The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-12
SAVED BYABURROS FANCY
STORY OF ESCAPE FROM
AN INDIAN MASSACRE.
sintnRo CARRIED the Richest Pack IN the
Train, and when He Took "a short Cat
Co SILVER ,Ity the T~rninmn-tcr and =
TRAILER Followed The Others KtiIed.

co silver tIty the TrninnhnSter and =
Trailer Followed THE Others Kiied,
Mexican burros as a rule are sOclable crca-
lures. aud will keep together in a herd or pack
train so closely that you have hard work 10
separate one from the rest" said Washington
Himrod. n mining man from Arizona. sin
tago. the one I am going to tell you about,
seemed no exception. lie was II plain, everyday
donkey with the regulation ears, drab skin. and
black mark OF the cross between his shoulders.
lie had behaved 80 we'll before that II surprised
us all when he gave us the slip one day, and,
what was worse. took his pack load along with
him. 1t looked like misfortune when 1t hap
pened. but II proved good luck for mo In the
end. Sintngo was in the burro train which
packed ore from the Buena Cincha mine. in the
Burro Mountains. down to Cavallo station on
the wagon trail. But none of us knew then That
his first master had been II gambrusinow who had
driven him, packed with stolen ore. in and out
of these mountains SO many times that Sintago
knew all the by trails and short cuts MS well AS
the Apachos did.
AT the time | was train master, in charge of
all frelghting for the Buona Cincha, and Ind
started from tho mine with a train of twenty
burros loaded with ore In sacks. At Cavallo
Station four wagons were waiting for me to
arrive. There | was to complete their loads
with the ore | brought and go on with the wag-
ons to Silver City. This was in the seventies,
when the Apaches were very troublesome. for
the Chiricahua renegades. the remnant Of Co
chise's band, were hiding In the Sierra Madre,
down across the Mexican border, and they
raided up into New Mexico and Arizona every
little while.
For my train of twenty burros there were
three Mexican packers. / rode my horse In ad-
vance to see that the way was clear ahead. One
of the Mexicans came next, heading the train.
and the other two brought up the rear where
they could watch the burros and their packs.
SintaRo was in the middle OF the train. and he
carried two sacks filled with choice specimen
ore to be- shown in helping through n mine deal
that was on at Silver City. The mine owners
and the representative of n syndicate that pro-
posed to float our stock were there waiting for
me.
From the mine to the station was n long
days trip. II was some time near the middle OF
the afternoon when Sintago left the train.
though nobody saw him go. He managed the
matter very neatly. II was in a canon at a place
where the trail made a sharp turn. so that after
passing it Sintngo was out of sight from the
Mexicans behind for n minute or two. He
turned short off the trail. took five or six steps
into the bushes. and stopped behind q big rock.
The burros behind him, following the sound of
the bell ahead, kept to the trail. and had closed
up the gap before the two Mexicans got round
the turn. They did not notice that one was
gone, and 1t was not until we got near the sta
ton, at 5 o'clock. that l found out that Sintago.
with the specimens, was missing.
AT the station the wagons were waiting. or
course | could not go with them and leave those
specimens behind. 1t took but n few minutes
to load on the ore sacks and start the wagon Off.
Then | went back on the mountain trail. taking
along with me Antonio Naljez, one OF the pack
ers, a reliable man and good trailer. | had
fnpDd n bronco FOR him at thp station and 7
rode my own horse. The bronco would serve
as a pack horse If necessary to bring the ore out
OF the mountains. We rode hot foot, aud. be-
fore darkness fell. we had found where the
hind the rock. We traced his course w the
mountain n little distance and then came back
to the canon. found n grassy place where our
horses could feed. and. picketirs them, lay
down to sleep until morning.
the mountain side. None but an experienced
trailer could have followed the tracks of a
earth of the mountain side, but, Antonio man
ascd TO trace them. But he didn't take much
stock in our finding Sintago-nnding him alive,
at least.
"Lo osos. los leonea they get him first he
In the course of an hour we came to where
the tracks turned off into an old horse trail, and
after. that the burro's course was easily fol-
lowed. Two hours later we cam to a little val
ley. where Sintago had stopped to Craze and
then had started on. Tho trail wound among
the mountains. making many crooks and turns,
but | could see that its general course was
e%a>tcrly. 1t was IA rugged road to travel, and
we were not in a mood TO enjoy fine landscape
views. Sometimes IT skirted the brink Of steep
precipiccs, and again would lie along some
that Antonio. who rode ahead, pulled rein and
motioned for me to come up. There in the
moist earth was the track Of u grizzly bear fol
lowing the trail OF the burro. Antonio shook
his head.
the pack, mebbe. But the burro he eat up by
The bears track kept on with sintago's. and
ne th. t.Vt Ill n Fnn ntE annf "A rntp
track appeared above the bears the big. round
footprints OF an immense mountain lion which
Things certainly looked bad for Sintago. but
".They have big fight. those fellows bout
Sintago. Both want to eat him same time
one git licked -mebbe they fight before they
The three tracks kept on together for a half
mile or so. and then. where the. path followed a
came to the place where the mountain lion had
overtaken The grizzly. There had been n fight
an" md N No m msn there ffer we're s,r S b and andi N@'T
that business had begun promptly after they
he seen. ana we could find no tracks or either
leading from the place, although we searched
for them forward and back along the trail.
fell sheer for full 200 feet. He steadied himself
by n scrub oak tree that grew out from the
There they be. both those fellows he said.
They tumble of. and both get killed
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 ami
mails were lying still; the bear "A shapelEss heap.
the lion stretched on his side. and both dead.
Sintagn was safe from them, hut where was hep
for we had not once come in sight OF him. We
were hungry, for IL 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 10
let the horses rest and feed. and then we took
the trail again, for the specimens must be recov-
cred and we must follow wherever %Sintago
chose to lead. | thought OF the wagons lumber
ing along toward Silver city and the teamsters'
comfortable dinner. and IL did not help my feel
ings to think OF what the mine owners would
say when the wagons came in without me or the
specimens.
hut soon there was something closer at hand
to think of. | had fallen II little behind Antonio.
and when | came up with him he was looking
very serious. He pointed to the path. and there
across 1t was the trail of fifteen or twenty 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.
"'L.Os Apaches,' said Antonio, looking fear
fully around, and both OF us clutched our fire
arms as II the Indians we're upon MS. But they
were not I'm sight. and they had been going I'm n