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PARKER AT THE fiiVrTOM OF THE CANON. .^f^ r THE Marvellous Country; et, Three Years in Arizona and New Mexico, . THE APACHES' HOME. coMrmsiNo ^ ^nl" S^^^~^^^ ^^ "^"IS ^VO^•DERFUL COUNTRY IT'; IM SCENLR\. IHE RUINS OF ANCIENT TOWNS AND CITIES TOUND THEREIN. WITH A COMPI ETE HISTORY OF THE APACHE TRIBE, AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE author's guide, Cochise, the Great Apache War Chief. TUB wiioLB iNTmsrnnsnD w!Tii STRANGE EVENTS AND ADVENTURES. BV SAMUEL WOODWORTH COZZENS. ILLUSTRATED IIY UrWARDS OK ONE HUNDRED ENGRAVINGS. TORONTO: WILLIAM WARWICK. 1873. Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year 1873, by SAMUEL WOODWOHTH COZZENS, in the Office of the Minister of Agriculture. . . . ,«t *^~ TO M. L. M., Wllosi', KIND WORDS OK ENCOl'K.VdK.MKM' AND I'oMMF.NDA'I'ION IIAVF. IXnUCKD MK 'I'O OlTKU 'I'llKSK l'A';F,S TO 'lltF. I'lM.I IC, This Volume is most rksi'kctkut.i.v inscriitkd HY THE AUTHOR. PREFACE This Iniok will acqiiaiiit the reaclcr with the strange and woiulerriil history of a, most uiavvelloiis portion of our own country. It is compiled from the journal of a traveller, and is with- out pretension to especial literary merit; but it is otiercil to the public with the belief that he who reads its pages will tind many facts that are new to him, so interspersed with iucident of travel and adventure that its perusal will prove both e*ntertuininir iind instructive. THE AUTHOK. Boston, October 1, 1873. I^IST OF ILLUSTRATIOKS. FHONTrspiECK-Tifi.: King li.r.isri!ATKi) Tin I-,..,'.- ' t» ,. A.\ Al'.vrjiE . ■■•••... A BIoQL'is . *" "^ • • . . . Lo8 Orga.vos .Moi/.NTAixs '■•■..' K" I'.MIKKU ■ ■ ■ CaSo.v. Thk lii-.w, iicvT (lull ~ ■ ■ (T) CoriiisK JiM.MV . • . ''•'IM'ION ,,y ■,.,,,, ,,. - Lo Wi- lli I : So.Vi- AM) Uaiku Mki:ti.\(; ,„.. >| ^^. it,:::r "«» <™'"-'°''' '""'" '™ •"■ '>^™»« \JOK Thk Coumhvonthe'ji Til ^:-.- OK ..,;;;; r^";;:;™^,:;: ::- «-a 0... ,.„,«) A Vask TaKE.Vpkom T. < ^"'''^'' • • • The Missio.v of Siv v KiLLK,, „v Ai.Ar.iK.s ""''' "^" f"'" pope/ IRETUHVToCAMlMV.THOUTMrmT ' ' " TUK nisii,,,. „p SOSOUA ' • • • Jl.MMY'8 TidAL ■■•••.. IMTIAI. (,\) . . ■ ■ • • • . , THF stampede ' '"*' APACHES . . . J^'IIAI. (II) Tin; liEsr s,,,,,. i ev M)E8 . TUi. CLU, i;« oi,:,; 2" ^"^'^-"^ (f"" /."g^) . PAOR 29 40 4fl 5J r>r, m »t G»l C!) 72 81 83 85 • 97 99 ■ I0() 108 . 114 115 . 118 124 . 127 132 • l;i(i 140 . J4.1 130 . 130 102 . 101 172 . 179 184 . I!H) lUll 20) 21)11 2ks 220 228 m Ji 01 01 10 i:i »i Father Kino. — The Spanish Government. — Its Effnts to develop the Mineral Wealth of Arizona. — Precious Stones. — Silver. — Gold. — Masses of virgin Silver. — Vv'ealth of the Mines inestimable. — The Mines undcvelojcd. — Rea- sons. — The geographical Position of Arizona. — Apache Raids. — Homes ravished. — Bowie Knives and Pistols the Administrators of Justice. — The most wonderful Portion of the American Continent. 40 10 CONTKNTS. CHAPTER III. The Purchase of Arizona. — Its Size. — Its Cost. — The Loca- tion of tlie Kingdom of Cibohi. — Cort( z imperils tl;o Pos- session ofnn Eni]tiro. — Tlie Viceroy IVIendoza's Expciiition to Ciliola. — Settlements in Arizona at tlie Tii le of its Pur- chase. — Texan "Head Risrhts." — Santa Pita del Colne. — A Visit tliere. — OJo Calietite. — Remark.-dde Springs. — Immense Vahie of the Cop)u>r Mines. — Wonderfnl Sand- stone Formations, — Adventure with the Apaches. — Their War-whoop. — Death of Laws. — Ilis Burial by Moonlight. — A Motlier'a Thanks. — God bless her. 40 i! 1 1 CHAPTER IV. The Mesilla Valley. — Its Climate. — Wines. — Its Produc- tions. — The Inliabitatits. — 'J'heir Manners and Customs. — Los Organos Mountains. — Tiie Salt Lakes. — "A City not made with Hands." -^ The Elements as an Architect. — The Temples of Crystal. — The Sacramento IMountains. — The Tularosa; its Trout. — Antelope. — A Hunt. — Lost upon the I'lains. — Ti)c terrified Mule. — The moving Bush. — Suspense. — The fortunate Shot. — "Will Daylight never come ?" — The Apache's hist Trail. — A Scalp. —The White Man's Smoke. — Camp at last. 50 CHAPTER V, The Valley of the Tularosa. — A Bear Hunt. — The Cinnamon Bear. — An unfortimate Shot. — Bruin "riled." — The Giants of the Forest. — Dr. Parker not a Successful Climber. — Bear Meat in Camp. — Foit Stanton. — The Ruins of "Le Gran Quivera." — Miles of Ruins. — A Stone Aqueduct fourteen Miles long. — Cathedrals. — Mines. — One of the seven Cities of Cibola. — Fifty Millions of Treasure buried. CONTENTS. 11 — Tlic Doctor's Horse stolen l)y Apiiclies. — Potrifidl Forest. — The Ri()(Jr.in(le. — Old Pennington :inil liis seven Dniii;!)- ters. — Ciiplure of ]Mrs. Paige hytlie Indians. — Her Suller- ings. — Ilor Story. — Down the Rio Grande. — "Jim "Davis, the Emigrant's Friend. — Jim swaps. — Home again. — The Alcalde. — " Enough to Eut at Home." 6!i CHAPTER VI, The Apaches. — The Terror of the Settler. — The Scourge of the White Man. — Eight Bands. — Their Location. — Their D('])redation8. — Their War Chiefs. — The Tribe as now constituted. — Their Nund)ers. — Tiie Apache Pass. — Cocliise. — His jiorsonal Appearance. — '• Ilowly 3Iothei' I is that an Apache?" — Tiie lost ]Mu!es. — The Overland Mail Company. — The ]Massacre of the Fraziers. — The Bodies burned. — The Oatman Family. — Their Attempt to cross the Dcsen. — Tlieir Surprise by the Apaches. — The Massacre. — E.scape of Lorenzo. — He returns and finds the dead Bodies of his Father, Mother, and Sister. — Olive and ^hwy Captives. — Lorenzo's Sufferings. — The Fate of the Girls. — Their Tortures. — Slaves for four Years. — Death at last releases little Mary. — Olive buiies her Sister at Night. — Olive finally purchased. — Olive and Lo- renzo meet. — JIangus Colorado, the White Man's Friend. — The Tonto Apaches 83 CHAPTER VII. Negotiations with Cochise. — He agrees to accompany me to the Apache Village as my Guide. — Our Journey. — A Mi- rage. — The Coutitry. — Its general Features. — A Canon on the Gila. — Thrilling Account of i's Descent. — Tiie " Jor- nada del Mutrfc" or Journey of Dv-ath. — All the while gaining Light, though losing Strength. — Nature's wonder- 12 CONTENTS. ful Organ. — Cathedrals. — Castles. — Rotundas. — Ravines. ' — Chasntjs. — Mountains. — The Apache Scouts. — The Bluff. — Our first Sight of the "Apache Home." — Its beautiful Situation. — Our Reception. — A Description of the Valley and its Inhabitants. — My first Night among the Apaches. — A Dance. — As villanous a Crowd as " ever cut a Throat." 97 CHAPTER VIII. My second Night in an Apache Village. — Soap and Water. — The Soap Plant. — An Alarm. — Are they Mojiives or Apaches? — Great Excitement. — Arrival of Mangus Colo- rado. — The Plunder. — The Scalps. — His Welcome to the White Man. — What Cochise says. — A Description of the Great Apache Chief.— His reception by his Tribe. — Gold. — A Mule flayed alive. — A terrible Sight. — A Feast in Preparation. — My Invitation thereto. — I modestly decline. — The Scalp Dancf and Feast. — Mule Meat in demand. — A Description of the Dance. — The Feast, and who partook. — Sick and disgusted. — A Description of the Valley by Moonlight. — Wonderful Effect of the Camp Fires. — The Apaches' Creed. — Thrilling Account of the Sacrifice of a beautiful Mexican Girl. — Her Ashes scattered to the Winds. 114 CHAPTER IX. I want to go Home. — The advice of Cochise. — The Women and Children of the Rancheria. — The Navajoe Country. — How the Navajoes make Blankets. — Their Manners and Customs. — Their Religion. — Singular Superstition re- garding a Firebrand. — Its origin. — How the Apaches tan Deer-skins. — A visit from Mangus Colorado. — Diplomacy. — I lose a Mule, but not my Scalp. — Adieu to the Apache CONTENTS. 18 liaialitrUi. — On the Ti;iil. — 'ilie Scunery. — Tlu> Organ of the Almighty ; Ilis hand fingers the Keyboard. — Morning. — An alarm. — We meet Friends. — Dr. Paiker and Jimmy. — Jimmy'.s Experience in crossing the Canon. — He refuses to "inter the Crack." — A ludicrous Adventure. — iptured by the Apaches. — Startling Effect of the Fire in the Canon. — "Down into Hell without the Absolution of a Prasle, or the Satisfaction of dyin'." — We rccross the Canon. — Arrival at the Apache Pass. 127 CHAPTER X. A Trip to Tucson. — The Scenory. — A Mirage. — Jimmy's Pursuit of a Bath. — His Return. — He "don't know." — Our Camp fur the Night. — A dry Run, a wet Run, before Morning. — We lose our Wheels. — A Search for them.— Jimmy's Constern;ition. — The Lake and the Mountain Tor- rent too much for hiiu. — "The Lake as dliry as powther." — Where are our Wheels? — "Tije Divil has 'era." — A Fix, and how we got out of it. — Once more on the Road. — A Mescal Distillery. — How they make it, and how they drink it. — Jimmy the Worse for it. — Arrival at Tucson. — The City and its Inhabitants. — The Santa Cruz. — The Mission of San Xavier del Bac. — Built in 1678 by the Jesuits. — Its great architectural Beauty. — Description of the Buililings. — Its Lesson. — Desolation and Decay. — The Pap.igo Indians. — Old Jose, their Chief. — His Dress and "jjersonal Appearance. — Jimmy compares him to the Kings of "Ould Ireland." — Vespers in the old Mission. — The Choir. — Effect of the Music. 143 CHAPTER XI. Bill May's Ranche. — Bill's History. — How he "bags" the Apaches. — His Story. — Tlie Valley of the Santa Cruz. — 1 14 CONTENTS. Arrival at Tiibap. — Its Tnhaltitants and Tr.iilc. — Descrip- tion of tlie Town. — "Good action." — The ^lission ot San Joso Tiiniaccari. — Its present Condition. — Its heuntitul Situation. — .Apaclie De|ired:itions. — Killed hy Apaelics. — Captain Kwcll. — The Patai^diiian !Mine — Worked by the Spaniards in 17G0. — Its Machinery. — The Apaches and tlie Boiler. — TiieOie ;ind itsYiehl. — What it Assays. — Destruction of the IMine by the Apaches. — A niornins; Excursion and the Beauties of Nature. — An iniexpected Sight. — "To be, or not to l>e." — Apaches. — As they ad- vance, I retreat. — Tlie best Time 1 ever made. — Il.'itless, but not Witless, I reaoii the (amp. — Captain K\vel!'s Pur- suit. — Campaii^iiing Qualities of tlie Ap'aclies. — Wint they can endure. — .My K^c.ipe and its Lesson. — Jimmy's Ideas of early Birds and Worms. ...-- V CHAPTER XII. The Santa Rita Mountain and its Mine. — The Ore and its Value. — How the Apaches destroyed it. — The Salero Mine. — How it was worked in 1760. — Wood and Water. — Why it is calleJ the Salt-Cellar Mine. — Tlie Bisliop of Sonora is entertained by the Holy Fatiiers at Tuinaccari. — He wants a Salt-Cellar, and gets it. — A Hap])y Tiiought. — The Bustillo inid other Mines. — Their enormous Yield. — Tiie Foe of Industry and Civilization. — Fort Buchanan. — Visit to the Heintzleman Mine. — It assays Nine Thou- sand Dollars to tiie Ton. — Average Yield. — The brate old General. — How the Mine was destroyed. — The Ari- vacca Ranciie and Mine. — Jimmy's first Shot at a Deer. — It proves to be a good one. — lie stays by it. — Is sent for. — His Trial. — The Evi.lence and Verdict. — "The gin- (?ral Diciptiveniss of tlie Counthry." — Venison Steaks. — Apache Depredations. — Protection. — Farewell to Tubac. — Arrival at San Xavier. — Jimmy and the King. — A Cock Fight after Vespers. 172 COXTENTS. 15 CHAPTER XT I I A Visit to tlie Piino Villages. — We lo;\vc Jimmy at S:in Xavior. — Our Aniv.il niiionijf ll>e Piiims. — Tlu'ir t'iviH/.:i- tioti. — Four Iluinirefl ^^il('H of Ac(Miui,is. — Tlu'ir Houses. — Tlicir \V'o:ii>ons. — The only successful Apaclu' Fiijliters. — An Ark of Salily. — A Visit to the "C'(^^•'^s• Grumb.^r — Our first Sight of these Wonders of the Desert. — Tlii-ir Con- • lition. — What ]Mr. Bartlett said of them in 18')-'. — A Desciij)ti(.u of the Buildings, — The Elevation and Ground Plan. — Tho Pottery found here. — liemarkaltlo Evidences of an Extinct Civili/.ition — The Buildings supposed to be Eiuht Hundred Years Old. — Foitv IMiles of Ruins. — The Work of whose Hands? — Father T ilro Font visits them in 1775. — Extracts liom a ^lanuscript Cojiy of his Journal, — Ci)ndiiion of the IJuins at the Tinu.'of his Visit. — A Description of lliiin as Mangi found them in 1094. — Father Kii.o pays Mass in them in that Year. — What the Government ought to do. — Speculations. — Return to the Pimo Villages. IS-l y*- CHAPTER XIV The Montezuma Indians. — Their distinguisliing Characteris- tics. — The Ruins upon the Ric Verde and Salina River. — The four-story Houses, and wlio built them. — Gold and Silver Ornaments. — Cochise an.imt'nech says of it. — Father Marcos do Niza's Explorations in 1535. — The Arabian Negro Ksteva. — The Friar llonoratus. — Father Ni/.a " follows where tl'.e Holy Ghost did lead." — His Description of the Inhabitants. — Gold. — Tnrqnoiso ami Cotton Clotl). — Fatlier Niza and the Negro Quarrel, — Esteva Bcts out on n Voyage of Discovery. — lie finds the City of Cibola, — Dress of tlie lidiabitants, — Girdles of Turquoise. — Gowns of Cotton Cloth. — Ox Hides. — Father Niza is received by the Children of the Desert. — He hears of Cibola and Marata. — Acus. — Totonteac. — The wild Beasts of the Kingdom. — He learns the sad Fate of the Negro Esteva, — Ho sees Cibola from the Toji of a Mountain. — What he says of it and its lidiabitants, — He returns to Ciilioan, — Tlie Valley of the Rio Verde, — Conjectures. — Captain General Governor Francisco Vas- quez de Coronado. — His Expedition to conquer Cibola. — His Army. — Easter Morning, 1540, and what it saw. - - 2.S5 CHAPTER XVII Forty Days' Toil. — Red Town. — Coronado's Troubles, — His Men and Horses Starve. — Don Tii-tan It • I : li CHAPTER I. I OURTEEN HUNDRED NINETY-TWO gave to the world the startling annouuce- inent that a new world had been discovered; since which time, this later revelation of God to man has unceasingly developed to the inquirer new marvels of beauty, new ,i^--^ ''^l^^Mi^^HII^P^ forms of Sfrandeur, new mines of wealth; and of no section of our vast dominion oan this be more truly said, than of the Territory of Arizona. It is a well-known fact that when, twenty-two years later, Cortez achieved the conquest of Mexico, ho found tlie Aztecs in possession of immense quantities of gold, silver, and precious stones. So wonderful was this amount of treasure, that tha Spaniards fully believed they had at last discovered (29) I'M ■J^'^ 30 EXPEDITION TO CIBOLA. '. i the "El Doiiido" of their dreams, and every iiKUiecincnt was oflcred to Montezuma and his caciques to cause them to disclose the secret source from whence they derived so much of their wealth. The most brilliant promises, how- ever, availed them nothing. Montezuma's answer was ever the same, "From the Northwest." Actuated by the spirit of daring, which had manifested itself in so many different ways, Cortcz's next movement was a bold one indeed. He conceived a plan to obtain by stratagem the knowledge which he had failed to gain by fairer means. Inducing the Emperor to visit him in the old palace of Azayacatl — the former residence of Montezuma's father, wliich had been assigned to the Spaniards as barracks, — he seized and placed him in irons, detaining him in prison for nearly six months. But even this audacious act failed of its purpose; for to the oft-repeated inquiry, the answer was still the same, "From the Northwest," with only the additional informa- tion, that the treasure came from a country known as Cibola, f (r beyond tlie boundaries of Montezuma's empire. Neither promises nor threats could induce him to reveal more than this, and Cortez was at last reluctantly obliged to accept these statements as truths. The Spanish Conqueror now busied himself in fitting out an expedition to visit this land of Cibola; and though he could ill afford to spare a man, yet twenty of the most trustworthy of his little band were selected to start upon the .•• I EARLY ins TORY. SI voyage of discovery, under the leadership of one Francisco do Lujo, accompanied by nearly a thousand Tlascahm Indians, whom he had secured as allies. This expedition, like i\ui two whicii succeeded it, never returned, and their ultiuiiit;* end is one of the many questions concerning the history of tlio Conquerors, which time has never solved. Tlio most reliable information to bo obtained demonstrates pretty accurately that the present Territory of Arizona cov- ered a large portion of the country then known as tlie king- dom of Cibola, which extended south far enough to include the Mexican States of Chihuahua and Sonora of the present day; and which was, in truth, the land from which came by far the greater portion of Montezuma's coveted wealth. Of the races that originally peopled Mexico, we have no written history. Wo know that the Toltocs were succeeded, somewhere about 1070, by the Chichimecas, who in their turn were succeeded by the Mexicans, or Aztecs, about the year 1170. The only information to be obtained concerning these re- markable nations, is to be found in the traditionary legends of their descendants; aud from them we know that as early as 1325, the Aztecs founded upon the shores of Lake Tez- cuco, the city of Tenochtitlan, now known as the city of Mexico. These facts are found recorded in a copy of the Cronica de la Neuva Uspafla, published at Medina, in Spain, as 32 FATHER KIXO. ciirly as ir)r)3, and written l»y one Framisco L()[)('z tlo Gomara, wlio claimed to give an authentie history of the Aztec rare, from the fouiuling of the city of Mexico up to that time. A few years later, one IWnal Diaz, a licentiate of the Cortez expedition, and its chief and only rcliaMe historian, produced a volume coverinj]^ the same irround <;one over by Gomara. From these two authors we derive most of the knowledge wo have concerning this v/onderful niition, and "its remarkable civilization. It was through the Territory of Arizona that Marco do Niza made his «>xplorations as early as ir)^"); and it was to ascertain the truth of the wonderful stories told hy Niza concerning the wealth of the country, and its marvellous beauties, that Coronado's expedition was organized in 1540. It was not, however, until KI^H, that any other expedi- tion was organized of which we have nnv authentic account. There are now in the monastery of Dolores, in Zacatecas, old records and parchments, which show that in that year an old Jesuit priest, by name Euscbius Francin Kino, in- spired solely by religious motives, set out, determined to visit and explore, in the name of the church, the country which had for so many years poured into the coU'ers of the Spaniards so much of its native wealth. Single and alone this bravo oltl padre started forth from the mission Dolores to go, he know not whither, — the cross his oid^ protection, TUE IXIIADITANTS. SS thc! wiKlrrnoss through which ho must piuss his only pur- vovor. Pcrsovoiing in tho face of tho moat trviui; dilK- cultios, ho succocdoil in reaching jv rivor, — supposed to ho tho Sant;i Cruz, in what is now the province of Sonora. IIo followed tho course of this rivor until ho reached its junction with the Gila. IIo then d(>scended tho Gila, examining tho country as well as ho could on his way. Crossing tho Gila near its mouth, he retraced his steps, and ascended the river on tho north hank, passing through a ct)untry the most wonderful ever seen hy tho eye of man. He found it inhabited by a people who Avero kind, gener- ous, and hospitable in tho extreme, the better class living in houses built of adobes, while tho more common people built their houses of sticka set in tho ground, and bound together at the top by ropes made from the Hbrous loaf of tho mag- uey, and thatched with bundles of long grass. These houses, ho declares, were well-constructed and com- fortable. Their towns and. villages he describes as situated upon tho banks of the streams, and generally built upon mesas, and well adapted for dofenco. IIo represents tho population as vast, tho settled portion of the country extend- ing from river to river; the inhabitants frugal, iiulustrious, and contonied. They manufactured a kind of cotton cloth from tho leaf of tho maguey, which grew in great profusion all over tho country. He found them very expert in making iS 34 MANNER OF LIVING. the most beautiful feather-work, which they colored with dyes, both mineral and vegetable, manufactured by them- selves. They were also well versed in the art of picture- writing, which they practised to a great degree, upon the walls of their dwellings — as also upon the walls of their estttfas, or public buildings, which were very smooth and well-tinished, where a kiud of record was kept of the re- markable events in their history. They used a kind of paper made of tbe cotton cloth above- ^ mentioned, prepared with a coating of gum; they also pos- sessed nicely-dressed skins, or kind of Egyptian [)apyrus. He found among them many beautiful specimens of pot- tery ware, as well as utensils and vessels made of gold and silver, of which they had great store. He says some of the articles manufactured were of fine design and elegant work- manship, made with tools fashioned from copper and tin amalgamated, which ores were found in great pbundaneo in the surrounding mountains. They irrigated • Jr ground,* and raised corn, beans, and cacao, from the i'. i ,y of which they made a delicious beverage, called chocotatl. They also extracted from the stalk of the corn a saccharine mat- ter, from which they manufactured a very good sugar. He tells of a kind of liquor made from the fermented juice of the maguey, or Mexican aloe, which was most singular in its eflccts. The uses of this plant were truly wonderful, * Irrigation is still practised in the Territory. FORM OF WORSHIP. 35 . furnishing the natives with pins, needles, paper, rope, cloth, thatch for their dwellings, meat, and drink.* Father Kino describes their flocks and herds as immense, although the}' had no horses or draught cattle, and says they imderstood mining to some extent, — not mere surface labor, but extracting the ore from veins which they opened in the solid rock, unearthing vast quantities of gold and silver, which they seemed to value only as it contributed to their comfort when made into articles of use or ornament. Of their religion, he says they worshipped the sun as God; and upon all their altars kept a flame burning, which Avas never permitted to become extinguished, the simple- hearted people believing that to this fact they were indebted for the comfort and happiness they enjoyed as a nation. In short, he found them resembling, in personal appear- ance and general characteristics, the Aztecs described hy Gomara and Diaz, only difl'cring from them in their more peaceful pursuits and disinclination for Avarlikc strife. In his travuls Father Kino passed to the" south of the Fire Mountain, t through a portion of the Black Forest, to the northeast, where, after many weary days of toil and travel, he struck the head waters of the jNIimbrcs. This stream he ^ * To this day the native Mexicans in Arizona, as well as in ^Mexico, use this plant for nearly, if not quite, all the productions obtained from it by the Azteca. ^ Supposed to be the Sun Franoisoo Mountain. I' )] 36 FATHER KINO'S DETERMINATION. I ^,i followed until suddenly its waters were lost in the earth. After describing the astonishment with which he beheld the vast volume of water seemingly disjippcar before his very eyes, he says, "But I ought not to be astonished at anything I see, for it is a country full of all that is strange and wonderful, possessing more marvels than I could tell of, were I to write for a year." After spending some months in this portion of the country, and trying in vain to instruct the people in the religion which ho preached, he finally determined to retrace his steps. Commencing his weary journey homeward, he again passed through the same country that had so delighted him, only to become more determined than ever to plant the cross there, and teach the inhabitants the doctrines of the Catholic church. After an absence of more than four years, Father Kino found himself once more at the monastery from which he had set forth on his perilous undertaking, firmly resolved to enlist the aid and sympathy of the church to enable him to return, and, in the name of the cross, take possession of the country through which he had passed. This determination necessitated his making a journey to the city of Mexico, where he proposed to lay the matter before the head of the church. Fired with the thought of the beauties of the country, of its immense mineral wealth, of its industrious and peaceful inhabitants, his eloquence soon overcame any feeble opposition that ho encountered, A NEW EXPEDITION. 37 and he shortly received the authority necessary to enable him to return, and civilize and Christianize these civilized pagans of the sixteenth century. Unavoidable delays oc- curred, however, and it was not until seven years later, in 1GG5, that he finally succeeded in making the necessary and final arraugements to return, and spread the Gospel among the aimple-minded natives of Cil)ola. Late in the year 1G70, he, in company wuth three other Jesuits, set out upon their mission through the wilderness. Of their long journey, the hardships which they endured, the trials and dangers \\.iich they p.issed through, or the difficulties which they encountered, we have no record; we only know that in the year 1672, they reached the Gila, and there commenced the establishment of a mission anions: the Yaquis. From this time until 1679, they established no less than five missions among the Yaquis, the Opotos, and the Papagoes, locating them in bciuitiful valleys, yielding rich treasures of precious stones, while the snow-dad peaks of the surrounding mountains furnished gold, silver, and copper in the greatest abundance. The natives, simple auvl industrious as they were, were easily persuaded to labor upon the edifices there erected, and thus aided in forging the chains that afterwards helped so cflbctually to render them powerless to defend themselves from the attacks of foes l)eyond their boundaries, but upon whoso territory the cupidity of the priests had led them to encroach. t T" ' 38 WAB WITH THE APACHES. ' -1 , lit ' f 1 ' 1 i ! 1 1 f r ( Obedient to the wishes and commands of the Jesuits, the natives were induced to venture upon soil outside of their boundaries, and thus incurred the enmity of a hirgc and pcAVcrful tribe of native Indians, who inhabited the country north of, and adjoining, their own. The adventurous spirit of the Spaniards, as well as their avarice, manifested itself in so many ways, that the Apaches were roused to resistance, as well as to a desire to punish the invaders. It was not, however, until the year 1G80, that the Apaches made any open demonstrations of hostile intentions; l)ut they then attacked the Spanish settlements in such over- whelming numbers, that resistance was useless, and the missionaries were oblij'ed tc flee for their lives. Gathering' together such spoils as they could take with them, they abandoned their mission settlements, leaving the people to carry out the imequal contest alone, and bear the brunt of the burden which the cowardly Spaniards had, by their cul- pable avarice, incited. Again and again did they attempt to return, being extremely loth to yield the rich harvest of gold and silver annually received as tribute from the unsus- pecting natives, who still remained friendly to, and allies with, the men who had told them of their God, and taught them that they might extinguish the sacred flame that for generations had been kept burning upon their altars, ded- icated to the unknown God. WAIi WITS THE APACHES. 39 As often as the missiouaries returned, and wore attacked the natives rallied to their defence; but the constant war waged by the Apaches soon destroyed many of their finest cities and towns, completely ravaging their mosf thriving settlements, massacring the people, and thus, ultimately" compelling the Jesuits to abandon their missions, and seek refuge far in the interior of xAlexico, while the renmants of a once happy and prosperous people became victims to u horde of blood-thirsty savages, who thus commenced the extirpation of a civilization, the remains of which are to-day a source of wonder and admiration, the like of which may never again be seen on that portion of our continent. To- day Arizona presents a sad spectacle, one that cannot fail to impress the beholder with wonder and regret; for its mute sentinels silently point to a civilization centuries old which has not even the poor consolation of a history to record its rise and fall. fi: Vh CHAPTER II. ROM the time of the iibaudou- ment of the Spanish missions in Arizona in 1680, but little attention appears to have been paid to instilling into the minds of the natives any desire to learn more of the mysteries of that religion of which old Father Kino was the true expounder and great practical teacher. The Spanish government seems to have devoted itself en- tirely to developing the vast mineral wealth of the country so wonderfully portrayed by Cortez, Diaz, De Cardenas, Niza, Gomara, Juan Matio, and Mangi, who accompanied Father Kino upon his mission in 1670. However else they may differ, all these writers agree in their statements regarding the almost fabulous mineral Ifi MASSES OF VIRGIN SILVER. 41 wealth of the country, describing its valleys as rich in pre- cious stones, and its mountains as filled with silver, gold, and copper. Baron Humboldt, Ward the English ambassador, and Wilson of later years, fully corroborate these statements; and their testimony is confirmed by tlie records of the Spanish crown, which acknowledge the receipt of dues paid on masses of virgin silver, weighing from twenty to as high as two hundred and eighty-four pounds. If the reader is sufiiciently curious to visit the old Custom House at Guaymas, in Sonora, these statements can be sub- stantiated by reference to the records found there. Among the archives therein contained is rather a remarkable one, establishing the fact that, in 1683, the King's attorney brought suit to recover from the proprietor of the Real del Carmen mine, one Don Roderigo Gandera, a mass of virgin silver, taken by him from his mine, weighing twenty-eight hundred pounds, which the oflBcer claimed as belonging to the King, because it was a curiosity; and all curiosities taken from the soil, of whatever kind or nature, belonged to His Most Gracious Majesty. We are quite sure that the reader will agree with us in considering such a mass of virgin silver as a curiosity in- deed, but no greater one, perhaps, than the doctrine laid down by the King's most eminent counsel in the case. This was, without doubt, the largest mass of virgin silver V ^ 42 TESTIMONY OF MODERN WRITERS. ever found in the "world, and its actual existence seems to admit of no question; for so well-authenticated is its history, that tiic King himself gave to the country producing it the name of Arizuma, or silver-bearing, from which the Territory has derived its present name — Arizona. Humboldt says that, "Up to the l)eginuing of the present century, tlie quantity of silver taken from the American mines has exceeded that of gold in the ratio of forty-six to one." * . Other and more modern writers, in commenting upon the vast quantity of treasure taken from these mines with the rude implements of those early days, and the crude manner then in vogue of assaying the ore, declare that fully one half was lost or wasted in getting at the results there ob- tained, — statements that are verified by the richness of the refuse slag left by the miners, thousands of tons of which to-day are to be seen near all the old mines worked by the Spaniards. Notwithstanding all these obstacles, we arc told that up to the beginning of the present century, more than twelve million ounces had been paid as tribute to Spain, the tribute being established at one real\ in eight — no inconsid- erable amount, if we calculate the loss, waste, and stealings — for the Spaniards are adepts in this latter accomplishment even to the present day — that necessarily followed the honest production of this amount of revenue to His Most * Political Essays of New Spain, Vol. 3. 1 12J cents. GEOGRAPHICAL POSITIOX. 43 Gracious Majesty, the King. One can scarcely conceive the amount of treasure these mines have yicldct' , and when wo reflect that the value of the peno d'o7'0, or ounce of silver, in those days, was equal to eleven dollars and sixty-seven cents, the yield is simply enormous. Certain it is that these mines have always been, and still are, the richest in the known world ; they lack but one thing to make them the most valuable, and that is, protec- tion to the miner. Do you ask mc why, if these assertions are true, the Territory of Arizona is so little known? Why her mining wealth is, as yet, undeveloped by the present age ? Let me tell you. The luines are mostly situated in the western and northern portions of the Territory, in the midst of the Apache country, — a country inhabited by the most cruel and barbarous race of Indians living on the American continent, and who to-day bear the same distin- guishing traits which characterized them in the days of brave old Father Kino, more than two centuries ago. Let us leave the subject of the silver mines, however, to be further discussed, with that of the Apache tribes, in other chapters; and I will ask the reader to accompany me for a few moments, and glance at the geographical position of Arizona, as located on the map. Wo see at once its complete isolation from all the civ- ilized possessions of "Uncle Sam." With no port of entry, nor communication with the Gulf of California; separated 1' i I i. ! ■ i! :>i 44 DISADVANTAGES. from the State of California by a desert, across which it re- quires a man of stout heart to venture, and then only when provided with a numerous escort, and no nigguvdly amount of ammunition and provisions; surrounded by ranges of almost impassable mountains; twelve hundred miles from Lavaca, the nearest seaport in Texas, six hundred of which are through a country almost destitute of water, and inhabited by a race of Indians second only to the Apaches in barbarity and cruelty. Is it any wonder that Arizona rich though it is in its mineral wealth, with its fertile ys untilled, its uplands shorn of their flocks and herds, its settlers' homes ravished and desolated by bands of marauding savages, should fail to attract by its beauties, what it embraces but to destroy? That its mines are less known than those of Washoe, Idaho, Nevada, or Colorado? Remember, too, that Arizona never yet possessed a pop- ulation of more than two thousand Americans, and those the worst class of gamblers, renegades, and cut-throats that could, by any possibility, be gathered together from the four quarters of the globe, a very large portion of whom sought a home in Arizona, only when driven by the Vigilance Committees of Texas and California, to find some country where law was unknown, and justice recognized only so far as it suited the particular ideas of the party administering it, and who, under its sacred guise, assumed the right to QUESTIONS. 