PART　IV
  THE　ANCIENT　PEOPLE
  I
  THE　San　Francisco　Mountain　lies　in　Northern　Arizona；
  above　Flagstaff；　and　its　blue　slopes　and　snowy　summit
  entice　the　eye　for　a　hundred　miles　across　the　desert。　　About
  its　base　lie　the　pine　forests　of　the　Navajos；　where　the　great
  red…trunked　trees　live　out　their　peaceful　centuries　in　that
  sparkling　air。　　The　PINONS　and　scrub　begin　only　where　the
  forest　ends；　where　the　country　breaks　into　open；　stony
  clearings　and　the　surface　of　the　earth　cracks　into　deep　can…
  yons。　　The　great　pines　stand　at　a　considerable　distance　from
  each　other。　　Each　tree　grows　alone；　murmurs　alone；　thinks
  alone。　　They　do　not　intrude　upon　each　other。　　The　Navajos
  are　not　much　in　the　habit　of　giving　or　of　asking　help。　　Their
  language　is　not　a　communicative　one；　and　they　never
  attempt　an　interchange　of　personality　in　speech。　　Over
  their　forests　there　is　the　same　inexorable　reserve。　　Each
  tree　has　its　exalted　power　to　bear。
  That　was　the　first　thing　Thea　Kronborg　felt　about　the
  forest；　as　she　drove　through　it　one　May　morning　in　Henry
  Biltmer's　democrat　wagonand　it　was　the　first　great
  forest　she　had　ever　seen。　　She　had　got　off　the　train　at　Flag…
  staff　that　morning；　rolled　off　into　the　high；　chill　air　when
  all　the　pines　on　the　mountain　were　fired　by　sunrise；　so　that
  she　seemed　to　fall　from　sleep　directly　into　the　forest。
  Old　Biltmer　followed　a　faint　wagon　trail　which　ran　south…
  east；　and　which；　as　they　traveled；　continually　dipped　lower；
  falling　away　from　the　high　plateau　on　the　slope　of　which
  Flagstaff　sits。　　The　white　peak　of　the　mountain；　the　snow
  gorges　above　the　timber；　now　disappeared　from　time　to
  time　as　the　road　dropped　and　dropped；　and　the　forest　closed
  behind　the　wagon。　　More　than　the　mountain　disappeared
  as　the　forest　closed　thus。　　Thea　seemed　to　be　taking　very
  little　through　the　wood　with　her。　　The　personality　of　which
  she　was　so　tired　seemed　to　let　go　of　her。　　The　high；　spark…
  ling　air　drank　it　up　like　blotting…paper。　　It　was　lost　in　the
  thrilling　blue　of　the　new　sky　and　the　song　of　the　thin　wind
  in　the　PINONS。　　The　old；　fretted　lines　which　marked　one　off；
  which　defined　her；made　her　Thea　Kronborg；　Bowers's
  accompanist；　a　soprano　with　a　faulty　middle　voice；were
  all　erased。
  So　far　she　had　failed。　　Her　two　years　in　Chicago　had　not
  resulted　in　anything。　　She　had　failed　with　Harsanyi；　and
  she　had　made　no　great　progress　with　her　voice。　　She　had
  come　to　believe　that　whatever　Bowers　had　taught　her　was
  of　secondary　importance；　and　that　in　the　essential　things
  she　had　made　no　advance。　　Her　student　life　closed　behind
  her；　like　the　forest；　and　she　doubted　whether　she　could
  go　back　to　it　if　she　tried。　　Probably　she　would　teach　music
  in　little　country　towns　all　her　life。　　Failure　was　not　so　tragic
  as　she　would　have　supposed；　she　was　tired　enough　not　to
  care。
  She　was　getting　back　to　the　earliest　sources　of　gladness
  that　she　could　remember。　　She　had　loved　the　sun；　and　the
  brilliant　solitudes　of　sand　and　sun；　long　before　these　other
  things　had　come　along　to　fasten　themselves　upon　her　and
  torment　her。　　That　night；　when　she　clambered　into　her　big
  German　feather　bed；　she　felt　completely　released　from　the
  enslaving　desire　to　get　on　in　the　world。　　Darkness　had　once
  again　the　sweet　wonder　that　it　had　in　childhood。
  II
  THEA'S　life　at　the　Ottenburg　ranch　was　simple　and　full
  of　light；　like　the　days　themselves。　　She　awoke　every
  morning　when　the　first　fierce　shafts　of　sunlight　darted
  through　the　curtainless　windows　of　her　room　at　the　ranch
  house。　　After　breakfast　she　took　her　lunch…basket　and　went
  down　to　the　canyon。　　Usually　she　did　not　return　until
  sunset。
  Panther　Canyon　was　like　a　thousand　othersone　of
  those　abrupt　fissures　with　which　the　earth　in　the　Southwest
  is　riddled；　so　abrupt　that　you　might　walk　over　the　edge　of
  any　one　of　them　on　a　dark　night　and　never　know　what　had
  happened　to　you。　　This　canyon　headed　on　the　Ottenburg
  ranch；　about　a　mile　from　the　ranch　house；　and　it　was　acces…
