FORT YUMA TO MOJAVE CANON—EXPLORER’S PASS. 47 
It was quite narrow, and soon after entering it we lost sight of the valley above the fort, and 
felt for the first time that we were in a new part of the river. The hills are but a few hundred 
feet in height, and the scenery, though picturesque, by no means grand; but it presents an 
agreeable change to the broad monotonous flats which we have been surveying for so many 
weeks. At the bend below the pass, which we call after our little steamboat, the Explorer’s 
Pass, is the first grass camp yet seen on the river. Some rude Indian huts were standing near 
by, and scattered over the meadow were quite a number of mules and cattle grazing. Above 
the gap a pleasant valley extends two or three miles to the north. The river crosses it in 
several channels, in neither of which was there much water, and, after heaving over the first 
bar, we camped at dark in a little grove on the west bank. 
Fig. 2.—Explorer’s Pass. 
A Yuma runner from the fort overtook us this morning, bringing the.mail that arrived from 
San Diego last night. I quite astonished him by the munificence of the reward I gave him for 
what he thought a small service. Iam in hopes that this encouragement may induce them to 
continue to act as mail carriers as long as we are upon the river. 
Camp 16, Canebrake cation, January 15.—Seven miles from Explorer’s Pass another range of 
the Purple Hills crosses the river, forming almost a cafion. To the south is a long bend, and 
the banks of the stream for the first time exhibit no appearance of having been recently formed 
or washed away, but are lined for some distance with a thick growth of tall reeds that hang 
over and dip into the water. The view from below of the even and sparkling belt of the 
river, clearly defined by its yellow fringe, and gradually disappearing in the windings of the 
pass, is exceedingly picturesque. In the Purple Hill Pass the scenery becomes wilder, and 
the variety of colors assumed by the rocks adds to its beauty. 
