CHAPTER X. 
From the Little Colorado to New Year's Spring. 
Departure of reconnoitring party.—Canon Diablo.—Pine forests.—San Francisco mountain.—Leroux’s spring.—San Francisco 
springs.—Cosnino caves.—Return to the train.—Leaving the Little Colorado.—Christmas in the mountains.—Proposed routes 
to the Colorado.—Another reconnaissance.—Bill Williams’ mountain.—New Year’s spring.—Extensive view towards the 
west.—Black forest.—Continuance of explorations.—Return to New Year’s spring.—Arrival of the train. 
December 13.—Lieutenant Jones, Dr. Bigelow, Mr. Campbell, Mr. White, Mr. Hutton, and 
myself, with thirteen soldiers, started on the reconnaissance. Crossing to the left hank of the 
Colorado Chiquito, a course nearly west led us through a fine portion of the valley, where were 
groves of cotton-wood, and vestiges of an old acequia. But the river soon turned towards the 
north, and we passed directly over a ridge to an extensive valley, with an ill-defined bed of a 
stream ; the water, except during freshets, passing beneath the surface. This arroyo comes 
from the southeast; and, according to Leroux, there is water above, and plenty of beaver. 
But trappers have seldom ventured to explore in that direction, on account of the great num¬ 
bers of Indians in the vicinity. A short distance beyond, we came upon a broken country, gen¬ 
erally prairie, but interspersed with dry ravines and cedar thickets. About twelve miles from 
camp we stopped in one of the pleasant groves, beside a horizontal ledge of sandstone, which in 
cavities contained water. There we took supper, and grazed our mules till dark ; then con¬ 
tinued the journey, trusting to have a bright moon for a guide. But evening produced flying 
clouds and showers, and the rain concealed the mountains, by which we desired to direct our 
course. After travelling an hour and a half as nearly west as occasional glimpses of stars 
would admit, the storm triumphed: so we tied our mules to bushes ; and, for the night, threw 
our blankets upon the lee side of one of the sandstone cliffs, which form a singular feature in 
the landscape of this region. They are high table-rocks—like little islands in the plain, the 
remnants of horizontal strata—twenty to thirty feet above tbe general surface of the prairie. 
December 14.—At four o’clock this morning the full moon showed the earth about us man¬ 
tled with snow. The storm, however, had passed, leaving the sky clear, and the atmosphere 
cold. Having proceeded four miles west, over prairie, we were all surprised to find at our feet, 
in magnesian limestone, a chasm probably one hundred feet in depth, the sides precipitous, and 
about three hundred feet across at top. A thread-like rill of water could be seen below, but 
descent was impossible. There was not the slightest indication of a stream till we stood upon 
the brink and looked down into the canon. For a railroad it could be bridged, and the banks 
would furnish plenty of stone for the purpose. Beyond, upon the course where we wished to 
explore, the country looked like a nearly level prairie, to the foot of the southern base of the 
San Francisco mountains. But, finding no means of crossing the canon with our pack-mules, 
we followed the right bank for a passage, proceeded to its junction with Rio Colorado Chiquito, 
and encamped, about twenty-five miles northwest from where we left the wagons. The valley 
is here wide, and thickly covered with good-sized alamos. The river, which we crossed in 
order to find a better camp-ground, is two and a half feet deep, and from ten to twenty yards 
wide. It flows rapidly, furnishing plenty of water for irrigation. The canon which inter¬ 
rupted our march to-day has been named Canon Diablo. Hear its junction with the river val¬ 
ley was seen a great quantity of dark volcanic ashes, and it is possible that the channel, seem¬ 
ingly cut in a level bed of dolomite, may have resulted from the decomposition of a trap-dike. 
