Part Mongol, Roman, Arab, Spaniard, Mexican, '49er, the man who throws diamonds on the high trail is ready to sit in his saddle and settle in to the pokey, grunting, clopping rhythm of a pack train on the move.

ECONOMIST: New uses for an old pastime

He would be happy to leave this town, to pack his brushes and canvases, his pigments and palette, into the small cart, to saddle his mare, and then take the forest trails that, in three days, would lead him home.

NEWYORKER: The Limner