THE MARVELLOUS COUNTRY. Sold only by subscription, and not for sale at the bookstores. Residents of any State desiring a copy should address the Publish- ers, and an agent will call upon them. THE Marvellous Country; OK, Three Years in Arizona and New Mexico, the apaches' home. • COMPRISING -A DESCRIPTION OF THIS WONDERFUL COUNTRY, ITS IM^ MENSE MINERAL WEALTH, ITS MAGNIFICENT MOUNTAIN SCENERY, THE RUINS OF ANCIENT TOWNS AND CITIES FOUND THEREIN, WITH A COMPLETE history of the apache tribe, and a description of the author's guide, Cochise, the Great Apache War Chief. THE WHOLE INTERSPERSED WITH STRANGE EVENTS AND ADVENTURES. SAMUEL WOODWORTH COZZENS. ILLUSTRATED HY UPWARDS OK ONE HUNDRED ENGRAVINGS. BOSTON: SHEPARD AND GILL. i873- Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, By SHEPARD & GILL, n the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. Brown Type-Setting Machine Company. M. L. M., whose kind words ok encouragement and commendation have induced me to offer these pages to the public, This Volume is most respectfully inscribed MY THE AUTHOR. PREFACE. This book will acquaint the reader with the strange and wonderful history of a most marvellous 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 offered to the public with the belief that he who reads its pages will find many facts that are new to him, so interspersed with incident of travel and adventure that its perusal will prove both entertaining and instructive. THE AUTHOR. Boston, October 1, 1873. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Frontispiece — The King. Illustrated Title-page— Dr. Parker at the Bottom of the Canon. A Spanish Warrior of the 16th Century 29 Father Kino 40 An Apache 46 A Natural Sandstone Formation (full page) 52 The Burial of Laws (full page) 54 A Moquis 50 Los Organos Mountains 60 A City not made with Hands (full page) 64 The Fortunate Shot 66 Dr. Parker , 69 The Bear Hunt (full page) 72 Jim Davis, the Emigrants' Friend 81 Initial (T) , 83 Cochise 85 Howlv Mother! is that an Apache? 88 A Deserted Apache Hut 97 Jimmy , 99 Lower Portion of the Canon (full page) 106 The Apache's Home 108 Initial (A) . 114 Soap and Water . 115 Meeting of Mangus Colorado, Cochise and the Author . . . 118 The Scalp Dance (full page) 124 A Navajoe „'. . , . 127 The Country on the Head Waters of the Gila (full page) ... 132 Capture of Jimmy by the Indians (full page) 136 Jimmy Refuses to "Inter" the Crack 140 A Vase Taken from the Sacred Spring at Zuni 143 The Wheel Scene 150 The Mission of San Xavier Del Bac (full page) 156 Killed by Apaches . 102 I Return to Camp without my Hat 164 The Bishop of Sonora 172 Jimmy's Trial .179 Initial (A) * . ' . ' 184 Ruins of the Casas Grandes in 1859 (full page) 190 Plan and Elevations — (3 cuts) 191 Initial (T) ' .199 Map Showing the Author's Route 204 Capt. Ewell's Pursuit of the Apaches 209 The Stampede 218 Initial (B) - .220 The Best Shot I Ever Made (full page) . • . . . .*,".".. 228 The Cereus Grandes 233 7 * 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Initial (T) 235 A Mirage on the Grand Plateau (full page) ....... 238 Upper Portion of the Canon (full page) 248 The approach to the Apache Pass (full page) 258 Initial (A) 263 View of Pecos 268 Kit Carson 271 The Rio Grande and Jimmy on a Bender ....... 277 Initial (A) 279 A New Mexican Shepherd 281 Jimmy's Deer Hunt (full page) 284 ACOMA 286 The Acoma Belle 290 The Pueblo of Lacuna (full page) 292 Jimmy in Trouble 295 Initial (O) 300 A Panther Hunt 302 El Moro (full page) 306 From Inscription Rock 307 The Eagles of Zuni S12 The Cacique 315 The Sacred Spring at Zuni 322 Don Rafael 329 Jimmy's Arrest 333 The Pueblo of Zuni (full psipe) . • 336 Zuni Altar and Incantation Scene . 340 Tenaja Taken from the Ruins of Old Zuni ....... 342 A Drinking Vessel from Old Zuni 343 Earthen Spoon from Old Zuni 344 A Coyote 345 Stien's Peak by Moonlight (full page) 356 Initial (W) 360 Burial Scene 368 Our Fight with the Navajoes (full page) 374 Jimmy's Moonlight Stroll 377 Initial (A) . • . 384 Guilty or Not Guilty ' 400 I Fall Three Hundred Feet (full page) 410 A Mountain Goat 414 Jimmy's Mother-in-Law 418 Initial (U) 432 Ruins in Canon de Chaco (full page) 437 An Earthen Bowl from Penasca Blanoa . . .440 Initial (I) 452 The Moquis Pueblos (full page) 464 The Green-Corn Dance (full page) 468 Initial (H) 472 We Treat Jimmy for a New Disease 475 Mr. Stewart 492 A Drinking Vessel from Zuni 501 A Pueblo Restored (full page) 604 J U ANITA 510 A Group of Apaches 513 The Meeting on Broadway 532 CONTENTS CHAPTER I. PAG! The Marvels of the New World. — Cortez in Mexico. — Mon- tezuma's Wealth. — The Kingdom of Cibola. — Moutezuma's Treasure-house. — The Spanish Conqueror's Expedition to Cibola. — Father Niza's Exploration in 1535. — Coronado's Expedition in 1540. — The Jesuits. — Father Kino's Visit to the Country, 1658. — The Cross his only Protection ; the Wilderness his only Purveyor. — The Country. — Its In- habitants. — Their Home. — The Arts. — Their Manufac- tures. — Their Flocks and Herds. — Gold and Silver Mines. — Mining. — Diamonds. — Rubies. — The Fire-Worship- pers. — The Establishment of Missions in 1670. — The Missions destroyed by the Apaches. — Final Abandonment of the Settlements by the Jesuits. - 29 CHAPTER II. Father Kino. — The Spanish Government. — Its Efforts to develop the Mineral Wealth of Arizona. — Precious Stones. — Silver. — Gold. — Masses of virgin Silver. — Wealth of the Mines inestimable. — The Mines undeveloped. — 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 2 10 CONTENTS. CHAPTER III. The Purchase of Arizona. — Its Size. — Its Cost. — The Loca- tion of the Kingdom of Cibola. — Cortez imperils the Pos- session of an Empire. — The Viceroy Mendoza's Expedition to Cibola. — Settlements in Arizona at the Til le of its Pur- chase. — Texan "Head Rights." — Santa Rita del Cobre. — A Visit there. — Ojo Caliente. — Remarkable Springs. — Immense Value of the Copper Mines. — "Wonderful Sand- stone Formations. — Adventure with the Apaches. — Their War-whoop.— Death of Laws. — His Burial by Moonlight. — A Mother's Thanks. — God bless her. 46 CHAPTER IV. The Mesilla Valley. —Its Climate. — Wines. —Its Produc- tions. — The Inhabitants. — Their Manners and Customs. — Los Organos Mountains. — The Salt Lakes. — "A City not made with Hands." — The Elements as an Architect. — The Temples of Crystal. — The Sacramento Mountains. — The Tularosa; its Trout. — Antelope. — A Hunt. — Lost upon the Plains. — The terrified Mule. — The moving Bush. — Suspense. — The fortunate Shot. — "Will Daylight never come ? " — The Apache's last Trail.— A Scalp. —The White Man's Smoke. — Camp at last. 56 CHAPTER V. The Valley of the Tularosa. — A Bear Hunt. — The Cinnamon Bear. — An unfortunate Shot. — Bruin "riled." — The Giants of the Forest. — Dr. Parker not a Successful Climber. — Bear Meat in Camp. — Fort 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 — The Doctor's Horse stolen by Apaches. — Petrified Forest. — The Rio Grande. — Old Pennington and his seven Daugh- ters. — Capture of Mrs. Paige by the Indians. — Her Suffer- ings. — Her Story. — Down the Rio Grande. — " Jim " Davis, the Emigrant's Friend. — Jim swaps. — Home again. — The Alcalde. — " Enough to Eat at Home." CHAPTER VI. The Apaches. — The Terror of the Settler.— The Scourge of the White Man. — Eight Bands. — Their Location. — Their Depredations. — Their War Chiefs. — The Tribe as now constituted. — Their Numbers. — The Apache Pass. — Cochise. — His personal Appearance. — " Howly Mother ! is that an Apache?"— The lost Mules. — The Overland Mail Company. — The Massacre of the Fraziers. — The Bodies burned. — The Oatman Family. — Their Attempt to cross the Desert. — Their Surprise by the Apaches. — The Massacre. — Escape of Lorenzo. — He returns and finds the dead Bodies of his Father, Mother, and Sister. — Olive and Mary Captives. — Lorenzo's Sufferings. — The Fate of the Girls. — Their Tortures. — Slaves for four Years. — Death at last releases little Mary. — Olive buries her Sister at Night. — Olive finally purchased. — Olive and Lo- renzo meet. — Mangus Colorado, the White Man's Friend. — The Tonto Apaches. 83 CHAPTER VII. Negotiations with Cochise. — He agrees to accompany me to the Apnche Village as my Guide. — Our Journey. — A Mi- rage. — The Country. — Its general Features. — A Canon on the Gila. — Thrilling Account of its Descent. — The " Jor- nada del Mwrte? or Journey of Death. — All the while gaining Light, though losing Strength. — Nature's wonder- 12 CONTENTS. ful Organ. — Cathedrals. — Castles. — Rotundas. — Ravines. — Chasms. — 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 Mojaves 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 Dance 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 Mancheria. — 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 Bancheria. — On the Trail. — Vhe Scenery. — The Organ of the Almighty ; His 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. — Captured by the Apaches. — Startling Effect of the Fire in the Canon. — "Down into Hell without the Absolution of a Praste, or the Satisfaction of dyin'." — We recross the Canon. — Arrival at the Apache Pass. 127 CHAPTER X. A Trip to Tucson. — The Scenery. — A Mirage. — Jimmy's Pursuit of a Bath. — His Return. — He "dont know." Our Camp for the Night. — A dry Run, a wet Run, before Morning. —We lose our Wheels. — A Search for them.— Jimmy's Consternation. — The Lake and the Mountain Tor- rent too much for him. — " The Lake as dhry as powther." — Where are our Wheels? — "The Divil has 'em." 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 Buildings. — Its Lesson. — Desolation and Decay. The Papago Indians. — Old Jose\ their Chief. — His Dress and personal 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. — The Valley of the Santa Cruz.— 14 CONTENTS. Arrival at Tubac. — Its Inhabitants and Trade. — Descrip- tion of the Town. — "Good action." — The Mission of San Jose Tnmaccari. — Its present Condition. — Its beautiful Situation. — Apache Depredations. — Killed by Apaches. — Captain Ewell. — The Patagonian Mine. — Worked by the Spaniards in 1760. — Its Machinery. — The Apaches and the Boiler. — The Ore and its Yield. — What it Assays. — Destruction of the Mine by the Apaches. — A morning Excursion and the Beauties of Nature. — An unexpected Sight. — " To be, or not to be." — Apaches. — As they ad- vance, I retreat. — The best Time 1 ever made. — Hatless, but not Witless, I reach the Camp. — Captain Evvell's Pur- suit. — Campaigning Qualities of the Apaches. — What they can endure. — My Escape and its Lesson. — Jimmy's Ideas of early Birds and Worms. - -- -- -- -- -- 162 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 called the Salt-Cellar Mine. — The Bishop of Sonora is entertained by the Holy Fathers at Tumaccari. — He wants a Salt-Cellar, and gets it. — A Happy Thought. — The Bustillo and other Mines. — Their enormous Yield. — The Foe of Industry and Civilization. — Fort Buchanan. — Visit to the Heintzleman Mine. — It assays Nine Thou- sand Dollars to the Ton. — Average Yield. — The brave old General. — How the Mine was destroyed. — The Ari- vacca Ranche and Mine. — Jimmy's first Shot at a Deer. — It proves to be a good one. — He stays by it. — Is sent for. — His Trial. — The Evidence and Verdict. — "The gin- eral Diciptiveniss of the Counthry." — Venison Steaks. — Apache Depredations. — Protection. — Farewell to Tubac. — Arrival at San Xavier. — Jimmy and the King. — A Cock Fight after Vespers. 172 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIII. A Visit to the Pimo Villages. — We leave Jimmy at San Xavier. — Our Arrival among the Piraos. — Their Civiliza- tion.— Four Hundred Miles of Acequias. — Their Houses. — Their Weapons. — The only successful Apache Fighters. — An Ark of Safety. — A Visit to the « Casas Grandest — Our first Sight of these Wonders of the Desert. — Their Con- dition.— What Mr. Bartlett said of them in 1852. — A Description of the Buildings. — The Elevation and Ground Plan. — The Pottery found here. — Remarkable Evidences of an Extinct Civilization — The Buildings supposed to be Eight Hundred Years Old. — Forty Miles of Ruins.— The Work of whose Hands ? — Father Pedro Font visits them in 1775. — Extracts from a Manuscript Copy of his Journal, — Condition of the Ruins at the Time of his Visit. A Description of them as Mangi found them in 1694. Father Kino says Mass in them in that Year. — What the Government ought to do. — Speculations. — Return to the Pimo Villages. CHAPTER XIV. The Montezuma Indians. — Their distinguishing Characteris- tics. — The Ruins upon the Rio Verde and Salina River. The four-story Houses, and who built them. — Gold and Silver Ornaments. — Cochise and the Apaches. — The Gold- bearing Region of Arizona. — In the Heart of the Apache Country. — Virgin Gold in the Hands of the Apaches. — They refuse all Information concerning it. — Felix Aubrey's Visit to the Gold-bearing Region in 1849. — What lie found there. — Extent and Value of the Deposits. — The Indians use Golden Bullets. — Aubrey's Death. — Silver. — The Mountains full of it. — Gila City. — Up like a Rocket, down like a Stick. — Good-by to the Pimos. — Return to Tucson. — Jimmy puts in an Appearance. — What we saw in Tuc- 16 CONTENTS. son.— How the Inhabitants amuse themselves. — Distin- guished Characters. — A Tragedy. — Mrs. Paige again.— Shocking Sight. — We leave Tucson under Captain Ewell's Escort. — Scenery. — Apaches. — The Flight and Pursuit. — A Spirited Scene. — Will they overtake us ? — Camp. — The Return. — Result of the Chase. — Expedition into the Mountains. — What we found. — The Apaches asleep. — The Apaches awake. — An exciting Adventure. — A Stam- pede. — What happened, and how it happened. - - - - CHAPTER XV. A Storm in the Mountains, and what came of it. — How the Apaches stampede Stock.— What Captain Ewell found.— On the Road once more. — The Captain meets his Apache Friends.— How they shook Hands. — We find Cochise at Apache Pass. — The San Cirnon. — Castles in Spain. — What shall we do ? — Apache Attack. —A lucky Shot. — Consternation.— The Return for the Dead. — I acquire a Reputation as a Marksman, and take good care not to spoil it. —Attack upon the Overland Mail Coach. — The Con- ductor killed. — The Great Door to the Pacific Slope.— Doubtful Pass. — Stein's Peak. — Watch and Ward. — The Backbone of the Continent.— A Magnificent Sight.— Mountain Sheep. — A Mountain Lake. — Two tiny Streams, springing from the same Source.— A Continent divides them. — The Cereus Grandes.—A Picture. — A Mirror silvered by Nature's own Hand. — The Moonlight and its Effect. — The Soldier's Farewell. - - CHAPTER XVI. Thirty-two Miles. — A Panorama. — Grand Mountain Scenery. — Our Descent. — The Great Plateau.— A natural Route for a Railroad. — The Thirty-second Parallel.— A parched and endless Waste. — No Water. — A wonderful Mirage. — CONTENTS. 17 The " Playas" of the great Plateau. — Barney Station. — How we reached La Mesilla. — Jimmy enacts "Sinbad the Sailor." — Fort Fillmore. — Visitors from the East, and their sad Fate. — Our Revenge. — Arizona and New Mexico one. — How and when it was divided. — The geographical Boundaries. — I determine to visit the Zunis. — Prepara- tions for the Trip. — Jimmy promoted. — About the Seven Cities of Cibola. — Conquered by the Spaniards in 1540. — Joseph de Bazemzalles visits Zuni in 1526. — He leaves his Name on Inscription Rock. — What the Abbe Domenech says of it. — Father Marcos de Niza's Explorations in 1535. — The Arabian Negro Esteva. — The Friar Honoratus. — Father Niza " follows where the Holy Ghost did lead." — His Description of the Inhabitants. — Gold. — Turquoise and Cotton Cloth. — Father Niza and the Negro Quarrel. — Esteva sets out on a Voyage of Discovery. — He finds the City of Cibola. — Dress of tlie Inhabitants. — 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. — He sees Cibola from the Top of a Mountain. — What he says of it and its Inhabitants. — He returns to Culican. — The 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. - - 235 CHAPTER XVII. Forty Days' Toil. — Red Town. — Coronado's Troubles. — His Men and Horses Starve. — Don Tristan d'Arellano his Lieutenant. — The Reserve. — Description of the won- derful Country through which he passed. — He arrives be- fore the Walls of Cibola. — Determines to attack the City. — Desperate Assault and Repulse. — The final Assault and Capitulation of the City. — What Coronado found therein. — 3 18 CONTENTS. The Expedition of De Cardenas. — What it found. — Don Tristan arrives with his Army. — A Terrible March. — Coronado's Report to Charles V. — Acuoo. — Crooked- backed Oxen. — Coronado marches on Tigucx. — A Des- perate Fight. — Pecos. — Montezuma's Temple. — The Fire-worshippers and the Sacred Flame. — The Legend of Montezuma. — His Prophecy. — Singular fulfilment of it. — The Sacred Flame kept burning for more than three Centuries. — What happened in 1542. — Coronado deter- mines to return to Culican. — An Accident. — He departs in April, 1543. — Conjectures. We leave for Zuni. — The Valley of the Rio Grande. — Albuquerque. — Kit Carson the Veritable. — .He "don't fear no Injun a-livin'." — We take a Guide. — All about Don Rafael. — Off for Zuni at last. — Our Camp at Isletta. — What happened there. — The Rio Grande on a "Bender." — Jimmy dumbfounded. — He calls loudly on the Virgin. — On which side of the River are we? — Singular Freak of the Rio Grande. — Jimmy pronounces it " the Divil's own Work, sure." - - - 263 CHAPTER XVIII. On the Road to Laguna. — The Valley of the RioPuerco. — New Mexican Sheep. — The Herders and their Dogs.' — Wonderful Sagacity. — Navajoe Depredations. — What they have stolen. — Expeditions against them. — How the Governmenttreated them. — The Puerco. — In Camp. --—Don Rafael's Stories. — Game of the Country. — Jimmy deter- mines to go Deer hunting. — He shows us how they hunt Deer in " Ould Ireland." — A Misfortune. — Jimmy's sud- den Disappearance. — How the " Powther laked out of his Gun." — The Rio San Jose. — The Pneblo of Laguna.— How the Houses are built without Doors or Windows. — The Temple — An Extinct Volcano. — We ascend to the top of the Temple. — Peach and Apricot Orchards. — En Route for Acoma. — Its Situation on the top of a Rock CONTENTS. 19 Three Hundred and Fifty Feet High. — The only Means of Ascent. — Water Tanks. — The Houses. — The People. ' — The Government. — Jimmy is troubled. — The Women of Acoma. — Stuffed Legs. — An Aeoma Belle. — Jimmy attempts to form a "Mathrimonial Alliance." — How we de- feat the Project. — We leave Acoma. - -- -- -- - 279 CHAPTER XIX. Sunrise and its Beauties. — The Ladder leading to the Gates of Paradise. — The Mountain Scenery. — A Motionless Sea. — What we find Six Thousand Feet above the Level of the Ocean. — The tawny Coyote. — Breakfast and a Fresh Start. — The " Agua Frio." — Moonlight. — The Awful Silence. — It overwhelms me as does the Thought of the Infinite. — Nature in an Eternal Sleep. — The Coyote's Bark. — I disturb the Camp. — To Bed at last. — A moan. — Jimmy's Sickness. — His Tears. — The Doctor won't Prescribe. — Jimmy's last Chance. — He " hankereth " after the Flesh Pots of Acoma. — The Sierra Madre Range. — The Navajoe Pass. — What it looks like, Seven Thousand Three Hundred and Twenty-one Feet above the Level of the Sea. — Acoma in the Distance. — The Carizo Springs. — What the Country west of us resembles. — In Camp. — Reflections. — We moralize. - - -- -- -- - 290 CHAPTER XX. The Adventures of the Night. — A Moonlight Scene. — Hush-ah-sh. — "The poor Craythur's lost, an' she's callin' to me." — Attacked by a Panther. — Thrilling Description. — A Desperate Encounter. — We capture him. — Jimmy's valiant Charge. — Who killed the Mule ? — El Moro. — Its Beauties in the setting Sun. — The Valley by Moonlight. — Fancies. — Juan Gonzales in 1629. — Don Diego de Bargas 20 CONTENTS. in 1692. — Don Felix Martinez in 1716. — His Expedition to reduce and punish the Apaches, and what came of it. — What his Majesty said about it. — The Book of History. — Ruins in the Valley. — Description of them. — The Pottery found here. — The old Watch-Towers. — The Rio Pescado and its Valley. — Lands and Crops. — Jimmy warned. — No more entangling Alliances. — The Blue-eyed, Light- haired Zunis. — Prince Madoc and his Voyage of Discovery in the Twelfth Century. — The Welsh Miners and what came of them. — Singular similarity between the Welsh and Zuni Language. — The Story of the Negro Esteva. — Jimmy " swears a swear." — The Legend of the Rio Pesca- do. — How the Fish came in it. — The Rio de Zuni and its Valley. - - - r ... 800 CHAPTER XXI. Zuni. — Its Situation. — Our first Sight of the People. — The Products of the Valley. — Jimmy Trades. — A new Steward. — His Chagrin. — In Camp. — A Visit from the Cacique, or Governor. — His Dress. — A Warning. — An Abattis. — An Examination of the Plain. — The Pits, and how concealed. — Description of the Town. — Characteristics of the Zunis. — The Women. — Jimmy has a Flirtation. — He makes a Present. — Its Object. — Tame Eagles. — The Population. — A Church. — The Council. — The Heads of Departments. — We visit the Sacred Spring. — No one permitted to drink the Water. — The Broken Tenajas. — Communica- tion with departed Spirits. — Singular Customs. — Honor among the Zunis. — Jimmy takes a Drink from the Spring and departs. — We return to Camp troubled. — We miss Jimmy. — He does not return. — Anxiety. — Exercise. — A Conversation, and how it was interrupted. — Do the Mills of the Gods grind slow ? — Nemesis. 312 CONTENTS. 21 CHAPTER XXII. Jimmy in Trouble. — Hunting the Animals. — His Betrothal. — His Arrest by the "Bazaque," and what came of it. — The Trials of two fond Hearts. — Ancient Cibola. — Its Situa- tion. — How we reached it. — The' Ascent of a Thousand Feet — The Mountain Scenery. — The San Francisco Peak. — Its snow-clad Summit resembles a huge Crystal. — The Country to the Westward. — The blue Pacific a Thousand Miles away. — An Emerald in a Setting of Topaz. — What we found at Old Zuni. — The Ruins. — The Monuments, and the Legend concerning them. — The Zunis' History of the Deluge. — Proofs sustaining their Theory. — We visit the Cedar Grove. — The Incantation Scene. — The Sacred Altars. — Traditions and Superstitions. — A beautiful Sight. 329 CHAPTER XXIII. The Zunis' Legend of the Creation. — Origin of the Nations of the Earth. — How they escaped from the Cave in which they were confined. — The four White Swans and their Mission. — How the Water was drained from the Face of the Earth. — The Mission of the Bear. — The Navajoes first come forth. — What they did. — The Zunis next emerge. — The Pueblos follow. — The Americans bring up the rear, but immediately leave for the place where the Sun rises. — The Confusion of Tongues. — What became of the Birds and Beasts: — How the domestic Animals were ob- tained. — Size of the Earth. — The old Men decide to have a Sun, and who made it. — How the Heavens and the Moon were constructed. — Who made the Stars, and why there are so few Constellations. — Growth of the Earth. — The three Tenajas. — The Navajoes' Choice. — What the Zunis chose. — What the Pueblos got. — As you nave 22 CONTENTS. chosen so shall it ever be with you. — The white Hen Turkey. — Where she came from, and what she brought. — How it was divided. — The old Man shot into the Clouds. — Death. — "All those who die must come down here and live with me in our first Home." — Sunset. — Our Return to Camp. 345 ' CHAPTER XXIV. What the Apostle said. — Visitors in Camp. — What they had, and how they got it. — Jimmy offers to settle the Bill. — Bridal Presents. — Jimmy and the Cacique. — A dark Prospect for Jimmy. — Supposed Settlement of the Difficul- ties. — Jacob's Well. — A most remarkable Freak of Nature. — A Death and Burial. — Singular Customs. — The Death- cry. — A Soul bereft of all Hope. — Jimmy anxious. — A Consultation. — Jimmy out. — The Midnight Attack. — Preparations for Battle. — Navajoes. — The Pits are found. — The Fight and the War-whoop. — I am wounded. — Twenty-three Shots. — The Navajoes leave us. — We don't care to follow them. — Jimmy absent. — Why we received no Assistance from the City, — Jimmy in the Distance. — He cometh like a Race Horse. — "Save her, save her! for God's sake save her!" — A moonlight Stroll, and what came of it. — Jimmy forgets both Valor and Honor. — — What happened. — "Howly Mother! how thim Divils did rin, though." — A Warning to all young Damsels. — What Daylight brought. — The Story of the Fight and its Results. — The Zunis determine to follow the Foe. — The Volunteers. — Jimmy's Scruples. — How they were over- come. — His Mule « bucks." — He plays " Possum." — How he recovered. — Our Reception by the Zunis. — Jimmy is boastful. 360 CONTENTS. 23 CHAPTER XXV. The Result of an Inspection. — We Start. — The Trail that we followed. — The Braves charge. — Jimmy attempts to follow them. — The Result of riding a playful Mule. — A remarkable Feat. — We sight the Navajoes. — The Dis- position of our Forces. — A complete Surprise. — The Result. — Our Return. — After the Battle. — The Celebra- tion of the Victory in the Pueblo. — The brave Man's Dance. — The Plaza by Moonlight. — The Eagle, the. Turkey, the Duck, and the Crow. — Singular Superstitions. — A complete Description of the Dance. — Dr. Parker and myself congratulate ourselves with the others. — A Visit from the Cacique. — His Companions, and the Ghject of their Visit. --Jimmy summoned. — His Appearance. — The Charge. — Guilty or not Guilty? — The Answer and De- fence. — The Judgment. — A Surprise. — " The Whit© Man tells no Lies." — The Cacique vindicates his Judg- ment. — He speaks, not with a " forked Tongue." — "Howly Mother! protict me characther." — Puzzled. — Zuni Maiden, " Requiescat in Pace" — The Scene of Coronado's Assault. — The Terraces. — "The Spaniards came, and all was changed." — Montezuma the Embodiment of Truth. — Eight Hundred Feet above the Plains. — Twilight and the Descent. — A fearful Fall. — The Sensa- ' tions experienced. — If you doubt me, try it yourself.— How I was saved. — A hair-breadth Escape, indeed. — The Doctor in Attendance. — Camp. 384 CHAPTER XXVI. Jimmy wants to know all about it, — The Doctor's Reply. — A narrow Escape. — The Bottle of Arnica. — The Nurse, and who obtained her. — The Cacique visits me, and entertains me with some of the Legends of the Zunis and their Tradi- tions.— Their Ideas of a Future State. — The Story of the 24 CONTENTS. Zuni Warrior. — The Death of his Betrothed. — His Grief.