or twenty persons could be seated; the guide or conductor sat
in front, and steered the machine by pilot-wheels fastened to a pole,
which went from end to end of the carriage. He had also under his
management a lever which would stop the carriage speedily, and another
to reverse the action of the wheels. The tank, containing about sixty
gallons, and the furnace were placed in what they called the hind boot;
the fore boot contained luggage, if any was carried. Another of Mr.
Gurney's special contrivances was a propeller fixed at the back of the
carriage; it could be made to touch the ground when travelling up a
hill, assisting the steam-power. A few experimental trips were made, but
the carriage was not brought into general use.

J. R. S. C.

WONDERFUL CAVERNS.

X.--THE CLIFF-DWELLERS OF NORTH AMERICA.

One of the tribes which at a very early date sought refuge in cliff
caverns is supposed to have been that of the Pueblo Indians of the Mesa
Verde in Colorado, whose descendants, though not cave-dwellers, are
still found in New Mexico. From the proofs of partial civilisation found
in their deserted homes, we may believe them to have been more refined
and gentler than the savage Apaches and similar fighting tribes who
overcame them, and drove them out to find fresh abiding-places.

[Illustration: Cliff-dwelling, New Mexico, and Cave-pottery (British
Museum).]

Their caves are generally built in with masonry, and had queer-shaped
windows here and there; the floors were smoothed and covered with red
clay beaten hard, whilst occasionally the walls received coats of fine
red and yellow plaster, with stripes of darker colours. The larger caves
were divided into several rooms, and in many there was an 'Estufa,' or
specially warm, dry apartment. The 'Estufa' was always round in form,
and is supposed to have been used for religious purposes. It was
probably a sort of private chapel for one or more families, and the
round shape was most likely a survival of the old round huts or wigwams
wherein their ancestors had dwelt in the old days. Most of these
cave-houses are of rough workmanship, but here and there, especially in
one known as the Cliff Palace, the blocks of stone have been carefully
hewn and put together.

The condition of early races may be largely judged by the pottery they
used, and the Pueblo Indians have left really beautiful specimens of
this ancient craft. The bowls are often of a fine red, with white