San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-06-17

some STOCK ana COIIee Inere, IL appeared,
but there were no great signs Of life
about it, However, it was not his in
tent to remain; he ordered servant,
named Pablo, to collect few articles he
had need of and prepare to accompany
him.
The man started back in energetic re-
fusal when the object was made known,
and it was only after the most positive
injunctiOns were laid upon him that he
submitted-and then in only a sulky
way-tO go along.
They passed through the little hamlet
Of Ell Jasmin, where hermitage stood,
and where the inhabitants were found
weaving fabrics of coarse blue stuff and
making red earthenware pottery. Some
of the jars were large enough to have
held Aladdin's forty thieves. Then they
reached Huetongo, a hamlet Of much
more gloomy aspect, the rendezvous of
a sparse population of charcoal burners.
Here was found, in fact, a Cafe and
| Cantina of the Yellow Snake" a dark,
forlorn little interior, with but few Gus
| toners at that time of day. 1t was the
most promising place for negotiations,
| however, and Don Walter left the horses
| there, and, with great difficulty, secured
guide. A second was afterwards en-
| ployed in addition to the first, who pro-
fessed to have no great confidence in his
ability to point out the way, after all.
You say neither of you has ever real
| ly been in the canyon, and you cannot
mention person who has actually seen
the Yellow Snake; then how do you
know there is one?" said Walter, argu-
ing in a scoffing way with these men,
when they stated their apprehensions.
How do you know it isn't green
| dragon or a blue monkey, instead of a
| yellow snake:"
| mo, senior, it is a yellow snake" an
swered one of them, mOurnfully.
is it the centoatl, that shines i'll the
dark? is it the saltillo, that leaps at you
all of a sudden? Will it devour a man?
| Come, tell us all about it."
NO, senor," in a tone of panied re-
proach at this bold skepticism, lit runs
away before man. They say its home
is on a rock, and whenever it sees any
one coming it glides swiftly into boil
ing hot fountain"
pretty tough, isn't it, to stand that!
And now, if it runs away, why are you
afraid of it,
at is very bad luck to see it, my Pat
ron; that is well known"
"Oh, there you go again; always the
same old story of bad luck. Well, Iven-
ture to say we shall not have any"
But with this ne dismissed the contro-
versy, which was apparently having a
still further demon ..lizin oGect on Pablo.
The way abOunlad u SCENES Of Wild
grandeur. These grew more savage as
they PROGRESSED, till the mind was divided
between admiration and fear. They
reached a certain notable cave, and
paused there briefly. Though but a
hundred feet from the path, it might
have been passed undetected. Within 1t
were an ancient platform and heather
altar and image. 50 noiseless, as it hap
pened, was their approach that they were
not discovered by man within engaged
in worship. He was in the act of plac-
ing small piece of copper money! in the
mouth Of the idol.
Listen to what he says" said Pablo.
Il suppose You cannot do us any great
good; your day is over now" the poor
peon Wis saying naively to the CODA
combination Of serpent and human figure
almost laughable in its grotesqueness;
but I'll give You a trial, anyway;
don't want you to do me harm"
At this place one of the guides deserted
the expedition. The remaining guide
watched the more closely thereafter-led
them on by thick and devious paths till
they soon came to the long looked for
chasm.
Few could stand without an involun-
tary shrinking on that dizzy verge. The
Barranca stretched out several miles in
length, its more remote end hidden from
view by turn in its course. The vast
adamantine wal, narrowed darkly to,
gether at some points, and at Others
spread apart, affording view of the bot
ton, fall of smoking springs and sulfat,
IT, Portions of the cliff were green
win verdure of poisonous acids Some
oaks of a peculiar tOughness chung to the
crannies Of the rocks, and down on the
slopes, such as form a glacis at the foot
of precipices, could be seen, scattered
sparsely, tall stems of organ cactus, like
spears of the gods hurled down from the
sky. Wreaths of steam drifted out from
the precipitous sides and occasionally
formed veil, shutting off the whole
from sight.
The guide led UP. then down. in a very