The Indians ran round and round the rock, but everywhere they found the
straight walls as we see them to-day. It was impossible to climb them;
they could not get up to the friends they had left behind, nor could the
unfortunate people come down to them.
For days they tried every means to reach the top, but they could not do
so. They could see their friends peering over at them, but day by day
the faces grew fewer and fewer, until at last all were gone.
Since then the mesa has been held sacred by the Acomas, and regarded by
them as a city of the dead.
This legend has been so thoroughly believed that scientists have often
discussed the possibility of scaling this rock for the sake of the
wonderful remains that must be on the top. Finally Professor Libbey
determined to make the attempt.
He took with him a life-saving apparatus, of the kind that is used on
the sea-coast for sending a line out to a wrecked vessel. His plan was
to throw the line over the rock, and then have himself hauled up in an
arrangement of ropes, used by sailors for working over the side of
ships, and called by them a boatswain's chair.
The life-saving apparatus was tried, and proved to be most successful. A
rocket was sent up with the life-line attached, and on the second effort
was shot clear over the rock.
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