Disaster in Rio Grande Valley 65 



to help them but little, for with what I had under- 

 gone the last fifty hours, and the terrible death of 

 my young cousin, Howard Bakewell, I was utterly 

 exhausted. Simson, Clement and John Stevens 

 went with me across the river to the town, and the 

 rest packed what was most valuable, and hired men 

 to guard the camp that night. 



I lay on a bed in a small house belonging to Mr. 

 Phelps, listening and awaiting the arrival of the 

 bodies of Bakewell and Liscomb, who were 

 brought over under the direction of Harrison and 

 Simson, and in a sort of a dream I heard their 

 footsteps, sprang from the bed, and Bakewell was 

 laid upon it. I waited for the rest of the party 

 with my saddlebags containing the company's 

 money; that was all of value that I thought of, and 

 sometimes I wonder I thought of anything, I was 

 so weary. But Clement brought them and Lis- 

 comb too, and the latter was laid out in the same 

 room with poor Howard. We then all went to 

 Armstrong's hotel, Clement carrying my bags and 

 valuables, and arriving found two more of our 

 party down with cholera. Dr. Campbell came to 

 see us and did all in his power for the sick, and 

 indeed for all of us, and told us it would be unsafe 

 for us to keep our money bags, but to give them 

 to the bar-keeper telling him their value, and 

 promising to pay him well for his trouble in caring 

 for them. 



