the grand canyon of arizona-第31章

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elow　this　fortress；　were　discovered　two　large　native　water…storage　tanks　or　reservoirs；　which；　when　cleaned　out；　were　capable　of　holding　many　hundreds　of　gallons　of　water。　Further　down；　on　the　plateaus　beneath；　several　large　pits　for　the　cooking　of　mescal　were　discovered。

Cooking　of　Mescal。　This　mescal　is　the　succulent　and　sweet　inner　leaf　of　the　agave　deserti；　which　is　found　in　large　quantities　in　this　region。　The　Indians　still　prepare　it　in　the　same　manner　as　did　their　forefathers。　The　larger　thick　leaves　are　taken　from　the　plants　when　they　are　full　of　sap。　Great　pits　are　dug　and　lined　with　rocks。　Into　these　pits　dry　wood；　roots；　pine　cones；　etc。；　are　thrown　and　set　on　fire；　until　the　whole　oven　is　thoroughly　heated。　On　the　hot　rocks　are　then　laid　the　pulpy　stalks　of　the　agave；　over　these　is　placed　a　layer　of　wet　grass；　then　more　agave　or　mescal　leaves；　more　grass；　and　so　on；　until　the　pit　is　full。　Then　the　oven　and　its　contents　are　banked　over　with　earth；　and　allowed　to　steam　and　cook　for　three　or　four　days。　The　woman　in　charge　is　an　expert　in　determining　when　her　〃bread　is　baked。〃　She　thrusts　stalks　of　the　agave　into　the　heart　of　the　pit　before　it　is　finally　closed　up；　and　when　she　deems　〃time　up；〃　she　pulls　forth　one　of　these　stalks。　If　it　is　not　done　to　her　liking；　she　allows　the　process　to　continue；　otherwise　the　banked　up　earth　is　removed；　and　the　contents　of　the　pit　withdrawn　and　placed　upon　adjacent　rocks　to　dry。　It　now　looks　like　large　cakes　of　brownish　fibres；　thoroughly　saturated　in　molasses。　In　taste　it　is　sweet　and　fairly　palatable；　though　the　fibres　render　it　a　food　that　requires　a　large　amount　of　mastication。　It　has　great　staying　qualities；　contains　much　nutrition；　and　will　keep　for　months；　even　years。　I　have　eaten　pieces　of　it　that　were　sweet　and　good　over　three　years　after　it　was　made。

Unlimited　Fragments　of　Pottery。　In　my　own　wanderings　of　nearly　twenty　years　in　the　Grand　and　Havasu　Canyons　and　their　smaller　tributary　gorges；　I　have　discovered　scores　of　these　cliff…dwellings。　Ruins　uncounted　are　to　be　found　scattered　along　the　rim；　within　five　to　ten　miles　of　the　Canyon；　and　thousands　of　pieces　of　pottery　of　old　design　have　been　picked　up　by　the　visitors　of　the　past　fifteen　years。

On　the　Shinumo；　opposite　the　Bass　Trail；　are　several　cliff…dwellings；　and　as　late　as　the　summer　of　1908　a　young　couple　camped　there　for　a　month　on　their　wedding　trip；　excavated　and　discovered　a　fine　stone　axe；　numbers　of　pieces　of　pottery　of　three　different　kinds；　several　pieces　with　holes　bored　with　the　primitive　drill　of　flint　or　obsidian；　a　fine　spearhead　of　flint；　and　a　number　of　arrow　points。

Similarity　of　Cliff　Ruins。　The　whole　region　of　Arizona；　New　Mexico；　Southern　Utah；　and　Southern　Colorado　abounds　in　these　cliff　ruins。　The　likeness　of　their　appearance；　and　the　fact　that　everything　excavated　is　of　a　similar　kind；　seems　to　indicate　a　relationship；　both　in　time　of　occupancy　and　in　the　peoples　who　built　and　tenanted　them。

The　questions　now　naturally　arise：　Who　were　these　people？　What　was　their　life？　Whence　did　they　come？　Whither　have　they　gone？

