The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-09-25
Madrs D'OrO.

afo4&E 6tStEfA New 1c&1co Hn4
whose line of examination lay into ARR
xona. along the thirty-ffth parallel.
where a railroad Is now built
A wilder country than that was at
that time would be difficult to imagine.
Far apart there were a few wretched
United States posts called by courtesy
.forts,r but the Nayajoes and the
Apaches-the latter under the famed
Chief Cochise-made it unpleasant tray-
cling through the lofty mountains and
across the sterile mesas that distinguish
that land.
Every man in our party walked with
his rife at his back and his pistols in his
blankets at night our weapons were
within easy reach and our pickets were
ss carefully posted as If we were in the
presence of an enemy, as indeed we
might be said TO be at all times. for,
though we did not often catch sight OF
the willy savages, we had every reason
to believe that they never lost sight
of us.
La Sierra Madre, or the mother noun
tain, as the early Spanish explorersvery
properly called the great continental
divide, or watershed, is crossed by sew
eral trails near the latitude mentioned,
the most noted being CampbelI's pass.
90 miles to the west of Fort Wingate.
I had ridden ahead in this pass with
two troopers to make some topograph-
ical examinations and was about Eve
miles in the advance Of the main party
when an exclamation from one of the
soldiers caused me to rein in my horse
and to ask the cause Of the alarm.
II saw an Injun, sir, up there in the
woods" said the soldier, indicating the
direction with his carbine.
In an instant we were dismounted
and watching, with our brides over our
arms and our carbines ready.
After waiting some minutes I began
TO think the man was mistaken, and
was about to give the order to remount,
when a horse plunged down the steep
mountain side, and a glance told me
that the remarkable-looking person on
the creatures back was neither Apache
nor Navajoe, but a white man like our-
selves.
This riders long hair and beard
looked to be as white as the snow on
the distant mountain peaks, and his
costume was a fantastic though de-
cidedly picturesque cross between the
dress of a Mexican and hat of a north4
west hunter.
The pommel of his saddle, the but
tons on his leggings. the stock of his
long rife and the hits of his pistols
and knife fairly flashed with silver. He
was well mounted and rode in a way
that showed that the years that had
frosted his hair had not lessened his
wonderful skill as a horseman.
He came fearlessly toward us and
shook hands, saying as he did SO. with
the n of an educated man: "My
name is Levi Bronson; did you ever
hear of me before?"
I told Mr.. Bronson I never had heard
of him before, but to save his pride, for
the confession seemed to give him pain,
I added: 81 am a civil engineer and
have not been long in this region"
"a civil e~ngineer?" he repeated.
-What do you want in these noun
t~ains?" and he waved his hands about
him, and looked as if he thought me an
intruder. I told him that if he rode
back toward our party with me Iwould
explain oar object; at the same time I
expressed my surprise that any man
should venture into such a dangerous
territory alone.
81 know the Indians, and the In
dams know me-" said this remarkable
man. II am to them the Silver Chief, a
great medicine man, who lived with
them and nursed them back to health
when they sickened before the men Of
my race came to slay and starve them.
All, / sometimes blush for the white
blood IN my yeinsl"
There was a strange CLEAN in his
eyes as he spoke, and 1 concluded that
the stranger was not well balanced. /
told him the object of our survey, which
had the Pacific ocean for its objective
point and q railroad for its conclusion,
but the information did not please him.
at is folly to build a railroad through
y Wilderness" he said. what is there
to support a railroad heref" and again
he waved his long arms at the forest
covered hills
! told him that railroads had become
the pioneers of civilization, and that
along their tracks farms and villages
and cities sprang up.
THAT NAV be in other places" he