The National tribune., 1890-08-28

81 49, Had what2'
Had EN- alive"
The old man Morris returned their gaze with
such an honest look that the curiosity Of the
party was aroused. lie had been with them for
some weeks and they knew, though he was an
unlettered man. that he was neither a lunatiC
nor fool. Usually silent, when he did speak
his words seemed 10 be freightad with thought
Though sometimes curiously put.
What DO Won mcan2" said Quinn, the min
eralogist OF the party.
] mean that afore now I've had idees which
wuz Just as much alive as you air"
''Whens Where? How? Explain YOURSELF"
"Ii jest take a leetle mite of this licker"
said be, helping himself literally to the con-
tents ofa flask and then I'll tell yeaboutit All,
that's comfortin, Comfortin'. Now, If you boys
is will!n' 10 listen. III tell you suthin' as hap
Pened TO me a good many years aback, which
never can get over. DO You know the old
SanEree De Crist0 MOuntains?"
One Of the party said he had been there.
Wall, right west Of them old sentincls, and
between 'em and the san Juan, is place they
now cali San Luis Park, and a very fine, fertile
spot, they do say, but ] kuowed il when il was
no more than a marsh that they said iincd in
sum way with the bot,omless pit. Why. do
ye know that the streams ali slopcd into that
place and instead OF CROWN larger and larger,
" other streams do they growed smaller aud
smaller and smaller and dwindlcd down till
they pctered out entirely. The Indians said
the water wuz a bein' drunk up by monsters
down under ground. But in course, that wuz
al lies.
u wuz a-comin' back from trip to the san
Juan Mines, Us threc-my gun, my dog, and
myself thought az much of them two NJ
did Of MYSELF Late one afternoon my dog
PCea started up some sort Of big game deer.
j allowed. ~ he wouidu't run anything small.
and ~ his yolps went Of right swift. Well, !
knUwed the critter wouldn't run into that
marshy lake, and followed, listenin' TO Pecds
ycPs, doep-throated, such rs q bloodhound
only could do.
jest about dusk reached a good dry spot
fur q camp right nigh the lake, and ~ them
places WIZ not thick along thar, / thought / d
stop fur the night Arter kindlin' FIRE TO
keep OF the chi.ls and 10 bToil a bird had
shot, more fur Peed than myself took jest
H50ut sich gurgle OF stuff ~ you've got thar
and listened fur Peed % come back. Once or
twice ] heard his yelp very faint an very fur
Of j bad this same whistle then. en- ] bi0Wcd
u with all my lungs. Then waited, en- waited;
not a sound.
Presently, Jest as ] vuz gettin' very much
afraid FUR my dog, ] heard a sharp, quick yell
uz though be wuz bein' hurt. u I couldn't
ct through the thicket 10 him ] jest cooked
my rife en- waited. lie wuz a-comiu' higher
an higher. j stood a wOnderiu': could it be
grizzly or moose that bad turned on the d0gg
The brush cracked IN sounded very strange
NJ loud. could hear Pedro pantin' " though
nigh onto death
jest touched the trigger Of my rife un'
fzed my eyes where the sound wuz comin'
] he cEasain' noise ceased. All Nv a sudden,
with his hair all ruiiled Up, his tail drO0pn' aud
ms eyes bulgin as Il eenamost dead from fear.
tic hound bust out OF the brush, run 10 me, and
eEoachin' II my feet. whIued like a baby.
There WIZ no blood nur marks on him. ]
HraH z. .s- HI.
Tiglt % the spot an stood thar tremblin' like
leaf An elk. al Nv II feet high ais autlcrs
gest about as many across, was a comm AZ me.
lis head was thrown up and back. Two more
q his terrific bounds an he would eupou me
instantly planted a ball IL the middle uy his
forred.
lie come right oH Jest " If nothin' nd hap
pence, bis eyes gleamin', shot By me, IN was
gone. felt clii. pass over me jest ike that
made ly cold water
Nhatz Did lie 20 by y9u?" said Krell.
lie went right through me- continued the
Cd man. j didH't make the cras hin noise
heard 10 noise i9ileTcd him. lie lest come
and went like specter
hes spell sTas only Jest comm on me though.
