Chap. IV. INDIAN BEASTLINESS. 485 
We next came to a group of natural wells, similar 
to those described above, in a wide basin covered with 
grass, and surrounded by barren mountains. The whole 
landscape was in fact treeless. A great number of 
large and deep holes in the turf were filled with a milk- 
white water, but of a good taste. Our mules, falling one 
after another into these holes, gave us great trouble ; and 
before we proceeded, all the wells had to be examined, to 
make sure that we had not left any mule behind. Concealed 
below the edge of one of these holes, a beast of prey, 
probably a panther, had its lair. Scattered about lay the 
remains of a number of stags and antelopes, which had been 
killed when coming here to drink. The place looked like 
a slaughter-house ; and a quantity of antelope's hair was 
mixed with the water. Half a day's journey brought us to 
a spring, which forms a charming brook running through 
the meadows. Not far from this we saw a group of de- 
serted Indian huts, whose inhabitants had evidently de- 
camped at our approach. Probably from revengeful 
feelings at this disturbance, or to express their hatred 
to us, they had soiled the spring with their excrements. 
In the night we saw fires near our camp, and again kept 
up a careful watch. Whilst in advance of our caravan, the 
next day, I saw in the dust along the road the prints of a 
small female foot, with light shoes, amidst the footsteps of 
a band of Indians ; these savages had doubtless carried off 
some female captive. 
We had now the dreaded Guadalupe Pass before us. 
The road ascends gradually for the last five miles, until 
we suddenly find ourselves on the edge of deep preci- 
pices. Higher mountains rise in the vicinity, but the road 
leads nowhere over a ridge- From the edge of the plateau 
we looked down into a chaos of defiles, rocks and ridges, 
