The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1898-06-09
THE ENCHANTED MESA.
TRACES OF HAeiTAfIoN FOUND ON
THE TOP OF KATz!Mc.

ar Hodge Found = Few Shafts aad
stone Weapons, but the Rocky Aesa-
sop Has Beef Swept gars tY Many
Storms Once the Home of Indians.
Mr.. F. ". Hodge Of the ethnologi-
cal bureau writes for the Century al
accoun! Of his ascent Of the En-
charted Mesa, made last September.
Mr.. Hodge says:
The rocky floor of the mesa-top had
been swept and carved and swept
again by the storm-demons of cen.
turies since the 'ancients' of the
fecting forms we saw on the roofs in
the moonlight OF the night before had
descen Jed the ladder trail in the early
Morn Of that fa:eful day.
Although the afternoon was still
young, l at once saw that the remain
ing hours OF daylight would not suffice
for thorough examination of the
summit. n;F.:S = 7g the two Lagunas
below to E, -5ge:her our blankets
and sufficient supply Of provisions
for couple of:meals, reconnaissance
was begun, and in a few moments
fragment Of greatly &weather-worn an
cient pottery was picked up.
The storm of the previous day,
which drove the Indians from their
religions ceremonies, and gave birth
to the glittering little pools in the
verdant valley below, afforded faciG-
ties for observation on thu summit
that otherwise would E--s5v have been
possible. Here and there in the
rocky Aoor "pot-holes' had been
eroded by wind and rain, and were
nov file; with water; but nowhere
else Oh the entire summit had the rain
found = a resting place. Over. the
brink it had poured in scores Of catar-
acts. CARRYING with it stones and such
earth as it managed to gather from
the scanty store yet remaining.
.Ghe mesa-top was once covered with
fairly rich vegetation, pinons and
celals rredominating; but most OF
these now stand gaunt and bare. OF
lie prone and deeaying on the bleak
surface. their means of subsistence
having been long washed away. A
few dozen more storms, and the
others must inevitably perish. But
the cxa nination of the aurface OF
Katzimo was not essential to deter
minatjoa OF the fact that it vas for
merlv mantled with thick stratum
of earth: tho talus had already sold
the story that on the very site of thsir
village the inha bitants Of Katzimo hae
an abundance of material with which
to make the balls of adobe mud de-
scribed by one OF the Spanish c}Eon-
Sicie?s Of thg s17fssnttSf cgnert Tile
last remnants Of their hous ses.together
with the fragm:slts of theirlS1d
utensils, save stah as we found, pSsss.2
over the brink Generations ago; btt>
one may still I'D an abundance Of
the latter sea ared through the
detritus which iLs,laces is piled half
way up the mesa s sides.
We built huge fire around one OF
the gaunt specters that stood about US
with outstretchel arms: soon there
was mighty blaze, and a shout Of
approval reached us from the two
Lagunas below.
The next morning, while aiding
Major Pradt il making survey OF
the mesa-top, was not little sur
prised to find three Acoma indians
among us. They were by no means
friendly at first. for, having seen OH
fire the night before, they had come
to the top by means of our ladders to
learn the cause of this unusual burst
Of fame from their ancestral home
site, andto oust the intruders from
the height. The leader, who was the
war chief Of the tribe, and medicine
man, asked our business. We told
him. TIE natives became interested,
and said that their people had feared
We were after their land. Being
assured we had no desire to make our
future home on their dry sand-dunes
or drier mesas, but that we were
merely looking for pottery fragments,
the chief expressed serious doubt that
any relics could be found, inasmuch
as many ages had passed since
his people lived on the great table, and
he believed all evidences Of former
occupancy had been swept or washed
away. The interest Of the three In
dians was quite apparent when I
showed them the fragment Of pottery
picked up by Major Pradt the even
ing before, and they manifested no
unwillingness to search for other pot
sherds when I made the suggestion.
They were engaged in this quest only
a short while when they returned with
several fragments Of extremely an
cient, greatly worn earthenware, a
large pro;ectile-point, a portion Of q
shell bracelet, and parts Of two groo7ed
stone axes, all lichen-Aecked with age,
and still moist from contact WITH the
ground. Thoroughly satisfied with
the outcome, 7 decided to bring the
work to close as soon as the survey,
the Photographic work and the ex-
animation OF the general features Of
the mesa's summit were concluded.
Eow Cigars Are Sent to the klondike.
'There will he CIGARS 10 blrn and 70