ACROSS THE NAVAJO DESERT 35 



cliffs. In places the sand was heavy; in others 

 the ground was hard, and the teams made good 

 progress. There were httle water-holes, usually 

 more or less alkaline, ten or fifteen miles apart. 

 At these the Navajos were watering their big 

 flocks of sheep and goats, their horses and don- 

 keys, and their few cattle. They are very inter- 

 esting Indians. They hve scattered out, each 

 family by itself, or two or three famihes together; 

 not in villages, like their neighbors the Hopis. 

 They are pastoral Indians, but they are agri- 

 culturists also, as far as the desert permits. 

 Here and there, where there was a Httle seepage 

 of water, we saw their meagre fields of corn, 

 beans, squashes, and melons. All were mounted; 

 the men usually on horses, the women and chil- 

 dren often on donkeys. They were clad in white 

 man's garb; at least the men wore shirts and 

 trousers and the women bodices and skirts; but 

 the shirts were often green or red or saffron or 

 bright blue; their long hair was knotted at the 

 back of the head, and they usually wore moc- 

 casins. The well-to-do carried much jewelry of 

 their own make. They wore earrings and neck- 

 laces of turquoise; turquoises were set in their 

 many silver ornaments; and they wore buttons 

 and bangles of silver, for they are cunning 

 silversmiths, as well as weavers of the famous 



