THE NAUTILUS. 



460 in heighth, opening to the west, has an easy approach, a 

 spring of excellent water at the base, a heavy forest and a wall 

 five hundred feet or more high, and a small stream of water in 

 front. It seems the most delightful and romantic of situations 

 for village life. The ruins have been partially restored by the 

 government, and our class for the coming summer propose to 

 make it their home while exploring a number of newly-discov- 

 ered ruins near by. Supplies will be assembled at Kayenta. 



A return to the main branch of Laguna Canyon and a walk 

 of eight or ten miles further from camp the following day in 

 which the party was somewhat delayed and strung out by the 

 ripe currants along the trail, brought us to the Keet-Seel ruins. 

 This city has about the same number of rooms as Betatakin r 

 the arch was about the same, but faced east. The forest w T as 

 not as heavy, the water not as convenient, it had not been res- 

 tored as it should be, and access was a little difficult. The 

 approach is negotiated by steps cut in a deep slope of sandstone 

 for about forty feet with a hand-rail laid flat on the surface for 

 safety. Thus those who approach must come humbly on all 

 fours. The pottery was a rich find at these ruins and there still 

 remain many wagon loads of the broken material. 



The probabilities are that the Hopis were compelled to leave 

 these delightful homes against their will; that they were too 

 easily penned up here by the war- like Navajos and their Apache 

 cousins. At least the Hopis now live on the small and high 

 mesas of the desert where they can see out in every direction, 

 watch their flocks and fields and get a fair view of all who ap- 

 proach. Such is the theory. The decorations upon pottery, 

 the architecture of dwellings and community buildings, with 

 timber, corn and pumpkin rinds preserved these hundreds of 

 years by the overhanging arches, are substantially the same as 

 those now in use by the Hopis of Moenkopi and Walpi. 



Upon the return journey bones of Lymnxa in the bed of the 

 creek, in banks, washes and ant-hills above started an investi- 

 gation, and it was found that these shells were imbedded in a 

 streak of marl and peat soil sometimes a dozen feet below the 

 canyon floor. Wetherill told us that thirty-five years ago the 

 valley contained a chain of swamps fed by the stream. A sim- 