45 gratify bis worst passions, answerable only to tbe stronger, or mo«t dexterous in tbe use of the bowie-knife, or pislol.' Do not these facts answer, in some measure, at least, the questions of the reader? We trust so, although wo say, in truth, that the half has not been told. If you will accompany us in our travels through the Ter- ritory, visit the ruins of its vast cities and townl centuries old, descend with us into its deep mines, admire its won- derful scenery, stand upon the brink of its vast canons, gaze out upon its mighty rivers, enjoy the quiet of a camp i^ its beautiful valleys, or share the perils of an Apache fight, we shall soon be able to convince you that Arizona is the most marvellous portion of this wonderful country _ America. ^^ ! , I : CHAPTER III. % 'T Uic tiiuo wlien tho wosfern boundary of the southci ii por- tion of our L'('|)iil)lii' Aviis dedarotl by tlu' tnaly of Guadalupe Hidalgo, to lie Iho liio Grande, there lay south of the Territory of 2sew Mex- ico, and west of that part of Texas known as the "Pan Handle," extending through to tiio Paeille eoast, a sirii) of what was supposed to be an arid, worthless eountiy, nearly, if n(.t (piite, destitute of water, interseeted by a number of ranges of moun- tains and vast deserts, inhabited ehieily by ludians, and utterly useless for any praetieal purpose that could be imagined. This tract of country was about four hundred and sixty miles in length, by one hundred and thirty in itn widest (40) "**e^sfe=9SS n',tcjiA.si: in- the united states. 47 I""'-. ■■""' ""■'""' "'""" f">■ ■"'-"■■•-"i'.• >vh.,. ■'"• '""'"' ■'^'""■» l"":«-'l I" .1" >viM, ,l„. ,„„vl. N"' "...■ of o,„. ,„.o,,K. „„.„ ,„,,„„., ,„. ,,„,,,. ,,.^, ^^^^^^ ^ ""• ""■'■"' "■"""■.^- '■"'• "i"V.|, co,u.„ i,„,„.,in.,i ,i„. lK--io„ of „„ ,.,„„,,,.; for ,vl,U.h C0,.0,„„l0'„ C..Xp,.,ii,i "ncl<.,- ,l„. ,Ii,eotion of ,l,„ v' .„y M,.,„loz,., „„, ,1(1,.,! „„(. '"'■"■''''■'"'"«""■ -^ '^'»o,«l,t,l,„t„„v,...f, ,,; M,.. i..„„i '" "■'""'"'''■■"''"'' '^l-if".-.-iH„n,. .,,„„lfo,.,vi,i..|, ""*''■■''"'" ^" '-'■^'"'"-'- onic acid gas. When cooled, it was quite palatable. About seventy-five feet from the summit of the mound is a small opening, through Avhich the water pours, in a little GOLD AXD COPPER 3^^^ES. 51 stream, into a pool at its base, evidently designed for bath- ing purposes. We tried it, and found, even then, as hot a bath as we cared to take. The medicinal properties of this water are said to be very wonderful; and, judging from cases which have come under our own observation, wo think they have not been overrated. In scrofulous and syphilitic cases they are especially efficacious. Leaving the "Ojo Caliente" early the next morning, we journeyed as far as the "Santa Rita del Cobre," where we arrived about night-fall. These mines are situated in a magnificent valley abounding in the most luxuriant vegeta- tion, and surrounded by lofty mountains, whose peaks are crowned with ice and snow, while the country for leagues around is covered with exceedingly valuable timber. That these mines were worked as early as in78, is und, ibtedly true, although wo have no authentic history of them until 1799, in which year they furnished employment for some six hundred persons who came there from Chihunhua, four hun- dred miles distant. Provisions were dispatched by mule and ox teams to the minors every month, and the wagons were ' freighted back with ore, which was delivered to the ]\/exiean gr)vernment at a cost of sixty-five cents per pound, the gov- ernment extracting from it more than enough gold to pay for the ore, using the copper only for purposes of coinage, it being far superior to any other copper known to them. Masses of virgin copper have been taken from these mines 52 SA NDS TONE FORMA TIONS. weighing tons; and the ore itself, which is a red oxide, seems inoxhaiistihle. We spent scvcriil days in this vicinity, during which time we visited some remarkable sandstone; formations near by. We found about forty columns, worn by the winds and rains into most singular shapes. One of them measured nearly sixty feet in height, and more closely resembled an inverted bottle than anything we could compare it to. At its greatest circumference it measured eighteen feet, while at its base it was scarcely three feet. Some looked like churches, towers, castles, or barracks, and otliers very like human beings of colossal proportions. So striking were these resemblances, that it was hard to believe the hand of man had nothing to do with their formatiy nearly all the India,, tribes in the Territory; therefore ,10 further attcition was paid to the matter. We had just entered a small ea,lo„, or pass, through tl„. l„lls to the prairies beyond. Eoeks bare and sterile to,ve,-od far above ns on either side. The only vegetation visil,lo was an occasional cactus, twenty or thirty feet in hcL^ht and three or four feet in circumfc-eneo, fluted with "the' regularity „f a Corinthian column, and covered with beau- t.ful va.iegated blossoms; or, perchance, high up in , eleft of the rocks, a p>-ickly-pear, with its bright green leaves. "...1 magniticent scarlet flowe,-s, looking like the gift of some good fairy, hung there to relieve the eye by contrast with the sombre backgi-oimd of the rock. Suddenly the appalling war-whoop of the Apaches sound<.d on our ears like a death-knell, echoed f,™ side to .ide by the massive walls. It resembled the inearnate shrieks of ten thousand devils holding high carnival over the a^onv of some lost soul. "^ startled as we were, we yet had presence of mind cnou..h to spur our mules forward towards the mouth of tb- ean™ wh.ch was only a short distance before us. It took but , moment to reach it; and as wo escaped fron. between thl g oomy walls out into the beautiful green prairie, we uttered an involuntary shout of triumph; but alas! it eume 54 LOUS OF A COMRADE. i loo soon. One of the shower of arn^wrf sent whizzing after us, struck poor Laws in the l)ack, and he fell from his saddle dead, his riderless animal galloping frantically over the plain. To reach the nearest knoll, out of range of the arrows of the Apaches, was but the work of an instant. Here we halted, determined to sell our lives as dearly a'a possible. "We waited an hour, revolvers in hand, for the appearance of the Indians, but they did not come. We then cautiously proceeded to remove the dead body of our companion, which still lay where it had fallen; and, taking it on our saddles before us, sadly rode to the highest eminence we could find in the vicinity, and there encamped. When night had veiled the earth in its shadows, by the soft light of the inoon we hastily scooped a shallow grave with such implements as were at hand, and deposited within its nar- row Avails the body of our comrade. Lest the fresh earth should disclose the location of the grave to those human hyenas, whoso rapacity knows no bounds, we coralled our animals above the spot, that their uneasy footsteps through the night might obliterate uU traces of our sad labor. Regretfully we turned away from the lonely resting-place of our fiicnd; and as we wrapped ourselves in our blankets, while Dr. Steck kept guard, I shall never forget the im- \^ i I 1 f r i 'fi^i I 'i:! mi t f r ' I TOUCHING NOTE FROM HIS MOTHER. 55 pression made upon my mind bj his repeating, with a beauty and pathos indescribable, these touching lines,— "No useless coflSn enclosed his breast, ^ Nor in sheet, nor in shroud we wound him, But he lay like a warrior taking his rest. With his martial cloak around him. " Three mouths later I received from a heart-broken mother ill Phihidelphia, a few lines, acknowledgiug the receipt of H lock of hair, and some articles we had taken fr(,m the body, and thanking us in such la.iguage as only a mother could use, for the last sad offices performed towards her firot-born and only son. God help herl There are many mothers in our land, who, like her, mourn for their sons, whose bones lie bleaching on the plMins of Arizona, denied even the poor consolation of the thought, that a few handsful of earth hide them from the rapacity of the Apache and the prairie wolf. 1 ill r ■; k CHAPTER IV. WO days later, and we again rea{;hed the valley of the Me- silla; and here let me give the reader some idea of this really beautiful place and its inhabitants. This valley is about one hundred miles in length, and from twenty to thirty miles in width, the whole surface be- ing easily irrigated by the waters of the Eio Grande. The principal towns in the valley are Mesilla, Santa Barbara, Las Cruces, au'l Doua Ana, which together contain a population ol about three thousand souls. The real bouudaiy on the ea&tern side is the Sierra de los Organos, or Organ Mountains, a range running from tiorth to south about one hundred miles in length. Those mountains are about three thousand feet in height, and arc composed chiefly of a light-gray granite. (50) i THE VALLEY OF LA MESILLA. 57 They receive their name from the peculiar shape of their pinnacles and sides, which resemble very closely the pipes of an organ. In this range are to be found .considera- ble quantities of live-oak and pine timber. Here, also, is the celebrated silver mine of "Hugh Stevenson," discovered by that gentleman in 1851, and which, since that year, when the Apaches would pemiit its being worked, has yielded large quantities of silver. The soil of the Mesilla Valley is very fertile, and susceptible of a high state of cultivation. On each side of the Kio Grande are to be found lar^re accquias, or ditches, through which the waters of the river are condu<;tcd in such a manner that from them the entire surface of the valley can be irrigated or overflowed, and thus cultivated. Large crops of corn, wheat, rye, and barley are raised, while figs, peaches, pears, apricots, and grapes are produced in great abundance. The grapes are particularly fine, aud are called the "El Paso" grape, from which place the vines were brought. They were introduced into El Paso in 1680 by the Jesuits, and came originally from Portugal. About one hundred thousand gallons of wine arc made annually iu this valley, almost equal in quality to fine port or Burgundy; it will not bear trans- portation, however. Notwithstanding the fertility of the soil in this charming valley, the mildness of the climate, and the peculiar adapta- tion of the land to agricultural purposes, only enough U ' 8 jft. 58 PRIMITIVE CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE. ;.!;i! :«(.! i, ■ t -t raised to supply the immediate wants of the people, as its great distance from any maikut precludes the possil)ility of exportation. Could a person familiar with Bible history be suddenly transported and set down in the Mesilla Valley, he would cer- tainly imagine himself among the Children of Israel, so prim- itive are the habits and customs of the pco[)le. They use as a plough a sharpened stick of wood fastened to a beam, which beam is tied to the horns of the cattle by thongs of rawhide, serving the purpose of a yoke. No iron ever enters into the construction of their carts; they are made entiiely of wood and rawhide, the wheels being sections of the stump of a tree. It has often occurred to me, when I have heard one of these lumbering old carts creaking along the road, that the genius who invented the steam-whistle must have obtained his first idea from the noise made by their wheels. The houses are built of sun-dried Inick — adobes — or else after the style described by Father Kino, when they are called Jacuh. All the grain is thresl^cd in the field, by driving oxen over it; "nor do they muzzle the ox that, tieadeth out the corn." It is rarely that a chair or table is seen in a Mexican house. The people eat, sitting upon the tloor, and fingers take the place of knives and forks. Their food generally consists of tortillas — unleavened bread, chilli — red \)c\}1^gv , frejolies — or beans, and gailic. THEIR DIET. 59 Tortillas are made of corn, which is first soaked iu a weak lye, and theu boiled until it is perfectly soft, ,vhen it is crushed at a metalte, consisting of two flat stones, and after- wards moulded by the hands into a kiud of pancake, and baked on a heated iron or stone. It is a very palatable article of food, and is undoubtedly a specimen of the unleavened bread mentioned in Scripture. Chilli and frejolies are as necessary to a Mexican as is bread to an American; in fact, they are not unfrequently his diet for months. Meat is rarely eaten by them, and never unless cooked iu chilli Colorado, or garlic. Give a Mexican a peck of beans and a string of red pep- pers, and he is thoroughly contented; nor will he work while a particle of either remains. Having heard much of the rnins of an ancient city lying about one hundred and twenty milos northeast of Mesilla, said to be one of the celebrated "Seven cities of Cibola," 1 arranged to visit them. Organizing a party of Hve, with eight Mexican servants, we started with two ambulances and six pack mules. Our first day's journey I)rought us to the foot of the Organ Mountains, where we camped for the night iu a beautiful grove of live-oak. The next morning we took an early start, and reached the BUDmiit of the pass about noon. Id ' i'i 1^1 60 FEAR OF THE APACHES. Hero we paused for u while to gaze with wonder and admiration upon the vast plain spread out before us. Far in the distiinee rose in majesty the lofty peaks of the Sacramento Mountains, near which we expected to find the ruins of Le Gran Quivera. These mountains were also the LOS OnOANOS MOUNTAINS. home of the Coytero and Mescallaro Apaches, two of the worst bands in the whole nation. It was with these Indians that Lieutenant Lazelle, of the United States Army, had a desperate fight at Dog Canon the year before, and the question naturally arose, should we be permitted to quietly SALT LAKES. 61 i pursue our explorations, or should we have trouble with them ? Upon questioning our guide as to the probaiulities of an encounter, he shrugged his shoulders, and ominously shak- ing his head, gave us the usual philosophical reply of the Mexican, " Quien Sahe? " or "Who knows? " Half-Avay across this vast sandy i)lain two or three blue specks were visible, which, (,ur guide informed us, were salt lakes; also, that it was from the shores of these lakes that the Spaniards formerly procured their salt, and even the present inhabitants of tiie Territory used it to a large extent. IJe said, that in close proximity to these lakes was a very pecul- iar sandstone formation, well worth seeing; and, as all wore but a few miles distant from our direct route, we determined to visit them. Bringing our glasses to bear upon that portion of the plain pointed out by the guide, we saw what seemed to us to be a large city, with its spires and domes and towers glittering in the bright sunlight, and rivalling in splendor even the creations of the genii conjured by '« Aladdin's wonderful lamp." But we must not linger longer admiring the wonderful I>anorama spread out before us, or we shall fail to reach the wood and water level before night-fall. We there- fore descend the mountain, and are once more upon the plain. Upon reaching a beautiful little stream that comes trick- 62 A CITY NOT MADE WITH HANDS. m It It |i ; ■ ling down the sides of a rocky ciifion, Ave encamp for the night. Sunrise finds us again on our journey, and after a hard day's jaunt o-'er the same unchangeable plain, nigiit brought us to the first of the lakes whose blue waters had so en- chanted us the diiy [)reviou8. Its shores Avere white with pure, crj'stallized salt, and we were told by our guide that carettas full were carried away every j'ear, in its natural state. The nc morning the guide called us to behold the wonder- ful effect of the rising sun upon the city of enchantment that we had seen from the mountain the day before. As Ave ap- proached this marvellous architecture of the elements, we could not repress exclamations of Avondcr and delight. Streets were plainly visilde; massive temples with their spires and domes; monuments of every conceivable shape; castles of huge proportions; toAvcrs and minarets, all formed of pure Avhite silica, which glittered in the bright sunlight like walls of crystal. It was hard to persuade ourselves that art had had no part in forming these graceful testimo- nials to the wonders of nature. ♦'Surely," said Dr. Parker, "this must be a city." ♦'Yes," loidied I, "a city, but not made with hands." Around the Avhole was a massive wall ten feet in height, with arched gateways and entrances as perfect as it is possible for the imagination of man to cf>nceive. Enterinji FRUITLESS ANTELOPE HUNT. the coiifiiios of this magical spot, wo were soon nndccoivoa, for what in tht; distan.c our imagination had conceived to bo enchanted ground, was, in reality, a mass of white sand- stone, worn by the winds and waters into a wonderful similitude of a magnificent city. Kogretfully turning our backs \\\, m this mar\'cl of nature, we resumed our journey, camping at night on the banks of a little mountain stream called the Tidarosa, said to alioimd in trout, and whose waters sunk (piictly into tiio plain about two miles from Avhere it left tlie rugged =ide of the mountains. As wc approached the camping-ground, I noticed on a little eminence to the left a herd of antelope feeding. Un- strapping the hiankct from my saddle, I handed it, with my rifle, to an attendant; and informing the party that we should have antelope steak for supper, I started after the herd, thinking I could easily kill one with my revolver. As I approached, they trotted leisurely ofT, I folhnving them, and paying no attention to the course they took, so intent was I on securing some fresh meat for supper. The chase became an exciting one, and before I was aware of it the Sim had sunk to his rest, and night was rapidly ap- proaching. Eeluctantly I gave up the chase and turned towards camp, when, to my surprise and mortification, 1 became convinced that I had no means of ascertaining its dire(;tion, — in short, I Gl SUDDEN ALARM. was lost; and as darkness was already shadowing the earth, there was no alternative but to encamp for the night alone on the prairie. To unsaddle my mule, picket him, and then cxamino the condition of my revolver, was hut the work of a few minutes. Tiicn, with my saddle for a pillow, I laid myself down upon the grass, with no covering save the starry heavens; and, being quite fatigued with the day's journey, soon dropped into a profound slumber. I must have been sleeping some hours, when I was sud- denly awakened by the snorting of my mule. Approliensive that all was not right, I immediately arose, and taking my pistol, approached the spot where he was fastened. I found him with eyes fixed, nostrils distended, forefeet firmly braced, and endeavoring, by every means in his power, to break his lariat, which, fortunately, was made of hair, and successfully resisted his efforts. The first glance convinced me that Indians were near, for a mule will detect an Indian a long distance off by the smell. After much coaxing, I finally succeeded in quieting him a little, though he slill sliowed unmistakable signs of extreme terror, trembling in every limb like an aspen leaf. I then l:iy down, and supporting myself upon my elbows, to enable me to bring my eyes on a level with the top of the grass, endeavored to ascertain what it wa? that had so frightened the animal. fil il I 1^ J ^■'. '; II V 7I1: • !■' I lu J 111 I' 11. jg^''^:-\ri:';:'':'!f#.^ • I AN ANIMATED BUSH. 65 I lay perfectly still fop sonic time, struinin- my eyes in the (lirectioji I Imd found my nuilc looking, hut could di.s- ecrn no cut.se for ulurm. Still, from the continued agita- tion of the animal, I was convinced that there was rci-son for ai)i)r(^hen«ion. Not a .sound could he heard save the ideating of my own heart, and the long, unsteady .reatiiing of the nnile. I remcmher that the sh<,rt, quick yelp of a prairie wolf .sc(mied to mo to I,c tiie most grat(.ful so.md to which I I».-td ever listened, so intense was the stillness. Not a l)i-cath of air stirred tlie light tops (,l the grass. At last I saw, or fancied 1 saw, some distance from me, a «inall hush that 1 had not noticed heforc. I tried to remem- I'SPE2fSE. f" 1 comprohentlcd my situsition, — I was siinoiinclod hy A|):i(lie9, who had schmi inc s('f):irato from my companions, and liad foHovk^ed me, dotci'iiiiiu'd to have my scalp. What should I do? If I filed my revolver, I should at once disclose my posi- tion to my foes; if I lay still, 1 should certainly he sjiot or THE rOr.TUNATE BnOT. tomahawked. I already fancied 1 could feel the shaip Hint points of the Apaclie arrows in my body, and tliou<^iit if J should bo killed in the position in whicli 1 was now lying, my friends, should tl)':y evcv ti.-nl mv l)ody, would havo A SUOT IN THE DARK. 67 reason to i)resumo that I was trying my best to escape when overtaken. I rapidly revolved the chances in my mind, all the time conscious that the hush was coming nearer and nearer, and finally determined that I would have one shot, let the con- sequences be what they might. I waited as long as 1 dared, and then, placing the barrel of my pistol between the fore and middle fingers of my left hand, to enable me to sight proi)crly, I aimed at the foot of the bush and Hred. A yell, and I saw the bush no longer. Already, to my excited imagination, a dozen tomahawks were whizzing through the air. The; hum of a bug carelessly flying over me was the zip of an arrow. The suspense of the remaiiiiiig hours until daylight was terrible. One thin^r alone tended to assure me,— my mule was quietly feeding; this seemed to indicate that there was no longer any immediate danger. Still the thouglit that Apaches were rarely alone in their raids, kept mo in a state of agonizing suspense. And so the tedicus hours wore on, till at last the first gray streak of daylight was just dis<*rnible in the east. I immediately saddled my mule, and taking him l)y the bit witl: one hand, and carrying my revolver cocked in the other, I slowly started for the bush, which was about fifty feet from the spot where I had lain. • I found a long, snake-like trail, sliowing that whoever ■am G8 THE MYSTERY SOLVED. carried the bush had approMdied inc ou his belly, using iiia elbows with which to propel himself. Following the trail about eighty yards, I saw in the bottom of a small aroya au Indian, to all appearance asleep. He lay on his side. One half of his face was painted a bright vermilion, the other half datjbed with mud, showing him to bo in disgrace for some ofl'ence with his tribe, the penalty for which he proposed to settle with my scalp and my mule. I descended into the aroya, and taking his how and arrows, with his scalp, made for the highest ground in the vicinity, where, after a few minutes' anxious watching, I was rewarded by seeing a "white man's smoke" far away to my left, for which 1 struck a "bee line." An hour's smart riding brought me Avithiii sight of the camp, from which a party were just starting out for the pur- pose of helping mo l)ring in the antelope steak I had so g merously olTiired to provide the evening before. A hearty breakfast of bacon and corn bread, with a dish of coffee, in some measure atoncid for the loss of the fresh meat; but I then and there declared I never Avould go marketing again iu that country alone. I haveiCt killed an auidope ulace! I r m CHAPTER V. I f T was noon the next tiny be- fore our little party was ready to start on tlie ti.iil throiiKh the Sacramento Mountains. We dceitlcd to take the road to Fort Stanton, then located in that range, as being thj best point from which to start for the ruins, of which wo had hoard so nmch, and that so fcAv Americans had ever visited. A short journey np tlie ))eauliful valley of the Tularosa, and Dr. TMrkcr met us with as tine a string of speckled trout as I ever saw caught, oven in the streams of New England, or the wilds of Lake Superior. A few miles farther on, and our guide (pointing to an oi.oning high up on the side of the moun- tain, which was sparsely covered with balsan, and fir trees, oyer which a fiio had passed some two or three years before, (09) 70 EXCITING HEAR HUNT. m V' I f killing tli(! growth of the trees, hut Ic'ivini^ thcin s'.;iii(ling) romarkotl, "Yonder is the hole of ji Ciiiiiiimon l)'iir." The information was i-hn'trieul in it.s eileet, all expressing themselves, as with one accord, eager to share the adven- ture of ahcar-hunt — rnyscdf excepted — 1 having had quite enough of that kind of sport, for the present at least. Still I resolved to stay by and watch the fun, for fun I was sure there would he before IJriun yiehh'd himself captive. Selecting a position some distance from tlu; scene of action, where 1 could observe the movements of the party, I watched them, rifles in hand, slowly and labo- riously ascending the steep side of the mountain, here catch- ing hold of the charred limb of a balsam, which snapped like a pipe-stem at the touch; now balancing themselves on a stone, which failed to give a firm footing, as with difficulty they worked themselves up to the month of the cave, where his cinnamon-colored majesty was buppoocd to hibernate. The guide, who acted as leader, took a position directly over the mouth of the cave, pointing out to the others the places they were to occupy, with directions that as soon as the bear should emerge from his den, each one should fire, aiming directly behind the shoulder-blade. When all had anircuncod themselves ready, the guide picked up a handful of larger pebbles and commenced drop- ping them immediately in front pf the mouth of the cayc. f I b' IMPllOMrTU a YMNASTICS. 71 III ;i few inoiiicnts his hcar.slnp, evidently iuiiioycd at tliis iirnvarraiit.'iMc intrusion, slowly poked his head out of the esivc, and jiroecieded to take a calm survey, " Of such as, waiuloririf,' near hiH Kcciet Ijowcr, MoleHt LiH ancii'iit, Holitary it," m)V] m^h of I'lUgiiter fnm) i;;,o ^vnt of the party. ■»»wi , i j.aj.L, i jn- ' .La CHAPTER VII. r T was while in camp nt the Apache Pass, that I began to experience a strong desire to learn more of the Apache tribe. I broached the matter to Cochise one day, after treat- ing him liberally to whiskey, but he did not care to talk on the subject. My friends all tried to dissuade me from the undertaking; but a bale of smoking tobacco, a five-gallon keg of whiskey, with a pair of bright red blankets, were too strong induce- ments for Cochise, and his consent once gained, I determined to start alone for the rancheria of the Pinal and Tonto Apaches, situated about one hundred and twenty miles west of north from the Chiricahui Mountains, near the Rio Gila. He assured me that there was no danger to be apprehended 18 (97> I ■ 1^- 98 B0U2W FOR APACHE DOM. from stray bands of Indians; and, after his consenting to leave his brother in the hands of Major De Rythe, as hostage for our safe return, we started for a trip to the home of the Apaches, my object being, as much as anything else, to see the country which every American in Arizona was confident furnished the gold with which these Indians were so lavish when they came into the settlements. Cochise and myself each had one riding mule, and in addition thereto I had three pack mules, one of which was loaded down Avith two huge leathern bottles, holding about six gallons each, filled with water. It was a lovely morning in June, that we started. The parting with "Jimmy" was affecting, he swearing " if he'd iver thought I was a goin' that way he would have kilt mc intirely before I started." After leaving the Chiricahui Mountains, Cochise, striking across the country in a northwesterly direction, soon came upon a trail ; following this trail, wo travelled all day over an alkali plain, which reflected the rays of tiie burning sun with an intensity that would have done credit to the most highly-polished mirror. There was absolutely nothing to relieve the eye, but the distant outline of the Chiricahui Mountains behind us, or the rough line oi the high country we were approaching, save that occasionally we saw the l)cautiful blue waters of a magnificent lake with its white-capped waves rolling r .. WONDERFUL MIRAGE. 91) (^ 4L I i lowaids the shoro, which jippeared to ho covoiecl with trees oi" every t-oiiceivahle shape and hei<,'ht. H.'iviiij; frequently witnessed this niiraije on the phiins, I understood its deception, Ihouijfii never Iiad I seen it so perfect hefore. Indeed, I couhl hardly realize that it was jisnrY. the " Greenhorn's Lake," a mere phantom of Ihe imairiuM- tion, that had lured many an unwary traveller miles out of his course, in the vain hope that he mijjht quench his thirst, and lave his hurnini^ limbs in its deliciouis coolness. As we approached the high ground, Cochise gave me to 100 AN OASIS IN THE DESERT. understand that we should be obliged to camp for the night on the plains, without grass for our mules; but that by ris- ing early in the morning, we should in a few hours reach both water and grass. Before noon of the next day we came to a little aroya, down which trickled a small stream. Cochise soon made a little tank, by scooping out the sand ^with his hands; this quickly filled with water, from which our thirsty mules drank eager]}. Here we tarried for the remainder of the day. Early the next morning we started. Another da}' over alicali plains, rocky mesas, and across aroyas and gullies, until just at niglit we came to a low, green spot, whore a little spring gushed forth from the foot of the bluff, and hero wo halted for the night. Cocliise killed an antelope with his bow and arrows, which furnished us some juicy steaks, far preferable to the hard, dry meat we had provided for the trip. The next morning we commenced the ascent of the bluff. And here let rac disclaim the ability to give the reader any- thing but a faint idea of the scene that burst upon my view, or the experiences of that day's travel. No tongue over spoke, no pen ever wrote, that could 'adequately describe the grandeur and sublimity, as well as the utter desolation, that appalls, while it enchants, the traveller, through the perils thot hero beset him at every step. -^ THE JOURNEY OF DEATH.' 101 j^. % % m /0^iimk. Well did Cochise call it the " Jornada del Muene^'* or Journey of Death. Imagine, if you can, a valley or plain eighty miles in Avidth, and extending for hundreds of miles on either side of you. It is a valley, only because you are surrounded b\- interminable ranges of mountains; it is a plain, only because there are mountains before you and mountains behiutl you. To your uneducated eye, it presents a smooth and un/' broken surface, yet there is hardly a level spot upon its face. It is a mass of canons, ravines, ridges, gullies, chasms, and mountains, piled one above another in inextricable confu- sion, in all conceivable shapes, towering above and around you on all sides. ^ Cathedrals of huge size, castles, rotundas, amphitheatres with domes and towers, are on every liand, while yonder, rising a thousand feet in the air, is a strange resemblance to a mighty yrgan, with its pipes consisting of hug(! col- umns of green, white, blue, brown, and pink sandstone towering high above you, with the tops worn by the winds and waters into points seemingly like needles. Count them: there are forty. While wc are wondering what mighty Mechanic constructed this huge instrument, and whose fmgers press its wonderful key-board, our guide strikes once more into the path, scarce twelve inches in width, and we move forward again on the Apache trail. We commence to descend the banks of a 102 MAMMOTH CAXOK. 1^^^; III deep ravine, our mules carefully picking their way aloug, the path constantly impeded by iiuge boulders of granite, blocks of sandstone, fissures and chasms worn into the earth by floods ages ago. Around you on all sides are to be seen mountain peaks, ranges, mesas, pinnacles, and (trags, bald and gray. Yonder stands a castle, with ils towers and spires hundreds of feet in height, its walls of blue gray lime- -etoue mixed with white and red granite, beautilully mottled with shales of every conceivable color. Seemingly but a few miles in front of us we readily imagine we are about ap- proaching some enchimted castle, where we shall not fail to find the rest, as well as food, which we so much need, w^hen we suddenly find ourselves upon the edge of a caiion, t two thousand feet ia depth. As we gaze dowu into tlie depths of this vast ."byss, a feeling of terror creeps over us, as we vainly strive to pierce the deep gloom that shrouds its rocky sides, and verges into total darkness far beneath us. The walls are perpendicular, and of a blood-red color. No vegetation is anywhere to be seen; nothing but the stnnes around us, and the grayish white alkali on the sur- face of the plain on which we stajid, with its surroundings of crags, pinnacles, towers, and mesas of rock rising far above us, until their summits pierce the clouds on the one side, and this black, yawning al)yss just before us. Cochise moves to the left, and there we find a narrow .. iir9^.->jdRW }VE EXPLORE IT. 103 slielf of rock jutting out from the perpendicular walls, just wide enough to stand upon. We follow its course with our eye until it is lost in gloom; and yet this is the only way of crossing the cuuon before us. Cochise now dismounts, and from hij- I endeavor to learn something of this wonderful gorge which we are about to cross; but, Indian like, he is reticent, and reveals^ nothiu" 'o* Pie motions to me that we must leave our mules to follow us, and utters the single word adelanie, or forward. As we descend into the gloom, we feel as if we were about to bid good-bye to the earth and the sunlight, and to enter the abode of the fiends. Our imagination peoples the chasm with myriads of imps and gnomes. Just before us, the point of rock standing out so promi- nently resembles a huge giant ready to crush us in his ter- rible grasp for our audacity in presuming to venture within the realms guarded so sedulously by his misshapen form. On, on we go, now avoiding a rock in our path, here sending a pebble over the brink of the abyss at our side. The gloom becomes more intense as we descend. Wa cast our oyes upwards: a perpendicular wall on either side of us, and far above us a narrow band of liglit, against which the ragged and scarred edges of the gulf, seemingly almost meeting, stand out in 1)old relief, giving us the impression 0\. ^. 