﻿KHODA.] 
  THE 
  SOUTHEASTERN 
  DISTRICT. 
  327 
  

  

  j^ravel 
  form 
  a 
  bed, 
  which 
  is 
  usually 
  very 
  firm. 
  Herds 
  of 
  cattle 
  were 
  

   feeding 
  on 
  the 
  meadows 
  near 
  the 
  lower 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  Alamosa 
  and 
  Cone- 
  . 
  

   jos, 
  while 
  some 
  found 
  good 
  picking 
  among 
  the 
  sage-brush. 
  The 
  entire 
  

   lack 
  of 
  timber 
  or 
  even 
  brush 
  on 
  the 
  plain 
  detracts 
  much 
  from 
  its 
  useful- 
  

   ness 
  as 
  a 
  pasture. 
  Moving 
  again 
  toward 
  the 
  southeast 
  through 
  the 
  

   volcanic 
  hills, 
  we 
  camped 
  on 
  the 
  Eio 
  Grande. 
  During 
  the 
  day 
  we 
  made 
  

   station 
  102, 
  on 
  the 
  most 
  northerly 
  table 
  of 
  the 
  group, 
  a 
  point 
  about 
  500. 
  

   feet 
  above 
  the 
  valley. 
  This 
  group 
  of 
  hills, 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  San 
  Luis 
  

   "Valley, 
  is 
  bounded 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  and 
  north 
  by 
  the 
  Conejos, 
  the 
  stream 
  

   running 
  northward 
  over 
  12 
  miles, 
  in 
  an 
  opposite 
  direction 
  to 
  the 
  Rio 
  

   Grande, 
  to 
  pass 
  around 
  them. 
  A 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  group 
  is 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  

   Grande, 
  but 
  does 
  not 
  reach 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Conejos, 
  

   and 
  eastward 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  only 
  about 
  8 
  miles. 
  The 
  western 
  group 
  

   extends 
  southward 
  nearly 
  20 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  Lower 
  San 
  Luis 
  Plain, 
  but 
  as 
  

   the 
  hills 
  stand 
  isolated 
  one 
  from 
  the 
  other, 
  much 
  plain-land 
  is 
  included 
  

   between 
  them. 
  This 
  mass 
  covers 
  somewhere 
  about 
  a 
  hundred 
  square 
  

   miles, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  30 
  or 
  40. 
  Between 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   group 
  and 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Eange 
  is 
  alow 
  gap 
  apparently 
  the 
  same 
  

   height 
  as 
  the 
  valley 
  north 
  and 
  south, 
  which 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  once 
  

   been 
  the 
  strait 
  connecting 
  the 
  upper 
  with 
  the 
  lower 
  lake 
  that 
  once 
  

   covered 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley. 
  Between 
  the 
  western 
  hills 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  

   range 
  is 
  a 
  smooth 
  plain, 
  but 
  one 
  considerably 
  above 
  the 
  general 
  level 
  

   of 
  the 
  valley. 
  The 
  hills 
  are 
  of 
  various 
  shapes 
  and 
  heights; 
  many 
  are 
  

   nearly 
  level 
  tables 
  with 
  bluff 
  edges, 
  but 
  others 
  are 
  very 
  regular 
  cones. 
  In 
  

   height 
  they 
  range 
  from 
  200 
  to 
  1,600 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  plain. 
  One, 
  on 
  which 
  

   we 
  made 
  stations 
  103 
  and 
  104, 
  rose 
  1,500 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  valley, 
  and 
  its 
  

   summit 
  covered 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  square 
  miles, 
  being 
  surrounded 
  

   by 
  bluffs, 
  which 
  were 
  impassable 
  except 
  at 
  few 
  points. 
  On 
  the 
  summit 
  

   we 
  noticed 
  the 
  holes 
  of 
  prairie-dogs 
  in 
  several 
  places. 
  On 
  the 
  south 
  

   side 
  was 
  a 
  little 
  timber, 
  while 
  grass 
  was 
  quite 
  abundant. 
  Cattle 
  had 
  

   roamed 
  over 
  the 
  plateau, 
  having 
  climbed 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  plain 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  

   grass. 
  South 
  of 
  this 
  was 
  another 
  similar 
  table 
  of 
  about 
  equal 
  height, 
  

   but 
  even 
  greater 
  area. 
  The 
  hills 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  Grande 
  are 
  more 
  

   irregular 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  usually 
  much 
  smaller 
  and 
  lower. 
  Soon 
  after 
  pass- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Conejos 
  the 
  river 
  changes 
  quite 
  abruptly. 
  Above 
  

   for 
  many 
  miles 
  it 
  winds 
  about 
  over 
  a 
  great 
  area, 
  and 
  sloughs 
  lead 
  in 
  all 
  

   directions, 
  but 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  it 
  becomes 
  very 
  straight 
  and 
  enters 
  a 
  rocky 
  

   bed, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  cuts 
  a 
  narrow 
  gorge. 
  Passing 
  through 
  

   this 
  and 
  emerging 
  from 
  the 
  hills 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Culebra, 
  it 
  runs 
  

   through 
  a 
  shallow 
  but 
  definite 
  bed 
  in 
  the 
  rock. 
  This 
  continues 
  for 
  five 
  

   or 
  six 
  miles 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  below 
  the 
  ford, 
  where 
  the 
  stream 
  enters 
  a 
  narrow 
  

   canon 
  cut 
  in 
  the 
  basalt, 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Antonio. 
  

  

  On 
  our 
  mareh 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  we 
  made 
  station 
  105, 
  on 
  a 
  sharp 
  rocky 
  

   cone 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Culebra. 
  

   In 
  following 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  we 
  expected 
  to 
  have 
  camped 
  on 
  the 
  Cos- 
  

   tilla, 
  but 
  we 
  found 
  it 
  dry 
  near 
  its 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  Eio 
  Grande, 
  the 
  water 
  

   having 
  been 
  consumed 
  in 
  irrigation 
  near 
  the 
  mountains. 
  Its 
  course 
  

   was 
  marked 
  by 
  a 
  gorge 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  length, 
  cut 
  through 
  the 
  basalt 
  

   from 
  the 
  plain 
  to 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  walls 
  were 
  so 
  nearly 
  im- 
  

   passable 
  that 
  the 
  Mexican 
  shepherds 
  had 
  used 
  it 
  for 
  a 
  corral, 
  and 
  had 
  

   built 
  little 
  coverts 
  near 
  the 
  upper 
  end 
  to 
  sleep 
  in. 
  Into 
  this 
  curious 
  

   inclosure 
  they 
  drove 
  their 
  sheep 
  and 
  goats 
  at 
  night, 
  and 
  herded 
  them 
  

   on 
  the 
  plains 
  during 
  the 
  day. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  path 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  within 
  

   many 
  miles. 
  jSTo 
  water 
  can 
  be 
  had 
  except 
  by 
  following 
  down 
  this 
  

   narrow 
  defile. 
  The 
  caiion 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  stream 
  is 
  similar— 
  only 
  more 
  

   impassable. 
  The 
  walls 
  are 
  from 
  100 
  to 
  200 
  feet 
  apart, 
  and 
  about 
  100 
  

  

  