CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VALLEYS. 
11 
itself over the surface of the bottom, rendering it marshy and miry. Grass is scarce and salty. 
The chief growth upon the plain is larrea, agave, and artemisia. 
While on the road an Apache family passed us, all mounted. The head of the party informed 
us there were hut two passes through the ridge in front. Towards one we are now hearing, 
and through the other, which lies to the north, passed the boundary surveying party. 
March 4.—Crossed the stream, hut not without much trouble. The mules mired badly—so 
much so that they were unhitched, and the wagons passed over by hand. Followed up the 
stream a short distance, and again encamped. In order to ascertain the practicability of the 
passes, two parties were sent out, to each of which I gave a description of the canon through 
which Mr. Nugent passed, taken from his notes. Lieutenant Stoneman kindly assisted me, 
and examined the gap towards which we were travelling yesterday. He found wagon trails 
leading through it, and the general features of the canon corresponding with Mr. Nugent’s 
notes, hut no spring, as he stated, “under a large cedar tree.” Here again were we disap¬ 
pointed. Surely we are crossing this country in its dryest season. Towards evening the 
parties returned, reporting no trails nor passes between this one and that referred to above. 
This morning was intensely cold ; quite a skimming of ice even upon the running water. 
The northern slopes of the peaks of Chiricahui are whitened with snow. 
March 5.—Expecting another long stretch without water, the kegs and canteens were filled 
and mules all watered. A few miles brought us again into our old trail leading up the foot- 
slope of the ridge, and towards the same gap we were travelling upon, two days since. By a 
gradual and uniform ascent we reached the mouth of the canon which leads directly through 
the ridge, and heading close to the plain on the eastern side. 
Near the entrance of this gap lies an outcrop of metamorphic, secondary limestone, under¬ 
lying huge masses of granite, heaped up throughout the canon in most beautiful confusion. 
From the stream to this ridge extends a slope displaying a rich growth of grama-grass in 
patches. From the crest of this ridge had a view quite analogous to that obtained from those 
already crossed, hut somewhat tamer; an immense plain, or rather valley, extending north and 
south, and hounded by a low ridge on the east, the Gila mountains on the north, and detached 
mountains on the south, having the appearance of continuity. The ridge on the east gives out 
towards the north, leaving a continuous plain extending around its northern end. Our course 
hears, for a depression in the low Hills, to the north of a rounded conical peak, and leads us, 
as before, diagonally across the valley, the bottom being dry, and covered with a dwarfish 
growth of mezquite, sage, and hunch-grass. 
The characteristics of these valleys are their great similarity one with another, and the per¬ 
fect uniformity in the individual features. The foot-slopes are gentle and smooth up to within 
a short distance from the ridges, where they assume gradually a greater degree of inclination; 
and, of a consequence, are rough and indented by drains, the frequency and depths of which 
depending, in a great measure, upon the altitudes of the parent mountains. 
The soil of these slopes is made up of the detritus of the rocks in place in the ridges. Near 
their bases the surface is strewn with angular fragments, which become ground up and disin¬ 
tegrated the further they are removed from the original rocks, until they are reduced to an 
impalpable ashen soil, as is generally the case in the bottoms. When near the divide of the- 
low hills, we found on the right of the road, in the bed of a dry gully, a hole made by some of 
our predecessors, containing about a bucket-full of water. After a little digging, the supply 
was found to he constant, hut at the same time very small. We, however, encamped, having 
made 21.6 miles. This Spring is indicated upon the sketch; hut I scarcely think it is perma¬ 
nent, the surrounding features giving it more the appearance of a blind drain of the surface- 
water collected in the immediate vicinity. Lieutenant Stoneman had it deepened about two or 
three feet, and then managed, by great care and attention, to give each team-mule a bucket¬ 
ful—an operation requiring at least three hours. Some of the men were up at intervals during 