104 THE HAUNTING ECHO. that we are about to be crushed between the teeth of two gigantic saws. Not a sound is to be heard, save the hesitating footsteps of our mules; when suddenly Cochise, who is some distance in advance, utters an oath in Spanish. The opposite side of the canon echoes it, and it is carried from side to side, from point to point, from rock to rock, from crag to crag, with fearful distinctness, till it resembles, to our ears, the cries of the demons, who, we are sure, sur- round us, and inhabit this direct descent to the home of Los Infernos. ' Still we go on, still continue to descend. Soon we hear the faint murmiu: of water, as far below us it forces its way among the rocks and boulders that form the bed of the river, and we feel rejoiced that the poor animals so carefully following us are so soon to be refreshed with a draught of cool water, after their tedious journey over masses of rock, baked clay, and alkali powder. Instinctively we look behind us, and we see that they too have beard the grateful sound, and are hurrying along, as though impatient to taste its refreshing coolness. Then comes the thought, that frequently, when suiTering from thirst, mules have been known to stampede at the smell of water. Suppose this should be the case with ours? What, then, would be our fate ? We cast our eyes over the I i 1' A DESCENT UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 105 brink of the yawniug chasm, and then back upon our mules, as if to measure distance and strength. The sight of their erect ears, distended nostrils, and glar- ing eyes does not tend to reassure us, and we look in vain for some spot wide enough to enable them to pass us in safety. Nothing but a solid perpendicular wall above us, and empty space for six hundred feet below. We must go on. There is no turning back. The gloom increases with every step. The walls around assume in the darkness a thousand grotesque and misshapen forms. The obstacles in our pathwiy become more frequent and danger- ous. The darkness becomes more and more intense. We can no longer see the path for more than four or five feet ahead of us. Now, as it abruptly turns an angle, we lose sight of it altogether, and we feci as (hough the next step might pre- cipitate us into — what ? And so we go on, liesitating, doubting, fearing, until, after hours of tedious toil, such as I hope never ngain to experience, we finally reach the bed of the river that has worn this mighty wrinkle in the face of Mother Earth. After allowing our thirsty animals time to drink, and filling our cantovjns and leathern bottles with fresh water, we follow down the bed of the stream for a mile, cautiously feeling our way in the darkness as best we can, stumblin"" 14 106 DESOLATION. r r i i. against boulders of granite, and over stones and masses of trap, that hiivc l)ecn precipitated from the vast heights above us, until at length we reach the point where we are to begin the ascent. Wearily toiling up the steep path, picking our way over rocks and fissures, gullies and stones, all the wiiilc gaining light, though losing strength, we at last reach th° '-^vel of the plain that we left in the morning, to find ourselves in the twilight, only four miles below the point where we began the descent, having been more than ten hours in making the journey. Here, upon the very brink of this fearful chasm, we throw ourselves upon the ground, declaring we can go no farther. Here we must camp for the night. No vegetation, no grass for our mules, no watei, no food, — nothing but desolation. We arc no nearer the enchanted castle than we were before we made the passage of this frightful canon. The pipes of that same grand old organ look down upon us. The same butes, mesas, pillars, towers, and needles of rock, with canons, ravines, chasms, and fissures, surround us that surrounded us in the morning. Then, we saw them as the beams of the rising sun gilded their summits; now, we see them towering up in the twilight, and assuming a thousand fanciful and grotesque shapes tliat we had not dreamed they possessed before. id masses of leights above are to besiii >ur way over liile gaining th? '-^vel of •selves in the e we Ijegau I making the [ chasm, we 3 can go no ► vegetation, nothing but n we were jafion. The n upon us. needles of s, surround 'e saw them mits; now, assuming a rve had not ■•^ ,M^: '^ AMIS * .*f^ h^A- , -I m it f I- ' ^ LOWER PORTION OF THE CANON. ; l \ t 1 il^- '^^^SR.. A TROUBLED SLEEP. 107 Tired and exhausted, we wrap ourselves iu our l)lankots, and throw ourselves upon the ground to sleep. To sleep, did 1 say? No; for again the scenes of the day pass in rapid succes- sion before us. Our fears, our doubts, the descent of that .perilous path, all a thousaud times more fraught with dano-er than we had imagined at the outset. While we are debating in our minds whether we shall be able to cross in safety an immense fissure that yawns fri^rht- fully l)efore us, we hear the voice of Cochise saying "anm," and we awake to a repetition of yesterday's toils. I am fully aware, kind reader, that I have failed to irive you but a faint idea of the perils that beset the traveller into the Apache wilds. I only wish I possessed the pencil of a Bicrstadt, that I might portray upon canvas some of the features of the remarkable country which 1 visited durin<^ my two weeks' trip with Cochise. Another day over a country presenting the same strikiu"- characteristics as those over which we had so recently passed. The same alkali powder, fissures, chasms, and turflcss soil, relieved only by the misshapen rocks of brown and yellow- ish granite, that seemed to have been thrown together liy some terrible convulsion of nature, the power of which no human creature could conceive. Late in the afternoon, Cochise called my attention to four or five small black specks iu the distance, apparently perched 108 NON-COMMITTAL. T i ■ ! I upon one of those mesas, or truncated mounds, which are so abundant in this country. Cochise at once rccojjnizcd them as Apaches, a fact that he communicated to me; but nothing would induce him to enlighten me further on the subject; and as I had literally THF. AFA0HE8 HOUB. taken my "life in my hand," I felt there was no alternative but to abide the consequences. Two hours' travel brought us to the top of a bare, rugged bluIF, completely indented with fissures and gullies worn into its side by the winds and waters of a thousand years, 1 t i CASTLES IN THE AIR. 109 when Cochise abruptly stopped, and pointing over the edge of the bluff, said, as I thought, with no small degree of pride, "Lookl Apache home!" I did look, and the sight which greeted my eyes made an indelible impression upon me. A beautiful valley, carpeted with a rich green-sward, ex- tending fully three miles in length, and nearly, if not quite, a mile in width, through which a stream, with water clear as crystal, meandered over its bed of pebbles, — its banks skirted with a kind of small willow, whose foliage of yellow- ish green contrasted strangely with the darker shade of the grass, and all surrounded by a range of bluffs, fully a hun- dred feet high, worn into representations of castellated forts, with bastions, scarps, lunettes, gorges, and curtains, till one could almost fancy the whole encompassed hy an im- pregnable fortress. Scattered up and down the valley were the Apache huts, looking, with their yellow thatch, like the inverted halves of so many huge melons. Before nearly every door a little camp-fire was burning, from which the smoke was lazily ascending, until, losing its density, it was lost in air. Far towards the uppci' end of the valley could be seen peacefully grazing a large herd of cattle, ponies, and mules; while near the lower end a few patches ot squaw coru loomed up, as though proudly marking the only visible tpwflfl of civilization. t no INDIANS, AHOY I As I contemplated this really beautiful scene, I could not help contrasting the softness of the picture spread out before me, with the harcl, sterile features of the country over which we had just journeyed, and I almost felt that I was about to descend into the "Happy Valley" of Rasselas, instead of into the home of the cruel and blood-thirstj* Apaches, who were, in truth, the scourge of the land. As we stood there motionless upon the top of the blufT, our presence was discovered by some of the Indians in the village, who at once signalled us by a yell; and in an in- stant, it seemed to me, the barking of a thousand dogs, mingled with the shouts of the warriors and the screaming of women and children, heralded our approach. Cochise gave back an answering yell, and, as if by magic, every sound was hushed, save that the mule of Cochise gave a loud bray, which was instantly answered in a dozen directions by mules in the village. We quietly descended the steep bluff by one of the paths that was worn into its face, and which seemed to form a complete net-work over it; and I soon found myself among a lot of the dirtiest, filthiest, most degraded-looking set of creatures that I ever saw in the guise of humanity. The men were naked, except the breech clout and moc- casins; the women had dirty old blankets tied around their waists, and the upper part of the body entirely exposed; while the expression on the faces of all was .( HOSPITABLY TREATED. Ill cruel aud brutal, a look of cunning pervading each coun- tenance. The women were particularly ugly, fat, and dirty; and I looked in vain for some of the "beautiful squaws" that had been pictured so graphically by Cooper and Lossin<'. Not one was to be found. Not a gleam of intelligence nor a line of beauty was to be seen either in the face or form of those around me. As . I gazed at them, I almost wished, in the characteristic lan- guage of Jimmy, that I had "been kilt before I started." There was but one course to pursue, however; to put a bold face on the matter, and be pijpared for anything that might happen. Cochise said a few words to the crowd, in a dialect f did not understand, aud then motioned for me to dismount. This I did, and instantly the hands of a dozen Wiiniors were extended to grasp mine, each one muttering his welcome in a low, guttural sound as he shook my hand. I was shown to a hut which Cochise told me, in Spanish, I was to occupy while there; and the warriors at once com- menced to unsaddle and unpack the animals, which were then turned out to graze upon the luxuriant herhago thnt surrounded us on all sides. I had a few moments' time to examine the hut in which I was thus domiciled, and found its framework to bo poles set in the ground, and bent over until they reached a common centre, whore they wero lied togothpr. If? I 112 A GUEST PERFORCE. The sides were composed of skins, while the roof was formed of bundles of long rushes and tulle, firmly tied together, which had been bleached by the weather almost white. The place seemed to be clean, and Cochise at once proceeded to bring all the articles, even to the huge leathern bottles, into the hut, at the same time assuring me that his tribe were not thieves, like the Mojaves. After partaking of a hearty supper of pemmican, I spread my bjanket, glad of an opportunity to rest after the hard- ships of our tedious journey, quite content that Cochise should share my hut and guard it from intruders. I was not permitted to enjoy the quiet long, however, for Cochise informed me that some cf the braves proposed to have a dance in honor of my visit, and that I would be ex- pected to be present on the festive occasion, and compensate the warriors with a piece of "baccn." Of course I was obliged to submit, which I did with a very poor grace indeed. Upon going out, we found assembled about a dozen braves around a small fire, who arose upon our approach, and each extended a hand of welcome. Seating ourselves, two Apaches commenced beating a drum, which was made by tightly drawing a skin of rawhide over the end of a hollow log about three feet in diameter. To the beat of this drum, the braves kept time with a kind of rattle, mpJe of a short piece of wood, from which 4 N t NOVEL ENTERTAINMENT. 113 depended eight or ten thongs of rawhide, upon which were strung bears' claws, eagles' claws, deer's feet, bits of bone, and small stones. These were furiously shaken together, while they kept their bodies swaying to f!ie beating of the drum, and accom- panying the motion by shouting in a high falsetto tone, "Hi yah, hi yah, hoo hoo." Taken altogether, it was the most diabolical attempt at music to which I ever listened; and glad enough was I to ' give them their tobacco, and once more reach the shelter of my hut, where, crawling into my blaukets, I was soon en- " Tired Nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep," utterly oblivious to the fact that I was surrounded by as villanous a set of fellows as " Ever cut a throat" I remaiued in this state of blissful unconsciousness till long after the sun had risen the next morning, and the whole village was astir. ^- ■'v l'^ '■ CHAPTER VIII. S I lay in my blanket the next morning, reflecting upon my situation, I was far from experiencing that sense of contentment and repose that had heretofore solaced me in m}' journey. I became painfully aware of the dangers which threatened me on every hand ; and, on the principle, perhaps, that "misery likes company," most sincerely regretted that no one had accompanied me. Enjoying anything but a contented mind, I arose from my lowly couch, and proceeded, towel in hand, to the little stream that meandered so quietly through the valley, to perform my morning ablutions. This, of course, attracted a crowd of women and children, to whom a piece of soap was as great a curiosity as would be the sight of a live Apache on Broadway. Its philosophy they could not understand. Why wetting it made the beautiful white foam, which they e^^doavored to catch in their hands as it floated down the (114) I f 1 A SAPONACEOUS MYSTERY. 115 % stream, to vanish at their touch, was a mystery beyond their comprehension. Notwithstanding the soap-plant grew all around them in profusion, not one of them knew its value or use. After satisfying their curiosity as well as I was able, at SOAP AND WATEB. the expense of a lurgc sbarc of ray soap, I returned to my quarters to prepare breakfast, Cochise having faithfully kept guard during my absence, declining the oft-rcpcatcd inviti-tions to partake of the messes in their huge camp ket- tles, which were boiling over the fire before the huts. 116 FRIENDS OR FOES? 15 While making u hasty meal of beef and atolc, I became conscious that something of an extraordinary nature was go- ing on in the village. Even Cochise seemed excited as he informed me that the scouts had signalled the approach of a large party of Indians, but whether friendly or otherwise could not as yet be ascertained, so great was their distance from the village. They were probably Apaches, though possibly they might be Mojaves, with which tribe the Apaches were then at war. Here was a situation which I had not anticipated. To be killed in an Apache village as an Apache, was a fate of which I had never dreamed, even in the wildest surmises as to the probable termination of my earthly career. With as much indifference as I could assume, I asked Cochise his opinion of the advancing party. His reply, **Quien iSabe?'* was anything but consoling to me in ray present situation. Regretting the temerity that had induced me to undertake such an expedition, I hastily finished my brealrfast, and went out of my hut, to find the larger portion of the people assembled on the top of the bluff, gazing at the approach- ing band. A dozen or so of the braves had sprung on to their ponies and were riding across the plains as fast as their animals could carry them. All was confusion and excitement. Some of the warriors were examining their spear-heads, others their bows and arrows. I 1 RETURN OF THE CHIEF. 117 ;5 J Cochise soon announced, much to my relief, that it wjis a portion of their own band, who had gone out under Mangus Colorado, for a raid into Sonora. They had been gone about "a moon"; and judging from the number of cattle and mules driven before them, the raid must have been a successful one. As soon as it was known that Mangus Colorado was re- turning, the excitement at once subsided. The braves released the lower jaws of their horses from their lariats, and permitted them to stroll at will over the green sward, while they lazily reposed in the sun. The squaws went out to gather fuel and perform such labor as usually falls to the male portion of humanity. 'Peeling some misgivings as to the reception I might re- ceive at the hands of Mangus Colorado, I could not refrain from asking Cochise, in as nonchalant a manner as possi- ble, what Mangus Colorado would say to see a white man so quietly domiciled in his village. "OhI" said Cochise, "I sent him word as soon as I knew it was he, and you know too, he is the 'white man's friend.' " The barking of hundreds of curs, the shouting of braves, with the shrill voices of the women, now announced the appearance, on the top of the bluff, of about thirty warriors. Under the circumstances, I thought it best to remain out of sight as much as possible until such time as Mangus ■HI 118 HIS FRIENDSHIP SECURED. 1 . !l '^f|k should in some way evince a knowledge of my presence. This he shortly did by visiting my hut, and, extending his hand, said, in Spanish, "Good day! Gim me 'baccal' " After shaking hands with him, I presented him with some chewing tobacco, also a small bale of smoking tobacco, MEETINO or MANOUS COLOBADO, COCHISE, AND THE AUTHOB. which latter present not only won his good-will, but secured his friendship. It was with no small degree of curiosity that I regarded this great chief. He was, indeed, as able a specimen of the Indian race as I had ever seen. More than six feet In ^i^_ L' V( A BLOODY TROPHY. 119 !G. da ae o, f « ; -4 i *oM^. height, straight as an arrow, his physique splendid; liis long black hair hung loosely about his shoulders, and was profusely ornamented with eagle loatheis; his face v;as painted with vermilion and ochre, while his sides were striped with green. Upon his feet were a pair of richly wrought moccasins. A heavy red Mackinaw blanket hun', flowiiv^ tresses, which clearly denominated the murdered ones to lave been women. It was a horrid sight, and I Avished aysolf well out of it. By tiiis time the moon was shining brightly, illuminating (ne valley around us and the bluffs beyond, giving to them a strange, phantom-like appearance, that was greatly en- hanced by the faint flicker of a hundred camp-fires, which cast a sort of lurid glare over the dusky forms flitting about. Occasionally a bright flame shot high into the air, and brought into bold relief the line of bluffs on the opposite side of the straam, giving to them the semblance of being covered with aw army of misshapen giants. Some twenty squaws now made their appearance, dressed d la Apache, their coarse black hair hanging unkempt about them. Forming a circle around the fira and lance, they commenced swaying their bodies to the sound of two drums that were beaten by somo cf the men, while others tittered a low, monotonous chant, keeping time with a kind of rattle made of gourds, containing smal] stones, bits of bone, etc. As the drums were licaten faster and faster, the noise of the rattles became more furious, whi'.h, r.iingling witii the sharp, shrill tones of the squaws, made the most infernal din imaginable. Suddenly one of the old hags snatched 124 PANDEMONIUM LET LOOSE. f^. I from the boiling kettle a piece of mule meat, and holding it all steaming in her skinny hands towards the scalps, as though in derision, seized it between her teeth, and again joined in the dance, keeping time to the music. This disgusting pantomime was repeated by each one of the repulsive old creatures, who, by this time, were whirling about in the most frenzied manner, thus celebrating the prowess of their husbands and sons, who had so recently returned from their cruel and cowardly raid into Sonora. Continuing this demoniacal dance for more than an hour, their strength finally began to fail them. The warriors, by whose bravery these scalps had been taken, now advanced, and seating themselves in a circle around the camp-fire, began their share in the entertainment. The scalp-pole was handed round by the oldest of the squaws, and as it was presented to each brave, he signified his contempt for his enemies by spitting upon it, at the same time uttering a low grunt of satisfaction. Each was then helped to a bountiful supply of the boiling meat with which the kettle was filled. During this time the music was kept up unceasingly, making an uproar that would have done credit to Pandemo- nium. Sick and tired, I signified to Cochise my desire to retire. He accompanied me back to my hut, where once again creeping into my blanket, I soon found repose from the exciting scenes of the day and evening. Need I say \ } 'J- SATISFIED CURIOSITY. 125 that upon reflection I became satisfied that Charles Sprague was entirely wrong when he said in his beautiful poem on ♦'Curiosity," that *'it came from Heaven." I didn't be- hove it that night, and I doubt if I do now. Then, I should not have hesitated a moment to declare my conviction that it originated in a place supposed to be the antipodes of h. aven. The next morning, after partaking of a breakfast of pem- mican,* I strolled out into the village, hoping that the season of dances was over. j- Had I then known that not two years before, this same band of Apaches, in this very ranchena, had sacrificed a young Mexican girl, it would in no way have served to quiet my apprehensions. She was oflfered as a sacrifice to propitiate the Great Spirit, whose wrath had manifested itself by visiting upon tliem the small-pox. After fattening her for several months, keeping her very quiet, and in ignorance of her fate, they brought her, on the morning when the sacrifice was to be made, to the place of torture. Here, placing her between two trees, they suspended her by ropes tied around her wrists, so that her feet, which were firmly fastened together, were about three * The flesh of buffalo or deer, dried until it becomes hard and brittle, and then pounded fine, and put into bags niade of buffalo hide or deer>skin, the tallow being melted and poured over it, and the whole mass pressed together, when it soon becomes as hard as a stone. This is a favorite and convenient method of carrying meat where game is scarce in the Apache Country. 1' Mi 0h 126 TORTURE OF A MEXICAN OIRL. feet from the ground. A fire was then kindled beneath her, and as the flames reached her flesh, scream after scream issued from the lips of the poor victim. One after another of these brave Apaches plucked a burning brand from the fire and applied it to the quivering flesh of the wretched girl, till finally death released her from her terrible suffer- ings. The body was then hacked to pieces with sharp stones, the pieces burned upon the fire, and the ashes scat- tered to the winds, in order to purify Iho air, and thus appease the wrath of the malign spirit. I fully realized the truth of the old adage, "Where igno- rance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise," upon hearing a liurra- tiou of the above facts, from an old Arizouian, more than a year after my return from the Apache rancheria. CHAPTER IX. T the time I left the Apache Pass, I had some idea that a trip into the Navajoe country, at least as far as the seven Moquis cities, might, possi- bly, be a desirable one; and that it might be successfully made from the Apache ran- cheriaf especially as Cochise had informed me that these Indians were at peace with the Apaches, and that he could easily act as guide through the country. My visit to the rancheria, however, had completely extin- guished every desire for further explorations; and, like John Phoenix, in the San Francisco Female Convention, my only desire was to "go home." Still, curiosity prompted me to question Cochise concern- ing the country and iis people; and he Informed me that (127) 128 A NOVEL OPE B ATI ON. "'■\ there were then residing at the rancheria two Navajoes, who could give me all the iuformatiou I desired cuuceruiug them. Requesting Cochise to bring them to me on the morrow, 1 composed myself to sleep, with as good a grace as possi- ble, after the events of the day. The sun was several hours high when I repaired to my dressing-room the next morning. There was quite a crowd of womeu and children present, who witnessed the spectacle of Avashing face and hands with great gusto. I was quite convinced that these children of nature were entirely unused to any such sight, as much from the*:* own personal appear- ance, as from their looks of wondeiment at seeing me per- form my ablutions. Untutored children of the Darwinian theory I They could gaze at the marvels of nature spread around them with such unsparing prodigality; could see a white woman fiendishly toitured, and made to sufi'er the most horrible indignities, or a white man brutally murdered, without a sign of emo- tion upon their faces; but the sight of a man washing liis face and hands almost convulsed them with laughter. After eating my breakfast, I spread my blanket beneath the shade of a pine-tree that grew near by, and, lighting my pipe, proposed to enjoy myself as well as possible under the circumstances. Cochise soon made his appearance, bringing with him an 'J I 't- A NAVAJOE VISITOR. 129 old man fully sixty years of age, and saying, abruptly, "Here's a Navajoe," turned away. The old man squatted himself upon the grass, and drtiw- inf his knees almost up to his chin, seemed to await my pleasure. Finding him nble to speak Spanish pretty well, and posted on all matters pertaining to his people, I gleaned from him much interesting and valuable information, of which I will give the reader the benefit, hoping it may amuse, and in- struct him as much as it did me; for but little is known concerning this once formidable, but now nearly extinct, race of Indians. He said that the Navajoe country extended from the Rio Grande to the Colorado of the West, and was about one hundred and twenty-five miles northwest of the Apache village. That the Moquis lived in the Navajoe country, and their houses were built of stone, and situated upon the tops of high mesas, but that the Navajoes knew little about them. The Navajoes have no fixed residence, but wander at will over the country, stopping wherever night overtakes them. They number about tweb'^e thousand souls, and of late years have not been much inclined to the war-path, as they are growing very rich. They have large herds of cattle, also many fine horses and mules; but their sheep are by far the most valuable 17 :i fii' si , 180 LEGENDS OF HIS TRIBE. portion of their possessions. From the wool of these they monufacture a very superior blanket, which is famous on the frontier. So closely is it woven, that one may carry water in it all day with no fear of its leaking through. It takes a woman a year to weave one. They dye their wool red, black, purple, brown, blue, yellow, and green, the dyes being made from flowers, roots, and the bark of trees. The red dye is made from the flower of the sumach, with a smiill root that grows near it. Yel- low is made by boiling together certain flowers, and blue in the same way. Black is obtained from the bark of the maple and butternut trees. They get a kind of yellowish- brown color from the oxide of iron, which abounds in the mountains. When in their wanderings they come across a fine range for pasturing their animals, iliOy build little huts, and re- main for months in the same location. Here they plant corn, beans, and sometimes wheat and pumpkins, of which latter they are very fond. A kind of wild potato grows all over the country. Many of the Indians have herds of five or six hundred horses, worth from sixty to eighty dollars apiece. They are expert horsemen, and spend much of their time on horseback. The country is well-supplied with grass. Bears, black- tailed deer, antelope, wolves, prairie-dogs, wild-cats, and squirrels arc very plentiful. r ii .Mm^ i r ^EW VERSION OF THE CREATION. 131 Horse-racing and gambling are the only amusements of the people. They have a religion peculiar to themselves— worshipping the Great Spirit, who, according to their belief, made the Navajocs the first occupants of the earth; and in moving their camp from place to place, they always carry with them a brand of fire, which singular custom the old man explained in this wise; In the beginning, the Great Spirit created twelve Navajoes-six men and .^ix women. They were confined in the middle of a great mountain, with all the animals created. They emerged from the earth in the fol- lowing manner: — The locust and the badger aided them in boring through the ground. The locust bored the first hole, butlinding" t too small, called to his assistance the badger; and by their united efforts, they soon had an aperture sufficiently large for the Xavajoes to come forth. The badger preceded them, and, springing out, he lighted upon the bottom of a lake in the Montezuma Valley, and his fore legs sinking into the mire, were covered with black mud, and remained black to this day. No sooner were the Navajoes and all the animals out of the mountain, than fire and smoke began to issue from the hole whence they had emerged. This so frightened them that they went down into the valleys; but shortly after they discovered that they needed fire, and the coyote. I A <" 132 FIFE- \70RSIIIPPERS. or wolf, the bat, and the squirrel were sent out to procure it. They proceeded to the mountain, from which they had so recently issued, and the wolf, fastening some slivers of i^ummy wood to his tail, held it over the crater until the wood became ignited. The l)at fanned the fire into a flame by darting hither and tliither, and then the squirrel conveyed it to the Navajoes. To this day not one of the Navajoes can be persuaded to taste the flesh of either wolf or squirrel, or to move their camp without tailing with tiiem a brand of fire. Day and night were brought about by a difference in opin- ion among the animals. Those which preferred day are still permitted to wander by daylight, while those which chose "darkness rui/uer than light," travel by night. This account of the creation is fully believed by all the Navajoes. At this period in the old man's narration, C' - chise came to inquire when I desired to return to the Pass. I replied, without a moment's hesitation, "In the morn- ing, of course." His "es^a brenno" was a most welcome sound to my ears, I can assure you; ami requesting him to bring the animals for my inspection before we started, I wandered up to a spot near by, where a number of squaws wore engaged in dressing deer-skins; as the Apaches are reputed to have the best method of tanning skins known among the Indians, I watched the process with no little curiosity. I ^ r I ? m. ?;'i SKILL IN TANNING. 133 The flesh was first carefully removed from the hide with a sharpened bone, and the hair shaved oflf with a sharp knife. It was then hung up to dry for a few hours, and afterwards thoroughly washed with ashes and water, to re- move the grease, and then dipped in water containing the bruins ui u deer. Next it was boiled, and then stretched on poles to dry, after which it was again wet and scraped, and finally dried slowly by a fire. This process is repeated three times, when, if the skin should prove hard, it is drawn swiftly over a piece of small rope, the squaw pulling it as hard as she can, which softens it nicely. It is then smoked for a couple of hours over a fire l)uilt of decayed wood, which is placed in a hole dug in the ground. Then it is ready for use. It is not an uncommon occurrence for the Apaches to have the skins which are brought in in the morning, made into moccasins before night, and very good ones too. Cochise now l)rought up the animals, and I was gratified to find them in as fine condition as could be desired. The trip had evidently been a l^eneficial one, to them at least. Requesting Cochise to notify Mangus Colorado that I should leave in the morning, he at once dispatched an Indian with the message, which had the effect of bringing Mangus himself to visit me, arrayed, as usual, in all the glory of ochre, vermilion, and eagle feathers. After a shake of the hand, and the usual request for 134 A MODEST BEQUEST. '^bacca," he seated himself on a blanket, and began to plead his poverty in such a pathetic manner that I soon saw I should be obliged to submit to a forced loan. He shortly preferred the request that I should present him with my riding mule, as a token of the great esteem he entertained for me. This honor I emphatically declined, assuring him that I could ride no other, and should fail to reach home should I accede to his request. Recognizing the force of my argu- ment, he now proposed to compromise, by taking another of my animals. I remonstrated, telling him I needed them all, and mast have them, but that I would send him by Cochise, when ho returned, red blankets, brass wire, and tobacco, with which promise he seemed so well satisfied that I began to think I had such a persuasive way with me, that my services would be invaluable to the government as a treaty-maker with the Indians, — a fact, however, that the government has not as yet seemed to appreciate. After a few complimentary shakes of the hand, Mangus assured me that Cochise wnukl see me to the Pass in sufety, and that he would send five braves with him as a guard, an iionor that I at once declined. Reminding me not to forget the "big presents," Mangus bade me farewell, much to my delight and gratification, and I at once extended congratulations to a certain party MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE. 13(» on his success as a diplomat. Cochise departed with Mun- gus, and after an absence of a couple of hours, returned, saying, that he could have the animals on hand early in the morning, and advising me to retire very soon, so as to "sleep much," which advice I followed. Quieted by the thought of a speedy return to the Pass, I soon sank into n profound slumber, such as I had not experienced before since my advent into Apachedom. I was aroused early by Cochise, with the pleasant in- formation that one of my mules had mysteriously disap- peared, nor could "hide or hair" of him be found any- where. I knew it was useless to attempt to recover him, and mentally promising myself, that if I once got safely away, Mangus should never receive the presents I had promised him, I determined to set out at once with my four remain- ing animals. Declining firmly all offers of trade, I made a hasty break- fast, and fully an hour before sunrise found me toiling up one of the steep paths worn into the face of the bluff that environs the Apache rancheria. Our journey lay over the same parched alkali country, the same arid desert waste, unrelieved by the sight of a green thing, which I had crossed when going to the village. About the middle of the afternoon we reached the only camping-ground before we came to the canon we were to 186 MAGMFICENT SUNRISE. f cross. After a hearty supper of pemmican and atole, and watering the mules from the contents of one of the leathern bottles, I wrapped myself in my blanket, and enjoyed a com- fortable night's rest. In the morning, as I watched the rising sun gild the grand and lofty summits of the mountain ranges all around, I could not but wish that some one was near who could ap- preciate with me the soul-inspiring sight that met my gjize whichever way I turned. I never before saw anything so truly grand and wonderful ! It scarcely seemed possible that the magniticent old castles, looking so proudly down upon us, with their towers and spires and battlements lighted up with such splendid eflect by the morning sun, were but a bleak and barren mass of rock, over which the foot of civilized man had never passed since its creation, or that the only notes breathed forth from the gigantic pipes of that mighty organ were those thut woke in thunder-peals the solitude of the vast desert around us, responsive only to the touch of God's own hand upon its massive key-board. I tried to imagine the convulsive throes of old Mother Earth at the creation of these stupendous marvels; and wondered how many centuries would elapse before the hand of man, and the providence of God combined, would cause ♦*the desert to blossom as the rose," — when my dreams were disturbed by two short words, calculated to force Idle, and leathern 1 a com- gild the ai'ouud, ould ap- my gaze nderf ul ! I castles, vers and lid eftect mass of ir passed >rth from lose thi't •t around md upon . Mother els; and the hand uld cause y dreams to force I I f f il % ( ■1 'ilfE^il, 1.., /mm oM •it; V\\.i^..