Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1890-10-03

" From the summit, he said, you
can see the Chihuandassi.'
II had heard of the Chihuandassi. |
The name means Table OF Dead Men, |
and the Indians say it is covered with
plants that have the power of motion.
Have you ever been on tho Chi
huandassi? | asked.
No man has ever gone there and |
returned to tell of it, he answered
1--WE crossed the valley, passing
through the ruins of great city built
of almost transparent quartz and final
ly struck the trail he spoke of and two
days later stood on the top. On the
other side was a narrow gulch and be-
You'd it sheer wall many hundreds of
feet high. Still the top Of this was
lower than we were and we could look
down upon the Table of Dead Men,
The mesa on the other side of the gulch
seemed perfectly level, and as far as we
could judge was surrounded on all sides
by just such precipice as we saw. The
country is all sandstone, and the swift
little rivers have nearly all worn deep
calities you can walk one hundred
miles, be able to throw a stone into the
river, and yet you may die of thirst, so
high and erect are those fearful walls.
The Chihuandassi was covered with
some low vegetation, and there were a
few trees in the distance.
""That is the flower that travels, said
my companion.
He noticed my look of amused in
credulity and resumed rather angrily:
"'You don't believe 1T? ] have seen
it move. Look therep
81 looked. The table was agitated
and looked like the waves of the sea.
The whole green surface seemed to APP
proach the edge nearest us. My hair
rose for moment then ! burst out
laughing, 1T is only the wind tossing
the snakeweed, said.
'"'But there is no wind here
"He spoke truly. The air where we
stood was perfectly still. Yet, l ex-
planned, it might be breeze engen-
dered by the nature of the country that
did not extend to our side.
No, no. he insisted. The Indians
who have lived here for years know
better. Those flowers are devils. No
one who goes ever comes back from
there
1.-TWO Indians who loved one woman
went up on the Chihuandassi to battle.
Human eyes never again saw them
alive. We are told that they fell vic
tins to the flower that creeps.
81 had first-class pair of glasses
with me and / directed them to the
plateau. Half covered with the vines
and creepers / could see something
white. There were two spots that might
be skulls, and l thought could trace
the outlines of two human forms. They
might have been rocks and were doubt
less what originated the Indian legend.
can idea suddenly occurred to me
that this story of certain death to who
ever went up to that mountain-top was
story of the Indians to prevent any one
from going there.
"'Pll bet horse said |, that the
mine is there, and I'm going to see.'
"Well, to cut it short, | left him
there, and, with one mule, started for
the Chihuandassi. l calculated that l
could get around in three days, and told
him to camp there and wait for me. 1t
was nasty work getting down into the
river-bed but did it before night, and
had the satisfaction of camping on an
old trail that night Early the next
morning entered assure at the base
of the lone mountain. 1t was a dry
water course, not more than dozen
feet wide, and wound around between
high sandstone walls. 1t was, however,
comparatively free from brush, and |
got along famously for time. There
were many rattlesnakes and centipedes
! along the old water course, but nothing
more.
81 had been going up the old channel
, for probably four hours, getting higher
every step. The walls of the water
course were getting lower, and at this
point was not more than forty feet
below the surface. AS turned a SHARP
r bend, however, | came right up against
a bowlder that completely filled the
creek bed. The trail ended right there.
} 1t appeared as if the rock had recently
5 rolled down to where it lay. / thought
that if | could climb over it | could
r continue on up the water course. SO
started to climb. The bowlder was
rough enough to enable me to gain
l holds for my hands and feet, and though
> it was slow, hard work and | often slipped
back, at last managed to surmount II
t and stood on top, To my intense sur
| prise found myself within dozen fee
. of the floor of the mesa and just above
. me one arm of the giant cactus | had
: seen from the other mountain. Then
S determined, instead of continuing in the
5 dry creek bed, to scale this wall and sc
r reach the mesa where expected to fine
: the silver mine.
A 1.-THE sandstone was soft and | had {
t strong knife Besides, at the edge
Q saw some vines hanging over that
e looked strong enough to bear my
9 weight if succeeded in reaching them
t So began to climb the wall.
AT last grasped the hanging vines
THE stems were covered with fine
points like prickly pear, but could
not let go without falling. l reached
my other hand higher and grasped an
other vine.
SIN an instant its tendrils were
around my wrists, other stems fell ovel
the edge of the cliff, They curlet
around my arms and waist like snakes
Then they began to draw me up, and al
most before | realized it | was dragged
over the edge of the chasm almost t.
the foot of the cactus.
THE vines dragged me on, othel
stems curlod about my legs and drew
tighter and tighter
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