— The Country of Souls. — The Cabin by the Path. — The Old Man with White Hair and a Mantle of Swan's Down. — Come in : Sit down. — The Gulf. — The Island in the Dis- tance. — " You must leave your Body behind." — A sudden Transformation. — Shadows of the Material World. — The Abode of the Spirits. — The Lake and the Island of the Blest. — A Canoe of Crystal. — He meets his Bride. — The foaming, threatening Waves. — Hope and Fear. — The Master of Life. — The happy Shore. — The Decree. — The Warrior's Sorrow. — " She will remain here always young." — Jimmy eulogizes "the Girl he left behind him." — We ascertain who my Nurse is. — Jimmy cares more for his Scalp than his Honor. — He thinks his Mother-in-law a very fine Person. — " Garvies," and what they look like. - 414 CHAPTER XXVII. Jimmy disappears again. — He is anxious to defend some one from the Navajoes. — The Green Corn Dance. — One of Montezuma's Festivals. — Ruins. — A Legend of Monte- zuma. — His Mother, who she was, and what the gentle Zephyr did to her. — The Birth of Montezuma. — The wonderful Ruins of the Canon de Chaco. — Those of the Pueblo Pintado. — How constructed. — The Material un- known in the present Architecture of New Mexico. — A wonderful Combination of Science and Art displayed. — Mosaic Work. — Rubble Masonry without Lime. — Size of the Apartments, and their Numbers. — No Marks of Tools to be found. — The Ruins of Weje-gi. — Hungo Pavie. — Chettro Kettle and Penasca Blanca. — Their Size. — Mason- ry. — Manner of Construction, &c. — No Chimneys or Fire- places. — No Iron. — Beautiful Pottery Ware. — The Ruins in the Canon de Chelly. — The Estufas, and how con- structed. — Their Altars. — A Suggestion. — No Response. — Jimmy's Proposition. — In Love once more. — He wants CONTENTS. 25 to marry his Mother-in-law. — An old Definition for a new- Idea. — "Ould Ireland." — Jimmy curses the "Bazaque." — "He's plidged." — We find the Mother-in-law in Camp. — "Thitn illigint Garvies." — Jimmy's Mission to the Pueblo, and when he returned. - . - - - ------ CHAPTER XXVIII. The Chase and the Game. — A Consultation. — A Diagnosis. The Disease and its Cure. — The Prescription. — Homo3- opathic Doses. — " Where Ignorance is Bliss, it's Folly to be W ise." — Jimmy doesn't fold his Tent like the Arab, but silently steals away. — Anxiety in the Morning. — His great Love. — A reluctant Convert. — Gay and happy. — The Cacique entertains us with an Account of the Moquis. Their singular Country. — Its Situation and Character- istics. — Their Villages. — Harro. — Its Population. — Won- derful Reservoirs, and how constructed. — Singular Facts. The Population of the seven Villages. — Their Govern- ment. — Religion. — Superstitions. — The nine Races of Men. — The Deer Race. — The Sand Race. — The Water Race. _ The Bear Race. — The Hare Race. — The Prairie Wolf Race. — The Rattlesnake Race.— The Tobacco Plant Race. — The Reed Grass Race. — The Hereafter, and how we appear. — A very wonderful Fact. — A Day of Thanksgiving. — The Origin and History of the Green Corn Dance. — A beautiful Custom. — The Procession and the Costumes. — A full and complete Description of the Ceremo- nies. — Allegorical Representations. — The four Seasons. — The twelve Months. — The Music — The boiling Maize. An Offering to Monleznma. — Ashes. — Who may join in the Festivities. — Manner of Purification. — The Origin of the Festival. — Our Return to Camp. — What we do. — Jimmy returns with a most voracious Appetite. — We wait further Developments. 4 26 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXIX. What the Developments are. — The Doctor has a Patient. — Jimmy's Wedding Day. — A Misfortune. — A Visit from the Cacique. — A genuine Surprise. — An American, and in Trouble.— What the Moquis had done for him. — Parley Stewart, and his sad, sad Story. — Terrible Massacre of his Wife and seven Children. — Two Daughters taken captive. — Ashes and Desolation. — What we learn from the Mo- quis. — We conclude to leave Zuni. — Jimmy wants to bid his Mother-in-law good by.— The Doctor administers Dose No. 2.— "The best laid Schemes of Mice and Men gang aft agley."— The Result of the Doctor's Prescription. — Jimmy dying. — Old Man Stewart once more. — The Graves in the beautiful Valley CHAPTER XXX. A Striking Picture. — Is it the Work of Afreets ? — We decide to take Old Man Stewart through to the Rio Grande. — Jimmy still alive. — We are confident that we put the Medicine " where it would do the most good." — A parting Visit, and Present from the Cacique. — Our Departure. — Jimmy all right. — His "Complaychent Faylin'." — The Incidents of the Day. — We reach El Moro. — We deter- mine to ascend to its Summit. — What we see. — We find the Ruins of two large Pueblos. — The Pottery Ware. Singular Facts. — Reflections. — The Aztecs in the twelfth Century. — What Baron Humboldt says of them. — The popular Theory regarding them. — What the Abbe Dora- enec thinks of them. — Scientific Theory regarding their Disappearance. — Their Descendants. — The generaflndian Insurrection in the Year 1680. — The Overthrow of the Spanish Sway. — The Archives of the Territory entirely destroyed. — Return of the Spaniards in 1695. — A sad Lesson and its Teachings. CONTENTS. 27 CHAPTER XXXI. We leave El Moro. — Our Camp at Agua Frio. — Don Rafael on a Hunt. — A Stranger in the Distance. — We prepare to welcome him. — Jimmy " protista." — Sam Bean. — Who he is, and the News that he brings. —Trouble Ahead.— • Old Man Stewart anxious for Revenge. — Don Rafael arrives. What he thinks of the Situation. — Preparations for the Attack. — Mr. Stewart as a Scout. — Sam's Opinion. — The Old Man fires the first shot. — Its Result. — The Attack. — Jimmy wants " hilp." — What he got. — Sam Bean on the Rampage. — A desperate Fight. — Final Result. — The Old Mans Scalps. — Sam leaves us. — Jimmy's Threats. — On the Road once more.— The Country between El Moro and the Rio Grande. — The Valley of the Rio Bravo del Norte. In Camp. — Jimmy's Apostrophe to the River. — He hears a Noise, and adjourns to Camp. — He cautions Old Man Stewart. — " Painters in thim Woods." — The " Avenin' Air" has a bad Effect upon Jimmy's Health. — Don Rafael leaves us. — En Route for Fort Craig. — What Dr. Cooper thinks of Old Man Stewart. — We reach La Mesilla. — Death and Burial of the old Man.— The sad Fate of his two Daughters. — Blotted out. — The cowardly Assassi- nation of Mangus Colorado by United States Soldiers in 1863. — Cochise elected Chief of the Apaches. — He taxes to the War-path to avenge the Death of Mangus. — He records a Vow, and how well he has kept it. — What the Historian Miguel Venegas says of the Apaches in 1758. — What the Arizonian says of them to-day. — Jimmy wants a " Saycret Interview." — Married at last. — Dr. Parker and myself leave for the " States." — Five Years after- wards, and what happened. — Safe in " Ould Ireland " at last. — Recapitulation, and Farewell to the Reader. CHAPTER I. OURTEEN HUNDRED NINETY-TWO gave to the world the startling announce- ment 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 forms of grandeur, 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, he found the Aztecs in possession of immense quantities of gold, silver, and precious stones. So wonderful was this amount of treasure, that the Spaniards fully believed they had at last discovered (29) 30 EXPEDITION TO CIBOLA. the "El Dorado" of their dreams, and every inducement was offered 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, Cortez'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, which 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, far beyond the 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 EARLY HISTORY. 31 voyage of discovery, under the leadership of one Francisco de Lujo, accompanied by nearly a thousand Tlascalan Indians, whom he had secured as allies. This expedition, like the two which succeeded it, never returned, and their ultimate end is one of the many questions concerning the history of the Conquerors, which time has never solved. The most reliable information to be obtained demonstrates pretty accurately that the present Territory of Arizona cov- ered a large portion of the country then known as the 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. We know that the Toltecs 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; and 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 EspaTia, published at Medina, in Spain, as 32 FATHER KINO. early as 1553, and written by one Francisco Lopez de Gomara, who claimed to give an authentic history of the Aztec race, from the founding of the city of Mexico up to that time. A few years later, one Bernal Diaz, a licentiate of the Cortez expedition, and its chief and only reliable historian, produced a volume covering the same ground gone over by Gomara. From these two authors we derive most of the knowledge we have concerning this wonderful nation, and its remarkable civilization. It was through the Territory of Arizona that Marco de Niza made his explorations as early as 1535; and it was to ascertain the truth of the wonderful stories told by Niza concerning the wealth of the country, and its marvellous beauties, that Coronado's expedition was organized in 1540. It was net, however, until 1658, that any other expedi- tion was organized of which we have any 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 Eusebius Francis 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 coffers of the Spaniards so much of its native wealth. Single and alone this brave old padre started forth from the mission Dolores to go, he knew not whither, — the cross his only protection, THE INHABITANTS. 33 the wilderness through which he must pass his only pur- veyor. Persevering in the face of the most trying diffi- culties, he succeeded in reaching a river, — supposed to be the Santa Cruz, in what is now the province of Sonora. He followed the course of this river until he reached its junction with the Gila. He then descended the Gila, examining the country as well as he could on his way. Crossing the Gila near its mouth, he retraced his steps, and ascended the river on the north bank, passing through a country the most wonderful ever seen by the eye of man. He found it inhabited by a people who were kind, gener- ous, and hospitable in the extreme, the better class living in houses built of adobes, while the more common people built their houses of sticks set in the ground, and bound together at the top by ropes made from the fibrous leaf of the mag- uey, and thatched with bundles of long grass. These houses, he declares, were well-constructed and com- fortable. Their towns and villages he describes as situated upon the banks of the streams, and generally built upon mesas, and well adapted for defence. He represents the population as vast, the settled portion of the country extend- ing from river to river; the inhabitants frugal, industrious, and contented. They manufactured a kind of cotton cloth from the leaf of the maguey, which grew in great profusion all over the country. He found them very expert in making 5 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 estufas, or public buildings, which were very smooth and well-finished, where a kind of record was kept of the re- markable events in their history. They used a kind of paper made of the cotton cloth above- mentioned, prepared with a coating of gum; they also pos- sessed nicely-dressed skins, or kind of Egyptian papyrus. 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 abundance in the surrounding mountains. They irrigated their ground,* and raised corn, beans, and cacao, from the berry 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 gpod 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 effects. The uses of this plant were truly wonderful, * Irrigation is still practised in the Territory. FORM OF WORSHIP. 35 furnishing the natives with pins, needle's, paper, rope, cloth, thatch for their dwellings, meat, and drink.* Father Kino describes their flocks and herds as immense, although they had no horses or draught cattle, and says they understood 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 was 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 by Gomara and Diaz, only differing from them in their more peaceful pursuits and disinclination for warlike strife. In his travels Father Kino passed to the south of the Fire Mountain,f 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 Mimbres. 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 Aztecs. + Supposed to be the San Francisco Mountain. 36 FATHER KINO'S DETERMINATION. followed until suddenly its waters were lost in the earth. After describing the astonishment with which he beheld the vast volume of water seemingly disappear 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 he 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 he encountered, A NEW EXPEDITION. 37 and he shortly received the authority necessary to enable him I 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 1665, that he finally succeeded in making the necessary and final arrangements to return, and spread the Gospel among the simple-minded natives of Cibola. Late in the year 1670, he, in company with three other Jesuits, set out upon their mission through the wilderness. Of their long journey, the hardships which they endured, the trials and dangers which they passed 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 among: 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 beautiful valleys, yielding rich treasures of precious stones, while the snow-clad peaks of the surrounding mountains furnished gold, silver, and copper in the greatest abundance. The natives, simple and 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 effectually to render them powerless to defend themselves from the attacks of foes beyond their boundaries, but upon whose territory the cupidity of the priests had led them to encroach. 38 WAR WITH THE APACHES. 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 large and powerful 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 1680, that the Apaches made any open demonstrations of hostile intentions; but they then attacked the Spanish settlements in such over- whelming numbers, that resistance was useless, and the missionaries were obliged to 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 unequal 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. WAR WITH THE APACHES. 39 As often as the missionaries returned, and were 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 most thriving settlements, massacring the people, and thus, ultimately, compelling the Jesuits to abandon their missions, and seek refuge far in the interior of Mexico, while the remnants of a once happy and prosperous people became victims to a 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. CHAPTER II. ROM the time of the abandon- 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 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 the 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 sufficiently 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 officer 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 6 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 the 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 beginning of the present century, the 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 are 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 f 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. f 12£ cents. GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION. 43 Gracious Majesty, the King. One can scarcely conceive the amount of treasure these mines have yielded; and when we reflect that the value of the peso d'oro, 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 me 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 mines 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. We 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 44 DISAD VANTAGES. 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 niggardly 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 valleys 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? Eemember, 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 his worst passions, answerable only to the stronger, or most dexterous in the use of the bowie-knife, or pistol. Do not these facts answer, in some measure, at least, the questions of the reader? We trust so, although we 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 towns 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 in 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. CHAPTER III. T the time when the western boundary of the southern por- tion of our Republic was declared by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, to be the Rio Grande, there lay south of the Territory of New Mex- ico, and west of that part of Texas known as the "Pan Handle," extending through to the Pacific coast, a strip of what was supposed to be an arid, worthless country, nearly, if not quite, destitute of water, intersected by a number of ranges of moun- tains and vast deserts, inhabited chiefly by Indians, and utterly useless for any practical purpose that could be imagined. This tract of country was about four hundred and sixty miles in length, by one hundred and thirty in its widest (46) PURCHASE BY TEE UNITED STATES. 47 part, and contained about forty thousand square miles, forming, at that time, a portion of the State of Sonora. It was acquired by purchase from the Mexican government in 1853, and was then known as the "Gadsden Purchase," for which the United States paid the sum of ten million dollars. The commissioners who made the treaty were greatly surprised and perplexed at the manifest reluctance of Mexico to part with this strip of apparently worthless land; and those few Americans who took any interest in the acts of the commissioners, were equally perplexed to know what the United States proposed to do with the purchase. Not one of our people then realized or imagined that by this purchase the United States had acquired a large portion of the identical country for which Cortez imperilled the possession of an empire; for which Coronado's expedition, under the direction of the viceroy Mendoza, was fitted out; for which De Soto so long sought, but never found; the land of which Spanish poets had for centuries sung, and for which kings had so long sighed; the country that for three hun- dred years had yielded by far the greater portion of the immense treasury that filled the coffers of Spain. The territory was but sparsely inhabited at the time of the purchase, there being only about sixty families in the celebrated "Mesilla Valley," who had settled there on the first of March, 1850, with Don Raphael Ruelas as their leader, under the auspices of the "Chihuahua Colonization 48 "HEAD RIGHTS r Society," of which Rt. Rev. Ramon Ortiz was commissioner, and a small Sonoranian settlement around the old Mexican fort of Tucson, near the centre of the purchase. There were, also, some thirty Americans in the country, who had gone there to "spekelate" in "head rights" that had been issued by the State of Texas to such persons as had served in her wars. These head rights were for six hundred and forty acres of land each, and entitled the possessor to select any un- occupied land in the State. These claimants generally cared little where they located, and in many instances they seemed to regard a "head right" as a sort of nest-egg, locating their mile square of land, and claiming around it as far as the eye could reach in every direction. They frequently entered upon the cul- tivated lands, that had been in the quiet possession of the descendants of old Spanish families for centuries. If one of the Mexicans dared to remonstrate in any way for the unwarrantable intrusion, he was answered by the dirk or revolver, an argument that always "settled it." The Mexican invariably "vamosed the ranche," leaving the "spekelator" in undisputed possession. It was the facility with which these "head rights" were located, that induced those Texans, who were found occupying the ter- ritory in '53, to "Go West," where they could enjoy the fascinating life of the Mexican frontier. THE RIO MIMBRES. 49 Here they were free and untrammelled, and away from those laws which, at that time, were rigidly enforced in the interest of those who had families in that State. In all, there were about one thousand souls inhabiting the purchase, aside from the native Indian tribes. During the next few years, there was little change in the Territory. By an act of Congress, in 1854, it was attached to New Mexico, a commissioner appointed to survey the boundary line between Mexico and the United States; and it is from the report of this expedition, as well as from subsequent surveys, that we derive much valuable information concern- ing the country at that time. Forty miles west of the Rio Grande, is the Mimbres River, one of those singular streams which are so. common in that country. It sinks into the plain in places, reap- pearing miles below, and then flows on as peacefully as if its mad freaks had never astonished old Father Kino, or travellers of more modern date. In 1858, the writer, in company with three other gentle- men, determined to visit- the copper mines situated on the Rio Mimbres, and known as Santa Rita * del Cobre. Pro- curing a guide, and the necessary mules and attendants, we set forth from the town of Mesilla, one bright morning in June. No lovelier day could have dawned. Our party numbered seven persons, and, including our 7 50 REMARKABLE HOT SPRING. pack mules, thirteen animals. Striking on to the high lands northwest from the town, we soon left the beautiful valley of La Mesilla behind us, although the grand and lofty peaks of "Los Organos," lying directly east of Mesilla, remained in sight during the whole day. We passed a few ruined ranches, but saw nothing worthy of note, save here and there a spot, pointed out by our guide, where travellers had been murdered by the Apaches. Camping for the night near a small aroya, through which ran a little stream, we reached the next day the Mimbres River. Crossing its bed, we commenced the ascent of its west bank, which we followed for about ten miles, when our guide informed us that we were near the "Ojo Cali- ente," or hot spring. We determined to visit it, and encamp there for the night. It is among the most remark- able springs I have ever seen. It lies in the top of a mound nine hundred and sixty-two feet in circumference at its base, and forty-six feet in height, the whole mound being undoubtedly a deposit made by the water of the spring. We found the surface of the water, about five feet below the top of the mound, very clear and quite hot, showing a tem- perature of 135° Fahrenheit, while it discharged large quan- tities of carbonic acid gas. When cooled, it was quite palatable. About seventy-five feet from the summit of the mound is a small opening, through which the water pours, in a little GOLD AND COPPER MINES. 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, we think tbey 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 iu 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 w T ere worked as early as 1678, is undoubtedly true, although we have no authentic history of them until 1799, in which year they furnished employment for some six hundred persons who came there from Chihuahua, four hun- dred miles distant. Provisions were dispatched by mule and ox teams to the miners every month, and the wagons were freighted back with ore, which was delivered to the Mexican government 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 SANDSTONE FORMATIONS. weighing tons; and the ore itself, which is a red oxide, seems inexhaustible. We spent several days in this vicinity, during which time we visited some remarkable sandstone formations near by. We found about forty columns, worii 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 others 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 formation. It was on the return from these mines that our party met with an adventure, which may not prove uninteresting in this connection. Onr attendants, with the pack mules, had gone on early in the morning to select a camping-ground, and give our burdened animals a chance to rest, while, later in the day, our party of three accompanied by the guide, started to overtake them. As we rode along carelessly, laughing and jesting, 1 noticed that the mule ridden by Mr. Laws showed unmis- takable signs that Indians were near. Calling attention to the fact, it was voted a false alarm, Dr. Steck remarking, SKIRMISH WITH THE APACHES. 53 jocosely, that savages though they were, still they knew better than to attack their "Great Father," as he was called by nearly all the Indian tribes in the Territory; therefore no further attention was paid to the matter. We had just entered a small canon, or pass, through the hills to the prairies beyond. Rocks bare and sterile towered far above us on either side. The only vegetation visible was an occasional cactus, twenty or thirty feet in height, and three or four feet in circumference, fluted with the regularity of a Corinthian column, and covered with beau- tiful variegated blossoms; or, perchance, high up in a cleft of the rocks, a prickly-pear, with its bright green leaves, and magnificent scarlet flowers, looking like the gift of some good fairy, hung there to relieve the eye by contrast with the sombre background of the rock. Suddenly the appalling war-whoop of the Apaches sounded on our ears like a death-knell, echoed from side to side by the massive walls. It resembled the incarnate shrieks of ten thousand devils holding high carnival over the agony of some lost soul. Startled as we were, we yet had presence of mind enough to spur our mules forward towards the mouth of the cafion, which was only a short distance before us. It took but a moment to ,reach it; and as we escaped from between the gloomy walls out into the beautiful green prairie, we uttered an involuntary shout of triumph; but alas! it came 54 LOSS OF A COMRADE. too soon. One of the shower of arrows sent whizzing after us, struck poor Laws in the back, 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 as 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 moon we hastily scooped a shallow grave with such implements as were at hand, and deposited within its nar- row walls the body of our comrade. Lest the fresh earth should disclose the location of the grave to those human hyenas, whose rapacity knows no bounds, we coralled our animals above the spot, that their uneasy footsteps through the night might obliterate all traces of our sad labor. Regretfully we turned away from the lonely resting-place of our friend; and as we wrapped ourselves in our blankets, while Dr. Steck kept guard, I shall never forget the im- TOUCHING NOTE FROM HIS MOTHER. 55 pression made upon my mind by his repeating, with a beauty and pathos indescribable, these touching lines, — "No useless coffin 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 months later I received from a heart-broken mother in Philadelphia, a few lines, acknowledging the receipt of a lock of hair, and some articles we had taken from the body, and thanking us in such language as only a mother could use, for the last sad offices performed towards her first-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 plains 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. CHAPTER IV. WO days later, and we again reached 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 Rio Grande. The principal towns in the valley are Mesilla, Santa Barbara, Las Cruces, and Doiia Ana, which together contain a population ol about three thousand souls. The real boundary on the eastern side is the Sierra de los Organos, or Organ Mountains, a range running from north to south about one hundred miles in length. These mountains are about three thousand feet in height, and are composed chiefly of a light-gray granite. (56) 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 permit 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 Rio Grande are to be found large acequias, or ditches, through which the waters of the river are conducted in such a manner that from them the entire surface of the valley can bo 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, and 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 are made annually in 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 is 8 . 