Chap. VI. COCOMABICOPAS AND PIMAS. 511 
valley, covered with grass, and containing many springs. 
The Cocomaricopas and the Pimas who visited us here 
called the place " el Carapo Grande " — the Great Camp. 
Below this spot the valley becomes contracted by rocky 
mountains, and, leaving the bottom, the road had to ascend 
to the left among the rocks of a gloomy desert, from which 
a hot wind met us. We therefore encamped upon the 
grass to rest, before commencing this laborious march. 
The ground among the grass is covered in places with an 
efflorescence of salt. The numerous springs are similar in 
their quality to the " natural wells " near the dry Lagoon, 
which region indeed this resembles. Conditional upon 
certain geological causes, the springs throughout an exten- 
sive region are all of the same character, while from similar 
reasons they differ in others. Strong, clear, rocky springs 
rise in the Texan chalk formation, while in the region be- 
tween the Bio Grande and the Gila, where we now were, 
the prevalent form of springs is a deep hole in the grassy 
bottom of a valley, several being grouped together. 
While we remained here we had numerous visits from the 
surrounding Indians. The Cocomaricopas, whose villages 
were close to our camp, came as well as the Pimas. A 
man of the former nation, who spoke Spanish tolerably, 
explained to me that the Pimas and the Cocomaricopas 
had agreed with two other tribes, the Cocopa and the 
Quejuen, to maintain themselves by agriculture 5 and that 
five other tribes, less peacefully disposed, the Apaches, 
Macjave, Simojueves, Comedas, and Cuchian, were their 
confederate enemies. He did not name the Yumas, 
although they belonged to the enemies of the Pimas and 
their allies ; but they may have been included in these 
names. This man told me farther, that some years pre- 
viously, these had all assembled by the Colorado, and had 
