THE PALM OASES AND CANONS 17 



palm to coastal conditions of climate, for the spot is 

 within a few miles of the crest of the San Gorgonio 

 Pass, which here forms the dividing line between 

 California barren and California fertile. A thread of 

 tepid water moistens the roots of the trees, while 

 not a mile away rushes the icy brook that gives its 

 name to the caiion. 



I camped, at various times, In most of the con- 

 siderable caiions of the upper part of the desert. 

 Each has its special charm, while those that come 

 down from the high mountains that shut off desert 

 from coast possess a dual beauty — the character- 

 istics of a true mountain canon, such as trees, cas- 

 cading streams, and the varied life that goes with 

 them, together with the features of a land made 

 savage by torturing sun, unblessed by the mercy of 

 rain. The mingling of the two elements gives often 

 a fascinating result. 



It was still winter, the end of January, when I 

 pitched my little six-by-three-foot tent In Chino 

 Canon. This Is a great rift opening on the north- 

 western arm of the desert directly under the peak of 

 San Jacinto Mountain. It gets its name from old 

 Chino, a former chief of the Agua Caliente Indians, 

 whose rancheria adjoins the little village of Palm 

 Springs, a few miles to the south of the cafion. I had 

 visited the spot years before, and kept an affection- 

 ate memory of a warm spring that breaks out near 

 the head of the great apron of talus that sweeps 

 down from the neck of the cafion to the level desert. 

 It was toilsome work navigating my burro, Mesqult, 

 through these miles of boulders, with a rise from 



