FOR OUR BOYS & GIRLS

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 145, 20 June 1891, Page 3 (Supplement)

FOR OUR BOYS & GIRLS

By: Will Lisembee.

Down the Bio Salinas.

We had been prospecting for a month through the Mogollou Mountains in Ari' zona, and had mob with the poorest luck imaginable. Being almosi out of provisions, we decided to return to tho ranch, for we were fully convinced that the precious metals wore entirely too sacred in that locality to warrenb ua in prospecting further. There wero three of us in tho partyPaul Sanford, Arrajo, and myself. Arrajo was a half-breed—parb Spanish and part Zuni Indian, and a perfect giant in (strength. He was nob over five feet six and was rather heavy in build, yet ho was as quick and as active as a panther. I never knew his age, though I think he oould not have been over 30 at tho time of which I write. Paul Sanford was a slender youth of 18, while I was a year younger, yet we were nearly the same size. I had come to Arizona six weeks before to pay along-promised visit to Paul, who was <i formor schoolmate and whose father owned a ranch on tho Gila, near where the Eio Saunas empties its waters into the stream. Shortly after my arrival at the ranch we had conceived the idea of a prospecting tour among the mountains, and immediately broached the subject to Paul's father. At first he opposed the idea of two boys of our age going on what ho considered a hazardous expedition, but after considerable persuasion on our part he finally gave his consent, but on the condition that wo were to be accompanied by Arrajo, who was one of tho most trusted ranch hands, and were to be under his guidance during the trip. This arrangement was perfectly satisfactory to us, and after equipping ourselves with three pack burros, tools, provisions, arms, otc, we eeb out for the Mogollou range, a distance of seventy milos from the ranch. After nearly a month's fruitless prospecting we started on our return. Tho country over which we were compelled to pass in order to reach the ranch was of the roughest character, abounding in jagged cliffs, steep hills and deep ravines, making travel both tedious and laborious. It was owing to this fact that we decided to take a different route on our return to tho one we had come ovor. Our plan was to make a raft large enough to contain, ourselves, our pack-burros and prospocting outfit, and float down the Rio Salinas till within a few miles of the rapids, and we would land and complete our journey by tho overland route. This would not only save us a forty mile tramp across a very rough country, bufc would place us within thirty miles of homo in a fresh condition, besides saving us about two days in time. The plan of accomplishing part of our journey upon a raft was first suggested by Arrajo, but it was eagerly accepted by Paul Sanford and me, who saw nob only the advantage of such a plan, bub felt enthusiastic over the prospect of a journey down the pictureeDue Salinas upon a raft. This, we felt, would partially compensate us for the disappointment we had sustained in our fruitless trip to the hills. By tho aid of an axe, which we carried with us, Arrajo soon had a sufficient number of pine logs cut to build the raft. These wero then rolled out into the stream and fastened securely together by means of stoub withes of hickory and m9squite. When everything was in readiness to begin our journey wo placed our traps aboard the raft. We found great difficulty, however, in getting the burros aboard, and ib was only after we had blindfolded them that we succeeded in accomplishing our purpose. ~ Then by the means of a large oar which ho had fashioned out of a pine sapliDg, Arrajo pushed (the raft out from land and we floated swiftly away on the bosom of the stream. It was our purpose to noab down the river some forty miles, which was as far as we could venture with our rafb, owing fco the turbulent rapida and dangerous falls below the point where we proposed to land. lb was early in the morning when we commenced our journey, and we had hopes of reaching our landing point before sunset. We had only travelled a, few miles when the river narrowed and grew more rapid. On either bank now rose high bluffs and precipitous elitfs, whose blackened and somi-scorched summits threw a grateful shade across the scream, affording a most welcome protection from the fierce rays of the summer sun.

