Evening star., 1935-07-21
Old Indian Towns mus. Park
Form Clues to Antquh
of

| 5000 that another ledge lay below
him. Better to slip over the eggshell
dome into eternity than to die where
he crouched like trapped rat.
Before he took this desperate
boy. There were some large boulders
on the ledge. He could roll these
over the dome and find out whether
they landed on another ledge below.
The first rock went smoking into
space and after heart-sickening sec
ondS it crashed among the trees 1000
feet below The cowboy moved along
the ledge 10 yards and sent over an
other boulder Again he heard the
sgonizing crash from the depths.
Again and again he tried this expert
ment as he moved along the cliff.
Finally he found spot from which
the rocks did not fall to the bottom,
but landed in soft sand a few feet
below.
The man might be getting himself
deeper and deeper into his rock
bound prison, but 1t was his only
chance. He worked himself, feet first
out Of the rounding egg-shaped dome.
AS the surface neared the perpendic-
ular his body started to slide; gained
momentum; slipped breathlessly into
space. He landed in the deep sand
Of another ledge. Around him were
the ruins of cliff housesl
Finds Narrow Ledge.
The cowboy looked in vain for the
exit from the 'cliffmen's hiding place.
Could the slab of rock that once held
the ancient steps have fallen from the
bluff?
At one end the ledge became very
narrow. not over a foot wide. and dis
appeared around the bulging canyon
wall. Perhaps that was the trail to
safety
This ledge, too narrow for him to
crawl along, was heaped with sand, in
which desert bushes grew here and
| there, but by flattening his face and
body against the wall he could mince
Sidewise along the dizzy ledge. Be-
fore he made each sidestep he kicked
toeholds in the sloping sand and dared
not look below as he heard the dis
lodged crystals sing into the chasIn.
He was afraid to step over the first
little bush on the ledge lest he lose
balance and drop into space. With
the utmost care he passed it.
Finally he reached a rock shelf 6
| feet square, rested and Gained his
trembling nerves. Here the ledge
ended abruptly. 1t was useless for him
to retrace his steps. He peered down
the precipice and again hope came to
him.
He was on the old cliff -dweller trail
at last. A yucca fiber rope hung from
the rock platform to another ledge
below. Would it be strong enough,
| He pulled it with all his might. 1t
did not break. Wrapping one foot
around the rope he let himself down,
hand under hand.
Deranged by Experience.
Before he reached the middle Of the
rope he noticed a weak place in the
strands below his feet. AS his body
passed these frayed strands there was
sickening rip and tear Of rotten
fibers. It may have been at this in
slant that the mans mind became de-
ranged, or it may have been a slower
process brought about by the whole
narrowing experience.
Despite the threatening weakness Of
the rope, the strands held by thread
and he reached the safety of the ledge
below. Here were more cliff houses,
but he was not interested in archeol-
ogy. The only passage from this ledge
was by another rope. Testing its
strength with tentative tug, he heard
the rotten fibers crackle and part and
saw the rope fall writhing like long
snake until it landed on the rocks
below.
Nobody will ever know how long the
hopeless cowboy crouched among the
decayed ruins, hunger gnawing at his
vitals. He found some corn that had
lain q thousand years in an ancient
Rranary. He chewed o sandal sole Of