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attitude of defence. I threw a pebble at. them, and it would be 
hard to imagine, concentrated in so small a space, so much expres-. _ 
sion of defiance, rage, and ubility to do mischief, as the tarantula 
presents.” “ 
Our camp was near an old Apache camp. The carcasses of cattle 
in every direction betokened it to have been the scene of a festival 
after one of their forays into the Spanish territory. 
The Gila at this place is much swollen by the affluence of the ~ 
three streams just mentioned, and its cross section here is about 70 
feet by 4. The waters change their color, and are slightly tainted 
with salt; indeed, just below our camp there came from the side of 
* an impending mountain, a spring so highly charged with salt as to 
be altogether unpalatable. Several exquisite ferns were plucked at 
the spring, and a new green-barked acacia, covering the plains 
above the river bed, but vegetation generally was very scarce; this 
is the first camp since leaving the Del Norte, m which we have not 
had good grass. . 
t 8h. 40m., a meteor of surpassing splendor started under con- 
‘stellation lyra, about 20 degrees above the horizon, and went off 
towards the south, projected against a black cloud. : 
The clouds interfered with my observations; but such as they 
were, 12 altitudes of polaris, 9 of alpha andromeda, and 9 of alpha 
lyre, and 16 distances between the > and alpha pegasi, gave the 
latitude of the camp 32° 53’ 16”, and'the longitude 109° 31’ 34”. 
October 28.—One or two miles’ ride, and we were clear of the 
lack mountains, and again in the valley of the Gila, which wi- 
dened out gradually to the base of Mount Graham, abreast of which 
we encamped. Almost for the whole distance, twenty miles, were 
found atintervals the remains of houses like those before described: ~ 
Just before reaching the base. of Mount Graham, a wide valley, 
_ Smooth and level, comes in from the south-east. Up this valley are — 
trails leading to San Bernadino, Fronteras and Tucsoon. Here also 
the trail by the Ojo Cavallo comes in turning the southern abut-. 
ments of the’ Black mountains, along which Capt. Cook is to come 
with his wagons. : i ie: 
t the junction of this valley with the Gila are the ruins of a 
large settlement. I found traces of a circular wall 270 feet in cir- 
cumference. Here also was one circular enclosure of 400 yards. 
This must have been for defence. In one segment was a trian-- — 
gular shaped indenture, which we supposed to be a well. Large. 
mezquite now grow in it, attesting its antiquity. Most of the 
houses are rectangular, varyin from 20 to 100 feet front; many were ~ 
of the form of the present Spanish houses, thus: ; eR 
Bas a 
oe. 
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