^ '■*- 1 E> ■■ . '. m 1 •; :; Wk ^' ' ^\ xM^ m W '^ ;f 1; ipi '' ---'^^^ / .IIMMV ( ATTI r,I.I> r.V 'llIF, IMiTANr^ r PI 1 / BEHOLD! A CAMP! 187 / me to leave the solution of these questions to old Time himself. Cochise speaking, said, "Injun comin'." I immediately sprang to my feet, and looking in the direction designated by him, discovered a camp some tivo miles away, apparently on the verge of the canon we were to cross, and on our immediate course. Cochise offered to reconnoitre, and I made not the slight- est objection to his proposition. He returned shortly after, with the information that there were four Indians and two white men in camp there. This convinced me that it must be Dr. Parker, who had returned, and, lindin;? me gone on the expedition, had in- duced Jimmy to join bim, and the two had followed on my trail. We immediately started on, and soon proved th(! truth of my surmises. It was Dr. Parker and Jimmy, accom- panied by four friendly Apaches, who had started out to find me. We were delighted to meet, and I was especially pleased as soon as I ascertained that the doctor's larder was much better stocked with "creature comforts" than was mine. Nothing could exceed Jimmy's joy at finding me. He capered and danced like the wild Irishman that he was, upsetting the coflee-pot in his enthusiastic demonstrations, and nearly putting out the fire, which he had been "a wake 18 I.U.III 138 RELATING THEIR ADVENTURES. i,' U 1 :; i' \ gatheriu' the mcthcrials for!" a statement that was not verified by the strength of the coffee. While at breakfast, the doctor entertained me with an account of Jimmy's journey through the cafion, and a most amusing one it was, too, especially as his niirrative was frequently interrupted by remarks from Jimmy, in explana- tion of some scene, which it would take the poncil of a Nast to properly portray. The doctor said that Jimmy had protested most earnestly against "interin' that crack," as ho termed the canon, main- taining most stoutly that " 'tw;!8 jist a crack in the airth, and thet by walkiu' a little way down he could aisy find a place where he could git acrost." After much persuasion, however, Jimmy was induced to follow the guide. Proceeding some distance down the trail, Jimmy noticed the increasing darkness, and charc'ug to cast his eyes up- wards, tlic narrow band of li'j'at far above him, relieved only by the ragged edges of the canon, gave him such a singular feeling, that ho yelhsd loudly to the doctor, who was some distance in advance of him. Of course the sides of the caflon echoed the cry, and as he heard the echo repeating "Docther, Docther," as it was carried from side to side, from point (o point, from crag to crag, with a distinctness and fidelity that was truly won- derful, his excited imagination led him to suppose it to be 1 - ^ POOR JIMMY'S FRIGHT. 139 the (lc9i)aiiing wail of human souls, who, during some t^^r- rible convulsion of nature, had, like "proud Knorah's troop," mentioned in the old New England primer, been swallowed up, while he believed himself approaching a similar fate. Rushing headlong towacds the doctor, he besought him, in the most agonizing tones, to "presarve him from bein' carried among thini poor divils that was scraachin' at him so"; nor could anything the doctor said reassure him. The constantly-increasing gloom, together with the ter- rific reverberations, but added to Jimmy's fear and confu- sion, and he started back, swearing that "all the divils in hell shouldn t carry him a stip further." The doctor's calls only acceler ted Jimmy's footsteps, and finding that he was really determined upon returning, he was obliged to send two of the Indians .ifter him, with instructions to brinjr him back at all hazards, while he proceeded, with the others, to the foot of the cauon, where, seating himself upon a huge granite l)ouldt'r, he Avaitcd Jimmy's appearance. liethinking himself of some pitch-[)inc which was in his luggage, he proceeded lo light a sidinter, that he might see its effect upon the rocks and cliffs and fissures, which tow- ered far above, and surrounded him on all sides. The sight teiTJIied even the doctor, who no longer won- dered at Jinnny's frantic prayers to tho Vii'gin, when ho uo ARIZONIAN HADES. If saw the lurid glare retlected upon the broken sides and ragged edges of this terrible al)yss. The sounds now indieated the nciir approaeh of the In- dians, and Jimmy's voiee was di.stinetly heard, at one moment uttering prayers for protection, and the next cursing roundly JIMMY REFUSES TO " INTEK " THE CRACK. those who had him in charge; for, as Ik? afterwards said, "1 tho't slnnc that they wus a takin' me straight down to hell, without aither the absolution of the praste, or the sat- isfaction of iyin'." The loud cries of Jinmiy, as he was forced down the steep 1 « J ' nd [n- ' \ l1, Lo X- JIMMY 'S BRA VER Y 141 and riisrgocl path, were terrifying in the extreme ; so mnch so, that even the usually quiet animals manifested symptoms of intense fear, so that it required all the attention of the doctor and his Indian allies to keep them from stamped in"-. Jimmy finally made his appearance, escorted hy the In- dians, in a most pitiable condition, a' much by reason of his exertions to escape from his captors, as from the terror which the strange and gloomy surroundings had inspired within him. On reaching the bottom, the sid:ht of Dr. Parker emer"'- ing from behind a huge rock, with a torch in his hand, so far reassured him, and he declared, "that the only satisfac- tion he filt in comin' to hell, was in findin' the docthor there before him." Resuming their journey, he grew much bolder, asserting, with real Irish bravado, that he had only been '^tistin' the narves of thim bloody Injuns. An' by the powers, I think them intircly narvous, shure." • But I have no intention of giving you a detailed account of onr journey l)ack to the Apache Pass. Suffice it to say, we crossed the canon safely, passed over the same dcseit waste, hemmed in by lofty mountains, and guarded by gro- tesque and misshapen forma, that' stood like grim and silent Bentinels keeping watch and ward in these solitudes. It was li'jt until the afternoon of the fifth day that wo arrived ..t the Pass. I •& :i s 142 FARE}VELL TO COCHISE. After a hearty supper, and a good night's rest, Cochise and his l)ravcs were dismissed, hiden with many piesonls, not one of whieh, however, was intended for Mangus C(»lo- rado. Coehise received tlie lion's share, and left me with many assurances of his esteem and regard. Of late years Cochise has taken to the war-path, and lias proved a most formidable and dangerous enemy to the white man in Arizona, in avenging the treacherous maimer in which the chief of the Apache tribe, Mangus Colorado, met his death at the hands (tf the white men in 18(53. Although quite const-ious of the failure of my diplomatic interview with Mangus Colorado on the mule question, still I console myself with the thought, that it was entirely owing to the evident mulish disposition of the Apaches, rather than to any lack of talent on my part; and if afterwards I became convinced that Cochise stole my mule, I lay the flattering unction to my soul, thtit it was by the express order, and for the sole use and behoof of Mangus himself, and that the idea did not originate with my old guide, Cochise. At the present time, I am more than satisfied with my tiip and its results, when I reflect that, without doubt, I am the only white man who ever visited the rancheria of the Pinal and Tonto Apaches, near the head waters of the Gila, and escaped to tell the tale. CHAPTER X. of the ruse ta^ken jrom REST of two days at tho Apacho Pass, and we started on our trip to Tucson, and the silver mines in that vicin- ity. I do not propose to enter into the details of tho journey, for had it not been enlivened by Jimmy's adven- tures, it would have boon utterly devoid of incident or interest. No more dreary and uninterestinj; country can be foimd under the sun, than that lying l)ctwecn the Apache Pass and Tucson. The principal features of the landscape have a marked similarity. The peaks of the Santa Rita and Cerro Colorado Mountains loomed up in all their gloomy majesty on our right, and the wonderful purple haze with which the dis- tance clothed them, was a grateful relief to the brassy (143) I f ^1 144 CHEAP FUEL. sky above our heads, and the gray alkali of the plains around us. On our left the peaks of the Chiricahui and the Three Sisters lined the horizon, while far, far before us a faint line of blue, almost indistinguishable from the azure of the summer's sky, betrayed the location of the San Ignatio Mountains of Sonora. The plains around us were covered with an abundance of cactus, wild sage, grease wood, and mesquit chaparral, at once the curse and blessing of the Arizona rancheria; for Avhile it offers an almost impenetrable barrier to travellers over the plain, it furnishes them with the only fjiel to be found. The wood-chopper of Arizona uses only a spade, or mattock, in laying in his wintc* supply of fire-wood, for the roots of the mesquit alone furnish it. The second day of our trip gave the doctor and myself the most amusement, as well as the most vexation, of any day during the journey. It was nearly noon. Jimmy had ridden on ahead of the doctor and myself, who were leisurely driving along, enjoy- ing the shade afforded by the canvas covering of our Con- cord wagon, when the doctor called my attention to a horseman far away to our right, riding at breakneck speed, in a course which I knew was taking him directly into one of the worst alkali plains on the whole route. AVonderiug who it was, and what the man's object could " GltEENHORN'S LAKE." 145 •for the joy- ^on- to a one luld be, for we knew by his manner of riding he must be either a Mexican or an American, the doctor and myself dreamily and vao-uely speculated upon his probable fate, until, on arrivino' ut the top of a slight eminence, we discovered, far beyond the solitary figure of the horseman, a mirage of the "Greenhorn's Lake." There it was, sparkling and beautiful in the bright sun- shine, with its white-capped waves lapping the shores, skirted by a light growth of forest trees, its deep, blue waters affording a refreshing relief from the du«ty plain and glaring sunlight with which we were surrounded, when suddenly it occurred to us that it was Jimmy, who was thus galloping frantically over the plain in pursuit of the lake, which to all appearance was only a mile or so distant. We immediately discharged our revolvers, hoping that the sound would attract his notice, and induce him to return. Thinking that he might see the wagon, and give up his fruitless chase, we waited for him some time. As he did not appear, we finally decided to drive on slowly, keeping a sharp lookout in the direction in which we had last seen him. It was not, however, until nearly five o'clock in the afternoon, that we discovered i)im slowly following us. As he came up with us, his air of utter dejection told us more eflPoctually than words could have done, that Jimmy was sadly disappointed and completely dishearten(>d. After overtaking us, he rode beside our wagon for some distance, 19 'i I 1 1 146 A WILD-GOOSE CHASE. before a word was spoken by either of us, when I remarked, "Well, Jimmy, where have you been, and what did you go after?" His reply was, "Shure, sir, I don't know." "Who gave you permission to ride my mu 9 as I saw you riding it this morning?" "Shure, sir, I don't know." •0^ "Where were you going?" "Shure, sir, I dcm't know." "How fur did you ride?" "Indade, sir, I don't know." "Well, Jimmy, what is the matter, and what do you think?" "Indade, sir, I don't know." Nor could other answer than this be obtained from him to any question we might ask. In truth, Jimmy seemed so utterly dazed and bewildered, that I decided to say nothing more on the subject,' well satisfied that erelong he would voluntarily unburden his pent-up feelings. It was quite six o'clock in the afternoon when we came to the dry, .sandy bed of an aroya, that seemed to come directly from the range of Picatehos, about three miles away to our left. As the grass was good, and the banks very high and steep, we concluded to encamp for the night, and not attempt to cross it before morning. ARTIFICIAL WELLS. 147 ou aw you wer ght red, well bi» vrae ome lilos inks the 4 Our mules were soon enjoying the sweetness of the gia.ss around us. Our supper had been oattMi, and we were ready for our blankets, when 1 chiuicod to think tliat I had been annoyed all day by the rattlini.' ol the spokes in the wheels of our wagon. Knowing that the hot sun atid oxc»'Ssivcly dry weather had caused the wood to shrink, I calbnl Jinnny, and told him to go down into the bed of the uroya, and dig some holes in the sand, which would soon fill with w.itor; and after watering the animals, to bring some up and wet the wheels thoroughly, and keep them wet for an hour or so, or until they were sufficiently swollen to become tight again. This he promised to do; and about half-past eight o'clock the doctor and myself ''turned in," leaving Jimmy to attend to the wagon before retiring. I soon fell into a sound sleep, and must have slept some hours, when I was awakened by what seemed to be the roar of a mighty torrent. Hastily rising, I proceeded to the bank of the aroya, wher-- a sight met my gaze that for a moment astounded me. The aroya, which but a few hours before was parched and dry, was now filled nearly to the top of its banks with a torrent of dark, muddy water, rushing along at the rate of ten miles an iiour, overturning immense rocks, and l)car- ing upon its bhick and scctijing bpspjn trees, biisjjes, and stumps without niunbor. A moment's reflection convinced me tiiat this flfoyn must 148 JIMMY IN TROUBLE AGAIN. ^ be the natural outlet from the mountains, and the rain which had undoubtedly fallen in them during the evening, had collected in the water-courses and gullies upon their sides, and finally found vent through this channel to the plains below. 1 hastily awoke Dr. Parker and Jimmy, whose a.stonish- jnent at the sight equalled my own. The doctor understood the phenomenon at once. Not so Jimmy, however, who, the instant he heard the roar of the rushing waters, and saw the turbulent flood surging so madly by us, fell upon his knees, and with terrified coun- tenance commenced a prayer to the Virgin, interrupted only by loud and frantic cries for a "praste." Then he bewailed the sad fate that had induced him to enlist in the service of a man who travelled in such "God- forsaken couuthries," and begged most piteously to "be sint right strate out of the divilish place." The doctor and myself did our best to pacify him, tell- ing him that no harm could possibly come of it; that it was simply the water from the mountains finding its way to the lake he had tried to reach the day before. At this explanation, Jimmy regarded us with no small amount of suspicion, and merely remarking "that he should think there was a divil of a lake somewhere," he turned away; but the doctor, thinking it a good time to learn the history of Jimmy's expedition of the day before, questioned HE RELATES HIS ADVENTURE. U9 him respecting it, whereupon he gave us the following account: — "Shure," said he, "I was a-ridin' along peaceably and quietly enough, till I looked up, and there, right before me, was a beautiful lake, with its blue waters a-dauciu' in the sunshine like spangles on the driss of a play-actor, and I jist thought I'd ride down to it, and give the poor baste a sup of wathe., and bedad, the farther I rode, the farther off I was from it, but I kept on ridin' and ridin', until by and by it jist sunk right into tRe ground, and disappeared in- tirely out of me sight; and when I got to the place where I saw it wid me own eyes, it wasn't there at all, and the ground under it was as dhry as the powther in me gun. Shure, Judge, it was the divil's own lake, and that's some of the wather of it down there. Sir, I'll die if I stay in this hathenish counthry another day; you must send me straight home." Here noticing, for the first time, that the wagon, was without wheels, I said, — "Jimmy, where are the wheels?" His reply, "I think they are gone to the divil, shure," did not in the least add to my amiability, and I again said, — "Jimmy, where are the wheels of the wagon?" "Indade, sir, I don't know," was the only answer I could obtain. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. ^ ^^ %^ i 1.0 I.I 1-25 nil 1.4 l^m 12.5 |50 ■^~ ■■■ ■^ Ui |2.2 1.6 Hiotographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STRIET WMSTM.N.Y. MSM (716) t73-4S03 \ v •s? ;\ \ ^^ ^\ WrS n^o 150 A WAGON WITHOUT WHEELS. After much cooxiug, Dr. Parker succeeded in eliciting the information, that after we had retired he had taken the wheels o£f, and carrying them down into the bed of the uroya, had put them to soak in the hole he had dug for the mules to drink from, intending to rise early enough to THE WMKEL 8UENB. put them to the wagon before the doctor and myself should awake; and, added the doctor, "If we may judge from the ease with which the stones are rolled over by the force of the current, we shall probably find those wheels 'Rocked in the cradle of the deep,' sometime to-morrow." ' i u FOR WHEEL OR WHOAf 151 Here was a fix; for u wagon > itbout wheels on the plains is a somewhat useless encumbrance, and we had no other means of transporting our supplies for the trip. I was thoroughly vexed at Jimmy's disobedience of orders, m well as ut his carelessness, and am somewhat afraid that I then and there indulged in the use of language that would hardly have been deemed proper by members of Orthodox churches **in good and regular standing." I reflected, however, that this loud talk would do no good, and that we must wait until the waters subsided, which they did, almo!«t as suddenly as they had appeared. About ten o'clock, the doci:or and Jimmy started out to search along the bottom of the aroya for tlie wheels, while I remained in camp tu look after our treasures there. It was three o'clock in the afternoon before they returned, bringing with them two of. the wheels, which they had recovered about four miles below; the others they were luiahle to find. Another day must be spent in the search. About noon one more was found, nearly six miles from our cump; and on rolurning with it, the last was discovered, partially buried in the sand, with a ponderous stone resting upon it. Jimmy had the pleasure of digging it out; and upon re- covering it, we were glad to find that, though somewhat damaged, it would still answer its purpose. Jimmy, though rather reticent on the subject, was heard to say that, *'If the Blissid Virgin would bring him safe 152 HOW THEY MAKE WHISKEY. to u civilized counthry once more, the divil shouldn't kape him from returnin' to ould Ireland by the first utamer," to which remark the doctor responded, — "Well, Jimmy; if we lose the wheels again, you'll have to pack it, I'm afraid I" The next morning found us once more on the road. Wo travelled all day without seeing any object worthy of note, and just ut ni^ht came to a distilling camp, near which we pitched our own. Mere a party of Mexicans and Fnpago Indians were en- gaged in distilling mescal, the native whiskey of Arizona. The maguey, or Mexican aloe, grows in great abundance here, and many come to this vicinity for the purpose of gathering it. A large pit is first dug, and partially filled with stones; upon these a fire is built, and kept up until the stones are heated red-hot; then the roots of the maguey which have been gathered, each consisting of a bulb about as large as one's head, are placed upon the stones, and covered with blankets, whore they nro kept until perfectly soft. Next thoy are placed in large bags, made of rawhide, and stretched on poles, into which a man climbs, and by tramp- ling upon them, presses out the juice, which runs through small holes in the bottom of the bag, and is caught in pails. This juice is then allowed to ferment, when a liquor is obtained, that, I believe, from Jimmy's appearance when TUCSON. 153 he returned to camp that night, will make a person drunk clear through, in a very short space of time. Jimmy's excuse that it was «'pm'e mountain dew," was accepted ; for in taste and smell it more strongly resembled Irish whiskey than any liquor I have ever seen. An early start the next morning, and just after noon wo entered the town of Tucson, nothing having occurred to relieve the monotony of the journey; for Jimmy mani- fested not the least desire to start on any more expedi- tions in search of either water or information, although he frequently complained that *'thrave)lin' was very dhry wark." " '■' Tucson, at this time, was the capital of the Territory, with a population of about six hundred inhabitants, nearly one-half of which were Mexicans, the balance consisting of a mixture of Apaches, Pimos, Papagoes, and cut-throats. Probably never before in the history of any country were gathered within the walls of ti city such a complete assort- ment of horse-thieves, gamblers, murderers, vagrants, and villains, as were to be found in the city of Tucson. The general appearance of the place gave one the impres- sion that it had originally been a hill, which, owing to au unexpected but just visitation of Providence, had bucu struck with lightning; and the dilapidated mud walls, and dismantled jacaU, that served as a shelter for the festering mass of corruption that breathed upon the site, were the 20 154 MISSION OF SAN XAVIER. residuum left in the shape of mud deposits, for not a white wall uor a green tree was to be seen there. The only objects which met the eye were dilapidated bake ovens, old sheds, broken pottery, dead horses, tumble- down corrals, live dogs, drunken Indians, mules, pigs, and naked children. The sight was such an one as I had never before witnessed within the limits of civilization, and com- pletely filled me with disgust. There was no fonda^ or other house of entertainment; and when one reached the apology that was called the plaza^ he stopped, absolutely bewildered, not knowing where to go, or how to get there. We soon found an unoccupied mud box, that served as a house, spread our blankets on the mud floor, and cooked our food in llie mud lirc-place; when night came, wo brought everything, iiuluding wagon, harness, mules, and accompa- niments, into the mud walls, and shut and barred the doors. The miserable appearance of the city and its inhabitants determined us to get out of the town as soon as possible, and get out we did, early in the morning, Dr. Parker re- marking that "there was little fear of our being salted for looking back, though if there ever was p place closely a! led to old Sodom, it was Tucson." We shortly entered the lovely valley of the Santa Cruz; and here, ten miles from Tucson, we came upon the beautiful mission of San Xavier del Bac, built by the SARACENIC ARCHITECTURE. 155 Jesuits in 1678, and the building would be an ornament to any city in the United States. It is the most beautiful, as well as remarkable, speci- men of the Sai'acenic style of architecture to be found in the country; nor have 1 ever seen a building in such per- fect harmony with its proportions as is this. The moment the eye rests upon it, one experiences a feeling of entire satisfaction, so complete is it iu every detail. Its Iront is riclily ornamented with elaborate carving. Standing iu niches, and grouped over and around the main entrance, are the remains of the figures of the twelve Apostles, evidently the work of a master's hand. From the front corners rise lofty and beautifully proportioned lowers, one of which is surmounted with a most graceful spire. Over the main body of the church, which is cruciform in shape, rises a massive dome; while the walls, both inside and out, are capped by handsome cornices. Nearly two hundred years have rolled over the walls of this magnificent structure , this splendid monument of the zeal, energy, and civilization of the ancient Jesuits. It is now but a mere wreck, when compared with its former splendor. Eighty thousand dollars' worth of gold and silver ornamented its altar when the Te Deum Laudamus was chanted within its walls, and the mountain-tops around echoed the sound of the vesper bell, calling the poor Indian to prayer. r 156 THE PAPAGO INDIANS. A AlusI Time has blackened its frescoed walls, and sac- rilegious hands have defaced its fine statuary and paintings; but the building itself will stand in its massive strength for a thousand years, and its graceful spire, silently pointing upwards, will not fail to remind the beholder that, hundreds of years ago, upon the deserts of Arizona, the exam) of the lowly Nazarene was held forth for the guidance of pagan Indians, in obedience to the Divine command, ''Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel." * Does not this magnificent building, with its desert sur- roundings, teach the stay-at-home-and-take-your-easc Chris- tians of the prei,^nt day a lesson worthy of Imitation ? 'Twas an inexpressibly sad sight, this crumbling monu- ment of man's faithfulness and devotion in extending the reign of our Lord Jesus Christ; and as I stood before its altar, my eye vainly striving to pierce the deep gloom of its shadowy aisles and recesses, the sight of a venerable- looking old Indian, devoutly kneeling with uncovered head before i\ little crucifix, carried my thoughts far back to the day and generation when the choir responded to the solemn mass, "Glory to God in the highest"; and I could almost heai' the sweet tones of the priest, as they resounded through the arched and gloomy recesses of the old church, repeat- ing, "And on earth peace, good-will toward men." Desolation and decay, however, have left their ineffaceabia marks Upon the building; and as I left its portals it was lis, and sac- d paintings; strength for tly pointing it, hundreds exam) of ce of pagan 'Go ye into ^ desert sur- ease Chris- Jon? ling mouu- nding the before its gloom of veuerable- ered head ick to the lie solemn lid almost d through i, repeat- >> effaceabla Is it was ^^ JPf^ " ""■-*' — "-V ;.-«|S*„|„i. , •^ 'N '« w9)k OLD JOSE, THEIR CHIEF. 167 with the reflection that, after nil, San Xavior wns but u picture of life, drawn by a master's hand, whose outlines time never dims, and whose colors never fade. The building is in charge of the Papago Iiulians, who still worship in it. There are about two hundred of these Indians, who reside in this vicinity, and cultivate the rich bottom-lands of the Santa Cruz, raising wheat, rye, corn, and vegetables in profusion. They also grow the most delicious pomegranates I ever tasted. At the time of my visit, they were very much in need of stock, the Apaches having made a raid upon them only a few nights before, and driven off all their animals. Old Jos^ was the chief of the tribe, and claimed a direct descent from royal blood. He informed us, in a peculiar jargon of Spanish, Papago, and English, that he was one hundred and four 3'ears of age, a statement that his :ippear- ance seemed to substantiate. Let me attempt a description of him. Imagine, if you can, a short, thick-set person, weighing about two hsuidred and thirty pounds, clothed in an old-fashioned, snufl'-colored dress-coat, the tails of which gracefully swept the ground. Upon one shoulder an old tarnished epaulet; upon his feet a pair of moccasins, richly wrought in silk, and ornamented with tiny bells of solid silver; his legs entirely destitute of clothing, and resembling very closely a pair of old- fashioned clothes-pins. His long, black hair, parted in the r 1 158 VAIN AND POMPOUS. IP^ v ;' middle, was braided in a cue, the end ornamented with gaudy-colored ribbons, which, resting on the top of his high, stiff coatz-collar, elevated it to an angle of forty-five degrees, giving his head a very singular and grotesque appear- ance. The parting of his hair was painted a bright green, while his cheeks were plentifully daubed with ochre and vermilion. In his hand he carried a high-crowned, narrow- rimmed hat, of so small a size that he could, by no possi- bility, get it on his head. He informed me, with a smile that was intended to be "childlike and bland," and perfectly displaying his tooth- less gums, that he was habited in his best garments, for « the express purpose of doing us gieat honor. J could not avoid offering him a slight token of my ap- preciation of his politeness, in the shape of a silver coin, which he seized with an avidity that convinced me that this "venerable descendant of his ancestors" had the same over- weening desire for filthy lucre that has ever shown itself in human nature, whether descended from royal blood, or born in the plebeian walks of every-day life. Not wishing to be outdone in politeness, I complimented the old fellow upon his fine personal appearance, telling him that Jimmy had remarked, there was about him that majesty and dignity which could bo found only among Ireland's most kingly kings, at which compliment the old folk r turned himself slowly around, to give me a better --* '.*)i NOVEL MUSIC. 159 opportunity to appreciate and admire his elegant dress and majestic bearing; and taking from his capacious pocket a small piece of mirror, he proceeded to take a survey of his ugly features with evident delight and satisfaction, slowly repeating ^^Si, seilor, muy Hilda, muy linda;*' or, Yes, sir; very beautiful, very beautiful. The old fellow's antics reminded me more of a fashiona- ble dandy of the present day, than any animal I ever saw; and I came to the couclusion that one could study human nature quite as well in a Papago Indian, as in ft Broadway exquisite. Jimmy was really overpowered by the magnificent strut of Old Jos6, and remarked to Dr. Parker, that "you could aluz tell a horned kiji(. whiniver yer seen him," a truism that neither Dr. Parker nor myself could contradict, as this was the first specimen of the kind we hod ever met, and withal as bare a specimen of a monarch as ever swayed a sceptre. That evening we attended vesper service in the old church, for the Papagoes still respect the religion of the Catholic Church, taught to their ancestors more than two centuries ago. I was surprised and delighted by the music; it was novel and charming. When the priest reached a certain portion of the service, the air seemed suddenly filled by the warbling of ten thou- sand birds, whose melodious notes rose and fell and 160 MEMORABLE VESPER SERVICE, V '> swelled and lingered through the arched passages of the church, now dying away as though in the far distance, and again approaching nearer ana j-earer, until the very air seemed resonant with the notes of the sweetest feathered songsters. Again we heard it, but so exquisitely soft and low that its cadences more closely resembled the wailings of an ^olian harp, than music created by mortal agency. Onro more it swelled into grand and lofty poeans of praise, until it seemed that such exquisite music must be created by a celestial choir. Even Jimmy, who was devoutlj' kneeling in prayer, stopped, and looking up, remarked, ''What the divil is that now? I niver heard the likes er that, aveu in ould Ireland." As soon as we could withdraw from the service, the doctor and myself ascended to the gallery of the church, by means of a notched log of wood, that served for stairs. Here we found, lying flat on their faces upon the floor, a dozen or more youths, before each one of whom stood a small cup of water, in which was inserted one end of split reeds of difierent sizes, the other end of the reed being held in their mouths, and blowing thron^'h it, they produced the sweet sounds which had so enchanted us. It seemed impossible that such delicious music could be produced by such siiiple instruments. The vesper service, in the old mission < Snn Xavicr del Bac, was one never to be forgotten. ^ ■■ DELWrtT OF JIMMY. ,„, We returned to o«™p ,hat night well pleased with ,he exper,ences of the day, „„d quite delighted with onr visit J-my was highly elated, and frequently remarked thai „.ver expieted to sp,„d another day in the prisence „v a live kmg," as he persisted in calling Old Jos« ne next corning.. ,.