Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-05-15
BESIEGED IN A CRATER,
BY I'll. ALAN CLARKE.


The adventure L am about to relate
occurred in the summer of 1850, time
when the Apaches-those virulent
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
Fecting trip into the Zuni country, of
whose extensive mineral wealth we had
heard some dazzling rumors.
Our party had been prospecting to-
gether for more than a year-long
enough to get well acquainted with one
another, and for each member to the
outfit to ascertain that his partners
could be trusted in almost any emer-
gency that might arise.
Baker, Harris and I were original
1y 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 ''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 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 ali 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 one evening.
Il was there about three years ago.
Harris replied. Its about 30 miles
west of Salt Lake City, and as desolate
a place you ever saw
81 guess that amt the one 1 mean,"
corrected Winston. There'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 to 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;
a little lake, so deep nobody has ever
found bottom to it,
Our curiosity was strongly excited,
and before we turned in for the night
1t was unanimously decided to pay a
visit to the strange lake neNtday.
Sunrise found us in the saddle, and
a 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 to appear al
most unearthly. AT the bottom of the
basin. and occupying the greater part
of its area, slumbered a 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 half
mile from where we stood, an enormous