194411 desert magazine 1944 november

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N O V E M B E R , 1 9 4 4 SEVENTH A N N IV E R S A R Y 25


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T H E CASE O F

. o = by your Union Oil Minute Man

Gloria and I notice nothingunusual about him as hepulls up to the pumps, exceptthat he's driving a red andyellow truck with big , giltletters on the side that say:

' 'Mento,the Great Brain,''and instead of a hat, he iswearing a Turkish towelwrapped around his head.On his face he has a long,silky m ustache and a scowl.

He's the maddest lookingguy we've ever seen, thisMento, the Great Brain!

Before I can say an ythinghe holds up his hand like anactor."Say no thin g," he roars.

"To Mento the mind is anopen book.Bahhfive gallons!"

Gloria gigg les as she grabsthe air hose and starts onthe tires. I m ake with the 76.M ento stands over me. "Likethe open book is the mind

to M ento," he says."Youwere about to tell M entothere is a war on, that you

have not the time to giveMe nto service; that youare too busybahh,yah?"

; 'Bahh,no-er I mean no,bahh, erno,sir"I mumbleas I start to check theoil and radiator.

Mento glares at me."Youtell Mento his business?Bahh everywhere I go Iread m inds. I know what

they're going to say beforethey say it. They push M entoaround. Bahhthey are toobusy!''Gloria has justfinished the w indshieldand pipes up with "N ot atUnion Oil Minute ManStations, Mr. M ento . Sure,we're awful busy, all right,b ut we're nevertoo busy to behelpful, "an d she gives himthe old wide-eyed smile.

M ento yells, "But this isnot possibleMento readsminds like open books."

'Sure it's po ssible, Mr.M ento," I tell him."Look,

we wanted your businessbefore the war; we certainlywant itafter the war.So we fig ure the way to keepit is to treat you the bestwe cannow. You don'thave to be a mind readerto findthat out!"

Mento looks from Gloriato m e. "This you aresayingbut you also aredoing?"Gloria grins at h im.

"W ell you got your gas, wechecked the o il, water andtires and cleaned thewindshield. Doesn't thatlook like we mean it?"Men to shakes his head andclimbs back in th e truck.He pu lls his crystal ballout from back of the seat.

' 'Mento, the Great Brain, isthrou gh! T his crystal ball,she is no go od!Bahh!"and he heaves it over theback fence, from where

we hear a resoundingcrash, and goes chuggingout of the station!

This morningThe Brainis back. He has a new signon the truck. It says:'M. Mento,Housedeaning &Gardening."Underneaththe sign is another linethat reads:''M. Mento isnevertoo busy to be helpful."

The latchstring is always outat Union Oil Minute ManStations. Courtesy, friendlinessan d essential motoring servicesare never rationed. We'rebusy, yes, as busy as anyoneelse, but w e're . . .

UNIONOIL

COMPANYOF CALIFORNIA

T HE D E S E RT M A G A Z I N E


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D E S E R T

Reading Walter Ford's Lost Archstory, in this issue, remindsus of the twolads who came into Desert's officeonesummer Saturday morning. They wereal l set for a weekend trip intothe Choco-late mountain countryto find the BlackButte gold. All they needed were direc-tions for reaching it . . . Walter Fordand John Hilton, when they startedforthe Mojave to look for the Lost Archtreasure at least had directions and land-markseven with these aids, they failedto locate the gold nuggets. But theyhaven't given up hope. They just didn'tdi g in the right spot!

Anoth er lost treasurehas lured HughRankin, Los Angeles illustrator, intothe

Vallecitos area of the western Coloradodesert. He will tell Desert readers abouthis attempts to find the gold, equippedwith divining rod and radio finder. Hedefends his belief that the gold is stillthere by declaring, "I am not a gullibleperson; no one has sold trie wild catmining stock and I do not bet on thehorses." A map will accompanyhis storybut he will withhold some of hisclues for he believes they are so definitethat he plans to return as soon as travelconditions permit.

Fred V. Sampson, who took the pic-tures of the antelope chipmunks in thisissue, was born in Iowa, studied art,served in Wor ld War I. His photos haveappeared in many newspapers and na-

tional magazines. Now he lives in theMojave desert,in the walled-up, glassed-in abandoned shaftof a limestone quarrysurrounded by his animal neighbors.Al-though they often appearto be conscious-ly posing or acting for Sampson's camera,they are entirely unconfined and un-trained.

In several museums of the Wes t arerelics which have been found alongthetrail of death and suffering left by theDonner-Reed party, who in 1846 madetheir way across the Great Salt Lakedes-er t of Utah, only to be trapped by earlysnowfall in the Sierra Nevadas. Latestdiscovery to be added to the tragicme-mentoes is a worn, water-soaked littlebible which had belonged to the hero ofthe partyCharles T. Stanton. In acoming issue, Charles Kelly will tellDesert readers of the unusual circum-stances which led to the finding andidentifying of the bible carried by Stan-tonthe man who could have savedhimself but chose to save the lives ofhis comrades at the cost of his own.

CREED OF THE DESERTBy J U N E L E M E RT PA X T O NYucca Valley, California

The cloudburst struckthe canyon deep.With raging forceits sides did sweep.

Great shrubs from rocks,the flood didshake,And left them lyingin its wake.

Vo l u m e 8 NOVEMBER,1944 N u m b e r 1

COVER ARIZONA SUNSET. Saguaro Cactus in southern Ari-zona. Photograph by Ivan B. Mardis, Tucson,Arizona.

i

CLOSE-UPS N o t e s on D e s e r t f e a t u r e s a n d the i r wr i te rs . . . 3

G E M P OL I S H I N G M y s t e r y of t h e M a g i c a l S u r f a c e

By JERRY LAUDERMILK 4

TRUE O RFA L S E A test cf y o u r d e s e r t k n o w l e d g e 8

TRADITION W a rD a n c eof t h eE n e m yW a yB y R I C H A R DV A NV A L K E N B U R G H. . . 9

B O TA N Y Cream Flowered Cactus with Rose-red WreathByMARYBEAL 13

LOST GOLD We Found the Archbut not the Nuggets

By WALTER FORD 14

POETRY Desert Gifts, and other poems 17

PHOTOGRAPHER He Prospects With a Camera

By CORA L. KEAGLE 18

MINING Current news briefs 22

LETTERS Comment from Desert readers 23

A RT OF LIVING D e s e r t R e f u g e ,b y M A R S H A L S O U T H. . . . 2 5

N E W S Here and There on the Desert 27

C R A F T A m a t e u r G e m C u t t e r ,b yL E L A N D E Q U I C K. . . 3 0

HOBBY Gems and Minerals

Edited by ARTHUR L. EATON 31

COMMENT S a h a r a D i a r y ,b yR A N D A L L H E N D E R S O N. . . 3 4

B O O K S W a k eof h eP r a i r i e S c h o o n e r ,a n do t h e r b o o k s. . 3 7

P H O T O G R A P H YN a v a j o W e a v e r , p h o t ob y A r t h u rC .M i l l e r . . . 39The Desert Magazine is published monthly by the Desert Publishing Company, 636

State Street, El Centro, California. Entered as second class matter October 11, 1937, at thepost office at El Centro, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Title reg istered No.358865 in U. S. Patent Office, and contents copyrighted 1944 by the Desert Publishing Com-pany. Permission to reproduce contents must be secured from the editor in writing .

RANDALL HENDERSON, Editor. LUCILE HARRIS, Associate Editor.BESS STACY, Business Manager. EVONNE HENDERSON, Circulation Manager.

Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs submitted cannot be returned or acknowledgedunless full return postag e is enclosed. Desert Magazine assumes no responsibility for damageor loss of manuscripts or photographs although due care will be exercised. Subscribers shouldsend notice of change of address by the first of the month preceding issue. If address is un-certain by that date, notify circulation department to hold copies.

S U B S C R I P T I O N R AT E SOne year . . . . $2.50

Canadian subscr ip t ions 25c extra , fore ign 50c ex t r a .Subscriptions to Army personnel outside U.S.A. must be mailed in conformity with

P.O.D. Order No. 19687.

A ddre s s co r r e spondence to Dese r t Magaz ine , 636 State St., El Centro , Cal i fornia .

N O V E M B E R , 1 9 4 4


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When a lapidary polishes gems and minerals, he often revea ls beautiful and unusual patterns. Jerry Laudermilk let his imagina-tion loose on these.1 Mood over a swamp. Light of a dreary sunset barred with brown sickly orange glows feebly on vaporsfrom a reeking marsh; suddenly the G enius ofMalaria appears against the mist. Polished agate thunderegg, Geology Museum .,Pomon a College, Claremont. 2Gateway of illusion. White opaque chalcedony surface half reveals portentous forms thatdrift like changing shapes of smoke. Polished chalcedony nodule, Ellis Johnson collection, Claremont.3Sea of Ser enity. Be-yond chaotic foreground app ears an expanse of op en water shining in moonlight. Polishedagate thunderegg. Johnson collection.

Attfitettfofi the MagicalW hen Y ellow Bird, in prehistoric A rizona day s use d a stream-rou nded quartz peb ble as a rubb ing stone to

smo oth her pottery- she did not wond er at the polished surface it acquired after yea rs of use. A nd wh en rock col-lectors and gem cutters today seek a shortcut to obtain a brilliant surface on their prize specimens, few of themknow w hy or how this effect is attained. A rockhound kno ws that when h e licks a rock he p icks up in the fieldor dou ses it in a pan of water, colors and patterns not otherw ise notice able m ysteriou sly appe ar. W hen a gemcutter starts cutting and grinding and polishing, he knows the result will be a beautiful polished surface. But fewrealize they are dealing with such forces as atoms and energy and light. This month Jerry Laudermilk gives col-lectors a non-mathematical explanation of a difficult but engrossing subject.

