Milford chronicle., 1888-07-13
TILE DEVILS SLIDE.

GUS rock formations in Echo and Webe
canyons, just after the road enters the terri
tory Of Utah It would seem that here ma
ture had made her play ground, and out O
pure sport had fashioned the rocks into al
sorts Of fantastic and grotesque shapes Blu
few, if any, are familiar with the legen,
which throws the glamours of the supernat
urRl over the quantity shaped crags and give
them their sulphurously suggestive names
I left the train at the little Mormon villag
Of Peterson, just beyond the canyon, and Sc
curing horses and a guide, prepared t,
spend few days trying the trout fishing fol
which the Weber river enjoys local reputa
tion. Pedro, my guide, was n half breeC
Mexican, Of the Sancho Panza type, full o
Indian laziness, Mexican superstition aud q
true Spanish love for the marvellous. He haC
been brought up in an old monastery, moi
far from the City of Mexico, and was full ol
tales of the hardy friars who braved the ter.
rors Of the wilderness, in order to convert the
Indians, and who, if the stories be true
used TO lasso them when milder persuasion
failed.
We logged along pleasantly enough until
wewere well within the canyon, and selected
grassy spot on the river bank to pitch our
camp for the night Then Pedro began to
SHOW signs OF uneaslnesS
'Senor, like not this place" he said
finally, as he fumbled at the cords which
bound the luggage on the pack mule. "What
is the matter with the placer l queried, as
took note Of the pools and eddies in the river,
and made mental calculation as to the best
place to commence my fishing the next day
SIT is strange, senior, the rocks are works
Of witchery, and the story is not pleasant to
think Of n
''Wen,n answered carelessly, as saw a
big trout which looked to be over a foot
long as it flashed in the sunlight, jump from
a pool directly in front of me, ~ guess
nobody viii hurt you; we will build a big
fire and it will keep the animals away, and
the Indians are all peaceable."
SIT is not the Indians nor the bears fear,
senor; it is the devil"
''Pshaw, the devil does not want you yet
a while, answered, laughingly, and Pedro
submissively began to arrange the camp and
prepare supper l unpacled my trout rods
with care, and busted myself selecting flies
and rigging my tackle for the sport antici-
pated ON the morrow. even went so far as
to whip the pool out Of which had seen the
trout jump, but it was too late in the day, OF
his, troutship was sullen, and had my labor
for my pains.
After we had finished our supper we lay on
opposite sides Of the camp fire, smoking my
pipe and Pedro consuming villainous cigar
cites made Of black plug tobacco wrapped in
the coarsest straw paper, and thinlling-at
least was-of how well the natural appear
ance of the canyon gave color to Pedro's super
stitious notions The moon was struggling
through mass Of feecy cloud which did not
hide it entirely, but which made the light
tremble as it shot out bright and clear
through the open spaces, then was obscured
by a cloud bank. The Weber river, at our
feet, looked in one moment as bright as quick
silver, in the next it was inky black. The
tremUlous moonlight gave fantastic outlines
to the strangely shaped crags, and they
seemed to move with sort of rhythmis
swaying, to advance in the moonlight and
bow, then recede into tho shadow. The night
wind rustled through the stunted pines and
sage brush and moanei most uneanniB
among the mysterious flssures and crevices
Of he'rocks. The river rippled along peace
fully enough past our camp, but the dull roar
of the cataract, where, a half mile below, II
dashed through the rock riven Devils Gate,
made dull monotone broken by the sharp
yelp of the coyote or the cry Of a small bird
frightened by the prairie owl
Pedro.drew closer to me, and pointing to
two parallel walls of rock about twenty feet
apart, rising to height of about thirty feet
and extending from the top to the bottom of
the mountain, he whispered in an awe struck |
voice: 'The DEVILS Slide, senor."
Then pointing to huge monolith, shaped /
like an Indian club, on the opposite bill, he |
added;
e "That is the DEVILS War Club, and he .
crossed himself so vigorously and muttered /
50 many strange prayers in a mixture of bad /
Spanish and worse Latin, that l am certain |
that any reasonable fiend would have fed in |
terror at his incomprehensble patois
His evident terror was beginning to make |
me nervous from sympathy, and knew that
the best way to restore his mental equilibrium .
was to interest him in some subject not con
nected with our uncanny surroundings. /
tried in vain to turn the conversation upon
hunting and fishing. At last in desperation.
thinking that the sound of his own voice
might reassure him and that In the interest
of his story he would forget his position,
allowed him to tell me the legend which.
ihorn Of some Of Pedro's inaccuracies of
ipeech, ran as follows:
In the year I'M, when the people Of the
EASTERN part of America were fighting for
the Spaniards had already
Iettled on the Pacific coast and founded sew
raj missions. The fathers, with that devo-
ion and fearlessness which has characterized
he priesthood in all ages, had penetrated
ar inland and made many converts among
he savages in the.interior as early as 1725.
Among the most zealous and successful
vas Father Pietro deleTorra, a man Of great
oiety, and also as social and genial a com
'anion as one could wish for. In the fall of
~ Father Pietro had crossed the Sierras
md was preaching and baptizing among the
indians OF Nevada and Utah. He had
lassed the Alkali plains Of the Humboldt
egion and the Great Salt lake, and late one
vening was walking in Weber canyon, when
le came to a wall of rock which barred his
'assage He determined, however, to push
n, and after laboriously climbing the hill he
'ursued his way dlong the top Soon he OBJ
erved a gentleman dressed as a Spanish
avalier Of the day coming toward him.
'ather Pietro was not a little surprised to
ee white man 50 far from civilization: am
4 truth, he was not sorry, for being, as we
ave said, Of a social disposition, he felt the
aek Of company sorely.
Therefore, when they met Father Pietro
miled pleasantly and remarked:
"a lonely walk you are having, my SOM
ut is, reverend father, but is it not like !
rise lonely for you, who travel day after day
every lonely" answered Father Pietro, ,
18th sigh. Then Frightening up, he added: :
''Let US sup togetheri a crust with pleas
Mt companion is better than feast in soil.
1de."
''You are right" responded the stranger.
I myself can speak knowingly of the misery
solitude am the proprietor Of large fur
aces, and came here in search of fuel ! /,
ecame separated from my party, and for
le last two days I have been wandering
round in this vicinity; luckily, am indif-
'rently well provided with food" As he
he sat down beside large stone
nd motioned Father Pietro to take seat :
Dposite. He did so, and, drawing from his
allet flask Of water, a crust Of black bread
nd an onion, he prepared to make his meal
is companion laughed, and, telling him to
put away that pigs food - produced from