, the main feature is that there is no grass growing, desolation and desolation.

This vast expanse of land is completely deserted. Only the Pawnee and Blackfeet occasionally pass by in groups, heading for hunting areas. Even the bravest and most determined people are looking forward to leaving early.

After finishing this terrible and lifeless wasteland, return to the beautiful prairie. There are only mountain wild dogs walking through the jungle, giant eagles flying leisurely in the sky, and clumsy grizzly bears looking for food in the gloomy and dark valleys.

, they are the only sojourners in this wilderness.

There is no area on earth that is more desolate and desolate than the northern foothills of the Sierra Blanca. Looking in all directions, you can only see small pieces of salt-alkali land separated by dwarf oak trees;

At the end, the snow shimmers with silver light, and the mountains are undulating. There is neither life nor anything related to life in this area. There are no birds flying under the iron-blue sky, and there is nothing moving on the gray earth.

In a word, it is deserted. If you listen closely, there is no sound in this vast and vast land, only the complete and despairing desolation and death.

Some people say that there is nothing related to life in this vast wilderness. This statement is not 100% accurate. Looking down from the heights of the Blanca Mountains, you can find a small winding road.

It winds through the desert and finally disappears on the horizon. The formation of this road is attributed to the rolling of countless oxcarts and the trampling of many adventurers. However, there are white things scattered everywhere, and there are a lot of white things here.

, there are piles of bones, shining brightly in the sun, and looking dazzling on this monotonous salt-alkali land. When you get closer and take a closer look, you can see that there are piles of white bones. Cow bones are thick and large, while human bones are relatively small. People

As we travel this terrifying 1,500 miles, we will use the bones of our predecessors lying on the roadside as our guide.

On May 4, 1847, a lonely traveler overlooked this desolate scene from the mountain. Judging from his appearance, he was really an elf in this dead and desperate situation. Even people with good observation skills,

It is not easy to guess whether he is in his late teens or in his sixties. His face is haggard and thin, and his brown skin is like dry sheepskin, tightly wrapped around a handful of hard bones. His long brown hair is already graying, and his eyes are deep.

His eyes were sunken and his eyes were dull. The hand holding the rifle had no more muscles than his skeleton. When he stood, he had to use the gun to support his body. However, his burly physique and tall and thin figure showed that he had been

A strong man. However, now his thin face and the clothes covering his skinny limbs are like a big bag, which is enough to show his old age. He is on the verge of death due to hunger and thirst.

He had endured countless pains and trudged along the canyon, and now he was struggling to climb up to this small highland. He had a vague hope that he could find a small water source. However, all he could see before his eyes was an endless expanse.

There was no sign of a single tree in the salt-alkali land and the rolling barren mountains far away in the horizon. Where there were trees, there was likely to be water. There was no hope in this vast wilderness. He opened his eyes and was confused.

And with almost crazy eyes, he looked to the north, west and east. After looking, he knew clearly: his wandering years had come to an end, and he was about to be buried on this desolate cliff.

"What's the difference between dying here like this and dying on a big bed with goose down quilt 20 years later?" He said to himself while sitting in the shadow of a large protruding stone.

Before he sat down, he had already placed the rifle on the ground, and then put down the large bundle wrapped in a large gray shawl on his right shoulder. It seemed that he had already exhausted his energy and could not carry much.

When he put down the big bundle, it fell heavily on the ground. From the big gray bundle, first a cry came out, and then a frightened little boy with bright brown eyes came out.

face, and stretched out two chubby little fists with shallow dimples and freckles.

"You hurt me when you threw me!" a child complained.

"Really?" The man explained: "I didn't mean it."

As he spoke, he opened the big gray bag and took out a beautiful little girl. The little girl was about five years old. She had a pair of exquisite shoes, a nice pink top, and a linen scarf.

It can be seen from her dress that her mother takes good care of her. Although the little girl's face is a little pale, her strong arms and calves indicate that the suffering she has experienced is not as severe as this.

There are many men.

"How are you now?" he asked anxiously, because the little girl was rubbing her golden hair on the back of her head.

"Kiss here and I'll be fine!" the little girl said seriously. She pointed out the place where her head was touched and said, "Mom always does this. Where is mom?"

"Your mother is gone now, but I think you will see her soon."

The little girl said: "What, mommy is gone? It's really strange, she hasn't said goodbye to me yet! In the past, she always had to say goodbye to me every time she went to her aunt's house for tea. But this time

She has been gone for three whole days. I am very thirsty and hungry. Is there nothing to drink or eat here?"

"No, nothing! My dear, please be patient for now, and you will be fine after a while. Lean your head on me, so you will feel more comfortable. My mouth is also very dry, and it is difficult to speak, but

I'd better tell you the real situation, what is it you are holding in your hand?"

The little girl picked up two mica flakes and showed them to him, and said excitedly: "How beautiful they are! I will give them to my little brother Bob as soon as I get home."

The man said: "Soon, you will find something more beautiful than this. Just now, I was about to tell you about the river we left. Do you still remember it?"

"Remember." the little girl said.

"Well, we expected to hit another river soon. Do you understand? But we didn't know what was wrong. Was it the map, or the compass, or something else, so we went again.

The river was nowhere to be found. The water was almost gone, and only a tiny bit was left, which can only be left for children like you to drink. Later... later..."

"You can't even wash your face." The little girl said seriously. At the same time, she raised her head to look at his dirty face.

"Not only could I not wash my face, I even had no water to drink. Later, Mr. Bender died of thirst first, then the Indian Pinter, then Mrs. McGregor, Johnny Hons, and then, my dear,

That’s your mother.”

"Is mother dead too?" the little girl cried, covering her face with a scarf and crying uncontrollably.