/ y T WAS just after sunrise several_ * / thousand years ago, that an earth

tremor of no importance shook theground near Ft. Defiance, Arizona. Theshock was barely enough to loosen a peb-ble of variegated quartzite from its bed inI he Shinarump conglomerate and send itrattling to the foot of the canyon wall.

It took a hundred years for the pebble tocreep down the talus slope until it reacheda wash, where in the rainy season the waterran high. Here, it began once more an ac-irve career of battering among the othercobbles and pebbles in the wash. As theyears passed it began to take on the soap-cake shape of a typical river pebble whileit slowly worked its way farther and far-ther downstream toward the south. At lastit reached the bottom of a spring along thecourse of a river many miles from the pointit which its adventures began. From the

clear water it reflected the sunlight andglowed with a curious mottling of red,pink and white against the gray of the

By JERRY LAUDERMILK

sand. For years only the wild animals ofthe desert saw this natural gem stone whenthey crept to the spring to drink.

The pebble lay in the spring for a long,long time. The Basket Makers with theiratlatls (spear throwers) and other simplefurniture already had disappeared and an-other people who used the bow and arrowand had a higher culture now dominatedthe country.

So it was that Y ellow-bird, the potter, ayoung woman of the early pueblo builders,dwellers in big houses, came slowly up thestream in search of fault-gouge (clay-likeearth) for pottery. She reached the springand looking into the water saw the beau-tiful pebble shining on the bottom. Likeall women of her tribe who worked withclay it was part of her art to polish muchof the finished ware by rubbing it roundand round with a hard smooth pebble. She

dreamed beautiful designs and ornament-ed her dishes and bowls with curiousscrolls and geometric forms; polishing

caused the design to stand out boldly. Sothe colored rock captured her attention,not only by its promise of making a usefultool but as an attractive thing in its ownright. She picked the pebble out of thewater and dropped it into her carryingbasket. Later, when she stopped to rest sheremembered the stone and took it out toadmire again its colors but they weredulled beneath a surface as dim as the eyeof a dead fish.

Yellow-bird knew that it would be likethis. Somewhere down in her primitivemind she sensed a correspondence betweena surface polished until it seemed coveredwith a film of water and the showing of adesign in its clearest form and brightesthues.

Time passed and Yellow-bird grew oldand wrinkled over her pottery. The polish-ing stone by long continued handling had

finally acquired a luster like that it hadgiven to a thousand things of baked clay.Then one day the old potter passed on



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down the trail that led to the houses of herancestors. Her tribes-people buried her inthe village refuse heap according to theircustom. With her they buried all thethings she might need in the next worldincluding the treasured polishing stonethat she might give a luster to phantompots in a phantom land.

Creation of Reflecting SurfaceMore centuries passed and then white

men who curiously sifted the ashes of thedead in search for things that told of an-cient ways of the Old People brought tolight again the stone of Yellow-bird. Thesunlight gleamed from its silky surface asfrom a shining skin. Its finders lookedand wondered at the quality called "pol-ish," how even the hardest stone finallyyields to the stroking of softer things togain the splendor of luster. What had hap-pened to this pebble is wonderful andcomplex. But usually we accept the beautyof a polished gem without questioning.

Since the earliest times the lapidary hasachieved systematically and with inten-tion the same effect that Yellow-bird'ssmoothing stone acquired by chance.

When some Indian artist or his moresophisticated white brother polishes astone, either by grinding down on a sand-stone slab with sand and water or withemery powder on an iron grinding lap, hedoes some tremendous things with bothatoms and energy. In the end he creates areflecting surface. But what is it that is re-flected andhow?

Qualities of Light

Precisely what light is we don't know.We do know many of its effects. It ap-pears to be a wave-motion of some infini-tesimally small but substantial particlessince among other qualities light is knownto exert pressurethe sun's rays drive thecomet's tail ahead of it as it speeds away.It was not until 1903 that two investiga-tors, Nichols and Hull, actually demon-strated the light pressure effect on tiny par-ticles. In an apparatus resembling an old-fashioned hourglass but of infinitely moredelicate construction, a concentrated beamof light was focused on a falling stream ofexcessively small, spherical particles madefrom the ash of puffball spores. Thesetiny grains of charcoal actually werepushed out of their path by the pressure ofthe beam alone. They drifted against theinside wall of the instrument as if blownby a tiny breeze. Since the apparatus hadbeen carefully exhausted almost to a com-plete vacuum it was reasonably concludedthat the effect was due to light alone.

We can imagine a light source, say aburning candle, as being a center shootingout energy (ligh t) in every direction as aseries of rhythmic pulsations as if theflame beat like a heart and sent out fantas-

tically tiny waves so that it becomes a pointsurrounded by concentric, spherical shells

Philosopher. Lost in a w ilderness of spec ulation, he surveys an assemblage ofvaguely defined terms. W aterspout at extreme right app ears as only definite form

in landscape. Sage-green and white chalcedony nodule. Johnson collection.of waves racing outward like the circlesmade when a rock is dropped into quietwater. Conditions something like thoseassumed to exist are shown in figure 1,page 6.

Any one of the radii through theseshells as A B, C D, EF, is a single! ray oflight. A ray then can be thought of as achain of impulses moving in the directionof the arrow at the rate of 186,337 milesper second (figure 2 ). A number ofparallel rays make up a beam (figure 3 ).It is of beams of light rather than singlerays that the rockhound thinks when hepolishes an agate slab.

Reflected Light

Light can be both reflected and refract-ed. When reflected from a polished sur-

face, the waves can be thought of as bounc-ing from the surface like a stream of elas-tic bullets. The impulses rebound at anangle always equal to the angle at whichthey strike (figure 4 at a, b, c). The lightthat comes in to strike the surface is calledthe incident ray, the light that reboundsthe reflected ray. Some light is reflectedfrom the surface of any visible object; anabsolutely non-reflecting surface such as ispresented by a polished slab of plate glasswhen held at certain angles, is totally in-visible.

Refracted LightLight is refracted when the beam passes

from one transparent substance into an-other of different density. The speed oflight is practically the same in air as it is in

Coming destruction. Through a turbid sky the color of hot copper, a vast frightfulmeteor hurtles earthward above a lurid sea. Po lished agate thunderegg,

Geology Museum , Pomona College.

N O V E M B E R , 1 9 4 4


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GLASS

1 Luminous flame is a transformer in which chem ical energy, com bustion, is changed into heat and visible radiation or light.

Imagine the flame to be a point surrounded by concentric shells of waves ra diating outward in every direction at the rate of186,337miles a second. Any radius as AB, CD, EF is a ray. 2A sing le ray may be thought of as a series of impulses moving inthe direction o f arrow (A). The idea is easier to grasp if we consider the impulses to be a series of points (B). Since there is aninfinite numbe r of these points m oving at terrific speed it is convenient to think of them as making up shaft of the arrow (C).3 Parallel rays make up a beam. Imagine the beam to be constructed like B. Here the transverse lines represent cross-sectionsof the beam. A single ray also can be thought of as having this same make-up but in thinking about reflection it is easier tothink in terms of beams. 4Reflection. Ray or beam is reflected from surface SS at an angle always equa l to that at which theon-comin g ray or beam strikes the reflecting surface. At B , R is reflected ray, I the inc ident ray.5 Refraction. Ray or beampassing from medium of one density into medium of different density is bent or refracted. Bending may be due to slowing

down or speeding up of ray. In this case beam traveling in air is slowed down by glass.

a vacuum. It moves more slowly in water.Here its speed is only three-fourths asgreat as it is in air. A refracted beam whenpassing from a less dense medium to oneof greater density undergoes the changesshown at figure 5.

When there is much difference in dens-ity between two transparent media, say airand glass, some of the rays are reflectedwhile others are refracted within the massof glass. If there were no reflections fromthe surface the glass would be invisible.Reflection of light by a chunk of glass isshown at figure 6. Here, the glass block-is in a beaker which rests on a dead-blacksurface. The glass is visible only by thereflections from its faces and edges; mostof the refracted light is absorbed by the

black surface underneath. The jumbledlight reflected from the faces which meetthe incident beams at different angles issaid to be "scattered."

Scattered lightIn figure 7 a layer of coarsely powder ed

glass covers the bottom of a beaker. Thisglass appears as a white powder and a lineof print cannot be read through it becauseeach tiny fragment throws back the raythat strikes it as a point of white light andthese beams are reflected at countless dif-ferent angles, scattered from a multitude ofpoints. None of the light goes through tobe reflected from the print beneath. Thisscattering from millions of reflecting sur-

faces is the cause of the whiteness of paperwhere the fibers, although perfectly trans-parent themselves, act as a sheet of tiny

mirrors reflecting at all angles.Suppose we fill the beaker in figure 6with clear water. The chunk of glass be-comes much less visible now because it iseasier for the beam to pass from air intowater and then into glass than it is for thebeam to pass from air into glass direct;there are fewer reflections from the sur-face (see figure 8). It is possible to makecertain kinds of glass entirely invisible byordinary light. The resin called Canadabalsam can be dissolved in xylene to makea solution which has almost the same re-fractive index as the glass. If this is used

Polished calcite concretion, in tonesof amber, russet and Maltese grey.

Johnson collection.

in place of water the glass will be practi-cally invisible. When the balsam solutionis poured on the powdered glass the print

beneath becomes entirely readable becausethere is no scattering.Suppose we frost a piece of glass by

grinding one side with emery powder. W erough up the surface with countless, light-scattering pits and facets which have thesame effect as the powdered glass in fig-ure 7. The frosted surface is nearly opaque.Wet it and it becomes transparent since thefilm of water has much the same effect assubmerging the chunk of glass in figure 8;the surface of the plate has become regu-larly reflecting (see figure 9 at a and b ) .This is the reason why Yellow-bird's rockwas beautiful while wet but dull when dry.It is also the reason why a rockhounddouses a rough-polished slab with waterto see how it will look when polished. Itis easy to make a spurious polish onsmooth rocks and pebbles by coating themwith shellac. This reduces the scatteringin the same way as a wet surface. Let's nextconsider the reflecting surfaceitself.

