IS^ 4 O .V U. in'. ' ' CHILE CON CAENE; THE CAMP AND THE FIELD. BY S. COMPTON SMITH, M. D., ACTING SURGEON WITH GENERAL TAYLOR'S DIVISION IN MEXICO. MILLER & CUETIS 321 BROADWAY. MILWAUKEE: FORD & FAIRBANKS 1857. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by MILLER & CURTIS, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. ^3-? to ^: :. cA-.'\ Miller & Curtis, Printers and Stereotypers, N. Y. :^ 0> TO CHARLES JENKS SMITH, ESQ., OF BROOKLYN, MY RELATIVE AND VERY KIND FRIEND, I BEG TO c^icate t!)i0 ^ooik, A3 A SLIGHT, AND HUMBLE TOKEN OF THE HIGH ESTEEM AND GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE AUTHOR. INTRODUCTION. In presenting this book to the reading public, I wish to give my reasons for presuming so far upon its indulgences. In the first place, then, some few of these sketches having, from time to time, made their debut, in the periodicals of the day, in a^ less finished form, I felt I had a right, in justice to my- self, to give them publicity in the form in which I now present them. Another, and more important reason, is the fact, that notwithstanding many hastily-written works on the Mexican War, — works prepared expressly to fill a temporary demand, — have been issued from the press, — nothing as yet had appeared in the shape of personal experiences, and anecdotical inci- dents of that campaign. The field for a work of that character is a wide one ; and I have endeavored, in the following pages, VI INTRODUCTION. to cultivate it to a very limited extent. It is true, that I have but very superficially turned up the soil, v^^hich might be made so prolific. But it is to be hoped, that the v^ork, being so indifferently per- formed on my part, may induce some more skillful laborer to resume it; and, doing it greater justice, produce a richer harvest of interesting incidents and experiences, to be garnered into the storehouse of history. This work covers but a portion of the ground of operations of the American army, — being necessarily confined to the line passed over by the victorious forces under the immediate command of the gallant Taylor, — to which only the writer was attached. The incidents and anecdotes, connected with the rapid succession of victories on the line of General Scott, will, doubtless, some day, be collected in a form, in w^hich they may be passed down to pos- terity, as w^orthy of preservation. In justice to others as well as to himself, it is but proper to say, — that in carrying out the plan of the work, — the author has, in the first place, taken the liberty to make a long extract from Kendall's ^ Santa Fc Exjjedition,^^ — the nature of the subject making it unavoidable ; and, secondly, — he has INTRODUCTION. Vll also, — in that portion of the work, devoted to the battle of Buena Vista, — made frequent reference to that most excellent work of Captain Carleton's — entitled " History of the Battle of Buena Visla.^- This is altogether the best, most correct, and detailed ac- count of that affair, which has ever emanated from the press. The following incidents are all matters of fact, and will be readily recognized as such, by those of my readers, who were so fortunate as to have taken part in the exciting scenes of the campaign ; — and although, in some instances, they are related in a colloquial style, to render them more attractive to the general reader, they are, nevertheless, truthful. Perhaps I have not contined the order of my sketches to strict accordance with dates ; — as not having the means at hand, I have been obliged in a great measure to draw upon memory ; — and it is al- most impossible, in such cases, to keep a correct sequence of events. And now, in bringing these prefatory remarks to a close, — I have only a parting w^ord to say to that interesting class of penny-a-liners, who consider it their especial province and right, to dissect every- thing, which has the fresh impress of ink and type ; Vlll INTKODUCTION. — and to lay bare all its imperfections, and impro- prieties : Lay on, gentlemen ! — dissect a doctor at your pleasure, — but remember, that every attempt to annihilate my little book, is but a gratuitous ad- vertisement, that will enhance its sale; — therefore — " cave quid dicis, quando, et ciii /" s. c. s. Nevv-York, July, 1857. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Commencement of the War. — Call for Volunteers. — Mexico a Land of Romance. — Cause of Volunteering. — The Halls of the Montezumas. — The Author's Intention to Visit Mexico. — Embarkation. — The Sabine River. — The Voyage and its Attendants. — Lake Sabine. — The Sabine Pass. — Gulf Buccaneers. — Lafitte. — Norther. — An Arrival. — Lost Boy. —The Search. — Mr. Deshields. — The Stock-raiser, McGuflfey.— Alli- gator Holes. — Probable Pate of the Boy. — Search discontinued. — Dis- tress of Parents, — Meeting with the Father in Galveston. - - 1 CHAPTER II. Call made on Texas. — Colonel Bennett. — Writer joins a Texas Rifle Com- pany.— Schooner '' Rosella." — Conduct of Government Otficei=. — Short Supplies. — Storm on the Gulf — Breakers. — Heading for the Beach. — Exciting Scene while in the Breakers. — Shipwreck. — Isle del Padre. — Chowder. — Colonel Bennett leaves the Wreck. — Pilot-boat offers Aid. — ^Wagons arrive. — A Walk ahead. — Young Roberts. — Wreckers along the Shore. — Drift of the Gulf Stream. — Sea-shells. — Norther. — Attempt to rest.— Shifting Sand. — Travel all Night. — Return of Day. — Strange Sight ahead. — Wolves ! Wolves ! — Fortunate Escape. — The Reason. — Arrival at Point Isabel.— Election of Regimental Officers.— Mustered into Service. — Ordei-ed to Camargo. — Mustered out of Service. — Writer receives Appointment as Surgeon, and accompanies General Taylor. 14 ^ CHAPTER III. Ingredients of a Volunteer Regiment. — No place like an Army to develop Character.— Captain Cheshu-e's Prayer-meetings. — Our Orderly-Ser- geant Fry.— The Kangaroo Club.— Rules of the Club.— Place of Meet- lug. — Fount of Inspiration. — Programme of Proceedings, and Initiation. -Sergeant Fry called upon for a Stoiy.— " Old San Jacinto" and the Galveston Jew ; or how the General was done for. — Jimmy Tweed. — Jimmy as a Santa Fe Prisoner.- A Standing and Swift WitneSs.— Jim- X CONTENTS* my's Testimony.— Death of Jimmy. — Jimmy Byrne's " Brian O'Linn," — Jimmy Byrne a Famous Hunter. — His Liori, Hunt. — A slight Mis- take. — Jimmy's Call on Colonel Johnson. — The Loan of the Nagur's — Horse.— Origin of " Sloio Deer." — Jimmy not always in Luck. Pro- motion and Death of Jimmy Byrne. --*-.. 30 CHAPTER lY. The Army leaves Camargo, for Cerralvo. — Orders for the March.— Estab- lishment of General Hospital. — Old Convent. — General Quitman. — His Kindness to the Sick. — Interview with the Alcalde. — Disappearance of that Worthy.' — Cerralvo. — Silver Mines.— Imperfect manner of working them. — Don Francisco Lozano's Account of their Discovery. — Bene- ficial Effects of the Change from the Lower Country.— Pure Water. — The Mississippians. — Our Little Commissary. — Corn-dodgers and Corn- mills. — A Benefit. — "Those Blackguard Volunteers." — Incident, illus- trative of Mexican Character. — Murder of a Mississippian. — Juan La Vaca. — Excitement amongst Citizens. — The Murderer arrested. — Ex- amination. — Confession of Guilt. — Mother and Son. — Indifference to Death. — Attempt to buy off. — Alone with the Priest. — Execution. — Change in Public Sentiment. — Priest pockets the Gold. — Epidemic among Children. — Priestly Assertion. — Custom of Burial of Chil- dren.— Gay Procession. — Patron Saints of the Sick. — Fees, how dis- pensed. 56 CHAPTER Y. The Battle of Monterey.— Sui-geon Chamberlain's Letter. — The First Day. — Captain Ramsay's Shot.— Captain McKavetfs Presentiment and Death. — Colonel Garland's Attack. — Colonel Mitchell wounded. — Gen. Butler leaves the Field, wounded. — Anecdote of the Soldier Myers. — An Incident. — Discretion the better part of Valor. — Ordered to Camp. — Dreadful Sights of a Battle-field. — Second Day. — Message from Gen. Worth. — Worth's Strategy, and taking of the Bishop's Palace. — Ap- proach to the North of the City. — The Texas Rangers and Seifior Gahar. — Throwing of Shells into the Plaza. — Ampudia's Proposal rejected by General Taylor.— Other and Better Terms.— Strength of the City,— Worth deserves the Laurels. 81 CHAPTER YI. Description of the Camp near Monterey. — Trade opened with the Ran- cheros. — Relations between the People and the Soldiers. — Mexican Seiioritas. — Fandangoes. — An Evening Ride. — Arrival. — Fandango CONTENTS. XI Music. — Addition to Party of Rangers. — Jose Maria Luna. — His Friend, ly Services. — Saves the Life of the Author. — Timely Warning. — El Mocho. — An Incident of Blood related by Dona Serafina. — Attempts to take the Guerrilla Chief- — Captain Baylor's Affair at Manteca. — Young Gideon Lee saves the Company. — Dilemma. — Eesolution to Stand our Ground. — Jose Maria is dispatched to the Camp. — The Fandango is Broken up. — Entrance of Guerrillas. — White Flag. — Its Reception, and Final Answer. — The Texians good Shots. — The Jacales. — Daylight ap- pears. — McCuUoch's Boys. — Catching a Tartar. — Return to Camp with Prisoners and Horses, — Scene in Rangers' Camp. — Division of the Spoil. 98 CHAPTER YII. The Sierra Madre. — Beautiful Valleys. — Mountain-path. — Legend of the Valleys. — The Black Stallion. — Lieutenant L. — The Gambler Trevinio. — Suspicions respecting Him. — Trevinio's generous Proposal — How re- ceived. — Arrangements. — The Start. — The Prospect from the Mountain- side. — The Lieutenant's Absence becomes Public. — Much Anxiety on his Account. — Parties sent out in Search of him. — Return with Mexican Prisoners. — No News of the Lieutenant. — Strange Object appears in Sight. — Enters the Pla^a. — Wretched Animal. — " For God's sake, Boys, help me off this Cross-cut Saw !" — The News flies. — The Lieutenant's Reception. — Promises to make a clean Breast of it,— His Journey, and Description of the Valley. — Ranchero Hospitality. — Trevinio leaves our Friend. — Continued Absence of the Mexican. — Time passes agree- ably — Determines to return to Monterey. — Return of Trevinio. — An Explanation. — Poco Descanso.- -Vamos para el Fandango. — San Juan. — In a Trap. — Mocho Martinez. — Don Patricio. — The Examination. — The Ofiicer unexpectedly meets a Brother. — An Irishman's ready In- vention. — The Don's Account of Trevinio. — The Guerrillas sally out to attack a Train. — The Lieutenant again mounted ; but not on the Black Stallion.— Commended to the Saints. — The Irishman's Kindness. — A painful Ride. 121 CHAPTER VIII. Expecting an Attack. — Camp broken up. — Critical Situation of the Army. — Intentions of the Enemy. — All Persons ordered under Arms. — The City deserted. — The Ohioans. — Available Force. — An Order. — Lieuten- ant Stuard. — His miraculous Success. — The March. — Clearing the Chap- arral, — Crossing the Salinas, — The Fighting. — The Campo Santo. — Enter Marin. — Lieutenant Colonel Irvin. — A good Supper. — Irvin's Commis- XU CONTENTS. saiy. — Burning of the Train. — Lieutenant Barbour. — Major Gaines' Surrender at El Salada. — Urrea and Canales. — No Quarter to the Drivers of the Train. — Four or five Drivers escape. — The Escort, Pris- oners of War. — Burning Stores. — An Incident. — Act of Bravery. — Ee- tum March. — Encamp at Agua Frio. — Finding a Key. — An Act of Courtesy; how returned. — Tenga muckissimo quidado. — An Intended Attack. — Eesumption of the March. — Exhausted Condition of the Com maud. — Firing in the Eear. — The Hollow Square. — Colonel Morgan. — Charges of the Lancers.— Captain Graham. — The Last Shot. — Our Dead. — Arrive at the Citadel. - 150 CHAPTER IX. Morgan's Command marches to Saltillo. — City of Monterey entirely de- serted. — No Breakfast. — Aunt Hannah. — Surgeon Snail. — A Search for a Breakfast. — Don Urbano Mendez. — Melancholy appearance of the City. — Our Friends not to be found. — Dona Felicite. — Success. — Carry- ing Orders. — Morgan's Men returning. — Breakei's ahead. — Lanceros. — A Challenge, a Volley, and a Eace. — The Best Horse. — Carbine Shots. — Molino Blanco. — Delivering Orders. — Major Wall. — The Eoad to Saltillo. — Scenery. — Eeport of Cannon among the Mountains.- -Trying a hand at Artillery. — Its Eesults. — Caught a Tartar — Variety of Cli- mate. — Hiding in advance. — "No hai, Seiior." — How to get a Dinner. — The Mexican Shepherd Dog. — His Intelligence. — An Incident. — La Eincouada. — Paso del Muerto. — Singular Custom. — A Strong Forti- fication. 174 CHAPTER X. Saltillo. — Population, and Character of the People. — Influence of the Priests. — Priestly Harems. — Immoralities of the Monks. — Their Control of Public Taste. — Fountains. — Lavadores and Vendedores. — The Ala- meda. — Deserted by the sullen Citizens. — Eesorted to by the Amei-i- cans. — Houses of Saltillo. — The Serape and Jorongo. - - 194 CHAPTER XI. The Contrast between the two Armies. — Taylor changes the Plan of Bat- tle. — Surprise of the Mexican Commander. — His Certainty of Victory. — Arrangements for cutting up the retreating Americans. — A Ther- mopylae. — Washington's Birth day. — The Long Eoll. — Taylor goes to Saltillo. — The Advance of (he Enemy checked. — Troops in Line of Battle. — Taylor returns to the Field. — Eiflemen engaged on the side of CONTENTS. Xlll the Mountain. — Fighting ceases for the Night. — Our Loss the First Day. — Loss of the Enemy. — Minon's Bx'igade. — The Mounted Ran cheros. — Colonels Blanco and Aguierra. — Taylor again returns to Sal tillo. — Santa Anna's Address. — Martial Music. — Reflections. — Striking the Camp. — The Sufferings of the two Armies during the Night. 20] CHAPTER XII. Commencement of the Battle of the 23rd. — Position of the Light Troops of the Enemy. — O'Brien's Battery. — Battle opens on the Left. — Plan of the Battle.— The 2ud Illinois Troops.— M'CuUoch's Rangers.— The 3rd Indianians.— Kentucky and Arkansas Cavalry. — Our Riflemen engaged with Ampudia's Command. — The Mexican Line of Battle. — General Or- tega. — The Mexican Eight-pounder Battery. — The Bearing of the Vol- unteers. — The Morning. — Beautiful Appearance of the Mexican Army. — The unfaltering Coolness of the Americans. — General Lane. — The 2nd Indiana Regiment. — An Unequal Struggle. — " Cease Firing and Retreat !" — Noble Conduct of O'Brien and his Men. — The Enemy ad- vance up the Ravine. — Gallantry of the 2nd Illinoisians. — Col. Bissell. — Contrast with the Arkansas Troops, who run on the First Fire. — The Retreating Indianians. — The Mississippians. — General Mora y Yillamil. — McKee's Kentuekians. — The Enemy continues to Advance. — Cols. Marshall and Yell. — Capt, Connoi-'s Texians. — The " Old Man" returns from Saltillo, with the Mississippians. — Critical state of Affairs. — The Lion-hearted Riflemen. — Too much for the Enemy, who falls back. — Progress of the Battle in the Centre. — Santa Anna's Horse shot. — The Left Flank. — Struggle Doubtful. — Col. Charles May. — Mexican Cav- alry Charge upon the Rancho of Buena Vista. — The 2nd Indianians do good Service. — Gen.Torrejon. — Deaths of Col. Yell and Capt. Porter. — Second Charge of Mexican Cavalry. — They present a Beautiful Appear- ance. — Mutual Admiration. — Singular Conduct of the Lancers. — Their Rout. — The Fighting continues.— A Storm.— Driving the Enemy.— Turn- ing the Tables. — Slaughter of the Mexicans. — The Mexican General sends a Flag. — Cannonading ceases on our part. — Enemy continues to Fire on us. — Santa Anna's Object obtained.— The Progress of the Battle on the Plateau and in the Ravines. — Desperate Situation of the Ken- tucky and Illinois Troops.— Deaths of McKee, Clay, Hardin, and others. — O'Brien always a Hero. — Bragg's Battery. — Taylor in the Hottest of the Fight.— Gen. Wool.— Enemy fall back.— "A little more Grape, Capt. Bragg !"— Battalion of SanPatricio.— Riley.— Gen. Minon attempts the City. — How repulsed. — Night approaches. — Firing ceases. — The Night. —Return of Day.— Victory ! Victory !— Official Report of Killed and Wounded. 217 XIV CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIII. Maj. Giddings in command of Escort. — Mi*. Crittenden.— Capt. Kenneally. — Bradley. — Kenneally's " Boys." — His Promotion. — His Death at Kio Frio. — Bradley's Men. — The Kentuckians. — The March. — An Incident. — Chile con Cai-ne. — The Train. — Approach to Cerralvo. — Charge of the Lancers. — Kenneally. — Characteristic Incident. — '' Dinero ! Dinero !" — An Unlucky Cigarrito. — Infernal Machines. — Loss of the Enemy. 255 CHAPTER XI Y. The Texas Ranger. — His Horse. — His Regard for his Steed. — Variety of Characters among the Rangers. — Their Intelligence. — Bravery and Skill as Soldiers. — Billy Anderson. — Visit to the Rangers' Camp. — The Rattlesnake.— Billy's Snake Performance.— The " Rattlesnake's Mas- ter." — A Medical Fact.— Case of Drunken Soldier in Florida. — The Attention of the Medical OflScers called to the Fact.— The Author's Ex- perience. — Cases of Poisoning by the Tarantula. — Alcohol a Remedy. —The Modus Operandi. 265 CHAPTER XY. The Ranger Escort and Arrival at Marin. — Don Pablo and La Senora.— The Guerrillas. — The Alcalde. — Don Vicente Ramero. — How his Acquaintance was foraied. — General Tom Marshall. — A sincere Friend — His Information in relation to El Mocho. — The Lieutenant of Rangers- — The Plan for a Fight. — Arrival of Dragoons. — An Early March. — The Advance Piquets. — The Prisoners. — The Approach of Day. — Setting the Trap. — The Guerrillas Appear. — "Wait, Boys!" — Springing of the Trap.— The Effects.— The Guerrillas the best Runners.— Death of Dra- goons, and Texians wounded. — The Lieutenant " delicately" injured ! — Change of Positions. — The Struggle. — Desperation of Mocho. — Fight between the Texian Lieutenant and the Guerrilla Leader. — The Death of El Mocho.— Retreat of the Guerrillas.— The Train in Sight.— Gather- ing up of the Dead and Wounded. — Loss of the Mexicans. - 276 CHAPTER XYI. The First Volunteers a better Class of Men than those who came towards the Close of the War. — The Private sometimes socially superior to his Officer. — The Rifle Regiments of Texas and Mississippi. — The Northern Volunteers. — The genuine Texas Rangers. — The pseudo-Texians. — The Gang of " Mustang Grey.'' — Like Falstatf's Ragamuffins. — Their only Object Plunder. — Their Murder of the Raucheros of Guadalupe. — Canales' Proclamation, and Commencement of Guerrilla Warfare. — The Proclamation was unheeded by the better class of Mexicans. — CONTENTS. XV News from New England. — A Regiment from Old Massachusetts. — A Eegimeut expected of whom we might be proud. — Bad Reports. — Egre- giously sold. — The State disgraced. — The Murder of Harrison Beal. — The Circumstances. — The Burial of poor Beal. — Scott drawing off our Forces. — Conversation between the General and Major Bliss. — The Regiment under Marching Orders. — Another Murder. — A Portion of the Regiment remain in Confinement in the Castle of San Juan de UUoa till Close of the War. — Meeting of Novth Carolinians. - - - 292 CHAPTER XYII. Our Line of Occupation. — Attempts to introduce Steam on the Rio Grande. — Former Mode of Navigating that River. — The People Two Hundi-ed Years behind the Age. — Volunteers introduce the Loom and Spinning- Wheel. — The Mexican Plough. — The Passage of a Steamboat, an Event. — How regarded by the Natives. — Camargo the Head of Navigation. — The Road from Camargo to Monterey. — Mier. — Punta Aguda Burnt by Colonel Curtiss. — The March of the 3rd Ohio Regiment. — Chichai-- rones.— The Death of Lieut. Miller.— Cerralvo.—AguaDulcis.— Mountain Scenery.— Sunrise among the Mountains. — The March. — Ramos. — Ma- rin. — Rio Salinas.— Agua Frio.— El Bosque de Santo Domingo. 311 CHAPTER XYIII. An Old Adage. — The Soldier, and other Components of an Army. — Gam- blers. — Their Implements and Expedients. — Sporting Swell turns Teamster. — He proceeds to Business. — A Scene in Camp. — The Gam- blers sometimes check-mated. — The Story of Little Red. — Sergeant K. — The Game of Monte. — The Sergeant in Luck. — One more Antie. — Fi-ee Whisky. — The Luck takes a Turn. — "Cleaned out."'— Arrive at Camargo. — The Sergeant has the Damps. — The Pledge. — The Surprise. —The Farewell. 320 CHAPTER XIX. The Night Call on the Guerrillas. — The Mexicans avoid the Watering- places. — A hard Circumstance. — Mexicans carry their Water with them. — Accompanying the Train. — The Heat and Dust. — Ride ahead. —The Halt.— No Supper.— The Night Ride.— Old Campaigners.— Col. Louis P. Cook. — Mr. Clemens. — Close upon a Mexican Camp. — The Consultation.— The Plan adopted.— The Challenge.—" Tejanos.'"— The Alarm. — The Rush through the Camp. — Arrive at Punta Aguda. — The Ride continued. — The Mjstery. — Its Explanation. — A new Fact. — The Morning.- A beautiful Landscape.— The Turkey-call.- Its EflFects.— Bagging the Game.— The Bells of Mier. 337 XVI CONTENTS. CHAPTER XX. Aunt Phyllis. — A Good Breakfast. — Camauche ludians. — Their Depreda- tions. — They receive a Damper. — A Sad Incident. — " Mai del Corazon," — Rejoining the Train. — Indians Burn a Eancho. — The Eescue. — The Kentuckian.— His Carbine Shot.— Its Effect.— The Withdrawal of the Indians. 350 CHAPTER XXI. The Guerrillas molest our Trains.— Jesus Romero. — His Genei'ous Conduct to the Ranger. — Expedition against his Party. — Directions. — Dismiss the Guide. — A Wild Region. — The Valleys of the Sierra Madre. — Lose the Trail. — Find another. — Night overtakes us. — " A Rancho !" — A Mistake. — The Corral. — Water. — A Picturesque Group. — Lonely Situation. — The Dutchman and the Wolves. — Coyotes. — Signs of Humanity. — An Oral Phenomenon. — The same experienced on the Mustang Deserts. — Unlike the Mirage. — How accounted for. — Watering our Horses. — The Grama or Mesquit Grass. — We eat our Last Rations. — A Dilemma. — A Ranger assumes the Guidance. — Another Valley. — The San Juan. — Beautiful Vai-iety of Cacti. — The " Cereus Giganticus." — The Encampment. — No Supper. — Armadillos. — A Delicious Dish. - - - 358 CHAPTER XXII. Resumption of the March. — Guerrillas in Sight.— The Race. — Mysterious Disappearance of the Guerrillas. — The Race continued. — The Wounded Mexican. — Prisoners. — Chaparral Surgery.— Romex-o's Men.— Hacienda of San Miguel. — Signs of Guerrillas. — The Mayoral. — The Porkers. — A Bereaved Parent. — Etforts to Alleviate Plunger. — The Search for For- age. — Discovery of a Prize. — The Secret of the Mayoral's Hospitality. — Foundered Horses. — San Cristobal. — Signal Guns. — The Town De- serted. — Dignity and Inhospitality. — The Alcalde.— No Prospect of Food. — The Texian's Remedy. — Its good Results. — Prospects for a Sup- per improve. — Women and hot Tortillas. — The Alcalde improves on Acquaintance. — Canales' Orders. — Supper comes in good Time. — An Agreeable Ending to an Unpromising Beginning. — Arrival at Cer- ralvo. 379 CHAPTER XXIII. Negotiations for Peace.— The Relieving of the Old Troops.— The With- drawal of the Regular Troops of the Mexican Army. — The Mexican Government forced to a Treaty. — The Writer takes Passage for Home. — Arrival at Reynosa. — A Surprise.— Meet an old Friend.— Her Impres- sions. — She visits Gen. Taylor.— A Free Pass. — Return to St. Louis. 398 CHILE CON CAUSE. CHAPTER I. Commencement of the War. — Call for Volunteers.— Mexico a Land of Romance. — Cause of Volunteering. — The " Halls of the Monte- zumas. — The Author's Intention to Visit Mexico. — Embarkation. — The Sabine River. — The Voyage and its Attendants — Lake Sabine. — The Sabine Pass. — Gulf Buccaneers. — Lafltte. — Norther. — An Arrival.— Lost Boy.— The Search.- Mr. Deshields.— The Stock- raiser, McGuffey. — Alligator Holes. — Probable Fate of the Boy. — Search Discontinued. — Distress of Parents. — Meeting with the Father in Galveston. The annexation of Texas had been consummated, notwithstanding the protest of the Mexican nation. General Taylor, with his miniature army, had left his encampment at Corpus Christi, and moved upon the left bank of the Rio Grande, claiming this stream as the western limit of the new State. Then— " Wild war's deadly blast was blown." The American people were aroused by the unfa- miliar sound, and war! — war! was on every tongue, 1 Z CHILE COX CARXE. and in every ear. The fields of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma had received in blood the baptism of immortality ; and their names were already woven into the woof of history. The first act of the great drama, on which all the nations of the civilized world were gazing, had been opened ; and never were actors on the mimic stage hailed with such spontaneous applause, — such deej) heart-felt cheer- ings, as greeted our little band of heroes on those distant plains. ^ The contest had commenced in earnest ; but the gallant forces of Taylor, so few in numbers, could not long contend against the combined armies of Mexico, which were gathering from every valley and mountain-side of that extensive land. Thousands of the impulsive and generous-hearted youths of the South hastened to the scene. Xorth- ward passed the excitement ; and with lightning speed it coursed along the iron nerves, then just being stretched over the land, till the far-spreading contagion kindled in every breast. Ho! volunteers for the war! — and every hamlet, and village, and town, sent forth its tens, and hun- dreds, and thousands to swell the human tide flow- ins: toward the shores of Mexico. Mexico ! land of romance and boyhood's waking dreams ! What American youth is there whose veins have not MEXICO A LAND OF ROMANCE. 3 swelled with a warmer current, as he pored over her early history, wrapped as it is in the exaggera- tion of her Spanish conquerors, and the mystery which the Jesuit priests throw" about every objeci on wdiich their shadows fall. Her mountains and valleys had been consecrated in his young imagina- tion, as the once happy homes of a simple people, existing under the mild and peaceful rule of the Montezumas, before the gold-maddened Spaniards had ravished their beautiful land, converted their blooming valleys into fields of carnage, and driven the inoffensive Indians from their city and temples, to make room for their piles of blood-gotten plun- der of Sfold and silver. But Mexico — almost a terra incGgnita, so little did we really know" of the country — was now" to be opened to us. "^Yhat cared the youthful blood whether the w"ar were a riofhteous one or not. That was our country's aiiair — not ours. And, with light hearts and bounding pulses, we left our homes to test the novelties of a first campaign, and embark in quest of wild adventures in that fiir-famed land. It was not an impulse of patriotism, strictly speaking, which prompted the simultaneous spirit of volunteering throughout the country — that, however, had much influence in the cause, — but, a spirit of enterprise and curiosity, peculiar to the 4 CHILE COX CARNE. American people, had a good deal more to do in tlie premises. War, practical war, was a thing unknown to the youths of the land : they had only the knowledge of it obtained from books. They knew it only in tlieory; for, since the last struggle with England, our arms had been called into requisition only in the border feuds with our Indian neighbors. But, from reading and listening to the tales of the strug- gles of our fathers in the contest, which resulted in our independence, they had imbibed a military spirit, and longed to experience, in their own per- sons, the exciting scenes and circumstances of the battle-field. Now was opened an opportunity which had been so long and ardently hoped for; and with so many alluring anticipations as Mexico with her exciting history presented to the adventurous and inquisi- tive American. *' The Halls of the Montezumas" became, from the first, a rallying word, as it after- ward became the realization of our hopes ; and to "revel in the Halls of the Montezumas" was an idea and expression, in the ranks of our volunteer army, as familiar as the household words of our distant homes. THE SABINE RIVER. 