92 Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



mounted to the table land, and at 12^ o'clock stopped to graze 

 our horses at a little patch of dried spear grass. Leaving this, the 

 groundj as far as the eye could reach, was strewed with the black, 

 shining, well rounded pebbles.^ The larrea even was scarcely seen, 

 and dreariness seemed to mantle the earth. The arroyo by which 

 we descended to the river was cut from a bed of reddish pebbles 20 

 or 30 feet deep, and as we neared the river they were soldered to- 

 gether in a conglomerate of which lime was the cement, 



,We saw tOv-day on the rocks, other rude carvings of the Indians, 

 but their modern date was apparent. 



^To-day there was a dead calm, about meridian intensely hot, and 

 the dust rose in volumes as our party advanced. 



We found the river spread over a greater surface, about 100 

 yards wide^ and flowing gently along over a sandy bottom, the 

 banks fringed with cane, willow, and myrtle. 



Last night I took an involuntary plunge into it, for my mule 

 sunk in a. quick sand, while I was searching for a place to cross my 

 party. To-n;ght I took a swim, but found the waters disagreeably 

 cold, * . 



The chain of broken hills still continued on the north side, and 

 when near our camp of this date, circled in an amphitheatre, with 

 its arch to the north. The basaltic columns, rising into the shape 

 of spires, domes, and towers, gave it the apperance, as we ap- 

 proached, of a vast city on the hills. The distance of the crown 



of this amphitheatre, determined by angulation, is miles, and 



Francisco informs me, that against its north base the Colorado 

 strikes. So at this point, which is about six miles below our camp 

 of this date, the Gila and Colorado must be near together. The 

 hills and mountains appeared entirely destitute of vegetation, and 

 on the plains could be seen, only at long intervals, a few stunted 

 tufts of larrea Mexlcana, and wild wormwood, artemisia cana. 



Jfovemler 19. — The table lands were the same as those des- 

 cribed yesterday, but the valley widens gradually, and for most o 

 the way is six or eight miles wide, and the soil excellent. Some 

 remains of former settlements in broken pottery, corn grinaers, cvl-, 

 but much fewer in number than above. Nine miles from camp 

 a spur of mountains of an altered silicious sand-stone came in from 

 the southeast, sharp as the edge of a case knife, and shooting m 

 pinnacles. At their base we passed for half a mile over the sharp 

 edges of a red altered 'sandstone, dipping southwest about SO ,11' 



deed nearly vertical. , 



On this spur was killed a mountain sheep, one of a large y-°^ \ 

 from which we named it Goat's spur. We encamped on an ^^^^^ 

 where the valley is contracted by sand buttes in w^hat_ had bee 

 very recently the bed of the river. It was overgrown with wi"o^J 

 cane, Gila grass, flag grass, &.c. The pools in the old be 

 of the river were full of ducks, and all night \t he swan^ 

 brant, and geese, were passing, but they were as shy as if they h^^ 

 received their tuition on the Chesapeake bay, where they are con- 

 tinually chased by sportsmen. The whole island was tremulo^ 



