the grand canyon of arizona-第35节

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e　rooster　was　dead；　for　at　the　first　strong　clutch　his　neck　was　broken；　so　that　there　was　no　unnecessary　torture。　The　stream　of　riders　flowed　on；　and　at　last　one　lucky　fellow　gave　the　right　kind　of　a　pull；　and　out　came　the　rooster；　to　be　swung　around　his　head　with　a　fierce　yell　of　triumph。

Pursuit　of　the　Victor。　Now　the　real　sport　begins。　With　a　shout　that　only　Indian　lungs　can　produce；　every　rider　darts　after　the　possessor　of　the　rooster；　and　for　an　hour；　more　or　less；　it　is　a　question　of　hard　riding；　dodging；　evading；　whirling　to　and　fro。　Over　the　sand…hills　they　go；　pursued　and　pursuers；　yelling　and　shouting　like　demons。　The　victor's　horse　seems　to　know　all　about　the　sport。　He　watches　and　dodges　and　doubles；　like　a　hunted　hare。　Now　a　stalwart　ruffian　has　caught　the　rooster　carrier；　and　hangs　on　like　grim　death；　while　he　is　beaten　over　head　and　breast　and　shoulders　with　the　rooster　as　a　weapon。　Others　join　in。　Surely　someone　will　get　hurt！　Watch　the　horses。　They　nip　and　pinch　each　other；　and　squeal　with　pain　and　anger。　Ah；　the　winner　still　keeps　his　prize！　Again　he　is　caught；　and　this　time　it　seems　as　if　he　must　succumb。　But　his　horse　helps　him　out　and；　by　clinging　desperately　to　the　horn　of　the　saddle　and　his　horse's　mane；　he　wrests　himself　away　from　his　pursuer；　aided　by　the　shying　of　the　pursuing　horse；　which　is　kicked　and　bitten　by　his　own　animal。　But　where　is　the　pursuer？　His　horse　is　dashing　riderless　away。　Is　he　trampled　to　death　in　that　swirling；　sandy　conflict？　No；　he　is　hanging　on　to　the　man　with　the　rooster；　belabored　the　while　with　the　now　bloody　and　dilapidated　bird。　Regardless　of　this　he　still　clings；　although　the　horse　is　bounding　along　at　great　speed；　and　a　hundred　or　more　are　following；　all　yelling　and　encouraging　him　not　to　let　go。　With　a　superb　effort；　he　swings　himself　onto　the　horse　behind　the　saddle；　and　with　a　second　sudden　move　grabs　the　rooster　and　wrests　half　of　it　out　of　the　original　victor's　hands。　Seeing　a　chance　to　escape　he　drops　upon　the　sand；　picks　himself　up　unhurt；　and　is　soon　seated　upon　a　new　horse。　Now　he　becomes　the　pursued；　and　two　bands；　instead　of　one；　of　howling；　raving；　shouting　demons；　occupy　the　attention。

Finish　of　Contest。　And　thus　the　struggle　goes　on；　good…naturedly；　yet　with　a　fierceness　of　energy　that　is　exhausting　in　its　wild　excitement；　exhausting　to　the　onlooker；　as　well　as　the　participant。　When　the　unlucky　bird　is　all　dismembered；　and　the　racers　smeared　from　head　to　heels　with　blood；　and　it　seems　impossible　to　divide　the　pieces　any　smaller；　then；　and　not　till　then；　the　conflict　ceases。

Two　Thousand　Horsemen。　But　for　superb　riding　watch　nearly　two　thousand　of　these　sons　of　the　desert　as　they　train　their　young　men　and　boys　in　daring　control　of　their　horses。　The　greatest　chief　of　the　Navahos　is　a　good　friend　of　mine；　and　it　was　by　his　kind　invitation　that　I　was　privileged　to　see　this　never…to…be…forgotten　sight。　He　commanded　the　〃regiment〃shall　I　call　it？riding　alongside　at　times；　and　again　standing　where　he　could　signal　his　demands　and　note　the　result。