„ ,,„„, „, ^ ^^^ ,^^ wh oh po,„t we .ntended to visit the silver .ines of Arizona. ^^j oi 21 r ^-^^XfSfA A' CHAPTER XI. WENTY miles' drive through the rich bottom-lands of the Santa Cruz brought us to Bill May's ranche. Every one in Arizona knew Bill, — a whole-souled, generous- hearted, daring frontierman, who never turned a traveller away hungry from his door, or refused the shelter of his roof to the unfortunate. Wo had passed many ranches on our way, seen many fields of waving com, but had ridden thus far because wo wanted to see Bill May. We found him at home, and ho bade us "Enter" in the loud, cheery tones of a man whose heart was in his words; and the warm, friendly shake of the hand with which he greeted us spoke a sincere welcome. May was a fine, athleti. fellow, fully six feet in height, (162) TUBAC. 163 as brave as Julius Caesar, and as cool as a cucumber, never losing his presence of mind under any circumstances. He was at war with the Apaches, and took every opportunity to "bag" some of them, as he expressed it. Only a few days before, he had followed a party who had stolen some of his cattle, and not only recovered the stock, but "bagged" two of the Indians, of which fact he felt justly proud. A hearty supper of venison, with plenty of good coffee to enliven us during the evening, and help us swallow some of the Indian stories Bill entertained us with, tdgethcr with a clean, sweet bed to Al«ep in, '— the first we had occupied since we left Mesilla, — rested and refreshed us for our morrow's journey. A delightful drive of some twenty miles through a most beautiful portion of the Territory, was the route for the day. Wo passed numerous traces of former cultivation, in the shape of unused and dry acequias, extending for miles in all directions, together with the remains of old ranches and adobe walls, which presented a sad contrast to the bright beauties of the day and the green bottom-lands of the Santa Cruz. It was late in the afternoon when we reached Tubac, which at that time was the head-quarters of the most refined and intelligent portion of the inhabitants of the Ter- ritory, — gentlemen from the East, in charge of the silver mines in this vicinity; scientific men, sent out to explore and report upon newly-discovered mines ; German metallur- 164 THE MISSION OF TUMACCARI. gists; officers of the military fort situated near by, — in short, the ilite of Arizona called Tubac their home. It was also the head-quarters of the Arizona Mining Com- pany; and it was here that we met Mr. Poston, the agent and superintendent of the company. The town itself was very attractive, with its beautiful groves of acacias, its peach-orchnrds and its pomegranates, situated, as it is, immediately on the banks of the Santa "Cruz, and embowered in the most luxuriant foliage. In close proximity to this town are to be found the Santa Rita, the Heintzleman, and the Cerro Gordo mines^ the richest yet discovered in the Territory. Game was very abundant, and our larder was well supplied with venison, wild turkey, fish, and many other creature comforts, much to the evident de- light of Jimmy, who, in addition to the fact that he was cook, greatly loved •*good aitin." The population of Tubac consisted of about eight hundred souls, one-sixth of whom were Americans and Germans, the remainder being Sonoranians, with a few Yaqui Indians. This town, like Tucson, was originally an old Mexican fort, which, after the establishment of the boundary line, was de- serted by the Mexicans, and the first settlement of Ameri- cans was made here in the year 1856. The only business transacted was that done by the mining company, if we except the trade in mescal, which was very extensive. Four miles below Tubac, on a beautiful slope of the Santa '^l^^^^v- VISIT TO THE SILVER MINES. 165 Cruz, is another uld luissiou building erected by the Jesuits, ' known as the mission of San Jos6 dc Tumaccari, which was built about the time of that of San Xavier del Bac, though it is far from being in as good a state of preservation, owing, no doubt, to the vandalism of the Americans and the depredations of the Apaches. In fact, the building is but little better than a mass of ruins. Like all these missions, Tumaccari was located in a line agricultural country, as shown by the remains of old acequias, as well as the many cultivated fields that are plainly discernible for miles around ; nor can there be any doubt that the Santa Cruz Valley was once the home of a vast population, though now, owing to the constant raids of the Apaches, 'tis but a barren waste. Gravestones, or rather head-boards, stand by the road-side like sentinels, bearing the invariable inscription, — r 'Killed by the Apaches." Kuined ranches, deserted haciendas, and until led fields stare you in the face whichever way you turn, and tell a story that cannot fail to awaken in the mind of the beholder the most melancholy reflections. A visit to Fort Buchanan, the next day, at the head of the charming Sonoita Valley, where wo met with Captain 11. S. Ewell and the officers of his command, was a most enjoyable one in every way. Upon Captain Ewell's express- iT^ i \ \ P 166 VALUE OF THE ORE. ing a desire to visit some of the silver mines in the vicinity, we urged him so strongly to accompany us that he finally consented ; and, accepting the generous hospitality oifered by him, we remained over night at the Fort, and the next morning, in company with the captain and an escort of ten mounted men, we left Fort Buchanan fur a visit to the silver mines of Southern Arizona. We decided to first visit the Patagonia mine, then owned by Sylvester Mowrey, one of the first American settlers in the Territory. We found Mr. Mowrey at the mine, and received from him some important information concerning it, which may be of interest to the reader. -^^ ,._ The mine is situated in the Santa Cruz Mountains, about six thousand feet above the level of the sea. It is nearly three hundred miles from Guaymas, on the Gulf of Califor- nia, and about ten miles from the Sonora line. It was worked by the Spaniards as early as 1760, abandoned on account of Apache raids in 182Q, and was rediscovered by Mr. Mowrey in 1856. At the time of our visit, the com- pany were engaged in putting in a steam-engine, which had been hauled by mules from Lavaca, in Texas, a distance of fourteen hundred miles. A boiler weighing nearly six thousand pounds had also been brought in the same way, to the great terror of the Apaches, who not only kept a respectable distance from it, but could not be induced to approach it, believing it to be a huge cannon, brought into OVERTAKEN BY APACHES. 167 the country to accomplish their immediate and entire de- struction at one discharge. The necessary buildings for the machinery, the smelting- houses, reduction works, store-houses, and dwellings for the peons was a most pleasing sight in contrast to the signs of desolation to be seen in all other directions. The ore taken from this mine is an argentiferous galena, strongly impreg- nated with arsenic, and is easily mined and reduced. There are three veins, each large and well defined. The ore was yielding from sixty to seventy dollars per toil, which was considered a large paying yield. Since that time, a day's working, or twenty tons of ore, has yielded as high as sixteen hundred dollars, at an actual cost of about four hundred. Notwithstanding these results, the proprietors have never been able to realize much profit from it, on account of the depredations of the Indians; and shortly after my visit, a band of Apaches drove off all of the company's stock, and murdered the superintendent and many of the miners: since then the mines have been unvvorked, the valuable ma- chinery useless, many of the buildings destroyed, and deso- lation and decay have left their sad marks on all around. That night we encamped near the foot of the Pintos Mountains, in a beautiful grove of cotton-wood, beside a spring whose clear, sparkling waters we found to be quite as cool as we cared to drink. Rising early the next morning, I set out for a walk of 168 OVERTAKEN BY APACHES. fl^ three or four miles, to visit a pass, or cauoii, iu the moun- tains, whose beauty I had often heard extolled by Captain Ewell. I had gone nearly two miles from camp, and was admiring the grandeur of the mountain scenery before mo, whose peaks were fairly gleaming in the rays of the rising sun, when my ear caught the sound of unshod horses' feet resounding on the hard, pebbly soil, like the muffled gallop of a distant squad of cavalry. Failing to detect the sharp ring of the iron hoofs of our American horses, I at once decided that it was a party of Indians approaching. Hastily secreting myself behind a thick clump of hackberry, I breathlessly awaited further developments; nor hid I long to wait, for I soon saw approaching a party of eight Apaches, each bestriding an animal gaudily caparisoned with eagles' feathers and brass ornaments. They passed very near me, — so near, in fact, that I was enabled to note the face and peculiar ornaments of each one of the party. Not a sound was heard save the foot- steps of their horses, nor was a word spoken as long as they remained in sight. Each one was naked, save the brcech-clout, and carried in his hand the hated spear so well known and dreaded among the settlers in Arizona, while to the saddles of four of the party was tied an old Mississippi Yauger, of antiquated make ai.d flint lock, yet quite eflfective in the hands of Apaches. Their faces and bodies were well striped with vermilion, ochre, and •^^^» ^ A UURRIED RETURN. 169 black, and as they passed, each bravo sitting erect, and as firm as a rock upon the back of his horse, their eyesi constantly turning to the right and left, as if scanning every bush and rock that might permit concealment for a foe, I could but adnuro their dignified and soldier-like I EETCBN TO CAMP WITHOUT MY HAT. bearing, though I well knew that a discovery of my hiding- place would be certain and speedy death to me. I am bound to confess that during the time they were in sight I was more quiet than I had ever been before in my life. As soon as the Indians were well out of sight, I started 22 J' 1 ■ ''ip 1 1 1 > ss 170 DISCIPLINE OF THE APACHES. for camp. I started in haste, too ; not because I was hungry, as much as because I was lonesome and particularly anxious to see my friends. In thinking the thing over, I am convinced that there is no white man living at the present time, who ever got over more ground in a shorter space of time, than did I in going from the clump of hackhcrry to our camp. When I reached the camp I was somewhat "blown," and found that I had very carelessly left my hat somewhere on the route. I needed that hat badly, still I decided not to go back after it, nor have I seen it to this day. As soon as I could obtain a sufficient amount of breath to enable me to explain the circumstances of my hasty entry into camp. Captain Ewell started at ouce with eight of his men, in the hope of overtaking them. We remained here all daj, and it was not until late in the evening that the captain and his party returned, without having been able to come up with the Indians, who managed to secrete themselves as soon as they reached the mountains. The Apaches, when on a raid or on the war-path, are allowed to eat but one meal a day, and to rest ^ut three hours out of the 'twenty-four. Their discipline when on their excursions is splendid, quite equal to thai of any army of civilized soldiers, while their ability to endure the hard- ships and discomforts of a campaign is far superior to that of white men. COTTERO APACHES. 171 The Indians whom I encountered in my morning ramble were, undoubtedly, Coytero Apaches, and a part of Deligado's band. It is hardly necessary to say that I did not take any more lonely rambles, but confined myself strictly to camp, much to the delight of Jimmy, who re- marked in my presence, that "such an escape ought to be a warnin* to any man that was in the habit of wauderin' over the counthry when honest men should be in bed and aslape." A^ .la^ r CHAPTER XII. E broke camp early the fol- lowing morniug, in order to reach the Santa Rita mine, situated in the Santa Rita Mountains, the next day, the distance being about forty miles. We found at the mine a Mr. Grosvenor, who was tl;e general manager of iiffairs there. He had but recently been appointed io the position, and was laboring hard to get things in order. Ho informed us that the Apaches, within the past twelve months, had killed his three predecessors in the mansigement of the mines; and within six months from that time, Mr. Grosvenor suffered a similar fate. Up to the time of our visit, several assays of the ore had been made, yielding from sixty to fcmr hundred dollars to (172) ^■^*-s THE SALERO MINE. 178 the ton. In less than a year afterwards, the Apaches had killed all the miners and stolen the stock, thus forciniG: the company to abandon the enterprise which had given such promise of great success. In close proximity to the Sahta Rita mine, and in the same range, is the Salero mine. This mine is advantageously located as regards wood and water, and at the time of our visit was regarded as one of the most valuable mines in the Territory. Mr. Grosvenor informed us that more than a hundred and twenty years before it was worked under the superintendence of the Jesuits, then living at the mission of Tumaocari, and at that time /;? yielded very largo quantities of silver. The settlers about, call it the Salt-cellar mine, and tell the following story of the origin of the name. ' At the time the Jesuits were working the mine, the bishop of Sonora, a very distinguished person in those days, took it into his head to visit the good fathers at Tumaccari. He arrived at the mission with a numerous retinue, and surrounded with much pomp and state. Now the bishop was but a man, after ad, and a man somewhat noted for the same distinguishing characteristics that our friend Jimmy possessed, viz. he loved "good aitin." So when the holy fathers ascertained whom their guest really was, they hastily bestirred themselves, that they might give him a fitting reception, and an entertainment worthy of his Reverence. Everything was at length satisfactorily ^»^' 174 A MASSIVE SALT-CELLAR. I arranged. The capons were fat, the mutton fine, the wines delicious, the fruit luscious, — in short, everything that could tickle the palate and delight the taste abounded in lavish profusion. The good bishop, however, liked his food well seasoned, and in the midst of the sumptuous repast was confounded to discover a lack of salt, where- upon he called loudly for a salt-cellar. Imagine the confusion and dismay of the holy fathers at being obliged to confess th.it within the walls of Tumaccari such an article as a salt-cellar could not be found. •♦No salt-cellar I" cried the bishop. "Why, I would as soon think of keeping house without a house, as without a ^ salt-cellar." Humbly acknowledging their fault, the fathers could only promise that on the morrow ihe desired article should be procured. "Well and good," said the bishop; "and for this once the omission shall be pardoned." After the dinner was over, the good fathers consulted together as to how the missing salt-cellar could be supplied on so short a notice. At length a bright idea dawned upon them; and hastily summoning Bome peons, one of the fathers took them in charge, and started for the mine. The ore was dug, smelted, and, ere sunrise the next morning, made into a massive suit-cellar, so wonderful and valuable- that the fame of it has descended even to this day and generation. /■^v FORT BUCHANAN. 175 and it is to be seen in the bishop's palace at Hermosillo, the wonder and delight of all beholders. From this story the mine receives its name of Salcro. This mine, together with the Fuller, Encarnation, Bustillo, Crystal, Cazador, and Tenaja, all in the same range, are mines that were worked many years ago by the Spaniards, aud, although yielding largely, were abandoned on account of the Apaches. There are hundreds of mines in the different ranges of mountains in this vicinity, all rich, and many, hayjqQg yielded enormously when worked, now abandoned and desolate, as it has been proved impossible to work them so long as that common foe to industry and civilization, the Apache, remains unconquered. Captain Ewell determined to start for Fort Buchanan at once ; and we reached the fort about midnight, right glad to once more see around us signs of life and civilization. Aft^r refreshments, and a good whiskey toddy, mixed by the captain himself, we retired to our bed, and sought that rest and sleep we so much needed. The next morning we returned to Tubac, where we remained for the day, to the evident satisfaction of Jimmy, who expressed himself heartily sick of "pokin' his nose into ivery hole iA the ground that we come to, and Injuns all around us." The next day, in company with Mr. Poston and Mr. 176 THE HEINTZLEMAN MINE. ! i Cross, wo started on a visit to the Cerro Colorado mine, better known as the Heintzleman mine, which derived its name from our brave old general of that name, who in early Arizona times was stationed in the Territory, and who, per- haps, did more to protect the citizens and develop the min- eral resources of Arizona than any ono man before or since. The mine when we were there had passed into the hands of a company who have since taken the name of the Arizf>na Mining Company. The mine is situated in the Cerro Colorado Mountains, at once the richest and most barren range in the whole Territory. It is distant from Tubac about twenty-five miles, and at the time of our visit was in successful operation, employing about two hundred men, and paying a very handsome profit. Mr. Poston very kindly placed at our command all the facilities in his power to- enable us to explore the mine, besides giving us much valuable information concerning it. At that time the main shaft had reached a depth of one hun- dred and twenty feet, and the ore seemed to .yield far better than it had yet done. The ore at a depth of thirty feet had yielded sixty dollars to the ton ; at a depth of sixty feet it had yielded nearly two thousand dollars to the ton ; and an assay had just been made in San Francisco of the ore at a depth of one hundred feet, and found to yield the enormous sum of nine thousand dollars to the ton. Mr. Poston was satisfied that the ore would average as ■''^*^«m»Jlpl^" DISAPPEARANCE OF JIMMY. 177 .:1i^- high as six hundred dollars per ton, which, even when com* pared with the richest silver mines in Mexico and Nevada, is very large, their average being from sixty to eighty-five dollars to the ton. The Heintzleman mine is, without doubt, the richest silver mine in the world; but in 1862, the Apaches made a descent upon it, murdering Mr. Poston aud many I the miners, since which time the mine, like nearly all others in Arizona, remains unworked. The same company of capitalists who own tiifl mine, are also the owners of the celebrated Arrivacca ranche, a few miles distant, which is said to be the most valuable property in the Territory, containing some thirty thousand acres of fine agricultural land, together with many valuable silver leads, some of which have been worked, while others are yet virgin to the miner's hand. While Dr. Parker, in company with Mr. Poston and my- self, had been exploring the wonders of the Cerro Colorado, Jimmy had disappeared, and with him an old but liighly- prized Sharp's carbine. Becoming somewhat alarmed for his safety, Mr. Poston kindly dispatched two vaqueros in search of him. After an hour or so they struck his trail, and following it for some dit^tance, at lost found Jimmy sitting upon the carcass of a fine buck, that, much to his surprise, he had succeeded in shooting. 23 178 HE STICKS Tt GAME. '\. I K f The Mexicans not being able to speak a word of English, and Jimmy not understanding a word of Spanish, they found much difficulty in forcing him to comprehend their object in coming after him, he resisting all their attempts to bring him back ; for, as it was the first deer that Jimmy had ever killed, he had no idea of leaving it until it was brought into camp. The vaquerosy finding their efforts unavailing, returned to Mr. Poston to report. After listening to the story. Dr. Parker volunteered to take a wagon and go with the men to bring the game into camp. Although quite late when the doctor reached the spot, he found Jimmy patiently wait- ing by the side of his prize for the arrival of some one to assist him to bring the game in. In the mean while Mr. Poston and myself had quietly arranged a plan of action for our evening's amusement. The sound of wheels in the distance, together with voices, Jimmy's ''rich Irish brogue" being easily distinguishable, announced the return of the party. Jimmy soon appeared, highly elated, and begging us to go at once and look at the game. We found it a very fine buck; and Mr. Poston, after examining it attentively for a few moments, gravely re- marked to me, — "Yes, that is the -mimal; I should have recognized it among a thousand." And then turning to Jimmy, re- quested him to relate his story, which he was nothing loath to do. '"^-^.^^^ ROBBED OF THE GLORY. 179 As soon as he reached the part where, in his own phrase- ology, "he fired at the deer share," we all looked grave and incredulous, bat said not a word, much to Jimmy's surprise and perplexity. After he had finished his story, I turned to Mr. Poston, JIHMT S TBUL. and asked him if that was the deer which he had referred to. He replied in the aflirmative ; and in proof of his assertion brought forward the two vaqueros, whose testimony I gravely interpreted into English, to the effect that the deer had been lying in the spot where Jimmy had found it for more than 180 CONVINCED AGAINST HIS WILL. a week; thut they had repeatedly seen it there, and that was the cause of their going that way in search of Jimmy. Requesting Dr. Parker to examine the wound, he did so, pronouncing it to be an old one, and assuring us that the deer must have been dead some time, and evidently had died from weakness occasioned by loss of blood. Jimmy was confounded, — utterly nonplussed! In vain did he show the rifle, and declare "by the blissid Virgin" tliat he killed the deer. The more he protested, the stronger grew the evidence against him, until at last the poor fellow was made to believe that he had had no hand in the death of the animal, although he remarked, tiiat "this was the most deciptive counthry that any mon iver lived in, and that he would like to lave it at onct for a place where a mon's eyesight didn't decave him in the outrageous manner it did here." After convincing him beyond all doubt, by the most posi- tive evidence, that he did not kill the deer, the vaqueros proceeded to dress it, and we feasted that night on the most delicious venison steak we had yet foimd in the country ; nor did we give Jimmy the credit he so much deserved for killing the deer, until some days later. One fact impressed us most forcibly during our visit to this portion of the Territory, viz. all the mountains are, to a greater or less extent, exceedingly rich, being tilled with valuable deposits of silver and gold. Since our visit, the " NEED OF PROTECTION. 181 .j^- \f^ v'S*^^,. Hcintzlemiin mine, like all the others, has been deserted, in consequence of the depredations of the Apaches. Ruins alone mark the place which Imt a few years since was the home of thrift and industry. How long this state of affairs will continue, who can tell ? There is no protection for life or property there, nor can I see how the govei.jnent can adequately garrison such a vast extent of territory as would be necessary to protect the mining interests in this section of the country. With the experiences of the past, no capi- talists can be found willing to invest their money in specu- lations of so uncertain a character as silver mining, without pi jtection, in Arizona. There are many other mines equal in value to those I have named, particularly in and around Arrivacca. The Cahua- bia, Bahia, and, in fact, dozens of mines could be mentioned, all rich, and lacking but one thing to make them valuable, — protection. Give the silver mines of Arizona but this, and there can be no doubt but that they would rival the richest silver mines in the world in their productions. Leaving the Heintzleman mine, we drove to Tubac, where we remained for the night, enjoying the hospitality of the Arizona Mining Company, and early the next morn- ing were on the road once more for Tucson. It was a beau- tiful day, and as we drove along, enjoying the delicious breeze from the mountains, we could but exclaim at the prodigality with which nature had bestowed her fairest gifts I 182 JIMMY VINDICATED. 1 1| upon a country, whose inhabitants, like Tantalus, were doomed to see, but not to enjoy. We spent the night with our friend Bill May, who, after administering to the comforts of the inner man, entertained us until a late hour with a history of tho wild and adventur- ous life he had led upon the Mexican frontier, he having been one of the few who escaped of the party that formed the Crabbe expedition into Sonora in 1851. The next morning we again started, and long ere night reached the Papago village, nestled under the shadow of the spires of San Xavier. Here we remained for the night ; for the sight of the green fields and waving grain were far preferable to the mud walls and filthy surroundings of Tucson. Jimmy was delighted to see the "king" once again, as he persistently called Old Jo86. That evening, while we were lying on the grass watching Jimmy prepare the venison steaks for our supper. Dr. Parker said to him, — "Jimmy, that is the finest venison we have yet seen in the country, and we are really indebted to you for it, for you killed it." "Did I shoot that deer mesilf?" asked Jimmy, with the utmost surprise depicted on his expressive features. "Yes, Jimmy, you shot it yourself." "An* the ividence agin me wuz a lie?" "All a lie, Jimmy." If- ► /*^" A SPANISH COCK-FJQHT. 183 "Thin hy the powers," said Jimmy, "don't I wish I had thim vicarus here now ! To think of 'em thryiu' to stael the honor from a stranger in the counthry — and thoy livin' in it too. Wouldn't I like to give 'em a bit of an ould Irish shillalah.tho'? The only animosity Jimmy exhibited was towards the unfortunate vaqueros, whose testimony had been manufac- tured by me to suit the occasion ; and I very much fear that could he have found them, he would have administered the sound drubbing he threatened, in spite of anjrthing we could do to prevent it. In the eveninr; we attended vespers for the last time in the old chu ;h, and once more listened to the soul- entrancing m'Tjic of the I'apago choralists. After the ser- vice, we witnessed in the yard of the church a regular Spanish "cock-fight," at which silver ounces freely changed hands. Each cock was armed with the old-fashioned Span- ish slasher, a long, thin, steel blade, shaped somewhat like a hook, and most effective in destroying the life of the bird in whose body it is once sheathed. The priest who officiated at vespers was the owner of the winning cock, his opponent having been brought from Tucson. Of course we congratulated him upon his good fortune, and his hearty **Mil gradaSf" convinced us that his soul was quite as much with his bird, as it had beftn with his service. CHAPTER XIII. t FTER much deliberution, and many arguments pro and con, Dr. Parker and myself finally decided to leave our wagon and mules at Tucson, in charge of Jimmy, and take the overland mail- coach to the Pimo villages on the Gila, — or swift running water, — from which place we determined to start on our visit to the celebrated **Casas Grandes*' situated near that stream, which for many years have engaged the attention of the scientific men and savans of the Pacific coaSt. We were not surprised to receive from Jimmy a most earnest, but respectful protest against our leaving him in what he was pleased to term the "diviPs own counthry, shure"; and it was a long time before he became reconciled to our making the trip without him. It was at last decided, however, that he should remain at (184) "*lf^ THE PIMO INDIANS. 185 tho mission of Sun Xavicr, in the Pupago settlement; but for the safety of ttiu animiils, it was thought best to leave them Avith Colonel Robinson, at Tucson, who very kindly consented to look after them. Arrangements having been concluded, we embarked about six o'clock in tho morning, in one of Buttcrfield's coaches, for the Fimo villages, some ninety miles distant. Our ride thither was a most uninteresting one, beneath the scorcliiug rays of the sun, over a hard, gravelly soil, covr ered with a thick growth of uiesquit and ctotUs; in fact, the whole country was little better than a desert, the only water found upon the route being obtained from the wells which had been dug at the mail stations, for the convenience of watering their stock. About daylight on the following morning, we arrived at the villages; and, after resting a little, and refreshing our- selves with a very comfortable sort of a breakfast, we started out sight-seeing. The Pimos have lived upon and cultivated this spot for more than three hundred years. Marco dc Niza found them here as fur back as 1539. Father Kino also mentions them in his travels; and Savidra, who spent much of his life among the Indians of Sonora and Arizona, speaks of their being directly descended from the Montezuma Indians ; and in proof of this assertion, cites the cutting of the hair square aorosR the forehead, and permitting it to grow long behind, 24 »! 186 FERTILITY OF THE SOIL. I a custom that prevails to some extent among fashionable young ladies of the present day, and which was, undoubt- edly, derived from the Montezuma Indians, who have, for many hundred years, followed the practice, and indeed have regarded it as a distinguishing trait of their noble lineage. As early as 1539, we have accounts of the Pimos living by cultivating the soil; and at the time we visited them, the United States government had just finished the sur- veys of a reservation embracing one hundred square leagues of land, nearly all of whieh was easily irrigated, conse- quently susceptible of cultivation. This reservation is about twenty-five miles long and seven miles wide, and is situated on both sides of the Gila. Nearly the whole of the land thus set apart, has been cul- tivated by these Indians for more than taree hundred years, and still, without dressing of any kind, yields full thirty- fold in crops. Golonol Grey, whom we met here, and who had surveyed the reservation, assured us that they had at least four hundred miles of acequias already constructed upon the reservation, and for many years had raised fine crops of wheat, corn, tobacco, and cotton. Wheat is sown in January, and harvested in May and June. Cotton and tobacco in February. Two crops are always raised on the same ground in a year. There are ten of these villages, composed of about seventy-five or a hundred wigwams each. These wigwams WIGWAMS AND FARMING UTENSILS. 187 are built of small poles, inserted in the ground, and bent at the top to a common centre, interwoven with corn-husks, straw, and rushes, so as to shed the rain, and protect the inmates from the intense heat of the, sun. Many of them are also plastered over with mud. The doors are just large enough to enable a person to creep in on hands and knees. The cooking is all done in the open air, beneath a shed or roof. Every family has a granary, or store-house, which is much larger and better constructed than their huts, and which, in fact, they use for sleeping purposes, as well as for shelter from inclement weather. There are about six thousand of these Indians, and they have nearly a thousand separate enclosures, which are divided by very excellent fences, mide of crooked sticks and mesquit. They have but few aaimals, and never use the plough, the hoe being the only agricultural implement they possess, except a few carts, which they have obtainerl from the emigrant trains passing through their villages ; a id yet, during the year of our visit, they had sold the mail co n- pany more than four hundred thousand pounds of wheat, be- sides large quantities of corn, beans, pumpkins, and melons. When we reflect that this soil has been cultivated for nearly foi' nundred years that we have knowledge of, with only the hoe, and without dressing, we can form some idea of its fertility and productiveness. 