Show Fireside Science nce By Ransome Sutton Copyright 1923 1823 N N. Y f ET Evening World Press Co THE RED MAN AND HIS MARKS Before Tutankhamen ruled In Egypt a tribe of ot Indians wandered between receding glaciers through I ISan San Gorgonio Pass and entered into a wonderful hunting ground For Tor the Colorado river had piled plied up a delta across the Gulf of California creating creating cre cre- an Inland sea out of ot the upper part of ot the gulf v vIn In this s sequestered sea sea now called caned the Salton sea the tho river emptied the rains and melting snows of ot a vast watershed washing out the salt waters and changing chanin a salt water sea into a fresh tresh water lake Around the shores of ot this body of ot water as large I as Long Island Sound Hound all forms of ot tropical flora tlora flourished and grazing animals deserting deserting- arid habitats ranged hereSo here So this was a a. good place for a lost tribe of ot hunters to camp On the western shore at the mouth of a wide canyon they settled Living on the fat of the land they P prospered and sst gia J. J eis f progressed g mentally as well as phys phys- They learned to make better ollas water pots than modern IndIans Indians In In- In make and In the shaping of ot stones clones they acquired almost Neolithic Neolithic Neo Neo- I proficiency Their mortars and pestles arrow heads stone weapons and utensils ar ark ar considered rare relics The They went so far tar as to discover that thoughts aspirations and prayers pray pray- ers could be symbolized by signs Igns carved upon rocks THey came to believe that gods dwelling in a spirit spirit- land controlled the winds the waters and the destinies of ot tribes If It conditions conditions con con- had not changed the same kind of civilization that was subsequently subsequently subsequently developed In Mexico Uxmal Palenque and In Peru would doubtless doubtless doubt doubt- less have been developed 1 here But conditions did not change The Colorado river turned over In Its bed an and began emptying into the tho Gulf GuIt of ol California on the southern side of ot the tho delta plain Thus the fresh tresh water sea became a dead sea like the Great Salt lake Jake Desert winds and a torrid sun evaporated away the tho waters so the surface sank five tive feet every year ear And as it sank the tho waters became more and more moro saline Along the shores the vegetation vegetation vegetation tion withered and herb-eating herb animals animals ani ant mals vacated the scene leaving the once prosperous hunters in sore distress dis dIs- dis- dis tress With starvation staring them In Inthe Inthe inthe the face tace the tribesmen turned to their gods To their gods they carved sl signs ns on rocks rocks literally literally hundreds of ol signs which may be seen today More plainly than Egypt Egypt's a hier- hier these signs express tragedy they are trub truly supplications to forgotten for tor- forgotten for for- gotten gods by a people whom the gods forgot For Tor the sea dried up and the huntera hunters hunt hunt- ers era sculptured Itt vanished je jen on n leaving the banks their prayers Desert desolation reigned for tor many centuries centuries ries rice then again the Colorado broke back and refilled the undersea basin to tho the very brim Out of ot the sands the flora tlora reappeared and down from the mountains came the time old-time fauna tauna so the deserted region again became a. a good o hunting n t ground un tf Into t those o good o hunting grounds rounds another tribe of ot Indians wandered Where their predecessors had camped p reci lre they camped finding fragments of pottery stone axes and occasional human bones The signs on the rocks could not be seen they seen they were below the level of ot the sea As If It the old scene were being reenacted reenacted rei re- re enacted history t repeated Itself for i eko i away down the centuries the river or turned once more into the gulf gult and gave gave back the sea to the desert Over the ancient hieroglyphics that second Inland sea deposited a coating of cal cal- ciuni carbonate or travertine preserving preserving pre pre- preserving serving them and establishing their antiquity beyond question The sculptured prayers must be about ten thousand years jears old The tragedy of ot the second tribe the mementoes they left together with what we may learn front from these mute testimonials as to the origin and ancestry of ot the Indians will vill be discussed In the next article |