5 For many years I had promised myself a visit to Mexico : in fact, this had been one of the cherished plans of my life, from the earliest days of boyhood. Year after year had rolled away, and still the favor- ite project had been delayed. At length, in the winter of 1S4G, being then in Louisiana, on the banks of the Sabine, I concluded to proceed down that river to the coast, to carry into effect the long-cherished object. At this season of the year, the low stage of water in the river made navigation impracticable to any- thing larger than canoes. Accordingly, in company with a friend, I obtained a ^' dug-oufy — a craft roughly hewed out of a pine-tree, and much in use on the western and southern rivers and lagoons — and embarking, wdth a few blankets, our trunks, .fishing-lines, guns, etc., with a good supply of " ship-* stores," we started on our voyage tow^ards the Gulf of Mexico. The Sabine flows through an extremely wild and gloomy region, where game of all kinds, to be found in a southern wilderness, is very abundant. Wild fowl sported fearlessly upon the bosom of the stream, and covered its surface. The rifle of the backwoods- man had, as yet, but seldom disturbed the quiet of their winter retreat; and it required but a single shot from our " double-barrels" to furnish us w^ith b CHILE CON CAE.NE. abundant means for a savory mess at our even camp- fire. The water, over which our primitive vessel lazily glided, w^is as amply provisioned in its depths, as upon its w^ell-stocked surface. When our palates were weary of foivl, we had only to throw over a baited hook, and, at the first sand-bar, regale upon " fish, fried, or fricaseed." To enumerate the number of bears, deer, and otters — to say nothing of the alligators — we killed, on our voyage downward, might endanger my reputation ; and, as I intend, in these pages, to state nothing but facts, I will not venture too much, even upon tnitJts, which might, in any degree, compromise my character for strict veracity. After a passage of two wrecks — full of interesting incidents, and having passed something over three hundred miles, from our point of embarkation — we aiTived at the Pass of the Sabine. The river proper does not directly debouch into the gulf, but terminates in the Sabine Lake. This body of water covers an area of some thirty or forty miles, and empties into the gulf through the "Pa55," — a strait between five and six miles in length. In the days of the Gulf Buccaneers, this lake and pass was a place of frequent resort for those lawless rovers. Here they found shelter from the " Northers,^^ so prevalent upon the coast, and easily evaded the THE PIRATE LAFITTE. 7 vigilance of the cruisers who misfht be on the look- out for them. None but themselves were acquainted with the intricate windings of the dangerous channel, and, when once within the oyster-reefs, they were unapproachable. At the head of the lake, I was sliown the spot where the flimous gulf-pirate, Lafitte, repaired his fleet ; and where he had a depot for storing his ill- gotten gains till such times as they w^ere forwarded to his New Orleans consignees. The best pilots found on the gulf coast w^ere those who had served under the buccaneer flag of Lafltte. Some of these men I chanced to meet at Galveston, and found them ever ready and happy to repeat their oft-told tales of what they w^ere pleased to term "the good old days of free-trade." At the Pass, where, as yet, were found but three or four families — but which will, at some time, become a commercial town — we learned the proba- ble prospects of troubles with Mexico, in relation to the matter of annexation. Here, my friend, the companion of my voyage, having accomplished the object of the trip, which was the trip itself, left me to reascend the river for a short distance, where he had been offered a horse in exchange for our old dug-out. Before I left the Pass, where I remained for several weeks, I heard of his safe arrival at; his b CHILE COX CARXE. home. I remained to luxuriate on the excellent oysters which here abound, and to enjoy the rare sport with my gun, among the wild fowl and deer, which literally covered the prairies. " ' City of the Pass/' although ia embryo yet, Across- thy waves a thousand lights shall flit ; A thousand merchants through thy streets shall ply, With faces seaward turned, and anxious eye. Tho' wide-extended plains now 'round thee spread, That echo only to the wild bull's tread — Tho' reeds and sedge-grass in thy pathways grow, Where rarely now the hunter-herdsmen go— The day will come, nor is it distant long, When on thy crowded strand a busy throng Will toil and sweat wnth greedy pains, For the yellow dross that traffic gains ; And commerce with her snowy wings shall corae To hail thy stormless waters as her home." It was during my stay here, that, forced by a norther, a little clipper-rigged vessel sought shelter in the strait. She was owned and commanded by a German gentleman, who, with his little family, consisting of his wife and an only son, and accom- panied by his servants, had just arrived from Eu- rope. He was now coasting along the Gulf shore, with the intention of selecting a spot on the Texas coast for their future home. His son, a promising lad of some fourteen, or sixteen years, accompanied me one day to shoot brants, and being a good shot soon filled his bag. THE LOST BOY. 9 After remaining several days, the little vessel dropped down towards the mouth of the Pass. But the wind not blowing from a favorable quarter, she w^as made fast to the shore ; and father and son, taking their guns, w^ent out upon the marsh in quest of game. About noon they returned. Still, the wind remaining unfavorable, the son, saying he would try to get a few more birds, started out alone, promising to return within an hour or two. The mother, seated under an awning on the deck, watched the boy for some time, and heard him dis- charge his gun. But being called below to dinner, saw no more of him. Several hours passed away, and the sun w^as sink- ing towards the horizon, but the boy did not return. The wind had now w^orked round to the right quarter, and the father hoisted the signal, agreed upon, to recall his son. But he did not come. Down sank the sun, and the shades of evening began to fall. Still the absent boy came not in sight. Now it was, that fearful forebodings wrung the hearts of those doting parents. Their child — their only darling child — what could have detained him ! The flither and crew shouted his name at the top of their voices. But no returning shout re- plied. Recall guns were fired — but no answering 10 - CHILE CON CARNE. shot relieved their bursting hearts. Through that long and fearful night, they sought, with lights, in every direction for the missing boy. All tliat live- long night the v^retched mother walked the deck alone, wringing her hands in anxious agony, and watching, with tearful eyes, the distant lights, as they flitted from place to place, over the marsh. In vain she listened, with aching ear, for the signal shot which was to tell of the recovery of her lost child ; — and, ! God! wdiat agony wrung that wretched mother's breast, when, near day, the party returned, and proclaimed their search in vain. With the return of the morning light, the father came up to the " city," and brought the sad intelli- gence of the loss of his boy. Mr. Deshields, the revenue officer, immediately ordered out his boat's crew^ ; and every man about the Pass, with but one exception, volunteered to assist in the search. But, I blush for human nature while I record it, one strong, able-bodied^man — I had almost said, but I will take back the word, — one fellow, named Magi/ffcij, a stock-raiser, refused to go, though earnestly solicited to do so; urging, when reasons for his refusal w^ere demanded, that "Ae did?i''t like to wet Ids feet in the marsh!''' Leaving this craven and selfish wretch to enjoy alligators' holes. 11 his dry stockings, we all hurried to the marsh. All that day, and the following, we searched it in every direction for miles. But not till near night of the next day was anything discovered to indicate what might have been the fate of the poor boy. A shot from one of Mr. Deshield's men, called the scattered hunters about him. There, by a large alligator's liole, lay the boy's gun, and, near by, one of his shoes. No other sign or remnant of clothing was to be found. The m.arsh in this place abounded with these alligators' holes. They are deep pools of water, formed by these creatures, among the reeds, which grow in patches over the marsh. Upon the mud, thrown around the margins of these holes, the alligators lay, basking lazily in the sun ; and, when disturbed by the approach of danger, hide themselves in the bottom of their muddy wells. The fate of the poor lad was now explained. He had fallen a victim to the rapacity of one of those disQ^ustinc: saurians. "Oh! my boy ! — my poor boy !" exclaimed the miserable father. " I cannot give up the search for him yet. Is there no chance for his escape? Does he not live yet? Oh! friends, don't give up the search." We assured him, that to look further would result in no good; for if the fate we expected had not 12 CHILE CON CARXE. been his, he must have perished from the effects of fright, fatigue, and exposure. " That boy," said the father, " has never, since his birth, been so long absent from my sight. I have had him with me in all my voyages. He has journeyed with me over Europe, and ever, on all occasions, has he been my constant companion — and now — must I lose him thus — in so horrid a place — and by so cruel a death ? Oh ! cannot you, my friends, restore to me, at least, the mangled remains of my poor dear boy ?" It was in vain we endeavored to condole with him, or offer our sympathies — grief like his could listen to no condolence of strangers. He would not leave the place without making one more effort to recover his lost child ; and though we were satisfied that the body would never be found, we indulged the heart-broken parents by continuing the hunt through the night. At length, even they were convinced that further search would be in vain. Never shall I forget the look of agony and de- spair in that father's face, as he pressed our hands, and in vain essayed to thank us for the sympathy we had shown for him — then turned away, and falteringly gave orders to his crew to resume the voyage. MEETIXG WITH THE FATHER. 13 A few days after, I arrived at Galveston ; and almost the first person I met on landing was the unliappy father of the lost boy. He recognized me, and throwing his arms about my neck, endeavored to speak ; but his heart was too full for utterance. I knew what his thoughts were, and what inquiry he wished to make ; and shaking my head, for I, too, had lost the control of my own voice, gave him to understand that the lost had never been found. CHAPTER II. Call made on Texas.— Colonel Bennett.— Writer joins a Texas Rifle Company.— Schooner '-Rosella." — Conduct of Government Officer. — Short Supplies. — Storm on the Gulf. — Breakers. — Heading for the Beach. — Exciting Scen'e while in the Breakers. — Shipwreck. — Isle del Padre. — Chowder. — Colonel Bennett leaves the Wreck. — Pilot-boat offers Aid. — Wagons arrive. — A Walk ahead. — Young Roberts.— Wreckers along the Shore.— Drift of the Gulf Stream.— Sea-shells. — Norther.— Attempt to rest.— Shifting Sand. — Travel all Night. — Return of Day. — Strange Sight ahead. — Wolves I Wolves !— Fortunate Escape — The Reason. — Arrival at Point Isabel.— Election of Regimental Officers. — Mustered into Service. — Ordered to Comargo. — Mustered out of Service. — Writer receives Appointment as Surgeon, and accompanies General Taylor. The call had been made upon Texas for volun- teers. The excitement was at its greatest height, when Colonel Joseph Bennett, one of the veteran officers of the battle of San Jacinto, arrived at Gal- veston, from the Trinity river, with his partially- organized company of riflemen, on its way to the seat of war. The writer, with several others, was accepted in this company, Avhich now being completed, await- ed only the tardy motions of the officer, stationed at this port for the purpose, to furnish the requisite equipments, and transportation to Point Isabel, or EMBARK IN THE ROSELLA. 15 the Island of Brazos, at which places the volunteer forces were then rendezvoushig. About the 23d of May, after two or three other companies of Texians had been dispatched, we were provided wnth the schooner "Rosella," — a worthless little tub, wdiich could hardly hold her rotten timbers together while lying in the harbor, and must inevitably go to pieces if caught out in rough weather. She w^as provisioned and watered for only three days, when she should have had, at least, a wreck's rations. But probably the ivise and humane officer concluded, that as there w^as but little prospect of her reaching her destination, her three days' supplies were enough to invest in so hazardous a venture. There were, at the same time, a nmnber of good staunch vessels open for charter, lying at the wharves ; but the petty tyrant w^as obstinate, and wished to make a show of his author- ity, this, probably, being the first opportunity he had ever had to do so. We protested against the inhumanity of crowd- ing into so small and unseaworthy a craft nearly one hundred men, and risking their lives thus unne- cessarily. The only reply the upstart deigned to return w^as — "Either go on board the ' Rosella' with your men, or go back to the woods, whence you came.". 16 CHILE CON CARNE. We then applied for two more clays' supply of water, but were answered, that " the vessel could not stow another cask." How^ever, our anxiety was so great to get aw^ay and join the army before other volunteers arrived, that we concluded to run the risk, and accept of this Hohsoii's choice; and finally, by closely stowing, we managed to pack ourselves into the old condemned vessel. We had been but two days from port, when a storm came on, which, in an ordinary staunch vessel, we might have easily weathered ; but the old rig- ging and spars could not long stand before it. The gale came, at first, from the northwest, accom- panied with hail and rain. At the same time, a current, running from the south along the Texas coast, at the rate of six knots, made a most ugly and uncomfortable sea. Everything not lashed to the deck was soon swept away by the heavy seas the little vessel shipped. The storm increased in vio- lence as the day advanced — the wind, however, veering from northwest, to north, and northeast. The confusion which prevailed among the closely- packed passengers, but, few of whom had ever before seen salt w^ater, may be imagined only by those whose fate it has been to be placed in a similar situation. As the storm worked round to the north, it seemed THE STORM. 17 to gather strength and fury. With nothing but close-reefed foresail we had been running before it for some time very comfortably ; but, as a sudden squall from that point struck us — crack! crash! — away flew the sail, blown clean out of its bolt-ropes, — and away it fluttered, in ribbons, to leeward. The same fate awaited the rotten jib ; for, before it was hoisted home, away it went, overboard, dragging under the bows, and, held only by its gasket, be- came a useless hamper, and was cut adrift. A moment more, and the vessel, relieved of all canvas, would have broached to, in the trough of the sea ; but the order to get up the main-sail was promptly given, and obeyed. This brought her head once more before the wind. The main-sail was now our only hope; but the main-gafl*boom, which before had been sprung, and patched with battens, no sooner felt the strain of the sail, as it filled av/ay, than — snai}! — it parted about four feet from the mast ; and down dropped the main-peak. The pitching and rolling of the vessel increased as the sail was diminished ; and soon our maintop- mast went overboard. Besides all this, the poor old craft labored so heavily, that the seams w^ere opened, and the brine began to come in upon the men in the hold, to such an extent as greatly to increase the alarm. IS CHILE CON CAKNE. By this time, the gale had worked round to the northeast ; and, driving before it, we came within hearing of the roaring surf, which, for a long time, had been visible, as it broke over the low, sandy beach. It was now determined, as the only chance left to us, to run upon the beach, and trust to our indivi- dual efforts to reach the shore. It required cool and steady nerves to steer the vessel through the breakers. But, manfully. Jack stood to the helm. "Keep her head-on ! There, so !" was the order of the captain. "Ay, ay, sir! but, captain, I wish I was taking her into a better port" — and the tears stood in the eyes of the brave sailor, as he braced himself to obey the last order given on board the old " Rosella." I wuU not attempt to describe the fearfully sub- lime spectacle, of a vessel, crowded with human beings, dashing into the jaws of the maddened breakers, whose foamy spray was tossed above her tallest spars. It was awful to see her rushing on, like a suicide, to voluntary destruction ! To me the scene was fearfully grand and exciting. Onward she rushed, for one instant, lifted like a bubble upon the crest of a huge wave, the next, pitched headlong, like a worthless waif, down into the vortex ; ihcn, WRECKED ON PADRE ISLAND. 19 borne aloft again on a heavier sea than she had before surmounted, she was dashed, with a terrific crash, upon the bottom. This was the moment, as was previously arranged, for every man to quit the object by which he was holding, and throw himself into the next succeeding wave,— trusting to liis strength and presence of mind to reach the sliore. Again the vessel rose, on the next sea, and, being now lightened of her living freight, was thrown high upon the beach, a broken and worthless wreck. Fortunately, not a man was lost. We found our- selves upon Padre Island, a wretched, barren sand- bank, one hundred and thirty miles long, extending along the Texas coast, between Corpus Christi and Brazos de Santiago. The island was destitute of animals ; and nothing found existence here, but disgusting sand-crabs, and venomous insects. There was no water, but such as was to be found by digging into the sand, some distance from the beach. This had been furnished by the rains of the previous summery but was so impregnated with salt, that its taste was nauseous in the extreme. However, to compensate for the bad quality of our water, we did not suffer from hunger. The storm going down, soon after we had reached the shore, we obtained from the wreck, among other necessary articles, fishing-lines and 20 CHILE CON CARNE. hooks. Baiting these with sand-crabs, and throwing them into the surf, we soon supplied ourselves with quantities of the delicious red-fish^ — the trout of the intro-tropical seas. These, with potatoes, bread, and onions, the remnant of the ship-stores, were con- verted into very tempting chowder. The second day after the wreck, Colonel Bennett, with the greater portion of the men, left for the southern end of the island ; where they signaled across the bay, to Brazos Island, and were taken by lighters to the temporary encampment there. Some fifteen or twenty men were left with me at the wreck, until wagons could be ferried across the bay, to remove our effects to the main land at Point Isabel, where the volunteer forces were assembling. While at the wreck, a pilot-cutter discovered the wreck, and sent a boat through the surf, with a pres- ent of bread and other necessaries to us, and gener- ously offered to give us a passage to the Brazos. In a few days the wagons arrived, having found a good road along the smooth beach. Providing my- self with a haversack, containing a few biscuits of pilot-bread, a canteen of brackish water, and a sin- gle blanket, I concluded to walk ahead, and, when fatigued, to wait for the coming up of the wagons. A young Texian, named Roberts, who had been one of the unfortunate Santa Fe prisoners, and after- Y0UNC4 ROBERTS. 21 wards was taken again at Mier, proposed to accom- pany nie. I had been flivorably impressed with this man's appearance and deportment during the affair of the wreck. During the whole of that exciting scene, when many were beside themselves with fear, at the prospect of death, Roberts was cool and fearless. Hq went among the men in the hold, and endea- vored to quiet their alarm, assuring them there was but little danger; and, when many had stripped themselves of every article of clothing, in the piti- less storm of sleet, which accompanied the north- er, that they might the easier reach the shore, Roberts, reminding them that they w^ould suffer for the want of them, busied himself in gathering up their garments, and throwing them overboard, to be washed ashore, where they w^ere recovered by the owners. On reaching the shore, the sleet and drifting sand cut like knives. Roberts was the first to set the example to those who had retained all their clothing, by stripping himself of a portion of his own, and dividing them with those who had none. I was satisfied that he was a brave fellovv^ and one to be depended upon in an emergency, and was glad to have his company. The morning was excessively hot, with hardly a 22 CHII.E CON CARNE. breath of air in motion. It was just such weather as, in that latitude, always precedes those cold northers, like the one that had driven us upon the island. As we did not intend to keep far ahead of the wagons, Roberts, accommodating his dress to the weather, had on only hat, cotton shirt and drawers, and boots. We found the shore for many miles strewed with fragments of wrecks, and boxes, and bales of goods, which had been thrown into the sea from vessels which, perhaps, had been in the same storm that had driven us ashore. These objects attracted our attention as w^e came up to them ; and others still ahead, invited us to proceed. We frequently found, as we walked along the edge of the surf, fresh cocoa-nuts. Brazil-nuts, and other fruits and plants of more southern lati- tudes, which, no doubt, had made the voyage from the rivers of the southern continent, on the gulf stream, flowing from that direction, to unite with the other, or more northern branch of it. We ob- served entire sycamores, and other trees from the forests of the north, which, coming down the Mis- sissippi, and being carried to sea, were also deposited on this shore by the same current. Large logs of mahogany, cut in the forests of Honduras, were strewn along the shore. Quantities of pumice- OBJECTS ALOXa THE BEACH. 23 Stone and lumps of pure bitumen lay here and there upon the sand. From whence these sub- stances came, we could not then determine : par- ticularly the pumice-stone. That bitumen was abundant in the Caribbean Islands, I w\as aware ; and the pumice-stones may have been washed by tropical rains from the base of some extinguished volcano of Central America, and, carried upon the bosom of some river, been thrown out upon the Gulf waters. Sea-shells and other marine objects, many of rare and beautiful varieties, were abundantly strewn along the water-line of the beach. Of these we would almost involuntarily load ourselves, and as often cast them from us, for others of more beautiful coloring and texture, or of rarer species. Thus, we w^ere led along, from one object to another, till, before we were aware of it, we had left the wagons far behind, and out of sight. The clouds, in the mean time, indicated the ap- proach of a norther. Rapidly the dark scowling vapors crept up from the northern horizon ; then a hissing sound came over the waters, followed imme- diately by a freezing wind that cut to the bone, whirling the sand about like drifting snow. The sharp crystals cut like needles, as they were blown with force against our persons. Roberts, being 24 CHILE CON CARNE. almost naked, suffered extremely : his shirt and thin cotton drawers were no protection to the stinging sand and cold wind. Then came the rain, accom- panied with hail and sleet. It was fortunate for us that I had brou2:ht a blanket aloncf. This we divided between us, by placing our arms around each other's shoulders, and each holding a corner in front. The storm being at our backs, we were able to scud before it. To stop now to wait the approach of the wagons was impossible, as the most rapid locomotion was necessary to keep the blood from congealing in our veins. We proceeded along in this way, the storm increasing in violence as the day advanced. The night, dark and gloomy, came upon us ; and still we were obliged to move along, guided by the white line of surf that broke over our feet. Hour after hour we toiled before the pitiless storm, that goaded us onward, till at length, when nearly exhausted, w^e sought the shelter of the lee- side of the sand-hills beyond the beach. Lying down, side by side, upon the sand, and drawing the blanket over us, we sought to snatch a moment's repose. Had we suffered ourselves to yield to the sleep our exhausted limbs demanded, it would have been the long last slumber to us. Scarcely had we con- gratulated ourselves upon the partial protection AN UNPLEASANT ENCOUNTER. 25 we found from the storm, when we found we had another enemy to dread in the drifting sand, which would soon have buried us alive. We had, there- fore, no other resource but to take to the beach again, and anxiously hope for the coming day. At length the wnshed-for light returned, slowly breaking through the murky clouds to seaward, and revealing the dark bosom of the ocean, lashed and broken into foam, and dashing, in huge waves, upon the shore, as if determined to swallow up the ground beneath us. On turning a point of sand-hills, my attention w^as called by an exclamation from Roberts: "Look — look there! What are those objects approaching us along the edge of the breakers ?" I looked in the direction, and perceived about a dozen animals moving leisurely towards us. They came along, one after the other, in a single line. Not supposing that animal life could find existence on this miserable sand-island, w^e were at a loss to make them out. But at length, as w^e approached them nearer, Roberts declared they w^ere wolves of a large and ferocious kind. The creatures had sighted us, but continued to move along in the same leisurely manner as at first. They were of a blue color, slightly brindled, and of a larger species than I had ever before seen. 26 CHILE CON CAKx\E. The strip of beach between the sand-hills and the breakers, was only a few yards in width ; and, totally unarmed, as we were, I liad no disposition to come into close quarters with strangers of so unprepos- sessing appearance. I, therefore, proposed to give them a wide berth, and the entire right of way — which they seemed disposed to claim ; and sug- gested to my fiiend the propriety of our taking a cut over the sand-ridge. This he objected to, and thought it best to arm ourselves, each with a good club, — plenty of which were to be found among the drift on the shore, — and show the wolves a determined front. Still, on they came, showing no inclination to give an inch of the path to us. I had a sheath-knife in my haversack, which, till now, I had forgotten ; and, with the club in one hand, and the drawn knife in the other, I de- termined to fight them as long as possible, should they make an attack. Swerving but a little from our direct course, we awaited their approach, still moving slowly toward them. We had no intention to open the battle, on our part, but agreed to let them alone, if they would observe the same peaceful inclination toward us. With menacing growl, and their long, bony tails drawn between their legs, they came up. For an instant — only an instant, — they stopped in the path before us, as if undeter- WOL\'ES. 27 mined what to do ; then, with their red, vicious eyes glaring vengefully at us, they slowly turned a little to one side — so near, however, that we might have touched them with our clubs, and Vvith their heads over their shoulders, growling defiance, lei- surely filed past us. We looked at each other in silence, and simultaneously inspired a full, relieving breath of ocean air ; for, to tell the truth, we had not breathed at all for the last few moments. When the last gaunt devil of them had passed, I could not withstand the temptation of hurling my club at his ugly head. Eoberts saw my uplifted hand, and instantly caught it. " What!" said he — " would you have the infernal pack turn upon us? Had you hit that brute, they would not have left so much as a grease-spot of us !" As may be supposed, we lost no time in increas- ing the distance between us, and those unwelcome customers. On proceeding a few miles further down the coast, w^e discovered the reason of the forbear- ance of the wolves toward us. It was not in con- sideration of the bold front we presented to them, as we had flattered ourselves ; but they had been regaling all night upon some carcasses of beeves that had been cast upon the beach, and, probably, washed overboard, in the storm, from some vessel bound down to the army. 28 CHILE CON CARNE. On arriving at Point Isabel, we found the ten companies bad now all arrived ; and as volunteer troops bad tbe election of tbeir own officers, we pro- ceeded to tbat important business. Tbe company officers bad been cbosen, and tbe companies organ- ized before leaving borne. It now only remained for us to elect our regimental officers. Tbere were a number of candidates for tbe office of colonel, among wbom was General Lamar. Tbis gentleman, wbo bad been president of tbe ex-repub- lic, and commander-in-cbief of its army and navy, afterward commanded a company of rangers. Our cboice fell upon General A. Sidney Jobnson, a Texan veteran, wbose election we bad no cause, afterward, to regret. He was every incb a soldier and gentleman. We were tben mustered into tbe service, under tbe name of tbe " First Regiment of Texas Rifles." We remained but a few weeks at tbe Point, and were ordered up tbe Rio Grande to Comargo. But as General Taylor determined to proceed from tbis place only witb twelve montbs men, our regiment, being engaged only for tbe term of six montbs, was paid off, and again we were mustered — out of tbe service. On disbanding, tbe members of tbe regiment were received into otber volunteer regiments and compa- VOLUNTEERS. 