ABANDONMENT OF WAGONS.-CHEMEHUEYIS. 
Ill 
painted less carefully than those we had before seen. He looked as if from a long journey, and 
told us that he was a Cuchan, on his way from Fort Yuma. Instead of being taciturn, as were 
his predecessors in camp, he was excessively talkative. With vehement and not ungraceful 
gestures, he delivered an oration. But as he seemed to have forgotten his periods, we were 
obliged to stop him ourselves. Whether his volubility was the result of fright or impudence, 
was not apparent. Our orator was placed under the charge of Mexicans till morning. But at 
midnight, probably frightened by the quarter-hourly call of the sentinels, he came to our tent, 
and awoke us, saying, “ Atcoberquec n’ye-moom,” which, interpreted, signified that he wanted 
to go home. But being informed that the sentinels would shoot him if he went out, he again 
laid himself down by the fire, and was quiet. 
The weather is warm and pleasant. Flowers are quite numerous upon the hills. A new 
cactodendron has been discovered. A trout, like those of the Rio Gila, has been caught in the 
Colorado, and new and beautiful varieties^of lizards and horned frogs added to the collections. 
February 22 —Camp 129.—The wagons, as well as private baggage and a few articles that 
will scarcely be needed upon the remainder of the journey, and cannot be packed, were aban¬ 
doned this morning. The scientific collections and instruments necessary for service were care¬ 
fully preserved. The spring-carriage, with odometer, barometers, &c., placed under the pilotage 
of Lieutenant Stanley, the quartermaster, was again despatched upon the survey. We fol¬ 
lowed the trail examined yesterday, ascended the cliff before mentioned, and threaded the 
ravine, which seemed cleft through the ridge of eruptive rock. Beyond were gravel hills, and 
a devious track eight miles to their termination, where, upon a field of good grass, we encamped. 
The labor would not be great to construct a wagon road near our trail. Upon the river, doubt¬ 
less, the few points of hills that intersect the bank might be easily cut off, so as to afford space 
both for a wagon road and railway. 
Upon entering the ravine, Indians sprang up on all sides; some armed with bows and arrows, 
others without weapons, and many carrying things that we had abandoned at the last camp. 
We now felt the advantage of having established friendly relations with them, for in the diffi¬ 
cult passes they could seriously have annoyed us by interrupting the survey, if not our progress. 
They professed to be Chemehuevis, a band of the great Pai-Ute* nation, and spoke a language 
bearing no resemblance to that of the Cuchans, or of the Mojaves, met yesterday. Near camp 
we crossed a field of wheat, which the owner guarded with praiseworthy zeal. There was no 
acequia, and irrigation did not appear to be resorted to. The village and principal fields of 
these Indians are upon the opposite side of the river, too far off to allow us to distinguish the 
style of building and mode of culture. 
In camp were probably fifty Pai-Utes. The chief, preceded by Leroux, who understands the 
language, and followed by a long train of his warriors, approached to pay his respects. His 
portrait may be taken as characteristic of his tribe. He was short, muscular, and inclining to 
corpulency, his face of an oval shape, and pleasing, though painted in black and red stripes. 
His black hair was cropped in front and clubbed behind, although some of his people wore it 
in plats matted with mud, and cut squarely to hang to the middle of the back. His nose 
was wide and slightly aquiline ; his eyes small and oval, and surrounded with large blue 
circles of paint. The dress in which we found him consisted of an old blue flannel shirt, 
instead of the simple apron worn by his subjects; but he was soon decked by us in gay costume. 
This excited the desire of his people for similar clothing, and they brought in for trade consid¬ 
erable quantities of maize, wheat, beans, and squashes, affording dainty fare for the whole 
camp. 
At night the chief furnished a vocabulary of his language. He also drew a sketch of this 
country, giving the Pai-Ute names of tribes, and the rivers where they dwell. 
In old Spanish manuscripts this name is spelled “ Payuches,” which also answers to the Indian pronunciation. Moderns 
have corrupted it into “Pah Utahs.” 
