MINDELEFF] FEATURES OF THE NAVAHO COUNTRY 479 
on that side is as dry and waterless as the valley itself. One may 
travel for 20 miles over this valley and not find a drop of water. 
Except at Sulphur springs, warm volcanic springs about 30 miles south 
of the San Juan, the ordinary traveler will not find sufficient water 
between the foot of the mountains and the river, a distance of over 50 
miles. Such is the character of Chaco valley. But the Indians know 
of a few holes and pockets in this region which yield a scanty supply of 
water during parts of the year, and somewhere in the vicinity of these 
pockets will be found a hogan or two. 
Chaco wash or river, like most of the large drainage channels of this 
country, has a permanent underflow, and by digging wells in the dry, 
sandy bed it is often possible to obtain a limited supply of water. 
This is well known to the Navaho, and 90 per cent of the houses of 
this region are located within reach of the wash, whence the supply 
of water which the Navaho deems essential is procured. 
On the western slope of the mountains and in the canyons and cliffs 
of the high table-lands which form the western part of the reservation, 
the water supply, while still scanty, is abundant as compared with the 
eastern part. In the mountains themselves there are numerous small 
streams, some of which carry water nearly all the year; while here and 
there throughout the region are many diminutive springs almost or 
quite permanent in character. Most of the little streams rise near the 
crest of the mountains and, flowing westward, are collected in a deep 
canyon cut in the western slope, whence the water is discharged into 
Chinlee valley, and traversing its length in the so-called Rio de Chelly, 
finally reaches San Juan river. But while these little streams are 
fairly permanent up in the mountains, their combined flow is seldom 
sufficient, except in times of flood, to reach the mouth of Canyon 
Chelly and Chinlee valley. However, here, as in the Chaco, there is 
an underflow, which the Indians know how to utilize and from which 
they can always obtain a sufficient supply of potable water. 
The whole Navaho country lies within what the geologists term the 
Plateau region, and its topography is dictated by the peculiar charac- 
teristics of that area. The soft sandstone measures, which are its 
most pronounced feature, appear to lie perfectly horizontal, but in fact 
the strata have a slight, although persistent dip. From this peculiarity 
it comes about that each stratum extends for miles with an unbroken 
sameness which is extremely monotonous to the traveler; but finajiy 
its dip carries it under the next succeeding stratum, whose edge 
appears as an escarpment or cliff, and this in turn stretches out flat 
and uninteresting to the horizon. To the eye it appears an ideal coun- 
try for traveling, but only a very slight experience is necessary to 
reveal its deceptiveness. Everywhere the flat mesas are cut and 
seamed by gorges and narrow canyons, sometimes impassable even to 
ahorse. Except along a few routes which have been established here 
and there, wagon travel is extremely difficult and often impossible. It 
