Among the many legends of the Utes, that accounting for the origin of the hot springs at the mouth of the canyon of the Rio las Gallinas (near Las Vegas, N.M.) is one of the most remarkable.  It was related to one of the authors of this volume thirty-two years ago, by an aged warrior, while the party of Indians and white men who had been hunting for black-tail deer in the mountains were sitting around their camp-fire at night.

The wrinkled and paint-bedaubed savage veteran filled his pipe, lighted it, then taking a whiff after saluting the sky, the earth, and the cardinal points of the compass, passed it around, Indian-fashion, and began his weird story; which is here given, divested of the poor English of our interpreter:—­

Thousands of snows have passed, thousands of Indian summers made their delightful round, since the Medicine Waters were formed there by the Great Spirit to prove that the people of the powerful Ute Nation were his special care.  Warriors, too, who were wounded in battle with their hereditary enemies, the Pawnees of the plains—­if they were brave and had pleased the Great Spirit—­had only to repair to the hot waters flowing out of the mountain side, bathe three times a day in their healing flood, and drink of the coldest that sprang from the same rocky ledge.  Then, in the course of a few suns, no matter how badly injured, they would certainly recover and become stronger than ever.  If, however, any who had behaved cowardly in the heat of action—­which to the Great Spirit is a great abomination, never condoned—­and went to the Big Medicine to heal his wounds, the water had no effect and he soon died.  So these Medicine Waters were not only a panacea for all diseases, and injuries received in honourable warfare, but an infallible test of the courage of every wounded warrior engaged in frequent sanguinary conflicts.

That the action of Las Vegas Hot Springs was believed to be a direct
manifestation of the power of the Great Spirit, the legend farther
confirms, for after his preliminary observations of their efficacy and
purpose, the old warrior continued: 
        The Utes were the first people created.  They had thousands of
        ponies.  The mountains were filled with deer, bear, bighorn,
        and elk, while the plains below were black with herds of buffalo. 
        They were very wealthy.  Many hundreds of years they remained
        the happiest race on earth, always victorious in battle, and
        never suffering for food.  Their head chief at this time was
        We-lo-lon-nan-nai (the forked lightning), the bravest warrior
        of all the tribes.  His people loved him for his good qualities,
        and the justice with which he administered the affairs of
        the nation.  One morning he was taken suddenly ill, and called
        into his lodge the celebrated medicine-men of his band to