Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1909-01-22

IL
icos just across the Arizona
~ border, mounted prospector
wound his way. his horse carefully
picking its steps among the broken
granite blocks which had tumbled
upon the ancient path from the noun
tain wall above. 4 burro followed,
laden heavily with pack, bed roll, pick.
frying pan and battered coffeepot, yet
stepping along sure. footedly as the
mountain sheep that first formed the
trail ages ago and whose petrifed hoof
prints still remain to afford footing
for the scarcely larger boots Of the
pack animal.
An awful stiffness hung over the
scene that was broken only by the
click Of hoofs of horse and burro
upon the rocks and the clatter Of the
loose stones they dislodged that rolled
and skipped down the mountain side.
Not breath Of air was stirring, and
the sun blazed down from the zenith
with such fierce and direct, radiation
that the wayfarer needed not to, OBJ
serve the shadows to note its exact
position in the heavens. Singly among
the broken blocks and in banks along
the lodges the cactus had burst under
the heat. as IT were. into the spon-
;&%taneous combustion Of fiowery fame
To the traveller passing beside them
their red blooms blazed with the irri.
tating superfuity Of a torchlight pro.
session at MONDAY.
The trail leads down to a fiat ledge
which overlooks the desert and which
. is#the observatory whittier countless
generations Of mountain sheep have
been wont to resort to survey the
strange world beneath them. with
what purpose and what feelings it re.
mains for some imaginative writer, OF
animal stories to inform US. From the
ledge Ito the valley below the trait
is free from distractions and broader
y more beaten and less devious than
above indicating that IT, has been
formed by the generations Of men toll.
& Ing mp from the valley to the natural
7 watchtower on the heights.
Reaching the ledge. 1.-THE prospeetoz
found that what seemed from the an.
\ gle aboye 10, be, an Irregular pile Of
+ large boWiders was an artificial forti
B iicat ion, the highest wall being toward
the mountains Entering the inclo
sure the prospector dismounted. re
\ Iieyed his horse of its saddle and his
bnrro of its pack and proceeded tt
prepare his midday meaE Looking 70,
4 the best place where he might light {
IRE, lie observed In the most protected
corner 6at stone marked by fire and
II near II In the rocky ground d pothole
h evidently formed for grinding maize
The ashes Of ancient fires were scat
tered about, and In cleaning them of
n Ili6 new found hearth the man discov
erred u potgherd, apparently OF 10 ma
live ola or water jar, and a ehippes
fragment OF flint too small to indicatl
neither II had formed part Of an In
dian arrowIead Of had dropped from
u old flfnflock nusket. d;
lucky strike &, observed the pros
sS 5 e was down my Las
II mat And, gathering some mes
a1tse brush for fuel and rubbing y dea,
branch into finder. he drew out u
3 knife and, rapidly and repeated
ling the back of It's blade With III
produced stream Of sparks
which cell pn the finder. Blowing th
while, lie started d fame. When th
q lare was read Elle man shook bis caa
u teen recioas little drink ieftt, b
aalsdi. wish hat pstsherd carriel