Across the Mexican Mountains 113 



enough for that species. The land snail, which 

 as far as Monterey was abundant, has gradually 

 disappeared, and we are now free from it. The 

 eatables in this country are scarce, no vegetables 

 except beans, onions, and a very small pea. Beans 

 are seventy-five cents an "Almud." Corn one and 

 one half to three dollars a "fanega" (nearly three 

 bushels). Cattle, half grown, three to twelve 

 dollars. Sheep from a dollar and a half to two 

 dollars. Hogs, strange to say, run up to eighteen 

 and twenty dollars, and are fattened expressly for 

 the lard, which is as high as eight dollars for 

 twenty-five pounds, and a very large, fat animal 

 has sold for fifty dollars. 



Concepcion, about the twentieth town of the 

 name we have passed, is a dirty little place, with a 

 church and nunnery. The inhabitants are like all 

 other Mexicans, and are in eternal dread of the 

 Apaches. So far we have not seen a hostile Indian, 

 and only once a trail, which was that of the 

 "Taromari" [Taraumara]-^ tribe, and our guide 

 said were not Bravos. Many of the people take 

 advantage of us as an escort, and run along either 

 before or behind, and at night camp near us. 



July 2d. We wound along the meanderings of 

 the river "Verde," sometimes smooth and again 

 a dashing torrent, and reached "El Rancho 



^ The Taraumara or more properly the Tarahumara Indians 

 are described in H. H. Bancroft's Native Races, vol. i, chap. v. 



