CHAPTEE XVHI 

 .WORKING THE ANIMAS 



ALL of us except the baseline crew, Wallace, Con- 

 way and Wetherby, stayed in camp a few days on 

 map work, while the baseline was brought over the 

 top from McKnight Canyon and extended down the 

 canyon of the Animas to where we lay. 



Our few days' respite from physical effort waa 

 welcome. It gave us, in addition to the rest, an 

 opportunity to examine our surroundings at leisure 

 and to become accustomed to the sight of the awe- 

 some environment in which we found ourselves 

 " growing a-climb-ated," Conway called it, with a 

 tragic effort at punning. 



"We had time for exploring and sight seeing in 

 addition. For the country of the Animas was rich 

 in localities connected by tradition with stirring 

 events of Indian and outlaw fighting. We visited 

 among other places " Vic's Park," a pleasant, open 

 glade on the very top of a high mountain. Here, 

 in frontier days, the famous Apache war chief Vic- 

 torio was followed, it is said, by a regiment of U. S. 

 regulars, whom he ambushed and practically an- 

 nihilated. 



One of the few survivors was a negro hors,e wran- 



123 



