ili 



168 NEW TRACKS IN NOETH AMERICA. 



until lately, liyed in great fear of their warlike neigliboiu-s, 



the I^^avajos. 



The most interesting features about their yillages are the 

 reservoirs which they build to retain the rain-water. At the 

 back of each building, upon the mesa itself, a good-sized 

 reservoir, some five feet or upwards in depth and lined 

 throughout with masoni-y, is usually to be found ; a little 

 lower down is a second one, with a pipe leading to it from 

 the former. This lower reservoii' is for the animals, the 

 upper one for the people, and for household use. On each 

 side of the tanks, the sloping sides of the mesa are formed 

 into terraces neatly paved with masonry, and surrounded by a 

 raised edge, so as to retain the water brought to them through 

 pipes from the reservoirs. Peach trees grow upon the terraces, 

 and most of their crops are raised in this way by carefully 

 husbanding the rain-fall -and using it for in'igation. Many 

 flocks are owned by them, and most of the sheep are black. 



Mr. Lcroux, who was the fii-st American to visit them 

 (J 850), estimated the united population of the seven villages at 

 6,700, the largest containing 2,400 inhabitants. Since then, 

 however, small-pox has committed terrible ravages amongst 

 them ; and they have also suifered for several seasons from 

 great deficiency of rain-fall ; so much so that they have been 

 strongly advised to migrate to some more hospitable region- 

 Within the last si^ years, however, the rains have been more 

 abundant, and by the latest reports from that out-of-the-way 

 region, they seem to be in a very flouiishing condition. ^^' 

 Ward, however, after a careful inspection of the differen 

 communities, places the present population at only 2,oO 

 souls. 



The next group of semi-civilised Indians— the Pimas of the 

 Bio Gila-— differ from those I have already named, in that 



