The morning call., 1894-10-28

far as RodeO, or perhaps as far as Triumfo,
all on impOrtan, business. i accepted of
course his kind offer. but as / had to
change horses and to delay at Santa Anita,
| started earlier, expecting Dan Vincente
to eaten up with us on the road
During this trip | had more opportunity
than ever to study the peculiar conditions
of the rainfall IN this extremity of the
peninsula of Baja Calf mia. For diff r
ent parts the rain comes from different
sides. and in localities situated close to-
gether, the rainfall Is so different that
while in one it is very abundant and never
fails, in the other, only few miles away
and almost at the same altitude, il may not
rain during two or three years sufficiently
to make good pasturage. but. as rule,
the further we go north and the closer to
the coast, the less rain, and when La Paz
is finally reached we find the ground dry
and barren and only covered with low
cactus, the rain there only appearing once
or twice iD three or four years.
The journey along the valley of San
Jose is The most interesting part of the
route. The little villages on the banks of
the various arroyos are imbedded in
| masses of verdure, and Caduano and Mira
| flores appear as veritable paradisiacal
oases. full of tropical luXuriauce. But three
miles beyond the latter place we enter IA
| barren and rocky region covered with In
| Vulnerable powders OF granite, the re-
mains oil eDOEUlOuS kldCidl InOEAlDeS Q6-
! posted there by no-distant ice period,
| which formerly covered this now tropical
country with mass of ice. Here Is also
| the divide between the waters feeding the
river of San Jose and those running east,
north and west into the gulf and into the
| Pacific.
The second day brought us at noon TO
the little town of Santiago, a stretch of
! low and white houses and with a church
on the hill which in outlines, architecture
aud color unfortunately resembles a gi-
! gantic coffin with the cover screwed on.
| The barrancOs and arroyos are all dry, and
| the vegetation exceedingly scanIy, and as
we travel downward anu seaward along
! the sandy roadbed L feel exceedingly
thankful that here Is no cause for della y
and nothing of more Importance to explore
except the geography Of the country, il:
dry streams, its rough mountains and it:
| general outlines.
Below Santiago we reached the shore.
of The gulf, which we followed for severa
miles north, passing By the scattered
houses of San Vicente to those yet more
scattered and miserable at Eusenada de /;
Palma. which name simply means in Span
ish an open place along the beach. fla
enough to allow the cultivation of the soil
or pasturage provided there is rain.
1t was dark when we entered a sma,
ranch house consisting of only two rooms
with many beds, many more bed bugs, ant
yet greater number of tlPas. The cloud
had gathered slowly and the wind wa
blowing a furious gale, dashing the wave
angTily up over the sandy beach. 1t wa
a terrific rainstOrm, such as l had neve
seen before. We had to bar all he doors
windows, fortunately, there were none
A ranch house of this kind is rot very
agreeable place in such a storm. Tn
palm leaves of the roof were rustling a. i
torn apart. our light bsw out repeated ly
aud the close atmu- p1ere was made We
closer by numerous saddles. aparei0s
leather irappings and rawhides which hat
to be carried indoors in order n OF to bt
wet through. At o'clock the mail-carre
from Cabn San Lucas came in for shelter
wet through tn The bone, but fortunatei,
with dry mail.
TIE morning was cloudy. but there wa
no rain, and we started al o'clock uD tn,
long and tedious arroyo of San Bartolo
constantly and gradually ascending tn,
lower sierra. The lower part of th
arroyo was dry and desolate, but as WI