1Q4 LIEUTENANT MICHLEe'S REFOET. 



line near this place, on a liigli knoll; but has been broken into a thousand pieces by the Indians ; 

 its locality, however, is well defined. From this point of intersection the boundary follows 

 down the middle of the stream to a point 20 English miles, in a straight line, below the junction 



of the Gila and Colorado. 

 Kear Pilot Knob, a large belt of white, glistening sand encroaches upon the river to within a 



short distance of its right bank ; it is fifteen miles long by five wide, and about forty feet high ; 

 from its gradual approachment, it threatens to dislodge the river and efiiice its present bed. Twelve 

 miles above the junction, a spur of the *' Sierra de la Gila," a mass of sharp, angular, igneous 

 rocks, thrown together in the most incongruous shapes, sets into the Eio Gila ; its bearing is 

 northwest and southeast, and it extends as far as the eye can see. From the base of this mount- 

 ain, along its whole length, extends out towards the Gila and Colorado a level plain of gravel 

 and sand, in breadth from twenty to fifty miles, and stretching far south until it mingles with the 

 hillocks of white sand which define the eastern shore, along the Gulf of California. It limits 

 the bottom-lands, sometimes touching the river, as at Ogden's landing, and again recedes, 

 leaving a fertile tract of several miles in width. The latter is frOm two to ten feet above 

 the surface of the water, and the former rises in bluff banks from twenty to forty feet in height. 

 The plain is a perfect desert, marked by an entire absence of water, and destitute of vegetation, 

 save some few sickly plants : the Larrea Mexicana and the Fouquiera, the natural growth of 

 such barren localities, only add to the gloomy sensation produced by the scorched sterility 

 spread out to view, with jagged ridges of hills lying in the back-ground. The bottom- 

 land on the right bank of the Colorado is bounded by a similar plain, which extends south to 

 the base of the mountains of Lower California. This whole country is truly a desolate region ; 

 rich, however, in geological and mineralogical material. 



Standing on the top of the Sierra Prieta, you have a magnificent panorama of the high peaks, 

 rugged sides, and angular outlines of the mountain ranges which encircle you. From this 

 point, looking westward and following the points of the compass round towards the north, your 

 eye first rests upon Avie Quah-la-Altwa, (Avie signifying mountain, in the Indian tongue,) or 

 Pilot Knob, as known to emigrants ; a little further on, Avie A-re-iia Hampan, connecting with 

 the low ranges of white sand-hills already spoken of; then Avie Qui-a-sa viilo ; to the northwest 

 a light and a dark range, Avie Qui-a-sa and Avie Haz-e-nas ; afterwards Avie Sut-ma-mou-ra 

 all isolated ridges. Ranging across the north is Avie Mil-li-ket, its highest peak called by the 

 American.s "Chimney Peak," and by the old Jesuits ''San Pablo." The Indian name is in 

 honor of a learned and wise chief, who became a deity after his death. He occupies a large 

 cavern in the mountains, the entrance to which is guarded by a raccoon, a pet during his stay 

 upon earth ; the path which leads from the cave to the river bank is said to be distinctly marked 

 by his foot-prints. He seems to enjoy long intervals of sleep, and when aroused from his slum- 

 bers by the wickedness of his worshippers, he is believed to change his position, and the act of 

 rolling over causes the rumbling earthquakes which are frequently felt throughout this section 

 of country. During the last shock experienced there, it is reported that a large piece of the peak 

 of Mil-li-ket, solid rock as it is, was broken off, and rolled into the plain beneath. The Indians, 

 considering it a pan of their religious duty, make regular visits to the spot, like Mahomedans to the 

 shrine of Mahomet. To the east of Mil-li-ket is another remarkable-looking peak, called Pin-chie, 

 the allegorical allusion scarcely bearing mention; the two are almost in juxtaposition. Avie 

 Mil-li-ket is quite an extended range, and is about twenty-four or five miles nortli of Fort Yuma. 

 To the northeast, and about forty-five miles distant, is Avie Tok-a-va or Dome mountain, or 



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