Ex. Doc. No. 41. 75 



' we had a sliower which scarcely sufficed to lay the diist, yet the 

 whole face of the country bears marks of rains^ and running water 

 met with in no other part of our journey,' ■ The absence of vegeta- 

 tion will, in some jrieasure, account for the deep incis^ions made bj 

 running water in the earth,- 



JVovember 5. — The howitzers did not reach camp last night, yet, 

 the grass was ^o bad, and our beds, on the round pebbles every- 

 where covering the surface of the ground, so uncomiortable, it was 



determined to move camp. 



The Gila now presents an inhospitable look; the mountains of 

 trap, granite, rind red sandstone, in irregular and confused strata, 

 but generally dipping sharply to the south, cluster close together; 

 and onciscnorant of the ground could not tell from w^hat direction 



DO 



the river came, or in what direction it flowed onwards to its mouth. 

 The valley, not more than 300 feet frona base to base of these per- 

 pendicular mountains, is deep, and well grown with willow, cotton- 

 wood, and mezquite, / 



At several places, perpendicular walls of trap dyke projected from 

 the opposite side of the river, giving the idea that the river waters 

 had once been dammed up, and then liberatedby the blow of a giant; 

 for the barrier was shattered — not worn away. In the course of 

 six miles we had cros^fed and re-crossed the river twice *as many 

 ytimes, when we left it by turning abruptly up a dry ravine to the 

 south. This we followed for three miles, and crossed a ridge at 

 the base of Saddle-Back mountain, (so named from its resemblance 

 to the outline of a saddle,) and descended by another dry creek to 

 the San Pedro, running nearly north. 



Tne valley of this river is quite wide, and is covered with a 

 dense growth of mezquite,, (acacia prosopis,) cotton wood, and 

 willow, 'through which it is hard to move without being unhorsed.. 

 The whole appearance gave great promise, but a near approach ex- 

 hibited the San Pedro, an insignificant stream a few yards wide, 

 and only a foot deep. 



For six miles we followed the Gila. The pitahaya and every 

 other variety of cactus flourished in great luxuriance. The pita- 

 haya,. tall, erect, and columnar in its appearance, grew in- every 

 crevice from the base to the top of the mountains, and in one place 

 I saw it growing nearly to its full diiiLensions from a crevice not 

 much broader than the back' of my sabre* These extraordinary 

 looking plants seem to seek the wildest and most unfrequented 

 places. 



The range of mountains traversed to-day is the same we have 

 been in for some days, and is a continuation of that of Mount Gra- 

 ham, which turns' sharply westward from TurnbulPs peak, carrying 

 with it the Gila. 



Saddle-Back is an isolated peak of red sandstone that has every 

 appearance of having once formed the table land, and being harder 

 than the surrounding surface, bavins: withstood the abrasion of 

 "water. 



The uplands covered as usual with mezquite, chimaza, ephyrfriPj 

 the shrub with the edible nut, and cactus, of this a new and beau- 



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