164 A CALIFORNIA TRAMP. 



descriptive notes. Our bivouac was by the side of the walls, 

 which under a bright moon showed wierd and ghastly. 



Hosts of Indians came pouring in upon us on our arrival, 

 and pertinaciously stuck to us until our departure. They were 

 very annoying, as, apart from their begging habits, they were 

 inveterate thieves. On account of their scant clothing they 

 could not conceal their plunder about their persons, so when 

 the}'' got hold of a tin plate, knife or cup, they would dex- 

 terously twirl it into the neighboring reeds for future quest. 

 I was amused in watching their doings, while with snake-like 

 movements they secured these, their features at the same time 

 wearing the passive appearance of professional pickpockets. 



The characteristics of the Vegas Indians were similar to the 

 savages we saw on the Rio Virgin : broad faces, snaky eyes, 

 matted hair hanging over the forehead, and forms low in stat- 

 ure. The clothing of the males mainly consisted of the cast- 

 o& apparel of passing emigrants, and was scanty at most; 

 while the garments of the squaws were composed of the skins 

 of rabbits, which had not grown up to the proper require- 

 ments. Their language, while resembling the Spanish into- 

 nation, came from their lips in such an idiotic way, that I can 

 best term it a lingual slobber. 



The nomenclature of the country we were passing through 

 showed we were in what had once been Spanish territory ; for 

 all that, such mellifluous names as Santa Clara, Rio Virgin, 

 Los Angeles, Las Animas and the like, seemed unfitted to 

 such streams as we were meeting with, tinctured as they were 

 with alkali until unfit for drink. Terms like '^jornado,'' for a 

 day's journey, and " caballada,'^ for loose stock, were going out 

 of use, but " corral,'^ as an enclosure, and " canon,'' as a nar- 

 row valley, had been incorporated in our language. The sub- 

 stitution of the Spanish "si" for "yes," and " bueno'^ for 

 " good," was also common among us travelers. 



The next morning a party of us started in advance of the 



