Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-09-28
CLiFF-DWElLeRS.
a Primitive Tribe That Makes Its Abode
In the Earth.

/ a Primitive Tribe That Makes Its Abode
In the Earth.
| A deep ravine cutting in at right
angles to the Bacochic lin chihuahua.
Mexicol closed our way to the north an
we ascended the winding trail, and
when we had worked our way up the
steep bank some two or three hundred
feet, favorable exit from the low,
scruboy pines gave me an opportunity
TO look straight across this picturesque
ravine, and was surprised to see, on the
other bank, which seemed ever moro
precipitous than the one on which I
stood, deep cave walled up in front
nearly to the top, and evidently indi-
eating cave-or-cliff-dweller Ny first
thought was that the curious habitation
in front of me belonged to the era of
similar buildings in Arizona and New
Mexico, which the best authority con-
signs to a very old period With me.
however, was a Mexican gentle.
man who said that the cave was
inhabited, but as the occupants
were extremely timid, probably
we would not be able to see them with
out forcing an entrance into their
strange home. He believed that most
OF them were inside peeping at us over
the rude walls and around the very di-
lapidated animals hide that served To
close the door. The cave was not hve,
two hundred yards away, and, with the
aid OF our field-glasses, We could plainly
make out its details.
My impressions led me to the tbao-1
that these were vagabond individuals ~
the local Indian tribes who were occu-
py1ng this old cave-dwellinp in thu
cliffs, much as we see the corresponding
class with us occasionally occupying
dugouts, shanties built into the side
nils, and even caves around the sub
urbs OF towns But one of the Mex.
leans, who argued against forcible
intrusion into the homes of these
people, said that we would find GREAT
number of them further on in the deer,
recesses of the Sierra Madre range. and
that among so many we would have
good opportunities of seeing them to
better advantage than we possibly
could here. My Mexican friend was
born and reared in this part of Chi
huahua; his father and uncle owned
one of the largest and richest mininp-
districts in that portion of the Sierra
SN''eAo OuT course WAS
directed. and to reach which he at.
tached himself to our party for a counIa
OF days, when our paths Separated
His business called for almost constants
travelling in these parts. He placed
the number of living cliff and cave
dwellers in this part Of Mexico at from
nine thousand to twelve thousand per-
sons. We afterward saw from three
hundred to five hundred of them, which.
considering their great timidity and
the small part of their land traversed
by US, would give an air of reasonable-
ness to the estimate of Don Aupustin
Becerra, for such was my friends name
Even as we stood on the edge of the
cliff opposite this singular home. we
saw an Indian in the canyon far below,
he appeared to be wearing only n
Dreech-clout of animal skins; he car
ried long bow and arrows He looked,
almost as dark as Guinea negro as be
sklrted the shadows of the CANYON. and
his hair was long. rattlinp of the.
falling chips of shale drew his atten-i
tion to us, when he at once skulked be-
mind big bowlder at the base of the
cllff, and we saw him no more.-Fred.
erick Schwatka, IN Century.