The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-30
WHERE BEASTS COME TO DRIN X
Strange Sights Seen by an Old Prospector in
Arizona.
From the 81. Louis Globe. Democrat.

From the 81. Louis Globe. Democrat.
"The weirdest spot on earth is the Cafon Of
Tres Alamos three cottonwoods), and 1t lies
hidden in the fastness OF mountains tho most
barren and forbidding in the Territory Of
Arizona. A cold spring pours out of the solid
rock and chatters its way noisily down the
narrow canon. Here, at the dead OF night, como
tho beasts of the barren mountains for miles
around to drink of the running waters. And
here, lying quietly In the moonlight, I have
been a silent spectator of some of the queerest
sights that mans eyes ever beheld. 1have seen
the deer and the wildcat and the coyotes and
the tufted lynx. and even a numbering cinnamon
quito still in the moonlight and watched them
for hours. and there is no more fascinating spec
ta Tb. to m be seen seen in .nd the oRP ss soor somo wild SIGHTS
in his day, too, for he is one OF the oldest pros
pectors in Arizona. He came into Phoenix the
other day from Tres Alamos. and in the evening
he went south and east TO the new diggings at
the :. ii. Mountains in Yuma county. Every
Court Is a strange character. He has made some
money out of his ceaseless and tireless prospect
ing, and has a score or more of claims staked out
in different parts or the Territory. He is an in
telligent man, of not n little education.
ITS a wonderful country" he went on, and
are three cottonwood trees where the spring
pours out of the rock, and along the banks Of tho
IisSeif sp @5e Of % team ac Tss.oT The iirst n ign sPPt camp pc
there because l was tired. But after that | stayed
on for two weeks because of the wonderfully
CANON are marvels of conglomeratc malpais or
lava. There's gold, iron. copper. cobblestone,
ground up in u mountainous mass that is as bare
OF vegetation as the day 1t poured from the heart
HIdeous shapes imasinable. and seen in the
moonlight these shapes take on all kinds Of hor.
riblc and wonderful aspects. It's a region worth
days lope from Congress.
but the average man who goes there will not
how the deer came TO drink-it's the ~prettiest
sight in the world. The first night l was on the
R Isam tS of ,s sS'1 81 t, the slss iaii w above ! m heard fi { sPe5t
and there was a big buck with magnificent
antlers standing on the very brink, his dusky
MANY feet IT, and ndOt he was surrounded by a PACK PACK Of
veaturyd cautiously down the lava slope, and
S Masn a naI he w sa}ra ne t halte air. t 3sS fba n1s ea ansl sn,
him. Then he ventnred further down, and
presently stood so close to me that l could
halted again. again, tossed his head up
other snort, and the rest OF the pack came up.
Three times in this way they halted. Always
III h Ss cave e' tGe s ss ssHu'' A arf nd o nt tho hey &nfef.
the buck waded In a few steps, then signalled for
tho others to advance and drink. And while
they drank he fell back of them several yards
and stood there as guard until they had finished.
Such an alert scout no human being ever made.
him as he stood there and watched and waited.
Surely, he realized that the fate Of the entire
Fsspon afGiahifisa s %Roh heavily aiIh; a npon ms Sim monG It t Sof
isty its thirst. Then It moved back from the
bucks turn to drink. He strobe forth, bent his
head and drew in great draughts of the cool
him. The pack waited. for him. and when no
was once more at Its head there was a wild
'' @f @ns up fas sen ,aeSof By sid iSe 81 sp ,hs I Slnif; and re.
solved to witness 1t again. So stayed another
night; The performance was repeated exactly.
and 30 on, tin 1t dawned upon me that i must quit
scented me at once and knew all along just
where lay, but kept very still and they did
l'The smaller animals came at all times of the
night. and the smaller they were the more noise
they made. The foxes were the slyest of all and
the time, but their heads always wrigxlins from
side to side. The first time they shifted my
back to cover, behind tho rocks. but presently
they yentured ont again. and, after three or
fonT essays, they y finally came down and drank;
low, but have seen lots bigger. He came down
the bluff like a biT pig; his nose roofing in tho
There isn't an animal in America, l believe, that
NH touch man unless man makes the attack.
and stared at me. met HIS gaze calmly. and
believe, fearlcssly. Then he went on to the water.
wadcd, boldly in, and drank his nj. OF ali the
animals that came TO drink there only this gruff
and daring old cinnamon bear went about his
business tearlossly. Even the coyotes and bob
cats moved cautiously. and would have turned
tail and scampered of II ! had stirred about.
But Bruin was not that kind Of an animal. /
have never seen a timid bear In this country.
We don't shoot bears in Arizona, you know.
meet them frequently on my trips. and can han
die a rife as well as most men. hut / never shoot.
often we have met face to face on a narrow trail,
and IN these cases ] have always acted politely
and stepped aside 10 let Mr.. Bruin pass. / never
dispute the way with II bear. nor court an un-
sight.
" prospected In the region u little. but in a
day or SO l saw there could he nothing located
there. The lava is Of too recent n date, and the
cohKloincratc altogether TOO conglOmerated to
be OF any use whatever. In the early days there
was IL picket post at. Tres AlaInos. and the
Larger blum back of the spring is the famous
signal Butte that you have read about in Capt.
Kings novel by that name. You can't i'm
aginc what n weird and uncanny spot it is in
the moonlight. nor what enhancing sights /
have witnessed there when the deer, the bear.
The lynx, the coyote, aud the fox come out OF
Their hiding places in the dead Of night and
drink at the springs"