"Yes, they are all dead, and now you and I are the only ones left. I thought maybe I could find water here. So, I carried you on my shoulders and took you step by step. Now

It seems that the situation has not improved. Our hope of survival is very slim."

The little girl stopped crying, raised her face full of tears, and asked, "You mean, we are going to die too, right?"

"I think that's about it."

The little girl actually said happily: "Why didn't you tell me earlier? You scared me. You see, as long as we die too, I can be with my mother again, right?"

"Yes, we can definitely be together, little darling."

"You will also see your mother. I want to tell my mother that you are very good to me. I dare say that she will greet us at the door of heaven, carrying a large pot of water and many buckwheat cakes.

With the heat, both sides are browned, just like how Bob and I like to eat. But how long will it take for us to die?"

"I don't know - but it won't be long!" At this time, the man said while staring at the northern horizon. It turned out that under the blue sky, three small black dots appeared first, and then black

The dots were getting bigger and bigger, coming quickly and violently. In a blink of an eye, they could see three big brown birds. They were hovering above the heads of the two wanderers, and then they landed on a big rock above them. This was

The three large eagles are bald eagles in the American West. Their appearance is often a precursor to death.

"Cock, hen." The little girl pointed at the three big eagles and screamed happily. She kept clapping her little hands, trying to scare them and make them fly. She asked: "Is this place also created by God?"

"Of course, it was made by God." The man replied. But she asked him so suddenly, which surprised him.

The little girl continued: "Ilino over there was made by God, and Missouri was also made by God. But I think it must have been made by other people. Because it was not well made, and even the water and trees were forgotten.

Come out."

The man suggested: "How about we pray?"

The little girl replied: "It's not evening yet!"

"It doesn't matter. There doesn't have to be any specific time for prayer. Don't worry, God won't blame us. Just pray now, just like we did every night in the caravan as we passed through the wilderness."

The little girl asked strangely: "Why don't you pray?"

He replied: "Because I don't remember the prayer. I haven't prayed since I was half as tall as that gun. But I think it's not too late to pray now. Read out the prayer first."

, and then I will recite it with you."

The little girl spread the bundle on the ground and said, "Well, you have to kneel down, and I will kneel down too. You have to raise your hands, so you will feel better."

Except for the three large eagles, no one saw this rather strange scene: In this narrow place, two wanderers were kneeling side by side, one was a rugged adventurer, and the other was an innocent little girl. His face

The thin and haggard black face and her chubby little round face looked up at the cloudless sky together, praying devoutly to the awesome God who was with them. These were two different voices, and the little girl’s voice was clear and crisp.

But Xiaoxiao, her companion's voice was hoarse and low, and they prayed together, asking God for mercy and forgiveness of sins. After praying, the two sat down again in the shadow of the big stone, and the little girl leaned against her protector.

He gradually fell asleep in his chest. He stared at her for a while and fell asleep. In the end, he could not resist the force of nature, because he had not closed his eyes for three days and three nights and had never had a good rest. His eyelids gradually drooped,

Covering his sleepy eyes, his head slowly lowered to his chest, his gray beard mixed with her golden curly hair, and they both fell asleep.

If this wandering adventurer had slept half an hour late, he would have seen this scene: at the far end of this salt-alkali land, a puff of smoke began to rise. At first, the smoke was very light and faint, but from a distance, it looked very bright.

It was not easy to separate from the mist in the distance. However, later, the smoke became higher and higher, and the scope became wider and wider, and finally formed a thick cloud. Obviously, only a large group of galloping people could roll up such a huge amount of smoke and dust.

.If this is a place with fertile land, it can be concluded that this is a large group of cattle and sheep grazing on the grassland, and they are moving here. However, in this area where there is no grass growing, it is obvious that this cannot be the case.

The billowing smoke and dust gradually moved closer and closer to the cliff where the two trapped people fell asleep. In the smoke and dust, a caravan with a canvas roof and the figures of armed soldiers appeared. It turned out that this was

A large group of caravans marching to the west, what a mighty group! The vanguard has reached the foot of the mountain, while the rear group is still invisible on the east horizon. In this vast and vast wilderness, four-wheeled vehicles

, two-wheeled vehicles continued in succession, many men were riding on horseback, and many men were walking, forming a long procession. There were also many women carrying heavy burdens walking slowly on the road, and many children were following them.

Running beside the caravan, there were also some children sitting on the caravan, looking out from the white caravan. Obviously, this was not an ordinary group of immigrants, but an entire powerful nomadic people, who were migrating because of the environment.

Looking for paradise again. In this early morning air, horses neighed, people roared, and cars rumbled. On the surface, it was a complete mess. Even such a shocking noise did not wake up the two tired people in distress on the cliff.

About 20 men on horseback with serious expressions and determination were marching at the front of the procession. They were all wearing simple clothes, made of hand-woven cloth, and they were holding rifles. They came to the foot of the mountain and stopped temporarily.

We came down and had a very brief discussion for a short time.

A rider with gray hair, clean shaven and tight lips said: "Go to the right, there is a well, brothers."

Another rider said: "Following the right side of Monte Blanca we will reach Ogrande."

The third rider shouted loudly: "Don't worry about the lack of water. God who can draw water from rocks will not abandon his chosen people."

"Amen! Amen..." they said in unison.

When they were about to start on their way, suddenly, a sharp-eyed young man pointed to the cliff above them and screamed. When they looked, it turned out that there was a pink thing floating on the cliff, and it was floating on the gray rock.

It looked particularly vivid against the background. As soon as this thing was discovered, they reined in their horses and raised their guns. At the same time, more riders galloped up from behind, and many of them were heard shouting together: "There is
To be continued...