524 
A PARTY OF COCOPAS. 
Book III. 
rocks, that the damp of the night changed the soil into 
mud two inches in depth. Lower down I found it dry. 
In this neighbourhood we met one evening some twenty 
Indians of the Cocopa tribe. These people were engaged 
on a diplomatic mission to the Pimas, in order to arrange 
an expedition with them against the Yumas. They told 
us this, and the eager questions which the Yumas addressed 
to us respecting it when we reached the Colorado, proved 
that the latter had been aware of these proceedings. The 
Cocopas, who appeared friendly, and conducted them- 
selves perfectly well in our camp, used English words 
to make themselves understood ; all other Indians whom 
we had met, had only understood Spanish besides their 
native tongue. They were evidently influenced by the 
vicinity of California, for they are too remote from inter- 
course with the military station of Camp Yuma. The 
