LIFE IX THE FAR WEST. 171 



vast sea of prairie which stretches away from the "base of 

 the mountains, in dreary barrenness, for nearly a thousand 

 miles, until it meets the fertile valley of the great Mis- 

 souri. Over this boundless expanse nothing breaks the 

 uninterrupted solitude of the view. Not a tree or atom of 

 foliage relieves the eye ; for the lines of scattered timber 

 which belt the streams running from the mountains are 

 lost in the shadow of their stupendous height, and beyond 

 this nothing is seen but the bare surface of the rolling prai- 

 rie. In no other part of the chain are the grand character- 

 istics of the Far West more strikingly displayed than from 

 this pass. The mountains here rise on the eastern side 

 abruptly from the plain, and the view over the great 

 prairies is not therefore obstructed by intervening ridges. 

 To the westward the eye sweeps over the broken spurs 

 which stretch from the main range in every direction ; 

 whilst distant peaks, for the most part snow-covered, are 

 seen at intervals rising isolated above the range. On all 

 sides the scene is wild and dismal. 



Crossing by this path, the trappers followed the Yuta 

 trail over a plain, skirting a pine-covered ridge, in which 

 countless herds of antelope, tame as sheep, were pasturing. 

 Numerous creeks intersect it, well timbered with oak, pine, 

 and cedar, and well stocked with game of all kinds. On 

 the eleventh day from leaving the Huerfano, they struck 

 the Taos valley settlement on Arroyo Hondo, and pushed 

 on at once to the village of Fernandez sometimes, but 

 improperly, called Taos. As the dashing band clattered 

 through the village, the dark eyes of the reboso-wrapped 

 muchachas peered from the doors of the adobe houses, each 

 mouth armed with cigarito, which was at intervals removed 

 to allow utterance to the salutation to each hunter as he 

 trotted past of Adios Americanos, "Welcome to Fernan- 

 dez ! " and then they hurried off to prepare for the fan- 

 dango, which invariably followed the advent of the moun- 

 taineers. The men, however, seemed scarcely so well 

 pleased ; but leaned sulkily against the walls, their sarapes 

 turned over their left shoulder, and concealing the lower 

 part of the face, the hand appearing from its upper folds only 



