Heintzelman, in one of his reconnoissances, discovered the adjacent land full of cracks, through which oozed streams of sulphurous water, mud, and sand, and Diaz, in 1540, came to banks of "hot ashes" which it was impossible to cross, the whole ground trembling beneath his feet.

At low water, even in the lower reaches of the river, a boat is liable to run aground often, and has to be backed off to try her fortune in another place.

The bottom, however, is soft, the current strong, so no harm is done and the rush of water helps to cut the boat loose.

One does not easily comprehend how sensitive a pilot becomes to every tremor of the hull in this sort of navigation.

The quality of the boat's vibration speaks to his nerves in a distinct language, and the suck of the wheel emphasises the communication.
The Explorer at length arrived at Yuma.