by tradition, the Spanish girl was the purely convent
product: womanhood protected by a ten-foot wall. When the wall fell
away, she was helpless as a hot-house flower set out amid violent winds.

Diagonally across the Plaza from the Governor's Palace stands the old
Fonda, or Exchange Hotel, whence came the long caravans of American
traders on the Santa Fe Trail. Behind the Palace about a quarter of a
mile, was the Gareta, a sort of combined custom house and prison. The
combination was deeply expressive of Spanish rule in those early days,
for independent of what the American's white-tented wagon might
contain--baled hay or priceless silks or chewing tobacco--a duty of $500
was levied against each mule-team wagon of the American trader. Did a
trader protest, or hold back, he was promptly clapped in irons. It was
cheaper to pay the duty than buy a release. The walls of both the Fonda
and the Gareta were of tremendous thickness, four to six feet of solid
adobe, which was hard as our modern cement. In the walls behind the
Gareta and on the walls behind the Palace, pitted bullet holes have been
found. Beneath the holes was embedded human hair.

Nothing more picturesque exists in America's past than the panorama of
this old Santa Fe Trail. Santa Fe was to the Trail what Cairo was to the
caravans coming up out of the Desert in Egypt. Twitchell, the modern
historian, and Gregg, the old chronicler of last century's Trail, give
wonderfully vivid pictures of the coming of the caravans to the Palace.
"As the caravans ascended the ridge which overlooks the city, the
clamorings of the men and the rejoicings of the bull whackers could be
heard on every side. Even the animals seemed to participate in the humor
of their riders. I doubt whether the first sight of Jerusalem brought
the crusaders more tumultuous and soul-enrapturing joy."

[Illustration: A pool in the Painted Desert whither came thousands of
goats and sheep, driven by Navajo girls on horseback]

We talk of the picturesque fur trade of the North, when brigades of
birch canoes one and two hundred strong penetrated every river and lake
of the wilderness of the Northwest. Let us take a look at these caravan
brigades of the traders of the Southwest! Teams were hitched tandem to
the white-tented wagons. Drivers did not ride in the wagons. They rode
astride mule or horse, with long bull whips thick as a snake skin, which
could reach from rear to fore team. I don't know how they