The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1891-08-14
NARIZ0NAADYENTURE

partv in Arizona | went into camp one
| bright dav On the Rio Puerco, very near
fine New Mexican line. The tents had
been pitched and the animals sent out
TO Craze under a strong guard, and ! was
walking before my tent impatiently
waiting a summons to dinner, which /
knew by the strong odor waited from an
adjacent coffee pot would not be much
longer delayed
w were about ninety miles from the
nearest fort and hundreds from any set
Element There were 10 ranches what
soeyeri in this part, only some cattle and
sheep belonging to Mexicans, which
were herded through the territory.
These were in the charge of Mexicans,
who lived much the same kind of life as
did tsair stock. Their blanket was their
Only house, and when night came on
they would lie down wherever it might
oyertake them. For miles around the
land was as level as the bed Of a billiard
table. Mountains were seen in the dis
tance, which were inhabited by Indians.
But my little command and q few rat
tlesnakes and tarantulas were the only
living things near.
Dinner is ready, lieutenant, was the
welcome summons with which my cook
greeted me. and | wa soon doing full
| Justice to an army field dinner of bean
| soup and '.slapjacks."
Twas in the midst of this sayory repast
when | noticed a stranger approaching
NE. He was a well built, powerful look
ing man, about forty years Of age; his
face was intellectual and extremely
handsome, he wore a full beard and
mustache, both Of which were iron gray.
He was coarsely clad and carried no
weapon. This latter circumstance was
the most remarkable thing Of all, for in
those days in Arizona one scarcely moved
without his arIn
Nearing me he asked, in a pleasant,
quiet manner, if | were the commanding
officer.
| replied that | was.
4 came to see if you could lend me a
pistol or a carbine for a few days he
said.
You don't mean to tel me that you
are entirely without armsy' / said, not
unreasonably astonished
yes; | have nothing Of the kind" he
answered. Il have been annoyed for
the past three months BY those internal
California lions, ard if | had a shooting
iron ! might kin some Of them. =
Are you camping near here: l asked
Il live Just round the bend of the
river VIII you walk down with me-
Little dreaming I was so near a resi-
dence. / eagerly accepted his invitation,
and filing ny PIPE and leaving the ser
gsant in charge Of camp. started forth
with my rev acquaintance. As We
made the turn in the river / saw a large.
shelving rock rising from the level prai-
RE. It was not more than a hundred
yards from the rivers bank, and was re-
ally quite imposing in It's dimensions.
1t struck me as 50 peculiar, SO entirely
out Of place. that | expressed my surprise
to NY companion
Yes" he answered; q fancy it is a
n~leteorite. lam under great obligations
70 it, whatever it IS aad however it came
here, fer it has protected me for months.
That rock is my house.
Greatly astonished, | asked Il he lived
there quite alone.
Oh, no he replied Ny wife and
mother live with me-"
By this time We had reached the nat
ural dwelling. at what might be termed
its opening the rock was ten feet Or
more from the ground, and it sheltered
a space about twenty feet in breath,
gradually sloping backward and down
ward. As 1 stepped under the protect
ing roof ! saw two wone sitting at
work.
Ny host presented me TO his mother
and wife respectively, and saw at q
glance that they were Mexicans; not Of
the class, however, known as greasers,
but representatives Of Il much higher
grade. Like most Mexicans, they were
disiRclined to converse in any language
but their own; but when they learned
that my knowledge Of their tongue was
too slight to enable ne to understand
them they overcame their reluctance
and we chatted quite pleasantly.
/ learned hat they had been living
there for three months. They came
with the intention Of farming, and later
proposed erecting a suitable dwelling.
The Indians Lad not molested them,
but they were worried by the lions,
which came by twos and threes nightly
to the opening of their habitation, and
there howled till daylight, when they re-
turned to the mountain.
They told me it was necessary for one
OF them to he up all night to keep the
fire burning, which was their only pro.
lection from these monsters.
Consequently they had taken turns
sitting up nights for the last three
months.
What surprised me most was the
absence of all defensive weapons and
farming implements. Not an article of
the kind was in their possession | saw
one horse grazing near by. and Il dilapi-
dated wagon. Neither shovel, Ak nor
pistol was to be seen.
1t was very apparent that the man had
known better days. But in that wild
country inquisitiveness often cost ones
life. To be sure, I felt no fear with q
good cavalry company at my back, but
in most cases it was better to be salts
fed with what wss told me and what |
saw.
Having listened to a graphic descrip-
ton Of their far from pleasant neigh
bors. I told them frankly that If | had a
pistol or carbine Of my own / would
willingly lend or give them one, but all