The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-11-19
BY MAY RI. COATES.

! before daybreak; and it was uniquely
ushered in by odors, the peculiar in
cense-like fumes from burning grease
wood, smoke from h fires OF the
Mexican section hands, which was
waited into the car window as the
train sped along. Strange fascination
has h scent Of burning greasewood-
like the essence or spirit of a bygone
time inviting yet daring ones iinagin-
atomic rehabilitate the burnouG, worn
out a with its onetime savage glory
of warrior nomad. or Of a civilization
unknown; tiller of the soil and stone-
mason working with strange imple-
nnellts, building homes and fortresses
Of which the matrix should stand hun
dreds of years after them, their Sc
cret and their monument.
Sunrise eound the train running
through the Santa Cruz valley, which,
excepting the ashy color of the soil.
and the ~unorderly AIRY Of the rocks,
wears the appearance of an mrnenS
young orchard, or more resembles a
vast park. This aspect is occasioned
by OF natures laws, which is
respected by shrubs and trees In most
desert sections-that each shrub and
tree shall preempt a certain share OF
garden room because 1t requires the
moisture in that amount Of earth space
for its su%stenance.
Through the valley meandeFs the
Santa Cruz river, bordered by WILLOWS,
mesquites and scattering cottonwoods;
the whole valley basin set round with
mountains. And UGH mountains! Fam
tastic peaks clear and distant, great
fittings near and diInly outlined, domed
towers, fortreSSeS, square topped cas-
ties and cathedral spire, tantaiizing-
ly like some great city indistinctly re-
yealed in the morning sunlight. With
a lingering sigh, the travellers turned
from these to urban Scenes as the train
rolled into the desert city.
From almost every street corner If
the eyes We're lifted TOWARD h west,
one caught glimpses of q solitary peak
| which stood high against the horizon
and yet near to town. 1t bristIed with
Arizona giant cacti, and it's outline
/, was furry with other shrubbery native
TO the desert of the Santa Cruz region.
Conspicuously set on the very top of
the cone vas a statue IN stone, Or
marble, or adobe and mortar-or could
1t be a rotund giant Of a giant cac-
tus?
The peak seemed very near, but who
has not heard of deceitful desert dis
%tances? The captain, who likes to do
his sightseeing leisl,rely and afoot,
looked at it wistfully; it might be
within walking reach. Here came the
person from whom to obtain the de
sired information, a Mexican. But he
CHANGED to be of the olden type whose
whole hearted cOurteousness is equalled
Only by MS lack OIL d1QDlltOn 10 speak
the English language. The next person
ar severed straight to the point: Sure,
o can hit the grit clear to the top,
and not half try" and he kindly indi-
Gated the street leading to the high
road.
The highway crossed the mesa, and
half a mile beyond the bridge swerved
north and south, and a fork from 1t
took the base of the peak. The hill
road seemed to be made of stones,
big ones banked on bot. sides, and the
small ones smoothed down for a road
bed. The stones We're not round like
those Of a river bottom, but mostly
slabs and chips of a volcanic origin,
and there was no end of them. The
peak itself, hundreds Of feet high, de-
spite it's shrubbery, seemed to be a
stone chip pile, around which the road
coiled in a lazy upgrade.
The captain settled the strap of the
lunch hamper more comfortably IN his
shoulder, then, with the buoyant con
fdence of a stranger to the rock hills,
chose what he deemed the route Of
quickest ascent.
straight up; those stones make a reg
ular stairway" The stepping stones at
first mad easy the climbing; to aim
ones foot at a chip, hit the mark, aim
and hit again, up one went from twelve
TO eighteen inches at each step. But
l SWIM iiS S6ai " I'LL
Right left, meant military precision;
added to which was the constant watch
for lurking snakes, centipedes, ella
monsters, n big spiders; and the ell
livening thrusts of h picket guards
stationed at inc~onveniently bad angles.
The hill, though a rock pile, was fair
ly well covered with shrubbery, and ev-
cry green thing seemed to stand wait
ing with fixed bayonet, either cunning
ly ambushed, or on open exhibition.
From, the mamillaria in the sandy
chinks at ones feet, little cactus plants
only an inch or two high whose starry
globes are armored with ugly outstand-
ing curved beaks, the gamut Of spines
reached up to the great ~Saguaros, with
only one exception, the creosote brush,
and 1T often harbored a long spined,
mail stemmed opuntia.
After receiving a particularly sharp
thrust from the Palo Verde always
green) t~ree-whose every twig termin-
ates in a long lance d%efiantly displayed
among it's leaves, which are like tiny
fiat beads set along fringe strands
the captain took out his pocket knife,
but his half formed desire for revenge
changed to a whimsical idea.
I'm going to see just how many sorts
of briers there are on this hill. Can't
you make ar apron of that to told
henri" touching the long streamer OF
the l~ieutenant's muffler. Anyway we
ought to nave some decorations for
our Thanksgiving lunch table,
His button bouquet of the desert
gathered from the b rders of the wind
ing hill road, included sample spines
from nearly a dozen cacti. such as the
chollo spines, as beautiful as wicked
for they are long, silvery w.ite sheaths
coated all over with minute, reversed
barbs; also a piece of two other OPIUM.
tias, having fewer and shorter spines;
a spear Of tuna one of the food sort
of the Indians: besides a long white
haired echnocereus; a rib of the fish
hook, and of course a section of the
giant cactus.
The wood Of the desert shrubs is al
most as hard as iron, and the spikes a.
sharp nointed as a fine sewing needle
The most prominent among them, aft
er the Palo Verde, is the ocotillo o.
candle plant, a cousin to the crown O
thorns of the cultivated garden. IT.
clusters of grayish canes are protected
every inch of their length with thorns
which in springtime are snugly hidden
for the stems become wands of livel,
green topped with a scarlet plume o
flowers. Besides specimens of thes
the collection Of thorns included a twi,
of catsclaw a~cacia-aptly named be
cause of its curved and half conceale,
briars-a spray of mesquite. one o
"majata," the desert holly; and late
WAS 16dp2 tho hn,.ricsf IF nll-tta Dol