TO THE COCO-MARICOPA VILLAGES. 211 
It was indeed a pleasant sight to find ourselves 
once more surrounded by luxuriant grass. Although 
we had met with a little salt grass in one or two places 
on the march, which no animal would eat if he could 
get any thing else, we had not seen a patch of good 
erass since leaving our camp at San Isabel, fifty-six 
miles from San Diego. At Vallecita and Carrizo Creek 
it is indifferent. 
As it would yet be several hours before we could 
look for the wagons and the remainder of the party, 
we turned the mules out to luxuriate on the rich pasture 
before them, and creeping under some mezquit bushes 
soon fell asleep, rest being more desirable than food. 
The wagons with the rest of the party, including 
the escort, came in at half-past ten. We now got out 
all the tents, and arranged our camp with much care, 
as we were to be here for some days, to await the arri- 
val of Lieutenant Whipple and the surveying party. 
We selected a spot in which there was a pretty grove 
of mezquit bushes, and there we pitched the tents. 
The water here is found in several holes, from four to 
six feet below the surface, which were dug by Colonel 
Cooke on his march to California. In some of these 
holes the water is brackish, in others very pure. The 
Gila passes about two miles to the north; for one half 
of which distance the grass extends, the other half 
being loose sand. Major Emory, in his report,* re- 
commends parties going to California by this route 
not to cross the plateau which we had just come 
over, but to keep to the river, as ‘‘ the journey is but 
* Notes of Military Reconnoissance, p. 89. 
