244 ON THE FEONTIEB. 



It has been stoutly maintained by geologists of repute 

 that, in comparatively recent times, the valley before us was 

 a prolongation of that gulf; and a tradition exists among 

 the Mission Indians and monks of Lower California, that 

 somewhere in it lies the wreck of an ancient Spanish 

 galleon, freighted with gold from Arazona the Spanish 

 El Dorado. So firmly is this improbable story believed 

 by them, that, to my knowledge, two well-equipped search- 

 ing parties have gone out in quest of the mythical old tub, 

 both of which suffered great hardship, and nearly perished 

 of thirst. In one case one of the adventurers did " sun his 

 moccasins." In each, the expedition returned with several 

 of its members delirious from the heat and want of water. 



The side of the valley opposite to us that is, its eastern 

 side is bounded by a high barren range of mountains, that, 

 owing to the absence in them of water and grass, have 

 never been prospected for minerals, but which have all the 

 characteristic appearances of being rich in metal. Midway 

 between us and the mountains lies Soda Lake, on whose 

 shore our next camp will be made. 



Soda Lake is ten hundred and seventy -five feet above 

 the level of the Pacific, so that, if it was ever a portion of 

 the old Vermilion Sea, it has had a pretty good hoist since 

 then ; however, nearly half way between it and the head 

 of the gulf, at a place called Dos Palmas, to which the 

 descent is so gradual as not to be noticeable, the level of 

 the valley is twenty-three feet below that of the ocean; 

 BO a gradual rise thence of one in five hundred, or an 

 average one of an inch in every thousand for the entire 

 distance, would suffice to give the elevation. 



