315 



driving with them to serve as food in case of need, when Captain Mel- 

 chior Diaz threw his lance at the beast, in order to drive him off. Un- 

 Ibrtuuately the weapon stuck in the ground with the point uppermost, 

 and as Diaz could not rein in his horse, who was at a gallop, quickly 

 enough, it pierced his thigh through and through, and severed his blad- 

 der. The soldiers at once decided to retrace their steps, taking their 

 wounded chief with them. The Indians, who were always in rebellion, 

 did not cease attacking them. The captain lived about twenty days, 

 during which he was borne along with the utmost difficulty. When, 

 at length, he died, all his troops returned in good array, (to Sonora,) 

 without the loss of a single man, and after traversing the most dan- 

 gerous places."* 



In this connection it maybe interesting to give some account of Alar- 

 con's discovery of the Rio Colorado.. It will be recollected that he was 

 ordered by the Viceroy Mendoc> to follow the march of the army with 

 his vessels along the coast of the Southern Sea, as the Pacific Ocean 

 was then called. From his relation to the viceroy 1 1 gather the following: 



On the 9th of May, 1540, Fernando Alarcon put to sea from La Na- 

 tivitad, in command of two ships, the Saint Peter and the Saint Cath- 

 erine. He put into the ports of Xalisco and Agnaival, (respectively the 

 ports of Compostella and Culiacan,) and finding Coronado and his army 

 gone from this last-mentioned place, he continued his course northwardly 

 along the coast, taking with him the ship St. Gabriel, which he found 

 there laden with supplies for the army. At length arriving towards the 

 upper end of what was till then believed to be a strait separating an 

 island from the main land, but which he discovered to be a gulf, (the 

 Gulf of California,) he experienced great difficulty in navigating, even 

 with his small boats; and there were some in the expedition, he remarks, 

 who lost heart and were anxious to return, as did Captain Francisco de 

 Ullva, with his vessels, in a former voyage of discovery. Alarcon, it 

 seems, however, had the necessary pluck, and, agreeably to the orders 

 of the Viceroy Mendoga, he was determined to make his explorations as 

 thorough as possible. After incredible hardships he managed to get 

 his vessels to the bottom of the gulf, ( u au fond du gulfe."') Here he 

 found a very great river, the current of which was so rapid, that they 

 could scarcely stem it. Taking two shallops and leaving the others with 

 the ships, and providing himself with some guns of small caliber, on 

 the 26th of August, 1540, he commenced the ascent of the river by haul- 

 ing the boats with ropes.} Oil his way he met a large number of Indians, 



* Castaneda's Relations, Tcrnaux Compaus, p. 105. 



tTernanx Com pans' Coll., p. 299-348. 



JThe most reliable information in relation to the Colorado River will be found in the 

 report of Lieutenant Ives's ascent of that stream in 1858. (Ex. Doc. No. , 3Gth Con- 

 gress, 1st session.) 



" From his account the region at the mouth of the Colorado is a flat expanse of mud, 

 and the channels that afford entrance from the gulf are shifting and changeable. For 

 30 miles above the mouth the navigation is rendered periodically dangerous by the 

 strength and magnitude of the spring tides. 



"Between the tide-water and Fort Yuma, which is 150 miles from the mouth, the 

 principal obstructions an- sand-bars, continually shifting, having in some places 1ml 

 two feet of water upon them. There are no rocks, but snags are numerous although 

 not very dangerous. 



" For 180 miles above Fort Yuma the navigation is similar. The river passes throng! 

 several chains of hills and mountains, forming gorges or canons, sometimes of a cou 

 siderahle si/.e. In these t here is generally a better channel than in t lie valle\ . 



" lu the next lull miles gravelly bars are frequent, \vitli many stretches of good river 

 and although the had places are worse, the channel is better than below. For the sue 

 ceeding 50 miles there are many swift rapids. The river bed is of coarse gravel and 

 sand, and there are some dangerous sunken rocks. The Black Canon, which is 25 uiilea 