58 PRIMITIVE CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE. raised to supply the immediate wants of the people,. as its great distance from any market precludes the possibility 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 people. 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 entirely 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 brick — adobes — or else after the style described by Father Kino, when they are called jacals. All the grain is threshed 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 floor, and fingers take the place of knives and forks. Their food generally consists of tortillas — unleavened bread, chilli — red pepper, frejolies — or beans, and garlic. THEIR DIET. 59 Tortillas are made of corn, which is first soaked in a weak lye, and then boiled until it is perfectly soft, when it is crushed at a metaite, consisting of two flat stones, and after- wards moulded by the hands into a kind 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- in 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 ruins of an ancient city lying about one hundred and twenty miles northeast of Mesilla, said to be one of the celebrated "Seven cities of Cibola," 1 arranged to visit them. Organizing a party of five, with eight Mexican servants, we started with two ambulances and six pack mules. Our first day's journey brought us to the foot of the Organ Mountains, where we camped for the night in a beautiful grove of live-oak. The next morning we took an early start, and reached the summit of the pass about noon. 60 FEAR OF THE APACHES. Here we paused for a while to gaze with wonder and admiration upon the vast plain spread out before us. Far in the distance rose in majesty the lofty peaks of the Sacramento Mountains, neat which we expected to find the ruins of Le Gran Quivera. These mountains were also the LOS OEGANOS 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 i SALT LAKES. 61 pursue our explorations, or should we have trouble with them ? Upon questioning our guide as to the probabilities of an encounter, he shrugged his shoulders, and ominously shak- ing his head, gave us the usual philosophical reply of the Mexican, " Quien /Sabef " or "Who knows? " Half-way across this vast sandy plain two or three, blue specks were visible, which, our 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 the Territory used it to a large extent. He said, that in close proximity to these lakes was a very pecul- iar sandstone formation, well worth seeing; and, as all were 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 " Aladdjn's wonderful lamp." But we must not linger longer admiring the wonderful panorama 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. ling down the sides of a rocky canon, we encamp for the night. Sunrise finds us again on our journey, and after a hard day's jaunt over the same unchangeable plain, night brought us to the first of the lakes whose blue waters had so en- chanted us the day previous. Its shores were white with pure, crystallized salt, and we were told by our guide that carettas full were carried away every year, in its natural state. The next 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 we ap- proached this marvellous architecture of the elements, we could not repress exclamations of wonder and delight. Streets were plainly visible; massive temples with their spires and domes; monuments of every conceivable shape; castles of huge proportions; towers and minarets, all formed of pure white 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," replied I, "a city, but not made with hands." Around the whole 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 conceive. Entering FRUITLESS ANTELOPE HUNT. 63 the confines of this magical spot, we were soon undeceived, for what in the distance our imagination had conceived to be 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. Regretfully turning our backs upon this marvel of nature, we resumed our journey, camping at night on the banks of a little mountain stream called the Tularosa, said to abound in trout, and whose waters sunk quietly into the plain about two miles from where it left the rugged °ide of the mountains. As we approached the camping-ground, I noticed on a little eminence to the left a herd of antelope feeding. Un- strapping the blanket 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 off, I following 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 sun had sunk to his rest, and night was rapidly ap- proaching. Reluctantly I gave up the chase and turned towards camp, when, to my surprise and mortification, I became convinced that I had no means of ascertaining its direction, — in short, I G4 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 examine the condition of my revolver, was but the work of a few minutes. Then, 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. Apprehensive 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 mc 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 still showed unmistakable signs of extreme terror, trembling in every limb like an aspen loaf. I then lay 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 was that had so frightened the animal. AN ANIMATED BUSH. 65 I lay perfectly still for some time, straining my eyes in the direction I had found my mule looking, but could dis- cern no cause for alarm. Still, from the continued agita- tion of the animal, I was convinced that there was reason for apprehension. Not a sound could *be heard save the beating of my own heart, and the long, unsteady breathing of the mule. I remember that the short, quick yelp of a prairie wolf seemed to me to be the most grateful sound to which I had ever listened, so intense was the stillness. Not a breath of air stirred the light tops of the grass. At last I saw, or fancied I saw, some distance from me, a small bush that I had not noticed before. I tried to remem- ber having seen the bush when I lay down for the night, but all to no purpose. As I gazed, fascinated, as it were, by the appearance of the bush, it suddenly occurred to me that I could see it more distinctly than at first, and con- gratulating myself on the approaching daylight, was begin- ning to take courage, when I thought I saw the bush move. As no air was stirring, this could hardly be; and yet, as I watched it, slowly and surely it came towards the spot where I lay. Suddenly the thought flashed upon me that immediately after leaving the Organos Mountains we had noticed Indian smoke-signals, and also in the Sacramento Mountains as we approached them the previous day. In an instant I clearly 9 66 A MOMENT OF SUSPENSE. comprehended my situation, — I was surrounded by Apaches, who had seen me separate from my companions, and had followed me, determined to have my scalp. What should I do? If I fired my revolver, I. should at once disclose my posi- tion to my foes; if I lay still, I should certainly be shot or THE FORTUNATE SHOT. tomahawked. I already fancied I could feel the sharp flint points of the Apache arrows in my body, and thought if J should be killed in the position in which I was now lying, my friends, should they ever find my body, would have A SHOT IN THE DARK. 67 reason to presume that I was trying my best to escape when overtaken. I rapidly revolved the chances in my mind, all the time conscious that the bush 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 I dared, and then, placing the barrel of my pistol between the fore and middle fingers of my left hand, to enable me to sight properly, I aimed at the foot of the bush and fired. 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 remaining hours until daylight was terrible. One thing alone tended assure me, — my mule was quietly feeding; this seemed to indicate that there was no longer any immediate danger. |3till the thought that Apaches were rarely alone in their raids, kept me in a state of agonizing suspense. And so the tedious hours wore on, till at last the first gray streak of daylight was just discernible in the east. I immediately saddled my mule, and taking him by the bit with 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, showing that whoever 68 THE MYSTERY SOLVED. carried the bush had approached me on his belly, using his elbows with which to propel himself. Following the trail about eighty yards, I saw in the bottom of a small aroya an Indian, to all appearance asleep. He lay on his side. One half of his face was painted a bright vermilion, the other half daubed with mud, showing him to be in disgrace for some offence 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 bow 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 I struck a "bee line." An hour's smart riding brought me within sight of the camp, from which a party were just starting out for the pur- pose of helping me bring in the antelope steak I had so generously offered to provide the evening before. A hearty breakfast of bacon and corn bread, with a dish of coffee, in some measure atoned for the loss of the fresh meat; but I then and there declared I never would go marketing again in that country alone. I haven't hilled an antelope since! CHAPTER V. T was noon the next day be- fore our little party was ready to start on the ti^il through the Sacramento Mountains. We decided to take the road to Fort Stanton, then located in that range, as being the best point from which to start for the ruins, of which we had heard so much, and that so few Americans had ever visited. A short journey up the beautiful valley of the Tularosa, and Dr. Parker met us with as fine a string of speckled trout as I ever saw caught, even in the streams of New England, or the wilds of Lake Superior. A few miles farther on, and our guide (pointing to an opening high up on the side of the moun- tain, which was sparsely covered with balsam and fir trees, over which a fire had passed some two or three years before, (69) 70 EXCITING BEAR HUNT. killing the growth of the trees, but leaving them standing) remarked, "Yonder is the hole of a Cinnamon bear." The information was electrical in its effect, all expressing themselves, as with one accord, eager to share the adven- ture of a bear-hunt — myself 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 be before Bruin yielded himself captive. Selecting a position some distance from the scene of action, where I 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 mouth of the cave, where his cinnamon-colored majesty was . supposed 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 announced themselves ready, the guide picked up a handful of large pebbles and commenced drop- ping them immediately in front of the mouth of the cave. IMPROMPTU GYMNASTICS. 71 In a few moments his bearship, evidently annoyed at this unwarrantable intrusion, slowly poked his head out of the cave, and proceeded to take a calm survey, *■* Of such as, wandering near his secret bower, Molest his ancient, solitary reign. " • Just at this juncture Rogers, who had been stationed the farthest off, fired. The bullet evidently struck the bear in his nose; for, putting his huge paw beside it for an instant, and uttering a terrific growl, he sprang forward in the direction of Dr. Parker. The doctor, seeing the bear approach, threw clown his rifle, and hastily betook himself to a dead fir close by, about as big at its base as his wrist. This he labored as hard to climb as I ever saw a man work in my life. The branches snapped at every touch; but the doctor was so intent on reaching a place of safety, that, as he afterwards remarked, he certainly thought he was making fine progress in ascend- ing one of the giants of the forest. Before the bear had made many steps towards the scene of the doctor's desperate exertions, two well-directed shots touched him in a vital spot, and, slowly rolling over, he fell on his side — dead. It was now the time to laugh; and as I had been . an interested spectator in the affray, I rehearsed the scene as taken by a "special artist on the spot," amid peals of laughter from the rest of the party, 72 FORT STAFTON. who had been too busily engaged at the time to notice the ludicrous appearance of the doctor, and his amusing attempts to reach an ark of safety. The bear furnished us a fine lot of fresh meat, and many ' were the sly remarks I was obliged to hear on my success as a "marketist." That night we had a delicious meal of bear meat, which we cooked on the end of a stick over the coals. Thus ended my first bear-hunt in Arizona. Starting with the sun the next morning, we travelled all day through rocky canons and narrow passes, toiling wearily along, till, just as the sun was setting, we reached Fort Stanton, where we received a cordial welcome from Major Ruff, of the Dragoons, who was at that time in command. We spent a couple of days very pleasantly at the Fort, and the major kindly volunteered to send for a friendly Indian, living near, to act as guide to the ruins, situated some fifty miles north of the Fort, an offer of which we gladly availed ourselves. It was on the 18th of July, 1859, that we started to visit the ruins of Le Gran Quivera. A two days' journey, with no incident worthy of note, brought us to a place on the plain about ten miles distant from the mountain. Here we discovered the remains of a large acequia fully twelve feet in depth, with the usual supply of smaller ones running in all directions, showing that a large quantity of land had at some time been under cultivation- Near h^re we encamped WONDERFUL AQUEDUCT. 73 for the night. Noon the next day found us among the ruins of what had once been a city of not less than sixty thousand inhabitants. The ruins extended for miles in a northerly and southerly direction, and consisted of old adobe houses, some of the walls standing from four to six feet hisrh, others showing a line only a few inches above the earth. We also found the ruins of massive churches. Over the main entrance of two of these were sculptured . the coat-of-arms of old Spain, while the walls, still standing, measured sixty feet in height. We found the ruins of what seemed to have been a large cathedral or temple, corresponding in some degree to the ruins of the Casas Grandes, found upon the Gila in 1694, as described by Father Kino. Also the ruins of a stone aqueduct, of sufficient size to enable a person to easily pass through it. The stones appeared to be laid in a kind of eement, which had preserved its adhesive quali- ties wonderfully. This aqueduct was undoubtedly used for bringing water from the mountains, for we traced it nearly fourteen miles towards a spot in the mountains that gave evidence Of hav- ing once been a largo spring. Near this place we found several old shafts or openings in the side of the mountains, plainly showing that at some early day they had been extensively worked as mines. Of the town we have no authentic history, save that it 10 74 AN INDIAN TRADITION. was one of the "Seven cities of Cibola," into which, with- out doubt, the Spaniards intruded themselves, gradually obtaining control of it through the influence which the Church exercised over the people. There is a tradition among the Indians to the effect that this was once a very large and wealthy Aztec city, with exceedingly rich mines, the product of which was carried twice a year to Montezuma, until the entrance into the city by the Spaniards, when it was shipped direct to old Spain. . At one season — supposed to be about 1680 — when the people were making extraordinary exertions for transporting the precious metals, the Apaches attacked them, whereupon the miners buried their treasure, worth fifty millions, and left the city together. They were all massacred, except two who succeeded in escaping to Mexico, where they gave the particulars of the affair, and solicited aid to return and recover the treasure. But the distance was so great, and the Indians so numerous, no one was found willing to run the risk of so perilous an undertaking. One of the two after- wards went to New Orleans, then under the dominion of old Spain, where he raised five hundred men, and started by way of the Sabine. This expedition was never after- wards heard from. All attempts to visit these nuns in search of treasure are thwarted by the Apaches, who punish with death any intruders. Dr. Wislizenus, in his "Tour through Northern " THE SORROWS OF" — PARKER. 75 Mexico," speaks of the ruins of the aqueduct, the churches, the sculptured coat-of-arms, the pits showing the location of the silver mines, and also relates the tradition of the Indians. When the city was built, and by whom, are questions that every beholder must ask as he stands among these crumbling monuments of an extinct race. We spent two days among these ruins. We didn't expect to find the treasure, and we were not disappointed. Notwithstanding our guide informed us that nearly all the warriors of the two bands which inhabit these mountains had gone to the Navajoe country on a stealing expedition, we were uncomfortably reminded by frequent Indian smokes round about us, that there was some life yet left in the vicinity; and on the morning of our departure it was dis- covered that two of our pack mules and Dr. Parker's horse had been stolen during the night. This evidence of the near proximity with an enemy we had much reason to dread, caused us to make a hurried and early start, regard- less of Dr. Parker's urgent entreaties that we should make an effort to recover his horse, which, he assured us, with tears in his eyes, he still owed for! Even this sad announcement failed to change our deter- mination to go, and go at once; and go we did, in the direction of the Iiio Grande, leaving, as we fondly hoped, not the ruins only, but the Indians also, behind us. 76 A PETRIFIED FOREST. Striking a course nearly due west, we started on a trail which our guide thought would bring us to the Rio Grande, somewhere near the mouth of the Rio Puerco. After half a day's travel, our course seemed to lie more to the north; and just at night we came to the banks of a little creek, called by Major Emery, in his report, the Little Bonita. Here we came upon the remains of a petrified forest, prostrate, and partially buried in a kind of red marl. Hundreds of trees lay here, and had been converted by some chemical process into specimens of variegated jasper. One tree that we saw measured ten feet in diameter, and was over a hundred feet in length. Some looked as if they had been charred by fire; their trunks were of a dark brown color, while the smaller branches and twigs were of a reddish hue. To me there was something impressively wonderful in this stupendous result of old Nature's labors in her secret laboratory. Who should divine the cause? Who tell the history of the prostrate forest? How long has it there existed, and how many more centuries will it lie there undisturbed? We brought away some beautiful specimens, although, owing to the depredations of our Apache friends, we were somewhat short of means of transportation. We found the waters of the creek delightfully cool and pleasant to the taste; and notwithstanding the suggestion df one of the party, that it might have the same effect upon us that it had ORIGINAL EPITAPH. 77 evidently had upon the giants of the forest lying around us, we all drank of it freely, and enjoyed its refreshing coolness. Dr. Parker feelingly alluded to the loss of his horse, and the miseries of a pedestrian life through such a rough country, and urged us, in case we should observe any appearance of petrifaction about him, not to leave him by the road-side, for the purpose of petrifying the traveller who came after us, but to give him Christian burial; and that for a head- stone we should use a piece of the rock on which he split, with this inscription thereon: "Horseless and homeless a wanderer passed." Promising to comply with his desires, a gleam of genuine satisfaction illumined his countenance, and we resumed our journey. The next day we arrived in sight of the cotton- wood trees which line the banks of the Rio Grande; and a pleasant sight it was too, after a hard day's toil over the rough, pebbly soil of the plains, without water or the grate- ful shade of even a single tree to shield us from the rays of the burning sun. We were glad enough to encamp for the night at a little spot where there was a prospect of our poor animals obtaining a supply of grass. Before the sun rose the next morning we were on our way to the Rio Grande. We reached it about noon, striking the river at a point near the ruins of Valverde. Here we found encamped a family of Missourians, named Pennington, who were on their way to the Calabasas country. The old 78 A BRAVE M1SS0URIAN. man had with him seven daughters, ranging all the way from thirteen to thirty years of age, and was going out to make a home on the Calabasas, where he. had a son living. He was a fine, athletic-looking person, and was thoroughly imbued with the idea that he had just as much right to live in this country as the cowardly Apaches. "And," said the old man, as he straightened himself up, and significantly tapped his rifle, "I'm d— d if I don't do it!" Some months later, when in Tucson, a woman named Paige was brought into the town, who had been found in the mountains by a party of soldiers under Captain Ewell, since a major-general in the Rebel service. I went to see her at the fonda, where she was carried, and such a pitiable sight I hope never to see again. Naturally a good-sized woman, she was now wasted to a mere skeleton. Such a picture of starvation can never be portrayed by language. The o-laring, hungry eyes, the sunken temples, the lips drawn so tightly over the jaw that each tooth could be easily counted through them, the arms scarcely larger than a man's thumb, and the continuous cry for food, was a spectacle to fill one with horror. I saw her a few hours later, and to my surprise she recognized me, and spoke of our meeting on the Rio Grande, near Valverde. I then learned that she was one of old Pennington's daughters, and had married a man named Paige, living near Tubac. ATROCITIES OF THE APACHES. 79 It seems that Mrs. Paige was at her father's home, when a party of Indians made their appearance, and seizing Mrs. Paige and two sisters, made off with them to the mountains. On their way thither they encountered Paige and three other Americans, who instantly gave fight, but were finally over- come and massacred by the Indians. Mrs. Paige, who was sick at the time of her capture, was unable to keep up with the party, so they knocked her in the head with a club, and supposing her dead, threw her body over a precipice. When she recovered her consciousness, she found herself lodged in a tree which grew out from the side of the precipice. Disentangling 'herself from this position, she managed to get down the declivity iind away from a trail which she there found. Here she remained for sixteen days, living on such roots and berries as she could find, and this, too, within sight of her father's house. "It was terrible," she said, "to be dying of hunger and thirst, and too weak to summon aid or to get to it." She still lives in Arizona, or did, two years later, when I saw her, — a stout, hearty woman. Her sisters were never heard from. Mrs. Paige's experience is not dissimilar to that of many others in Arizona; and from it we can judge what the fronticrmen and their families are often obliged to endure. Leaving old Pennington and the remnant of his family on the Calabasas, let us return to our camp on the Rio 80 JIM DAVIS. Grande, where we shall remain only long enough to give our overburdened animals time to recruit before we start down the river. The next day being a fine one, a portion of our party started on foot to visit a celebrated spring, known as the Ojo del Mertu, about five miles distant from our camping-ground; and on their return, more fortunate than I, they succeeded in killing an antelope, a portion of which they brought into camp. The night passed without incident worthy of note, and the next day found us en route for Mesilla. We had hardly been two hours on our journey before we encountered "Jim" Davis. Now "Jim" Davis is a character, even in Arizona, — a small, wiry, hatchet-faced, red-haired Yankee from the State of Maine. "Jim" came to Arizona in '52, and has retained all the shrewdness and smartness that he possessed before he left the pine forests of his native State. Like most Maine men, he possessed the demon "swap" to a great degree. It had grown with his growth and strength- ened with his strength, till finally it had earned for him the sobriquet of "The Emigrants' Friend." "Jim" believed in emigration as firmly as the old emigrant commissioners of Castle Garden believed in it when they made their thirty thousand dollar per annum fees. He thought with honest old Horace, that 'twas every man's duty to "Go West," and firmly believed in every man doing his duty. He took good care that no emigrant train should reach Arizona until HIS TRADING PROPENSITIES. 81 he had met it, and talked with the "boss"; and if the "boss" had any foot-sore or weary cattle lagging behind, "Jim" immediately became their owner. He has been known to start from home with an old blind horse, a jack- knife, and a smooth quarter, his entire stock in trade, and in " JIM " DAVIS, " THE EMIGRANTS' FRIEND." ttwo weeks return with a drove of twenty-five or thirty head cof cattle, and likely as not the same horse he rode away, all 11 82 A SENSITIVE ALCALDE. honestly made by trade with the emigrants. "Jim" would ride until he met a traiu with three or four foot-sore oxen following it; these he would trade his horse for; then he would stop in his journey long enough to give the cattle a rest, and afterwards trade them for the next ones he met; and so on until he procured a good drove. But "Jim," seeing we had nothing to trade, pushed on, and with considerable alacrity, when we told him of old Pennington's camp. Two days more brought us to the town of La Mesilla, where for the present, kind reader, I pro- pose to leave you, after asking you to refresh yourself with a delicious draught of El Paso wine, which we will draw from a huge leathern bottle made of an untanned ox-skin, the hair side being, of course, the outside, and which the worthy Don Anastacio Berella, the alcalde of the town, assures us is the only proper way of preserving the flavor of wine and preventing its tasting of the cask. It was this same alcalde whom, a few days after our arrival, we invited to dine with us, and who returned an answer to the effect that "he had plenty to eat at home"; evidently considering our invitation an insinuation that we supposed him to be out of chilli and tortillas. In reply to which Dr. Parker remarked, that " 'twas ever thus" his motives had been impugned by every one, from the time he had attempted to climb a tree to avoid making entertainment for a bear, until he had voluntarily offered to entertain one. CHAPTER VI. HE Apache tribe, which for so many years has been the terror of northern Mexico, and the scourge of the white man in Arizona, is composed of eight bands: The Mescaleros, the Mimbres, the Mo 346 LEGEND OF TEE CREATION. ping its great wings, he accidentally struck the top of the cave with one of them, which attracted the attention of the blind man, who fancied, it gave forth a hollow sound. Perplexed and wondering at the phenomenon, he men- tioned it to one of the old men near by, and the two con- ceived the idea of discovering, if possible, the cause of this singular sound. After much hesitation and many surmises, they called to their aid a woodpecker, and sending him up to the spot, he attempted to force a hole into the wall with his bill, but it so effectually resisted his efforts that he finally decided that it was an impossible thing to accomplish, so returned to those who had dispatched him on the errand. Not despairing of ultimate success, however, the two men prevailed upon the eagle to try his strength. He flew to the top of the wall, and striking a tremendous blow with his strong beak, succeeded in cracking it, so that a moth worm, on being sent up, after "much difficulty forced an entrance through the opening thus created. Upon emerging from the crevice, he found himself upon the outside of the cave, and completely surrounded by water; so he immediately threw up a little mound of earth, and sat down upon it, to consider his situation, and ascertain what was before him. As soon as his eyes became accustomed to the gloom which prevailed over all things, he saw four great white THE FOUR WHITE SWANS. 