29 nies, that were not as full as the regulations per- mitted. Here, I received my appointment, as surgeon, and soon after accompanied General Taylor on the march toward Monterey. CHAPTER III. Ingredients of a Volunteer Regiment. — No place like an Aimj to develop Character. — Captain Cheshire's Prayer-meetings. — Our Orderly-Sergeant Fry. — The Kangaroo Club. — Rules of the Club. — Place of Meeting. — Fount of Inspiration. — Programme of Pro- ceedings, and Initiation. — Sergeant Fry called upon for a Story. — •• Old San Jacinto" and the Galveston Jew ; or how the Gene- ral was done for. — Jimmy Tweed. — Jimmy as a Santa Fe Prisoner. — A Standing and Swift Witness. — Jimmy's Testimony. — Death of Jimmy. — Jimmy Byrne's "Brian O'Linn.'' — Jimmy Byrne a Fa- mous Hunter.— His Lim Hunt. — A slight Mistake.— Jimmy's Call on Colonel Johnson.— The Loan of the Nagur's Horse. — Origin of ''Slow i)m-."— Jimmy not always in Luck. — Promotion and Death of Jimmy Byrne. In a company of several hundred men, like a vol- unteer regiment, made up of individuals from every grade and class of society, — from the statesmen and founders of a republic, to the humble member of the "finest pisantry;" where wealthy planters, and professional men, students, and clerks, fresh from the counting-house, backwoodsmen and Indian- fighters, adventurers, and men of " no visible means" are congregated together, — and where is represented every profession, and almost every country, — it would be natural to suppose that every phase of SERGEANT FRY. 31 human nature would be encuuntered. Perhaps this was more particularly so with the First Rifles, than with any other volunteer organization in our army. There is no place like an army, to develop the pe- culiar traits of each individual. Selfishness, gene- rosity, and all the best and worst features of the human heart here reveal themselves. A few months' companionship in camp, makes men better acquaint- ed with each other, than a lifetime spent together under any other circumstances. We had not long been settled in camp, when it was observed that little circles and associations were springing up amongst men of similar tastes and education,— a mutual attraction and affinity of minds of congenial elements. Captain Cheshire, from Eastern Texas, had fitted up a large tent, for the accommodation of those who felt piously inclined :— whence, on a calm moonlight night, the melody of psalm-singing, sermonizing, and prayer, resounded over the camp. The chief orator, on these occasions, was our or- derly-sergeant Fry. He was a decided character, and deserves a passing notice. The Sergeant was the tallest man in our regiment, being six feet nine in his stockings, and was slim and straight as an Indian ; long fiivored, with blue eyes, and pleasant countenance, and a nose of huge proportions. CHILE CON CARNE. Whether he belonged to the Methodist, Baptist, or Universalist persuasion, could not be ascertained from his discourses. One thing, however, was cer- tain, — if he was a Methodist, there was not much method in his eloquence. He never touched upon doctrinal points ; and when not holding forth to his congregation, there was nothing of the parson in his manner, unless it was his general good-nature, and friendly smile, and word for every one he met. The Sergeant declared " he had volunteered to look after the spiritual interest of the boys. That he meant to serve the Lord ; but, if duty required him to shoot Mexicans, why, — he thought he could do so, and look to heaven with a clear conscience." He was one of those pious soldiers, who could trust to Providence, but chose to take care of his own pow- der. The Sergeant was a prominent member of the " Kangaroo Cluhy This was a moonlight associa- tion, got up by the young bloods of the regiment. Each member of this club was called upon, in turn, either to sing a song, or tell a good story; the for- feit or penalty for declining, was to take the j^lace of some other member, at his reijular turn of 2:uard- mounting. The place of meeting of this club was on the plain, a short distance beyond the limits of the ''^""''''; iSth THE KANGAROO CLUB. 33 camp. Here they would form a circle on the ground, — a la Turk, — with a large canteen, labeled *' hrandy^''^ in the centre of the group. This was christened the " Fount of Insjnration.''^ When a guard had been placed around the outside, to keep out the uninitiated, the meeting was called to order. First in the programme of proceedings, is, the intro- duction and initiation of candidates. One is intro- duced at a time. He is invited, with much formal- ity, to take a seat in the circle, when the president directs the fount to be passed to the new comer. The Kangaroo, seated at his right hand, steps to the centre, and, taking the canteen of liquor by the strap, returns to the side of the candidate. First shaking it well, to his ear, to ascertain that it is full, he slowly draws the stopper, and applies his nose to the bung, to test the quality of the con- tents. Apparently not satisfied with this inspec- tion, he next places it to his lips, and, throwing his head back as if to see the moon, takes a long hearty draught. Slowly bringing his head forward again, he lets the canteen gradually subside upon his lap ; and then, inhaling a long breath, rounded off with an audible smack of approval, proceeds to pronounce an eulogium upon "that most excellent and extra Cognac," and desires to know of tlie president " where such good liquor is to be found." 2* 34 CHILE CON CARXE. The candidate for Kangaroo honors is very im- patiently waiting, all this time, for his share of the good stuff. But he is doomed to disappointment ; — for no sooner does he reach out his hand to grasp the canteen, than the next right hand man snatches it away; — and thus, with similar pantomime, as at first, it makes the round of the circle of Kangaroos. The candidate w^atches its passage with fear and trembling, lest, when it should finally get round to him, his share would be but small. Already his throat is parched, and he begins to " spit cotton." He is actually suffering a sort of martyrdom, when, at last, the vessel reaches him. He greedily places it to his lips, nor stops to taste, — till he has imbibed several swallows; when, — bah! — he finds he has been most egregiously sold. — He has been drinking the brackish water of the lagoon ! The Kangaroos, who have been maintaining the utmost gravity up to this moment, now give vent to a general shout of merriment ; and the half- vexed, half-laughing candidate, is duly proclaimed a genuine Kangaroo, and called upon for his song or story. I had gone through the initiatory ceremony of this brotherhood one calm summer's night, and had contributed my mite to the general fund of amusement, when Sergeant Fry, who liappened THE SERGEANT S STORY. 35 to be my right hand neighbor, was called upon for a story. "Well, boys," said he, " I have no objection to doing extra guard duty ; and I will leave it to you to say, whether I shall do so, or tell a story." " A story, a story, Sergeant ! give us a story !" cried some. "No, no! a song, a song, from the Sergeant," in- sisted others. " Order, boys ; you all know I can sing nothing but psalm-tunes, and they would not be exactly appropriate to the occasion. Come up to Capt. Cheshire's tent, to-morrow night, and I will be happy to furnish you with one of the songs of Zion." " Agreed, agreed," was the response, " we'll all be there. Sergeant ; but now give us a story." "Well, well— but what shall it be?" " ! give us something about Old Jacinto, Ser- geant." "Well, then, I'll tell you how the old general was done by the Galveston Jew. "Now most of you are, no doubt, familiar with the character of the old hero ; — if so, you know that two of his most prominent traits are vanity and a too common tendency to overlook or forget his little personal liabilities to the small traders and 36 CHILE CON CARNE. shopkeepers he may chance to honor with his pat- ronage. As a consequence of this hitter peculiarity, his paper is often in market at a sad discount. It is too bad, boys ; but such is the fact. " Now it happened, that a sly old fox of an Israel- ite, who dealt in ready-made clothing and other Jew notions, and who never let any chance escape, whereby he might " shave a few pennies," became the holder of one of Houston's I. 0. U.'s, which he had found floating round, and bought it at a bar- gain. "Hearing, one day, that the general was in town, old Levi set his wits at work to turn this paper into something more substantial than 'I promise to pay.' " While cogitating the matter in his mind, his obscure shop w^as made still darker by the shadow, in his door, of his friend Jacobs, who thus oppor- tunely arrived to his aid. The plan of attack was soon arranged between the tw^o Israelites, and it was determined to assault old Jacinto on his weak side. Jacobs, who was intimately acquainted with him, — for you know the general is noted for his easy familiarity, — wus to waylay him in the street, and, as if by pure accident, the two were to pass by Levi's shop. The latter was to have his masked battery drawn up in his door. " Accordingly, Jacobs wended his way to the " OLD JACINTO" AND THE JEW. 37 saloon, you remember, directly opposite the Tre- mont, where he found the general, in a very agreeable humor, in the midst of a party of old friends, who were discussing the prospect of annex- ation. " The Jew entered the circle, and drank to the success of his cherished friend, and to his rising greatness; and, entering into conversation with the group, passed part of the morning very agreeably. When his excellency left the saloon to go down the strand, he was joined by Jacobs, who easily led him in the direction of the shop of his countryman, — where the following scene occurred: Stopping sud- denly, in front of Levi's door, Jacobs saluted the clothes-man, as if he had not met him before for months, and begged the pleasure of presenting him to the ' world-renowned General Houston.' " The little black eyes of the Jew snapped fire, with surprise and pleasure, as he rushed to embrace the general. '"Is't possable dat I av de honor to see — to spheak to de great shenerai, de great hero of San Jachinto! Oh! Fader Moses! how proud I am! Is't possable dat I schakes de hand of de greatest shenerai vot ever has lived! de greatest man in Texas — in all America ! Oh ! mine Got ! mine Got ! vat honor!' 38 CHILE CON CARNE. ^' ' My friend,' replied old San Jacinto, ' you do me too much honor.' " ' No ! nevare — dat ist impossible, sheneral ; tjou do me de honor to spheak to so poor a shentleman. But, tank Got! I av de great shatisfaction to av de name of so great man, vich he make mit his own hand, on one leetle bit papier.' " 'What!' says Houston— 'you have my name to a paper? what is it ? let me see it!' "'Oh! sheneral, it is noting — I mean de papier — it is noting but von leetle note, vich I buy for noting but the name on it. Dat is vorth mutch moneys to me — de name of de great hero of San Jachinto !' " 'You have a uote, then, against me, have you? I have no recollection of ever giving you one. I hope you got it at a bargain.' " ' At a bargain, you say, sheneral ; yes sir, it cost me no more dan one huntred and twenty-five dollar. I keeps it for noting but de name, writ by de hand of de great nian himself.' "Houston insisted upon seeing the note, which was given for tlie sum of one hundred dollars, and which the Jew had probably bought at a discount of fifty per cent. After a great deal of apparent reluctance on the part of Levi, the note was pro- duced. Houston, feeling flattered by the reception THE crea:m of the joke. 39 he met with by the Jew, and not being willing, as he said, to have his note for so small an amount unpaid, insisted upon canceling it upon the spot. Nothing but the respect wdiich Levi had for ' de sheneral' induced the holder to give it up ; and, afler some well-feigned hesitation, it was handed over to the general, who immediately counted out the amount of it into the hands of the Jew. " Houston's vanity had been flattered by the wily Israelite, who, from a knowledge of his weak point, had cajoled him into paying a debt which nothing else would ever have forced him to. And Old Jacinto tore up the paper, with the air of a man who had done a most generous and noble act of magnanimity. "As he left the shop, the exultation of old Shylock was as great as that of the 'done' hero on the plain of San Jacinto. " But the cream of the joke, boys, is yet to come. '• The two Jews, thinking the trick too neatly done to keep to themselves, soon enlightened their brethren in the same street, and from them it leaked out to the ears of some waggish friends of the general, who were elated at a chance to crack it upon him. Now, you know, the ' sheneral' loves a joke as well as any other man, — when it is not at his own expense. He felt lie had been done by a 40 CHILE CON CARNE. damned Jew, — had been wheedled into paying a debt. It was too bad ! and, with threats of ven- geance, he sallied forth to cowhide the ' rascally reneofade from Chatham street.' " But the Jew, having timely notice from some of his friends, was still too shrewd for the general, and had made good his escape on board the Brazos steamer, and remained up that river till notified that his enemy had returned to his plantation, up the Trinity. " Thus, boys, was the hero of San Jacinto con- quered by the Jew !" Another " character" — and an honorary member of the Kangaroo Club, was Jimmy Tweed. He was our regimental drummer; and many a pleasant morning dream has he spoiled by his sleep-banish- ing reveille. Jimmy w^as a noted personage, and had several times figured in print. He had been one of the Santa Fe prisoners; and Kendall, in his account of this expedition, thus brings him before the public. •He says : " Among the prisoners were a number of lawyers, doctors, and other professional men — per- sons who, either from a love of wild adventure, or because they could obtain no professional employ- ment in Texas, had originally been induced to join the expedition. Tlien there were several comedians amongst them — mad wags, who, finding that the SANTA FE PRISONERS. 41 drama yielded tliem but slender support in the new republic, had shouldered the rifle and taken to the prairies for a better. Out of such materials, it may readily be conceived that the richest fun and frolic could be extracted ; and the story of one of their maddest pranks 1 will relate. " The wags knew that among the officers and merchants there were some who had money ; and, to levy a tax upon such pockets as were best filled, these fellows commenced a game which, in the end, not only proved every way successful, but afforded infinite amusement to all. They, in the first place, fitted up an old, dilapidated apartment as a court- room. With two barrels and as many boards, they made a kind of platform, upon which, as a bench, a closet-box was placed, and upon this the jokers seated the largest prisoner in the whole collection as judge; — a half-lawyer, who, in addition to having all the gravity of the Grand Turk himself, wore whiskers, mustache, and hair in quantity sufficient to supply the wigs of an entire bench of English judges. A sheriff, crier, and clerk — men who well understood their business, — were then appointed. An eccentric comedian, who could speak for hours upon any subject, and possessed the keenest wit and the strongest imitative powers imaginable, was chosen prosecuting attorney. As principal witness 42 CHILE COX CARNE. in any case that might be brought, they fell upon a little Irishman, named Jimmy Tweed. Jimmy was born and bred a soldier. He first drew breath in a barrack of a recruiting regiment in Ireland, and, in process of time, after having picked up a fair educa- tion among the officers, joined the regiment as a soldier. The term of his enlistment, he served principally at Gibraltar, where he obtained a name, — to use his own words, — ' for being up to all manner of diviltry,' and where he also learned a smattering of Spanish. On being discharged, he visited the United States, joined the army, served two or three campaigns in Florida, and w^as finally regularly discharged at Baton Eouge, in Louisiana. To finish his education, as he said, he then went to Texas, and, after various campaigns, was finally taken prisoner in New Mexico. He had all the wit of his countrymen, and a fund of dry humor wdiich was inexhaustible. " Thus organized," continues Kendall, " the court proceeded to the trial of such causes as they thought might be turned to their own profit. More decorum, more order, or more gravity of deport- ment v/as never seen in any court of justice. The crier, in some way, procured a small bell, and, in regular form, called the court together, and issued his proclamations. The sheriff, with all the dignity JIMMY TWEED. 43 imaginable, commanded silence, compelled all to take off their bats, and was very efficient in keep- ing the best order. The first action upon their sin- gular law-docket was brought against a young and very worthy man, a merchant, who was charged with being ' a great fool generally.' I am not altogether positive but that the first word in the indictment may have been a much more forcible adjective than the simple term ' great.' <'The judge remarked, that the charge was one extremely grave in its character, and admitted that he could not, at the time, think of any precedent that might guide him in his decision, which, he wound up by saying, should be a just and a right- eous one. The prosecuting attorney, after a few pertinent remarks, brought up several witnesses to sustain the charge. Their evidence — which, of course, was made up, and suited for the meridian of this particular court alone — all went to support the prosecution. The case, as made out, was clear enough ; — not a doubt arose as to the truth of the charge set forth in the indictment ; — but, to make all sure, Jimmy Tweed was brought to the stand. After kissing a brickbat with due gravity — there being no Bible in the court — Jimmy proceeded with his testimony. " He instanced several particulars in which the 44 CHILE CON CARXE. accused party had evinced very little foresight ; — mentioned several of his actions, which manifested great lack of judgment and knowledge of the world; and finally wound up by saying, that the flict alone of his being found in company wdth the Santa Fe Expedition was ample evidence against him. " At this point of the trial, symptoms of uproarious laughter w^ere manifested in court ; — all which were instantly quelled by the sheriff; and the judge then proceeded to give his decision. Drawing himself up, throwing back his head, and clearing his throat with a preparatory ' hem,' and then, raising one leg over the other with all becoming dignity, he remarked, that all the evidence bore strongly against the accused, but that the testimony of the last wit- ness in particular, view it in what light he would, clearly sustained the charge that the arraigned party w^as slightly afflicted with a weakness known as the 'simples' — troubled with not being as w^ise as he might and should have been. He admitted that the charge, which had been thus proved, was a misfortune rather than a crime; but, inasmuch as the times were hard and victuals scarce, he should impose a fine of two dollars upon the accused. The latter, who enjoyed the joke as well as any one, interposed no motion in arrest of judgment, but paid the fine at once ; and thus ended the first trial. 45 "One of our officers, Capt. H., was charged with bad singing ; or rather, as the indictment read, ' with attempting to sing, and making out badly at best.' A number of witnesses testified that, at dif- ferent times, they had been most excessively annoyed, even to the losing of sleep, by the attempts of the accused at divers songs. They all admitted, during a process of cross-questioning, that they were not exactly good judges of music ; still they considered themselves blessed with ears, which taught them to distinguish between the warbling of a canary and that of a crow : — thought they could discover a sooth- ing influence in the notes of a nightingale, which they missed in the braying of a donkey. But, as the testimony of Tweed went directly to prove the charge, and was a perfect gem in its way, I shall give it, as nearly as possible, in his own words : '"Yer 'oner,' said Jimmy, with a ludicrous mock gravity and quizzical leer of his dexter eye, 'yer 'oner, as I was walkin' acrass the corral last evenin', I heerd sthrange, mystarius, and most unnathral sounds issuin' from the officers' quarthers np stairs ; sounds rezimblin', yer 'oner, those made by a saw- mill whin in the full tide of manufacthrin' boords. Well, me curiasity bein' excited, I bethought meself I'd be afther investigatin' the thing ; so whin I was ahajo, yer 'oner — which is the best Spanish I have 46 CHILE CON CARNE. at prisint about me, for the feet of the stairs ; — I heerd the sthrange sounds louder and loader nor iver. Up the stips I wint, and, whin I was airiba, — which manes, yer 'oner, the head of the stairs ; — divil a bit did it stop, at all, at all. What, in the name of all the saints, thinks I to meself, has put a saw- mill in operashun here away — for I still thought it was one, yer 'oner — so I opened the door cautiously, poked me head in slyly, and what should me own eyes see, and me own ears heer, but Captain H. himself, essayin' a bit of a ditty, yer 'oner.' '"Doing what?' questioned the judge. "'Essayin' a ditty, yer 'oner — attemptin' a stave of a song ; and— " ' Enough,' interrupted the high functionary upon the closet-box. ' If you mistook the singing of Captain H. for those sounds ordinarily produced by a saw-mill, the case is clear enough that he has undertaken a task wdiicli neither nature nor culti- vation fits him to carry successfully through ; and I shall fine him one dollar and fifty cents for the attempt.' " Poor Jimmy is now no more. On the disbanding of our regiment, he was received into a company of rangers, — for he loved the Texians, — and proceeded with them to Monterey. In the battle there, Jimmy was one of the first to enter the Bishop's Palace, ,»WW^^-^. 47 where he was killed;- — dying, as he had lived, a jolly and brave-hearted soldier. Jimmy Byrne — or, as he was more familiarly known in the regiment, by the name of Brian O'Linn, — was another " character," and a good deal of a genius in Jiis way. He was also, as his name indicates, a native of '• The swatest isle of the ocean." Jimmy was a lively little fellow, always full of fun and frolic, and at all times ready with a song : — indeed, music seemed to flow spontaneously from his lungs. Sometimes, even when on our regimental drill, he would provoke a general concatenation of laughter along the line, by an involuntary troll of a verse of his flivorite song : "Brian O'Linn had no breeches to wear, So he got him a sheep-skin and made him a pair ; With the woolly side out, and the skinny side in, They're a snug pair of breeches, says Brian O'Linn." Jimmy had taken it into his head that he was a wonderful shot, though, to tell the truth, a hod had oftener graced his shoulder than a rifle. With the latter instrument in his hand, he was fond of making excursions from the camp, and fancying himself a perfect "Nimrod. On one occasion, just at night, after being absent all day, Jimmy made his appearance, with a coun- 48 CHILE CON CARNE. tenance full of importance, and bursting with anx- iety to communicate some wonderful piece of information. "Well, Jimmy, have you met St. Patrick to-day?" inquired Capt. Bennett, " or have you had a rencon- tre with the Mexican army?" "Nather one nor the other, captain," replied Jim, with his big gray eyes distended nearly out of their sockets. "But, captain, tell me, if yer plaze, sur — are there any lions in this counthry ?" "Any what?" "Any lions, captain." " Lions! why, no ; not that I am aware of," says the captain. " Jimmy, have you had a fight with lions to-day V "Not exactly a fight, sur; but, sure's me name's Jim Byrne, I had a siglit of one of the bludy cra- thurs." "Are you sure it was a lion?" asked the captain. " Maybe it was a skunk, Jimmy." " Skunk /" contemptuously repeated Jimmy. " Do you take me for a fule, entirely, captain ! Haven't I seen the picthers of the bastes: and don't I know a lion sure? It's meself, captain, has seen a rale genewine lion to-day." "Well! why did you not shoot it?" smilingly demanded the captain. BRIAN o'lINN's LION HUNT. 49 " Why didn't I shoot it ! sure it's the bludy auld iron as wouldn't shoot straight at all, at all. Now, captain, jewel, will yer be so kind as to be afther giving me the loan of yer big two-barriled gun, yonder, and let me give the crathur another hunt to-morrow? Be the powers, it's raeself '11 bring yer a rale lion, or you may put me on guard ivery day for a month, sure." The next morning, while his countryman, Jimmy Tweed, was rattling off his lively wide-awakening notes of the reveille, Jimmy Byrne, with the cap- tain's double-barreled deer-gun on his shoulder, d la militaire, was seen marching out of camp on his way to "beard the Uo?i in his den." As the regiment was drawn up for the regular afternoon drill, our little Hibernian hove in sight, a long distance off, on the prairie. He seemed to be heavily loaded with something, and advanced but slowly towards camp. The drill was over by the time that Jimmy had arrived ; and as he entered the lines on one side of the camp, before the men had returned from the parade-ground, on the other. Captain Bennett and myself, who occupied the same tent together, were the first to meet him. 'immy came up, and, throwing the huge carcass ^ellow ivolfujyon the ground before us, straight- imself to his full height, threw back his shoul- 50 CHILE CON CARNE. ders, and, with the air of an Alexander, when he had conquered the world, pointed to the disgusting animal, and exclaimed : ''^ See tliere^ now, Captain Bennett! — do ye call that a shmJc? It's meself that takes the liberty to tell ye it's a rale, thrue lion.'''' • This adventure had nearly proved the death of poor Jimmy ; — and he never heard the last of his lion-hunt. He was now christened " Brian, the lion killer ;" and, in spite of his reiterated assertion, of " sure and didn't I know meself, all the time, that it was a wolf," he could not escape the gibes and jokes of his comrades. Some time passed away, before Jimmy could prevail upon himself to under- take another hunt. One day, however, he had been absent for some hours, and on returning to camp, had not a word to say to any one he chanced to meet, but walked directly to the colonel's tent. The colonel was writing at his table, when he was aroused by the entrance of Jimmy, hat in hand. He at once per- ceived a request expressed in the comical face of the little Irishman, and good-naturedly inquired, " what he would have ?" "Colonel, if you plaze, sur, — and if it would not be axin' too great a favor, sur, — will yer lend me the loan of yer nagur's horse for a bit." THE SLOW DEER. 51 " Why! what do you want with my boy's horse, my good fellow?" "Well, you see, colonel, betwix yer honor and Jim Byrne, — that's meself, yer know, I've just shot a big deer out yander a bit, and I thought, mayhaps, as ye'd like a quarther of that same, ye'd be afther givin' me the loan of yer nagur's horse to bring it into camp, just." " O! very well, very w^ell, my good man," replied the colonel ; "you are welcome to the horse, but remember the orders, and never let me know of your ever shooting any of the cattle of the Mexi- cans." "Indeed, sur, yer may trust me intirely for that. tit's not meself would shoot one of the innocent crathurs at all." Mounting the horse of the colonel's servant, Jim- ly was soon bounding away over the prairie. After while he was seen returning with the horse loaded down with the beef of a yearling calf, skinned and neatly cut into quarters. However, in his haste to dress the animal, he had left the entire tail attached to one of the quarters. He bent his course first to Col. Johnson's tent. That officer was standing outside as Jimmy arrived ; and, untying one of the pieces, asked, "where would he have it laid?" 52 CHILE CON CARKE. The tail attracted the eye of the colonel, who sternly demanded — "What have you here, sir?" "It's the deer, yer honor," replied Jimmy, with a scrape of the left foot, and his hand to his cap : — "It's the deer that I tould yer honor I'd bring yer a quarther of." "What '/d?id of a deer do you call this?