Report upon the Colorado River of the West, explored in 1857 and 1858 by Joseph C. Ives.

CHAPTER IV.

MOJAVE VALLEY.

Foot hills of MOJAVE range —Entrance to MOJAVE valley.—Description of valley.—Mojave Indians.—Appearance of women

AND CHILDREN.—PROVISION TRADE.—VALUABLE INTERPRETER.—VlSIT FROM THE CHIEF JOSE AND TRIBE.—DISTRUST OF THE EXPEDITION.—Establishment of treaty.—Difficulty of oral communication.—Distribution of gifts.—Violation of treaty.— Interference of yuma guide.—Adjustment of difficulty.—Runner despatched to fort yuma.—Manuel and tribe.—An old friend.—Visit from cairook.—Regal entrance into camp.—Friendly intercourse with mojaves.—Description of thb tribe.—Religion, superstitions, character, &c.—Fancied superiority to whites.—Relations with other tribes.—Vegetarian diet.—Method of cultivating soil.—Precarious nature of their crops.—Value of region for white settlements.— Navigability of river throughout MOJAVE valley.—Black mountains.—Beale's pass.—Approach of spring.

Camp 41, Mojave valley, February 10.—The gray rocks that skirted the river for a few miles at the northern entrance to the Mojave range appeared to little advantage, contrasted with the imposing features of the canon just passed. At every turn we now looked eagerly ahead, expecting to come in sight of the. Mojave valley. Our proximity to it was soon announced by

a lofty column of smoke that ascended from the summit of a little peak near the bank, where a watcher had been stationed to warn the inhabitants above of our approach. In a few moments a gap in the side hills revealed a glimpse of an open country, with bright foliage and green trees and a blue range in the distance, and after traversing a short avenue, lined with low

66 MOJAVE VALLEY----DESCRIPTION OF VALLEY----MOJAVE INDIANS.

bluffs, and terminated by a narrow gateway, we issued from the hills and beheld the broad and noble valley of the Mojaves spread before us.

At this season of the year, before the burning heat has withered the freshness and beauty of the early vegetation, this valley, of course, appears in the most attractive aspect. It may be that the eye, weary of the monotonous sterility of the country below, is disposed to exaggerate its charms, but as we first saw it, clothed in spring attire, and bathed in all the splendor of a brilliant morning's sunlight, the scene was so lovely that there was a universal expression of admiration and delight. Towards the north, to the limit of vision, the tortuous course of the river could be traced through a belt of alluvial land, varying from one or two to six or seven miles in width, and garnished with inviting meadows, with broad groves of willow and mezquite, and promising fields of grain. Prom either border of this glistening expanse, and contrasting with its emerald hue, rose dark gray terraces, leading, with regular steps, to the bases of lofty mountain chains, whose bold and picturesque outlines are so softened by the distance as to harmonize with the smiling scene below. A pale blue haze, singularly transparent and delicate, lends an exquisite tint both to mountain and valley.

As the steamer emerged from the canon the Mojaves began to cluster upon the banks, and I was glad to see, from the presence of the women and children, that they had no immediate hostile intentions. A chief, with a train of followers in single file, approached the edge of the bank to pay his respects, but as it was not convenient just then to stop, I made signs to him to visit us in camp at evening. All day the Indians have followed us, examining the boat and its occupants with eager curiosity. They, on their side, have been subjected to critical inspection, which they can stand better than any of the tribes that live below. The men, as a general rule, have noble figures, and the stature of some is gigantic. Having no clothing but a strip of cotton, their fine proportions are displayed to the greatest advantage. Most of them have intelligent countenances and an agreeable expression. The women, over the age of eighteen or twenty, are almost invariably short and stout, with fat, good-natured faces. Their only article of dress is a short petticoat, made of strips of bark, and sticking out about eight inches behind. Some of the younger girls are very pretty and have slender, graceful figures. The children wear only the apparel in which they were born, and have a precocious, impish look. Their delight to-day has been to mimic the man at the bow who takes the soundings, every call being echoed from the bank with amusing fidelity of tone and accent. At some of the prominent points as many as fifty women and girls would be collected, presenting, with their brilliant eyes and teeth, an agreeable picture. They regard the steamboat with a ludicrous mixture of amusement, admiration, and distrust. The stern wheel particularly excites remark. It is painted red, their favorite color, and why it should turn around without any one touching it is evidently the theme of constant wonder and speculation. The little babies form a remarkable feature of the group. Those that are very young the mothers, with unusual good judgment, dispose of by tying them in a wooden arrangement, shaped like an old fashioned watch case, which may be carried in the hand as conveniently as a walking stick, or suspended to a tree, and the infant thus be securely and at the same time conveniently put away till required for nursing. When a few months older, they are taken out of the case and carried upon the projecting petticoat, where they sit astraddle, with their legs clasping their mother's waist and their little fists tightly clutched in her fat sides. They have a sharp, wide-awake expression, and their faces may always be seen peering from under their mother's arms, spying out what is going on. They nurse without moving their position, having only to elevate their mouths at a slight angle. It is rare for one of them to utter a cry, which may be attributed to the judicious system of their early training.

When we went into camp large crowds surrounded us, and numbers, both of the men and women, brought corn and beans to trade. Of the latter they have seven or eight varieties. It was difficult at first to fix upon bargaining terms, and they seemed unwilling to come to any

MOJAVE VALLEY----VISIT FROM THE CHIEF JOSE. 67

agreement till the arrival of the chief whom I had seen. He, it seemed, had been several times at Fort Yuma, and had picked up, by ear, about thirty English words, without having an idea of their meaning. These he rung the changes upon with great volubility, producing an incoherent jumble of nonsense, which made him pass, with his admiring friends, for an accomplished linguist. Mariano and Capitan declined to interpret, feeling a delicacy in offering assistance in presence of one who spoke so fluently, and our new friend, with his jabbering, proved a great nuisance. At length, with the help of a little pantomime, in which I have become expert, a system of prices was arranged, and for a small quantity of beads and manta I obtained one or two bushels of corn and twice as many beans.

I discovered that the talking Indian held only a subordinate rank; that he belonged to the clan of Jose, one of the five principal chiefs of the Mojave nation, and that we are to receive a visit from the great man to-morrow. The minor chiefs wear a white plume, tipped with crimson. I infer that rank is, to some extent, hereditary, for I observed a singularly handsome and well-formed boy wearing the same badge of distinction.

I had some expectation that our visitors would object to being sent away from camp at sunset, but, though a little astonished at the demand, they complied without hesitation.

Gamp 42, Mojave villages, February 11.—Bright and early the Mojaves were in camp, eager to trade, and while the fuel was being taken in I collected a considerable amount of provision. Our own stock will be exhausted in about a week, and as it may be some time before the train will come up, it is fortunate that we are enabled to lay in a fresh supply. Beans they appear to have in abundance, corn in smaller quantity, a very slender stock of wheat, and a few pumpkins. They raise watermelons, but these are not yet in season. Fuel is not so plenty as it has been, but enough can be found every few miles to answer our purposes. There is plenty of timber growing in the valley, but the dry wood is consumed in meeting the demands of the large population.