Reflecting SurfacesThe ideal reflector would be opaque

and non-refracting with no irregular highpoints or facets to scatter the light. Youcan see such a surface on the fresh cleav-age face of a crystal of galena. Ideally re-flecting surfaces are rare and when a beamof strong sunlight is focused on a suppos-



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edly smooth surface,if this is examined ina darkened room,a bluish haze nearlyal-ways appears around the bright spotshowing that some scatteringis takingplace. Dr. Robert W. Wo o d , in his work,"Physical Optics," tellshow such a pre-sumably smooth surfaceas that of the bestcrown-glass actually looks dullby com-parison with a freshly split flakeof mica.

Flowing SurfacesAnother type of reflecting surface is

produced by the action of a soft clothbuf-fer on a smooth slabof metal, glass, agate,chalcedony, and in all probability uponquartz. This is the highest polish obtain-able by mechanical means. Herethe sur-face is made to flow like soft wax. Afterafew hundred revolutionsof the buffer thesurface actually is liquefied to the depthof a few molecules and these begin tospread out over the surface in a thin layerthat has many of the optical propertiesofan enamel-like film.

That this flowingof the surface actuallytakes place was conclusively shownby SirGeorge Bealby in 1 9 0 1 . Of course, it hadbeen known sincethe use of metals firstbegan that a lustrous polish couldbe de-veloped by simply rubbing the surfacebriskly with a cloth. Just what took placewas in doubt. Some thought thatthe clothsimply removeda thin film of oxide. But

there were serious objectionsto this viewbecause rubbing witha cloth also polishedgold, and a gold object wouldnot carry acoat of oxide. In clearing up this questionBealby took advantageof the fact that castblocks of copper generally contain manyminute gas bubbles. He smoothed the sur-faces of such blocks with abrasives untilas true as possible. Microscopic examina-tion now showed a pattern of brilliant,copper-colored spots, the inside of thesliced bubbles, against a rose-coloredbackground, the solid copper between.Hethen polished the surface for several hourswith a linen buffer. The microscopenow

showed a series of blue discs againsttherose color. By the use of solvents, the ac-tion of light reflected from the inside ofth e cut bubbles, etc., he demonstrated thatthe blue spots were excessively thin, trans-parent films of metallic copper whichbridged the bubble cavitiesas a continuoussheet. In 1917 J. W. French and other in-vestigators proved thata similar flowsur-

face was produced by a cloth buffer onglass and almost certainlyon quartz.W h e n a piece of glass is to be ground

from the rough slab to the final "optical"polish developed withthe cloth buffer itpasses through the following stages.

Processes in PolishingCoarse abrasivesare used first to wear

down the surface rapidly. Here,the tinyangular grainsof abrasive roll swiftlybe-tween the slab and the face of the grinder.As the grains roll about they bumpthe sur-face on a microscopic scale with theircor-ners knocking out minute, conchoidal

I R O N G R I N D I N GLAP

P I T C H FA C E TO O L

ife.12,

CLOTH BUFFER

6Scattering of light from irregularly reflecting surface (chunk of glass at bottom of beaker). Incident rays, feathered partsofarrows, are cut by reflecting surfaces at different angles and are reflected according to rules at Fig. A. Result is that componentrays of beam reflect in different directions or are scattered. Chunk of glass appears as glittering cluster of facets, corners andedges. ' Multiple scattering. Conditions in Fig 6 on smaller scale, multiplied many times. Result is jumble of reflected raysscattering light in every direction. Multitude of glittering points produces uniformly white surface. Thisis cause of whitenessof salt, sugar, cotton or, as in this case, powde red glass. This is also why a plate of ground glass appears white and opaque.8Effect of reducing surface reflection. Fragment of glass is submerged by filling beaker half full of water. Water and glassnow refract nearly as a unit. Although there still is some reflection from glass most of the rays refract and reflect from surfacebeneath beaker. 9Effect of dry and wet light-scattering surfaces. At A is section through g lass plate with frosted uppersur-face. Light is scattered from multitude of facets and points. Notice rays CCC bend toward the horizontal at angle less than 49 de-grees from vertical. At B, FF shows effect of covering frosted surface with film of water. Film and plate now refract almost as aunit. Scattering is diminished and objects are visible on opposite side of plate. Such a wet or varnished surface does not reflect socompletely as one highly polished because such raysas CCC cannot pass again into the air but are reflected downward by totalinternal reflection from under side of water-film surface. 10 First stage in formation of polished surface on glass, quartz,agate, etc. Irregularly shaped grains of abrasive whirl rapidly betiveen lap and slab. As they roll their corners, A, batter the glasslike a million tiny hammers, knocking out microscopic, conchoidal spalls (B) a ground or frosted surface results. 11Effectof the pitch-polisher. Face of this tool XX rubs away surface of the slab in thin, brittle layers about 1/5000//?; inch thick (AA).12 Cloth covered face of buffer at B actually rearranges molecules in surface of slab so that enamel-like "flow layer" results.This is shown by wavy lines at A. Below, section shows flow layeror beta glass and the ordinary or alpha. At B, below, is hypo-thetical section of a polished surface produced by near-elimination of light scattering facets. Such surfaces while extremely

smooth and polished frequently show ripples as QQ. This is unimportant when the polish is simplyintended to shoiv the beauty of the polished material.

N O V E M B E R , 1 9 4 4


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spalls (figure 10 ). Finer and finer gradesof abrasive next are used and these simplycontinue on a more delicate scale the workof the coarse powder. The next step reallybegins to produce the lustrous surface thatis the polisher's ideal. Since a truly opticalsurface such as we see on lenses and finemirrors is not needed to show the beautyof a polished rock, this step generally isomitted by the rockhound.

But where the process is followed rigid-ly the "pitch-polisher" now comes into ac-tion. This is a special tool coated with amixture of pitch and wax and faced withjeweler's rouge or putty powder. The ef-fect of the pitch-polisher is to rub off thesurface in thin brittle layers aboutl/5 0 0 0 th of an inch thick (figure 11 ).The surface produced by the pitch-polisheralone is called "gray" and has a low luster.The brilliant shine is put on with the clothbuffer which develops a flow surface asshown in figure 12.

A lpha and Be ta G lassIt has been shown that two different

types of glass occur on the same slab afterthe final polish. These are the normal ororiginal glass of the deeper layers, calledalpha glass and the strained flow layerdeveloped by the cloth buffer, known asbeta glass. The flow layer acts in some re-spects as if it had been melted and glazedupon the alpha glass base. In fact, undersome conditions the polished layer hasbeen observed to flake off in glitteringscales. Another indication that the flowlayer is of appreciable thickness is fur-

nished by the fact that when "sleeks" orcleanly channeled grooves in a polishedslab apparently have been removed by pol-ishing with the cloth buffer, they againwill develop in their original positions ifthe surface is etched by exposure to eitherweak hydrofluoric acid or caustic sodashowing that the sleek simply has beencoated over with the flow layer.

Not all surfaces depend on the develop-ment of a flow layer to gain a polish.Some materials such as feldspar, basalt,serpentine, fossil bone, ivory, etc., can bemade to take a high polish with a softbuffer without flowing. This was the finalcondition of Yellow - bird's polishingstone. In these cases the highly reflectingsurface results from the continued reduc-tion of the tiny surface irregularities tosuch small dimensions that they no longerscatter all the waves to produce white lightand the whole surface becomes in effect,regularly reflecting.

The story I have just told is merely asynopsis of what is known about light, sur-faces and reflection. And when some pre-historic Indian craftsman polished a tur-quoise pendant to hang like a slice of thesky from a white shell necklace, little didlie realize the tremendous magic his handsperformed with such wonderful things aslight and molecules.

T D I I C A D E J I I C f This month's quiz session will give all thoseI I l U b U H r A L v E less-than-Desert Rats an opportunity to re-

deem themselvesand it should be a "snap"for the erstwhile Desert Rats and Sand Dune Sages. While most of the answerswill be found in various issues of Desert Magazine, others will have been learnedas the result of observation or general reading or just plain reasoning. Score ten,and mark yourself up as a Desert Rat. Score 15 or more, and step up into the SandDune Sage class. Answers on page 32.

1The Hopi Indian reservation is entirely surrounded by the Navajo Indianreservation. True False

2The Pecos river of New Mexico and Texas is a tributary of the Coloradoriver. True..- False

3 U niversity of New Mexico is located at Santa Fe. True False

4 F ather Escalante was the first white man to explore the lower Colorado river.True False

5Deglet Noor is the name of a famous Cahuilla Indian chief in Southern Cali-fornia. True False

6From Las Vegas, Nevada, one can see Charleston Peak.True False

7Bandelier was one of Coronado's companions in the ill-fated quest for theSeven Cities of Cibola. True False

8Because of the similarity, the Mexicans can understand much of the Navajolanguage. True False

9Highest mountain in Arizona is Mt. Humphreys, one of the San Franciscopeaks. True False

10The famous Castle Dome mines in Arizona now are producing lead ore.True False

11Common name of one of the cactus species is Staghorn.True False

12There are no active volcanoes in Arizona, Nevada, Utah or New Mexico.True False

13Chemehuevi is the name of one of the Indian tribes living along the Colo-rado river. True False

14Another name of Mescal, or Agave, is Spanish Bayonet.True False

15The Indian pueblo of Isleta is located north of Albuquerque.True False

16First Navajo silversmith learned his craft from a Mexican.True False

17Rose quartz is a more common occurrence in quartz-bearing rock than whitequartz. True False

18All the various Apache tribes of Indians now are concentrated on one res-ervation in the W hite mountains of Arizona. True False

19Museum of No rthern Arizona is located at Prescott. True False

20The crystals commonly known as Fairy Crosses are a crystalline form of jet.

