Arizona republican., 1921-09-08

for their safety. however. Every drop of water used had to be carried up over 400 feet in jugs on the heads of women It is probable that wells or reservoirs were made on the crest where enough water could be stored to resist a siege. All of the corn and beans and other food of the Indians was raised in little valleys several miles away, and this, too, had to be carried to the top of the mesa, and enough of it stored there to make the inhabitans safe in case of an at- tack.
 All of this is conjecture of course, and the flaw in the whole theory lies in the fact that there is at present no trail to the top of the mesa at all. The Indian belief is that trail once existed and that a Landslide has wiped it out, making the abandon ment of the mesa necessary. The | top of it has been swept away by wind and rain so long and so thor oughly that it is now very difficult to find a vestige of life that once crowned the mesa: but when it was | ascended in 1897 by Dr. w. F. Hodges of the bureau of ethnology. he found bits of pottery, ax heads l and other articles which seemed to prove conclusiyely the truth of the i Indian belief that the mesa was once I inhabited.
 I The first ascent of which was can find a record was made in 1896 by
 Prof. William Libbey of Princeton. Impressed by the steepness and the
 height of the mesa. this gentleman
 provided himself with life saving | apparatus, including a mortar, with ! which he shot a rope clear over the
 mesa and pulled himself and his party to the top. Dr. Hodges did
 not believe such elaborate apparatus
 ground a long ladder in several sec
 tions and reached the top without , much trouble.
 The ascent made last summer
 was unique in that nothing but rope
 was used and that the expedition was initiated by women, three of
 whom reached the top.
 A Daring Climb
 Misses HiclSy and Ferguson are
 two young women of Albuquerque
 New Mexico, who make a profession
 of conducting parties about the coun- try, explaining to them its historical and scenic interest. Their motto is to take anyone anywhere he wants | gested the top of the Enchanted , Mesa as a destination. they imme- diately agreed to make the attempt They enlisted the aid of Richard F , , Woodson. a young Albuquerque bus mess man. who is addicted to at.
 tempting the unusual and has a rep | utation for nerve and agility. He i! the only man who has ever navigat ed the Rio Grande in a canoe, ant n now he adds to this the distinction of being the only man who eve climbed the Enchanted Mesa bare U handed, He surveyed the face of tn T cliff for a few minutes and then h. T started up, climbing a Assure by cut
 ting toe holds as he went. Ther
 was one point at which the specta
 tors thought fall was inavitable ' and Woodson says that he at tn d time, agreed with them, but he final IT ly reached the top. carrying a rope - All of the party, including the thre ' women. ascended by this rope. The = were accompanied by one India
 from Acoma, named Henry Johnson
 who had never been on the mes n before, although he was born in tn 'rl sight of it. He had always regarde '- the ascent as impossible.
 o Such a feat by women Is not un
 
 he considered in the East Down i that country women seem to hay T taken all outdoors as their province
 It is hardly an exaggeration to sa
 that when you get outside the towns
 which are few and small, nearly hal - the women you see have on trouseri IT Riding brooches and puttees have be .e come an almost conventional gar ,- for women in the West. They rid
 fish. tramp and camp out Just a st men do. It is surprising how tn ,e women take to the hills and to horse L. back.
 IS Some scientists say that wome at are more primitive and closer to ma ,n +,,re than men. This would seem l. be borne out by the fact that ofte le women from the East adjust then IS selves to the outdoor life more easi ,t. and seem to like it better than the Id men folks. Woman's place Is doub IS, less still in the home, but if she ,n young and has pep she certain ne does enjoy getting out of it. IS -O-
 he The British territory of Alden ( he the Arabian coast is an importa1 Tt coaling station on the route to u pt east.
 Mexico is divided into 2s states. Il