Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-03-20
STRANGE PAINTINGS.
4 Great Indian Battle Scene depicted On
Rocks I'm New MOxioo.


Rocks In New Moxioo.
There has recently been discovered,
according to the Philadelphia Times,
near Dona Ana, N. M, ON the banks Of
the Rio Gfande, q stone bearing the rec
ord in a series of pictures of an Indian
fight between two tribes. The pictures,
which are painted in bright red on the
face OF the rock, which is nearly fat,
show them to be the work of . more
skillful hand than was common among
the Indians, and betrays even . slight
perception Of perspective which is en-
tirely unique. The lasting qualities of
the paint manufactured by the Indians,
the secret Of which has never been dis
covered, are we'll known, weather and
time producing no perceptible effect
upon 1t, but actually seeming to deepen
and intensity it.
The exact date Of the inscription is, of
course, not to be arrived at, but from the
half-buried condition of the stone and
other marks it is safe to suppose that it
Is at least three hundred years old, If
not OF much more remote antiquity. It's
great age is proved further by there be-
ing no knowledge of such tremendous
fight as is here represented since the
coming of the white man to this region.
On being questioned ON the subject,
however, an old Indian called Bobby
One-Eye, who is we'll known in these
parts, and who claims 20 be 10 years
old, declared that he had heard Of
great battle that occurred "longa, Tonga
ago." far to the west. So vague was he,
though, that it was easy to see that he
merely repeated an old tradition. The
pictures are eight in number and di-
vided from each other by lines into
chapters of the history of the event.
Bobby One-Eye seemed perfectly fsmil-
lar with this style of writing and read
lily translated the inscription.
The first picture represents the figure
of an Indian brave, decorated with
feathers and armed with tomahawk,
bow and culver. Beneath the warrior
are five hundred minute strokes which
tell the number Of fighting men in the
tribe. The second picture is that Of a
bird flying toward the setting sun.
This, Bobby said, shows that their jour
ney was to the westward. In smaller
figures are the new moon and q
buck, which gives the time as being in
the first quarter of the buck moon, an
swering to July. The third picture con-
sists of seven suns and as many stars,
which indicates that they were seven
days and nights on the way.
The next picture is that of the sun
rising over number of. wigwams and a
hand pointing with three fingers to a
crouching panther. According to the
Interpretation Of the Indian this sipni-
fes that they arrived at the habi-
tation Of their enemies at sunrise and
then lay in wait three days. The fifth
picture shows where their enemies,
numbering 800, were surprised while
asleep. This is told by the wigwams,
near which lies a man sleeping and be-
meath him that number Of strokes.
They killed with the tomahawk 200 of
the foe and took fifty prisoners. The
sixth picture shows this by head cloven
with tomahawk with 200 lines be-
meath, ana man with his hands and
feet bound and fifty lines. That their
own loss was 17S is represented in
the seventh picture by a head so num-
bered, and inclosed in bow, which was
the emblem of honor. The eighth
picture shows their triumphal march
back toward the rising sun, their ene-
mics In full flight, which is represented
by flight Of broken arrows in the op-
posite direction and the huts Of the van
pushed in flames. The stone is q large,
upright one, worn smooth by the action
OF water in some past age, and is fully
twenty-five feet in height by sixteen
wide. The pictures begin near the top,
extending to within four feet of the
base. 1t is subject for speculation
how the artist suspended or elevated
himself 80 as to be able to paint the first
four or five Of his sketches. The stone
was nearly buried under. the sand and
earth, and Its inscription was only acct
dentally discovered by a Mexican ranch
man OF the neighborhood, who, catch
ing glimpse OF the red paint, scraped
away enough OF the soil to see that it
was the work OF man.