True False

8 T HE D E S E RT M A G A Z I N E


9/40

According to Navajo custom an unmarried girl may chooseher partner at the I'tch'osih, or Squaw Da nce. The selecteemust dan ce with her u ntil she is willing to accept silvermoney for his release.Rejusal to dan ce is an insult. Keet-sie's drawing shows the little Navajo maid "a bout as highas a willow shoot" ivho pulled Van into the circle ofdancers, and her twin who ''hooked" his companion Tuli.

Van finally bought his freedom with a 25-cent piece.

Wat Uance of ithe -nem u Wa

Indian traders had sold out of bright calico andrich velveteen, brilliant hued neckerchiefs and ten-gallon hats. This finery now adorned the young setof Navajoland as Van Valkenburgh watched themgather on the m es a of Reeds-Under-the-Rim in north-ern A rizona. This w as the third day of the W arDance of the Enemy Way, the part which popularlyis known as the Squaw Dance. The fun and teasingwhich accompany it are far removed from the seri-ous intent of the original dance which according toNavajo legend started in the Holy Days when theBlack G od sang o ver the Twin War G ods to curethem of the ills that beset them after they had killed

enemies of their people. The modern version is buta remnant of the grim War Dance.

By RICHARD VAN VALKENBURGHDrawing by Charles Keetsie Shirley

r ULI AND I camped in an open space on the chico cov-ered flats under the towering rim ofBaluk'i, the mesaof Reeds-Under-the-Rim, in northern Arizona. Aroundus hundreds of Navajo awaited the tocsin of the pottery drumthat would summon them to dance to the rhythm ofI'tch'osih,the Squaw Dancing Songs.

Figures came from the shadows to cast great logs on the redembers of the fire. A giant flame leaped up and licked the smoky

C i i a s . tsoc-1 = > o s h i r - l e y

N O V E M B E R , 1 9 4 4


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,'ky. In the ruddy glow we watched as thehastin stood in clus-ters and "got the news" while the women squatted by theiri ampfires cooking and gossiping .

Attention focused on a bent old man who walked into thelialf light at the west end of the dance ground. Cradled in hisarm was a drum made from a conical bottomed pottery vessel.With a gentle tap of the looped stick on the taut goathide headI he soft beat swelled into a stirring monotonic throb.

From out of the night came a chorus. Soon a score of youngmen grouped behind the drummer. Horsemen dismounted.Figures rose from around campfires and moved to join the.ingers. "They singyik'ish, or Warming-Up-Songs," Tuli toldme.

Th e yik'ish continued for an hour. An abrupt cessation ofI he drumming startled me. For some moments there was a deepsilence. Enlarged now to some 50 singers the chorus linkedarms. The drum started to tap a new tempo. Reaching above thebackground of the chorus soloists pitched their voices to falsettohigh-C.

Men started laughing. Women pulled their blankets acrossI heir giggles. "What's the joke, Tuli?" I asked.

Laughing he turned to me, "They singFlt'il'a, the TeasingSongs. They are making fun of people in the crowd. Right now

I hey are singing about old man Crooked Legs."The Teasing Songs continued for some time. In his silenceTuli seemed charmed bythe pale moonlight that was seepingacross the dark mesa and spilling moonbeams down on thei anyon floor. After a time he turned to me and said,"Tl'hona'ai,the Moonbearer, is bringing his white shell disc from behindI he eastern mountain. Watch! The'ndaa will start when it getslull and round!"

The tattoo of the drum punctured the silence. Stepping a fewfeet from the main chorus a dozen men linked arms. Swaying asi hey swung into the time of the strident beat, their voices.hrilled up the scale to an amazing pitch.

No t to be outdone the m ain chorus unleashed a powerful andI minting chant. After they had sung a set of verses, the smallergroup wrested the lead and changed the rhythm. Wilder and

more dominant their song held until it again was drowned inI he power of the main chorus.I looked into the excited eyes of Tuli as he told me, " T is the

lirst of the Squaw Dancing Songs. Look!"A large but shapely girl pushed her way through the crowd.

As she walked into the firelight her voluminous orange skirtswayed gracefully with her long stride. Her abundance of silvergleamed in the firelight. Clasped in her hand was the handle ofa stick topped with an elongated red bundle tipped with feath-ers.

' 'Tis Zani, the eldest daughter of Horsebreaker, the brotherof the man for whom this'ndaa is being held. She was chosen,you might say, 'queen'the leader of this dance. She's a virtuousgirl. The wand she carries is theagdtsin, the sacred rattlestick."

When I probed for more information on theagdtsin, Tulistalled, "I bin 'way to school too long time. I don' know medi-cine part. Across from us isHathli Chii, the Red Singer. He's asinger and knows everything. Let's go set with him."

We picked our way across the dance circle. Red Singer withhis veined legs akimbo squatted before a sooty pot gnawing amutton shank. He released a greasy hand from his bone to shakehands as he welcomed,"Yddtaa, Good! Sit down and eat!

"So the Bilakana wants to know about the'ndaa, eh? La!First we will talk about theAnddji, the War Dance of the En-emy Way, of which this Squaw Dance is but a small part. Pullout those store cigarettes I see hiding in your pocketthen Iran talk better.

"The Anddji started in the Holy Days. The Twin War Godskilled the chief of theYe'itsoh, the Enemy Gods. They carriedhis scalp home and hung it on a tree near their hogan. Soon theyhad bad dreams and got sick. Their mother, the Changing

Woman, sent for the Flint People. After singing over the boysthey were cured of their bad dreams.

"Then the Twins went and killed eleven moreYe'itsoh.Again they brought home scalps and plunder. They got sickagain. Every time they went to sleep they had visions of themonsters they had killed. Then Hashkezhinni, the Black God,came to sing over them.

"After giving them medicine he blackened them. Acrosstheir jaws he painted a streak of red ochre. Then with sevenyucca cords he touched their joints as he drove out thechindis,or ghosts, of the Anddji.

"When Coyote and other animals came that evening to helpwith the sing, Black God went home. The animals sang CoyoteSong, Owl Song, Talking God Song, Water-Pourer Song, andChanging Woman's Songthe same as those sung today. Afterthis the boys got better. Everyone was happy and they held a bigdance.

"In the morning the boys were sick again. Black God wascalled back. He said to Elder Brother, 'You visited your wife.She was not blackened! We must sing again.' The woman cameand was blackened with the Twins. Eleven yucca strings wereused this time to drive out the ghosts. Then as Talking Godsprayed the east with sputum mixed with white, blue, yellow,and black crystals, he sang, 'You are now well!'

"Tonight's Camp Dance is a vestige of the dance held in theHoly Days to celebrate the recovery of our Twin War Gods.Long ago it was held for warriors who had taken scalps. Nowthat wars are but a memory theAnddji is held for people whohave a bad experience withBilakana or other alien tribes."

"For whom do they sing tonight, Grandfather?" I asked." 'Tis Ute Killer. He has been suffering from swooning sick-

ness. Many years ago he killed a Moqui near Walpi. He buriedthe scalp too near his hogan. Neither did he have the proper'sing' to purify him from touching the dead one's body. Thechindi of this 'ayakhini. of the "horizon houses,' is making himsick!"

We looked out on the dance ground. A covey of girls hadjoined the queen. She led the dancing in a skipping hop-skip.

The girls followed. Day after day they had planned for this mo-ment. Demands for bright calico and rich velveteen hadswamped the traders. Hogans had hummed with busy motherssewing to outfit their debutantes for their coming-out.

The debs had nothing on the youngbloods. In a swarm theyhad exhausted the trader's supply of bright hued neckerchiefs,ten-gallon hats, and other attire in vogue with the young menabout Navajoland. Those who had no cash had pawned some-thing. The more persistent and wily had finagled a small loanfrom their old friend the trader.

The queen moved toward the stag line. When she emergedfrom the thicket of ten-gallon hats she had her man. Lookingclosely I saw that she had in tow a young "long-h air" whom weknew as Skiddy. His mother had a fine bunch of sheep. Andthis is an important consideration when a Navajo belle goeshusband-hunting!

Hooking her arm through Skiddy's purple sleeve so that theyfaced in opposite directions she began to pivothopscrapingfrom left to right, then back again. After a few whirls she jerkedto a stop, then reversed the direction of her orbit.

Skiddy on the inside just didn 't get into the spirit of the thing.He was either groggy or plain balky. He shuffled his feet tokeep the Amazon from spilling him. Round and round theywentnever speaking or glancing at each other.

Following the example of Zani the other girls darted into thecrowd. Out came their victims. If there was any hesitation theygrabbed belts, hats or jerked arms. Sometimes a selectee paidoff. But in most cases they allowed themselves to be towed outinto the swelling cluster of dancers.

Tuli told me that the men must dance until their captors arewilling to accept payment of anything from a nickel to a dollar.Of course the love-birds operated differentlythey danced to-

10 THE DESERT M AG AZ INE


11/40

gethei all night. Without parental restraint,the paymentwaseither a ring or bracelet.

Pursing his lips across the dance ground Tuli startedtolaugh A mammoth fat girl had a little fellow by the tail of hisscarlel shirt. Deliberatelyshe was ripping it to shreds. Beforeshe completely exposed himhe spoke sharplyto her. Gruntingshe w.uldledoff looking for another victim.

I w.itched the dance for a long time. The repetition becamemonolonousto a Bilakana who was a product of a society thatwas f.ist losing the peace rewardedby simplicity. GlancingatRed Singer I saw that he was ready to talk. He was amiablewhen 1 asked moreof the Ana'dp.