^^ cried the colonel, as he reached out his hand and took hold of the lonof tuft of hair at the end of the tail. "Answer me, sir; what kind of a deer have you here?" " What kind ! yer honor," replied Jimmy, w^itli an honest, child-like simplicity of countenance — such only as an Irishman can assume, on an occasion, — "I'm sure I don't know, yer honor, — not bein' much varsed in tlie crathur; but I belave they call it the sloiv kind." The colonel had not another question to ask ; but thanked Jimmy for the venison, and acknowl- edged to himself, that he had received new light in relation to the natural history of the genus cerims. This affair was no sooner made known, than the little hunter was immediately reinstated in public opinion, and the little mistake of the lion was over- looked, in consideration of the general service he NOT ALWAYS IN LUCK. 53 had rendered, in classifying a species of game, the most abundant of all others in the vicinity of the camp. \ ButtTimmy Byrne was not always in luck, as will be seen. He was not only fond of the sports of the hunt, but often purveyed for his company as a fisherman. Many a fine red-fish have I partaken of at his expense, — for it was only to the members of the other companies that he would sell anything from his commissariat. He had found along the shore of the Lagoon de la Madre a bed of very fine oysters, which, b}^ wading out into the water, he could gather up in clusters from the bottom. He had supplied his company with several messes of these luscious mollusca, before he would reveal to others, but his friend, Jimmy Tweed, the place of their deposit. One morning, while at breakfast, our ears were saluted by the most doleful cries, mingled with adjurations and curses. " Och ! blessed Vargin, it hurts ! I'm murthered, I'm murthered — it's kilt I am, intirely ! Damn the bludy luck — I'm ruined. Oh ! muther, muther — Howly Vargin, but it hurts ! Oh! oh!" On runnim? out of the tent to ascertain the cause of all this outcry, we beheld Jimmy Byrne borne along on the shoulders of our little drummer, 54 CHILE CON CARNE. who, directing his steps to v^here we were standing, deposited his burden upon the ground. " What is the matter, Jimmy ?" asked I, as I stooped to examine his wounds. *' Mather ? mather enough, sur. Look there ! Oh ! murther ! it's the divil's own bludy tail that's run through me foot. Oh ! oh !" I looked at his foot, and found the barbed sting of a stingaree deeply imbedded in his heel. It seemed, from Jimmy Tweed's account, — for the sufferer could not cease his exclamations of pain long enough to answer my questions, — that the two were in the lagoon groping for oysters, when Jimmy Byrne suddenly screamed out, and fell into the water, and probably would have drowned, had not his friend hastened to his relief, and dragged him out, with the poisonous fish flap- ping at his foot. Not being able to extract the barbed sting, Jimmy said he was obliged first to cut off the tail of the fish, and then to separate the sting from the tail. He then loaded him upon his shoulders and brought him to camp. The removal of the barb required a painful opera- tion, and for several days the poor fellow could find no relief from pain, only as he was under the influ- ence of narcotics ; and it was weeks before he recovered entirely the use of his foot. DEATH OF JIMMY. 55 On the mustering out of the regiment, Jimmy- Byrne was "promoted" — to use his own words — *' to the command of a wagon and a five-mule team." He continued faithfully in this employ, till the poor fellow was murdered by Urrea's pr.rty, at the time of the massacre of the train near Marin. Peace to his memory ! CHAPTER IV. The Army leaves Comargo for Cerralvo. — Orders for the March. — Establishment of General Hospital. — Old Convent. — General Quit- man. — His Kindness to the Sick. — Interview with the Alcalde — Disappearance of that Worthy. — Cerralvo. — Silver Mines. — Imper- fect Manner of working them. — Don Francisco Lozano's Account of their Discovery. — Beneficial Effects of the Change from the Lower Country. — Pure Water. — The Mis-sissippians. — Our Little Commis- sary. — Corn-dodgers and Corn-mills. — A Benefit. — " Those Black- guard Volunteers."— Incident, illustrative of Mexican Character. — Murder of a Mississippian. — Juan La Yaca. — Excitement amongst Citizens. — The Murderer arres-tcd. — Examination. — Confession of Guilt. — Mother and Son. — Indifference to Death. — Attempt to buy off. — Alone with the Priest. — Execution. — Change in Public Sen- timent. — Priest pockets the Gold. — Epidemic among Children. — Priestly Assertion. — Custom of Burial of Children.— Gay Proces- sion. — Patron Saints of the Sick. — Fees, how dispensed. General Taylor broke up his camp at Comargo on the 6th of September, and moved on to Cerralvo, a neat and well-built little town, with a population of about 3,000 previous to the war. At this time, most of its citizens had left, some to join the Mexi- can army, others for the haciendas and ranchos at a distance from the line of march of the American army. GEXERAL ORDERS. 57 Here the commanding-general issued the follow- ing orders : *' 1. As the army may expect to meet resistance in the further advance towards Monterey, it is necessary that its march should be conducted with all proper precaution, to meet attack and secure the baggage and supplies. " From this point, the following will be the order of march, till otherwise directed : " 2. All the pioneers of the army, consolidated into one party, will start early to-morrow (11th) on the march to Marin, for the purpose of repairing the roads and rendering it practicable for artillery and wagons. The pioneers of each division will be under a subaltern, to be especially detailed for the duty, and the whole will be under Captain Craig, third infantry, who will report to headquarters for instructions. This pioneer party will be covered by a squadron of dragoons, and Captain M'Culloch's company of rangers. Two officers of topographical engineers, to be detailed by Captain Williams, will accompany the party, for the purpose of examining the route. Two wagons will be provided by the quartermaster's department for the transportation of the tools, provisions, and knapsacks of the pioneer party. " 3. The first division wHll march on the 13th 3* 58 CHILE CON CARNE. instant, to be followed on successive days by the second division and the field division of volunteers. The headquarters will march with the first divis- ion. Captain Gillespie, with half his compan}^, will report to Major-general Butler ; the other half, under the first lieutenant, to Brigadier-gen- eral Worth. These detachments will be employed for outposts and videttes, and as expresses betv/een the columns and headquarters. " 4. The subsistence supplies will be divided between the three columns, the senior commissary of each division receipting for the stores, and being charged with their care and management. The senior commissaries of divisions will report to Cap- tain Waggaman for this duty. *' 5. Each division will be followed immediately by its baggage-train and supply-train, with a strong reai'-guard. The ordnance-train, under Captain Ramsay, will march with the second division, between its baggage and supply- train, and will come under the protection of the guard of that division. The medical supplies will, in like man- ner, march with the first division. " 6. The troops will take eight days' rations and forty rounds of ammunition. All surplus arms and accoutrements, resulting from casualties on the road, will be deposited with Lieutenant Stewart, HOSPITAL AT CERRALVO. 59 left in charge of the depot at this place, who will give certificates of deposit to the company com- manders. " 7. The wagons appropriated for transportation of water will not be required, and will be turned over to the quartermaster's department for general purposes. " 8. Two companies of the Mississippi regiment will be designated for the garrison of this place. All sick and disabled men, unfit for the march, will be left behind under charge of a medical officer to be selected for this duty by the medical director." In accordance with the last section of the above orders, the author was instructed to establish, and take charge of a general hospital at this post. I did not receive the order till the evening previous to the march of the first division; and no provision having been previously made for the sick, — such as hospital accommodations, etc. — there was neces- sarily considerable confusion in the arranging and disposing of the men for the night. My orders were to take possession of such build- ings, belonging to the citizens, as I deemed most convenient for the purpose. The largest and most suitable place for an hospital had already been appropriated by Lieutenant Stewart as a commis- sary deput. This was a large roomy building, with 60 CHILE CON CARNE. an interior court, which had formerly been occupied as a convent, but had been some time unoccupied, though still in good repair. This building I occu- pied subsequently, when w^e were obliged to con- centrate our little party, under the more immediate protection of the garrison. While engaged in receiving the sick, receipting for their arms and equipments, and directing them' to such quarters as I had temporarily selected for them, a general officer, w^ith a number of the sick of Colonel Jeff. Davis' regiment, called upon me, and introduced himself as General Quitman. He said, that observing I had much to do, he had come to tender me his assistance in disposing of his men. He loaded himself wuth the knapsacks and arms of the sick soldiers, and, directing such as w^ere able to follow^ him, made them as comfortable as the cir- cumstances would admit, in such houses as I had designated. He then returned, loaded himself again, and, wdth another party, returned to the work. Thus he continued the greater part of the night — each time handing me the descriptive-lists of the men he had disposed of. The general ex- hibited a paternal regard for the men of his com- mand, having a kind word of encouragement and sympatliy for each. It was in this wav, this kind-hearted and brave THE ALCALDE. 61 officer won the love and esteem of his soldiers, and subsequently beca'me one of the most popular and esteemed officers of the army. Having thus dis- posed of the sick for the night, the general pro- posed that we should call upon the Alcalde, to whom, he said, he wished to leave some orders in reference to the accommodation and future con- venience of myself, and the men under my charge. On reaching the residence of that functionary, we found the occupants had long since retired to sleep. Our summons, however, soon aroused the Alcalde, who, with much fear and trembling, opened the door. The hour was an unseemly one, it was true, for official business, and, no doubt, he at first took us to be a party in search of plunder. But when, with trembling hands, he managed, at last, to light a candle, and observed the uniform of the general, and that of Captain Sharp, who accom- panied us, he mustered courage, invited us in, and brought us seats. Having some knowledge of Spanish, the general requested me to state the object of the \isit, — which was to request his official influence, in obtaining fresh supplies of such provisions as I might require for the use of the sick, and demanding his protec- tion of them in their intercourse with the citizens; ending, by informing him of his — the general's — rank. 62 CHILE CON CARNE. and an assurance, that he should hold him person- ally responsible for any harm that should happen to any of my men among his people. Whether it was, that the Alcalde felt the respons- ibility too heavy for his narrow shoulders to bear, or not, I cannot say ; it is very certain, however, that that was the last interview I ever had with that worthy personage. I was told the next morn- ing, that he had departed before daylight for his rancho. Whether he had abdicated, and gone into philosophical retirement, or had joined the forces of the enemy, I know not. He never made his ap- pearance again, while we were in possession of the town. Cerralvo is pleasantly situated at the foot of a range of mountains, from which the tow^n derives its name. In these mountains are said to exist rich de- posits of silver. For many years, six or seven mines were worked, and yielded a rich revenue to the town — the place having sprung up after the dis- covery of these mines. But at length, the miners being much molested by the Indians, and the water accumulating more rapidly than, with their imper- fect malacates, or bull's-hide buckets, they could clear them, they were obliged to abandon them. The miners appear to have been very unskillful in ex- tracting the metal from the ores, and the furnaces SILVER MIXES OF CERRALVO. 63 used for this purpose, were of the most primitive constructiou. I discovered, in one of my morning rides, at the base of the mountain, one of these furnaces. It was surrounded by large heaps of slag, much of which appeared to have been but partially melted. On breaking open a lump of this, particles of the pure metal might be seen filling up the interstices. In- deed I have no doubt that an enterprising party, with suitable apparatus, might extract a fortune from these piles of rubbish. I was informed by intelligent Mexicans, that these mines might, with small comparative ex- pense, be emptied, and restored to working order. Don Francisco Lozano, a friend of mine, and a very intelligent property-holder in the town, gave me the following account of the discovery of these mines : An ancestor of his, of his own name, who was a 2^6011^ had charge of a herd of goats, the property of his master, and was accustomed to drive them to feed on the plain at the base of the mountain. Sometimes the animals would be tempted, by the feed to be found amongst the rocks, to climb the mountains. On one occasion, they had thus strayed away, and the peon had ascended in search of them ; but it being too late to return 5y daylight, he con- 64 CHILE CON CARNE. eluded to spend the night in the mountain. He, therefore, built a fire, and spread his seraiie before it, and slept till morning. On preparing for his re- turn, he observed some shining metal among the ashes of the fire, and discovered he had been sleep- ing on an outcropping loch of native, or pure silver. To satisfy himself of this, however, he gathered up a portion of the mass from the ashes, and tying it in the corner of his serape, submitted it to one who was better qualified to judge of the metal. He im- mediately imparted the secret of this important dis- covery to another pey deserved, the General could only order them out of the country. Others came after them, but were not mustered into service ; — the General declaring that the Ameri- can army should be no longer disgraced by such wretches. It was the acts of such men as these, that pro- voked, the retaliatory cruelties and murders of the guerrillas. The following manifesto was tj^ken from a cap- tured guerrilla, belonging to the band of Canales, by Lieutenant Bee, of Lamar's Rangers, and shows how the unprovoked murder of the people of Guadalupe was received by the Mexicans. *' I this day send, to the Adjutant Inspector of the National Guards, the following instructions : " I learn, with the greatest indignation, that the Americans have committed a most horrible massacre, at the rancho of Guadalupe. They made prisoners, in their own houses, and by the side of their fami- lies, twenty-five peaceable men, and immediately shot them. " To repel this class of warfare, wdiich is not v/ar, but atrocity in all its fmy, there is no other course 296 CHILE CON CARNE. left us than retaliation ; and, in order to pursue this method, rendered imperative by the iatal cir- cumstances above-mentioned, you will immediately declare martial law, with the understanding that, eight days after the publication of the same, every individual, who has not taken up arms, (being capa- ble of so doing), shall be judged a traitor, and instantly shot. " Martial law being in force, you are bound to give no quarters to any American whom you may meet, or who may present himself to you, even though he be without arms. " You are also directed to publish this to all the towns in this State; forcibly impressing them with the severe punishment that shall be inflicted for the omission of this order. *'We have arrived at that state, in which our country requires the greatest sacrifices ; her sons should glory in nothing, but to become soldiers, and, as brave Mexicans, to meet the crisis. Therefore, if the army of invasion continues, and our people remain in the towns, which they have molested, they deserve not one ray of sympathy ; nor should any one ever cease to make war upon them. " You will send a copy of this to each of your subordinates, and they are authorized to proceed against the chiefs of their squadrons, or against their CANALES' PROCLAMATION. 297 colonels, or any other, even against me, for any in- fraction of this order — the only mode of salvation left. The enemy wages war against us, and even against those peaceable citizens who, actuated by improper impulses, desire to remain quiet in their houses. Even these they kill without quarter ; and this is the greatest favor they may expect from them. The only alternative left us, under these circum- stances, is retaliation ; which is the strong right of the offended against the offending. To carry this into effect, attach yourself to the authorities. Your failing to do this will be considered a crime of the greatest magnitude. " All the officers of the troops are directed to assist you in carrying out this order ; and it is dis- tinctly understood, there shall be no exceptions. Neither the clergy, military, citizens, nor other per- sons, shall enjoy the privilege of remaining peace- ably at their homes. *' The whole of the corporation shall turn out with the citizens, leaving solely as authority of the town, one of the members, who is over sixty years of age ; at the same time, if all the members are capable of bearing arms, then none shall be excepted ; leaving to act some one who is incapable of military service. You yourself must be an example to others, by conforming to this requisition. And I send this ]3* 298 ' CHILE CON CARNE. to you for publication; and charge you to see it exe- cuted in every particular ; and communicate it to all the commanders of the squadrons in your city, who will aid you in carrying into effect these instruc- tions ; and, in fact, you are directed to do all, and everything, wdiich your patriotism may prompt. God and Liberty !" This document w^as extensively circulated amongst the people ; and no doubt excited many of the lower classes, and soldiery, to acts of outrages and murder. They were prompted as much by fear of the threats it contained, as by a spirit of retaliation and re- venge. There is no doubt, but that the system of guerrilla warfare w^ould have been adopted by the Mexicans, had not those atrocities been committed by the cut-throats unfortunately attached to our army ; — but it is very reasonable to suppose that it would not have been marked by such implacable hatred, as certainly distinguished it. However, to the honor of many of the simple- hearted rancheros, as well as to the more intelligent citizens of Monterey, it should be recorded, that those outrages of the so-called Texians were looked upon in their true light. They well knew that they w^ere repudiated, not only by the Commanding- General, but also by all the respectable portion of the American army. By these persons, therefore, THE MASSACHUSETTS REGIMENT. 299 the cold-blooded proclamation of Canales was treat- ed with the disrespect it deserved ; and our friendly intercourse with them remained uninterrupted till our final evacuation of the country. ''Prince Henry. — "WhOvSe fellows are these that come after? "■ Falstaff.—l^imQ, Hal, mine. ''Prince Henry. — I did never see such pitiful rascals. " Falstaff. — Tut, tut ! Good enough to toss : food for powder, food for powder ; — they'll fill a pit as well as better." As yet the New England States had not been represented in the volunteer forces ; but at length, after all the battles of Taylor's line had been fought, and our army was in quiet possession of the coun- try, from the shores of the Gulf to the interior, beyond the eastern range of the Sierra Madre, — a rumor reached us, that old Massachusetts w^as rais- ing a regiment to send to us; that a son of her first of statesmen w^as to accompany it ; and that not only would this regiment come with the imple- ments of war in one hand, but with the printing- press, — the engine of peace and civilization, — in the other. With the name of Massachusetts was associated the Roman virtues of her earlier history ; — Bunker's Hill, and the blood of her noblest sons, so freely poured forth through the lung struggle of the Revo- 300 CHILE CON CARNE. lution, — and the heroic stand her people have ever since taken in the moral struggle for human rights, and for the elevation of the standard of our national character. We reasonably hoped that this regiment would represent the genuine Yankee stock of the State, and that we might point to it with pride, and say to the Mexican people: "See! there is a body of the true men of the north." The time seemed long since they were reported to have left their native State, before they arrived, so desirous were we to see them, and welcome them to our ranks. At length, w^e of Monterey heard of the landing of this regiment at Matamoras. The same express, also, brought reports of excesses and outrages per- petrated upon the citizens of that town, by some of these men ; but we were not willing to give cre- dence to tl:i€ reports. There certainly was some mis- take. The Massachusetts men had been confounded with some o£ the discharged desperadoes ; — for cer- tainly Massachusetts men were not of that qualit3\ But at last, when the long-looked-for regiment reached us, and was marched into the city, we found, to our mortification, that we had been most egregiously sold. Never was the name of the glori- ous old "Mother of the Nation" so ungenerously MURDER OF BEAL. 301 used, as when applied to this promiscuous assem- blage of unwashed foreigners, from the sea-ports and manufacturinG: towns of that State. Some of the officers were gentlemanly men, worthy of being attached to a more respectable corps. Some were, indeed, "men of Massachusetts;" but there was not enough of the New England element in the regiment to give character to the mass. A number of these officers left, soon after arriving in the country, — young Webster among them, — and attached themselves to the other corps, or were transferred, at their own requests, to some of the departmental offices. It was at the time this regiment was stationed in the city of Monterey, that the brave old Texian, -Harrison Beal, was deliberately murdered in cold blood, by order of the colonel* of the regiment. The ch'cumstances were these : — poor Beal had been a member of Colonel Jack Hays' regiment of Eangers, and was one of the first to enter the city, on the 21st of September, 1S46; and, like others of that corps, had been permitted to remain in the town, where he had started a very profitable busi- ness, as a saloon and restaurant-keeper. He had just purchased a fine American horse, of some vol- * Not C— b C— ng, of Senarita celebrity. He had become one of Mr. Polk's •' generals." 302 CHILE CON CARNE. unteer officer, about to return home, and had made up a party of friends to visit the hot springs of Agtia Cidicnte, on the morrow, (Sunday). Accord- ingly, in the morning he started to ride through the plaza, to the place where he had appointed to meet his friends. The plaza was large, and the smooth, level ground tempted the Texian to put his new horse through his paces. On one side of this square was the guard-house, occupied by some of the " Massachusetts men ;" — and a sentinel with a loaded musket, pacing up and down before it. At the moment Beal was crossing the plaza from one side, the Colonel entered it in the opposite direction. The tw^o men w^ere well acquainted, — the officer beino; sometimes a customer at the saloon of the other. Beal saluted him familiarly, with " Good- morning, Colonel ;" which was returned with the inquiry, " Why in h — 1 he rode so flist?" — and an order to halt! Beal slightly checked his horse, and, supposing the officer only in a gossiping humor, good-naturedly replied, " that he was in a hurry to meet some friends, and could not stop." The Colo- nel then abruptly turned towards the Irish sentinel, and ordered him to "shoot down that damned Texian !" The order was no sooner given than the soldier brought his piece to his shoulder, and, de- liberately aiming at Beal, as he rode by, shot him MURDER OF BEAL. 303 througli the heart ! He tumbled headlong from his horse, — dead ! The body of the murdered man was dragged into the guard-house ; where his friends were not per- mitted to enter, or to give it decent burial. After lying in one corner of the room, in a puddle of its own blood, for several hours, it was trundled off to the Tanyard fort ; where it was thrown into a shal- low pit, and disposed of, like the carcass of a dog. The indignation of the Texians, and other Ameri- cans in the town, was very great ; and it was witli difficulty that the Texians could be withheld from an attack upon the quarters of the murderer. A more cold-blooded and unprovoked act of homicide was never perpetrated. The friends of poor Beal had his body removed to his own house, where it was washed, and decently placed in a coffin. It was afterwards attended by a large procession to the grave ; and w^as interred as the remains of a vrorthy man, and brave soldier should have been. Soon after this, while the administration was en- deavoring to cripple General Taylor, not only by withholding necessary supplies of men and muni- tions, — but had instructed General Scott to draw on him for his available forces, and Taylor had yielded regiment after regiment, and battery -^fter 804 CHILE CON CARNE. battery, till obedience had ceased to be a virtue ; and the General determined not to part with another man worth retaining, — he said to his Adjutant-Gene- ral, — " Major Bliss, the next requisition Scott makes upon us, send him that infernal Massachusetts regi- ment. I have no need of them, — and he is quite welcome to them." "And I am sure. General," replied the Major, " w^e shall then uo longer be troubled w^ith his requisitions." Accordingly, in a few days this regiment was under marching orders ; — and w^as to proceed to Matamoras, from whence it was to be shipped to Vera Cruz. The day the regiment left town, was marked by another murder. As it passed over the Virgin's Bridge, on the way towards the general camp, — a drunken Irishman refused to proceed further. This, of course, created some confusion in the ranks. The order was given, "Shoot the damned rascal!" — and one of his comrades, — as drunk as himself, — delib- erately blew out his brains ! " Forward march !" — and the regiment moved on, as if nothing w^orthy of note had occurred. The body of the murdered man lay on the bridge for some hours, — when some of the residents in the vicinity removed it, and gave it a hasty burial. THE " nor' CAr'lINE" REGIMENT. 305 It is also a notorious fact, that the character of this regiment was such, that, on arriving at Vera Cruz, General Scott ordered a portion of it to gar- rison the castle of San Juan de Ulloa, where they were detained, virtually as prisoners, till the termin- ation of the war. Perhaps I should be guilty of gross injustice, to pass over, unnoticed, another body of volunteers, who came to the country towards the close of the war. This was the regiment from North Carolina. My introduction to these new levies occurred in this wise : — I was on the road to Caraargo, when, one pleasant morning, having passed Punta Aguda, I observed a small grassy glade, a little distance from the wagon-track. Its bright verdure tempted me to turn aside, that ray horse might refresh him- self upon its rich herbage. The train, consisting of some two hundred wag- ons, escorted by Texas Pangers, had filed past me, as I lay upon the ground, enjoying the apparent gusto with which my steed cropped the juicy grass. I lay thus, — half asleep, half awake, when the sound of voices approaching along the road, from the opposite direction, attracted my attention : "Now them's Texas Rangers, be they?" " Yes ; so the teamsters said." ^ 306 CHILE CON CARNE. " Wal ! I'll be smoked in a tar-kill, ef they ain't jest like anybody else, arter all ; — only they don't wear soger-close, like us. But did ye mind, — they straddle mighty nice bosses!" " That's a fact, Jo ! and the fellow that driv tliat big yaller mule-team, said that them 'ere Texyans got eighteen dollars a month !" ''' Eigliteen dollars ! whew! wal, that's a heap of money, anney how!" " I say, dad !" now chimed in a voice I had not heard before, — "what wages do'ee think we'r goin' to git?" "Dunno, Sam ! but I b'lieve about seven dollars a month, and the vittles thrown in." "0, h — 1!" replied Sam; — "a fellow mought a' done nigh as well as that down in the old piney- woods, a scraping, and totin' tarpentine." " I s'pose we mought, Sam ; — but you know, son- ney, there's no glory to be had thar." " Damn the glory ! I say, dad ; — I goes in for the dollars, — the- real shiners, — I does! Damn green, w^e wos, to come 'way out to this h — 1 of a place to be shot at by Injuns and Mexekins ! For my part, ole boss, I. only wish I wos once more on t'other side o' Tar river. I've seen glory enough already, in this damned thorny country, — I have! Why! yer can't put yer foot down without stickin' a A COMICAL EXCOUNTER. 