complished, water, except on the river, is scarce. Often for months
the soil of the valleys and plains never feels rain; even dew is
unknown. In this arid region much of the vegetation is set with thorns,
and some of the animals are made to match the vegetation. A knowledge
of this forbidding area, now robbed of some of its old terrors by the
facilities in transportation, has been finally gained only by a long
series of persistent efforts, attended by dangers, privations, reverses,
discouragements, and disasters innumerable. The Amerind,* the red man,
roamed its wild valleys. Some tribes built stone houses whose ruins are
now found overlooking its waters, even in the depths of the Grand
Canyon itself, or in the cliffs along the more accessible tributaries,
cultivating in the bottoms their crops. Lands were also tilled along the
extreme lower reaches, where the great rock-walls fall back and alluvial
soils border the stream. Here and there the Amerind also crossed it,
when occasion required, on the great intertribal highways which are
found in all districts, but it was neither one thing nor another to him.

*This name is a substitute for the misnomer "Indian." Its use avoids
confusion.

So the river rolled on through its solemn canyons in primeval freedom,
unvexed by the tampering and meddling of man. The Spaniards, after the
picturesque conquest of the luckless Aztecs, were eagerly searching for
new fields of profitable battle, and then they dreamed of finding among
the mysteries of the alluring northland, stretching so far away into the
Unknown, a repetition of towns as populous, as wealthy in pure gold, as
those of the valley of Mexico whose despoiled treasures had fired the
cupidity of Europe and had crammed the strong boxes of the Spanish king.
And there might be towns even richer! Who could say? An Amerind named
Tejo, who belonged to Guzman when he was president of New Spain, that
is, about 1530, told of journeys he had made with his father, when a
boy, to trade in the far north where he saw very large villages like
Mexico, especially seven large towns full of silver-workers, forty days'
journey through the wilderness. This welcome story was fuel to the fire.
Guzman organised a party and started for these wonderful seven cities,
but numerous difficulties prevented the fulfilment of his plans, and
caused a halt after traversing but a small portion of the distance.
Cortes had now also returned from a visit to