| Show THE PJIAVTOII CAVALKV EXICRIENCES OF AN CXIIjOniSD i JAKTY IN NORTHERS ARIZONA Several yearn ego the writer was one of a jiarty of seven formed fur lliu jiurjiote ot exploring Hint portion por-tion of Northern Arizona detl uatetl on the maps the Painted Desert I lisa part of the tablelands constituting consti-tuting the great Colorado iUteau to which has an altitude of frcm oOOO 7000 heel above tea level the tt tern t-ern edge of which Is market by the grand canyon of the Colorado and extends north and south from the Atlantic railroaU the Utah line ThIs ast section is a wild and Ucso late annIe cut In all directions hy i great chasms hundreds and even ll I thousands of feel lu depth and as the existence of thee mighty fissures fis-sures Is net apparent at any considerable consider-able distance travel is I rendered so tedious and uncertain that it re nialned until the present day comparatively com-paratively unexplored In its will Urn and peculiar alienee of vege tahoe the region seemed to nflcrd fertile fields for adventure which I was the lOntrollog ol eel oftheex IJPdltlon 1 When we left the Atlantic and nrnII roe h j raclfic railroad our outfit consisted I of a stout team and a jtrong buckboard buck-board three saddle horses and there Lurros Ihe latter sekctcll for the IKirpes l of carrying supplies of food ana water when uc should undertake under-take ascentR of mountain descent into canyon or Kliould nuke excursions ex-cursions into region that were liar tlculorly rugged and forbidden Uu weru well supplied with food gtiii ammunition and other necriarles trench a trip but alter getting l well tj J anton the desert and assertIng aimefIy about for over a week onlngtuthe dIfficulty experienced f fi fcl in finding points at which It was potilble to cress the deep gorges nhlch we encountered ri it be rain evideut that tho hor > cs ts well as the wagons were Inijiedliig I our prcgrul Then it was agreed that four of the mlEnwlth the horvta I and tuckboard should return tcuth and make camp In a spur nH the northeast jJue of San Francisco mountains while Eugene Acklev 1 Fred alle situ the writer houh continue the Invittigation M Lli I courarfnfflr bsun Treed mona tine eugliiceringdllll cultieo of getting the wagon over tile country the remainder of the laxly moved much mere rapidly and on the evenlug of the fifth day made dry camp seine sixty cr seventy miles from where we feenar atcd with our companIons and on the nlge of an abyss oft or CM feet in depth along which wo had traveled for several hours in a vain entlenvor to locslca crnsting place TIle pronW wcweio then making was more tatjjactory and on that articular day wu had met with our first adventure on the trip If adventure ad-venture could IKS called Acklty had teen so fortunate at to secure I chance shot at and to kill a magnifl leSt specimen of the mountain 81 bep or Ibex and our delight over the achievement was but little greater than our relUhof a change from antelope meat of which so u I I I i had already had n surfeit Tills subject sub-ject atfonied our theme of conversation i conversa-tion as we sat till a late hour around our little camp Lreh tc thai I wInd and isolated spot where most probably time foot of white man hid never before trod tibpoMng of tile I rich null juicy eenks which we cut from our prize While ensagod In i this highly satUfnctory jnitimu I thought I henrd arising from the boii1of the earth thruugli thedark and dinul gorge thu bound rr n huninu voice and Upon alUidlmr to I the matter was surprised when liotlf my oomiauionsttatrtJ that they had labored under timllar nnprttsloia or haliucinatlan several times during dur-ing our camp lire chat Deciding tgLrtl fli a at last that it t mu t have been the sou nil of a dUtant and hungry coyote or an teolian note itulng from tile abyss M u shortly after vanl rolled uj > In nile Ulsukoto and went to steep A walk of something like a mile next morning brought us to a plan where it appeared lorjibk to make a descent of the canyon and FreJ Walte after prospecting the rugged wash shouted lack to us to com > > I along wIll the burro For half an hour we hail been carefully picking our way down the treacherous antI dizzy sides of tile precipice when the little caravan was brought to a sudden halt with a start by i a sharp exclamation of ntrpriu from our Ilor pathfinder I Hu wa not long In answering our blank louks of inquiry in-quiry bvsaylns Jtoys Ill be blest If there aint two men down bclon here and it looks to nieas If theyre ditties Comeandsee I Ackley and myself carefully pmsed the burrto anti upon reach 11 7 I InS the ledge of rock upon vhc2i Waite sass slandlnir and which I I formed an angle In the walls of the I clllfr obtained a good view of the i bottom of the canyon Below us I several hundred felt and a little I I distance from the gulch n camp I was to be seen near which threeS burrcs were standing Near them i was the form cf a nIne ing on tIme a It rrej M ground and by his side In a tiltlii I posture sat a companion Ko fire I woo buruing airJ there was tie sIgn of smoke which