THE PALM OASES AND CANONS 21 



voice in making the law, and that the land In ques- 

 tion had been taken from him and his people, there 

 seems not much logic in blaming him. Peace to your 

 ashes, Andreas! I can certify that your fig trees still 

 do bud, and yield better fruit perhaps than some 

 of us. 



The same striking conjunction of desert and coast 

 vegetation rules here as in Chino Canon. Down to 

 the very neck, a bare hundred yards from where 

 open desert comes in view, trees grow in full ver- 

 dure, curtained in wild-grape vines that make an 

 arbor of summer green or autumn chrome and 

 sienna over the darkling pools of the creek. At the 

 point where they cease they are met by a colony of 

 palms, and these give place to the low-toned herb- 

 age of the desert. The cafion is notable for a fine 

 rank of "palisade" cliffs, which with their massive 

 sculpturing and dark Egyptian hue make a wonder- 

 ful foil for the beauty of the palms. Some of these 

 stand statue-like in vertical alcoves of the wall: 

 others bend In tropic grace above crystalline pools, 

 or spring in rocket-like curve from thickets of mes- 

 qult or arrowweed. 



One cluster, arranged in the form of a great hall, 

 especially took my fancy. The palms that compose 

 it have kept all their dead foliage, which, hanging 

 in straw-yellow masses about the stems, gives them 

 impressive girth and solidity. While wind is stirring 

 the fronded capitals, these massive pillars, standing 

 in unbroken stillness, seem like the immemorial 

 columns of Babylon, My nights in that strange place, 

 worked up into mystery by glimmer of star or trickle 



