Ee ce Te ee Se ee re ee 
7 a 
TO THE COCO-MARICOPA VILLAGES. ) lo 
and mezquit, where we could not see our way ten 
yards ahead; an admirable place for an ambuscade, 
although we had no fear of any thing of the kind. - It 
was an agreeable change from the utter barrenness 
and parching heat of the table-land to find ourselves 
now in a thick wood. After passing the northern ter- 
mination of “ Big Horn” Mountain, we completed our 
_day’s march, and encamped at eleven o’clock in a 
thicket of willows near the river. Mr, Leroux, who 
was in advance, soon after rode into camp with a fine 
black-tailed deer thrown across his mule, which he 
had just killed, and which proved delicious eating. 
We occasionally saw these deer, as well as antelopes, 
as we passed along; but our numbers and the white- 
topped wagons alarmed them. Hence it was only by 
‘leaving the party and going in advance that our 
hunters could hope for success. 
During the day we passed two abandoned wagons 
in good condition, save the injury they had received 
from long exposure to the sun. From one of them 
we helped ourselves to a king-bolt, to replace the one 
we had broken a few days patie: ; 
From the large quantity of iron strewed about, with ~ 
fragments of vehicles, tin kettles, and camp equipage, 
we were evidently at a place where wagons had been 
broken up and burned. The extent of these traces ee 
showed that it was probably the place where ees 
Kearney or Colonel Cooke encamped i in’ 1847. We 
had discovered their camps in several instances, and. 
many years must elapse before these signs will be ~ 
obliterated. Distance travelled to-day, eighteen miles. 
The mountains here are as iecauial and barren as 
