Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-03-02
spcclal Correspondence.

travel on sunday Sometimes for want
Of water other th.s for lack OF feed,
and once or twice to oycrtake members
Of the expedition or TO meet when the
party has been accidentally separated.
Last Sunday Feb Q. there was no feed
FOR our animals in Domnglllo, and We
were forced to move on. Before sun up
we were on the road The air was cool
and pleasant. and both animals and
men felt the iuyIgorahng influence Of
the mornings freshness. Business was
already resumed In the town as we
passed through, II you could call It
business. The two or three little shops,
where candles aguardienti and corn are
for sale. were open, and the banana
stand that had supplied us the evening
before was ready FOR another seven
cent sale. All was quiet, except the
barking Of the hungry dogs, Of which
every Mexican village has more than
its share, The tramp, tramp, tramp Of
our animals on the dry, hard road the
"andee burro' Of some Of the boys as
an unlucky little beast Of burden would
not move sufficiently rapid to keep out
OF reach OF a willow stick, caused the
otherwise quiet people to rush to the
door and see what was passing.
a choice OF two roads was given as
we left town One leads by way OF the
river or creek, and crosses the stream
over sixty times, and the other leads
over the mountain We had had enough
OF the mountains in the Sierra Madre,
and as we had learned few days ago
that the river road was better, we de-
termned to take It. But at the very
forks we met a gentleman who advised
us to take the upper road, as the lower
was almost impossible. lie told US that
In places there are many rocks and In
other places the water was deep so
we changed our course and wisely took
the mountain road For four miles
the climb was steep, being a thousand
feet 10 the mile then for the rest Of
the day II was more gradual, but stlll
ascending until we reached an altitude
OF seven thousand five hundred feet,
The change In the vegetation was in
terestlng. AZ first we had cactus, mes
quits and other trees bearing thornes.
The paradise tree or holy tree as the
Mexioans call II, the only prominent
thorneless tree growing In the dry re-
glons, was also present with its scat
tering white blossoms, shaped like
morning gIorles We counted eleven
varieties Of cactus from small bell
ah g.lu Mt oil a
itself out OF the ground, TO the tall
giant cactus. as straight and as tall
as telegraph pole. Not gradually, but
quite suddenly all these dis
appeared, and in their place
we saw the oak and later on the pines,
There were several varieties OF the oak,
A CURIOUS FEATURE.
One curious feature that a person
cannot help but notice Is the album
dance Of parasitic plants on the oak,
and In fact on almost all the trees In
the higher attitudes. We counted five
varieties on one tree, and suppose
there would be as many on almost
every tree Some Of the trees were
utterly covered, and weighed down with
the abundance Of parasites. Others had
already succumbed to their enemies and
were dead and dry, The parasites
however lived on and seemed TO -four
sh on the richness OF The corpse. other
trees still struggled manfully on, grew
aud even hourlshed In spite OF the
bleeding process to which they were
subjected. II was n noble struggle, a
giant against pigmles, but the end any
one could fOrtell. Some OF these para
site plants resemblel the pine apple
plant only they were not quite so large
Others were long trailing MOSES that
hung down nearly 10 the ground and
swung and swayed with every little
breeze. while the hardest wind would
not blow them OF. Still others were
like a cactus In nature, about as large
around as ones finger, and six 70 ten
inches long These formed a knot on
the tree and seemed 10 be the most
vicious OF all. Then there was a bush
bearing q red Hover, that grated Itself
on the smaller limbs, killed the tops
and continued itself the growth Of tile
tree. These gave the tree the appear
snce OF having two kinds Of leaves, We
saw further back a mesqult tree 20
completely covered with these plants
that the true leaf Of the tree could be
seen only on the lower branches, At
first we mlstook II for n new Kind OF
tree, and discovered our mistake only
on close inspection.
on Sunday night we camped In the
little Indian village OF Salome, away up
In the mountains out OF the way OF
everybody. The people are intelligent
and know how to drive a bargain. No
sooner had our tents appeared than
women came around TO sell something
Some had tortllas, others eggs, and 9TH
ers still squash boiled In syrup, This Is
a kind Of a sweet cake to them, and Is
not unllked by us. We had some diff
Guilty In getting fodder and a corral &c
feed II In. The man that owned me
corral wanted two prices for his fodder
another man would let us have fodder
cheap. but had no corral for US. But
we patched things UP by buying some
beans and meat from the man ownIni
the corral, and then the fodder from the
other,
A ROMANTIC TOWN.
What a romantic little town this IS
There are a dozen houses, all thatche'
with grass or corn leaves and all pc
turesdue. The gardens are In th'
OAtk Ahiuf we Nhts lAhAl ~. =
in them being the peach. which nov
Is In full bloom. Around the settle
ment on the hin sides Is the Held, anC
higher up among the oaks and pines ]
pasturage for the hundreds Of goat
and sheep owned by the Villagers
Across a deep ravlne Is another villas.
or. better prolongatlon OF this, VIII
church and a plaza. and In the even
lng. as the moon shone brightly, swec
strains OF music came over the ravines
as the band was practlolng for SOM
feast day. And what a quiet happ!
life these people live. and their fore
fathers for generations have 80 live
before theml
In the morning the whole Nllag
turned out to see us on, AMI adlos
adlos was heard on every hand.
The night was cold blankets were u
demand and even then we were no
comfortable. But IN the morning af
ter the sun was UP. the temporatur
was just right, and happily and gaily
some singing bits Of songs Of home
with perhaps an occasional Hon,
sweet home" thrown H. we lined on
and proceeded on our way.
From the seven thousand I'VE hun
tlred foot altitude an ocean ~ noun
fotpe vvo. uracpnfod 20 Wow an hYtl