188 BRAVERY OF THE PEOPLE. I The Pimos are not wanting in courage, and many a souua whipping have the Apaches received at their hands. Their only weapon is the bow and arrow, in the use of which ttiey are very expert. They have always been very friendly to the whites, and have frequently aided them in recovering property stolen by the Apaches, and have also protected emigrant trains through the villages to Fort Yuma, when our government was powerless to do it. These Indians manufacture certain kinds of pottery-ware, also beautiful baskets, blankets, and cotton- cloth. The work is nearly all done by the women. The men, as a gen- eral thing, go naked, excepting the breech-clout; the women wear about their loins a piece of cotton-cloth, falling to the knees, and fastened at the waist by a girdle, or belt; and usually possess fine, well-developed forms. We spent the entire day in looking about the villages, and in organizing a party to visit the **Casas Grandes,*' which are situated near the River, about twenty-five miles above the Pimo villages. Colonel Buckley, the superintendent of the California division of the overlimd mail, very kindly furnished us with mules and an outfit for the trip, and our numbers were increased by the addition of two Pimos, who were to act as guides, and a Mr. St. John, who had been appointed by the government to superintend and instruct the Pimos in agricultural pursuits. Our party, consisting of five persons, started early the THE ''HOUSES OF MONTEZUMA: 189 ., ■■"^ -^•^^^sH next morning on the trip. Keeping along the bank of the river, travelling through dense groves of mesquit and cotton-wood, we made during the day about eighteen miles, and cuinped at night in a beautiful grove on the banks of the Gila. The next morning, after following the course of the river for several miles, we came upon the remains of a very large acequia, which we traced for a long distance, through a plain now overgrown by mesquit, but showing unmistaka- ble evidences of having at some time been extensively cultivated. jpl^ All over the plain we found hundreds of branch acequias, together with marks of former habitations, broken pottery- ware, and stone metattes. About noon we came in sight of three immense build- ings, which our guide assured us were the "houses of Montezuma"; and wo could but gaze upon them with won- der and awe, for never before had we seen anything so wonderful as these relics of an extinct race, of Avhom we have no reliable history, and no knowledge save traditionary legends. The houses are situated on a slight eminence, and are about three or four hundred feet apart. They are built of a species of concrete, made of mud and gravel, while the timber, or raftei*s, used in their construction, are of oedor, and well preserved. * i 190 MR. BARTLETTS DESCRIPTION. The largest of these was, undoubtedly, at the time it was built, four stories in height ; and there are walls now stand- ing, to the height of fifty feet. Mr. Bartlett, who visited these ruins in '52, has given such a full and minute description of them, that I purpose giving it in these pages, well satisfied that the reader can gain a better idea of those remarkable structures than he could do from any description of mine. He says: "The Casa» Grandes, or great houses, consist of three buildings, all included within a space of one hundred and fifty yards. The principal and largest one is iu the best state of pres- ervation; its four exterior walls, and most of the ini^ei: ones, are still standing. A considerable portion of the upper part of the walls have crumbled away and fallen inwards. Three stories now remain, and there was a fourth, which has nearly all crumbled away. The central portion, or tower, is about ten feet higher than the walls, Avhich at their base are from four to five feet thick. The inside is perpendicular, while the exterior face tapers in a curved liiid towards the top. "All the walls are laid with large, square blocks of mud, prepared for the purpose by pressing the material into large boxes about two feet in height and 'four feet long. When the mud becomes sufficiently hardened, the cases are moved along and again filled, and so on until the whole edifice is completed. The material for the buildings is the mud of Ii "''wwm 1 ■■*«»w-ij¥>*.'W- . ' • r i# 4; .■w 71 i,.i ii;!iii!ii|ili:i.' ,iiii''i!,:'!:i:'i illlf i'lli!, mm :..:,:: vi'iiiS'i'ii! :•.".!; m § mmm i.'f , ' ■' I I'll' 'mm |'s:i ;% y.--!. , i.\L '. ';■' :'i:|^'pM|if'''' ! : '•'IS'iliililii'!' »:'■• * now THEY WERE CONSTRUCTED. I9i the valley mixed with gravel, which is very adhesive, and when dry, very durable. "The outer surface of the walls appears to have been plas- tered roughly, but the inside is hard finished. This is done with a composition of adobe, and is still as smooth as when ^^■^W^R^ PLAN AND ELEVATION, first made, and has quite a polish. On one of the walls are drawn rude figures, but no inscriptions. From the charred ends of the beams that remain in the walls, it is evident the buildings wore destroj'ed by fire. ♦♦Some of the lintels over the doors are formed of sticks of 192 HOW THET WERE CONSTRUCTED. f wood stripped of their bark, but showing no signs of the use of any sharp instrument in their construction. The beams that supported the floors were about five inches in diameter, and placed about the same number of inches apart, and the ends inserted deep in the walls. Most of the apartments are connected by doors, beside which there are circular openings in the upper part of the chambers, to admit light and air." The ground-plan of the buildings shows that all the apart- ments were long and narrow, and without windows. The imier rooms were undoubtedly used for store- rooms. There were four entrances to each of the buildings. The door on the western side was but two feet wide and eight fent high ; while all the others were three feet wide, and but five feet high, and all tapering towards the top, a peculiarity belonging to the ancient edifices of Central America and Yucatan. With the exception of these doors, there are no exterior openings, save on the western side, where there are circular windows, like those before de- scribed. Over the doorway in the third story, there was a square window, and on either side of this two circular openings. The southern front has fallen in several places; the other three fronts are quite perfect. The walls at the base, particularly at the corners, have crumbled away to the extent of twelve or fourteen inches, and are only held together by their great thickness. . The moisture in these portions causes disintegration to „ "^ffVfV^tH^^ \^* CAUSE OF THEIR DECAY. 193 9. id e, a lal [a, le, ie- a lar -T*****.,^ ks, to take place more rapidly than in any other part of the build- ings; and in a few years, as these walls become undermined, the whole structure must fall, and become a mere rounded heap, like those that are seen upon the plains around in all directions. A few days' labor spent in restoring the walls at the base with mud and gravel, would render this inter- esting monument as durable as brick, and enable it to stand for a long while. It is known to have existed in its present state for more than a century. The exterior dimensions of the largest building 'are fifty feet from north to south, and forty feet from east to west. ^^KiPMW On the ground -floor are five apartments, those on the north and south sides measuring thirty-two feet by ten feet. All are open to the sky, nor is there any appearance of a stair- way on any of the walls. The means of entrance to the upper apartments was undoubtedly from the outside. A few hundred feet to the southwest is a second building, in a complete state of ruin, while to the northeast of the maiu building is a third one, which without doubt was a watch-tower. As far as the eye can reach in every direc- tion, are seen heaps of ruined edifices, with but small por- tions of their walls standing. To the northwest, about two hundred yards distant, is a circular embankment, from two hundred and forty to three hundred feet in circumference, supposed to be the remains of a corral, or enclosure for cattle. 85 194 SHROUDED IN MYSTERY. r The plains are everywhere strewn with broken pottery and metattes. The pottery id red, white, load color, and black. The figures are geometrical, formed with taste, and are similar to those fomid on the Salinas, forty miles north of this place. The texture of the pottery is very fine, and much of it is painted on the inside, a peculiarity found only here. The origin of these buildings is shrouded in mystery. When first discovered by the early explorers of the Territory, they were much the same as in their present condition; and the Indians affirmed that they hod then been built five hundred years. One thing is evident, viz. the entire valley of the Gila, as well as that of the Salinas, was at one time densely pop- ulated. The ruined buildings, the acequias, the quantities of pottery found, all prove this supposition. In fact, the whole country for hundreds of miles around shows traces of extinct civilization, and fills the mind of the traveller with the most perplexing questions. What race of people dwelt here? By whom were these decaying walls erected ? Who constructed the many thou- sand miles of acequias? How did they live, and where are they now? are questions that suggest themselves at every step; and as yet they have never been satisfactorily answered. It seems to me that our government ought to take some 'vp*?-* .^ PEDRO FONTS DESCRIPTION. 195 mcasurea towjuds solving this groat mystery, as well as preserving these monuments of an extinct people. Father Pedro Font, who, in the years 1775 and 1776, made a journey from Sonora to Monterey in California, visited the ruins, and thus speaks of them in a manuscript copy of his journal, which is to be found in one of the old missions in Los Angeles: — ♦*The commandant determined that we should rest to-day, and examine the large buildings en lied Montezuma's Houses, situated one league from the Gilu, and three leagues east- southeast from the Laguua. j***»^ «*We were accompanied by the Governor Uturituc, who gave us the tradition of these houses, which I here give. "The palace, or house of Montezuma, was built more than five hundred years ago. The buildings were erected by the Aztecs, when, during their transmigration, the devil led them through various countries, imtil they arrived at the promised land in Mexico; and in their long sojourn, they formed towns and built these edifices. "The site on which the houses are built is level on all sides, and at a distance of a league from the Gila. They extend for leagues towards the cardinal points, and the land is partially covered with pieces of pots, jars, plates, etc., some common, and others painted in white, blue, and red colors, which is a sign that there has been a large town, inhabited by a distinct people from the Pimos of the River 196 ANOTHER TRAVELLER'S ACCOUNT. Gila, who do not know how to manufacture such earthen- ware. We made a survey of one building, which we meas- ured with a lance, and the measure I afterwards reduced to geometrical feet, which gave nearly the following results. "The house forms an oblong square, facing exactly to the four cardinal points, east, west, north, and south. Around it there are ruins, indicating a fence or walls, which surrounded the buildings, particularly in the corners, where it appears there has been some edifice like an iu- terior castle, or watch-tower; for in the angle which faces towards the southwest, there stamls a ruin with its divis- ions and an upper story. The exterior wall extends from north to south four hundred and twenty feet, and from east to west two hundred and sixty feet. The interior of the house consists of five walls, the three middle ones being of one size, and the two extreme ones longer. The middle ones are ten feet in breadth from east to west, and twenty- six feet in length from north to south. The two extreme ones measure twelve feet from north to south, and thirty- eight from east to west." Mangi, who, in company with Father Kino, visited the Territory In 1674, says of it: "There was one great edifice, in which our, good Father Kino said mass. The principal room is in the middle of four stories, with the adjoining rooms on its four sides of three stories, with the walls two yards in thickness of strong mortar and clay, so smooth ^■. •^■i .^^ it EXTENT OF THE POPULATION. 197 ^-. -^.ifc ,yg^ J0J' -^Wisk^^ and shining that they appeared like burnished tables, and so polished that they shone like the earthenware of Puebla. "At the distance of an arbequebus shot, twelve other houses are to be seen, half-fallen, having thick walls, and all the ceilings burnt, except in the lower room of one house, which is of round timbers, smooth and not thick, which appear to be of cedar or savin; and over these, sticks of very equal size, and a cake of mortar, or hard clay, making a roof or ceiling of great ingenuity. "In the environs are to be seen many other ruins and heaps of broken earth, which circumscribe it two leagues, with much earthenware of plates and pots of fine clay, painted of many colors, and which resemble in form and texture the jars of Guadalajp.ra, in Spain. "It may be inferred that the population was very large; and that it was of one government, is shown by a canal which comes from the river by the plain, running around for the distance of threo leagues, and inclosing the inhabit- ants in its area, being in Ineadth ten varas,» and about four varas in depth, through which was, perhaps, directed ' one-third the volume of the river, in such a manner that it might serve for a defensive moat, as well as to supply the wards with water, and irrigate the plantations in the adjacencies." This was the condition in which Mangi and Father Kino • Twenty-Bevon feet. 198 RETURN TO TUCSON. r found these ruins in 1674. In 1775, more than a hundred years later, Father Font describes them. Bartlett describes them as be found them in 1851. The writer found them in about the same condition in 1859, with the exception of the south wall, no part of which was then standing; all the re- maining walls have upon them the hieroglyphics of ambitious Americans, who have greatly defaced the smooth polished surface by inscribing their names or marks upon them. We were rather desirous of visiting the ruins on the Salinas, about forty miles above those of the '*Oasas Grandes*' ; but after repeated assurances from Mr. St. John and our Pimo guides, that the visit with so small a party would be the height of imprudence, and not caring to risk an encounter with the Apaches, we reluctantly turned our backs upon the ruins, en route once more for the Pimo vil- lages, which we reached on the evening of the next day, quite satisfied with our journey, and anxious to reach Tuc- son, where we hoped to find Jimmy with the mules all safe, and ready to start for the Mesilla. We were obliged, fiowever, to remain still longer in the villages, as no stage east was due until the following day; so making the best of it, we found comfortable bunks in the station of the mail company, and the next day we spent among the Pimos, learning what we could of their history and manner of living, and gathering much interesting infor- mation concerning them. J CHAPTER XIV. ^ HE Pimos, the Maricopas, the Cuch- ans, the Mojaves, and Papngoes, are without doubt all ««Montezuma Indians," as they call themselves. They all speak a similar language, all cut their hair short in front, wearing it long behind, and all cul- tivate the soil to a greater or less extent,— thereby showing an affinity with the Moquis, Zunis, and other Pueblo Indians in Northern Arizona and New Mexico. We met here an old Indian who had acted as guide to Mr. Bartlett in 1852. In conversing with him, we learned that on the Rio San Francisco, as well as on the Verde and Salinas, were found ruins quite similar in their general features to those upon the Gila; and that they are also to be found ex- tending far into the Navajoe country. Indeed, there can be no question but that this whole country was once settled with (199) , II 200 EVIDENCES OF EXTINCT CIVILIZATION. a dense population far enough advanced in civilization to build houses four stories in height ; to surround them with outworks for defence; to irrigate the land by building canals miles in length; to manufacture cotton-cloth, as well as fine earthenware, and ornaments of gold and silver. But who they were, whence they came, and whither they went, are queries yet to be solved. They have left behind them abso- lutely nothing from which we can derive any authentic information. A great many valuable relics have been found among the ruins, some of them extremely beautiful. Hand- somely-carved pipes, bottles shaped like turtles, or made to represent animals, curiously painted and colored to the life, drinking cups, ladles, and many other utensils of household ware, are among the articles found. We very much regretted that we were unable to visit the ruins upon the Salinas, which, we were informed, were more extensive than those of the Casus Grandes; but we found that those who knew the country best, thought it unsafe to attempt a visit with less than a party of thirty, so we re- luctantly gave up the trip. When I told the Pimos of my visit to the Apache ran- cheria, they seemed to be astounded; but when I afterwards informed them that Cochise was my guide, their astonishment subsided, as it was generally conceded by them that Cochise had quite as much influence with the Pinal and Tonto Apaches as Mangus Colorado himself; and that at no distant T J0K -..>tm. FELIX AUBREY'S GOLDEN BULLETS. 201 day he was destined to become their principal war-chief, a prediction which, I regret to say, has since been fulfilled. Many questions were asked concerning t\x^\v rancheria ; and from the description I was enabled to give them of it, tliey came to the conclusion that it was situuted in the very heart of the gold-bearing regioji of Arizona. Indeed, it was no uncommon thing for Apaches to come into Tucson with nuggets of gold weighing from ten pennyweights to half a pound, which they would freely barter for anything that hap- pened to please their fancy, always, however, refusing to give any information as to the portion of country from whence they had obtixined it. One Felix Aubrey, who explored the country quit** ex- tensively in 1849 and '50, tells many marvellous stories of the quantities of gold which he found near the head-waters of the Gila, and also of the large amount then in possession of the Indians. He received nearly fifteen hundred dollars worth of gold for some old clothicg that he sold to them. He published a journal of his travels in 1853, in which he tells of Indians that used gold for bullets in kill- ing their game, whenever they were unable to obtain lead, a story which has since been corroborated by others who have attempted to penetrate into the country. In 1856, Aubrey set about organizing an expedition to visit tlie gold bearing portion of Central Arizona; but, before completing the undertaking, he was killed in a broil at Santa F6. 26 ui, ■'■'" 7 902 PLENTIFULNES8 OF GOLD. . Numerous attempts have been made to penetrate this wonderful region since Aubrey's visit there, but not one of them has ever been successful. The explorers have either been obliged to return after enduring almost incredible hardships, or have perished by the hands of the Apaches. I have myself seen pieces of gold In the possession of Apaches, weighing nearly half a pound, which they made but little account of, being ready to exchange it for any trifle that struck their fancy ; and without doubt, if this portion of country could be explored, gold would be found to exist in as great abundance as it did in California in '49. The entire region north of the Gila, and east of the Rio Verde, must be full of silver and gold. We know that veins of silver have been foimd in the vicinity of Foits Yuma and Mojave that have yielded immensely, and that protection is the only tiling needed to develop them into mines of great value. There are always adventurers in any new coudtry ready to take their "lives in their hands," if they can have some show, — at least five or ten chances in a hundred; but with the condition of afiairs that have existed in Arizona for the past ten years, their chances would scarcely be one in a hundred. Gold was discovered on the Gila only the year before our visit there, and in less than a month Gila City was born, with a population of a thousand persons. It didn't pay, though. Water was scarce, and the dirt to be washed had I \ t JIMMY LOSES FAITH IN THE KING. 203 1 to be carried down to the river, which in a few weeks dried up, and so did the diggings. One after another of the miners departed, the traders shut up their stores, the sailoon-keepers drank their own whiskey, the Jews closed out their stock of goods for another exodus, the gamblers staiTed over their monte-tables; and so the bubble burst, and the city which came up like a mushroom was deserted, and all that was left to mark the spot where ''pay dirt" had been found, was mud chimneys and rubbish. About one o'clock the horn was heard, announcing the arrival of the San Francisco stage, and in an hour we were seated behind five mules, on our return to Tucson, where we arrived about noon of the next day. We found our animals all right, and only Jimmy was wanting to enable us to start at once on our return to La Mesilla. Colonel Robinson dispatched a Idexican to notify him of our arrival, and before night Jimn^y was with us, quite as delighted to see us as we by any possibility could be to see him. We ques- tioned him concerning his stay with "the king," but found him unusually reticent, and evidently not inclined to say much on the subject. That night, however, while leaning over the mud wall of Colonel Robinson's corral, enjoying the light of un Arizona moon, Jimmy confidentially informed Dr. Parker and myself that **the king was an ould humbug; tiiat he didn't know how to trate a gintlemiil at all, at all, and had trated him 204 NED MCGOWAN AND PHIL BEBBEBT. i -: I like a peon; that he was a nasty baste, goin' round the house naked as he was horned. No kin a charming one, as compared to the barren country over which we had so recently travelled, — one which we could but admire and gratefully acknowledge. We soou reached the mouth of the canon in which the Indians had so mysteriously disappeared the day before. The stillness of death prevailed; not a sound could be heard save the tramp of our horses' feet, oi the occasional ring of a trooper's) sabre as it rattled in its scabbtud Massive rocks, hundreds of feet high, piled one upon anothfi. towered fur above and on all sides of us, while 212 HOW WE FOUND THEM. occasionally a small cedar or scrub oak was to be seen, firmly rooted in some gray r "eft upon their sides. The ground over which we were travelling had once been the bed of a mountain stream, ..id our course was much im- peded by the large quantities of stones and small boulders, that had been worn smooth and round by the action of the waters. On we went, endeavoring to follow the course of the Mexican guide, who was now some distance in advance, the soldiers, with their clumsy cavalry horses, finding it hard work to make much headway over the stones. At this point we were approaching a very narrow part of the caiion, where the stream had formerly passed between two perpend icular walls from one to two hundred feet in aoight, and scarcely thirty in width. As we drew near to it, so smooth were its sides, and so narrow the passage, it scarcely seemed possible that it was anything but a huge fissure in the rock, notwithstanding the guide assured us that the passage thiough it was feasible. The cold, gray rocks, towering high above our heads, entirely bare of foliage, were covered with a dark brown moss, that gave to the surroundings a most gloomy and sombre aspect, in addition to which, the masses of sharp- cornered rock, round boulders, and smoothly-washed stones that covered the gromul before and around us, seemed to oflTer an almost impassable l)arrier to the passage of this most forbidding little canon. IIP WHAT WE MET. 213 The uncertain and snspicious aspect of the defile through which we were thus obliged to pass, caused Captain Ewell to halt before entering it. While he dispatched two scouts to examine the passage for signs indicating the presence of Indians, he ordered his men to prepare to proceed with the utmost care, keeping a sharp lookout for lurking savages. In a short time the scouts returned, and reported no sions of Indians ; and the order was given to advance cautiously. The scouts now started in the lead, followed by Captain Ewell at the head of his men. I had lingered behind with Dr. Parker and Jimmy, for the purpose of listening to a geological dissertation from the doctor upon a specimen of rock that he had discovered, which he pronounced to be the out-croppings of a very valuable lode of silver ore, when suddenly the most terrific yells filled the air, accompanied by sounds resembling the discharge of heavy artillery, above which the clear, clarion tones of Captain Ewell could lye heard shouting to his men. Springing upon our horses, we hastily started for the entrance to the defile, but before reaching it were met by two or three of the men, whose terrified manner and fright- ened faces plainly showe*! that they were endeavoring to escape as fast as the rough nature of the ground would permit them. We hurriedly questioned them, and from their incoherent answers gleaned the following informa- tion; — 214 HOW THE APACHES ATTACKED US. They were proceeding cautiously through the pass; the stillness of death reigned around them; not a living crea- ture was to be seen, s.'ive occasionally a chameleon, or great ground lizard, as, disturbed in its solitude by the tramp of horses' feet, or the sharj) ring of their iron-clad hoofs upon the rocky way, it wound its noisome track over the stones beneath them, when suddenly, from far above them, the Apache war-whoop sounded in their ears. Looking up, they saw a dozen or more great pieces of rock descending from the heights aoove, evidently designeil to crush them. Hastily turning their horses' heads, they urged them as fast as pos- sible towards the mouth of the cafion. Leaving our horses in charge of these men, we started for the cafion on foot. Upon entering it, a scene of dire confu- sion presented itself. Occasionally a piece of rock would be precipitated from the very top of the high wall, and strik- ing the opposite side of the cjifion, would rebound again and again, until it finally fell with a tremendous crash to the earth, causing the soldiers to huddle together at the foot of the wall, unmindful of their horses, or aught else save protection for themselves. Captain Ewell, with perhaps a dozen of his men, had been separated from the remainder of his party by a mass of rock thrown from above, which, lying piled up at the bottom of the pass, completely blocked its passage. He seemed to be endeavoring to rally that portion of his command with ^ JIMMY BECOMES VALIANT. 215 '\ him, in an attempt to scal€f the ahnost perpendicular walls, upon the top of which were the Apaches, whose demoniacal yells resounded through the narrow defile, rendering confu- sion worse confounded. Several of the men were endeavor- ing to release two of their companions, who with their horses had been struck to the earth by the terrible missiles hurled from above. As yet not an Indian had been seen. The doctor caught a glimpse of a head peering over the edge of rock far above us, and raising his rifle, fired without even pausing to take aim. Down came the naked body of an Apache, his bow still tightly grasped in his hand. As he tumbled over and over, rebounding from against the steep walls, he struck the ground but a short distance in advance of us. Jimmy, rushing forward, commenced kicking the body in the most valiant manner, exclaiming at the same time, ''There - e dhirty, naked divil, git behind another rock, will yez, and thry to kill honest min that's passiu' thro' th' connthry a sight-sain'; take that, will yez?" and he bestowed kick after kick upon the mangled body, after which he grasped the bow, and wrenching it from the grip of death with which it was held, again joined us, completely exhausted by his frantic efibrts for revenge. For months afterwards this bow proved to be Jimmy's best card; for he related the story of his "capturin' it from an Apache, shure, wid these 216 DEATH. \\f two hands, miself," many timesf, always forgetting to state, however, that the Apache was a dead one. For a few moments we stood and watched the captain and his men toiling up the steep ascent, and then went forward to assist in extricating the poor fellows, whose lives had been so suddenly and unexpectedly crushed out. After working for a couple of hours, we succeeded in recovering the mangled and lifeless bodies from under the mass of rock; then slowly and with tender care we placed them upon a litter made of their comrades' rifles, on which they were borne to the mouth of the Pass, and there laid upon the green grass, to await the arrival of the rest of the command, who, with their captain, were scouring the rocks in the vain hope of overtaking and punishing the lurking foe who had attacked them in such a cowardly manner. After many and repeated attempts, the men succeeded in removing a suflScient portion of the rocks that blocked the passage of the canon, to enable them to get out their horses from behind the mass ; and some hours later, Captain Ewell and his men returned from their fruitless pursuit, quite worn out with fatigue. Upon reaching the top of the wall where the Apaches had stood, they found tons of rocks piled up, ready to be pre- cipitated into the depths below; and close by the spot a wounded Apache, which one of the men hastily dispatehed with his sabre. The rest of the band had disappeared as .' A BURIAL BY ITIOHT. 217 i completely as if the earth had opened and swallowed them. After a short rest we again took up the line of march for camp, the men carefully bearing with them the dead bodies of their two comrades. It was quite dark ere we reached camp. The captain immediately detailed four men to dig a grave upon a little eminence near by, and the bodies of Wilbur Carver and Charles Tucker were wrapped in their blankets and deposited within its narrow walls. We stood by with uncovered heads, while Captain Ewell touchingly repeated a portion of the beautiful burial service of the Episcopal Church; and as lliQ solemn words, *' I am the resurrection and the life," fell upon my ears for the first time in many months, they awakened a host of long-for- gotten memories, which came trooping up and crowding one upon the other in such quick succession that I quite forgot the sad scene which I was there to witness, as well as the circumstances that had caused it; nor did I wake from my reverie until the last sad duties were finished, and the men had returned to camp. Then the doctor touched me upon the shoulder, and we silently turned from the sad scene, and wended our way to the station. It was late that night before we retired, right glad of the prospect of a rest after the fatigue and excitement of the day, and well-satisfied of the fallacy of pursuing Apaches in their native fastnesses with regular cavalry. 28 J 218 A MIDMGIIT ATTACK. We were soon wrapped in our blankets and enjoying a re- freshing sleep, only to be sivvakencd by yi-lls as of ten thousand dovils. In an instant we realized that the Apaches were attempting a (stampede, for their whoops were accompa- nied by the ringing of old cow-bells, the neighing of horses, THE STAMPEDE. braying of mules, and terrified lowing of cattle, intermingled with the discharge .)f fire-tirms and the shouting of men, all combinin<' to renuer tlie scene as near Pandemonium as 'tis possible to imagli"". Of course we could do nothing but wait, and wait we did, until every sound had died away. TO THE RESCUE. 219 In a short tinr Captain Ewell's voice was heard at the gate of the corral, and he informed us that the Apaches had stampeded his stock, and he wanted some animals from the 'orral to mo.mt his men to start in pursuit. He obtained five, and started back to camp, while we once more retired, waiting for daylight before we ventured out of the gates that had afforded us sue h perfect piotectiou. CHAPTER XV. EFORE it was light enough to see plainly, Mr. Twilly, the station-agent, called our attention to a peculiar roaring sound, which seemed to come from the mountains near by, at the same time informing us that it was raining up there very hard, and if. the Apaches had succeeded in getting any start with the stock, the storm would delay Captain Ewell, so that it would be impossible for him to prevent their escape, as the water from the sides of the mountain would create such torrents that it would be useless to attempt to cross them. As soon as it was light enough for us to see, we pro- ceeded to the camp to ascertain the situation there. We found that the Indians had succeeded in stampeding all of Captain Ewell's animals, except ten, together with the stock captured the day before, making in all nearly fifty head, and that Captain Ewcll had gone in pursuit with fifteen men. (220) THIEVING PROPENSITIES OF THE APACHES. 221 ♦ Of course there were many stories told as to the strength of the Apajhes, some setting their uumber as high as fifty, aud others declaring that there were not more than ten. After listening to the many conflicting reports, I made up my mind that undoubtedly it was the same band that Cap- tain Ewell had been in pursuit of for the past two days, and that they had secreted themselves in the mountains, where they could observe the situation of his camp, aud had taken advantage of the knowledge thus gained to repay the captain for his efforts to punish them. These Apaches arc certainly most adroit thieves, and manage to spirit off horses and cattle before the very eyes of their owners in thij most unaccountable manner, and without detection. To do this, however, they are some- times obliged to crawl for a mile upon their bellies through the tall grass. After reaching the animal which they de- sire, they quietly unfasten his picket-plu and stealthily draw themselves up upon his side, clinging to his neck with their arms, thus effectually interposing his body, so as to act as a shield l)etvveen them and his owner. While in this position they gradually and surely succeed in getting out of rifle range; then urging their prize into a gallop, they are soon out of sight, leaving the owner to Avonder where his animal could have strayed to so suddenly. When a general stampede is intended, they first capture the leader of ihe herd, then with shouts and noises so 222 THE PURSUIT FOILED. terrify and confuse the other animals, that they all unhesitat- ingly follow this one, which bears upon his back the most daring and expert thief of the party. It was evident that the rain which had fallen earlj' in the morning had been very severe indeed i upon the tops and la.r down the sides of the mountiins the heavy clouds still lowered, completely enshrouding their rocky sides, and effectually concealing the trees which grew near their base, nor did it require a very attentive listener to distinguish the sound of tlie rushing waters as they swept in an uniesisting torrent down the rocky precipices and narrow gorges to the plains below. It was nearly ten o'clock that night ere Captain Ewell and his party returned from their unsuccessful pursuit. They had been forced to wait several hours for the waters to abate at one of the "dry runs," which delay had enabled the Apaches to successfully elude their pursuers, although they were obliged to leave the tattle behind them, which three of the soldiers were driving into camp, as they could not keep up with the rest of the herd. It was quite late when we returned to the station, having said good-bye to Captain Ewell, and echoing the wish Avhich he so earnestly expressed, "That he might have just one brush with the devils before he returned to the fort." The next morning as we started fron. the station, the cap- tain came to bid us farewell, and to ask us to urge Major COCHISE AGAIN. 