347 swans, stationed at each of the cardinal points, and carrying an arrow under each wing. The swan from the North, upon observing the worm, immediately came towards it, and, thrusting one of the arrows through its body, quickly withdrew it. After examining it very attentively for a while, he exclaimed, in a loud voice, "This worm is of our race," and then sailed majestically back to his station in the North. The poor worm was obliged to undergo this terrible ordeal three times more, until each one of the four swans had, in this cruel and barbarous manner, ascertained to their satisfaction that he belonged to their race. As soon as the last swan had returned to his station, a terrible noise was heard, accompanied by such a com- motion in the water, that the worm gave himself up for lost; when suddenly, out of the noise and confusion, four great aroyas were formed, extending to the north, south, east, and west, which drained off all the waters; leaving a hard, pebbly bottom of dry ground. Upon seeing this, the worm returned to the old men in the cave, and made report of the wonderful things he had witnessed, showing his wounded body as a proof of his statements. After deliberation, the old men determined to send the bear up, and he was forthwith dispatched, with orders to enlarge the crevice and force his way through to the 348 THE FOUR NATIONS. other side. With a great deal of hard work, he finally succeeded in digging a hole sufficiently large to admit the passage of both men and animals. The old men, upon learning this fact, summoned all the residents of the cave, and consulted with them, when it was finally decided to emerge from their present home into the newly-discov- ered country above. The Navajoes were the first to come forth, and when fairly upon the outside, instead of assisting the others, they organized a game of patole, which they are passion- ately fond of, and play with great dexterity to this day. Next came the Zunis, who immediately commenced building houses. Then came the Pueblos; and, in order to distinguish themselves from the Navajoes, who had so selfishly deserted them, they cut their hair straight across their foreheads, and also induced the Zunis to imitate their example. Last of all came the Americans, who no sooner succeeded in obtaining their freedom, than they started off by themselves in the direction in which the sun rises, nor have they ever been heard from until very recently. Up to this point, all the people who inhabited the cave spoke* the same language; but no sooner had they sepa- rated, than, in some mysterious manner, their dialect was changed, each tribe speaking a language that was not un- derstood by the others. WHO BUILT THE SUN? 349 As the birds and beasts came forth, they at once betook themselves to the woods or to the plains, and there made their abode. The Great Spirit, in pity for their helpless- ness, gave them the domestic animals, and these have always remained with them as their servants. At the time the earth was first peopled, it was very small, and there existed neither sun, moon, nor stars. As the light was quite insufficient for the needs of the inhabi- tants, a council of all the old men was held to ascertain if something could not he done to remedy this most serious inconvenience, and they finally decided that it was nec- essary, not only to have a sun, moon, and stars, but also a firmament in which to place them. This decision having been arrived at, each nation was allotted its share of the work of construction. The Navajoes preferred their claim for the first choice, as they were the most daring, and were the first to take the risk of venturing forth from the cave. The old men recognized the justice of their claim, and lo them was assigned the task of building the sun; but as the Navajoes knew nothing of the art of house-building, the Zunis volunteered to help, to the extent of erecting for them a building of sufficient size to serve for a work- shop. This being completed, the Navajoes shut themselves up with the materials they had gathered together for tools, and went to work at their task. 350 THE MOON AND STABS? To the Zunis was allotted the building of the heavens, and placing therein the moon, which they were also to construct; while the Pueblos contracted to supply the stars, and broider them in the firmament. The Americans, on account of their hasty departure, and the evident desire man- ifested by them to escape the toil and labor necessarily following in such a work of creation and organization, were assigned no task,, the old men declaring they should have no hand in the construction or management. Thus it came to pass that the Americans lost much prestige at the outset. The heavens being completed, they were at once elevated to their place, where, owing to the pressure of the ascending air from the earth, they have ever since remained. The Navajoes met with a great many difficulties in the completion of their work, and were finally obliged to call to their assistance the Zunis, who, with a spirit of liberal- ity quite wonderful, when the fact of the selfishness of the Navajoes is taken into consideration, cheerfully acceded to their request, and at once sent a deputation of their most skilled workmen to aid in completing and elevating to its place the great luminary that shines for all. How they accomplished their work, or what means were used to cause it to so admirably dispense its light and heat, is a subject that our informant did not enlighten us upon. The sun and moon were both placed in charge of the two WHO SPOILT THE BROIDERY? 351 oldest Zunis in the tribe, who have been carrying them ever since; and as the earth grows each year, they are obliged to remove with them farther back so that they may not scorch its surface. At the time of their construction, the sun and moon were made precisely alike, but the man who carries the moon has got so far from the surface of the earth that we no longer feel the heat from that orb. In the mean time, the Pueblos had been most vigorously at work manufacturing stars, and had a large number ready for broidering in the firmament. This they had commenced to do in the most beautiful man- ner, so as to represent bears, fishes, women, etc.; and while engaged in the pleasant occupation, a coyote chanced to pass by, and seeing the great lot of stars, and the delicacy of the operation of embroidering them, said, "What's the use of taking so much trouble with these stars? Stick 'em in anywhere." And, suiting the action to the word, he bounded upon the pile, and in an instant had scattered them promiscuously all over the face of the heavens. This is the reason why we have so few constellations, and why the stars are scattered in so singular and wonderful a man- ner over the firmament, instead of having the beautiful images that the Pueblos originally intended. Thus is here given, in a most satisfactory and compre- hensive manner, the solution of the problem that, I venture to say, has puzzled quite as many of the leading astrono- 352 THE GOOD GIFTS. mers, as it has children of all ages and conditions, who have loved to watch the heavens on a starry night. The springs of water found upon the surface were made when the earth was small; and the Sacred Spring at Zuni, beiug the first one made, is the great mother spring of all, and hence the Great Spirit has taken it under his especial care and protection, demanding that people of all nations shall hold it sacred. As the. earth grows, the springs become stretched farther and farther apart each year, and this is the reason they are so scarce on the earth's surface. After the sun, moon, stars, and the heavens had been created, and were each filling their appropriate sphere, the old men called a council for the purpose of seeing how they could benefit their children, who were so dependent upon them for all the good gifts they might enjoy. After deliberating n long while, they finally, with their own hands, constructed three tenajas, or water-jars, one of which they ornamented with figures of most elegant design and brilliant coloring; this they filled with worthless trash, bits of wool, and articles of no possible value. The other two were of precisely the same size and shape, but made of very coarse common ware, and entirely unor- namented: one of these they filled with flocks and herds and implements of agriculture; the other with tools and all kinds of useful articles. After covering the three tenajas, THE CHOICE AND PROPHECY. 353 so as to effectually conceal their contents, they called together the different tribes, and said unto them, "Choose! And as ye choose, so shall it always be with you through' life." The Navajoes, having preferred their claim to the first choice, upon its being allowed, immediately chose the beautiful tenaja, which they carried in triumph away, leaving the two plain ones to become the property of the Zunis and Pueblos. The Zunis, choosing next, found their jar filled with agri- cultural and mechanical tools, as well as other useful arti- cles; and the Pueblos, upon opening the remaining jar, found it to contain flocks and herds, and articles with which to manufacture clothes, besides others of less value. The Navajoes, after witnessing the opening of the plain jars, were quite jubilant at the prospect of the good things in store for them, and it was with no small degree of ostentatious pride that they proceeded to remove the cov- ering from the beautiful jar of their choice. Imagine their chagrin and disappointment upon finding it filled with worthless trash, and containing not a single useful article. After the choice had been made, and the jars opened, the old men addressed the assembled tribes as fol- lows: "Thus shall it ever be with you. You Navajoes shall alwaj s wander over the plains without permanent home* or habitations; you were pleased with the outside, and 45 354 WHAT THE TURKEY BROUGHT. stopped not to consider that it was but the shell which covered the meat; you permitted your eyes to lead you, to the exclusion of all other senses, and you must now abide the result of your own selfish acts." To the Zunis and Pueblos they said: "You Zunis and Pueblos shall have fixed residences, be blessed with flocks and herds, and find food in the ground; you shall be an industrious and frugal people, and always enjoy the favor of the Great Spirit. He shall send you food and give you clothing, and thus shall you reap your reward." Up to this time the people had no grain or fruits, but only the flesh of animals, and such roots and herbs as they had been able to obtain from the ground. One evening, while the Zunis were sitting around their camp-fire, they heard a great noise, and looking up to ascertain its cause, discovered a beautiful white hen-turkey flying into their midst from the place where the morning- star rises. This turkey alighted in the valley, upon the very spot where the pueblo of Zuni now stands. The beautiful bird was permitted to remain undisturbed, the people regarding her as a messenger from the Great Spirit. Early in the morning, while dressing her plumage, an ear of corn dropped from under her wing; which was taken possession of by the Zunis, and divided into three parts. The small end was given to the Navajoes, who, to this day, SHOT INTO THE CLOUDS. 355 raise very inferior corn; to the Pueblos was given the middle portion, and they have much finer corn than the Navajoes; while the larger end was kept by the Zunis, who have always raised very fine corn. The next evening the turkey came again, bringing with her, fruit and cereals ; but a great part of the graiu which fell from under her wings was devoured by birds, and the remainder divided between the Zunis and Pueblos, who to this day raise fine fruits, as well as wheat, rye, etc. Shortly after this, the oldest man among the Zunis determined to make a visit to his neighbors, the Navajoes. He reached their country in safety, but while there got into some difficulty with them, and they, taking advantage of their numbers and strength, and also to revenge them- selves upon the Zunis for the unfortunate choice they had made in the tenajas, placed the old man upon a bowstring, as they would an arrow, and shot him into the clouds, expecting to see him fall and be dashed to pieces upon the* ground. Their consternation was great indeed, when they discovered that he did not return. Then they realized that they had given to the Zunis a guiding spirit who would ever watch over and protect them. After many years the old man sent his son with mes- sages of love and affection, as well as assurances of protection for his children. The son remained with the Zunis for a great while, and they prospered, and became a 356 WHY THE DEAD ARE BURIED. mighty nation; but one evil day, having become offended with them for some reason, he went away to the South, and was absent for a long time; when he returned he brought with him the Spaniards and fire-arms, as a punish- ment for their wickedness. After some time the young man died, and the Spaniards returned again into Mexico. The body of the young man was carefully laid away., and two Zuui* appointed to watch it. Three days later, when they went for it, they were much surprised to find that in some mysterious manner it had disappeared, nor could it be found. Many days after, one of the old men of the Zunis visited the cave in the mountains from which the tribes had orig- inally emerged, and to his astonishment discovered the dead man sitting upon a block of solid silver shaped like a throne, engaged in cutting his hair after the fashion of the Pueblos. Upon speaking to him, the young man entirely ignored his question, but in a low, melodious tone spoke as follows : — "All those who die must come down here and live with me in this our first home; for out of the earth they sprang, and to the earth must they return, where they shall dwell with me, and I with them, for this is our mother's home." Since that day the Zunis have always buried their dead* in the ground. From this simple narration of the Zunis' legend of the v DESCENT OF THE APACHES. . 357 . nation, it will be seen that they firmly maintain and cling to the idea of an entirely distinct and separate nation from either the Pueblos or Navajoes, from which latter nation they assert the Apaches are an offshoot. If this latter assertion be the truth or not, it is certainly a fact that the distinguishing traits and characteristics of the three nations are most admirably and truthfully por- trayed in the legend, and to this day arc most plainly and perceptibly noticeable in the habits and customs of the different tribes. If a Navajoe sees an object that pleases his eye or strikes his fancy, he will make any sacrifice to obtain it; although it may have no intrinsic value, or be of the least possible use. On the other hand, a Zuni or Pueblo cannot be induced to purchase anything that is not of use or has not a specific value. Again, the Navajoes have never had a fixed residence, but wander at will over the country with their flocks and herds, without any local habitation or chief, save that the wealthiest men of the tribe are generally regarded as leaders or chiefs; each one having his own set of adherents and retainers. In this particular, they are not unlike the old feudal chiefs of the Scottish Highlands. The Pueblos have governments of their own; the people live in well-constructed houses; all cultivate the earth to a greater or less extent, and are in some degree skilled in 358 TEMPUS FUGIT. the art of manufacturing; while nearly all of them are the possessors of flocks and herds. Athough I do not regard the truthfulness of the above legend to be established beyond all question, still I had been so pleasantly entertained by the narration, and so lulled and soothed by the low, crooning tone in which it had been told, that I had quite forgotten the flight of time, and was unaware how perceptibly the shadows had lengthened while I had been listening to it, nor was I roused from the reverie into which 1 had almost unconsciously drifted, until Don Eafael exclaimed, with decided emphasis, "Ugh! Vamose ! ' ' Starting to my feet, I saw at once that it was full time for us to commence our descent of the steep and precipi- tous path that led to the plain beneath, if we would reach it before nightfall. The sun was fast sinking to his rest behind the high table-lands, volcanic peaks, and rugged, broken country of the vast western waste lying between us and the blue waters of the. Pacific; and the soft, purplish haze that so beautifully heralds the approach of an August twilight was already enshrouding the plain below us, lending an inde- scribably uncertain appearance to objects that an hour before had been clearly visible, but the outlines of which were now scarcely traceable through the delicate veil that TWILIGHT. 359 seemed to have been thrown over the valley. Taking a last, lingering look at the magnificent panorama, now so gradually fading from our sight, we commenced the tedious descent, reluctantly bidding adieu to old Zuni, and its many untold beauties. CHAPTER XXIV. ^9 E accomplished the descent without accident, although I never in my life remember to have paid closer attention to any command of Scripture than I did during our journey, to the warning of the Apostle, when he says, "Let him who thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." The least misstep would have precipitated us a thousand feet down the perpendicular side of the mesa to the plain below, in a manner much less agreeable than the slow, labori- ous descent we were now making, and which common pru- dence seemed to demand for our safety. It was quite late when we reached camp, though not so dark but that we were able to distinguish two dusky forms moving hastily away as we approached, with the evident intention of escaping our notice. Don Rafael immediately started to overtake them, while the doctor and myself proceeded directly to camp, to find (360) JIMMY'S GENEROSITY. 361 Jimmy busily engaged in preparing our supper, and whis- tling "The girl I left behind me." Don Rafael shortly made his appearance in company with the blue-eyed maiden of the rosary and cross, and her mother, a well-preserved old lady of about fifty years ; each of whom was well laden with sugar, tea, coffee, flour, candles, calico, jewelry, and a bottle of our precious whiskey, together with the only remaining box of "Albert biscuit. " I was thoroughly indignant at sight of them and their possessions, and somewhat peremptorily ordered them to put everything down, — an order that they did not seem in the least disposed to obey. At this juncture Jimmy put in an appearance, and com- prehending how matters stood, came to the relief of his friends, by remarking: — "Please, sur, make out the bill, an' I'm riddy to sittle it now." I said, "What does this mean, Jimmy; what are these women doing with those bundles?" "Thim's the artycles, sur, wid which I've purchased mi fradom." "Purchased what! What do you mean?" "Why, sur, as ye've obleged me to brake mi ingagement wid the gurl, I've given her ricompiuse, sur." "How came she in camp, any way, Jimmy?" 46 362 HE RISES TO EXPLAIN: "Faith, sur, she warked in, I suppose, wid her mother, to git the partin' gifts." Here Don Rafael, speaking to me in Spanish, remarked that he presumed that both the girl and her mother supposed them to be wedding presents, as it was always customary among the Zunis for the groom to make, not only the bride herself presents, but her family also, just before the cere- mony; indeed, that was about all there was to the marriage. This information caused me to ask Jimmy if the girl fully understood that they were "partin' gifts." "Indade, sur, I told her so misilf, wid mi own finghers." I then tried to explain to Jimmy that the articles taken were worth, at least, fifty dollars, which would be the amount of two months' wages; and that, undoubtedly, instead of their being regarded as "partin' gifts," they were considered wedding presents; therefore, under no consider- ation, could they be permitted to take them away, as, should they do so, the cacique would have no option in the matter, but to force him to marry the girl, in which case we should be obliged to leave him behind us when we returned, and with- out doubt he would share the fate of the Welsh miners, black Esteva, and many hundred others who had fallen vic- tims to laws, as unalterable as those of the Medes and Per- sians. That part of my speech referring to the Medes and Per- sians evidently startled Jimmy, who, turning to Dr. Parker, AND RECANTS. 363 desired to know if "thim fellers lived in the town over there?" pointing to the pueblo. Upon being most gravely assured that they not only lived there, but that their entire occupation consisted in acting the part of executioners to the unfortunate victims of Zuni ma- levolence, he approached me in a very subdued manner, and remarked, in a loud whisper: — "I guess we'd better take the things, an' sind the gurls back widout 'em." I told him that I would do so, although I very much doubted my ability to prevent the catastrophe which we all so much feared, especially if a knowledge of the transaction should reach the ears of the two executioners before men- tioned; and that if I should fail in my attempts to avert the calamity that seemed hovering over him, he could reflect, as he was led out to execution, that his untimely end had been caused solely by a wilful and persistent disobedience of orders, — a statement which Jimmy admitted was "thrue," and, he added, "the thaught of it will be a warnin' to me all the rist ov mi life, whin it happens." Ordering Jimmy to immediately finish the preparations for our supper, we sent the women back to town empty-handed, a course of procedure which, as their manner indicated, was anything but agreeable to them. Quite early the next morning we received a visit from the cacique, who seemed anxious to know the impression made 364 0 UAHNOKAITW. upon our minds by the sight of old Zuni, as well as to learn if the guide he furnished us the day before had performed his duty in an acceptable manner. Returning him many thanks for his kindness, and assuring him of our admiration of the beauties of his country, as well as surprise at the many strange sights we had witnessed in it, the old man, in an ill-disguised tone of pride, related many facts concerning it, which were indeed most marvellous. Among other things, he told us of a remarkable spring situated in the Moquis country, about four days' journey to the west of Zuni, which he said he had once visited. This spring is named by the Zunis, "Ouahuokaitin. ' ' I have since learned that it has been called by those Americans who have visited it, "Jacob's Well." The old man described it as a large hole in the plain, shaped precisely like a funnel. It is six hundred feet in diameter at the top, and one hundred and sixty feet deep. At the bottom of this hole is a spring of remarkably pure cold water, which bubbles up to the height of nearly four feet, like a boiling spring, — an underground passage carrying off the surplus water. This spring is reached by a spiral staircase cut in the rock and earth, which, though evidently of great antiquity, is well-preserved, and still used by travellers. By whom this marvellous staircase was constructed, or L'EGEND REGARDING IT. 365 how long it has existed in this desert, we have nothing authoritative, save Indian legend. The Moquis claim to have known it for many hundred years, and have always regarded it as one of the marvels of their country, looking upon it with that kind of awe and veneration which the Indian mind intuitively attaches to whatever borders on the strange and mysterious. The Zuni legend of the spring is as follows. After the waters had abated from the face of the earth,' the Great Spirit saw that the vast plain which extended far away towards the place where the sun -sets, and over which his children must travel if they would reach the great water beyond, had become very dry and parched, and that the springs and rivers he had created upon its surface were dried up by the heat of the sun and the warmth of the winds that continually swept over them ; that those of his children who were obliged to make this tedious journey suffered terribly from thirst, and often perished with their animals. One night a large number of them were encamped near this spot; for days they had been suffering greatly for the want of water, not a drop of which could they find on the plain; they had finally given up the search in despair; their animals lay dying around them, and with swollen tongues and parched throats they called in whispered tones upon the Great Spirit to send them water. The Great Spirit heard their whispered prayers, and, call- 366 THE WORK OF WHOSE HANDS. ing to his assistance the afreets, in a single night they con- structed this wonderful well. In the morning the weary and almost famishing travellers descended by this marvellous staircase, and quaffed their fill of the cool, delicious water that bubbled up so refreshingly at its foot. The Great Spirit has watched over it ever since. No sun reaches it, no heat warms it, but it is always cool, spark- ling, and refreshing; and as the traveller pauses upon its brink, its murmurs fall melodiously upon his ear, inviting him to descend and partake of its delicious coolness, always reminding him of the beneficence and wisdom of the Great Spirit. Therefore they call it "Ouahnokaitin," or, Blessing of the Desert, by which name it is known to this day. At first [ was inclined to doubt the actual existence of so singular a phenomenon, especially as the cacique assured me there was nothing to indicate that a settlement had ever existed near it; but I have since met with two Americans who have visited the well, and speak of it as one of the greatest marvels of this most marvellous country ; nor does their description of it differ materially from that of the cacique. The Abb6 Domenech, in his work on "The Deserts of North America," mentions its existence, although he does not claim to have ever visited it. . Without doubt, the spring itself is one of those curious formations of Nature so frequently found here; and some BURIAL RITES. 