132 GRAND CANON DISTRICT. 



or prickly pears. Of these there are four or five very common species. 

 A large cactus "orchard n in blossom is a very beautiful sight, display- 

 ing flowers which, for beauty of form and richness of color, are seldom 

 surpassed by the choicer gems of the conservatory. Nor is it less 

 attractive when in the fruit, for it yields a multitude of purple "pears," 

 which are very juicy and refreshing, and by no means contemptible in 

 flavor. There is another form of cactus not likely to be forgotten by 

 anybody who has once seen it, and which is very common on the Kami!) 

 desert. It is a stout bush, with many branches, growing from 3 to C 

 feet high. The trunk and branches have a hard, woody core, and are 

 thickly fringed with rows of strong, sharp spines which present a very 

 ferocious aspect. Altogether it is the most truculent looking member 

 of the vegetable kingdom I happen to be acquainted with. Very com- 

 mon, too, are the yuccas, or " Spanish bayonets," which resemble, on a 

 small scale, the noted agave or century plant. Another common species, 

 somewhat resembling the last, bears a cluster of melon-like seed cases 

 of the size and form of cucumbers, which the Indians gather and dry for 

 food.* 



At length the trail leads down into "Stewart's Canon," a rather broad 

 cafion valley descending towards us from the south. Just where we 

 enter it it turns sharply to the west forming an elbow, and, sinking thence 

 ever deeper into the earth through a course of fifteen miles, it opens at 

 last into the heart of Kanab Cafion at a depth of nearly 3,500 feet. 

 Here at the elbow it is comparatively shallow. Before reaching the 

 elbow it runs northward close to the base of the Kaibab wall, which 

 rises more than 1,200 feet above its floor, while the opposite or western 

 side is only about 400 feet high. The difference in the altitudes of 

 the two sides is accounted for by the presence of the West Kaibab fault, 

 which runs at the foot of the wall throwing down the western side 

 more than 800 feet. The geological relations here are worthy of some 

 study. The presence of the fault is detected in a moment. Upon the 

 western side the familiar grey limestones of the Upper Aubrey series 

 form the entire wall. Upon the eastern side the same beds are seen 

 upon the summit more than 800 feet higher than on the western side. 

 Beneath them is the hard crossbedded sandstone, and still lower down 

 the brilliant red sandy shales of the Lower Aubrey. Here, too, is seen 

 that curious phenomenon so often presented in connection with the 

 faults of this region. As the thrown beds approach the fault-plane they 

 are turned doicn. 



The trail leads southward up Stewart's Canon with an ascent that is 

 barely perceptible. We become conscious of increasing altitude indi- 

 rectly by the barometer and by the change in the vegetation. The 

 desert shrubs have mostly disappeared and given jdace to the scrub- 

 oaks and weeds which are the unfailing indications of a cooler and 



* The Mormons find a singular use for this plant. The pounded root, macerated in 

 water, yields a thick liquid which makes a very good substitute Cor soap. 