A few miles from camp we descried an immense throng of Indians standing upon an open meadow, and Capitan informed me that the chief Jose was awaiting, with his warriors, our approach. As there was a good wooding place near by, I determined to stop and have an interview, and, landing, sent him word that I was ready to see him. In a few moments he marched up with dignity, his tribe following in single file, the leader bearing a dish of cooked beans. A kind of crier walked a dozen paces in front to disperse from around the spot where I was standing the women, children, and dogs. Jose is advanced in years, and has rather a noble countenance, which, in honor of the occasion, was painted perfectly black, excepting a red stripe from the top of his forehead, down the bridge of his nose, to his chin. There was, in the first place, a general smoke at my expense, followed by a long conference. I tried to make him comprehend that we were on a peaceful mission; that I had a great esteem for him personally; and that I had certain things to ask of him, viz: that he should have provisions brought in to be traded for; should never permit any of his tribe to come about our camp after sunset; should send guides to conduct Lieutenant Tipton and train up the river by the best route; and should at once detail an Indian to carry a package to Fort Yuma and bring a return package to us. In return, his people should be well paid for their provisions and services, and he himself for his trouble.

My address, which differed from any speech ever yet made to a band of Indians since the formation of our government—inasmuch as it contained nothing about the "Great Father at Washington"—was at last duly comprehended by Jose and by the crowd that were seated around. It was difficult to satisfy them about the expedition; they could not understand why I should come up the river with a steamboat and go directly back again, nor why it was necessary to keep up a communication with Fort Yuma. I endeavored to explain these suspicious circumstances, and apparently succeeded; for Jose said that my wishes should be gratified, and that he would visit camp at evening, and meanwhile make the necessary arrangements to

68 MOJAVE VALLEY--ESTABLISHMENT OF TREATY.

provide a messenger. I invited him to go with me on the steamboat; but he declined, and his friends appeared to think that he had done a prudent thing.

All of this occupied some time, and involved a great deal of gesticulation and intricate pantomime, which, even with interpreters, I find it convenient to have recourse to. Oral communication, under existing circumstances, is a complicated process. I have to deliver my message to Mr. Bielawski,who puts it into indifferent Spanish for the benefit of Mariano, whose knowledge of that language is slight; when Mariano has caught the idea he imparts it in the Yuma tongue, with which he is not altogether conversant, to Capitan, who, in turn, puts it into the Mojave vernacular. What changes my remarks have undergone during these different stages I shall never know; but I observe that they are sometimes received by the Mojaves with an astonishment and bewilderment that the original sense does not at all warrant.

A shoal upon which the steamer grounded towards evening prevented us from going into camp till dark, and I had to tell Jose and his followers that they must go away and return in the morning. I gave the chief a pair of blankets, which, in compliance with what seems to be an imperative law, he at once tore into strips and distributed to those about him; then he told them, in a florid speech, that they must respect our property and treat us as friends; and the crowd started for their homes. One or two stragglers, unable to resist the temptation, caught up some little articles that were lying exposed and tried to run off with them; supposing that, in the dusk, they could do so unobserved. They were detected in the act, and, dropping their plunder, made a precipitate retreat. Jose appeared to regret the occurrence, and looked a little sheepish at this practical result of his oratory; but some of the tribe were disposed to brave it out, and for a few moments it looked as though our amicable relations were to be dissolved. Capitan, who had witnessed the occurrence, came forward and made them a speech. He has a great reputation both as a warrior and orator, and was listened to with profound attention and respect. His gestures were so expressive, and the tones of his voice so modulated, that I could follow without difficulty his meaning. In glowing terms he represented the impropriety of their conduct, and assured them that he was identified with our party and would espouse our cause in the event of a quarrel. His remarks produced a strong impression, and the result was that Jose made a formal apology, and assured us that the would-be plunderers were not Mojaves, but some visitors to the valley from a tribe beyond the mountains; of which statement I assured him I did not believe a word. They all left camp, but with serious faces, leaving Mariano and Capitan quite concerned at the turn affairs had taken.

The position of a Mojave chief is one of honor and dignity, but carries little authority with it unless his views happen to coincide with those of a majority of the tribe. There are some turbulent spirits who are disposed to hostilities; and should they commit any overt act, the majority might disapprove, and yet, from unwillingness to give up or punish the offenders, find themselves obliged to sustain their action.

When Lieutenant Whipple passed through this valley one of the five chiefs, whose name was Cairook, and a sub-chief called Ireteba, joined him as a guide, and accompanied him through the country west of the Colorado as far as the Mormon road that leads to Los Angelos. They were noble specimens of their race, and rendered the party invaluable service. I have been making inquiry after them with the hope of meeting them again, and learn that Cairook still lives and retains his authority. The name of Ireteba the Indians do not recognize, and it is probable that some mistake was made about his appellation.

Gamp 47, head of Mojave valley, February 17.—Jose and his tribe returned on the following morning, and seemed anxious that the indiscretion of the preceding night should be forgotten. They brought in a good deal of provision, and a runner presented himself to take the Fort Yuma letters. These were prepared and handed to him, and he started off without delay. He made no stipulation about the payment, but was much gratified at receiving in advance a red blanket and a piece of cotton. I gave Jose—letting him clearly understand that it was in

MOJAVE VALLEY—VISIT FROM CAIROOK. 69

payment for his services—some cloth, beads, cotton, and fancy articles, which he forthwith distributed, retaining nothing for himself but a handsome red scarf; this caught his fancy so strongly that he could not part with it, but twisted it about his head, turban fashion, where it excited general admiration. Their tastes are very arbitrary. Small white beads they highly prize; blue and red beads they will not accept as a gift, with the exception of a single variety of large blue glass beads, which they intersperse with the white in their necklaces; for cloth or blankets, red is the color most esteemed; white cotton and any kind of clothing they are glad to procure. Apart from their fondness for beads, their tastes are generally for things that are useful; and for paints, ribbons, imitation jewelry, feathers, &c, they have a contempt.

We left Jose and his clan looking very much pleased at the result of the morning's negotiations, and their friendly demeanor has relieved Mariano and Capitan from a load of anxiety. Their position would be a delicate one in the event of hostilities, as it might create unpleasant complications between the Yumas and Mojaves. I think Mariano, though a good-natured old fellow, would run away were there to be any fighting; but Capitan seems disposed to stand by our side. He quite surprised us by the bold and decided ground he took last night. Any outbreak would be a cause for much regret. Besides our reliance upon the Indians for provisions, our little party of twenty-four, in an open boat, half the time stuck upon a bar, could be greatly harassed by six or seven hundred men concealed in the thickets that often line the banks of the river.

On the same day that we bade farewell to Jose we passed another of the chiefs, whom they call Manuel. He was seated in state on the bank, with his tribe around him; but it was not convenient to stop, and when camp was reached at evening I learned that we were beyond the limits of his domain, and that it would not comport with his dignity to visit us.

The next day we remained in camp. During the morning, while passing in and out of the boat, I remarked an Indian seated for a long time near the end of the plank. At last I observed that he was constantly regarding me with a half smiling, half embarrassed air, and, looking at him more intently, discovered that it was my old friend Ireteba. He had been too modest to introduce himself. He was delighted at being recognized, and at the cordial greeting he received. He told me that his chief, " Cairook," lived across the river, and would soon come to see me. I at once proposed to Ireteba to accompany me on the boat, and upon the arrival of the pack train to go with us eastward; and he expressed his willingness to do so. I judged from his appearance that he was very poor, and gave him some blankets and other articles. When he and Cairook parted from Lieutenant Whipple they were loaded with enough presents to make them rich, according to an Indian's notions, for the rest of their lives; but it is the custom of the Mojaves to burn their property when a relation dies to whose memory they wish to pay especial honor, so that wealth is held by as uncertain a tenure as life.

