EXTRACT FEOM LT. COL. EMORY’S EEPOET. 
From the junction of the San Pedro with the Gila , to the junction of the Gila with the 
Colorado of the West. 
Junction of the San Pedro and Gila rivers.—Formation along the Gila.—Stormy night.—Visits from Indians.—Game.—Minerals.— 
Willows.—Formation of rocks.—Plants.—Atmosphere.—Soil.—Remains of Indian settlements.—Hieroglyphics.—Pimos 
Indians.—Tradition.—Manner of cultivating land.—Dress.—Traffic.—Character of the Pimos Indians; their advancement in 
civilization.—Depredations of Apache Indians.—Maricopas Indians; their character, &c.—Maricopas women.—Mirage.— 
Scarcity of grass and water.—Loss of mules.—Remains of Indian works.—Hieroglyphics.—Game.—Mexican camp; capture 
of the party with their horses.—Navigation of the Colorado and Gila rivers.—Remains of a Spanish church.—Settlers.— 
Capture of a Mexican with the mail from California; interesting news.—Lassoing horses.—General sketch of the country 
from the Arkansas to the Colorado.—Mexican peonage.—Apaches and Navajoes.—Colorado river. 
About two miles from our camp tbe San Pedro joins the Gila, just as tbe latter leaps from 
tbe mouth of the canon. The place of meeting is a bottom three miles wide, seeming a contin¬ 
uation of that of the Gila. It is principally of deep dust and sand, overgrown with cotton¬ 
wood, mezquite, chamiza, willow, and the black willow. In places there are long sweeps of 
large paving-pebbles, filled up with drift-wood, giving the appearance of having been over¬ 
flowed by an impetuous torrent. The hills on both sides of the river, still high, but now 
farther off, and covered to the top with soil producing the mezquite and pitahaya, as the day 
advanced, began to draw in closer, and before it closed had again contracted the valley to a space 
little more than sufficient for the river to pass; and at halt, a^ter making seventeen miles, we 
found ourselves encompassed by hills much diminished in height, but not in abruptness. The 
road, except the deep dust which occasionally gave way and lowered a mule to his knee, was 
good—that is, there were no hills to scale. The river was crossed and recrossed four times. 
At twelve and fourteen miles there were good patches of grama, burned quite yellow, but for 
most of the way, and at our camp, there was little or no grass, and our mules were turned 
loose to pick what they could of rushes and willow along the margin of the stream. 
Wherever the formation was exposed along the river, it was a conglomerate of sandstone, 
lime, and pebbles, with deep caverns. 
Nearly opposite our camp of this date, and about one-third the distance up the hill, there crop 
out ore of copper and iron, easily worked, the carbonate of lime and calcareous spar. A con¬ 
tinuation of the vein of ore was found on the side where we encamped, and a large knoll 
strewed with what the Spaniards call “guia,” the English of which is “guide to gold." 
The night has set in dark and stormy ; the wind blows in gusts from the southwest, and the 
rain, falling in good earnest, mingled with the rustling noise of the Gila, which has now 
become swift and impetuous, produces on us, who have so long been accustomed to a tranquil 
atmosphere, quite the impress of a tempest. We have been so long without rain as to cease to 
expect, or make provision against it; and the consequence is, the greatest difficulty in getting the 
men to provide coverings for the destructible portion of our rations. 
