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Show • 446 Ex .. Doc. No. 41. "San Mignel,".nnd thence up t.hP valll'.Y of the Prcos . Near the ccmctry \\ (1 not teed a number of tame ptgt•ons; these and c;hi('kens w c r c the only fo w I~ that we not i e e d . Our rcnulnow lay by the foot of a high bluff that raist•d its ere. t 600 J't·rt abovt• the \-allt·y. Its sid<'s <'lothed with groves of cedar and pii10n. Tlu• gro,·cs on <.'al'h side of the road Wt'rt' f11ll of stellar jays, (~arrulu 1-'tl•lleri,) n·<l shafted flid,Ns, and robin; the woo'ds wne VO('al with the varied notes of th<•s' lively birds. As W<' j(Jurn 'yed along we W('re continually seeing most motly groups ot human bl'ings; soruetimrs we n~ct lon~ trains of mt•n and w o nH' n m o 11 n t c d on m ul e s; t h I s <' ii or as w tl h t h c ll' h eads <' n v t11 oped in their "n·Losas," the men with their pantaloons op<·ll at the side f1om th<·ir hip down, thus d1splaying tbeir amp](' draw rs of w h i t c 1 i n <' n , a 11 d w it h t h c i r h c (' I s a r m <' d w i t h i m m l' n s <' j i 11 g 1 i n g spurs. ~omdimt•s we md ~ingk <'Ouplcs mounted on the same mule. Most of th<.'Sl' men were artn<'d with uak<'d swords that lay cloRe a1rainst the saddl<:. At on<' time Wl' pass<.•d a group of' Indian s; t h <' y h ;~I p a e k m ult· s I ad P n w it h b u fl'a I o r o b c. an d m c a t. T h c i r jet b I a<' k h a i ,. was t i <' d up in s h or l slum p y q u e u <' s \\' i l h so m c I i g h l colored ribbon. Th<•y told Ill<.' that tht'y W('re "1\·guas" Indians; that th('Y had lH'f'll far out on til<' prairit'S trading with the Camanchcs, and wt·n· now going to se ll their rob<·s in Santa F 6. As we nt'<ll'<'d th<' anl'i<.·tlt village of P('eos, we rro·scd th<' rivC'r in l h c n c i g b b or h o o d o f' n. f111 c :-; p r in g, w lH• r c w c f o u n d two I n r g c trains ot wagons; on· belonging to Mr. McGofTin, and th<' other to Mr. Algicr; nwy \V('l'(' r<·pairing wheels, for the dryn('SS of the atmosphcr' is sudt that nearly all th' wagons that cro 's th<• prairit'S m u ~ t l• en· have t h c t i r <.' s cut. h1 1 he afternoon L W<'nt out upon the hill· to sec the anC'i<·nl cathedral of P<·eos. The old building and the town ill'Ouncl it nr • fast crumbling away under the hand of time. ,.l'hc old church is built in the same· R~Y~~~ ~s t.bat of" f;an Miguel," the ends of the raf.ler · ~trc carv<:d m untlalto~ of. a scroll; lh<' ground plan of the cdtfire 1s tltat of a cross. llts stluatc<l on a hill not far from the w in d i n g r o u r .s e o f t h <' r i v c r . IJ i g h r i d g <' R o f m o u n t a i n s a p p e n r l o con v c r g e u n t d t h t.' y a I m o s t m <' ct b <'hi n c l t h c town an d t h r o 11 g h a lilll ' gap one <'atrhcs sight of a mnuificcnt range 'of distant p 'aks that seem to min~l<· with th • :ky. 'fht.• .village of P<~c·os is famed fo!' the rcsiden<.:c of n singult1r rae I of ludtans, about wh?m many cun?us legends arc told. In their telOJ?l(•s they were .sat.d to k<·cp an tmmense srrpent, to whirh they sa('rtftc~d human VH~ ttm~. Others say that they worshiped a perpetual ftrc, that tlwy behcvcd to have been kind led by Montezuma, and that ~n <' of the .ntc? ~as yearly appo in led to watch this fire. As ~he .scvPn~y of. thetr vtgtls ah".a) s caus<·d the d(•ath of the watchers, m tun(' tl1ts tnhe lH·camc cxlmct. Again I have been told that so m ' !-. i x o r <· i g lt t o f t h e i r p o p 1 e w c r c l c f t' a 11 d t lt a t t h (' y t o o k l h c sacred fire and wc~t to live with the Pu ·bl~s of Zuiii. The l'rrnographtcal arrangc~ent of the surrounding country is remarkably Jll<:t\H l'SC}uc; the v1cw of ~ccos, as it now lies, without the least add1t10n, would form a b •aut1ful picture, and more than a I |