The appearance of a great crowd upon the opposite bank indicated the presence of Cairook, and in a few minutes a messenger swam the river, and asked me to send a boat over. This it was impossible to do, as the skiff had been hauled upon the bank for repairs that were not yet completed, and there was no steam up. I was, therefore, obliged to send word that he must furnish his own transportation. The river was deep, and it was inconsistent with his dignity to make the first grand entre' into camp dripping with water; and after a good deal of commotion and delay he hit upon a truly regal method of crossing. A raft was provided, and four of his tribe, one swimming at each corner, conveyed him over. He stood erect in the centre, and the water, for an acre or two around, was alive with his swimming followers. The meeting was friendly and pleasant. Cairook is a noble looking man. He is nearly six feet and a half high, and has a magnificent figure and a fine open face. He seemed glad to see me, and laughed a great deal as he alluded to former adventures. He inquired particularly for Lieutenant Whipple, for whom he had conceived an exalted opinion. Many of his tribe remember, and have been recalling, incidents of that expedition. Among other things, they were inquisitive

70 MOJAVE VALLEY----FRIENDLY INTERCOURSE WITH MOJAVES.

to learn something of the man who could carry his teeth in his hand; which brought to mind an amusing recollection of the astonishment with which they had seen a member of the party take out and replace one or two false teeth. Cairook spent the whole day with me. I gave him plenty to eat, and some tobacco, and made as much of him as possible. He was highly gratified at his reception, which he saw added to his importance with the tribe. Like the rest, he required satisfying as to the object of our coming, and desired to know how long we were to remain, and where we were next going. As both he and Ireteba are intelligent men, and quick of comprehension, I drew, upon the ground, a map of the river and the surrounding country, and explained to them our plans, while they interpreted to the others. They seemed, for the first time, to clearly understand and feel at ease about the matter. Their countenances brightened, and there were frequent exclamations of "ahotka," ("good.") I told Cairook what I required of him in regard to the trading for provisions, the rules to be observed by the Indians, and the detail of messengers to carry letters to the fort; also that I wanted Ireteba to accompany me, and that an additional guide must be selected to go with us when we should leave the river. To all of this he gave a ready assent, and delivered a speech upon the subject to his people.

I now gave him some presents, which he forthwith distributed, as Jose had done, to his friends. The disposition of a few desirable articles that could not be divided occasioned him some perplexity. He made an earnest speech upon the subject, and at some one's suggestion it was decided to submit the matter to the popular vote. A deafening clamor and hopeless confusion was the immediate result of this experiment in universal suffrage, till Cairook, very sensibly, threw the objects of strife into the midst of the crowd, to be scrambled for, which had the effect, after a fierce momentary tussle, of restoring peace.

For two days Cairook, at my invitation, travelled upon the steamboat. He was accompanied, on the first day, by his wife. She is a nice looking squaw, and I allowed herself and her spouse the privilege, accorded to no other Indians, of sitting upon the upper deck. We made a good run, meeting with little detention, and they sat in dignified state, and enjoyed the admiring gaze of their neighbors, who were assembled in crowds along the banks. Prom the airs that were put on by Madam Cairook in consequence of being the only female thus distinguished, I am afraid that the trip turned her head, and that she must have been quite unbearable to her friends after she left us.

As we steamed away from the Mojave villages we passed a conspicuous conical peak, a few miles east of the river, which stands almost upon the 35th parallel, opposite the initial point of the California boundary. Cairook soon after bid us good bye, and returned home. Ireteba is to remain; and unwilling to be entirely bereft of the society of his tribe, has brought along a lad of sixteen, by the name of Nah-vah-roo-pa, to keep him company. Since the meeting with Cairook, our relations with the Mojaves have been of the most friendly description. They have, at every stopping place, brought provisions to trade, and of beans and corn we have now an adequate supply. Our original rations will be exhausted in a few days, and I have made every exertion to procure some wheat, in order to vary, as much as possible, the fare, but of this they have a limited quantity. The little flour they have brought is mixed with corn meal. It makes an excellent bread.

The zoological collections have been largely added to. Pish, squirrels, rabbits, rats, mice, lizards, snakes, &c, &c, have been brought in—many of them alive.

The behavior of the Indians has been orderly, and every evening, exactly at sunset, they have retired in a body from camp. Mariano and Capitan are delighted with the pacific relations that have been established, and no longer manifest any impatience to return, though, a few days ago, they were becoming importunate upon the subject. Capitan is a great favorite with the Mojaves, particularly with the young ladies. For several nights he has been absent

MOJAVE VALLEY—DESCRIPTION OF THE TRIBE. 71

at entertainments given in his honor, and, if what Ireteba says is true, has been taking advantage of his absence from Mrs. Capitan to be altogether too much of a gallant.

There has been a great deal to interest us among the people of this valley, and I regret that we have had to pass so hurriedly, and that we have been unable to learn more in regard to their habits and customs. Very few parties of whites have visited them, and none have remained longer than a few days. They are, therefore, in their native state, as they have

existed for centuries. Of their religion or superstitions, I have not been able to learn anything. Government, they have so little of, that there cannot be much to learn. They are not at all communicative concerning their institutions. The marriage tie seems to be respected in more than an ordinary degree among Indians. I think that few, if any, have more than one wife.

Their minds are active and intelligent, but I have been surprised to find how little idea of the superiority of the whites they have derived from seeing the appliances of civilization that surround those whom they have met.

Fire-arms, and the Explorer's steam-whistle, are the only objects that appear to excite their envy. In most respects they think us their inferiors. I had a large crowd about me one day, and exhibited several things that I supposed would interest them, among others a mariner's compass. They soon learned its use, and thought we must be very stupid to be obliged to have recourse to artificial aid in order to find our way. Some daguerreotypes were shown to them, but these they disliked, and were rather afraid of. I heard one or two muttering, in their own language, that they were " very bad.⁷⁷ There being a few musicians and instruments in the party, the effect of harmony was tried, but they disapproved of the entertainment, as of everything else, and when the sounds died away, appointed two or three of their own

72 MOJAVE VALLEY—RELATIONS WITH OTHER TRIBES.

musicians to show ours how the thing ought to be done. These artists performed a kind of chant, in a discordant, monotonous tone, and after making some of the most unearthly noises that I ever listened to, regarded us with an air of satisfied triumph. I tried, by showing them the boundaries upon a map, to make them comprehend the extent of our nation, as compared with their own, and to explain the relative numbers of the inhabitants. The statements were received simply as a piece of absurd gasconade, and had the same effect as the visits of some of the chiefs of the northwestern Indians to the Atlantic cities, which have resulted in destroying the influence of the unfortunate ambassadors, by stamping them forever, in the estimation of their own tribes, as egregious liars.

