290 Transactions of the American Institute. 



and so we were compelled to "bead" it, making a detour of 200 miles, 

 passing around tlie San Francisco mountain, a great extinct volcano, 

 which crowns the table-land in Central Arizona. 



Crossing the Little Colorado above the falls, we sought and found 

 the Moqui Villajos, on the high plateau, sixty miles north of our 

 crossing. These Moquis are the only pure remnant of the ancient 

 civilization that once covered the Colorado plateau, and as such, 

 were objects of special interest to us. We were the first whites who 

 had come among them " taken notes ;" and their towns, well built, of 

 masonry, perched on cliffs 500 feet above the plains they cultivate. 

 Their physiognomy, habits, domestic economy, their arts and religion 

 formed the subjects of our study for several days. 



We stayed among these people a very long time, and studied their 

 habits and manners, and endeavored to get from them as clear an 

 idea of our ancient civilization as possible ; we noticed an interesting 

 fact bearing upon their theology in the conduct of those who went 

 with us. When we came to a spring, our guides first went and made 

 an ofiering by scattering some of their corn meal around on the water, 

 then cotton was tied to a stick, and made to depend into the water, 

 which would, of course, by capillary attraction, rise in the cotton. 

 When this happened they concluded that the spirit approved their 

 presence there, and permitted them to drink These Indians are also 

 very ingenious in the cultivation of the soil and in the manufacture 

 of their fabrics. Their industry is spread over the surface, and 

 evaporated again and again to irrigate and vivify the whole, but on 

 the western border of the plateau the descent is very rapid to the sea 

 level. So that when the Colorado reached that part of its course it 

 fell almost in one cascade 5,000 feet (and from the base of tlie moun- 

 tain 8,000 feet). In this descent it developed a poM-er that sufficed 

 in time to excavate the stupendous chasm in which it flows, and to 

 cut through the entire series of sedementary rocks from the top of 

 the chalk formation down through all the underlying formations to, 

 and the lower part of its course, 800 feet into the solid granite. 



From the Moqui towns we struck north-westerly, and attempted 

 again to reach the canon of the Colarado. The dryness of the high 

 table land over which we traveled was, however, such that we were 

 compelled to turn back for the want of water ; and as our animals 

 were nearly broken down, and our resources generally exhausted, we 

 pronounced the Colorado expedition ended, and passing through the 

 Navajo country to Santa Fe, came home across the plains. 



