The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1909-10-05
PERTLOUS MOUNTAIN TRIP. 4
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home who frequently express de-
sire to accompany me on some Of
my Mexico trips ! wish to chronicle
my last trip over the mountains
The account is strictly true in every
detail and while 1t may be excep-
tional in some respects, it is, in the
main, the lot of every gold hunter
In these hills.
Lewis Henderson, myself and two
Mozas, or Mexican guides, left the
Rincon mine on the southern slope
of the San Francisco mountains in
the state of Durango on the morning
of September the 18th, 1909, to
cross the ranges of mountains ly-
ing Immediately to the north. The
route we were to take was known to
be rough, too rough for horses. SO
we set out afoot at s 80 a. M, using
the Mexicans for pack mules.
The first part of the day was con-
sumed in reaching the top of the
first range, fully two thousand feet
from the base, over which a noun
tain trail was easily followed, but
about p m. we left the trail to go
into country where we were told
that gold was plentiful and easily
found but that on account Of the in
accessibility no one had ever tried
to get it out. With our guides in the
lead we took it by easy stages down
the mountain slope and up another
mountain side until night overlook
us and we struck camp without any
thing out of the ordinary happening.
But upon resuming our journey the
next day our troubles began The
mountains were so steep and high
to proceed but with care and perse-
verance W managed to ascend the
next range, the top of which must
have been twelve thousand feet, a.,
rest we started our descent and to
our dismay. after descending for an
hour or two, We found ourselves on
top of bluff that seemed to
stretch to our right and left for
miles, and as well as We could judge
II was no less than five hundred
feat from where we stood to the
bottom of the same. But how to get
down it? We had no ropes, and they
would not have been long enough
il we had had them. so the only
thing to do was, if possible, to find
a crevice and follow it down. We
proceeded and finally found a large
crack in the bluff partly filled with
debris and small rocks, but very
loose and ashy, but we started down.
1t was very steep and the stuff and
rocks gave way under our feet and
we had to brace ourselves against
the sides of the walls of the crevice
feet apart. We descended about two
hundred feet when We landed on a
shelf about two feet wide from which
We could descend no further. 1t was
sui not ltSS IMAM d tiiouodnu i'S'
to the foot of the mountain and per-
haps three hundred feet to the foot
of the bluff from our shelf. We
seemed hemmed in from every d.
rection except TO climb back through
our crevice, which we did To des-
cribe this climb the writer does not
feel competent The stuff beneath
our feet was loose and the climb was
all but perpendicular and we had
to use our arms continuously TO
brace ourselves along the way, but
after an hour of hard work, we
again stood at the top of the bluff.
II we were to get to the valley be-
low, now something like twelve
hundred feet, we had to find an
opening in the bluff or walk many
miles around so we started around
hoping to find a pass. The valley be-
low was one of our objective points
for rumor had 1t that 1t was rich in
gold as its name Llano fortuna
Fortune Valley implied. After
climbing rocks, heading canyons and
circling hills and mountains we
were rewarded just before dark in
finding pass, or at least what
we accepted and appropriated as
such, which we partly slid and part
ly climbed down until the unfriend-
ly and frowning bluff lowered many
hundred feet above. Here the mantle
of night was wrapped about us and
the solemn stiffness of the mountains
took possession of us and footsore
and weary we lost ourselves in the
arms of sleep in the beautiful little
Valley of Fortune, wondering some
what as We closed our eyes whether
this valley so beautifully wooded and
watered, resting so peacefully amid
the tragic scenes and surroundings,
would reward us for our hardShipS