MU dill, LIU 1J1U 
land so different are the people and th.e arts and occupations, 
habits and habitations, their small stature and dark color be¬ 
ing scarcely fairer than Indians. Their rough dress and homely 
women, their small illy furnished,flat-roofed adobe houses, their 
herds of goats and ?jhite backed sheep, and above all their har¬ 
vesting with sickles and threshing on the bare ground by driving 
sheep and goats over the grain, greatly impressed us. One of 
the most picturesque sights I have ever seen was a view from a 
promontory overlooking the valley of the Purgatory. In the dis¬ 
tance was Fishers Peak quite blue and indistinct, while nearer 
between the green hills lay the beautiful valley, yellow with 
the rich harvest. In the foreground was a most interesting 
group of a dozen or more Mexicans - men, women and children - 
busily engaged cleaning wheat. The circular space had been 
cleared, the grain laid do mi and tramped out by goats and.the 
straw raked to one side, and now they were separating the grain 
from the chaff. Two men held a large sieve between them, while 
ti 
the women and girls carried the uncleaned grain in pans \or bas¬ 
kets to feed this primitive mill. A fair breeze was blowing 
and a gentle movement of the sieve by the aid of the wind sep- 
arated the chaff from the grain, which fell to the ground In a 
great heap that looked like so much gold. The landscape, the 
houses, the varied costumes of the people and the oddity of 
their occupation, fairly enchanted us. Camped by the river, 
which is quite muddy, and had visits from a number of the in¬ 
habitants, a greater portion of whom are dogs. Men, women and 
children look like starvelings and are totally without educa- 
tion. we were much amused hy the herds of goats that came down 
