she was always with Nelka and because
of this close relationship, developed a very high degree of
understanding and companionship with Nelka. This mutual understanding
resulted in a very deep attachment between Nelka and Tibi, and Nelka
certainly developed a very unusual love for this Tibi, whom she
always took with her back and forth between Europe and America and
kept always with her--except on the occasions when she was obliged to
leave her for short periods. I knew Tibi for she also had been left
by Nelka with me and my mother in the country on one or two occasions
when I took care of her.

Here are some of the impressions that Nelka gathered from this
western trip and which she gave in her letters to her aunt Susie:

Utah 1910.

"The Navajo Mountains and the Natural Bridge were, to me, terrible. I
can never give you a complete description of it, but, aside from the
other difficulties and trials, it impressed one as the most godless
place conceivable. I don't see how anyone can keep any religion in
the canyon in which the bridge is--such a mass of turbulent, ruthless
rock, all dark red--hopeless, shapeless chaos. It all looked just as
if there had been a smash up yesterday. No beyond, no nothing,
nothing alive, nothing dead, every step of the way almost impassable
and the feeling that every minute more rock could come smashing down.
On the way there Mr. Whiterill, our guide, fell over with his horse
when it was impossible to keep balance. He got loose, the horse fell
over backwards several times, broke its neck, slid down sheer rock
and fell about 50 feet over a cliff, the sound was awful."

"Mr. Heidekooper and I went down to the bottom of the canyon and lay
back on the rocks with our feet in a pool. I closed my eyes and tried
to forget these crushing walls."

"There was a question of moving the sleeping blankets to get out of a
scorpion patch, but we finally stayed where we were. I refused to
mount my horse firmly and flatly until we got out of the worst part
of the canyon, so I walked 12 miles when I had to pick every step on
sharp stones. On the way back, Pat's horse went head over heels down
another steep place but was not killed. Still a few miles further my
horse slipped going over a huge mass of rock as smooth as an egg and
about the same shape and everyone thought he was about to be hurled
to instant death, when by a miracle he screwed around, got himself up
and caught his footing again. My mental ag