The scenery along the Rio Salinas is nob what might be called beautiful, yeb ib is grand and impressive, rivalling the greab Colorado in its sunless gape and great, gloomy canons, whose walla of seamed and blackened rocks form a 6cene of wild grandeur rarely witnessed in America. The journey on the raft was a novelty and pleasure to both Paul and myself, and we enjoyed it with the keen zest of youth. I will not attempt to go into the details of that journey, for it is only my purpose in this sketch to give a true account of an in- J cidenb thab shortly followed—one of the most startling and dangerous adventures of my life. Late in the afternoon we had lefb the greab canons and had reached a point in the river where the cliffs along the banks were less high and precipitous, though ib was plain to see that the current of the river was growing more rapid with every mile thab we travelled. The sun had gone down behind the towering hills, bub upon their jagged summits still lingered the red, sultry glare. Upon the left bank of the stream rose perpendicular cliffs a hundred feetabove the water, bub on the other side the cliffs ran in a low chain along the water's edge, and ib was towards thelatter thab Arrajo cast his eyes, looking eagerly for a place to land. ' Good landing place a little further down the river,' he eaid, after scanning the bank for some time. A few moments later he pointed to a gap in the cliff on the right bank, and expressed his intention of landing there. The place wae still an eighth of a mile below us, bub he commenced to steer the boat towards the shore. Bub at that instant he glanced toward the cliff, muttering an exclamation of surprise as he did so. 'Los Apache!' he cried, and quickly changing his oar to the other side he began to guide the raft back toward the middle of the stream. Glancing shoreward, I saw a score of plumed and painted savages emerging from a clump of bushes upon the hill, and running towards the river. I saw the gleam of weapons in their hands and heard the sharp warning voice of Arrajo commanding us to fall flat upon the raft. I had barely time to grasp the startled and terrified Paul by the shoulder and force him down with me when the loud report of firearms sounded on the cliff, and a shower of bullets cub the water about us or buried themselves in the logs of the raft. The frightened burros fluttered snorts of terror, and would have leaped into the stream had they nob been held fast by the riatas. I realised in a moment that we were in the moat deadly peril, and uttering ' wards.c£ caution to Paul, who toy tfotsbling

at my side, I hastily pulled some of our camping effects between us and the foe. The firsb volley from the savages' rifles was almost instantly followed by another, and I heard the bullets whiz within a few inches of my head. Ab tho same moment one of the burros went down, a bullet in its brain, and lay still upon the raft without uttering a sound. Half dragging Paul with me, I took refuge behind the body of the expiring animal, and lay there, a prey to tho most acute terror. Although we were provided with arms, we made no effort to use them. Glancing toward Arrajo, 1 was astonished to see tho brave half-breed still standing erect upon the raft, using the oar with all his strength in an endeavour to force our craft further from tho shore. I called loudly to him to abandon hia dangerous post and seek safety behind the dead burro with Paul and I, bub he gave no heed to my word 3 and applied the oar with undiminished vigour. I shall never forget the feelings of admiration with which I regarded the selfsacrificing half-breed as ha stood there fearlessly at his post, exposed to the bullets of the merciless and implacable foe. I now discovered that tho current of the river was growing more rapid every moment, and looking toward the shore I saw thab we were fast leaving the Indians behind. However, they had anticipated this it seems, for I saw them hastily scramble up the rocky ledge to the hill above and come running swiftly in pursuit But we were now beyond gun-shot of them, and, floating rapidly with the now swift-running current, we promised soon to outstrip them in the race and leave them far behind. But, being fully aware thab we could nob land on the opposite side owing to the precipitous cliffs that skirted the left bank of the stream, they still kepb up the pursuit. Ib was soon evident, however, thab they would nevor be able to overtake us, and they doubtless realised this, for after following along the bank of the rivor for nearly two miles, they suddenly stopped upon tha summit of a high cliff and stood looking after us till we rounded a bend in the stream a mile below. The presence of a band of hostile Apaches in that vicinity was a great surprise to Arrajo as well as to Paul and myself. There had been no outbreak amosg the Indians in Arizona for more than a year, and ranchmen and prospectors along the Gila'and Salinas had been permitted to ply their vocations in peace. As soon as wo had passed beyond the reach of the pursuing savages Paul and I rose from our recumbent nositions upon tho raft. 'What shall we do now, Arrajo?' I asked. Bub the half-breed made no reply. I saw him glancing eagerly from one shore to the other, an anxious and troubled look crossing bis face. Suddenly he pointed to the precipitous cliffs thab skirted the chores of the river, and said : ' We have passed tha lasb landing-place. We will soon be in the great rapids !' His words sent a chill of fear to my heart, and in an instant I realised tho awful peril of our situation. Walled in by perpendicular cliffs, with no chance of escape, we were being swiftly drawn into the great rapids of the river ! In escaping one danger we had been forced into another even more terrible than the first. It is impossible for me to describe the feeling of helplessness and despair that came over me at that moment. I knew thab ifc would be impossible for us to land, walled in aa we were with perpendicular cliffs, and there was nothing to do bub wait and trust to Arrajo's mperior knowledge to suggest some plan of deliverance. We were now running at a fearful rate of epeed, and already the water about was flocked with foam. The raft soon began to rock and pitch violently as ib was whirled swiftly along on the now turbulent waters. For below I could see masses of sharp and jagged rocks piercing the foaming billow of the rushing stream. Arrajo, oar in hand, stood ready to guide the raft through the dangerous channel, while Paul and I stood despairing and helpless, nob knowing what to do or which way to turn. The laeb gloam of tho sinking sun had now died away on the summit of the hills, and the grey shadows of the twilight were fast gathering over the stream. In a few moments we had entered the rock-pierced rapids, and all about us the foam-capped waters were leaping and whirling with a deafening roar. Suddenly a sharp rock loomed just ahead ; I saw Arrajo using £he oar with desperate energy, bub we swept rapidly down upon it. There was a crash — a violenb shock, as we struck, and the next instant I was thrown flat upon the raft, and clung desperately to tha timber, close to the side of Paul and Arrajo. The raft parted in twine as a great foaming billow swept over it, and for a moment I thought we were lost. Bub swinging clear of the rock, we swept onward, Arrajo still struggling to guide us away from the dangerous rocks that lay before us. On thab part of bhe raft which had broken away from us were the two burros and the body of the dead one. For one moment ifc whirled close to our side, then turning it struck with a crash among a mass of sharp rocks. I saw the broken and splintered timbers of the rafb rise half out of the water, quiver for one brief moment, then pitch downward and disappear in the roaring flood. Our frail craft now swept through the dangerous channel and glided into smoother water, but we had only passed the first and the least of those dangerous points in the rapids, and I knew thab it would be impossible for us to pass safely over those that lay before. For glancing down the river, I ! could see, not a quarter of a mile ahead, masses of jagged rocks in the channel, around which the foaming waters leaped a dozen feet into the air, to fall again in feathery sprays into the seething torrent. Every vestige of hope left me as I saw this, and turning to Paul I saw that he was as pale as cloth. Arrajo still stood with oar in hand, a strange look of perplexity and resolution on his swarthy visage. Suddenly he dipped the oar into the wator and steered the raft toward the steep cliff that skirted the right bank of the stream. Was he going to try so land ? No ; this would be utterly impossible since a smooth, perpendicular cliff rose twenty or thirty feet above the water. A few vigorous strokes of tho oar and the raff) was gliding swiftly along the very edge of the cliff. Then dropping the oar upon the rafb, he quickly picked up a long lariat that lay at his feebr-one thab we had used to pickeb the burros—and began to coil ib in his hands. Throwing one end to me, he said in a hurried voice : " You and Paul fasten this to your belts as quick as you can ; be ready, and when I telfyou botlyjump into the water.' Then he began swinging the loop which he held in his hand about his head. Although neither Paul nor I had the slightest idea what Arrajo intended to do, ■we obeyed his order as quickly as possible, only too glad to grasp at the faint hope that his words gave us. The sound of the waters rushing through the rapids, now close ahead, came to us in a thunderous roar, sending a chill of terror to our hearts. The cliff, along whose base we were now running, varied in height from twenty to fifty feet, and I saw thab Arrajo had his gaze fixed upon some object on its summit at a point where it wae nob over twenty feeb high. This object, as I soon discovered, was the stump of a broken pine thab grew on the very verge of the cliff. As we drew near I saw the loop suddenly shoob upward from the halfbreed's band. Ib rose swiftly tilHb reached the top of the cliff, then ib settled over the fltnmp of the broken pine. .;-.-.- ---" * Jump for you? Hvm !'_-T.he fl]biyrp,\ lm-.

