Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-04-13
CHAPTER |.

tain wall above. A 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 petrified hOof
prints still remain to afford footing
for the scarcely larger hoofs Of the
pack animal
An awful stiffness hung over the
scene that was broken only by tue
click of hoofs of horse and burro
upon the rocks and the clattcr Of tine
loose stones they dlslGdged that rolled
and skipped down the mountain side
Net a breath Cf air was stirring. ana
the sun blazcd down from the zenith
with su, II cerre and direct radiation
that tie wayfarcr 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 ledges the cactus had burst under
the heat. us |. were. into the spon-
taneous combustion Of aowery fame.
To the traveller passing beside them
their red blooms blazed with the irrl-
tating supcrhuity Of torch'ight pro-
cession at MONDAY.
The trail leads down to fat ledge
which ovcrlooks 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 1t re-
mains for some imaginative writer OF
animal stories to inform us. From the
ledge to the valley below the trail
Is free from distractions and broader,
more beaten and less devious than
above, indicating that It has been
formed by the generations Of men toll.
Ing up from the valley to the natural
watchtower on the heights.
Reaching the ledge, the prospectof
found that what seemed from the an.
gle above to be an irregular pile OF
large powders was an artificial forti
fication, the highest wall being toward
the mountains. Entering the inclo-
sure, the prospector dismounted, re.
lieved his horse of Its saddle and his
burro of It's pack and proceeded to
prepare his midday meal. Looking fol-
the best place where he might light q
fire, he observed In the most protected
corner a fat stone marked by fire and
near 1t IN the rocky ground a pothoAe,
evidently formed for grinding maize.
The ashes Of ancient Ares were scat
tered about, and in cleaning them on
his new found hearth the man discov-
cred a potsherd. apparently Of ma
tive ola or water jar, and Clipped
fragment Of flint too small to indicate
whether 1t had formed part Of an In
dian arrowhead or had dropped from
an old fintlock musket
Lucky strikew observed the pros
pector. 'T was down to my last
match" And, gathering some mes
quite brush for fuel and rubbing dead
branch into tinder. he drew out a
knife and, rapidly and repeatedly
striking the back of its blade with the
aint, produced a stream Of sparks,
which fell on the tinder. Blowing the
while, he started a fame. When the
fire was ready the man shook his can
teen. Precious little drink left" he
said. I wish that potsherd carried
water as the flint chip does fire. How
ever, there's lots Of cactus around
here, and they're natural water Jars.
My knife may get me a drink out OF
the deserts thorns as well as kindle
q fire from its stones. And right here's
my watermelon. the bisnaga. the first
one I've found in months" he exclaim-
ed. going over to the edge Of the clifr,
above the level of which peered the
fat head Of cactus covered with
spines that were barbed like fish
hook. Its short taproot was fixed In
n crevice few feet below the para
pet. Lying on the edge Of the clifr.
the man sliced of the top Of the cac-
tus aud began jabbing into its interior.
breaking down the fibrous walls OF the
water cells. Of which the top heavy
plant Is almost entirely composed. In
q few moments he arose.
Now can empty my canteen In the
coffeepot, sure Of q fresh supply OF
water by the time ain ready to
mosey along"
He filed the pot. set 1t ou the hre
lrd then pressed the uncorked and
empty canteen down into the macer'
ntei Interior Of the bisnaga.
While his coffee was boiling the pros
hector continued his examination OF
the tortiacation. beginning. In the man.
her Of his kind. with the more minute
Signs and ending with what to
ourist would have been the first and
,nly subject Of observation--the view
On the inner side Of the large BOWLER
n the wall he discerned the faint out
dne Of cross painted with red ocher.
Scraping with his pick beneath the
,ock to see II the emblem was the sign
II hidden treasure or relic. he unearth
I'd rattlesnake. Before 1t could strike
vith a quick ding Of bis tool he sent
he reptile whirling high In the air to-