  sible　only　at　its　head。　　The　canyon　walls；　for　the　first　two
  hundred　feet　below　the　surface；　were　perpendicular　cliffs；
  striped　with　even…running　strata　of　rock。　　From　there　on
  to　the　bottom　the　sides　were　less　abrupt；　were　shelving；
  and　lightly　fringed　with　PINONS　and　dwarf　cedars。　　The
  effect　was　that　of　a　gentler　canyon　within　a　wilder　one。
  The　dead　city　lay　at　the　point　where　the　perpendicular
  outer　wall　ceased　and　the　V…shaped　inner　gorge　began。
  There　a　stratum　of　rock；　softer　than　those　above；　had
  been　hollowed　out　by　the　action　of　time　until　it　was　like
  a　deep　groove　running　along　the　sides　of　the　canyon。　　In
  this　hollow　（like　a　great　fold　in　the　rock）　the　Ancient
  People　had　built　their　houses　of　yellowish　stone　and　mor…
  tar。　　The　over…hanging　cliff　above　made　a　roof　two　hun…
  dred　feet　thick。　　The　hard　stratum　below　was　an　ever…
  lasting　floor。　　The　houses　stood　along　in　a　row；　like　the
  buildings　in　a　city　block；　or　like　a　barracks。
  In　both　walls　of　the　canyon　the　same　streak　of　soft　rock
  had　been　washed　out；　and　the　long　horizontal　groove　had
  been　built　up　with　houses。　　The　dead　city　had　thus　two
  streets；　one　set　in　either　cliff；　facing　each　other　across　the
  ravine；　with　a　river　of　blue　air　between　them。
  The　canyon　twisted　and　wound　like　a　snake；　and　these
  two　streets　went　on　for　four　miles　or　more；　interrupted　by
  the　abrupt　turnings　of　the　gorge；　but　beginning　again
  within　each　turn。　　The　canyon　had　a　dozen　of　these　false
  endings　near　its　head。　　Beyond；　the　windings　were　larger
  and　less　perceptible；　and　it　went　on　for　a　hundred　miles；
  too　narrow；　precipitous；　and　terrible　for　man　to　follow　it。
  The　Cliff　Dwellers　liked　wide　canyons；　where　the　great
  cliffs　caught　the　sun。　　Panther　Canyon　had　been　deserted
  for　hundreds　of　years　when　the　first　Spanish　missionaries
  came　into　Arizona；　but　the　masonry　of　the　houses　was
  still　wonderfully　firm；　had　crumbled　only　where　a　landslide
  or　a　rolling　boulder　had　torn　it。
  All　the　houses　in　the　canyon　were　clean　with　the　clean…
  ness　of　sun…baked；　wind…swept　places；　and　they　all　smelled
  of　the　tough　little　cedars　that　twisted　themselves　into　the
  very　doorways。　　One　of　these　rock…rooms　Thea　took　for　her
  own。　　Fred　had　told　her　how　to　make　it　comfortable。　　The
  day　after　she　came　old　Henry　brought　over　on　one　of　the
  pack…ponies　a　roll　of　Navajo　blankets　that　belonged　to
  Fred；　and　Thea　lined　her　cave　with　them。　　The　room　was
  not　more　than　eight　by　ten　feet；　and　she　could　touch　the
  stone　roof　with　her　finger…tips。　　This　was　her　old　idea：　a
  nest　in　a　high　cliff；　full　of　sun。　　All　morning　long　the　sun
  beat　upon　her　cliff；　while　the　ruins　on　the　opposite　side　of
  the　canyon　were　in　shadow。　　In　the　afternoon；　when　she
  had　the　shade　of　two　hundred　feet　of　rock　wall；　the　ruins
  on　the　other　side　of　the　gulf　stood　out　in　the　blazing　sun…
  light。　　Before　her　door　ran　the　narrow；　winding　path　that
  had　been　the　street　of　the　Ancient　People。　　The　yucca　and
  niggerhead　cactus　grew　everywhere。　　From　her　doorstep
  she　looked　out　on　the　ocher…colored　slope　that　ran　down
  several　hundred　feet　to　the　stream；　and　this　hot　rock　was
  sparsely　grown　with　dwarf　trees。　　Their　colors　were　so　pale
  that　the　shadows　of　the　little　trees　on　the　rock　stood　out
  sharper　than　the　trees　themselves。　　When　Thea　first　came；
  the　chokecherry　bushes　were　in　blossom；　and　the　scent　of
  them　was　almost　sickeningly　sweet　after　a　shower。　　At　the
  very　bottom　of　the　canyon；　along　the　stream；　there　was　a
  thread　of　bright；　flickering；　golden…green；cottonwood
  seedlings。　　They　made　a　living；　chattering　screen　behind
  which　she　took　her　bath　every　morning。
  Thea　went　down　to　the　stream　by　the　Indian　water
  trail。　　She　had　found　a　bathing…pool　with　a　sand　bottom；
  where　the　creek　was　damned　by　fallen　trees。　　The　climb
  back　was　long　and　steep；　and　when　she　reached　her　little
  house　in　the　cliff　she　always　felt　fresh　delight　in　its　com…
  fort　and　inaccessibility。　　By　the　time　she　got　there；　the
  wo