100 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE.! 



Feb. 1. 



me as if they had a kind of corn smaller than 

 any thing we have now in cultivation, for these 

 cobs were not even as large as that from ihe 

 smallest ears of popcorn. I could not learn that 

 anybody had ever succeeded in getting any of 

 the grains of corn of this kind. If one could 

 find one of these granaries full of grain, that 

 had never been broken open, it would be indeed a 

 valuable " find." These people raised crops, for 

 the old irrigating-canals are found all through 

 the valleys. In fact, quite a few times these 

 same old ditches have been utilized for modern 

 irrigation, and the engineering ability displayed 

 in leading the water on to the land seems to be 

 about equal to any thing of modern times. 



The last of my notes in our last issue were 

 penciled while I was ensconced in the hollow of 

 a rock. As I had something of a cold I found 

 a place out of the wind, and in the sun, where 

 I could warm up and write in comfort. The 

 rest of our party were off on the snowy moun- 

 tain-tops hunting. Right across the river from 

 where I was writing was a considerable town 

 of cliff-dwellings. After the men returned, Mr. 

 Bell said we must certainly visit these, because 

 there were some particular features about them 

 different from those we had visited the day be- 

 fore, that I have just described. The question 

 was, how to get over there. The bank was too 

 steep to get the wagon down; but our horses, 

 being used to mountain climbing, got down 

 without any trouble. We were to cross the 

 river on horseback. I demurred some, fearing 

 the bottom might prove treacherous. Mr. Bell, 

 however, took the gentler of the two horses and 

 rode it through the river back and forth several 

 times. When I saw him raise his feet so as to 

 keep them out of the water I felt considerably 

 nervous at the undertaking. However, we got 

 across all right, and found so much that was 

 wonderful and strange that it was toward sun- 

 down before we started to go back. I suggested 

 he should take the same path back through the 

 water so there could be no danger of an acci- 

 dent. We had just got to the point when we 

 were both advised to double up our knees so as 

 to kf ep our feet out of the water, and were dis- 

 cussing whether we were exactly on the old 

 track. The rushing waters began to make me 

 a little dizzy, and at last I thought it was my 

 imagination that made it seem that the horse 

 was rolling over. In a second more, however. I 

 had to face the stern reality. Mollie got her 

 hind feet into a little spot of quicksand, and 

 with two men on her back she was hardly equal 

 10 the task of getting out. I was so used to 

 springing from a wheel and alighting on my 

 feet that I involuntarily sprang from the horse 

 in the same way. and I alighted in the water all 

 right, on my feet: but Mollie. as she went over, 

 struck one of my legs, and there was no help for 

 it — I had to go down in that raging flood of Icy- 

 cold water. Mr. Bell, however, spoke quickly 

 and sharply to Mollie: and as he" slid off she 

 rallied, and my leg was released almost as 

 quickly as it was pinned. Here was a dilemma. 

 I was pretty well soaked, and we were eight or 

 nine miles from home. Mr. Bell's buoyancy of 

 spirits cropped out even then and there, how- 

 ever. While we were wading out through the 

 rushing water, in a dismally comic tone he said: 



"Well, Mr. Root, who would have thought 

 that you and I would have ' fallen out' so soo7i, 

 and on so short an acquaintance as this?'"-' 



n spite of the watei that was dripping from 

 me all over, the comicality of the scene struck 

 me so that I laughed till my laughing helped at 

 least a little to keep me warm. As I approached 

 the wagon I asked Mr. Carey, the Quaker, to 

 pull a cushion from the wagon-seat and lay it 

 on the sand. He seemed to be a good deal wor- 



ried, but took in the situation, and down I went 

 on the cushion, on my back. Then I raised 

 both feet so as to let the water run out of my 

 boots. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to 

 pull my pants well above my boot-tops, and 

 down went the icy water into my trousers- legs, 

 wetting my clothing, which was comparatively 

 dry until then. We soon learned wisdom, how- 

 ever, and when the last drop of water had drip- 

 ped from my boots I sprang on to my wheel and 

 started over the desert sand to get up a circula- 

 tion. After going over a mile I found a farm- 

 house. The people were all away from home 

 except some girls. I hastily appropriated the 

 big open fireplace, and asked the girl to help 

 me wring out some of my clothing. We were 

 soon acquainted, and got things fixed in pretty 

 fair shape. At this time the wagon had just 

 come up. Some of the girls said a flock of wild 

 geese were down in the field feeding on alfalfa. 

 Now, Mr. Elvey was the hunter of the crowd; 

 and if you want to see him up and dressed in a 

 second, just tell him there is game in sight. 

 The question was, should they bother with the 

 geese when I was in such a plight, and a dark 

 night coming on ? I could not keep that desert 

 road after dark: and, furthermore, that Verde 

 River would have to be crossed again about a 

 mile from home. 1 told them to never mind me, 

 but go and get the geese, and then make the 

 horses do their very best to catch up with me 

 shortly after I should reach the river. I made 

 the seven miles, and reached the river just as it 

 was getting too dark to keep my wheel off from 

 the thorns and cacti. But I tell you I made that 

 wheel fly. I was warm and comfortable, but 

 getting pretty well tired from so much wet 

 heavy clothing. I reached the river, and decid- 

 ed there was no other way than to ride back 

 until I should meet the team, even though it 

 was getting to be too dark to see. Before going 

 many rods I met the team, coming up on a gallop. 



" How many geese did you get ? " 



"Didn't get any geese, but we made the feath- 

 ers fly," said the Quaker. 



Somebody else replied. " It is true, the feath- 

 ers did flv — when the geese did, as they always 

 do." And then it transpired that they felt so 

 anxious about me they did not wait to get with- 

 in decent range of a flock of fifteen or twenty 

 wild eeese. These fowls are ravenously fond of 

 alfalfa, and will return to a field again and 

 again, even after having been driven away by 

 firing at them. 



I reached the friendly home of Mr. Bell in 

 pretty good trim. By chance a roaring fire was 

 ready, and I was soon safe from harm. The 

 next morning I think I was rather better if any 

 thing. The plunge bath of icy water did me no 

 harm. And here is a lesson for us, friends: In 

 cases of this kind, when you get into the water 

 nothing is necessary but to keep up the temper- 

 ature by means of brisk or violent exercise. If 

 you can not do any better, walk briskly till you 

 can cet shelter. A drink of hot water may be 

 all right, if the patient can be afterward pro- 

 tected from the weather. Usually a brisk walk 

 will of itself keep one from taking cold. 



THE SEVERE COLD, L,A.ST WEEK IN JANUARY. 



During the past few days the thermometer 

 has been down 16 degrees below zero; at least, 

 that is what it recorded Monday morning— the 