367 now extinct nation sought to utilize the water by constructing the staircase that enables the thirsty and travel-worn way- farer to slake his burning thirst with its refreshing coolness. About eleven o'clock in the morning, the cacique, after having spent several hours in relating many wonderful facts concerning the country and its people, announced himself obliged to return to the pueblo, as one of the old men who had died the night previous was to be buried that day at meridian. Upon my suggesting that I should be pleased to attend the funeral ceremonies, the old man cordially invited the doctor and myself to accompany him and witness the rites, — an invitation which we were pleased to accept. In a short time we reached the plaza, just as the funeral proces- sion was entering it. Four men, bearing upon their shoulders* the corpse, dressed in its usual garb, its hair gayly ornamented with rib- bons, preceded the mourners, who slowly and reverentially followed. Upon reaching the shallow grave, the body was placed therein without a covering of any kind to pro- tect it from the earth. In solemn silence each of the mourners approached, and taking up a handful of earth, cast it upon the body; then a number of women appeared, their hair flowing loosely down their backs, and each bearing upon her shoulders a tenaja filled with water. 368 THE DEATH CRY. The first one now approached, and as she stooped over the grave, her hair falling loosely about her face and body, gave to her a singularly weird and picturesque appearance. Slowly removing the tenaja from her shoulders, and hold- ing it for a moment suspended in the air, she deliberately BURIAL SCENE. turned its contents over the body in the grave, at the same time giving utterance to the death-cry, a low, plaintive, wailing moan, which seemed to cause my very flesh to creep, so terribly distinct was it in unearthly penetration. The women approached separately, and, as they emptied JIMMY ANXIOUS. 369 the contents of their tenajas into the grave, joined in the cry, until, as their numbers increased, their voices growing louder and louder, the sad, wailing cries seemed to fill the entire air, almost paralyzing the senses with their unearthly tones. Long after they had disappeared from our sight, and distance had somewhat softened the shrill plaintiveness, it was borne to our ears on the noontide breeze, sounding like the wail of some poor soul, bereft of all hope. We were some way on our return towards camp when I remembered that I had promised Jimmy before leaving, that while in the pueblo I would endeavor to explain his case to the caeique so satisfactorily that he would understand it, and not allow the friends or relatives of the girl to prejudice his mind, if they should make complaint to him of Jim- my's conduct; for, situated as we were, it really seemed important that no difficulties should arise between ourselves and the Zunis. Jimmy, seeing us approach, came out to meet us, exceed- ingly anxious to know if we'd "fixed it all right wid the bazaque," as he styled the governor; and his disappointment was so apparent, when I informed him that I had neglected to speak to him on the subject, that Dr. Parker remarked to me, "At last we've got Jimmy scared, and we need antici- pate no more trouble with him on account of the women while he's here, that's very evident." Scarcely had we reached camp ere Jimmy again appealed to me, urging me 47 370 ABSENT FROM CAMP. to have "matthers fixed wid the bazaque;" and so earnest was he in preferring his request, that, after consulting with the doctor, I concluded to dispatch Jimmy to the pueblo at once, and have him bring the two women into camp, hoping by this means to satisfy any demands they might think he had incurred by his flirtations with the daughter. After supper, upon calling Jimmy to dispatch him on the errand to the pueblo, we found, to our great surprise, that he had most mysteriously disappeared, and was nowhere to be seen. We waited for him until nearly ten o'clock, and he did not make his appearance; so we smoked our last pipe, and "turned in," in no very enviable frame of mind, quite determined to bring matters to a crisis on the morrow as far as Jimmy was concerned, to say the least. It was a beautiful night; and after retiring to my blankets, I lay for a long time watching the stars, and tracitog the constellations visible in the heavens, quite unable to com- pose myself to sleep. Finally the moon rose, gilding the tops of the high terraced houses with its silvery beams; the mournful cry of the whip-poor-will sounded on the night air, causing a feeling of sadness to steal over my senses, which I in vain attempted to dispel, by trying to devise some plan that would keep Jimmy away from the pueblo, where I had no doubt he was then sojourning, enjoying the glorious moonlight from the terrace of his A PRESENTIMENT. 371 blue-eyed maiden's casa, and, shall T say it, rather envying him the situation, when I finally fell asleep. How long I slept, I could not tell. I awoke with a start, and a strong presentiment that there was something wrong. What had awakened me so suddenly, orthe cause of the presentiment, I did not know. As I lay for a moment, endeavoring to account for this singular impression, I dis- tinctly heard the sharp, quick ring of a rifle-shot apparently on the other side of the pueblo. There was nothing alarm- ing in the sound itself, but the feeling I had experienced on first awakening still oppressed me, and I anxiously listened for a repetition of the cause of my alarm. Nothing, how- ever, disturbed the stillness of the glorious night, save the whip-poor-will's cry, orthe occasional croak of a frog near the little stream that ran quietly by our camp. Suddenly I heard the sound of five or six shots in quick succession, apparently coming from the direction of the pueblo; and as I knew that scarcely one in thirty of the Zunis possessed fire-arms, I was confident that whatever the occasion, there must, in any event, be a large number gath- ered together. I sprang to my feet just in time to see Don Rafael appear from the other side of the wagon, rifle in hand, and to notice the dangerous glitter of hi3 wicked black eyes. He saw me, placed his finger upon his lips, and said, "Hist I Navajoes." 372 ATTACKED BY NAVAJOES. Instantly rousing Dr. Parker, who was a very sound sleeper, we at once prepared to give the Indians a warm reception, should they favor our camp with a visit, though Don Rafael seemed to think we had nothing to fear from them. Telling him to call Jimmy, I learned, much to my annoyance, that he had not yet returned .to camp, although it was now nearly two o'clock in the morning. What could have become of him? I was exceedingly vexed, and somewhat anxious at his absence from camp at this particular time. An examination of our fire-arms revealed the fact that we had twenty-one shots, without reloading or counting upon the condition of Jimmy's fowling-piece, which, experience had shown us, we were as likely to find with the powder on top of the bullets, as the bullets on top of the powder. We were quite satisfied, however, that we could successfully cope with any number of Indians that might attack us. At this moment the Navajoe war-whoop rang out, filling the still air with its terrific sound, and in spite of our best efforts, almost curdling the blood in our veins, sending a thrill of terror to the very soul as nothing else can. An occasional desultory shot; again the war-whoop rings out, shouting its defiance to our ear; and just then Don Rafael's quick eye catches sight of a dozen or more dusky forms visible upon the plain before us. "Carraho, they're comin' this way," said he; "we'd better git behind the wagon." J AM WOUNDED. 373 No sooner said than done ; we hastily sought shelter behind it, and waited, revolvers in hand, the coming of the foe. We saw them approaching as rapidly as their splendid horses could bear them, each second bringing them more plainly and distinctly into view; when suddenly the fore- most one, who was bestriding a magnificent gray horse, disappeared from our view like a flash, and then another and another. "It's them pits," said Don Rafael, as he slowly raised his rifle to his shoulder. At this moment they again uttered their terrible war-whoop, completely drowning, not only Don Eafael's voice, but the sound of his rifle, as well as that of my own, and causing me, I am quite sure, to send my first shot directly into the face of the moon, that was look- ing so calmly down upon us, instead of into the faces of the Navajoes, for whom it was intended. They were so near now that we could plainly hear the zip of their arrows as they flew around us on all sides; in return for which we gave them, chamber after chamber, the con- tents of our revolvers, to which compliment they replied by terrific yells and a perfect shower of arrows. I felt for an instant a sharp, burning sensation in my left arm, just above the elbow; and, glancing down, discovered an arrow sticking in my shirt-sleeve, which I pulled out and threw upon the ground, never dreaming that I had been wounded. 874 NAVAJOE TACTICS. The Navajoes kept riding round as though following a circle, each turn bringing them nearer to us. When directly opposite the camp, they would discharge their arrows at us, and then gallop to a place of safety, out of the range of our revolvers, — returning in a moment, and bending low in their saddles, lo send another volley at us. These tactics were kept up some time, probably as much for the purpose of ascertaining our strength, as to draw our fire; but under Don Rafael's directions, our fire was a most judicious one, and so well calculated to deceive them, that they fairly concluded our numerical force to be much larger than it really was, therefore beat a retreat, leaving us masters of the situation. I took particular notice that after we had ascertained this to be the case beyond all question, neither of us manifested any desire to follow them. Indeed, I am confident that if the doctor or Don Rafael had made a suggestion to that effect, I should not have assented to it; but later in the day I had the satisfaction of knowing that there was not the least danger of such a proposition emanating from either of them, for they assured me that had I made it, they would have considered it both unwise and improper. Once satisfied that our midnight visitors had departed, we began an inquiry into the result of the attack. Briefly, this was the situation: RESULT OF THE FIGHT. 375 The doctor and Don Rafael had come off without a scratch. I had a slight, though troublesome wound in my arm; Jimmy was missing; our wagon-cover had received a dozen or more arrows; but we knew our stock to be all safe in a corral in the pueblo. No one from the pueblo had come to our assistance, although we were confident that they must have heard and known of the attack. Not a Zuni had we seen; nor. could we understand the reason of it, because we knew that the Zunis and the Navajoes had many unsettled feuds, which were rarely permitted to go unnoticed, if an oppor- tunity occurred for redress. As the doctor was dressing my arm, I remarked to him that it would be a great relief to me to know that Jimmy had been captured by the rascals, for 1 was thoroughly incensed at his absence at such a time ; and having made up my mind to no longer endure his persistent disobe- dience of orders, I would as lief have the matter settled in that way as any other. The doctor's reply, that neither Navajoes, Apaches, nor devils would ever capture him, as his never-failing good luck would bring him safely through, proved true; for just at that moment Don Rafael exclaimed, "See Jimmy cotnin,' quick! " at the same time pointing to the plain. We looked, and saw coming through the bright moonlight, the coatless, hatless, terrified, flying figure of a man; now 376 A SCARED MAN. running as though borne on the wings of fear, then disap- pearing for a second, as he fell headlong to the ground, again seemingly on "all fours," to again straighten up with a bound that would have done credit to a "jack-ass rab- bit," each moment, however, managing, in spite of his fre- quent falls, to get nearer the camp, when, with a tremendous burst of speed, splashing the water of the creek high in the air, as he emphatically "went through it," he tumbled' headlong into camp over the wago* -tongue,, his hair stand- ing on end, and with the whitest face I ever saw on mortal man, yelling out, in tones that were fairly screeches, "Howly murther, have they got me?" and dropped to the ground quite insensible. Our efforts restored him to consciousness after a few moments, when, opening his eyes, and recognizing the doc- tor, he exclaimed, "Did the clivil git you too? Save her, docther!" and again relapsed into insensibility. It was not until after daylight that we were able to obtain any information relative to Jimmy's mysterious absence from our camp, and his singular return thereto. From his statements, it seemed that the evening before, by appointment, he had met his fair Zuni charmer, and they had gone out together for a long moonlight stroll; that they had wandered down near Ihe Sacred Spring, when the "gurl" bad informed him, by "signs wid fingers," that she wished him to take an "ooath" there. JIMMY'S STORY. 377 Now, as Jimmy had drank at the spring, and uo disas- trous consequences had yet overtaken him, he reasoned by analogy, that he might take a "lover's oath" there with quite as much impunity as he could drink from it in any event. So, said Jimmy, "I wuz jist a swearin' misilf, JIMMY'S MOONLIGHT STBOI.L. whin I heai'd a noise like thunderin', and I looked up, and there wuz a dozen big strappin' Injuns jist comin' toards me. And I rin and got behind a big rock, and whin they see the gurl a-standin' there all alone they giv a yill, and one of the nasty divils picked her up, and thro wed 48 378 JIMMY'S STORY. her acrost his horse, jist like a bag ov male, and she yellin' like murther all the time ; and thin they stopped a minit, and all rode off togither till they wuz clane gone intirely. I wanted to holler, but I didn't spake a word; I kipt as still as a did man till they wuz all gone, and thin I started as fast as mi ligs would bring me for the camp — and I had'nt got but a little ways before I see one of 'em right before me, and, Juge, I'm stone did and gone intirely. What did I iver come into this blasted countbry wid yez for? You'll save her, won't yez, Juge! Howly murther, how thim divils did rin, tho'; and I've rin ivery stip ov the way, mor'n tin miles, be gorra, and I'll niver lave the camp again, by the blissed Vargin (crossing himself), till I'm a did man, and have the breath of life in me body. If ye'll git the gurl back, Juge, from thim devils, I'll niver spake to her agin, — boo, hoo, hoo!" And at this point Jimmy burst into the most lugubrious fit of weeping that any frightened man ever indulged in. As soon as Jimmy's incoherent tale was ended, I informed him that it would be quite impossible for us to do anything towards rescuing the girl, at the same time taking advantage of the opportunity so unexpectedly offered, to show him that he alone was to blame for the misfortune that had overtaken her, as well as himself and the whole party; and that, in addition to the other trouble to be answered for, would be that of abduction, so soon as the girl should be missed. NEWS FROM THE PUEBLO. 379 ' 'Howly murther ! ' ' exclaimed Jimmy . « 'Will the bazaque charge me wid all that, noo, and I a good Christian boy, too? If iver I git out ov this divilish counthiy, all the saints in heaveu'll niver injuce me to intir into it agin; d'ye hear that, noo, Juge? I want to go to-day; lit's start." Telling him that this was out of the question, and bid- ding him be quiet, the doctor and myself went out to find Don Rafael, who had gone to the pueblo, to assure himself of the safety of our animals, as well as to ascertain, if possible, why the Zunis had offered us no assistance the night previous. Upon meeting him, he informed us that a large body of Navajoes had attacked the town upon the opposite side, and had succeeded in driving off a large number of sheep and cattle; that the party which attacked us was one that had been sent around to the rear of the town, for the purpose of making a diversion in favor of their friends, and that, without doubt, they were entirely unaware of our presence until they so unexpectedly came upon us; that matters in the town were in so much confusion, it seemed almost impossible to gain any information at present, therefore he suggested that we should visit the position held by the Navajoes in their attack upon us, and ascertain the results of our fight. An examination of the ground revealed the fact that 'the 380 HOW THE ZUNIS FOUGHT. friendly pits of which we had been so kindly warned by the cacique, had been the means of destroying no less than four good horses, while we found two Navajoes, cold and stiff in the embrace of death, some little distance in front of our camp. We took from them their blankets, which were very fine ones: one of these was given to Don Rafael, and the other to Jimmy, who in a very short time thereafter was heard to give a succinct and most thrilling account of "how the bloody divils attacked him, and he fought disperately for life, until he jist murtherecl one ov 'em wid his gun. And," said he, 4 'I presarved this blankit as a miminto ov the fight, to show me grandchildren. Shure, isn't it an illigant one, too?" In fact, we often thereafter heard Jimmy relate the story of his desperate hand-to-hand encounter with the Navajoes, and how valiantly he had fought, single-handed and alone, "all the rist ov the party bein' aslape at the toime;" and so frequently did he relate it, that after a while he really came to believe it himself, and if either of us ventured to con- tradict it in the slightest particular, Jimmy became indig- nant, and charged us "wid thryin' to stale his honor." An hour later, we found that the Zunis had but four men killed, with two men and one woman (Jimmy's sweet- heart) missing, and in addition about seven hundred head of sheep and some sixty cattle had been stolen. £our Navajoes and ten horses were found upon the plain, VOLUNTEERS. 381 making a total loss to the Navajoes of six men and four- teen horses. I thought it strange that neither of the Zunis were scalped; but was informed by the cacique that the Navajoes never scalped their victims, — a piece of informa- tion that I deemed it injudicious to impart to Jimmy, as he feared the loss of his scalp quite as much as any mishap that could have overtaken him in the country. Upon observing that the Zunis were fitting out a party to send in pursuit, for the purpose of recapturing the stock, I expressed a desire to Don Rafael to join it. He seemed so well pleased that I mentioned it to the cacique, who was delighted at the suggestion, and immediately offered us the use of any stock in the pueblo for the expedition. Thanking him for his kindness, and requesting him to send animals for myself, Don Rafael, and Jimmy, to the camp, we departed to make the necessary preparations. Upon reaching the camp, I informed Jimmy that we had determined, at his suggestion, to undertake the rescue of the "gurl," and that he was to accompany us in the expedition. Jimmy's reply somewhat surprised us, for he exclaimed: "And what wucl I be goin' wid yez fur, thin. No naed ov iverybody goiu' afther one Injun gurl." I told him that Doctor Parker would remain behind in the camp, and that he must at once get ready, for his mule would be here in a very few moments. 382 JIMMY PREFERS HIS SCALP; When the animal came, a few minutes later, we found Jimmy sitting upon the wagon tongue, looking the very picture of desolation, and declaring that he "filt unwill;" indeed, we were obliged to use not only persuasions, but threats, to induce him to mount. No sooner did the mule feel Jimmy's weight upon his back than he commenced to "buck" in the most fearful manner, so that before be had an opportunity to settle him- self in the saddle, he found himself lying upon his back, a long distance in advance of his animal. As he made no effort to rise from the ground, the doctor approached him, and found him lying with eyes closed, breathing heavily, and to all appearances insensible. A slight examination revealed the fact that Jimmy was "playing possum." Winking at me, the doctor remarked in a very serious manner: "Well, Judge, Jimmy is done for this time, I guess; he won't live but a few moments." My reply, "Well, send that Zuni who is holding those horses here; I want to see how the Zunis scalp a man," brought Jimmy to his feet with a bound, while he protested "there wuz nothin' the matther wid him, fur his insinsability wuz marely timporary." After many earnest protests, Jimmy was induced to mount the mule once again, more by threats than arguments, even though he told us "that he'd niver live to rache the battle- ground, and that he'd be the very fust man shot on rach- AND PROPHESYS. 383 ing it; besides, he didn't care a d — n for the gurl, but wuz glad she wuz gone, and he didn't want to be the manes of bringin' her back to be the plig of his life, and the manes ov gittin' his frinds into throuble wid the bazaque." Notwithstanding these many excuses, he finally mounted again, and we set out for the pueblo. Upon reaching the plaza, we found about fifty Zunis assembled, well mounted and hideously painted. Upon our joining the party, a low, guttural exclamation of satisfaction was uttered, and each one of the number insisted upon shaking us by the hand in the most cordial manner. All this so delighted Jimmy that he quite forgot his presentiment of evil; and I heard him telling a group of Zunis, in a loud tone of voice, of the wonderful things they should "say him do wid his shot goon," notwithstand- ing he was perfectly well aware of the fact that not one of the crowd understood a word that he said. CHAPTER XXV. PAKDONABLE curiosity led me to ascertain, if possible, the status of our party as to fire- arms. Upon asking the question, I was re- ferred by the cacique to Dcm Santiago, the war-chief, who was to lead the expedition in ^0 person. An examination revealed the fact that ten of the braves were armed with old flint-lock rifles, of the Mississippi Yauger pattern ; two with horse-pistols, of anti- quated make ; and the rest with bows and arrows. Upon learning that Don Santiago possessed no arms save a bow and arrow, I sent D 4 on Rafael to camp to procure Dr. Parker's rifle, which I loaned to the chief, much to his delight. Don Rafael and myself each carried rifles, and also revolvers; while Jimmy clung to his fowling-piece, which, he was assuring a little group of Zunis who were curiously (384) THE PURSUIT. 385 examining its double barrel, "ud kill a thousin ov thim divils at one shot." It was about nine o'clock when we left the pueblo, after the grand ceremony of invocation by the high-priest and his assistants; and as we started out, the cacique gravely assured me that we should return in all safety, as the spirit which had been invoked would effectually protect us. Leaving the town, we followed a trail that led towards the northwest, in which directiou Don Rafael informed me we should probably come upon that portion of the Navajoe country into which, without doubt, the thieving rascals had driven the stock captured the night before. We rode swiftly along, as our animals were all fresh; and the Zunis, with their bright paint, and gayly-colored ribbons fluttering in the breeze, gave to our cavalcade a truly pic- turesque and brilliant appearance. Occasionally a brave, desirous of showing the superior mettle of his charger, or, perchance, his own elegant horse- manship, with a shout would start his horse into a run, and, leaving the trail, dash wildly over the plain, to be followed by half a score of others, yelling like madmen, or now and then giving utterance to a fearful war-whoop, that seemed to act as an inspiration to both men and animals. As we galloped in single file over the beautiful green plain, which extended for miles in all directions, with groves of huge pines and cedars clustered here and there over its 4'J 386 INVOLUNTARY GYMNASTICS. surface, and bounded by magnificent ranges of lofty moun- tains, whose bases seemed to consist of masses of foliage, fairly black in its density, above which rose their rugged sides of gray, while ah occasional peak, standing higher than the others, would lose itself in the fleecy clouds that floated lazily in the surrounding ether, — even Jimmy seemed to catch the esprit de corps that pervaded the party. Turning his mule out of the trail, he spurred the animal into a run, and swinging his hat wildly over his head, gave utterance to a loud and prolonged Irish yell, as he started to follow the braves in their mad career. Now, whether Jimmy's mule disliked the prospect of the violent exercise he was about to be forced into, or whether the pound of the Irish yell startled him out of his usual degree of propriety, I cannot say; but certain it is, that Jimmy had scarcely succeeded in persuading him to leave the trail ere he planted both fore-feet firmly on the ground, and lowering his head, playfully elevated his hind-feet, thus inducing Jimmy to turn as complete a somersault as it was ever my fortune to see turned, in connection with a flying leap; for he struck the ground nearly ten feet in advance of the animal, who, apparently unconscious that he had aided in the performance of any unusual feat, commenced to crop the luxuriant herbage around him. Notwithstanding his really remarkable performance, Jim- my did not seem to be at all proud of it; nor, after rising, SUBDUED JIMMY. 387 did he approach his animal as "the conquering hero comes," but rather with an air of bashful modesty, that was hardly in keeping with the bravado which he had assumed at the outset, when assuring the Zunis of his prowess. Seizing the animal's bit in a very careful manner, while he picked up his fowling-piece from the ground, I was amused to see him follow the cavalcade in the most humble spirit. Eeining my horse out from the trail, I waited for him to come up, and then inquired why he did not mount. His disconsolate reply, that he "prefarred to wark, on account ov the ixercise it giv him," caused me to smile, as I remarked that he'd get along faster by riding the animal, instead of leading him. Jimmy's reply was a characteristic one, for he said: "Yiz, surr; that's jist the throble. I git along too fast, bedad; that's what's the matther." Nor could anything I might say induce him to remount. After some little delay, a Zuni offered to change animals with him, and we once more proceeded on our way. About three o'clock in the afternoon, we came to a beau- tiful little stream of clear water, where it was evident that the Navajoes had tarried long enough to water their stock, for their tracks seemed to be quite fresh; and the Zuni who acted as guide to our party, unhesitatingly expressed the opinion that they had passed the place not two hours before. 