The　Race　of　the　Cliff　Dwellers。　In　the　earlier　days　of　America's　serious　researches　into　her　own　archaeology；　those　who　led　our　thought　on　the　subject；　though　personally　they　had　not　seen　the　cliff…dwellings；　declared　them　to　be　the　homes　of　the　Aztecs；　one　of　the　Mexican　races　found　by　Cortes　below　the　City　of　Mexico。　Hence　today　we　find　people　talking　about　the　Aztecs　and　their　ruined　homes　in　Arizona；　New　Mexico；　Colorado　and　Utah。　We　used　to　read　of　the　wonder　of　the　discoverers　of　these　dwellings；　at　finding　them　so　small。　The　doorways　were　small；　the　rooms　themselves　less　than　six　feet　in　width　and　length；　and　the　ceilings　so　low　that　a　five…foot　man　could　not　stand　upright　in　them。　It　was　reasonable　therefore　to　infer；　said　these　discoverers；　that　the　builders　and　inhabitants　of　the　cliff…dwellings　were　an　exceedingly　small　people；　dwarfs；　as　in　no　other　way　could　the　rooms　be　occupied。　And　thousands　of　people　who　have　read　about　these　ruins　still　hold　to　the　idea　that　they　were　inhabited　by　dwarfs。　But　who　the　dwarfs　were；　or　where　they　have　gone　to；　no　one　seems　to　have　the　remotest　idea。　But　by　and　by；　such　men　as　Bandelier；　the　Mendeleffs；　Stevenson；　Cushing；　Fewkes；　Hough；　Hodge　and　Hewett；　began　to　investigate。　They　took　the　field；　and　carefully　explored　hundreds　of　ruins。　Then；　some　of　them　with　a　profound　knowledge　of　the　Spanish　tongue；　went　through　all　the　records　and　diaries　of　the　old　conquistadores　and　the　padres　who　accompanied　them。　They　found　out　all　that　the　early　Spaniards　had　discovered　and　conjectured。　In　the　meantime；　they　began　to　study　the　languages　of　the　Indians　of　the　regions　nearest　to　the　ruins；　and　question　them　as　to　their　myths；　legends；　and　traditions　bearing　upon　the　ruins；　and　their　researches　speedily　bore　fruit。

Storage　Houses。　First　of　all　they　classified　their　discoveries。　Though　scores　of　skeletons　were　found；　there　was　not　a　single　dwarf　specimen　among　them。　This　seemed　to　be　a　death　blow　to　the　dwarf　theory。　Stone　slabs　were　used　as　doors。　Necessarily　these　were　comparatively　small；　since　even　though　large　slabs　might　have　been　found；　they　could　not　have　been　moved　by　the　cliff…dwellers；　on　account　of　their　weight。　This；　in　itself；　accounted　for　the　size　of　the　doorways。　It　had　long　been　noticed　that　these　small　dwellings　were　scattered　profusely　where　there　were　larger　dwellings；　and　finally　it　became　known　that　the　small　dwellings　were　not　used　for　habitations　at　all。　They　were　merely　storage　houses　for　corn　and　other　edibles；　farmed　by　the　inhabitants　of　the　larger　dwellings。　On　one　occasion；　some　years　ago；　I　was　exploring　one　of　the　side　gorges　of　the　Havasu。　We　had　seen　scores　of　the　cliff　dwellings；　perched　high　in　the　walls　of　the　canyons；　until　at　length　one　particularly　well…built；　though　exceedingly　small　structure　attracted　my　attention。　My　guide　was　the　most　intelligent　and　communicative　of　the　Havasupai　Indians；　and　he　immediately　responded　to　my　query　by　crying　out：　〃Meala…hawa！　Meala…hawa！〃　（Corn　house）。　Further　inquiry　revealed　the　fact　that　all　the　small　dwellings　were　but　storage　houses　for　corn　and　other　foods。

Textiles。　Excavation　brought　forth　delicate　textiles　in　cotton　and　yucca　fibre；　well…woven；　and　in　a　remarkable　state　of　preservationsilent　testimony　to　the　dry　climate；　and　the　fact　that　the　dwellings　were　so　constructed　that　rain　and　snow　were　practically　excluded。　Basketry　and　pottery　in　large　quantities　were　found；　all　showing　ability　in　manufacture；　also　artistic　skill；　anti…aesthetic　conception　in　the　form　of　the　articles　and　the　designs　portrayed　upon　them。

Excavated　Relics。　Stone　hammers　and　axes；　obsidian；　flint　and　other　arrow…heads；　spear…heads；　and　knives；　mortars　and　pestles；　metates　or　meal　grinders；　obsidian　and　flint　drills　for　making　holes　through　stone　or　shell；　bows　and　arrows；the　bows　of　tough　wood　often　brought　from　afar；　and　the　arrows　pointed　with　chipped　flint　or　obsidian；　deftly　and　securely　tied　to　the　shaft　with　tough　and　durable　strings　of　sinews；　shell　beads；　pipes；　bone　awls；　punches；　needles；　etc。；　stone　fetiches　in　semblance　of　animals；　the　like　of　which　were　never　seen　on　land　or　sea；　ornaments　of　shell；　turquoise　and　onyx；　and　even　a　kind　of　jade；　sandals　and　mats　of　yucca　fibre；　and　exquisitely　delicate　feather　robes；these　are　some　of　the　things　that　the　excavators　have　found。　Corn…cobs；　melon　rinds　and　grass　seeds　may　be　added　to　the　list。