An　Exhibition　of　Riding。　Let　us　stand　with　him。　These　riders　are　about　to　dash　past。　Just　before　they　reach　us；　a　signal　is　given；　and　every　rider；　in　an　instant；　disappears　over　the　side　of　his　mount；　while　the　horses　continue　running　under　perfect　control。　Simultaneously；　every　Indian　reappears　upon　his　saddle；　sits　about　as　long　as　one　might　count　three；　and　then　slides　over　to　our　side　of　his　horse；　fully　in　our　sight；　holding　on　by　stirrup　and　mane；　but　completely　hidden　from　one　who　might　be　looking　from　the　other　side。

Wonderful　Agility。　The　chief　was　delighted；　in　his　dignified　quiet　way；　as　I　burst　into　warm　encomiums；　and　told　me　I　should　soon　see　〃some　more〃　riding。　Again　the　horsemen　dashed　past。　This　time　I　watched　for　their　disappearance　and　saw　where　and　how　they　went；　but　I　was　scarcely　prepared　to　see　many　of　them　peeping　at　me　from　under　the　bellies　of　their　animals。　This　was　done　several　times；　then　Pacoda　gave　me　another　treat。　The　riders　came　toward　us。　At　a　sign；　every　man　sprang　from　his　horse　to　the　ground；　to　our　left；　gave　three　or　four　wild　jumps；　sprang　completely　over　the　saddle　to　the　other　side　of　his　horse；　where　he　gave　more　jumps；　and　then；　with　a　yell　of　joyful　triumph；　landed　into　his　saddle；　the　horse；　meanwhile；　keeping　up　his　speed。

An　Impressive　Spectacle。　But　to　see　the　whole　party　ride　furiously　away　from　us；　nothing　but　black　hair；　sturdy　backs；　horses'　tails　and　hindquarters　with　galloping　feet　presented；　and　then；　in　the　twinkle　of　an　eye　it　almost　seemed；　to　have　the　same　party　dashing　towards　you；　was　a　feat　in　horsemanship　which　impressed　me　most　profoundly。

Horsemen　almost　from　Birth。　It　is　not　to　be　wondered　at　that　the　Navaho　is　an　expert　horseman。　He　is　as　nearly　born　on　horseback；　literally；　as　he　can　be；　for　on　several　occasions　I　have　ridden　with　Navaho　friends；　among　whom　was　an　expectant　mother；　have　stopped　half　an　hour　for　the　birth；　and　then；　with　the　new…born　babe　strapped　on　the　mother's　back；　have　resumed　the　trip；　completing；　perhaps；　forty　or　fifty　miles　in　a　day。　Children　born　under　such　conditions　could　not　fail　to　be　skilful　horsemen。



CHAPTER　XXII。　From　El　Tovar　To　The　Havasupai　Indians　And　Their　Wonderful　Cataract　Canyon　Homes

Havasu　Canyon。　The　Grand　Canyon　has　two　important　tributary　canyons。　The　most　important　of　these　is　the　Havasu　Chic…i…mi…mi　（canyon　of　the　blue　water）。　This　is　where　the　Havasupai　Indians　live。

First　White　Visitor。　The　first　white　man　to　visit　the　Havasu；　as　far　as　we　know；　was　Padre　Francisco　Garces；　of　whom　I　have　written　in　another　chapter。　Four　times　he　made　long　journeys　into　the　interior；　visiting　a　large　number　of　Indian　tribes。　Among　these　were　the　Wallapais　and　the　Havasupais。

Garces'　Diary。　Dr。　Elliott　Coues；　who　visited　the　Havasupais　in　1881　with　a　governmental　party；　has　translated　Garces'　diary；　and　it　was　published　a　short　time　ago　by　Francis　P。　Harper；　of　New　York。　In　this　translation；　he　describes　the　descent　of　his　（Coues's）　party　into　the　Canyon；　and　his　description　is　so　vivid　that　it　is　well　worth　repetition　here。

