1^6 Expedition to the 



camped in the middle of the day. Our tent being too small 

 to afFord its imperfect shade to the whole party, we some- 

 times suspended blankets, using instead of poles our rifles 

 and gunsticks, but the protection these could afford against 

 the scorching glare of a vertical sun, was found extremely in- 

 adequate. 



At sunset we crossed, what annears to be, at some seasons 

 of the year, the bed of a large river, at least two hundred 

 yards wide, but at this time not a drop of water was found 

 in it. It has a wide valley, and in every respect, but the 

 occasional want of water, is a large stream. A little beyond 

 this we encamped for the night, having travelled twenty-eight 

 miles. 



13th. The course of the river had here become consider- 

 ably serpentine, so that our route along its valley, was of ne- 

 cessity somewhat circuitous. Wishing to avoid the unneces- 

 sary travelling thus occasioned, we turned off from the river, 

 and ascended the hills, hoping to meet with an Indian trace, 

 leading across the country by the most direct route. Our 

 search was, however unavailing, only affording us an oppor- 

 tunity of examining a portion of the country remote from 

 the river. This we found much broken with irregular hills, 

 abrupt ravines, and deep vallies. At 10 o'clock we met with 

 a small stream of water, running towards the river we had 

 left, and crossing it, perceived the trace of a large party of 

 mounted Indians, which had ascended the creek within a few 

 hours previous. We supposed them to have been the band 

 of Camancias spoken of by the Bad-hearts, and notwithstand- 

 ing we had reason to entertain some fear, that they would 

 have treated us no better than the Kaskaias had done, we 

 considered ourselves unfortunate, in not having met them. 

 Much confusion and uncertainty attends the limited infor- 

 mation, hitherto before the public, concerning the wandering 

 bands of savages, who occupy the country between the fron- 

 tiers of New Mexico and the United States. Some who have 



