“No, Gilly; I’ve never even heard of it,” said she.
“You reminded me of it just now, when you told Betty it beggars description. Cobb’s answer to that was, ‘Well, then, I shall not try it.’ In your case, you’d better follow the suit of such a clever writer and thus remain affluent in descriptions.”
Julie laughed heartily, but declared she would risk descriptive poverty rather than be deprived of the joy of telling the folks back home all about the adventure.
During the last few days of that trip the scouts passed the great towering rocks of gypsum and yellow tufa on the tops of which the Moki Indians build their villages.
“Why under the sun do they select the top of the crags for their homes?” queried Hester.
“Some say, to enable them to fight off any raiders. Only a Moki can skip up and down those bald sides of rock as they do, and cart all supplies up there as well,” said Mr. Gilroy.
Lo asked if the scouts wished to visit the towns. Julie had already taken pictures of the naked children running up or down the steep pathways, and the Captain rode over to the spring where a Moki woman was filling a heavy water-urn before placing it upon her head to carry it up to her home, but Mr. Gilroy decided they would move on, and perhaps visit the last of the three villages.
“You say you go through Petrify Fores’ after you through Painted Desert?” asked Lo.
“Yes, we plan to ride there next, and thence on to the Grand Cañon of the Colorado. Could you remain with us as far as Flagstaff?” said Mr. Gilroy.
“I like it, but I no go so far from my own country,” replied Lo, smiling wisely.