"Two nights agothe medicine man started things.He rodeto the liogan which had been prepared near the springof Hove.On the first nighthe and his assistants made medicine and sangthe I Hum Songs as they prepared the drum. Before theystretched the goatskin, they put water insideso that it couldbeswished to keep the hide taut.

"The next morning they fixedthe aga'tsin, or sacred rattle-stick. This was made froman unblemished stickcut the lengthof a man's arm.A small bunchof twigs was left nearthe tip.Taking a flint knife the medicine man scratched on the BowMark of the Enemy Slayerand the Scalp Sign of the Scalper.Openings were leftin the designs so that the evil spirits couldget out.

"Around the twigs they tieda cluster of turkey feathers, cha-miso, rabbit-brush,and sheep-gramma. Witha cotton stringthere were hung three deer-toe rattles, two juniper prayer sticks,a buckskin bag filled with chipmunk corn (grass seed). Thenstrips of red flannel were tied on.In the old days these wereofred-dyed deerhideor bayeta. In finishing they tiedon brightcolored yarns, the redof which was especially spun.

"When the stick was finished the scalp was buried. Aboutthe size of a half-dollar it was carried 100 paces eastof the ho-gan. Then the patient took the rattlestick. Ge ttingon his horsehe led his friends eastward. Aftera two-hour's ride they reachedthe Black Ye'ibichai's hogan near Lukaniteel,the Wide Reedsnear (ianado.

"Alter they went intothe hogan the Black Ye'ibichai medi-cine man startedto make medicine. Luck Songs were sung overUte Killer. Then the colored yarn from the rattlestick was givento the women to weave into blanketsfor good luck."

He went on. "That nightthe medicine man gavethe rattle-

A chosen "victim" paysoff with a "blue" or silver piece.Photo by Milton Snow.

stick to Zani. When the moon rose she carried it out to lead

the first dance.It was the same dance we are watching tonight.But it lasted only a little while. Thenthe young folks got achance to talk together while their parents visitedand ex-changed the news.

"In the morning the people at the Black Ye'ibichai's hogan

KIN YA AN I M ZhfJ';-:-'_

F IR S T N I G H T - P R E P A R AT I O NL A S T DAY KILLINGOF THE SCALP

H O R S E R A C I N GETC. p ..J|pl 4pF

7M- POST

N O V E M B E R , 1 9 4 4 11


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were given presents. There were oranges, stick candy and otherlittle things. These w ere wrapped in small calico bundles. Thenthey were thrown out the smokehole of the hogan. Everyoneran to get his share.

"This means more than getting something to eat. This is acustom from the old times. When the warriors returned from araid they always gave away part of their loot to those who sangthe 'swaying' or purification songs over them.

"After the presents were exchanged and eaten everyone goton their wagons or horses. Riding west they came to where wenow watch the dance. It is always like thison the secondnight the dance moves west to a place between the BlackYe'ibichai's hogan on the east and the medicine hogan on thewest. Here the Camp Dance is held."

The steady drone of the drum was narcotic. I became drowsyas time moved into the dawn of the Fourth Day. I lay downwith my back to the fire. Just as I was dozing off a hand firmlypulled at my sleeve. Glancing up I looked into the determinedface of a little Navajo girl about as high as a willow shoot.

Red Singer clucked through his toothless gums. A twin ofmy captor was pulling and tugging at the sleeping Tuli. "I guesswe're hooked, Tuli. Let's go!" I laughed as I was led outthrough the grinning crowd into the vortex of the dance.

It was something to be tickled at. My tiny partner, an abbre-viated edition of her elder sisters, must have looked even smalleras she started to swing my 225 pounds. Someone wisecrackedfrom the sidelines, "La!Teli yazhi,the little Burro pulls the bigwagon!"

I never got into time. Finally I gave up and walked. After afew circuits I had enough Squaw Dancing. Pulling my lady outby main force I headed for the sidelines. But she had other planswith her face hidden in the folds of her blanket she hung on.

Digging into my pocket I pulled out a dime hoping for ran-som. Her hand darted out quickly to grab the "blue." Still shehung on and wouldn't budge. Out of the crowd her motheryelled, "Hang on! MakeHasidih yazih pay. Don't turn himloose until he pays younakiyaal,a 25-cent piece!"

I watched and listened until the moon started to sink into

the horizon of the west. Red Singer's wife stirred up the fireand boiled a pot of coffee. After drinking a few cups, I rolledinto my blanket to take a nap.Bia had paid off and was a shape-less lump across the fire.

I was hardly asleep when the soft voice of Red Singer chidedme awake. "Eighty summers have passedI am wide awake asGini, the Night Hawk. And my eyes will be bright all day.Hurry! We'll miss the last of this 'sing.' "

Dawn was just a promise when we caught our hobbled horses.Down the shadowy canyon we galloped behind the Old Drum-

mer and the queen. An arrow-flight out of Hoye, a band ofhorsemen charged towards us. Crashing together the partieswere realistic in their sham battle. Gun shots reverberated inthe narrow wallsthere was a melee of hat pulling and blanketgrabbing!

Suddenly the defenders broke. Whipping their ponies theyfled towards the medicine hogan. In close pursuit we chasedthem. Swerving through the watching crowd we made four cir-cuits of the hogan. Then we dismounted. L aughing, we returnedthe captured hats and blankets to our enemies.

After a visit to the eating-shade I followed Tuli into themedicine hogan. Ute Killer, the patient, was stripped down tohis g-string. The medicine man's assistants had just finishedblackening his body with a decoction of plant and animal fat.While they chanted red ochre mixed with mutton grease wassmeared across his lean jaws.

Tuli caught me glancing at an oldster sitting near the medi-cine man. He whispered, " 'Tis the Scalp Killer!"

When we went outside for a breath of air I commented, "Heseems pretty wobbly to be killing a scalp."

"La! He is old man Tah fromDzilizhin, the Blackish Moun-tain. He has been paid one burro to 'kill the scalp.' Scalps aredangerous. A man only lives a year or so after killing one. Heis about through and is willing to take the chance for the pay."

There was a bustle near the door of the hogan. An old mandressed as a warrior came out. In a straight line he walked to astick that marked the place where the scalp was buried.

Then came the Scalp Killer on his shaky legs. In one hand heheld a bag of ashes. In the other was a bow and arrows. Behindhim came Ute Killer and an assistant. Both were painted black.While the patient held a crow's head they chanted:

Enemy Slayer walksPainted blackHe carriesGagi, the crowThe People watch.

With a shrill war cry the Scalp Killer shot arrows into thescalp. Violently he pounded it with his poker. As he sprinkledit with ashes Red Singer's grim eyes searched mine sharply for

skepticism as he grunted,"Ya'a'taa, Good! That finishes thatMoqui chindi. You Bilakana may not believe itUte Killerwill get well!"

When the feasting and horse racing were over, theDinebroke camp and straggled off in every direction. OnBaluk'i thepinons fringing the rim were changing from a delicate traceryof green to black against the pale blue of late day.

I had seen a great dealthanks to T uli and R ed Singer. It wassatisfying to know that the next time I heard the throb ot thedrum I would be witnessing a remnant of the grim War Dance.

LeftSquaw Dance in full swing. After moonrise the dancers start their circuit round and round the danceground.RightBilakana, or Americans, are fair prey for Navajo belles. Photos by W . T. Mullarky, Santa Fe.



13/40

Name of the little Cream Cactus described byMary Beal this month applies not only to the colorof Its flowers but to the thick creamy fluid-whichquickly heals its wounds and is pleasant to thetaslo. Although it is a charming species, it is incon-spii 'uous because it grows about two-thirds under-ground. This habit, and its thick conical fleshy rootco: 11 bine to make it easy to transplant. It will growreadily from seed too, if planted in sandy or grav-elly clay loam with partial shade, and kept moist.Unless protected it should not be grown where tem-pe r itures fall below 20 deg rees. It is especia llyfound in the Baboquivari an d S anta C atalina moun-tain:: of southern Arizona, where it often is asso-cic l> -d with the Arizona rainbow cactus.

witn

T Loweted Cia.ctu6

WtaatkBy MARY BEAL

i I i HEN browsing around the Cactus Paradise ofsouth-\A / eastern Arizona, you need to watch your step where' " the Cream cactus flourishes. Often the younger plantsof this species, Mamillaria macdougallii, do not rise aboveground level and your attention is called to their presence onlywhen your unwary foot lands upon the flat top of a spiny cush-ion. The older plants also have a tendency to hug the ground,half 01 more of the broad thorny "turnip" being subterranean,the other half of the depressed-globose head pushed up only afew iiu lies above ground, even in the most robust specimens. Itis easily obscured by the ordinary desert vegetation, especiallyin grassland, not only in youth but in its prime.

Thi stems usually are solitary but sometimes are clustered insmall i lumps, rising from a thick conical root. The flattenedhead IN much broader than tall, fully matured specimens meas-uring up to 8 or even 10 inches across. The surface of the headis conspicuously covered with spiraled rows of deep-green,stronglv-angled, conical tubercles, about a half-inch high, eachlittle < i Hie apexed by a cluster of 10 to 13 short white or yellow-ish spines and 1 to 3 stout central spines, which are pale redwith purplish-brown curving tips and bulbous yellow bases.

An interesting feature of this Pincushion is the thick creamyjuice which exudes from the tubercles when pierced or cut.This milk has a pleasing taste but don't think of it as a beveragepossibility, for the flow is not copious, the wound healing quiteprom]illy, A mere sample is all it offers. In a wreath encirclingthe depressed center of the head are the delicate inch-highflowe: s, the many narrow petals (15 to 2 5 ) cream-color to lightyellov , recurving into a wide-spreading cornucopia. The sepalsare margined by a short fringe. Later on when the fruits maturethis floral wreath is replaced by a more colorful circle of deeprose-red. The club-shaped fruits are smooth and naked, aboutan incli long, and contain wrinkled re ddish-purple seeds. In ad-dition i o these conspicuous fruits there are some very muchsmaller ones, tiny green or red spheres, cuddled down betweentubercle bases.