Tie spirit 0f that awful elk was no more 'uu
one o. a thousand strange sights that night
Great, IH0a5tryus men c.gucHcd down behind
trees lu' caIted Ike deer through the thckct
Bears .aTgeI than tie largest grizzlies walked
laz.g about. FaLtherg and sl0ths skulked
around 10 Tie branches Of the trees. lot or
big birds sta-scd along IN ] sec cm way up
IL TIE ara Eal..n' laziy over Once iu q while
AZ au!llllg liag-t'a aH elephant with long hair
or a-L4, would 70 through tic marsh. Yes and
lleEe was cEorE.gGE horses, oxen uu' beavers:
solae nv tLe oxen had shouts like elephants.
lbea great excitement somehow begun.
Tie Wind bowed from Tie cast; peals uu' peals
q Thunder shook tile ground tHc air got thick.
4fsff# # u.
ou everything. Tho moon was awful. could
Eec il plain uE 10 shot forth heat like a reg-hot
tai d iTou- uH' flashes Of fire seemed 10 Jump
through TIE sky.
Feea lay thar at my feet. ] heard rushin'
sogue jest over Liy head. Il was Gyiu' lizard.
d yo9.ll believe H. slowly Gappiu his leathcrv
wing IA be- must bin a.! 0i 70 feet from q
% tp. lie had Iu his cllw-lngers a fish with
scales that gI.ttcrcd.
rush .. water in the lake made me fairly
jump Ills was sight the awlliesl / ever
see. 4 monster lizard, al Of 60 feet long. with
laEge moon eyes "a. crocodile jaws, was a pIow-
a. tic waves
see him raise hig head way out Of the
water un with lis jaws wide open dart Ike
HgDiulu down on suthlu' below. jest then
thar shot mp from the spot wIaT lie struck. oh,
EIca q suakc-5y feet high in the air Lig head
went ne llszlu' an within terribly.
second, uH that whole stretch of water
a I
q cgut0rtiOHs uu' foam.
Kisses like hundred cujincs a blowin' Of,
IN DellcTius Ike 2 rumble 0f earthquakes
seemed 10 come out u places AL around tb,
lake. and sec huge Euazy heads . turtles IN
toads an al kinds 0f hiGegus reptiles.
aeE. without EgcIlIu' u notice me b4fs with
skinny wings, lizards with bird heads uu' Bjrds
with Lizard -sl0uts uH lIIs-aI NV en- with
sharp claws gU zaw-teeth uu' some toads AS bic
a. elephants a-jumpiu' along, all gettia' thar
70 see tic Gght.
- but j Was szeered, ] didn't know but
what had turned crazy, bacus when shut nav
eyes j could sec Things jest tie same u I
turned round from the lglt ] See behind me
YlclpEs-looEIuP tElug. q great monster with
rs jaws wide open cTgurllll' 10 eBr!ug ON mo
] yelled uB' fell 10 the ground. When
woke Ped Was dead uH' tie woods uu' water
WIZ ~ cam uH' still w though uglhsI!' haa
happened. ] buried him thar, uu' by the short
est route cTaw.e1 10 Fort Garland.
That's the story, boys
c.l, That ls about tie worst case Of linn
jams ] ever heard Of" said Erell
F" don't think 50, said Quinn "5iuTri-"
he continued, " 90 you know anything about
geoloPyf"
f" Know nothin' about any 'ologies," said the
cid man.
Very well you have been describing ami
mails which actually existed on this continent
probably"
" How do you make that out2n said the
surveyor.
One evidence" Quinn replied. is that The
bones ana iossiilzed remains Of very many Of