388 THE ENEMY SIGHTED. Pausing here only long enough to give our animals a draught of the cool, refreshing water, we pushed on, up the valley of the little stream, winding through a rugged and somewhat broken country, towards the southern portion of what was then recognized as the Navajoe country. Don Rafael, Jimmy, and myself were at this time near the head of the column, when we saw the guide, who had been riding far in advance, spurring his horse towards us at a furious rate; and upon coming up, he informed us that he had found the stolen sheep, grazing in a valley about two miles ahead, but had seen no Indians. In a moment all noise ceased, as if by magic; Don Santi- ago hastily giving his orders in a quiet but determined tone of voice. A dozen of the Zunis were dismounted, and sent out in different directions to ascertain the numbers and situation of the foe'. Others proceeded to string their bows, arrange their quivers, and settle themselves firmly upon their ani- mals, when the order to move cautiously forward was given, Don Santiago informing me that he intended, if possible, to surprise the Navajoes, as he particularly wished to recapture the stock. Upon looking around, just after we had commenced our forward movement, I was surprised to see Jimmy sitting on the ground beside his animal, busily engaged in contem- plating his shoes. SUBPEISED. 389 Upon riding up to him, I said, "Well, Jimmy, what nonsense is this; do you want to be left behind?" "Be gorra," said Jimmy; "would ye hev a mon ridin' all day wid sthones in his shoes?" "No, Jimmy," said I; "but hurry up, for I've informed the chief that you are going to take upon yourself the entire responsibility of the rescue of the girl." "But," said Jimmy, "will yez jist ride along till I'm ufther gittin' these sthones from mi shoes, and I'll jine yez in a viry few minutes." Not desiring to have him remain behind, I insisted so strongly upon his mounting his animal and accompanying me, that he finally did so, although we had not proceeded twenty yards before he dropped his gun. This recovered, I saw him picking up his hat from the ground, and after every other means of delay seemed exhausted, he deliberately stopped, and began to tighten the girths to his saddle. Upon remonstrating with him for these frequent and unnecessary delays, he finally said: — "I'll not attimpt the riscue ov the gur] at all; and I don't care a d — n if she's riscued or not; and I'm not faylin' will, aither, so yez naedn't wait fur mi." Leaving him, I rode on, and overtaking the party, heard that the scouts had been in, and reported the sheep and cattle quietly grazing in a meadow not half a mile from us, and that Don Santiago had distributed his men so as to 390 ITS RESULT. completely surround the valley, ordering them to wait for a signal from their leader before showing themselves to the foe. In a short time Don Santiago and some eight or ten braves started for the summit of the bluff, behind which the stock had been seen, while Don Eafael and myself rode slowly behind, intending to remain spectators of the scene. Having ascertained that my arm was so sore and inflamed from the effects of the wound received the night previous that it would be next to impossible for me to use my carbine, 1 had loaned it to a bright-looking young Zuni who was act- ing as aid to Don Santiago, and whom Don Eafael kindly instructed in its use. Upon reaching the summit of the bluff aforesaid, Don Santiago and his little band uttered the Zuni war-whoop, which was instantly answered from a dozen different points ; and putting their horses into a run, they dashed* down the sides of the valley, yelling like madmen, and frantically brandishing their bows and arrows in the air, while the stock, apparently paralyzed by the sight and sounds, hud- dled themselves together in a terrified manner near the foot of the bluff on which we were standing. We were in time to see about a dozen Navajoes, mounted upon magnificent horses, and clothed in gayly-striped blan- kets, which seemed to be flying loosely behind tbem, hur- riedly betaking themselves up the side of a bluff that seemed A HALT. 391 to bound the valley on the north, pursued by about a dozen Zunis, whom we thought could have but little chance of overtaking them, on account of the very inferior character of the animals upon which they were mounted. Riding up to speak with us for a moment, Don Santiago informed us that the surprise was a complete one ; that they had recaptured all the stock, which had been left in charge of a portion of the thieves while the remainder had undoubtedly taken the prisoners by a shorter and more direct route; that he and a few braves would join the pursuing party, and make an expedition into the Navajoe country ; and that the remainder of his party would return with the recaptured stock to the pueblo. As I was not prepared to make a campaign into the heart of the Navajoe country, I decided to return; upon whicl* Don Rafael and myself turned our horses' heads in the direction of the pueblo, and rode on in advance of the party. Upon reaching the stream that we had crossed some houra before, Don Rafael removed the saddles and bridles from our weary animals, and permitted them to enjoy a roll in the luxuriant meadow, before making, a hearty meal upon the. rich grass so abundant around them, — during which time Don Rafael and myself enjoyed our lunch with much gusto. While encamped here, Jimmy rode up looking as though he felt very much ashamed of himself, and most 392 A SUN-STROKE. dolefully bewailing the day that "he'd ivir consintid to jine in an expidition to attimpt to rejuce the Navajoes," loudly complaining that the fatigue and warm weather were "anuf ter kill a mule," and saying "that he should have remained wid us all the toime, hadn't he bin complately prosthrated by the ifficts of a sun-sthroke," from which, however, he had then most happily recovered, if we might be allowed to form an opinion from the facility he displayed in con- cealing the provisions spread before him. The sun was fast sinking in the western skies when Don Rafael again resaddled our horses, and we once more resumed the journey towards our camp, pushing on at a rate of speed pronounced by Jimmy to be "most fataygin," and who begged in piteous tones to be "lift behind," not- withstanding the fact that be managed to keep right in front all the time. The moon had risen high in the heavens when we espied our little camp, nestled so quietly beneath its bright beams, under the grim, brown walls of Zuni; and it was a sight that filled my heart with gladness, while Jimmy asserted that "it wuz dearer to his eyes than would have bin ould Father O'Brady, his own parish praste." My arm was dressed by the doctor, and I was soon in my blankets; nor did I open my eyes again until the next noon, when the doctor awakened me to say that the Zunis had arrived with the recaptured stock. THE BRAVE MAN'S DANCE. 393 About two o'clock we visited the pueblo to find the people rejoicing over the safe return of their braves, with all the stock that had been stolen by the Navajoes; for it seemed to be generally taken for granted that the remainder of the party would return in safety, as Don Santiago was a most successful leader. Doctor Parker was a little anxious about his rifle; but when informed that mine was in company with his own, he seemed much easier in his mind, and accepted the invi- tation the cacique gave us to he present at the dance that evening, with which the braves, who had returned from the expedition, were to celebrate their success. About nine o'clock that evening, we all wended our way to the pueblo, to see the "brave man's dance," — resem- bling a good, old-fashioned Yankee caucus, where each can- didate is permitted to state in detail the particular claims he possesses for a nomination, more closely than any gather- ing I had ever attended outside of New England. It was a beautiful night. The moon, just rising, lent its pale light, so effectually illuminating the scene that every object in the large plaza was distinctly visible, without the aid of the light from the bright fire which was burning near its centre. Four large cedar stakes, elaborately carved, had been set in the ground at each of the cardinal points, representing the four Zunis who had lost their lives in defending the pueblo. 50 394 SYMBOLICAL. To each stake were attached four feathers of the eagle, four of the turkey, four of the duck, and four of the crow. Those of the eagle were supposed to be typical of the gallantry and daring of the braves who had so valiantly defended the pueblo. The turkey feathers served to remind them that the Great Spirit always regarded his children with love, and ever stood ready to exercise over them his protecting care, in proof of which he had sent them corn and wheat by the turkey when they were hungry. The duck, being a water fowl, and under the protecting care of the Spirit of the Spring, reminded them that he •would guard their characters from the "forked tongues" of their enemies, even as the Great Spirit most beneficently exercised his protecting care over their lives. The feathers of the crow, being black, represented to them the hearts of their foes, over whom they had so signally and gloriously triumphed. At the sound of the tombe,* the warriors, to the number of thirty, hideously painted and gayly ornamented, entered the plaza with slow aud measured step, marching towards the north corner. Here they paused for a few moments, * A section of hollow log, about two feet long, and from sixteen to eighteen inches in diameter. Over one end of it is stretched a dried hide, from which the hair has been carefully removed. It is sounded with a stick, simi- lar to that used in beating a bass drum, and produces a most terrific sound, which can be heard for miles on a still nigra. ZUNI MODESTY. 395 their faces all turned towards the north, and indulged in a series of gyrations, expressive of the contempt they felt for their foes. This completed, they made the entire circuit of the plaza four times, after which they approached the fire which was brightly burning near the centre of the square. Here they halted, and the oldest of the warriors took a position in front of the fire, between the two stakes that pointed towards the section of the country from which the enemy came. The rest of the braves, after forming a circle round the fire, commenced a low, monotonous chant, as the prelude to a dance, during which they indulged in the most eccentric and uncouth motions, interspersed with low, gut- tural exclamations of satisfaction. The orator all this time was occupying the centre of this magic circle, narrating, in a loud tone of voice, and with most extravagant gesticulations, his various feats of arms. He told of the number of enemies whose manly forms had been hurled to the dust by the prowess of his own good right arm; of their age, wisdom, position, and rank; of the grief of those who had mourned their loss, and the sorrow and misery which their tribe had felt at their death. Then he rehearsed, by pantomime, the attack, the defence, the struggle, the death, and the final triumph; after which he burst forth into a sort of chant, or psean of praise to 396 JIMMY'S COMMENTS. himself^ which he recited in a high, falsetto voice, and in the most extravagant and ferocious manner, ending by an appeal to each brave in the circle to substantiate his state- ment; till, as Jimmy facetiously remarked, "B' gorra, yer'd jist think the mon wuz atin' thim, wouldn't yer, docther?" After the braves had separately assured him that every word he had uttered was truth, that he neither spoke with a "forked tongue," or babbled like a woman, but, on the contrary, had spoken like a brave, and that the slain of his enemies were more numerous than the fallen leaves of the forest, he retired from his position, with the air of a con- quering hero, giving place to the next oldest brave, who recounted, in his turn, his deeds of valor, and the distin- guished part he had borne in the fray ; and after receiving the same assurances as had his predecessor, and with quite as much satisfaction to himself, he retired, and gave place to a third ; and thus the dance went on until each brave had enjoyed the opportunity thus offered to relate to his own satisfaction a history of his many valiant deeds and gallant bearing. In short, the « 'brave man's dance" proved to be the as- sembling together of a body of Indians who evidently be- longed to a "mutual admiration society," and their proceed- ings soon grew so tiresome that none of us save Jimmy cared to remain longer, especially as we could not discover that any provision had been made for us to tell of the fields CONGRATULA TIONS. 397 we had won; so we retired to camp, and to bed. I lay for more than an hour listening to the sound of the tombe, ac- companied by the clear, ringing voices of the braves as they recounted their exploits, until its monotony lulled me into a sound slumber, from which I did not awake until the day was far advanced. Breakfast over, the doctor and myself, after lighting our pipes, talked over the events of the past few days, and de- cided that they afforded reason for congratulation in that, at least, we had effectually gotten rid of Jimmy's Zuui sweet- heart, and thus escaped the annoyances and vexations that might have ensued had she remained in the peublo. Our experience at both Acoma and Zuni had convinced us that it would have been a difficult task to prevent Jimmy, with his lamentable susceptibility, from contracting a "mathrimo- niahl alliance," had not the girl so providentially been re- moved from our immediate vicinity; and as we were to start on our return to the Rio Grande the following morning, provided the Zunis should get back with our rifles, we did not anticipate that Jimmy, in the short time that remained of our stay, Would discover any new object upon which to lavish the "wilth of his amotions," and there was no proba- bility that Don Santiago would succeed in recapturing the "gurl," who by this time was far in the interior of the Navajoe country. No one having intimated to us that any suspicion rested 398 NOT OUT OF THE WOODS. upon Jimmy as being in the slightest degree instrumental in the girl's capture, we had allowed ourselves to believe that his agency in the matter was unknown to any one save our- selves. Imagine, then, our surprise at being disturbed in the midst of our reflections by the appearance of the ca- cique himself, dressed in his robes of office, accompanied by two of the most woe-begone, dilapidated-looking speci- mens of Zuni manhood we had yet seen. Their faces were daubed with mud and ochre pigment, their clothing perfectly filthy, and resembling in quantity the original fig-leaf pat- tern. With these two braves was a woman, whom I at once recognized as the mother of the girl from whom I had taken Jimmy's presents. I immediately arose, and proffering the cacique a seat, asked to what fortunate occurrence we were indebted for the honor of a visit; for I had learned enough of the manners and customs of the Zunis to know that when the cacique paid a visit dressed in his robes of office, it meant business. Seating himself upon the proffered stool, and drawing his elegantly embroidered blanket more closely around him, he turned to me with great dignity, and stated that he desired a few moments' conversation with our Don San- tiago (meaning Jimmy). I have rarely seen a more interesting study than was Jimmy's countenance, when informed by Don Rafael that the cacique desired Ms presence. JIMMY ARRAIGNED. 399 A man about to receive sentence of transportation for life, or of death at the hands of Judge Lynch, could not have appeared more hopelessly bewildered than did Jimmy at this summons; and for a moment I really expected to see him turn, and ignominiously run for the plain. Not so, however. Jimmy was created of sterner stuff. Having made up his mind to meet the issue, he approached the cacique with the air of a man determined to bear his fate like a hero; just such an air as I fancy the lamented John Kogers wore, who was burned at the stake in Smithneld, England, as he bade adieu to. his "wife with nine small children, and one at the breast." In one thing Jimmy possessed a decided advantage. The cacique was obliged to talk through an interpreter, and that interpreter was, perforce, Don Rafael, Jimmy's friend, who knew just enough of diplomacy to shape his replies so as to please the ear' of the august personage in whose presence we were. As no one but ourselves knew aught of the moonlight stroll, the interview must have reference to the presents that Jimmy had so inconsiderately given the "gurl," and which I had required her to return ; or perhaps to the draught that Jimmy had quaffed, in the presence of the cacique himself, from the Sacred Spring. In the latter case, we could not calculate with certainty the result of the investigation which it was very evident was about to be instituted; but if the 400 THE CHARGE. former was the cause, I relied upon my own ability to sat- isfactorily explain the circumstances. Taking this view of the subject, imagine our surprise to hear the cacique turn to Don Rafael, and say: — "These men with me are the uncles of this woman's daughter, and charge Santiago, there, with enticing her from her home, upon the night that it was supposed she was captured by the Navajoes. The braves who returned from the Navajoe country this morning brought with them a prisoner, one who was with the party that made the raid THE PLEA. 401 upon the Pueblo. This prisoner states that the party captured no female whatever, and did not even see the girl. I have come here to see you at their request, to ask Santiago what became of the girl with whom he was walk- ing that night!" I was thunderstruck. The whole thing was no secret, known not only to the girl's relations, but to the cacique himself. What would be the result ! How was it all to end ? While Don Rafael was interpreting the above speech to him, I carefully watched Jimmy's face, to ascertain if pos- sible the result of the request, so politely made, upon him; but he betrayed no uneasiness, nor did he seem in the least disturbed by the situation. I don't think I have ever been able to correctly ana- lyze my feelings, upon hearing Jimmy, for a reply to the above direct interrogatory, so clearly propounded by the cacique, as directly and positively deny that he was with or saw the girl upon the night in question; while at the same time he asserted that he was not only in camp during the entire night, but was "figthin' the divi\s all the time, right 'long side ov the gintilmin there," pointing to the doctor and myself, to whom he appealed to corroborate the statement. Here was a dilemma: unfortunately the close resemblance 1 bear to the great and good G. W. (a resemblance recog- nized only by myself) has always prevented me from lying; 51 402 THE CACIQUE'S JUDGMENT. while to state the truth would only consign Jimmy to the rigor of a Zuni prison. I therefore determined to leave the doctor to explain matters as best he might. While in this state of uncertainty and doubt as to wjiat could be said, I was still more confounded to hear the cacique, after listening to Don Rafael's explanation of Jimmy's most barefaced assertion, say to the men, after a moment's pause, "Well, you have heard what Santiago says. I told you before that this thing was impossible. He was here in camp, fighting bravely by the side of his friends, against our enemies. He says so, his friends say so, and it must be so, for the white men do not tell lies. " A statement that I am sure the reader will sustain me in attributing entirely to the old man's ignorance of the "white man's" character, as well as of the customs prevailing among them. I did not attempt to dispel this charming illusion that the old man's fancy had conjured up, for I thought, at that time, at least, that, — " Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." After addressing a few words of reproof to the men for the presumption they had evinced in making so preposterous a charge against the "brave Santiago," the cacique, in the most peremptory manner, bade them begone, and never more refer to the subject upon pain of incurring his serious dis- pleasure. Upon which the whole party arose, and slowly left CENSURE. 403 the camp, looking anything but pleased at the result of the interview, and without doubt quite as much surprised as were the doctor and myself. The party gone, the cacique turned to me, and said he was "indeed glad for Santiago's sake that the matter had been so satisfactorily explained, for the brutes had even had the impudence to say, after they had learned that the girl had not been captured by the Navajoes, that Santiago had secreted her for the purpose of carrying her with him to his home on the Bravo, as he called the Rio Grande. To Jimmy, who had been standing by, and most anxiously waiting to learn the subject-matter of the conversation, I briefly stated the latter part of the cacique's communication, which drew from him the most positive and earnest denial of the entire charge, to which I listened as patiently as pos- sible. I then told him that he need never expect me to place any confidence in any statement he should make in the future, for after hearing his denial of the cacique's charge, I was satisfied that he would rather lie than do anything else; an opinion that the doctor fully corroborated, after reflecting upon the difficulty which frequently accompanied his exer- tions at rousing Jimmy in the morning. After listening to my remarks, Jimmy coolly asked,— "An' is it thro' I am wid all this?" 1 said, "Yes, for the present." Upon which he turned away, apparently quite delighted at the thought that he had 404 INJURED INNOCENCE. succeeded in lying himself out of the difficulty; muttering, as he went, "that 'twas a dirthy thing for thim lyin' Nava- joes to thry an' injure his caracture by decavin' the good old bazaque," and intimating that in case he should "ivir mate one ov 'em, he'd tache him bitther manners than to be spakin' disrespictful, or makin' insinooations respictin' him to the bazaque." I was amused to hear Don Rafael slyly remind Jimmy that he met one alone the other evening, and unfortunately neglected to give him any lesson at that time. To which suggestion, he replied, — "That he didn't know at that time that the dirthy divil'd bin lyin' about him, or he'd a given' him a taste ov a swate bit ov shillalah that viry avenin. " Here we were interrupted by the appearance of Don San- tiago and his aid, who, after saluting the cacique and our- selves, respectfully returned our rifles, with many thanks for the kindness that had prompted the loan. They had found the Navajoes so much better mounted than them- selves, that with the advantage they had in the start it would have been quite impossible to have overtaken them before they had reached the very heart of the Navajoe country ; and he did not deem it advisable with his small force, to pursue them to their stronghold. Consequently he had returned without any information concerning the prisoners, who would undoubtedly be offered for ransom before many moons. SMILES. 405 Nor did we ever afterwards hear from the girl; although I have no doubt that she was finally ransomed by her rela- tives, and returned to the pueblo, to learn of the wickedness and duplicity of her Santiago, as well as to refute the theory of the good old cacique, "that white men tell no lies." Under the circumstances, I felt that I could not do less than produce the demijohn, — a movement that caused all parties the greatest satisfaction ; and many were the excla- mations of delight caused by the skilful manner in which the doctor's concoctions were mixed; while the good old cacique smiled frequently, and enlarged most generously upon his friendship for "Zos Americanos," seemingly but too happy that his "lines had been cast in such pleasant places," as he glowingly depicted to Don Santiago the bravery that his namesake (Jimmy) had shown in repulsing the. attack made upon our camp, until he finally ended by asserting that he "did not doubt but the two Santiagos had together been the means of routing and putting to flight the entire Navajoe force," a statement that, while it caused considerable amusement, convinced us that Jimmy had exalted "his honor" to good purpose, as far as the Zunis were concerned. From a consideration of Jimmy's brave deeds, the con- versation drifted towardo the bravery of the Zunis; and the cacique recounted many of the legends concerning his an- 406 AN EXPEDITION. cestors, of the intrepidity and courage shown by them in resisting the attacks of the Spaniards as well as of the Apa- ches and Navajoes; .until, warming with the subject, he in- sisted upon accompanying and showing me the very spot where the attack had been made by Coronado's army, and which had so nearly proved fatal to that great chief. The old man seemed so anxious that we should once more visit the site of old Zuni, and in his company, that the doctor and myself, nothing loth to again witness its beauties, accepted the invitation, only requiring that the visit should be paid during the afternoon, as on the morrow we had determined to start for the Rio Grande. Expressing his regrets at our hasty departure, with many assurances of his respect and. good- will, the old man left us, promising to call for us later -in the afternoon. Dinner over, we informed Jimmy of our intention, strictly enjoining upon him the necessity of remaining in camp during our absence, as well as expressly forbidding him to receive or entertain any visitors, to each of which injunc- tions Jimmy promised the most implicit obedience. It was late in the afternoon when we started, in company with the cacique, to view the place which three hundred and twenty years before a little handful of Spaniards had so gal- lantly assaulted and carried by storm, — the ancient city of Cibola, where, as the cacique informed us, the Zunis had won a name for themselves that would never be forgotten. RE TROSPECTION. 