364 Reminiscences of 



desert country, quite unsettled, excepting by a few 

 sheep- and cattle-men, sparsely distributed in the 

 few limited localities where springs and feed were 

 found. The greater part of the region consisted 

 of mountains and sandy plains of barren aspect. 



Rumors of troublesome Indians being about put 

 us on our guard, but such rumors were more or less 

 chronic in those parts, and we did not consider them 

 a sufficient deterrent, being more afraid of the reck- 

 less white element, then plentiful enough in the 

 country, and which we expected soon to get out of 

 reach of. But we made a bad reckoning in respect 

 of Indians, as we found out the first day. 



We resolutely started out from the little settle- 

 ment of a few houses at an early hour, and fording 

 the Rio Grande ascended an elevated plateau, which 

 we crossed for seven or eight miles to a range of high 

 hills, which extended for some twenty miles, necessary 

 to cross before reaching an open countr}^ where 

 we expected to camp for the night. There was 

 no timber, and we kept as much as possible on the 

 ridges and the open to avoid a possible ambuscade, 

 keeping out our guide in advance, with his pack 

 mule in the rear. It was near noon, and we were 

 expecting to halt shortly for our midday meal at 

 a spring our guide knew of. 



We had been told to look out carefully at this 

 spring, for if there were any Indians about they 

 were likely to be in that vicinity. We saw no signs, 

 and held up near the spring, which was at a little 

 sloping hillside, and from which, on one side, arose 

 a somewhat precipitous rocky blufif, perhaps two hun- 

 dred feet high. As we dismounted I happened to 



