The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-05-15
BESIEGED IN A CRATER.
By h. ALAN CLARKE.

scourges of the southwestern border
still dominated the lives and happiness
of pioneers in that section. In July Of
the year mentioned, a party of five
Robert Winston, Joe Baker, Clyde Har-
ris, JEFF Human and the writer-left
the Rio Grande valley bound on a pros
pecting trip into the Zuni country, of
whose extensive mineral wealth we had
heard some dazzling rumors.
Baker, Harris and 1 were original
ly from the cast; but Winston and Hin
man were Texans-both splendid speci-
mems of the modern frontiersman.
They were crack shots with rife and pis-
toll; could ride "anythin' that growed
ha'r," as Human expressed it; and
they were thoroughly versed in plains
craft and Indian warfare.
Before we left the Rio Grande we
heard considerable talk of attacks hav-
ing been made by raiding parties of
Apaches on the scattering settlers in
the Salt river district; but such rumors
were very current in New Mexico and
Arizona at that time, and we paid but
little attention to them, starting as soon
as our preparations were complete.
Nothing worthy of note occurred dur
ing the first ten days of u journey.
Game was not very plentiful, but we
managed to get enough to supply us
with fresh meat; we found an abund-
ance of grass and water for the horses;
no signs of Indians had been seen; and,
taking all together, we felt that our
lucky star was in the ascendant.
"Any of you fellers ever been to the
Salt lake?" inquired Winston, as we
squatted at supper n evening.
In response to u inquiries, he de-
scribed the lake as occupying the bot
tom of a deep and almost circular rocky
basin, the sides of which were so preci-
pitous that there was only n place
down which a horseman could descend.
The bottom of the lake, he explained,
was covered with a crust of salt, from
six inches I 0 Il foot in thickness.
but the queerest part of it all is the
crater. 1t stands at one side of the big
lake, an forms a part of the shore.
When you get to the rim of it you find
yourself standin' on the edge of a big
funnel-shaped hole, about 200 feet deep;
an right down at.the bottom of that is
a little lake, so deep nobody has ever
found a bottom to it."
Opr curiosity was strongly excited,
and before we turned in for the night
it was unanimously decided to pay a
visit to the strange lake next day.
Sunrise found us in the saddle, and
a toEsome ride of two hours duration
brought us 10 the object of our search.
Wtird and CHASTITY are the only terms
with properly describe the scene that
greded our eyes as we refined in our
painting horses. At our feet lay an
enohous basin of perhaps 1000 acres
in extent and some 20 or so feet in depth,
its brecipitous sides garrished with
mases of volcanic rock, some of them
so gotesque in shape as to appear al
mos unearthly. At the bottom of the
basil, and occupying the greater part
of it area, slumbered a lake of dazzling
~whieness, it's shores encrusted with
curtus formations of salt, from which
the un's rays were reflected il glitter
ing light.
oil the eastern shore, about a half
milIfrom where we stood, an enormous
mohd, in shape like an inverted wash
bow, lowered to a height of 200 feet or
moi; and this we at once recognized as
thefater of which Winston had spoken.
Dat and forbidding it reared its
midty shape, like an outcast from the
inftnal regions; its grim aspect SEEM
indo accentuate the awful silence that
brdded over the scene.
they say the Apaches, Navaios and
Zuts have n superstition about the era
teri whispered Winston, awed into
soRthing like reverence by the sub
LIND picture of desolation spread out
be4e us. "They imagine an evil spirit
livdin the little lake at the bottom; an
thd he emits thunder an lightnin'
whIever he gets mad at anybody. I've
head they won't kill even a white man
in T. BASIN"
&ded by Winston. we rode down the
ste{ trail that led to the bottom of the
bad, and established our camp near
q lille spring that dubbed out of the
r0cf opposite 10 the crater. 1CWdS Lne
onlIfresh water in the vicinity, but
theI were no signs to indicate that it
hadtely been visited by ma or beast.
Fillg our ~canteens, and watering the
hors, we were ready to commence the
asset of the crater.
Nived at the summit we at once
savahat Winston's description had not
beeioverdrawn. At our feet yawned
a ght funnel-shaped hole, at the bot
tonf which twinkled a miniature lake,
its he of brightest emerald contrast
ingtrangely with the dark scoria of
the tater's sides.
VII many turns and twists, and
mudunavoidable sliding, we descended
to tishore of the lake, and seating our
selv on fragments of lava, spent half
an Rr in e~ndeavoring to account for
the f~esence of such a jewel in so in
conhous a setting.
"Hy say the water is so thick with
saltbat a Teller can't sink in it," re-
ma1d Winston.
n you ever test it," I asked.
~ ~sir-reei You couldn'thire me to
20 sbmmin' in such a hole as that. I'd