Two of the five great chiefs I have not met. One of them, named "Sikahot," lives not far below our present camp, but we passed his territory without stopping, and like Manuel, he does not think it dignified to go beyond his own dominions to visit us. They think it due to their position to receive the first call. I had a long discussion with Cairook, Ireteba, and Mariano about it. They were desirous that I should see Sikahot, and importuned me to stop and visit him. This I was not anxious to do. For the sake of future parties that might visit the valley, I had determined not to encourage the expectation that they were to receive from the whites gratuities, but to exact always some equivalent in return for what should be given them. The others had rendered or agreed to render certain services, for which they had received payment, but of Sikahot there was nothing to be asked. I told Cairook, and the other Indians, that if I met their friend I could not give him anything, but that if he would bring flour I would pay him for it as I had paid them; that Indians never gave white men any presents, and ought not to expect any. This was an idea that had never occurred to them, and they could not help grinning at the fairness of the reasoning. All the crowd laughed when the remark was translated to them.

It is a fact well known to those who have had much to do with Indians, that, as a rule, they never give anything to whites. Gratitude seems to be an element foreign to their nature. The only emotion that benefits excite in their breasts is a desire to receive more. The Mojaves have been uncontaminated by the vices that the approach of civilization engenders among Indians, and are, perhaps, rather superior to the generality of their race, but, as far as we can judge, they have, with few exceptions, certain qualities common to the Indian character. They are lazy, cruel, selfish, disgusting in their habits, and inveterate beggars. Even Cairook is not exempt from this last frailty, though, to do him justice, the things he asks for are seldom for himself. Ireteba is the only one that I have never known to beg for anything.

We have had such agreeable intercourse with the Colorado Indians that it is pleasant to be able to notice one good quality in them, and that is the exactitude with which they fulfil an agreement. On several occasions this has been called to our attention, and I am disposed to give them all credit for so honorable a characteristic.

The Mojaves preserve constant friendly relations with the Chemehuevis and Yumas, and were allied with the latter in the attack upon the Pimas and Maricopas, last September. At that time they lost one of their five chiefs and a great many of their best warriors. The Cocopa Indians they bitterly hate, and make forays into their country, slaying and taking prisoners. The unwarlike habits of that tribe have not permitted them to offer much resistance to these incursions, but they avenged themselves by giving the warning to the Pimas, which resulted in the wholesale slaughter of the attacking force. The animosity of the Mojaves against the Cocopas has been raised to the highest pitch by the disaster which befel [sic] the war party from this intervention of their despised foes.*

* The hatred which the Mojaves bear to this tribe, and the ferocity of their passions when excited, are exhibited in the following account, by an eye witness, of the treatment to which they subjected a prisoner belonging to the Cocopa nation. The fearful retaliation which the latter has since visited upon them would seem to be no more than was deserved :

"Among the captives they had stolen from the unoffending Cocopas was a handsome fair complexioned young female,

MOJAVE VALLEY-—PRECARIOUS NATURE OF THEIR CROPS. 73

It is somewhat remarkable that these Indians should thrive so well upon the diet to which they are compelled to adhere. There is no game in the valley. The fish are scarce and of very inferior quality. They subsist almost exclusively upon beans and corn, with occasional watermelons and pumpkins, and are probably as fine a race, physically, as there is in existence.

Before leaving Washington, the late Secretary of War, Mr. Davis, proposed to me to carry out varieties of seeds for distribution to the Mojave tribe, and in accordance with this humane suggestion I provided an assortment of vegetable and fruit seeds, and have given them to the chiefs and some of the leading men, who have promised to try this season the experiment of planting them.

The annual overflow of the river enables them to raise, with little labor, an abundant supply of provisions for the year, which they improvidently consume, allowing the future to take care of itself. The failure of a crop is, therefore, an irremediable calamity. During one season, a few years since, the Colorado did not overflow its banks; there were consequently no crops, and great numbers of the Mojaves perished from starvation. It is quite possible that such visitations are of periodical occurrence, and are among the means adopted by nature to prevent the population of the valley, as there is no outlet for it nor room for its expansion, from increasing beyond the capacity of the country to sustain it. There is no question but that for several centuries, since the first visits of the early Spanish explorers, there has been little or no increase in the number of inhabitants. This number is apt to be overrated. I have discovered that the crowds seen collected at the different points passed during our progress up the river have been composed, to a considerable extent, of the same set of individuals, and suspect that the chiefs in their first formal visits have enhanced their apparent state and importance by borrowing recruits from their neighbors.

A system of irrigation and an improved method of agriculture would make the valley far more productive, but it is not certain that it could ever be a profitable place for white settlements. The shifting of the river bed, which, to the Indians who have a certain community of property, is a matter of little importance, would occasion serious embarrassment to settlers who had established permanent locations and improvements. The rapidity and extent of the changes in the position of the Colorado can scarcely be imagined by one who has not witnessed them.

Having an opportunity to compare the condition of things at present with what it was four years ago, I have been able to appreciate the transformations that are liable to occur, and am satisfied that there are few places in the bottom lands that may not, during any season, be overrun.

Our camp is fifty-two miles from the foot of the valley by the course of the river, though little more than half that distance in a direct line. A few places have been encountered where the navigation is difficult. A rapid, over a gravelly shoal, occurs near the head of the Mojave

about twenty-five years of age. She was as beautiful as any Indian woman I have ever seen, tall, graceful, and lady-like in her appearance.

" A noisy meeting was held, and the night spent in one of their victory dances, during which they would dance around her, shout in her ears, and spit in her face. The next morning a post was firmly planted in the ground, and about eight feet from the bottom a cross beam attached. They then drove rough wooden spikes through the palms of their captive's hands, and by these raised her to the cross-beam, and drove the spikes into the soft wood, extending her arms as far as they would reach. Then with pieces of bark stuck with thorns they tied her head firmly back to the upright post, drove spikes through her ankles, and for a time left her.

"They soon returned, and placing me, with their other captives, near the sufferer, bid us keep our eyes upon her until she died. Then they commenced running around the stake in circles, hallooing and stamping like demons. After a while several supplied themselves with bows and arrows, and at every circlet they would shoot an arrow into her quivering flesh. Occasionally she would utter piteous cries, which would awaken from the mocking crowd taunting yells.

" For two hours she hung in this dreadful condition, bleeding and sighing, her body mangled in a shocking manner. Whenever she would scream aloud they would stuff rags in her mouth to silence her. After she was dead they took her body to a funeral pile and burned it."—Olive Oatman's Narrative.

74 MOJAVE VALLEY—BLACK MOUNTAINS.

canyon, and one less violent twenty miles above. There are two or three troublesome shoals, where the river is divided by islands into several channels, but as a general rule the navigation has been better in this valley than elsewhere above Fort Yuma. The places that at low water give most trouble are the bars where the bed is covered with pebbles or gravel, but these, with a boat of lighter draught or at a higher stage of the river, would present no difficulty.

The range east of the Mojave valley we call the Black mountains. These mountains run from a point fifteen or twenty miles east of the foot of the valley in a northwesterly direction, and cross the Colorado about fifty miles north of camp. Where the river breaks through this

chain there is doubtless a stupendous canyon. Beyond the canyon is the supposed position of the mouth of the Virgen and the Great Bend of the Colorado. Westward, opposite to camp, is the pass through the spur that connects the Black and Mojave ranges, by which the wagon trail of Lieutenant Beale leaves the valley of the Colorado.

The winter has given place to spring. The nights are cool, but ice is no longer found. The days are very warm, but even the rays of the sun have seemed to be more tempered and less oppressive since entering the Mojave valley.