307 blasted thorn through it ; — it's all thorny. Every tree IVe seed yet has thorns on it ; — e¥en the dod- ratted frogs and grasshoppers have horns ; — and it's the thornyest, hornyest country on airtli ! — damn it, I say." I had heard enough to excite my curiosity to know who these men were ; so, throwing the bridle of my horse over a cactus plant, I stepped out to the road to reconnoitre. From some words they dropped, however, I had no doubt of the State that had the honor to be rep- resented by them. As I stepped into the dusty wagon-track, I encoun- tered three as strange objects as ever met my gaze. They were an old man, and two long-legged, long- armed, scrawny, old-looJcing boys ! The three figures were accoutred alike, in bran new suits of soldiers' fatigue uniforms ; — but more unsoldier-like objects I never beheld. The old man's overalls, wdiich were a world too wide and too long for his ^dnny corpus, were rolled up above his bare, tan-colored knees, while the jacket came below the hips, and was buttoned up full in front, throwing the old fellow's hea^ back at a fearful angle, with his sharp, bony chin pointing to the zenith. His blue fatigue-cap hung low down on his little bottle-shaped head, and rested by its 308 CHILE CON CARNE. rim on a huge pair of leathery ears, which stood out in most grotesque relief from his head. The cap, like the rest of his dress, was intended for a much larger man, and fitted to his caput like a corn-basket to the top of a horse-post. Upon the whole, he re- minded me of the old plantation song about — ''A bull-frog dressed in soldier's clothes." The dresses of the boys were as much too scant for them as the old man's was too large. Their scrawny extremities protruded from them in un- gainly contortions, and bore no small resemblance to the "lite-wood knots" of their native " piney- woods." As I moved out into the road, these men made a sudden halt, and, throwing their bright new regula- tion muskets into a clubbing position, demanded, in an excited tone, " Who he you?'' " A friend," I replie^I, bursting into an uncon- trollable fit of laughter, at the truly comical figures before me. " Put down your guns, men, I won't hurt you." " Wal! now I'm darned ef I didn't take ye for a bloody Mexekin, and no mistake !" said one of the boys. AN AMUSING DIALOGUE. 309 *' Mister! du you belong to that long string of waggins that's jest driv by?" I replied that I was accompanying the train. •' Wal, now, then, stranger, I reckin yer mought tell lis ef it's a fact that all these 'ere w^aggins and mules belong to Gineral Taylor ?" I assured them most seriously that such was the fact. " And does he buy all the vittles, and pay the wages of all the sogers he keeps'?" " Most assuredly ?" I replied. " And does he own all them 'ere steamboats we seed on the Ryo Gran ?" " Of course, he does ; he owns them all." " Wal ! all I've got to say about it, then, boys," exclaimed the old man, — throwing up his huge, bony hands, and giving his cap a tilt upon the back of his little head, — " all I've got to say about it, is, — he is the goldarndest richest ole coon I ever hearn tell ov, — that's all ! Kurnul Johnsin' 'way dow^n on Tar river, with all his sloop-loads of tar, tarpentine, and shingles, can't hold a light 'ud knot to him, — he can't!" "Yes, dad, — and that an't all, either ; — they du say, that tfie ole Gineral has got one ov the biggest plantations on all the Marsissippi ; with hundreds and thousands ov niggers to boot ; and the way the 310 CHILE COX CARNE. kinkies tumble out the sugar, and cotton, and sich, — is a sin to ole David Crocket!" Being appealed to, I also corroborated this last statement. "And now," said I, "having given you all the information you have required, will you be so kind, gentlemen, as to tell me where you are from?" "0! we're from ole Varginny; — but that whole sward of fellows coming yander, ihe^fre from Nor Carline, — close on the Varginny linc.^^ This was precisely the answer I expected to get for I have yet to see the North Carolinian from the " piney-woods," who does not hail from "Var- ginny," or " close upon the Varginny line." They are as rare as Virginians, who are not members of the first families." By this time, the main body of this new regiment of " during-the-war men" came straggling up. So, bidding my piney-woods friends good-by, and re- commending them to keep a sharp look-out for the bloody MexeJcmsj I returned to my horse, and re- mounting, soon rejoined the train. CHAPTER XVII. Our Line of Occupation. — Attempts to introduce Steam on the Rio Grande. — Former Mode of Navigating that River. — The People Two Hundred Years Behind the Age. — Volunteers Introduce the Loom and Spinning-Wheel. — The Mexican Plough. — The Passage of a Steamboat, an Event. — How Regarded by the Natives. — Camargo the Head of Navigation. — The Road from Camargo to Monterey. — Mier. — Punta Aguda Burnt by Colonel Curtiss. — The March of the 3rd Ohio Regiment. — Chicharrones. — The Death of Lieutenant Miller. — Cerralvo. — Agua Dulcis. — Mountain Scenery. —Sunrise among the Mountains. — The March. — Ramos. — Marin. — Rio Salinas. — Agua Frio. — El Bosque de Santo Domingo. The line of operations, occupied by the forces under the command of General Taylor, extended from the Gulf coast, to a point some sixty miles beyond the dUtj of Saltillo ; — including a distance of something like one hundred and thirty-five leagues. Of this distance, about fifty leagues was upon the navigable waters of the Rio Grande, which were plied by light-draught steamboats. Previous to the war, several attempts had been made to introduce steamers upon this river ; — but the repugnance of the natives to everything like improvements or innovations, upon the old Adamic 312 CHILE CON CARNE. plan of things, interfered to prevent the adoption of these modern conveniences. Therefore, np to this period, the navigation of this rapid stream was con- fined only to a few canoes and batteaus, laden with hides or corn, from the towns of Camargo and Ray- nosa, and the ranchos along its fertile banks ; — while the transportation of goods from Matamoras, the great commercial mart of Eastern Mexico, was done on the backs of mules and donkeys ; with this noble river flowing, for many leagues, parallel w4th the century-trodden mule-paths. When we had obtained a foothold in the country, we found ourselves among a people, two hundred years, at least, behind the age, in the common arts and conveniences of life. Even a spinning-wheel, or a hand-loom, w^as an implement unknown to them ; — and when the volunteers, as was often the case, had manufactured these instruments, with such rude tools as were to be found in the camp, and initiated the women into the use of them, — they were looked upon, by these simple people, as the w^onder and perfection of mechanical art. Although quick to learn, and ready to acquire the uses of un- complicated machinery, when they were furnished to them, they were destitute of the simplest form of labor-saving instruments. The plough of the Mexican peasant is the same IMPRESSIONS OF THE NATIVES. 313 rade implement that was used by his Indian ances- tor, centuries before. It is, simply, a crooked stick — produced and finished to the hand of the husband- man by nature. Sometimes, however, this primitive ploughismet witli under an improved form, — wliich is the addition of a buffalo's horn upon its wooden point. Its uses are nothing more than to scratch up, in a very imperfect manner, the surface of the prolific soil. The passage of a steamboat was an event which, with a few experimental exceptions, had not occurred since Colonel Stephen F. Austin, the first American pioneer of Texas, had attempted, many years before, to introduce one upon the w^aters of the Rio Grande, — till our Government had purchased and chartered a number of worn-out, rickety Mississippi craft, and sent them puffing and snorting up this stream, to transport troops and munitions of war. These novel affairs were regarded with wonder and astonishment by the natives, who would gather along the shore for leagues, from the interior, to witness their passage. Many of them actually be- lieved them to be living, breathing monsters — the very all-devouring cannibals of whom their priests had warned them. In a few months, new and respectable-looking steamers, built expressly for this river, were churn- 14 314 CHILE CON CARNE. ing its turbid waters; and, at the close of the war, private enterprise was extensively engaged in the navigation of the "mad river of the north." Camargo,* near the mouth of the San Juan, which debouches into the Kio Grande, was, at this period, the supposed head of navigation. But, since then, boats have proceeded much further up the stream ; — indeed, with some little improvements of the channel, this river might be navigable for many leagues. The road from Camargo towards Monterey passes through a variety of interesting scenery. For the first sixty miles it runs over a fertile plain, where comfortable and picturesque villages and ranches enliven the way. Thick growths of chaparral, and, * It was at tills place that General Pillow immortalized his name, by originating a new style of military engineering. It was the planning, and actual building, of a fortification, with the ditch inside the breast-works, and posts and chains, from the Quartermaster's stores, sti'etched around the works, where less enlightened engineers would have dug the ditch ! Colonel May one afternoon amused himself by breasting his horse against this formidable defense, and breaking up a number of most excellent trace-chains, which were intended to do service in the trains. Pillow was one among a number of militia generals, some of whom were promoted '' Georgia Majors," who had been forced upon the army ; — and were designated as " PoWs j^ets.''^ They were, most of them, small-fry politicians, who had been paid off, by the administra- tion, with commissions they disgraced. This was the same General Pillow who afterwards essayed to steal the laurels from the brow of the veteran hero, Scott. THE HORRORS OF WAR. 315 in some places, timber of considerable size, cover the unoccupied country. About ten leagues from Camargo, we arrive at the pleasant and cleanly little town of Mier ; a place made famous as the scene of the brave exploits of a small party of Texians, who, defeating a vastly superior force of Mexican artillerists, gained pos- session of the place, and held it — till, induced by false representations, they were betrayed into the power of the enemy ; and afterwards w^ere forced to draw lots ; and every tenth man was shot down, in cold-blood, by the treacherous Mexicans. Leaving Mier, we next encamp at Punta Aguda. This place, when we first visited it, contained a population of some fifteen hundred rancheros, who furnished us with a plentiful supply of fresh provi- sions, and were very friendly disposed towards us. A few months after, on the passage of Colonel Curtiss, of the 3rd Ohioans, this pretty village was laid in ashes, in retaliation for some depredations which had been committed upon some of our trains, while on the road; and of which, there is no doubt, these people were entirely innocent. The march of that regiment, all the way to Mon- terey, w^as marked with devastated fields, and the smoking ruins of villages and ranchos, where the advancing columns of our army had met with shelter 316 CHILE CON CARNE. and friendly receptions. Such are tlie horrors of war: the innocent and friendly peasantry are often- est made to suffer its penalties. These unwarrant- able acts of cruelty were severely censured by General Taylor, w^ho immediately issued orders, for- bidding a repetition of them. The next usual encamping ground, on the upward march, after leaving Punta Aguda, is the spot wdiere stood, when we first rested here, the little randiita of Chicharrones. Not an adobe remained upon another of its walls, after the passage of our modern Attila. There, under a rude cairn, smoulder the bones of the brave Lieutenant C. D. Miller, of the 2nd Ohio- ans. He lies upon the spot where he fell by the assassin shot of a guerrilla. A party of Americans, soon after passing, recognized the body, and gave it burial ; and erected a pile of stones upon the grave, to protect it from the jackals. The next day's march brings us to Cerralvo ; where the scenery assumes an entirely new charac- ter. From this point, the road takes a wide circuit from the direct line, to avoid the first advanced spurs of the Sierra Madre ; and brings us, at an early hour, to encamp at the rancho of Agua Dulcis, — appropriately so named, from the spring of delicious water, which tempts the weary soldier to rest by its margin. SUNRISE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 317 The march for the following day passes along a broken valley, walled in on either hand by craggy mountains, which rear their bare granitic pinnacles to the skies; their castellated spires, stained and scarred by the storms of ages, tower in grand sub- limity among the clouds. Here, among the mountains, the sunrise scene which greets the traveler early abroad, is of itself worth a journey to witness. It w^ere useless to attempt a description of it, — for words cannot con- vey an adequate idea of its surpassing grandeur and beauty. With reluctance we leave our pleasant camping- place, where all night long we have been lulled to dreamy slumbers, by the ceaseless music of the mountain stream, as it sings its w^ay along over the polished pebbles which line its bottom ;— and while yet the deep shadows linger upon the landscape, we mount, and resume the march before us. The stars burn clear above us, and the mists rest upon the mountain slopes; but ere we have proceeded far, — " The day comes on apace, The clouds roll up in gold and amber flakes, And all the stars grow dim. The morning breaks. It breo^ks— it comes — the misty shadows fly ; A rosy radiance gleams along the sky ; The mountain-tops reflect it calm and clear,— The plain is yet in shade, but day is near." 318 CHILE CON CARNE. The sun struggles through the clouds, which still slumber among the peaks, and lights up the horizon with all the brilliant and beautiful hues of nature. The colors of the rainbow, and the ever-varying, changing tints of pearl and amethyst, fade and die in contrast with this gorgeous lighting up of the clouds of early morning among the mountains of Mexico. " And jocund day, Upon the mountain tops, sits gaily dressed." All day our route lies between mountain ridges, which in some places jut up upon the path, or overhang it with rugged and frowning cliffs; then receding, leave a wdde and fertile valley, intersected by rushing water-courses ; and richly clothed with forests of palmettos, mesquits, and cacti ; then the road ascends the face of an abrupt hill, where for some distance it follows along upon its crest, and again descends to the plain ; — thus, at every mile of the march, presenting a new feature of the land- scape, till, as the setting sun empurples the western skies, and gilds with his farewell rays the lofty spires, we come to a halt, and encamp for the night, by the rocky stream of Papa Grallios. The next day, passing by the ruins of what, before the passage of the Vandal colonel, w^as the beautiful village of Ramos, and where, for the first time, the AGUA FRIO. 319 enemy showed himself on the advance of General Taylor upon Monterey, we come to the little city of Marin. But if too early to encamp at this place, we can proceed on to the Kio Salinas. If still the sun is two hours above the mountains, we have time to reach Agua Frio ; and, encamping by its purer waters, obtain among the friendly villagers a good supper of chile con came and tortillas ; and, if we choose, may spread our blankets upon cowhides under the shelter of palm-thatched cottages. We have now before us, for to-morrow, six leagues over a good road, and frequent water, which brings us to El Bosque de Santo Domingo, — the headquarter camp of our brave old commander ; — from whence, to the city of Monterey, it is but a pleasant little ride of less than one and a half leagues. CHAPTEE XVIII. An Old Adage. — The Soldier, and other Components of an Army.— Gamblers. — Their Implements and Expedients. — Sporting Swell turns Teamster. — He proceeds to Business. — A Scene in Camp. — The Gamblers sometimes check-mated.— The Story of Little Red.— Sergeant K.— The Game of Monte. — The Sergeant in Luck.— One more Antie. — Free "Whisky.— The Luck takes a Turn. — "Cleaned out." — Arrive at Camargo. — The Sergeant has the Damps. — The Pledge. — The Surprise. — The Farewell. The old, homely adage— "It takes all sorts of people to make a world" — may, with very little alteration, be applied to the composition of an army in the field ; — for, truly, it takes many vari- eties of men, to make up its complete organization. The soldier, — he who carries a knapsack strapped to his back, like Pilgrim's load of sin ; and the mus- ket upon his shoulder, with the cotton haversack — the receptacle of the day's scanty fare — under the left arm ; — who, in regular routine, takes his turn at guard-mounting, and fatigue duty; — w^ho has neither will nor soul of his own, but must yield in slavish obedience to the tyrant, Discipline ; — whose law is the whim or caprice of some petty upstart COMPONENTS OF AN ARMY. 321 officer ; — who, at the word of command, must un- flinchingly bare his breast to the iron storm of the battle, and pour out his life-ljlood without a mur- mur : — this man is but one ingredient that goes to make up the unit of an army. There are the numerous employes of the quar- termaster and commissary departments, — the arti- sans, the teamsters and mule-drivers ; the clerks, factotums, and servants ; the contractors, speculat- ors, and letter-writers ; as well -as the blacklegs, whisky-sellers and pickpockets, with their coad- jutors, the courtezans of the camp; — all these elements form important components of the great whole. The last-named gentry, in our army, did not con- fine their operations to the garrisoned towns, and the permanent camps ; but were frequently found accompanying the trains, as they passed to and from our depots, — often in the capacity of team- sters. In some secret corner of their wagons, the monte- bank, the faro-box, and the roulette-cloth, with its gilded figures and emblazoned eagle, the keno-urn, or the wheel of fortune, were snugly stowed away, side by side with the whisky-keg ; — to be placed in tempting array upon the tail-boards of their wagons on arriving at the first camping-ground for 14* 322 CHILE CON CARNE. the night. These men could accommodate them- selves to any change of circumstances, or any ostensi- ble occupations, in order to carry on their game of plucking the poor soldier. One would hardly recognize in the unkemped, coarsely dressed, and dirt-and-tar-begrimed team- ster, mounted on the nigh mule of the rear span, and vociferously yelling to the little leader, as he springs to the ascent of the hill, — the over-dressed and Frenchified swell, he had observed dealing the cards at the richly-laden monte-table of the " Dos Amigos," the evening previous. Yet it is the same man. The long, and, in spite of the dirt, which would disguise them, the delicate and supple fingers of the dealer are now all that remain, by which he may be identified. Yesterday, the troops were paid off a long-due installment, and, as a large escort accompanies the train, with the money in their pockets, our "pro- fessional gentleman" dons his teamster's suit, and presents himself at the office of the quartermaster for a "berth." His partners attend to "business" in the town and at the camp, while he follows, to attend to their mutual interest on the road. At night, after his team is stripped, watered, and fed, and his own supper of fried bacon and army- bread is hastily disposed of, — he prepares for busi- GAMBLING IN THE CAMP. 323 ness. First, his private corner is examined; — the whisky-keg is unrolled from the folds of blankets, which have protected it from the close inspection of the wagon-master, and deposited in some conve- nient place ; as it is to perform an important fmic- tion during the performances of the night. Then, if the night is calm, two empty porter-bottles are called into requisition, to hold each a stump of a sperm candle. These are placed upon the ground, under the cover of some friendly clump of bushes, which would hide the light from that part of the camp occupied by the commanding officer of the escort. The tail-board of the wagon is now un- hinged, and laid upon the ground between the lights ; — a pack of Spanish cards, prepared before- hand, is placed upon the board, in little piles sym- metrically arranged, with "caM/o," "7e?/," "coro7i<2," and " esixida'^ uppermost. The dealer, seating him- self, with his legs doubled under him, and a ban- danna handkerchief spread before him, on which is piled, in tempting array, his golden " bank," — now makes proclamation of — "/ree ivhisJcy to any gen- tleman ivho feels disi^osed to risk a quarter on a game, at ivJuch any one may easily malie a for- tune!''' Men, whose money weighs heavily in their pock- ets, and whose dusty palates long for the whisky, 324 CHILE CON CARNE. soon gather around the gambler. Down goes the money on the cards, and the whisky down the thirsty throats. As the fiery " rotgut" inflames the brain, the betters become more reckless ; and their " anties" increase from Cjuarters, to halves, and dollars. The dealer understands his business ; — he is a good judge of human nature, and knows who to " clean out" at once, — and so dismiss half wild with the wretched liquor and his losses ; — and who to amuse, and play with, as the cat toys with her little captive before she swallows him. The game vacillates and vibrates up and down the scale of luck ; — the better now losing, now winning, now gaining stake after stake. The dealer damns the cards, swears that fortune is against him, and calls for a new deal to change the luck. The new deal is made, and still the lucky better rakes down the silver. Emboldened by suc- cess, he now ventures an eagle. The cool, unex- citable gambler scarcely condescends to notice the gold; but, as luck ivo^ild have it, it slips into the bank. There was no cheating — that the better could observe ; — it was all fair, — only a turn of luck. He tries it again ; and again he loses ; and still loses, with an occasional turn in his favor. By this time, the game, with the help of the free whisky, be- comes exciting; the better will make or break; STORY OF LITTLE RED. 325 down goes his entire pile on "kavallo;" the dealer makes a careless slang remark, while a close observer might detect a half-expressed smile of exultation on his skinny lips ; and up comes the " woman ;" — the soldier is " cleaned out !" Cursing his luclc, and more than half-crazed with the excitement of the liquor and the play, he seeks his blanket, from which he is soon aroused by the shrill, sleep-ban- ishing notes of the reveille. Sometimes, however, these fellows find their match, — Greek meets Greek, — and, with all their cunning in the deal, the tables are turned upon them; — the " bank is burst," — they are ''cleaned out." All who took part in the campaign on our line, are familiar with the story of "Little Ked, the lucky Teamster," as he w^as called in the train. The story is a good one, and I will relate it. Little Eed had belonged to some volunteer regi- ment, whose term of service expiring, had returned home. But he chose to remain with the army ; and as quarter-master's men were in demand, and good pay was offered, he applied to a wagon-master and obtained the place of a teamster in a train. He soon attracted attention throughout the train, by his diminutive form, w^hich was always enveloped in a red flannel shirt, much too large for him, and by the cleanly and sleek condition of his mules. It 326 CHILE CON CARNE. was here he obtained the cognomen by which he was known along the line, and even on the muster rolls of the head wagon-master. Little Red had amused himself by observing the tricks of the gamblers, and occasionally trying his hand, till he at length fancied he had hit upon a scheme, by which he could not only play a good hand himself, but, by following up his system, might be able to break the bank. He chose to try his plan, at first with the Mexican gamblers, as Yankee shrewdness could readily cope with Mexican kna- very. He was successful, and won largely. Having now a good "bank" of his own, he essayed the more skillful American gamblers, and w^ith equal success. He liad now won several thousand dollars. One night, while betting at monte, at the " Dos Amigos," his Mexican lady-love, — for Little Red, as fortune had favored him, was inclined to indulge in the luxury of an amante, — entered the saloon, and, gently tapping him on the cheek, with her fan, motioned him to a private interview ; when she informed him of an attempt that would be made, by a party of JMexicans, to murder and rob him, that night, as he should leave the saloon, on his way to her house. He treated the matter lightly, but promised to be on his guard. During the evening his usual good fortune at- HIS GALLANT DEFENSE. 327 tended him ; and when he left the house, it was with his pockets heavy with the gold of the dealer's bank. He had nearly reached the residence of his amante. w^iich was not far from the Puente de la Virgeii, w^ien he was suddenly confronted by half a dozen Mexican desperadoes, with their drawn knives gleam- ing in the moonlight. Little Red was prepared for them, and drawing a revolver from under his shirt, braced himself against the wall, and began to lay the greasers about him. He shot three dead upon the spot, and winged two others. The sixth cut- throat, finding the American more than his match, w^as glad to make his escape unhurt. The affair w^as noised over the city, on the follow- in2f morninsf. Colonel E. was in command of the city at that time, and had an unlimited authority in matters of police, and the dispensation of laws of his own creation. He w^as so desirous to do justice to the Mexicans, that he often over-reached the point, and was actually guilty of acts of great injustice to his own countrymen. The gallant defense which Little Red had made, and which w^as deserving of much commendation, w^as represented to the officer, by the friends and comrades of the assassins, as a w^iolesale and unpro- voked murder. 328 CHILE CON CARNE. The young man was immediately arrested ; and, without being permitted to give a correct explana- tion of the affair, was loaded with heavy irons, and dispatched to the camp, — to accompany a train of wagons, which was to leave next day for Camargo ; from whence, he was ordered to be shipped to New Orleans. This was the mode of disposing of such persons as became repugnant to the temporary and tyrannous commandants of the town. Little Red begged for the privilege of returning to the house of the Mexican woman, to whose keeping every cent of his money had been intrusted. Tins reasonable request was refused, — and, without a dime in his pocket, he was hurried out of the country. On arriving at New Orleans, his irons were knocked off, and he was turned out on the levee, entirely destitute; with not even the means of ob- taining a breakfast. Wandering thoughtfully along the levee. Little Red observed a vessel loading for the Rio Grande. He went on board, and telling his story to the cap- tain, solicited the favor of working his passage for the voyage. The captain, being a genuine, warm- hearted sailor, was struck with the ingenuousness of the young man, and the evident injustice of his treatment ; — he not only offered him a free passage, LITTLE RED AND HIS AMANTE. 