Arizona republican., 1916-02-20
By JAMES p. CLIFFORD


 ] remember the skeptical smile of the old prospector when he heard that we were going to hike to Roosevelt. 1 did not understand the smile then, but it was not forty eight hours when | knew only too well the significance of that half -pityine, half-amused look that came over his face when we asked him about the possibilities of getting water between Mesa and Weeks Sta tion. IL was in October and you know that We had d warm October, and to us who had just come from cool and chilly New York the warmth of Phoe- nix seemed q warning of the perils of the future life. We had already toiled and grown tan under the care of a dairy farmer in Glendale, and had been initiated into the Mysteries of the Ptch-Fork and the Manure Pile, one of the strongest orders Cor did l say odors.o in the Southwest. After three days of intense and long con tinued practice broken by spells of rest when it got too dark to work, we ad- jOurned to Phoenix again and put in some blissful hours experimenting q little of the sleep We had lost some where in Glendale" It wouldn't have been so darned bad only there was a rooster who was crazy and thought that the sun rose every two hours and
 part of his dementia was that he thought it necessary tO tell us the glad news
 l bought q gun later but there is no connection. We had not been in Phoenix very long when we began to be constantly reminded that our if nances were not bearing the proper relation to our appctities and we would fain seek employment elsewhere So we started for Roosevelt We left for Mesa in Ar. Fixes Stage (adVD and then We began to plod. Oh do not, do not let me forget to put word in fer the Mountain States telephone; for a line inspector gave us a lift for the first four miles of our unwitting en- trance into Inferno. If that driver will apply to Mr. Carnegie he will be given two medals. for on that day he saved TWO lives. He dropped us at the entrance to the desert road, and with our packs across our shoulders and d fine rain of precipitation already be- ginning to fall from our shoulders. We started
 old inspiration mountain loomed up quite near and we hoped to reacn il by noon. Ii was then ten o'clock ard with the glcam Of a water tank in sight we found walking not SO bad, that is. psy- chOlogicallN. About ll:30 when the sun was just beginning to get enthusi- astlc We began tn notice that our two i quart clnteens were getting q little i lov. Pictures of seeing my brother sink ] back exhausted needless of my frantic i cries t0 "Go on. for Gods sake, 90 on. Q and of myself with my tongue nice i pickling size, staggering forward q few | steps at d time to fall at last prey to
 the ferocicus jackal or the derisive | hyena, filled my mind. q know that neither of these animals have their
 habitat in this state but l never can spell kiote ,nowO Let those who
 will, cuss at the gentle and mysterious
 Mexican; 1 shall not swell their pro fane chorus. Twice. nay thrice. on
 that feycrcd day, did Mexican freight | drivers fill our canteen4 and We
 thanked with fervent sracias remen-
 bcred from our college days thosa 1 smiling and generous s1inners.
 At noon or therrahouta we lay down | in the coolish shade of q large mes
 uite and consarned ogr lunch of cheese and sardines and bread Roar. if you i will, at tl3e saIdircs We are with y0u flor We roared toe, but not with laughter. After we had lain in d com
 atose state for about an hour. we t"i,nd | on and on and then some. and old In-
 spiration kept right on going away III the wrong direction. Then suddenly
 we were right under the shadow of that wonderful cliff and there was WATER IN \ TANK. I restrained myself and
 did not take a running dive. and be- | sides the legend Cattle, Five Cents a Head" made hope for some purer ,prins to quehch our bIrning threats
 We fourn it and To, it was good. Ano then we met Mrs. Thompson and she said the eats were then on the stove