To my own knowledge rain seldom, if ever, falls
here, and yet you have seen a great forest and luxuriant vegetation
outside of the city as well as within. This miracle is accomplished
by the utilization of natural springs which their ancestors developed,
and upon which they have improved to such an extent that the entire
valley receives an adequate amount of moisture at all times.
"Ago told me that many generations before his time the forest was
irrigated by changing the course of the streams which carried the
spring water to the city but that when the trees had sent their
roots down to the natural moisture of the soil and required no
further irrigation, the course of the stream was changed and other
trees were planted. And so the forest grew until today it covers
almost the entire floor of the valley except for the open space
where the city stands. I do not know that this is true. It may be
that the forest has always been here, but it is one of their legends
and it is borne out by the fact that there is not sufficient rainfall
here to support vegetation.
"They are peculiar people in many respects, not only in their form
of worship and religious rites but also in that they breed lions
as other people breed cattle. You have seen how they use some of
these lions but the majority of them they fatten and eat.
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