Old　Cemeteries。　Thenmost　interesting　of　findsa　number　of　cemeteries　were　located；　and　these　were　raked　and　scraped　over　until　every　visible　secret　hidden　in　their　depths　was　brought　into　the　light　of　the　sun。

Tracing　the　Indian　Races。　Now　here　were　numbers　of　facts　to　work　upon。　Then　the　myths；　legends　and　traditions　of　the　Indians　living　near　by　were　carefully　collected　and　studied；　and　light　began　to　dawn　in　the　minds　of　our　archaeologists。　The　Hopis　in　Northern　Arizona；　the　Zunis　in　New　Mexico；　the　Acomas　who　live　on　the　massive　cliff　twenty　miles　south　of　the　Santa　Fe　Railway　at　Laguna　Station；　the　score　of　pueblos　on　the　banks　of　the　Rio　Grande；　even　to　far…away　Taos；all　contributed　their　share　to　the　elucidation　of　the　mystery。　Even　the　semi…nomadic　Navaho　had　something　to　say　which　helped。　Cushing　found　among　the　Zuni　stories　galore　of　their　struggles　with　the　fierce　and　warlike　wandering　tribes；　who　constantly　harassed　the　home…loving　people　who　built　their　rude　villages。　Fewkes　not　only　unearthed　whole　cities　of　the　past；　but；　gained　from　the　nearby　Hopis　their　traditions；　which　told　in　reasonable　and　intelligible　form　what　was　most　probably　their　history。　He　listened　while　their　old　men　and　women　recited　the　stories　and　legends　of　their　migration　from　the　south　northwards；　and　how　certain　families　or　clans　came　from　this　or　that　direction；　building　and　inhabiting　certain　now　ruined　dwellings　in　ages　long　past。　Others　heard　similar　stories；　which　they　investigated　as　far　as　possible；　compared　with　the　ruins　named；　and　then　recorded；　with　such　discovered　facts　as　helped　in　the　elucidation　of　the　problems　involved。

Ancestors　of　the　Pueblo　People。　All　these　investigations　pointed　to　one　great　fact；　and　that　was　that　the　cliff　and　cave　dwellers　of　the　Grand　Canyon　region　and　all　the　contiguous　country　were　none　other　than　the　ancestors　of　the　present　pueblo　people；those　who　live　in　the　Hopi　villages；　the　Zuni　villages；　Acoma；　Laguna；　Santo　Domingo；　Isleta；　Teseque；　Jemez；　Taos；　San　Ildefonso；　Zia　and　the　rest。

With　this　luminous　fact　before　them；　a　greater　study　began　of　these　pueblo　people；　and　it　was　then　found　that；　to　this　day；　they　use　the　same　utensils；　make　the　same　implements；　wear　the　same　ornaments；　follow　the　same　burial　customs；　and　generally　live　the　same　life　that　these　ancient　cliff…dwellers　did。　The　conclusions；　therefore；　are　obvious　and　inevitable。　The　cliff…dwellers　were　none　other　than　the　ancestors　of　the　pueblo　people；　a　little　less　advanced；　doubtless；　in　the　march　of　civilization；　yet　already　far　progressed　from　the　rude　civilization　of　the　nomad。　They　were　driven　to　occupy　the　inaccessible　cliffs　by　the　constant　attacks　of　the　warlike　nomads。

Sedentary　and　Home…loving　Indians。　Thus　the　cliff　dwellings　become　interesting　memorials　of　the　great　fight　for　existence；　where　one　race　has　striven　to　the　very　death　with　other　races；　and　the　weaker　have　either　given　way　or　been　swept　out　of　existence。　The　picture　is　easy　to　draw。　The　country　was　peopled　with　these　sedentary　and　home…loving　Indians。　They　had　come　largely　from　the　south；　had　settled　down；　had　built　their　humble　villages；　tilled　their　fields　and　cultivated　their　crops。　The　women　made　baskets　and　pottery；　and　the　men　hunted　game；　while　the　women　prepared　it　for　food；　and　gathered　seeds；　nuts　and　roots　to　eke　out　their　not　overextensive　dietary。　Young　men　and　women　grew　up；　felt　the　dawnings　of　love　and　the　final　awakenings　of　the　great　passion；　and　then　married；　settled　down　in　a　house　the　community　helped　them　to　build；　and　began　to　work　a　piece　of　land　selected　for　them；　or　at　least　approved；　by　the　town　council。　For；　even　in　those　early　days；　there　is　every　evidence　that　these　people　had　a　definite　and　distinct　form　of　democratic　g