610 Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



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hout meat.. The Colorado would at all seasons carry steamers 

 of large size to the future city of La Vaca, at the mouth of the 

 Gila. A few geese and brant were to be seen on the river. 

 ^JSTovemler 25. —Marched at a quarter past 9^ and crossed the 

 Tiver, Carson having found the ford for us; we all got over safe, 

 but the water was deep for small mules; it being cold, the mules 

 had to be kept in motion after getting over, for they were disposed 

 to roll in the dry sand. We found the thicket on the right bank 

 much more dense in places than on the left. After about five miles 

 •we came to a range of sand hills which border the bottom on 

 the north side, and we skirted the base of these for 10 miles, and 

 halted at an old Indian well, which we dug out, and found water 

 at about 9 feet below the bottom of the ravine— there was once an 

 Indian village; and in our ride to-day we passed an old secia, of 

 various sizes, of former cultivation. The sand on the north is in 

 motion a floating mass like snow drift, and extends no doubt far 

 into the plains; whether it came from the bars of the Colorado is 

 not certain, but it is probable it covers the plain, which is of the 

 the usual diluvial character, perhaps 30 feet thick. Our animals 

 found the beans of the mesquite palatable, and ate them like corn 

 -where there were any old hands to show them how; they covered 

 the ground in many places. We packed some grass for them 

 day, and they will do pretty well to-night, except for water, which 

 is scarce for man— the waters being like those at the pool of Si- 

 lioam of old. 



Kovemher 26.— Marched at half past 6, at sunrise, and took the 

 Jornada, and expected to find the place where the Spaniards had 

 watered their horses as they came out, but after riding 22 or 23- 

 miles, we found ourselves at an old well, dug in the sand, in a dry 

 creek in the plain, and no sign of the Mexican trail or the place 

 ■where they found water. We examined the well and found water, 

 but the prospect of watering 250 animals and 150 men at the well 

 was gloomy enough; and it was necessary to decide whether to 

 halt here, or run the risk, or go on without water for 60 miles— the 

 command having been 30 hours without water. Now, the prospect 

 was gloomy enough; but we halted, and, by dint of perseverance, 

 dipping constantly, and with system, we got out abundance of 

 water for all cur animals and men; probably we took 800 or 1,000 

 buckets full of water out before morning— some of the horses ta- 

 king five buckets full without stopping— the buckets holding about 

 four gallons. We have nothing at our camp but the leaves of mes- 

 quite, but the animals pick at them for want of better food. The 

 pods are e^ten greedily by the animals, especially the California 

 animals; they were quite abundant at the last camp. Our route 

 was through the southern end of a long range of sand hills, stretch- 

 ing from the Colorado as far out in the plain to the north, and af- 

 terwards we came upon the plai. of diluvial drift, with small 

 lounoed pebbles, of one of which I found the fragments several 

 yards apart, but rounded and polished by attrition. On this plain 

 there were places where grass grew abundantly for this country. 

 We halted an hour, and let our animals pick; we were on a plain 



