The Princeton union., 1890-11-20
THE DEVILS SLIDE.

I mlllar With the curious rock fOrma-
tions in Echo and Weber canons, just
after the road enters the territory OF
Utah. 1t would seem that here na-
\ ture had made her play ground, and
out of pure sport nature had fash
loned the rocks into all sorts of tan
\ tastics and grotesque shapes. But
1 few, if any are familiar with the leg
! end which throws the glamours of
the supernatural over the quantity
shaped crags and gives them their
sulphurously suggestive names.
l left the train at the little Nor
/ mon village of Peterson, just beyond
!. the cannon, and securing horses and
a guide, I prepared to spend few
days trying the trout fishing Tor
which the Weber river enjoys a local
! reputation. Pedro. my guide, was a
\ half breed Mexican, of the Sancho
Panza type full of Indian laziness,
Mexican superstition and a true
/! Spanish love for the marvellous. He
had been brought up in an old mon
astery not far from the City of Mexi-
co, and was full of tales of the hardy
friars who braved the terrors of the
I wilderness, in order to convert the
Indians, and who, if the stories be
true, used to lasso them when mild
, er persuasion failed.
We logged along pleasantly
enough until we were we'll within the
canon, and I selected a grassy spot
i on the river bank to pitch our
camp for the night. Then Pedro
began to show signs of uneasiness.
"senior, like not this place." he
said finally, as he fumbled at the
cords which bound the luggage on
the pack mule. ''What is the mat
ter with the placer" I queried. as I
took note of the pools and eddies in
the river, and made metal calcula-
tion as to the best place to COM
mence my fishing the next day.
''It is strange senior, the rocks are
works of witchery; and the story is
not pleasant to think off,
"Well," | answered carelessly, as I
saw a big trout, which looked to be
over a foOtlong as it flashed in the
sunlight, Jump from a pool directly
in front of me, IL guess nobody will
hurt you; we will build big fire and
it will keep the animals away, and
the Indians are alFpeaceable."
ut is not the Indians nor the
bears I fear, senior; it is the devil" "
"Pshaw, he does not want you yet
while,' answered, laughingly,
and Pedro submissively began to
arrange the camp and prepare sup
per- / unpacked my trout rods with
care, and busted myself selecting
flies and rigging my tackle for the
sport anticipated on the morrow
1 even went so far as to whip the
pool out of which l had seen the
trout jump, but it was too late in
the day, or his troutshi p was sullen,
and had my labor for my pains.
After we had eaten our supper we
lay on opposite sides of the camp
fire, | smoking my pipe and Pedro con
suming villainous cigarettes made OF
black plug tobacco wrapped in the
coarsest straw paper, and thinking
at least l Was-of how we'll the
natural appearance OF the canon
gave color to Pedro's superstitious
notions. The moon was struggling
though a mass of feecv cloud which
did not hide it entirely, but which
made the light tremble as itshot out
bright and clear through the open
spaces, then was obscured through
a cloud bank The Weber river, at
our feet, looked in one moment as
bright as quicksilver, in the next it
was inky black. The tremulous
moonlight gave fantastic outlines
to the strangely shaped crags and
they seemed to move with Il sort o.
rhymthic swaying, to advance ir
. the moonlight and how, then re-
cede into the shadow, The night
winds rustled though the stuntec
? pines and sage brush and moane(
most uncannily among the myster
Gus assures and crevices ofthe rocks
The river rippled along peacefully
enough past our camp, but the dul
roar of the cataract, where, a hal
mile below, it dashed through thu
rock-riven DEVILS Gate, made a dull
monotone broken by the sharp yell
of the coyote or the cry of small
bird frightened by the prairie owl.
Pedro drew closer to- me, ant
pointing to two parallel walls O
rock about: twenty feet apart, rising
to q height Of about thirty feet ant
extending from the top to the bot
tom Of the mountain, he whispered
in awe struck voice: ''The Devil
Slide, senor." ..
Then pointing to o huge monolith
i shaped like an Indian club, on th
opposite hill, he added:
"That is the DEVILS War Club,
and he crossed himself 50 vigorousl,
and 1nuttered SO many strang
prayers in mixture of bad Spanisl
and worse Latin, that I am certain
%1,o4 IL