TO THE COCO-MARICOPA VILLAGES. 207 
A spur or projection of this hill had to be crossed ; 
and then, by an easy slope, we again descended to a 
lower terrace. After marching about eighteen miles, 
by the bright light of the moon, we stopped the train 
and bivouacked in the sand till MSIE without 
turning out the mules. 
June 28th. We rested comfortably on our sandy 
beds, and resuming our march before five o'clock this 
morning, reached a bend in the river four miles dis- 
tant. As the soldiers had had a tedious march during 
the night, and evinced much fatigue, I concluded to 
remain here during the day to give them rest. 
Our camp was in a very dense thicket of willows 
and cotton-woods near the river’s bank, into which we 
cut our way with axes. Here we had an admirable 
retreat, whose recesses the rays of the sun could not 
penetrate; and we passed the day with some degree of 
comfort. The Gila rippled close by; and a deep hole 
being near us which we thought might have some 
attractions for trout, should any stray this, way, we 
rigged our lines, and. the experiment was rewarded 
with several fine fish. 
In the night we were aroused by the firing of a 
gun. very one sprang from his bed, believing an 
enemy near; but it proved to be an accident. One 
of the Meccan arrieros, in attempting to pull his rifle 
out from a pile of saddles with the muzzle towards 
him, having caught the trigger and discharged it. 
The stupid fellow narrowly escaped with his life, for 
the ball passed through his hand. 
Soon after five o'clock, p.M., we resumed our jour- 
ney; and after a march of eight miles across a bend, 
