It is as if there were cut upon the sea sands, "Father Neptune: His Make"; while the genii of the desert, jealous for the desert's reputation, had engraved on their own product: "Genuine Desert Sand. Look for the Trade-Mark and Accept No Substitutes!" III. The Plant People of the Desert Although it doesn't look a bit homey to us there are quite a few people living in the desert, when you come to count them all--four-legged people, and six-legged people, and two-legged people, and big and little people with wings, and the people of the plant world. THE WATER BOTTLE OF THE DESERT One of the most curious of the plant people is the cactus, particularly the one known as the "desert water bottle." Like many two-legged people it has a rough, unsociable exterior, but a kind heart. Let a traveller come upon one of these bristly cactuses, after long, thirsty hours, and he will realize what this means. Inside this cactus he will find what will seem to him the most delightful drink he ever tasted. While it isn't as cool as it might be, neither is it as warm as you would expect, and it has a pleasant, sweet taste. [Illustration: DRAWING WATER FROM THE BARREL CACTUS This cactus, so far as shape is concerned, really belongs to the barrel family, as you can see, besides performing one of the most useful functions of a barrel in holding good drinking water for thirsty travellers in the desert. My, how thirsty you get! You drink, drink, drink from sunrise to sunset--about two gallons a day. But sometimes the supply you are carrying gives out because you miscalculated or you've lost your way, or the barrel leaks. Then, oh, how you welcome the sight of a barrel cactus among the rocky foot-hills! Director Hornaday, in the delightful book from which I have already quoted says: "You get a gallon of water surprisingly cool, and in flavor like the finest raw turnip. The object on the ground is not a circular saw, but the inverted top of the cactus, and the whiteness is that of the white meat that contains the water. With a stick the meat is pounded to a pulpy mass, and the water oozes out, forming a little pool. Then the man with the cleanest hands washes them cleaner with some of the pulp--throwing _this_ pulp away, of course--then squeezes the water out of the rest of it into the barrel." Another interesting thing about this cactus is that it enables you to get candy right in the desert; for here and there, through its thick skin, it oozes out a secretion called "cactus candy," which is very delicious. You are always sorry there is so little of it. ]