Morning journal and courier., 1890-08-25

Indian is presented below exactly as the
official referred to wrote it down:
The members ofthe geological survey who
were with me in New Mexico were encamp-
ed one night in canon close to the bend
of a river. There had been a fire in the un-
derbrush not many yards from where our
tents stood, and no man in our party was
able to give plausible explanation as to
its origin, and the discussion of the subject
was about to cease when an explanation of
the mystery came from a source whence we
least expected it,
Maybe it was the culebra de lumbre.m
Everybody turned toward the person who
had spoken.
1t was Pablo squatting in his usual cor
ner, with his knees drawn up so that his chin
could rest upon them while his hands were
clasped around his shins. Pablo was pa
triarch among the Indians of New Mexico,
but he was also an excellent cook, and that
accounted for his being one of our party.
Just how old Pablo was nobody even
himself-could tell, but it is fact that he
was man before the eldest of those who
surrounded him was born.
THE snake of fire. said 1, who had
never heard of it; "what do you mean, Pa
blo!n
''Then the senior does not know of cule-
bra de lumbre," calculated the aged Indian,
Certainly knew nothing of it.
Then Pablo told us that il was a serpent
whose species existed only in that immedi-
ate vicinity-a reptile which at full growth
was about ten feet long and several inches
in diameter, wonderfully quick in move
ment, whose color was vivid scarlet. from
whose skin, when enraged, there diffused
yellowish glow, while from its mouth it
would emit long ightning-ike streaks of
living flame. Its breath meant death to
anything it touched, and where it writhed
its way along the ground there was left a
trail scorched as though marked by fire.
AT our looks of incredulity Pablo merely
shrugged his shoulders.
so, amigo mio," said he, s'there is a
curse upon the land, but its blight is pass
ing away, for with each year the number
of these serpents grow less. But when l
was young have seen them out there in
the grasses, these snakes and spit fire many
of them. Many of the Indians call them
culebra colarado."
Pablo ceased talking but we were inter
ested and questioned him closely, being re-
warded with the information that these
luminous snakes We're dreaded even more
than rattlesnakes. They We're aggressive,
climbed trees, ran on top of the brush as
well as on the ground, and would attack a
man or other animal and pierce with the
flame. He had seen them many times,
when the moon was hidden by clouds,
squirming over the grass and through it,
casting phosphorscent glow around them,
while at short intervals fire would flash
from their mouths, soaring the herbage
and causing living things to hasten from
the vicinity in terror. That their ex
istence was well known to the older natives,
Pablo said, was attested by the fact that
haN
lures of the serpent, and he knew of rocks
the pictures on which musthave been drawn
by ancient tribes years ago. / can attest
the truth of this last statement, for 1 have
seen pictures such as Pablo described and
often wondered what they meant.
Pablo was asked if he had ever had an
encounter with one of these snakes, and.
with shudder, he nodded affirmGtively.
Then lifting his long black hair from his
face, the old Indian exhibited a scar which
was undoubtedly caused by burn.
sit was twenty years ago" ;" he said, by
way of explanation. Il, with number of
followers, was riding down the canon. We
had with us a large dog which had drawn
badgers and killed in short combat many
wildcats and coyotes. He was running ON
ahead of the horses, when suddenly heard
him yelp, saw him rise in the air, and then
fall over sideways and lie quite still. 1t
was strange, thought He could not have
been bitten by a rattlesnake, because they
do not cause instant death. l spurred for
ward until / came to the dog, when. stoop-
ing down, placed my hand upon him. He
was limp and lifeless. As rose to my feet
was conscious of a sicllening odor per
meating the atmosphere. i was becoming
dizzy and strength was leaving me, when
suddenly saw in the grass a few feet from
where l stood what appeared to be a long
line of fire. With a great effort l vaulted
onto my mustang. and Just as / gained his
| back saw that line of fire spring through
the air toward me. Instantly my mustang
commenced to rear and snort, and looking
down l saw twined around one of his fore
legs large specimen of the culebra de
lumbre. Suddenly the mustang plunged
forward, and l, already much unnerved,
was thrown to the ground. As l touched
the earth l was conscious of binding
flash of light, sensation as though "A
burning brand had been thrust in my face
and then my senses left me.
''Nearly five hours later | awoke to find
myself with the other of my party around
me- They had seen me throw and rode
quickly forward. Disappearing through
| the grass they saw the streak of fire and
instantly they knew that i had been scorch-
ed by the deadly breath. Luckily for me
| the flame struck me IN the lace instead OF
in vital part. and after much work they
succeeded in restoring me. That flame
however, had scared its way through my
face, and when the wound healed, as il did
after many months, this scar was left
| Where the snake had twined itself around
the horses leg the flesh had been burnt
away and the bone was exposed. Once
saw one of the snakes stretched on a hmi
of an oak tree, its brilliantly colored bod,
and copper colored head causing it to b
visible from quite distance.
"Another time while was hunting had
occasion to pass through a thick patch oi
chapperal. Suddenly while resting / saw
bright fash overhead and looked up il
time to see a scarlet snake gliding over tn,
top of the brush fully four feet above ms
and vanish in an instant. AT the time 1
cottontail rabbit brushed past me and
dodging about with every evidence of feal
and bewilderment, ,darted into asmallo open
ing not more than twenty feet from me
Again saw the scarlet gleam, then tn
yellowish flame, and all was was over witt
the cottontail.
ITO those who know nothing of tn
snake of fire it is a source ofmuch surpris
and mystery whenever fire sweep
the prairie or burns over hundreds of acre
of brush and timber land in the mountains
: Still the fires frequently burn and they al
particularly noticeable during the hot, DIR
, months of July and August.
, ''0ld Indians believe they are caused b
the awful snake of fire -