The Cream cactus flowers in late March and April, its fav-orite habitat gravelly and rocky mountain country from 4000 to6000feet elevation, thriving best in loam or clay soil. Look forit on rocky crests, especially facing south, in rock crevices orgrassy .ireas, in southeastern Arizona and adjacent Mexico,where I key are most prolific, although you also may find themin sou11 western Arizona, where the one in the picture wasgrowing.

This cream-flowered little Pincushion C actus, native tosouthern Arizona, was named in honor of D. T. Mac-Dougal, outstanding desert botanist who for many yearswas director of Carnegie Institution's Desert Laboratory

at Tucson.

Very similar in appearance and habit isMamillaria heyderi

This too is a Cream cactus with two kinds of fruit, both ofthem a little smaller than those ofM. macdougalii,the plant it-self being on a somewhat smaller scale and perhaps less flat-tened. The tubercles however are just as prominent and tippedby a sunburst of 20 to 2 2 white bristle-like spines, the lower onesstouter and longer, in the center of which stands out a solitarystout erect spine, dark brown from tip to base. The flowers aresmall, not more than a half-inch across, the petals pink or with alavender tinge and the sepals without fringed margins. Thelarger red fruits are a bit over a half-inch long and the littleglobular ones less than a fifth of an inch in diameter.

This species prefers limestone hills from 3500 to 5000 feetelevation and blooms in May, along the Mexican border, rathercommon throughout the southern parts of New Mexico, Ari-zona and into Texas.

Another low flat-topped Pincushion of the depressed-globosetype is

Mam illaria w rightiiThis resembles the two preceding species in general appear-

ance but is somewhat smaller and its half-inch long, cylindricaltubercles yield no milky juice. Conspicuously dominating itsarmament are the 1 to 3 dark, erect, central spines, long stoutfish-hooks, shiny brown to black in color, occasionally only 1 or2 of them hooked. Radiating from these central hooks are 8 to15 short, white, fine needle-like spines. The bright-pu rple flow-ers are fairly large, an inch or so long and as broad when wide-open, the 13 sepals with fringed m argins, the numerous petals(as many as 2 7) very narrow and tap ering to a sharp point. Thecircle of bloom is nearer the center than the wreath of the Creamcactus but the ripening fruit is moved outward by the continu-ing growth of the plant. It is a more showy species because theflowers are so bright and the colorful fruit is quite large, thesmooth purple berries being an inch or so long and egg-shapedto globular.

It grows in the mountains of New Mexico, reported fromthe Sangre de Cristo range in the north, down through thestate to the southern border and across into the El Paso regionof western Texas, and doubtless adjoining Mexico.

N O V E M B E R , 19 4 4 13


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Louis Hadleyand John Hilton at baseof the arch in the Turtle m ountains. WalterFord used much persuasion before John guidedhim to the arch. Rockhounds willunderstandJohn had just discovereda new gem field to which he returned as

soon as this photo teas taken.

/I4CH-

Walter Ford still thinks the LostArch gold might be there. Hefound the saguaro and naturalarch which were to lead him to atubful of nuggets. But his only re-ward for digging was hands andknees full of cactus spines. JohnHilton however was not dis-tressed for as soon as their desertcar got into the rough country ofthe Turtle mountains in the Mo-jave desert, he discovered a newgem field of carnelian, plume-agate, opal and geodeswhatmore could a rockhound want?Walter consoles other would-betreasure seekers with the assur-ance that since the Lost Archnuggets have remained safelyhidden since 1883 they still willbe there when postwar jeepstershead for the desert.

By WALTER FORD

but not the Nugge t s

A withering summerday in theyear 1883, a man named Amsdenstaggered into the little town of

Goffs in the last stage of exhaustion,hispockets loaded with gold. Some weeksprevious he had departed from Needleswith a local prospectoron a secret missioninto the Turtle mountains, approximately40 miles southwestof Needles. Whenhehad been revived sufficientlyto talk hetold about his finda find so rich thatgold nuggets couldbe had for the meretroubleof picking themup. Amsden statedthat they weretoo intent on adding to theirhoard of gold to notice their diminishingsupplies of food and water until theyfound them nearly gone. Taking whatgold they could carryand a scant amountof water, they startedto make theirwayback to Needles.

Somewhere along their return journeythe prospector succumbedto the heat andAmsden was forced to continue on with-out a guide. Accordingto accounts, thetwo emerged fromthe Turtleson the west-ern side, but when Amsdenhad to carryon alone he headed downa long washto-ward the Santa Fe railroad tracksand fin-ally reached Goffs.

In the hope that Amsden might divulgeinformation leadingto the source of hisgold, he was given every attention whilehe was recovering, but as soon as he wasable he departed for his home in the East,taking his secret withhim.

The foregoing accountwas given to meby Mort Immelof Barstow, a long-timeresident of Needles and the vicinity. Im-

mel was a friend of Dick Colton,one ofthe men who assisted Amsden whenhetottered into Goffs.If this were consistentwith most lost mine storiesthe source ofthe gold should have remaineda mystery,but accordingto Immel, a few years afterthe incident Dick Colton receiveda letterfrom Amsden, describingthe location ofthe mineas well as he could and enclosing

a map, extremely vagueand indefinite asto location and distances.Of this muchhewas certain:The mine was located in theTurtle m ountains,the location was not farfrom a natural arch,and the find, if made,would be a tub half full of gold nuggets.

With that meager information, Coltonorganized a party consistingof Mort Im-mel, Herb Witmire,and himself and start-

Th e prospector who first told Walter Ford about the Lost Arch mine was reluctantto tell of his quest until W alter dividedhis provisions with him. Then he wouldreveal only that his name was Charlie and that he was looking for an arch and a

group of cacti, the landmarks that would leadhim to a golden reasure.lvanpah mountainsin background.



15/40

ed out to find the gold. According to Im-mel they tramped from one end of the Tur-tles 1< > the other without so much as sight-ing .in arch. In telling me about the trip,Imrru I said, " I suppose that we wouldhave been out there yet if our shoes hadnot iMven out. The other boys were certainthat we were on the right track, but I toldthem to throw the darn fish story in the

fire and forget it."With the exception of the Lost Pegleg

mine the Lost Arch mine probably hasbeen more sought after than any other ofthe I< >st mines of the California deserts.One possible explanation aside from thereward of a tub of gold awaiting thefinder, is its apparent accessibility frompoint, of habitation. Another attractivefeat 11 e was that the searcher had some def-inite landmark for which to seek. Oncethe nch was found, he could assure him-self lliat the finding of the gold would bea simple procedure.

AIIred R. Thompson of Los Angeles,who worked in the general store and post-offii ( at Goffs during the early 20's, toldme that hardly a week passed while hewas I here that someone did not arriveto h.ive his try at finding the arch. Onesuch fellow he remembers came all theway I rom Panama. So secret were hisout-fitting operations that no one knew of hisintenlions until he was seen starting to-ward his goal on a midsummer day, push-ing .ill of his belongings in a four-wheelbaby < arriage. Fortunately, he was headedoff Iniore heat and thirst could claim an-oth( i victim.

One evening while I was visiting JohnHill on a t his home across from ValerieJean'-., south of Indio, the conversationinfill I to lost mines . When I recalledIm -mel'i account of the Lost Arch mine, Hil-ton i membered that he had seen an archin t)i Turtle mou ntains on one of his gemhunting expeditions. John had not heardthe I OSt Arch story, so d id not attach anysigrnlicance to finding the arch when hewas I here, but once having heard it he im-medi itely began to make plans for a re-turn trip. "Could I get away for a fewda y, ' ' Fortunately, I could. As we satthei< making plans for the trip , I could nothelji thinking how Immel had warnedme ,i bout looking for gold. "This gold-hunlmg fever gets you," he said. "Thereisn't one of us in ten thousand who everfindl it, yet we follow a clue to a lost minewitli .ill the enthusiasm of a boy going tohis first circus."

\ \ e followed the parker road to a point14 miles east of Rice, then turned nor thtow.nd the Turtle mountains. Since thereare no roads as such into the heart of theTuillus, it was just a case of selecting themost likely-looking wash and proceedingwit]i i hope and a prayer. Our car was one

espciially built for desert driving, yet attimi is it was necessary to trave l foot-by-fool , with one of us advancing ahead of

the car to measure each protruding boulderfor clearance.

We had traveled approximately 16miles over some of the roughest desertcountry I have ever encountered and werewithin a mile of where we intended tostop, when we heard a sharp scrapingsound from underneath the car. I lookedback and saw a thin black line followingthe car and realized what we had fearedmost had happened. The oil pan had beenpunctured. Fortunately the hole was notlarge, so we were able to close it partly byprying the sides together. Driving a pieceof cloth into the remaining hole seemed

to close it completely. We found that wehad lost most of the oil, but with some ex-tra cans of oil in the car that we carried forjust such an emergency, what might haveproven disastrous under other circum-stances did not get beyond the petty annoy-ance stage.

As we started up a slope which Hiltonsaid would lead to the arch, I heard himshout, "See what I found!" I looked at thered-colored object he was holding in hishand. "Gold?" I inquired hopefully."No!" he exclaimed. "Carnelian, and abeautiful specimen at that." A furthersearch revealed more carnelian, pieces of

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16/40

plume agate, small opals, and geodes of a llsizestruly a gem collector's paradise. Asfar as John was concerned, the Lost Archtreasure had been found. I mentioned thearch to him, but he merely indicated a di-rection that might have included severalpoints of the compass and said, "It's upthere." After much persuasion I finally in-duced him to guide m e to the arch, but wasable to hold him only long enough to posefor a picture, then back to his gem field hewent.

