404 Reminiscences of 



ahead, as he said to arrange at the Mexican town 

 of Pena Blanca, twenty-five miles fuii;her ahead, 

 where we intended to pass the night, for our ac- 

 commodations. That was the last we saw of him 

 until the following morning. When we arrived there 

 about dark we looked for him in vain, and put up 

 in two or three of the ordinary adobe houses, there 

 being no public house. 



In the morning he appeared on horseback as we 

 were about startmg away on our journey, account- 

 ing for his non-appearance before by saying he had 

 not been well, and had gone to the house of a Mex- 

 ican friend for the night. We now commenced a 

 journey over a waterless district of fifty miles after 

 fording the Rio Grande, and it was necessary to take 

 on a barrel of water to carry ourselves and our horses 

 over, having a stock of hay and grain in the wagon 

 with our other supplies. 



We passed over this desert in two days, reaching 

 the Rio Purco, a muddy stream, but where the country 

 was more fertile, with reaches of pine timber and 

 pleasant stopping places. The habitations were few 

 and far between, and we found the camping out 

 preferable to abiding in any of the few adobes 

 we met with. The scenery was attractive in many 

 respects, though away from the streams and valle}'s 

 the faces of the mountains were barren beyond any 

 hope of ever making fertile. 



One prominent mountain height seemed ever con- 

 spicuous, that of Cabazon, or the Cabbage Head, 

 which was the guide for the direction we were to pursue. 

 This we finally passed, following up the Rio Purco, 

 and reached the mesa of the Nacimiento in six days 



