The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-05-22
BESIEGIlD In A CRATER.
by II. ALAN CLARKE.


when the Apaches-those yirulent
seourges 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 pros
peeting trip into the Zuni country, of
whose extensive mineral wealth we had
heard some dazzling rumors.
Baker, Harris and | were original
" from the cast; but Winston and Hin
man were Texans-both splendid speci-
mems of the modern frontiersman.
They were crack shots with rifle and pis-
toll; could ride sanythin' that growed
ha'r," as Human expressed it; and
they were thoroughly yersed 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 our 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 lalle?" inquired Winston, as we
squatted at supper one evening.
II was there about three years ago.
Harris replied. Its about 80 miles
west of Salt Lake City, and as desolate
place as you ever saw"
II guess that amt the one | mean"
corrected Winston. sThere's one over
here, about ten miles to the northwest,
that can knock the spots off any Utah
lake when it comes to desolateness.'
In response TO our inquiries, he de-
scribed the lake as occupying the bot
tom of deep and almost circular rocky
basin, the sides of which were so preci-
pitous that there was only one place
down which horseman could descend.
The bottom of the lake, he explained,
was covered with a crust of salt, from
six inches 10 foot in thickness.
''But the qneerest part of it all is the
crater. 1t stands at one side of the big
lake, an forms part of the shore.
When you get to the rim of 1t you find
yourself standin' on the edge of big
funnel-shaped hole, about 200 feet deep;
an right down at the bottom of that is
n little lake, so deep nobody has ever
found bottom to it,"
Our 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
n toilsome ride of two hours duration
brought us TO the object of our search.
Weird and CHASTITY are the only terms
which properly describe the scene that
greeted our eyes as we refined in our
painting horses. At our feet lay an
enormous basin of perhaps 1000 acres
in extent and some 20 or so feet in depth,
its precipitous sides garnished with
masses of volcanic rock, some of them
so grotesque in shape as to appear al
most unearthly. At the bottom of the
basin, and occupying the greater part
of its area, slumbered lake of dazzling
whiteness, its shores encrusted with
curious formations of salt, from which
the suns rays. were reflected in glitter
ing light
On the eastern shore, about a half
mile from where we stood, an enormous
mound, in shape like an inverted wash
bowl, lowered to height of 200 feet or
more; and this we at once recognized as
the crater of which Winston had spoken.
Dark and forbidding it reared its
mighty shape, like an outcast from the
internal regions; its grim aspect SEEM
ing to accentuate the awful silence that
brooded over the scene.
They say the Apaches, Nayajos and
Zunis have superstition about the era
ter" whispered Winston, awed into
something like reverence by the sub
lime picture of desolation spread out
before us. "They imagine an evil spirit
lives in the little lake at the bottom; an
that he emits thunder an lightnin'
whenever he gets mad at anybody. I've
heard they won't kill even a white man
IN the BASIN"
I'D like to see the place where an
Apache wouldn't kill white man, or a
white woman, either" Hinman growled
They'll knock out the brains of a
child in it's mothers arms, an scalp a
parson in camp-meetin', if they get a
chance. An, as for superstitions, I'd
rather trust to my Winchester than to
any superstition. even if it's the best
manufactured"
Guided by Winston. we rode down the
steep trail that led to the bottom of the
basin, and established our camp near
a little spring that bubbled out of the
rocks opposite to the crater. 1t was the
only fresh water in the vicinity, but
there were no signs to indicate that il
had lately been visited by man or beast.
Filling our canteens, and watering the
horses, we were ready to commence the
ascent of the crater.
1t took at least ten minutes TO con-
quer the ascent, though we travelled up
path whose well-worn surface in
Dictated that many others before us had
invaded the precincts of the spirit of
the mound. Perhaps the path was made
by some by-gone race, who toiled up II
with offerings intended to placate the
luminosity Of the powerful being who