Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-08-11

which we got our supplies. Evidently
belonging to the better class of work.
ing men, he was short, extremely pow
erful and spoke pronouncedly through
his nose. His conversation was chiefly
remarkable from its contrast to the
vigorous and high-1avored language
used by the natives. He never swore.
Apparently he had plenty of money,
and at first when questioned as to his
intentions, replied that he had earned
enough for a holiday, and was going
to look land a bit before settling on
a line OF work. He was jack of many
trades, he said, and could make q
good living as soon as he decided. He
picked up a number of acquaintance,
displayed a great interest in the re-
sources and prospects of the surround
ing country and early in August an
nounced that he had determined to try
his luck for a season as a professional
hunter and trapper.
In this capacity he met with sue
cess from the start. He was a bril-
liant shot, and though the country was
new to him, he seemed to have a natu-
raj instinct as to the whereabouts of
game. Several short trips were ar
ranged by the local magnates, with
Fenton as a pilot, and in each case
they returned spoil-laden.
Naturally, Archie fell in with him,
and naturally they had much enthusi-
astic talk in common, but their several
engagements prevented them from ar
ranging an expedition together till the
middle of October.
About this time there were large
and destructive forest fires in the
Rockies, and the smoke hung a heavy
pail over all the land. The sun rose
and set b%lood-red, and men could hard
ly quench their thirst. Much game
was driven out, and, crossing the in
tervening 40 miles of plain, deer and
elk took up their abode on our range
in the south part of the Black Hills.
Other visitors arrived, not so welcome.
A mountain lion was seen by one of
our cowboys feasting on a calf, and the
next night, ten miles away, he robbed
the henroost Of a fence-rider.
To harbor the beast meant a certain
loss Of a thousand dollars a year, and
I turned his pursuit and destruction
to Archie, who took to the idea
with great eagerness. He at once en-
gagged Clark Fenton to accompany
him, and on the 18th of October the
pair started with a team and spring
wagon belonging to the ranch, loaded
with guns, rifles and all the parapher-
required for a two-weeks' camp
in the hills.
From that day to this, no man, so
far as is known, has eyer set eyes on
of them.
A fortnight went by, but as Archie
was supposed to be hunting within our
fence ian enclosure, by the way, of
about three-quarters. of a million
acres) and was at work for the benefit
or the ranch, l made no report of his
absence to his father. But during the
third week the weather became very
bitter and stormy-too rough, l should
have supposed, for my partner-and
when, on the 7th of November, I found
that none of the cowboys had seen
heir camp at all, | became alarmed.
aud telegraphed to Mr.. Sparks.
Promptly came back the reply:
Spend up to fifty thousand in in
Draw on me-"
The number of riders we put out to |
cover the ground, and the number of
detectives We employed would hardly |
believed, if | gave them; but up to
June, '9S, the only things we recov-
9red were the wagon and horses. A
Mexican in Arizona was working old
Blue, and a missionary on the Grow
reservation in Montana had Buck and
he wagon, but they had passed
through SO many hands that it was i'm
possible to trace them back to any one
resembling either Clark Fenton or
Archie Sparks.
Poor Mr.. Sparks took the disappear
of his son very deeply to heart,
md his efforts in the search were re-
doubled, but were entirely fruitless.
In June, '98, 1 had occasion to ride
'ver a part of the range about ten
niles distant from the home ranch.
The nature of the country was rather
urious. The soil was a heavy, orange
olored sand, growing a fairly good
tand of pasture grass, and spangled
t this season with wild flowers of
very hue. At frequent intervals there
ose red sandstone rocks, some of great
ize, and carved by weather into the
nost fantastic shapes. Here would be
table, many hundred tons in weight,
on three slender legs; there a thin
lab, serving edgeways for a sun dial.
'ancy could picture George Washing
on, the Sphinx and other celebrities,
'hen the strange masses were looked
t from the proper point.
These crags were the home of Wild
ats, and my %bull-terriers (who gen.
rally succeeded in following me when
meant to leave them at home) were
BON bustling one from rock to rock.
he cat finally took refuge in a mass
t red sandstone about an acre in ex-
the terriers following, and while
waited for them to come out again I
unused myself by examining the
lrious formation. On three sides the
,alls were sheer, or perhaps a little
verhanging, to the height of 40 feet.
t the top the weather had done
work. Growing the walls
ere great mushroom-like shapes, on
Ugh, thick stems, each different and
all alike. The intervals were al
lost regular, giving the appearance of
battlemented tower, or, better, of ,
,me vast fantastic crown. To the