The herald., 1898-09-04
rCopyright, 1898, by The international
Literary and News Service.1
PART I.


There be some, perchance, who VIII
doubt the truth of that which l am
about TO write, but I reckon little OF
their incredulity, and snap my fingers
in advance at their criticism. The
very circumstances Of the story, taken
together, prove the truth or II, ano
there be certain conclusive evidences
open to the examinat tion OF every one
which even now remain. AS, for IN
stance, the lake, with its small, mound
like rocky island in the middle. To say
nothing about an extremely beautlful
and lovable girl, who is very much
alive at this very moment, ana VINO
was present when the most important
of these things happened. l snail,
therefore, go straight ahead with my
narrative.
NV name is Timothy Lawrence; am
in the early thirties, and l was SIX
months younger than l am now when
I passed through the experience which
I am about to relate. l was educated
for the practice of medicine, but never
practised; l was rich and didn't have
to. Another reason was that 1 never
had but one patient. The public didn't
come to me; probably because they
didn't have to.
Every one has his own peculiar am
bition. or what is the same thing, his
hobby. For what is any ambition but
a more or less exalted hobby horse?
The one ambition of my life has been
the climbing of mountains, and l have
made many fine ascents.
c
is one little matter which 1 wish to set
right. You have read recently, with
out doubt, of Professor Libbey's ascent
Of the wonderful Mesa Encantada.
near the Indian village of Acoma. In
New Mexico. This enchanted table
land Is a block of sandstone, a mile
long and six hundred feet high, rising
perpendicular, from the arid New Mex
lean plain. and looking for all the world
like section of huge cheese, set upon
its edge.
Professor Libbey made an examina-
tion of the upper portion of the mesa
and declared, upon coming down, that
he had found no trace of former in
habitants or habitations. His account
differed from that Of another indi-
vidual, who made the ascent OF the
mesa a month or so after the profess
sor, and whose name I have forgotten.
This individual found certain articles
of pottery, cooking utensils and the
like; whence, he argued, quite natur-
ally, the existence OF prehistoric man
upon the plateau. l wish to state that
/ myself visited the Mesa Encantada
about a year before Professor Libbey
made his wonderful ascent. I climbed
to the top of it, with but little trou-
ble in a manner which will hereafter
have occasion to describe. 1 took with
me, to cook with, some pots and uten-
sils which I obtained from the In
dams of Acoma. These were left upon
the summit when 1 descended, and
may have been the relics of a prehis-
toric race which We're found by the
successor of Professor Libbey. Be this
as it may, will not argue the matter.
I have simply jotted down these things
for the purpose of leading up to my
narrative.
Last May I was at the village of
Pratolino, a place about fifteen miles
to the north of the city Of Florence in
Italy. I was stopping at the inn of one
Guglielmo Zucchi, and there We're pres
ent that night at table. besides myself,
Count Tagliapietra and several other
titled gentlemen, whose landed estates,
some of them of an area of at least
five acres, lay in the immediate vicin-
ity. The talk happening to run upon
the subject of mountain climbing,
narrated to them some of my exploits,
and ended by giving them my expert
ence upon the top Of the Mesa En-
cantada