A Day in New Mexico. 145 



more like a ship at sea, so monotonous are these 

 level stretches of almost barren ground ; but there 

 is endless variety where the hills begin. Against 

 the background -of cloudless, deep-blue sky there 

 is traced the most fantastic grouping of tapering 

 points, narrow notches, and that chance accumu- 

 lation of shapeless sculpture one tries in vain to 

 disentangle. For this reason the outlook never 

 becomes monotonous. Fancy is slow to weary 

 of playing with such building-blocks ; but when 

 she does, it is but a step from form to color, and 

 the magnificence of this is only equalled by the 

 magnitude of the other. The restless chasing of 

 light and shadow across the rugged hill-sides 

 never ceases. What but a moment ago were deep, 

 dark gorges are now sunlit prominences, and the 

 outstanding features that held our gaze so recently 

 have now faded from view. Later, when the long 

 shadows creep slowly across the plain, masses of 

 snowy clouds rest upon every peak. The scene is 

 wholly changed. Mountains and clouds become 

 as one ; a mighty barrier that shuts out the sun. 



And now what of the intervening plain ? The 

 soil is very like, if not, pulverized lava, and that 

 G k 13 