Left to my own devices at the arch, mythoughts turned to the cache of gold thatAmsden and his companion supposedlyhad left behind. The andesite in which thearch is formed did not yield very readily tomy prospector's pick, so there seemed tobe little chance of the treasure being burieddirectly under the arch. A few feet awayfrom one column of the arch I found asmall opening which appeared to extendtoward the archa likely hiding place forAmsden's gold. My only reward there washands and knees full of cactus spines. Apackrat had taken possession of the open-ing and had fortified it liberally withpieces of cholla cactus to guard against justsuch intrusions.

John D. Mitchell mentions in his ac-count of the Lost Arch mine the possibilityof hematite being found in the vicinity ofthe mine, but a close search around thearch revealed only an occasional piece. As[ explored around the arch for possibleclues to the treasure, I longed for the elec-tronic metal locator Hilton and I had usedon other expeditions. While the device

would not distinguish between gold andany other metal, it would indicate the pres-ence of metal, if any, and that would be adistinct aid in searching for the Lost Archgold.

After covering the ground around thearch, yard by yard, I concluded that Ams-den must have used the arch only as a land-mark. In common with other lost minestories where gold was supposed to havebeen picked off the ground, the locationof the arch is definitely not placer ground.The late Adrian Egbert, who administered10 the needs of desert travelers at Cave

Springs for many years, used to scoff atI he idea of gold being picked off theground in other than placer country. "It'slike looking for hickory nuts," he used tosay. "You first have to find hickory trees."Chester Pinkham of Eagle Rock, Califor-nia, who is an authority on desert miningand who is thoroughly acquainted with theLost Arch country, told me recently thatthe mine, if it does exist, might be discov-ered a few miles north of the arch, whereplacer ground may be found. Pinkhamprospected in the Turtles for years andtold me that he had seen the arch severaltimes and that to his knowledge it is the

only arch in the Turtles.Th e arch lies almost at the foot of a huge

castle-like butte which rises to a height ofseveral hundred feet. The butte has servedfor years as a beacon for the few prospec-tors who have ventured into the area. Asprominently as the butte stands out, noneof the authentic maps of the region, suchas Blackburn's or those of the U. S. Geo-logical Survey, mention it. Owing to itsresemblance to a medieval castle, Hilton

suggested that we call it "Castle Butte."The inside measurements are approxi-mately six feet high and ten feet long, asize which makes the arch visible fromnearly a mile distant when approachedfrom the north. On the south side a ridge

A giant saguaro grows within sightof the Lost Arch.

prevents its being seen until the observeris nearly upon it.

On the north slope leading down fromthe arch and about one-half mile from it, Ifound a huge saguaro cactus growing.While I have seen saguaros growing in theRiverside mountains to the south, this wasthe first one I ever had encountered so farnorth. The saguaro is not a rapid growerand the present height of approximately

35 feet of this one near the arch indicatesthat it must have been of landmark pro-

portions as far back as 1883, when themine is said to have been discovered. Im-mel did not mention having seen it on themap that Amsden sent to Dick Colton, butif he and his companion had taken thesame route to the arch as that traveled byHilton and me, the saguaro easily couldhave been overlooked.

A few years ago while returning from atrip into the Providence mountains, I metan old prospector who had stopped to resthis burro at the junction of Highway 91and the road leading south to Cima. Atfirst he was reluctant to talk, but after Ihad given him my unused supply of pro-visions, he confided that he was lookingfor the Lost Arch mine and that he intend-ed to strike out from Goffs, in which di-rection he was headed. That was the firsttime I had heard about the Lost Archmine, and beyond jotting down a fewnotes, I placed it in the category of theusual lost mine story and dismissed it frommy mind. Once within sight of the archand the saguaro, I recalled what the oldprospector had told me about the LostArch mine. "Once I find an arch," he said,"with a large group of cacti close by, mysearching days will be over." There are nolarge groups of cacti in the vicinity ofthe arch. Could it be the saguaro the oldfellow had in mind? As I stood ponderingover the possibility the lengthening sha-dows warned me that we would have tobe on our way, if we intended to reach thehighway before nightfall.

Both of us were reluctant to leave. Johnwas just beginning to realize the possibili-

ties of his newly-found gem field, but vi-sions of darkness, a crippled car atop somerocky mesa, or deep in some shady wash,emphasized the necessity of getting underway as quickly as possible. The drive backwas a tedious one. Time after time westopped to make certain that our tempor-ary repairs were holding, but eventuallywe reached the highway without furthertrouble.

Even if you can convince your rationboard that such a trip would come underthe heading of "essential driving," don'tventure into the area now. If you were

lucky enough to get a stockbuilt car towithin walking distance of the arch, theprobability of getting out again withoutmishap is too remote to justify taking therisk. When we get that postwar jeep, orits reasonable facsimile, the journey to thearch will make a grand weekend trip. Inthe meantime, the gold, if there, doubtlesswill remain hidden until you can get there.Since it has defied finding these manyyears, it seems reasonable to assume that itwill remain in safe keeping awhile longer.And to those of you, who, like John Hil-ton, would pass up a nice clue to a tubfulof gold for a handful of carnelian or opa ls,there will be plenty of those, too, for allwho venture into the area.



17/40

MOJAVE LUREBy CECILE J . RANS OME

Riverside, California

Mnjave is my mistress,She fills my veins with fire.

\\ lien she reposes, listless,l-few great is my desire!

\\ ith heart forever changelessI call her lovely name;

Jilic woos me with her strangeness,Her moods of ice and flame.

\\ hat beauty in her dancingWith veils of amber sand!

]li>w mad am I for chancingrhe lure of desert land!

Bu t should she hold me sleeping,Upon her tawny breast,

1 le t yuccas will be keepingA vigil while I rest.

GHOST-WINDB y E D Y T H E H O P E G E N E E

Hollywood, California

Ghost i ind, blow from the far Mojave,Far trom the Sawtooth Range;

Rustle ihe sage and the dormant salt bush,Down through the valley's change.

Ghost I ind, sing of the far Panam ints,Sh e hone and the Funeral Hills ;

Moan lirough the grass and the red creosote,Of death and of lost salt-rills.

Ghost -vind, wail through the grey smoke tree,W ai HI with the desert's rim;

Bring i our weird song from the edge of theworld,

Sw


18/40

To take this photograph F. V. Sampson had to work all morning to ge t back into good standing w ith the antelope chipmunkswho had been frightened by visitors the day before. He took this photo of himself and seve n friends b y touching a telegraph key

with his foot. Springing of the shutter m ust be d one very slowly to avoid startling these usually shy little animals.

fttoipec t* W ith aCa m etaIt w as F red Sam pson's love for the desert that led him to deve lop a hobb y to a degre e that has m ade him

widely known as the Desert Photographer. Hec a m e to the desert to dig for gold; he remained to translate thethings that cam e to m ea n more to him than gold into a form w hich others cou ld en joy. To win the confidenceand friendship of desert animals he has lived in close and constant contact with them. He talks to them, feedsand waters them, protects them. They are free to go where they willwhich usually is in the close vicinity oftheir friend. "This," he s ay s, "is interesting but not al w ay s entirely ple asant. A s for exam ple wh en a spottedskunk gets into my bed or a pair of them stage a fight beneath."

11 / HEN a job making sketches foryy an independent moving picture

agency in Hollywood blew up andhis nerves began to play tricks, Fred V.Sampson went out to Barstow on the Mo-jave desert to live in the open and pros-pect for gold in the colorful Calico moun-tains.

An abandoned shaft in a limestone

By CORA L. KEAGLEPhotog raphs by F. V. Samps on

quarry looked clean, cool and inviting. Herocked up the front of the shaft, installeda used window and a glass-paned door forlight and had an air-conditioned dwellingwhich was cool in summer and warm inwinter, all at a cost of less than five dol-

lars.But when he moved in he found that

previous tenants had preempted claims

there. Little "phobia" skunks, desert miceand packrats scurried about all night long.Skunks eat mice so the skunks chased themice while the mice scampered in panic.They became bolder as they became accus-tomed to the presence of the new tenant,and raced over his cot.

In the grey dawn of early morning, theoutside world, which had seemed deserted



19/40

at rnnlday, teemed with desert life. Therewas i colony of frisky ch ipm unk s, a wad-dlin > old desert tortoise, leathery lookingchui kawallas, lopin g jackrabbits, chatter-ing quirrels and long tailed kangaroo ratshopping about .

"Cantaloupe for breakfast! Mm-m."

At first these denizens of the desertscampered away at the slightest quickmovement but Sampson, an ardent loverof wild life, started a commissary for themas one means of winning his way into theirconfidence. He placed little feeding tables

" / wonder if my tail's on straight."

inside and around the outside entrance.There was grain for the chipmunks, eggsand hamburger for the skunks. The pack-rats and mice were coaxed with birdseedwhile the rabbits, tortoise and chuckawal-las responded to melons and lettuce. Of

N O V E M B E R , 1 9 4 4 19


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course there were always crumbs and seedslor the birds.

One especially tame little "phobia"learned, when Sampson slept later thanusual and the pangs of hunger gnawed, torun up and down over his benefactor's cot.If this brought no response, he squirmedunder the clothing and scratched at Samp-son's toes. This usually brought action.

As the animals grew accustomed to see-ing him sitting near, there in the earlymorning, camera in hand, they appearedto put on special acts for his benefit. Oneday he saw a tiny field mouse making abrave attempt to climb a spherical cactus.She picked her way daintily up the round-ed surface, through the spines. He heldthe camera in readiness hoping for a goodshot. When about half way up she paused,clinging perilously, faced the camera, andwaited until the shutter clicked before pro-ceeding on her way.

