Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1889-08-17

taken as . guide in their new depart.
Ire from established habits. 1t is Nc
wonder, therefore, that little has heeI
said about them more than to mention
occasionally where they once lived il
4 country row held by higher civil
latio1.
Though peaceful tribe of Indian.
rs far as their relations with Mexico
have always been, they nevertheless.
were not wanting at all IN all the ele
ments that made them good defenders
If their land; and the Apaches, Sc
dreaded by all others, gave the noun
tainoous country of the Tarahumari1 3
wide berth when on their raids in thi>
direction. The parahumaris, equally
armed, which they seldom were, Were
more than match for those BedouinS
IF the boundary line between our owl
country and Mexico.
One who had ever seen a group o.
the wild Tarahumaris would never
credit them with anything warlike OF
aggressive, or even with much Of the
defensive cOmbatiyencSS that is neceS
sary TO fight for ones country. They
are shy and bashful to point of child
ishncss that have never seen before
among Indians or other savages.
In appearance the Tarahumari Jndi.
an is. | think, little above the aver
age height of the North American
Indians. They are well-built, with
clean-cut muscles, while their skin is
IF the darkest hue of any Indian | have
ever seen, being almost a mixture OF
the darkest Guinea neg.o with the av.
crage copper colored aboriginc that We
are so accustomed to see in the West.
prn parts of the United States.
In their faces they generally have
pleasing expressions, and their women
are not bad looking for Indians, al.
though the older women break rapidly
in appearance after passing 30 to 81
years, as near as l could judge THEN
ages. The savage branch of the Tara
humaris are, of course, the more inter
esting, as the most nearly representing
our own Indians of ten, twenty and
thirty years ago, while the civilized are
not unlike those we have cultivating
the soil around the agencies; although
those of Mexico have no Government
aid, | believe, such rs we so often and
so layishly pour into the laps of our
copper-colored brethren of the North.
The savage Tarahumaii lives gener-
ally off all lines of communication,
stunning even the mountain mule trails
if thev can. His abode is cave i'll
:he mountain side or under the curving
mte ior of some huge bowlder on the
ground.
The Sierra Madres are extremely
picturesque in their rock formations,
giving thousands of shapes L have
never seen clscW where: battlements,
towers, turrets, bastions, buttresses,
and flying buttresses, great arches and
architraves, while everything from a
camel to a saddle can be made out in
the many projecting forms.
1t is natural that in such formations,
q curious blending of limestone forma'
tons pierced by more recent upheayals
Of eruption rock, that many caves
should be found, and also that tho
huge, irregular glnni5ic and gne. ,so;d
powders left on the ground by the
dissolving away OF the softer lime
stone should often lie 50 that their con
cavities could he taken advantage of by
these burrowiug savages. Igiye pie
ture of both by Mr.. Landau.
The cliff-dwellcrs on the Bacachic
River had taken hinge cave in the
limestone rock, almost oyerhanginG
the picturesque stream, and had walled
up its outward face almost to the top
leaving the latter for ventilation prob
ably, rs rain could not beat in over tho
crest of the buttiug cliff. 1t had bui
one door, closed bv IN old filthy goat