Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-08-28


Hooked, the table was agitated,
and looked like the waves OF the sen.
The whole green surface seemed to
approach the edge nearest us. My
hair rose for Il moment. then burst
out laughing. 1T is only the wind
tossing the snakeweed,' said.
"'But there is no wind here .r
HE spoke truly. The air where
we stood was perfectly still. Yet l
explained, it might be ~ breeze engen-
dered Ivy the nature OF the country,
that did not extend to our side.
"No, no. he insisted. The In
dams who have lived here for years
know better. Those flowers are dew
lis. No one who goes ever comes
back from there.
1.-Two Indians who loved one wom-
an went up on the Chihuandassi to
battle. Human eyes never again
saw them alive. We are told that
they fell victims to the flower that
creeps.
IL had first-clnss pair Of glasses
with me and directed them to the
plateau. Halfcovered with the vines
and creepers could see something
white. There were two spots that
might be skulls, and l thought l
could trace the outlines oftwo human
forms. They might rave been rocks,
and were doubtless what originated
the Indian legend.
IAN idea suddenly occurred to me
that this story of certain death to
whoever went up that mountain top
was story of the Indians to pre-
vent anyone from going there.
"'I'll bet horse, said !, that the
mine is there, and I'm going to see.'
"Well, to cut it short, l left him
there, and with one mule started for
the Chihuantlassi. calculated that
l could get around in three days,
and told him TO camp there and
waio for me. 1t was nasty work get
ting down into the river-bed, but l
did it before night. Early the next
morning Ientereda assure ut the base
of the lone mountain. 1t was a dry
water course. not more than n dozen
feet wide, and wound around between
high sandstone walls. 1t was, how
ever, compare lively free from brush,
and got along famOusly for a time.
There were many rattlesnakes and
centipedes along the old water course
IL had been going up the old chan
mel for probably four hours, getting
higher every step. The walls of the
water-course were getting lower, and
at this point / was not more than
40 feet below the surface. As turn
ed IL sharp bend, however, l came
right up against a bowlder that COM
pletely filed the creek bed. The trial
ended right there. 1t appeared rs
if the rock had recently rolled down
to where it lay. / thought that if ]
could climb over it l could continue
on up the water course, So l started
to climb. The bowlder was rough
enough to enable me to gain holds
for my hands and feet, and though
it was slow, hard work and ] often
slipped back, at last managed to
surmount it and stood on top. To
my intense surprise l found myself
within n dozen feet of the floor of the
mesa and just above me, one arm of
the giant catus had seen from the
other mountain. Then l determin-
ed, instead of continuing in the dry
creek bed, to scale this wall and so
reach the mesa where expected to
find the silver mine.
"The sandstone was soft and Ihad
Il strong knife Resides, at the edge
| saw some vines hanging over that
looked strong enough to bear my
weight if l succeeded in reaching
them. So began to climb the wall.
cat last l grasped the hanging
vines.
The stems were covered with fine
points like a prickly pear, but l could
not let go without falling. Preached
my other hand higher and grasped
another vine.
I'm an instant it's tendrils were
around my wrists, other stems fell
over the edge of the cliff. They curled
around my arms and waist like
snakes. Then they began to draw
me up, and almost before l realized
it was dragged over the edge of the
chasm almost to the foot of the cac-
tus.
"The vines dragged me on. other
stems curled about my legs and drew
tighter and tighter.
''Then l realized that the Indian
story was no fable The idea of be-
ing in the power of this constructing
thing that covered acres of land par
alyzed me for an instant. The hand
that had first touched the vines was
oeing crushed in the devilish tendons.
My little finger was broken back
wards by the power OF the vine. The
pain brought me to my senses, and I
began TO fight for my life. One hand
was Etill free, and in it was my knife.
! began to- hack at the snake-like
coils of the devilish vegetable. As
fast as l would cut away one running
stem another would coil around me.
Fight as l would, the vine was
stronger, and on and on it dragged
me.
| "Mv foot atrrck Sompthinr and 7