taken into consld1 1 cratlou with tile inactivIty of the men at Hint hour of the day In a I place so lonely and naltraciire for camping purposes at once lei us to believe that they were in a helnlTO condition Two or three lusty shouta brought to our ears nofur tlierresponsutkana prolonged and dismal bray from one of the 110Ilkl sIn s-In the EsqutsUml dell but lu thOu course of a fuw minutes we saw a red handkerchief flutter in the hands of tile man who was sitting up That was sufllc cut Two fcl lou beings were In serious trouble In that dreary desolate region and with hate rather dangerou lOn eidering the hazardous path we pushed on to their rescue A pitiful amid chocking tight met our gaze wheii we reached Ibo litttie camp It was plain to In seen from I their outfit that the two iron were pruMxrctors and that they had built no lire dilL reachIng the Fjot and hInd been unable toollierwiiu attend their own needs Tlify had almost completely strlprei their bodies of all clothing and from their libck and bloatedfjctfulumd and bloodshot r blood-shot eyes and horribly swollen and protrudini tongues we realized that they were rcritliing l from thirst One could barely whicpcr while the power of Fptech hud entirely en-tirely left I his companion A few drops of water little at a time but at frequent intervals logeUitr with a very small quantity of brandy served to revive tlie tnv unfortunate I sufferers tuflldcntly that In the ccursc of a few liouis they were able to drink came lea and taste a little broth prepared from the meat of our mountain sheep alter I which both men fell into the deep lethargic sJcep of utter exhaustion exhaus-tion i IonWe I We attended to the Imrrp and straightened up the camp and I I awaited awakening of the pro1 specters to leant thu manner in I I whlUi Uieyrbd been placed in such 1 i a strange prrdicameot ntd dlstr wIng w-Ing comli ion ThIeF pwcko Into ia Elite afternoon and Joined heartily In j the eebln itital They gove the names of leery Ihioney and David Hriggo and after upper lirlgg I s jQto slumber while hIt0 i sloe stnrdy companion proceeded I to relate tIle clrcumltncts of their strange ted painful experience j I whIch wnc Ini < urportcs follows I A few werkt previous the men leU Utah to go to the Dulled Verde copper mint I in the Yavapai counl j try Arizona following rile Lees ferry rod JJ Ing attracted by some mountains they left the road for 1 lbupurpc ecf prospecting them fur the precious metal and some days later found themselves runnlngi holt of water They had encountered some water tanks lu coming out on the desert and had made up their I minds rto retrace their way to tie road by these and then proceed south whets they met with time almost al-most Incredible experience which I I nearly resulted In their death Just at dawn one morning lloonvy was = isurprlsed but delighted to see a small troop of cavalry riding by and calling the attention of his companion com-panion to the fact hailed them To use Rooneys language they was a most curious set of chaps and wore uniforms like none I ever saw and although they were only a bit of a r ways oil the didnt seem to make any noise riding You may hot believe I be-lieve It but when I passed tlm time of day what did hose crazy soldiers 3f toc1t c rkO diers do but bout face and take a shot right square at us but their guns didnt make any noise at all rills scared Dave and me Lad enough but it put the devil Into the mules and they run oil like wild The brutes and tlie soldiers wentout of sight at tbe same time but while could see the direction the mules took Ill never know whither the uncivil troop went up In the air or were swallowed up by the ground they just faded away It was not until the day following Uieirstrange meeting with the mysterious soldiers that the unfortunate prospectors regained re-gained their lack lIIlmnls and for a week afterwards they had been traveling trav-eling over tile desert four daj s without with-out watr They reached Ute spot In the canyon the day previous to our discovery of them lor which alone they could rejoice that it had not become their tomb Mooney story was peculiar In but one respect tlie meeting with the soldiers It was utterly Impossible that the military would show tuch incivility under any circumstances and their presence lu that section was extremely Improbable It was oil all usual lines of their travel and as the Painted Deert is not inhabited inhab-ited by white men and Is religiously availed hy nil Indian tribe through some great superstition no reason could be assigned for an expedition of troop to that desolate re lou To the phenomenon of mirage or the cflect of a fevered imagination did we attribute tills portion Iloouej tale but while We gave It no credence cred-ence it at the same time decided us I upon maUuga tripto mountains wheN the rospectora had mtt their queer experience In the hope that adventure would fall to our lot I Two das subsequent we asaUted the prospectors out nf the canyon and turned back on our new enter prbm of exploration notwithstanding I the most earnest protest and entreaties