Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-11-20
BY NAY q. COATES.

sShered in by doors, the peculiar in
cerse-like fumes from burning grease
wood, smoke from the fires of the
Mexican section haTds, which was
waited into the car window as the
train sped along. Strange fascination
has the scent OF burning crossword
like the essence or spirit OF a bygon
time inviting yet daring ones imagin-
alton TO rehabilitate the turnout. worn
out land with it's onetime ayage glory
OF warrior nomad. or OF q civilization
unknown: tiller of the soil and stone
mason working with strange imple-
rents. building homes and fortresses
of which the matrix should stand hun
-dreds of years after them, their Sc
.cret and their monument.
Sunrise found the train cunning
through the Santa Cruz valley, which,
excepting the ashy color of he soil,
and the unorderly AIRY of the rocks,
wears the appearance of an immense
young orchard, or more resembles "A
vast park. This aspect is occasioned
by one OF natures laws, which is
respected by shrubs n trees in most
desert sections-that each shrub and
tree shall preempt q certain share or
garden room because 1t requires the
moisture in that amount Of earth space
for it's s~ustenance.
Through the valley meanders the
Santa Cruz river, bordered by willows,
mesquites and scattering cottonwoods;
-the whole valley basin set round with
mountains. And such mountains! Fam
tastic peaks clear n distant, great
Fittings near and dimly outlined, domed
towers fortresSeS, square topped cas-
1leS and cathedral spire, tantaliZing-
iy 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 IL
the eyes were lifted toward the west,
M caught glimpSeS of a solitary peak
which stood high against the horizon
and yet near to town. 1t bristled with
Arizona giant cacti, and its outline
was furry with other s~hrubbery native
TO the desert of the Santa CruZ region.
-C~onspicuously set on the very top of
the cone was a statue in stone, or
marble, or adobe and mortar-or could
1t be Il rotund giant of a giant cac-
Jus?
The peak seemed very near, but who
has not heard of deceitful desert dis
tanCes? The captain, who likes to do
his sightseeing ieisIrely and afoot,
looked at 1t wistfuiIy; 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 c-ourteouSness is equalled
only by his lack of ambition to speak
the English language. The next person
answered straight TO the point: Sure,
you can hit the grit clear to the top,
and not half try" and he kindly indi-
Gated the street leading to the high
Coad.
The highway c: ossed the mesa, and
half a mile beyond the bridge swerved
north and south. and a fork from 1T
-fnnk tha h1 Ga nf fhp npak 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 were 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 on his
shoulder. then, with the buoyant con-
fidence of a stranger to the rock hills,
chose what he deemed the route of
quickest ascent.
Come, lieutenant, we car easily go
straight up; those stones make a reg
Glar stairway" The stepping stones at
first made Easy the climbing; to aim
ones foot at a chip, hit the mark, aim
ana MT again, uD one Went lIOlIl lWelNc
TO eighteen inches at each step. But
soon the amusement began to pail.
Right, left. meant military precision:
added to which was the constant watch
for lurking snakes, c~entipedes. ella
monsters. and big spiders; n the en-
livening thrusts of the picket guards
stationed at inconveniently bad angles.
The hill, though a rock pile, was fair
~ we'll 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 it often harbored a long Spined,
small stemmed opuntia.
After receiving a particularly sharp
thrust from the Palo Verde always
green tree-whose every twig termin-
1tes in a long lance defiantly displayed
among it's leaves, which are like tiny
fiat beads set along fringe strands
The captain took out his pocket knife,
hut his half formed desire for revenge
changed to a whimsical idea.
Tn going to see just how many sorts
~of briers there are on this hill. Can't
you make an apron of that to told
them" touching the long streamer of
the l~ieutenant's muffer. Anyway we
ought to ave 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
-cholio spines. as beautiful as wicked,
FOR they are long, silvery white sheaths
coated all over with minute, reversed
barbs. also a piece of two other opun-
tias, having fewer and shorter spines;
a spear of tuna one of the food sorts
of the Indians; besides a long white
haired echnocereus; a rib Of the fish
hook. and of course n section OF the
giant cactus.
The wood Of the desert shrubs is al
most as hard as iron. and the spikes as
sharp nointed as a fine sewing needle.
The most prominent among them, aft
.er the Palo Verde, Is the ocotillo or
candle plant. a cousin to the crown of
thorns OF the cultivated garden. It's
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 lively
green topped with a scarlet plume Of
flowers. Besides specimens of these
the collection Of thorns included a twig
of catsclaw acacia-aptly named be-
cause of its curved and half concealed
briarS-a spray of MESQUITE, one OF