old Apache camping place, called by the Mexicans "Rancheria de los
Apaches." It was a sheltered place, and we decided to stop again and
rest, as now we could not be very far from the Mormon colonies in the
eastern part of the sierra. We had, on the day before, heard a shot,
which had not been fired by anyone of our party, and we had met some
short-horn cattle that must have belonged to some settlers.

We halted on a bare conglomerate scalp near a little creek, which we
called "Bonito," and which shortly below our camp joins the Gabilan,
an affluent of the Bavispe River which probably has its origin near
Chuhuichupa. The elevation of our camp was 6,620 feet. The summit
of the sierra toward the east appeared to be 2,000 feet high, and
the first ridge, at the foot of which we camped, rises here almost
perpendicularly about a thousand feet. The little stream already
mentioned originates in a deep cañon and adjoining it are four large
cordons descending from the ridge east of us and spreading themselves
out like a gigantic fan, which we had noticed from some distance on
the previous day. From our camp led a track eastward, up along one
of these cordons, and a reconnoitring party found a Mormon settlement
ten or twelve miles off.

The day after our arrival I went out to take a look at the
country. South of us, at no great distance from the camp, I found
patches of fertile black soil partly cultivated with corn and
turnips that did not appear to be flourishing, and with potatoes
which were doing well. An old horse stood there, and I also noticed a
small tent. Going up closer I found a plough standing outside. This
made quite a queer impression in these solitary mountains, but the
implement was apparently not out of place, judging from the beautiful
black soil near-by. In the tent I saw a heap of bed-clothes piled up