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<br />20
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<br />IlEPOIlT OF AN EXPEDITION DO\VN THE
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<br />to prevcntlhe entrance of the Indians, and places were desig-
<br />nated OTl the outside where. they might. hold their market.
<br />This arrangcl1Icnlgave great dissatisfaction, and did nf'!t fully
<br />answer tbe purpOi'C intended, for many eluded thfl vigilance
<br />of the sentinels, or took advantage or their negligence, and ,the
<br />camp was soon again filled wit.h them. A large number were
<br />observed to have arms; and the fact that no. chiefs had pre..
<br />sented thcmsclvc5, notwithstanding our frequent dCITwnds for
<br />them, was n~ga.nled as suspicions, and calling for all possible
<br />vigilance. The rr~lrr.ilt 'was therefore sounded, and the In-
<br />dians ejectcll from cillnp, which was accomplished withdiffi-
<br />culty, all 11 hardly without the use of violence. They left us
<br />'with scowling ltlCl's, and some. old women were vociferous
<br />with what we supposed to be their t.hreats and denunciatioris.
<br />Novcmlier 9, Camp No. 35.-While preparing lor our depar-
<br />ture IwfiJrc claylight, Dr. 'Voodbollse, who \ovas warming him-
<br />sell' by the fil'f~, received an arrow through the leg, fortunately
<br />withollt doing him I11m:h injury. Several others were thrown
<br />into the en mp and Rluong the Illules, but the darkness caused
<br />tllem to lall harmles.3. The sentinels, however, were thrown
<br />further ont, and we got under way witbont further annoyance,
<br />numbers l~lllowing ns with yells or defiance, but taking care
<br />to keep at a respectlill distance.
<br />Some days alter (on the 16th) we came upon another large
<br />settlement or Indians, who represented themselves to be Yu-
<br />mas, and met us with assurances (Jf friendship. One of them,
<br />who spoke Spanish101erably well,'infi)fJl1cd us that WI:) were
<br />eight days' journey hum the Gila, and that there was a mili-
<br />tary post ncar its mOllth. and described accurately the persons
<br />of the olli.ccrs whom we knew to have been stationed there.
<br />They were without provisions, living upon the fruit of the
<br />mesquit and tornilla trees, and seemed to have recently located
<br />thelllsel\'Cf, upon the spot. I was convinced of the sincerity
<br />of their prolessions, and (listributed some presents among their
<br />old mcn j hut we ditl not relax our customary vigilance, ex-
<br />cluding t.lwm li'mIl the camp. and I~eeping a few men con-
<br />stantly undl'r arms. The utility"'of tllC precaution \.vas soon
<br />made appa rent, f'lr about the middle of the following day, as
<br />the ~dvaUl:e of die parLY were engaged in unpacking the mules
<br />to g.lve thCllIthl'ir ;Iccustomcd noon rest, a bancJ of fifty or sixty
<br />Indlillls, ;l pproacl1ing nuder cover of a thid;et, fell upon a sol-
<br />dier or ~lle c~cnrt 'who had lagge(~ in the rear, al~d, having d~s-
<br />ablecllJlIll willi :In aITow wound JIl the elbow, dIspatched lum
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<br />),14,'
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<br />
<br />ZU~I4.ND COLOR~O RJVEIlS.
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<br />21
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<br />with their. clubs, rollowin~ it up by a general attack upon
<br />lll~ rarty, 111 whIch they dlsplay~d l1;1U.ch boh~ness, advancing
<br />wlthm easy arraY" range, and mmntallllng theIr ground against
<br />the fire of our nfles and musketoons lor some fifteen minutes,
<br />when they were beate~ off with loss, leaving four dead upon
<br />the ground, and carrYlIlg off several wounded. They pos~
<br />~ssed themselves of the musketoon of the soldier they had
<br />lillle~l, b~t shO\ved t.hemselve.s ull~killecl in its use, filing it off
<br />several times at a dIstance 01 hall a mile,
<br />Our progress down the ri~'er. though heralded hy signu~ flres
<br />as we advanced, was continued without further molestation..
<br />Numbers of. the mules gave out daily for the want or food, until
<br />. we were dnven to the necessity of destroying ull the spare
<br />sadcl)es,blankets, tents', ammunition, hooks, and whatever was
<br />not absolutely essential.to our safety. Uur provisions, too,
<br />he~am~ exhausted i and the ml!les, the poorest of which were
<br />dally kll)ecl for the purpose, supplied our only load unlit the
<br />30th November, when we arrived with a ~mal1 remnant of
<br />them at Camp Yuma, near'the rnouth of the Gil;l, wh~re TilT
<br />ti~ns were .~bta.ined fi)r the subsistence or the party to San
<br />DIego, Caldorllla. . ,
<br />Below the point at which we reached the Colorado irreau-
<br />lar lin~s of rugg.ed mountains en~lose its valley, now receding
<br />to a distance of some twenty miles, now advancing towards
<br />~a~h other, and at three places. abuttillE? against the ~'iver, hem
<br />It III bctwee:n rocky promontones, leavmg no room lor a road-
<br />way at their hase. The passaoe of these defiles were tbe
<br />most difficult porti?ns of the jo~rncy, requiring long detours
<br />over ~aked ch~s 01 extreme acclivity, to cross which we were
<br />sometllnes obliged to break stepping places in the rock for the
<br />mules, and to a.ssist them in their ascent hy means of ropes,
<br />and ~vhere a misstep or the jostling of a pack against an im-
<br />pencJll1g crag would . occ~sionall1 .rreci pitate DI!e of them to
<br />the bottom of the aclJilcfmt preCipice. The arable land hor-
<br />dering upon the ri vcr is greatly encroached upon by extellsi ve
<br />flat sp~rs, hare!, gravelly, and destitute of vegetation, which
<br />reach f~r ou.t JIlto the valley, leaving a comparatively _small
<br />pro~OIt~on of -. the space hetween the. mountains su.sceptible of
<br />CUItIV.'HIOIl. t:iome large cotton-wooel trees grow directly upon
<br />the nver banks, but the growth of the rest or the valley is
<br />small, consisting chieHyof mezquit, tornilla, \,'dlllw, and a sin-
<br />g~l~r t~ee with a srn~)()th, pale greel~ I~ark, an.d leaves so
<br />rumlllul1\'c as to reqUIre a close proxunll.y to discern them.
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