Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-01-28

change, nerveless as a woman, he sank
swooning to the floor.
Meanwhile Yavapai was borne to his
tent. The Indians, being somewhat skilled
in these forms of injuries, stopped the
flow of blood and cared for him so faith
fully that it seemed for a time as if he
would get well. But he did not live, and
one morning the others could be seen car
rying him to his burial. At the summit
of hill they stopped to rest. A cool wind
was blowing, and suddenly the form of
Yavapai was seen to move The savages
were more scared at this than they had
been at the lion. Then the dead man
spoke, "Take me home!"
At this resurrection of the corpse the
superstitious ones fled away in terror, but
Yavapai's old wife, true and faithful and
loving in death as in life, remained with
him and half bore, half dragged, his form
back to the tent.
Then the injured Indian commanded the
woman, go to the door and bring in the
buffalo meat"
'But there is no meat there" she re-
piled.
1T is on pony at the door," he persist
ed.
''There's no pony there" she returned.
"You are dreaming"
But the old man still repeated: sit is
there, for have been riding and hunting
with others. have been away to that
other country, the happy hunting
grounds"
The news was spread, and all the rest of
the tribe came to hear of Yavapai's Won
derful journey to the other world and his
strange return. He described the place he
had seen and told of the hunt in which he
had slain buffalo. He spoke of meeting
many old friends. "Did you see Arkaytah
there?" inquired one of his hearers. Ar
kaytah was an old medicine man of the
tribe who had been dead many years. He
had been wonderful parsonage among
them, and there had been confidence and
reliance in the supernatural powers he was
supposed to have possessed. ''Yes, I saw
Arkaytah," answered Yavapai, land
told him Of our fight with the lion and
that many of the wild animals had been
driven from the hills by the great storm.
He said a stranger thing would happen
that before summer this town would be
deserted by all its inhabitants and that
wild beasts would roam it's streets as Of
to mine for gold and to irrigate the val
leys."
That night Yavapai passed away, or
''died again." as the Indians said, and the
next morning, news of this having spread,
his funeral was attended by every one in
Pioneer 1t was supposed by the intelli-
gent whites that the old Indian had in his
weak state sunken into trance and that
the fresh air and motion had revived him
at the time of the first attempt to carry
him to his grave. But he was dead at last.
The white physician, after examination,
testified to that, and the poor man S burial
was held some distance from town and
was of rather mixed description. The only
minister in the place preached short SER
mon, and the Indians chanted death song.
Then Yavapai's painted body was laid at
rest, not according to the custom of any
other tribe, as each has it's own methods;
not placed in a canoe and left to float down
the river, nor OH funeral pyre to be
burned, nor shut out under clods of earth
from the world he had loved, but with his
blankets tightly girded around his body
was fastened in the strong branches Of the
tallest tree, with his face to the free winds
of heaven.
The Ave Suapais have shown a remark
able disposition for Indians in refusing
rations or other supplies from the govern
ment, as this course would compel them
to remain upon reservation. They love
their liberty above all things and appear
to wish even in death to be untrammeled
and uninclosed by any space. u is touch
ing sight to see them on journey stop
@,.oo 1<z4
swung to rest. The body may have dried
up and blown away, perhaps only few
futtering rags are there, but the mourners
will chant tho death song and will lay
around branches of their sacred plant the
yucca, which is their pathetic way of sig
nifying to the heaven assembled spirit that
they desire still to be remembered.
The snow melted, and the Ave Suapais
returned to their canyon home The
Indian prophecy of the abandonment Of
the mining town was repeated to the
whites and received with ridicule The
gold Of the great mine, ON which the life
of the town depended, seemed inexhausti-
bic. What could happen to disturb their
increasing prosperity? 1t was only a coin
cidence, Of course, that before summer
lived again, from secret and unexpected
channels among the hills, there came a
dcluge which flooded mine and town with
water. Many persons were drowned, and
those saved, sickened and discouraged, left
the place. Tho great expense of removing
debris and the fear of that hidden danger
of flood have prevented the reopening Of
the mine. For all know the coyote and
the lion may prowl unhindered now amid
the graves of the forgotten dead upon the
hillside, making their lair in deserted
houses along the desolate streets or in the
abandoned prospect holes among those
lonely hills.-Francita Trujillo in Phila