223 De Rythe to send Iiim some mules from the Apache Pass, to enable him to return to Fort Buchanan. This we did on our arrival, and the major at once sent him a dozen. We afterwards learned that he reached the fort safely; and ere many weeks had elapsed he had the opportunity of administering to the Apaciies a severe whip- ping, at the Puerta del Curcuco, near the Buseni ranche, in the Santa Rita Mountains, where no less than sixteen of the thieving rascals were left dead upon the field. Our journey from the Dr..g(K,n Springs to the Apache Pass was without incident worthy of note; and it was not until noon of the next day that we entered this rocky canon which enabled u. to pass through the Chiricahui M<.untains. After travelli g for miles along a road so narrow that there was barely rooi. for one wagon between the steep and over- hanging rocks, we finally reached the station. We found all well, and Cochise on hand to receive us. We learned upon inquiry, that Cochise and his five braves had only returned that morning, after an absence of three days; and from this circumstance, as well as fro.n his peculiar looks when ques- tioned about the Indians who had stampetled the stock, I was led to the belief that he and his party were among the band who had visited the caujp at the Dragoon Springs. Of course we could only conjecture this, as we had no proof other than the very unsatisfact.^ry replies to our questions concerning their whe.eabouts during their absence. But 224 THE SAN CIMON VALLEY. then, who ever received from an Apache a satisfactory reply to aoy question? We tarried over night at the Pass, intending tbe next day to reach the San Cimon, where we expected to encamp. After leaving the momituins, we rode, for eighteen iiiles over one of the best natural roads I ever saw, until we reached the mail-station, on the San Cimon. Here we made our camp, the agent giving cur animals stalls in tbe corral of the company. The valley of the San Circon is about twenty-five miles in width, and contains much fine grazing land, as well as some good agricultural districts. It is covered with a spe- cies of grass calkd grama, which for its nutritious qualities is rivalled only by the celebrated mesquit grass of Texas. In the region where it grows, the settler requires no grain for his mules or horses, as they are able to endurj quite as much fatigue when feeding upon this grass as upon grain; and the ytock-raiser who has fed his cattle upon grama dur- ing the entire winter, finds them in quite as good condition in the spring as does the Eastern farmer his stall-fed ani- mals. While here we learned that only two days before a small piirty of Apaches had made an attack upon the hertlcis b> longing to th^ station, and had stolen two of tbe company's mules, much to tbd disgust of the station-keeper and his assistants, who were powerless to overtake them, having NEWS FROM THE STATES. 225 driven them in the direction of Stein's Peak, which lay immediately on our route. Indian sis^nals had been observed in its vicinity during the day, therefore we were reluctantly persuaded to remain for a time at the station, as well for our own safety as to give our animals a generous feed of grama, of which they were very fond. Earlv in the morning, the overland coach from the East arrived, bringing papers only twenty days old; and as they contained the firs*; news we had received for nearly two months, we were quite overjoyed to get them. While the coach tarried here, the passengers, four in number, partook of refreshments, which the station-agent had kindly provided, after which they set out for Tucson at a rattling pace. The following morning was a beautiful one, and just as the day was breaking, I heard the keeper opening the gates of the corral before sending the animals out for their morn- ing meal. Further sleep being out of the question, I arose, and seating myself upon the green grass, watched the antics of the mides as they one by one came from the corral, and for the first time experienced a sense of their freedom. The sun came up grandly, his rays gilding the snow-clad summit of Stein's Peak — an elevation nine thousand feet above the level of the sea — with crimson beauty, almost unearthly in its seeming scintillant light; and I watched it for hours, until its pure crystal covering no longer re- flected a sheen of silvery light, but stood white and solitary 29 226 STEIN'S PEAK. u in its bold relief against the clear blue sky, like the huge sentinel of the desert that it is, ever watchful and ever at its post. As the sun rose higher in the heavens, the gray, precip- itous sides of this stately peak afforded a most pleasing contrast to the dark, rich green of its base, Avhile the purple haze toned down its augulur points, until, half concealed and half revealed, I could almost fancy that I was gazing through "Timothy Titbottom's spectacles," and beheld my castles in Spain rising before me in all their beauty and grandeur. The question which I had put to Dr. Parker, as to what our employment or amusement should be during the day, was speedily answered by seeing the herders frantically endeav- oring to collect their stock, urging it as fast as possible towards the corral. For some time we could not perceive the cause of this alarm. The station-keeper, however, soon dis- covered a party of five Apaches, riding as fast as their ponies could carry them, towards the two herders, who by this time were well on their way to the station, which they soon reached. The stock safely housed, we all retreated to the building, and awaited coming events. It soon became evident that the Apaches had no intention of making an attack, but that their design Avas simply to obtain possession of some of the stock, for they halted at a distance of nearly half a mile from the station, seemingly «j*- FELLING AN INDIAN. 227 i" engaged in holding a council of war, sitting upon their ponies in the mean time. Having in my hand one of Sharp's carbines, I brought it to bear, and elevating the sight, took deliberate aim at the five Indians, who were closely huddled together, and fired. I had not the slightest expectation of hitting one of them, but to my utter surprise I saw one of their number fall from his saddle, while the men around me uttered a shout at the success of my shot, which must have sounded to the ears of the red-skins lik", a yell of defiance. A clap of Arizona thunder resounding through the clear, beautiful sky would not have more terribly astounded the Apaches than did the result of my chance shot. They had evidently thought themselves far out of rifle range, and as secure as though miles away. In an instant after their comrade bit the dust, they scattered in every direction; but as they witnessed no further attempt to reach them, they soon rallied, and two of their number rode hurriedly to the spot where lay the dead Indian. Stooping in their saddles they seized his body, and throwing it before them on their ponies, galloped madly away. As for me, my unlooked-for success in bringing down this Apache gained me a most enviable reputation as a marksman along the line of the overland mail route, a repu- tation which I was exceedingly careful not to injure by at- tempting another shot. 228 APACHES ON THE WAR-PATH. ■ ' The Indians soon disappeared from view, nor were we troubled by them for the remainder of the day. The station-keeper expressed some fears lest they should return during the night for the purpose of revenge, therefore we kept a close watch, but experienced no «ause for alarm, however. As our next day's journey lay through the "Doubtful Pass," — a portion of our route considered quite danger- ous, — we discussed the propriety of waiting another day, or proceeding in the morning. We came to no decision, however, until the overland mail-coach from the East arrived, and reported that they had been attacked by a party of Apaches in the "Doubtful Pass," and that the conductor, who was seated with the driver, had been badly wounded. The plan had evidently been to kill both conductor and driver, but owing to the darkness they had failed in their attempt. As it was, Mashon, the conductor, received a severe arrow wound in his side, which we dressed as well as we were able with the few appliances at hand, and having our mules put to our wagon, we determined to set out at once, knowing that the Apaches would, for a day or two, or as long as they feared any pursuit, leave the vicinity of the pass, and seek other haunts. A drive of eight miles brought us to "Xa Puerta Grande," as it is called, or "The Great Door," which is ¥' i; f (f > % i 228 ■' 1 l< ; :i f ' 1 f hi ;! i ,J we sta* dui ke] ho Par ■«.' ous^ or i ar; P J vii! 4 fa i w i r o 1 4i THE 'DOUBTFUL PASS: SS9 the entrance to the ''Doubtful Pass." It is, in fact, a canon of the dividing ridge between the waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific; or in other words, the door of entrance to the Pacific slope. Through this canon our road for a couple of miles lay between two high walls of massive rock, barely wide enough to allow a wagon to pass. A solid wall of rock towered far above us on either side, and the road itself, which in the r iny season became a mere water-course, was washed and gullied by recent rains, until it was almost "impassable for any wheeled vehicle. In addition to this, we were constantly ascending a very steep grade, which made our progress slow and laborious. Our patient mules, how- ever, acquitted themselves nobly, and for the next six hours we toiled up the steep ascent, every step bringing us nearer to safety and a resting-place. The scenery at this point was grand, gloomy, and pe- culiar. Immense gravel-hills, barren as the rocks which surrounded them ; huge granite boulders and masses of sand- stone flung out of the earth at random, met our gaze; strange jagged mountain-peaks rose on all sides, while towering high above all was the snow-clad summit of Stein's Peak looking do -/n upon us, cold and silent, keeping its solitary "watch and ward," as it lifted itself far above the desolate wastes around. At last we see the low thatched roof of Stein's Peak IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 ■10 ^ Ui2 12.2 I.I i us 1^ lllllio 6" L25 iU iiA A ^.^ ///// ^^ ^M? VQ '/ Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STMIT WHSTM.N.Y. M5I0 (716) •73-4S03 ^4^ 280 THE BACKBONE OF THE CONTINENT. r Station, scarcely distinguishable from the gray recks which overhang it. This welcome sight brings a feeling of lelief to our anxious hearts, and we once more breathe freely, fur we feel well assured that our principal danger is past. Standing upon the dividing ridge, the backbone of the Continent, or what is now known as the Feloncillo Moun- tains, a portion of the Sierra Madre range, we turn our eyes to the west, and look at the wonderful country over which we have been travelling since we left Tucson , The magnifi- cent panorama hero spread out before us almost com- pensated for the trials and perils which we had encountered on our journey; even practical, matter-of-fact Jimmy seeemd lost in wonder and adniiration, and enthusiastically ex- claimed, — **Bedad, but it's a foine sight I" And so it was, in very truth. Stretching for sixty miles beneath us lay what seemed to be a vast plain, bounded in the far distance by a faint line of blue, and half shrouded by the rich purple haze, so peculiar to an Arizonia land- scape, softening its hard features, toning down its angular- ities, and lending an indescribable charm to the patches of forest, the gray alkah plains, and the white wavy sand- fields which lay stretched out like a gorgeous carpet at our very feet. We had made the **Doubtful Pass*' in safety. * The only living thing that we had seen was an occasional mountain •*- MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 281 sheep, as, standing upon the point of some projecting rock far above us, he watched our movements with curious eyes, ready at the first sign of a hostile demonstration to seek safety by precipitating himself upon the jagged rocks below, or by leaping to some neighboring crag, where he might find a friendly retreat at a safe distance from his pursuers, leaving only the tip of his huge horns to guide t'ne daring hunter to his place of concealment. After admiring the beautiful view that met our gaze on every hand, we renewed our journey, and in a short time were knockiag loudly at the gates of the overland mail- station for tt'lmittance. The keeper warmly welcomed us, and our tired, jaded mules soon found themselves feeding upon the rich grama, which grew so luxuriantly in the open space around the station. The corral is built beside a huge granite Ijoulder, a hollow portion of which forms a pi^rt of the station itself, and is nearly, if not quite, six thousand feet above the level of the sea, and with its high stone walls and formida- ble wooden gates it resembles a- fortress far more strongly than it does a dwelling-house. The hospitable occupnnts of the station set before us a most palatable dinner of frejolies and pancakes, and in the keen satisfaction derived therefrom we forgot the tedious and dangerous ride of twenty miles, which we had just made from the San Cimon. Dinner dispatched, we ac- I 4i "Si 282 ^V ELEVATED LAKE. compauied the stutiou-keepcr to a little pond or lake called Steiu'ii Peak Lake, about three miles from the station, on the very top of the divide. This little lake was scarcely a hundred and fifty feet in breadth, and was fed by several large springs, while from its sides ran two little streams, neither of them larger than my arm, but clear, cool, and. sparkling. One of these streams fell over a steep precipice, now pushing its way through a rocky defile, or narrow gorge, and again flowing gently aud quietly through a small patch of forest, gain- ing strength and power as it descended to the plain below, only to sink into the earth aud reappear, after flowing through its subterranean channel for many miles ; to again sink, and once more appear; until at last it lost itself in the bed of the Gila, to finally make its way into the blue waters of the mighty Pacific. Its companion stream toiled on aud on, until it too found vni outlet, and thousands of miles away it contributed its strength to swell the green waters of the great Atlantic. Flowing from the same com- mon source, thus were they finally separated by a vast continent. It would be exceedingly difficult to find words in which to describe the peculiar characteristics of the scenery around this miniature lake of Stein's Peak. It lay immediately at the foot of a huge pile of cold, grny sandstone and granite, promiscuously mixed with large quantities of 1 4^ THE CERE US OR ANDES. S88 volcanic rock, covered with a coating of bright and shining lava-form of every color, from light purple to deep red and sombre black. The edges of these rocks were sharply defined, and of the most fantastic shapes which the imagination could conceive. Scattered here and there, growing apparently with- out any soil, rose to the height of forty or fifty feet gro(ived columns of the Cereus grandes, or monumental cactus, as it is sometimes called. Interspersed with these were the brilliant green leaves of the prickly-pear, or the occasional gaudy blossom of the maguey, or the Spanish bayonet, with its bristling points, all of which, together with the clear blue sky above us, and the cold white summit of the Peak at our left, were most faithfully reflected in the waters of the little lake which lay so 30 IF'- ^ \ L CEBEV8 OBAMUES. 884 ''BARNEY station: quietly in tho midst of this scene of desolation, like a beautiful mirror, spread out at our feet by the Almighty's own hand, to convince us how feeble is the creative genius of man, when compared with the most simple effort of nature. That mirror and its framing I shall never forget. It was not until after the sun had sunk behind the Peak, and the stars had appeared in the heavens, that we could make up our minds to turn away from the contemplation of this gr^^nd picture, and return to the station. Upon arriving there, we learned that we were far from Iteing out of danger, for only the week before the Apaches had attacked '^Barney Station," a few miles below U9, and killed one of the herders, besides driving off several mules which belonged to the company. We at length decided to incur what risk there might be, in an endeavor to reach, on thn following evening, the second station from tho Peak, known as the ^'Soldier's Farewell," a distance of thirty-two miles. In order to do this, a very early start was necessary. We therefore '^turned in" in good season, nor were we disturbed save on the arrival of the coach from San Francisco, about one o'clock in the morning. 'i '» J. CHAPTER XVI. HE next moiniiig at daylight we were ready to start upon our journey, expecting to reach the station of the Overland Mail Company, called the Soldier's Farewell, before nisrht. overtook us. As we rode out of the corral ^4rto the beautiful bright sunshine, the view before us was a lovely one indeed. Away to the south lay the peaks of the great Sierra Madre range, stretching far into the interior of Chihuahua. To the soutlieast the graceful, conical peaks of the Florida Mountains were to be seen, while, nearer, isolated iim^s and solitary Picatchos, rugged and bare, raised their heads like huge rocks emerging from the quiet blue of the ocean. To the east, more than a hundred miles distant, the peaks of the Organos reared their huge basaltic columns, which were distinctly visible in the clear morning light. (285) 236 A MAGNIFICENT PROSPECT. Imuicdiatcly in front of iis lay the Biirro lunge, while high iibove their tops towered Cook's Fcuk, its jugged sides clothed with the enchautmeut that ditituuce always lends. To the northeast the Mimbres range rose high in the air, while farther north the Pino Alto, v '• their dark- green pines, could be seen in bold relief against the snow- clad peaks of the Mogollon range, far to the north of the Gila, yet seemingly immediately behind them. To the northwest the solitary peak of the San Francisco, with its compadres, the Dos Cabasas, were plainly visible; and fat beyond them Mount Graham, with its bald old sum- mit strove to pierce the clouds, while at our very feet the great plateau of the West, with its sand-fields sparkling in the sunshine, strelthed out as far as the eye could reach. It was a most beautiful picture that Nature had this morning unrolled for our inspection; nor did we commence our descent until we had thoroughly, and I hope appreciat- iugly, enjoyed its beauties. About ten o'clock we reached the level of the vast plateau, which extends for nearly three degrees westward from the Kio Grande, and is considered one of the best natural routes for a railroad ever seen, though a more barren and desolate range of country does not exist on the American continent. Imagine, if you can, an endless, parched-up waste, with only an occasional patch of grass to be seen; then miles of gToy alkali plain, relieved by stretches of earth perfectly •(Vi e^> I THE GREAT PLATEAU, 237 "•rv^^fl^wSrtli^; I^IIH ^^ bare, and so light that the least breath of air drives the dii!^»t«.*afcf; " the dangers which had encompassed us on all sides, and overjoyed at the opportunity offered for rest after our long and tedious journey. Jimmy was frantic in his expressions of joy, and many were the fabulous stories he told of his travels through the wilds of Arizona; nor did he forget old Jos6, the "kino'," as he continued to call him, who always came in for a good share of Jimmy's imaginative descriptions. We passed a couple of weeks very pleasantly in La Mesilla, where we frequently met the officers stationed at the United States military post, known as Fort Fillmore, situated fiye miles below the town, on the opposite bank of the river. Shortly after our arrival here, I was waited upon by a Mr. White of Philadelphia, who informed me that he had recently received the appointment of sutler to the U. S. Military Post of Fort Buchanan; and learning that I had just returned from a visit there, he had ?alled to inquire concerning the state of the roads, condition of the country, whether he should be likely to encounter Indians, etc., etc. Mr. White stated that he was accompanied by his wife and fihild; that Mrs. White found it so tedious travcllinff with his train, he had left it behind; and taking two Mexi- can servants, his ambulance, and four mules, had driven on in advance, intending to reach the fort as soon as possible. 240 A PLEASANT FAMILY. I urged him to remain over night with us, at the sumo time informing him that I thought the journey far from a safe one for himself and family. After some little hesitation he was induced to remai i in Mesilla until the next morning, and we gladly gave him a room in our house, quite delighted with the good fortuue that had once more brought us in lontact with an American lady; for American ladies in that country are like angels' visits, few and far between. I found Mr&. White a charming little woman, about twenty- five years of age, refined^ and highly educated. She informed me that this was the first time she had ever left Jiipr father's roof for an absence of more than a few weeks at a tinSe ; yet now with her babe she had left her luxurious home in the old Quaker City, and for nearly two months had been ♦'roughing it" on the road from Lavacca, Texas, and she appeared overjoyed at the prospect of being so near her fu- ture home, which she was exceedingly anxious to learn all about. Innumerable were the questions she asked concern- ing it, to all of which I gave as favorable replies as possi- ble, descanting largely upon the magnificent climate, the beauties of the Sonoita Valley, and the kindness and hos- pitality of the bflicers stationed there. At Mr. White's request I made no mentiou of the dangei to bo apprehended from Indians, he deeming it at once unnecessary and injudicious. ■' MASSACRE OF MR. WHITE. 241 -4 Wc passed a most enjoyable day in company with Mr. nnd Mrs. White, and deeply regretted that they Could re- main no longer than the morrow with us. It was nearly noon the next day when they took their departure, the doctor and myself accompanying them some miles on the road, leaving them about three o'clock in the afternoon to pursue their tedious journey, while we returned to Mesilla, delighted wjlth our guests, the doctor declaring in the fulness of his heart that he would willingly ride over to Fort Buchanan anj' time for the pleasure of spend- ing a day in the presence of such a, **rigbt clever*' lady as was Mrs. \yi)ite. Early the next morning we were awakened by the sound of the great drum as it was beaten in the plaza. As this drum was only beaten for the purpose of arousing the in- habitants to arms, I sprang to my feet, and hastily dressing, made my way to the plaza, where I found assembled about a dozen Mexicans, listening to the tale of a couple of rancheros who had just arrived from the Mimbres. They told us that about midnight, while coming in from their ranche, they had found the dead bodies of two men, one an American, the other a Mexican, lying by the roadside scalped ; and at a little distance from them, 'Jie remains of an ambulance; also a lire still burning. Trunks broken open and rifled of their contents were scattered by the roadside, and evidences of a massacre were everywhere visible. 81 I: 242 PEISOXEHS. The rancheros had brought with them such articles as they could collect, some of which I recognized at once as belonging to Mr. White. The men were confident that the bodies of neither of the women were there, which fact made it evident that they, with the child, had been carried away by the savages. Requesting the alcalde, who by this time had arrived upon the ground, to have them continue beating the drum for a time, I mounted a horse and started at once for Fort 'Sillraore, to inform the officers stationed there of the oc- currence. Meeting Lieutenant Rowland of the First Dra- goons near the fort, I reported the facts to him, and he informed me that as soon as possible he would dispatch a squad of dragoons in pursuit. Returning to Mesilla I fotnid about fifty Mexicans assem- bled in the plaza with their horses and rifles, ready to start at once in pursuit of the Indians; and knowing wtU that some delay must necessarily occur before the troops would bo ready to accompany them, both the doctor and myself, as avcII as half a dozen other Americans present, volunteered to go with the party, and urged so strongly the necessity of an immediate start, that Captain Pardilla, the commandant of the Mexican force, gave the necessary orders, and we set forth, accompanied by Don Jesus Armijo, and Don Manuel Chabes, two of the most celebrated Mexi- can guides in the country, as scouts. -# 4» i TO THE RESCUE. 243 lo, Cl- VK ft A ride of two hours and a half brought us to the scene of the massacre. The bodies of Mr. White and his servant, the former half devoured by the wolves, lay by the road-side pierced by many arrows and fearfully mangled, while all around were discernible traces of the desperate efforts with which the two men had resisted the attack. Pausing at the place only long enough to decently bury the bodies, the guides, who had been thoroughly searching the ground in the vicinity of the massacre, discovered that the party consisted of fifteen Indians; that Mrs.y*White, with her babe anj^lfiArvaatr had undonl)tedly been carried away with tl^em; and that the whole party had gone iu a "Southerly direction, towards the Florida Mountains in Chihuahua. Swiftly and silently we sped on our sad errand of mercy. Not a word was spoken; not a sound was heard, save that of our horses' feet as we galloped over the hard, gravelly soil of the plains. Not a moment did we pause, except when the guides dismounted to examine the trail more closely than the rapid nature of our pursuit would permit them to do when mounted. Thus passed the day. Just before nightfall we came to a beautiful green valley, through which meandered a stream of clear, sparkling water. Here we dismounted, that our tired animals, as well as ourselves, might obtain a little rest after the exhausting journey. It vrus nbout eleven o'clock, and some time ^ k l_LX.,lJU!li 244 APACHE CRUELTY. alter the moon had risen, that vre again commenced the pursuit. The trail soon led us through a cacon in the mountains, which we followed; and just after daylight we reached a spot where, from the confusion and number of tracks visi- l)le, it was evident the savages had halted but a few hours before. While watering our horses at a little spring which bub- bled out from under a huge rock close by, one of the Mexi- cans came running up with the dead body of Mrs. White's babe, which he had found lying -bahiu^, a little bush near the spring, thrust through and through a ddibi times with Apache spears. It was indeed a sickening sight. "The nude body of this boy-baby, with its gaping, ugly wounds, that silently but eloquently appealed to every spark of manliness in our breasts for revenge upon its foul mur- derers, and the low, excited carrahos of the Mexicans, told more forcibly than words could have done, that the sight had stirred even in their dull breasts unwonted fires of rage. We decided to push on at once, without waiting, as we had intended, for the military to overtake us; and tarry- ing here barely long enough to rest our animals, we started on the still fresh trail once more. Two hours' hard riding brought us through the cafion and out into the open plain beyond, when far in the dis- tance our guides pointed to a thin, blue, vapory smoke • rr^^^tfltf I we Ion lis- >ke j#^**- i A REOONIWISSANCE. 245 ascending from among a range of low pioatcfioa, which seemed to form a portion of the Florida range, whose grace- ful peaks rose in stately majesty just behind them. Making a long detour, in order that we might approach their camping-place without detection, we managed to got within a few miles of the spot, when, taking advantage of the shelter afforded by a spur of the mouutaiuis that projected far out into the plain, our guides suggested that we should dismount, and permit our horses to rest, while they made a reconnoissance of thu Apaches' camp. ^r- In vain did I ur^e an immediate attack. Nothing that I covJd say^wpuld alter the determination of the guides, wl^O would permit no one to accompany them, lest a single misstep or a careless word should betray their presence to the wary foo. After enjoining the utmost silence and care upon all, chc guides departed; and nothing could be done but wait for their return. We threw ourselves upon the ground, and gazed into the bright blue dome over our heads, or watched our tired ani- mals as they greedily cropped the green grass, while we lis- tened to marvellous tales tuld by ISome of the men of the skill and cunning of the guides who had gone to the enemy's camp. Thus the long hours dragged wearily on, without any news from the guides. The afteruoon was far advanced when one of the men reported that a new smoke had been started ^' .f^ 246 WHAT IT REVEALED. in the same place where we had seen it iu the moroiag, which seemed to indicate that the Indians intended to remain encamped there fur the night. It was almost dark when the guides returned. They re- , ported that there were twelve Indians in the camp about four miles distant. They had obtained a good view of it, and saw both Mrs. White and her servant, who, worn out with the toil and fatigue of their terrible journey, were appar- ently sleeping. They anticipated no trouble in rescuing lljem, but thought it safer not to make the attempt until later in the' night, when we should probably find the In- dians asleep. Deferring to the opinions Of thyg guides, we possessed our souls with patience as best we could, anxiously waiting for the hour to come which should determine for weal or woe the fate of the prisoners, while we discussed the plan of attack. Our party was to be divided so that we might completely surround tlie Indians, and thus prevent their escape. We were to take position on the sides of the hills which sur- rounded their camp, and at a given signal — the cry of the whii>poor-will twice repeated — each man was to select an Indian and fire; it being hoped that by waiting until a late hour the moon would throw the full light of its rays directly into the camp, thus enabling us to see the con- dition of afiairs there. No signs having been discovered of the military, we > PLAN OF ATTACK. 247 w.J0^^ mounted our horses about nine o'clock, and quietly rode to a point about a mile distant from the enemy's camp. Here we dismounted, leaving our horses with six men, who were detailed to ta. 3 charge of them. The party now separated, the portion in charge of Don Manuel making a wide detour, in order to reach the oppo- site side of the camp undiscovered, while the rest of us accompanied Don Jesus, and were to wait the expected signal from Don Manuel. Quietly and expeditiously we made our way to the picatchos, behind which the enemy were encamped. Not a word wojj spoken; not the sound of a footstep could be heard. Occasionally, as the sharp, quick "st! " of Don Jesus fell upuu our ears, we paused to hear his words of caution uttered in whispered tones, or to receive more explicit directions as to the course we were to pursue. At last we reach the foot of the pkatcho, which we are to cross. It rises rough and dark before us, its outline marked plainly against the light of the moon, which has not yet risen above its top. Slowly and cautiously we make our way up its steep side, exercising great care lest the least noise should betray our proximity to the unsuspecting foe upon the other side. Stealthily we creep towards the top of the bluff. Not a breeze moans through the tall pines above our heads; nothing disturbs the death-like silence that reigns If 248 A VIEW OF THE ENEMY'S CAMP. aruund us; and at last the camp with its occupants is before us. How eagerly we peer down into it from behind the dark rocks, the shadows of which makes the blackneL.3 more in- tense. By the bright light of the moon we can count one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, niue recumbent foims. Two more are crouching over the embers of the fire, their blankets wrapped tightly around their shoulders, as though for protection from the chill night air; but nowhere can we see the prisoners. Where can they be? Don Jesus, as though anticipa- ting our question, silently points to a thick clump of pines but a little distance from the fire; and ere he removes his hand, as though answering the question himself, a tall naked savage steps out into the bright moonlight from this very thicket of pines, and inclining his head in a listening attitude, hurriedly casts his eyes aruund the camp. In- stinctively we raise our rifle to our shouldei . But a warning gesture from Don Jesus restrains us from taking advantage of the splendid mark thus presented, and the Indian dis- appears within the shadows of the pines again. Not a movement is visible in the camp. Not a sound is heard. The hour which drags itself along while we are waiting for the signal from Don Manuel seems an eternity. Will it never come? At last, from the hill upon the opposite side of the camp, we hear the low, mournful notes AMP. i occupants is shind the dark meL;3 more in- ;ount one, two, unbent foims. the fire, their ers, as though t nowhere can [)ugh anticipa- lump of pines e removes bis imself, a tall ight from this in a listening le camp. In- But a warning ing advantage le Indian dh- 1. [ot a sound is while we are IS an eternity, till upon the loumful notes f,?^ <^' ' Wf^ ■t I A A* 11^ , i $: LlTKIl roUTIOX or THE CA.NOX 1 .*»>«»^ THE ATTACK. 