107 



away several. The falling water ran oft' into a 

 pool a foot deep, but what became of it was not 

 apparent, as it had no seeming outlet. I brought 

 away a bottle of it for examination. It was 

 transparent, but had an intensely bitter and sa- 

 line taste. This spot is represented a little to the 

 right of the centre in the engraving. A little 

 beyond and on either hand, are two huge caul- 

 dron-like basins, sunk five or six feet below the 

 general level, and near a hundred feet in diam- 

 eter. Within these cauldrons a bluish argilla- 

 ceus paste is continually boiling with a dull 

 murmur, emitting copious sulphurous vapors, 

 and huge bubbles, bursting, throw masses of 

 mud to the height of several feet. These kettles 

 sometimes boil over, and the matter runs off in a 

 slimy stream toward the salt lake. This seems 

 to have been the case recently, as we encount- 

 ered the track of one of these streams, not yet 

 dry, a mile from the Salse. 



" The volcanic action was far more violent at 

 some former period than at present, as is proved 

 by the erupted butte, above named, as well as by 

 fragment* of pumice scattered over the plain. 



'■ Our visit only lasted an hour and a quarter. 

 The sun was already scorching hut, and our sup- 

 ply of water could not last, with the most rigid 

 economy, more than three hours longer. The 

 watering place, left yesterday, was not less than 

 20 miles distant. A spring was marked by the 

 U. S. Surve)-ors, only 4 or o miles to the north, 

 but as no land-marks were kno wn by which it 

 might be found, it would have been rash to waste 

 time in seeking it. The tempting oKjects in the 

 vicinity, which would require many days for ex- 

 amination, could only be greeted with a farewell 

 glance, and our horses' heads were turned to- 

 wards the water. Leaving the sand hills, that 

 gave us so much trouble last night, to the right, 

 our course lay south-west. 



" We soon had reason to congratulate ourselves 

 upon being clear of the drifting sands. The 

 winds increasing as the day advanced, whirled 

 the dust into a black cloud through which Jose 

 declared it would be impossible to travel. It 

 would certainly have been exceedingly unplea- 

 sant, to say the least. The season of the rains 

 was due — the Sonora rains prevailing here— and 

 showers were observed at a great distance, but 

 none approached us. 



"For the first three or four miles, after leaving 

 the Salse, the plain presented a smooth surface 

 of sand and bluish clay — baked and fissured — 

 strewn sparingly with volcanic cinders and ob- 

 sidian fragments. Round holes marked the es- 

 cape of gas when the ground was softened by 

 water. Soon the plain became cut up with ra- 

 vines .'! or 4 feet in depth, which Jose said were 

 tlie arms of "New River," which branched out 

 before entering the salt lake. The remains of 

 & most luxuriant vegetation, now dead and dry, 

 proved the place to be only a desert for want of 

 water. The suddenness and rankness of grass 

 and weed-growth where the New River broke 

 away from the Colorado, some years since, and 

 irrigated the desert, is remembered by many 

 who witnessed the magic-like transition from 

 nness to fertility. An intervening sandy 

 district confused pur course — loose and drifting, 

 but not deep— and fortunately no sand-storm I 



was gotten up for our benefit while passing 



"It was now near noon ; the wind blew a gale, 

 but seemed only to add, by its scorching dry- 

 ness, to the raging solar heat. Our water bot- 

 tles were exhausted, and the distance betwixt 

 us and the watering place was yet ten or twelve 

 miles. Two hours' deprivation of water is cer- 

 tainly no great inconvenience, under ordinary 

 circumstances, but on the desert can only be ap- 

 preciated by one who has felt it. About two 

 ck, p. m., the green bushes and cheerful 

 rippling of water greeted us, and men and hor- 

 ses plunged in and blessed the fountain in the 

 desert, 



" The tired condition of the animals made it 

 imprudent to leave our present position until 

 they were somewhat recruited, so arrangements 

 were made for a shelter from the sun. A black 

 cloud that had been slowly heaving up for some 

 hours from the west, at last met the sun's track 

 and brought its friendly shadow to our relief. 

 After a refreshing nap of two hours, an attempt 

 was made at getting up a breakfast— we had 

 eaten nothing during the day— but all appetite 

 was gone, and nothing craved but continued 

 drafts of water. Jose, however, was a bright 

 exception, and had certainly lost nothing of his 

 gastronomic powers, but merrily devoured the 

 meal prepared for the three. 



" As night closed in, two or three black bats 

 came forth from their hiding places, and a soli- 

 tary goat-sucker flitted around in silence. No 

 other animals appeared, save a lizard, whose 

 movements were too quick for us to capture 

 him, and three coleopterous insects, less agile 

 than their neighbor, fell a sacrifice to the inter- 

 ests of science. 



" On the morrow— Monday, the 20th— it was 

 still thought imprudent to leave until evening, 

 so as to make the most of the journey to San 

 Felipe during the night and early the following 

 day. The forenoon was therefore spent in col- 

 lecting a few shells from the soil, one of which, 

 the Physa humerosa, was still found inhabiting 

 the water of the spring. Two species of fishes 

 were observed, about an inch in length, one 

 slender and of a whitish color, the other, broad 

 in proportion to length, and dark colored, look- 

 ing like a small perch. Our guide states that 

 this secluded spot was his early home. He was 

 born here, and the tribe he now rules over here 

 had their lodges, and lived in abundance on the 

 maize, melons and frijoles that he describes as 

 growing with a luxuriousness unknown to any 

 place away from the so called desert. A succes- 

 sion of rainless summers drove them away, and 

 they have not since returned. They planted 

 with the early rains, say in July or August. 



"At 4 p. m., bid adieu to our camp and set out 

 for San Felipe. About midnight we arrived on 

 the margin of the cactus thicket— the scene of 

 my former mishap. 



"July 21. — At daylight again on the move, and 

 startled a vagrant coyote, the only one ever seen 

 in our route. A trail of a flock of mountain 

 sheep was observed, and the head of one, prob- 

 ably killed by Indian hunters, lay by the way- 

 Bide. A lOi, a. m., the welcome sight of San 

 Felipe cheered us from the heights abqyo it, and 



