Tombstone epitaph., 1891-02-15
MET ON THE TRAIL
) Path so Narrow That Neither
 Comd Pass His Foe.
fh Was Inevitable for One. and He 'ose II Own Way-A Thrilling Trag- edy in the Pinal Mountains of
 Southern Arizona.


 edy in the Pinal Mountains Of
 Southern Arizona.
 We had followed the right-hand side
 tho gorge up to noon, when we built :. fire and prepared for dinner, writes Q correspondent of the Detroit Free Press. 1t no time were we less than one hum fred feet above the bottom, and some. ines tho height was doubled.
 have spoken of it as gorge. It was one of the great rifts in the Pinal some places valley half mile wide in others narrow, deep and dismal can- yon not more than fifty feet across.
 Opposite us as we rested, and not over ! quarter of mile away, the wall of tho canyon was almost straight up and town and entirely clear of tree or bush. l. was higher on that side than on ours a fall of two hundred feet to the rocks below. We were slipping our coffee, hon we suddenly caught sight of an object moving along the face of the op- .posite cliff. We could not see 1t, but there was evidently ledge which furnished foot-path. We at first took the object for bear, but no sooner had the old trapper got on his feet than he observed:
 "It's only mountain pony, boys"
 It was a chestnut-colored pony weigh ing about five hundred pounds, with . very shaggy coat. He was descendant of the wild horse of the plains, but in. stead of following them over the prai- ries he had taken to the hills. His breed used to be as numerous in the Finals as goats, and they had the com pany of large numbers of buffaloes which never descended to the valleys.
 The ledge must have been very mar row one, for we saw the pony move slowly and with caution. He had come almost opposite us when second ob- ject moved out from behind rock to the east of us. We at first supposed it to be another pony, but the trapper no sooner set eyes on it than he whispered:
 "It's big cinnamon bar, and we are going to see some funl"
 No sooner had the bear moved out than he was face to face with the pony, though distance of some fifty feet separated them. The pony threw up his head and uttered snort of alarm, while the bear sat up and looked at him. That was not che first wild beast the pony had seen in his roamings through those lonely mountains, but it was the first he had seen under such circum- stances. The ledge was not wide enough for him to turn about. What would he do?
 The bear was in no hurry. He seemed to be sure that he had his din- ner safe and perhaps close view of the pony was novelty to him. Two of us got ready to shoot, hoping to drive him away, if not kill him, but the old trap per motioned us back and said:
 "It is the way God ordained; let His rules stand"
 The pony had perhaps seen US from the first. He now looked over, seem- ingly in appeal, but he found only pity. He started to back down the trail by which he had come, but he had not moved more than yard when the idea was abandoned. The trail was too nar- row. He advanced to his former posi- tion, and then looked straight across the gorge into our faces.
 "God made it so-He made it sop whispered the trapper, as he heard a movement on our part.
 For perhaps five minutes the bear and the pony faced each other and we could not see that either moved in the slight est. Then the bear began a slow ad- vance. The pony stuck his head out on line with his body and uttered sort of whistle through his nostrils.
 "He'd fight if he had show, but he hasn't got one," whispered the trapper.
 The pony's under lip fell down and showed his teeth, and his ears were laid back like an enraged cats. As the bear drew nearer he raised one fore-foot and then the other, and struck them sharp. ly on the rocky path.
 Nearer! Nearer! Nearer!
 The bear did not walk, but hitched himself along foot by foot, while he kept his great paws swinging in the air. He evidently suspicioned that the pony would attempt to jump over him. Now they are ulU6eH leet dpdrI-HOW tou- now only five. Now the pony utters a scream of alright or anger and the shorts of the bear come plainly to our ears. They face each other for a full minute, and every one of us is trembling as if personally menaced.
 Swish! The bear gathered himself and made rush, roaring loudly as he did so. Quick as he moved, the pony moved quicker. It was death on the trail ahead-death on the great bould- CTS in the bottom of the gorge. He choose the latter, and as the bear rushed he reared up, wheeled to the right, and sprang far out into space with such a cry of terror as human beings have ut tered when they went down to an awful death. Peering over the rocks, we saw his dead and mangled body on the cruel rocks below.
 Sleep and Beauty.
 Patti and Lucca, and all the great singers and actresses and famous beau.