Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-02

gloomy.i Tt had become very cold, the
snow was fully knee deep, and we were wet,
cold and hungry. At last, when it was
quite dark, the man Of woes sat down in the
snow and refused to go any farther. 1 tried
to cheer him up, for Chaves could not be
more than five miles ahead; but he declared
that he would not bulge another inch-he
was going to die right there-and began to
| cry Hike child. It is a dreadful thing to
hear man cry, even when you feel con.
tempt for his tears; and for moment I
even thought Of taking him up forcibly and
carrying him. But as he weighed 17O
pounds and 145 that was out of the cues
tion. s'
Just then caught the blessed glimmer of
q light among the pinons only few hun
dred yards away. Even this did not serve
to start Locke and had to get him up by
brute force and some very savage threats.
We stumbled through the snow to a poor
little Mexican ranch house, where the
courteous owner and his huge wife were very
Kind. They toasted US before the blazing
mud fireplace and turned themselves out Of
bed to give a comfortable couch to two bed
raggled, disreputable-looking strangers, and
then that foolish Locke lay awake all night,
fearing that if he went to sleep our hosts
would cut our throats for his dollar. Poor
Juan Arragon and poor fat wifel They long
ago went to a world where hope they were
as Hospitality cared for as they cared for us.
In the morning they gave us the last morsel
IN the shabby little home, and proudly de.
clined my profered money. Their hospital
ity was not for sale-it was from the heart
as with all their kindly race.
THE NEW GARDEN OF THE GODS
The days walk to Coolidge was hard by
reason of the snow, but was rewarded by
the first mail had had in month. This
was the only town of 100 people Except the
Indian pueblos) between Albuuueroue and
Winslow, nearly 300 miles.
Northwest of Coolidge was interested in
the wonderful scenery of the ',New Garden
of the Gods" which is full of wonderfully
colored and strangely eroded rock-monu-
ments as the garden near Colorado Springs,
but Is far less known. The rock called Nav
ajo Church is its most familiar wonder.
There is little else of interest until Manue-
Tito, the last station in New Mexico, except
a curious coward who kept an Indian trad
ing post at Defiance. On shelf which went
around under the whole long counter of his
stone store, he had more than 100 loaded and
cooked rifles and si1-shooters; and he took
great delight in showing how rapidly he
could whirl from the goods on the high
shelves, snatch frearm in each hand and
"throw down" on us-s rather risky object
lesson. He had murdered q Navajo Indian
boy cruelty, and feared retribution. At
Manuelito, Locke said his shoes were get
ting thin, and he guessed he'd take the cars,
His departure was relief, for Shadow alone
was much better company.
RELICS OF NAVAJO FRIENDSHIP.
Here, too, we scraped an interesting ac-
quaintance with the Navajos, and acquired
O load of their characteristic treasures-in-
Guiding lot of the barbaric silver bracelets,
belt-disks, earrings, etc., and a magnificent
blanket of their r6atchless weaving. Among
my Indian friends here was Klah (the 'Left-
Handed''), bronze giant, with whom 1 af-
terward had some very amusing adventures.
He is brother of Manuelito, the venerable
head chief of the Navajo nation of 10000
souls.
1t is painful to recall the day after we
left Manuelito and crossed the line into
Arizona, for thenceforth the whole tramp
was an experience one would not care to re-
peat, though it is well to have had it once,
The walking was still atrocious. We had
passed Billings with a hasty look at the
wonderful petrifed forest-where the
ground for miles is covered with giant
trunks and brilliant chips of trees that are
not only stone, but most splendid stone,
agate of every hue, with crystals of ame-
thyst and smoky topaz, and veins clearly
visible-and camped in q deserted Navajo
hoganda. Starting out in the raw, gray
dawn, we soon crossed the fresh trail of
deer. The animal had gone up draw"
and thinking to head him of, L started to
climb the precipitous face of 5O-foot mesa
of shade. Shadow sat whining below, and
watched as climbed cautiously the crum-
bling lodges. Half way up. as my weight
came upon jutting shelf, it suddenly broke
beneath my feet. The ledge to which was
holding crumbled, too; and in shower of
rock fell back sprawling through the air