178 East and West 
reaction of his mind upon this savage 
region. 
Castle Creek, lying in the cafion below my 
open-air study, is typical of these dry creeks, 
which are much alike. In places it is a narrow 
chasm between imposing cliffs of andesite and 
volcanic agglomerate on whose walls the bees 
nest as they do in Syria; in others a broad 
sandy reach between cactus-dotted hills. Its 
dry bed is composed of sand and loose 
boulders but slightly waterworn in comparison 
with those of an Eastern brook. Along its 
banks grow the groundsel and here and there 
willows, cottonwoods, ironwood, mesquite, 
palo verde and the desert willow—allied to the 
catalpa. As you ride down this creek bed, 
your horse now galloping heavily through the 
sands, now picking his way laboriously over 
the piles of stones, you are on one of the 
highways of this region: for the dry creek 
beds are utilised wherever possible, not only 
as trails but as roads. 
Now and again you will encounter water, 
suddenly appearing from somewhere and 
flowing a few hundred yards, to as suddenly 
disappear. There is abundant evidence of 
torrential flows but as one rides day after day 
over this dry bed it is hard to accept the evi- 
