The morning call., 1893-06-18

was the oldest man IN camp ana had been /
through hundreds Of strange experiences. !!
What lee hadn't seen of Arizona wasn't |
worth seeing. and the stories he could tell |
would keep printing press busy the year
round turning them out in book form.
Put it was hard to make } eff talk, and |
the crowd had TO watch their opportunity
to bring up some subject that would hold
his interest until he had told all about it, !
Oae night he made up his mind to 60 to
bed early, ana one of the boys, watching
him undress. saw that some of the toes of
his right foot were missing. He felt sure
that there was story in those missing
toes, so he said: How did you lose those
tees, Jetf?"
jeff was silent for a long time. but no.
body paid any attention TO that. as JEFF
was always that way when making I'D his
mind to relate some of his experiences
Some of the boys used TO say that he was
making up the yarn, but il was always
noticed that those were always the best
listeners.
On this occasion, however, jeff thought
llttle longer than usual, ana when he
spoke at last it was 10 tell the crowd that
lie would relate The yarn some other time.
But this only made everybody more
anxious for the story. and with the amount
OF announcement he got there was no
backing out.
We'll, boys" he began. you have most
of you seen these big pools up in the
canyon?"
Yes, yes." all cried at once; "but 60 ON
with the story"
Il can't go on with this story until ex-
plain things to You, or you won't under
stand it, said jeff. firmly, and there was
comparative silence. LAS | was saying.
you have all seen the pools--alwayS fun
OF water IN the dryesJ season, and no
water coming in from anv place. You
have most of you seen pig fish in some of
the pools; but did any of you ever think
how they got there?"
Every body had to acknowledge their
lack OF thought on the subject, and jeff
continued:
You all know. too, that whenever a
freShet comes down it just cleans those
Tools out and rolls great big powders
through them that would grind ali the fish
i'll the country into miucemeat If they
were there. But If you go to one of those
pools an hour after the freshet has gone
down you viii see fish swimming around
Just as + nothing had happened. Now,
want to ask If any of YOU know how the
thing happens and where those fish come
from?'
OF course, nobody knew anything about
IL and remained quiet, so Jeff went on:
~ on don't know; We'll, | do, aud | will
tell You at the same time that The biggest
nSh you ever saw IN those pools amt
patch 10 what have seen"
This was considered interesting and there
was not a voice heard for fear something
might be said to make jeff change his
mind about telling ali he knew of the big
fish.
He was silent gain for a long time. bu,.
a 81 InpF fras i'm a
and blew such clouds of smoke around his
lace that 1t could not be seen, he went on:
I ou remember, boys. when | was pros
pecting in Bear Canyon up in the Gala.
basaS. Well, that's the time lost my toes,
but those toes were the price of nv life. II
those toes hadn't gave way would have
fed one of the biggest fish ! ever saw, and
nobody would have known anything about
it.
ut happened one morning early before
l had any breakfast. Just after got up
made IRE and then went down to one of
these pools that l have just spoken of 10
take z bath. had bathed in the same |
place plenty OF times and knew there was |
plenty If water there, so had no fear |
about diving. l took a couple of plunges,
and then II struck me tC dive down as dean !
as | uId.
''You fellows all know l am a good
swimmer, aud l always have been; so ii
was easy for me- tn 90 down pretty deep
bu" SCHitA At0 ~ 1 uIuil L olilhc tu6 DOLlum.
SO l tried again and swan down as hard
as l could. 1t wasn't any use. and when
my breath was about gone | let myself
come to the top.
But l was surrrsed and frightened
when / got there | can tell you | felt
my head splash through the surface, but
when l looked around everything was
black. 1t was a most peculiar feeling and
l will remember it as long as live.
didn't know what to make # it. and
thought at first that some terrible storm
must have suddenly come I'D aud shut out
the sun. TEen | ndered if [ had not
beaten my brains out on the bottom and
that 1t was really my spirit that was float
ing on the dark ana cold waters. A thou
sand such thoughts ran through MY head
before l struck The right thing, and that
was that when Cove must have gone
through hole in the bottom of the pool
and cume up on the other side, which was
IN large cave.
''As soon as this idea came into my
head knew | must be right, ana began to |
think OF way 10 get out again. II may |
strike you that this would be easy enough, |
but found out different. 1t was so dark |
l couldn't see my hand before my face. |
and there was no telling which way had |
turned arOu d. [ dove down once or |
twice, but couldn't find anything Then |
commenced to swim tor a place where | |
could crawl out and rest But | must
have swan away from the place where I |
came in. because | was about tired out be- |
fore my hands struck anything solid, and |
then IL was only smooth wall OF rock |
that couldn't get Loid on. / worked |
myself along the sides, but II was a long
time before | found a place where | could |
get OFT, and just had strength enough |
left to Iull myself to a dry place.
1t was not until got there that began |
to realize the horror Of my position. The |
more ! looked at it the more hopeless it
seemed. Things we're pitch dark and |
had not the least idea of where | came in.
and even if had it was hardly possible /
could get out the same way. There
seemed nothing TO do but die, and IN ade
up my mind not to drink any water, so S
TO hasten the end. But in less than an
hour 1 was down at the edge of the rock
drinking all / could hold
Fortunately the cave was warm-so
warm that the lack of clothes was 20 dis |
comfort to me. Lay down on rock that
was covered with fine. soft sand, and be- |
gan to think of the strange end to which !
WAS canning and also what my friends |
would think when they found my empty
cabin. vi course, they would think had |
been killed by the Indians; or. if thew |
came soon enough. they would find nv |
clothes and think l had gone IN swimming
and been drowned. Then they would drag |
for my bodv and in the end give up and |
wonder what had become of me.