* F ; * 
‘ i ‘> ah : ': +. 
cee e+ © | 
leaving our last night’s camp, for a mile, the general appearance, 
width of the valley, and soil, much resemble the most fertile parts 
of that river. This, $o far, has decidedly the best soil, and the 
fall of the river being greater, makes it more easy to irrigate. 
_ To-day we passed one of the long sought ruins. -I examined it 
' minutely, and the onty evidences of handicraft remaining, were 
_ immense quantities ef broken pottery, extending for two miles 
along the river. There were a great many stones, rounded by at- 
trition of the water, scattered about; and, if they had not occa- 
sionally been disposed in lines forming rectangles with each other, 
the supposition would be, that they had been deposited there by 
natural causes. 
October 24.—To-day we laid by to recruit. Although thetmoon 
a 
. Was not in a favorable position, I availed myself of the opportunity. 
to get a few lunar distances. 18 circum-meridian altitude of beta 
aquarll, and 12 altitudes of polaris, give for the latitude of the 
“place 32° 44’ 52”, and 8 distances between q and Fomalhaut give 
for the longitude 109° 22/00”. We feasted to-day on the blue 
quail and teal, and at night Stanly came in with a goose. “ Signs” 
of beaver and deer were very distinct; these, with the wolf, con- 
stitute the only animals. yet traced on the river : 
= ~” 
_ October 25.—The general character of the country is much the 
* 
same a§ before represented; but towards camp, it broke into irreg- * 
ular and fantastic looking mountains. A rose-colored tint was im- 
"parted to the whole landscape, by the predominance of red feld- 
spar. The road became broken and difficult as_ t wound its way 
around two short caifions. = 3 
: : ah 4 * 
were now in the regions made'famous in olden times by the 
fables of Friar Marcos, and eagerly did we ascend every mound, ex- 
pecting to see in the distance what I fear is but the fabulous ‘ Casa 
_ Montezuma.” Once, as we turned a sharp hill, the bold outline of 
_@ Castle presented itself, with the tops of the walls horizontal, the 
corners vertical, and apparently one front bastioned. 
. 
y com- 
* panion agreed with me that we at last. beheld this famed building; 
zuma, . “i = 
, The name, at this moment, is as familiar to every Indian, Puebla, 
Apache, and Navajoe, as that of our Saviour or Washington is to 
us. In the person of Montezuma, they ‘unite both qualities of di- 
_Yinity and patriot, =. e both \ 
Ein a 
a 
A 
a : ee a 
4 ; ug 2 a i og oe rid : 
¥ at ° oe ec a be et 