CHAPTER Y.

MOJAVE VALLEY TO MOUTH OF BLACK CANON.

Dead mountain.—Traditions concerning it.—Pyramid canon.—Deep rapid.—Rapids and rocky shoal.—Long detention.— Land storm.—Defects in steamer.—Topographical and geological investigations.—Departure of capitan.—Arrival of mail carriers.—Intelligence from the pack train.—Cottonwood valley.—Painted canon.—Mount davis.—Vicinity of pai-utes.—Difficult rapids.—Gravel bluffs.—Mouth of black canon.—Explorer's rock.—Accident to steamboat.— Detention.—Scarcity of supplies.—Preparations to ascend the canon.—Minerals in opal mountains.

Camp 50, foot of Cottonwood valley, February 24.—An imposing mountain stands near the west bank of the Colorado at the head of the Mojave valley. It is the highest peak in sight, and is regarded with reverence by the Indians, who believe it to be the abode of their departed spirits. Ireteba informed me, with awe in his countenance, that should any one dare to visit it he would be instantly struck dead. This is the first time I have been able to extract any allusion to the religious belief of the Mojaves, and Ireteba was reluctant to speak upon the subject.*

From the Dead mountain a range extends to the northwest and a spur crosses the river and connects with the Black mountains. This spur forms the northern limit of the Mojave valley. For several miles our course lay through the foot hills, when the river narrowed and entered a canyon through a gate, one side of which looked like the head of a bull. The scenery in this canon was picturesque and beautiful, but nevertheless seemed tame in comparison with the grand and startling effects presented in the canons through the Monument and Mojave mountains.

Near the upper end a rapid occurred upon a pebbly shoal, and the Explorer received some hard knocks, to which she has become lately quite accustomed. After traversing the Pyramid cation—so called from a natural pyramid, of symmetrical proportions, twenty or thirty feet high, standing near the rapid just mentioned—rapids were encountered in quick succession, and have been met with, at short intervals, up to camp, which is twenty miles from the head of the Mojave valley. Most of them have been ascended without difficulty. At one (Deep rapid) there was sufficient depth and a channel unobstructed by rocks, but the rush of water was very strong. When we first heard its roar and saw the surging and foaming torrent we were startled, and a little apprehensive that we might have reached the head of navigation. There was less difficulty in making the ascent than had been anticipated. Not knowing what

* In the narrative of Miss Oatman this mountain is alluded to, and her description is interesting, as furnishing an additional example of the universality among the tribes of North American Indians of the tradition of a deluge:

" They told me, pointing to a high mountain at the northern end of the valley, that in ancient times there was a flood, which covered all the world except that mountain, and that by climbing it one family was saved from the general deluge ; that this family was very large and had great riches, clothing, cattle, horses, and plenty to eat; that after the water subsided one of the family took all the cattle and one kind of clothing and went north, and was there turned from red to white ; that another of the family took deer skins and bark, and from him the Indians have descended ; that the progenitor of the whites had a red complexion until he stole, and then he became white ; that remains of the old 'big house,' in which this ancient family lived, were up there yet; also pieces of bottles, broken dishes, and remnants of all the various kinds of articles used by them.

'' They said also that this venerated spot had been, since the flood, the abode of spirits, and that if the feet of mortals should presume to tread their enchanted land a fire would burst from the mountain and instantly consume them. It is their belief that the spirit of every white, whom the Mojaves had been successful in slaying, is held there in their perpetual chains, and doomed to the torment of quenchless fires, while the Mojave, by whose hand the slaughter was perpetrated, is exalted to eternal honors and superior privileges therefor." -- Narrative of Olive Oatman.

76 MOJAVE VALLEY TO MOUTH OF BLACK CANON--RAPIDS AND ROCKY SHOAL.

depth of water would be found, Captain Robinson had the boat lightened and Mr. Carroll put on a head of steam that made the stern wheel spin around like a top, and a line being taken out ahead, the summit of the rapid was quickly attained.

Abreast of the last camp was a rapid that occasioned more trouble, although the flow was less violent. The river was divided by an island into two channels, and in neither was there more than two feet of water. The shoal extended for some distance and the bottom was

covered with rocks. A long line had to be taken ahead, in order to reach a place where there was good holding ground. The boat was lightened and, after several hours of hard labor, had been brought to the crest of the rapid, when the line broke and the Explorer drifted down, bumping upon the rocks, and was in imminent danger of having her hull stove. The day's work was undone in an instant, and we were very glad that it was no worse. When she finally brought up, it was upon some rocks, where she was wedged so fast that it occupied half of the next day to extricate her. The remainder of the day was spent in a second and more successful attempt, and at dark we had the satisfaction of seeing our steamer safely anchored above. That same night the fiercest norther sprang up that has yet been experienced, and continued throughout the following day. We ate, drank, breathed, and saw little but sand for twenty-four hours, and the gale was so violent that the Explorer was dragged from her anchorage and driven upon the rocks. At night the wind subsided, but recommenced the next day, though with diminished force, and we got the steamboat, by evening, into deep water. To-day we had made one or two miles when the wind once more sprang up and blew with such fury that we were but too happy to find a cove where the boat could lie in safety. We have spent the day sitting on a bank, blinded and choked by masses of sand that have been beating upon us without an instant's cessation.

MOJAVE VALLEY TO MOUTH OF BLACK CANON----DIFFICULT RAPIDS. 77

The timbers fastened to the Explorer's hull are a greater hindrance to her progress in this part of the river than below. They become wedged in the rocks, and render it difficult to extricate the boat, besides increasing the draught by the amount of their thickness, which is four or five inches. As has been the case at places in the lower portions of the Colorado, the bar that has here detained us three days would not have stopped a boat of six inches less draught, with a smooth bottom, as many hours. It is probable that there is not one season in ten when even the Explorer would encounter one-fourth of the difficulty that she has during the present unprecedentedly low stage of water.

Ireteba has become warmly interested in our hopes of reaching the Great Bend. He had thought that the Deep rapid would put a stop to the steamboating, and since that has been passed entertains a higher opinion of the capabilities of our craft. He told me this evening that there are yet four difficult rapids this side of the Great Bend; that the last of these occurs in an immense canon, where the channel is filled with huge rocks, through which the water rushes in a furious torrent. Here, he informs me in emphatic pantomime, we shall come to a dead stop. Not far above, according to his account, the Colorado makes the bend to the east and a stream comes in, the water of which is salt. This, it would seem, must be the Virgen, for the upper waters of that river are known to have a brackish taste.

The late detentions have afforded Dr. Newberry and Mr. Egloffstein excellent opportunities to pursue their respective avocations. The doctor has had leisure to make a very full and perfect mineralogical collection, and become thoroughly conversant with the geological characteristics of the region. Mr. Egloffstein has taken panoramic views of the river and the adjacent country, and has now completed a set that extends from Port Yuma to the present camp. The

78 MOJAVE VALLEY TO MOUTH OF BLACK CANON—COTTONWOOD VALLEY.

ascent of a prominent peak on the opposite side of the river (Mount Newberry) has given him a view of the whole of the Black mountain range.

The position of the canon through the Black mountains is nearly north. The walls of the entrance are plainly visible. Bast of the canon the mountains present an impassable barrier to all progress in that direction, The only break that has been seen by which it seems possible to cross, in order to pursue the land explorations, is near the 35th parallel, where the gap is apparent, by which Captain Sitgreaves and Mr. Beale must have both descended to the Colorado.

