252 CALIFORNIA DESERT TRAILS 



celebrities. He had also grewsome tales of men who 

 had come by their death in the region we were about 

 to visit. The spot where Frenchy's boot, containing 

 a leg-bone and part of a cake of Navy Plug, was 

 found: the "monument" that Newt Dolan must 

 have missed in the dark and so taken the wrong 

 branch of the dry-wash from which he never 

 emerged, and other points of interest, he would 

 show me on Monday if he did n't forget. In most 

 cases, though, there was no memento: they had 

 merely, as he compactly put it, "gone in and 

 stayed." 



A case in his own knowledge was a young fellow 

 from Syracuse, who had arranged last summer to 

 meet Wellson at Carrizo Springs and accompany 

 him through Split Mountain Canon. As he did not 

 arrive when expected, Wellson went on alone, leav- 

 ing word, in case the other came later, that he was 

 not to try to follow him, but wait for his return. 

 Next day the young man appeared at Carrizo 

 Springs, and, disregarding the advice, started, with 

 a small quantity of food and water, to follow Well- 

 son by his tracks. He had not been seen or heard of 

 since: the bad-lands engulfed him and, like many 

 more, he "stayed." 



It was fine to lie at leisure next morning, careless 

 of time, and watch the coming of day. An uncertain 

 pallor stole into the east while the morning star was 

 still low in the horizon. It strengthened impercep- 

 tibly to a silvery light, unearthly and shy and holy. 

 A stain of orange came, flushing quickly to crimson ; 

 but the color, vivid as it was, did not escape beyond 



