Daily Arizona silver belt., 1907-07-21


 "Th' devil s sure turk n bout here some 'eres, an hell can t be fur off, " was the characteristic manner in which Red Wilkins sized up the wilderness of the Santa Teresa mountains as we rode the trail of Goodwin wash, gazing in wonder at the strange scenes which at every turn of the trail seemed to open wider and darker to receive us. The setting of mountain and canyon in the background, the formidable spires and spurs of the foothills with their grue- some, gaping, distorted apertures, pre- sented an ominous environment.
 "Look a that horntoad-did yu ever see head more like tn devil 'ss An lis n how tn killdee, th' little bird with tn black ring of mournin 'roun its neck, cries when tn sun sinks be- hin tn hills; don't it sort O make yu feel like somethin s goin' to slide up behin' yu suddeni An ther Gila monsters-they sure or Nick s pets, fur thay say that monster misses jus like him, an it s as full O p 'isen if a feller is unlucky enough to be close in. I reckon if a feller lived here long he d sure grow horns,' concluded VII kins, shifting to one side of the sad dle in the uneasy manner of the cow puncher who has been riding rough trails for many hours.
 Goodwin wash in its cireuitous course towards the mountains, narrows as it enters the foothills, and comes to an abrupt end by projection of the range thrown across its path. Black Rock, name the cowpunehers have given to the projection which de- fies the wash from further progress into the mountains, is mass of sandstone, of unshapely spires and ominous cav ities, as naked as though it has just forced its way through the earth 8 crust. For several miles down the trail one can distinguish the outline of a human head, clearly carved in the great rock; but as the rider approaches the head loses its cast, the features so plainly marked by distance disappear, the nose and chin are absorbed by a single spire, and when the rock is reached no trace remains of the strange 
 ''Better shed your hoss, pard,' ex claimed Wilkins, when he reached this place. "Th rest O the out fit will be siftin in soon with wrinkles in theer stomaehs from hunger an it 'ud be a good plan to have some grub ready"
 Why we came to such place in the neither of us exactly knew; but puncher the day before came into our. horse camp at Apache Springs, where we were herding horses used by the eowpunehers in the roundup, and us that the boss of the Half Circle outfit wanted us to meet him and some of the boys at the head of the wash. We had often been ordered to go to different parts of the mountains with no definite knowledge of what our work was to be there.
 As darkness came on and Black Rock became only black, unsightly shadow above us, we could hear the brush cracking far down the wash, and mum bled sounds told us that the rest of the outfit was coming. Black Rock, illum- mated by our camp fire, threw refec tion of light down the wash, and, guid- ed by the glare, the punehers left the trail and came straight toward the camp, riding hard and awakening the echoes of the canyons with their pierc ing eat-eries.
 "If the devil s in these hills to- night" said Wilkins, as the cowboys came tearing through the mesquite and Che won t get much sleep. {"
 He had scarcely finished speaking when the punehers charged into the camp, firing their six-shooters and dancing their horses about wildly.
 "Light any place, boys; the groun is sof' mos anywhere you hit it." yelled Wilkins, as the punchers rode about looking for good places to roll down their blankets.
 Hank Ferret, the boss of the outfit a tall, squarely built man, with pierc- ing blue eyes-swung into the light of the camp fire. Two six-shooters hung from holsters in his belt, and every