Not far west of the Black canon, a low place in the same range designates a pass through which a good wagon route may be found between the portion of the river south of the mountains and the road to Utah. This connexion it will be important to make, if the head of navigation turns out to be, as Ireteba says it will, in the Black canon.

Apart from the volcanic upheavals, as exhibited in the ranges of mountains, Mr. Egloffstein thinks that he -has been able to distinguish a great and general rise of the whole region towards the north and east along a line within fifty miles of us.* If this be correct the grade of the river will soon become so steep that it will be impossible to ascend further.

Pour days ago Capitan begged permission to return, and his services being no longer required since Ireteba has joined us, I told him he could go. He has been with the party so long that we really regretted parting from him. Before he left he was loaded with as many presents as he could carry, and was also charged with a package of letters to be taken to Fort Yuma. Mariano is inclined to see the issue of the exploration of the navigable portion of the river, and decided not to accompany Capitan back.

For several days we have been expecting the return of the Indian expressman. These runners regulate their marches so as to reach their destination at the close of day, and every evening at sunset we have looked anxiously towards the Pyramid mountains, with the hope of descrying some one crossing the summit. This evening a moving figure was discerned in the distance, that turned out to be the long-expected messenger with the letters. He brought intelligence from Lieutenant Tipton that the arrangements for the departure of the pack-train were progressing favorably, and that he should commence the ascent of the river from the fort on the 15th of this month.

The Mojave was dust-begrimed and weary. He has had a hard time footing it in the face of the gale and the driving sand during the past three days, but after he had received the payment that was allotted to him, did not appear to regret having undertaken the trip.

An occasional lull in the blast has permitted the partial subsidence of the sand clouds, and afforded glimpses of a valley immediately above camp. Groves of cottonwood trees, of a larger growth than any seen before, indicate that there is some alluvial land, but the valley does not appear to be of great extent.

Camp 53, Round island, March 1.—The Cottonwood valley was found to be only five or six miles in length and completely hemmed in by wild-looking mountains. The belt of bottom land is narrow, and dotted with graceful clusters of stately cottonwood in full and brilliant leaf. The river flows sometimes through green meadows, bordered with purple and gold rushes, and then between high banks, where rich masses of foliage overhang the stream, and afford a cool and inviting shade. From the edges of this garden-like precinct sterile slopes extend to the bases of the surrounding mountain chains. A few isolated black hills break the monotony of the ascent. There is no vegetation ; the barren surfaces reach to the very summits of the lofty ranges and impart to the grandeur of the scene an air of painful desolation.

We have now entered a region that has never, as far as any records show, been visited by whites, and are approaching a locality where it is supposed that the famous "Big Canon" of

* This impression subsequent examinations entirely confirmed.

MOJAVE VALLEY TO MOUTH OF BLACK CANON—PAINTED CANON. 79

the Colorado commences ; every point of the view is scanned with eager interest. We can distinctly see to the north the steep wall of one side of the gorge where the Colorado breaks through the Black mountains. Whether this is the "Big Canon" or not it is certainly of far grander proportions than any which we have thus far traversed.

At the head of the Cottonwood valley we threaded a canon formed by the passage of the river through a spur that connects the Black and Dead mountain ranges. It was only two or three miles in extent, and the sides were of moderate height, but the gorgeous contrast and intensity of color exhibited upon the rocks exceeded in beauty anything that had been witnessed of a similar character. Various and vivid tints of blue, brown, white, purple, and crimson, were blended with exquisite shading upon the gateways and inner walls, producing effects so novel and surprising as to make the canon, in some respects, the most picturesque and striking of any of these wonderful mountain passes.

The country above and adjoining the river is tolerably open. There is no more alluvial land, but low gravel hills can be traced as far north as the base of the Black mountains. Just above the Painted canon, and forming a part of the spur that has been alluded to, is a symetrical and prominent peak, Mount Davis, which presents the most conspicuous landmark north of the Dead mountain. At the base of Mount Davis the river divides and forms a round island of considerable extent, at the foot of which is a rapid that has created some trouble and detention. A few scattered Mojave families inhabit the Cottonwood valley. We saw no fields under cultivation, and the residents brought neither corn nor beans to trade. One of them agreed to take a letter for me to Lieutenant Tipton, and to guide the pack-train from the Mojave valley until it should overtake us. This may be at no great distance ahead, for Ireteba, while admitting that we may reach the mouth of the Black canon, still maintains that we can never get the steamboat

80 MOJAVE VALLEY TO MOUTH OF BLACK CANON----VICINITY OF PAI-UTES.

through it. Since leaving the Cottonwood valley he has appeared uneasy and has given me constant warnings to exercise precaution, for that the "bad Pai-utes"are prowling about. He says that great numbers of them live, near the Mormon road, from which we are not far distant; that there are many white men among them, and that some Pai-utes who lately visited the Mojaves told them that they intended to destroy our party as soon as it should enter their territory. He thinks that we are too few in number, and looks dubiously at us and then at the bank, when we come to places where the river is narrow and the formation of the gravel hills is favorable for an ambuscade. There is seldom difficulty in selecting a spot for camp that

would be impregnable against almost any number of Indians armed only with bows and clubs; and as full moon is approaching the nights do not invite attack.,,

The view this evening of the island, the river, the labyrinth of low hills, the great chains of mountains that interlock from the north and south, and Mount Davis, towering directly overhead, all bathed in the brilliant moonlight, is indescribably magnificent.

• The Indians are seated at the, verge of camp, earnestly observing the Dead mountain. Its hoary crest is draped in a light floating haze, and misty wreaths are winding like phantoms among its peaks and dim recesses. The wondering watchers see the spirits of departed Mojaves hovering about their legendary abode, and gaze reverently at the shadowy forms that circle around the haunted summit.

Camp 57, mouth of Black canyon - The twenty miles of distance between Round

Island and the present camp required five days to accomplish.. A dozen or more rapids, of all descriptions, had to be passed; some were violent and deep, others shallow. At a few the bed of the stream was sandy; but generally it was composed of gravel and pebbles. Below the crest of one rapid the current forked, forming two eddies. Several attempts were made to

MOJAVE VALLEY TO MOUTH OF BLACK CANON — ACCIDENT TO STEAMBOAT, 81

ascend; but the bow was not pointed exactly towards the centre of the fork, and, being thrown off by the eddy, the boat would go down stream, whirling around like a teetotum: After four or five unsuccessful trials, Captain Robinson struck the right point, and we got through without further trouble. The worst places encountered have been where the banks were low and destitute of vegetation, and the rocky bed of the river afforded no holding ground near by for an anchor. The lines have become almost worn out by hard service; the skiff is badly battered, and scarcely able to float, and all the oars are broken. The last seventy miles will, perhaps, be

the best part of the Colorado to navigate when the water is not at so exceedingly low a stage. The rapids will be less violent, and the bottom being gravelly no new bars will be formed as the river rises.

Between Mount Davis and the Black mountains the river flows between gravel bluffs and the foot-hills of the latter chain. The view in all directions was intercepted, and before we were conscious of its neighborhood a sudden turn around the base of a conical peak disclosed the southern portal of the Black canon directly in front. The Black mountains were piled overhead in grand confusion, and through a narrow gateway flanked by walls many hundreds of feet in height, rising perpendicularly out of the water, the Colorado emerged from the bowels of the range.