329 but advanced him money to purchase a respectable suit of clothes, and invited him to make the vessel his home while she remained in port. After arriv- ing at Matamoras, the captain further furnished him with the means to reach Camargo ; from whence, he reached Monterey, w4th a returning train ; having been absent some four weeks. In the mean time, a change had occurred in the administration of jus- tice in the city, and he could return unmolested. The most remarkable part of the story, however, is yet to be told. Little Red lost no time in finding the residence of his Mexican friend, — wdio received him joyfully. She was a poor girl, in most indigent circumstances; and had not yet consoled herself with a new lover. Yet she had not touched a claco of the fifteen thousand dollars, which he had in- trusted to her keeping ! but returned the bag of gold, in precisely the same condition she had buried it, on the morning of his arrest. Little Red gener- ously rewarded the faithful custodian of his treasure, by pressing upon her acceptance one-third of his winnings; — with a portion of which, he purchased her a comfortable home in San Francisco, — and eschewing gambling for the future, returned, soon after, to his friends, somewhere in Tennessee. On one occasion, I w^as accompanying a train escort, and we had encamped at the stream of Papa 330 CHILE CON CARNE. Gallios. There was, along with us, Sergeant K., of the 16th regiment, one of the new levies. The Sergeant had served with the 1st Ohio regiment, and was at the taking of Monterey. He had re- turned home, and afterwards enlisted in the new regiment, — and was now again on his return home, on a sick furlough. Being, as he expressed it, but a passenger, and without a mess, I had invited him to join with me, and share my tent. As usual, a monte-dealer had opened his bank, and was calling upon the votaries of fortune, to sacrifice at her shrine. The Sergeant, observing that, as he had not money enough to take him home, he would try his luck at the game. Accordingly, he left me, and wended his way towards the circle, which had gathered around the gambler. I turned into my blankets, and soon forgot all things about me, in pleasant dreams of home. About midnight the sergeant returned with his handkerchief filled with gold ; I should think from its weight, he had over a thousand dollars. "Here doctor!" said he; "I am in luck to- night ; I've almost burst up that fellow's bank !" "How much have you won?" I asked care- lessly, — for, in fact, I was too sleepy to take much interest in his good luck. SERGEANT K. AND THE MONTE-DEALER. 331 " I don't know exactly ; — but as he had about fifteen hundred dollars in his bank, and the other boys were not betting much, — and there is but a precious little of it left, I should think I've about got the fellow's pile ! By heavens ! — I'll return, and make a finish of him !" " But sergeant ! come back a moment, — a word with you before you go — " " Well ! what is it !— Talk fast," said he. " He's playing against luck, and if I don't get back soon, the boys will have used him up. One or two antics more, and I'll not leave a dollar in his bank." I perceived that the free whisky of the gambler was doing its work on the brain of the sergeant ; and, knowinsr that the knave would soon have the advan- o tage of him, and carry the good luck over to the bank, I persuaded him to deposit a portion of his winnings with me, as he would not require a very heavy stake to finish the game, now so near its close. " By Jove ! You're right, old fellow !" said he — "help yourself; — but don't be greedy, — leave me enough to finish him up genteelly." He laid the handkerchief again upon my blanket, — and, gathering up several handsful of the heaviest pieces, I slipped them under my bedding. It was too dark for him to observe how frequently my 332 CHILE CON CARNE. hands returned to the charge ; — but at last, grow- hig impatient, he snatched up what remained, and returned to the work. But it seemed that in his brief absence, the fickle goddess had deserted her friends of the earlier hours of the night, and had now gone over to the dealer. His pile had evidently increased. "I go an eagle on the * corona' " cried the ser- geant, — as he threw the gold piece on the pile of papers that picture represented, and watched the run of the cards. The espada won, and the ten dollars were added to the bank. " AVell, then ; here's two eagles more on the horse !" But the horse, too, had become unlucky, and carried the gold to the wrong side of the board. Again and again the sergeant sees his gold pieces swallowed up in the all-devouring bank. A fresh application to the free drink, and he, determined to recover the ground he has lost, now ventures ten eagles on a card. The banker coolly shuffles ofi his papers, — his own lucky card turns up, and he gathers the money to his own pile. So the game continued, till the sergeant had lost the last piece I had left in his handkerchief. Again he returned to me, much excited, and demanded the whole of the money I had retained. He was confi- " CLEANED OUT." 333 dent lie could yet break the bank. I saw it was use- less to endeavor to dissuade him from further ven- tures against the cunning gambler ; he was now in for it, and nothing short of the loss of the last cent he possessed would recall him to reason. I, there- fore, pretended to hand over to him the w^hole of what remained of his money ; but really reserving more than the half of it. As the guards were being relieved for the last time in the morning, the sergeant returned, and en- tering the tent, awoke me with the request for the loan of an eao-le or so. o "Hillo! is that you, sergeant?" " Yes !" said he, — in a half serious, half comical tone of voice — " what is left of me, — can't you lend me a few antics against that damned monte-dealer ?" " What, my dear fellow ! has the luck gone the wrong way, at last?" "Yes! yes! — That monte-fellow is the very devil for luck : — he has cleaned me out complete- ly — not even left me a dime for morning bitters. I am not alone, however ; — he has whipped out the crowd. Why ! would you believe it, — that fellow has won over three thousand dollars to- nidit!" o I consoled the poor fellow, with the assurance that I might have told him as much ; — and showed 334 CHILE CON CARNE. him the folly of not remaining content with what he had won in the early part of the night. " But come, now, — a truce to preaching ; — lend me ten dollars." "No, Sergeant, you have lost enough already; and I will not loan you a cent. Lie down, and get a nap ; — 'tis almost reveille time." " Well, then, here goes for it ;" and, stretching himself upon the blankets, he w^as soon snoring like a high-2:)ressure steamboat. On our arrival at Camargo, we found the steam- boat " Kough and Keady" fired up, and ready to start down the river to Matamoras. My friend, the Sergeant, hastened to the office of the quarter- master, and obtained his transportation papers ; and, on his return, came to bid me good-by, with a very lugubrious expression of countenance. "Doctor!" said he, " it's likely I may never see you again ; — but w^ould it be too great a favor to ask of an old friend. — the loan — of — say — five — dol-lars, or so ? It's a long w^ay between here and Ohio, — and you know I've not the first red cent for the — extras !" "Well, Sergeant," said I, "promise me, upon the honor of a soldier, that you will not bet a dollar of it upon monte, or any other game, and I will advance you money enough to take you home like a gentle- THE PLEDGE. 335 man, and something handsome left when you get there." " I'll promise you anything you ask, my friend," said he, grasping my hand ; " but I will be grateful for a small amount; five or ten dollars is all I will accept." " But do I understand you to accede to my terms ?" " Yes, yes ! doctor ; I promise, upon the honor of a gentleman, — not only, not to bet on a card, during my voyage home, but never again to indulge in the vicious and ungentlemanly practice — so help me — heaven!" "Enough said. Sergeant! — here, hold out your hands, — both of them, — so, there ;" — and I pro- ceeded to count out leisurely, piece after piece, the gold I had pocketed of his winnings, — till I had piled upon his outstretched pahns over six hundred dollars. He stood lost in amazement, till I had counted out the last eagle ; — then, dropping his hands, and scattering a golden shower of doubloons, eagles, and double eagles, upon the ground at our feet, refused to accept a single dollar, till I had explained the mystery. When I at last bade him farewell, he was in comfortable possession of one of the best state- rooms of the " Rough and Ready." 336 CHILE CON CARXE. I have never since met the Sergeant ; — but, if this book should chance to meet his eye, he will, no doubt, smile to see himself " in print," and pardon a friend of the olden times for the liberty he has taken with him. CHAPTER XIX. The Night call on the Guerrillas. — The Mexicans avoid the "Watering- places. — A hard Circumstance. — Mexicans carry their Water with them. — Accompanying the Train. — The Heat and Dust. — Ride ahead.— The Halt.— No Supper.— The Night Ride.— Old Cam- paigners.— Colonel Louis P. Cook. — Mr. Clemens. — Close upon a Mexican Camp. — The Consultation. — The Plan adopted. — The Challenge. — ^' Tejanos P^ —HhQ Alarm. — The Rush through the Camp. — Arrive at Punta Aguda. — The Ride continued. — The Mys- tery. — Its Explanation. — A new Fact. — The Morning. — A beautiful Landscape. — The Turkey-call. — Its Effects. — Bagging the Game. —The Bells of Mier. The Mexican cavalry forces, of Urrea's and Canales' commands, as well as the guerrillas, in passing over the main-traveled thoroughfares along our line, most piously avoided the streams and water-holes, when bivouacking for the night. They had, on a number of occasions, paid some- what dearly for occupying those convenient halting- places, which we had appropriated to our own use. When comfortably bestowing themselves by their camp-fires for the night, after a hard day's ride, their suppers simmering over the embers, making the air fragrant with their savory ingredients, and J o 33S CHILE CON CARNE. "whetting the keen edge of hunger;" — their horses stripped, and disposed of, amongst the tliickets; — and the cahii starlight night full of promises of kind repose ; — thus comfortably disposed, it was anything but agreeable, to be suddenly disturbed by the unan- nounced arrival of a company of Rangers, or some other party of Americanos, who unceremoniously claimed, not only the possession of the ground, but " of all the goods, chattels, and appurtenances there- unto attached," — as well as taking unwarrantable liberties with the persons of the occupants ! They had frequently been thus surprised ; — and therefore, for the future, being taught discretion by sad experience, they avoided altogether the water- ing-places along the road, — carrying their water along with them in skins ; and bivouacking on high ground, at a distance from the streams, were less liable to be intruded upon by their enemies. It was a sultry afternoon, and the progress of the train I was accompanying might be traced from the distant heights by the heavy columns of yellow dust, which ascended from it, as it poured along over the parched roads. We had left Cerralvo that morning, and proposed encamping at night at Chicharrones. What with the heat of the day, and the inhaling of the impalpable dust, with which the air was CHICHARRONES. 339 loaded, we found it extremely un^Dleasant traveling in the crowded ranks of the escort. I, therefore, proposed to Colonel Louis P. Cook, of Texas, and one or two other gentlemen, to ride in advance, and reach the camping-ground before night ; and thus escape the dust and confusion of the train and escort. We according started ahead, — a party of four of us; — and reached Chicharrones while the sun was yet some hours high. A train, which had pre- ceded us, had left the place the same morning; and we found an ample supply of provender, which it had left behind, and with which our horses were plentifully supplied. As for ourselves, we should have to fast till the arrival of the train ; and having nothing else to amuse ourselves with, after attending to the w^ants of our animals, w^e spread our blankets under the sheltering shade of the trees, and yielded to the gentle wooing of nature's sweet restorer. When we awoke, the broad disk of the sun was sinking behind the western sierras. The train had not come up ; nor could w^e hear the most distant sounds of its approach. Concluding that, forced by the heat of the day, it had halted at another resting-place, we began to become troubled about the prospect for supper, — as we had fasted since early morning. 340 CHILE CON CARNE. Our horses, however, had been well fed and re- freshed ; and the Colonel proposed that we should remount, and ride on as far as Punta Aguda, — about five leagues ahead, — where we might arrive at an early hour of the night, and obtain refresh- ments among the rancheros there. This arrangement was adopted ; so, saddling up, and strapping on our blankets, we sallied into the road again, for a night-ride to the next usual stage of train-travel. The night was clear, and comfortably cool ; and as the dew, falling heavily, partially laid the dust, we found the riding much pleasanter than it had been during the sultry hours of the day. Our horses, also, experienced the benefit of the change, and moved over the ground with elastic steps. There was no moon; but the stars gleamed brightly, and gave light enough to make the out- lines of surrounding objects distinctly visible. The road, most of the way, was over an unoccupied portion of the country, thickly covered with chap- arral. The ride was made cheerful with conversation ; and as all my companions were " Old Texians," they had many amusing incidents of campaign-life to relate. Colonel Cook had been a prominent actor in the early history of the Republic. He had A MEXICAN CAMP. 341 figured largely as an Indian fighter; and carried an evidence of his acquaintance with the Camanches, in .an ugly scar, made by an arrow-head, which, crashing through the cheek bone, had entered his right eye, tearing it completely from the socket. One of the other gentlemen, Mr. Clemens, had been an officer of the little navy of the State ; and, w^ith Commodore Moore, had taken part in the engagement with the Mexican squadron off Tam- pico ; — so that the night wore swiftly away, with the recital of the incidents of those times ; — and, ere we were aware of it, w^e had nearly accom- plished the five leagues to Punta Aguda. We were on the last league of the stretch, when the Colonel, who was giving me a detailed account of the affair of Groliad, suddenly checked his horse, and, giving utterance to a low, but expressive " shirr /" called us to a halt. " Gentlemen !" he exclaimed, " we are close upon a Mexican camp !" I saw neither the loom of a camp-fire, nor heard any sound of life, save our own low voices, and the breathings of our horses. The thickets were quiet and voiceless, as if the silence of death brooded over them. It was at that hour of the night, w4ien even the insect voices of the woods were hushed in repose. Other senses, therefore, than those of 342 CHILE CON CARNE. sight and hearing, were necessary, to detect the vicinity of the enemy. " They cannot be more than a quarter of a mile distant, if they are so far as that," said he. "Some one hold my horse, and while you remain hei«e, I will go ahead and reconnoitre." He left us, and proceeding cautiously and silently along the road, was soon lost to our sight, in the deep shadow of the chaparral. After an absence of a few minutes, he returned, with the intelligence that a large party of guerrillas had encamped imme- diately across the road, on the rising ground ahead, and had kindled their little, Indian-like fires, directly in the dust of the path. He had approached with- in a few yards of the sentinel; who, apparently, more than half asleep, was leaning, carelessly, in the forks of a low mesquit tree. "Well, Colonel! what do you propose? Shall we have to back out, and return? or, cannot we pick our way through the thickets, and get into the road again, ahead of these fellows ?" " No, gentlemen ! That is out of the question. Not even a cat, with the light of day, could pick her way through this wall of prickly pears, and thorny bushes; — much less could we force our horses through it, in this darkness !" "What, then, is your plan?" I inquired of the CHARGING THROUGH THE CAMP. 343 Colonel. " It, certainly, will never do to turn back, — and it is also out of the question to pass the niGfht where we are." "You are right, Doctor!" returned he. "We will charge through their camp, — yelling like a legion of devils ; and so, taking them by surprise, we may possibly cut our way through, Scot free. They will, no doubt, mistake us for an advanced picket of a large party ; and will be too intent upon their own safety, to pursue us. What say you, gentlemen, to my plan ?" " Agreed ! let us make a rush !" was the response which met the Colonel's proposition ; — and so, dis- mounting, we busied ourselves for a moment, in tightening our saddle-girths, and examining the condition of our lire-arms. The Colonel had a fowling-piece, and he now dropped, into each tube of it, a bullet, in addition to its ordinary charge of buck-shot. All now being ready, we remounted, and rode slowly along, till we found we had excited the at- tention of the sentinel. The " click" of his carbine- lock fell distinctly on our ears, — followed by the short, abrupt challenge : " Quieji vive?^'' '' Soldados!'' " Quien soldados P''^ 344 CHILE CON CARNE. • ^^Tejanos! Alerta,ladro?ies!^^* fiercely roared out the Colonel ; — and striking his rowels deeply into the flanks of his horse, and yelling like a wild Ca- manche, he led the way through the midst of the half awake and terrified guerrillas. The sentinel was so completely dumfounded by our sudden assault, that we had passed him some distance, be- fore he recovered himself sufiiciently to give the alarm. Yelling at the top of our lungs, we dashed along the road, — scattering the fire-brands beneath the feet of our plunging animals, — upsetting cooking utensils, — bursting water-skins, — tramphng over the prostrate forms of the sleepers, — knocking down, or leaping over those who were endeavoring to spring to their arms, — discharging our revolvers right and left, — and, altogether, creating a most astounding excitement throughout the astonished camp ! On we spurred, like a fresh arrival from Pandemonium ; — shouting back to some imaginary host following in our wake; — and making the night hideous by our unearthly noises ; — the very chap- arral was startled by the unusual sounds. The guerrillas, taken completely by surprise, and looking for the onslaught of a fresh charge, from * " Texians ! Look out, you thieves !'- THE SENSE OF SMELL. 345 the direction we had come, paid but little regard to us, after we had passed their camp ; — and but a few hasty and badly-aimed shots were sent after us, as we descended the hill, and left them in our rear. We now soon arrived at the ruined ranclio of Punta Aguda, among whose falling and fire-stained walls still remained one or two families of its for- mer occupants, with whom we had intended to stop for rest and refreshment. But we had aroused a hornet's nest, — and prudence required that we should keep the road. It w^as a long stretch to Mier ; but w^e determined to push on to that place, where we could await the arrival of the train, and give our over-ridden animals time to recover from the night's work. It was still a matter of mystery to me, by what means the Texian Colonel had discovered our prox- imity to the camp of the guerrillas, and, riding up to his side, I asked for an explanation. " I smelt them /" said he. "You mean, I presume, that you scented the smoke of their fires, or their cookery." " No !" he replied. " I detected the peculiar scent of the Mexicans, — in the same way that experience has taught me to know the vicinity of the Camanche Indian. It is a faculty I have acquired, — perhaps, 15* 346 CHILE CON CARNE. as a dog acquires the habit of following the game by his nose ; — or, as any Texian boy readily knows, when he is approaching the spot where coils the venomous rattlesnake." This was a new fact to me ; but I learned, subse- quently, while I was a resident for a brief period in Texas, that the old Indian fighters, and hunters of the country, were almost all possessed of this fac- ulty ; and could often follow certain scents, as uner- ringly as a well-trained hound. The hours of night glided unnoted away, as we rode leisurely along ; occasionally halting to breathe our horses, and let them crop a mouthful of the luxuriant mesquit grass, that grew by the side of the path, where the thickets did not intrude; and, at length, as the shadows of night were chased away by the approaching day, the landscape gradually revealed itself; and flir away, down the long reach of the tortuous road, which ran along a descending plain, loomed up the church-towers, and white walls of the little town of Mier. Beyond, in the rear of the town, flowed the bright waters of the Salinas, soon to unite with the Rio Grande ; while the far-off mountains filled up the back-ground of the landscape. When the sun, dissipating the vapors, had risen clear and bright above the horizon, he lighted up THE TURKEY CALL. 347 the deep green of the chaparral— sparkling with the brilliant dew-drops pendant from their leaves, and presented a picture, whose rich coloring would have made a study for an artist. Claude Lorraine, in moments of his brightest inspiration, had never con- ceived a picture of such surpassing beauty as that which now lay stretched before our eyes. The Colonel was riding a short distance ahead, with one leg thrown carelessly over the pommel of his saddle, apparently lost in admiration of the scene before us ; and, at the same time, amusing himself by mimicking the " cluck" of the wild turkey hen. Presently, to his own surprise, as well as ours, the responsive signal of a male bird was heard in the depths of the chaparral. Again the imitative sounds were made, and again replied to. A cock- turkey had been deceived by the " counterfeit notes," as the Colonel termed them, and was evidently ap- proaching the road ahead of us. Dismounting from his horse, and throwing his bridle over the pommel of my saddle, and remarking that "we were good for a breakfast of turkey that morning," the Colo- nel motioned us to halt, while he walked on ahead. Still repeating the call, and receiving the answering ^' gobhle-gohhh'' of the excited bird, he chose a position'^under the cover of a thick clump of nopal leaves, and awaited his approach. Nearer and nearer 348 CHILE CON CARNE. came the answering sounds ; — till, presently, there emerged into the open road, a short distance in advance of the hunter, a beautiful cock-turkey, — or "gobbler," as he is termed in the South, — leading in his train a convoy of hens, whose sleek feathers reflected, in many changing hues, the light of the morning rays. For an instant, the polished tubes gleamed among the green, fleshy leaves of the spiky nopals; — the hunter leaned his head low down, to bring his one keen organ to range along the bright iron, and pressing the triggers of both locks, almost simul- taneously, — a flash and report, — and three noble birds lay on the ground before him. The remaining birds, terrified by the explosion, and the momentary struggles of their mates, stretch their necks, and gaze for an instant in the direction of the shot; then uttering wild notes of alarm, rise disorderly from the ground, and whirring away over the chaparral, are rapidly lost to sight. The birds are strapped to our saddle-bows, and we resume our ride. We had arrived within about a mile of Mier, when the bells of the cathedral rung out upon the calm morning air, in silvery tones, the music of the oraciones — calling all within their mellow sounds to morning prayers. These bells of Mier have long been noted for their peculiar sweetness and clear- THE BELLS OF MIER. 349 ness of tones. They were cast in old Spain, and brought to the country more than a century and a half ago, — and for a hundred years had sent forth their silvery voices from the towers of some old Jesuit mission, calling the Indians from flocks and fields, to tell their beads before the shrine of some painted saint. Now those sweet notes were borne to our stranger ears, over the undulating chaparral, like words of welcome, — suggestive alike to us, and our wearied animals, of a good breakfast and comfortable quar- ters for the day. CHAPTER XX. Aunt Phyllis. — A Good Breakfast. — Camanche Indians. — Their De- predations. — They receive a Damper. — A Sad Incident. — " Mai del Corazon." — Rejoining the Train. — Indians Burn a Rancho. — The Rescue. — The Kentuckian. — His Carbine Shot. — Its Effect. — The "Withdrawal of the Indians. We remained at Mier, till noon of the next day, awaiting the coming up of the train. We had found agreeable quarters at the house of a mulatto woman — Aunt Phyllis, as she w^as called ; — a refugee from a Louisiana cotton plantation. She, with her hus- band, also a mulatto, and several children, had been residents of the place for several years. She now kept a sort of hotel for the accommodation of the passing Americans ; — and was regarded in the town as one of its most respectable and w^ell-to-do citizens. Aunt Phyllis s(5on prepared us a truly American breakfast, in which fried turkey-steak, and most excellent coffee, formed important features. Our night's ride, and twenty-four hours' fasting, had put our stomachs in preparation to do full justice to the THE CAMANCHES. 351 delicious cookery of our kind hostess. Soon after a hearty meal, we spread our blankets under the shade of the garden trees, and sought the repose our weary limbs demanded. We learned that the Camanches had just made an assault upon the neighboring ranchos ; and were now threatening even the town of Mier. These marauding savages have always been the pest of the country ; — and their annual raids are the terror of the people. The villages and ranchos are frequently laid in ashes, — the men and women mas- sacred, — and the young girls ravished, and carried off to their haunts among the mountains ; where they are subjected to the most inhuman captivity. The large towns, even, are not exempt from their visitations ; for the name of Camanche or Apache carries with it a prestige of most fearful import ; — and the cowardly half-breed Mexicans, paralyzed by the cry of ^^Indlo /" have rarely been known to make a stand against them. They have, therefore, in a great degree, overrun the country unmolested. Even during our occupation of the country, they made inroads, and attacked the defenseless ranclieros^ almost within sight of our encampments ; supposing, till they were taught different, that they were doing us a good turn. The first damper which these fellows received, 352 CHILE CON CARNE. was administered to them by Walter Lane, with his battalion of Texas Kangers, near Parras, — a consid- erable town among the mountains, beyond Saltillo. The Camanches had come down upon that place, on a horse-stealing raid. But Lane and his men, having been some wrecks in idleness, were glad of a chance to meet their old enemies; — and, besides, being on friendly terms with the people of the place, the more readily undertook its defense. They fell upon the Indians, and killed nearly one-half of their numbers. Cerralvo and Mier had often suffered from their depredations. On one occasion, I remember, while at the former place, a poor, melancholy, half-crazed creature called upon me, at my hospital, and begged me most earnestly to prescribe for her. ^^ Sefwr Medico P^ said she, — "I am sick I — and have been so a long time! Cannot you give me a remedio ?" She was a stranger to me, — but I perceived by the wild, haggard, and prematurely-aged expression of her face, that her disease was of the mind ; and not one that medicine could reach. "What is your sickness? If it is such as lies within the province of my skill, I will cheerfully do what I can for you." "Oh, senor," replied she, with a melancholy smile THE '' MAL DEL CORAZON." 353 creeping over the deep lines of her face, '•'•tcngo mal del corazon /" — (I have the sichiess of the heart /) She then went on to inform me that, some three winters before, the Camanches had attacked the place, and, killing her husband, among others of the citizens, had carried off into captivity her two only daughters — young girls of ten and twelve years of age. Whether they were dead, or still lingering in hopeless slavery, and subject to the brutal treatment of their heartless captors, the poor woman could not know^ This cruel uncertainty was what in- creased the mal del corazon ; — and, in the utter sim- plicity of her stricken heart, she really fancied that I could — -« '^ minister to a mind diseased, — Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow ; Raze out the written troubles of the brain ; And, with some sweet, oblivious antidote, Cleanse her stuff 'd bosom of that perilous stuff Which weighed upon her heart." But, like Macbeth's physician — "the disease was beyond my practice ;" — and I dismissed her with the commiserating hope, that time might, in some mea- sure, assuage the anguish of the childless mother's broken heart. This was but one, of many similar cases, which came to my knowledge, w^hile at Cerralvo. In some 854 CHILE CON CARNE. instances entire families had been carried off into irredeemable and hopeless captivity. We now rejoined the escort, and once more resumed the march towards Camargo. We had been about an hour on the road, when, on ascend- ing an eminence, we came in sight of the ranchito of Guardao, on the bank of the Rio Grande. Dense columns of smoke were bursting from the combustible materials of the thatched roofs ; — which were quickly tinged with scarlet and white ; — and, in another moment, the little hamlet was enveloped in the fiery embraces of the devouring element ! — The Indians were at their infernal work! A portion of 4;he escort consisted of mounted men, among whom were several Kentucky cavalry men, and a number of Texian Rangers, of Captain Reed's company. These were immediately ordered to spur ahead to the relief of the rancheros. Col. Cook and myself had already started in advance ; and, putting our horses to their speed, soon arrived at the burning rancho. The Indians, seeing our approach, as we sped towards them along the descending ground, dashed into the river, and made good their escape, hj placing it between us and themselves. The rapid stream not being fordable, we were AN INCIDENT. 