CHAPTER. aa 
CENTRAL ARIZONA. 
Hinchman lost for four days.—General Features of the Country west of the 
: San Francisco Peaks.—Val de Chino.—Upper Valley of the Rio Verde.— 
Ruins everywhere.—Lower Valley of the Verde—Country around Pres- 
cott.—Valley of the Colorado.—Mineral Wealth.—Mogollon Ranges.— 
Mining Districts around Prescott.—Wickenburgh District.—La Paz Dis- 
trict.—The Salt Mountains.—The Great Basin Region.—Difficulties of 
the Surveyors.—Tehachapa Pass.—Mining in California.—Yield of Pre- 
cious Metals. * 
_ Norwirusranprve the bonfires which were kept blazing all 
night above Signal Cafion, Hinchman did not return. Next 
_ morning they searched for him in all directions, but in vain. 
Fearing that he had fallen into the hands of the Apaches, 
they redoubled their exertions, and continued the search for 
three days, but still without success ; and at last Palmer had 
_ to give it up and return to Prescott, persuaded that one of the 
_ greatest favourites of our whole party had fallen a victim to the 
cause. Hinchman, however, was intended by Providence for 
_ better things than to furnish a scalp and a night’s amusement 
to the red-skins. He had lost his way, and, becoming con- 
_ fused in the intricacies of the cafion country, thought it best 
to make his way as well as he could to Prescott, where he 
_ arrived on the fourth day, thoroughly exhausted, not having 
q tasted food during all that time. 
q After leaving the San Francisco Mountains to the eastward, 
_ the line by the 35th parallel enters a region not so well 
_ watered or timbered, but equally good for grazing purposes. 
“The Val de Chino, which we now enter,” says General 
