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Show FORTY YEARS AMONG THE INDIANS. 243 now traveling through a country that was considered some-what dangerous, more from outlaws than Indians. The Apaches having been driven from their former haunts were now. occupying the reservations at Bowie, San Car-los and Camp Apache, where they had recently been located by the management of General Crook. While crossing the Mogollon mountains the weather was quite cold. As we descended toward the lower valley the tem-perature changed very rapidly, instead of overcoats we soon hunted shade trees. We were much surprised on entering Salt River valley. We had traveled through deserts and mountains ( with the exception of the Little Colorado valley, a place which we did not particularly admire) for a long ways. Now there opened before us a sight truly lovely. A fertile looking soil and miles of level plain. In the dis-tance the green cottonwood trees ; and what made the country look more real, was the thrifty little settlement of Phoenix, with its streets already planted with shade trees, for miles. Strange as it may seem, at the time we started, in September, 1875, tne valley of Salt River was not known even to Brigham Young. Our animals were beginning to fail, as they had lived on grass since leaving Kanab. We bought corn at four cents a pound and commenced feeding them a little. Although Salt River valley is naturally fertile, owing to the dryness of the climate, there is no grass except a little coarse stuff called sacaton. We camped on the north side of the river. On making inquiry, we learned that Tempe, or Hayden's Mill, seven miles further up the river, would be a better place to stop for a few days than Phoenix. C. T. Hayden being one of the oldest and most enterprising |