355 unable to pursue them. Their little Camanche horses took to the water like spaniels ;— and by the time we had arrived at the margin of the current, on our side, they were ascending with their wild riders, up the steep bank of the other, — where they were all quickly concealed behind the heavy chap- arral. The rancheros had discovered the approach of their enemies, in time to escape to the thickets ; leaving their homes, and all they contained, to be destroyed by their ruthless invaders. The Texians proposed to cross the river higher up the stream, and give them a fight ; but that could not be done, without leaving the train unpro- tected, and upon reflection, the idea of attacking the Indians was abandoned. I had ridden into the stream, to water my horse, and was followed by a Kentuckian, for the same purpose. He carried the usual carbine, suspended by a broad belt from his shoulder, and hanging under the left arm. It was the breech-loading, short-barreled weapon, such as had been recently adopted in the army; and had been furnished to the volunteer cavalry, as well as the regular dragoons. Some of the new Ranger companies had adopted them ;— but the earlier Texas volunteers preferred the old backwoods rifle, or the six-shooting revolver. 356 CHILE CON CARNE. and refused to use them, asserting that they were of too short a range for efficiency. While our animals were drinking, an Indian pre- sented himself on the edge of the opposite bank ; and, presuming upon the distance, amused himself, by turning his back to us, and going through a variety of insulting pantomimes ; then facing about and, snapping the thong of his bow, as if threaten- ing to try its force upon us. The river at this point widened out into a broad expanse, with its surface broken by sand-bars and little grassy islands, so that the distance from bank to bank was nearly half a mile. Had I a good rifle, I should have planted a bullet into his tawny hide for his impudence. The Kentuckian, observing my impatience and sharing it, unslung his carbine, and applying a new cap, quietly observed — " I reckon I can put a stop to thiS; fellow's sport ! They do say," continued he, "that these carbines won't shoot ! This one, however, did some good service at Buena Vista, if I'm not mistaken. But there, you remember, sir, the distances were too short to prove their qualities. Now, here's for a trial at a long shot, at yonder red devil !" So saying, he brought the stock of his short gun to his cheek ; and drawing a bead upon the naked PROVING A CARBINE. 357 back of the savage, pressed the trigger. The Indian gave one wild, ringing yell, and springing into the air, as I have seen a buck do, v^^hen shot to the heart, he pitched head first, dov^n the bank, into the muddy current below ! " There !" drily observed the Kentuckian, as he coolly proceeded to wipe out the empty tube, "I reckon that gun will pass ! I'd like to see one of your old-fashioned rifles beat that ! I tell ye what stranger ! that old red skin will burn no more ranches — this side of Jordan !" This was the last we heard of the Camanches, while we remained in the country. Finding that the Americans were not disposed to permit their depredations upon the ranches, they returned to their hunting ranges, to await the withdrawal of our army ; when, no doubt, they renewed their hos- tilities, with still greater atrocities than before, if such were possible. CHAPTER XXI. The Guerrillas molest our Trains. — Jesus Eomero. — His Generous Conduct to the Ranger. — Expedition against his Party. — Direc- tions. — Dismiss the Guide. — A Wild Region. — The Valleys of the Sierra Madre. — Lose the Trail. — Find Another. — Night overtakes us. — "A Rancho!" — A mistake. — The Corral. — Water. — A Pic- turesque Group. — Lonely Situation. — The Dutchman and the Wolves. — Coyotes. — Signs of Humanity. — An Oral Phenome- non. — The same experienced on the Mustang Deserts. — Unlike the Mirage. — How Accounted for. — Watering our Horses. — The Grama or Mesquit Grass. — We eat our Last Rations. — A Dilem- ma. — A Ranger assumes the Guidance. — Another Yalley. — The San Juan. — Beautiful Variety of Cacti. — The " Cereus Gigan- ticus." — The Encampment.— No Supper. — Armdaillos. — A Deli- cious Dish. In the autumn of 1S47, the guerrillas had become numerous; every rancho and village contributing men to swell their ranks. Our trains were liable at any moment, while in transit, to be attacked by them. They had adopted a system of annoyances, that required the utmost vigilance of our troops, escorting them, to guard against. They had their hidden rendezvous all along the road, from Camargo to Monterey; and had spies at JESUS ROMERO. oiVJ every rancho near the route, to give notice of the passage of a train, which, if not strongly escorted, would be pounced upon suddenly, from an unex- pected quarter, -and a portion of it cut out, and hurried off into the labyrinthian recesses of the chaparral. They much preferred to waylay the mule-trains ; as these w^ere attended, and managed by Mexican arrieros, who were more readily intimidated ; and the animals, with their cargoes, were rapidly hurried out of reach of pursuit. Among the bands of guerrillas, who occasioned us the most trouble, from their skillfully planned and unexpected attacks, was one under the cap- taincy of Jesus Romero. This man, I)o?i Jesus, as he was called amongst his countrymen, was a ranchero of respectable standing, and some wealth, which consisted of droves of horses and black cat- tle, and flocks of goats. He had been alcalde of Cerralvo for several years previous to the war. He was a remarkably fine-looking person; — large and athletic, and having the reputation of being a brave and generous partisan. In the affair of Manteca, where Baylor was routed by the guerrillas, a ranger belonging to his company, by the name of Jennings, had his horse shot down, while he was endeavoring to escape through the 360 CHILE CON CARNE. thickets. He succeeded, however, in secreting himself, till the attacking party had withdrawn ; — when, for several days, he wandered through the chaparral, and subsisted on wild tomatoes, and the fruit of the prickly pear. At length he came in sight of a rancho, which he approached. He was received kindly by the people, and furnished with food and clothing; — his own light dress had been torn to shreds among the thorns and cacti of the thickets. The Texian remained several days among these kind nmcheros; till Romero, hearing of the circum- stance, visited him, and, furnishing him with a good horse, accompanied him to Cerralvo, whence he rejoined the remnant of his company at Mon- terey. This brave guerrilla was now causing us a good deal of trouble. But a few days before, he had attacked, and succeeded in getting off with, a por- tion of an atajo de mulas (mule-train), even as it was entering the town, where there were stationed at the time no less than three companies of Rangers, and a battalion of the 16th infantry. Therefore, as these fellows could not be come at in a fair, open fight, it was determined to hunt them out among the secluded ranches and mountains, where they were in the habit of rendezvousing ; THE SEARCH FOR GUERRILLAS. 361 and, if possible, force tliem to a fight on their own grounds. Accordingly, Major Norval, of the 16th infantry, with a portion of Captain Reed's company of Texas Rangers, the "Licking Rangers," from Ohio, a num- ber of the 16th infantry, mounted for the occasion, with a few volunteers, started forth on this expe- dition. As this would afford a good opportunity to see a portion of the country never before visited by the Americans, I availed myself of it, and obtained per- mission to accompany the party. As far as the village of Ramos, we escorted a large w^agon-train, bound to headquarters. At this place we passed the train over to the protection of a party of infantry. Turning off to the right from the main road, we struck into a path which soon brought us to a small rancho, where we pressed into our service one of the people, to act as a guide. We had formed no definite plan of proceeding, but determined to be governed by circumstances in the pursuit of our search. There is no doubt, but that a more suitable selec- tion might have been made, in the officer, to whom was intrusted the command of this imj^ortant ex- pedition. Major Norval was a worthy and brave officer, but altogether inexperienced in bush-craft, 16 362 CHILE CON CARNE. and the habits of guerrillas. He himself had sug- gested the propriety of making up the party entirely of Texas Eangers, under the command of their own officers. But Lieutenant-Colonel Webb, who com- manded the post, aware that the 16th infantry had done nothing since they came to the country, in- sisted upon one of his own officers heading this party. We had received information, which led us to be- lieve that Romero, with his band, was in the habit of ocupying the ranchos, and water-courses in this part of the country ; but as he remained only a short time at any one place, we should depend upon such chance information as we hoped to obtain from the rancheros, whom we should en- counter. Our guide was an old man, and, being on foot, we soon dispensed with his services, as we supposed we should have no difficulty in obtaining another at some neighboring rancho. The old fellow, on leaving us, gave directions by which, he said, w^e would soon reach another ranch, where a guide could be found, who was familiar with the whole country. Said he, — " Follow this trail, till you come to the foot of yonder mountain; — then turn to the right, and follow a very dim trail for about a league LOSING THE TRAIL. 863 and a half; — this will bring you to a road leading to the rancho. On reaching this road, turn to the left ; but, before you reach it, you will cross a stream of clear water. Don't let your horses drink of it, as it flows out of a silver mine, in the mountains, and is poisonous. Follow my directions, seiiores, and you will have no trouble in reaching the rancho." We followed the old man's directions to the let- ter. We reached the foot of the mountain indicated, and turned to the right, along the dim trail. We crossed the stream of water of which we had been cautioned, and, although our animals were in want of water, we dared not let them quench their thirst ; but hastened along, anxious to enter the more beaten road, which we expected soon to find. We rode along the dim trail, which passed through a moun- tain gap, and finally opened upon a barren plain beyond. Here, instead of leading into a more beaten track, it was soon broken into a number of branching paths, w^iich were finally lost altogether. We had ridden several leagues, to reach this point, and were now convinced that the knavish old Mexican had deceived us, and intentionally led us off the right course. We were now in an extremely wild and desolate region. Around us the dark mountains reared their 364 CHILE CON CARNE. craggy heads, inclosing a tract of broken land, where the hard, gravelly soil gave birth to a stunted growth of cacti and palmettos, with here and there a clump of thorny iucsquits, or scraggy ehona. This plateau was many leagues in extent, so far as we could judge from the view we had obtained of it, on crossing a spur of the mountain, over which our path had carried us. The mountains approached each other on either hand; but, as is frequently the case among the valleys of the Sierra Madre, the plain opened a long vista before us, and stretched avv^ay in irregular windings, till lost in the distance by an abrupt angle of the parallel ridges. We were now at a loss what course to pursue. The day was far advanced ; and, if we retraced our steps, it would be night, long before we could reach the rancho from whence we had started, and the entire day would have been lost; — we might con- tinue along over the plain, and, doubtless, a trail might be struck, which, follow^ing, would lead to some point, from whence we could make a new start on the morrow. At all events, it was important that we should find water, as our horses were now suffering for the want of it. The Major, tjierefore, concluded to divide the party, and search for a trail passing over the plain. The party which should discover one, was directed THE CORRAL. 365 to give notice by firing a shot ; when we were to re- unite again. A party of Texians soon gave the wished-for signal. They had found a trail, which had been made by cattle ; but it was now so old, that it was impossible to tell which end of it to pursue. A season seemed to have passed, since this path had been traveled over ; — but there was no doubt that, if we fortunately chanced upon the right direction, it would lead us to water at least. We, therefore, determined to follow in the direction which led towards the base of the mountains. We rode along this path for hours. Gradually it began to assume a wider and more beaten character. Several other and smaller trails were now entering it at various angles ; and we began to congratulate ourselves on approaching a rancho. Night had overtaken us ; but the stars afforded light enough to enable us to keep the trail, which still became clearer as we advanced. Still, no wel- come rancho appeared in sight. At length, however, those of us who were in the advance, perceived in the obscure distance ahead, what appeared to be the outlines of a rancho. We w^ere certain it was not a clump of chap- arral, — neither was it a cluster of rocks. There were the rough bark-covered timbers of an inclo- 366 CHILE CON CARNE. sure. Yes, it was what we so much wished to see. " A rancho!— a rancho!" — was shouted to those of our friends who were in the rear ; and the wel- come cry was greeted with a glad " hurrah," which ought to have aroused the inhabitants of the place. But, to our great chagrin, not even a dog replied to the unusual sound ; and, on following up the path, we found ourselves in the inclosure of a large corral, — a picketed circle, built for herding and branding wild cattle. No sounds of humanity greeted our ears ; and, on searching around the corral, nothing could be found indicating the neighborhood of Mexicans. A stream, however, was found in the rear of the inclosure ; but, so far as we could ascertain in the dark, it was unap- proachable to our weary and thirsty animals. It ran at the bottom of a deep canon, and could only be reached by clambering down the steep side, with the assistance of our lariats attached to the bushes on the bank above. By this means we succeeded in filling our canteens, and obtaining enough to furnish each man with a cup of coffee ; but our horses could not be supplied. They were, however, somewhat relieved by the dew that had fallen heavily on the wiry grass, on which they were glad to feed after their hard day's travel. A PICTURESQUE SCENE. 367 Fires were soon 'kindled, and our scanty suppers of tasajo^ hard bread, and coffee, disposed of. The guard was posted around the outside of the corral ; and, spreading our bhmkets and saddles, — the latter were our pillows, — we sought the refreshing repose which sleeping in the open air of that delicious cli- mate always brings to the weary traveler. We presented a picturesque group, as we lay stretched in promiscuous disorder over the ground. The flickering light of our camp-fires, illuminating the corral, lighted up the deformed outlines of the rough pickets which formed its walls. Here and there, a dark opening appeared, where some partial- ly-decayed timber had been torn away, to furnish the fires. Through these openings, clusters of thick- leaved nopals stretched their hydra-headed and gro- tesque contortions, and seemed to peer in upon us with vicious eyes, — waiting only for slumber to steep our senses, when they would spring upon us, and strangle us in their spiky embraces. We were, doubtless, leagues away from any human habitation; for these corrals are frequently met with in the extensive cattle-ranges of Mexico and Texas, at great distances from the homes of the vaqueros. The quiet stars gleamed calmly and coldly down upon us, and the night wind brought no sounds of life from the surrounding gloom. True, 368 CHILE CON CARNE. we were a somewhat numerous party ; but in this wild region, ignorant of our whereabouts, and un- certain what course we should pursue on the mor- row ; destitute of food, and our horses suffering for the want of water; — all these circumstances crowd- ing upon my mind, as I lay among my sleeping comrades, caused a feeling of solitude and loneliness which was entirely new to me. At last I was forced to yield to the drowsy god, and lost all unpleasant thoughts, in visions of far different scenes. I cannot say how long I had slept, when I was aroused by an excited exclamation : " Oh ! vat de tuile ist dat ? Some tam animal on mine planket ! Get out /" This proceeded from one of the Ohio Rangers, who had spread his blanket at the same fire with myself. He had sprung to a sitting posture, and extended a cocked pistol towards an object, the outlines of which I obtained a momentary glimpse of, as it glided between us and the expiring fire. I snatched the weapon from the hand of the half- awakened Dutchman ; for, had he snapped it at the retreating shadow, he would have done so at the imminent risk of the lives or limbs of his comrades, on the other side of the fire. "Toctor ! vat de tufle ist it !— a bainter ?" THE DUTCHMAN AND THE WOLVES. 369 I assured him that it was nothing more than a hungry coyote^ that, probably, tempted by the scent of our suppers, had ventured into the corral. " A coyote ! Vat ish a coyote ?" " It is a kind of jackal, or small chaparral wolf," I replied. " A volf, you say ! Dunder und blixen ! Vel, den, I guess I schleps no more dis night. I vii go and talk mit de guard." So, gathering up his blankets, and wrapping them over his shoulders, he started to the opening of the inclosure, in search of a sentinel, and more facts in relation to the nature of a coyote. Had I simply informed him that the animal which had disturbed his slumbers was a coyote, without entering into an explanation as to its species, it would have caused him no alarm ; but the idea, that a wolf was shar- ing his blanket, was more than even a phlegmatic Dutchman could submit to. Laughing heartily at the abrupt departure of my sleeping companion, I resumed my horizontal posi- tion, and yielded to the drowsy influences of the hour. Those about me were giving voice to a variety of nasal notes, which, though not of the most musical character, seemed to impart a somno- lent virtue to the air I inhaled. I had nearly taken up the thread of my dreams, 16^ 370 CHILE CON CARNE. where it had been broken off, by the sudden excla- mation of the Dutchman, when I heard a soft stealthy- tread on the dry crispy grass between me and the pickets. Then something sprang lightly over my head — I felt a hairy tail brush rapidly across my face ; — and cautiously turning towards the fire, I perceived a coyote moving timidly between it and myself. Snuffing among the ashes he discovered the remnant of a half consumed bone, the relic of our scanty supper. Seating himself leisurely upon a corner of my blanket, he began to crunch the juiceless morsel. Soon he was joined by another ; and still others came, till at length I counted no less than seven of these animals moving around the expiring embers, and searching for the crumbs which, had been scattered about them. I began to think, like the ranger, that I, also, would go and " talk mit de guard;" but then I re- membered I had frequently heard of their visiting our night bivouacs, and that the Texians regarded them as entirely harmless, — aside from their thieving propensities. So, throwing my cap amongst them, and scaring them to another quarter of the corral, I turned over, and resumed my dreams. I was awakened before the break of day by a sentinel, who gave me the pleasant information, that we were not far from a rancho. AN ORAL PHENOMENON. 371 " How do you know that ?" I asked. *' I have heard the barking of dogs, and the crow- ing of chickens," replied he. " There now, hark ! don't you hear that ?" "What?" " That shrill crowing of chickens ! — there 'tis again — once, twice, three times ! And there, too, is the barking of dogs !" I listened with my head to the ground, but not a sound struck upon my ear, which I could con- strue into those familiar signals of humanity. I quit my blankets, and climbed to the top of the pickets ; yet, notwithstanding the slightest concussion vibrates afar through the elastic atmos- phere of these elevated plains, I could hear no- thing. Declaring that I must have lost my hearing, the sentinel left me, and aroused others to listen for the wished-for sounds. Some, like myself, remained deaf to them. At length, however, one or two fancied they did hear something, somewhat resem- bling those welcome. voices. After a while, the whole camp was on the alert to catch the sounds. Some went out from the corral — away from the confused noises of the crowd, — and, laying their ears to the ground, listened breathlessly for them. Several thought they heard 372 CHILE CON CARNE. the barking of dogs, but could not detect the crow- ing of chanticleer ; — others again were certain that they could readily distinguish the " cock-a-dudle-du f but not the baying of the dogs ; — and others again, asserted most positively, that they heard both the crowing and the baying, till at length almost every man in the party was confident that he heard the most unmistakable evidences of our vicinity to the abodes of men. Yet at this very time, when at least three-fourths of the party fancied — nay, wotild have sivorn — that they really heard the voices of chickens and dogs — not one of those domestic animals was within many leagues of us. The wish was parent to the sound. I have since experienced the same hallucination when bivouacking on the extensive Mustang desert of southwestern Texas. I have laid awake at night, and, in the '' Sma' hours ayaut the twal," actually believed that, on the return of the morning light, I should find a human habitation close at hand ; — when long leagues stretched their weary distance between us and the nearest settlement. This deception of the sense of hearing i* not akin to the optical illusion of the mirage ; which latter is WATER. 373 occasioned by a peculiar condition of the atmos- phere, and reflection or refraction of light. But the oral illusion is altogether dependent upon the nerv- ous condition of the subject. In one instance, the optic nerve conveys a correct impression, so far as itself is directly concerned, to the brain. In the other, the brain, being under the influence of a pecu- liar excitement, receives impressions, which are not transmitted by the auditory apparatus, but, by a sort of volition, are received and registefed as true audi- tory vibrations. As soon as the light of day returned, we began to reconnoitre our position, and search for a place by which we could approach the water with our horses. They had now passed about twenty hours without drink. We found a point in the canon, where, by partly sliding on their haunches, and partly scram- bling down, they could reach the stream. The ascent on the other side was easy enough ; and led to a parterre where the grama, or mesquit grass, was growing in luxuriant abundance. There we con- cluded to stake out our animals for an hour, to allow them to lay in a good supply of its succulent and nourishing capsules. The eye could detect no sign of human habita- tion within its range ; — not even were cattle to be seen upon the whole extent of the plateau. The 374 CHILE CON CARNE. morning songs of birds and the chirp of the cicada were the only living sounds that fell upon the ear. A more lonely and isolated valley could not be found. It was a fit place for some world-sick mis- anthrope, who would seek a quiet habitation among the undisturbed solitudes of nature. After our horses had filled themselves with the rich pasturage, and we had eaten our last ration of came seco, and washed it dowii with our tin-cup of coffee each, we* saddled up, and awaited the order to resume our pathless march. Wliich way should w^e go? This was now a matter of consultation. Had we been in an open prairie country, it would have been soon decided ; our course would have been guided by the compass ; but, surrounded as we were by mountains on either hand, it required some knowledge of hunter-craft to know the right direction to search for a trail. A Texas Ranger, however, volunteered to bring us to the San Juan river; where, at some point along its banks, we would be sure of finding a rancho ; and the Major gladly accepted his guidance. Accordingly, we struck over tow^ards the base of the liills, with a viev/ of finding a passage through, or over them, to the next valley beyond. We were fortunate in falling in with the bed of a small stream, flowing through a deep and narrow pass, dcwn A BEAUTIFUL CACTUS. 375 wliicli we followed, till it debouched into the valley. Along this valley we rode for several hours, keep- ing the willows, which skirted the banks of the stream, still in view, After traveling some eight or ten leagues, and the day being nearly spent, we at length struck a trail, which, following two or three leagues further, brought us to the bank of a large stream, which was immediately recognized as the San Juan. Plunging into its rocky bed, and struggliiig through the rapid current that washed our saddle- skirts, we landed amid a luxuriant growth of live- oaks, acacia, and ebona^ — a forest, in short, such as is rarely seen in this region. Here we observed several beautiful varieties of the cacti family, which we had never met with before. Besides the nopal or cochineal plant, the maguey, the Spanish bayonet, and a spheroidal cactus {melocactus communis), which, in this prolific soil, grew to a gigantic size, we were struck with the huge proportions of a variety of cactus, which was new to most of us. It sprung from the crevices of the rocks, and upon the edge of the river-bank, to a height of from twelve to twenty-five feet, — a fluted column of an octagonal form, and without a leaf or branch. It tapered in graceful proportions from the ground, as straight and perfect as if fash- 376 « CHILE CON CARNE. ioned by the hand of art. Along the angles of this green column, the white porcelain-like flowers were arranged, at regular distances, to the top ; while, upon the very apex, a cluster of blossoms, larger and more brilliant than the others, formed a fitting coronal for this noblest representative of the most numerous family of plants to be found in tropical forests. This columnar cactus is known as the Cereiis gigantic us. We now found ourselves riding along a w^ell- beaten road, over which a number of heavily-loaded carretas had but recently passed. The road lay along the bank of the stream, down which we fol- lowed. We reached an open glade, where there was an abundant supply of the rich grama grass, just as the setting sun w^as casting the long shadows across the San Juan. Here we found the embers of a recent camp-fire, still glowing among the grass. It was, no doubt, the last resting-place of the car- reteros^ whose tracks we had observed along the road. They had passed the previous night here. This was an evidence that we were still distant from anyrancho; and we, therefore, concluded to follow their example. In a few minutes, our horses were stripped, and greedily cropping the luxuriant grama. This night, our last ration of cofiee was consumed ; ARMADILLOS. 