298 CAVE AND CLIFF DWELLERS. 
that great family of needles. Even the 
agile cat could not get over nor around 
this formidable fence. 
We made two ineffectual efforts to get 
away from Urique before we finally suc¬ 
ceeded. In the first instance the packers 
did not arrive with the mules until noon, 
thinking by this ruse they would be able 
to camp in the valley instead of on the 
mountain, for they much prefer the trop¬ 
ical heat to the chill of the high moun¬ 
tains. The next time they were promptly 
on hand, but one of the party was too ill 
to sit up. The third time fortune favored 
us, and, after bidding adieu to our hos¬ 
pitable friends, we started for the famous 
Cerro Colorado mine, said to be the rich¬ 
est gold mine in all this part of Mexico. 
We followed the narrow mule trail that 
wound along the brawling river, hemmed 
