Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-05-28

| place where TIE mountain lion had over
taken the grizzly. There had been a
| fight and no mistake. There were blood
and hair and other marks of fierce
struggle, showing that business had be-
gun promptly after they got together.
But neither bear nor lion was to be
seen, and we could find no traces Of
either leading from the place, although
we searched for them forward and back
along the trail. Antonio went to the
edge of the precipice, which fell sheer
for full 200 feet. He steadied himself
by scrub oak tree that grew out from
the brink and looked down.
"'There they be, both those fellows,'
he said. They tumble off, and both
get killed.
"Antonio stepped back to give me
chance to see, and with him holding
me fast by my belt clutched the tree
/ trunk and looked down the dizzy depth.
At the foot of the cliff both animals
were lying still; the bear shapeless
heap, the lion stretched on his side, and
both dead. Sintago was safe from them,
but where was he? for we had not once
come in sight of him. We were hungry,
for it was now afternoon, and we had
eaten the last morsel of bread and bacon
we had brought from the station on
starting out in the morning. We had
to stop an hour to let the horses rest
and feed, and then we took the trail
again, for the specimens must be re-
covered and we must follow wherever
Sintago chose to lead. 1 thought of
the wagons numbering along toward Sill
yer City and the Transfers comfortable
dinner, and it did not help my feelings
to think of what the mine owners would
say when the wagons came in without
me or the specimens.
"But soon there was something closer
at hand to think of. had fallen little
behind Antonio, and when L came up
with him he was looking very serious.
He pointed to the path, and there across
it was the trail of Is or 20 ponies that
had passed within an hour, going to
the south. The depth of the hoof prints
and the way they had travelled in single
file showed that they had carried Indian
riders.
"Los Apaches,' said Antonio, look
ing fearfully around, and both of us
clutched our firearms as if the Indians
were upon as. But they were not in
sight, and they had been going in q
hurry, for not one of them had turned
to follow Sintago's tracks, which must
have been fresh when they passed. We
went on, keeping sharp lookout, for
when the Apaches are out there is no
safe place for any white man about the
Burro mountains. We hurried on, but
was plain that he knew where he was
going, though we didn't. 1t might be
to Silver City, or some Mexican plazeta;
it might be an Indian camp or robbers
den in the mountains. At last, as the
sun was going down behind the peaks,
we saw from the top of rise the burro
far ahead, just entering narrow can
yon. We set spurs to our horses, took
the trail down the long steep canyon
on the run, and came out upon the plain
with the mountains all behind us.
Ahead, disappearing like shadow In
the twilight, was Siptago, still carry
ing his pack and heading straight for
Silver City, whose lights were gleam-
ing five or six miles away.
"Glad enough we were to see those
lights, and our horses at sight of them
quickened their pace. We soon over
took SDtago moving smartly along at
half trot, looking none the worse for
wear, though he had been carrying his
country. We kept him ahead of MS, and,
in another hour, we all halted in front Of
the Legal Tender corral in Silver City
with the wagons not due until the next
day at noon.
1--WE put our animals in the corral
and went to the hotel. taking the sacks
of specimens with lbs. That evening
met the mine owners and the syndicate
man at Porter & Crawford's store, with
the specimen ores to exhibit, a day
ahead of time, and the deal was made
then and there. Then 1 went to the
hotel and to bed, for 1 was very tired.
At three o'clock in the morning 1 was
awakened by the landlord, bringing
| news.
ga courier had just come over the
stage TRAIL he said, and he says the
Apaches jumped your wagon outfit in
TETON Gulch last evening. They killed
all the teamsters, ran the stock off, and
burned the wagons. The sheriff is get
ting up party to go out and get the
bodies at daylight, and thought you'd
like to SO along
II went out with the party to the
scene of the massacre. There were the
mutilated bodies of the transfers ly-
ing as they bad fallen, by the charred
wheels of the wagons. / should have
been lying there with them had it not
been for Sintago's strange fancy for
a trip over the mountains, which kept
me from going along with the wagons.
The one break in his good record that
caused me so much anxiety and trouble
had been the means of saving my life"