377 after partaking of which, we spread our blankets for the night. Some of our comrades had fallen asleep, — to revel, perhaps, in dreams of well-spread tables and festal cheer. The Texians, however, had observed several dark objects gliding through the grass, and were on the look-out for a supper. Soon, the report of a carbine proclaimed their suc- cess ; then another ; and several others, at short in- tervals. I left my blankets, and, going into the edge of the timber, discovered the cause of the fir- ing. Our friends had had the good luck to shoot six or seven armadillos. These are nocturnal ani- mals, somewhat common in the country, and are considered, by the natives, as the richest delicacy. They were brought in, and divided among the hungry men. The fires were replenished, and soon the fragrance of roasted meat pervaded the camp. But the northern men of our party were not yet hungry enough to eat the meat of these strange animals. Many had not even heard of an armadillo, — and their covering of mail and long rat-like tails were by no means tempting to their fastidious ap- petites. A greater share, therefore, fell to the lot of those who were less squeamish ; and some of our number made a most delicious supper; — for, preju- dice aside, the armadillo furnishes one of the most delicate dishes I ever remember to have eaten. I 378 CHILE CON CARNE. have seen them served up in a great variety of v^ays by Mexicans and South Americans, — and, as they so much surpass any other wild meat, it is difficult to decide which is the most preferable mode of cooking them. CHAPTER XXIL Resumption of the March.— Guerrillas in Sight.— The Race.— Mys- terious Disappearance of the Guerrillas. — The Race continued. — The Wounded Mexican.— Prisoners.— Chaparral Surgery. — Ro- mero's Men. — Hacienda of San Miguel. — Signs of Guerrillas. — The Mayoral. — The Porkers. — A Bereaved Parent. — Efforts to Alle- viate Hunger.— The Search for Forage. — Discovery of a Prize. — The Secret of the Mayoral's Hospitality. — Foundered Horses. — San Cristobal.— Signal Guns.— The Town Deserted.— Dignity and Inhospitality. — The Alcalde.— No Prospect of Food.— The Texian's Remedy. — Its good Results. — Prospects for a Supper Improve. — Women and hot Tortillas. — The Alcalde improves on acquaint- tance. — Canales' Orders. — Supper comes in good Time, — An Agreeable Ending to an Unpromising Beginning.— Arrival at Cerralvo. The morning light found us on our road again, following down the right bank of the San Juan. We were riding leisurely along, — admiring the varied objects of interest, in the floral and geologic- al developments, which presented themselves along our route. We had almost forgotten the real object of our expedition, — when the party of Eangers, who had been sent in advance, as vedettes, were seen riding back, and motioning us to halt. They reported that a body of mounted Mexicans 3S0 CHILE CON CARNE. had appeared along the top of the high bank, on the opposite side of the river. It was apparent that they had not discovered our party, as we were screened by the cacti, and other growth, which covered the edge of the river-bank on our side. The Mexicans were also proceeding down the river ; — and, as they were moving slowly, we doubted not we could cross the stream fn their rear, and approach them before they would suspect our presence. We, therefore, halted for a moment, that they might get ahead; — then, taking to the current, which, though rapid, was fordable at almost any point, we reached the left bank undiscovered. Ascending the bank, we found a well-trodden trail, which, like the one we had been traveling on the other side, ran parallel to the river. We rode along silently, at a gentle trot, for about a mile, when, at a turn in the road, we came in sight of the Mexicans. They were a party of some fifty, well armed and mounted ; — but they had observed us at the same instant; — and, putting spurs to their mustangs, flew rapidly along the trail, leaving a cloud of dust behind them. Our horses were in good condition, — thanks to the grama of our last halting-place, — and an excit- ing chase now commenced. Should there be no side-trails, leading through the THE GUERRILLAS. 381 thick undergrowth, from that we were on, w^e would soon overtake them, and bring them to a stand. But, along all the bridle-paths, as well as the more traveled wagon-roads, we had encountered these branching trails, leading from the main track. They were, probably, made by cattle wandering from one grassy glade to another. We were evidently gaining upon the guerrillas, for such they no doubt were. They were within carbine range ; but we were not disposed to waste our shots. We hoped they w^ould take to cover, and give us a chance for a fair fight, as our numbers were about equal. We had now reached a point where we could see for some distance along the trail. About half a mile in advance, it passed over an abrupt spur of a high range of hills, where, no doubt, the Mexicans in- tended to make a stand. The ascent was steep ; while a tangled growth of chaparral made the hill unapproachable, save along the path. It was an object with us, to reach the hill as soon as possible , after the enemy, to make the attack be- fore they could have time to form, or seek shelter under cover of the rocks, which covered the crest of the eminence. Rapidly they scoured along the path, — putting their little animals to their best paces. They had 3S2 CHILE CON CARNE. • nearly reached the foot of the hill ; but were lost to sight by a short angle in the road ; — we could dis- tinctly hear the clatter of their horses' hoofs over the loose stones. Sinking the rowels into our horses' flanks, we pushed them along at a killing rate. We had reach- ed the foot of the hill, — but where were the guer- rillas ! We saw them but a moment before ; — but, with the exception of some half dozen, who were flying over .the hill, they had suddenly and mys- teriously disappeared ! Some pursued on up the steep ascent of the hill, while others drew up to examine the ground at its base. Here, to our extreme chagrin, we discovered nu- merous trails, leading out from the dry bed of a sum- mer stream. These trails led off in every direction, and each bore the fresh track of the flying mus- tangs. It wms now evident that the guerrillas had dis- persed, and a further pursuit was worse than use- less. Our object was now to overtake those who had kept on the main path, if possible, and, by taking one of the number prisoner, force him into our ser- vice as a guide. I had checked my horse but an instant, at the spot where we had lost sight of the guerrillas; but con- THE WOUNDED GUERRILLA. 383 tinued to push on up the hill. The retreating Mexi- cans in advance of us, had passed out of sight over the crest, followed closely by a number of the Texian Kangers. As I reached the top of the ascent, I heard the crack! crack! in rapid succession, of two rifle shots ; then, on looking down the path on the descending side, the Mexicans again were seen, still ahead of the pursuing Rangers. I observed, how- ever, that the foremost rider was reeling in his saddle. As I gained upon them, a dark crimson stain dis- colored the white camisa and buckskin calzones of the Mexican, and dabbled down the foaming flanks of his horse. The panting animal was doing his best ; — but, as he reached the bottom of the descent, and w^as cross- ing the rocky bed of a brook, he made a misstep, and stumbled, — falling partially upon his knees ; — but, quick as thought, he recovered his feet. The sudden and unexpected motion, however, was too much for the wounded man, who, already exhausted from the loss of blood, now lost his hold, and fell to the ground. Seeing the fate of their comrade, the others drew up where he had fallen, and, throwing down their arms, awaited our approach. The Rangers secured their prisoners, w^hile I dis- 384 CHILE CON CARNE. mounted, and proceeded to examine the condition of the wounded Mexican. A rifle ball had passed through his right arm, shat- tering the humerus, and severing the artery. When our party came up, I was engaged in taking up the bleeding vessel. With the leaves of the Spanish bayonet plant which grew at hand, I was supplied with the best of splints ; and one of the Mexicans, untying the silken sash about his loins, furnished all I required in the way of a bandage. In a short time, the wounded man w^as able to be placed on his saddle ; and remounting, we all pro- ceeded on our way. We learned from our prisoners, that they w^ere part of the band of Romero, w^hom they had started out to join, at the hacienda of San Miguel, about two leagues distant. It was about noon, when we reached the hacienda, w^hich w^as a small sugar-cane and maize plantation, under the charge of a Mayoral or agent. The principal house, an adobe structure of one story, was occupied by that person. The Jacals surround- ing it were of less pretending appearance and occu- pied by the ^jeoiis, who performed the labors of the hacienda. On approaching the entrance of the picketed inclosure which surrounded the houses, we observed the footprints of a large body of horse. These THE MAYORAL. 385 were doubtlessly made by the guerrillas, who had recently left the place. In fact, our prisoners asserted that their leader, joined by the party, to whom they had belonged, had left the place within an hour. The Major would have continued the pursuit without halting, had not the famished condition of the command required a temporary halt. As we were entering the place, we were met by the worthy MayoraL who received us with a grand flourish of welcome ; and, leading the way up to the front of his residence, invited us to alight and make ourselves at home. " Soy miiy servidor de nstedes, scTiores! y la hacienda, con todo que la tiene, estd muy a sus dis^osiciones." "What says he, Doctor?" inquired the Major, appealing to me, whose services were usually called upon, when an interpreter was required. I replied, — anglicizing the Mayoral's compliment- ary tender of hospitality, — that the hacienda, and all it contained, was at our service. "Well! I'll be shot, old fellow, if you ain't the most obleeging greaser this chap ever treed !" exclaimed a hungry Texian, taking him at his word ; "and to prove you're no liar," continued he, "here goes for a roast pig, for my share !" So, coolly dismounting from his horse, the Texian 17 386 CHILE cox CARNE. drew bead upon one of a litter of plethoric pork- lings, at the further end of the yard, fired, and the little animal fell to the ground without a grunt. ^^ Estd bueno / hien hecho, amigo mioP^ (That's good, well done, my friend !) quietly observed the imperturbable Mexican, whose eye had followed the motions of the Kanger. " Yes ! pretty fat pig, that's a fact, old fellow !" " Seeing as how you take it so mighty easy, neighbor," says one of the Buckeye Kangers, " I guess I'll try one of them ere suckers myself!" "And here goes for another !" "And another!" cried several voices. And, in less time than it takes to tell it, the maternal parent of the sleek little grunters was left in the melan- choly condition of the disconsolate Rachel, — who would not be comforted, because her children were not. In the mean time a dozen fires were kindled about the place ; and the men, putting the hospitality of the Mexican to the severest test, had appropriated to their own use, not only roasters, but kids, chick- ens, and such other delicacies as came to hand. Soon a variety of delicious flavors emanated from the fires, and filled the atmosphere of the place with their grateful fragrance. In passing through the houses of the peons, a PLUNDERED STORES. 387 number of women were found, who were set at work at their rnetates^ and in a little while the 'pat! jpat! imt! of their busy hands gave promise of a supply of tortillas^ — a fitting accompaniment to the barbecued and broiled meat of kids and porkers. In the mean time, while a portion of the men were engaged in preparing the dinners, others were occupied in searching the premises for corn, and other provender for our horses. A large adobe building, at some distance from the main rancho, attracted their observation. On reaching it, however, they found the doors firmly secured ; but a narrow opening in the wall afforded a view of the interior. The one room of this store-house, for such it was, was piled from the floor to the thatched roof, with a mingled mass of barrels, boxes, and sacks, which had a foreign appearance, most unappropriate to this out-of-the-way locality. Soon the doors were made to yield before the blows of the extemporaneous battering-rams, wield- ed by the Rangers ; and on entering the building they found it filled with barrels of flour, sugar, molasses, and vinegar ; boxes of sperm candles and soap, sacks of meal, salt, preserved fruits, and oats ; detached portions of harnesses, artisans' tools, and 388 CHILE CON CARNE. many other matters, enumerated among the ordinary stores of an army. These articles were immediately recognized as the property of Uncle Sam ; in fact, the robbers, so confident of their security in this isolated place, had not even taken the precaution to obliterate the brands of " U. S. A.," with which all our army sup- plies were marked. We learned afterwards, that this plunder was part of the cargoes of the train, whose drivers were so inhumanly massacred near Marin, early in the spring previous. The owner of the hacienda was an officer in the corps commanded by Urrea; and had purchased these stores on a speculation. No doubt, had he been able to retain them, till the American army had withdrawn from the city of Monterey, he would have made a small fortune by the opera- tion. Here, we discovered the secret of the extreme hos- pitality, and friendly disposition of our hace?idado, who had been made the custodian of his employer's treasures. He could afford to submit patiently to the slaughter of his pigs and flocks, so long as they ^ would divert the attention of our men from the valuable depot of our own property, under his guardianship. THE ALCALDE OF SAN CRISTOBAL. 389 As may be supposed, we lost no time in securing our host, and putting him under the surveillance of the guard. Our horses were once more regaled on an abund- ant feed of oats, which they doubly relished after several days' abstinence from grain. The conse- quence was, that a good number of them, being overfed, were badly foundered, and unable to pro- ceed, when, two hours after, a portion of the com- mand resumed the march. Leaving a party of twenty-five men at the haci- enda, to guard the stores of the plundered train, the Major now determined to return to Cerralvo by the most expeditious route, and dispatch wagons for their removal. Therefore, taking the Mayoral for a guide, and leaving our other prisoners behind, we again took the road. That night we encamped at the imchlec'ito of San Cristobal. As we approached the village, we heard the firing of signal guns ; and, on entering the large plaza, the place seemed to be deserted. Not a man was to be seen. We, however, rode to a large inclosure, a kind oi corral, on one side of the plaza, and, picket- ing our horses, began to make arrangements for encamping. 390 CHILE CON CARNE. We determined to spend the night here, at all events; and, while our horses were being stripped, the Major and myself were about to start on a reconnoisance of the place. At this moment, a solitary figure made his appear- ance, striding across the square, with an extraordi- nary assumption of dignity. His hands were crossed over his back, and under the long skirts of a Shang- haish black coat ; a glossy somlrero w^as cocked over his dexter ear, with an air of great importance ; and, stepping up to the little group around the Major, he coldly saluted that officer, without so much as condescending to notice the rest of us, and demanded, in no very friendly tone of voice : "Q?/o-o," repeated the Mexican, ";zo hai came, — ni maiz, — ni siquiera Jtoinbres ; todos son afuera — todos,^^ (I say there is neither meat nor corn, — not even men. They are all gone, — all) *' Where are your men ?" ^^Qiiien sahe.^^ We w^ere beginning now to lose patience with the obstinate Mexican, when a Texian, with a hair lariat in his hand, stepped up and addressed the Major: "With your permission, sir, I can bring this greaser to terms ; I know the nature of the brute." "How will you do it?" asked the officer; "he is as stubborn as the Corkonian's pig!" 392 CHILE CON CARNE> ^' I'll choke him a little with this lariat, sir," said the Texian, shaking that instrument in the Alcalde's face. I assured the Major that I had seen the experi- ment performed several times, and always with the happiest results. The Ranger was then permitted to adjust the rope ; but with instructions not to push the choking process so far that the Mexican would be unable to cry jpeccavi, w^hen he had got enough. "Never fear, Major," was the answer; "I'll do it up brown ; but I'll get the rations, and yet leave breath enough in his carcass to stand another chok- ing, the next time we happen to come this way." The Texian then politely requested the Alcalde to remove his broad-brimmed sombrero; but not complying readily, it was removed for him, by one of the crowd, who had assembled to witness this novel proceeding. The rope, previously prepared with a hangman's loop, w^as placed over his head, and drawn down to the throat. Gathering up about two-thirds of the free end of the rope in his hands, our Ranger led his victim tow^ards the gate of the corral, over the posts of which was stretched a cross-piece of timber as a brace. Throwing the end of the rope over this, it was caught by a number of hands, and drawn THE ALCALDE RELENTS. 393 gently downwards, when they waited for the word to stretch upon it. Up to this moment, the Mexican looked upon the whole proceedings as a joke only; but as the word was given — " heave away, hoys /" — the obstinacy and dignity of the worthy alcalde suddenly deserted him ; and, clutching the rope with both hands, he exclaimed : "" Oh! seilores! por cl amor de Dios ! misericordia ! Si! tengo came! hai hastaiite, — lastante!'' (Oh! for the love of God! mercy! yes! I have meat; a plenty, — plenty !) "Say corn, too, you black devil, or up you go!'' cried his mewiless executioner. " Si! y maiz tamhien, hastante !''^ " Let him down, boys— let him down ! he relents —we've cured him ! Now, mister Alcalde, are you sure we can have the corn and meat ?" asked the Texian. The Mexican, addressed thus in good English, was at a loss, for a moment, what answer to make ; but at length comprehending at a venture, hastened - to reply. *' Si ! seFiores ! si, con mucho gnsto /" *' But when ? qiiando ?" ''Apisa! ajrrisa! inmediatamente, sefwres!'' (quickly ! quickly ! immediately, gentlemen !) 394 CHILE CON CARNE. By this time the plaza began to assume an ap- pearance of life; and women were gathering from all parts of the town, to intercede for their magis- trate. I assured them that we intended no harm to him, but were only forcing him to sell some supper to a party of hungry men. We only wanted meat and corn, for ourselves and horses ; and the privilege of passing the night in their place ; and in the morn- ing we should leave them unharmed. The women were satisfied ; and they declared that those articles could be had; and we should have them, too. The Texian, who had proposed the trial hy lariat, now whispered in my ear: ,, " Doctor ! negotiate with the women, for a bushel or two of hot tortillas^ " Well suggested !" I replied, and turning to the Alcalde, I asked that worthy, loud enough to be heard by the crowd of women, if he could include, in his contract, a couple of hundred or so of those articles. " Si! si! si!^^ exclaimed, at once, a score of music- al voices ; and the women scattered in every direc- tion, to their houses, to commence the labors of the mctate ; and soon the clapping of hands announced that the interesting process of preparing them had begun. THE ALCALDE BECOMES AGREEABLE. 395 The Alcalde, now become the most accommo- dating and complaisant of hosts, invited the Major, and a number of others, to accompany him to his house, which was close at hand. Arriving at his porch, Ke took a large cow's horn, which hung sus- pended from the thatch, and with a few blasts, summoning from their hiding-places a number of stout rancheros, dispatched them forthwith, to bring into the plaza the requisite supplies. One by one the family of the Alcalde entered the house, to have a nearer view of the Americanos. To them, we were "?Y?ra arw," a strange sight, which they had never before had an opportunity to see. We were the veritable barbarians, of whom they had heard so much. The Alcalde now called to his wife, — a pleasant, good-natured looking little body, — and requested her to bring a bottle of Parras brandy and some glasses. When the senora returned with the liquor, he poured out a glass, first to himself; — and, passing the bottle to his guests, proposed our healths, — " hoping that the next time he should have the pleasure of our company, it might be under more pleasant circum- stances !" " But the fact is, gentlemen," said he, " I received you, according to special instructions from El Goher- nador, General Canales. I dared not do otherwise ; 396 CHILE CON CARNE. — and, as you have forced me to your own terms," — continued he, smilingly, and making a significant motion towards his throat, — " I hope to escape un- harmed." While this was taking place, the rancheros had returned with a fine beef, which they proceeded to dress in the plaza ; and, by the time the men had started their cooking, the tortillas, piping hot from the pans, w^ere being brought from the dif- ferent houses, neatly enveloped in snow-white napkins. Notwithstanding the unpromising appearance of matters on arriving at the village, we succeeded in getting a good supper, — as well as the means for an ample breakfast ; — and, on leaving the Alcalde in the morning, the Major gave him an order on the Quar- termaster, at Monterey, for the full amount of all we had obtained of him ; besides, adding to the amount, a small bonus, by way of compensation, for the unceremonious liberties we had taken with his person. The worthy magistrate had become very friendly, and, on bidding him farewell, he insisted on mount- ing his horse and accompanying us a short w^ay, and putting us in the road towards Cerralvo, — which place we reached, as the shades of night w^ere steal- ing over it, after an absence of five days. Although, THE RETURN. 397 SO far as the real object of the expedition was con- cerned, we had not accomplished much, yet the discovery of the plundered stores, at that particular time, was of much importance to the army, which was in want of them. CHAPTER XXIII. Negotiations for Peace. — The Relieving of the old Troops. — The Withdrawal of the Regular Troops of the Mexican Army. — The Mexican Government forced to a Treaty. — The Writer takes Passage for Home. — Arrival at Reynosa. — A Surprise. — Meets an old Friend. — Her Impressions. — She visits General Taylor. — A Free Pass. — Return to St. Louis. It was now late in the winter of 1847-8, and negotiations had been some months in progress for the ratification of a treaty of peace between the two belligerent governments ; and in view of the accom- plishment of this object, the veteran troops were being relieved by those of more recent levies. There remained but little to occupy the army, save keeping open the communication between the coast and the interior. The Mexicans had withdrawn all their regular forces; — and the guerrillas only remained to molest us. They, however, were nothing more now than organized bands of robbers, waylaying the thorough- fares, to pick up a scanty plunder from such little parties as ventured forth unguarded. Our trains, PROSPECTS OF PEACE. 399 therefore, still required the protection of small escorts, while employed in the transportation of supplies to the garrisoned towns; and gradually re- moving such materiel of war, as could be readily dispensed with, towards the Gulf coast. A war, of almost three years' continuance, which had been maintained, on our part, at the expense of millions of treasure, and the blood of thousands of the best men of our nation ; — but which had estab- lished for us a military reputation, of which our country is justly proud, was coming to a close. The Mexican people were weary of a struggle attended only with defeat ; — their soldiery were discouraged, — having been taught by bitter experi- ence the utter inexpediency of longer contending, in the open field, with their invincible Anglo-Saxon antagonists. Their national treasury was exhaust- ed ; dissensions and revolutionary factions were fermenting at the capital ; and the entire political horizon of the country was dark with portentous clouds. A treaty of peace, therefore, must soon be rati- fied ; however disadvantageous it might prove to the political and moral interest of the Mexican nation. I had taken passage at Camargo, on board a small steamer bound for the little river town of Reynosa. 400 CHILE CON CARNE. The river, at this season, was at a low stage, so that boats of any considerable draught could not proceed beyond that point. Here, the supplies intended for the upper country were reshipped ; and passengers bound down were landed, to await the arrival of the lower river boat. When we arrived at Reynosa, the steamer from below had not yet come up, and the passengers sought quarters for the night in the town. The next morning, arrived the " Rough and Ready," which would turn her bows down-stream again so soon as she had discharged her freight upon the river-bank. Soon as we heard the sound of her 'scape-pipes, we hastened to the landing, to welcome her ar- rival. At length, she came in sight round the bend of the river, and steamed cautiously up the shallow channel of the long reach that lay below the town. We observed on her hurricane deck what, to us, were objects of no small interest, — so long had our eyes been unaccustomed to the sight. It was no less than a group of ladies, dressed in the latest styles of the States. With but one exception, I believe, — and that was the lady of Major H., of the pay department, — no American lady had visited our line, during A SURPRISE. 401 our occupation of the country ; and that was truly- like an " angel's visit." Who could these ladies be ? Perhaps they were the loving wives of some of our officers ; and had come to the country to join their long-absent lords, who, no doubt, were soon to return home with them. They certainly had the appearance of Amer- ican ladies; — at all events, whoever they were, they were evidently just from the United States; for they wore bonnets, and their dresses, so unlike those worn by the Mexican ladies, indicated as much. As the boat turned up to the landing, one of the ladies had recognized an acquaintance on the bank ; and, advancing in front of the group, was gesticulating in an earnest manner towards him. No one, of our little party of downward-bound passengers, seemed to receive these marks of recog- nition as directed to himself. At last, as the boat touched the bank, and a deck-hand sprang to the shore, line in hand, I was surprised to hear the voice of the lady, exclaiming : " Senor Medico ! Don Estehan / / Doctor ! ! ! venga abordo /" I looked, — certainly the words were addressed to me ! — I could not be mistaken ; for I was standing 402 CHILE CON CARNE. apart from the other persons on the bank, and the eyes of the lady were directed particularly to me ! But what lady would have chanced to recognize me, in that part of the world ! She was evidently a Mexicana, or a Spaniard. Ah ! I have it now, — she is probably some one of my Creole friends, whom I had parted with some years before in Cuba. At all events, the mystery can be easily solved ; — so, stepping across the gang- way plank, and springing up the stairs to the upper deck, I found myself enfolded in a pair of fleshy arms, and drawn into a friendly, but most smother- ing embrace. "^/i / amigo mio, tengo imicliisimo alegria a la vista de listed /" And it was not till I had released myself from this genuine Mexican salutation, that I found myself in the presence of my kind friend of Monterey, Doiia Felicite Mendez. After mutual compliments, Doha Felicite informed me, that she was now on her return from the United States. She had been to St. Louis, where she had left her two sons, and a daughter, to be educated. She said, she had stopped at Baton Rouge, where she had spent a week very agreeably in the family of her friend, General Taylor. It was her first visit to the United States. She doNa felicite. 403 had seen much to interest her ; and had much to communicate to me of her impressions. " Why, amigo mio P'' said she to me, with a quiz- zical smile, — " I have discovered that your country- men are not at all like the Camanches ; they are quite as refined as the Mejicanos P'' I spent an hour very agreeably with my good friend, who easily exacted a promise from me, to call upon her Pepc, Martin^ and Carlota, on my arrival at St. Louis. " My dear sir ! as you know that lady, will you relieve my curiosity, by informing me who she is?" This request was smilingly made by the captain of the boat. I gave him a satisfactory answer, and formally introduced him to the lady. " Well, really !" observed the captain, as I was about to leave the boat,^ — " I thought that your friend was no less a personage, than the lady of Santa Anna herself. My cargo consists almost en- tirely of trunks, boxes, and rich furniture, belonging to her, and her retinue of Spanish ladies from New Orleans." 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