CHAPTER XIII. 
From mouth of Rio Santa Maria to Ghemehuevis Valley, on the Colorado. 
* 
Continuation, of the reconnaissance down Bill Williams’fork.—Coming up of the train.—Care in a canon.—Ancient drawings 
and inscriptions.—Colorado river.—Country near mouth of Bill Williams’ fork.—Difficulty of ascending the valley.—First 
meeting with Colorado Indians.—-Abandonment of wagons.—Party of Chemehuevis. 
February 8.—We continued tlie exploration clown tlie river ten miles, and encamped without 
a sight of the Colorado. Soon after starting, we entered a chasm cut, through a dike of green¬ 
stone, with horizontal veins of granite and white quartz. The vertical section was variegated 
like jasper. The rock, though hard, was cracked ; and sometimes broken into prismoidal blocks, 
affording good materials for constructions. The general course of the canon, five miles in 
length, was nearly west. There were a few sharp turns which would require excavation to 
reduce the curvature to 1,000 or 2,000 feet radius. The rock in some places rose in vertical 
planes to the height of 300 feet. Upon the top it was broken; presenting, sometimes, a fancied 
resemblance to gothic architecture. In each crevice where they could find foothold grew flower¬ 
ing shrubs, the prim agave, or the pink-spined Echino cactus of Wislizenus. Partridges, ducks, 
and small birds abound in the valley among thickets of mezquite and willows. A recent Indian 
trail led along the hanks of the stream. Not far from last night’s bivouac was a collection of 
deserted huts, made of bent willow twigs, and crowned with leaves. Three small stones showed 
where an earthen vessel had been placed upon a fire for cooking purposes, and near by Avas a 
metate for pounding mezquites. We found also a fishing net, made of willow twigs hound 
together with thongs, and a small ring of twine, such as is used in one of their athletic games. 
The remnant of their fire consisted of the most minute pieces of charcoal. Even where wood is 
plenty, as at this place, the Indians ever show the greatest parsimony in its use. Their favorite 
fire is made of a few sticks the size of one’s finger, around which they huddle in a circle to 
warm themselves. For the want of clothing, they frequently make their beds in dry sand that 
has been heated by the sun. Heavy rains and freshets occur hut seldom in this climate ; hut 
when they do, all vestiges of these abodes are swept away. Below, we found other huts simi¬ 
lar to those described, though less upon the Lilliputian order. A man could stand upright 
wfithin them. Upon our Avay we found occasionally mesa spurs projecting from the hills to the 
river. The tops were level as a lake, and covered with shining pebbles of black lava. Upon 
one, over which we passed by an Indian trail, appeared a circular trench three feet in diameter; 
and within, a conical pile of small stones. Several objects of interest have been added to our 
collections—among them a centipede, a lark, and an owl; also flowering shrubs of a new 
species. Ducks upon the river are innumerable, and the hunters are able to add to our scanty 
supply of rations. 
February 9.—From the top of a high hill, a great valley filled with smoke, supposed to he 
that of Rio Colorado, seemed to proceed from the northwest and unite with Bill Williams’ fork, 
about fifteen miles west from the point of observation. But our provisions being exhausted, 
we were unable to proceed. To meet the train, we turned back ; and as a low pass was visible 
among the hills north of the striped canon threaded yesterday, we proposed to examine it, and 
thus attempt to cut off a bend of the river. We folloAved a well-trodden Indian trail that led 
up an arroyo. Upon the right and left were numerous Pitahayas, by the sides of which w r ere 
frequently seen long poles, forked at the end, for the purpose of dislodging the fruit. Many 
14 h 
