42 CALIFORNIA DESERT TRAILS 



leading to the centre, which when reached revealed 

 the fact that the whole clump was one enormous 

 tree. The short butt, a yard or so in diameter, broke 

 into several big recumbent branches which went 

 rambling about on hands and knees, all crooks and 

 elbows, and threw out a young forest of twigs and 

 branchlets cantankerously thorny. Near the main 

 stem there was ample space and head-room for 

 camp quarters, and the friend who left his comfort- 

 able Pasadena bungalow to visit me there had no 

 fault to find with the accommodation, though he 

 had now and then with the temperature. It was 

 pleasant at odd hours to listen to the conversations 

 of a family of Gambel quail that shared our mesquit 

 with us, pater's loud clear call, or quieter admonish- 

 ment of Mrs. G., answered by absent-minded twit- 

 terings or headlong scamperings of the youngsters. 



At this camp Kaweah had to be picketed outside, 

 but in a similar mesquit clump, that furnished me 

 quarters for a week a few miles farther on my way, 

 a stable had been installed by some predecessor, 

 with manger and room for two or three horses. 

 There was ample space here also for an average 

 family's camp requirements. 



The mesquit yields excellent food for both man 

 and beast. One authority says that the bean, of 

 which husk and all are used, contains over fifty per 

 cent of practicable food elements. The Indians now- 

 adays do not call on it to the extent they did for- 

 merly, when the meal ground by the squaws from 

 the beans of this plant was the staple of their diet, 

 though they still use it freely: but horses and, need- 