249 of awhii>-p6or-will, so natural and so truthful that it seems to us it must be the cry of the bird itself. But in an instant we hear the sharp click of Don Jesus' rifle, and we ask ourselves the question, — Can that be the signal from Don Manuel? Will it be repeated? In the excitement of the moment we almost forget to breathe. Every sense is on the alert. Yes, there it is again — a low, plaintive, yet per- fectly distinct cry. Now the answer comes from the lips of Don Jesus, to be again repeated from the bluffs beyond; and then the quick, sharp ring of twenty rifles disturbs the still- ness of the night. In an instant the sides of the hill seem alive with men. As the sound of rolling rocks, the crash of tumbling men, and the yells of excited Mexicans fall upon the ears of the half-awakened savages, they utter a feeble yell of defiance, and we see three or four dusky forms rise from the ground and hastily make their way into the woods. Pell-mell we rush for the camp; hurriedly we push our way to thr hicket of pines, in which we exnect to find the prisoners. Arc they there? Yesl we can distinguish their forms even through the deep sliade of the pine trees. They are asleep. The sound of the struggle has not yet awakened them from the heavy slumber into which they have fallen. "NVc speak. No answer. Can if. be death? We place our hands upon the bodies. They are warm; but an Indescribable something about them causes us to hastily 32 250 MBS. WHITE'S SAD FATE. 1 ! !iJ ! h call for a torch; and when it is brought, what a sight it reveals. Great Godl The rcmembrauce even at this late day causes me to sicken at the h/jrrors revealed by the light of that torch. Upon the ground lay the bodies of Mrs. White and her servant, pierced with a dozen wounds, from each of which the life-blood was fast ebbing. Both were dead, although the still warm bodies bore testimony to the sad fact that the sound of our rifles had proved their death-knell. « Seven of the Indians were found dead in camp. The rest had fled, no one knew where or whither, leaving everything behind them. A portion of our party wae at once dispatched to secure their animals, nineteen in number, and tliey were shortly loaded with all the plunder of the camp, including the articles stolen from Mrs. White. A couple of rude litters were made, by stretching blank- ets over lance-poles, and the bodies tenderly borne to our place of rendezvous. Under the shadows of the cold gray rocks of the Florida Mountains, beneath the tall pines that will ever sing their mournful requiem, we left the bodies of Mrs. White and her servant in one grave. And there they repose to-day, — the elegant, accomplished, and refined mis- tress by the side of her servant, their grave unmarked and unknown. Sadly we left the lone grave, and returned to our homes ABIZONA AND NEW MEXICO. 251 upon the Rio Grande. We did not meet the military, as they deemed it useless to follow us. Nearly a year afterward, a friend in Tucson sent me a portion of the case of a little watch that had been taken from a recently captured Apache. It bore the name of E. J. White. Reader, ray sad tale is told. While tarrying here, I determined to put into execution a long-cherished plan thftt I had formed, — to visit the scenes so graphically described by old Father Niza, in his report to the Emperor Chaj;|es V., ccmccruing the gi'cat city of Cibola (or, as it was called by the Spaniards, Zuni,) and its inhabitants. At the time of the author's residence in Aiizoua, the Ter- ritories of Arizona and New Mexico were one, and as one we propose to regard them, although jii the year 18(J3 our sapient legislators at Washington, knowing about as much of the geographical formation of that country, or the real needs of its inhabitants, as a bear knows about Sunday Schools, declaied the eastern boundary of the Territory of Arizona to be an imaginary line, supposed to run somewhere near the thirty-second degree of longitude west from Wash- ington, and giving all that portion of the Territory east of said line, to New Mexico. As the Zuni country is situated west of the Rio Grande, and about three hundred and eighty miles northwest from /^ 252 THE START FOB ZUNI. Mesilla, we determined to aiscend the valley of that river, and start upon the expeditiou either from the town of Albuquerque, or from Santa F6, as we should find most convenient. Our government had so recently whipped the Navajoes into a peace, that we anticipated no trouble from them; and the other tribes residing in the country were gen- erally Pueblo Indians, and more disposed to cultivate the soil than take to the war-path; therefore the journey promised to be a pleasant and peaceable one, unless by accident we should eucouuter some^ marauding band of Apaches. • /^ , After recruiting our animals, and laying in a goodly quantity of camp-stores from the extensive stock of our friends Grandjean and Moran in La Meollla, and from Hayward and McGrotys at Fort Fillmore, Dr. Parker and myself, with Jimmy as cook, groom, and general factotum, turned our backs upon Mesilla, bound for Albuquerque, two hundred and forty miles distant, from which point we ex- pected to penetrate into the "Zuni country," where we should find the celebrated city of Cibola, which with its six sister cities, De Niza visited as early as 1539, and which Coronudo conquered in 1540. Their reports are tlie first really authentic history of the kingdom, although as early as 1526, nearly a hundred years before the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, one Don Joseph de fiazemzalles crossed "^ :>■ INSCRIPTION ROCK. 253 the kingdom of Cibok, and penetrated the country as far as the pueblo of Zuni, or what was then known as the city of Cibola. Of his expedition we have no reliable information. Upon the western slope of the Sierra Madre, and not far from the still existing pueblos of Acoma and Laguna, of which we shall speak in a succec 'ng chapter of this work, stands a very remarkable rock, called by the Spaniards "^/ Moro,*' and by the Americans "Inscription Rock," which is J^'^^. thus described by the Abbe Domenech: — ^t^'' "The front of this rock, which faces the northeast, is vertical, and of a natural polish up to two hundred and ten feet of its height. On this side the base is covered with Indian hieroglyphics and Spanish inscriptions. The oppo- site declivity has the form of a bastion, and possesses a spring of translucent water, which bubbles up at its foot from amid a circular basin surrounded by verdure. The summit of the rock is of white sandstone, inteiveiued with yellow. It is perpendicularly split in several places, so that at a distance it perfectly resembles the turrets of a moresque castle, from which circumstance it evidently de- rives its name of 'El Moro.' Upon the smooth suiface of this rock the Indians, as well as the old Spaniards, were accustomed to record the object or success of their journeys through the country." The oldest inscription to be found upon it is in the lower left-hand corner, and is almost effaced by. time and the 254 WHAT IS FOUND THERE OX. elements, while it is most effectually concealed from care- less eyes by the underbrush which has grown up around it. It is simply this: "Don Joseph de Bazemzalles, 1526." Lieutenant Simpson, in the report of his explorations through this country in 1849, ssiys: — «'I spent much time, and took great pains, to decipher and interpret many inscriptions upon a very remarkable rock, as well as to arrange them as nearly as possible in .their chronological order." ^I purpose to give in this work, however, only a few of the many score to be found therecm. Th& I 1 i The inhabitants were numerous and intelligent. The women wore petticoats, or dresses, of deer-skin, but they had no idea of Christianity. They called Niza "/SoT/oto," or man come down from heaven, and would try to touch his garments. They informed him that he would soon come to a great plain, full of large towns, which were inhabited by a people clad in cotton, wearing gold rings and ear-rings, and "using little blades of the same metal to scrape the sweat from their bodies." \ About this time the negro Esteva, who had been giving the good father ''great trouble on account of misconducting himself towards the women of the country, and only thought of enriching himself," was sent away by Father Niza on a voyage of discovery, accompanied by some "emancipated Indians. ' ' Four days after Esteva's departure, he dispatched two messengers to Father Niza, acquainting him with the dis- covery of a wonderful city called Cibola. These messengers the good father called pintados, because their faces, breasts, and arms were painted. They told him that a man might travel in thirty days to this great city of Cibola, which was the first of the seven cities. They also informed him that they often went there after "turquoise and ox-hides," which they received as "wage for tilling the ground.'* They said that the inhabitants of Cibola dressed in "gowns of cotton down to the feet, with # r r: fc THE INHABITANTS. 257 a button at the iieck; that they girded themselves with gir- dles of turquoises, or hide of kine," all of which reports 80 greatly pleased the good father, that he determined to follow on after Esteva. He continued his journey for five days, "always finding inhabited places, and great hospitality." Before reaching the desert, he arrived at a very pleasjint town, where he found many people, both men and women, "clothed in cotton, and some in ox-hides, which generally they take for better apparel than that of cotton. ' ' He says : — "All the people of tj^s village go in caconados;** that is to say, with turqooises hanging at their nostrils and ears, which they call caconas. The lord of the village, and others beside him, were "apparelled in cotton, in caconados, with a collar of turquoises about theii* necks." They gave him "conies," quails, maize, and nuts of pine- trees, and offered him turquoises, ox-hides, and fair vessels to drink in, which he declined. They informed him that beside the seven cities of Cibola, there were three other kingdoms, called Marata, Acus, and Totonteac, and that in Totonteac were great quantities of woollen cloth, such as he himself wore, made from the flocic of wild beasts, which were about the size of the two spaniels that he carried with him. The next day he entered the desert; and when he came to dine he found "bowers made, and victuals in abundance." 88 .^ k 258 HE HEARS OF CIBOLA. 1 i r i 1 1 i- These the Indians provided for him all the v/ay across the desert, which was four diiys' journey. Then he came to a valley "inhabited by a goodly people. It was well wateretl and like a garden, abounding in victuals sufficient to feed about three thousand horsemen." Through this valley he tnivelled five days. Here, too, he found a man born in Cibola, having escaped from the gov- ernor-lieutenant of the same. "For," he says, "the lord of the seven cities liveth and abideth in one of these towns called Abacus, and in the rest he appointeth lieutenants under him." This townsman of Cibola was a whi^niim, of good com- plexion, well advanced in years, and of f;ir grenter intellect than the inhabitants of this valley or the others left behind. He says: "Cibola is a greut city, inhabited by a great store of people, and having many streets and market-places. In some parts of the city are certain great houses, five stories high, wherein the chief of the city do assemble themselves on certain days of the year. The houses are of lime and stone, the gates and small pillars of the principal houses are of turquoises, and all the vessels wherein they are served are of gold. The other six cities are like untc this, and Abacus is the chiefest of them all. "To the southwest is a kingdom calleol Marata, where then be great cities builded of houses of stone, with many lifts Likewise the kingdom of Totonteac lieth to the weGt, a verj ■«-<*#. I ■I ^'«j!w I — r" .»• I 1 > X #1 ' '"'I ''iivt;r'''::;^^t a»''!*f*::U 1''::, ^^■Wl^^t^ ,:',',lv#' ■'^■. <#s^ li I ESTEVA PUT TO DEATH. 259 0s. mighty province, replenished with infinite store of riches; and in the said kingdom they wear woollen cloth made'of the fleece of animals, and they are a very civil people." They showed him "a hide half as big again as the hide of an ox, which belonged to a beast with one honi. The color of the skin was like that of a goat, and the hair was a finger long." Father Niza was still fifteen days' journey from the great city of Cibola, following in the course of the negro Estcva. He started once more on the 9tli of xMay, determined to accomplish the journey without any further delay. He trav- elled for twelve days, when he met one of the Indians who had accompanied Esteva, and "in great fright, and covered with sweat," he hastily informed Father Niza that the inhabitants of Cibola had seized the negro, and after imprisoning him, had put him to death, together with several of the Indians of his party. This statement greatly disconcerted the good father, who much feared to put his life in sueh jeopardy. Still, with the indomitable pluck that always characterized those early adventurers, he .letermined to see the £Teat city, if he could not enter it. To this end he made one more day's jour- uey, where, ascending a mountain, he viewed the city. He says: "It is situated upon the plain at the foot of a round hill, and maketh show to be a fair city. It is better seated than any I have seen in these parts. The houses are 260 mZA SEES CIBOLA. I \ I builded in order and all made of stone, with divers stories and flat roofs." Having ascertained these facts, and seen the city with his own eyes, Father Niza at once retraced his steps; and after many days' journey, during which he experienced nothing but kindness from the hands of the Indians, he finally reached the province of Culican, where he straightway mad*e report to the governor of all the strange things he had seen. The Abb6 Em Domenech, in his work on the desserts of North America, says, in speaking of Father Niza's journey: — "The information given by Father Marcos is so vague that it is scarcely possible to state precisely the route he fol- lowed, or to indicate the geogi'aphicul position of the countries through which he passed. 'There would seem to be, however, good authority for supposing that his journey was made through the valley of the Gila, instead of the Rio Verde country; across the Colorado Chiquito, thence through the MogoUon Mountains, and across the great plateau to the western slope of the Sierra Madre." That he visited the Casas Grrandes, already described in a preceding chapter, there is no doubt, as it is most probable that they would be included in that portion of country tailed the kingdom of Maratn. Niza says in his report before referred to, "And these people of ^larata have, and do, wage war with the lord of the seven cities. NIZA'S REPORT. 261 through wliich war the kingdom of Marata is for the most part wasted, although it yet continueth and maintaineth war against the others." This being the only information we have concerning the early settlements on the Gila, it is much to be regretted that Niza's report is not more explicit. Upon his return, it would seem that he decided to visit the kingdom of Totonteac, which was undoubtedly comprised of those towns lying upon the Rio Verde and Pueblo Creek; but from fear of the Indians, he did not go into it, though he saw it from afar off, lying in a low valley, -being very green, and having a most fruitful soil, out of which ran many streams." Of course this is mostly conjecture, founded principally upon the fact that no other ruins are known to exist in the direction given from Cibola, by Father Niza. The wonderful reports of Father ]\iza so fired the patri- otic heart of Captain-General-Gcvernor Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, that he determined to view with his own eyes this wonderful city of Cibola. To this end he commenced at once to organize an expedition, which lie proposed to lead in person, having for its object the conquest of the kingdom of Cibola. This army he assembled at the town of Compostella, ia the province of Culican, and was composed of one hundred and fifty horsemen, two hundred aichers, the *' ir 262 COEONADO'S ARMY. flower and chivalry of the province, together with eight hundred emancipated Indiaus. The army set forth the day following Easter, 1540, and marched to the outermost limit of the province of Culican, where it halted for rest. Corouado, however, could ill brook even this delay ; so he determined to push on ahead, in company with Father Niza, fifty chosen horsemen, and seventy archers, entrusting the command of the remainder of his army to one Don Tristran de Arellano, with instruc- tions to remain in camp fifteen da^s, and then follow the route pursued by himself. j I CHAPTER XVII. m '^: FTER forty days of toil and priva- tions of all kinds, Coronado arrived at a place he c. lis ♦'Chichi'.ticall," which signifies Ited Town, a name which seems to have been given by Coronado himself, on account of "a very large house there of red color, inhabited by an entire tribe that came from towards Cibola, where the last desert begins." At this point Coronado 's troubles seemed to have begun in earnest. H(3 lost some of his horses, as well as a number of his men, for want of food; and his army became greatly discouraged, and clamored loudly to return to Culicau. But Coronado was made of no such stpff, and was bound to proceed. After the delay of a week at Ked Town, he with his followers continued the march. In two weeks' time they had arrived i.t a point within twenty miles of Cibola. Here for the first time they met several natives of the kingdom; but they, becoming frightened, immediately took (263) It 264 A BATTLE. to flight, spreudiug the alarm throughout the country by means of great fires, which they kindled on the high moun- tains (a custom followed by the Indians of Arizona aud New Mexico to this day). At this point Coronado seems to have tarried for a time, in order to enable Don Tristan d'Arellano, with the re- mainder of his army, to overtake him. After waiting in vain for some weeks, he at last determined to advance to the walls of Cibola without reinforcements. In his report to the Emperor Charles V., he says: "Af- ter w© had passed thirty leagues of the most Avicked way, we found fresh rivers and grass like that of Castile, and many nut-trees, whose leaf differs from that of Spain. And there was flax, but chiefly seen on the banks of a cer- tain river, which, therefore, we called El Rio del Lino.* At h'st I did arrive at the walls of Cibola, and I sent a mes- senger thither, who was ill-treatftd and fired at." Coronado found that the people of the province were all assembled, and with "steady attitude" awaited his coming. He valiantly attacked the city, and after a desperate tight, in which he was struck by a large stone and unhorsed, iind only saved from bodily harm by the strength of his armor and the devotedness of his friends, Garcia Lopez de Cardenas and Uoronardo de Alvarado, who shielded him with their bodies, while some others helped him up, * Flax River. J» 4.. DON TRISTAN'S ADVENTURES. 265 to M the city capitulated, and Coronado inarched in and took possession. He found neither old men, women, nor children under ffteen years of a<;e, in the town, they having been taken to the mountains before the assault began. He found, how- ever, plenty of corn, of which they were greatly in need. While waiting here for the arrival of Don Tristan and his command, Con)nudo dispatched one of his officers, by name Garcia Lopez de Cardenas, with a handful of men, to visit the Moquis villages situated at the distance of a few leagues from Cibola. De Cardenas, however, seems to have lost his way; and after travelling for twenty days through a broken, volcanic country, with insufficient food for man or beast, he suddenly came to a "great cleft in the earth's surface, which prevented them from going an\' farther." De Cardenas describes the cleft to be "deeper than the side of the highest mountain; while the torrent below was scarcely a fathom wide. Two men tried to descend its steep, precipitous sides; and after experiencing the most terrible difficulties, they managed to climb down perhaps a quarter of the way, when their progress was stopped 1)y a rock, which seemed from above to be no greater than a man, but which in reality was higher than the top of the cathedral tower at Seville." Never had they seen such a sight before ; and not know- 84 ^^ 266 STARVATION AND DEATH, ing what might be in further store for them if they pro- ceeded down the chasm, they straightway returned, that they might report this wonderful impediment to Captain Cardenas. In the mean time Don Tristan and the men under his command were slowly, and in the face of most trying ob- stacles, making their way along towards Cibola, where they hoped to effect a junction with the general-in-chief. Hunger assailed their ranks, and many of the men died from absolute starvation, which so affected Don Tristan that he changed his route to one farther north, hoping thereby to better the condition of his army. 4 This course soon brought him among a very depraved class of *^ people. "The women painted their chins and around their eyes. The men were very wicked, and in- toxicated themselves with wine made from the pitahaya or maguey, which grew in abundance throughout the country." After passing through almost insurmountable difficulties, Don Tristan and his army finally reached Cibola, and joined Coronado, who was much dissatisfied with the repults thus far obtained. He says in his report, "It remaineth now to testify whereof the Father Provincial, Niza, made report to your majesty. And to be brief, I can assure your honor he said the truth in nothing that he reported; but all was quite THE MILLS OF CIBOLA. 267 contrary, save only the names of the cities and the great houses of stone. The seven cities are seven towns, all made of these kind of many-storied houses. They all exist, and within four leagues of each other, and are called the kinw- dom of Cibola." He further says, "They eat the best cakes I ever saw, and have the finest order and way of grinding. One woman of this country will grind as much as four women of Mex- ico. That which these people worship, as far as we hith- erto can learn, is the water; for they say it causeth the corn to grow, and maintaineth their lives." Becoming tired of the inactive life at Zuni, Coionado determined to start forth iu the hope of finding yet undis- covered territory. With this object in view he started eastward, into the valley of the Rio Grande. He soon came to Acoma, or, as he calls it, "Acuco," a town on an exceedingly "strong hill," four leagues from which he met with a "new kind of oxen," * "very wild and fierce, of which the first day they killed four score, which supplied the army with flesh,— for all the way was as full of crooked-backed oxen as the mountain-sierras in Spain are of sheep." "Coronado now took measures," says the Abbe Dome- ' uech, "to push his conquest, by taking possession of the province of Tiguex, on the Rio Grande." This province he ♦Buffalo. 268 MONTEZUMA'S CHURCH. captured after a fight of fifty days. It consisted of twelve towns, the principal of which were Ptcos, Qucria, Abo, and Gran Quivera. Pecos was a fortified town of several stories. It was built on a high mesa, and overlooked the country around for many miles. Here stood the large Mexican temple, Montezuma's church, which was three stories high, and FECOS. I ' 't where burned the sacred iiame day and night. The Indian legend is, that Montezuma built this pueblo himself, and with his own hands placed the sacred fire in the estu/a, at the same time warning his people that when they allowed it to go out, death would come. Before he left them, he took a tall tree, and, inverting i., planted it near the estufa, saying, if they did not permit the sacred flame to be CORONADO MEETS WITH AN ACCIDENT. 269 extinguished until Ihe tree fell, men with pale faces would come into the country from the East, and, overrunning it. would drive their oppressors, the Spaniards, from the country; when he himself would return and build up his kingdom, the earth should become fertile, and the moun- tains yield rich harvests of gold and silver. All of which predictions these Indians claim have been literally ful- filled. Late in the year 1542, Coronado, becoming tired of con- quest, organized a series of festivals for the amusement of his army and the Indians; and at one of them, held at Tiguex, Coronado himself was thrown from his horse while -running the ring" with one Don Pedro Maldonado, and severely injured. This accident seems to have been the primary cause of a great desire on the part of Coronado to reurn to his province of Culican. His army became greatly demoralized in consequence of this fact becoming known, and soon disbanded, scattering throughout the newly-dis- covered country. Few of them weie ever afterwards heard from. Coronado, with a few trusty followers, arrived in Culican in April, 1543. I had long entertained a desire to see the ruins of this country, and many facts and incidents connected with them, related to me by Major Ruff <,f the U. S. Army, who com- manded an expedition through the Navajoe country in '57, 80 strengthened the inclination, that I should have made tbo Ill 270 WILL YOU ACCOMPANY USf trip alone, hail I been unable to find anybody to accompany mo. The preceding pages contain the early history of the coun- try which we proposed to visit at this time, and we asked ourselves the questions many times over, — Shall we be able to recognize the different localities from the sligiit knowledge we have of them? Shall wo find, inhabiting the pueblos, de- scendants of the people so minutely described by Father Niza and Coronado, possessing any of the characteristics and habits of their ancestors? Reader, will you accompany us in our journoy, hall we part here? Do you care to encamp with us at each stopping-place we make on the long dusty drive to Albu- qurqne, or will you bo content to know that we crossed the long Jornada of ninety miles without water, in safety ? That on our right hand we saw each day the peaks of the Sierra Blanca, the Organos, and the Oscruro; and on our left those of the Mirabres, while afar off, to the north and west, the snow-clad peaks of the Sierra Madre range glistened each day in the bright sunshine like huge cones of crystal, stretching from seven to nine thousand feet in the air; that after a weary journey of five days we were at last delighted with a sight of the twin spires on the church in Albuqurque; that we found here one of the neatest, and at the same time most interesting towns we had yet seen in the country; that we. ! .cepted the generous hospitality of our friend, Judge Baird, A NOTED CHARACTER. 271 who for thirteen years had resided there; that nearly evory house in the city liad a piece of hind or garden well lilK'd with peach, apple, and plum trees of nearly every variety, or with vines growing the most luscious gra[)es? Shall I tell you of the little American colony which we found here; KIT OABSON. and that hero we saw and talked for a long while with the veritnble Kit Carson himself, a little Aveazcn-faced, liLrht- haired, wiry, active fronticrman, who wore his hair long, and swore in a horrible jargon of Spanish and English, and who didn't "fear no Injun a livin'?" 2T2 SECURING A GUIDE. ^Ve passed three days very pleasantly at Albuqurque, and throp.gl. the kindness of Judge Baird obtained the ser- vices of a Mexican named Rafael Orrantia, as guide; a man thoroughly acquainted with the entire country through which we were to pass, i.nd who could take us to the ruins of every pueblo, and know the shortest and best route to every spring or stre-im of water to be found in that region. In short, a most valuable man, especially as he bore the reputation of being an honest one, — a qualifi- cation rarely to be found among men of his class. Jimmy was much pleased with our new acquisition, and gravely informed me the morning after I had engaged him, that he was an "illegant cook," and would "relave him of a great daal of the risponshibility a ristin' on his shouldei's," a relief that I very much fear Jimmy did not experic-Kc in as great a degree as he had anticipated. As our guide informed us that we should have to descend the Rio Grande as far as Isletta, a smtdl Mexican village nearly twenty miles below Albuqurque, if we desired to visit Lnguna and Acoma, we decided to move down the valley that day, in order to be ready for an early start the next morning. The valley of the Rio Grande, from Santa F6 for nearly four hundred miles south, as well as far to the north, bears every evidence of having at one time supported a dense population. ABB^ DOMENECH'S OBSERVATIONS. 273 • '*;■ M III speaking of the former population of New Mexico and Arizona, the Abbe Domenech observes: "When New Mexico was discovered, the country extending from the Pacific on the one side to the Rio Grande on the other, was but a succession of towns, viHagcs, and habitations, joined together by cultivated fields, orchards, and roads. But the great multitude of Imman beings have almost disappeared since the conquest. The silence of the wilderness has succeeded to the joyful songs of the extinct population, and the aridity of the desert replaces the fertility of the soil. Wormwood and arteniisia now grow where fields of rose-trees and Indian corn formerly flourished. The cactus, mesqnit, and the dwarf cedar vegetr.te on the rem- nant of the pine and fruit trees, reduced to powder by constant droughts. The sun darts its perpendicular and scorching rays on the arid and barren rocks, which sparkle by day like gigantic diamonds. All the smiling nature, so lovely in by-gone days, has retained nothing of its former glory but a melancholy beauty, not unlike the sickly hues of a flower washed by the waves of the sea." He also estimates the population residing between the thirty-fourth and thirty-sixth degrees N. lat., and extending from the Canadian River through to the Gulf of California, to be at least one hundred and forty -nine thousand souls, as late as 1856. This estimate is generally believed to be largely in excess of the actual population, though less- than 86 n 274 VINE-CLAD IS LETT A. one-tenth of the number who inhabited it at the time of Coronado's conquest. The Pueblo Indians in the valley of the Rio Grande, who in 1790 numbered twelve thousand, in 1864 numbered less than six thousand, and they are steadily decreasing in numbers every year. Not many years will elapse before this industrious, semi-civilized race will become extinct, and the places that have known them for so many hundred years will know them no more forever. Bidding good-bye to our friends in Albuqurque, we started about ten o'clock in the morning for the little village of Isletta, where we Avere to cross the Rio Grande, our new guide riding some distance ahead of us on a tough little mule that one could almost have carried under his arm, had it not been for his kicking propensities, which, to our cost, we found largely developed. At Isletta we found a very neat, well-to-do village, the houses being of adobe, and nicely whitewashed, giving to the place a cheerful, pleasant aspect, rarely found in Mexi- can towns. They were large and well-constructed; the acequias nicely kept, and the vineyards yielding abundantly, all the result of Indian labor. We were soon encamped in a shady, pleasant spot near the river-bank, and enjoying a most excellent repast, which Jimmy, in company with Don Rafael, had provided for us, not forgetting a generous supply of Isletta wine, as . I M JIMMY ASTONISHED. 275 '? well as some very fine grapes sent us by Don Jesns Barela. In talking over the matter with Dr. Parker, we concluded that our first objective points should be Laguna and Acoma, and that from these pueblos our course should be for Zuni by the most direct and easily travelled route. After makin^ these points we should l)e guided by circumstance, having supplies sufl3cient to last fifty days. We retired to rest quite early, as we naturally expected some delay in fording the river at this place, which was about three hundred feet wide, though not more than three or four feet deep. The Rio Grande is one of the most uncertain streams in the known world, owing to the peculiar nature of the soil through which it runs. Its bottom is nothing less than a uiiiss of quicksand; aud as we had been informed that the ford here was hazardous and very uncertain, it was with no cnvia])le feeling that we looked at the muddy, turbid water, and realized the diflSculties we might encounter in getting our mules and heavily-laden wagon safely across the stream and up the steep bank on the opposite side. Faily in the morning we were awakened by the loud cries of Jimmy, who was exclaiming in a loud tone of voice that "milli,.ns wouldn't timpt him to take another stip in such a damned counthry ez this; for if 'twasn't thim bloody Injuns 'twas soraethin' ilse, and he was goin' home imma- ■Sk 276 JIMMY ALARMED. jately, this Missed niinnit," at tlie same time calling loudly upon the "howly saints for protiction." It was some time before we could ascertain the cause of Jimmy's great excite- ment, for he certainly talked very unintelligibly. Finally, however, he became sufficiently calm to ask, "An whare's the river?" Upon our pointing in the direction in which it was supposed to be, Jimmy at once interrupted us with, "That's jist it; the d — d thing is behind us; and how the divil did it git there, is what I want to know." Sure enough the river was flowing between us and Islotta, scarce half a mile distant, as calmly and quietly as though it had occupied its new bed for the past hundred years. It was with diflSculty that we could convince ourselves that such was really the fact, so silently had Nature effected this wonderful change. The only damage done, was the destruc- tion of a portion of Don Jesus Barela's vineyard, and a fine tiold of Indian corn. The banks of the Rio Grande being of an exceedingly fiiable nature, and very sandy, offer but slight resistance to any freak the river may take. Sometimes it destroys whole villages, demolishing corrals, haciendas, ranches, in fact, anything that happens to be in its way when it starts on its "bender," — now covering fields of rich alluvial soil with sand and rubbish, again tearing its way through a forest of tall cotton-woods and sycamores, or, selecting a piece of low, rich bottom-land, it takes from one man only to irivo to another. I" I r ''DANGEROUS TO BE SAFE. 277 Within a year of the time of the occurrence just mentiouod, it su