407 Passing the "Sacred Spring," and down through the nar- row rocky gorge at the foot of the mesa, we commenced to climb the steep and rugged path that led to the height above us. We made our first halt upon a terrace, or ledge, about two hundred and fifty feet above the plain. Around the outer edge of this terrace formerly had been constructed a wall of rock, traces of which were plainly discernible, and must have afforded complete protection against any assaulting party, so perfectly did it command the only means of ap- proach. Indeed, it seemed to us that a dozen men might have successfully held it against a thousand. Standing upon the narrow ledge, scarcely ten feet in width, the old man depicted in glowing terms the contest, and told us how they had hurled great rocks from the wall upon the heads of the invaders of their homes; how the great chief himself had been felled to the earth by one of them, and of blood flowing like water. Indeed, the old man seemed never to tire of the subject; and as we slowly made our way up the difficult path, listen- ing to the earnest and impressive traditions regarding the valor of his ancestors, I could but sympathize with him when he said, "The Zunis were a happy and prosperous people until the Spaniards came among them; they warred for the protection of their homes and for the honor of their women, it is true, but the strife was never of their own 408 THE SACRED FLAME. seeking;* they only fought when obliged to; then they fought honestly, man to man; there was no nation that could stand against the Zunis. Montezuma had protected them since the creation of the earth. Had he not instructed them how to manufacture their own clothing; to raise their food out of the ground; to raise flocks and herds ; to build houses to live in ? Were they not more prosperous than the wild tribes who wandered over, the country, but to destroy and lay waste? They had always prospered until the Spaniards came. Then all was changed. From the day that those people came, they had been cursed. Montezuma no longer regarded them with his former love; the Spaniards had made his heart cold towards them: but the Great Spirit would again kindle the flame in his heart. It must be a punishment that he had sent upon them, because they, his children, had permitted the sacred flame to burn dimly that he had kindled with his own hands upon the altar of their estufas; but they relied upon the promise he had made them, that he would one day return and lead them as of old — for was not Montezuma the very embodi- ment of truth ? In this garrulous, simple manner the old man entertained *A statement not confirmed by Coronado's report of the condition in which he found the adjoining kingdoms in 1540. See Coronado's report to the Emperor Charles V. WE ASCEND A THOUSAND FEET. 409 us as we toiled up the steep, precipitous sides of the mesa, enchaining our attention so completely that we gave heed to but little else, and had actually ascended the highest of the three terraces before I was aware that we were standing upon a narrow .shelf scarcely twelve inches in width, although eight hundred feet above the plain. When I at leugth realized the fact, I was indeed startled at the novel and perilous situation in which we found our- selves; nor were my fears in the least allayed by noticing the nervous and excited manner with which Don Rafael, who seemed ever on the alert for our safety, called our at- tention to the fast-growing darkness, as he urged us to at once commence the descent. Upon our left was a huge wall of rock and earth, towering nearly three hundred feet above our heads, and apparently so smooth as not to afford footing for a living creature, while upon our right for nearly eight hundred feet below was empty space. The dizzy height at which we stood, the narrow path before us, the vast abyss below, the growing darkness, the danger of the descent, all seemed to have been forgotten in the desire to hear the old man, who still kept on in his low monotone, utterly oblivious of everything save the Zunis and their history ; when, carelessly stepping upon a small stone which rolled under my foot, before I could possibly recover myself I was precipitated over the bluff, 52 410 A TERRIBLE FALL. and in a moment found myself sliding down its - almost per- pendicular side, feet foremost. In the twinkling of an eye I was far beyond the reach of my companions, who, upon hearing the noise made by my fall, turned towards me, and stood aghast, but powerless to aid me. My first thought was, that I should be dashed to pieces upon the rocks at the foot of the bluff; the next, that I might possibly manage to save myself upon one of the terraces beneath. All this time I was acquiring greater momentum, until it seemed as though I was fairly flying into the very arms of the horrible death which stood staring me so steadily in the face. Not a bush or shrub could I see growing upon the precipitous sides; there was nothing, absolutely nothing, for me to cling to, and the stones and earth which I dis- turbed in my descent were falling in a shower around me. Convinced that death was inevitable, I became perfectly reconciled to the thought. My mind comprehended in a moment the acts of a life-time. Transactions of the most trivial character, circumstances the remembrance of which had been buried deep in memory's vault for years, stood before me in bold relief; my mind recalled with the rapid- ity of lightning, and yet retained a distinct impression of every thought. I seemed to be gliding swiftly and surely out of the world, but felt no fear, experienced no regret at the thought; on the I FALL THREE HUNDRED FEET. MY SENSATIONS. 411 contrary, rejoiced that I was so soon to see with my own eyes the great mystery concealed behind the veil; that I was to cross the deep waters and be at rest. I thought I heard the sound of many voices, in wonderful harmony, coming from the far-off distance, though" from what direction I could not tell. My momentum had become so great that I seemed to expe- rience much difficulty in breathing; and I remember that I was trying to explain to my own satisfaction why this should be so, when the heel of my right boot struck the corner of a small stone that chanced to be firmly imbedded in the earth and therefore offered so much resistance to my descent, that upon striking it I was thrown forward upon my face. This stone without doubt saved my life. I have a clear recollection that as I was thrown forward, I instinctively threw my arras out, whether to act as a protection to my face, or to enable me to grasp some- thing, I do not know; but one of my hands struck against the sharp edge of something, and I grasped it and clung to it with a tenacity that a dying man only can under- stand. I have always since that day understood perfectly the feeling that induces a drowning man to catch at a straw that he sees floating near him. How it was that I succeeded in grasping it, or holding it, 412 HOW I WAS SAVED. or managing to make it afford me a kind of support, I have no idea. I remember of thinking that I had stopped; of being aware that I was bleeding badly; of wondering if I was dead, and why such an eternity of time had elapsed since my foot had slipped; and then darkness closed around me. I was aroused by a sharp pain in my left arm, and opening my eyes saw two or three persons standing around me, whom I did not recognize, though I realized the fact that I was not dead, and immediately relapsed once more into a state of insensibility, to be again aroused by a terrible twinge of pain in my arm. Opening my eyes, I saw the doctor with a pair of scissors, which I recognized as my own, in his hand, with which he seemed to be engaged in cutting my coat-sleeve, while a confused mass of something seemed above and around him on all sides. At first I could not seem to understand what it meant, then I knew them to be human faces, and then — When I next awoke I was lying in my blankets, with, I was sure, a broken arm, and was pretty well convinced by the feeling of my body that I had not a bone in it that was not in some manner injured. The doctor was sitting a short distance from me, complacently smoking his pipe, in the bright light of the camp-fire. I said to him, "Well, old fellow, you seem to be takiDg it easy." BEST. 413 He replied: "Yes; and if you know when you're well off, you'll do the same thing. Go to sleep again, and in the morning you shall know about it." Reader, I obeyed orders, because I couldn't help it. I went to sleep, and in the morning heard the story that I shall relate in the next chapter. CHAPTER XXVI. S it likely to die he is, docther?" were the first words that saluted my ears upon awaking, the next morning. I lay perfectly still, and with closed eyes listened for the doctor's reply. "Die? Not he; he'll be all right in a week." "Faith, an' it's wake anuf now he is," replied Jimmy. "How long will we be here, docther?" "Ten days at least," answered the doctor. I fancied I could discern a tone of genuine satisfaction in Jimmy's voice in the "Thank yez, sur" with which he responded to the doctor's reply to his inquiry. Opening my eyes, I said, "I'm sorry you told Jimmy that, doctor; we have been annoyed enough by him, and if he thinks (414) THE DOCTORS STORY. 415 we are to remain here ten days longer, I fear we shall have more trouble with him." "Not a bit of it," cheerily replied the doctor. "Jim- my's heart is still sore, and he's not likely to fall in love again, for the present, at least. Do you know that I believe he really had a strong fancy for that girl? Never mind that, however; it was a 'touch and go' with you, old fellow, last night. How's your arm this morning, and how do you feel?" "Sore! Tell me about it, doctor." "Tell you about it? I wish I could. The first thing we knew of your mishap, we saw you going down the face of the bluff on your back, at a rate of speed that would have put to shame old Pegasus himself, without even the compli- ment of notifying us of your intended trip. It was some seconds before I comprehended the situation, and even then we could neither of us do anything, and certainly never expected to see you alive again. "We listened, and heard you cull from away down below that you were 'all right;' and then Don Rafael started off like the wind, and almost before the old cacique or I had had time to collect our senses, and think how we could ren- der you any assistance, he was back with half a dozen Zunis and some lariats. I declare I don't think he was gone five minutes. When you think of the distance he was obliged to travel to the pueblo and back, it seems incredible that he 416 A BOTTLE OF ARNICA. could have gotten over the ground in such a short space of time. "They went to the terrace above you, and Don Rafael and one of the Zunis were lowered to the spot where you lay, attached the ropes around your body, and you were then hoisted, more dead than alive, to the ledge where the Zunis stood, after which you were carried upon their shoulders to the plain below. We laid you upon the grass, and I made an examination to ascertain the extent of your injuries, and greatly to my satisfaction and delight found that your only serious injury was a, broken arm. I managed to successfully set it, after which you were brought here. It was really a most wonderful escape; the thing couldn't be done once in ten thousand times; for, with the exception of your broken arm, which isn't a bad fracture by any means, and some pretty rough old bruises, you are quite unharmed. A few days will set you all right again. I only wish I had some arnica for you." "But, doctor, have you none? You had a bottle." "A bottle! Yes, but not enough to do you much good, though. I would as soon think of anointing a whale with a pint of water. I have ordered you some soup, and am going up to the pueblo to ascertain if the Zunis have any remedies which they successfully use for bruises." Jimmy soon after made his appearance with a bowl of hot mutton broth. While partaking of it, he entertained me JIMMY'S STORY. 417 with an amusing account of my fall, viewed from his stand- point, evidently conceiving the idea that it was occasioned by some experiment I had been making to find a shorter cut to the plain below; "for," said he, " 'twas an awful fall yer got, Judge, an' whin Don Rafael cum runnin' into the town beyant thare, and sed yer'd fall'n from the top ov the bluff, and wuz kilt intirely from the ifficts ov it, I thought I shud die misilf from the fright I got, an' I hadn't the stringth in mi ligs to stan' up at all, at all, an' ef it hadn't bin for mi mither-in-lor, I'd nivir hev raised the stringth to' hev got back to camp; she's a foine nuss, mi mither-in-lor; she's bitther nor any sisther o' charity I ivir saw — a foine woman, sur." "Jimmy, how came you in the pueblo on that afternoon? Didn't I expressly forbid you to go there?" "Did I say I wuz there; an' how could I be afther forgit- tin' what yer honor said to me, an' the purticlar charges yez giv to me?" "That's just what I'd like to know, Jimmy, what sent you to the pueblo." "It wuz a-lookin' afther the animals, sur. I wuz fearful they might naed somethin', sur." "But, Jimmy, what was your mother-in-law doing at the corral where the animals were ?' ' "Faith, sur, an' she wasn't there. I wuz at her house; I hadn't bin to^say the animals yit; I wuz jist a-goin', sur, 53 418 THE BETROTHED. when I see Don Rafael a-comin', and thin I wuz scart, and forgot all about 'em, sur. But I'm thankful to see yez will, sur, an' able to take yer soup." In a very short time after Jimmy left me, I dropped into a quiet slumber, from which I was aroused by the arrival of jimmy's mother-in-law. the doctor in company with a woman that he had procured to give me treatment, d la Zuni. The woman, by no means a bad-looking one, was about forty-five years of age, quite well preserved, and altogether a better specimen than the average of Zuni women. MY JVUMSE. 419 She at once commenced bathing my body with a lotion prepared from herbs, which seemed to give me almost instant relief. She was remarkably neat and cleanly in her personal appearance, and the gay-colored ribbons with which her head was adorned, together with a bright scarlet jacket, gave to her quite a coquettish air. Later in the day, when the cacique came to see me, I was sufficiently free from pain to be able to sit up and converse with him; and for an hour or more I was agreeably enter- tained by the many interesting facts concerning the Zunis, their legends and traditions, as well as those relating to the Moquis country, which he never tired of telling. I was es- pecially glad to hear him discourse at some length of the Moquis, for the inaccessibility of that country had compelled us to forego an intended visit there. Among the many legends that he related was one regard- ing the future state, which for poetical imagery I have rarely heard equalled. A similar legend prevails among the more northern tribes on the Pacific coast, which has been so frequently referred to by different writers as one of the most beautiful of the many traditions extant among them, that I propose to give it substantially as I find it related by the Abbe Domenech, well satisfied that it will lose none of its beauty or force when clothed in his language. A young Zuni huntsman, distinguished for his manly 420 A BEAUTIFUL LEGEND. beauty and his noble pride, saw his betrothed die on the day he was to have wedded her. He had given proof of his impetuous courage in battle, and the warriors of his tribe had long admired his intrepid- ity ; but now his heart was without the power to endure the cruel loss he had sustained. Since the fatal day which had destroyed his dearest hopes, he knew neither joy nor repose. He often went to visit the cherished tomb, and remained whole days absorbed in his bitter grief. His family and friends urged him to seek a diversion from his sorrow in hunting and war, but his former occupations had lost all attractions, and his tomahawk and arrows were forgotten. Having heard that a path existed which led into the "Country of Souls," he resolved to seek it out and follow it, until he should find her whom he so sincerely mourned. One morning he departed alone, and turned towards the south, guided only by tradition. For a long time he per- ceived no difference in the aspect of nature : the mountains, the valleys, the forests, and the rivers resembled those which he had so often traversed near the tombs of his fathers. The day preceding his departure from home, a heavy fall of snow had covered the ground; but by degrees, as he advanced upon his journey, the snow became rarer, and at length disappeared altogether. The trees soon became green, the forests gay and smiling, the air pure and warm, THE OLD MAN WITH WHITE HAIR. 421 and the cloudless sky resembled a vast blue prairie sus- pended over his head, while delicious flowers made the atmosphere heavy with their sweet perfumes, and birds of most brilliant plumage sang their melodious songs. By these signs, the mourner knew that he was on the right road, for they were all in accordance with the tradition. At last he came to a shady and sequestered path , which attracted his fancy to such a degree that he determined to follow it; and after passing through a beautiful wood, he found himself before an humble cabin, situated upon the top of a high hill. At the door of this dwelling stood an old man with long white hair, whose whole appearance betokened great age, and whose eyes, though sunken, shone like fire. He was clothed in a mantle of swans' down, which, thrown negli- gently over his shoulders, fell to the ground in graceful folds, and in his hand he held a long stick. The young Zuni began to relate his history, but before he had uttered five words, he was interrupted by the old man, who thus addressed him: — "I was waiting for you, that I might introduce you into my cabin. She whom you seek passed here a few days since, and as she was fatigued by her journey, she rested in my poor dwelling. Come in; sit down, and I will point out to you the road that, you must follow, if you would find your bride." 422 THE, ISLAND OF THE BLESSED. After the young warrior had fully recovered from the fatigue of his long journey, the old man led him out of the cabin by another door, when, pointing with his stick, he said to him: "Do you see yonder, far away beyond that gulf, a beautiful green prairie ? That - is the 'Island of the Blessed.' You are here upon its confines, and the only entrance to it is through my cabin ; before departing from here, you must leave your bow and arrows, your dog, and your body with me ; upon your return you will find them here." The traveller immediately felt himself become extraordi- narily light; his feet scarcely touched the ground, and his arms seemed transformed into wings. This sudden and wonderful transformation seemed to extend to all surrounding objects; the trees, foliage, flow- ers, Jakes, and streams shone with extraordinary brilliancy. The wild animals gambolled around him with a fearless- ness which incontestably proved that the hunter never entered into their countries. Birds of all colors sang melodies unknown to him, or spor- tively bathed in the limpid waters of the lakes and rivers. But what astonished him more than all the wondrous things that he saw, was to find that he walked freely through dense thickets of verdure, without being impeded by the objects that stood in his path. By these things he understood that all the sights which THE MASTER OF LIFE. 423 he saw were only images, shadows of the material world, and that he was in the abode of spirits. After having walked nearly a whole day in this beau- tiful land of enchantment, he arrived upon the bank of an immense lake, in the midst of which he saw the "Island of the Blessed." A canoe, made of a single white stone, and as brilliant as crystal, was moored to the shore. He threw himself into it, and seizing the oars, which were also of fine crystallized stone, began rowing towards the Island. Scarcely had he left the shore, when, to his joy, he saw his beautiful young bride, whom he had come so far to find, enter a barque like his own, imitate all his movements, and row by the side of the one in which he was floating. As they advanced, the waves arose threatening and foam- ing, as if they desired to swallow up the two voyagers in their angry embraces ; then they would recede to again form anew, as menacing as before. The two lovers passed through continual alternations of hope and fear, their terror being -greatly increased by seeing through the transparent water, that the bottom of the lake was strewn with the bones of the multitudes that had been shipwrecked while attempting the same voyage that they were then taking. The Master of Life had, however, decreed that they should arrive safely, because the thoughts and actions of both had 424 A COMMAND. ever been good; but they beheld many others, less happy than themselves, after struggling in vain against the waves, sink helplessly into the abyss. Men and women of every rank, age, and condition in life, embarked; some reached the port without difficulty , others perished on the way. At last, they were permitted to set foot upon the shore of the happy island ; they breathed with delight the perfumed air which strengthened them like celestial food ; they walked together in meadows always green, and filled with flowers which did not fade when trodden on, but emitted au exquisite perfume that soothed and delighted the senses. All nature, in this enchanting island, had been planned by the Great Spirit, expressly to charm the souls of those who were to be its inhabitants; cold, heat, tempest, snow, hun- ger, tears, war, and death were unknown; animals were hunted in the "happy hunting-grounds" for amusement only, but were never killed. Our young warrior would have remained eternally in this happy land with his betrothed, had not the Master of Life commanded him to return to his own country, to finish his mortal course. He could not see him who spoke, but he heard a voice like the sweet murmur of the breeze, which said to him: "Return to the land from whence you came. The time has not arrived for you to come and dwell in this blessed abode ; THE ZUNI HEREAFTER. 425 the duties for which I created you have not yet been ful- filled; return, and give to your people the example of a true life; you will become a great chief in your tribe; you will be instructed in your duties by the messenger who guards the entrance to this happy island. "He will restore to you your body and all that you left in his cabin. Listen to him, and you shall one day return to join the spirit that you came to see, and whom you must leave behind you, for you were only admitted to visit with her, and to see the glories of this happy land, because you were faithful to the memory of her whom you so truly loved, and who is accepted, and will remain here always young, and happier by far than when I called her from the land of snow." There are many of these legends among the Zunis, which might be related in this connection, some of them very beautiful, and all of them abounding in the finest poetical fancy; but the preceding legend of the "Island of the Blessed" is sufficient to give the reader an idea of them, and perhaps a glimpse of the Zunis' hereafter, which to my own mind suggests much that is pleasant for contemplation, although many of my readers, I fear, will hardly call it orthodox. As I had felt the necessity of returning to my blankets during the recital of this charming little legend, as soon as he had finished it the cacique arose and congratulated me 54 426 JIMMY IN COUNCIL. most sincerely upon my very wonderful escape from instant death. He took his departure, wishing me a speedy recovery, and promising to spend a portion of the morrow with me. While lying in my blankets, I could distinctly hear the low, monotonous tones of Jimmy's voice, uninterrupted by any sound in reply, until, fancying that he must be talking to himself, I managed to so change my position that I was enabled to see him sitting upon the ground at no great dis- tance behind the wagon, conversing by signs with the woman that the doctor had procured from the pueblo to act as my nurse, while at the same time, he kept up the inces- sant talking that had first attracted my attention, although he knew very well that the woman could not understand a single word that he uttered. Curiosity prompted me to endeavor to ascertain what the subject of conversation was, and, by attentively listen- ing, I managed to occasionally catch a word, while fancy supplied the missing ones. In this manner I soon became convinced that he was rehearsing to his auditor a list of the many charms pos- sessed by the "girl he left behind him" in his flight and hurried descent upon our camp on the night of the Navajoes' attack. As I gazed at the pair, I thought that I remembered the woman's features, although I could not recall where I had PRE V ABIC A TION. 427 seen her, as the neat and jaunty garb in which she was clothed effectually metamorphosed her beyond recognition. I heard Jimmy say to her, "She wuz an illigant craythur, ez beautiful ez yoursilf intirely, an' me heart is broke, shure; " at the same time he endeavored by the most ridicu- lous pantomime to make the woman comprehend what he was saying, and endeavoring to enforce the remark upon her mind by asking every moment, "D'ye understhand that, noo?" with an earnestness that was truly amusing. To each repetition of the above question, the woman would reply by an affirmative nod of the head, which seemed to give him the most complete satisfaction. After watching them for some time, I once more quietly resumed my former position, and calling loudly for Jimmy, he presented himself before me. Inquiring for Don Rafael, Jimmy informed me that he had accompanied the doctor to the pueblo for some pur- pose, whereat I asked Jimmy if the nurse that the doctor had brought from the town had returned yet. "Shure, snr," said Jimmy, "she wuz jist a-goin', whin I seen her last." "How long ago was that, Jimmy?" "Indade, sur, I wouldn't sthate, not havin' the time wid me!" "Well, Jimmy, has she gone or not, do you know?" "Faix, I wouldn't like to sthate, but I'll go and say." 428 THE MOTHER-IN-LAW. And the next minute he was by her side, making the most frantic gesticulations in his efforts to get rid of the poor woman, while he insisted upon continually talking to her, in a strain something like the following, — "Ye must go right home, like a good oomau, an' I'll cum up right away, for if the Juge knows yer in camp, he'd hev me kilt immajetly at oust. Go now, there's a good ooman; don't bodder him enny longer." After fairly pushing the woman out of the camp, and returning with a most innocent look upon his face, he re- marked, "I don't say her inywhere about, sur." I said, "Jimmy, who is the woman? I've seen her before, somewhere." "Indade, sur, it's only me mither-in-lor." "Who?" "It's the mither of the gurl, sur." "What girl, Jimmy?" "The gurl, sur, thet thim Navajoe divils rin away wid the other night;" and tears as big as gooseberries appeared in Jimmy's eyes; as he added, "poor craythur, who can till what her sufferin's may be." I said to Jimmy, thinking to comfort him in his afflic- tion, "Well, I'm very glad she's here, for now you may be enabled to make the poor woman some kind of repara- tion for the great wrong you have unconsciously worked her, as well as her daughter." A REQUEST. 