The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-11-25
SEA SNAKE BELONGS INLAND.
Apache Indian Tradition Tells of
the Monster and why 1t Left
Its Salt River Home.
From the Detroit Tribune.

EIOlll the DelTOll tribune.
Among the traditions and legends of
the Apaches is one which they never
tire of relating to open-mouthed young
sters-that of the great food. This le-
gend is connected with the great natu-
raj bridge in Arizona that spans the
precipitous flow of the mountain tor
rent known as Pine creek, a tributary
of Salt river, 40 feet above the water.
The limestone walls on either side rise
IN architectural beauty to the span
apove, forming a perfect arch, from
Which are festooned stalactites of fan
tastic shapes.
The Apaches believe that this bridge
once formed the lower barrier of a
crystal mountain lake, which was in
habited by monster of great size and
power, which they seldom saw but
feared and revered. 1t lived upon deer
antelope and fishes. The monster is
described as having been 200 feet in
length, with the head and neck of a
serpent, the pectoral fins of a very
huge fish, the legs and body of an
immense ella monster, terminating in
a double tail, jointed and flexible like
that of scorpion, but having affixed
at the two ends very large and fiat
ike that of a rattlesnake, but the jaws
were not SO heavy, and a sharp point
ed crown projected above the inter-
section of the neck, as on the horned
TOAD of Arizona. In addition to the
two eyes of the snake, which allow
only an oblique forward vision, a large
eye was in the middle of the forehead
ana added ferocity to the appearance
OF the monster. It's head was about
II feet long ard 10 feet wide. while
the neck, the fore part of which was
covered with long, reddish-brown hair.
extended fully 80 feet from the body
proper, which had length Of about so
feet, while the tails measured 70 feet
each, being independent of each other
With these the animal, when excited
kept churning the waters into foays
by the hour The lower part Of the
neck, the entire body, legs and tails
were covered with heavy scales.
But, continues the legend. one time.
without warning or previous rains, a
tremendous flood came down the Salt
river, sweeping away the Indian tepees
for many miles on either side of that
stream, drowning thousands of people.
as well as the greater portion of the
live stock they possessed, and utterly
destroying their irrigating canals The
Hood passed away as suddenly as il
had come. and while the people won
dered much. and mourned their losses
OF kindred and property, they could
not account for the mysterious fresh
ct, and set about repairing the damage
as best they could. While these re-
pairs were going forward, a squaw who
had been down the river fishing came
back and told the Apaches that she
had seen the mountain lake monster;
that 1t had devoured one house before
her eyes, and had attacked another
hnfnra oh ~ of f<rt,k to
woman was Immediately taken in
charge for being a witch. The coun-
ell decided that she was indeed be-
witched, and having become a sorce-
ress was the guilty cause of all the
suffering that had befallen the tribe.
She was ordered to be tortured and
burned that night. The entire tribe
was made happy by the opportunity
offered to appease the wrath of the
Great Spirit. But now a dusty and
prespiring runner came from the camp
Of Yah-kni-yel, a sub-chief. located
with his people near the Pinto noun
tains, distant ten or twelve miles from
the natural bridge. the nearest point
to it at which the Apache ventured to
live. The runner related that, three
days before. his people felt the earth
shake and heard a mighty roaring in
the direction of the mountain lake;
tnat AFTER waiting Two days some war
riors were sent to ascertain the cause
of the disturbance. The messengers
found that a mighty hole had been
wrought in the barrier OF solid rock;
that the water had vanished, and the
monster had disappeared. The news
caused general CONSERVATION, and the
pleasure of torturing a fellow being to
death was postponed. Three squaws
told that, while searching for wood
wherewith to burn the witch they had
seen two of their companions seized
and devoured. Through fear OF being
themselves burned as witches they
would have said nothing had not the
runner arrived. The council then de-
cided to send band of warriors to de-
termine whether or not the monster
was indeed in the neighborhood: but
the search proved unnecessary. That
night a stampede of horses and the
unearthly cries Of those in pain. min
gled with the horrifying angry shorts
of the monster. left no doubt. and the
Apaches fed 20 the mountains.
The Apache Indians never afterward
made their homes anywhere else than
in the mountains although, as the le-
gend runs. the water serpent lived in
the Salt river valley but one year
longer. when. finding 1t too warm and
the water too shallow, he went down
into the ella, thence to the Colorado
river. and finally into the Gulf of Cal
ifornfa.