en-treaties to thu contrary on the part I of the two grateful men A week j I later no were somewhere in the I I neighborhood of the sjnt where Jtooney and Urigga had been overtaken I over-taken by misfortune and strange to sjy our situation was scarcely more pleasant than hat described by I them It Is true that we were camped I by a spring but we found j I ourselves a mounlAln surrounded ly Impassable canyons and were even unable after a search of two days to locate tile place by l which we came upon tho plateau much lets I to discover another route of ogres One afternoon after having Iclt Ackley to look after the camp fur two or three hours WaIte and I upon returning from another futile toarch for a jttago more Important to ua than one to the north poe were surprIsed at a statement he made which was to the effect that two or three times sInce our absence hehatl distinctly heard a military call sounded on a bugle l Ackley was much alanmil and highly cx cited declaring that If we were des tin t to ftarvu to death we should nil die together like irrn but that he would never aralu submit to beIng IILit alone in that accursed region That he was deeply In earnest and momentarily expected an attack from Ihe sj > rfral uooI the riroipvc tors hid told about was made evident evi-dent by lIe fact that lie had lied up to immense rick with double rupee two of our pack liurros While ue laughed at lib fears rrr my part 1 was not to confident in my own mind as to feel entirely at case After the evening meal and i while nc woe dltcui < ar our plans j t for the morrow I noticed the color suddenly leave the face of Aikley I who was sitting on a rock opposite I me and in great excitement and terror he exclaimed My God hero they come We are gone ills lime boy I As I turned to look In the direction direc-tion of his gaze the sound of a trumpet lu notes weird and super i natural broke on the quiet still air I In the wonderful bright yet unct tain twilight of thnt high I altitude I tlie sight which was then presented was strange startling and unaccountable I unac-countable and created an Impression Impres-sion of grave apprehension and mysterious danger lOt can never be cSaced from my memory An latently emerging from a canyon which formed a junction with one ofthcfcwe desired to cross was an otiicer aua Several mounted troopers and as they moved slowly along by two their number at Ieoi reached twentyfive cr thirty The men were richly uniformed partially in canner and wore helmets trimmed in gray color x hllo their horses were Heavily caiarisoucd The solJIers carried lances and shields while only at their sides was there any Indication of finanus To the military of another age could they only belong yet hy te appearance of both men and beasts wai It plain that hard and heavy service had but recently been performed per-formed Our astonishment fear and awe terre further Inspired by the fact that WIllIe tho little troop was scarcely 100 yard dltant the rattle of horses ftvt upon tIle earth chaffing chaf-fing of bits Jiugllug of spurn creak lug of saddle and other sounds peculiar pe-culiar to a moving tquad of cavalry weir MI lacking every movement wa3ahtllai death itself When at a point directly opposite us the trumpet sounded and the troop came to a front niid halted The soldiers dismounted uncovered and drawing from their l > eu > long unwieldy un-wieldy and wIde mouthed pIstol fired upon our little party The zmoke curled up but there was no report from the volley nor could the rattle of bullets be heard upon therocky ground where we were situated Another sound of the trumpet and without remounting or apparently moving the men as well no the hones faded from our vies ta a mountain fog Is dissolved liv the doles bUS iteforc the tlnrtllng fleet of thU weird and strange vision had completely com-pletely worn til 1 could hear the 1 sounds cf a rapidly ringing bell fir down the canyon side and was brought to a realization ot the situation situa-tion by hearing Walt remark i Will there bone cool thlnitabout i that hideous jantomime those pirates have made Jenny find her I way iUt of this hellish place It I was tie cur bell burr had not been tied up and in her fright she deserted her len fortunate mates i which wire trembling as If in mortal I mor-tal dread and was rapidly descending I descend-ing the pa1 by which we reached the plateau Having located our route In this peculiar manner it may easily be imagined that we lost no time In leaving that desolate region and rejoining I re-joining our companions in the more I hospitable San Francisco mountain moun-tain History tolL us that when In 1549 Coronado and his ronqulsta doter 1000 strong visited Northern Arizona in search of the Seven ClUis of Cilola and their ibulous sons of gold a squad of his troops was lost on the Colorado plateau and are supposed to have perLJieil but I am aLa loss to te how this allbrds any explanation to our very remarkable encounter with the spectral cavalry in 1SS3 In those barren and rugged mountains designated de-signated as doldiers rakdai tranaKo Eraminer |