Dr。　Coues'　Description　of　Trail　to　Havasu　Canyon。　〃On　the　10th；　a　march　of　ten　miles　in　the　same　direction　brought　us　abruptly　to　the　brink　of　the　precipicea　sharp…edged　jump…off　of　perhaps　a　thousand　feet。　There　was　no　side　canyon　here　for　gradual　descent；　the　firm　level　ground　gave　no　hint　of　the　break　before　us　until　we　were　actually　upon　the　verge；　and　when　the　soldiers　lined　up　to　look　down　an　involuntary　murmur　of　astonishment　ran　through　the　ranks。　Dismounting　and　going　in　single　file；　each　man　leading　his　horse；　we　took　the　dizzy　traila　narrow　footpath；　in　many　parts　of　which　a　misstep　would　have　been　destruction　to　man　or　beast。　The　way　zigzagged　at　first　for　some　distance；　on　the　'switchback'　principle　by　which　railroads　sometimes　make　grades　otherwise　impracticable；　the　face　of　the　precipice　was　so　steep　that；　as　we　filed　along；　those　of　us　at　the　head　of　the　procession　looked　up　to　see　the　other　sections　of　the　train　almost　overhead；　certainly　a　fall　of　any　man　there　would　have　been　right　on　top　of　us。　Then　the　trail　took　a　long　lurch　to　the　left　with　little　descent；　hugging　the　face　of　the　cliff；　and　we　looked　like　a　row　of　ants　on　a　wall。　This　brought　us　at　length　to　the　head　of　a　great　talus；　down　which　the　trail　zigzaggedthe　incline　was　too　steep　for　straight　descent；　probably　at　an　angle　of　forty…five　degrees。　This　fetched　us　into　the　bed　of　Cataract　Canyon；　perfectly　dry。　The　trail　was　nearly　a　mile　long；　and　it　took　us　an　hour　to　make　our　creepy　way　down。　The　Havasupai　chief；　who　had　been　advised　of　our　coming；　was　there　to　meet　us　with　some　of　his　men；　all　mounted；　and　he　took　us　up　the　canyon　about　five　miles　to　a　place　where　there　was　a　scanty　aguage；　not　sufficing　for　the　wants　of　the　whole　party。　Next　morning　we　retraced　our　steps　down　the　canyon　and　kept　on　in　its　bed　until　we　reached　the　wonderful　blue　spring　above　described　and　the　wonderful　rancheria　of　the　Indians；　a　distance　from　last　night's　camp　of　about　twenty…five　miles；　as　we　had　struck　the　canyon　some　twenty　miles　above　the　living　water。〃

Other　Trails　to　the　Canyon。　Garces　came　into　the　canyon　by　another　trail；　entirely　distinct　from　this；　commonly　known　as　the　Wallapai　Trail。　He　left　Havasu　Canyon　by　still　another　trail；　known　as　the　Moki　Trail；　which　leads　directly　from　this　canyon　to　the　home　of　the　Hopis。

In　1857；　Lieutenant　Joseph　C。　Ives　made　the　descent　into　Havasu　Canyon　down　the　Wallapai　Trail。　His　account　of　the　journey　reads　like　a　novel；　and　people　who　are　unfamiliar　with　the　wonderful　engineering　feats　of　the　Havasu　Indians　can　scarcely　believe　that　Ives　did　not　allow　his　imagination　to　run　away　with　him；　in　his　descriptions　of　the　Havasupais'　trails。

Later；　Lieutenant　Cushing；　guided　by　his　Indian　friends；　rode　across　country　to　the　Hopis；　and　then　secured　a　Hopi　guide　who　took　him　to　see　the　Havasupais　over　the　Moki　Trail。　He　confirms　all　that　Ives　and　Coues　have　written　of　the　astonishing　character　of　these　trails。　Having　been　up　and　down　these　trails　many　times　during　the　last　dozen　years；　I　can　say　without　hesitation　that　there　are　no　more　startling　trails　to　be　f