On another occasion, hoping to get a

picture of two jackrabbits who had a habitof battling over their dessert, he sat quietlyuntil the two came out on the ledge ofrock and began sparring like veteran box-ers. When the shot was developed it re-

vealed two boxing antelope chipmunks onanother rock ledge just below the rabbits.In his efforts to get the rabbits in the rightpose, he hadn't noticed the chipmunks.

A square, flat rock was a favorite feed-ing table. Sampson placed little woodenposts at the four corners, stretched threecord "ropes" around it making an arenawhere dramas were staged and battlesfought while the camera clicked offamusing poses for photographs worthmore than the gold he hadn't found.

While photographing the arena, otherchipmunks would be sitting on his head,shoulders and knees. He has photographstaken with one hand while the chipmunksat on the other. Another shows a chip-munk daintily sipping from a wine glassheld in his hand.

These little chipmunks he has found tobe the liveliest and most versatile of all hiscamera subjects. They actually are littleground squirrels, but their resemblance to

the chipmunks of the mountains has leddesert people to call them chipmunks.They also sometimes are called ammos,from their scientific nameAmmospermo-philns leucurus.

Sampson calls attention to their decora-tive white-lined tails tightly curled up overtheir backs. He says this featherlike ap-pendage is not there for ornament alone. Itfunctions as rudder, propellor and quickstarter. When held curved against the backit is in position for a powerful thrustdownward to aid a jump forward. Whenit advances to attack the tail is carried toright or left, to favor a quick jump to theside. For a quick turn it is used as a rudder.For a long leap it is used as an elevator,aeronautically speaking. Sometimes in thecountless fights in which they engage, achipmunk loses all or part of its tailaloss which well can be a death warrantwhen a life-saving leap is short of its mark.

He has made a detailed study of thepackrat, or the trade rat as it is sometimescalled. He says it bears little resemblanceto the ordinary rat, either physically ortemperamentally. It has a fine, silky greyfur instead of the coarse black hair of thewharf rat.

The packrat is a hard working littleanimal, always carrying food or nestingmaterial to his home, usually un der a rock.He has a peculiar idea of suitable materialfor his nest. Spoons, spools, cones, bolts orkeys are all grist for his mill. When thenest is filled up he expends more energyin selecting some articles which he con-siders less desirable than others and re-turning them to the very spot where he hasfound other materials. This has earnedhim the name of trade rat.

As an example of the weight a packratcan carry, a miner near by set off a charge

of dynamite under a rock on the mountainslope. He was appalled at the force of theexplosion which tore away the hillside.Investigation revealed that the packrat hadlined his nest with half-sticks of dynamitefrom a cache near by. The whole nestful ofdynamite had been exploded. But the ratescaped and was high-tailing it up the hillwhen the charge exploded.

As his photographs began to attractwide attention, Sampson found it neces-sary to have a studio in town. A pair ofpackrats had built their nest under thefront seat of his car and reared their familythere, undisturbed by the daily jaunt totown and back.

Sampson says that to know wild animalsyou have to live with them and observethem through the 2 4 hours. To have themaccept human friendship requires pa-tience, kindness and understanding.

Life on the desert has given him his twoobjectivescalm nerves and gold. But thegold he sought was not in the crevices ofthe earth but scampering around on thesurface, waiting for their friend, the Des-ert Photographer.

Good M orning' is title Sampson hasgiven to photo at left. T he two spar-ring chipmunks at right reminded

him of "Patty Cake."



21/40

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.-

f


22/40

Washington, D. C. . . .War production board has ordered fur-

ther large cutbacks in both aluminum and

magnesium ingot production. More than5000 workers will be affected by end ofthe year and will be gradually releasedfrom plants. Government-owned facilitiesmainly at Las Vegas and Gabbs, Nevada,and at Austin and Velasco, Texas, will beaffected. Complete shut-down of BasicMagnesium plant was included in orders.

Bisbee, A rizona . . .

Important deposit of wulfenite is nowopened in northern Sonora by an Ameri-can group headed by Howard H. Fieldsof Hermosillo. Ten to 15 tons ore said tobe high in molybdenum and lead content

has been shipped daily since early Sep-tember.

Salt Lake City, Utah . . .Policy to permit gold mining firms to

obtain materials and equipment and to re-habilitate properties for immediate post-war operation has been announced by warproduction board. This does not authorizereopening of mines but only preparationfor reopening.

Santa Fe, New Mexico . . .State oil conservation commission in

September approved measures for bonus

as incentive for wildcat discoveries. StateGeologist John M. Kelly declared thebonuses shall be produced within twoyears after discoveries. The bonus willapply to discovery of a new pool, a newproducing horizon within an existingfield, or a two-mile or more extension ofan existing pool.

Salt Lake City, Utah . . .

With production record dating back 50years, Horn Silver mine near Frisco, Utah,has been rejuvenated by Metal Producersof Los Angeles, headed by Geo. W. Clem-son. Production is at a rate of 200 to 300

tons per day, ore being shipped to smelterin Salt Lake valley. Recent developmentsin selective flotation have made complexsulphide ores here commercially valuable.

Santa Fe, New M exico. . .

State Geologist John Kelly has beennamed member of five-man committee ofNational Conference of Petroleum Regu-latory Authorities to study Anglo-Ameri-can oil agreement.

Elko, N eva da . . Rich copper ore has been discovered in

Queen of the Hills mine in Contact regionby Taylor-Yadon lease. Chas. E. Taylor, aleaser, reports vein is more than six feetwide, samples up to 3 2 per cent copper, sixounces silver and $4.50 gold per ton, werefound in virgin ground short distancefrom old shaft.

Sa n F rancisco, California . . .

Federal grand jury in September re-turned criminal anti-trust indictmentcharging that British-owned Borax Con-solidated and German-owned AmericanPotash and Chemical Corp., acting as car-tel, exercised world-wide monopoly onmining, production and distribution ofwar-valuable borax. Wendell Berge, feder-al assistant attorney general and director ofanti-trust division, stated that cartel elim-inated American competition by buyingsmall independent refineries and dynamit-

ing their mines, or by slashing prices, orby instituting expensive litigation to in-duce bankruptcy. Cartel did not refuse tosell to Allied governments but discrimin-ating prices were fixed at whatever trafficcould bear, it was declared. Officials ofCorp. at Trona office denied charges ofillegal activities. Their operations first be-gan in 1929 in Kern and San Bernardinocounties which hold 95 per cent of knownworld supply of borax.

ontie iaft/e front/T he pa triot ic farmers of the Imperial V alley and the C oachella V alley, are marching on the b attlefront day in and day out. They are producing that greatest ammunition of allfood to feed ourfigh ting men and women. A s soon as the need became app arent a fter Pearl H arbo r, the farmersof the two fe rtile valleys turned their resources over to the prod uction o f greater crops. C ar-rots, beef and lettuce from Imperial . . . dates and other foods tuffs from C oachella . . . all to beserved on some faraway soldier's daily fare. Let's never forget the part played in winning WorldWar II by our gallant farmers.

Im p e r ia l Ir r ig a t io nD i s t r i c t .

\k t YottrOwe P o w - M a k eitPay for the AllA m e r i c a n



23/40

L E T T E R S . . .Squabbles Hereby Ruled Out. .

Santa Maria,'CaliforniaDe;u Editor:

Please let's not let the letter page de-gen c rate into such a squabble as the Oc-tob T number has. We love Desert Maga-zim lor the peace and quiet it brings toour ouls, particularly in these troublesometim< 5, Those pro and con arguments, thosebittc r explosions, only serve to stir up ourown feelings and do no good to Desert.Let 'hose who like the magazine continueas Mibscribers. Those who do not can goelsewhere. Marshal South needs no one todefi n d his life and he does not care to hearcritics, I feel sure. But let's not take aprei IOUS page of Desert for an outlet forpersonal criticism. We enjoy D esert Maga-

zine for what it stood for at its inceptionand hope it will maintain that high stan-dard.

ERNEST F. EDWARDS

DM Not Safe in Barracks . . .New London, Connecticut

Deir Editor:1 would like to take this opportunity to

compliment you on your magazine. Itranis top on my list of reading material.And it seems to make a hit with the restof lie men in the barracks. If I leave it ly-ing on my bunk for five minutes it hasdisappeared when I return. About two

~we ks later it will turn up, thumbed likethe pages of a Saint's bible. In a subtle sortof v ay it's qu ite a comp liment.

H. E. SEXTY

Flo vers for Mary Beal . . .Miami, Florida

Dei r DM:My August copy is replete with fine

cor inendations from your readers. Per-ha] >; they become monotonous to theedil it, but please let me put in my mitefor Mary Beal. While I am an amateurgeologist-mineralogist, I have a great fond-nes' for our flowers and she presents their

stones in a charming way. I would notch i i ige DM except to have more andM( 'RE of Laudermilk, Hilton and Beal.

L. M. WRIGHT

Western Life for Easterners. . .Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

De.ir Sirs:I (ave never enjoyed any magazine as

mti li as DM. It makes life more bearableto I hose of us who want to be back therein 1 he West. Mr. Henderson's articles arexead with great interesthe is a friend toall mankind. The Souths' life story por-trays the way the average person wouldlik to livemaybe not theaverage, bu tthose of us who love nature.

ALYCE UPTON

No More Desert Rats? . . .El Cajon, California

Dear Editor:The expression "desert rat" which is in

common use, is more or less obnoxious tomany desert lovers, including yours truly.Let's line up a list of alternates suggestedby DM readers and vote on them to deter-mine the most popular cognomen. As astarter I submit the following:

Deserteer. Precedents mountaineer,musketeer, etc.

Desertonian. Precedents Oregonian,Californian, etc.

Desertan. Precedents Texan, SanFranciscan, Yuman, etc.

MARVIN E. SINGLETON

Wants Columbia Dese

194411 desert magazine 1944 november

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