A rapid, a hundred yards below the mouth of the canon, created a short detention, and a strong head of steam was put on to make the ascent. After passing the crest the current became slack, the soundings were unusually favorable, and we were shooting swiftly past the entrance, eagerly gazing into the mysterious depths beyond, when the Explorer, with a stunning crash, brought up abruptly and instantaneously against a sunken rock. For a second the impression was that the canon had fallen in. The concussion was so violent that the men near

82 MOJAVE VALLEY TO MOUTH OF BLACK CANON—DETENTION.

the bow were thrown overboard; the doctor, Mr. Mollhausen, and myself, having been seated in front of the upper deck, were precipitated head foremost into the bottom of the boat; the fireman, who was pitching a log into the fire, went half-way in with it; the boiler was thrown out of place; the steam pipe doubled up; the wheel-house torn away; and it was expected that the boat would fill and sink instantly by all, but Mr. Carroll, who was looking for an explosion from the injured steam pipes. Finding, after a few moments had passed, that she still floated, Captain Robinson had a line taken into the skiff, and the steamer was towed alongside of a gravelly spit a little below; it was then ascertained that the stem of the boat, where the iron flanges of the two bow sections were joined, had struck fair upon the rock, and that, although the flanges were torn away, no hole had been made, and the hull was uninjured. The other damages were such as a day or two of labor could repair.

After making these unexpected and welcome discoveries, the captain and myself went out in the skiff and examined the rock. It stands in the centre of the channel; has steep sides and a conical shape. The summit, which comes almost to a point, is about four inches below the surface of the water; and if the boat had struck half an inch to one side or the other of the flanges, the sheet of iron that forms the bow would have been torn open as though it had been a strip of pasteboard.

Nearly three days have elapsed since the accident, and everything is restored to its former condition. I have thought it would be imprudent, after this experience of sunken rocks, to attempt the passage of the canyon without making a preliminary reconnaissance in the skiff. A second escape of the boat, in the event of a similar encounter with a rock, would be too much to hope for; and should she be sunk in the canon, and there be nothing to swim to but perpen-

MOJAVE VALLEY TO MOUTH OF BLACK CANON—SCARCITY OF SUPPLIES. 83

dicular walls five hundred or a thousand feet high, the individuals on board would be likely to share the fate of the steamer. The carpenter has been working at the skiff, to put it in a more serviceable condition, and two or three oars have been mended; to-morrow the captain, the mate, and myself, are going to make an attempt to ascend the canon.

The arrival of the pack-train is looked forward to with much eagerness. Rockets were sent up this evening from the summit of the cliff above camp, and the southern horizon was watched for the appearance of similar signals in that direction, but without result. For two or three weeks we have been subsisting upon the corn and beans obtained from the Indians; the corn is ground in coffee-mills, and makes a tolerable bread, upon which and boiled beans, washed down with water from the river, we breakfast, dine, and sup. This diet agrees wonderfully

with the Mojaves; but either our stomachs are not sufficiently trained to it, or it is not wholesome fare for whites, for some of the men suffer a good deal. The labor for the past two or three weeks has been excessive, involving the necessity of standing, sometimes for hours, waist-deep in the chilling water; and strong food has been particularly craved. The want of coffee is generally found, on such occasions, to be the severest privation, even more so than that of meat. But the greatest trouble our party has had to put up with has been the absence of salt. The bag containing the whole supply was lost or stolen a fortnight ago. No one can imagine, who has not tried the experiment, how tasteless and disagreeable food may become when prepared without this common but indispensable ingredient. A well-salted dog or mule soup would be received with delight in exchange for the insipid dishes of beans and corn which we are compelled daily to swallow.

Ireteba volunteered yesterday to go back to the Mojave valley and ascertain the whereabouts of the pack-train. He thought he would be able to learn the news and return by the time



	CHAPTER IV. MOJAVE VALLEY. Foot hills of MOJAVE range —Entrance to MOJAVE valley.—Description of valley.—Mojave Indians.—Appearance of women AND CHILDREN.—PROVISION TRADE.—VALUABLE INTERPRETER.—VlSIT FROM THE CHIEF JOSE AND TRIBE.—DISTRUST OF THE EXPEDITION.—Establishment of treaty.—Difficulty of oral communication.—Distribution of gifts.—Violation of treaty.— Interference of yuma guide.—Adjustment of difficulty.—Runner despatched to fort yuma.—Manuel and tribe.—An old friend.—Visit from cairook.—Regal entrance into camp.—Friendly intercourse with mojaves.—Description of thb tribe.—Religion, superstitions, character, &c.—Fancied superiority to whites.—Relations with other tribes.—Vegetarian diet.—Method of cultivating soil.—Precarious nature of their crops.—Value of region for white settlements.— Navigability of river throughout MOJAVE valley.—Black mountains.—Beale's pass.—Approach of spring. Camp 41, Mojave valley, February 10.—The gray rocks that skirted the river for a few miles at the northern entrance to the Mojave range appeared to little advantage, contrasted with the imposing features of the canon just passed. At every turn we now looked eagerly ahead, expecting to come in sight of the. Mojave valley. Our proximity to it was soon announced by



	a lofty column of smoke that ascended from the summit of a little peak near the bank, where a watcher had been stationed to warn the inhabitants above of our approach. In a few moments a gap in the side hills revealed a glimpse of an open country, with bright foliage and green trees and a blue range in the distance, and after traversing a short avenue, lined with low



