The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-10-21
INDIAN LEGEND LIKE
OF THE DELUGE.
MISSIONARY HEARS QUEER STORY OF
GREAT FLOOD TOLD BY ANCIENT
MEXICAN TRIBE.
ARK APPEARS FROM NOWHERE.
Yumas Still Point to Spot Where Great
Boat Landed After Waters Had
Subsided

Los Angeles. Cal, Saturday.-A missionary
who has returned from Mexico. Wnere ne
worked among the Yuma indians says tn hs
there Ia a similitude between the story OF inc
dluge recorded In the Christian Bible 500 the
legend OF a food dramatically told oy tne
Yumas and which has come down 10 tnem
upaltered through centuries.
Their deluge, az described by the few who
were miraculously saved, was Tue mo[e
grandly terrible In that 1t came on sunoeh,y.
From the high lands occupied by Inc lnolans
they saw the waves of the sea sweep In upon
the land and recede, only 10 advance Wild
Immensely Increased volume and stupep-
dously huge breakers. Then there came a
terrible storm that seemed TO oloW from az
directions. The storm caused huge water
spouts which appeared over the wild ocean ns
far as the eye could see. The TERMED people
fled to the mountains, but the mountains
were all soon to be suomergea, VIII tne na
remained uncovered by the FLOOD, 10 caI,ed
nheIlah (Mouptain of the Moon). Yet
today IL Is not a very high moantaih.
BOAT MYsTERIoUsLY ~D1sAPPEAs.
For a while before the mountain became
submerged there was q great cain. anu .
| dense fog covered the earth. linen suooeniy
a mighty boat appeared 10 the awed view o.
the IDdians; H. al, appf "Iii Uncovered aSe si0P By The &c
waves, and at each point where II touched, al
II guided by invisible intelligence. the 10.
dams, as II obeyipg an upspoken but po'en'
1 COLu Iu Au G IClcN tHS eoe"
The boat rested first at place called AVee'
aua.lu (Mountain Peak, now Pilot KNOB, on
| border OF Mexico. There was q mesa on the
top OF this mountain, though at this day II
does not exist and on this mesa the Indlani
| hrst celebrated their delivery. This they dlo
BY playing sacred games, chanting songs, &C
On the rocks at the loot OF this peak mere are
hletoglyphics ! an nknGW ya w lsng ~ aas
BY those who survived the flood.
Petrifed driftwood Is still TO be seen TWO
| thirds Of the distance up the sides OF Aveen
hellah, which drift, the 1ndians say. was ae'
posiled by the waves OF The great flood.
The Indians, having rested Tor 8 Time on
the mountain peak, again entered Inc DOB
and were carried eastward, eventually 10 9
small valley. Here they again restea; ano
ed from one place 10 another. after q Time re-
turnipg 10 the valley. To their surprise the
boat wa gone. 1t could not have nosled
away, for the land was dry whereon they mac
calm OF It's waters. The boat could not have
crumbled 10 pieces, for there had not been
time for it's decay. They could only conclude
that the mysterious boat, having fulnlled its
disappeared as mIraculously as 1t had up
peared. 49,
had rested was marked by inc ina'ans
Lace QuyI-jo-para (boat's resting place }
This ap0t is held sacred by the Indians, who
will seldom point It out to strangers. MOI
many hundred years ago. IT. Is SAID. some H.
dian warriors were passing the pot and one
of them, 10 show his scepticism, shot an Al
row into the side OF the great log; Immediate
~ q stream OF blood gushed from Inc spot
pieaced and the sceptio fell dead:
The story OF the event was carried 10 al tne
near tribes and since then Indians passing
the place fear even 10 look leisnrely at Inc
log. some steal hasty glances at II, out many
fear to turn their ey es In It's direction.
4 reason given by the Indians az the proba'
BILE cause Of the flood was that there was q
tribe Of Indians who. like Columbus, believed
that the earth was not nat. but round, and 10
prove whether this thereory were true thous-
ands from the different tribes~banded togeth-
edge OF the earth II it was fiat. The food oc.
Cured soon after the Indians started on this
journey, so that they really believed that
those adveDturers had reached the eoge OF
the earth and their weight had tipped the
earth 10 such an extent as TO cause the water
to rush in ON the land.