TREASURE MOUNTAIN,

Kelly '06. Illustrated by Raymond Lufkin. The Macmillan Company, 1937. 211 pages. $2.00.

Professor Kelly knows well the terrain of which he writes, whether it be Poland, New England, or the mountains of New Mexico. Eleven years spent in the Southwest give authenticity to Mr. Kelly's descriptions in his new book, and after reading TreasureMountain the reader will want to go there for himself.

Two main themes dominate the story. The lure of hidden treasure in the Southwest and Mexico is already familiar to Eastern readers of J. Frank Dobie's exciting book Coronado's Children, and we have all heard of the dances of the Pueblo Indians. With treasure hunting and the ancient religious rites of the Indians as a background, Mr. Kelly has told a thoroughly entertaining tale of two boys and a girl, who get mixed up in events plotted by a fanatical Indian, Apache Pete, who in trying to revenge Geronimo's betrayal by the Pueblos, dies by fire when he attempts to violate the sanctuary of the Pueblo Indian's God, Posi Yemo. The story includes shootings, treasure maps, plots, Indians, hard riding, and so on. There is a happy ending.

The author always writes well, but the best part of the book for the reviewer was his excellent picture of the dance of Posi Yemo. "It has in it," Mr. Kelly writes, "all the moods and motions of nature, the rhythms of earth and sky, the forces of imprisoned waters and bursting fires. It reveals through pulsating bodies the protest of mankind against the stillness and the silence and the immobility of hills and valleys and mountains."

The illustrator made a special trip to New Mexico, and the chapter heading drawings are excellent, adding materially to the text and to the beauty of the book.

Treasure Mountain is written for young people from twelve to sixteen, but may be equally enjoyed by adults from sixteen to ninety-six. The rich colors of the New Mexican mesas, the character of the Indians, and the customs and tribal dances of an ancient people are all richly and sympathetically described.

My sincerest congratulations, Eric, and may the book have the big success that it deserves.