429 "Wrang, sur! How did I wrang her?" "By cruelly leaving the poor girl to be captured by the Navajoes, when you might have defended her just as well as not, and — " "Last me scalp?" said Jimmy, in a tone of voice that clearly indicated that such a contingency had been fully considered by him, before acting in the matter. "Certainly, Jimmy, any person should feel it an honor to lose his scalp, or his life even, in defence of his lady- love." "An' what wud me honor amount to widout me scalp? Bedad, I'd rayther fale the wan, then have the ither," said Jimmy, inadvertently passing his hiiad over the top of , his head, as if to assure himself that his scalp was still there. "But, sur, the poor woman is wantin' some things to make hursilf comfurtable, jist thryflin' things, sur; wee little things, that yer honor wouldn't miss at all, at all. Can she have 'em?" "Well, Jimmy, as she's gone now, we'll talk of it another time." "Shure, sur, she haven't gone, I giss." "But you told me she had, Jimmy." "Will, sur, I didn't rightly know at the time I was spak- in', sur." "Jimmy, I think you're trying to deceive me." "Is it mesilf, sur, that wud be thryin' to decave yez, 430 A NEW COOK. d'ye think? I'd know I couldn't do it, sur, but can I give the woman a few things, sur?" "Yes, Jimmy; but remember we're a long way from home yet, and our supply is none of the largest." "Shure, sur, I know all that," said Jimmy, as he hurried away to bestow his presents, leaving me well satisfied in my own mind, and greatly relieved to think that we should have no further trouble from Jimmy's too susceptible heart. Ere half an hour had elapsed, Jimmy returned, and seat- ing himself by my side, remarked, — "That's a moighty foine woman, Juge." "Yes, Jimmy, she seems like a nice kind of a person." "She's a beauthifool craythur, sur, and an illigant cook." "Well, we don't want her to cook for us." "But she's comin', this blissid avenin', sur, to cook garvies for yez; thim illigant little cakes, that looks like wasps' nishts." Thinking it best to humor Jimmy in his desires, I made no objection to the arrangement; and away be went, to ascer- tain if possible what had become of the doctor, who in a very few moments appeared with Don Rafael, who reported seeing Jimmy on his way to the pueblo; nor did we see him again until he appeared, late in the afternoon, in com- pany with his mother-in-law, who was evidently prepared to cook the "garvies," as she bore in her hand a small GUAYAVES. 431 earthen dish or bottle, filled with the thin paste made of meal ground from corn. As the guayave is an article of food very much liked by all the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, and also one that Americans become very fond of after a short sojourn in the country, let me inform the reader how it is made and what it is like. The woman, after selecting a smooth, flat stone, laid it carefully upon our camp-fire, so that it would gradually heat through. After it was hot, she knelt beside it, and pouring upon it a little of the paste from the bottle, with the palm of her hand she smoothly spread it over the surface of the stone, until it was very thinly and evenly distributed; then she peeled it off from the stone, and made it into a roll resembling a large cigar, when it was ready to be eaten. It is a very palatable article of food, not unlike the tortilla (described in a previous chapter) in its taste, as well as the general manner of preparation. We made our. supper, in part, of guayaves that night, much to the satisfaction of Jimmy, who pronounced both cook and garvies "illigant." CHAPTER XXVII. 'ON rising the next morning, I was in- formed by Don Rafael that Jimmy had accompanied the nurse from camp the night before, and that he did not return until long after midnight. Deeming it best to let Jimmy know that I was in- formed regarding his movements, though I did not want him to think that I was in- quiring too closely into the secret of his outgoings and incomings, I called him to me, and asked him his reason for absenting himself from camp the night before. He replied that "he warked beside his mither-in-lor to the town beyant, in order that he might protict her from eny sthray bands of Navajoes that might be prowl in' through the counthry." Of course, to so reasonable an excuse as this, I could offer no objections, as Jimmy had so clearly demonstrated in a previous instance both his ability and disposition to (432) AN INVITATION 433 defend ( ?) any woman who might be in his charge from dan- ger threatened by reason of Navajoe prowlers. Breakfast was hardly dispatched, before Doctor Parker, who had seated himself, pipe in hand, by my side, discov- ered the cacique approaching, with the evident purpose of paying me his promised visit. The doctor filled a pipe for the old man, who was no sooner seated, than he informed us, with an eagerness almost child-like in its simple earnestness, that on the mor- row the Zunis were to celebrate the "Maize," or "Green- corn dance," and that it would make him "much happy" if we would do him the honor to be present and witness it. As this dance is one of the few Montezuma festivals still celebrated by these Indians, and is regarded by them with the greatest veneration, the doctor and myself determined to attend, and see this most curious and beautiful ceremony. I immediately signified my thanks for the invitation, and promised, if able to walk to the pueblo, to be present. As the old man seemed in quite a loquacious mood, a few questions drew from him much interesting information concerning Montezuma and the people of the Moquis country, as well as a description of some of the extensive and singular ruins found in the Navajoe country, some ninety or a hundred miles north of Zuni, lying upon the Rio de Chelly, and in the Cation de Chaco, which are the most northern of any in New Mexico. 55 434 LEGEND OF MONTEZUMA. Upon asking him if he could give us any reliable account of these ruins, he replied, without a moment's hesitation, "O yes; they were built by Montezuma himself, who, as he travelled over the country, was in the habit of build- ing a town in a single night wherever he stopped; that he also planted maize at night, which in the morning was found to have grown and ripened, ready for his followers' use; that he never failed to construct an estufa in each town that he built, on the altar of which he kindled a flame, ever after regarded as sacred. This flame his fol- lowers were never to allow to become extinguished until his prophecies were all fulfilled; that for centuries his com- mands had been regarded, and the sacred flame was never allowed to go out until after that portion of his prophecies regarding the coming of the 'pale faces from the place where the sun rises,' had been literally fulfilled."* Upon asking if he could give me any facts concerning Montezuma's origin, he informed me that Montezuma was the only son of the most beautiful woman that the Great Spirit had ever created and permitted to bless the earth with her presence. So beautiful was she, that none but the bravest warriors * There are, at the present time, Americans living in New Mexico who have actually seen the "sacred flame" burning in the temple at Pecos, as well as in the pueblo of Jemmez, and this some years after the United States had acquired possession of the Terr'tory. MONTEZUMA'S MOTHER. 435 could look upon her, as the celestial beauty of her form and features caused all who gazed upou her to at once become her humble and abject slaves. That the chiefs of all the tribes of the earth came and sought her hand in marriage; that they no sooner saw the other suitors, than they waged war one against the other, and engaged in furious combat for the privilege of first paying their addresses to her. She turned a deaf ear to all their entreaties, however, and refused to entertain the pro- posals of any of them, because she was the bride of the Great Spirit. Each of her suitors brought tribute of the finest and best productions of their lands, which were stored in great houses, built for that purpose. In this manner she accumulated large quantities of gold, silver, precious stones, cloth, and skins; also vast stores of maize, wheat, and other grains. So immense were these supplies, that when famine came upon the land, and the people were starving, she was enabled to furnish them with food, and prevent them from dying. Thus it was that she won the love of all the people, and made herself worthy to become the mother of the great and good Montezuma. One day, while wandering through a beautiful grove near her residence, she lay dow T n upon the green grass, and fell asleep, failing to awake as the shades of evening approached. A gentle zephyr having displaced the snowy garment that covered her bosom, a single drop of dew fell 436 OLD RUINS. upon one of her beautiful breasts, and she forthwith became pregnant, and gave birth to a son, who immediately grew to the stature of a man. This son was Montezuma, he who had built the many towns, the ruins of which were scattered throughout the country. The old man informed me that he had visited many of these ruins himself, and found them "very much large;" but as Lieutenant Simpson, U. S. A., in his "Navajoe Ex- pedition," has given so complete a description of them, I prefer to use it, rather than the somewhat faulty and con- fused one given by the cacique. Simpson describes a portion of these ruins as situated in the Canon de Chaco, and in the valley of the Rio de Chelly, two of the most southern tributaries of the Rio San Juan. In all, there are more than thirty of these ruined pue- blos, only six of which he gives a description of: Pintado, Weje-gi, Una-Vida, Hungo-Pavie, Chettro-Kettle, and Penasca-Blanca. He found the ruins of the pueblo Pintado "forming one structure, and built of tabular pieces of hard, fine-grained, compact, gray sandstone,"— a material quite unknown in the present architecture of New Mexico,— "to which age and the atmosphere have imparted a reddish tint, the layers, or slabs, being not thicker than three inches, and sometimes as thin as a fourth of an inch. The masonry discovers a combination of science and art, which can only be referred DESCRIPTION OF THEM. 437 to a higher state of civilization and refinement than is to be found in the works of either the Mexicans or Pueblos of to-day. "So beautiful, diminutive, and true are the details of the structure, as to give them at a little distance the appear- ance of a magnificent piece of mosaic work. "In the outer face of the buildings no signs of mortar are to be seen, the intervals between the beds, or layers, being chinked with beautifully colored pebbles of the minutest thinness; the filling and backing of the walls is clone in rubble masonry, the mortar, however, showing no indica- tion of the presence of lime; their thickness at the base is a little more than three feet, while higher up it is less, diminishing every story by retreating jogs on the inside from the bottom to the top. "The elevation of the walls at the present time is thirty- two feet, showing it to have been originally four stories high ; the ground-plan, in exterior development, is four hun- dred and thirteen feet. On the ground floor are fifty-four apartments, the smallest one measuring five feet square, the largest one thirteen feet by seven. These rooms communi- cate with each other by means of small doors, two and a half feet wide by three feet high. "In the second story, the doors are much larger; in this, as in the third story, were once windows. The system of flooring was unhewn beams about six inches in diameter, I 438 HUNG O-PA VIE. from which the bark had been carefully removed; they were laid transversely from wall to wall, small, peeled sticks, about one inch in diameter, being laid across them; these were covered with grass, or tulle, which, with a layer of mud mortar, furnished the floor to the room above. These beams show no signs of the saw or axe, but bear the marks of having been hacked off by some very imper- fect instrument. "In different portions of the ruins were three circular apartments, sunk in the ground, the walls being of masonry ; these apartments measured from sixteen to twenty-seven feet in diameter, and were about six feet in the clear; were called estufas, and were used for the performances of the ceremonies and rites of their religion ; the only entrance to them being through a small door in the top, which also admitted the light." The pueblo Weje-gi is built in the same manner as that of Pintado, and is constructed of the same kind of material. The apartments on the ground floor numbered ninety- nine; the length of the principal edifice is three hundred and ninety feet. The ruins of Hungo-Pavie show the same nicety in the details of their masonry as do those of Pintado, the eslufa alone being different, it having a number of interior counter- forts. This pueblo was undoubtedly four stories in height. The ruins of the pueblo of Chettro-Kettle, although PENASCA-BLANCA. 439 showing the same style of architecture, and built of the same kind of material, are more extensive than those already described ; there are four stories now standing, and one hundred and twenty-four rooms occupied the ground floor. Many of these rooms are in an excellent state of preservation, the walls still having upon them their coating, or plaster. The most extensive of these northern ruins are those of the pueblo of Perlasca-Blanca, which differs from the others in the arrangement of the stones composing its walls ; those of the other pueblos were of uniform character, in the several beds or layers composing them, but in these there is a regular alternation of large and small stones, the effect of which is both unique and beautiful. The largest of these stones are about one foot in length and six inches in thickness, forming but a single bed; alter- nating with these are four or five beds of small stones, about an inch in thickness. The general plan of - the buildings seems to have been about the same; the number of rooms traceable upon the ground floor of this pueblo is one hundred and thirty-four, while the existing walls show it to have been five stories in height. In no single instance was either a chimney or fireplace found among the ruins, nor were there any indications of the presence or use of iron in their construction. Quan- 440 POTTERY- WARE. tities of pottery-ware were found, the colors showing taste in their selection and style of arrangement, and being still quite bright. It can hardly be necessary to describe the ruins found in the valley of the Rio de Chelly, as they are similar to those already described as found in the Canon de Chaco, covering the valley for the space of twenty-five miles. Before leaving this subject, I desire to speak of some ruins which, though lying south of the present boundary of the United States, without doubt formed a part of the wonderful system of pueblos existing in this marvellous EAETHEN BOWL FKOM RUINS OF THE PUEBLO PENASCA— BLANCA. country, which extended throughout New Mexico and Ari- zona, and were once the homes of a numerous and indus- trious race of people. I refer to the ruins of the Casas Grandes found in north- western Chihuahua, and situated upon the Rio Casas Grandes, a stream that empties into Lake Guzman. These are the ruins of the most southern of these fortified towns, or pueblos, and which the historian, Claverigo, de- clares similar in every respect to those of New Mexico, CAS AS GRANDES, CHIHUAHUA. 441 being constructed of three stories, and without entrance to the first floor. Unlike any other ruins in New Mexico, save those of the Gran Quivera, water was conveyed to the pueblo from a spring some distance away, by means of an aqueduct. A large watch-tower, called by some "Castle Janos," stands about a league to the southwest of the town, commanding a wide extent of country, while along the banks of the stream are many mounds, in which weapons of stone, with many earthen vessels, handsomely painted, have been found. Bartlett, in his "Personal Narrative," says: "The ruins of Casas Grandes in Chihuahua face the cardinal points, and consist of fallen and erect walls, the latter varying in height from five to thirty feet, projecting above the portions of ruins which have crumbled.to decay. Were the heights estimated from the foundations, it would be much greater, particularly those of the centre point of the building, where the fallen walls and rubbish form a mound more than twenty feet above the ground. If, therefore, the highest walls now standing have their foundations on the lowest level, their probable height was more than fifty feet. I concluded that the outer portion of the buildings was the lowest, about one story high, while the central ones, judging from the height of the walls now standing, and the accumulation of rubbish, were probably from three to six stories. 56 442 DESCRIPTION OF RUINS. "Every portion of the building is made of adobe, which differs entirely from that now made by the Mexicans, in that the blocks are very much larger, being about four feet in length, by twenty-two inches in thickness. Gravel was mixed with the mud, but no straw was used. "The building consists of three masses, united by walls of one story, forming court-yards. The entire edifice ex- tends from north to south eight hundred feet, and from east to west two hundred and fifty. The general character is very similar to the Casas Grandes near the Pimo vil- lages, and the ruins on the Salinas. Not a fragment of wood remains; many doorways are to be seen, but the lintels have gone, and the top has in most cases crumbled away, and fallen in. "Some of the apartments arranged along the main walls are twenty feet by ten, and connected by doorways, with a small enclosure, or pen, in one corner, between three and four feet high. Besides these there are many other exceedingly narrow apartments, too contracted for dwell- ing-places or sleeping-rooms, with connecting doorways, and into which the light was admitted by circular aper- tures in the upper part of the wall. There are also large halls, and some enclosures within the walls, and so exten- sive that they could never have been covered by a roof. The lesser ranges of buildings, which surrounded the prin- cipal one, may have been occupied by the people at large, ES TUFAS. 443 whose property may have been deposited within the great building for safe keeping. Although there appears to have been less order in the tout ensemble of this great collection of buildings than in those farther north, the number of small apartments, the second stages and stories, the inner courts, and nearly all the minor details, resemble those of the ruins found in New Mexico and Arizona." Who shall answer the question, when and by whom were these wonderful structures built? 1 . In a succeeding chapter I propose to give the reader a synopsis of the many theories that have been advanced concerning these ruins by our savans, that he may, in connection with the facts here given, understand the great uncertainty that exists concerning the early settlement of this marvellous country; as well as to convince him of the truth of the statements made in previous chapters of this work, that the barren and desolate wastes now existing between the Rio Grande and the waters of the Pacific were once inhabited by a race of people far superior in the arts and in mechanical skill to any of the races that for the past century have been found within its confines. In all these ruins estufas are found to exist; they were invariably built underground; were circular in form, with neither doors nor windows, entrance always being had through a small aperture in the roof. These estufas are of different sizes, and from six to nine feet in the clear. They 444 INTERESTING BITES. always contained a kind of altar, or stone table, flat upon the top, upon which it is supposed was kept burning the sacred flame. The walls of many of them were ornamented with rude paintings or representations of different animals or birds; such figures as the deer, the dog, the wolf, the fox, the eagle, and the turkey; in addition to which, rude represen- tations of the sun, the moon, the clouds, and the lightning were found painted in colors. These estufas, the old cacique informed me, were the temples of Montezuma, and that the cacique and their council, at the planting and before the harvesting each spring and fall, visit them and perform certain religious rites, consisting of songs and chants, which are sup- posed to make the offerings there given more acceptable to Montezuma, who in return therefor bestows upon his children many blessings, sending them rain and abundant crops. 1 ventured to hint to the cacique that 1 possessed a very strong desire to visit the estufa at Zuni before I left; but the intimation was unheeded, nor was the subject again referred to by either of us. The cacique had scarcely left ere Jimmy made his appear- ance, and seated himself beside me with such an air of im- portance that I was iit once aware that he was about to make some communication of import. Inflating his lungs to their JIMMY PROPOSES A "TIST." 445 fullest extent, and inclining his head to one side, while his face wore a very cunning expression, he remarked, — "It is impossible for me to belave thi mony injurious reports carculated concernin' thi Injuns in thi town beyant, whin I say thi face ov thi good ould bazaque." For a moment T was under the impression that Jimmy had been too freely partaking of the contents of our demijohn, but soon discovered, from the serious air that pervaded his whole hearing, that he meant business by his remark, and therefore replied, — "Well, Jimmy, as we don't propose to trust ourselves among them for any length of time, the truth or falsity of the report can be a matter of no earthly consequence to us, especially as neither of us will have any opportunity to test it." "It'll be a great satisfaction, for to do it, sur," replied Jimmy. "Do what, Jimmy?" "Tist it, sur." "Well, you can't test it, so let that settle it," replied I, rather testily. "But I think I will, shure." "How do you propose to do it, Jimmy?" "By thryin' it, shure, sur." "How are you going to try it, Jimmy?" "Well, sur, yer say I owe mi mither-in-lor some riputa- 446 WANTS TO MARRY. tion for thi loss ov her gurl, an' I'm thiukin' I'll jist marry har, an' sittle down misilf right here, sur, wid thi other Injuns." Had I at that moment heard a clap of thunder resounding through the sky, I could not have been more completely astounded, than at this piece of information. Then the utter absurdity of it struck me so forcibly, that I lay back and indulged in a prolonged and most hearty fit of laughter, much to the discomfort of my poor body, which was still very sore from the effects of my fall. As soon as I could suffi- ciently recover myself, I said, — "Why, Jimmy, the woman is old enough to be your mother." "No, sur," said Jimmy, "she's only twinty-five, an' I'm twinty-six misilf." "How can that be, Jimmy, when she has a daughter at least twenty years old?" "Faith," said Jimmy, looking for a moment rather puz- zled, "moighty quare things hap'n in this counthry; d'ye moind thi sthory that thi ould bazaque was tellin' yez a bit affo, about Mister Montezuma's mother?" "Yes, Jimmy, but that was only a legend that occurred a great many hundred years ago." "Will, ef these things tuk place thin, why wouldn't they do it now?" "That is a question which I can't answer, Jimmy; but I HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW. 447 can, and do tell you, to keep away from the woman, and I shall require your parole that you won't go near the town without permission . ' ' "I'll not give it to yez," said Jimmy, firmly bracing him- self, and speaking with a most determined air. "Father Donncgan giv it me, an' I'll kape it all mi life long, for he tould me to; an' it's mighty quare that a mon can't visit wid his own mither-in-lor, widout bein' obliged to deliver up his barole." "You couldn't marry your mother-in-law, Jimmy, without breaking the law, and that would subject you to punishment for the crime of bigamy — perhaps." "What's that, shure, sur?" "When a man marries his mother-in-law, that's bigamy, Jimmy, which the law don't permit." "Shure, I think it's moighty small bizness for the lor to interfere in cases ov thi afflictions." "There's no country in the world, Jimmy, where such a marriage would be le^al." "Yis, sur," said Jimmy, with great promptitude; "it wud be laghal in ould Ireland." "O, no; you are mistaken. It is impossible for it to be legal in any civilized country." "Yis, sur," said Jimmy. "Michael Murphy, in the county Monohon, parish ov Limerick, married his own mither-in- lor, an' Father Donnegan did it wid his own hands." 448 HIS BE AS ONS. "Well, if he did do it, it's no excuse for you, and you may as well understand that, first as last." "I'm no peon, shure," replied Jimmy. "No; but you are under my care, and I'll see that the cacique puts a stop to any such nonsense." "Is't the ould bazaque yer spakin' ov now? That for the ould haythin," said Jimmy, jumping up from the ground, and violently snapping his fingers, while he capered around like a mad man; "that for the ould haythin! Hasn't he got five wives alriddy, an' didn't he want mi mother-in-lor for another one, an' didn't she till me so wid her own mouth last night?" "Now, Jimmy, how is that possible, when you can't un- derstand a word she says?" " Faith, she tould me it wid her fingers, so she did." "Well, Jimmy, I do not propose to discuss the matter any further with you, nor do I know or care how many wives the cacique has; he is the governor, makes the laws, and has a right to have as many as he chooses; but I'll wager something that he never yet married his mother-in- law, nor can you, either." "But I must, tho', for I'm plidged to her since last night," said Jimmy, looking very fierce. "That doesn't make any difference; not the least in the world. You were pledged to her daughter, and on the very first appearance of danger, you left her like a cowardly AN AGREEABLE ERRAND. 449 puppy, and took good care of yourself alone, notwithstand- ing you had inveigled her away. ' ' "What's invaygled, noo," said Jimmy. "Well, sir," I replied, "I'll not talk with you any more at the present time ; we will wait until the return of the doctor, and have his opinion on the subject. In the mean time, get me some dinner. I'm hungry, and want it at once." "Will I go and git mi mither-in-law to come and cook yez some o' them illigant garvies yez liked so much?" "No, sir. I don't want your mother-in-law in camp, or to ever hear of her again, and you be very careful that I don't, either. Now go and cook me some dinner at once." Jimmy started, to return in a few moments with the announcement that Don Eafael had neglected to provide any meat, but had told him to go to the pueblo after it, a circum- stance that he had entirely forgotten. Upon his mentioning the fact, I remembered that Don Ra- fael had asked permission for Jimmy to go for the provis- ions before he had left camp, and feeling remarkably hungry I could see no way of satisfying my appetite but to permit Jimmy to again visit the pueblo. I therefore reluctantly told him to go, but bade him return as soon as possible. Jimmy assented to this command most cheerfully, and started towards the pueblo with the air of a man who coes to perform a most agreeable errand ; in fact, so quick was his 57 450 ALONE IN CAMP. step, and so light his air, that I called him back after he had proceeded some distance on his errand, to bid him be sure and not forget to return immediately, as I was entirely alone in the camp, and very hungry. Assuring me that he would certainly comply with my most reasonable demands, he once more departed, and the setting sun was tinging the earth with its crimson benedic- tion ere he returned to inform me that "the mate wuz