	MOJAVE VALLEY—VISIT FROM CAIROOK. 69 payment for his services—some cloth, beads, cotton, and fancy articles, which he forthwith distributed, retaining nothing for himself but a handsome red scarf; this caught his fancy so strongly that he could not part with it, but twisted it about his head, turban fashion, where it excited general admiration. Their tastes are very arbitrary. Small white beads they highly prize; blue and red beads they will not accept as a gift, with the exception of a single variety of large blue glass beads, which they intersperse with the white in their necklaces; for cloth or blankets, red is the color most esteemed; white cotton and any kind of clothing they are glad to procure. Apart from their fondness for beads, their tastes are generally for things that are useful; and for paints, ribbons, imitation jewelry, feathers, &c, they have a contempt. We left Jose and his clan looking very much pleased at the result of the morning's negotiations, and their friendly demeanor has relieved Mariano and Capitan from a load of anxiety. Their position would be a delicate one in the event of hostilities, as it might create unpleasant complications between the Yumas and Mojaves. I think Mariano, though a good-natured old fellow, would run away were there to be any fighting; but Capitan seems disposed to stand by our side. He quite surprised us by the bold and decided ground he took last night. Any outbreak would be a cause for much regret. Besides our reliance upon the Indians for provisions, our little party of twenty-four, in an open boat, half the time stuck upon a bar, could be greatly harassed by six or seven hundred men concealed in the thickets that often line the banks of the river. On the same day that we bade farewell to Jose we passed another of the chiefs, whom they call Manuel. He was seated in state on the bank, with his tribe around him; but it was not convenient to stop, and when camp was reached at evening I learned that we were beyond the limits of his domain, and that it would not comport with his dignity to visit us. The next day we remained in camp. During the morning, while passing in and out of the boat, I remarked an Indian seated for a long time near the end of the plank. At last I observed that he was constantly regarding me with a half smiling, half embarrassed air, and, looking at him more intently, discovered that it was my old friend Ireteba. He had been too modest to introduce himself. He was delighted at being recognized, and at the cordial greeting he received. He told me that his chief, " Cairook," lived across the river, and would soon come to see me. I at once proposed to Ireteba to accompany me on the boat, and upon the arrival of the pack train to go with us eastward; and he expressed his willingness to do so. I judged from his appearance that he was very poor, and gave him some blankets and other articles. When he and Cairook parted from Lieutenant Whipple they were loaded with enough presents to make them rich, according to an Indian's notions, for the rest of their lives; but it is the custom of the Mojaves to burn their property when a relation dies to whose memory they wish to pay especial honor, so that wealth is held by as uncertain a tenure as life. The appearance of a great crowd upon the opposite bank indicated the presence of Cairook, and in a few minutes a messenger swam the river, and asked me to send a boat over. This it was impossible to do, as the skiff had been hauled upon the bank for repairs that were not yet completed, and there was no steam up. I was, therefore, obliged to send word that he must furnish his own transportation. The river was deep, and it was inconsistent with his dignity to make the first grand entre' into camp dripping with water; and after a good deal of commotion and delay he hit upon a truly regal method of crossing. A raft was provided, and four of his tribe, one swimming at each corner, conveyed him over. He stood erect in the centre, and the water, for an acre or two around, was alive with his swimming followers. The meeting was friendly and pleasant. Cairook is a noble looking man. He is nearly six feet and a half high, and has a magnificent figure and a fine open face. He seemed glad to see me, and laughed a great deal as he alluded to former adventures. He inquired particularly for Lieutenant Whipple, for whom he had conceived an exalted opinion. Many of his tribe remember, and have been recalling, incidents of that expedition. Among other things, they were inquisitive



	74 MOJAVE VALLEY—BLACK MOUNTAINS. canyon, and one less violent twenty miles above. There are two or three troublesome shoals, where the river is divided by islands into several channels, but as a general rule the navigation has been better in this valley than elsewhere above Fort Yuma. The places that at low water give most trouble are the bars where the bed is covered with pebbles or gravel, but these, with a boat of lighter draught or at a higher stage of the river, would present no difficulty. The range east of the Mojave valley we call the Black mountains. These mountains run from a point fifteen or twenty miles east of the foot of the valley in a northwesterly direction, and cross the Colorado about fifty miles north of camp. Where the river breaks through this



	chain there is doubtless a stupendous canyon. Beyond the canyon is the supposed position of the mouth of the Virgen and the Great Bend of the Colorado. Westward, opposite to camp, is the pass through the spur that connects the Black and Mojave ranges, by which the wagon trail of Lieutenant Beale leaves the valley of the Colorado. The winter has given place to spring. The nights are cool, but ice is no longer found. The days are very warm, but even the rays of the sun have seemed to be more tempered and less oppressive since entering the Mojave valley.



	CHAPTER Y. MOJAVE VALLEY TO MOUTH OF BLACK CANON. Dead mountain.—Traditions concerning it.—Pyramid canon.—Deep rapid.—Rapids and rocky shoal.—Long detention.— Land storm.—Defects in steamer.—Topographical and geological investigations.—Departure of capitan.—Arrival of mail carriers.—Intelligence from the pack train.—Cottonwood valley.—Painted canon.—Mount davis.—Vicinity of pai-utes.—Difficult rapids.—Gravel bluffs.—Mouth of black canon.—Explorer's rock.—Accident to steamboat.— Detention.—Scarcity of supplies.—Preparations to ascend the canon.—Minerals in opal mountains. Camp 50, foot of Cottonwood valley, February 24.—An imposing mountain stands near the west bank of the Colorado at the head of the Mojave valley. It is the highest peak in sight, and is regarded with reverence by the Indians, who believe it to be the abode of their departed spirits. Ireteba informed me, with awe in his countenance, that should any one dare to visit it he would be instantly struck dead. This is the first time I have been able to extract any allusion to the religious belief of the Mojaves, and Ireteba was reluctant to speak upon the subject.* From the Dead mountain a range extends to the northwest and a spur crosses the river and connects with the Black mountains. This spur forms the northern limit of the Mojave valley. For several miles our course lay through the foot hills, when the river narrowed and entered a canyon through a gate, one side of which looked like the head of a bull. The scenery in this canon was picturesque and beautiful, but nevertheless seemed tame in comparison with the grand and startling effects presented in the canons through the Monument and Mojave mountains. Near the upper end a rapid occurred upon a pebbly shoal, and the Explorer received some hard knocks, to which she has become lately quite accustomed. After traversing the Pyramid cation—so called from a natural pyramid, of symmetrical proportions, twenty or thirty feet high, standing near the rapid just mentioned—rapids were encountered in quick succession, and have been met with, at short intervals, up to camp, which is twenty miles from the head of the Mojave valley. Most of them have been ascended without difficulty. At one (Deep rapid) there was sufficient depth and a channel unobstructed by rocks, but the rush of water was very strong. When we first heard its roar and saw the surging and foaming torrent we were startled, and a little apprehensive that we might have reached the head of navigation. There was less difficulty in making the ascent than had been anticipated. Not knowing what * In the narrative of Miss Oatman this mountain is alluded to, and her description is interesting, as furnishing an additional example of the universality among the tribes of North American Indians of the tradition of a deluge: " They told me, pointing to a high mountain at the northern end of the valley, that in ancient times there was a flood, which covered all the world except that mountain, and that by climbing it one family was saved from the general deluge ; that this family was very large and had great riches, clothing, cattle, horses, and plenty to eat; that after the water subsided one of the family took all the cattle and one kind of clothing and went north, and was there turned from red to white ; that another of the family took deer skins and bark, and from him the Indians have descended ; that the progenitor of the whites had a red complexion until he stole, and then he became white ; that remains of the old 'big house,' in which this ancient family lived, were up there yet; also pieces of bottles, broken dishes, and remnants of all the various kinds of articles used by them. '' They said also that this venerated spot had been, since the flood, the abode of spirits, and that if the feet of mortals should presume to tread their enchanted land a fire would burst from the mountain and instantly consume them. It is their belief that the spirit of every white, whom the Mojaves had been successful in slaying, is held there in their perpetual chains, and doomed to the torment of quenchless fires, while the Mojave, by whose hand the slaughter was perpetrated, is exalted to eternal honors and superior privileges therefor." -- Narrative of Olive Oatman.



	84 MOJAVE VALLEY TO MOUTH OF BLACK CANON—MINERALS. Captain Robinson and myself should have made the reconnaissance of the canon; and I willingly acceded to his proposition. Before leaving he again warned me against the Pai-utes. Their tracks have been discovered in the immediate neighborhood, and one of them was seen an evening or two ago watching us from a thicket on the opposite side of the river. It would be no easy matter to surprise us in camp; but there is a prospect that the doctor and Mr. Egloff-stein, who spend much of their time in geological and topographical excursions, may be carried off some day by a straggling party. The mountains west of the river are rich in mineral curiosities. Along the bottoms of the ravines are found crystals of quartz, in curiously grouped clusters, and great numbers of opals. Some of the latter are of considerable size, and promise to prove, when polished, valuable gems.