BIG BEAR TALK. 83 



caught and snuggled under a blanket, where they 

 spent the night cosily; and next morning when 

 they all ran about, alive and spry, Dyche did 

 not regret having spent an hour on his hands and 

 knees in search of them the night before. The 

 mother grouse flew down from a neighbouring tree as 

 the train moved away, and Mrs. Dyche 's heart was 

 made glad with the knowledge that the grouse family 

 was reunited. 



"Do you see that pile of stones?" asked Beaty, 

 pointing to a heap of small rocks which had evidently 

 been thrown together for some purpose. "A few 

 years ago it was sure very dry on the plains, and 

 Mexican herders brought their sheep up into the 

 mountains where they could get grass and water. 

 One old man had $10 in his pocket and he was killed 

 and robbed by some of his companions. When his 

 friends carried his body out, wherever they stopped 

 to rest they would make a little pile of stones, and 

 now whenever a Mexican passes along he adds a 

 stone to the pile and says a prayer for the rest of the 

 murdered man's soul." 



" Is that the reason there are so many little stone 

 piles throughout New Mexico?" asked Dyche. 



"No, not always. They are made to commemo- 

 rate some incident. They've sure got some queer 

 superstitions, and one of their religious ones is the 

 queerest. " 



"What's that?" 



" A lot of them go up on Hermit's Peak, over there, 

 and crawl around on their hands and knees among 

 the cactus bushes and on the stones, exposing them- 



