Therefore I accepted King Solomon's life as the next best one to
emulate. While I was greatly handicapped by not possessing the riches
of the great old king, I fancied that I had a plenty of his wisdom,
and although I could not cut as wide a swath as he had done, I did
well enough under the circumstances. I was, of course, limited to a
vastly smaller scale in the pursuit and enjoyment of the many good
things to be had in New Mexico. Ever joyous, free from care, I
drifted in my voyage of life with the stream of hope over the shining
waters of a happy and delightful youth.



CHAPTER V. ON THE RIO GRANDE. AN ABSTRACT OF THE AUTHOR'S GENEALOGY
OF MATERNAL LINEAGE

In the month of September I came to the end of my journey, as I
arrived on the Rio Abajo. Now I began the second chapter of my life's
voyage. No longer a precocious child, I was growing to young manhood
and was not lacking in those qualities which are essential in the
successful performance of life's continual struggle. I was heartily
welcomed by my uncle, my mother's brother. My aunt, poor lady, had,
of course, given me up as lost and greeted me with joyful admiration.
But she did not venture close to me, for in me she saw a strong,
lusty young man, bright eyed, alert-looking and carrying a deadly
army revolver and wicked hunting knife at his belt. To be sure, I was
suntanned and graybacked beyond comparison with the dust of a
thousand miles of wagon road.

As I had expected, I found my uncle in very prosperous circumstances,
in a commercial sense. And no wonder, for he was a tall, fine-looking