CHAPTER XVIII 
WORKING THE ANIMAS 
Aut 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 was 
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 horse wran- 
123 
