^2 CALIFORNIA DESERT TRAILS 



used to read the faces of his opponent's cards. The 

 pounded leaves, applied hot as a poultice, are said 

 to be effective for relieving pain, however acute, 

 "but you must not eat hard " (that is, heavy or indi- 

 gestible) "food soon before, or it will kill you," said 

 Lugardio. As a remedy for saddle-galls it is reputed 

 to be sovereign, as is also a powder of the mistletoe 

 of the desert juniper, or of the root of the common 

 wild gourd, or calabazilla, mixed with sugar. 



The raven, or carrion-crow, eminent for sagacity 

 since Noah's day, and made half supernatural by 

 Poe, is a bird of omen to the Indian also. A certain 

 part of Santa Rosa Mountain (Wa-hut-now'-ha) is 

 known, in Spanish, as Casa de Cuerva, raven's house, 

 or in Indian, Ahl-wah-tem-hem' -ke, house of many 

 ravens, and is held in superstitious regard. Rock- 

 crystals are believed to be missiles which the raven 

 has cast at men with evil intent. I have noticed that 

 any piece of glittering rock is apt to be considered 

 "bad medicine," and such are always part of the 

 stock in trade of the pohl or medicine-man (Spanish, 

 hechicero) . 



It is natural that the two great contiguous moun- 

 tains, San Gorgonio and San Jacinto, should be 

 thought to be brothers. Their names are Kwaid'-a- 

 kaich and Ai'-ya-kaich, respectively, the former 

 being looked upon as the elder. 



It is a pretty idea that is embodied in the use of 

 the Spanish word ojo, meaning eye, for a pool or 

 spring of water (with ojito for diminutive). The 

 Cahuillas have the same poetic thought in their 

 word pal-he'-push, for a pool. In the word or phrase 



