THE NAUTILUS. 83 



Mexican border, and has been worked less than half a day. 

 Daniels and I discovered Sonorella hachitana peloncillensis 

 near Rodeo, New Mexico, in 1907, and F. H. Fowler found the 

 same species in Doubtful Canyon, S.-W. New Mexico. Other- 

 wise the shells of the range are unknown. 



The wagon was stored at Clifton, a $30 saddle horse pur- 

 chased, of course including saddle and bridle, and two pack 

 mules hired. Here is a beautiful and prosperous city of about 

 ten thousand people, out on the side of the world. The dwell- 

 ings seem to hang on brackets from the cliffs. The smelters 

 and business houses are huddled together in pockets along the 

 San Franciso river wherever the castellated cliffs will permit. 



There were some attractions for weary travelers and it was 

 late in the day when our train got under headway. Before the 

 packs were lashed the new mules had sung out symptoms of 

 homesickness, and to hold them true to the trail the pack 

 animals were tied together in a string, Cole leading, and leading 

 fast. At a sharp turn in the trail the swing mule was swung 

 upside down into a creek. A few groceries were dampened this 

 time and a mule repacked. Then the mules were turned loose. 

 Going up a steep hill a packhotse heavily loaded, carrying two 

 guns on top of its pack, tipped over backwards, unhorsed Cole 

 and came down the hill like a wheel on its spokes. A fat, 

 shiny, blue-black stage driver, so joyful he was not attending 

 to his business, ran his four-in-hand into our belongings, add- 

 ing considerably to both annoyance and oratory. 



A new and wide trail from Clifton to Metcalf, high up on the 

 cliffs, ended in the blacksmith shop of the trail builders, forc- 

 ing us down the hill upon the old trail along a railroad track 

 with many tunnels. By that time it was dark in the open 

 country, and not a time-table or a lantern in the outfit. 



At Metcalf one of the new mules dashed through a group of 

 celebrating miners and hid under an outside stairway. That 

 intellectual animal would have missed a glorious trip had it not 

 been for the assistance of those helpful miners. 



With the mule tied in line again we ate a cold snack in the 



o 



saddle and pushed on and on in search of a country level 

 enough to tie up mules and spread blankets. At a late hour we 



