42 NEW TRACKS IN NORTH AMERICA. 
The air had become very cool and refreshing, and the scenery | 
for at least eight miles through the pass was so grand in its” 
rugged barrenness, that, seen at such a time, it left 7 
impression never to be forgotten. q 
The accompanying engraving, drawn by R. P. Leitch, 1s 
taken from two photographs which I made of the pass a few 
days later, and is so true to nature that it brings back the 
_ Scene with wonderful vividness to my mind. 
A march of five hours, at the rate of four miles an hour, 
brought us to the Cienega de San Simon, where, as the name 
Cienega implies, there is at some seasons of the year a small 
marsh, with a little ‘stream running through it. We found, 
as we had expected, no signs whatever of water, but plenty 
of good grass ; so here we made our midnight halt. 
Before daybreak next morning our fires were rekindled, 
and our coffee made, for we had carried wood with us from 
the. pass ; - and before the sun had peeped over the easterz 
mountains we were again on our. way. 
Amongst the party was the mail contractor for this road 
"Ewies a week a mail carrier rides from Tucson to Fort Bowie 
06 miles; another then carries the mails on to Soldier’s 
a Farewell, Sighty-nis miles ; where he meets the solitary mail 
carrier, who had come froin La Mesilla, 129 miles to the 
eastward. The mail-bags are Seine and each returns 
the way he came. The men who thus pass unguarded back- 
wards and forwards through a hostile Indian country requi ' 
no small share of reckless bravery. Their pay is high, being. 
200 dollars in gold (or £40 a month). The contractor tol i 
me that a year never passed without one or more of his ma i" 
carriers being “jumped” by the Indians, under which circum 
stances he always made a point of carrying the mails himsel 
a Seo at least, over the very section of road upd 
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