4>S WILD I'l.OWI'.kS f)I- COLORADO. 



that he must lead, the others would follow without "■ui(hn<^. I 

 would like to ^ive you a sketch of the start, but, as m}' sketches 

 must be confined to Howers, I refrain. 



We follow the bell. The animals arc so small that the tall 

 men of the party are obliged t(; hold their legs akimbo to keep 

 their feet from dragging. There was a halt at least e\'ery ten 

 minutes. Some one of the [)arty is on the ground instead of on 

 the burro, and the sad(lle is where the "cingle" should be. The 

 unfortunate one is helped up, the saddle is adjusted, and we start 

 again — I wish I could say on a trot, but with all the coaxing and 

 whipping they can not be persuaded to go faster than a walk, and 

 they insist upon having their own wa)' in climbing a mountain. 

 Thev follow their leader, who will <>"o alon'>; the side of the 

 mountain for eight or ten rods, then take a short upward turn of 

 ten or twelve feet, and make a trail in the shape of the letter 

 S until they reach the top. They are taught this, when young, 

 by the miners, who use them for carrying immense loads to their 

 mines. I ha\'e seen them so loaded down with tents, j)ro\'isions, 

 and all kinds ot cabin lurmture that you could hartlly see the 

 animal. 



It is a (|ueer sight to see ten or fifteen of these little things 

 starting out for some mine, [)erhaps miles away. They will carry 

 without injury to themseK'cs two hundred and fifty pounds each. 



On one of them I once saw^ tent poles fastened on length- 

 wise ; on these was placed a tent, and on the tent sat a cooking 

 stove, with tead<ettle and fr}ing-pan fastened on it. You could 



