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Show 138 of the raoge. Dimly outlined on the southern horizon, 158 miles away, is Mount Taylor. Nearly as far away to the southwest and west are the Tunicha range, the Carrizo Peaks, and the Sierra Lata; to the northwest and north, white with snow, the innumerable peaks of the San Juan range, like the spires of the churches of a wide- spreading city, are seen. Springing from its sides flow the Los Pinos Creek with its heads on its northeast slope, the Navajoe from its northwest slope, and the two northern heads of the Chama from its southern sides. Divided here by the narrow, nearly vertical wall, but thirty feet across its top, waters of the Atlantic and Pacific take rise, the one to find outlet by the Rio Grande in the Gulf of Mexico, the other to seek the Pacific by the Colorado River and Gulf of California. The nearest prominent points to the north are Meigs and Monument Peaks. The country between is broken into small flats and basins, in which cluster many little lakes from the melting snows. The more protected of these are bordered by a dense growth of quaking aspen, which, with its silvery bark and bright green leaves, contrasting with the somber foliage of the pine, is far more beautiful to the eye than enjoyable to him who has to pick his way through these groves, dense as cane- brakes. At times crowded into the lake by the impenetrable growth, the pack- mule mires There is no escape. Standing knee- deep in water of melted snow, you must take off his pack and pull him out by ropes. The delay has so belated you that in the approaching darkness yon can no longer trail the mules that have gone on before, and are compelled to make camp without shelter and nothing to eat. At this season of the year it was impossible to travel over the country, on acoonnt of snow and water. The drifts to be crossed had not a crust strong enough to bear the mules, and they were in constant danger of being wedged in between bidden masses of rock. Aronnd the entire horizon the forests were still burniug as they had been for over a week; there seemed no prospect of its abating, and we were constrained, by our rations running short, to postpone the occupation of Meigs and Monument Peaks till later in the season. In September the topographer returned, and accomplished this. Although loath to do so, ( for it would have required but four more days had the horizon been good to finish the work here,) we turned our backs on Banded Peak and followed down the middle branch of the Chama. Taking its head immediately nnder this peak in two lakes, which find their outlet in falls some 600 feet high, the Chama gathers these waters into a bright stream 10 feet wide and 2 deep. With quite a volume of water where they flow over the rim, these falls are but spray before they reach the basin or amphitheater, inclosed on all sides by nearly vertical walls, excepting the narrow canon through which the stream finds outlet. This whole region abounds in game. The elk, black and white tailed deer, grizzly, black, and cinnamon bears are numerous. The banks of the stream are lined with aspen, spruce, and fir, while higher up the bare rooks give silent testimony of the colder air where even the grass is refused a living. Following the stream down we emerged from the mountains and entered the flats of the Upper Chama, in the section known asTierra Amarilla of Northern New Mexico. On the east the spur continues to the southeast; on the west we see the mesa- country bordering the great barren Bad Lands of the Territory. Near the point the trail leaves the mountains the middle fork makes junction with the western fork of the Chama, and together they flow to the south, bearing slightly east. We soon passed throngh the towns of Los Ojos and Los Brazos, and camped a'little above the town of Nutritas, the agency for the Jicttrilla Apaches. It being issue- day the Indians had come in for their supplies and were encamped about the town. Nearly all of them were Utes and Apaches, although some few Navajoes were easily picked out from among them by their straight, slight figures and intelligent faces; they'had come over to trade with the other tribes and were willingly taking advantage of issue- day to obtain supplies. Our camp is in a forest of pine trees which grow in this flat as upon the mountains. Such is the elevation of Tierra Amarilla that in winter the snows are very heavy, bat in summer the grazing is fine and the country cannot be excelled in that season ass cattle- range. A very undemonstrative Fourth of July was here passed, posting records and recuperating our animals for the hard stretch of plain country to be surveyed. With no guide but our instruments and the information that we shall probably find but one spring of water permanent in its flow, we start for Fort Defiance. About 4 miles from Las Nutritas the Chama is crossed at the Mexican town of La Puente, so named from the fact that formerly there was a bridge across the Chama near this point Moving nearly due south we strike the Chama again and camp for the night. Cretaceous sandstones crop along our route during the day. The grazing is goon, but after we passed La Puente no cultivated land was Been, although nnmerons small flats along the Chama might have been reclaimed, and much land on the right bank might be devoted to agriculture did the people partially drain the Chama and throw its never-failing water on the sage- brush plain extending towards the Galiinas. Our camp was near the crossing of the old Santa Fe* and California trail, now entirely unnsed. From here we pass to the west of the Gallinas Mountains, a low range much broken by short caflons, but having no marked distinctive features other than the point at its |
