Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1909-02-03
CHAPTER |.


A- border, mounted prospector
wound his way, his horse carefully
picking its steps among the broken
granite blocks which had tumbled
spon the ancient path from the noun
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
srints 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 the
dick 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 a breath Of air was stirring. and
the sun blaZed down from the zenith
with such fierce and direct radiation
that the wavfarer 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 fowery fame
re the traveller passing beside them
their red blooms blazed with the irri-
tating superiority of a torchlight pro
cession at monday.
The trail leads down to fat ledge
which overlooks the desert and which
ig the observatory whittier countless
generations Of mountain sheep have
been won't 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 to the valley below the trail
i8 free from Instructions 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 prospector
found that what seemed from the an
gle above to be an irregular pile of
large powders was an artificial forti-
Gcation, the highest wall being toward
the mountains. Entering the incio-
sure, the prospector dismounted. re-
Heved his horse of it's saddle and his
burro Of it's pack and proceeded to
prepare his midday meal. Looking for
the best place where he might light a
Ere, he observed in the most protected
corner a fat stone marked by fire anG
near it in the rocky ground pothole
.y.iantly formed for grinding maize
L,r ashes of ancient fires were scat
Jared about. and in cleaning them oh
Lls new found hearth the man discov
cred potsherd. apparently OF ma
1--WE 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
~ old flintlOck musket.
Lucky strike!" observed the pros
rector. II was down to my las
match" And. gathering some mes
aaite brush for fuel and rubbing deat
sranch into finder. he drew out
knife and. rapidly and repeated,
striking the back of it's blade with tn
fiint. produced stream Of sparks
which fell on the finder. Blowing til
while, he started fame. When th
FIRE was ready the man shook his car
teen. Precious little drink left" b
said II wish that potsherd carrie
water as the flint chip does fire. How
ever, there's lots Of cactus aroun
here. and they're natural water Jar
Ny knife may get me drink out {
the deserts thorns as well as kind
fire from its stones. And right here
ray watermelon, the bisnaga. the fir.
one I've found In monthsr' he exclain
sd, going over to the edge Of the clii
above the level of which peered tt
Fat head of cactus covered wit
spines that were barbed like fsl
hook. It's short taproot was fixed
cravice few feet below the par
pet. Lying on the edge of the clit
fhe man sliced OF the top of the ca