Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1892-02-07


ever went up to that mountain top was
story of the Indians to prevent any ono
going there.
"'Fll bet horse said I, 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
Chihuandassi. / calculated that could
get around in three days, and told him
to camp there and wait for me. 1t was
nasty work getting down into the river
bed, but did it before night, and had
the satisfaction of camping on an old
trail that night. Early the next morn
ing entered fissure at the base of the
lone mountain. 1t was dry water
course, not more than dozen feet wide,
and wound around between high sand
stone walls. 1t was, however, compare
lively free from brush, and got along
famously for time. There were many
rattlesnakes and centipedes along the old
water course, but nothing more.
81 mad been going up the old channel
for probably four hours, getting higher
every step. The walls of the water
course We're getting lower, and at this
point was not more than forty feet be-
low the surface. AS l turned sharp
bend, however, came right up against
a bowlder that completely filed the creek
bed. The trail ended right there. 1t
appeared as il 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 started TO climb. The
bowlder was rough enough for 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 1t and stood on top. To my
intense surprise found myself within a
dozen feet of the floor Of the mesa, and
just above me one arm of the giant cac-
tus had seen from the other mountain.
Then determined, instead of continu-
ing in the dry creek bed, to scale this
wall and so reach the mesa, where ex-
pected to find the silver mine.
"The sandstone was soft and had
strong knife, Besides, at the edge / saw
some vines hanging over that looked
strong enough to bear my weight if i
succeeded in reaching them. So began
to climb the wall.
"At last grasped the hanging vines.
"The stems We're covered with fine
points, like prickly pear, but could
not let go without falling. reached
my other hand higher and grasped an
other vine.
''ln an instant its tendrils We're around
my wrist, 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, aud almost before
| realized it was dragged over the edge
OF the chasm almost to the foot of tho
cactus.
"The vines dragged me on, other
stems curled about my legs and drew
tighter and tighter.
"Then j realized that the Indian story
was no fable. The idea of being In the
power of this constructing thing that
covered acres of land paralyzed Inc for
an instant. The hand that had Just
touched the vines was being crushed in
the devilish tendons. My little finger
was broken backward by the power OF
the vine. The pain brought me to my
senses, and / began to fight for my life.
One hand was free, and in it was my
knife. began to hack at the snallelike
coils Of the deyilish vegetable. AS fast
as could cut away one running stem
another would coil around me. Fight
as would, the vines was stronger, and
on and on it dragged me.
"My foot struck something, and felt
it crush and crumble beneath my heel |
looked down. 1t was human head,
one of those white spots had seen
through my glass. The body, fearfully
shrunken and emaciated, lay there
among the coiling, twisting vines. Near
it was another.
al realized it all while / hacked and
in the tolls of the awful monster like
myself and strangied.
81 was getting weak. The pressure
about my limbs was unbearable. had
cut myself badly In cutting the stran-
Cling bonds. l looked over the mesa
with a wild hope of seeing some one or
something to help me.
1.-THE mesa was all in motion. The
vines were twisting, curling, falling, ris-
ing, trembling. 1t was moving mass,
like the ocean, and the waves were
reaching and falling toward me.
at was not the wind blowing the
snakeweed. The fiendish plant had life
and motion and every fiber of it was
straining to reach me. / knew that II
those advancing waves of black ever
reached me / was lost. would be like
those shriveled bodies by the giant cac-
tus.
II made a final effort TO escape. /
could hear the muscles crack and strain
as pulled. l cut the thickest stem that
enveloped me, and for the first time
since the struggle began was able to
make a step backward. But the fight
was not over yet. A dozen smaller ten
drills, like 30 many whipcords, were tan
gled about me, cutting into my flesh
with terrible power. l had kept my
throat free, though the vegetable SER
pents seemed to strive to coil about it.
So / cut and struggled backward. A
final slash, jump, and was over the
edge and on the bowlder in the dry
creek. But the demons arms followed
me. / knew that they would seize me
again before / could get iowa, so l
dashed to the other side Of the water
course and clambered mp there.
"How thanked God when found
nothing there but greasewood and cactus.