Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-05-13

VISITING THE MOQOIS
A CALL FROM STRANGERS WHICH
THEY DID NOT At ALL RELISH.

A CALL FROM STRANGERS WHICH
THEY DID NOT At ALL RE sH.
Pueblo Indians Rsssnting Tie Presence
Of whites-CoL stsvensoa and His
WIFI Return from Arizona with Curios
and Readable Story u Adventure.
Col james Stevenson, Of the bureau of
ethno.ogy, has returDedto Warrington after
q soiourn Of about dix months among ths
Indians Of Arizona, bringing . carload Of
rarS and valuable curios illustrative Of the
social habits, worship, and industries Of Va
rious TRIES, OF which little ID known He
was accompanied in his travels by ArA
Stevenson, and the pair had IN adventure
among the Pueblo Indians quite unusual in
its character. Having explored some newly
discovered cave villages in tn, vicinity Of
Flagstaff, A T., they gathered small
party, struck across the desert to the north
east for the Noqui towns, several days
journey distant They arrived safely. and
encamped at the foot Of high mesa, at the
top Of which stand Oreits, tho largest,
westernmost, and least known OF all the
Pueblo" towna Its population il about SO
souls. and the village Is . compact mass OF
rubble structures, standing one upon an
other, like pile Of empty boxes and with
AZ little regard to any plan Of architecture
The people, like all village Indians, are com
raratively han mless, tut, unlike the major
ity, have . strong aversion to contact with
the whites
Some Of the leading men OF the town came
down to the camp, and, after considerable
palaver, gave consent that their village
might be visited, but stipulated that no ef-
fort should be made to convert the people
to Christianity. The next day Mr. and
Mra Stevenson, accompanied by their four
friendly Moquis from other villages and as
many Navajoes, rode to tho top Of the mesa,
dismounted. walked into the village plan,
and thence climbed q ladder to the top OF
the cocique'A or high priests, housa.
THRoNGS OF EXCITED BARBARIANS
When the presence Of the strangers BE-
came known there were signs Of excitement
throughout the village The neighboring
housetops and the plaza were thronged by
excited barbarians, who chartered In loud
voices and made threatening gestures Ons
burly savage upon q roof Just abovs the
cocique's dangled . lariat suggtstiy ely
noosed at the end, and loudly demanded
that the whites be taken to tie es-u'a. or
underground chapel Of the village, AMI there
summarily dealt with One or two demon
strative individuals volunteered to lie the
first to apply the knife The friendly
Moquis stood their ground only a few
minutes and then disappeared, but the
Navajoes, who are made Ut frmer material,
remained
Col Stevenson saws that while the situa-
ton was highly interesting it was probably
less alarming than i. would have been to
people unacquainted with the natural
tirnidity of the Pue6,os Mrs Stevenson,
who has sojourned with her husband anon,
many wild tribes and knows tho Indian
character well, created an opportune di-
version by shaking her fist In the face OF Q
bunch backed savage, whose vindictive elo-
qnence seemed to exert q most m schievous
influence over his fellows, addressing to him
ut the same time several brief but vigorous
remarks in English and Spanish which he
was, Of course, quito unable to understand
Before the man had recovered his sesf-pos-
session the strangers had backed down the
ladder and then slowly made their way,
with the whole how,ing pack, men and
women, children and dogs, at their heels, to
their ponies, mounted and rode down to
camp They found the cook, who was the
only other white person in the party, con
siderably alarmed He said the camp was
surrounded soon after their departure by
many friendly Indians, but when the Molui
desertars reached them and told the story Of
the proceedings ON tho mesa all mounted
their ponies and made haste to get away
The cook feared his companions bad besn
L.,
A PARTY TO THE RESCUE.
The party remained in tho neighborhood
several days visiting the other Moqui vii
lagos, to all Of which thy were welcomed,
and many times they wsre visited surrepti-
tiously at night by people from Oreibe, who
brought curios for sale, which they dared
not offer openly. In this way a fair col
lection was made. Meanwhile the story OF
the episode In Oreibe was carried to keam's
canyon, twenty five miles distant, the pro-
prietor Of which, an English ranchman, has
lived in the vicinity many years, and by
fair dealing, pluck, and irmness has gailed
an extraordinary influence with both Naya-
joes and Moquix Nj. Keam at once or.
ganiasd Q party Of three or four whit men,
the only ones living within sixty miles, and
q dozen or twenty Navajoes for . rescue.
Tho Oreibes received information Of his
approach, and the head men of the tribs in
continently fed Ksam sent his Navajoss
after them, and tbs two, including tn,
hunchbacked chief, were brought In. keam
tied their elbows and took them 20 the ranch
for discipline, the Stevensons accompanying
him The prisoners were de5an. at first
but after two or thres days con ;ieniau:
under the guardianship Of Nava O ailor.,
Who beat drums, danced, and indul ,ed in
other terrifying perfcrma,ices, they began
to .elent and confesse TIA; they had actei
badly.
"Now you are beginning to talk reason
said Keam, aand we will see about letting
you 60 soon"
But" snarled the hunchback, @ws must
60 now"
Hold OF, my friend, You arc too fast
You will not lie 30 abrupt, perhaps, toInor-
row."
After another nights confinement tbs
pr soners begged their liberty, AMI were
Joined in their prayers by q deputation
from the village They promised good te-
luavior in the future and extended an ap-
parently cordial invitation to tho Ste en-
sons to return "Now" said Keam, you
are talking like men We will keep you
another night"
Tbs next day they were set at liberty and
went away crestfallen end rspentant-
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