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Show Yankee Adventurer to I Seek Land of Gold (Special Correspondence.) Tho great conqueror; Cortoz, and tho other Spanish grandees who sub-I sub-I Jugated Central America ages ago havo a modern rival to fame In one Charles Meadows. He Is collecting a forco with which to Invade Tlburn Island, In the Quit or California, the home of tho savage Serl Indians, no douhtcdly the most war-like and ro-Vulsive ro-Vulsive peoplo on the American continent. conti-nent. Through all the years slnco Cortoz mado Mexico Spanish, the Serl Indians In-dians havo defied encroachment on their tiny domain. Although the Island Is-land Is claimed as part of tho territory terri-tory of Mexico, the Indians owo io allegiance to President Dlar, pay no tribute and today live as independently indepen-dently and In ns fierce savagery bb Wmmm ' m- I GRAND CANON AND COLORADO RIVER. when, before tho coming of white men, thoy made war and defended themselves against the tribes of tho main land and neighboring islands. is-lands. The Serls were never conquered, and it la not believed they over will bo; they may bo exterminated, but novor subjected to any rule but that of their own mnklng. In tho expedition which Meadows la fitting out at Yuma, Ariz,, there will be none but men of proved courage, men who can shoot and fight and endure en-dure any hardship. Nearly all of them have spent years on Arizona ranges, engaging in battles with Indians and bad white men In which only tho fittest fit-test survived. Charles Meadows, the leader of tho L 1 1 r-gr. HHVOV I CANON DE CHELLEY MONUMENT. expedition, Is a man of wonderful courogo and onorgy. Ho Is not tho rough and wild person that his favorite favor-ite cognomen, "Ailzona Charllo," indicates, in-dicates, but as modest of manner aa a hazed freshman and as polished as a Fifth .uvenuo swoll. Ills conversation conversa-tion Is that of tho cultured traveler, not a bit of tho wild and woolly westerner. west-erner. In staturo ho Is six foot four .inches, as lithe as ono of J, Fonlmoro Cooper's Indian heroes and In years k il oeor two less than 10. ' The cowboy knight Is now spending his time between San Francisco, Los Anpeles nnd Yuma, collecting stores and arms and making preparations for the trip to Tlburon Island. Ho has a bottt under construction at Yuma that will carry his little at my down tho Colorado rlcr and out on tho Gulf of California to the Island. Stores and provisions sufficient for a cruise of several months will ho carried. Kach man will lime his own rifle, a brace of revolvers and hunting knife ornaments orna-ments that from long habit with them havo become Indispensable even when on peace missions. Tho object of tho expedition Is to try and subjugate tho Indians and acquire tho wealth which tho Island Is known to possess. Meadows has an option on tho Island from the Mex ican government and will purchase It If the Indians are subdued. Those who know tho Serls well say that this will be a difficult task. Tho Serls aro ferocious fe-rocious In their nnturo and will undoubtedly un-doubtedly fight to tbo last ditch. They havo the reputation of being cannibals canni-bals and for this reason It is deemed an honor In Sonora to havo killed a Serl. Tho males among them aro powerfully built nnd average over bIx feet in bight. The Island is believed to contain veins of silver and gold. Several times the Mexican government ro-solved ro-solved to send a force to tho Islands to oxtermlnnto the natives, but for some reason the expeditions havo nov-or nov-or beon undertaken. Such an expedition expedi-tion is always suggested after the re- port of a massacro has reached the capital, hut beforo tho resolution can bo carried Into olfect tho mnasnero 1b forgotten and tho agitation ceases. Onco President Plaz was about to send soldiers to tho Islands, hut ho-foro ho-foro tho command was given tho Washington etljnologlcal bureau asked to bo allowed to collect data of tho queer ruco of peoplo beforo It was mauo extinct, and that was the last heard uf either tho data or the oxpudl-Hon. |
