36 



tributaries. Except at the place of descent the canon of the river, 

 as far as it could be seen, showed no point of practicable ingress or 

 outlet, and the appearance of the torrent, foaming and surging along 

 its confined bed, left little room for doubt as to what would be the 

 result of any attempt, such as has been sometimes suggested, to 

 explore -the river in boats from its sources above. 



So numerous and so closely interlaced are the canons in some por- 

 tion of this singular region that they have displaced all but scattered 

 remnants of the original plateau, leaving narrow Avails, isolated ridges, 

 and spires so slender that they seem to totter upon their bases, 

 shooting up to an enormous height from the vaults below. 



The natural surface of the country opposes insurmountable barriers 

 to travelling in any fixed direction, and the aridity of the accessible 

 portions of the table lands rendered the explorations difficult. Though 

 the season of the year was the most favorable for finding water, much 

 inconvenience was experienced from its scarcity, and it is doubtful 

 whether during the dry months the examinations could have been 

 prosecuted at all. 



West of the Little Colorado belts of cedar and pine forests some- 

 what relieve the general aspect of barrenness, but travelling east- 

 ward, between that river and the towns of the Moquis Indians, the 

 country becomes almost entirely a desert. The immense stretches of 

 sandy soil are broken only by ridges of brilliant red and yellow marls, 

 that intensify the heat and glare of the sun. The mirage ordinarily 

 existing in such localities assumes generally the appearance of water, 

 and is rendered peculiarly unpleasant from the known absence of that 

 element over the whole i;egion in question. Still further east the 

 table lands begin to mingle with spui's from the Sierra Madre, the 

 country becomes more broken and diversified, and the desert gives 

 place to the habitable Navajo territory that borders the mountains 

 west of the Rio Grande. 



INDIAN TRIBES ENCOUNTERED. 



The Indians living along the lower portions of the Colorado, com- 

 prising the Cocopa, Yuma, Chemehuevis, and Mojave tribes, have 

 become tolerably well known from the narratives of persons who have 

 within the last few years passed through their territory. Their num- 

 bers have been, I think, over estimated. Idle and inquisitive, they 

 assemble en mas,se from far and near at the approach of strangers, and 

 give an impression of a much larger population than really exists. 

 The crowds that collected each day at the prominent points of the 

 banks to watch the steamboat pass by appeared at first to present 

 continual ncAv sets of individuals, but it was found, after time had 

 made familiar the portions of the faces that the paint and mud per- 

 mitted to be visible, that the composition of the successive throngs 

 was in a great measure the same. The Mojave tribe, which has been 

 least exposed to intercourse with whites, appeared to be considerably 

 the most numerous. Their symmetrical proportions and stalwart 

 frames have obtained for them the reputation among all that have 