perative command came from Arrajo, and without an instant's hesitation we leaped from the raft into the rushing stream. I felt a quick sudden tightening of the rope, and then we were swept under by the roar> ing flood. Though bewildered and strangled I clutched the rope tightly, and with the instinct of self-preservation, drew myself upward till my head was above the water. As I did so I found Paul and Arrajo ab my side, both clinging desperately to tho rope. Tho current bad swept us around against tha cliff, and there wo clung with only tho small rope between us and a watery grave. As soon a3 wo got oiu - heads above water Arrajo explained that one of us musfc climb to tho top of tho cliff while tho two remained in the water so as to subjecb the rops to as slight a strain as possible. Paul, who was an excellent climber, waa the first; to ascend the rope. As soon as be had reached bhe top of the cliff Arrajo signalled for me to follow. I did as directed, bub was so nearly exhausted when I reached the top that) -I sank down almost upon the rocks. Then wo were soon/ joined by Arrajo, whose coolness and bravery had rescued us from the very jaws of death.

Ib was quite dark by this time, and after wringing the wator from our dripping clothes we sot out for the ranch. We saw nothing more of the Indians whose appearance oil the bank had driven us into the rapids. They had evidently not considered ib worth while bo follow us, doubtless satisfied thab we had mob our death in the rapids below.

We reached our destination the next) morning by sunrise, only too glad to return alive from a trip that had proved so disas" trous.