Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-09-09

overhead and the sun could be seen for
but one brief hour in the "a. These men,
though accustomed To profound depths and
sublime heights. were awed by their sur
roundinss and began to lose their desire
for gold in their growing desire for light
lone early morning the canyon was still
black as midnight, but the flaming clouds
far overhead told that day had come to the
upper world when the little band was star
tied By hearing fierce yells, like the cries Of
angered eagles high up the cliffs.
No need to ask what the cry meant
Each of these men had heard it of old 1t
was the war shout of the Apaches. Up the
canyon walls rang ont an answering cry of
defiance from the Mohaves. But the BRAY
est saw he was in trap and with all the
chances against him.
From the giddy crests Of the canyon
wall the Apaches loosened huge rocks,
which came crashing, smoking and thun-
de-ing down on the camp.
Five men. nearly half the Mohave band,
were destroyed by that Titanic fusillade,
that seemed to fall from the sky like the
thundcrbolts of an angered Jupiter.
"In their desperation Bill Williams and
Irataba used their rifles, hut up to that
time no rifle had been made that would
send bullet to such a height. But the
rocks-the awful rocks gained in destruc-
tive power by reason of their awful eleya-
ton.
1.-The only hope lay in flight down the
canyon, which up to this time had never
been trotlden by the foot of man. Still
from the cliffs the Apaches pursued and
with such effect that when the black
shadows of another night came to tho
depths where the maddened waters roared
there We're but two men left-Irataba and
Bill Williams
"They discussed the situation and like
brave Men determined to fight till the last,
though the effort seemed hopeless.
Retreat by the route over which they
had come was out of the question The
only chance was to follow the canyon
down, knowing that it must end in that
stupendous labyrinth of canyons then un-
known, but which have since amazed the
world.
Their only food was little dried veni-
son. The next morning they came upon
large quantities of free gold, but they had
lost their interest in the precious metal
Life, said the chief as they pushed down
the mighty rift, is more precious than all
earth gold.
ION the second day they lost sight of
the Apaches, but as there was no means of
reaching the upper world, without retrac-
ing their steps, they decided to- keep on.
Late on the afternoon of the second day
they were brought to n halt. There were
no lcngcr any shore lines along which they
could walk. The swift current filled all
the space between the black, towering
banks.
The next morning they found a lot Of
driftwood lodged in the crevices of the
rocks. Some of this drift was so feet above
the current at this time, indicating the
height Of the Little Colorado in the flood
| season. Using their buckskin leggings for
| cords, they fastened a number of pieces of
timber together. They had barely finished
their rude raft when again they heard
Apache yells, and again the murderous
rocks came laundering down.
with characteristic stoicism Irataba
was for dying where they wcre,rather than
! trusting himself to the frail,raft, which
Williams stood ready to launch on the I'M
known waters of the canyon.
If we die, Irataba, said the white
man, let us die resisting
But what can weak men do in the
| face of natures awful forces?' asked the
| superstitious chief.
We are a part of natures forces, Ira
| taba, and We must control them. Get
aboard and hold on That is what Will
| liams said as with his rifle ut his back and
| u pole in his hand ne cast the raft loose
and tried to guide it.
1.-The current soon bore them ont of
| reach and hearing of the Ap;ches. Accord
| ing to Williams estimate they were now
at least 800 miles from the nearest settle
mcnts at the mouth of Virgin river and
the Mohavc villages were fully $50 miles
| further off and to the south.
| 'All that day and the following night
| they drifted down between the banks that
| appeared to grow higher at every bend till
1t seemed as if they were descending into
the bowels of the earth.
''On the fifth day of their flight the raft
was whirled into the still larger canyon Of
! the great Colorado. BY this time all their
| food was gone, and their long watching
and fearful anxiety had weakened them,
though both were unusually strong men.
! "A situation more desperate cannot well
he imagined Without food. their cloth
ing torn to rags and their skin blistcred,
| they were at the bottom of the greatest
canyon in the world and being carried on,
whittier they knew not
''Irataba showed that he had lost hope
| by lying fiat on the shaky raft and singing
the weird death song of the Mohaves.
| From this time on the chief made no effort.
| To his companion he was worse than dead.
but brave Bill Williams never gave up, and
let me say ii is this spirit that constitutes
the chief difference between the white and
other races.
Here and there Williams made land
ing and collected the green spiral pods OF
the mesquite bean, which he shared with
the chief
ION and on drifted the raft. Night fol
lowed day till nine days had passed, and
Bill Williams began TO feel that his
strength was gone and that the end was u,
hand.
Too weak to stand Bill lay down on
the raft and tried to guide it from the op
posing rocks
The poor fellows mind grew weak, and
life and death We're alike to him indiffer
ent.
AT length the white man was reused
from reverie by hearing the splash of car:
and the encouraging voices Of other white
men.
| ne raft had reached the mouth oi
Virgin river. where the Mormon settler:
nursed the fronticrsinan and the Indian
Chlei back to strength and returned then